Path of Exile 2 is also a popular game in China. For the Chinese New Year, the boss not only congratulated but also made an announcement.
What is the announcement? In a video, the boss of Path of Exile 2, Jonathan Rogers, sends a greeting message to the Chinese players (Source: YouTube). He wishes them all the best for the new year, which starts according to the lunar calendar in China on February 17 and is associated with the Fire Horse zodiac sign.
But instead of just sending his wishes, he reveals more. He says that the new big expansion will be presented at the end of April. Accordingly, the release of the expansion will probably follow in May, which is two months later than the originally targeted date, since the new expansion was actually supposed to be released in March 2026.
Here you can see the current expansion of Path of Exile 2 in the trailer:
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Trailer zu Path of Exile 2: Fate of the Vaal zeigt die Königin der Vaal
Delay with Consequences
What does the delay mean? The delay of the new expansion and season of Path of Exile 2 means that in 2026 there will likely be only 2 new expansions for the game instead of the usual three. If the new expansion starts in May, the next one could not start until at least September, making a third expansion before the Christmas holidays rather unlikely.
The postponement of the new season also raises the question of whether Path of Exile 2 will really celebrate its full release in 2026, which was actually planned for 2025.
Similar questions are also being raised by fans, who are willing to give the ARPG all the time in the world to become a good game, but are nonetheless not exactly happy about having to wait longer for updates.
What do the fans say? Fans of Path of Exile 2 are divided. On the one hand, they have no problem with having to play the next update of Path of Exile (1) a while longer and taking more time for a good update.
On the other hand, users on Reddit are also voicing concerns about the release plan for version 1.0. The end of early access seems to have been pushed even further away for them with this message.
At least a release in early 2027 could avoid the competition with GTA 6. Even though the overlap between the two games is likely very small, the release of GTA 6 is also an event that the developers of Path of Exile 2 would hardly want to compete with.
The Space Marines from Warhammer 40,000 are genetically modified super soldiers who share little in common with humans aside from their rough shape. Accordingly, their equipment is also several sizes larger and not intended for humans. However, a common citizen of the Imperium could wear Astartes armor, though it would not be a good idea.
Armor is a central part of a Space Marine’s equipment. It consists of thick ceramite plates that are resistant or even immune to many projectiles. The popular laser rifles in the Imperium might not even penetrate them.
The carapace acts as a built-in interface in the Space Marine that can directly connect to the armor, effectively “coupling” it with the Astartes. The soldier has a direct connection to his armor, making it literally a part of him. This allows for:
the direct monitoring of the armor’s condition
immediate commands to any built-in equipment
modifications like displays in the helmet
connections with weapons so that ammunition, heat, and damage can be monitored directly
It is precisely this carapace that is the reason why only Astartes can wear such armors. At least almost, as there are a few exceptions – such as the similarly bred Custodes, who wear different armors. But for now: What happens if a human gets into this armor?
With the right armor, even hundreds of Tyranids are no problem:
Start video
The Emperor sends you in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 now, to reclaim a Void Ship from the Tyranids
Like a child in oversized clothing
The simple and sober answer is: nothing. The human may be half the size of the Astartes and would fit in the armor like a child in a too-big chair. Nothing would happen.
In the worst case, if the armor were to weigh down on the human for whatever reason, he would be crushed in it. Without the connection to the ceramite, a human simply could not move the armor.
In a theoretical case where the armor closes, it would likely be difficult to impossible to get out again. The human would starve. If anyone were to think of directly connecting the armor via a neural link with the human – for whatever reason – this person would likely die (relatively painfully) from a synaptic overload. But again: only in the worst case.
However, it is different if a human climbs into the armor of one of the traitorous brothers of the Space Marines who have fallen to Chaos. Because the armors of Chaos work a little differently.
The armors also serve heraldry, indicating rank and chapter of the Space Marines. Here: a Black Templar.
Special case: The corrupted armor of Chaos
In itself, the armors of the Chaos Space Marines are the same as their brothers’, just much older models, as they mostly date back to the time of the Horus Heresy over 10,000 years ago. However, the Warp has an effect on everything, even on lifeless matter.
Accordingly, the armors of the traitors change, developing mutations, or can even be possessed by demons. And this is where it gets interesting:
If a human gets into corrupted armor, theoretically nothing happens at first. Depending on which of the Chaos gods it is “dedicated” to, however, there can be dire consequences. In most cases, the almost living armor would probably just devour the human.
In at least one case, however, a human was literally overtaken by a possessed armor. The slave Larana Utorian was to clean the armor of a Khorne Berserker when the armor spoke to her. She dons the armor, which miraculously fits, sells her soul to Khorne, and dies in agony as she is “reborn” as an avatar of Khorne. An excerpt from the corresponding novel “Storm of Iron” can be found on Reddit.
There is power armor for humans, but almost only women wear it
This does not mean that humans are limited to lame armors, as there are also power armors for “normal” humans, but they are not used widely.
Human lives are cheaper than the ceramite of the armor, which is why the army would never be equipped with such things. Only a few high-ranking members of the Inquisition, the most dangerous organization of the Imperium, wear such armors – as do the Adepta Sororitas.
The Sororitas are an order of women who fanatically serve the Emperor. Although they are “only” humans, their faith gives them powers similar to Space Marines, and they also wear appropriate armors, albeit in an adapted form.
Sister Argenta from Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader wears a power armor of the Sororitas.
Power armors of the Adepta Sororitas typically do not have a neural connection with their wearer, which means that many advantages – aside from superior protection – are lost.
Some Sororitas use implants to mimic the carapace connection of the Space Marines, achieving similar results. In the same way, the still-serving Dreadnoughts are embedded in their coffins. Others even connect with their equipment through a special implant via “thoughts”.
Where is Mewtwo in Pokémon GO? Players often ask this question, and it’s been quite a while now. However, there seems to be good news.
