Nintendo’s latest Partner Direct should have been an easy win. Instead, it left a lot of fans staring at their screens wondering if they just woke up early for… that.

No first-party bombshells were promised — fair enough, it was a partner showcase. But even with expectations calibrated, this presentation felt strangely flat. Old ports, already-announced titles, niche RPGs, sports games, and very few surprises. Eight months into the Switch 2 lifecycle, there’s still no major Mario reveal, no Zelda update, and no clear “you need this console now” moment.

And when the biggest pop of the show comes from Xbox-owned titles like Fallout 4, Oblivion, and Indiana Jones? That’s a weird look for a Nintendo showcase.

So let’s talk about it: was this just a slow news cycle… or a genuine red flag?

Every once in a while, a game drops a gameplay preview that makes you sit up a little straighter.

That was Crimson Desert this week.

A 15-minute gameplay showcase hit YouTube, and suddenly this long-gestating fantasy epic went from “oh yeah, I’ve heard of that” to “wait… is this the next big thing?” The ambition on display was massive — the kind of swing that either defines a studio or becomes a cautionary tale.

Let’s break down why this game has everyone cautiously hyped.

Fortnite has reinvented itself more times than almost any game on the planet. Battle royale, live events, concerts, LEGO survival mode, racing spin-offs—it’s become less of a game and more of a platform. But its latest evolution may be the most troubling yet: the quiet normalization of gambling mechanics inside one of the most kid-friendly ecosystems in gaming.

What’s happening now isn’t just another monetization controversy. It’s a warning sign.

The latest Xbox showcase didn’t try to overwhelm us with dozens of trailers. Instead, it slowed things down and focused on just a handful of games. That approach made it easier to dig into what was actually being shown—but it also made the strengths and weaknesses of the lineup impossible to ignore.

Some reveals genuinely sparked excitement. Others raised eyebrows. And taken together, the showcase felt like a snapshot of an industry caught between creative ambition and financial caution.

Here’s how it all shook out.

2025 might not be over yet, but it's already been a year of surprises in the gaming world. From hidden gems that weren’t on anyone’s radar to under-the-radar experiences that became fan favorites, this year has delivered more than its fair share of gaming delights. Let’s dive into some of the unexpected standouts that had gamers buzzing, and why they deserve your attention.

According to new industry sales data, Battlefield 6 is now extremely likely to end the year as the best-selling game in the U.S., edging out Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. That alone is historic. In modern gaming history, only absolute juggernauts like GTA V, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Hogwarts Legacy have managed to knock Call of Duty off its throne.

After eight long years of waiting, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has officially landed, and so have the reviews. Sitting at an 81 on Metacritic, the game is earning “generally favorable” praise, but that number comes with a bit of a reality check: it’s the lowest score in the core Metroid Prime series and the lowest for any Metroid title since Federation Force nearly a decade ago.