A new key visual for the game’s opening animation sequence (produced by MAPPA) has been revealed, and it’s no surprise to see Erin, Mikasa, and a couple of very familiar faces on it. Encompassing the early days of the Survey Corps to the end, we’re expecting a faithful recreation of events from the anime and manga with these four front and center. However, those rebuilt cutscenes and the Omni-directional mobility gear are solid reasons to believe that this one’s more than capable of standing as tall as a proud member of the Survey Corps with its own unique perspective on Titan-hunting to share.

Time will tell if that’s the case, but we’re hoping for news about that in-game bonus from transferring saves from previous titles and how it’s going to work. You can bet we’ll tell you more details as soon as we hear them, but the visual below is a good place to leave things for now.

However, you might want to take a little break and grab the latest patch as it brings a lot of balancing changes and gameplay fixes that can make your time either hunting your prey or evading your pursuers a lot easier. Civilian Escapes can be detected from farther away, for starters, which will be handy when Myers pursues you with his relentless determination to secure a kill.

Other changes improve NPC pathing to ensure you don’t see policemen getting stuck on environmental objects and continuing to walk in place, which made us question whether they were qualified to be hunting someone as deadly as Myers in the first place when we reviewed the game. A lot of other issues that could be quite annoying to you are being addressed, and it’s a long list.

We’re especially happy about those cross-play fixes that should keep you going from game to game with your friends more seamlessly than before. Check out some of the notes below. Also, as a thank you to fans, IllFonic is providing 5000 free Perk Points for those who played before 9 AM PST on September 8th as part of early access.

Patch 1.0.1

Crossplay

With 1.0.1, our team is excited to address the cross-play matchmaking issue players were experiencing during Early Access. Cross-play party members now follow their leader into a matchmade lobby instead of being kicked to the main menu or dropped from the party.

NPC Behavior

We are continuing to make improvements to overall NPC behavior and pathing. Below you will find the AI tuning introduced with 1.0.1.

• Improved NPC pathing to prevent instances where Police NPCs would get stuck in certain locations
• Improved NPC pathing to prevent instances where Residents would not be able to path into Escapes.

Challenges/Achievements

Patch 1.0.1 provides additional fixes to challenges and achievements that weren’t tracking properly. We understand how important it is for players to obtain the rewards they’ve earned and we will continue identifying outliers and implementing fixes with future updates.

Stamina Changes

We’ve been closely monitoring the balance between Michael and Civilians when it comes to Athleticism, Stamina, and the chase. We’ve implemented a handful of key adjustments to ensure Michael can consistently apply pressure to Civilians in the open while also addressing some notable disparity between lower and higher levels of Athleticism for Civilians.

• Increased Civilian Base Stamina Regen Delay Time
• Increased the Stamina Consumption caused by Evil Presence on affected targets
• Stalked targets are now affected by reduced Stamina Regen Rate and increased Stamina Regen Delay Time (amount dependent on the Stalk level)
Athleticism Levels 1-4:
• Exhausted Duration has been decreased, allowing Civilians with lower Athleticism to recover from the Exhausted state faster
• The delay before stamina begins regenerating has been decreased, ensuring quicker recovery between actions for Civilians with lower Athleticism
• Stamina Regen Rate has been increased so Civilians with lower Athleticism recover stamina faster
Athleticism Levels 6-10:
• Slightly reduced Max Stamina to maintain chase tension with Civilians with higher Athleticism
• Reduced Stamina Regen Rate of Civilians with higher Athleticism to balance player mobility

Despite the low budget, it received some critical acclaim. Word of mouth praised the writing and characters, not to mention the stellar production values and attention to detail that made it impossible to believe it was made by the same team behind Fuel. Which wasn’t the worst game ever, but…come on, now. It’s Fuel. A little over a year later, it was announced that Innocence had sold over one million copies – a happy ending for the studio but also the start of something more.

