Worried that many long running franchises are running out of new ideas, a reader suggests that pastiche is the best way to keep them interesting.

Is your favourite game series at risk of exhaustion and irrelevance? Are you worried about a dearth of new ideas? Do your favourite developers seem to struggle to figure out what’s next for their valuable properties?
‘’There’s got to be a better way!’’

I’m here to tell you that pastiches are the solution.

Pastiche (n)
1. a work of art that mixes styles, materials, etc.
2. a work of art that imitates the style of another artist or period.
(Collins definition)

I’m not talking about licensed spin-offs into different genres but the application of well-established, genre-defining ideas to properties and genres not historically associated with them.

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Here are some of my favourite examples.

Castlevania but it’s a role-playing game
Symphony Of The Night is closing in on 30 years of age but it’s still a top example of how to breathe new life into a series (and a scrolling action genre) that was potentially beginning to struggle in terms of relevance and ideas.

We’ve since seen the RPG-ification of pretty much all genres in one way or another, and there’s a reason for that. I’d consider Symphony Of The Night to be an early pioneer.

Prince of Persia but it’s a Metroidvania
Sticking with a theme for a minute, Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown has probably been the best in the series over at least the past two decades. It demonstrates how even something that’s now as oversaturated as the 2D Metroidvania can still be fresh and compelling when applied to a series known for its fluid mechanics and satisfying challenges (or at least The Sands Of Time gave the Prince that reputation).

Shout out to Yoku’s Island Express as another pastiche in this genre. That, of course, representing the Metroidvania and the enduringly popular dung beetle simulator…

Pokémon but it’s Dragon Quest Builders
Builders was already a mix of Minecraft and Dragon Quest so Pokopia is worth bringing up if only to show you can nest your pastiches within pastiches.

But here we also have the most recent successful rejuvenation of an increasingly exhausted series as a result of looking more outwards in terms of both developer and premise. One well-executed mix and match has resulted in the most highly praised Pokémon game ever.

Zelda but it’s a rhythm action game
I won’t claim Cadence Of Hyrule: Crypt Of The NecroDancer was the pinnacle of Zelda but it was very worthwhile. Once again, this is the exact sort of approach Nintendo should be taking to keep its biggest and oldest properties fresh, and to attract development resources that’ll do them justice while we wait for the next killer app instalment.

Also worth mentioning is ‘Zelda but it’s a twin stick shooter’. I’ve yet to play Minishoot’ Adventures but there’s a reason it’s celebrated as more than just another Zelda or Geometry Wars clone.

Final Fantasy but it’s a Sekiro style parry fest
For those who could never gel with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice compared to earlier From games, I’ll die (once) on the hill that says getting to grips with its combat is one of the most satisfying experiences available in all of third person action gaming.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s application of that to a turn-based role-playing game was a masterstroke, to the point where someone like myself – who would traditionally try and avoid too many random turn-based encounters – was actively looking for a fight whenever possible.

It sounds like such a basic thing: when the enemy slashes horizontally, jump and attack. When they come at you with their rhythmic pattern, don’t block or dodge, but take the risk of a parry and you’ll eventually be consistently rewarded with counters that represent high-damage cinematic loveliness.

Gears Of War but it’s a bullet hell roguelite
Around these parts it’s probably accepted a bit more than elsewhere, that Returnal is one of the best games of the generation so far. I’m hopeful Saros will help players to draw out its merits more easily, so fewer are put off by certain design decisions.

Clearing a busy room by maximising the benefits of whatever set-up the game serves you felt balletic, psychedelic, empowering and – crucially – always engaging.

XCOM but it’s a deck builder
Speaking of making the most of the hand you’re dealt, when we first learned about Marvel’s Midnight Suns, the deck builder route attracted a lot of complaining, and I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t want to see a more pure attempt at Marvel’s XCOM.

The apparent impact of Midnight Sun’s reception on key Firaxis talent is a modern industry tragedy but this is a great game in its own right, with the deck building encouraging some very satisfying moment-to-moment improvisation.

I hope these examples get the point across but here are a few suggestions for new genre mixes that I think could be quite powerful.

Mega Man but it’s a 3D Soulslike
I don’t like the idea of everything copying Dark Souls but I feel the genre’s properties could bring a lot to some games. The bosses, the difficulty, the level structure and the non-linearity of Mega Man are already all there in Demon’s Souls.

Start off in some sort of lab-based hub that branches into different zones. But this time Easy mode involves completing those zones in a logical order based on the abilities you earned from earlier bosses (Wood Man after Heat Man, etc). But on top of the abilities you acquire there are Soulslike attributes to level up and customise Mega Man.

To me it sounds like the best way to bring the series into the modern day (and successfully into 3D for the first time).

Titanfall but it’s a battle royale
This is what I sort of hoped Apex Legends would evolve into. To be honest I’m not sure it would really be better than the amazing Titanfall 2 – I’ve only dabbled in battle royale games so far – but it feels like a logical evolution in terms of scope.

