Spoilers follow for Alien: Earth through Episode 7.
Travis? Taylor? Pfft. America has a new sweetheart, and her name is… Well, she has a couple of names, from Trypanorhyncha Ocellus, to T. Ocellus, to Species 64, to simply The Eye. Whatever you call her, though, Alien: Earth’s horrible octopus eyeball monster has captured the love of viewers everywhere thanks to a mix of fascination and revulsion. And even beyond what we all see on screen, fans are taking inspiration from The Eye to make everything from fan art to LEGO builds to even elaborate cakes.
In a show that already includes one of the most iconic monsters of all time, the Xenomorph, what is it about The Eye that has created such a subcultural captivation with the “character?” We’ve already gone in depth about this before, but in order to get into the topic even further, IGN reached out to a few of the many craftspeople who are diligently paying tribute to next year’s assured Lead Actress winner at the Emmys to find out why we’ve all gone eye-crazy. And particularly in light of the events of this week’s episode, which finds Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin) becoming utterly engrossed (and us grossed out) with the currently-possessing-a-sheep Eye, it’s likely that we’ll see a severe uptick (no shade to fellow Alien: Earth creatures The Ticks) in #EyeBoy fanfic on AO3. Meaning Eye Fever is just getting started.
“The official name for the creature we used during production on the show was the Eye Midge,” Alexandra Rebeck, the lead VFX Coordinator for Alien: Earth told IGN over email, “but I love all the names that people on the internet are giving it just as much! I think one of my new favorites I’ve heard recently is Eyelene! So cute!”
@alex_rebeck After three days of baking and cake decorating my Eye Midge cake is finally complete! Just in time to celebrate the next episode of Alien Earth 👽🌏🎬💕 . . . . . #alienearth #cake #cakedecorating #eyemidge #halloween ♬ Halloween Theme - John Carpenter & Cody Carpenter & Daniel Davies
“Midge,” by the way, is likely a reference to the small, annoying flies of the same name, but if you want to start calling The Eye “Midge” that’s probably a-okay as well. In fact, we’re going to do that in the rest of this article. But more to the point, the reason we were talking to Rebeck in the first place was less about VFX and more about CFX – aka, Cake Effects, a term we just coined. While production on Alien: Earth wrapped in Thailand in July of 2024, and visual effects are done, too, Rebeck is a devoted baker and crafter. And what drew our attention was the stunning Midge cake Rebeck posted on TikTok on September 9.
As she explained, “On every show I work on I always get inspired to challenge myself to recreate props, creatures, or characters from the project as baked goodies – usually for the team for birthdays or special events! Even though our work on Alien: Earth is finished, it’s still fun to bake for friends and team members to continue to celebrate the hype for the show!”
And in fact, this cake was for a specific team member: Babou Ceesay, who plays the enigmatic cyborg Morrow on Alien: Earth. “He was visiting LA this week from Gambia, where he lives,” Rebeck explained. “Last time we had met up to celebrate the show was at San Diego Comic-Con – I had mentioned wanting to bake a cake for him next time he visited LA so I had to live up to the promise! He LOVED the cake!!”
That’s all well and good, but why Midge? Why not a cake that looks like Wendy (Sydney Chandler), or even the Xenomorph itself? As Rebeck explained, “Of all the new alien creatures revealed in Alien: Earth, it has the most character! It can come across as cute and quirky but can also quickly turn horrific and terrifying when it switches into attack mode! You never quite know what it’s thinking, but you always know it’s up to something!”
Rebeck is far from the only person who has been inspired by Midge, though most of them aren’t quite so close to the production. Travis Knight is a designer and illustrator from Tennessee who has worked for everyone from Netflix (for a Stranger Things 4 collab with Target), to Warner Bros. and DC Comics. However, he has not worked for FX or Hulu – at least not yet – but he was just inspired by his love of Alien: Earth to create a completely fan-made cross-section of what he imagines is Midge’s anatomy, which Knight posted on Instagram.
“It has a very classic creature design,” Knight explained. “It's basic and not too complicated, almost like it was designed by a child. The creature is just an octopus with a giant eye on top! Brilliant.”
As for the piece, Knight was “inspired by the Kaiju cross-section posters done by Shoji Ohtomo from the late ’50s and ’60s. I love making up anatomy for creatures. I love science illustrations, but I'm terrible with actual facts, so fictional monsters are perfect for me.” The work itself was done in Procreate, a creative design app, with the color, shading, and labels all done in Photoshop. All in all, the piece took Knight about eight hours to complete – though he does caution that viewers should “please ignore than the brain is labeled ‘Brian.’”
David B. Cooper, an artist who takes inspiration from The Simpsons, Batman vs. Frasier (really) and more, also posted a piece of art inspired by Midge on Instagram, though it’s a little more whimsical than the analytical cross-section shared above. Also drawn in Procreate, though it took Cooper a mere 40 minutes or so, Midge is wearing a top hat and brandishing a cane because, Cooper explained, “I wanted to draw him as he's taken on this life of his own, and then I added the top hat and cane because it's funny to me to imagine him basking in his new spotlight.”
We won’t knock Cooper for potentially misgendering Midge, as there’s only been one off-hand “she” applied to the character on the show so far. But the artist has the interesting perspective that, “I'm not sure the Xenomorph could have necessarily held an eight episode series alone. The Eye stands out because he seems to be cunning and clever, planning out things, and when you have a character like that who can't make their motives known (not verbally at least), it's very compelling. He might be the final boss of the entire season, I'm not sure yet, but it's fun to wonder.”
Menapian, whose medium is LEGO, got even more specific about what’s so great about Midge: “It's like Hannibal Lecter crossed with Baby Yoda!”
Menapian has posted multiple LEGO builds on the LEGO Ideas site, including a staff pick for an Around the World in 80 Days model. But the Midge model shared on Instagram is delightfully simple: created in the LEGO Studio software, it includes only 75 pieces, and Menapian put it together in just over an hour.
“It walks an amazingly fine line between creepy and cute, tapping into a lot of phobias about eye trauma but also having something endearingly cartoonish about its design,” Menapian mused. “It's clearly very intelligent too, and some of the best parts of the show are when we see it observe and manipulate its captors… Go Team Eyeball!”
These are well and good, but you can look at Rebeck’s cake and wonder what it tastes like (sorry, it’s digesting in Babou Ceesay’s stomach right now), or try to build the LEGO model yourself (which Menapian shared on the site Rebrickable). But who among us wouldn’t want to just snuggle with Midge after a long day? Not one, but two different Etsy craftsmen are selling cuddly crocheted versions of Midge.
Jennifer Sinden of Shadow Crafted Crochet was initially “horrified” by Midge, “but seeing how much personality and intelligence they were able to give an eyeball has been amazing. After Episode 5, watching it battle a Xenomorph, I fell in love with it. I turned to my fiancé and said, ‘I think I can make that.’” And indeed, Sinden did make that, her fiancé posted it on the Alien subreddit, and due to demand, posted it on Etsy. In addition to three different crocheted takes on Midge, Sinden also offers a digital download of the pattern, so you can crochet it yourself.
Meanwhile, Michelle of Feathered Donkey called Midge “Sinister, but cute!” and added that she’s always been fascinated by horror and science fiction… And in particular has always been enamored with eye-related creatures. She even made an “eye spider” previously, so, “when I saw the T. Ocellus in Alien: Earth I couldn’t believe my eyes! (lol sorry) All I had to do was slightly tweak my design to make it more alien-like, giving me my very own version of an eye monster!” Michelle created it with acrylic yarn, and can usually get a couple done a day. “It’s such a horrendous concept, something burrowing into a skull through an eyehole,” she added.
With one episode to go in the first season of Alien: Earth, it’s likely that Midge-mania won’t die down any time soon. Rebeck notes that since she’s “currently between film projects at the moment I have plenty of time to bake so I may be attempting to create some other Alien: Earth themed treats again soon,” and adds that she’s open to cake commissions in LA… Doesn’t your kid* want a Midge cake for their next birthday? (*You. You want one.)
But Knight probably has the clearest take on why it is that we’re so obsessed with Midge. “At first glance, the creature seems somewhat harmless and kind of goofy,” Knight said. “It's a little disarming, and I think that's what makes it so terrifying and effective. It's all fun and games until it starts moving and going for your eye socket.”
If you want a single platform to play games at home and on the go, the Nintendo Switch has got your back. Even better if you're a fan of Sonic: Ever since the Switch arrived in 2017, Sega has worked like clockwork to consistently release Sonic games for the hybrid console. Last year we got Sonic x Shadow Generations alongside the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie, so it's safe to say Sega's speedster is bigger than ever.
Now that the Switch 2 has officially launched, it's pretty much guaranteed more Sonic games are on the way. The next big release, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, is launching on the original system, but as we move toward Switch 2-exclusives, some good ol' backward compatibility means your existing Sonic games aren't going anywhere.
For anyone looking to check out the modern era of Sonic (and friends), here are all the Sonic the Hedgehog games you can play right now as well as upcoming Sonic games on the Switch 2.
A total of nine Sonic games have been released for Nintendo Switch. This spans the first year of the system back in 2017 to the most recent game, Sonic x Shadows Generations, released in October 2024. Keep in mind that this list below does not include the additional games available with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
Sonic Mania was developed by PagodaWest Games and Sonic fangame community member Christian Whitehead as a love letter to the classic Sonic the Hedgehog titles released on the Sega Genesis and Sega CD platforms. Taking place after the events of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the game remixes eight iconic levels, including Green Hill Zone and Chemical Plant Zone, and introduces five new ones, including the glamorous Studiopolis Zone and the peaceful Press Garden Zone. This game also introduces a new troupe of Eggbots called the Hard-Boiled Heavies for Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to beat.
Mania is considered one of the best Sonic games of the 2010s because of the experiment in allowing a group of Sonic fans to create a game other Sonic fans would love, the vivid neon graphics, and the new challenges present in every stage.
Sonic Forces makes Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic form a resistance against Dr. Eggman after he conquered most of the world alongside Infinite, a masked jackal who uses the Phantom Ruby to create doppelgangers and warp reality. The game switches gameplay modes between third-person Boost gameplay with Modern Sonic, side-scrolling gameplay with Classic Sonic, and a mode with the custom avatar character, which can be any animal you want, whose weapons use Wisp power-ups. Forces’ writing and lighting aren’t exactly the best in the series, but the game is still tolerable for some people.
Team Sonic Racing takes racing games to a whole new level by having players race with each other, not against each other. This game has a cooperative gameplay mechanic similar to Splatoon and Overwatch, using Sonic Heroes as a frame of reference, where you play in teams of three characters and work together to win each race, paying very close attention to your teammates’ performance and sharing Wisp power-ups with them to allow them to speed up and pull your ranks. Since most of the karts are sports cars, you can customize them with gold rims and paint your car any color you want West Coast Customs style.
Released a year before the real-life Tokyo Olympic Games was scheduled to begin (only to be postponed to 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic), Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 brings the platform rivalry between the jolly red plumber, the speedy blue hedgehog, and their respective friends back to the world stage with new events, like surfing, skateboarding, karate, and sport climbing, and bonus features. The game includes a story mode that takes Mario and Sonic back to the Tokyo 1964 Olympics and their early 2D sprite selves, while everyone else works to help bring them back to the real world in the present day. You get the best of both eras and some history lessons about the Olympic Games in Tokyo to go with it.
