GSC Game World has announced a new free update for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, which will release on December 16. The update adds new quests, characters, locations, and more.
The full list of new additions is as follows:
8 quests that can take hours to complete
7 locations to explore
6 characters with their own backgrounds and stories
A unique weapon
A hub to create
Check out the trailer for the upcoming free update for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl below:
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl initially released on Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam, GOG and Epic Games Store on November 20, 2024. The game reached over 1 million copies sold just a few days after launch. It’s also available now on PlayStation 5.
Additionally, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy Enhanced Editionis also available now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It includes new lighting, upgraded textures, advanced shaders, 4K pre-rendered cutscenes, and several other console-specific features. Keyboard and mouse support, as well as mods, are also available on consoles.
Lastly, Steam describes S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl as follows:
Chornobyl Exclusion Zone has changed dramatically after the second massive explosion in year 2006. Violent mutants, deadly anomalies, warring factions have made the Zone a very tough place to survive. Nevertheless, artifacts of unbelievable value attracted many people called S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, who entered the Zone for their own risk striving to make a fortune out of it or even to find the Truth concealed in the Heart of Chornobyl.
Take over a role of the lone stalker and explore photorealistic seamless open world in a 64-km² radioactive zone with a variety of environments that reveal post-apocalyptic atmosphere from different angles. Make your way through the Zone to define your destiny as you choose your paths within highly branching epic story.
Bandai Namco and CyberConnect2 released a new trailer for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot DAIMA: Adventure Through The Demon Realm Part 2, giving fans a preview before the DLC launches in early 2026. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot DAIMA: Adventure Through The Demon Realm Part 2 includes playable character Vegeta (Mini), a boss fight against Tamagami Number Two, new enemies from the Demon Realm, and more.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot DAIMA: Adventure Through The Demon Realm Part 1 previously released on July 17. In the DLC, players may explore the Demon Realm as Goku (Mini), Glorio, Panzy and other friends from the anime, and several features from the base Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot game make a return.
Both parts of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot DAIMA: Adventure Through The Demon Realm are available for $34.99 in the DAIMA: Adventure Through The Demon Realm Pack. Part 2 will release between January and March 2026. Purchase bonuses include Ultimate Meat Feast, Mega Sacred Water, Purple Dino Horn, and Awakening Water bonus items.
The physical Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Daima Edition is available at Amazon, GameStop, Best Buy, and other participating retailers, starting at $49.99 for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5. It includes specially themed box art, the physical game copy (Nintendo Switch or PlayStation 5), and a voucher code for DAIMA: Adventure Through The Demon Realm Pack.
The Dragon Ball Daima anime series are streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix with English subs and dubs. The anime is streaming in North America, Central America, South America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
Lastly, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is available now for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
Larian Studios have announced that Divinity: Original Sin 2 is available now on Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The announcement comes a few days after the announcement of the next entry in the franchise.
Those who own the original version of Divinity: Original Sin 2 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch can upgrade to the new edition for free. Otherwise, Divinity: Original Sin 2 costs $14.99 on the PlayStation Store, $17.49 on Xbox, and $24.99 on Nintendo eShop during the latest sale (MSRP: $49.99). A full Q&A from Larian Studios regarding the new update is available here.
During The Game Awards 2025, Larian Studios revealed the next entry in the franchise, simply titled Divinity. Larian Studios promises to be its biggest game yet and describes it as follows:
The gods are silent. Rivellon bleeds. New powers stir.
Built by the team who brought you Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian Studios unchains its ambitions to bring you an RPG with greater breadth and depth than ever before.
While Divinity is a brand new game that doesn’t require experience with previous Larian titles, those who’ve played Divinity: Original Sin and Divinity: Original Sin 2 will be able to enjoy greater understanding and continuity.
Swen Vincke, founder and game director of Larian Studios, said “Despite our long history with the series, this is our first game entitled ‘Divinity.’ We’re ready to bring everything we’ve done previously into one place. This marks the beginning of something with more breadth, depth, and intimacy than anything we’ve created before. We’ve been building toward this moment ever since we took our fate into our own hands. This is the Divinity we’ve always wanted to make and you’re going to have loads of fun with it.”
Ever since Hi-Fi Rushfirst came out in 2023, I’ve been looking for a game to fill the void it left as a game that blended both rhythm and action elements. While there were plenty of great rhythm games I’ve played since, there has never been something that combined multiple genres into one cohesive experience. However, when I was first introduced to UNBEATABLE, I hoped that this would be the game I was looking for.
UNBEATABLE is an indie game that was funded via Kickstarter in 2021. The game sports stunning hand-drawn visuals, an elaborate story that balances rhythmic battles and exploration, and an entirely separate arcade mode where you can freely play tracks to compete against players online in a leaderboard.
All of this, on paper, should make for a great game. Unfortunately, despite a solid premise, lovable characters, and a great soundtrack, the overall experience is undermined by a lack of focus thanks to some bizarre gameplay choices and countless bugs.
A Young Girl Plays A Song
UNBEATABLE begins with members of an unknown band delivering what will end up becoming a fateful performance. Soon, the perspective changes to a young woman by the name of Beat, who awakes in a world where music is outlawed in all forms. Beat soon meets Quaver, a kid who yearns to honor her mother by performing in the venue where she made her name, despite the action being extremely illegal.