Equal shout out to a Splatoon Battle Royale. I love that series, but it needs to branch out a bit now. Maybe the upcoming Splatoon Raiders will successfully borrow from elsewhere too.

Zelda but it’s a full-on survival game
I feel like some of the best parts of Breath Of The Wild were down to the survival lite resource gathering, but I also think some of the backlash against it came from a refusal to recognise that was a fundamental aspect of the game, at least at the start.

Eventide Island, where you’re stranded with barely a twig to your name, is a real series highlight. To double down on what was good about that, I’m thinking Subnautica, whether Zelda goes back to the sea or it just takes spirit of that game but stays on land or in the sky.

Tears Of The Kingdom was criticised a bit for the arguably unfocused applications of its building system. Let’s see that game’s emergent interactivity mixed with Subnautica’s branching craft-based objective systems and settlement building.

I want to see Link (or Zelda) start with nothing and progress to running a fully customised resource rich estate with a permanent fleet of crafted vehicles and powerful weapons. But with the well-designed dungeons and compelling overworld that Subnautica lacked.

Super Mario but it’s Breath of the Wild
Many will no doubt roll their eyes at the suggestion of another tightly designed series moving into the less focused realm of open world but I’m standing my ground.

I’m sure Sonic Frontiers gives a rough idea of what I’m thinking (maybe it’s one of the reasons GC were fans) but I haven’t played that yet. The basic principle for me is nonetheless that Zelda brought as much to the open world format as the series took from it, and I’d have to think the peerless level of invention associated with Mario would make it an equally great contributor to open world design.

I’d like to hear from others regarding existing examples and suggestions for great genre mix-ups. As I’ve tried to show, it’s long proven to be a way to keep things fresh and interesting but I never seem to see it discussed and acknowledged as much as I’d expect, either as a solution to creative stagnation or commercial struggles.

By reader Panda



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Fans have found evidence of a potential remaster for an obscure Lord Of The Rings game, which originally debuted on the Xbox 360.

The Lord Of The Rings was once a prolific source of decent video games, from the hack ‘n’ slash movie tie-ins of the early 2000s to 2014’s Shadow Of Mordor.

There are other entries beyond that, ranging from strategy titles like 2006’s The Battle Of Middle-earth 2 to turn-based role-players like The Third Age, but over recent years games based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic fantasy have become less common or, when they do crop up, they’re terrible, like 2023’s The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum.

However, it seems there might be plans to bring back a Lord Of The Rings game from yesteryear, but it isn’t the one you’re perhaps hoping for.

As found by Reddit user JudgmentKazz, the Steam metadata for 2011’s The Lord Of The Rings: War In The North has had its name changed to ‘Slinky’. It’s unclear why this has happened, but it’s speculated that it could be a codename for a new project.

Additionally, if you look under the ‘Cloud saves’ tab on SteamDB, you can find a folder which contains the name ‘Aspyr’. This is a developer known for remasters, who recently worked on the Legacy Of Kain collection and Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered.

The Lord Of The Rings: War In The North was originally developed by Snowblind Studios (makers of Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, who were laterl merged with Shadow Of Mordor developer Monolith Soft) for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and Aspyr has never previously been associated with the game.

If this is true, War In The North is an odd choice for a remaster. It’s an action game where you could choose between three playable characters, namely a Ranger, a Dwarf, and an Elf, but none of them were recognisable characters from Peter Jackson’s movies. The biggest selling point was the ability for three players to team up online.

That might be precisely why it’s being remastered, since there are no licensing issues over using the likenesses of the movie actors. Additionally, this was one of the first Lord Of The Rings game developed under Warner Bros. Games, who acquired the rights to make games based on the movies and books from Electronic Arts and Vivendi, respectively, in 2009.

Even if it’s a problem with licensing, War In The North is still an odd choice for the remaster treatment. At the time, the game faced a mixed reception and was a commercial failure, so we’re not sure many people have fond memories of its existence.

If developer Aspyr is behind it, don’t expect a significant overhaul in its graphics or stability. The studio doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to online support either, as seen previously with the buggy launch of Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection.

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Actor Zach Braff has fiercely hit back at rumours he has an AI girlfriend.

The Scrubs star, 50, was first linked to such speculation several months ago when the hot topic was discussed by comedians Jenny Slate, Max Silvestri, and Gabe Liedman on their podcast, I Need You Guys.

While Braff’s name was not mentioned explicitly, the trio spoke of an A-list TV actor who ‘is currently in a romantic relationship with his AI chatbot’ and ‘brings the chatbot places’ with him.

As the first to obtain the so-called scoop, Silvestri was probed by the others on how well-known the celebrity was and whether others around him think the relationship is ‘weird’.

‘From my understanding, the little info I’ve heard, there is a self-awareness, but in a “Sorry that you’re not on board with the future” way,’ Silvestri explained.