What’s new with Mewtwo? A picture from this year’s GO Fest is currently making the rounds, which was apparently presented at a press conference in Japan. The graphic, which has been shared on Reddit and now also at IGN, shows various Pokémon alongside Team Leader Blanche:
Articuno
Vaporeon
Squirtle with Pikachu Hat
Lapras
Paldean Tauros
Gible
And, most importantly: Mewtwo
According to the report, a statement was also made that we can look forward to the monsters in the graphic – especially Mewtwo.
Nevertheless: Considering that Pokémon GO is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, and the Pokémon series itself is celebrating a major birthday with 30 years, it would make sense that something big is coming for the players. After all, we’ve been waiting for Mega Mewtwo for ages – and the regular Mewtwo is dearly missed as well.
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Pokémon GO: Over 800 Trainers fight in Gigantamax battle
The Long Wait for Mewtwo and its Mega Forms
The wait for Mega Mewtwo has almost become a running gag in the Pokémon GO community after various data mines and official graphics showed the monster without a later appearance. A release of the powerful forms would certainly be a highlight for many players.
However, the regular Mewtwo has also been absent in recent years. The last time we encountered Mewtwo in Pokémon GO was in its Shadow form, but only for one weekend and indeed in difficult Shadow Raids. If you missed the date, you had the chance for Mewtwo in summer 2022. That was almost four years ago now.
A long wait for a Pokémon that is probably among the most popular monsters of all time – and also one of the absolute top attackers in Pokémon GO.
Players who started in the last two or even four years had hardly any chance to catch this all-time favorite. You could still obtain it through trading, and the super-hard-to-reach max-level research – but that was it. Hence, it’s really time for Mewtwo to return to Pokémon GO once more.
What do you think about the topic? Have you been waiting long for Mewtwo, or do you have enough in your collection? And would Mega Mewtwo be a highlight for you to look forward to? Tell us in the comments. And if you want to know what is happening in the immediate future in Pokémon GO: Here you can find all events in February 2026 in Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Soon, fans can look forward to a new series about Spider-Man, but this version of the hero is not as heroic as one would expect from Peter Parker in Marvel films. This Spider-Man is a drunken guy who deals with villains much more brutally.
On Prime Video, a new superhero series will premiere on May 27, 2026. With Spider-Noir, the story of an alternate version of the spider hero will be shown. He has already been seen in the two Spiderverse animated films, but for the first time, he will be portrayed in a live-action series.
He will be played by Nicolas Cage. The first trailer already shows: He is very different from Peter Parker. He is brutal, likes to drink, and is less of a heroic superhero, more of an anti-hero. Looking at his backstory from the comics, it’s not surprising.
Here you can watch the trailer:
Start video
Spider-Noir shows in the trailer that Nicolas Cage is a completely different superhero
As always, Uncle Ben must die
Who is Spider-Man Noir? In the comic Spider-Man Noir No. 1, the new variant of the web-slinger was introduced for the first time. In the comic, he is the human Peter B. Parker from Earth-90214. The big difference from the known era is that superheroes (and villains) operate here in the 1920s and 1930s.
As in almost every version of the hero, Uncle Ben also died here. His death was initiated by Norman Osborn, who has risen as the circus attraction Goblin to become a crime boss. One day, Peter encountered criminals stealing antiques after receiving a tip that was actually not meant for him.
One of them was a spider idol that broke and released several spiders. One of them bit Peter, and the rest you know: He gained powers and became the hero. His costume is based on a uniform from World War I belonging to his uncle.
Up to this point, everything sounds like the classic Spider-Man story, just in a different time. But the Noir universe is a much darker place. Inspired by the genre film noir, Spider-Man Noir operates in a more hopeless world. There are no classic heroes, and everyone operates in gray areas. The genre was particularly prevalent in the 1950s and depicted characters who could not cope with their traumas.
This Spider-Man is also not the friendly neighbor who adheres to heroic rules. He operates from the shadows, likes to drink (as seen in the trailer), brutally attacks his opponents, and does not shy away from killing. For example, he killed the Vulture, who was a cannibal here, but was also criticized by his aunt for it.
Spider-Man Noir thus struggles in the comics with his own morality in a world that apparently only holds corruption, death, and pessimism.
Here you see the first cover of Spider-Man Noir by Marvel from 2008 (Image source: Marvel.com)
The new version has a different name
Is the Spider-Man from the new series also Peter Parker? Those who pay close attention will notice: The character played by Nicolas Cage is called Ben Reilly, not Peter Parker. Ben Reilly is a clone of Spider-Man in the known universe. He probably won’t be a clone in the new series, but showrunner Oren Uziel explains in an interview with Esquire why they changed the name to Ben Reilly:
Peter Parker feels very much like a typical high school student. Boyish. On the way up. […] This character is very different from the Peter Parker from the films. He is older and jaded and does not hesitate to punch a guy in the face when drunk.
The new Spider-Noir is older and, according to Uziel, significantly marked by his past. The trailer also suggests that he does not get his powers from a kind of idol. Clips from possible experiments are shown. It seems that the powers also make him more impulsive and insane. Hence, Spider-Noir and not Spider-Man Noir.
Thus, he resembles characters like Max Payne, who, plagued by their own past, try to drown their problems in violence or alcohol.
A new shop in World of Warcraft wants your money. In return, there are housing items that you can’t get otherwise.
Even before housing went live, data miners had discovered that World of Warcraft was working on a new area in the in-game shop. Here, housing items that cannot otherwise be obtained in the game are to be sold. There was a lot of criticism at the time, but Blizzard assured that: The shop will be transparent and only a small part of the housing items will be accommodated there.
Now the shop is here – and so are the reactions of the players.
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WoW: Early access to housing has started
What can be purchased in the shop? So far, there are only two items available for purchase in the shop.
“Beloved Plush Wolf” and “Beloved Plush Lion” are, as the names suggest, plush toys that you can place in or around your house to further decorate it. They each cost 100 home tokens, but can also be purchased in a bundle of a total of 8 stuffed animals for 500 home tokens (4 of each).
The plush toys cost 1 Euro each – or 8 pieces for 5 Euros.
Because remember: If you want to place several stuffed animals, you have to buy them multiple times.
This is the new currency: In order to purchase the two plush toys, however, you need a new currency: home tokens (Hearthsteel).
