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NASCAR 26 Gold Edition: Is It Worth It? For Fans, Yes.

iRacing Studios NASCAR 26 is here, bringing another step forward for NASCAR fans who want something closer to the real sport without needing a full sim-racing setup.

The base game already has plenty going for it. You can race across the Cup Series, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Craftsman Truck Series, and ARCA Menards Series, while Dynamic Track Technology changes grip and track conditions as a race weekend progresses. Career Mode has also been expanded with facility upgrades, while The Chase, Peak Performance training, cross-platform multiplayer, updated AI, improved tire and braking models, and new tracks add more to do once the green flag drops.

So the question becomes: 

Do you need the Gold Edition? No. 

Want? NASCAR fans may have a different answer.


 Gold Is Mostly for the Fans 

The Standard Edition costs $59.99, while the Gold Edition is $79.99. That extra $20 includes the Season Pass with four monthly DLC drops running through the end of 2026. Those packs include more than 200 paint schemes, additional fire suits, VIP employees for Career Mode, 1,000 Rep Points, and $10,000 in Career Bonus Dollars. Gold owners also received three days of early access before the standard launch, although that particular benefit has obviously crossed the finish line already.

For someone who just wants to race, the Standard Edition gives you the important part, NASCAR 26.

For the NASCAR fan who pays attention to liveries, wants more authentic paint schemes, plans to spend serious time in Career Mode, and will probably recognize a driver's car before I finish reading the sponsor decals, the Gold Edition makes considerably more sense.

The Career bonuses are useful, but I wouldn't buy Gold specifically for the extra money or Rep Points. The real value is the Season Pass and the steady stream of NASCAR content. If you're going to keep racing through the end of the year anyway, paying $20 more upfront is easier to justify. And with four series included in the actual game, you'll have somewhere to use it.

So, is NASCAR 26 Gold Edition worth it? For casual racing fans, Standard should be enough.

For dedicated NASCAR fans? Yes. So get those race wheels ready and game on!

Nascar is available on the PlayStation 5, Xbox, and PC [Steam].



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The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival Brings All Out War to the Arcade genre!

The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival takes AMC’s The Walking Dead and turns the All Out War storyline into a side-scrolling arcade brawler.

Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, and Michonne are playable from the start, each bringing their familiar weapons into fights against walkers and the Saviors. Rick has his magnum, Daryl has his crossbow, and Michonne has her katana. You’ll fight through locations including Alexandria, Hilltop, and the Sanctuary while dealing with crowds of enemies and larger boss encounters.

Crowd control matters here. When walkers start filling the screen, knowing when to use ranged attacks, reposition, or push through with melee combos can keep you from getting surrounded.

Negan can also be unlocked as a playable character after completing the game, giving players another reason to go back through the campaign.

One thing to know before jumping in: This is a single-player game. It looks like the type of brawler you’d immediately hand a second controller to someone for, but that isn’t the setup here. There is still room for a multiplayer mode, and if they get over themselves, it just might happen. If Negan and his team can work together, we should be able to add additional players to this arcade-like experience.

Still, if you enjoy The Walking Dead and want something more direct than another large survival game, Streets of Survival keeps things simple. The side scrolling format is enough to prevent you from getting lost, but you're able to move at your own pace.

The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival is available now on PC, Xbox, Switch, and PlayStation. So walk forward. Fight walkers. Deal with Negan. And game on!



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Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy – Tragedy, Triumph... and Treasure?

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy takes us back into the A Plague Tale universe, but don't expect Sophia to handle trouble the way Amicia did. Things get much more physical in this adventure. Sophia is younger, fierce, and fully capable of meeting trouble blade-to-blade as her search for answers takes her to the mysterious Minotaur's Island. The game is set 15 years before A Plague Tale: Requiem, putting us on a journey involving her past, an army on her heels, a mysterious treasure, and a curse that probably should've remained buried. But hey... if everybody made sensible decisions, we'd have a lot fewer video games.

Before I get too far into the tragedy, triumph... and treasure, check out this first 30 minutes of gameplay so you can see Sophia handle business for yourself.