He then texted his co-hosts to reveal the person in question’s name, causing them to burst out laughing and declare, ‘We can’t put this on our podcast.’

‘It’s so funny… but it’s so good,’ one reacted.

Soon enough, Braff’s name entered the comments section of the clip shared on TikTok as viewers speculated about who it could be.

And now, the man himself has responded, in disbelief that he even had to address it at all.

Taking to his Instagram Story, Braff shared screenshots of the podcast and wrote: ‘I’m not dating a chatbot. I can’t believe I have to type these words.’

He added that he’s ‘not sure’ where the rumour originated from but explained that it is, in fact, ‘a storyline in an upcoming ep of Scrubs,’ in which he plays John Michael ‘J.D.’ Dorian.

‘Maybe it came from that?’, he pondered. ‘But not from me.’

Braff signed off: ‘Love, the guy not dating his chatbot. Please update all gossip sites.’

In a follow-up post, the TV star said he had ‘no idea’ that the three comedians were ‘the origin’ of the story because he is ‘not on TikTok’.

‘I feel like now is a good time to be kind to people,’ he concluded.

Braff first appeared in Scrubs from 2001 to 2010 and reprised his role in the reboot this year.

The medical comedy series was his first major TV role and has seen him nominated for three Golden Globes and an Emmy. He’s also directed many episodes, including the 100th special.

With regards to his personal life, Braff, whose other acting credits include The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy (2000), The Ex (2006), and In Dubious Battle (2016), made headlines with his last public relationship.

Between 2019 and 2022, he dated actress Florence Pugh, which generated controversy due to their 21-year age gap.

Braff, who directed Pugh, 30, in In the Time it Takes to Get There (2019) and A Good Person (2023), is said to have ended things with the actress due to intense public scrutiny and online backlash.

Speaking in 2022 about the breakup, Pugh told Harper’s Bazaar: ‘We’ve been trying to do this separation without the world knowing, because it’s been a relationship that everybody has an opinion on.

‘We just felt something like this would really do us the benefit of not having millions of people telling us how happy they are that we’re not together. So we’ve done that.

‘I automatically get a lumpy throat when I talk about it.’

The Don’t Worry Darling lead confronted critics once before via an Instagram video.

She told her followers directly in April 2020: ‘I am 24 years old. I do not need you to tell me who I should and should not love.

‘And I would never in my life ever, ever tell anyone who they can and cannot love. It is not your place. And really, it has nothing to do with you.

‘So if those rules are something that you do not like, then please unfollow me because the abuse that you throw at him is abuse that you’re throwing at me.’

She and Braff remained on friendly terms after splitting, as he continued singing her praises.

‘It’s pretty clear across the world that I’m not biased when I say that she is one of the finest actresses working today,’ Braff said in December 2023.

‘She’s just extraordinary, and I just feel so lucky that I got to have her be my leading lady.’

Since parting ways with Pugh, Braff has been linked to singer Frances Whitney, 26.

His other exes include actress-singer Mandy Moore, Unreal star Shiri Appleby, and model Taylor Bagley.

Right now, he is believed to be single, as hinted at by his longtime friend Donald Faison in People’s Sexiest Man Alive issue 2025.

‘This is a single man who is very, very handsome,’ he teased in autumn. ‘Someone out there is going to see this [issue] and be like, “What a handsome young man this is!”‘

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A Strictly Come Dancing star has suggested that the BBC take their beloved show off air for a year to ‘think about what we can do differently’.

The dance competition is undergoing a lot of change, with hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly announcing their shock departure and some long-standing professionals reportedly being axed from the show.

It’s now been on our screens for over 20 years, and continues to draw in big audiences.

But one former pro, who joined the show over fifteen years ago has some advice for the broadcaster.

Kristina Rihanoff, 48, told The Independent: ‘If I were a producer, I would give it a rest for a year, regroup and think about what we can do differently.’

She went on: ‘There’s something to say about going back to basics and back to its roots – the roots of the show were pure ballroom and Latin dancing without the razzmatazz of 101 props and 3D projections.

‘When I came onto the show, it was about ballroom and Latin dancing. It was minimum props, all the group dances were live.

‘The professionals were choreographing it and the celebrities had to learn proper ballroom and Latin dancing. It would not do any harm to go back to the good old-fashioned [ways].’

Back in 2008, when Kristina joined the show, she was partnered with John Sergeant, who secured the popular vote despite scoring poorly with the judges.

Kristina stayed on the show for seven more seasons and danced with the likes of actor Jason Donovan, singer Simon Webbe, and rugby star Ben Cohen – who later became her romantic partner and the father of her child.

She left in 2015, after dancing with TV host Daniel O’Donnell – the pair became the third couple to be eliminated from the competition.

Amid the supposed bloodbath happening at Strictly HQ, with few professional dancers seemingly safe from being axed, Kristina shared with The Independent that this isn’t anything new.

