nichesitetool.com

Cody Rhodes is leading the charge for WWE in Clash of Clans with a very different look.

The current Undisputed WWE Champion, who will defend his title against John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 41 later this month, is one of eight wrestling superstars reimagined as iconic characters in Supercell’s hit game.

Although his WWE look is iconic, the typically clean cut American Nightmare has become a bearded Barbarian King for his in-game avatar.

‘I’ve spent years building my legacy in WWE, but it’s time for fans to know where I’ve landed most of my victories, in Clash of Clans,’ said the avid gamer.

‘As OverlordRhodes, I don’t defend, I conquer. Villages will fall, and any opposition will be crushed under my command. This isn’t about playing fair in the ring, it’s about ruling the battlefield.

‘Just like at WrestleMania 41, I’m stepping in with one goal – absolute victory. I’ve waited a long time for this moment, and now that I’ve arrived, there’s no stopping me.’

The partnership will also see The Undertaker (Grand Warden), Rhea Ripley (Archer Queen), Bianca Belair (Royal Champion), Rey Mysterio (Minion Prince), Kane (P.E.K.K.A.), Becky Lynch (Valkyrie) and Jey Uso (Thrower) get their own Clash of Clans characters.

Fans can also enjoy WWE themed environments, cosmetics, Easter Eggs and gameplay events.

Given Cody’s near-decade run playing the game under his OverlordRhodes handle, it was a no-brainer to get him involved.

However, it’s a far cry from his heroic persona in the wrestling ring, as his gameplay style is built more on ‘villainous destruction and domination’.

Sara Bach, Head of Live Games at Supercell, said: ‘When the game team found out Cody Rhodes and other Superstars were long-time Clash of Clans fans, they didn’t hesitate to reach out to WWE.’

The studio has teased a partnership ‘on a scale we’ve never created before’, with a special Clash of Clans-sponsored match coming at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas.

Thankfully for fans, Cody’s in-game heel turn doesn’t look like it’ll be happening on WWE television any time soon.

Instead, he’ll be battling John Cena after the wrestler turned Hollywood megastar turned his back on the fans for the first time in over two decades.

Elsewhere at WrestleMania, Charlotte Flair will battle WWE Women’s World Champion Tiffany Stratton, and Jey Uso faces GUNTHER for the World Heavyweight Champion.

The Clash of Clans x WWE partnership is available now. WrestleMania 41 airs live on Netflix on April 19 and 20.

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter.

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

Ubisoft has quietly rolled out a bizarre update to the PC version of Far Cry 4, which appears to have covered up some of the characters.

Censorship in video games has always been a thorny issue, especially as the dominance of the US market means extreme gore is usually always okay and yet the slightest hint of sex or nudity is discouraged.

A particularly strange case has now cropped up with a 10 year old game; the PC version of Far Cry 4, which was originally released in 2014, received an update on April 3, 2025 that appears to have censored certain characters – with no explanation as to why.

Ubisoft hasn’t released any patch notes to acknowledge the changes but the sizeable update has been recorded on SteamDB. While it’s unclear what exactly has been altered, players have started reporting some of the changes on Reddit.

As posted in the Far Cry thread, a previously topless woman at the Shanath Arena is now wearing a bra following the update. A Reddit user has also claimed protagonist Ajay ‘is no longer naked’ during the Shanath Arena mission and now wears a loincloth, posting a screenshot as proof.

The sequence with Ajay, where a ‘man’s genitals are briefly exposed’ is highlighted in Far Cry 4’s ESRB rating, so it’s unclear why it has been changed nearly 11 years later, and only on PC. We’ve reached out to Ubisoft for comment.

While any belated censorship is odd, it feels particularly strange in the case of Far Cry 4. The game’s predecessor, Far Cry 3, features an actual sex scene between protagonist Jason and Rakyat tribal leader Citra, where her bare breasts are covered in blood, and yet that hasn’t been changed.

The last instalment in the series was 2021’s Far Cry 6, and Ubisoft has yet to officially announce a follow-up. Two separate Far Cry games were believed to be in the works at one point, between a mainline sequel (presumably Far Cry 7) and a multiplayer spin-off, but the latter was reportedly cancelled this year.

As announced last month, the Far Cry franchise is now part of a separate subsidiary co-owned by Ubisoft and Tencent. This same company also houses Ubisoft’s other big franchises, such as Assassin’s Creed and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six.

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter.

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

SHOPPING – Contains affiliated content. Products featured in this Metro article are selected by our shopping writers. If you make a purchase using links on this page, Metro.co.uk will earn an affiliate commission. Click here for more information.

More UK retailers have started Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders, but there’s signs they’re already starting to run out of stock.

Nintendo officially revealed all the major details about the Switch 2 this week, including the console’s price, release date, and launch line-up.

The Switch 2 is set to launch in two variants on June 5, 2025, with the console alone priced at £395.99, while a bundle with Mario Kart World costs £429.99. The latter will save you a whopping £32.99 in total if you were planning to buy Mario Kart World digitally separately (£66.99), and a huge £40.99 from the cost of the physical version (£74.99).