Fast forward to August 2026, and Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is out. Asobo Studio, having already shipped a sequel, clearly hankered for something completely different, even teasing a follow-up set in modern times. The answer seemingly lay in the past – specifically 15 years before Innocence, where players instead controlled Sophia. As a side character in Requiem, she was received pretty well, but her backstory – besides owing Arnaud a favor – remained shrouded in mystery.

Resonance dives into that, showcasing the trauma she endured as a child before growing up. The gameplay, however, goes in a completely different direction. Think hacking and slashing, taking on enemies with blades rather than skulking in the shadows or sending rat hordes their way (though Requiem had plenty of direct combat as well). Dodging and parrying are almost as essential as using the environment, whether it’s pulling them off ledges or executing assassinations from above. It may start simple, but soon enough, Sophia’s repertoire will include tossing enemies into each other and kicking enemies into the abyss, not to mention the different swords with unique perks. Want to discard the dagger in combat entirely? Inflict more stun damage with parries in return for not being able to block? How about tailoring sprint attacks to pierce shields? It’s not the biggest arsenal of blades in gaming, but they still change up combat in interesting ways.

Then you venture into Crete Island’s ruins, and it becomes more like Tomb Raider with its puzzles and platforming. Perhaps veering a little too much in that direction, which can bog down the overall pacing in specific chapters and get in the way of the genuinely interesting story. You explore more about Minoan civilization and Sophia’s connections to it, even venturing to the past and embodying Theseus to take part in gladiatorial combat. Despite how disconnected it feels from the other Plague Tale titles, the strings slowly pull taut, and all is revealed. And make no mistake – there’s a lot of suffering, even some survival horror elements thrown in for good measure.

Couple this with Asobo’s excellent visual design, environments and soundtrack, and you have a potent action-adventure title. It’s even $50 – a pretty reasonable price, especially since it delivers between 12 and 17 hours of gameplay, depending on how thorough you want to be. So why doesn’t it feel like Resonance has really garnered much attention since launch?

Sales numbers have yet to be revealed, similar to both Innocence and Requiem in their opening weeks, though the latter hit one million units sold within a month. You would think the acclaim both received would deliver a much stronger reception for A Plague Tale Legacy. And hey, for what it’s worth, the Steam peak concurrent player count is better than Requiem…by about 541, topping out at less than 5400.

Compare that to Star Wars Zero Company, which released on the same day and nearly peaked at 78,000 concurrent players over the last weekend. And even if it has the Star Wars license, for all the good it offers nowadays (ask the makers of The Mandalorian and Grogu), it’s still a newish IP in a relatively niche genre. Let’s not even get into The Blood of Dawnwalker, another new IP that nearly hit 65,000 concurrent on launch day, even with several issues reported on PC. Keep in mind that neither figure is exactly mind-blowing, but they’re several times better than Resonance.

So what about A Plague Tale Legacy didn’t snare as many people as Requiem did? Maybe it boils down to the very premise. After how the latter ended, fans expected the next game to take a major leap forward with its setting. How would the Macula emerge in modern times, and what tragedies would unfold? Instead, they were presented with a prequel focusing on a side character who was appreciated, but far from the star of the show, at least compared to Amicia and Hugo.

Time also plays a pretty big factor. If Asobo had told this story as post-launch DLC for Requiem, it may have had significantly more takers because of the title’s relative newness. It’s been nearly four years since launch, and many may have moved on. The remaining hardcore may see this particular story as unessential, at least at launch for full price, because it’s a prequel.

Then there’s the hack-and-slash combat. Probably because it’s not as sleek and flashy as modern titles (much less forthcoming competitors like Phantom Blade Zero, Laufey and whatnot). Maybe the target audience isn’t feeling it based on gameplay, and prefers a more methodical pace with more stealth. Keep in mind that such sequences appear in Resonance, making it feel more like its predecessors, but it’s far from the core gameplay loop (and there have been some mixed opinions about this shift).

Of course, it may just as easily come down to the most obvious reason: Too many other games, which diminishes the chances of attracting new players. And if your built-in audience isn’t biting and spreading the good word, it gets pushed further down the pile. It’s less about price than the average player’s time. Even if Dawnwalker or Onimusha: Way of the Sword cost $20 more, they get priority, whether it’s because of their own gameplay hooks or the history behind them.