Home tokens can be purchased separately and cost 1 cent per token. The cheapest package brings 100 home tokens (1 Euro), and the largest package gives 100,000 home tokens (100 Euros).
The prices are at least transparent.
There is no discount promotion or incentive, such as “Buy more and get a bonus” here.
As is usual in World of Warcraft, you can also buy these coins indirectly with in-game gold. If you first buy a WoW token in the auction house and then convert it to Battle.net balance, you can acquire the home tokens essentially for gold. Currently, the price for 13,000 tokens is around 400,000 gold.
Community finds housing shop disgusting, hopes for failure
Here’s how the shop is being discussed: Especially in the WoW Subreddit, there are several posts about the new shop. Under the title “And so it begins …”, WoW fans discuss the shop and hardly say anything good about it. For many, this is just the beginning, and they believe that Blizzard will be much more aggressive here than in the rest of the shop area:
“Damn you, wretched horse armor from Oblivion!” -Wajiji_T – referring to what the first micro-transaction DLC was.
“WTF, even for real money items you really have to buy several if you want to place multiple? That’s a bit ridiculous.” – Alteran195
“Honestly, just this could probably finance the game if they go overboard with what you can buy.” – TheZombieGod
“Give me a body pillow of Xal’atath, Blizzard, that’s my challenge!” – SweRakii
Cortyn says: To be honest, I don’t find the housing shop that wild. This might be because I have already come to terms with the thought or at least believe that the prices are somewhat “readable”. One cent corresponds exactly to one token across all price tiers. Therefore, I find the shop in its basic form much more transparent and fair than many other MMORPGs or mobile games.
Sure, the basic idea that there are real money shops in premium MMORPGs still bothers me. But I believe that the time to complain about it has long passed, and this is a reality we have to accept. Once you have accepted that, I find the variant of the new housing shop fair and transparent.
We can only hope that a large portion of the new housing items will not be found there and that the vast majority of the objects will still be part of the game world, just as we experienced in the early access of housing. Aside from the cute housing, things are getting quite dark in World of Warcraft right now – because we’ve learned about the eerie, dark backstory of Xal’atath.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Bungie has released a new trailer for Marathon and many gamers are raving about one thing that the shooter does particularly well.
What kind of game is it? Marathon is an extraction shooter (PvPvE) in the first-person perspective, featuring elements of a hero shooter.
You are so-called runners. These are cybernetic mercenaries with different abilities. There’s an assassin who can become invisible, or a scout who should detect enemies with an echo pulse.
Before starting a round, you typically assemble a loadout and spawn on a map with NPC opponents and other players. Afterwards, you diligently collect loot and fulfill quests to improve your character.
At Sony’s State of Play on February 12, 2026, Bungie has now released a new trailer for Marathon, showcasing once again what many gamers really appreciate about the extraction shooter.
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Bungie presents Marathon in the launch trailer
The style of Marathon captivates even skeptics
What do gamers love already? The art style. There are many comments on social media praising the stylistic direction of the game.
One user on Reddit writes: “The art style totally grabs me. This is peak.” Another replies, “It’s really incredible. Even if I should be absolutely terrible at this game, I’ll love the gunplay and the style.”
Even players who are already sure that Marathon won’t be for them as an extraction shooter appreciate the graphic style. In another post on Reddit, a user writes:
I find the visual design of the game extremely exciting, but based on my experiences with Arc Raiders, I can say for sure: Extraction shooters are not for me. I wish it were a pure PvE story game […] .
And even among Bungie skeptics, the style is well-received: “I absolutely love the graphic style and universe of Marathon. However, the fact that it will be an extraction shooter spoils everything for me. I no longer trust Bungie when it comes to live service.”
The comments show: Marathon is visually very appealing, and this is said by both gamers who are interested in the game and those who are pretty sure they won’t buy it.
The style works because it is different and special
Why is the art style of Marathon so popular? Marathon has a very unique graphic style. It is colorful, but not like Overwatch or Valorant.
Bungie’s shooter is also dark, high-contrast, and primarily builds a tense atmosphere in trailers, despite the diverse color palette. The studio plays with fog, storms, and beams of light breaking through the clouds.
There are sci-fi elements, but they differ significantly from franchises like Warhammer, Star Wars, or the in-house Destiny. However, the distinction is even greater compared to many modern shooters that aim for a realistic graphic style with Unreal Engine 5 and focus their color palette mainly on gray, brown, and leaf green.
A streamer on Twitch could only maintain 1 to 3 viewers in his stream for a long time. Then he watched his own stream and suddenly knew where the problem lay.
Our title image is a symbolic image and has nothing to do with the people in this article.
What was the streamer’s problem? On Reddit, the user Wide-Huckleberry-151 posted his recent experiences as a small Twitch streamer. He states that he has been streaming for 8 months on Twitch and wonders why only about 1 to 3 viewers are in his stream. At first, he thought it was because he just wasn’t entertaining, but someone in the chat wrote to him: “Your vibe is cool, but the stream is hard to watch.”
This prompted the small streamer to watch his own stream as a VOD and see himself from the perspective of the viewers.
Within 5 minutes, he realized where the problems lay:
His intro screen had a timer for when the stream starts, but no music.
The game audio frequently drowned out the streamer’s voice.
The sounds of his transitions were too loud.
His overlay was too large.
When he discovered all these little inconsistencies, he asked himself: “Why would I watch this?”
Start video
These are the 5 most relevant German streamers on Twitch in 2024, according to Google
Streamer adjusts minor details and sees improvements
What did the streamer do next? Over a weekend, he balanced out the small issues and started talking more during the streams. He also improved his camera and lighting.
Already after a week, his watch time had doubled, the Reddit user says, and he managed to get 6 to 8 viewers.
What other tips does the streamer have? Finally, Wide-Huckleberry-151 shares some tips with the community, in case there are any small Twitch streamers among them:
Watch your own VODs to identify potential problems.
Audio/sound is more important than the video.
Talk, even when there are no viewers.
A simple overlay is better than a too complicated one.