Sonic Colors: Ultimate is a remastered version of the original Sonic Colors developed by Blind Squirrel Games for Sonic’s 30th anniversary in 2021. The remaster enhanced the graphics to brighten up the colors of Eggman’s interplanetary amusement park and the character models, introduced a new Jade Ghost Wisp to help Sonic phase through walls and ceilings, replaced the traditional lives with rescues from Tails, and introduced mini races against Metal Sonic. You can also collect Park Tokens to customize Sonic with the wackiest designs for his shoes and gloves.
Sonic Origins compiles the first four classic Sonic games released on the Sega Genesis and Sega CD and remasters them for modern consoles and the audience that plays on them, whether they’re veteran fans seeking a nostalgia fix or young fans who want to understand Sonic’s history. Players can experience the game in Classic Mode, which is the original format presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio, or Anniversary Mode, which replaces lives with coins and allows Sonic to use Drop Dash as he did in Sonic Mania. Each game in the compilation features new animated cutscenes at the beginning and end done by the incomparable Tyson Heese to connect all four games into a cohesive story, provided you play them in the original release order.
Sonic Frontiers is the first open-world game in the Sonic franchise – or should we say, “open-zone”? – born out of a trend of open-world games being styled after The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Sonic explores the vast Starfall Islands to fight cybernetic enemies, solve various puzzles, and run through Cyber Space levels modeled after the levels from past Sonic titles in an effort to save his friends from the digitized dimension. Both veteran and new Sonic fans alike will enjoy running around the mysterious island set to a soundtrack that strikes a delicate balance between serenity and chaos.
Sonic Superstars is a collaborative effort between Sega and Arzest to bring 3D graphics to a Classic Sonic game, a move that surprised everyone at the 2023 Summer Game Fest (including this author). With Classic Sonic being a CGI character on his own for the first time and classic levels getting revamped with new music and upgraded level designs, the game allows up to four people to locally play together as Sonic and his friends throughout 11 levels across the Northstar Islands and grants new powers for every Chaos Emerald they collect to overcome obstacles.
Team Sonic's latest is Sonic X Shadow Generations, a remastered version of 2011's Sonic Generation that goes beyond graphical upgrades and quality-of-life improvements by including an all-new campaign comprised of reminagined Shadow stages from past Sonic games. The two campaigns combine for 15-20 hours of content across over 150 stages, leading us to say in our Shadow x Generations review that it "soars far and above previous enhanced versions we've gotten in the Sonic franchise."
If you're looking to play some classic Sonic games with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, there are a few available under the SEGA catalog. You can find more info about them below:
2024 was a big year for Sonic fans between the release of a new game (Sonic X Shadow Generations) and movie (Sonic the Hedgehog 3). An upcoming Sonic game, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, was announced at the 2024 Game Awards and is set to release on the Switch (as well as PC, PS5, and Xbox) on September 25.
The game follows up on 2019's Team Sonic Racing, featuring the full set of Sonic characters as well as new crossover racers like Joker, Hatsune Miku, and Steve from Minecraft. Jada Griffin's review of Cross Worlds for IGN says the game "fires on all cylinders with a fantastic roster, excellent courses, and lengthy list of customization options."
Outside of games, Paramount has confirmed it will make Sonic the Hedgehog 4. The movie is targeting a Spring 2027 release window.
Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. She has contributed her work to various publications, including Digital Trends, TheGamer, Twinfinite, Mega Visions, and The Escapist. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.
It's never too late to become a Star Wars fan. If you're just getting started with the franchise and are trying to catch up with everything canon in Star Wars, we've got you covered with a full chronological guide to the entire Star Wars timeline.
While three new live-action Star Wars movies are in development, the next new addition to the Disney-owned franchise is the TV series Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld, arriving on Star Wars Day. See our list of all the upcoming Star Wars TV shows and movies for more info.
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But what about all of the Star Wars content that you can binge right now, and how do you watch it in the order it was meant to be seen? Well, fear not! We have a list of all the current Star Wars movies and shows you can watch right now in chronological order and by release date. And it's never been easier, now that all of these titles are available to stream with a Disney+ subscription.
We will continue to update the list as more movies and shows are released.
Chronologically, The Acolyte is the earliest part of the Star Wars timeline that you can watch. Set at the end of the High Republic era, long before the Skywalker Saga kicks off, this Disney+ series follows a young former Jedi named Osha (played by Amandla Stenberg) who works with her old Master, Sol (played by Lee Jung-jae) to investigate the murder of another Jedi. The series received generally mixed reviews, earning a 6/10 in our The Acolyte season 1 review.
Released in 1999 and starring Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, and Natalie Portman, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace explored what happened long before the original trilogy, making it the starting point for a chronological watch. It introduced us to a young Anakin Skywalker (played by Jake Lloyd) who would hopefully be the one to bring balance to the force. Though not an overall critical hit at the time (as it sits at 51% on Rotten Tomatoes), it’s since garnered a much more positive reception, as even Ewan McGregor noted during interviews for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
The second installment of the prequel trilogy, which came out only a few years after its predecessor in 2002, is the next stop in a chronological watch. Taking place ten years after Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, it centers on an older Anakin (played now by Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan (played once again by Ewan McGregor) as they discover new and terrifying threats in the galaxy, which in turn leads up to the Clone Wars.
Clone Wars is a 2D animated series that ran on Cartoon Network from 2003-2005 and explored what happened during the titular wars, making it the perfect story to slot in between Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Anakin and Obi-Wan returned as characters as well, but were voiced by different people (Mat Lucas and James Arnold Taylor, respectively). Even though this series came to an end in 2005, the Clone Wars stories continued with a movie and new series in 2008.
Before the rise of the new Clone Wars series, there was a computer-animated film of the same name that released two months before the series did to kick it all off. It serves as a pilot episode to the show, taking place shortly after Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. It also saw James Arnold Taylor returning as the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi, but had Matt Lanter replacing Mat Lucas as Anakin and featured Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano, who would all carry on into the new series, too.
Two months later, Star Wars: The Clone Wars followed the 2008 computer-animated film and ran on Cartoon Network. It takes place in the three years between Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, serving as a continuation of the aforementioned Clone Wars series from 2003, and featured several familiar faces and returning voice cast members (such as those listed in the film above). All of the events within the series eventually led to the prequel trilogy’s grand finale: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
The third and final installment in the prequel trilogy was Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which released in 2005. Following all of the thrills from The Clone Wars, this film takes place three years after Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and sees a major shift in Anakin, eventually bringing the prequel trilogy of the Skywalker Saga to a close. And while Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope starts up a new chapter of that Saga, there are plenty of stories still to explore in the time between in this galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch serves as a sequel to The Clone Wars series and takes place in the aftermath of said wars. It follows a group of elite clone troopers, known as Clone Force 99, and the mercenary missions they take on post-Clone Wars. Its second season is currently running until March 29th, so it’s the perfect time to start catching up in your chronological watch.
In the time before the original trilogy of the Skywalker Saga, there’s a film that details the origin of one of its most important characters: Han Solo. Solo: A Star Wars Story is set 10 years before the events of Stars Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and starred Alden Ehrenreich as the titular smuggler, following him and Chewbacca on an adventurous heist. He’s not the only character we get a bit of backstory on before the original trilogy, though.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a mini series that was released in 2022 and follows the titular Jedi 10 years after the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, with Ewan McGregor returning to the role. Though originally planned as a limited series, the door is always open for another season if fans want, according to Lucasfilm. And, if you want a quick way to take in all six episodes of the series without any pacing issues, it's even been recut by a fan into a full-length movie!
Also taking place a little over 10 years after Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and five years before Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Rebels is an animated series that follows the Rebellion’s small beginnings in a galaxy far, far away. It ran for four seasons with 75 total episodes, so you’ll have plenty to keep you occupied as you follow the stories about the rise of the Rebellion.
Similar to Star Wars Rebels and also taking place five years before Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars: Andor follows the formation of the Rebel Alliance, with Cassian Andor (played by Diego Luna) leading the series. The first season features 12 exhilirating episodes and we finally got the second and final season earlier this year. The building of this Rebellion eventually leads to…
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set just before the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and follows a group of Rebels, Cassian included, as they plot to steal the plans for the Death Star. This film was the first of the standalone Star Wars spin-offs and featured a stellar cast alongside Luna, including Felicity Jones, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, and many more.
And all of these events finally lead us into the trilogy that started it all, and the next chronological chapter of the Skywalker Saga. Released in 1977, Stars Wars Episode IV: A New Hope centered on Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) as he begins Jedi training under Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) and sets out on a journey to rescue Rebel Alliance leader Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) with the help of smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). It’s an incredible classic that started this whole journey in the first place, and chronologically will set you up right in the middle of your Star Wars journey.
Star Wars came back bigger and better with Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Set three years after its predecessor, this film follows our favorite Rebels as they continue to fight back against Imperial forces, and as Luke begins training with Yoda. It also sees Darth Vader reaching out to Luke in an attempt to lure him to the Dark Side. It’s dramatic, action-packed, and sure to keep you invested as you jump into the final film of the original trilogy.
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi brings the original trilogy’s Skywalker Saga to a close. Set one year after the events of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, this story revolves around the Rebel fleet as they aim to take down the newly-rebuilt Death Star. It’s a climactic finale that also sees Luke confronting Darth Vader once more, tieing up remaining strings as the Rebels make their final assault. It’s a film that leaves the fate of the galaxy in new hands, and open for new stories.
In the time between the fall of the Empire and the rise of the First Order, there are several stories to appear - and one of the most exciting comes from Star Wars: The Mandalorian. This space western is a series running on Disney+ that instantly won over fans with its exciting story of a bounty hunter named Din Djarin (played by Pedro Pascal) and his adventures with little Grogu.
Season 3 is set after the events in The Book of Boba Fett listed below - and the series shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Mando isn’t the only story of a bounty hunter that needs covering in a chronological watch of Star Wars, though.
A familiar name to many Star Wars fans, Boba Fett (played by Temuera Morrison, who also appeared in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones as Jango Fett and re-recorded lines for Boba in the DVD re-release of the original trilogy) is another bounty hunter who roams the galaxy. Serving as a spin-off of Star Wars: The Mandalorian, and set around the same period of time, The Book of Boba Fett follows the titular character as he leaves the life of a bounty hunter behind to take over the territory formerly run by Jabba the Hut. It currently only has one season out with seven episodes that run almost an hour each.
Ahsoka centers on the titular former Jedi Knight as she investigates an emerging threat to the galaxy. And for those who have been wondering where the show fits on the timeline, we have some potential answers. In an interview with SFX magazine (via GamesRadar) Sabine Wren's actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo stated that, "Ahsoka runs along the same timeline as The Mandalorian season 3, and the shows are all connected. There's just so many parallels." In our 7/10 review of the first two episodes, IGN said: "Dave Filoni’s new Disney+ series Ahsoka has plenty of action but still gets off to a slow start by getting viewers up to speed with the events of Star Wars Rebels."
It was recently announced that an Ahsoka season 2 is officially in development.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew "is set concurrently with The Mandalorian and Ahsoka," according to Empire Magazine (via Screen Rant). The Goonies-inspird series follows a group of ordinary suburban kids from the planet At Attin who find themselves mixed up in a space-pirate adventure. Jude Law stars as Jod Na Nawood.