Call it bad luck or unfortunate timing. It’s a shame because Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is genuinely one of the best games this year. But if anything, that makes you question whether that’s really enough. If you take a peek at the other best-rated titles of the year, the competition is extremely stiff. Asobo Studio isn’t just battling to compete with other triple-A titles in the same genre, especially given its presentation and storytelling, but also against indies, spin-offs, viral co-op hits, early access titles, and so much more for attention. And unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like being on Game Pass is really helping with its discoverability.

Maybe we’ll learn in the next month or so that it’s sold one million units and everything is hunky dory. I wish I could say “For now, Resonance deserves a lot more recognition.” Yet, the number of high-profile releases is only going to increase in the coming weeks. Here’s hoping that it eventually finds the same success as Innocence and Requiem – and soon. You don’t just work on a new title in a beloved franchise for about four years and launch it to a relatively low-key reception, especially not in today’s industry.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

I say this because the team behind the 2016 title at Firaxis is pretty much disbanded after the failures of Chimera Squad and Midnight Suns. Granted, this was more of the original creators not being given a chance to further build on it – which is a story for another time – but despite its many issues at launch and the months it took to fix, XCOM 2 remains a benchmark for the genre in tactical strategy greatness. And because of a devoted fan base and modding community, it’s remained relevant for as long as whether you’re adding new customization options and mission types or completely overhauling the game with The Long War.

Then there’s the whole rigmarole around making a new Star Wars title. But since Zero Company was originally pitched as a Titanfall game – which must have set off some alarm at Electronic Arts to prevent that from happening – it shifted to a galaxy far, far away, during a period that still feels timeless: The Clone Wars.

Still, it feels like a game that shouldn’t exist under the publisher in its current form. EA isn’t exactly rushing to deliver quality narrative-focused single-player titles. Add to that the fact that Star Wars as a whole is very cold right now – even after the amazing success of Andor and shows like The Ninth Jedi – and the fact that Zero Company has found any audience at all is incredible.

In fact, it’s done even better than that, at least on Steam, peaking at nearly 78,000 concurrent players shortly after launch. That makes it the franchise’s second-biggest launch on the platform, just behind LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. It’s not only proven more popular than both Star Wars Jedi titles but also Star Wars Battlefront 2, which had multiplayer. And keep in mind that this is despite numerous performance issues, crashes, and GPU temperatures that can carry you through the Winter.

Obviously, sales have yet to be announced, but Zero Company has landed much better than anyone expected, even without considering the critical reception or the sheer amount of competition. What keeps players coming back? How did Bit Reactor, which is comprised of former Firaxis employees and directed by Greg Foertsch, who served as art director on XCOM, pull it off? As it turns out, the team did this by actually not trying to make a game that’s explicitly like XCOM 2?

Which is funny because for all intents and purposes, Zero Company – to borrow that cliché yet again – scratches the same itch. But those who dive deeper will find it’s surprisingly lacking in some ways compared to its inspiration. Remember the extensive base-building? How you had to plan when constructing different facilities, ensuring there were enough resources, much less that it was ready when needed the most? How about research, where prioritizing different upgrades and weapons was a careful balancing act of resources and time?

Neither of those features is really present. Oh, you can upgrade the Den in different ways, and unlock access to facilities like the Black Market, but it’s nowhere near as strenuous or stressful. The same goes for the weapon variety, which is surprisingly limited and relies entirely on mods to spice things up.

Not that any of these factors are necessarily shortcomings, mind you, but it’s so antithetical to most other tactical turn-based games, much less XCOM, as to feel downright baffling. But spend enough time with Zero Company, and it becomes abundantly clear that it’s a Star Wars game above all else.