Explaining the situation in more detail, she said that professionals are only ever contracted for 12 months, meaning that the period leading up to potential contract renewal could be an excruciating one.

Kristina said: ‘You never know who is in jeopardy or if they’re going to renew your contract. It’s not a very nice feeling and obviously, on a lot of dancers, it has a big mental health effect.’

A BBC spokesperson told Metro that ‘plans for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 will be confirmed in due course’.

Metro has contacted BBC for comment.

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The Friday letters page doesn’t think parents pay enough attention to age ratings for games, as one reader wishes John Carpenter hadn’t made Toxic Commando.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Simultaneous release
So Project Helix is a codename, but what do we think Microsoft is really going to call the new console? For a start, they need to get rid of all that Series X/Series S nonsense, because that was terrible. Just call it Xbox something. Xbox Infinite always seemed a good one to me, but I’m fine with calling it Xbox 6, because at this point who’s counting?

I don’t want to get into a PlayStation vs. Xbox thing because I think if Project Helix is different enough it can exist alongside the PlayStation 6. But releasing them both at the same time seems like a really bad idea.

If Helix is more expensive and PlayStation 6 has actual proper exclusives I don’t think anyone is going to pick Xbox unless they’re hardcore fans. And I don’t even know if there’s many of them left.

Microsoft was probably aiming to get Helix out before PlayStation 6, but I wonder if Sony fast-tracked their console when they found out. That doesn’t bode too well for either the hardware or the launch games.
Focus

Force themselves
Strange how quickly Battlefield 6 has fallen out of favour. Beating Call Of Duty one minute and then going free to play the next. I guess for all its faults Call Of Duty probably knows how to keep people playing better and as much as fans hate all the wacky skins at least that gives you something eye-catching to promote the game with.

EA said they’re going to keep everything in Battlefield 6 realistic but if that’s the case how many camouflage outfits do you really want to pay for? I was going to buy the game when it was cheap, so I guess I’ll try it out for free and then by the time that’s over it’ll probably be discounted enough for me.

I feel this improves the chances of Star Wars: Battlefront 3 though. EA’s likely to see it as a quick and obvious way to reuse the same tech in a new game. One where you can do as many wacky skins as you like and no one’s going to complain. Not saying they’ll definitely do it but it does seem more likely to me now.
Taylor Moon

Price block
I don’t like to be negative about something we haven’t see yet but I have to agree with other readers that I’m already sick of hearing Microsoft talk about Project Helix. The arrogance and complete lack of humility hasn’t changed at all since the exit of Phil Spencer, proving it was always just the company standard.

I think the real cynicism is coming from the price though. I just don’t see how you get past the fact that Helix is going to be more expensive than any other format, including Steam Machine. People would be taking a risk on Helix, and when you’re doing that you don’t generally want to be spending more money than you would have otherwise. I don’t care what the marketing campaign is like, there’s not getting over that.
Heston

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Free money
Of all the games that John Carpenter could’ve put his name to it ended up being a Left 4 Dead clone? I don’t believe for one minute that Toxic Commando was his idea. If you know the man, he often talks about how he enjoys putting out his hand and getting free money for doing nothing, every time a company wants to remake one of his films. It happens so often he just treats it like a joke.

I think he must’ve been the same with this game. Someone phoned him up and asked him if he could do a soundtrack and sketch out some hokey story. That’s money for old rope as far as he’s concerned. The only downside is he has to put his name to the game, when it might not be that great, but they didn’t make him do any press for it, that I’ve seen, so it’s pretty low risk/low effort.

It’s a shame because I don’t think he’s got it in him to make a new movie, but a game could’ve been something else. A slower paced survival horror would’ve been absolutely perfect for him, but I don’t think it’s ever going to happen. He is attached to the Halloween online game, but I think that’s just going to be another free handout.
Saltie

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Artificial temptation
The worst thing about Microsoft not mentioning AI, when talking about Project Helix, is that we all know it’s going to be there, but they know it’s not popular, so they’re trying to pretend otherwise. I’ve got a genius level idea: maybe if people don’t like something you shouldn’t do it? Especially if you’re trying to hawk your ultra expensive PC in a box.

We all know that Project Helix is going to be a failure, but I predict it will be over AI. It’s going to be too expensive already, but you know Microsoft can’t stop themselves from pushing games made by AI and they’re all going to be horrible. The Microsoft boss is a nut for AI, there’s no way he won’t force them to do it.
Goose

Wrong number
Interesting to see the change in age ratings for games like EA Sports FC. Although I would be absolutely shocked if more than 10% of adults paid even the slightest bit of attention to a game’s age rating, and I’m probably greatly overestimating that amount.

I used to work at a games shop when I was a student and not only did parents not care they would get violently angry if you pointed out that a game was above the age of their kid. This happened so many times with GTA that my boss told me not to bother, even though it was supposed to be policy that we did.