Intro screen with music should not be longer than 5 minutes.
With Brigandine Abyss, 28 years after the first part of the series, a spin-off comes for the PS5, which causes heart palpitations among longtime fans.
What kind of game is this? The title “Brigandine” surely makes many old-school hearts skip a beat, as the JRPG was a highlight for many on the PS1. The game mixes JRPG with grand strategy and turn-based battles in a unique way.
Brigandine is divided into two parts: In the grand strategy phase, you plan your next move. Do you want to launch an invasion against an enemy, or do you have to defend yourself against external threats?
In the war phase, you then play as your heroes and monsters, battling enemies in a turn-based strategy game. Your characters gain experience typical for JRPGs in battles and can become stronger.
Here you can see the trailer for Brigandine Abyss:
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Brigandine Abyss shows in the trailer what fans have been waiting for 28 years
Complex Fan Favorite
Why do fans like Brigandine? The JRPG is something very special for fans, not least because its complex and challenging gameplay is quite different from other games. It cannot be easily categorized but convinces with its uniqueness.
That a true successor has been announced at the State of Play 28 years after the first Brigandine, which is supposed to bring the JRPG to the PS5 while capturing the old charm, delights the fans.
What are fans saying about the trailer? The new trailer is met with astonishment and disbelief by the fans. Although there have been parts and spin-offs of the series in recent years, a true successor in the same style as the original was still missing.
Battlefield 6 is starting soon in its second season, and to give you an idea of what to expect this year, the developers have already released a small roadmap. Therefore, we show you the most important changes at a glance.
Update, February 17, 2026: The article has been reviewed and is up to date.
When does Season 2 start? Battlefield 6 and REDSEC will receive their Season 2 on February 17 at 1:00 PM German time – that’s a Tuesday. With the release of the new season, new weapons, vehicles, maps, and modes will come to the shooter. We have sifted through the announcement post and summarized the most important changes from the roadmap for you.
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Battlefield 6: New cinematic trailer prepares for Season 2
Roadmap 2026 – What you should know about Season 2
What should I know about Season 2? Season 2 is divided into three phases, and each phase will be unlocked at a specific time. The phases and their release periods are as follows:
Extreme Measures
Start: February 17
Nightfall
Start: March 17
Hunter / Prey
Start: April 14
When a new phase is active, new content will also be unlocked for you to enjoy.
What are the most important changes? Season 2 is set to provide you with a lot of new content. The most important changes include:
2 new maps throughout Season 2
6 new modes (some of which are only available in REDSEC)
3 new vehicles
7 new weapons (most of them will be available at the release of Season 2 on February 17)
Portal is also set to receive updates throughout Season 2 and expand its system. This includes:
At the start of Season 2:
All Portal creators will receive the entire hardware included in the Season 2 Battle Pass at launch. Owners of Battlefield 6 will also gain access to the new map “Contaminated”
With the release of Nightfall:
In Nightfall, the Portal SDK tool will receive several usability improvements as well as a scripted camera.
With the release of Hunter / Prey:
Hunter / Prey introduces two new verified modes, one for REDSEC and one for Battlefield 6
Duos for Battle Royale will be free for all players as a verified mode.
Additionally, Battlefield 6 owners can create their own verified escalation experiences
You can find more details about further smaller changes in the official overview from Battlefield.
A Twitch streamer has gathered a few other players and founded the team Los Ratones in League of Legends. At first, he had a lot of success with it, but now the project has been abandoned.
What is Los Ratones? The team Los Ratones was founded in late 2024 by the Twitch streamer Caedrel. Several well-known personalities from the League of Legends scene are involved. Together, they had a simple goal: How far can we go as a streamer team?
League of Legends shows new trailer for Season 1 from 2026
With the LEC Versus 2026, the format has been slightly revised and Los Ratones was invited to compete against the major LEC teams. The top 8 places in the tournament are allowed to play against each other in the playoffs, ultimately qualifying for the First Stand 2026 tournament. This is the first tournament of the year where all regions of LoL come together (lol.fandom.com).
Los Ratones could have succeeded in front of nearly 600,000 viewers
How did Los Ratones fail? The first matches of the LEC Versus 2026 were lost by Los Ratones, but they managed to recover and celebrate some successes.
The last match took place on February 8, 2026, against Team Vitality, where it was literally about the future of Los Ratones. If they won, they would be in third place and reach the playoffs. However, if they lost, the team would end up in ninth place and be eliminated. Almost 600,000 viewers watched the match between the two teams (escharts.com).
In the end, Los Ratones lost and finished their LEC journey in ninth place. Shortly thereafter, the founder of Los Ratones, Caedrel, released a Youtube video in which he talked about the end of his team.
Why was Los Ratones dissolved? According to sheepesports.com, Caedrel had already announced at the end of 2025 that his team would not participate in their league, the NCL, after the LEC Versus 2026. The team wanted to take one last chance, but after that, there was no plan for the future.
Will Los Ratones play again in the future? Very likely not. Caedrel clearly states that the team is only a real team when every player is present. The top laner and Twitch streamer TheBausffs has already announced that he no longer wants to be a LoL professional (via escorenews.com).
At the Red Bull event, League Of Its Own, Los Ratones was already able to win 2 times. Unfortunately, they only finished second in the third event in 2025. However, they now have a 100% win rate against T1, the best team in League of Legends, which also features Faker: T1 loses to LoL team of a Twitch streamer in Germany, having the time of their lives
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The yesterday’s State of Play came with a strong lineup of new games for the PS5therefore. One of them has particularly attracted attention with its main character – a muscular rooster. However, often the even more exciting genre of the game is overlooked.
Which game is being referred to? This was announced for the first time as Project Windless, with an official reveal trailer. Although there was already a bizarre and bloodthirsty trailer in September 2022, nothing more than the template was known.
Project Windless adapts The Legend of the Bird That Drinks Tears, a series of popular novels by the Korean author Lee Youngdo. These take place in a high-fantasy world that is heavily inspired by Korean mythology and folklore.
