Every classic game deserves a wild Game Boy version. Roblox has to clean up its platform predator problem before it can get a Marvel collab. And a record-breaking Charizard sale has me thinking of every paper collectible I ever threw in the trash. Which presents am I currently buying my children that might one day be worth a small fortune? Or is the nostalgia-fueled millennial collectible market just another bubble everyone will forget about a decade from now?
Welcome to the latest edition of Morning Checkpoint, Kotaku‘s daily roundup of gaming news and culture, which just broke its own record for the latest in the day it’s ever been published. Not quite as impressive as the Game Awards breaking its previous record for viewership with over 170 million livestreams for this year’s show, but who’s counting?
An incredible Resident Evil demake just resurfaced for the holidays
London-based studio HotGen’s journey to get a PS1 game playable on Game Boy Color was left incomplete, VGC reports. But preservationists Games That Weren’t has now shared what appears to be an almost entirely playable build of the fascinating curio from the turn of the century.
“[We’ve] now preserved a final version of [the] game at the point of cancellation and we have it here for you today to check out thanks to Pete Frith providing everything,” the group announced on X today. “Again, it isn’t 100% complete (perhaps now 98% – based on Pete’s estimates) – but there is more content and it *might* actually now be completable. Due to time constraints, we’ve not been able to sit and play through the title fully to confirm, as there might be scenes that glitch/bug out – if you find that it is, please do let us know!”
Our first big Christmas update is with an amazing recovery of the final build of Resident Evil on Gameboy Color. Hotgen’s impressive conversion that got canned. This is much closer to completion, and seems completable too. Lots to discover!https://t.co/PqnSERyZuP pic.twitter.com/u2sPODb7dS
— Games That Weren’t (@fgasking) December 17, 2025
Even Disney is quietly boycotting Roblox
The company, which was willing to license its IP to OpenAI and invest $1 billion in stock in the tech company, is not willing to put Mickey Mouse in a potential petting room. “Sources have told Variety this is not just because of Disney’s revenue tied to Epic, but because Disney does not think Roblox is a safe platform at this time,” Variety reported this week.
Meanwhile, a Roblox ban in countries like Russia has provoked a rare outburst of protest. Players there recently held up signs saying “Hands off Roblox” and “Roblox is the victim of the digital Iron Curtain.” Pissing off gamers is basically the 2025 equivalent of invading Russia during the winter.
A mint-condition Charizard card just sold for half a million at auction
The PSA 10 First Edition Base Set Charizard went for $550,000 including the buyer’s premium at a recent Heritage auction. It breaks the previous record of $420,000 set back in 2022, though it’s still a pittance compared to the $5 million an Illustrator Pikachu once sold for.
Dispatch won’t be a PlayStation exclusive much longer
Dispatch (Switch 2 / Switch) is up for preorder on US eShop ($26.99 – 10% off discount – releasing January 28th) https://t.co/Wt3rekEAnu
free upgrade pack included pic.twitter.com/L3A3RCdWYQ
— Wario64 (@Wario64) December 17, 2025
It’s coming to Switch 1 and Switch 2 on January 28, complete with a free upgrade path.
Painkiller‘s original director is not happy about the 2025 reboot
“It’s a completely different game. I will never understand why you’re taking the IP and then sort of turning it around,” People Can Fly cofounder Adrian Chmielarz told PCGamesN. “What’s the point here? You grab the IP because you believe the IP had something, but there’s no traces of the DNA of that IP in your game. That’s weird to me.”
The new version includes co-op and a roguelike mode. It has less than 1,000 reviews on Steam and a middling rating of just 55 percent positive. “I didn’t play it,” Chmielarz said. “I played the beta when they had it, and I disagreed with every single thing they’ve done in it, and that’s it.”
Warner Bros. says no to Paramount
The company’s board of directors basically accused CEO David Ellison of lying and saying he’s not good for the money. “Despite having been told repeatedly by WBD how important a full and unconditional financing commitment from the Ellison family was – and despite their own ample resources, as well as multiple assurances by PSKY during our strategic review process that such a commitment was forthcoming – the Ellison family has chosen not to backstop the PSKY offer,” it told investors. Netflix, meanwhile, promised to keep airing WB movies in theaters if it takes over.
ICYMI
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