It was obvious why they were angry too. They knew what they were doing was wrong, but they didn’t care because games are too good a babysitter to give up just on the off chance that it turns their kid into a badly adjusted person.

I also can’t say how many times I heard parents try to argue that the number was the difficulty of the game, as if I wouldn’t be the one to know that it definitely wasn’t that.

To anyone out there reading this, that’s a good parent and careful about what their kids play I salute you, because I can tell you that you are the minority.

Of course, nowadays you have Roblox instead, which is a thousand times worse and doesn’t have any age ratings, but thankfully that’s not my problem.
Coolsbane

Strange selection
Has Bafta ever commented on why they always try and ignore Japanese games as much as possible? It’s so blatant I really don’t know how they justify it. Although the real insult is not doing it and yet also nominating something as milquetoast as Ghost Of Yōtei as game of the year.

That’s just rubbing your face in it, especially when they didn’t even nominate Hollow Knight: Silksong or Hades 2, which I think most people would say were easily a lot better.
Hibby

Day of the plumber
Nintendo has finally recognised the day GameCentral and their viewers have been celebrating for years! It’s MAR10 Day (earlier in the week)! I usually get newsletters from Nintendo quite regularly, but it’s the first, if I remember correctly, that I have seen this from Nintendo as a form of advertising.

There is definitely cause for celebration with Pokémon Pokopia and their 2.2 million sales of the game, which appears to be a considerable success story if ever I saw one. It’s a very cutesy game to look at, with the charm and not too over complicated gameplay mechanics to enjoy and experiment with. The setting up of one’s home looks a wee bit convoluted and a wee bit messy, but apparently completing the story mode gives you a useful skill to help craft and build your home better.

It appears also, that Resident Evil Requiem has been a big success, and we’re only in March, but two very different games have hit their mark in only a short space of time. Very well deserved too and I can’t wait to be getting back to this amazing franchise soon, after my little backlog has been lightened.

With the Super Mario Galaxy movie coming out soon, it’s the latest adaptation to follow Fallout, Borderlands, Sonic The Hedgehog, and Resident Evil films, along with the excellent Castlevania and Tomb Raider animations.

I saw an awesome movie based on a game the other day, called Iron Lung, by YouTuber Markiplier and despite it having its critics, it basically follows the Iron Lung story and gameplay perfectly, including the environment it’s set in. Will be definitely getting the Blu Ray when it’s released.

So hopefully everyone had a fantastic MAR10 day and wow, what an amazing start to the year for games, and movies inspired by games, setting up 2026 to be one heck of a year!
Alucard

GC: Nintendo has been using Mario Day to promote things since 2016.

Inbox also-rans
I think Marathon is going to be hit. I’ve completely enjoyed everything I’ve played of it so far and I’m very much looking forward to the big update. I don’t think it’s as good as Destiny 2 but it is good.
Carpetnator

Does anyone else wish Capcom would remake Resident Evil 3 again before moving on to other stuff? That one was so bad and it was almost nothing like the original, which is weird because all the other remakes have been good.
Icchi boo

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From one of Capcom’s most experienced producers, and a new team that’s worked on everything from Monster Hunter to Far Cry 4, comes an exciting new action RPG with a roguelike tinge.

With the continuing drip-feed of news about games developers around the world shuttering or suffering layoffs, it’s always pleasing to welcome a new one to the industry. Japanese outfit GPTRACK50 first emerged in December 2025 at The Game Awards, with an intriguing teaser trailer for its first game, Stupid Never Dies.

It features a zombie protagonist, a cartoonish, hyper-coloured art style, and a brief hint of some epic-looking action. Now, the developer has given us the first in-depth (hands-off) presentation of the game, and our intrigue has transformed into anticipation.

With its wacky storyline and distinctive visuals, Stupid Never Dies has a slight whiff of a Suda51 game, such as the recent Romeo Is A Dead Man. But before drilling down into its gameplay, it’s worth putting it into context by examining the background of this new developer.

GPTRACK50 was founded, and is helmed by, a bona fide big beast of Japanese development, Hiroyuki Kobayashi, who previously spent 28 years at Capcom, with production credits spanning various Resident Evil and Devil May Cry games; Kobayashi was also the driving force behind Dragon’s Dogma and was producer on Suda51’s killer7.

He also headed up Capcom’s drive to turn its intellectual property into films and is keen to point out that amongst the team of around 30 people are developers who worked on the likes of Resident Evil 4, Monster Hunter: World, Far Cry 4, Final Fantasy 15 and Metal Gear Solid 5.

Kobayashi spoke about how keeping his team to 30 people allows the studio to remain agile and even though the company has only existed for three years, he was adamant that Stupid Never Dies will be released in 2026.