Quickly, they are hunted down by the H.A.R.M., or Harmonious Audio Reduction Maintenance. Along the way, the two meet Treble and Clef, two other musicians who have been equally oppressed by H.A.R.M., and together, they will form a band that threatens the system and start what will quickly become a revolution: “UNBEATABLE.” The four must contend with abnormal monsters, police officers, propagandists, and the mysterious leaders in charge of this terrible world order as they carry out their rebellion.
The premise of UNBEATABLE, for lack of a better term, rules. The emphasis on music-based revolution is such an intriguing concept, especially in a reality where music itself has been outlawed. It helps that it’s very easy to become invested in the characters and their journeys. Beat, for instance, has confidence that masks her deep insecurities. She seems to come from a world similar to our own: where music is normal, and H.A.R.M. was never in power.
The other side characters are great too: Quaver has a sense of youthful optimism that hides her deep rage towards the world, Treble is an aloof keyboarder who lost an arm in an unknown incident, while Clef is stubborn to a fault due to previous traumatic incidents. The antagonists are great too, with each member of H.A.R.M. serving as interesting foils to each member of the band.
A lot of the charm of the characters comes from just how beautiful the presentation is. The visuals are fantastically hand-drawn, with each character having idle animations that add to the charm. It feels like a classic anime or cartoon, especially with how bright and shiny the backgrounds are. For a dystopian world where a fascistic organization controls the output of music, the scenery is surprisingly stunning.
Of course, a rhythm game is nothing without a good soundtrack. Thankfully, the soundtrack of UNBEATABLE is great and does a nice job of balancing different genres. Some tracks fall into the category of indie rock, while others fit more into the lens of techno or drum-and-bass. I’m looking forward to listening to each track on the OST more closely when it releases on streaming services.
If I were to offer a criticism of UNBEATABLE‘s story, it would be in its writing. A lot of the dialogue can feel very same-y at points, with characters constantly talking over each other and using elaborate metaphors to illustrate their point. It’s not inherently a bad thing, but once you start to notice it, you realize that it litters most dialogue exchanges between characters, whether it’s between the band and the antagonists, members within the band, or NPCs.
Easily, though, the bigger issue is how vague the narrative can be at times, especially towards the end. There are several reveals about the identity of certain characters and connections they share with each other, but it’s often really hard to understand who is who. Part of that is due to the aforementioned snappy nature of writing, but it could also be because of some glitches leading to cutscenes cutting out and not displaying at all, with even the final cutscene being a completely black screen.
That leads to a broader issue with UNBEATABLE as a whole. While the story is good, the lackluster gameplay and frequent technical issues muddy my enjoyment of the characters, writing, and presentation.
Too Much of a Good Thing
UNBEATABLE tries to implement a lot of mechanics and gameplay concepts into one package. While the main foundation is the rhythm aspects, it’s not the thing you will be doing the most in this game. For most of the runtime, you’ll be running around on foot and exploring the environment around you, talking to people, doing mini-quests, and running to your next destination.
While at first, you may be in awe of the colorful visuals and the gorgeous scenery, the novelty will quickly wear off due to just how boring exploring feels. There really isn’t a purpose to running around, and the actual movement controls are quite clunky, with Beat being unnatural to maneuver. This isn’t helped by how erratic the camera is, and how it often won’t even follow the characters as you try to find your destination.
Can you guess where I need to go?
For some reason, there are also brief moments where you’ll need to platform in order to progress. UNBEATABLE isn’t a game that feels designed for platforming, and as such, the act of trying to jump onto scaffolding, cars, or a giant toothbrush hanging from a billboard is extremely frustrating to get used to. At one point, I spent almost fifteen minutes trying to get to the next area because of how difficult it was to gauge where Beat was jumping and where she’d land.
In between these moments, there is admittedly a great setup with the rhythmic battles you can have with monsters. It is quite satisfying to nail the timing of each note in tune with the music. There are even sections where you’ll be using the beat of the music to fight enemies in hand-to-hand combat, rather than the traditional grid-like system of most rhythm games. However, much like with the exploration mechanics, the novelty quickly ends up wearing off due to several major problems.
For one, the combat will often switch between two different grids on a track, like a fighting game, where an opposing player will go to your opposite side to get the drop on you. While that’s a fundamental part of the fighting game genre, it doesn’t work when you’re playing a rhythm game, and the perspective can rapidly switch between two points. It often feels disorienting, and it caused me to miss multiple notes that I shouldn’t have.
That, I could get used to. What I couldn’t get used to was the frequent amount of stuttering in the middle of each battle, causing me to lose my rhythm. At one point, in fact, the game stuttered to such an extent during one specific battle that I instantly hit a game over, and not even two seconds later, my game crashed. This, combined with the previous issues with cutscenes, was almost enough to completely ruin my enjoyment of UNBEATABLE.
Furthermore, UNBEATABLE will often hit you with other rhythm-based minigames. Some of these are fun, like grinding on a rail or a motorcycle and hitting police officers in time with the music. A lot of them, though, end up dragging down the overall experience. When you’re constantly going back and forth between bartending and going to the batting cages, it’s hard to enjoy the main rhythm mechanics.
That is the main issue at the heart of UNBEATABLE. Even if all the glitches are fixed, the game doesn’t focus enough on its main rhythm mechanics and instead highlights exploration, minigames, and other elements that feel unnecessary in the grand scheme of things. That’s why I really liked arcade mode, where you can pick songs to play in a more focused-version of the rhythm sections. Yet, even these moments were ruined by the frequent bugs.