Instead of the universe, lore, and setting serving as wrappers to present an XCOM clone, it’s the other way around. Zero Company harnesses everything that makes XCOM so good – and so delightfully frustrating, like shot percentages – to tell its story of Hawks and his mercenary outfit, struggling to make ends meet before ending up embroiled in something that’s way beyond their pay grade. It does what so few Star Wars properties have over the years: Make you care about these characters, to the point that you actually want to seek them out after missions and have a quick chat.

Sure, there’s the Bond System, which provides random buffs depending on how well two squadmates work together (which the Call Backup option leans into). But I actually cared for Trick and wanted to know more about his backstory as a Clone Trooper. Beyond her prowess as a Padawan, Tel-Rea exudes charm and determination, effectively going off the Jedi grid to honor her late master’s wishes. Then there’s Cly, a Mandalorian whose introduction to the team is as awesome as it is arrogant (and lo and behold, she’s absolutely busted in combat). Even Hawks has some great lines, telling Tel-Rea that he’s “a disgrace, not a rat” after she’s concerned that he’ll report her to the Jedi.

Beyond the story and characters, however, it’s incredible how Bit Reactor captured the vibe of Star Wars within this gameplay format. It makes sense in all the right ways, even though it’s a far more aggressive and forward-thinking gameplay loop that reveals many of its cards in the first several hours. An elite unit like XCOM being careful, at least early on, makes sense, especially given the circumstances surrounding its battles against Advent in the sequel. Zero Company is a complementary inverse. It’s because the outfit consists of mercenaries, cast-offs, and those who prefer to keep a low profile that they have nothing to lose and hence throw caution to the wind when necessary.

The gameplay responds in kind by offering a venerable power fantasy of tactical options. Calling for backup and guaranteeing the follow-up hits? Firing multiple times per turn with the Blaster Pistol, which can become a menace once upgraded and optimized? Advantage that unlocks some devious abilities that can take out multiple enemies in one fell swoop? Those are a few examples, and that’s before you begin improving each character. After all, you’re playing a Jedi, a Mandalorian, a Clone Trooper, an Umbaran Sniper and none other than Kabb Uppercut. It makes sense that they should feel strong, without completely breaking any sense of challenge for the first several hours.

Of course, by not following the power curve of XCOM 2 and leaning more into a traditional single-player narrative, even with its side missions and Operations to gather resources, Zero Company isn’t approaching the same level of replayability. And at this point, it’s hard to predict whether it could receive the same groundswell of modding support to help it endure for years beyond. But when it comes to the look and feel of Firaxis’s titles, intermixed with the narrative and writing that make for such a compelling Star Wars tale, I’m still surprised that it came out so well.

It may take some time to properly draw you in, but once its hooks are in, Zero Company proves extremely addictive throughout its 35 to 40 hours of runtime. Maybe the positive reception will push Bit Reactor to add on to it – heck, maybe this will convince EA to see some kind of franchise potential. Either way, it’s one of the few tactical turn-based titles that doesn’t try to simply copy XCOM 2 in terms of gameplay feel and flow – and is all the better for it.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

First things first, the Boost Driver. It not only lets the player leap towards a monster quickly, but can also chain into a spiraling Falling Bash. Boosted Actions include your standard basic combo gaining a few more hits at the end. Boosted Perfect Rush seemingly benefits the most, especially since they seem to hit much harder than the base game.

One of the more surprising additions is the return of weapon oils. Known as Bladecoating Slash, it allows you to use items to coat the blade, resulting in different effects. The example showcased here turns it green, and each successful hit restores health.

Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance launches in 2027, and so far, Capcom has revealed how the Boost Bracer works with the Bow, Greatsword, Charge Blade, Dual Blades, Hammer, and Lightbow Gun. There’s still much more to showcase, especially with the expansion’s appearance at next week’s Capcom Spotlight (which could also reveal the release date). As always, stay tuned for more updates.

Speaking to The Game Business, Sangha expressed a belief that some of the publishers in the market were attempting to take advantage of Maverick Games, offering deals that were quite lopsided and less favorable than the studio’s first deal. This was especially strange, since the team wasn’t looking for development funding. Instead, it was looking for a publisher with a release pipeline to help with logistics.