Via a trailer and various sequences of gameplay, Kobayashi explained what Stupid Never Dies will be all about. The game’s general tone is apparently defined by the phrase ‘funky zombie action’ and he pointed out that it’s an attack-focused game, with no guard or dodge. Although it will feature a parry move, which causes great damage if properly timed.

Stupid Never Dies has a simple but wacky storyline. You play Davy, a low-level zombie who is described as: ‘The weakest of the monsters.’ In Stupid Never Dies’ post-apocalyptic game-world, Davy wanders, in classic zombie fashion, into a shopping centre where, in a cold storage room, he encounters Julia, a beautiful woman who has been frozen; Davy instantly falls in love with her and his desire to bring her back to life becomes his driving motivation.

Davy encounters a mad scientist called Dr Frank, who explains that the zombie outbreak has been caused by the King of Monsters, who resides in a vast subterranean dungeon. Dr Frank produces a phoenix egg which Davy eats, giving him powers that will enable him to take on the monsters in said dungeon, with the King of Monsters’ demise returning the world to normal and enabling the resurrection of Julia.

The developers weren’t entirely forthcoming about all of Stupid Never Dies’ gameplay mechanisms, but they confirmed that the game’s action, and its role-playing style elements, reside in the monster-filled dungeon. Every time Davy visits the dungeon, the speed at which he levels up will increase, and he will essentially start from scratch with each new visit. Later in the press conference, the company admitted that that mechanism has a roguelike feel to it.

After ingesting the phoenix egg, Davy acquires the ability, while in the dungeon, to bite monsters, eat their cores and learn how to assume their physical forms. Thus, Davy’s ability to shapeshift (and, the developer adds, body hack, allowing him to, for example, attach a sword or gun to one arm) allows him to take on and beat hordes of monsters at once.

The developer has used that mechanism to enable Davy to assume no fewer than 11 wildly different forms. Namely werewolf (agile, with claws); harpy (flying, with a range attack); golem (tank-like, and good against packs of enemies); vampire (puts Davy in charge of a pack of bats that attack from mid-range); will-o-the-wisp (ghostly and ethereal, good for avoiding environmental traps); cyclops (huge and deadly at close range); snow fairy (freezes enemies, making them more vulnerable); merfolk (dives into the ground as if it were water); lich (commands an army of skeletons, whose ranks can be added to with dead enemies); and demon (uses whips and gravity to control enemies’ positions).

Stupid Never Dies’ gameplay hinges on dynamically morphing between those forms, according to what enemies you’re faced with – presumably, each pass you make through the dungeon will introduce Davy to new fighting forms, until in the latter stages, he acquires all 11 of them. The body-hacking system will remain consistent whatever form Davy morphs into. We were shown him with a gun, a sword, a rocket launcher, and a gravity gun sending out mini-black holes, with equipment attaching to his right arm, legs or head.

On top of this is the Davy Burst: a mode that powers up as he takes out enemies and enhances all his abilities, effectively giving him a special attack. In the time-honoured fashion of action role-players, there will also be boss battles, although we didn’t get to see any in the fairly brief demo.

While the preview left plenty of question-marks about the game – such as how well its unusual levelling up structure will work, what gameplay exists outside of the dungeon, and how different an experience the dungeon might present each time you visit it – it certainly whetted our appetite to sample the game for ourselves.

Stupid Never Dies certainly looks pretty impressive, and its combat is indisputably fast, over-the-top and empowering. As ever with a first look, hands-off demo, it’s impossible to ascertain how well it will hang together as a structured game or, for example, how long it will take to complete and how much replayability it might provide. At launch, it will be available for PlayStation 5 and PC only; GPTRACK50 hinted that it might port it to Xbox consoles, but not until it has been on sale for a while.

But if you like action role-players, it’s definitely one to look out for as it promises satisfying action, loads of character, and hopefully a certain amount of originality to its gameplay. We’ll report back when we manage to get some hands-on play with it.

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Katie Price has made the severity of her concern for her son Harvey’s health clear, saying she fears he will ‘die of a heart attack’ without medical intervention. 

Harvey, 23, has a rare genetic disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome, a symptom of which is a permanent feeling of hunger that can lead to obesity.

On the latest episode of her podcast, The Katie Price Show, the reality TV star says she’s been trying to get her oldest son on weight loss jabs. 

She said: ‘I’ve been on the case to doctors about putting him on the Mounjaro.

‘I’m actually going to put some up on Instagram to say, is there any private doctors out there because the NHS are so – I’m not slagging the NHS off, but they know he’s in the obese category. When he sleeps, I worry because he’s snoring and wheezing.

‘Then sometimes he holds his breath and I’m like, he’s massive, Sophie. He’s just getting bigger and he’ll end up dying of a heart attack.’

She continued, explaining she’d previously been told by doctors that his weight might put fatal strain on his heart: ‘They’ve already told me years ago that if you don’t lose weight, he’s prone to a heart attack.

