Evolution is often depicted as a steady forward march from simple to complex forms. But new research shows that certain ferns can evolve backward.

Virtua Fighter will be available on Steam for the first time ever thanks to the new Virtua Fighter 5 REVO edition launching January 27. Fans can snag a discounted preorder for the Steam version at Fanatical, where the standard version is down to just $14 (was $20), and the 30th Anniversary edition that comes with tons of extra content is on sale for $35 (was $50).Preordering either version will get you three character customization items based on vintage Sega consoles like the Genesis, Saturn, and Dreamcast, that you can use to add some flair to your favorite fighter. Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. for Steam $14 (was $20) Virtua Fighter 5 REVO will support rollback netcode for online matches. This has become the preferred way to play fighting games online as it enables smoother battles worldwide, and its inclusion in Virtua Fighter 5 REVO put it on par with the netcode in other modern fighting games like Street Fighter 6. The game also supports a 4K resolution, updated textures, and numerous balance changes to the 19-character roster. Like a Dragon developer, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has also added new modes, including16-player online tournaments and leagues. Preorder at Fanatical Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. - 30th Anniversary Edition $35 (was $50) The 30th Anniversary version of Virtua Fighter 5 REVO comes with a lot of DLC. This package gets you 30th Anniversary-themed costumes for all characters, all Virtua Fighter titles original soundtracks and unreleased music, archival artwork, exclusive in-game rank titles, the Yakuza series Collaboration Pack DLC, and the Virtua Fighter Legendary Pack DLC. Preorder at Fanatical Disclosure: GameSpot and Fanatical are both owned by Fandom.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Candy Crush is getting another feather in its cap. Rather than offering another twist on match-three puzzling, Candy Crush Solitaire will bring the franchise's sickly sweet aesthetic to the card game classic. It will be the first Candy Crush game to release after Microsoft's acquisition of developer King.Candy Crush Solitaire bases itself on tripeaks solitaire, in which players must clear three "peaks" of cards. The game will feature familiar power-ups from Candy Crush, including jelly fish, the lollipop hammer, the color bomb, and the UFO. They will offer similar, but not exactly the same, powers as their match-three counterparts. Much like other Candy Crush games, the basic solitaire gameplay will be altered and made more challenging as players progress. Candy Crush Solitaire will launch worldwide on February 6. Players can pre-register now on the app store of their choice and they'll receive some in-game rewards: 5,000 Coins, four undos, two fish cards, and three color bomb cards.Continue Reading at GameSpot

The college football season is coming to a close, with just a handful of teams still vying for the National Championship. But if youre not ready for the end of football, youll find a bunch of officially licensed College Football brick building sets up for grabs--including playoff teams like Ohio State, Texas, and Penn State (though they recently fell to Notre Dame due to a heart-breaking last-minute field goal). Other popular teams, including Nebraska, LSU, Alabama, and more, are also represented.Three different types of building sets are available, including miniature helmets, footballs, and faithful replicas of each teams stadium. The stadiums might be the most enticing option, as many of these feature over 2,000 blocks and would make an impressive centerpiece for your football cave. The products are created by FOCO but shipped and sold by Amazon, and each comes with detailed instructions on how to complete the build.If you're looking for more brick building kits, be sure to check out some of the recently launched hundreds of new Lego sets, including new sets joing the Lego Star Wars, Super Mario, and Sonic the Hedgehog lines, just to name a few. FOCO Ohio State Stadium Kit (2,926 pieces)$84Dimensions: 12 x 10 x 3.5 inchesNote: A mini version is also available for $44, though it frequently sells out. Be sure to check its Amazon page if youre interested. See at Amazon FOCO Ohio State Helmet Kit (1,328 pieces)$38Dimensions: 6 x 4 x 4 inches See at Amazon FOCO Ohio State Football Kit (356 pieces)$40Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 5 inches See at Amazon FOCO Texas Mini Stadium Display (1,459 pieces)$44Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 3 inches See at Amazon FOCO Penn State Helmet Kit (1,204 pieces)$38Dimensions: 6 x 4 x 4 inches See at Amazon FOCO Penn State Football Kit (704 pieces)$32Dimensions: 5 x 3 x 3 inches See at Amazon FOCO Nebraska Football Kit (704 pieces)$32Dimensions: 5 x 3 x 3 inches See at Amazon FOCO Nebraska Mini Stadium Kit (1,005 