Arisen from the ashes of the Empire comes a new threat to the galaxy: The First Order. This rise is first explored in Star Wars: Resistance, an animated series that premiered on Disney Channel and Disney XD. It follows a young pilot named Kazuda (or Kaz) Xiono who’s recruited by the Resistance (namely Poe Dameron - played by Oscar Isaac) to spy on the First Order. It takes place just before the events of the sequel trilogy, laying the groundwork for what’s to come in the next chapter of the Skywalker Saga.
The sequel trilogy kicked off with Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, which introduced us to a brand new band of Rebels. At the center of these films was Rey (played by Daisy Ridley), who joins up with ex-Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega), Resistance pilot Poe (played by Oscar Isaac), and our beloved smuggler Han Solo (played once again by Harrison Ford) as they work with the Resistance (led by Carrie Fisher’s General Leia Organa) to track down Luke Skywalker (once again played by Mark Hamill) and take down the First Order, with Kylo Ren (played by Adam Driver) as the film’s main antagonist. It’s a reunion of old and new that started the sequel trilogy off with a bang.
The search for Luke Skywalker leads straight into Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. Kicking off immediately after the end of The Force Awakens, this story follows Rey as she seeks to recruit Luke’s help. Given the First Order’s relentless pursuits, The Resistance could use it, but she’s not the only one out looking for ways to gain the upper hand. Finn gets help from a mechanic named Rose Tico (played by Kelly Marie Tran) and the two work together to help Resistance members escape the First Order. This film also serves as the farewell to Carrie Fisher, and was lovingly dedicated to her at the end.
The final installment of the sequel trilogy, and grand finale of the Skywalker Saga in general, sees our crew of Resistance fighters take their final stand against Kylo Ren and the First Order. However, the First Order isn’t working alone, as Emperor Palpatine makes his return to aid them. Unfortunately, this film wasn’t a massive success amongst critics. Our own reviewer called it “a film engineered to hit the viewer on multiple levels while struggling to settle 42 years’ worth of story elements,” but noted that it’s “if nothing else, a tribute to [the Skywalker Saga’s] legacy.”
With the Skywalker Saga over and done with, it’s time to explore new stories in this galaxy far, far away, and that’s exactly what Star Wars: Visions does. This series is actually a collection of animated short films done by some of the best Japanese anime studios out there. For each episode, the creators were given complete freedom to tell a story of their choosing outside of the usual canon and with their own visual style. It currently has two volumes available to stream on Disney+ with Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 added this year.
A third season of Star Wars: Visions is set to hit Disney+ in October. The only other upcoming Star Wars projects with a release date or window is Jon Favreau's The Mandalorian & Grogu (May 22, 2026).
The longer list of undated projects in development includes Taika Waitaik's Star Wars movie (seemingly on an indefinite hold), James Mangold's Dawn of the Jedi movie, Dave Filoni's Mando-Verse New Republic movie, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's New Jedi Order movie with Daisy Ridley, Simon Kinberg's new Star Wars trilogy, Shawn Levy/Ryan Gosling's Star Wars movie, and Star Wars: Ahsoka Season 2.
You can check out our full list of upcoming Star Wars movies and TV series for more details.
David Griffin is the Senior Editor, Features and Content Partnerships for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.
For over 35 years, the Final Fantasy franchise has captivated fans with its anthology storytelling, keeping things fresh in its magical fantasy world by continuously introducing new characters and stories. The Final Fantasy games are mostly standalone, meaning you can jump into them in any order because they each have a fresh story. In general, Final Fantasy games tend to be set somewhere between the past and the future, staying connected with the same overarching, universal themes: a group of young heroes gathering to fight a great evil threatening their world while exploring their internal struggles and relationships with each other.
If you’re new and want to get into the Final Fantasy series, there are technically 16 numbered games, a few direct sequels, and a prequel to the first game. Each numbered game has its own stories, characters, and world to dive into, though a number of remakes and remasters can make things confusing at a glance. It sounds like a lot, but we’re here to help you make the journey a little smoother.
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Looking at the Final Fantasy franchise as a whole can be overwhelming as most of them have hundreds of hours of content to play through. If you want to ease yourself into the franchise, we recommend starting with Final Fantasy VII. This game left an indelible mark on the game industry for having the easiest gameplay and combat systems to get the hang of, especially with the Limit Break system, and giving us the most memorable characters, like Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Sephiroth. Its popularity inspired Square to create Kingdom Hearts in collaboration with Disney so that some of its characters could interact with Disney characters. If you want the OG experience, FFVII is available on Steam and has been re-released for most consoles, including Nintendo Switch.
Square Enix is in the process of remastering Final Fantasy VII in three separate parts: Final Fantasy VII Remake hit consoles back in 2020, while Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth just launched on PC following its console release in 2024. A third and final part to the remastered trilogy is currently in development. Gorgeous graphics, endless minigames, and awe-inspiring motion capture performances make these Game of the Year-nominated remakes our recommendation of where to start with Final Fantasy in 2025.
If you want to do a deep dive into the Final Fantasy franchise and play all of them in chronological order, here’s the full list. That said, there is no direct continuity between the Final Fantasy games, so I'd recommend trying out the game with the story that seems most interesting to you.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin takes place in the kingdom of Cornelia, a dark fantasy world version of the setting of the original Final Fantasy game. Jack Garland and his companions and fellow Warriors of Light, Ash, Jed, Neon and Sophia — each carrying a darkened crystal representing earth, wind, fire and water — set out to find Chaos and destroy him, restoring light to the world. Despite what the prophecy foretold about the heroes, each Warrior grows skeptical about their role.
You can change characters’ jobs on the fly, but with Jack as the player character you can only switch between two positions. No matter his job title, Jack has a decisive finishing move that crystallizes enemies and shatters them to restore a portion of his magic meter once the enemy's break gauge is depleted.
Read our review of Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.
Centuries after the events of Stranger of Paradise, Final Fantasy introduces four new young Warriors of Light, each of them carrying an orb representing the four elements that have been darkened by the four Elemental Fiends. At first, they’re tasked by the King of Cornelia to rescue Princess Sarah from the evil knight Garland, but their journey expands to defeating the fiends and restoring the orbs to their former glory, thus saving the world from eternal darkness.
Final Fantasy gets its name from series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi’s threat to leave the games industry and go back to university if it didn’t sell well, and Square Enix dealing with the notion of the game being its very last due to the threat of bankruptcy. Ultimately, the game sold over 1.3 million copies worldwide and grossed over $21 million, saving both the company and Sakaguchi’s career.
Read our review of Final Fantasy.
In Final Fantasy II, Firion, Guy, Maria, and Leon become orphans after the Palamecian Empire destroys their hometown and kills their parents, rendering them orphans. They join the Wild Rose Rebellion and, under the guidance of Princess Hilda, who initially deemed them too young to join the army, journey to stop Emperor Mateus’ plans to take over the world with his hellspawn.
Unlike the first Final Fantasy, the sequel had no character creation or job system because Square wanted the game to be more story-driven rather than filled with heavy gameplay mechanics. This game is notable for introducing a couple of staples that would forever define the series: chocobos and the recurring inventor character Cid.
Read our review of Final Fantasy II.
Another group of four orphaned teens — Arc, Refia, Luneth, and Ingus — are drawn to a crystal of light in the Altar Cave after an earthquake hits the village of Ur. The crystals grants the youth a portion of its power, their first set of jobs, and instructs them to restore balance to the world.
Final Fantasy III is the first numbered game in the series to feature the job-change system, allowing players to change how the characters would battle monsters throughout the game. Instead of staying in one job or class, they could explore other job options and see which one suits each character. The 2006 Nintendo DS remake retained the elements of the original game, but gave the characters more well-rounded personalities.
Read our review of Final Fantasy III.
Final Fantasy IV centers on Red Wings captain Cecil Harvey, who questions the King of Baron’s motives after he and his knights steal the Water Crystal in a raid on Mysidia. After the king strips him of his title as punishment for disloyalty, Cecil sets out on a quest with Kain Highwind and the allies they meet along the way to stop the sorcerer Golbez from seizing the other crystals in order to save the world.
This game introduced the Active Time Battle (ATB) system, which allows characters to perform a move when their gauge is full. Whereas a party is limited to four people in the previous games, Final Fantasy IV allowed a party of five characters.
Read our review of Final Fantasy IV.
Adventurer Bartz Klauser comes across a fallen meteor and finds four strangers, including King Tycoon’s daughter Lenna, and set off on an adventure to save the Crystals from falling apart, a phenomenon caused by Exdeath, an entity trying to free himself from imprisonment and gain the power of the Void. The group becomes Warriors of Light and focuses their attention on defeating Exdeath and stopping the Void’s energies from plunging their world into darkness.
Final Fantasy V expanded on the job system, giving players more than 21 jobs to choose from. To make the job system even more interesting, you can combine a skill you learn from a certain job with a different skill from another job in order to defeat challenging dungeons and bosses.
Read our review of Final Fantasy V.
Set in a steampunk-style world filled with technology resembling that of the Second Industrial Revolution, Final Fantasy VI centers on a rebel faction known as the Returners fighting the Gesthalian Empire, which gained the power to take over the world by experimenting on magical creatures known as Espers. The Returners, including amnesiac former imperial soldier Terra Branford, work to free the regions under Gesthalian control using the magic they seek out and put a stop to the empire’s reign.
Final Fantasy VI, which was released as Final Fantasy III in North America and heavily censored due to Nintendo of America’s policies at the time, has 14 playable characters to choose from throughout the story, making it the largest cast in the series’ history. It also deals with mature themes of immoral military dictatorship, use of chemical weapons in warfare, the pursuit of a magical arms race, personal redemption, and the renewal of hope and life. This is also the first Final Fantasy game to not be directed by Sakaguchi, who handed the reins over to Yoshinori Kitase.
Read our review of Final Fantasy VI.
Set in Midgar seven years before the events of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII centers on fresh-faced SOLDIER Zack Fair, who is assigned to look for missing SOLDIER and defector Genesis Rhapsodos, who went off on a rampage for reasons unknown. During his search, he discovers Genesis’ origin, Project G (or the Jenova project) and how it’s connected to the two aforementioned high-ranking SOLDIERs, and eventually battles him and other products of the project, which involves injecting Jenova DNA into them.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII was notable for exploring the sensitive side of Sephiroth, the most successful SOLDIER beloved by everyone before he went insane after discovering the unnatural circumstances of his creation and quickly fell from grace, as well as some of Cloud Strife’s life as a SOLDIER before leaving Shinra Electric Power Company. It was originally a PSP-exclusive title, but managed to get remastered as Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in honor of the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII.
Read our review of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.
In one of the most iconic games of the series, ex-SOLDIER turned mercenary Cloud Strife joins Avalance (led by Barett Wallace) in the fight to stop Shinra from lining the company’s pockets by mining all the mako from the planet to use as an energy source. Cloud initially fought for personal gain and to keep a promise he made to Tifa Lockhart when they were kids, but eventually developed friendships with other members of Avalanche, including Aerith Gainsborough, and works with them to save Midgar from both Shinra and Sephiroth, who was hellbent on destroying the planet in order to be reborn as a demigod.
Afters its original release in 1997, Final Fantasy VII grew so popular that most of its characters appeared in the Kingdom Hearts series and spawned the CGI sequel film, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. It also spawned the full-blown and critically reclaimed remaster, Final Fantasy VII Remake, which will be released in three parts. The first Final Fantasy VII Remake was released in 2020, while Final Fantasy VII Rebirth came out on Leap Day 2024. Little is known about when we can expect the third and final game in the trilogy.