‘I just feel so bad, so I’m going to have to do something. I mean, I’m not going to inject him myself because that’s not medically right to do for him. But something needs to be done.’

In a post on Snapchat last year, Katie shared her concerns about her son, saying: ‘I’m so heartbroken and gutted that his weight is just going up. I just googled it in stones, 188kg is just a few kg of being 30 stone.’

Katie went on to reveal that she was hoping Harvey’s doctors would give him the green light to start weight loss jabs to help him shed some pounds and stay healthy.

She added: ‘I’m still waiting for the doctors to get back to me starting on the Mounjaro and his journey to a healthy life. It’s so sad his quality of life at the moment where he’s so big, he just can’t really do much.

‘It’s just another thing I have to deal with because he’s at high risk of having a heart attack, he struggles to put his trainers or struggles to walk anywhere but I love him and I’m going to help him through this.

‘So sad, obesity and his condition is sad, it’s sad to see someone go through it and he doesn’t understand.’

Harvey is also autistic and is partially blind due to septo-optic dysplasia, which affects the optic nerve.

Katie has long been a huge advocate for her son, becoming a full-time caregiver for most of Harvey’s life.

In 2020, she discussed the difficult decision to enrol him in a boarding facility to receive special care when she was struggling to cope.

More recently, news broke that Katie’s new husband, Lee Andrews, got a tattoo of Harvey’s name despite the fact that they’ve never actually met.

Since marrying the Dubai-based businessman in late January, she’s been jetting back and forth from the UK to visit her partner after reports emerged he was subject to a ‘travel ban’.

Although he denies this, Lee does not have appeared to leave the country since marrying Katie. He’s also still not met any of her children, including Harvey.

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For the first time since Best Animated Feature debuted in 2002, the 2026 Oscars have unveiled a brand-new category: Achievement in Casting.

This Sunday, the Academy Awards will take place in Hollywood, with its history-making haul of nominations including a collection of casting directors, whose profession is being honoured for the first time in the history of the event.

The new category will be around just long enough to feel novel before Best Stunts arrives in 2028 to steal its thunder, but for now, it is Hollywood’s attempt to reward one of the industry’s most invisible but vital crafts.

But in order to distinguish itself as a category and truly honour the art of casting, there’s only one film that should win the inaugural award: The Secret Agent.Let me explain.

As casting director Mark Summers put it: ‘Casting is a bit like The Wizard of Oz – lots of smoke and mirrors. Few people truly see how hard we work, or how much support we give actors throughout the process. 

‘Casting directors are usually the first people brought onto a production. We’re the first to make the calls, and often the last to be thanked. So having a casting award is genuinely fantastic – and honestly, it should have happened a long time ago.’

That sense of overdue recognition hangs over this year’s race, making it extremely important that the Academy awards it to the right film and sets a precedent for years to come.

But according to Paddy Power, Sinners is the overwhelming favourite at 3/10, miles ahead of One Battle After Another at 13/5, with The Secret Agent way out in the cold at 13/1.

Even the bookmaker all but shrugs at its chances, saying: ‘At 13/1 you probably wouldn’t put too much effort into writing an acceptance speech if you are part of the The Secret Agent team… but you’d want to make sure you’ve something prepared in your top pocket nonetheless.

‘Sinners looks to have this one in the bag, but Hollywood always loves an underdog story!’

How the newest Oscars category risks being redundant

The inaugural shortlist is revealing. Every nominee comes from a Best Picture contender: Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, and Sinners – and that’s a major red flag for the new category.

If the casting winner simply mirrors Best Picture or even Best Director, the category becomes repetitive. In either case, it risks functioning as a supporting trophy for films that are already being rewarded elsewhere.

Summers highlighted the fault line: ‘A lot of Hollywood films are pre-packaged: they come with the director and the star already attached. But casting awards arguably should recognise the people working in independent films. On an indie, you start with just a script and no cast and you do absolutely everything. On bigger budget studio films, you often already have a starting point.’

This is where the distinction has to be drawn.

Sinners’ casting director, Francine Maisler, is an industry legend with over a dozen Best Picture nominees to her name, including winners. It is no small thing that her film required thousands of auditions to find Miles Caton, a first-time actor and musician capable of anchoring a musical vampire thriller.

But that achievement is still nested inside an already powerful industrial machine: a major studio film with significant backing, profile, and momentum.

If the first Casting Oscar goes to the most visible film with the most visible campaign, the category will immediately collapse into a proxy for overall prestige.

Why does The Secret Agent deserve to win the Oscar for achievement in casting?

For the new award to matter, casting has to be judged on its own merits, not on box office results or production scale. 

Instead, it has to be judged on whether the casting itself creates something that would not otherwise exist, and nowhere is that clearer than in The Secret Agent.

Gabriel Domingues’s work on the film is not flashy, but instead does something much harder: it constructs an entire social world from scratch.