“As an independent developer… I think there were publishers that thought, ‘Right, we can absolutely take advantage of these guys,’ explained Sangha. “Even sometimes coming out with a rev share that was less favorable to our first deal, which is nuts, considering we didn’t need any dev funding. We were quite taken aback.”

Brown noted that the team presented Clutch to publisher as a project that had already been completed, with a solid release date already scheduled. “We came into it completely confident. As Harinder says, we’re not asking for any dev funding, just publishing services. And there was an option where we just say no to everybody and self-publish. That’s how I wanted them to feel. ‘We don’t need you.’ But some of the offers were actually offensive.”

Sangha went on to note that, “I just want to take the moment to say to all these publishers, we’ll be really happy to speak to you again with our next project.”

Clutch is set to be Maverick Games’ debut title, and was officially announced back in June. The studio made quite a showcase out of unveiling the narrative racing game, complete with a live countdown that, when it hit 0, gave us our first look at the title. The studio has described it as being about “a love of driving, a connection between car and driver, and the raw thrill of speed.”

More recently, Maverick Games took to the Future Games Show during Gamescom 2026 to showcase some of the development and gameplay from Clutch. The video revealed that each car in the racing game would feel unique enough to make it feel different from anything else in the garage. The handling in the moment-to-moment driving is also set to be quite punishing, in turn prompting players to get better at the game with practice.

The main story of Clutch will revolve around a pair of siblings who also happen to be racing prodigies. While competing in the R1K racing series – a “prestigious and historic” series of races – the two find themselves caught in a larger conspiracy that involves several other racing crews, like the Midnight Collective – a group that doesn’t care about money or fame, and instead is made up of driving enthusiasts.

Clutch is coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and will be out in Spring 2027.

The Cred currency is seeing some major changes, and while it will remain usable until October 8th, players will find that any leftovers they might have will expire going forward. In its place, another reward system is set to arrive with the Frozen Trail update. In the meantime, however, players will get to keep any rewards they have already claimed. As for Raider Deck rewards, players will be able to unlock them through the new system as well.

The update is also adding rubber ducks that have been designed by members of the ARC Raiders community, with the first three – designed by gecko.rar, im_AshCheeks, and Nassguhl – being visible in Bird City. On getting them, players can showcase the new rubber ducks in their Raider Den. For more details about the update, check out the full patch notes below.

Embark had previously confirmed that the fifth Expedition is going to be the last one coming to ARC Raiders in 2026. While no details about the future have been revealed for now, the studio has confirmed that the system will return in 2027 with “major improvements” to address “some of the biggest player pain points.”

ARC Raiders is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

ARC Raiders Update 1.45.0 Patch Notes:

ARC

• Snitch Scanners will now spawn ARC similarly to the regular Snitch, but with a lower chance for stronger ARC.

Audio

• Fixed an issue where the Equalizer could play its firing sound effect when holstering.
• Fixed an issue where voice chat did not work when Raider Voice was enabled.
• Customization
• Fixed an issue where the Rawhide headgear would stay on with the toggle set to off.
• The Boonie outfit will be available from September 15th.

Gameplay

• Landing on moving surfaces will now make you follow that surface when landing, not while still in the air.
• You can now rebind quick item cycling separately from the quick-use wheel (or disable cycling), and you may bind both to the same key. This helps prevent unintended item swaps after closing the wheel.
• Fixed an issue where ARC Turbine mines could not be pinged.
• Reduced weapon sway for Aphelion to improve aiming stability.
• Starting an Expedition no longer resets your quests by default; you can now choose whether to reset them when departing.
• Fixed an issue where the Matriarch’s stomp could damage players through tall cover or when standing on top of the Matriarch.
• Added a new severe over-encumbrance tier when carrying well above your loadout weight limit: movement is restricted to walking, and sprinting and jumping are disabled.

Stability

• Fixed a crash on PS5 that could occur shortly after starting a session.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when rapidly pressing certain keys during gameplay.
• Fixed cases where a squad could become stuck after a squadmate signed out and rejoined, blocking ready-up and preventing matchmaking from starting.