You can watch the new reveal trailer for Project Windless here:
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In the official reveal trailer for Project Windless on PS5, you slay through hordes of enemies as a muscle chicken
Fight against hordes of enemies as a giant muscle rooster
What does the trailer show? The first thing that catches the eye is the unusual protagonist of the game. This is a humanoid chicken (and a real muscle mountain), which slaughters through hordes of enemies with swords. The jokes write themselves.
In the lore of the game, you play as a Rekon. These are feathered beings about three meters tall with a rooster’s head – and they are extremely powerful. They carry oversized, nearly indestructible weapons, and even their scream has great destructive power. The main enemies appear to be the Naga, who resemble reptiles with their scaly skin.
A Rekon is also the perfect choice for the type of action game that Project Windless is likely to become. In the trailer, the open-world action RPG looks like a Musou in the style of Dynasty Warriors.
What are Musous anyway? They are a subgenre of action games where you fight against large groups of enemies as a single overpowering warrior. The fights are based on hack & slash titles.
For fans of the Musou genre, there is currently really only one option, namely the Dynasty Warriors series from the Japanese developer Koei. It has been around since 1997 and the latest installment, Dynasty Warriors: Origins, was released in January 2025. Project Windless could therefore become an exciting alternative.
MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann bought the Switch OLED 4 years ago. How has the OLED display held up after all these years? Has it survived years of gaming? Benedikt explains how his Switch is doing.
In July 2022, I bought the Nintendo Switch OLED after much back and forth. For a long time, I was skeptical about the Nintendo console, but in the end, I even called the Switch my purchase of the year.
I consciously chose the OLED model back then: I wanted to play with the Switch exclusively in handheld mode, as I have my computer for everything else. Therefore, the OLED model was simply the right choice for me.
By now, I have spent about 4 years with my Switch. There have often been reports of concerns that the OLED display might fail over time or show signs of burn-in. I cannot confirm these concerns after many years; however, my Switch has other problems.
It is important that these are truly everyday gaming times. I haven’t done any stress tests or anything similar with my Switch, and I also haven’t disabled any protection features of the OLED. I have simply used my Switch normally as a handheld console: at home on the couch, on the go in the tram, or on a plane on my way to vacation.
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Turtle Burst II Pro in Review: Find out in 3 minutes if the mouse is worth it for you
Over the last 4 years, I have spent hundreds of hours on countless games and am quite surprised in hindsight about what all that was. Here are a few examples of games I spent a lot of time on:
Persona 5 and Shin Megami Tensei V.
Countless Pokémon games, including the MOBA Pokémon Unite.
Various games from the “Rune Factory” series, which I have played extensively. I only skipped part 5.
Many, many hours in FIFA or now EA FC, but only in single-player mode.
The OLED works like at release, the Joy-Cons less so
Even after hundreds of hours spent in various games on the Switch, I can say: I see no visible damage on the OLED display to this day. Whether in the main menu of the Switch or in the games themselves, I have not noticed any disturbing streaks or burned-in menus. And I would notice that because I always have the Switch right in front of my nose in handheld mode.
Whether the brightness has worsened, I cannot check with my home capabilities.
In general, I believe that most players who have similar habits as I do while gaming do not need to worry about “their” OLED display. Three or four hours of daily gaming on the Switch OLED does not harm the Switch or the display, in my opinion. Other things on the Switch will break first:
It is noticeable that I have been carrying my Switch around daily: The left Joy-Con no longer holds properly on the body of the Switch after 4 years, and my device is quite scratched despite the protective case.
On February 12, 2026, there was another State of Play from Sony. Many developers presented new games or trailers. Legendary Konami was also present, showcasing how to make perfect use of such a show with four trailers.
Konami has produced many legendary game series. This is no surprise, as they have been developers and publishers of video games since the 1980s. They are behind series like Silent Hill, Metal Gear, Castlevania, and the classic Frogger.
At Sony’s State of Play on February 12, 2026, they showcased four titles with four trailers, demonstrating not only how to truly engage fans but also how to present a good mix for the future. We present the four trailers to you here one by one.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse
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Konami brings Castlevania back with Belmont’s Curse
Aside from mobile titles and the latest collections of old games, fans of the Castlevania series have been waiting for a new installment since 2014. Here and there, the vampire saga made cameo appearances (such as in Vampire Survivors), but it seems to be making a proper return now.
Together with Evil Empire and Motion Twin, Konami is bringing a new 2D entry in the series. According to the trailer, players will once again have to fight against various monsters while exploring a castle. As in previous entries, various weapons will also be visible.
Motion Twin is also not a completely unknown developer for the franchise. In their 2D roguelike Dead Cells, there was already a Castlevania DLC featuring some enemies, bosses, and weapons from the series.
The game is set to be released in 2026 for PS5, Switch 1 and 2, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
With the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2, the fourth part of the series is finally freed from the PS3
Even though Hideo Kojima’s departure from Konami was a significant blow for many Metal Gear fans, it is worth revisiting the espionage series. To ensure that this goes well on modern platforms, Konami released the Master Collection Vol. 1 in 2023, featuring various games and bonus content.
For a long time, it was unclear if the fourth installment, which originally only appeared on the PS3, would return, but now we know: it is finally free, and many people will have the chance to catch up on the title. In addition to part 4, there are also Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and Metal Gear: Ghost Babel.
The collection will be released on August 27, 2026, for PS5, Switch 1 and 2, PC, and Xbox Series X|S.
Darwin’s Paradox! is a playable animated film in which you must escape as an octopus
Alongside the Metal Gear announcement, a new trailer for Darwin’s Paradox! was shown. The game looks like a classic animated film, and as an octopus, you must escape captivity to return to the ocean.
To do so, you will not only need to climb and hide, but you will also have to solve puzzles in various levels. As shown in the trailer, the game relies on slapstick humor and situational comedy. The game is set to be released on April 2, 2026, for PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
In the upcoming Silent Hill: Townfall, horror goes to Scotland
Together with Annapurna Games, Konami will release a new installment in the horror series Silent Hill in 2026. Unlike Silent Hill f from 2025, this time it takes place in Scotland. Simon Ordell returns to the island of St. Amelia. However, he only finds fog and an abandoned town.