pieces)$44Dimensions: 12 x 9 x 3 inches See at Amazon FOCO Georgia Stadium Kit (2,484 pieces)$84Dimensions: 12 x 10 x 3.5 inches See at Amazon FOCO Georgia Helmet Kit (1,282 pieces)$38Dimensions: 6 x 4 x 4 inches See at Amazon FOCO Alabama Stadium Kit (2,446 pieces)$84Dimensions: 12 x 10 x 3.5 See at Amazon FOCO Alabama Helmet Kit (1,317 pieces)$38Dimensions: 6 x 4 x 4 inches See at Amazon FOCO Alabama Football Kit (704 pieces)$32Dimensions: 5 x 3 x 3 inches See at Amazon FOCO Washington Stadium Kit (2,650 pieces)$84Dimensions: 12 x 10 x 3.5 inches See at Amazon FOCO Iowa State Stadium Kit (718 pieces)$44Dimensions: 12 x 9 x 3 inches See at Amazon FOCO Auburn Helmet Kit (1,216 pieces)$38Dimensions: 6 x 4 x 4 inches See at Amazon FOCO Florida Football Kit (704 pieces)$32Dimensions: 5 x 3 x 3 inches See at Amazon FOCO LSU Football Kit (704 pieces)$32Dimensions: 5 x 3 x 3 inches See at Amazon FOCO LSU Helmet Kit (1,216 pieces)$38Dimensions: 4.5 x 5.5 x 4.5 inches See at Amazon FOCO Wisconsin Helmet Kit (1,325 pieces)$38Dimensions: 4 x 6.5 x 5 inches See at Amazon FOCO Wisconsin Football Kit (704 pieces)$32Dimensions: 5 x 3 x 3 inches See at Amazon FOCO Clemson Football Kit (704 pieces)$32Dimensions: 5 x 3 x 3 inches See at Amazon FOCO Michigan Helmet Kit (1,170 pieces)$38Dimensions: 6 x 4 x 4 inches See at Amazon FOCO Michigan Stadium Kit (998 pieces)$44Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 3 inches See at Amazon FOCO Michigan Football Kit (704 pieces)$32Dimensions: 5 x 3 x 3 inches See at Amazon

After Leo's victory over Vam, the second part of Fantasian Neo Dimension unfolds. Quite a few main story and side quests are available, but others have a few prerequisites. To begin these side quests tied to Tan, players must Fast Travel to Falcion Bypath and complete the "Tan, the Solitary" main quest, unlocking Tan as a playable character. This also opens up the side quests to find missing cats and dogs linked to him.

As a genre, isekai offers an abundance of freedom when it comes to concepts and ideas. Almost anything can be incorporated into an isekai story, and Headhunted to Another World is a great example. Rather than a student being isekai'd, it's an office worker named Dennosuke Uchimura. Instead of being a hero, he's working with the Demon King as a consultant and negotiator. It's a truly unique concept that creates an entertaining story.

Through sixteen mainline entries and multiple spin-offs, the Final Fantasy franchise has seen its fair share of sequels. Even though Square Enix has consistently described Final Fantasy as an anthology series with no connective tissue between entries, they are certainly not above it, and many of the franchise's best games have seen sequels. Some games, however, have been left without sequels and would benefit greatly from a continuation of some sort.

Funs over: The latest update to Marvel Rivals has killed support for PC mods that change the looks of its heroes, like turning Iron Man into Vegeta or Mantis into a goth.Just after season 1 started on Friday, players started asking in the Marvel Rivals Discord why their mods werent working. It turns out the game now scans through its files to check if theyve been altered through a feature called asset hash checking. Anything it doesnt recognize simply wont work.Its possible, although not likely, that a workaround can be found and I will update everyone here if/when that should happen, MerryJoyKey, the creator of the Marvel Rivals mod manager on NexusMods, wrote in a comment today. Theyve postponed updates to their mod until a solution is found.NetEase didnt warn players about the change, nor was it in the season 1 patch notes. The only statement the studio has made about mods was on Wednesday when it told Polygon, It is not recommended to modify any game files, as doing so carries the risk of getting banned.So far, there have been no reports of anyone being punished. According to the games terms of use, mods were never allowed and could always get you banned, but that didnt stop players from using them anyway. Thousands of people shared and downloaded mods on NexusMods in the last few weeks, enough to compete with Skyrim and Cyberpunk 2077 in the list of the games with the top mods of the month. Custom skins based on United States presidents Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama were removed by the site as part of its rules against mods relating to sociopolitical issues in the United States.Its common for online competitive multiplayer games to take a hard stance against mods. In some cases, they can change the game in a way that gives players an unfair advantage, like removing geometry from a map. Marvel Rivals mods didnt go that far and most of them were fairly tame, but its possible they could have gotten out of hand as time went on.Now players will have to dress their favorite heroes the old fashioned way and save up enough money to buy skins on the shop. The era of Iron Man Vegeta and Iron Fist Goku seems to sadly be over.