Performance

• Upgraded Unreal Engine from 5.3 to 5.7.

UI

• The UI indicator showing the current weight of your loadout is now updated directly when dropping parts of a stack.
• Added visual tweaks to selected nodes in the Skill Tree.
• Fixed an issue where some distance based map markers didn’t appear correctly.
• The pick up prompt will now show “loadout full” while trying to pick up an item with a full inventory.
• Improved matchmaking error messaging: you’ll now see clearer explanations if you go offline while queuing or if your crossplay settings are incompatible, helping diagnose failed matchmaking attempts.

Known Issues

• The second part of the Phantom Targets project could not be started for some players. We will be sending out compensation in a future update.
• There are multiple stability improvements targeting Xbox Series S crashes. Please report any persistent issues to help guide further fixes.
• We’re aware of issues with crashing on PC, related to Windows Update KB5121003. Please consult our workaround shared here while we work on a fix.
• Players on Epic may experience a sudden loss of keyboard input.
• While we look into this, we recommend disabling any Overlay you may have active. Additionally, you can try alt-tabbing out and back into the game.
• The throw animation may sometimes fail to play when attempting to detonate a Trigger ‘Nade immediately after throwing it.
• The weapon swap animation may appear broken if weapon swapping right after vaulting.
• Player animations may appear broken when interrupting a search of the Baron Husk.
• Shredders float to the ceiling in some rooms of the Hidden Bunker.
• Leapers can jump through the ARC Turbine.
• Shots taken while riding ARC may not register correctly.
• Some doors may allow player flashlights’ beams to pass through instead of blocking the emitted light.
• We are aware of some clipping issues with the Triumph, Reaver and Azimuth outfits.

This also means that these relationships will end up having far-reaching consequences in the core story of Exodus. Karpyshyn also confirmed that, while players get to get closer with some of the characters, they will also end up inadvertently pushing some companions away with their choices.

“[M]aking their relationship with you grow, allowing it to evolve from the choices you’ve made, and realizing that the choices you make are going to bring some companions closer to you, but maybe push some companions farther away.”

“Without spoiling too much, we definitely want to have it impact how their storylines go,” he continued. “Depending on choices you make, by the end of the game, you might not have every companion with you that you started with. That’s about all I can say!”

Giving players the agency to make choices extends well beyond the main story too. Karpyshyn spoke about how even optional content like side quests will have plenty of choices that can change how things play out, and even have effects on your relationships. “Even within that optional content, there are choices that will lock or unlock certain things, change the way things play out, change relationships, change characters, change… future… missions…”

Exodus is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and is slated for release on April 7th. Archetype Entertainment confirmed the release date with a trailer last month, which also gave us a look at one of the game’s characters – Salt the Octopus. The character is an interesting one, since she is capable of communicating with other species despite being an octopus, and is also adept at sniping from a distance and using smokescreens to confuse enemies during fights.

Another party member unveiled with the trailer was Emrys of the Deva – a Celestial that can use their abilities to weaken enemies and power up Jun by using resources known as Remnant Orbs. The Emrys is slated to be a support-oriented party member that can offer plenty of utility in combat encounters.

Back in June, Archetype Entertainment had confirmed that Exodus had entered its final stretch of development. The studio released an extended gameplay trailer that gave us a look at the core premise of the game, which revolves around a salvager named Jun Aslan who can seemingly interact with ancient Celestial technology. The combat is also set to offer plenty of choices to players, from stealth to rushing in guns blazing.

For more details about Exodus, take a look at our thoughts on why it has the potential to be a dark horse in the RPG genre when it comes out next year. Also check out some more combat set in the Ghost City of Lidon.

As such, these tips and tricks remain relevant, whether you’re revisiting the franchise or diving in for the first time. Let’s get into it, starting with…

The Threat Ring (MGS4)

You’ll lean on the Solid Eye a lot in Metal Gear Solid 4, and not just because the series’ traditional radar is missing. But the Threat Ring can be just as vital when sneaking around. Appearing as a literal ring around Snake when crouching or crawling, it pulses when enemies are nearby, even when they’re behind walls. It points towards their location and even estimates their distance, making them easier to avoid.