Read our review our reviews of the original Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
In this contentious follow-up to Final Fantasy VII, a group of young SeeD mercenaries led by Squall Leonhart (or Leon, as he’s known in the Kingdom Hearts series) help out a group known as the Forest Owls, an endeavor that escalates into a conflict by Sorceress Edea, who has seized control of a powerful military state and intend to destroy time itself. As they fight to stop Edea, Squall struggles with his role and falls in love with Forest Owls leader Rinoa Heartilly.
Final Fantasy VIII still incorporates ATB as part of its gameplay, but it overhauled the character leveling system. As far as spell-casting goes, the game threw out the Magic Points-based system, making characters collect, draw, and create magic from items to power themselves up using the junction system instead. This is also the first game to incorporate a vocal theme into its soundtrack with “Eyes On Me” by Hong Kong pop star Faye Wong.
Read our review of Final Fantasy VII.
In the first Final Fantasy game of the millennium, a thief named Zidane Tribal is tasked with kidnapping the Princess of Alexandria, Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, as a part of a war wage against the neighboring nation of Lindblum. His thief troupe ends up becoming the princess’ guardians, and Zidane teams up with Garnet to defeat her mother, Queen Brahne, who started the war.
Despite Final Fantasy IX being released in 2000, when most game franchises transitioned from 2D to 3D graphics by then, Square Enix designed the game to look like a retro-style RPG. However, it still managed to render CGI graphics for the characters and everything else in the world of Gaia.
Read our review of Final Fantasy IX.
Final Fantasy X is one of the most beloved games in the series next to Final Fantasy VII — and we’re not just saying that because it’s the first Final Fantasy game for the PS2. The story revolves around star blitzball player named Tidus, who is taken to Spira — a world inspired by the South Pacific, Thailand, and Japan — by Auron after his hometown of Zanarkand is destroyed by a colossal monster named Sin. He joins summoner Yuna and her guardians on a quest to defeat Sin and bring about the Calm after learning its true identity is Tidus’ missing father Jecht.
This game replaced ATB with the Conditional Turned-Based Battle system that uses an Act List in which characters’ turns are determined by their stats. It also introduced a new leveling system called the Sphere Grid, which sets characters down a specific path with stats and abilities and allows them to unlock all their abilities once it opens up.
Read our review of Final Fantasy X HD Remasters.
In the follow-up to Final Fantasy X, Yuna becomes a sphere hunter and a member of the Gullwings, comprising Rikku and Paine. She sets out to find Tidus — or at least, a mysterious man who looks like Tidus — but gets caught in a political conflict that the Gullwings must resolve before it escalates to a war involving a secret weapon that was built to destroy Spira.
In addition to being the first game in the series to be an official game sequel, Final Fantasy X is also the first to feature an all-female cast and have multiple possible endings. It brought back ATB, but enhanced it to allow characters to interrupt enemies while preparing to attack. It also introduced dresspheres and the Garment Grid, which allow characters to change their character class mid-battle to alter the course of the battle.
Square Enix took a page out of World of Warcraft and made Final Fantasy XI an MMORPG instead of a regular console game. Players could customize their characters and make it into one of many races of being roaming the land of Vana’diel — Humes, Elvaan, Tarutaru, Mithra, Galka, etc. The plot revolves around defeating a demonic leader called the Shadow Lord, who rose from the ashes of the Crystal War and sent his beastmen armies off to terrorize the land, albeit in a less organized fashion.
Support for the PS2 and Xbox 360 versions of Final Fantasy XI ended in 2016, but fans can still play it on PC. Rumors circulated last year that the game would shut down, given that it’s over 20 years old, but director Yuji Fujito stated that that was not the case. In other words, it’s still alive and well and beloved by many retro Final Fantasy fans.
Read our review of Final Fantasy XI.
Final Fantasy XII is set in the kingdom of Ivalice, where the Archadia and Rozarria empires are fighting an endless war with each other. When Dalmasca is annexed by the former nation, Princess Ashe forms a resistance movement and meets Vaan, who dreams of becoming a sky pirate, teaming up with him to rally against the tyranny of the Archadian Empire.
Final Fantasy XII took three years for Square Enix to develop after Final Fantasy X-2 was released, and it paid off. It won several Game of the Year awards and spawned the Nintendo DS sequel, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, in 2007. Over a decade later, the remastered version of the game, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, released on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows.
Read our review of Final Fantasy XII.
Lightning, the series’s first female protagonist aside from Yuna in Final Fantasy X-2, is a former soldier living in the floating world of Cocoon whose sister Serah goes missing after she’s branded an enemy of Cocoon by the government, Sanctum, for coming in contact with a god-like creature from Pulse. As Lightning searches for her sister, she’s joined by a band of allies to rally against Sanctum for authorizing a purge on citizens who also came into contact with Pulse, leaving the fate of the world at risk.
This game wasn’t received well not because it had a female lead, but rather because it had confusing battle systems — Command Synergy Battle and Paradigm Shift — and linear maps. Even so, it was well-received and spawned two more direct sequels.
Read our review of Final Fantasy XIII.
Three years after the events of Final Fantasy XIII, Serah takes the lead and teams up with Noel Kreiss, a young man from the distant future, to travel across time and space to find Lightning. Meanwhile, Lightning finds herself in Valhalla, a realm between death and chaos at the edge of time in the distant future, ruled by the goddess Etro, who she protects as a knight during a war with Caius.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 retained the Command Synergy Battle and Paradigm Shift systems, but they were improved upon to make battles flow better. Mog Clock was added to the mix, which prompts players to attack monsters on the field before time runs out to gain the upper hand in battle.
Read our review of Final Fantasy XIII-2.
In the last installment of the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, Lightning awakens from her 500-year hibernation to discover that the world is about to end in 13 days. She is chosen by the god Bhunivelze to save everyone, but along the way she learns the truth about the world’s fate and Bhunivelze’s real motives.
Players slammed this game because it featured a ticking clock that signifies how long you had until the game was over, putting a strict time limit on missions and side quests. Its saving grace was the heavily modified version of the Command Synergy Battle system, which employed real-time features, like freely taking control of Lightning’s movements and attacks.
Read our review of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.
Final Fantasy XIV has several storylines, but the main one involves the player character traveling five years into the future to escape the destruction of Eorzea at the hands of the primal dragon Bahamut. They enter Eorzea in the Age of Calm and work to rebuild the land, but must deal with the threat of invasion by the Garlean Empire.
The circumstances surrounding Final Fantasy XIV’s development were pretty complicated — especially since it’s the second MMORPG title in the series. The original 2010 game was embroiled in controversy because it was released in an unfinished state, although its servers remained active until November 2012. The next year, Square Enix released Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn with favorable acclaim.
Of course, Square Enix hasn't forgotten about its MMORPG. Dawntrail, the fifth expansion for Final Fantasy: XIV Online, launched this past July, and more expansions and updates are sure to come in the future.
Read our review of Final Fantasy XIV.
The previous installment revolves around Noctis, a prince from the kingdom of Lucis is set to marry his childhood friend Lunafreya when he goes on a quest to rescue the Crystal from Niflheim, who stole it during an attack on the Lucian capital of Insomnia, killing his father in the process, on the eve of peace negotiations between the two empires. During his journey, he learns of his destiny to use the Crystal’s powers to save the realm of Eos from eternal darkness.
Final Fantasy XV received critical acclaim for its stunning visuals, gameplay — like driving around the world in the Regalia and the Active Cross Battle system — and its visceral soundtrack, including a rendition of “Stand By Me” by Florence + The Machine used as the game’s theme song as well as a few contributions from Afrojack. The game spawned a few spin-off games, the anime series called Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, and a feature film Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV.
Read our review of Final Fantasy XV.
The latest Final Fantasy game in the franchise has arrived, and it has essentially redefined the series. With a third-person action style and fast, reflexive combat, there are a lot of new things to love about Final Fantasy 16.
If you're wondering whether or not you can hop right into the series with this game, the answer is a definitive yes. While the gameplay may be quite different than previous titles, the characters and story fulfill that core Final Fantasy feeling.
Read our review of Final Fantasy 16.
If you want to play the Final Fantasy games in the order in which they came out, here’s the list of games by release date. Keep in mind that most titles were released in Japan first, followed by the U.S. at a later date. The first six games are remastered for the Nintendo Switch in Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster.
While this longstanding saga isn't going anywhere anytime soon, we'll probably have to wait a couple more years for word on Final Fantasy 17. Square Enix has admitted that FFXVI and FFVII Rebirth both underperformed in terms of sales, though Part 3 of the remake is still in the works and tentatively targeting a 2027 release window.
Going forward, it's pretty likely we'll see more remakes, especially as Square Enix pushes for a multiplatform strategy. The most recent Nintendo Direct confirmed that Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade will be making its way to Switch 2 and Xbox on January 22, 2026.
We're also getting a new remake from the Tactics sub-series, titled Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. The remake comes with new content in addition to a number of enhancements, including full voice acting, for the original PS1 game. The Ivalice Chronicles is set to release on Switch 2, Xbox, PS5, and PC on September 30.
Scooters have some major advantages over bikes. They're lighter, more compact, and usually less expensive. Electric assisted scooters give you more range and speed for less effort, and the brushless motor is pretty quiet. You'd think upgrading to one would cost you a lot of money, but that doesn't have to be the case. AliExpress is offering a couple of well-regarded electric scooters at prices you probably didn't expect.
You can pick up a LADPED LP80 350W electric scooter for just $133.79 after you apply a $26 off coupon code "USDEAL26". Alternatively, the LADPED LP60 350W electric scooter, which has a smaller battery, is even less expensive at $115.77. Both scooters ship free from a local US warehouse; since they've already been shipped from overseas, any tariffs have already been paid for and you don't need to worry about them. AliExpress marketplace vendor AOVOPRO is an authorized reseller of these scooters and has plenty of reviews and sales to back up its reputation.
The LADPED electric scooters are solid entry level options that are meant for adults. Both models are equipped with a peppy 350W brushless motor that can push the scooter at speeds of up to 19mph. The LP80 is equipped with a 36V 10.5aH battery that lasts up to 18 miles on a single charge. The LP60 has a much smaller 36V 5.2AH battery that will give you half that range. Both scooters weigh about 34 pounds (the LP60 is a bit lighter because of the smaller battery) and can be folded for easier transport and storage. They're equipped with standard 8.5" maintenance free honeycomb tires which are good for smooth, paved surfaces. Unfortunately they're not designed to be swapped out, so if you need bigger tires for harsher road conditions, you'll need to look elsewhere.
Other than that, there's not much more you could ask for from a sub-$150 scooter. More well-known scooter brands are a lot more expensive; the Segway Ninebot E2 and the Niu KQi 100P scooters both cost about $350, and they're also made in China (Segway was purchased by Ninebot in 2015, and is technically a Chinese company now). If cost was the reason that had been holding you back, than the prices on these LADPED scooters are a convincing excuse to get one now.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
As a brilliant scientist with an almost limitless bank account, Bruce Wayne can afford the best of the best when it comes to his Batsuit. But there's one question DC has never answered before now. Does Batman wear socks underneath those fancy boots? That's finally changed thanks to the new Batman #1.