One of the biggest innovations this time is the first-person perspective. You must protect yourself from monsters and uncover what is happening on the island. The trailer already shows various monster designs that fit the horror of the series.
Why were Konami’s trailers so good? Konami received a dedicated slot on the show, and the four trailers are interesting not only for hardcore fans; they cater to various genres: Metal Gear is a collection for those interested, Silent Hill is a new horror title of the series, and Castlevania and Darwin’s Paradox! target yet other audiences.
The studio’s history is celebrated, but so is the future with new titles. It is particularly exciting that each title is set to be released in 2026. Thus, players can prepare directly for the year and do not have to wait too long for a title that is set to come out in a few years. The situation is different for games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: One of the best Star Wars games was never complete, and now it is supposed to be remade and finished.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Pokémon Pokopia you will be able to shape the world as you like. This brought MeinMMO editor Jasmin back to her childhood.
In an interview on VGC, Senior Game Director Shigeru Ohmori spoke about his beginnings in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. He was responsible for the map design there. He mentions that the habitats from Ruby and Sapphire, where you first meet the monsters, served as inspiration for the prototype of Pokopia.
In fact, there are also habitats in Pokopia that need to be prepared for the pocket monsters. As soon as they settle, they develop needs and desires that must be fulfilled in the form of items or furniture.
When I read the editions of Ruby and Sapphire, it immediately brought me back to my childhood. For me, a different feature than the habitats is needed to make the perfect Pokémon game.
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With Pokémon Pokopia, Nintendo mixes two of its most popular franchises for the Switch
A feature that made Ruby and Sapphire lovable
As a child, I collected all 8 badges and wandered through the Hoenn region. The map consisted of different areas such as rocky lava fields or the vast sea. Occasionally, there were special spots where players could set up their secret base.
With TM43 Secret Power, you could smash a hole into trees or rock walls. Behind it opened a room that could be decorated. That was my first encounter with video games that involved decorating rooms.
First of all, the right secret base needs to be chosen. Depending on where this secret room is located, it has a different design. Secret bases in rocky areas, for example, have stone walls and floors. I always liked the tree house best, as it made me feel as if I was actually high up in the air in a tree when I was a child.
Then came the decorating. My secret base was always characterized by being full of pink furniture, and not a single inch of the room was left free without a plush toy looking into your soul.
How creative can it get in Pokopia?
My brother was a bit more creative: he took inspiration from the secret base of the rival team and placed arrows all over the floor. Whenever you hit one of these arrow spaces, you would be flung in the direction the arrow pointed. As a result, visitors often spent several minutes in his room being tossed from arrow to arrow.
In hindsight, there weren’t as many options as in today’s cozy games. For example, the colors of individual furniture pieces or the walls and floors couldn’t be adjusted, which is often possible in many games today.
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were the first games where I could express my creativity. It wasn’t that important to me to collect all 8 badges. Much more important to me was to complete my collection of posters, cushions, and dolls.
The nice thing was that you could show your creations to friends and family. Although Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire are focused on collecting Pokémon and battles, for me, the feature of secret bases was the most important. This is how I discovered my love for cozy games.
Pokopia would be perfect for it
If a game were to evolve this system, it would indeed be Pokopia, wouldn’t it? In the 10-minute trailer, there were already some scenes showing that players could build their own houses with blocks. There is also supposed to be a room that can be freely designed.
However, it still needs to be shown how the personal space comes into play. I wouldn’t have much fun building buildings myself, as I prefer to decorate pre-made rooms like in Animal Crossing – or indeed the secret bases from Ruby and Sapphire. Also, the blocky look of the world currently rather discourages me than motivates me to terraform.
However, if there is a personal space that can be freely designed and into which you can invite your friends, Pokopia would be a dream come true for me. It is different whether you can shape the entire world freely or whether you decorate the place available to you as best as possible.
Additionally, I am curious how much you can express your creativity when decorating in Pokopia. In Ruby and Sapphire, I liked the fact that there are floor tiles with functions, such as the mentioned arrows or music tiles that play a sound.
During the time at Sauercrowd, Mental was part of one of the biggest highlights of the project: the trial against Chefstrobel, where he himself acted as a judge. This will not happen again.
Update from February 13, 2026: Due to criticism that we misrepresented some information from the Bonjwa streams, we have double-checked the corresponding scenes from February 11 and 12 and subsequently adjusted some formulations and updated sections. Thank you for your feedback!
This is what Mental says: In his stream on Wednesday, February 11, Mental explains that his time at Sauercrowd is over. HandofBlood wanted him as a judge again, but he no longer wants to do that, wishing to completely distance himself from World of Warcraft for the time being:
I think I’m completely out of Sauercrowd now. So no more court trial or anything like that. […] The project is super cool, I wish everyone who is still involved a lot of fun, but I’m unfortunately so out that I don’t want to deal with it anymore in a court trial.
He has developed a “real aversion” and can “no longer stand” WoW, as he continues to emphasize. It is possible that the desire may return someday, but at the moment he can “no longer see” all of it. If there are particularly entertaining hardcore clips, they might occasionally appear on his stream.
Mentals character on the Sauercrowd server is currently at Level 50; the streamer has reached this point without any deaths (Source: sauercrowd.gg).
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Blizzard bans the man who ruined WoW Hardcore
A streamer quits, but Bonjwa continues
At the “shareholder meeting” on Bonjwa’s main channel, project manager Maurice Otto and managing director Niklas “Honor” Behrens discussed the stream’s statistics. Their conclusion: after an initial high with Sauercrowd, the viewer numbers are currently below the channel’s average. However, the numbers are not related to Mental’s farewell from WoW.
In line with this, the other Bonjwa members remain loyal to WoW. Honor explained why he will not participate in the upcoming raid on Molten Core on February 22. He only died for the third time at the end of January, his new character in the guild is currently level 20 and says himself: in the 2 weeks he won’t make it to 60. However, he seems eager to continue participating in the project.