Team-Up abilities are thematically appropriate moves in Marvel Rivals, allowing two or more heroes from the Marvel Universe to pair up and kick ass as a group. These unique effects can be extremely powerful, and can even change the tide of battle if you know what youre doing.Season 1 added a new Team-Up for Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman (alongside a new battle pass and skins), and NetEase Games will continue to add more Team-Ups as the roster grows.In this Marvel Rivals guide, well walk you through how Team-Ups attacks work and what all the current in-game Team-Ups do.How do Team-Ups work in Marvel RivalsAt launch, there are 16 Team-Up abilities in Marvel Rivals to go along with the games roster of 35 heroes.Because each Team-Up is unique, they all work a bit differently from one another, but the general idea is that pairing up certain heroes on the same team can offer spectacular benefits (you can see who your hero can use a Team-Up with in the center of your screen during character select).Some of these benefits are purely passive, like Helas Ragnarok Rebirth ability, which allows her to resurrect Thor or Loki mid-combat if theyre on her team. Others, like Rocket Raccoons Ammo Overload, add an active ability for either the primary hero (the person supplying the Team-Up) to the secondary heroes (the heroes benefitting the most from the Team-Up).Most Team-Ups are lopsided, meaning that one hero might not benefit at all from having allies in their Team-Up on the field. The other side, however, may benefit immensely by the presence of their generator ally. Lunar Force, for example, does nothing for Cloak & Dagger while Moon Knight is on their team. However, Cloak & Daggers presence allows Moon Knight to occasionally turn invisible, which is an extremely potent effect.Team-Ups are not required for victory, but they can be extremely powerful, and are worth playing into whenever you get the chance. Its a good idea to learn several different characters in your preferred role so that you can swap over to support an ally with a Team-Up.All Team-Up abilities in Marvel RivalsBelow, youll find a complete chart for all 16 Team-Ups available in season 1:Team-Up NamePrimary heroSecondary hero(es)Team-Up EffectRagnarok RebirthHelaLoki, ThorHela gains a passive ability that allows her, after she secures the final hit on an enemy, to instantly resurrect one of her brothers if they're dead, or give them bonus health if they're living.Metallic ChaosScarlet WitchMagnetoScarlet Witch grants Magneto an ability called Metallic Fusion, which he can activate to enchant his greatsword to fire slashing projectiles at enemies.Voltaic UnionThorStorm, Captain AmericaThor grants Captain America and Storm an active ability, which allows them to channel lightning through their normal attacks.Planet X PalsGrootRocket Raccoon, Jeff the Land SharkRocket Raccoon and Jeff the Land Shark can interact with Groot to ride around on his shoulders, granting them bonus damage reduction.Symbiote BondVenomSpider-Man, Peni ParkerVenom grants Spider-Man and Peni Parker an active ability, which allows them to channel a symbiote through them, dealing damage to enemies and pushing them back.Gamma ChargeHulkDoctor Strange, Iron ManHulk's presence augments Iron Man's Armor Overdrive and Doctor Strange's Maelstrom of Madness, making them more powerful.Ammo OverloadRocket RaccoonThe Punisher, Winter SoldierRocket Raccoon gains a bonus ability that allows him to place an ammo device on the ground. This device grants The Punisher and Winter Soldier faster firing weapons and unlimited ammo while they're nearby.Dimensional ShortcutMagikBlack Panther, PsylockeMagik grants an active ability to Black Panther and Psylocke, which allows them to travel backward in time while also giving them bonus health.Lunar ForceCloak & DaggerMoon KnightCloak & Dagger grant Moon Knight a new active ability, which he can use to become temporarily invisible.Guardian RevivalAdam WarlockMantis, Star-LordAdam Warlock shares his cocoon revival ability with Mantis and Star-Lord, allowing them to revive mid-combat every two minutes.Chilling CharismaLuna SnowNamor, Jeff the Land SharkLuna Snow grants an active ability to both Namor and Jeff the Land Shark. This ability infuses Jeff's attacks with a slowing field, while augmenting Namor's summons with bonus ice damage.Allied AgentsHawkeyeBlack WidowHawkeye grants Black Widow a new active ability, which allows her to spot and damage enemy afterimages.Atlas BondIron FistLuna SnowIron Fist grants Luna Snow a bonus active ability, which causes an ice ring to explode around her when activated. This ring launches enemies up and heals nearby allies.ESU AlumnusSpider-ManSquirrel GirlSpider-Man gives Squirrel Girl a bonus active ability, which allows her to web up enemies via a special web bomb.Fastball SpecialHulkWolverineHulk and Wolverine can agree to team-up with a button press, allowing Hulk to throw Wolverine a great distance.Fantastic FourInvisible WomanMister FantasticInvisible Woman grants Mister Fantastic a new ability, which gives him increased damage resistance and continually generating bonus health.As NetEase Games adds new heroes to Marvel Rivals, new Team-Up abilities will also appear in-game.For more Marvel Rivals guides, heres a list of maps and modes, plus the Marvel Rivals roadmap.

