Key Note Gaming

I find myself in a weird place with EA Sports FC 27. On one hand, worthwhile strategic elements have finally been added that reflect real-world tactics in a concise, intuitive way. On the other hand, the promised improvements to the behavior and pathing of computer-controlled players on the field still ring hollow, carrying over many of the same issues the series has had for over a decade. Couple this with the dreaded introduction of open-world elements via The Grounds, and the result is yet another year where nearly positive change is balanced out by a negative one.Ever since NBA 2K14 introduced MyPark, which eventually evolved into The Neighborhood in NBA 2K18 and The City in NBA 2K21, I figured it was only a matter of time before EA brought a similar open world full of activities to its other sports franchises. While The Grounds isn't without merit, it often feels like EA is trying to solve a problem that didn't really exist. After hours of exploring The Grounds, it’s clear ...

I was a bit stunned to hear there's a new single-player story campaign for Warcraft 3 in 2026 – 23 years after its last expansion, The Frozen Throne . And after the uneven Warcraft 3 Reforged, I was even more surprised at how much I ended up enjoying Forsaken Kingdom and its accompanying changes. It's honestly great to be back looking down at Azeroth's moody champions and impressive cities from a raven's eye view considering Blizzard hasn't given single-player RTS fans anything new to chew on since 2016's Starcraft II: Nova Covert Ops. This expansion maintains the feel of classic Warcraft 3 while mixing in some new ideas, and while it doesn’t hit the highs of Reign of Chaos or The Frozen Throne, that's something I might never run out of appetite for. This review will cover three main additions to Reforged that all arrived together: the Forsaken Kingdom single-player campaign expansion itself, the Forsaken Paladin multiplayer hero, and the "Definitive E...

Players who haven’t yet experienced Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown can play the entire game for free right now on Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2 until September 30. Ubisoft Montpellier's 2D Metroidvania-style Prince of Persia game can be downloaded for free in its entirety as a playable demo starting at 10 AM PT today, September 24, through Wednesday, September 30 at 11:59 PM PT. You’ll need to be a Nintendo Switch Online member to take advantage of this wild offer, though. There’s more to it than just the game, too, though that in itself is a massive deal; members can also earn 100 My Nintendo Platinum Points by completing a mission in the game during this trial period. For more information on how to score these points, you can check out the Missions & Rewards section on the Nintendo Switch Online portal or from your Nintendo Switch’s home screen. And like many other modern game demos, you’ll be able to carry over your save data from this trial if you end up buy...

Finally! A new Ace Attorney game was announced! But hold on, it’s not actually a brand new Ace Attorney game. Oh, and it’s VR exclusive. As part of Meta Connect 2026 , we have the surprise announcement of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Dual Destinies VR, exclusive to Meta VR Glasses, Meta Quest 3/3s, Quest Pro, and Quest 2 in 2027. That’s right, the next game in Capcom’s legendary courtroom battle narrative adventure series is exclusive to the Meta Horizon Store. As you’d expect, this hasn’t gone down particularly well with fans of the series who are still waiting for Capcom to make some sort of noise — any noise really — about a potential Ace Attorney 7. Indeed, Dual Destinies VR is a VR version of an Ace Attorney game that launched on Nintendo 3DS in 2013, before hitting other platforms later. It's 13 years old. The last new Ace Attorney game (Ace Attorney 6 if we’re counting), was Spirit of Justice, and it came out in June 2016. Given fans have been waiting over a decade for Ace A...

The artist behind a Pokémon 30th Anniversary Jirachi SIR card has responded after beloved influencer Avery the Poké Kid pulled the card in his last pack opening before his death from pancreatic cancer. Avery the Poké Kid was just 12 years old when he died of pancreatic cancer on September 19, 2026. To celebrate his life, the young Pokémon influencer’s parents posted a video showing him opening his very last set of trading card packs from the brand’s recent 30th Anniversary drop. On the very last pull of his second and final pack, Avery pulled a Jirachi SIR, a major win that caused him to shout in excitement. The heartwarming moment went viral within the Pokémon community and beyond, leaving viewers misty-eyed and sorrowful that such a bright and cheerful voice in the space had been tragically lost at such a young age. Even the artist of the card, who lives halfway across the globe from Avery’s home in Everett, Washington, saw his viral pull. Speaking on Twitter/X, prolific Pokémon tra...

Halo fans are divided on whether or not Activision should completely reboot the franchise or keep Master Chief's story going. A rumor floating around the internet from a user named TechnicalHalo suggests that Activision will totally reboot the series, throwing all of the lore out the window in favor of a fresh start. We advise you take this with a grain of salt, as we have no idea what Activision's plans are for Halo, but it has started an interesting conversation among fans. Should Activision use its first Halo game to create a clean slate for the beloved sci-fi franchise? A segment of fans are under the impression that, although Halo has gone off the rails in the last decade, there are still some elements from the newer games that are worth keeping. Bungie's contributions to the franchise (Halo: Campaign Evolved through Halo: Reach) are valued by fans, so some believe that if there's a way to retcon Halo 4 and onwards, that would be a valid option, as well. This ens...

When developers show off their games, they tend to defeat the enemy AI in spectacular fashion. But that’s exactly the opposite of what happens in the gameplay King Art Games just released for its upcoming real-time strategy game Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 . In the video, below, creative director Jan Theysen and senior game designer Elliott Verbiest team up against Hard AI Orks in a 2v2 Team Skirmish PvE battle. These two developers have been at the helm of pretty much all the Dawn of War 4 battlefield report videos released so far. But those previous gameplay videos focus on PvP; this time, Theysen and Verbiest join forces to face the enemy AI — and they decide to go up against hard mode. The video shows two matches, the first of which goes so spectacularly badly for the poor developers that they suffer defeat in just over four minutes. They declare that a practice round — mere training before the second match, in which the pair promise they're “locked in.” They also increase ...