After nearly 20 years, the Xbox 360 Marketplace is closing on July 29, 2024. Before that day comes, we’ve put together a list of the best of those games that are leaving, so that you can pick them up before they’re gone.

While it can be frustrating, some titles can still be purchased on the PlayStation 3 Store for a time. Beyond that, not all titles are lost – many have remasters and ports on other consoles!

Books have a reputation for being stuffy and restrictive, but their stories’ adaptations can prove to be phenomenal video games. This is especially true considering the recent reveal of Dune: Awakening, based on Frank Herbert’s Dune novels. That got us thinking – which books do we want adapted into video games?

Books and Video Games?

Some of gaming’s biggest names can trace their existence back to books. The battle royale genre – what about the 1999 novel which gave it its name? How many games have author Tom Clancy’s name plastered on them? Come on, in 2010 Electronic Arts even adapted the 14th-century narrative poem The Divine Comedy into a hack-and-slash!

Nintendo shocked us with the Switch’s launch in 2017, but the hybrid design of the console has, in its wake, left behind Nintendo’s profitable handheld hardware. While the hybrid model has been hugely successful, Nintendo has traded this at great cost. By committing to the hybrid hardware factor, Nintendo is now unable to diversify and could ‘go down with the ship’ should they fail.

The Switch Lite is a tremendous system, however the existence of the hybrid model of Switch detracts from its appeal. In our Switch Lite review, we state how one of the biggest detractors of the handheld is purely the simple existence of its hybrid ‘big brother’:

The Nintendo Direct is Nintendo’s main outlet for video game news. As a result, we can hope to see a wave of new announcements and trailers from first-party and third-party game studios coming to the Switch. Here’s our Nintendo Direct June 2024 live blog. Nintendo has already detailed that there will be no mention of their next hardware generation. The software focus will also be on Nintendo Switch titles coming in the second half of 2024.

How to Watch the June 2024 Nintendo Direct

The Nintendo Direct will start broadcasting on June 18, 2024.

After nearly a year of vocal public outcry, Remedy’s Alan Wake 2 is due to receive physical copies this fall. Especially surrounding events like Summer Game Fest, the full might of the industry is on full display. Yet Remedy’s decision is one in a long line of clear examples that gamers’ voices matter in this industry.

Alan Wake 2’s Digital-Only Outcry

“It Began With a Dream” – Alan Wake 2 Physical Reveal

This year, Sam Lake, Creative Director at Remedy Entertainment, stepped out onto the Summer Game Fest stage with help from a glowing introduction by event organizer Geoff Keighley. For many gamers, this charismatic Finn remains one of the last true icons of the industry and a man who players trust.

Even with Minecraft and Super Mario in LEGO’s plastic hands, we can’t wait to see more video games turn into sets. With a Legend of Zelda theme and LEGO Horizon Adventures recently announced at Summer Game Fest, LEGO and the world of video games would be crazy to not carry on this momentum. Here are 10 video game franchises we’d love to see as LEGO themes.

1. Metroid

From its 2020 Super Mario Bros. playset, Nintendo has been at the forefront of video game collaboration with LEGO. Following this we’ve seen other Nintendo franchises like Animal Crossing and The Legend of Zelda be painstakingly recreated in plastic. However, with hopes of a crossover with Fortnite seemingly dashed, why don’t we see Metroid’s Samus Aran transformed into bricks?

In a new patent with the United States Patent Office, Nintendo appears to register Mario-themed sleep-monitoring software and hardware. It looks to be similar to Pokemon Sleep which was launched last year, as it seems to gamify positive sleep habits.

Patented Hardware

First spotted by curious Reddit user NefariousnessFit9350, it was posted on the r/Nintendo subreddit.

All eyes are on Xbox to deliver with their upcoming Games Showcase. With poor console sales, studio shutdowns, and perched between an underwhelming PlayStation presentation and 2024-focused Nintendo Direct, can the showcase deliver? And of course, what’s at stake if it doesn’t?

Xbox Games Showcase 2024

Digitally airing on June 9, 2024, the Xbox Games Showcase will broadcast information on upcoming titles for the Xbox ecosystem. This is followed by a Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct focusing on the upcoming Call of Duty title coming day one to Microsoft’s Game Pass.