Every single concept that UNBEATABLE introduces works on paper, but when combined into one game, it creates an unfocused mess. It’s such a shame, because I was so excited to play this game from the moment I first learned about its existence.
A Frustrating Disappointment
Rhythm games are really hard to get right. There’s a reason that, save for a few small examples, the genre has mostly fallen into obscurity. Only now is it starting to make a comeback, with Hi-Fi Rush delivering a mix between it and the action genre, and the upcoming Rhythm Heaven Groove seeming to deliver a more traditional rhythmic experience.
Sadly, UNBEATABLE is an encapsulation of all of the genre’s potential weaknesses. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as if the game is one of the worst I’ve played. There is a solid foundation here, with how great the visuals, soundtrack, and characters are. Additionally, the gameplay premise and overall rhythm mechanics are fun to use. Soon enough, however, these high moments were undone by frustrating glitches and design choices.
The strange choices in the writing, plus the emphasis on exploration, platforming, and random minigames over the main rhythm mechanics, create an unfocused package that is often quite frustrating to play through. The constant glitches, too, detract from any enjoyment I could’ve found in both the narrative and gameplay. It got to the point that even the final cutscene didn’t play, and the main rhythm sections would constantly stutter, to such an extent that my game crashed.
I wanted to enjoy UNBEATABLE so badly. It looked and seemed like a game that was made for me, especially as someone who’s loved rhythm and action titles for a long time. While there were some moments where things clicked during my playtime, by the time the credits rolled (which also didn’t appear due to the glitches), I found myself deeply disappointed by the overall experience. I can only hope that some of the issues are mitigated in future patches, but for now, I don’t think I can recommend this game to anyone.
Disclaimer: Playstack provided a PlayStation 5 copy of UNBEATABLE for review purposes.
Kamishiro Takeru was living a normal life until he was summoned into a whole other world inA Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai. As Kamishiro tries to get his new life in order, Final Weapon has everything you need to know about the release dates and schedule for all episodes of A Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai.
In A Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai, Kamishiro lands in the world of Madeus, which is full of swords and magic. He starts his new life with powerful abilities like enhanced strength, potent magic, and a “search” skill that lets him find valuable items. He also has cheat skills at his disposal, so it seems like he is prepared for the isekai journey.
A Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai Anime Release Dates, Exact Premiere Time and Schedule
New A Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai episodes will release on Mondays at 8:00 a.m. PST / 11:00 a.m. EST on Crunchyroll. Episodes will be released with English subs, followed by English dubs at 9:00 a.m. PST / 12:00 p.m. EST. A Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai is expected to have at least 12 episodes this season.
Here are the release dates and schedule for A Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai (subject to change):
Episode 1 – September 29 – OUT NOW
Episode 2 – October 6 – OUT NOW
Episode 3 – October 13 – OUT NOW
Episode 4 – October 20 – OUT NOW
Episode 5 – October 27 – OUT NOW
Episode 6 – November 3 – OUT NOW
Episode 7 – November 10 – OUT NOW
Episode 8 – November 17 – OUT NOW
Episode 9 – November 24 – OUT NOW
Episode 10 – December 1 – OUT NOW
Episode 11 – December 8 – OUT NOW
Episode 12 – December 15 – OUT NOW
New episodes of A Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai will premiere at the following times (subject to change):
English Sub
Pacific Standard Time (PST): 8:00 a.m.
Mountain Standard Time (MST): 9:00 a.m.
Central Standard Time (CST): 10:00 a.m.
Eastern Standard Time (EST): 11:00 a.m.
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT): 4:00 p.m.
English Dub
Pacific Standard Time (PST): 9:00 a.m.
Mountain Standard Time (MST): 10:00 a.m.
Central Standard Time (CST): 11:00 a.m.
Eastern Standard Time (EST): 12:00 p.m.
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT): 5:00 p.m.
OP/ED, Cast and Staff
Nornis
Nakigoto
Nornis performs the opening theme song “Prologue.” Nakigoto performs the ending theme song “Mugen Trip.”
The Japanese cast of the anime includes:
Nobunaga Shimazaki as Takeru
Ayasa Ito as Bee
Makoto Koichi as Brolite
Toshiyuki Morikawa as Clayston
Satomi Satou as Pnir (Hofvalpnir)
The English dub cast and crew includes:
English Dub Cast
Chris Long as Takeru
Jessie James Grelle as Boy in White/Black
TJ Anthony as Jerome
Tyler Darby as Voldius
English Dub Crew
Voice Director: Lee George
Producer: Zach Bolton
Adaptation: Dominique French
Mixer: William Dewell
Engineer: Derric Benavides
Yoshinori Odaka is directing the anime at Tatsunoko Production and Synergy SP studios. Gigaemon Ichikawa is handling the series scripts, while Mayumi Watanabe handles character design. GENCO is producing the series. What’s more, Hiroshi Takaki is composing the music.
Where Can I Watch A Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai?
A Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai is streaming on Crunchyroll in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, CIS, India and Southeast Asia. In Japan, the anime is streaming on U-NEXT and airing on Tokyo MX and BS11.
What is A Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai About?
Masuo Kinoko first released the novel in December 2017 on the Alphapolis platform. A manga adaptation was later released by Tomozo in 2018. AlphaPolis released the first compiled book volume in November 2018 and published the eighth volume in August 2024.