While Nintendo isn’t rolling out pre-orders for the Switch 2 until April 8, several retailers have already put listings up in advance.

Where can I pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2 in the UK?

Argos, Smyths, and Very have gone live with pre-orders and have sold out their initial stock. It’s worth checking back on the pages below, however, as they might get more in the future.

As of today (April 4), Amazon has started sending out pre-order invites to those who registered interest in the Switch 2. You can still register for a pre-order invite for the console and the Mario Kart World bundle at the links below.

You can pre-order at Currys too, albeit only in-stores at the time of writing. You can find your nearest store on the retailer’s website.

EE.co.uk has also set pre-orders live, with payment taken once you place your order.

• Nintendo Switch 2 console – Amazon
• Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle – Amazon
• Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle – EE
• Nintendo Switch 2 console – Argos
• Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart World bundle – Argos
• Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle – Smyths

When can I pre-order Switch 2 through Nintendo in the UK?

Pre-orders through the My Nintendo Store will be available from Tuesday, April 8 in the UK and Europe. This, however, will only be via invitation at first, and you’ll have to meet certain criteria in order to be eligible.

Invites will be prioritised to those who have been a subscriber to Nintendo Switch Online for at least two years, consecutively, by March 31, 2025, with an active membership on the day that the pre-order is placed.

If you have a family membership, the person who purchased the subscription will only be eligible for an invite.

Whether you receive an invite will also depend on your overall play time on Switch games, along with whether you opted to share usage information and receive promotional emails from Nintendo.

It’s too late to bump up your chances for the first wave of invites, as the eligibility is based on data as of March 31, 2025, but Nintendo states the selection criteria ‘may be lowered’ in the future.

‘Over time, the selection criteria thresholds may be lowered and more people could be invited to pre-order a Nintendo Switch 2 console. Throughout, we will remain focussed on prioritising the most dedicated Nintendo Switch players (while stocks last),’ a notice on Nintendo’s website reads.

Invites to pre-order will be sent to the email associated with your Nintendo Account, with the invitation valid for 72 hours.

Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 digital games, upgrade packs, and amiibo will be available on My Nintendo Store from April 24, 2025.

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter.

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

Nvidia has confirmed details about the Switch 2’s capabilities, including the use of DLSS and ray-tracing technology.

Nintendo highlighted a surprising amount of technical specifications during its Switch 2 Direct, but it still left some hanging questions around the console’s capabilities.

The company posted detailed specifications on its official website after the presentation, with the Switch 2 possessing a larger 7.9 inch LCD screen, HDR10 support, a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz, 256GB of storage, and a battery life comparable to the original console.

One area Nintendo is being vague about though, is the power of the Switch 2’s CPU/GPU, which it describes vaguely on its website as being a ‘custom processor made by Nvidia’. However, we now have a better idea thanks to a post from Nvidia itself.

In a blog on Nvidia’s website, it states the Switch 2’s custom-made processor features an Nvidia GPU ‘with dedicated RT Cores and Tensor Cores’ for ‘AI-driven enhancements’.

According to Nvidia, the Tensor Cores ‘boost AI-powered graphics while keeping power consumption efficient’. The RT Cores, meanwhile, ‘bring real-time ray tracing’ and ‘enhance in-game realism with dynamic lighting’.

The post confirms the Switch 2 utilises Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), a technology which uses AI to upscale images from lower to higher resolutions. Nintendo also confirmed this in an interview with IGN, although it was somewhat vague about the minutiae behind it.

Elsewhere, Nvidia boldly claimed the Switch 2 has ’10x the graphics performance of the Nintendo Switch’ overall, boasting ‘smoother gameplay and sharper visuals’. While this sounds impressive, the Switch 2’s actual performance is likely less of a leap – and highly dependent on the game you’re playing.

For example, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond supports 4K and 60fps with HDR in quality mode when docked, and 1080p/120fps with HDR in performance. Cyberpunk 2077, meanwhile, is targeting 30-40fps and 1080p docked on Switch 2, while reports suggest Hogwarts Legacy is similarly not quite up to par with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions.

As a lower-priced hybrid system, the Switch 2 was never going to match the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X in terms of power, but the system is more impressive on a technical level than many anticipated. In some areas, like its handheld screen resolution and variable refresh rate support, it surpasses Valve’s Steam Deck.

More details about the Switch 2’s specifications will likely emerge as we get closer to launch, with the console set to arrive on June 5, 2025.

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter.

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

Gaming’s most famous accident man takes another crack at VR and this time the technology is good enough to elevate IO Interactive’s murderous sandbox.

The first game in the Hitman series was released 25 years ago and while it featured the same bald-headed, nameless anti-hero, its action and tone were quite different from more recent outings. The sea change came with the franchise’s 2016 reboot, which saw Agent 47 taking on more open-ended, set piece driven levels, which were never quite out-and-out comedy, but featured a range of zany, contrived ‘accidents’ you could trigger to finish off targets.