CES isnt typically where we see the years biggest gaming announcements, with major upcoming games usually being saved for summer and winter, and new console announcements now often coming in the spring or fall. But after spending a week in Vegas, Im now leaving feeling like the gaming industry is about to go through a big shift. Some of it is for the better, with small creators getting a chance to change how we interact with our favorite games, while the rest of it reflects the tech industrys incessant need to stuff useless AI into our lives. With that in mind, here are my four favorite (and three least favorite) gaming announcements from CES 2025.Favorite: MCON Magsafe phone controller Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt Theres no reason we shouldnt all be gaming on our phones moreand I dont mean Candy Crush. (Not that there's anything wrong with Candy Crush, of course.) These things have gotten powerful enough to run games released for the PS5, but thanks to their lack of physical controls, most developers are still making heavy compromises for their mobile titles.Thats where 20-year-old Josh King comes into play. The YouTuber made waves late last year when he released a video showcasing his prototype MCON controller, which uses MagSafe to give your phone a similar form factor to, say, a Nintendo DS. While other phone controllers usually require you to remove your case and can be annoying to take on and off your phone, using the MCON is supposed to be as simple as using a MagSafe power bank.Im in love with the result. It has a full suite of controls, the magnetic connection is strong, and using it is as easy as snapping it onto my device and flipping out the hidden controls. Plus, if you dont have an iPhone, it works with MagSafe adapters.King is currently working with peripheral company Ohsnap to finalize the design, but if youre sold already, there is a Kickstarter where you can pre-order your own MCON starting at $99. I cant wait to get mine and actually start treating my iPhone like the proper handheld it clearly has the chops to be.Least Favorite: Razer Project Ava AI esports coach Credit: Razer Razers Project Ava is one of two concepts the companys bringing to CES this year, and of the two, I hope its the one the company leaves behind.Have you ever heard of backseating? Its the phenomenon where a streamer gets stuck while playing a game and their viewers keep piping in via the chat function to tell them how to progress. Most streamers Ive seen explicitly ask their audience to avoid it, usually considering it more annoying than helpful.Ava, meanwhile, promises to bring a bespoke AI backseater to everyone with a computer.Essentially, the way it works is that Ava will watch you play and offer tips based on what it sees, loudly speaking over the in-game audio to do so. Razer insists its not cheating, since Ava cant access information not available to you, but I think that still misses the point.First, its unclear where Avas getting its tips, and second, it could end up being pretty distracting if it talks over your gameplay. But really, its the whole advice angle I have an issue with.If Im playing Dark Souls, the developers have usually worked out a more elegant way to cue me into when I should dodge than an AI yelling in my ear. If I rely on Ava, Im training myself to ignore those hints, robbing myself of some of the experience at the least and making myself worse at the game at the most.Even in multiplayer, part of the fun for me is figuring out the best builds and most optimal routes. If Ava is just telling me what I should do, then am I really playing or learning the game, or am I just pressing buttons while the robot makes all the real decisions?There is a place for guidesfar be it from me to gatekeep. But this sort of real-time interruption seems more likely to spoil my fun than enhance it.Favorite: Lenovo Legion Go S brings SteamOS outside the Steam Deck Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt Valves Steam Deck is one of my favorite gaming purchases Ive made in a long time, making my game library portable with a lot more flexibility than the Nintendo Switch. A big part of that is the companys SteamOS operating system, which makes it convenient to change the handhelds settings and access your Steam games on the fly.Attempts to copy the Steam Deck without SteamOS, like the Asus ROG Ally or the Lenovo Legion Go, just havent done it for me, as they rely on Windows, which is a much clunkier experience when using a controller. These devices are technically more powerful, but the performance increase isnt worth it to me.Thats why Im so excited for the Lenovo Legion Go S. Announced during CES, this will be the first gaming handheld not from Valve to use SteamOS. Itll have Windows versions, too, but starting in May, youll be able to get it with the operating system I love so much. Even better, it does look to offer specs with a slight-to-moderate improvement on the Steam Deck, and its starting price of $500 is actually cheaper than the entry level Steam Deck OLED. Im excited to see more partnerships follow suit.Least Favorite: The PUBG Ally brings the dead internet theory to games Graphics card and now AI company Nvidia is about to fill your game lobbies with