Lastly, here’s a synopsis of the anime, courtesy of Crunchyroll:
Kamishiro Takeru is a completely ordinary salaryman who reincarnates in another world—a world of swords and magic called Madeus—and starts his new isekai life with lots of new skills! Takeru must make the most of his enhanced physical strength, unbelievable magic power, and the “Search” ability that allows him to find items of worth as his great isekai journey begins!
If you grew up in the late ’90s or early 2000s, chances are you had a phase where you were obsessed with the act of skateboarding. People like Tony Hawk defined an entire generation, and even to this day, I still see people skating around the city because of his influence. Undeniably, a significant portion of that influence stems from the numerous games centered on skating and performing tricks. The Tony Hawk and Skategames, along with Jet Set Radio and Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, further attracted interest due to their great soundtracks and thrilling gameplay.
Even though I never really had an obsession with skateboarding, I was drawn into Skate Story from the moment I saw the first trailer. Specifically, I was attracted to the beautiful visuals, the premise of playing as a demon made of glass, and the great soundtrack. I waited with bated breath for the game to finally release, which ended up being an over three-year wait. Finally, it was released in December 2025. Its release raised multiple questions, though: Did it deliver on its promise? Was the wait worth it?
After playing the game for myself, I’m thrilled to say that Skate Story fulfilled and surpassed all of my high expectations, and delivered one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had with a game this year.
A Demon of Glass and Pain
The premise of Skate Story is delightfully simple. You play as a demon who has one simple goal in life, not to escape the Underworld or to gain power, but to satiate his hunger by eating the moon. As such, he makes a deal with the Devil to accomplish his quest, and to help him along the way, the Devil grants him a body of “glass and pain” and a skateboard.
On the journey, the demon encounters numerous allies who help him in small ways. For instance, there’s the Philosopher, a giant stone statue that gives the demon a small refuge before he returns to his mission. There are also some stranger allies, like Frotue, who gives the demon some warm milk to re-energize him. There’s a great sense of absurdity to the narrative and the overall tone.
While there aren’t any major “character arcs” for the game’s NPCs, Skate Story instead has plenty of charm to spare. This doesn’t just come from the characters and their designs, but the sheer absurdity of the premise. When you think of stories that take place in the Underworld, you think of fire and brimstone, not a skateboarding demon made of glass who wants to eat the moon.
That insanity only continues with the mini quests you must do in between satiating your hunger. Some of my favorites involve asking you to find the wash the Devil’s laundry (and then having to chase it because it ran away). There’s also one where you speak to a pigeon who is struggling to find inspiration and asks you to collect words to give to him. It sounds like a setup that shouldn’t work, yet somehow, I couldn’t help but be consistently charmed as I played more of Skate Story.
Hey man, I get it.
Easily, the best thing about Skate Story is its immaculate presentation. I happened to play this game on the Nintendo Switch 2, and despite the seemingly “lesser hardware” compared to PC and PlayStation 5, it still ended up being one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever played. The reflections of the light on the demon’s surface, the way each building shines, and even the appearance of the scenery and the moon in the distance all had me in awe.
It would’ve been so easy for the sole developer, Sam Eng, to further lean into the grim and dark aesthetic you’d expect from the setting, but instead, each area you visit is bright and complete with its own ecosystem. There are cities, massive skyscrapers, subways, and small stores, and all of it is beautifully rendered and further adds to how endearing this world is. Towards the end of the game, the visuals actually begin to grow a bit more insane and do things I’ve never seen in the medium before.
One of the other key aspects of the game’s presentation is the soundtrack. Much like other games in the genre, the soundtrack of Skate Story is fantastically done by Blood Cultures. Their music fits neatly into the experimental indie scene and adds to the surreal nature of each of the game’s many set pieces. I’ve been listening to many tracks on the OST since it came out, with my personal favorite being “Where The City Can’t See.”
In general, it’s hard not to be enamored by the overall premise, soundtrack, and visuals of Skate Story. From beginning to end, I was in love, regardless of whether I was skating through small alleyways or navigating on foot around some of the many hub areas scattered throughout the Underworld. If anything, my biggest issue with Skate Story as a whole is that there isn’t more. This applies to the gameplay as well, but once you reach the credits, there sadly isn’t any extra content for players to sink their teeth into.
There is no post-game, no arcade mode, and not even the ability to free roam between areas. While a six-hour playtime isn’t too bad, Skate Story feels like a game that demands more content beyond the ending. It’s such a shame, because I could absolutely see myself putting thousands of hours into the game as I aimlessly skate around the Underworld while listening to the dulcet tones of Blood Cultures. I can only hope that Eng and Devolver Digital add more content in a future update.
A lot of the reason why I wanted more from Skate Story once the credits rolled was because of just how satisfying the gameplay felt. Even as someone who’s never played that many skating games, I was able to pick it up, play it, and have a blast with no issues whatsoever.
Skate Till You Drop (Or Eat The Moon)
If you’ve played any game that features skateboarding as a mechanic, then you already know what to expect from Skate Story. Expect to learn how to kickflip, grind on rails, do a pop shuvit, an ollie, and countless more classic skating tricks. From a distance, you may wonder how this game is any different from others in the genre, like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater or Skate. As someone whose tried to get into the genre for years, the unique elements of Skate Story‘s gameplay formula were enough to keep me addicted throughout its six-hour runtime.