The reveal comes as DC announces that Batman #1 has sold over 500,000 copies, likely making it the best-selling single issue of 2025 (though we'll see what the numbers for Deadpool/Batman #1 and Batman/Deadpool #1 end up being). The publisher will be issuing a second printing of the book in October, featuring a pair of new covers by artists Jorge Jiménez and Dan Mora. And Jiménez's cover addresses the all-important socks question at long last:
As you can see, Bruce is rocking some very ordinary white socks. Evidently, even with all his Bat-resources, there's still no substitute for the classics.
Batman #1 kicks off a new series written by Hawkeye's Matt Fraction and illustrated by Jiménez (who was a mainstay on the previous volume of the series for the past several years). The new series introduces both a new Batmobile and a redesigned blue and gray Batsuit, while exploring a status quo where Batman is operating out of Pennyworth Manor and butting heads with the GCPD and their new comissioner, Vandal Savage.
At 500,000 copies sold, Batman #1 eclipses both Skybound's Battle Beast #1 and Batman #158 (the first issue of the Hush 2 storyline), both of which were reported to have sold around 400,000 copies. Both Batman #1 and Battle Beast #1 featured blind bag variant covers, a marketing strategy that will no doubt be sticking around for the foreseeable future.
Batman #1 is available in stores now, though you may have trouble tracking down a print copy at this point. You can find your local comic shop to hunt down the issue or reserve a copy of the second printing before its October 15 release.
For more Bat-fun, see how the new Batsuit compares to the ten greatest Batman costumes of all time.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
Ever since LEGO's slow pivot to adult-targeted sets, the separation between traditional LEGO bricks and LEGO Technic – the rods, beams, pins, and gears that builders use to create simple machines – has become increasingly blurred. Nowadays, one is often an accompaniment to the other. Technic creates a sturdy skeleton, and the bricks form a decorative shell around it, which gives the model its form and outward appearance.
It's a product of LEGO's ambition – that the builds got so massive that the designers needed an underlying structure to stabilize them. It also eased many LEGO fans into a whole new sub-genre of building techniques, and if you're one of those fans, you might want to check out a proper LEGO Technic set, which do away with the bricks almost entirely. It's become one of the most popular LEGO themes available in 2025.
Here are the best LEGO Technic sets that you can purchase in 2025.
This is a welcome diversion for the Technic line, which typically focuses on vehicles but broadened its scope with this set: a movable model of the sun, Earth, and moon. You turn a crank, and the heavenly bodies rotate and revolve around each other, in sync with the month and the moon phases. It's one of the coolest LEGO space sets you can buy right now.
For the longest time, the LEGO Technic sets were either too simple or too expensive. But now, there's a a mid-priced series of Technic cars, starting with this one: a model of a Ferrari FXX K, with butterfly doors and a V12 engine. If you're not feeling this one, you might also want to check out the Cheverolet Corvette Stingray, which comes in either yellow or blue.
Depicting the crown jewel of the Ducati motorcycle line, this set comes with a three-speed gear box and a chain that loops to model's back wheel, along with front and rear suspension. The bright-red color scheme is sure to stand out on any shelf or in any display case.
You get two builds for the price of one. First is a flatbed truck. You can lower its ramp and tilt the cabin back to reveal a 6-cylinder piston engine. Second is an excavator, which connects to a charging station and operates via pneumatic pump. You can play with both vehicles together – with the excavator resting on the flatbed – or separately. For the high prices that LEGO charges, it's nice to get some quantity along with the quality, and the Volvo FMX Truck & EC230 Electric Excavator feels like a bargain for its size and piece count.
Its price is something to gasp at considering it's one of the most expensive LEGO sets. But for that money, you do get a massive, working crane that you can control remotely with your cell phone. It rolls on treads, and thanks to counterweights, it can lift a considerable amount of weight relative to its size. Just make sure you plan ahead; it's over three feet tall, and you can't put it on a shelf once you're done playing with it. It's worth comparing it to the actual real-life crane its based off too because it looks exactly like it.
Created in close collaboration with the team at McLaren Racing, this is a replica of the car that raced during the 2022 Formula 1 season. Open it up, and it has a V6 cylinder engine with differential, pistons, steering, and suspension. It even comes with sponsor stickers, if you want to give the model that 'race day' feel.
This race car comes equipped with two pullback motors, which can be manually triggered by a person's hand or foot. It also can also sync with an AR app on your mobile device, allowing you to roleplay as a Formula E driver.
Luxury and off-road capability combine into one, powerful package. This model of a Benz G500 comes with the usual bells and whistles like working steering, suspension and a fascimile of the engine under the hood. But it also comes with two differentials, as well as a spare tire, ladder, and roof rack.
With its unique lime green color and golden rims, this is an expensive LEGO set that looks every bit of its cost. It has all the extras expected in a supercar, from the butterfly doors that open upwards and outwards, to the 8-speed transmission and movable gearshift, to the V12 engine. Other supercars in this price range include the Ferrari Daytona SP3 and the McLaren P1.
And now, here's something a little out of this world. This manned LEGO Mars rover doesn't exist in real life yet, but it's a wonderful aspiration, and it comes with a truck bed, a crane, and a cramped if well-appointed living quarters, which includes a shower, toilet, and treadmill. If you're in the mood for something space-geared more reality-based, try this replica of the Nasa Apollo Lunar vehicle.
There are 57 LEGO Technic sets listed on the official LEGO store as of September 2025.
LEGO Technic has evolved rapidly in the last several years. The rods and pins are part of nearly every "traditional" LEGO brick set, adding mechanical function and stability to even the smallest build. If it's been a few years since you've checked out LEGO Technic, you might want to give it another look. It's only gotten more sophisticated with time. Though just make sure you don't lose any of the bricks as it can be hard to find individual LEGO Technic pieces.
For more, check out the best LEGO car sets, as well as the best LEGO sets for kids. And if you're buying for someone older (including yourself!), take a look at the best LEGO sets for adults.
Kevin Wong is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in LEGO. He's also been published in Complex, Engadget, Gamespot, Kotaku, and more. Follow him on Twitter at @kevinjameswong.
The LEGO Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory set aspires to capture the detail, color, and eccentricities from the original story. Any question of which Willy Wonka the set is inspired by is answered on the back of the box, which features a picture of Gene Wilder in the original role.
I’ve always been an avid chocoholic, and Willy Wonka was a go-to rewatch when I was growing up. I don’t think I was alone in finding it rather terrifying, but who could resist the appeal of this entirely edible chocolate factory? When LEGO announced this set, I couldn’t help but wonder how it would capture that balance of magic and danger.
The plastic brick version of this factory is part of the LEGO Ideas collection – sets that were originally designed by and then voted on by fans. Get enough votes, and your set may become LEGO official. The final set typically ends up with tweaks and changes from the original design, but keeps its heart and central features. This build actually went through quite a few changes before becoming an official set, but keeps the central feature of a chocolate waterfall feeding into a delicious-looking river.
As we’re seeing more and more often, the set is marked as 18+, with the number of pieces and level of detail geared toward adults. That said, I think anyone who’s old enough to avoid trying to eat the candy-like pieces would enjoy it. I'd just recommend a big table or solid organization system; some of these pieces are tiny.
Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory comes in 16 bags that contain a whopping total of 2,025 pieces, including nine minifigures. You get one massive instruction booklet as well as a small sticker sheet. While larger LEGO sets occasionally go for a more “co-op friendly” building experience, this factory is about as chaotic to work through as it is to look at. You’re bouncing between layers, adding details and decorations on the fly as you build up three main areas: the candy gardens, the chocolate waterfall, and the “factory” itself.
Before working on any of those structures, however, the very first step of the build is putting together your Charlie minifigure and handing him a golden ticket. These golden tickets (you get five total) are printed onto small bricks, no stickers required. While it doesn’t make a lot of sense to start here in the build from a structural perspective – you have nowhere to put him yet – it does create a narrative. You begin the story as Charlie, who just got his ticket to go see an eccentric chocolatier's mysterious factory.
You then start building the base of the structure, which I found to be the most arduous part of the set. For several bags (and hours), you work on a base that just keeps getting wider and wider. Per LEGO tradition, there is a mix of colors underneath the green platforms, but the big trend of this build is, naturally, a ridiculous amount of brown.
Eventually you have a chocolate river separated by two green platforms, as well as a pillar to support eventual waterfall. Just when you start to realize what you’ve been working on this whole time, you’re promptly swept away to an entirely new section: the factory.
An element I did not expect in the build based on the original promotional images was the amount of detailing on the back side of the factory. Two small cutouts you can only see from this angle are hints at the “interior” of the factory. This is where most of the sticker sheet comes into play, creating details like the mysterious contract the children are forced to sign, the TV screen Mike gets shrunk into, and the fruit banners you can “taste” in the movie (I did not try the LEGO version).
While you work on these bigger structures, you’ll be placing smaller decorations across the build. This helps break up the monotony of placing big brown blocks on top of each other and also leaves a bit of mystery around what exactly you’re building at any particular time. You discover the factory as Charlie, of course, with little idea of what to expect.
On the factory’s tiered front side, you’re building essentially the setting of the original Oompa Loompa song, complete with a pack of cane sugar and a pipe system you can imagine feeds milk into the river. Interestingly enough, the two Oompa Loompa minifigures are the only ones without leg hinges. This does make them shorter than the rest of the minifigs, but I found myself feeling sad that they couldn’t dance.
Then you begin work on the primary feature of the original build – the chocolate waterfall. You use a sequence of technic pieces to create a railway of sorts, then layer the “chocolate” brown pieces on top. This technic waterfall then connects to itself on top of a small small cog system hidden inside the build, creating a conveyer belt. Spin the gumdrop wheel and the waterfall “turns,” giving the illusion of an endless supply of falling chocolate.
You promptly build a curved cover to hide the top of the mechanism. However, to give the “conveyer” enough room for movement, you unfortunately do have to deal with a slightly annoying amount of space between said cover and the waterfall. This creates an awkward section where you can see the technic pieces LEGO is usually so good at hiding in their builds. The gap doesn’t seem like something LEGO is trying to hide – its apparent on the box itself – but it does lend to “posing” the set at certain angles.
Once the waterfall is complete, you move to the other side of the build to whip up the bridge that connects the gardens to the factory, effectively completing the “background.” Then you can start on another centerpiece of the build entirely unique to LEGO’s final version: the Wonkatania.
This sizable row boat is the cornerstone of one of the trippiest movie scenes I’ve ever seen. The building experience isn’t quite as terrifying; LEGO forgoes its colorful traditions to instead give you the illusion that the boat itself is made of chocolate, building a shell of brown bricks you then cover in blue and white detailing. The rest of your stickers are used to create gold decals and the classic “W” on the ship’s front.
One of the final steps, unsurprisingly, is creating your Willy Wonka minifigure. This is one of the most detailed minifigs I’ve seen, with his patterned purple suit, his off-center top hat, and even a cane you can fit in his hand.
By the end of the set, you’ll have nine minifigures total: Charlie, Grandpa Joe, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teevee, two Oompa Loompas, and Wonka himself. Each minifigure has two expressions, generally one smile and one serious look, but some have unique expressions to their character. Augustus Gloop has one expression where his face is covered in chocolate, alluding to his fate in your glorious waterfall.