Picking Up Duplicate Guns (MGS4)

The battlefield is a messy one in Guns of the Patriots, littered with weapons and whatnot that can be added to your collection. It might seem pointless to acquire multiples of the same gun, but they actually come in handy when Drebin becomes available later in Act 1. He’ll automatically convert any duplicates into Drebin Points for purchasing new weapons, parts and accessing ID-locked weapons. Even if you don’t have access to him for a while, it’s still worth picking up dupes since Snake will still obtain ammo from them.

Managing Stress (MGS4)

Solid Snake hasn’t exactly lived the most stress-free life, and in his old age, it can be his downfall in more ways than one. New to Metal Gear Solid 4 is the Psyche meter, which depletes as he takes on more stress and causes a multitude of effects. Poor aim? Potentially falling unconscious when taking damage? Liquid Ocelot-induced vomiting? All due to stress. The Threat Ring can also become less accurate as a result. While extreme temperatures, carrying too much and enemies detecting you will increase stress, it can be lowered by eating food, smoking, listening to music or being stealthy.

Playing Dead (MGS4)

That part about the messiness of battlefields? It also applies to the sheer number of bodies lying around. And while it can be tough to stomach, you can also use this opportunity to go prone and effectively play dead, thus avoiding detection. Think of it as a unique way to sneak around, even if the smell of corpses isn’t the most pleasant.

Non-Lethal Boss Clears (MGS4)

As challenging as it may seem in certain situations, a non-lethal approach is often the best in either game. For Metal Gear Solid 4, you should at least aim to defeat the FROGS in Act 1 and the Beauty and the Beast Unit in the remaining Acts without killing them, which will net five dolls. After finishing the game, the Solar Gun becomes available in the next playthrough, and it’s extremely useful. Besides being non-lethal, it causes enemies to drop their items, making loot farming much easier, and it can be especially potent against a specific boss later on.

Supporting the Guerrilla Fighters (MGS4)

The local guerrilla fighters in Act 1 and 2 may seem like just another faction like the PMCs, but there are benefits to getting on their good side. Kill enough PMC threats, and they’ll start to warm up to your presence, not attacking and even cheering when navigating through areas. Just don’t accidentally shoot them – they won’t like that.

FaceCamo Benefits (MGS4)

Besides OctoCamo, there’s also FaceCamo, obtained from defeating Laughing Octopus. On the surface, this can seem like a great customization tool, letting you change Snake’s appearance to Young Snake, the various Beauty and the Beast Unit members (assuming you defeated them non-lethally), and even Snake from the PS1 days. But it’s especially useful for raising your Camo Index to 99 percent when used with OctoCamo, resulting in the highest concealment possible. It may even help sneak by some PMCs depending on whose face you’re using.

Careful Solid Eye Usage (MGS4)

Going back to Solid Eye, the various functions can be a lifesaver at times. That includes the Night Vision, which is fantastic for navigating the dark. However, you need to mind the battery drain. Once depleted, you can’t use any of Solid Eye’s functions without it recharging. Night Vision can be particularly draining, so try not to lean on it too much.

Higher Challenges on the Next Playthrough (MGS4)

Aside from taking out the FROGS and Beauty and the Beast Unit in non-lethal fashion, it’s a good idea to save tougher challenges for the second playthrough. That’s because all your camos, weapons and even Drebin Points will carry over. So if you’re aiming for, say, the Big Boss Emblem – which requires completing the game in less than five hours on The Boss Extreme, the highest difficulty, without any continues, rations, or special items, without triggering any Alert phases or killing any enemies – this is the way.

R&D and Mother Base (Peace Walker)

Peace Walker is a different vibe from Guns of the Patriots because much of the gameplay revolves around Mother Base. The question is: What should you prioritize first? Rather than letting Auto Assign do all the heavy lifting, focus on R&D. Increasing its levels will ensure new weapons and items become available faster, providing more options early on.