For starters, there’s the more linear nature of the exploration. Rather than asking you to do a series of tricks for a grade, here, you will frequently be going from point A to point B on your quest to eat another moon. The tricks you unlock are mainly a way to build speed and perform special tasks in the world. In between each moon, there will be a small hub you encounter that has its own cast of characters, unique scenery, and of course, its very own lunar object.
In each of these hubs, you can find a gift shop that allows you to customize your skateboard. You can buy different boards, wheels, and even stickers to place along the bottom of its surface. It’s a great touch, plus some of the board options were an absolute treat to see. The board I used the most actually had an excerpt from the book, “Frankenstein.”
Due to the lack of any trick-based missions, you might think that Skate Story removes one of the most important pieces of any skating game. This couldn’t be further from the truth, however, as it instead asks you to use tricks in the game’s boss fights. Towards the end of each hub, you are forced into an encounter with the moon you’re about to devour.
Each trick you perform in quick measure deals more damage to the moon. In some cases, you’ll need to perform tricks, powerslides, and grinds in quick measure. There’s a surprising amount of challenge in each encounter, since you need to beat them as quickly as possible. The sheer scale of each fight is staggering as well, which is helped even more by the visuals.
As a whole, even if I was never interested in games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater or Skate, Skate Story struck a chord with me that I never really expected. The gameplay was pure and simple fun, and I ended up being so enthralled that I finished the entire adventure in one sitting. That goes back to my main issue, which applies to both the story and gameplay: the lack of extra content.
This really feels like a title that would benefit from giving you the ability to go back to a previous hub to do the side quests and extra content that you missed. Instead, if you want to revisit each area, you will have to start a new game. The short runtime makes this particularly infuriating, as all I wanted to do after I beat Skate Story was to play more, but there was nothing more to do. I suppose that is both the game’s greatest weakness and its greatest strength.
In the end, despite my small issues, I had a fantastic time with Skate Story. If anything, the fact that my biggest takeaway was that I wanted more, then that is arguably the best possible compliment I can give it.
Style and Substance In Equal Measure
Where previous games that highlighted skating as a mechanic shone was in their mix of style and substance. The presentation and use of obscure “underground” music, plus a fantastic gameplay premise, were enough to make an entire generation of people into skateboarders. Nowadays, a lot of games aren’t able to strike that balance between style and substance. Thankfully, I can confidently say that Skate Story isn’t one such example.
The underlying concept of being a demon made of glass who wants to eat the moon is so brilliant that it drew me into the world. I was further compelled by the great visuals, an amazing soundtrack from Blood Cultures, and the narrative filled with both charm and sheer absurdity in equal measure. Plus, the gameplay itself constantly had me hooked, especially with just how fun it is to gather speed, perform tricks, and use them in boss fights.
My biggest issue with the game is that, once it ends, there isn’t much else to do. If you want to experience more of what Skate Story has to offer, you’ll have to start a new game. Hopefully, this will be remedied in a future update. Despite that, I still adored this game. I’ve had a lot of different experiences in gaming this year, but the short amount of time I spent in Skate Story is easily one of my favorites.
While I never had that phase where I was obsessed with skateboarding and Tony Hawk as a kid, Skate Story managed to trigger an element of nostalgia with its carefully crafted use of both style and substance. I can only hope that Sam Eng has more content to add to the experience at a later time, but for now, I’ll just settle for listening to the Blood Cultures soundtrack on loop.
More isekai worlds collide with the return of the Isekai Quartet anime in Isekai Quartet 3, the third season. Final Weapon has everything you need to know to keep up with the Isekai Quartet 3 anime, including the weekly schedule and release dates for all episodes.
In Isekai Quartet 3, the cast gets even bigger with The Eminence in Shadow characters appearing in class for the first time. This is in addition to returning casts from the second season, including characters from Re:ZERO, Overlord, KONOSUBA, and Saga of Tanya the Evil. With a stacked roster, this season is bound to be chaotic and memorable.
Isekai Quartet 3 Release Dates, Exact Premiere Time and Schedule
New Isekai Quartet 3 episodes will release on Mondays at 6:30 a.m. PST / 9:30 a.m. EST on Crunchyroll. Episodes will be released with English subs, followed by an English dub at 12:00 p.m. PST / 3:00 p.m EST. Isekai Quartet 3 will air for atleast 10 episodes this season.
Here are the release dates and schedule for Isekai Quartet 3 (subject to change):
Episode 1 – October 13 – OUT NOW
Episode 2 – October 20 – OUT NOW
Episode 3 – October 27 – OUT NOW
Episode 4 – November 3 – OUT NOW
Episode 5 – November 10 – OUT NOW
Episode 6 – November 17 – OUT NOW
Episode 7 – November 24 – OUT NOW
Episode 8 – December 1 – OUT NOW
Episode 9 – December 8 – OUT NOW
Episode 10 – December 15 – OUT NOW
New episodes of Isekai Quartet 3 will premiere at the following times (subject to change):
English Sub
Pacific Standard Time: 6:30 a.m. PST
Mountain Standard Time: 7:30 a.m. MST
Central Standard Time: 8:30 a.m. CST
Eastern Standard Time: 9:30 a.m. EST
Greenwich Mean Time: 2:30 p.m. GMT
English Dub
Pacific Standard Time: 12:00 P.m. PST
Mountain Standard Time: 1:00 p.m. MST
Central Standard Time: 2:00 p.m. CST
Eastern Standard Time: 3:00 p.m. EST
Greenwich Mean Time: 8:00 p.m. GMT
OP/ED, Cast and Staff
Ains, Kazuma, Subaru, and Tanya perform the opening theme song “Isekai Concerto,” and Konomi Suzuki and Kashitarō Itō perform the ending theme song “Kimi Iro, Boku Iro.”