Set in late-1970s Brazil under military rule, much of The Secret Agent unfolds inside a safe house in Recife, filled with misfits, refugees, radicals, and survivors. 

Domingues blends professional actors with non-actors in a way that feels almost anthropological. Faces look lived-in and bodies look shaped by labour, class, and history. 

That added magic is not directing, or production design, or screenplay, but casting as authorship and storytelling.

There is also a telling awards split: The Secret Agent appears in Best Casting but not Best Director, where Joachim Trier edged it out. 

That gap exposes that the film’s most singular creative intervention may not be behind the camera, but in the act of choosing who stands in front of it.

The character of Dona Sebastian, played by 79-year-old first-time actor Tânia Maria in a role written specifically for her, becomes the film’s gravitational centre as Wagner Moura’s landlord. 

Her performance is so unvarnished and specific that it could not have been manufactured through training or star casting, and it only exists because someone recognised that her presence carried an entire history within it.

That decision is the film’s master stroke, and it’s a victory that belongs distinctly to casting.

Summers puts it plainly when discussing his craft: ‘The entire production relies on casting. Without casting, there is no production.’

If the Academy simply crowns whichever Best Picture frontrunner has the strongest overall narrative, the new category will signal that casting is subordinate to directing and producing. 

If, instead, it honours work that transforms a script into a living social organism, then it establishes casting as a primary creative force.

And The Secret Agent’s nomination has already sparked discussion among awards obsessives who hope the category can prove its independence.

‘The Secret Agent showing up here was probably my favorite nomination,’ wrote one user on Reddit.

‘The cast is wonderful! It should win this award if the category is going to matter at all’ said another.

So yes, in betting terms, The Secret Agent taking home the trophy is a long shot. But if the Academy wants Achievement in Casting to mean something distinct from Best Picture and Best Director – if it wants this category to justify its own existence – then the winner has to be the one whose casting changed the film at its very core. 

And on that measure, The Secret Agent stands alone.

The Secret Agent is out in UK cinemas from February 20, 2026

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Kelly Clarkson accused “American Idol” of “lying” about the $1 million check that she was supposed to receive after becoming the singing competition’s very first winner.

The 43-year-old “Since U Been Gone” songstress made the bombshell claim during Tuesday’s episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” where she was joined by “Harry Potter” actor Daniel Radcliffe and reality star Rob Rausch.

Clarkson brought up the topic while discussing Rausch’s $220,800 winnings from Season 4 of “The Traitors” — which he revealed he still hasn’t received.

“You know what, I relate to this!” Clarkson said. “I relate to this so hardcore. You probably weren’t alive when I was on ‘American Idol,’ but I was literally on the show.”

The “Breakaway” singer claimed the show’s promises didn’t match what she actually got.

“They were like, ‘Oh, you win a million dollars,’ or whatever,” Clarkson said. “No, you didn’t. They lied. It was like a million dollars’ worth of investment in you.”

Radcliffe looked stunned and cut in: “Wait, what?”

“Yes!” Clarkson insisted, adding that she also never received another major prize she thought she had won.

“They said you get a car,” she explained. “And I needed it because my car was bashed in, and I couldn’t afford the deductible. And then — no! I did not get a car.”

Clarkson then claimed that Clay Aiken, who finished runner-up on the show’s second season, did end up getting a car.

“Clay Aiken, who didn’t win the second season, got a car — and [so did] his mom!” she told the audience as the crowd erupted in disbelief.

“I was like, ‘What the f–k!’” Clarkson added, recalling a conversation with the singer at the time. “He’s like, ‘Yeah, they gave my mom one.’ I was like, ‘I’m gonna actually kick your ass right now.’”

Radcliffe joked that early winners of a show should receive upgraded prizes if the rewards improve later.

“There should be some system where if you win something on the first season of something, whatever the prize has become, you should retroactively get that,” he said.

Clarkson pushed back, insisting the rewards had already been promised at the time.

“No, it was supposed to be the prize then, OK? It was supposed to be the prize then!” she said.

She then jokingly warned Rausch he might also be waiting a while for his payout.

“That’s why I’m saying — you might not see it,” Clarkson quipped. “But, you know, I hope you got enough TV time.”

Clarkson famously won the inaugural season of “American Idol” in 2002, launching a chart-topping career with hits including “A Moment Like This,” “Behind These Hazel Eyes,” and “Because of You.”

In September, the singer reflected on the 23rd anniversary of her win, thanking fans who voted for her during the show’s early days.

“Winning ‘American Idol’ changed my life and I will be forever grateful for all of you that have supported me for so many years,” she wrote on social media.

She added, “It is a gift to find your purpose and passion, and to be able to make a living doing it is the cherry on top. Thank you, always.”

The candid comments come shortly after Clarkson announced she would be stepping away from her NBC daytime talk show after seven seasons to spend more time with her children, River, 11, and Remington, 9.

Her decision followed a difficult year after the death of her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, who died in August following a battle with cancer.