From this point on, you essentially become an eccentric decorator, building mushroom flowers, gumdrop bushes, and candy cane trees to fill your gardens. Even the smallest of these decorations is a pointed reference to the original movie, including the teacups you delicately place inside some of your flowers.
Plenty of these decorations are also built on hinges, allowing you to rotate them on a single axis. While building, I couldn’t help but imagine a really cool LEGO stop-motion movie using this set to depict some of the musical sequences from the film.
A set this big also comes with a hefty amount of extra pieces. Each of the 16 bags came with well over a dozen extras, mostly the smaller pieces you might lose track of while building. However, these colorful pieces are also fun to try and find spaces for across the factory’s gardens. Nothing looks out of place in a set this whimsical.
And that is certainly the word I’d use to describe this build as a whole. The looming dangers of the factory are there for those with the knowledge to recognize them, like the image of Mike trapped in the TV screen. However, at a glance, this is a magical place, filled with colorful details and a million things it looks like you could eat.
LEGO’s takes on movie franchises typically try to capture a specific setting or scene, like our recent build of The Shire from The Lord of the Rings. But the original Roald Dahl story and Willy Wonka movie are all about the setting; it’s in the title! As such, the LEGO adaptation manages to pack what feels like an entire movie into both the building experience and end result.
While it may be a bit of a pain in the butt to build by yourself (I don’t know how you’d split up any of the work), figuring out what you’re building as you go becomes a process of mysteries and reveals that feels like you, yourself, are taking a tour through this wonky place.
LEGO Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, Set #21360, retails for $219.99, and includes 2025 pieces. That’s a hefty price, but stacks up to a relatively standard 10 cents per brick. I spent about 10 hours total on the build, split over the course of several days, and am now very pleased with the burst of color sitting on my shelf.
You can get the set yourself at the LEGO Store. LEGO Insiders can also enter a "Golden Ticket" sweepstakes to win the Willy Wonka set and a $1,000 LEGO gift card.
Blythe (she/her) is an SEO Coordinator at IGN who spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.
Gearbox has just released the September 18th Title Update for Borderlands 4 and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new patch brings to the table. The September 18th Patch is around 800MB in size. According to the changelog, there aren’t any performance tweaks or improvements. Instead, the game focuses on improving … Continue reading Borderlands 4 September 18th Update Released – Full Patch Notes →
The post Borderlands 4 September 18th Update Released – Full Patch Notes appeared first on DSOGaming.
Magic: The Gathering has seen some big leaps in popularity, but this next one across the New York skyline, courtesy of a crossover with Marvel’s Spider-Man, might just be one of the biggest.
The new set (which will be standard legal, by the way), officially debuts on September 26, but you can play it earlier at a prerelease event if you can find a participating location near you.
Here’s all you need to know about what it is, when you can play, and what to expect.
Prerelease events are a way in which players can go hands-on with a new set, usually the week before launch.
They use cards from the upcoming set (in this instance, Spider-Man), and allow you to get a bunch of cards, hopefully find some synergies, and maybe even make new friends.
The nuts and bolts may vary depending on where you’re playing (contact your local game store to see if they’re holding an event), but with Magic The Gathering the basics are as follows:
A prerelease box for Marvel’s Spider-Man contains the following:
While Wizards of the Coast has a handy page that offers a few deckbuilding strategies for prerelease, I have one extra piece of advice: Bring sleeves.
The included deckbox is handy, sure, but it’s a good idea to carry a few sleeves in case you end up finding a potentially valuable card that you want to add to your collection or sell later.
Prerelease for the Spider-Man set kicks off on Friday, September 19 - one week before the set launches in full.
It runs throughout the week, so be sure to check for events right up until September 25.
I can’t speak for every store, of course, but only WPN (Wizards Play Network) stores can sell Magic products for the new set on prerelease weekend.
Everyone else, including stores like Amazon, will need to wait another week.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He's a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife's dismay.
Sony's official professional grade PlayStation DualSense Edge wireless controller is rarely discounted from its list price of $200. The best price I ever found it for brand new was for $169 during the Days of Play Sale back in July. Fortunately, if you don't mind getting a "like new" one instead, there's a way to get it for way less.
Amazon Resale (Amazon's official used goods store) has "Like New" DualSense Edge controllers for just $145.73 after a 25% off coupon that's automatically applied during checkout. "Like New" items are usually brand new, often with damage to the packaging but not to the contents themselves. You're still covered by Amazon's excellent 30-day return policy, so it's a safer option than buying something off Facebook Marketplace.
The DualSense Edge is Sony's high-end controller for the PS5 console. It offers pro-level features like grips, adjustable analog sticks, mappable rear buttons, profiles, and more. You can swap out the standard analog stick tops with convex replacements that come in two different heights. If your analog sticks crap out, you can buy replacements for $19.99. There are also two sets of interchangeable back buttons that can be mapped to any button on the DualSense Edge controller. One of the most important features of any pro controller are the triggers, and they’ve gotten attention in the DualSense Edge as well. Next to each trigger is a stop slider that lets you adjust how far you have to press the trigger down to make it register. You can choose standard, medium, or short travel distances.
Accessories include a hard shell case anda 9 foot long USB-C cable. All-in-all, it's a significant upgrade from the standard DualSense controller and, with this deal, worth the price premium.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
Borderlands 4 developer Gearbox has released the first meaningful update for the looter shooter that it said improves stability and “smooths out” progression — but there are no balance changes yet.
“This update improves stability on PC, smooths out progression, and updates the Gilded Glory Pack loot and rewards for a more seamless experience,” Gearbox said in a post on the 2K Borderlands website alongside the patch notes, below. “Please restart your game to ensure that the update goes through and to prevent connection errors in matchmaking.”
Meanwhile, Gearbox said Borderlands 4 will see weekly minor updates. These involve changes to which Weekly Big Encore Boss and Wildcard Mission is live. Maurice’s Black Market Vending Machine is also on the move. The Weekly Big Encore Boss is a tougher variant of an existing boss with an even more rewarding loot pool. Weekly Wildcard Missions add challenging new traits to an existing mission. These missions feature a guaranteed Legendary drop that you can repeatedly earn to get your ideal roll.
And here’s the official blurb on Maurice’s Black Market Vending Machine:
Go in search of where the Black Market Vending Machine has moved to and discover what’s available in your game every week. Remember, while the location is the same, your vending machine items are different from other players, so ask around to see if someone has the item you’re looking for!
Borderlands 4 is currently on a mixed Steam review rating, with most of the negative comments revolving around PC performance. The tech experts at Digital Foundry have said their initial analysis of Borderlands 4 on PC shows significant stutter problems, and have advised against running the game on its ‘Badass’ graphics setting, which suggests there are indeed problems with the Unreal Engine 5 title. From the look of the patch notes, the focus here is on crashes, rather than performance issues. Gearbox recently said PC performance problems were its "top priority," so hopefully more to come on that front soon.
In the meantime, Gearbox has posted a Borderlands 4 Nvidia Optimization guide on Steam, advising players how to optimize their graphics settings for “better performance and framerates” on PC with the Nvidia app, although users report mixed results.
Gearbox has also issued a piece of advice to PC gamers that to me reads like an effort to prevent players from making knee-jerk reactions to the game's performance as soon as they’ve changed their settings: “Please note that any time you change any of your graphics settings, your shaders will need to recompile. Please keep playing for at least 15 minutes to see how your PC's performance has changed.”
While this patch mentions the PC version, there’s no word on improvements to the performance of Borderlands 4 on console. Console players have reported performance getting worse the longer they play, suggesting Borderlands 4 suffers from a memory leak issue. Gearbox development chief Randy Pitchford has said Gearbox is looking into this one on PS5 Pro specifically, but it doesn’t look like a fix is in place just yet.
And there are no balance changes yet, which means those overpowered builds of yours are safe… for now.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Dell Outlet restocked its inventory of Clearance, Like New (Refurbished) and Scratch & Dent Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 gaming PCs. There are several configurations available, but the best deal is the least expensive one: an RTX 5080 system with Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD for for just $1,691. That's over $400 less than buying a similar system brand new, and it even comes with the same manufacturer's warranty.
The RTX 5080 is the second best Blackwell graphics card, surpassed only by the $2,000 RTX 5090. It's about 5%-10% faster than the previous generation RTX 4080 Super, which is discontinued and no longer available. In games that support DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation exclusive to Blackwell cards, the gap widens. This is an outstanding card for playing even the latest games at 4K resolution with high settings and ray tracing enabled.
Check out our Best Alienware Deals article with all of Dell's currently ongoing deals on gaming laptops and desktop PCs. Not everyone is the DIY type. If you're in the market for a prebuilt gaming PC, Dell is one of the best brands we'd recommend. Alienware desktops and laptops feature solid build quality, top-of-the-line gaming performance, excellent cooling (further improved on the newer models), aggressive styling, and pricing that is very competitive with other pre-built options. Best of all, there are plenty of sales that happen throughout the year, so it's not difficult to grab one of these computers at considerably less than their retail price.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
When setting out on my fourth journey of leaping across rooftops while slicing zombies in twain via the Dying Light series, I’d wondered if I’d feel any less joy from this violent survival horror-parkour this time. But after another 40+ hours of tucking and rolling I’m pleasantly surprised to say it’s still loads of fun, despite the basics not having changed much at all since 2022’s Dying Light 2: Stay Human. This trip through undead Eurasian cities and countrysides does up the ante somewhat by having you play as a human infused with a monster’s DNA, giving you the ability to rip people’s heads off with your bare hands. That’s as satisfying as it is unsettling, and it’s still absolutely horrifying to get caught out at night and get swarmed by Volatiles you’ve no hope of defeating. The only major disappointment is that The Beast doesn’t add a whole lot aside from its hulking out mechanics, and after a decade of games with few innovations, that hasn’t left room for a ton of surprises. Still, there’s something to be said for a reliably entertaining series, and I happily dug my fingernails through every side quest and climbing puzzle I could find.
This sequel continues the story of the first game’s protagonist, Kyle Crane, who through a series of quite gruesome events he’s been transformed into a half-man, half-beast monstrosity capable of leaping 50 feet in the air and screaming so loud it makes the undead take psychic damage… so, still very weird. There’s not much more than that to the paper-thin plot, which has you squaring off against the world’s most generic Bond villain and mad scientist on a revenge quest that goes down exactly like you think it does, but it’s at least a good enough excuse to hunt down bosses and engage with the side quests that are usually better written and sometimes downright silly. Plus, even though the story is about as minimum effort as it gets, the characters you meet and befriend along the way are at least memorable enough that I didn’t feel like skipping the lengthy conversations where you get to know them.
As you sprint toward your final confrontation (which took my completionist self about 40 hours, but could pretty easily be done in under 20), you power yourself up by hunting dangerous, genetically modified zombies with super powers called Chimeras and injecting yourself with their blood. This is where the main new mechanics of The Beast comes into play, like the ability to shoulder-charge through a crowd of zombies without breaking a sweat and really silly ones like one where you can change directions in mid air by yanking on your grapple hook with obscene force. Turning yourself into a Hulk-like abomination in the pursuit of revenge makes for a neat twist to an already awesome framework, and being able to throw down your machete and punch 20 zombies to death in the span of 10 seconds is quite satisfying.