 This Isn't Amicia's Fight 

One of the biggest changes in Resonance is combat, and they know how to get you on-board... quick.

Sophia isn't simply trying to stay out of sight until the coast is clear. She can fight, and the game expects you to learn how through a nice pace-keeping tutorial. Sword and dagger attacks, parries, dodges, combos, environmental attacks, and a grappling hook give encounters a noticeably different rhythm from the previous A Plague Tale games. You can yank enemies around with the hook (that really comes in handy for those freaking archers) and even send them into environmental hazards when the opportunity presents itself, just... find your rhythm and be spatially aware. "Be water, my friend." - Bruce Lee

That doesn't mean you should run into every group swinging like the enemies just insulted Soph's dad.

Learn the parry. Seriously. Button-mashing can get you into trouble once multiple enemies start coming your way (even if its hard not). Pay attention to attacks, get comfortable with the timing, parry when you can, and use those openings... to retaliate. Dodging still matters because sometimes getting out of the way is considerably smarter than trying to prove something.

Tip: Before you get off into the deep end of your adventure, practice blocking and parrying a number of times before you strike down the enemies early on. They will block and counter when you strike, so that will also give you... practice that will help boost these moves into more of a second nature as well.

Use that grappling hook during combat. Don't mentally file it away as a traversal gadget. Sophia can use it to disrupt positioning, pull enemies toward her (so you can get your... Scorpion on), and throw enemies into hazards. If somebody is standing somewhere that you can send them to their doom with a pull... then you know what to do.

And when a group starts surrounding you, stop fighting like it's a one-on-one duel. Create space. Reposition. Look at the environment. Deal with threats that can pressure you from range and don't be afraid to break away for a second. The game throws groups at Sophia, so learning to control the fight is more useful than trying to win an award for... Most Badass Blade Wielder (who lost more than you had to).


 Tragedy, Triumph... and Treasure 

The treasure is actually part of what draws so many people to the island. Sophia isn't the only one looking for something, and that gives the adventure this underlying feeling that everybody is racing toward something they probably don't understand. Meanwhile, Sophia's story goes deeper than a treasure hunt.

As she pushes farther into Minotaur's Island, the game further connects her medieval journey with events from ancient Minoan times. The other side of that story involves Theseus, whose experiences occurred more than 2,000 years earlier. Those two timelines gradually connect through the Macula and whatever has been buried underneath all that history. That's where more of the tragedy starts looming over everything. This is still A Plague Tale... after all.

There are victories along the way too, whether it's surviving a fight that initially had you getting tossed up, figuring out one of the light-based puzzles using the Minoan sphere, finding another piece of Sophia's history, or simply realizing that your parry timing finally stopped being a... face palm.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy feels familiar enough to belong in this universe while giving Sophia enough of her own identity to keep this from feeling like A Plague Tale 3 with a different protagonist. Asobo Studio leaned much harder into direct combat while still keeping... exploration, puzzles, stealth, mythology, and the emotional weight this series is known for.

So it doesn't matter if you came looking for treasure, or triumph through tragedy, you're in for a treat if you enjoy a good story. Add surround sound or a pair of quality headphones and... game on!

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is available on Epic Games Store, Steam, Xbox, and PS5.


Illustration of Blu with headphones and sunglasses.

 + Sophi 

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Top Audiences Last Week + Grab... Astral Ascent free for a limited time!

No changes this week, just a bunch of rain as we transition to the cooler months. I hope we don't get frigid cold weather. 60 and below is too much. (Don't judge me.) Shout out to the teachers here in Orlando for a convention. It sucks that those who live hours away are expected to pay for their own hotel... if they don't want to drive back and forth daily. The grind continues, but take a pause for the cause... it's time for the Top Audiences Last Week!

 This Week's Top 

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 Top 10 Audiences (no changes this week) 



     Street Fighter 2: The Animated Movie     

1. US USA

2. GB United Kingdom

3. JP Japan

4. CA Canada

5. DE Germany

6. CH China

7. FR France

8. TH Thailand

9. HK Hong Kong

10. SG Singapore

Philippines, Ireland, and Australia... came close!





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