The Japanese cast includes:
Yūsuke Kobayashi as Subaru (Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-), Warren Grantz (Saga of Tanya the Evil)
Satoshi Hino as Ains (Overlord)
Jun Fukushima as Kazuma (KonoSuba)
Aoi Yūki as Tanya (Saga of Tanya the Evil)
Kaito Ishikawa as Naofumi Iwatani (The Rising of the Shield Hero)
Seiichirō Yamashita as Cid Kagenou/Shadow (The Eminence in Shadow)
Rie Takahashi as Emilia (Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-), Megumin (KonoSuba)
Yumi Hara as Albedo (Overlord)
Sora Amamiya as Aqua (KonoSuba)
Saori Hayami as Visha (Saga of Tanya the Evil)
Asami Seto as Raphtalia (The Rising of the Shield Hero), Alpha (The Eminence in Shadow), and CZ2128 Delta (Overlord)
Kōhei Amasaki as Otto Suwen (Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-)
Nobuhiko Okamoto as Garfiel Tinsel (Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-)
Inori Minase as Beta (The Eminence in Shadow)
Suzuko Mimori as Gamma (The Eminence in Shadow)
Fairouz Ai as Delta (The Eminence in Shadow)
Hisako Kanemoto as Epsilon (The Eminence in Shadow)
Ayaka Asai as Zeta (The Eminence in Shadow)
Reina Kondo as Eta (The Eminence in Shadow)
Further, Minoru Ashina directs and writes the script for Isekai Quartet 3 at Studio Puyukai. Minoru Takehara is the character designer chief animation director. Ruka Kawada is the music composer. In addition, Kadokawa credits The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious light novel creator Light Tuchihi for collaborating on the original work.
Crunchyroll is streaming Isekai Quartet 3 in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East and CIS. In Japan, the anime is airing on Tokyo MX, BS11, MBS, and AT-X channels alongside various streaming services, including d Anime Store.
What is Isekai Quartet About?
Isekai Quartet is a crossover anime short series that sees characters from various isekai anime, such as Re:ZERO and Konosuba, join together in class for many antics.
Here’s an overview of the first season, via Crunchyroll:
The button appeared out of nowhere. There weren’t any signs NOT to push it…so the solution is obvious, right? Is it a trap or the start of something new and exciting? The crews of Re:Zero, Overlord, Konosuba, and The Saga of Tanya the Evil will find out when they go from their world to another and get stuck in…class?! See what adorable chaos they’ll get up to in this collection of shorts!
The staff for the upcoming anime adaptation of Tachibana Higuchi’s Champignon no Majo (Champignon Witch) manga announced one more cast member and the anime’s one-hour January 8 premiere. Shōya Chiba will join the star-studded cast as Henri.
The cast of the Champignon Witch anime include:
Haruka Shiraishi as Luna
Yuki Sakakihara as Lize
Jun Fukushima as Claude
Emiri Katō as Minos
Miho Okasaki as Merino
Misato Fukuen as Sisi
Yōsuke Kubo, known for his work on Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start With Magical Tools, is directing the anime. Yūko Kakihara is handling the series scripts, while Miki Matsumoto is designing the characters. Typhoon Graphics and Qzil.la are in charge of animation production.
Tachibana Higuchi launched the manga in October 2019. Hakusensha published the sixth volume in December 2024.
MyAnimeList describes Champignon Witch as follows:
Deep within the Black Forest teeming with poisonous mushrooms, a witch named Luna lives alone. With skin that is poisonous to the touch and a breath that will kill if close enough, she is forced to stay secluded from nearby civilization. Even with these conditions, Luna still visits a nearby city to deliver medicine and buy new books to read.
Despite Luna having never done harm to any of the city’s residents, many are scared to associate with her, as she is a black witch in a kingdom ruled by white witches. Only able to watch from a distance while people receive her medicine and freely converse with one another, Luna is drawn toward their lives, even if it sometimes means putting herself in danger.
A new website has opened to announce that Shinji Saijyo’s popular cooking manga Iron Wok Jan! (Tetsunabe no Jan!) will be getting an anime adaptation in 2026. The announcement also revealed that Ei Aoki, known for his work on Fate/Zero, will be directing the anime at TROYCA.
Saijyo released the original manga in Akita Shoten’s Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine from 1995 to 2000, and Akita Shoten published 27 volumes for the series. The first 13 volumes of the series were published by ComicsOne from 2002 to 2005, followed by DrMaster acquiring the license and publishing the remaining volumes from 2005 to 2007.
Saijyo also published the Tetsunabe no Jan! R: Chōjō Sakusen (Iron Wok Jan! R: The Summit Operations) manga in Weekly Shōnen Champion, and Akita Shoten published 10 compiled book volumes for the series. In August 2015, Bingo Morihashi launched the Tetsupai no Jan! spinoff manga in Takeshobo’s Kindai Mahjong magazine. Takeshobo published the third compiled book volume of the manga in October. Saijyo then released the successor manga Tetsunabe no Jan!! 2nd (Iron Wok Jan!! 2nd) in 2017.