That said, even this is a fairly small tweak to the established Dying Light blueprint, as you only get to go full werewolf every so often after you’ve charged up your rage meter from taking and dealing damage. For the rest of the time you’re still swinging lead pipes and running away from Volatiles per usual, so if you’ve played a Dying Light game before the vast majority of your playtime will feel quite familiar. That’s by no means a bad thing since it’s a reminder of some good times, but it does seem like a bit of a run/jump/slide down memory lane.
One other thing that makes The Beast distinct from its predecessors is the boss fights against souped-up infected that unlock your new abilities. The first time you come across each of these encounters it introduces a new type of baddie that then starts showing up in the wild, like a fast-moving skeletal zombie that leaps through the air, dances on top of lesser undead, and tackles you with sharp claws in the blink of an eye; or another where a muscular, brutish ghoul gains the ability to turn invisible, leaving you frantically looking over your shoulder and listening for growls in the dark. They’re cool the first time, but by the end of the campaign it feels a bit like they ran out of steam because they start rolling out variations of the same bosses you fought prior, like a muscular, brutish zombie whose only differentiated by his gas mask and weakness to poison. Still, they’re always at least entertaining highlights along the way – I mean, who doesn’t love a boss fight?
The open-world valley of Castor Woods is the new setting you’ll spend all your time in while seeking your revenge, and it combines time-worn elements we’ve seen in other Dying Light games into a cozy little package. It’s got spacious rural areas reminiscent of the original’s The Following expansion, as well as a city area with plenty of stone structures to scramble up. Castor Woods is fairly small compared to the sprawling maps of Dying Light and its first sequel, and you can definitely see the roots of The Beast being originally conceived as an expansion to Dying Light 2 when you run into the mountains that box you into a circular area that can be crossed by car in a couple minutes, but that’s not such a bad thing since they make good use of the space they’ve got without large expanses of emptiness padding it out.
It also includes what any good Dying Light game needs: When in the major urban area I was reminded of the virtues of sticking to the rooftops and leaping from place to place to avoid the hordes below, and while stepping out into the woods and swamps that make up the majority of the map I tried my best to make use of cars to bash my way to my destination and avoid getting caught out in the open. Like a lot of The Beast, everything about Castor Woods is perfectly acceptable while also not doing a whole lot to stand out, but I still made plenty of new memories while leaving a terrifying path of destruction in my wake.
Finally, I do have to hand it to Techland for making The Beast the most technically sound Dying Light game yet – I was able to get through without major or consistent bugs along the way. I played on my high-end PC, so likely got just about the best experience one could hope for, but it’s notable that aside from one crash and a bit of pop-in here and there, it was a pretty smooth ride throughout – and that’s with me having mostly played before the day-one patch, too. There were a few annoying moments where I got stuck in a vent due to some buggy geometry and couldn’t progress through the area until I’d jiggled my character around for a couple of minutes, and a few times where my character got stuck in the environment at the worst possible time and jeopardized my mission, but these were rare enough situations that they didn’t make me want to hulk out and throw things at the screen.
The ongoing wait for Marvel to finally begin production on its long-announced Blade movie forced the Marvel Zombies creative team to pivot its plans for the character.
Speaking to IGN this week, Brad Winderbaum, head of streaming, television and animation at Marvel Studios, told us that the new animated mini-series had initially been developed "believing that there would be a Blade movie out well before."
Of course, as we now know, that didn't turn out to be the case — despite numerous attempts by Marvel to get the Mahershala Ali-starring Blade project off the ground, sometimes at a relatively late stage. Ultimately, as uncertainty over the live-action movie continued, Winderbaum's animation team were forced to pivot their own plans for the character, and ultimately land on the Fists of Khonshu version of Blade that's featured in Marvel Zombies now.
"We never, in a million years, thought that the Zombies show would proceed a live-action Blade," Winderbaum told IGN. "We developed this show believing there would be a Blade movie out well before Zombies.
"So the fact this is the first Blade in the MCU on screen is really just kind of a surprising privilege to us, and that's one of the reasons why we made him The Fists of Khonshu, was that they were discovering Blade in the live-action side, and we knew that we could end up having to pivot if we tried to hew close to what they were creating in live action.
"So by making him a version of Moon Knight, we were able to kind of create something original and have a little bit more freedom with the character."
While Winderbaum did not explicitly confirm that Marvel Zombies would have once featured Mahershala Ali's Blade, the suggestion here is that the show's creative team reached a point where they were unsure enough about clashing with any live-action version that the decision was made to feature a wildly different take on the character — ultimately, the mash-up between Blade and Moon Knight that's been referred to as Blade Knight. Voiced by Invincible and Starfield veteran Todd Williams, the character stole the show in the first Marvel Zombies trailer, above.
First announced back in 2019 and once set to begin filming in 2022, the Mahershala Ali-starring live-action Blade movie has struggled to get off the ground. To date, all Ali has contributed to the MCU is a post-credits off-screen cameo for The Eternals, where the actor's voice can briefly be heard.
Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige recently revealed that, after years of pre-production and "three or four" different versions of the film being considered, Marvel had finally nailed down the fact its long-awaited Blade reboot would be set in the modern day.
As for when a live-action Blade will finally materialise, Feige was less certain. Noting that the next few years were already looking busy with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars (and after that, Black Panther 3 and the X-Men reboot), there was "no sense of urgency" for Blade to launch.
Interview conducted by Jim Vejvoda.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
If you’re a fan of Kirby the adorable pink puff ball, you’re surely looking forward to Kirby Air Riders, which hits Switch 2 on November 20. As Nintendo is wont to do, the company is also releasing a pair of amiibo figures to go along with the new game. There’s a Kirby and Warp Star amiibo and a Bandana Waddle Dee and Winged Star. They both retail for (a somewhat shocking) $49.99, and are set to release the same day as the game itself.
The reason for the extra expense is that these are more elaborate than most amiibo figures. With each of them, you get a character and a vehicle that work together in interesting ways, particularly if you have both figures. Read on for the details.
This amiibo contains a happy-looking Kirby figure and a Warp Star vehicle for him to ride in.
This amiibo has Bandana Waddle Dee and a Winged Star vehicle you can place him in.
So how do these things work, exactly? When you put Kirby on the Warp Star vehicle and tap it on your Switch 2 controller, it creates an in-game Figure Player (think NPC) that will race around the tracks in your matches. As the FP competes in races, it will level up, and its machine proficiency level will also increase. (Machine proficiency is basically a score for that character-and-vehicle combo).
If you have both of the above amiibo figures, you can swap riders on the vehicles. That way, you can have an FP of Kirby riding on the Winged Star, or Bandana Waddle Dee riding on the Warp Star. When you do this, the FP character maintains its level, but starts from zero in its machine proficiency since it’s a new vehicle. You can watch the video above to see it in action.
Nintendo says more of these Kirby Air Riders amiibo will be released in the future, creating more character/machine combinations for your FPs. Also, Nintendo is planning a second Kirby Air Riders Direct hosted by Sakurai, during which he may offer additional details about these (and upcoming) amiibo.
If you are getting the amiibo, then surely you'll want the game, which can be purchased above. Check out our Kirby Air Riders preorder guide for full details about it. You can also scroll through everything else announced in the most recent Nintendo Direct.
Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.
Over the past decade, video game remakes have become more and more prevalent. Most years see at least one major remake attempt to rekindle the nostalgia of old fans and show new players the achievements of days gone by. And while there’s an argument to be had about games being stuck in the past, we can’t deny what a thrill it is to see our favourites of yesteryear given a modern makeover. Remember when Final Fantasy 7’s Cloud was six purple polygons and a yellow spike? Well, he’s a supermodel these days. (The spikes are still there, thankfully.)
But what are the qualities of a good remake? That’s an increasingly difficult question. Once upon a time it was enough for a remake to simply update something with modern graphics. But as the games industry has evolved, so have tastes and gameplay systems, and thus remakes have changed, too. Now a remake can offer a truly new experience to both long-term and new fans, with fresh new takes on decades-old ideas. The very best remakes are carefully-observed balancing acts that find the sweet spot between faithful recreation and exciting new ideas. In some cases, that’s the game exactly as you thought you remembered it, now unshackled from old hardware limitations. In others, its radical recreations that provide an alternate vision of the original’s core idea.
With all that in mind, let’s explore the very best video game remakes. These are the 15 strongest examples of remakes, judged not by their overall quality as games, but by how each project achieved its new, upgraded ambitions and brought new perspectives to old classics.
Pokemon Gold and Silver, though only the second in the long-running Pokemon series, are the only entries that allowed you to travel across two different regions and collect 16 badges instead of the standard eight. That meant two "end-game" challenges to conquer, two sets of Legendary Pokemon to collect, 16 different gym leaders to defeat, and more. The enhanced Nintendo DS remakes bring that sprawling journey into full color and utilizes the superior hardware to seamlessly bring improved music, better UI, and WiFi capabilities. With the addition of new content like the National Dex, increasing the total Pokemon from 251 to 493, the grueling battle frontier, and everyone’s favorite, the Pokeathlon mini-games, there is so much more to explore.
More importantly, HeartGold and SoulSilver introduced to the Pokewalker, the original Pokemon Go, which allowed you to take your favorite Pokemon outdoors and gain levels by walking around… or cheat by shaking the Pokewalker. Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver added new life to the classic adventure, reimagining the original experience with fun and challenging additions to appeal to both new and returning fans.
Following the mammoth success of Breath of the Wild, Nintendo did a complete 180 for its next The Legend of Zelda project. Rather than the grand and ambitious open world of Hyrule, it looked back to the compact and twisty overworld of 1993’s Link’s Awakening. The 2019 version of this Game Boy classic is near enough a beat-for-beat remake, just reimagined with a delightfully cute toy town aesthetic. This faithful approach means that the distant memory of one of Link’s earliest adventures is fully restored, now elegantly elevated thanks to its seamless map and more easily-navigated dungeons. A number of quality-of-life improvements are the cherry on top, including the ability to mark important discoveries on the map, and doors that remain open after being unlocked (seriously, you wouldn't believe how frustrating that one was back in the ‘90s.) This Switch remaster does unsuccessfully try something new with the lacklustre build-your-own Chamber Dungeons system, but everything it recreates it does so with an enchanting touch.
Plenty of wonderful games are deserving of remakes, but none perhaps needed one as much as Live A Live, the 1994 Square Enix RPG that preceded Chrono Trigger and laid the groundwork for not only that game, but numerous beloved classics that followed. Live A Live’s unique structure, following seven characters from different eras through distinct vignettes, was groundbreaking both back in the day and once again in the 2022 remake, to say nothing of the ways in which it ultimately threads its themes and overarching narrative through its separate parts.
The 2022 remake gave Live A Live a desperately-needed makeover in gorgeous HD2D and reorchestrated its fantastic soundtrack, all while keeping its wonderful story intact with its first-ever localization outside of Japan. In a final flourish, Live A Live’s remake adds a small but massively impactful piece of new content in its final hours that throws its ending into a hopeful new light, and makes its emotional conclusion all the more powerful.
The philosophy behind many remakes is unlocking ambitions that were once hindered by technological limitations. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater makes the interesting decision to embrace those limitations – its sprawling Soviet jungle remains divided by load screens, the scope of its playspaces defined by the limits of the original PlayStation 2 hardware. You’ll see the term “faithful remake” used a lot through this list, but none are as faithful as MGS Delta – this is a PS2 game in PS5 clothing.