Prioritizing the Medical Team (Peace Walker)

Another facet that you shouldn’t ignore throughout your time is Medical. Increasing it will provide improved tranquilizer weapons, making it that much easier to go non-lethal. It also improves your soldiers’ healing rate, getting them back into the action that much sooner.

Don’t Kill Enemy Soldiers (Peace Walker)

If going non-lethal is ideal in Guns of the Patriots, then it’s a way of life in Peace Walker. Any enemy that you come across can prove to be a valuable addition to Mother Base, so rather than going on a killing spree, use tranquilizer and other methods to knock them out. Even holding them up is ideal, after which Fulton away and reap the benefits.

Capturing Vehicles (Peace Walker)

In the same vein: Fulton away any tanks, APCs and even helicopters whenever you get the chance. Even if destroying them can seem tempting, it’s often better to take out their escort troops and then take down the commander rather than bombing everything to hell. Mother Base will thank you for the contributions in the long run.

How to Farm ZEKE Parts and AI Boards (Peace Walker)

If you’re interested in upgrading ZEKE, then it helps to prioritize what you want to farm beforehand. For instance, focusing on a boss’s AI pod and avoiding the body will net more components. On the other hand, if you want AI Boards, then target the body. Of course, the parts vary from boss to boss, but this should make it easier to target a specific category.

The True Ending (Peace Walker)

Even if it seems like completing the game is the end in Peace Walker, there’s plenty more to unlock, including the true ending. The conditions can be very stringent, though – besides completing the first four chapters and retrieving Zadornov whenever he tries to escape, you need to assemble ZEKE. It can’t be taken on any Extra Ops missions, though. As for Mother Base, Intel and R&D should be level 40 or higher while Mission Support is rank 2. Construct a second platform, and Kaz will inform you of Zadornov’s escape once more. Partake in Extra Ops 001 and head to the shooting range as Snake to kick off the fireworks.

Neither of the companies has made any statement regarding their participation in the disc-to-digital program on Xbox. However, since the program is still in its testing phase, it is also possible that both companies might join in once it is fully released to the general public, and have simply opted out during the testing phase to see how it plays out.

Microsoft had kicked off Insider testing for the disc-to-digital program for Alpha Skip, Alpha, and Beta channels earlier this month, and noted in its FAQs that users might be required to keep access to the physical copies of their games to provide evidence that they still qualify for the digital license.

“A disc-to-digital license is associated with the qualifying game disc. To maintain access to certain disc-to-digital licensing benefits, you may be required to demonstrate continued possession of the qualifying disc. For example, if you lose, sell, give away, or otherwise no longer possess a qualifying disc, access to associated disc-to-digital licenses may be limited or revoked.”

To help players keep track of which games are available through the disc-to-digital program, community-based efforts have been kicked off, with the stat-tracking website Xbox Collection Tracker having an entire page dedicated to keeping track of which games are supported.

Microsoft has also noted that discs will continue to work just fine even after they are used to get a digital license through the program. This means that players can potentially share physical copies of their Xbox One and Xbox Series X games with their friends and continue playing through their own digital license.

It is also worth noting that, at least for now, the disc-to-digital program doesn’t support Xbox and Xbox 360 games. However, considering the company’s emphasis on backwards compatibility over the last few years, support for older console games is likely just a matter of time.

There have been quite a few conversations happening in recent times on the subject of physical versus digital, especially thanks to Sony’s announcement that it would be ending production of new PlayStation discs in 2028. While Microsoft hasn’t made any such announcement itself, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma had spoken about wanting to offer a choice to its users.

“I know players love physical media, and I know there are a lot of benefits in digital media, and I want to make sure people have a choice. There are stacks of games on everybody’s shelves. We’re announcing the ability for players for 1,000 titles with physical discs to be able to have a digital entitlement. We’ve long pioneered backwards compatibility, and so you’ll continue to see that as we go forward in the generations.”