Lastly, here’s an overview of the series via MyAnimeList:
Jan Akiyama, a cocky arrogant teenager wants to fulfill his grandfathers wish of defeating his arch nemesis Mutsuju Gobancho. When he arrives at the Gobancho restaurant he meets his granddaughter Kiriko Gobancho. Their rivalry is easily compared to theirs grandfathers, for Jan believes cooking is about competition and Kiriko believes cooking is about heart.
Capcom has revealed patch notes for battle adjustments that will be applied in the December 16 update for Street Fighter 6. In addition to battle adjustments, the new Street Fighter 6 December 16 update will introduce the new Battle HUD Design Setting Feature and eSports organization REJECT member and popular VTuber Amaki Pururu as a new color commentator.
Read up on the patch notes for the Street Fighter 6 December 16 update below, via Capcom’s official website:
Street Fighter 6 December 16 Update Patch Notes – Battle Adjustments
Changes
Change to Drive Gauge Appearance
To make it easier to distinguish whether or not each block has Drive remaining, the color of the block will change if even a small amount of Drive remains.
Crouching Light Kick for All Characters
Adjusted so the hurtbox around the feet that appears before the attack hitbox comes out is invincible to cross-up attacks. (This applies when attacking an opponent’s cross-up attack from behind just before they land.)
Manon, Lily, and Zangief’s Super Art Level 3/CA
Omitted an unnecessary block idle hitbox that was set before the throw hitbox comes out.
This caused an issue when a Super Art was timed with the landing of a jump, making it possible to avoid the attack that should have been unavoidable.
Projectile Clashes
Fixed an issue where the timing for multi-hit projectiles’ hitboxes disappearing would be inconsistent when canceling each other out, even when performed in the same situation.
Character Specific Changes
Dee Jay
Speedy Maracas (↓↓+2 Punches)
Fixed an issue where the level 2 Super Art gauge version would be performed when Dee Jay’s gauge was between 1.98 and under 2 bars. It will now only be performed at 2 bars and over.
Cammy
Standing Light Kick
Fixed an issue where the attack would hit an opponent behind Cammy.
Chun Li
Orchid Palm, Forward Strike, Senpu Kick (Light Punch, Light Kick or Medium Kick during Serenity Stream)
Fixed an issue where Chun-Li could still block during some recovery frames when Perfect Parried by the opponent.
This fix will reduce the overall frames of the attack when it’s Perfect Parried.
Dhalsim
Merciless Yoga (Critical Art) (↓↘→↓↘→+Kick)
During a cancel the following parameters were set to their Super Art level 3 equivalents, but have now been changed to their correct Critical Art values.
Drive Gauge reduction on block changed from 7500 to 10000.
Chip damage to opponent during Burnout changed from 1000 to 1250.
Fixed an issue where on the 1st attack’s 2nd active frame and later, Bison’s hit stop would be reduced by 1 frame when the attack hits at a specific range and timing, which would result in the explosion caused by Overdrive Psycho Crusher to occur immediately after the Psycho Mine’s automatic detonation.
Mai
The primary changes to Mai surround her combo-related attacks and their effect on the Drive Gauge, and a change to her forward throw after using it while in the corner.
For Drive Gauge adjustments, her standing heavy punch and all versions of Kachousen are affected. Her standing heavy punch is easy to use at the beginning or middle of combos, and also has a lot of chances to force the opponent to block, so we’ve decreased the amount of Drive Gauge reduced when the opponent blocks it.
For Kachousen, the amount of Drive Gauge gained on normal and Perfect Parry is now increased. We looked to reduce situations where a successful Perfect Parry would result in an overall negative balance compared to the cost of performing the parry in the first place. By ensuring a certain amount of Drive recovery even with just a normal parry, Mai’s opponents will now be less likely to go into Burnout.
Especially for the held version of Light Kachousen, with its ability to really suffocate the opponent, and normal Boosted Kachousen, parrying the first two attacks will result in an overall positive Drive gain for opponents. Characters that don’t have a lot of counters to projectiles will find it easier to avoid Kachousen with a normal parry.
After Mai’s forward throw hits in the corner, the distance between the opponent is now closer, so after it hits, Mai can’t avoid a throw from a recovering opponent even if she performs forward dash into a backward walk. Although Mai’s frame advantage after a forward dash hasn’t changed, it’s now more difficult for her to deal with both an opponent’s normal throw and invincible move at the same time, so she’ll need to be more creative with her approach.
Changes
Standing Heavy Punch
Drive Gauge reduction on block changed from 5000 to 4000.
Standing Light Kick
Adjusted so the hurtbox around the feet that appears before the attack hitbox comes out is invincible to cross-up attacks. (This applies when attacking an opponent’s cross-up attack from behind just before they land.)
Normal Kachousen (Held) (↓↘→+Hold Punch)
Drive Gauge increase from parrying the attack changed from 2500/2500 to 5000/2500.
Drive Gauge increase from Perfect Parrying the attack changed from 2500/2500 to 5000/5000.
Overdrive Kachousen (Held) (↓↘→+Hold 2 Punches)
Drive Gauge increase from parrying/Perfect Parrying the attack changed from 1400 x 2 to 2500 x 2
Midare Kachousen (↓↘→+Hold 2 Punches > →+Punch)
Drive Gauge increase from Perfect Parrying the 1st and 2nd attack changed from 1200 x 2 to 2500 x 2.