But what a PS2 game it is. Arguably the pinnacle of Hideo Kojima’s career, what was once a groundbreaking stealth game is now an enduring classic, thanks to its playful approach to Cold War espionage and its dramatic, cinematic story. Snake Eater has been iterated upon many times across the years, and MGS Delta collects together years of improvements and enhances them all with incredibly glossy modern graphics and an updated control system that finally turns Snake into the nimble operator he was always meant to be. This may not be a revolutionary remake, but it does a solid job of preserving perfection for a brand new generation.
There are a number of remakes on this list that were developed by studios that didn’t create the original game, but there is only one that was developed by fans of the original. Black Mesa is a complete remake of Valve’s Half-Life, created by enthusiasts and officially supported by the original developer. And you can easily see why it won that support: this is a truly phenomenal rebuild of one of the most important first-person shooters of all time. It captures the distinctly creepy atmosphere and excellent combat that made Half-Life such a pioneer, while also augmenting almost every level with something new, be that a reimagined combat encounter or a Half-Life 2-style physics puzzle.
But it's the final missions that really make Black Mesa a vital part of the Half-Life story. The original game’s final arc, set on the world of Xen, is infamously a bit of an under-developed slog. Black Mesa completely redesigns that final stretch, eliminating the tedium and injecting a sense of creative, alien wonder. And while it’s true that Black Mesa took so long to create that, by the time of its release, it already looked dated, that’s only true if you consider it from a purely technical standpoint. Take one look at Xen, or the eerie abandoned corridors of the titular facility itself, and there’s no denying that Black Mesa is an artistic triumph.
It may literally be in the title, but Final Fantasy 7 Remake is more than just a remake. It’s also a reimagining of the 1997 JRPG classic, a reinterpretation of its achievements, and – somehow – also a sequel to the game it recreates. Oh, and it also only covers around the first 30% of the original story, which has been transformed from a brief journey through the city of Midgar into a massive, 30+ hour adventure. This approach certainly isn’t for everyone, but you can't deny the ambition of this lavish project.
This first chapter of the three-part Final Fantasy 7 remake is a stunningly gorgeous RPG that gives new life to some of gaming’s most memorable characters and settings. With all that extra time, it successfully expands upon the story and weaves in new plot threads, such as robust backstories for members of the Avalanche team, more believable relationships between protagonist Cloud and his new buddies, and a better sense of life in the Sector 7 slums. On top of all that, it also completely revamps the combat system, creating a brand new, action-heavy, real-time system that feels both exhilaratingly new and highly evocative of the original game’s turn-based battles. FF7 Remake’s approach is exemplary, and makes many other games on this list feel more like remasters than remakes.
Shadow of the Colossus was a landmark achievement when it hit the PS2 in 2005. Developer Team ICO built a lonely, desolate, deeply affecting world using hardware that could barely render its vision. While the game itself undeniably stands the test of time, it's clear to see that technical performance and visual clarity held back the studio’s incredible ambition.
Fast-forward 13 years and Bluepoint Games crafted an incredibly faithful remake, focused on overcoming those technical limitations so that the soul of the project could achieve its true ambitions. With a much steadier framerate, gorgeous graphics, and a commitment to keeping the events, systems, and mechanics of the original intact, Bluepoint absolutely hit it out of the park. It was such an achievement, in fact, that it won the studio the chance to remake Demon’s Souls, as well as laid the groundwork for its acquisition by PlayStation.
After reaching the heights of Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne, it was hard not to see 2009’s Demon’s Souls as the ageing, hollowed precursor to FromSoftware’s mighty success story. But it was undeniable that a fantastic, paradigm-shifting game remained, and Bluepoint Games’ 2020 remake of Demon’s Souls was a project dedicated to making those qualities shine again. It completely stripped away the technical shortcomings that held the PS3 version back, while adding several subtle quality of life upgrades that succeeded in modernizing the game to the point where if you’d never played the original, you could very likely be fooled into thinking that this was the latest entry in the Souls series as opposed to the very first one.
While Bluepoint managed to stay completely respectful to the original vision in many ways (it is, for the most part, the exact same game just with modern, photo-realistic graphics and refreshed animations,) the alterations made to the art style and design of some locations wasn’t fully embraced by some fans of the original. Nevertheless, Demon’s Souls helped elevate what was already one of the best games of the PS3 era and bring it to a whole new, post-Dark Souls audience.
The original Metroid was a groundbreaking NES game back in 1986, but when looked at through a modern lens, it’s hard to argue that it holds up. Fortunately, Metroid: Zero Mission exists. Developed 18 years later, rather than opting for a 100% faithful remake with a couple of modernization tweaks, Metroid: Zero Mission is instead a game rebuilt from the ground up using the original Metroid as a blueprint for its story and level design. By allowing itself to explore beyond the boundaries of the source material, Nintendo was able to draw new inspirations from the more modern 2D Metroids, like Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion.
Zero Mission is now over 20 years old, and so the idea that it’s a “modern” version of Metroid is something of a bygone era. However, it remains an expertly crafted reinterpretation of one of Nintendo’s best ever games, and is both young and strong enough that it still holds up to this day – not only as one of the best Metroid games, but also one of the best remakes.
Capcom has become somewhat synonymous with the idea of remakes, having now rebuilt no less than four of its Resident Evil games. Among them is the legendary Resident Evil 4 – Leon S. Kennedy’s action-packed descent into the Las Plagas-infected Spanish countryside. Of all the games Capcom has reinvented, Resi 4 was the one least in need of a refresh, but despite that, the RE4 remake is an astonishing feat that helps elevate an all-time classic.
Purist fans may have been annoyed by the erasure of the original’s more eccentric ideas, but they have been replaced by an altogether darker, more horrifying tone that syncs Resident Evil 4 with Capcom’s other recent remakes. It also benefits from snappier, more energetic combat, complete with an excellent knife parry that makes fighting both the Armadura enemies and the Krauser boss battle much more intense. Perhaps most importantly, it vastly improves Ashley, both in terms of her depiction and the mechanics around protecting her, eliminating any sense that Resident Evil 4 is an annoying, multi-hour escort quest. Combine all that with an incredibly handsome graphical makeover and you’ve made a masterpiece feel even more essential.
Fans of the Persona series are no strangers to new versions of the beloved Atlus RPGs arriving soon after their initial release – Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Royal both added significant social link, story, and dungeon additions, for example. But in terms of a full-on remake, Persona 3 Reload is the first to have undergone a complete overhaul. Reload took the game’s foundational bullets and rechambered them into a much more stylish weapon — one that borrowed the best-in-class UI and menu systems of Persona 5 and rebuilt its colorful high-school surroundings and spooky shadow realm from the ground up.
Perhaps its most exciting addition is the way Reload tweaks Persona 3’s battle system. Informed by the series entries that came after it, combat is a much more enticing prospect, thanks to the introduction of new skills, the ability to directly control each party member and shift between them baton pass-style, and the brand-new Theurgy system that allows for Personas to perform devastating Ultimate attacks. All of these changes, among others, breathed new, exciting life into an already treasured RPG, meaning Reload is now the definitive way to Persona 3.
Team Silent’s original Silent Hill 2 is rightfully considered one of the most affecting survival horror games of all time, and Bloober Team’s 2024 remake does nothing to diminish that. While the PS2 original has an incomparable, unsettling atmosphere thanks to its technological limitations, the remake uses modern graphical and sound techniques to generate a complimentary oppressive tone. As you explore the strange, abandoned town of Silent Hill, you can't help but let the dread creep in.
Bloober’s creation is incredibly faithful to the original game, following the same plot beats and exploring the same environments, but its new over-the-shoulder camera both pulls you deeper into its terrifying world and makes combatting the town’s grotesque inhabitants more intuitive. Those combat enhancements can really be felt in the boss battles, which are now reinvented as terrifying engagements rather than repeating the attritional slogs they once were. But really it’s the modern presentation of this bleak story that really makes Silent Hill 2 a vital remake: actor Luke Roberts breathes fresh new life into protagonist James Sunderland, providing a deeply troubled, nuanced performance that anchors this tale in inescapable grief and guilt.
When it comes to faithful remakes that largely stick to the core design established in the original and focus instead on bringing everything else up to modern standards, there aren’t many games better than the original Resident Evil remake. The “REmake” adheres to everything that was intrinsic to the original, from the pre-rendered backgrounds, to the tank controls, to the limited inventory that forces you to make tough decisions on what to keep and what to toss. All these may be incredibly familiar for those who were there back in 1996, but they’re polished up to beautiful new standards. It may have old ideas, but it plays fantastically… which is impressive, considering this remake is already much older than the original game was when it was made.
But Resident Evil isn’t just a shinier version of its source material. It also adds several entirely new features that change up the experience and give it its own identity. Whether it's the terrifying addition of dead enemies resurrecting as powerful Crimson Heads (unless you have the foresight and resources to burn the corpses) or the brand-new plot thread involving the horrifying Lisa Trevor, Resident Evil’s remake shines because not only is it a faithful remake that brings a PSOne classic into a modern light, but also because of the ways that it separates itself from that classic to become something even better.
After having successfully pulled off a radical re-imagining with the first game in the trilogy, Square Enix faced a more daunting challenge with the second chapter of its Final Fantasy 7 remake project. It needed to recreate the most expansive section of the original game, redesign a huge variety of locations (including a whole theme park), add a number of new characters, and re-stage one of the most important emotional beats in RPG history. As with its predecessor, not all of these ambitions are met equally, but Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is nonetheless an incredible, transformative achievement.
The most immediately impressive factor of Rebirth is its scope. While it doesn’t totally leave Remake’s linear structure behind, much of Rebirth takes place in sizable open hub worlds. While there is a touch of the Ubisoft box-ticking about them, they’re elevated by a smart approach to exploration that introduces a brand new gimmick with every zone, from buggies to planes to Chocobos that can climb walls and glide across chasms. It’s a smart reinvention of the original game’s freely-explored-but-ultimately-empty overworld. But it’s the continuation of Remake’s story and emotional core that makes Rebirth so strong – these modern interpretations of the core trio of Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith are among Square’s strongest-ever characters, and their journey here – which feels more authentic to the original than Remake’s more expansive efforts – is unforgettable. Oh, and that overhauled combat system? It’s even better here – perhaps the best Final Fantasy has ever had.
Resident Evil 2's remake took what the original did so well - its labyrinthian level design, its disgusting enemies, its omnipresent sense of dread - and molded it into a horror game designed for modern audiences. The Raccoon City police station is cleverly reworked and expanded upon, enemies are faster, deadlier, and more unpredictable, and gorgeous lighting casts shadows over nasties waiting to grab you unawares. And, of course, the static camera angles and tank controls are traded in for third-person, over-the-shoulder shooting, which truly transports the PS1 classic into the modern era.
Perhaps Resident Evil 2’s biggest achievement, though, is the way Capcom has played with the original’s most iconic encounters. When you think you’ve got a terrifying moment figured out, Capcom twists it ever so slightly, removing any certainty as you slowly make your way through its carefully curated collection of memories. This is a remake designed to both terrify you in today’s horror landscape and scratch that nostalgic itch, and miraculously achieves both right until its breathless end. And even though multiple other Resident Evil remakes have arrived since, this remains the ultimate gold standard for video game remakes.
And that’s our pick of the 15 best video game remakes. Did your favourite make our list? Did we rank your best pick a little too low? Let us know in the comments.
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