Welcome back, digital daredevils, to the VainSoftGames Weekly Recap, where we gather the week’s biggest gaming stories, slap on a little snark, and power-level your knowledge. This week: the Battlefield 6 launch blitz, Xbox’s ongoing existential crisis, and a tidal wave of Prime Big Deal Days savings. Let’s get into it before someone nerfs the fun.



**Battlefield 6: Launch Day Carnage (And Controversy)**
The wait is over. Battlefield 6 is here, and the hype train didn’t derail—unless you were hoping for a server crash, in which case, sorry haters: DICE says the servers “should be” ready. (Never say never.) EA confirmed global release times, dropped a meaty day-one patch (over 200 changes!), and even managed to get the game into some fans’ hands days early thanks to classic European retailer shenanigans. Meanwhile, the Open vs. Closed Weapon debate has the fanbase more split than a medpack at 10 health. BF Studios says Open Weapons is what the people want; Reddit says, “Not so fast.”

**Call of Duty vs. Battlefield: The FPS Arms Race**
Activision, never one to miss a marketing beat, dropped a free Black Ops 6 trial during BF6’s launch week—because nothing says “let’s be friends” like poaching your rival’s player base. Meanwhile, the Black Ops 7 beta got extended (conveniently right up to Battlefield’s launch), and Treyarch confirmed SBMM (Skill-Based Matchmaking) critics are eating good: Open Matchmaking is the default for multiplayer, and persistent lobbies are back. You can practically hear the sweats rejoicing.

Oh, and if you’re a cheater? 97% of you got caught within 30 minutes in BO7’s beta. Ricochet Anti-Cheat is not here to play—unless you want to be perma-banned across all COD titles, in which case, carry on.

**Microsoft and Xbox: Price Hikes, Perks, and Persistent Rumors**
Microsoft continues its “How to Lose Friends and Alienate Gamers” tour by hiking Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to $30/month (Ultimate, indeed), axing DLC discounts, and pushing a Rewards points scheme that keeps your cash circulating in the Microsoft Matrix. No, you don’t get 10% off your COD Points anymore—sorry, whales. Meanwhile, the rumor mill claimed Xbox would ditch hardware for good, which the company denied, citing “active investment” in next-gen consoles. No one’s convinced, but hey, at least you can still buy a $999 ROG Ally X handheld!

**Nintendo’s Week: AI Drama and Pikmin Whiplash**
Nintendo’s legal team is limbering up as OpenAI’s Sora 2 app floods the internet with AI-generated Mario and Pokémon videos. CEO Sam Altman called it “interactive fan fiction,” Nintendo called it “illegal,” and experts called it “see you in court.” Meanwhile, Big N dropped a mysterious animated short (“Close to You”) that had everyone debating if it was a Mario Galaxy movie tease or Pikmin 5. Turns out, it’s just the first Nintendo Pictures short film. Sorry, Rosalina stans—no movie scoop yet.

**Prime Big Deal Days: The Loot Flood**
If you missed the deals, you missed out. Death Stranding 2 and Split Fiction hit new low prices, as did Space Marine 2, Star Wars Outlaws, and even Civilization 7 (81% off!). The Pokémon TCG crowd went feral over Walmart early access to Phantasmal Flames preorders, while Magic: The Gathering fans scored Fallout and Final Fantasy decks at deep discounts. Even board games like Heat: Pedal to the Metal and Cyberpunk 2077: Gangs of Night City got in on the action. RIP wallets.

**In Other News:**
- *Minecraft legend KurtJMac finally reached the Far Lands after 14 years. Guinness World Record and a half-million charity bucks later, he’s still walking. Someone get this man a vacation.
- *Kingmakers*, the viral shooter-strategy mashup, delayed indefinitely. Devs say they want to “feel good about charging money.” A rare, honest W for player trust.
- *Ghost of Yotei* charmed Japanese players with its stunning Hokkaido setting. Local foxes and butt-wiggling birds are now the real stars.
- *Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2* leaked via the ESRB. M-rated, naturally. Xenomorphs don’t do E for Everyone.
- *Absolum* and *Little Nightmares 3* dropped reviews: both are solid, but if you’ve got a taste for repetition, you’ll feel right at home.
- *Borderlands 4* datamining drama: a much-hated character was cut late in development. Also, Gearbox warned those broken, boss-melting builds are living on borrowed time—nerfs land next week.
- *Fortnite*’s Halloween event got messy, thanks to a Doja Cat social media faceplant involving a sex toy reference. Stay classy, Epic.

**Final Boss: GTA 6 Pricing Speculation**
Industry analysts are betting Rockstar won’t dare charge $100 for GTA 6, because it’d actually *lose* them money. The “sweet spot” is still $70. Sorry to everyone with a diamond-encrusted Shark Card burning a hole in their pocket.

That’s it, folks—another wild week in gamerland. Stay tuned, keep your aim true, and remember: if you’re not refreshing your wishlist daily, you’re not trying hard enough. Until next week, PixelPulse out.