Bonjwa streamer Leon Kress also seems to be very active in the guild. Moreover, Maurice emphasized: “Sauercrowd 2 then on the Horde side, it’s going to be great.” When exactly this is supposed to happen – and whether it will even happen – has not been confirmed yet.
Niklas explains at the end of the conversation about Sauercrowd that he is currently playing the ongoing expansion The Burning Crusade on the anniversary servers. Here too, he plays hardcore, but via an addon, as the servers do not offer their own hardcore mode. And he has his gnome on the hardcore servers as well, although he is now playing a bit more relaxed.
In Pokémon GO, the Valentine’s Day event is currently ongoing. You should definitely take advantage of this to catch a special Shiny.
What’s happening in Pokémon GO? Currently, everything revolves around the Valentine’s Day event. It runs until Sunday, February 15 at 8:00 PM.
There are a lot of interesting Pokémon to catch, but one stands out if you’re a Shiny collector: Pandair.
What makes Pandair so special? There are several points that make it interesting.
It can be caught in different forms – and right now you can catch it with the rare heart pattern.
This heart pattern has another special feature: When you catch Pandair in this form as a Shiny, not only does the color change but also the pattern of the Pokémon. While the normal Pandair has spots in the shape of hearts, the Shiny heart Pandair has a broken heart on its fur. This makes it quite unique among Shiny Pokémon.
Pandair and its special Shiny
And finally, Pandair is a rare Pokémon that is usually difficult to obtain. It is known to only be catchable through the rare field research Catch 5 great curveballs in a row.
This research is not only rare but also difficult – and it usually does not yield the heart pattern but other forms. Accordingly, Shiny Pandair in heart form is extremely rare. However, there is currently a significantly better chance than usual. But only until Sunday evening.
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Pokémon GO shows its new season in the trailer
How do I catch Shiny Pandair with heart pattern in Pokémon GO?
The Valentine’s Day event has an important feature that is currently in effect: the big Pandair research, which has been available since the completion of the global challenge.
The research is simply called Time-Limited Research: Valentine’s Day and offers you six encounters with Pandair in heart form. For this, you only need to catch 30 Pokémon to receive all encounters consecutively.
This guarantees that you will catch the heart Pandair. For the Shiny form, of course, you need luck as always. But the opportunity is better than usual.
If this doesn’t work out, you can continue to look for the 5-great-curveballs-in-a-row research. Visit different PokéStops and try to obtain the research. Tip: It’s best to delete other research tasks that you don’t want to solve so you can make space for the Pandair research tasks.
Have you already had luck with the heart Pandair, or are you still trying to catch it? Let us know in the comments! And more exciting Pokémon will appear in the coming weeks. Especially the Kalos Tour and the way to Kalos are likely to be of interest to many. You can find all the information about the dates until the end of the month here: All events in February 2026 in Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The new campaign in Helldivers 2 brings the war to the home world of the robots, Cyberstan. However, the fact that the enemies from Over-Earth do not give up their world without a fight is clearly evident.
How is the battle for Cyberstan going? The galactic war currently leads the Helldivers to Cyberstan, where they must defend themselves against the recently added Cyborgs.
However, this is not going very well, as the Helldivers are currently facing strong resistance from the enemies. Recently, there were many posts on Reddit where the community complained about the high difficulty level. However, the veterans are now explaining what truly causes the high numbers of fallen players.
Here you can see the trailer for the new update “Machinery of Oppression”:
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Helldivers 2 shows in the trailer for Machinery of Oppression how the new cyborgs change the fight
Always the same mistakes
Why are the numbers so high? In a Reddit post, a user shows a message from Over-Earth which roughly translates to: “Don’t die so often.” What is meant as a simple pro tip with a wink, however, sparks a discussion on why players die so frequently in Helldivers 2.
The veterans explain that the fundamental problem is still the same as at the beginning of the game. They believe that far too many players still try to take on every enemy and inevitably get taken out.
Usually, it is exactly one player per round who keeps getting taken out and then immediately re-enters the battle with the next hundreds of enemies, while the rest of the players play the mission correctly.
What does “correctly” mean? The intro already reveals: the Helldivers are not the infantry of Over-Earth, but the special forces. Thus, the goal of the squad in Helldivers is simply to complete the mission rather than to take out enemies, as they spawn back anyway.
Accordingly, many veterans play Helldivers 2 in such a way that they simply run from mission point to mission point and then leave once everything is completed.
Strong enemies, like the new Vox machines, try to bypass the professionals and only use their support weapons when they are exactly at the mission point.
They therefore tend to avoid getting into fights and try to simply complete the missions without getting interrupted. This way, they manage to avoid many of the deaths and can complete the missions despite the enemies being stronger than they are.
The thieves have been after RAM and other hardware for a while now. A manufacturer is now making changes to protect the hardware from fraudsters. Whether this really helps is another question.
What has Corsair done? Corsair has been selling its DDR5 product line under the “Vengeance” brand in new packaging since early January 2026. This is reported by Corsair in its own blog post. Instead of the familiar yellow cardboard boxes like in the title image, clear plastic packaging is now being used. This is supposed to have several advantages:
The contents of the packaging are now immediately recognizable. If fraudsters switch the contents, it’s quicker to detect than with a sealed box.
The manufacturer has also placed a tamper-proof label on the flap packaging. The security seal surrounds the flap packaging and tears when opened, so thieves cannot open and reseal it.
For the RAM modules that continue to be delivered in cardboard packaging, Corsair has also added a security label to increase protection.
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Why is RAM so expensive? The current situation explained in 2 minutes
Allegedly better protection for buyers and sellers
What is the aim? With these changes, they primarily want to combat several types of fraud that have been causing problems for a while:
A particularly “popular” scam is return fraud, where fraudsters buy DDR5 memory, substitute modules of other types, such as DDR4 or old DDR2, or dummy modules and then return them to the retailer. In the worst case, the retailer does not notice, so the next customer receives the wrong memory and wonders. With graphics cards, models are also often secretly swapped by fraudsters.