Drive Gauge increase from Perfect Parrying the 3rd and 4th attack (falling fan) changed from 1150 x 2 to 5000 x 2.
Normal Kachousen (Kagerou no Mai Boosted) (↓↘→+Punch)
Drive Gauge increase from parrying/Perfect Parrying the attack changed from 2500 x 2 to 3000 x 2.
Normal Kachousen (Held, Kagerou no Mai Boosted) (↓↘→+Hold Punch)
Drive Gauge increase from parrying the attack changed from 1250 x 2/2500 to 2500 x 3.
Drive Gauge increase from Perfect Parrying the attack changed from 1250 x 2/2500 to 2500 x 2/5000.
Overdrive Kachousen (Held, Kagerou no Mai Boosted) (↓↘→+Hold 2 Punches)
Drive Gauge increase from parrying/Perfect Parrying the 1st and 2nd attack changed from 1200 x 2 to 2500 x 2.
Drive Gauge increase from Perfect Parrying the 3rd and 4th attack (falling fan) changed from 750 x 2 to 2500 x 2.
Midare Kachousen (Kagerou no Mai Boosted) (↓↘→+Hold 2 Punches > →+Punch)
Drive Gauge increase from Perfect Parrying the 1st and 2nd attack changed from 1050 x 2 to 2500 x 2.
Drive Gauge increase from Perfect Parrying the 3rd and 4th attack (falling fan) changed from 750 x 2 to 2500 x 2.
Normal Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi (Normal/Boosted) (↓↘→+Kick)
Fixed an occurance where the distance between the characters would be shorter compared to mid-screen when taking a hit during the move’s recovery while the opponent is in the corner of the stage.
Forward Throw
The distance between the characters after hitting at the corner of the screen has been shortened.
Sagat
We’ve looked at improving Sagat’s Tiger Nexus and follow-up attacks, as well as the abilities of his low-hitting attacks. Other than that, there were rare cases when his multi-hitting attacks wouldn’t connect mid-way through or wouldn’t go into the proper lock animation, so we’ve made adjustments to those to ensure that Sagat wouldn’t suddenly encounter a disadvantage.
Light/Medium Tiger Nexus, Mighty Tiger
Sagat now moves forward more with the light and medium versions of Tiger Nexus, giving him more range with this attack. Along with the changes to pushback on hit and block to crouching light kick, this makes it easier to hit an opponent with Tiger Nexus after Sagat’s light attacks, giving him better comboability.
For Tiger Nexus > Mighty Tiger’s change to blowback on mid-air hits, this is a change made so that the other tweaks won’t affect any current mid-air combos.
Crouching Light Kick, Crouching Medium Kick
Sagat’s close and mid-range low attacks now have better performance.
Due to Sagat’s slow forward walk speed, it was difficult for him to chase down retreating opponents, so this change is meant to compensate for one of Sagat’s weaknesses, which is the risk he takes when stepping back.
Tiger Monolith
When used as an early anti-air attack there were times when no active attack frames were present, so with this adjustment, it should allow Sagat to win more situations when this attack clashes with an opponent’s jumping attack, instead of trading or straight up losing out.
Changes
Crouching Light Kick
Pushback on hit and on block reduced.
Crouching Medium Kick
Advantage on hit changed from +4 to +5.
Tiger Monolith (←+Heavy Punch)
Active frames for the 1st attack changed from 2 to 3 frames.
Heavy Tiger Uppercut (Held) (→↓↘+Hold Heavy Punch)
Attack will now go into the cinematic when hitting on the 3rd active frame.
Damage on the 3rd active frame changed from 1700 to 1800.
Hitstop when hitting on the 3rd active frame changed from 13 to 20 frames.
Can now only be canceled into Super Art level 3/Critical Art when hitting on the 3rd active frame.
Added an attack hitbox on the 3rd active frame that only appears during a combo.
Collision pushbox on active frames 1-2 expanded upward, making it difficult to unintentionally sneak under opponents at high positions.
Heavy Tiger Knee Crush (↓↘→+Heavy Kick)
Expanded the attack hitbox of the 2nd attack that only appears during a combo upwards, allievating the issue of the 2nd attack missing when the 1st attack didn’t result in a spinning knockdown on a mid-air hit.
Light/Medium Tiger Nexus (↓↙←+Light Kick or Medium Kick)
Pushback on hit increased.
Forward movement increased from 2 frames before attack start up until attack start up.
Increased side blowback on a mid-air hit.
Collision pushbox on the head reduced backward.
Mighty Tiger (↓↙←+Kick > →+Light Kick)
Pushback on hit increased.
Increased side blowback on a mid-air hit.
Greedy Tiger (↓↙←+Kick > →+Medium Kick)
Drive Gauge decrease on block changed from 6000 to 8000.
Nova Tiger (↓↙←+Kick > →+Heavy Kick)
Pushback on block reduced.
C. Viper
Dynamic Controls
Fixed an issue where the normal version of Focus Force would be performed from a high jump cancel instead when trying to perform the Overdrive version.
Fixed an issue where performing a high jump cancel with a downward input followed by ↖ with Super Art 1 active or during Burnout would not result in a vertical high jump.
Jumping Light Punch, Jumping Heavy Punch
Fixed an issue where hitting a crouching opponent would force them into a standing position.
Focus Force (Level 3, Normal/Overdrive) (↓↙←+ hold Kick or 2 Kicks)
Fixed an issue where the opponent’s stunned time would not increase on Punish Counter.