That atmosphere persisted in Hitman 2, which came out two years later, and 2021’s Hitman 3, which eventually rebranded itself as World Of Assassination, bringing all the content from the three post-reboot titles together into a single package. To enhance replay value, it also added a variety of new game modes to take advantage of its collection of detailed, sprawling maps packed with opportunities for amusing Final Destination style demises.

Hitman 3 was also released in VR, although it was somewhat hampered by the motion tracking limitations of the original PlayStation VR, and its release on PC and eventually Meta Quest 2 proved even more disappointing. The concept of putting you directly into the soft soled shoes of Agent 47 was sound enough, but technology hadn’t caught up with the ambitions of developer IO interactive.

It’s a pleasure to report that World Of Assassination’s new experiment with current generation VR is considerably more successful. The first thing you notice is the enhanced visuals, which while still a little blurry, in a way that will be all too familiar to VR players, is now more than enough to convey the setting and atmosphere. The next improvement is the far greater range of interactions available, performed using motion controls, rather than simply hitting a button.

That means you’ll be putting your hands around a target’s neck and squeezing the triggers to choke them out, rapidly shaking back and forth to speed up the job, and you’ll find the scope of your sniper rifle works as expected, where previously it brought up a disappointing 2D view every time you wanted a closer look at a distant quarry.

There’s also more you can do at room scale, so moving and reaching for things feels far more natural, or at least it does if you’ve got a big enough area to play in. You can just about get away with sitting down, but as is often the way with VR games featuring guns, it makes some actions tiresome to complete.

Holstering your weapon and grabbing new magazines often seem to result in fruitlessly punching the controller into your sofa cushion, and reaching for door handles and waist height buttons usually means crouching in order to get your hands on them.

It’s manageable though, which is just as well given the enormous mountain of VR content on offer. While you won’t be able to play Freelancer, its excellent roguelite mode, range-orientated Sniper Assassin or Contracts – which let you choose your own set of targets from amongst each level’s numerous characters – you can do practically everything else from the vantage point of your VR headset.

That includes every mission from all three games, in itself a vast labyrinth of discreetly targeted killing, with multiple sub-plots surrounding each hit, taking place in a series of spectacular and glamorous worldwide locations. There’s also Elusive Target Arcade, which pits you against various enemies from all three campaigns, in singular missions where even a small mistake can end your run.

You can also play Escalations, where you take on a series of objectives in a single map, with each one adding new strictures, like having to kill using a particular weapon, the inability to use disguises more than once, or having to remain unseen throughout. Even without the additional takes on the core game, each campaign mission offers a broad range of optional challenges, from making use of specific props, to activating each level’s more devious methods of offing your marks.

They’re all cleverly designed to extend replay value but also encourage you to immerse yourself in each map’s subtly designed playground of lethality. Overhearing a conversation can clue you into side stories and deeper intrigue, as well as revealing some of the more abstruse assassination options available to you.

There’s no way you could see even a quarter of a map’s possibilities in a single run, making it a pleasure to keep coming back to winkle out the bits you missed, unlocking new areas as you go.

It’s inspiring the way VR brings that process to life. Gazing out from a high balcony in the Burj Al-Ghazali (the game’s versions of the Burj Khalifa) or admiring Sapienza’s beach are much more affecting in a real first person view; as is moving through a crowd of people and tuning into the chatter around you as you silently scout unlocked doors, or ways to isolate a staff member whose uniform would be a useful disguise.

There are a few graphical glitches and occasional crashes, but almost as jarring are the moments where the game’s working fine, but pulls you out of first person, jumping awkwardly into third person. Climbing ladders, getting frisked by guards, blending in by pretending to do a job, and for some reason certain conversations, change the viewpoint so you’re watching Agent 47 from a short distance away. It’s a small reminder that this isn’t a game originally designed for VR.

There are also times where the jankiness of gesture control gets in the way. Trying to grab a door handle that won’t acknowledge your presence, or flailing about with a garrotte as your target turns round and starts shouting for help are unfortunately par for the course, although there’s no doubt you get better at managing them as you play – and it’s fair to say the base games suffered from a bit of that even on a flat screen.

Some of these problems are remedied by making it a save-scummer’s paradise, with regular saving important not only to allow for occasional control malfunctions, but also because the sandbox level design lends itself to endless crafty experimentation. Trying out different approaches and taking daring risks that might easily lead to your cover being blown are all part of the fun.

If you love World Of Assassination and have a VR headset, this is an essential purchase, especially given the lacklustre state of VR release schedules at the moment. Its three (admittedly ageing) triple-A games with full VR implementation are a rare treat. It may have the odd wobble in its implementation, and you can’t access every single play mode, but there’s still well over a hundred hours of immersive exploration, planning, and assassination to get lost in.

Formats: PlayStation VR2 (reviewed) and PC VR
Price: £7.99 (base game: £57.99)
Publisher: IO Interactive
Developer: IO Interactive
Release Date: 27th March 2025
Age Rating: 18

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter.

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.