bots, but like, in a futuristic way. Announced during CES, Nvidia is working with PUBG developer Krafton to bring co-playable characters to the famous battle royale title.Essentially, the experience teams you up with a bot, but you can give it commands to tell it to find armor or weapons for you or coordinate with you in a fight.I could actually see this being really cool in a single-player game, being the next evolution of the type of gameplay seen in titles like Star Wars: Republic Commando. But in multiplayer, it just raises too many questions.Is the bot going to be more aware of the map than humans? How good should it be at shooting, before it starts to feel either like a cheater or a liability? And perhaps most importantly, will it feel satisfying to win if an AI guided you to victory? Or will it be the gaming equivalent of a rich person hiring an experienced hunter to take them on a curated expedition and do all the work except pulling the trigger?Theres a lot of tough balancing acts to figure out here, but even assuming everything plays out as desired, Im still not sure what the point is. Part of the fun of playing a shooter online is knowing that when I take down the enemy, Ive ruined some 11-year-olds day. If half the people Im going to be shooting at are robots, why not just play a single-player game instead?Favorite: The Razer Project Arielle has sold me on heated and cooling gaming chairs Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt Razers Project Arielle is the companys second concept device for CES, and the one Im definitely more excited about. Essentially, it takes the Razers existing Fujin Pro gaming chair and straps some heaters and a bladeless fan onto it, with surprisingly effective results.What I initially thought was going to be a gimmick turned out to be a nice little oasis on the CES show floor, either warming me up after an hour in the freezing media room or blowing cold air on my back and neck after I spent some time wandering around the sweaty show floor.Sure, you could get a similar experience with a space heater or a fan, but having the climate control integrated directly into your chair allows it immediate access to your back and neck, and I found it felt more effective and comfortable than my desk fan at home.Las Vegas is a nightmare when it comes to consistent temperature, and after a week here, Im just about ready to stage a heist on this thing and take it home. Im hoping Razer gives this the same treatment it gave its haptic gaming cushion concept from last year and actually brings it to market.Least Favorite: Nvidia RTX Neural Faces is an AI yassification filter The culture war spares no one, especially when it comes to gaming. If youve looked up The Last of Us Part II or Horizon Zero Dawn on social media, no doubt youve seen photoshops of their female leads that attempt to make them look like they just walked out of a Sephora, despite them spending their games deep in the heart of the apocalypse. Critics have started to call these edits yassification, and it seems like Nvidias taking a side here: its new RTX Neural Faces feature might as well be an AI yassification filter.The idea is to help game NPCs cross the uncanny valley by using AI to help with more natural lighting, skin, and hair, especially when players are looking at that NPC from an unusual angle. The result just kind of looks like its trampling over the artists carefully made decisions with whatever Nvidia thinks natural means.In an example video posted by Nvidia, an NPC with Neural Faces applied seems to have totally different bone structure, a fresh layer of foundation, some new mascara, neater brows, and bigger but much deader eyes. Cool if youre into that, I guess, but its clearly not the look the modelers or lighting artists were going for, and it definitely wouldnt be appropriate for plenty of gamings most famous characters...unless youre curious what a Solid Snake makeup tutorial would look like?Favorite: Acer Nitro Blaze 11 Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt If the Lenovo Legion Go S stands out from other gaming handhelds because of its software, then the Acer Nitro Blaze 11 is the opposite. Frankly, its the biggest gaming handheld Ive ever used, and while that means its not necessarily the most convenient, theres a certain maximal joy to be taken from carrying it around.With so much room, its packing some pretty impressive specs, but what really takes the cake is its 11-inch, 2560 by 1600 display. It gets bright, it comes with a sturdy kickstand, and it can display up to 120 frames per second. Its also surprisingly lightweight at 2.3 pounds. Thats a pound heavier than the Steam Deck, but compared to a laptop, its still reasonable.Granted, if you get tired of holding it to play it, the Nitro Blaze 11 does have one trick. Like the Nintendo Switch and the original Lenovo Legion Go, its got detachable controllers. But unlike those devices, its screen is big enough to make kickstand mode feel worth it to me (I usually just hold the competition).To be honest, at this point in my life, Im not likely to opt for the Nitro Blaze 11. Im older, Im busier, and convenience trumps performance for me. But a younger, more explicitly gamer-y version of me would have been all over this.