Whether these measures will actually help against return fraud is questionable. Because often, employees in warehouses do not recognize whether it is real hardware or a counterfeit. And as long as this knowledge is lacking, fraud will likely continue to be successful.
Warcraft sounds too frightening. While the Blizzard leadership is considering such things and wants to make the universe more appealing to the masses, they are losing sight of the fans who built the company – so concludes an industry observer.
What is the current situation? A few days ago, we reported on an interview with Holly Longdale and Ion Hazzikostas, who have been guiding the direction of World of Warcraft at Blizzard for years. There, the vice president explained, among other things, that they want to bring Warcraft to as many people as possible and that they are not so happy with the name looking back: Warcraft sounds so frightening.
This interview was taken as an occasion by industry observer Peter Girnus (who actually comes from the field of cybersecurity) to point out a development at Blizzard in a lengthy post on X.
Warcraft also likes to show its cute side these days, as in this trailer:
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WoW: Housing-Cinematic in WildStar style
What kind of development is this? Peter Girnus writes his post from the perspective of the Senior Vice President of Activision Blizzard, looking back at the 30-year-old Warcraft franchise. His first accusation: The company collects feedback from focus groups who want increased accessibility for Warcraft. Most respondents have probably never played a Warcraft game.
In the second step, he criticizes the statements from the interview:
Our vice president told an interviewer that we want to offer players “weddings, raids, and new adventures.” She mentioned weddings first. Before raids. In a game called Warcraft. Nobody in the room batted an eye.
She also said: “No one thinks the same about Warhammer.”
She unfavorably compared our franchise to a competitor. Officially. As a defense of the franchise.
The increased accessibility, according to Girnus, serves to reach a larger TAM. TAM stands for Total Addressable Market, meaning the maximum theoretical target audience that one could reach with their product. Blizzard is no longer focused on subscribers or the community that has made this franchise (and Blizzard) great. It is all about TAM.
Girnus calls this the “Disneyfication,” a term that players are also frequently mentioning in this context: “Unpleasant things are turned into cute things. War into weddings. Orcs into mascots.” Everything must be family-friendly at best.
However, Girnus sees a major problem with this orientation: “TAM does not write posts in forums. TAM does not write farewell letters. TAM does not have 20 years of muscle memory and lore knowledge and raid nights from which real friendships have emerged.”
According to Girnus, it is not the name Warcraft that is the problem. “The issue is that old players are slowly not recognizing us anymore.”
What are the reactions to the post? Peter Girnus receives prominent support for his analysis. Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra writes on X:
Long live Warcraft. It has always been about conflict. This is the house on which Blizzard was built.
Many other readers also agree with Girnus:
Montana Rodes writes: “That is why my entire guild no longer plays WoW. Most of us have been around since Vanilla.”
Sky Wlker criticizes: “You tried to turn WoW into Guild Wars 2, and now it is a Disney game. Congratulations.”
William Alves adds: “The vampire managers have finally sucked the last drop of soul out of Warcraft: weddings before raids, cash shop traps designed to milk anniversary earners, and a creative director who was involved in the naming and now complains that the name is too scary.”
Mike Ybarra was president of Blizzard and is now the CEO of PrizePicks.
A development that started many years ago
How does MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz evaluate this analysis? Peter Girnus describes a development that has long been observable at Blizzard and has long been criticized by fans of Diablo, Starcraft, and Warcraft.
Since the enormous success of World of Warcraft starting in 2005, the company has changed. From less than 500 employees, more than 4,500 were employed in just 4 years. The new benchmark was set. The focus shifted towards service games. Blizzard increasingly faced criticism for its decisions, announcements, and delivered quality.
In addition, there is a development that we have observed for years everywhere: Brands are increasingly being expanded into mega-franchises that aim to conquer all platforms with series, movies, and games, and with merchandise the living and children’s rooms.
Disney is demonstrating this with Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avatar, and others. Many others are following suit. So we can assume that actions will follow Holly Longdale’s words: Warcraft will become larger, more omnipresent, more accessible, and more family-friendly.
From my perspective, however, it cannot be said outright that this focus on larger target groups automatically leads to a worse outcome. Quite the opposite: Blizzard is currently doing a lot right. Housing for WoW is being very well received. Overwatch has been restructured. A lot of new things are coming for Diablo. Additionally, a trailer recently proved, that WoW can still be very dark.
Helldivers has become a quite successful game with the second part. Now the series is also supposed to get a movie. MeinMMO summarizes all the previous information for you.
When is the release of the Helldivers movie? The movie based on Helldivers is supposed to hit theaters on November 10, 2027.
What is the source material of the movie? The Helldivers games do not have a concrete story and can best be compared to Starship Troopers. It can be assumed that none of the two games will be used directly as source material, but rather the Helldivers world in general (i.e., the humor and atmosphere) will be used as a template.
Who is the director of the Helldivers movie? Justin Lin is set to direct the Helldivers movie. He already has experience with blockbusters. You might know him as the director of the following movies:
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
Fast and Furious Five (2011)
Star Trek Beyond (2016)
Fast and Furious 9 (2021)
His last movie was the 2025 drama Last Days.
Here you can watch a trailer for the games:
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Helldivers 2 shows in the trailer for Machinery of Oppression how the new cyborgs change the fight
Helldivers Movie: Trailer, Cast, and Story
Is there a trailer for the Helldivers movie? No, so far no trailer for the movie has been released. There are also no set images or promotional material available yet.
Since filming apparently has not yet started, it will probably take a while before teasers or trailers are released.
Who is in the cast of the Helldivers movie? So far, only one actor is known. As Variety announced on February 11, 2026, Jason Momoa will take on a role in the movie. He previously starred in the video game adaptation of Minecraft, and most will know him as Aquaman or Khal Drogo.
What is the plot of the Helldivers movie? So far, the specific plot is unknown. In Helldivers, everything revolves around Super Earth, which is threatened by external dangers such as the Terminids, the Automates, or the Illuminates.
Super Earth deliberately relies on propaganda to prepare humanity for war against these factions.
The screenplay is said to be written by Gary Dauberman. He has worked as a screenwriter on the following films:
