Sometimes I look at my games library and wonder if I’ve accidentally started a museum of not-gonna-replay-that masterpieces. But here I am again, staring at some irresistible price tags to expand the haul even further. The latest round of sales spans everything from haunting detective stories to chaotic co-op mayhem, and these are the highlights worth clicking "add to cart" on.

Contents

• Retro
• Nintendo
• Xbox
• PlayStation
• PC
• LEGO

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I'm using a ninja grenade to light a 27-candle cake baked for Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, the rooftop-skulking stealthfest where patience was paramount. I was hooked on this from day one, squinting at my CRT through the darkness, convinced I was the deadliest shadow since Batman got moody.

At the turn of the millennium, Tenchu felt and played like nothing else. It asked us to not fight but rather drop from a pagoda beam, slice a throat, and vanish before angry samurai could respond. It warranted a double playthrough, too, thanks to dual protagonists (Rikimaru was super stoic, and Ayame was all sass). And the grappling hook, while ubiquitous now in our modern gaming, was an incredibly novel and useful tool in '98. Package all of that with a supremely funky soundtrack, and Tenchu was more or less a PS must-own that deserves to rise again.

Aussie birthdays for notable games.

- Hexen (PC) 1995. Redux

- Wild Guns (SNES) 1996. Redux

- Donkey Kong Land III (GB) 1997. eBay

- Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (PS) 1998. eBay

- Call of Juarez (PC) 2006. eBay

- Pure (PC,PS3,X360) 2008. eBay

- Sunset Overdrive (PC,XO) 2014. Get

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

• Donkey Kong Bananza (-20%) - A$88
• Hades II (-16%) - A$59
• EA Sports FC 26 (-22%) - A$69
• Civilization VII (-23%) - A$69
• Borderlands Leg. Col. (-80%) - A$17.90
• Disco Elysium - The Final Cut (-70%) - A$18

Banger Must-owns
Bucketlist stuff

• Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Super Mario Odyssey
• Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

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Exciting Bargains for Xbox

• Seagate 1TB Expansion (-30%) - A$215.20
• Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra (-40%) - A$198
• Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (-61%) - A$39
• Immortals of Aveum (-83%) - A$19
• Gotham Knights (-72%) - A$31

Xbox One players get an absolute steal in Mafia: Def. Ed., which modernises a mobster classic with a noir touch that still drips atmosphere. Soulcalibur VI is also swinging hard, letting you duel with both swords and hilariously over-the-top character customisation.

• Armored Core VI (-65%) - A$35
• The Last Campfire (-90%) - A$2.30
• Mafia: Def. Ed. (-85%) - A$10.40
• Soulcalibur VI (-85%) - A$14.90

Must Plays to Own
Timeless crown jewels

• Baldur's Gate 3
• Elden Ring
• Persona 5 Royal

Or just invest in an Xbox Card.

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Pure Scores for PlayStation

• Rise of the Ronin (-53%) - A$59
• Sonic Frontiers (-70%) - A$29.90
• Tales of Arise (-69%) - A$31.40
• Resident Evil Village (-75%) - A$13.70
• Hitman World of Assassination (-39%) - A$64.90

PS4 owners shouldn’t skip Batman: Arkham Col., which remains the gold standard for superhero brawling. Meanwhile, Spyro Reignited Trilogy still nails that retro glow-up, and hearing Tom Kenny back as Spyro hits pure nostalgia.

• Lost Sphear (-60%) - A$28
• Batman: Arkham Col. (-59%) - A$34.90
• Spyro Reignited Trilogy (-65%) - A$24.40

All-Timers Worth Tracking
Not current, but amazing

• Elden Ring
• Baldur's Gate 3
• Astro Bot

Or purchase a PS Store Card.

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Purchase Cheap for PC

• Hogwarts Legacy Del. (-87%) - A$12.70
• Resident Evil 4 (-50%) - A$29.90
• Tomb Raider: Def. Survivor Trilogy (-86%) - A$10.40
• Control: Ult. Ed. (-90%) - A$4.90
• Dusk (-70%) - A$8.60

Or just get a Steam Wallet Card

Legit LEGO Deals

LEGO-wise, Wicked Shiz University is a delightful little display piece that feels like a lost Hogwarts offshoot, while One Piece Going Merry Ship is a must for Straw Hat fans chasing a challenging and detailed build.

• Wicked Shiz University (-48%) - A$26
• Marvel Spidey and Friends (-44%) - A$50
• One Piece Windmill (-32%) - A$34
• One Piece Going Merry Ship (-25%) - A$149

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RuneScape developer Jagex is considering removing one of the game's least popular, yet most pervasive, layers of microtransactions. But instead of just making the decision itself, it's letting its entire playerbase vote on whether or not to ditch them entirely.

Oh, and the vote is definitely rigged. But it's...rigged in the players' favor?

Currently, the modern version of RuneScape (also known as RuneScape 3) features a number of different types of microtransactions, including a major feature called Treasure Hunter. Very basically, Treasure Hunter allows players to obtain keys in various ways, which are used to open treasure chests and receive items of varying rarity. Though it is possible to obtain small numbers of keys without spending money, far more are obtainable for players who spend money on the game. Over time, this has led to players complaining that Treasure Hunter is essentially a pay-to-win mechanic, since players can obtain items that give them large amounts of experience points through Treasure Hunter, effectively encouraging players to spend more to level up characters quickly.

There have been other issues with Treasure Hunter over the years as well, as well as its predecessor microtransaction "Squeal of Fortune", but the ability to essentially pay to bypass gameplay is by far the most controversial. In fact, Jagex even experimented with removing the feature in part back in July, when it disabled microtransactions for a week. A follow-up survey run by the studio suggested that 65% of players felt positively or neutral about the change.

So today, Jagex sent out a press release stating that it was launching a community vote to "decide the future of RuneScape's microtransactions." The developer has launched a page on its website that allows players to vote to remove Treasure Hunter from the game entirely, simultaneously removing over 220 associated items, including the experience points boosting items that have caused issues in the past. Jagex says it will remove Treasure Hunter from the game if the poll receives over 100,000 votes.

“This vote is one of the most important moments in RuneScape’s history," said Jagex CEO Jon Bellamy in a statement. "Starting right now, players will cast the deciding vote on the future direction of the game. Since Squeal of Fortune was introduced in 2012, and subsequently Treasure Hunter in 2014, our approach to monetisation has, over time, eroded some of the integrity at the heart of RuneScape.

"The most concerning elements of our MTX systems have been those that allowed players to bypass core gameplay, skipping over the depth, challenge, and sense of discovery that make RuneScape truly special. While these systems have helped fund the game, they’ve done so at a cost to something far greater: the integrity of our worlds. This vote is about correcting that, and taking a step toward designing experiences that are fair, rewarding, and built to last.”

It's critical to point out though that Jagex's poll really isn't a poll at all. It's a button players can press if they want to vote in favor of removing Treasure Hunter. There's no option for players to vote "no", Jagex will simply implement the change if 100,000 people total vote in favor. And the page itself makes it pretty dang clear that Jagex wants players to vote for this. Using language such as suggesting those who vote "yes" want to "see an integrity-led RuneScape powered by your own accomplishments" and the presence of multiple green "Vote Yes Now" buttons all down the page are, uh, not exactly subtle. Nor is the fact that Jagex seems pretty ready to implement this, as if it already knows what the result would be.

But while a clearly-rigged non-poll sounds bad, it's also critical to note that players actually do seem to want this to happen. Over on the RuneScape subreddit, players are ecstatic. The top comment on the Jagex mod's official post announcing the vote simply says "Holy based", followed by "I can't believe I lived to see this", and many, many more comments along those lines. In fact, the positivity is overwhelming. While some players seem skeptical that they'll meet the 100,000 vote requirement, others are confident, even suggesting the OSRS (Old School RuneScape) players might support the poll as well, just on principle. It seems as though they needn't worry. At the time this piece was written, the poll had been up for just four hours, and had already reached 50,000 votes. For context, Jagex says on its website that there have been over 320,000,000 RuneScape accounts created over the years...though how many of those are active is a very different question (Old School RuneScape recently surpassed 240,000 players this past August).

Overall, this seems like a positive, long-needing, and welcome change for the RuneScape community. It's just a little weird that it's being framed as a poll, when the desired outcome for both players and developer is pretty obvious. There is a potential reading of this as simply a move for positive PR, specifically given that Jagex was acquired just last year, Bellamy was instated as a new CEO just this past March, and he's already had a bad round of headlines over canceling annual in-game Pride events.

Players have until November 12 to vote if they would like to remove the microtransactions, and can continue voting beyond the 100,000 needed numbers to express support for the change. Removing Treasure Hunter won't fully remove all microtransactions from the game, with cosmetics and bonus XP items with set caps to help curb exploits will remain.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

November’s snuck up again, bringing with it that magical mix of lazy evenings, snack runs, and endless streaming temptation. Between the festive flicks, fresh originals, and the shows everyone’s been nagging you to catch up on, I’ve found plenty to keep your eyes glued to the screen. So, consider this your all-in-one binge guide; a handpicked lineup of the best films and series streaming across Australia right now. Clear your weekend, claim the couch, and prepare to sink into some seriously satisfying escapism.

Table of Contents

• Foxtel/Binge
• Netflix
• Disney+
• Apple TV+
• Amazon Prime Video
• Stan

New in November on Foxtel and Binge

TV litter pick: The Death of Bunny Munro : A look at the life of a perpetually libidinous travelling salesman who uses his door-to-door beauty products to meet new partners.

Movie litter pick: Last Breath – 2 Nov : Just as wild and tense as you’d expect from a movie starring Woody Harrelson, Finn Cole, and Simu Liu as saturation divers determined to risk their lives after one of their own becomes marooned.

What notable movies are coming to Binge?

• Last Breath – 2 Nov
• Dog Man – 2 Nov
• Fools Rush In – 4 Nov
• Drop – 9 Nov
• Novocaine No Pain – 21 Nov
• Sidelined 2: Intercepted – 28 Nov

What notable series are coming to Binge?

• All Her Fault – 7 Nov
• DMV – 11 Nov
• The Great British Bake Off S16 – 18 Nov
• The Death of Bunny Munro – 20 Nov

Sign up for a free 14–day Binge trial

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New in November on Netflix

TV litter pick: Stranger Things 5: Vol. 1 – 27 Nov : Vol. 1 will begin in the aftermath of season four's apocalyptic events, with the rifts open in Hawkins, Vecna at large, and the town under military quarantine.

Movie litter pick: Frankenstein – 7 Nov : This del Toro take is a haunting reimagining of the classic tale about a brilliant but egotistical scientist, Victor Frankenstein, and his tragic creation.

What notable movies are coming to Netflix?

• Shrek – 1 Nov
• Shrek 2 – 1 Nov
• Shrek The Third – 1 Nov
• Home Alone 2 – 1 Nov
• Home Alone – 1 Nov
• Frankenstein – 7 Nov
• A Merry Little Ex-Mas – 12 Nov
• The Accountant – 12 Nov
• Being Eddie – 12 Nov
• Champagne Problems – 19 Nov
• Train Dreams – 21 Nov
• Jingle Bell Heist – 26 Nov

What notable series are coming to Netflix?

• Squid Game: The Challenge S02 – 4 Nov
• Death by Lightning – 6 Nov
• Selling The OC S04 – 12 Nov
• The Beast in Me – 13 Nov
• A Man on the Inside S02 – 20 Nov
• Fisk S03 – 24 Nov
• Stranger Things 5: Volume 1 – 27 Nov

Secure your subscription to Netflix

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New in November on Disney+

TV litter pick: Fire And Water: Making The Avatar Films – 7 Nov : Get a first look at the upcoming “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, concept art, and interviews with cast and filmmakers.

Movie litter pick: Fantastic Four – 5 Nov: Set against the backdrop of a ’60s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel’s First Family must defend Earth from a space god and his enigmatic herald.

What notable movies are coming to Disney+?

• Joy to the World – 1 Nov
• Fantastic Four – 5 Nov
• Life-Size – 7 Nov
• Love+War – 7 Nov
• The Worst Trip Around the World – 7 Nov
• Seventeen: Our Chapter – 7 Nov
• LEGO Marvel Avengers: Strange Tails – 14 Nov
• A Very Jonas Christmas Movie – 14 Nov
• Wrath: A Seven Deadly Sins Story – 21 Nov
• Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember – 24 Nov

What notable series are coming to Disney+?

• Ancient Aliens S21 – 5 Nov
• Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Animation – 5 Nov
• Fire And Water: Making The Avatar Films – 7 Nov
• Kiff S02 – 26 Nov
• Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends S04 – 26 Nov
• The Beatles Anthology – 26 Nov

Sign up for Disney Plus

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New in November on Apple TV+

TV litter pick: Pluribus – 7 Nov : In this Vince Gilligan production we meet Carol Sturka, the most miserable person on Earth who must save the world from happiness.

Movie litter pick: The Family Plan 2 – 21 Nov : The Morgan family's Christmas vacation is interrupted by a mysterious ghost from Stan's past who wants to take over his father's business.

What notable movies are on Apple TV+?

• Come See Me in the Good Light – 14 Nov
• The Family Plan 2 – 21 Nov

What notable series are coming to Apple TV+?

• Pluribus – 7 Nov
• Palm Royale S02 – 12 Nov
• Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age – 26 Nov
• Wondla S03 – 26 Nov

Sign up for a free 7–day trial of Apple TV+

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New in November on Amazon Prime Video

TV litter pick: The Mighty Nein – 19 Nov : A group of fugitives and outcasts must learn to work together after an arcane artifact capable of reshaping reality falls into the wrong hands.

Movie litter pick: Karate Kid: Legends – 3 Nov : After moving to New York City with his mother, kung fu prodigy Li Fong struggles to let go of the past as he tries to fit in with his new classmates.

What notable movies are coming to Prime Video?

• Jane Austen Wrecked My Life – 1 Nov
• Karate Kid: Legends – 3 Nov
• Materialists – 10 Nov
• Playdate – 12 Nov
• Hurry Up Tomorrow – 15 Nov
• Tinsel Town – 28 Nov

What notable series are coming to Prime Video?

• Tyler Perry’s Finding Joy – 5 Nov
• Maxton Hall: The World Between Us Season 2 – 7 Nov
• BAT-FAM – 10 Nov
• Malice – 14 Nov
• The Mighty Nein – 19 Nov

Sign up for a free 30–day Prime Video trial

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New in November on Stan

TV litter pick: Robin Hood - Nov 2 : After the Norman invasion of England, Rob, a Saxon forester's son, and Marian, a Norman lord's daughter, fall in love and unite to fight for justice.

Movie litter pick: Bullet Train - Nov 9 : A hitman codenamed "Ladybug" has a simple smash-and-snatch objective become complicated when rival assassins come to ride the same rails.

What notable movies are coming to Stan?

• You Again - Nov 1
• 27 Dresses - Nov 8
• Bullet Train - Nov 9
• Civil War - Nov 10
• The Exorcist: Believer - Nov 10
• Halloween Kills - Nov 12
• Becoming Bond - Nov 16
• Cinderella Man - Nov 15
• Me, Myself & Irene - Nov 22
• Little Women - Nov 28
• Terminator: Dark Fate - Nov 29
• Bump - Nov 30
• Five Nights at Freddy's - Nov 30

What notable series are coming to Stan?

• Robin Hood - Nov 2
• Power Book IV: Force - Nov 7
• The Iris Affair - Nov 13
• Black Shore - Nov 18
• He Had It Coming - Nov 20
• Bel Air - Nov 25

Score your free 30–day trial of Stan

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After a few long sessions since yesterday’s surprise launch of Battlefield REDSEC, the free-to-play battle royale spin-off of Battlefield 6, it’s clearly coming after other grounded-ish military battle royales like PUBG and Call of Duty: Warzone. Hiding a fun mission structure within its streamlined familiarity — as well as an entire non-BR game mode — I’ve had the most fun when its map, called Fort Lyndon, is used to push the boundary beyond the requisite ever-shrinking storm. I still need some more time in the fray to nail down a final opinion, especially since most of the random squadmates I’ve matched up with in the main BR modes haven’t exactly been playing as a team. But for now, the squad-based, elimination-driven, free-for-all Gauntlet mode has impressed me more than the battle royale option itself.

With destructible environments, the ultimate buzzword (levelution), powerful vehicles that can alter the tide of battle or serve as fun chokepoints, and a baked-in squad system, Battlefield 6 seems like a perfect fit for a battle royale mode. But so far, REDSEC’s translation of Battlefield’s role-based structure feels like a shallow, if fun, take on the genre. Its hasn’t offered much yet to fully draw me away from Fortnite’s cartoonish chaos and electrifying events or separate itself from the likes of PUBG or Warzone beyond using Battlefield 6’s weapons and the Frostbite Engine. On the surface, REDSEC seems intent on reviving the rote 360-era conversation about shooters with a washed-out color palette because it seems so similar to its contemporaries.

Thankfully, REDSEC’s compelling mission structure takes a rewarding cleaver to the otherwise ho-hum military BR doldrums. They’re kind of like the missions and bounties you’d find in Fortnite, but with better rewards and more diverse challenges. Even with otherwise uncooperative squadmates, I found myself planting bombs and capturing waypoints to reap the benefits of well-communicated rewards. That seems to be REDSEC’s secret sauce: each in-game mission pops up like clockwork after a few minutes, only requiring a few button presses to get you to the next simple target.

Hinging on classic military FPS objectives like babysitting a planted bomb or picking up an important file so you can transmit its signal back to home base, these smaller sidequests add order to the otherwise chaotic pace of conquering the battlefield. Completing an objective will always come with some kind of supply drop. I really like how these drops are handled, offering a clearly communicated reward before accepting the mission, since some will alert nearby players to your presence.

In contrast, Gauntlet expands each of these extra objectives into full-fledged game modes, pitting a handful of four-player squads against each other to rack up the most points on each objective. The mode and objective will change throughout each of the four rounds, with the lowest-performing squads getting eliminated until only two remain. Rotating through different named locations within Fort Lyndon, each game mode uses a piece of the map and works more like a mish-mash between Fall Guys and a squad-based, free-for-all version of traditional Battlefield that’s easily been my favorite part of REDSEC for now.

Battlefield REDSEC’s slow-rolling storm just hasn’t done much to incentivize me toward a hard objective or new destination, but its mission structure usually got me (and any uncooperative squadmates) moving in the right direction towards otherwise flat attempts at the #1 spot so far. I’ll need more time to complete missions and snipe away at opponents across the map before delivering a final verdict, but for now, REDSEC at least has some unexpectedly interesting things going for it.

We've known from the start that Absolute Batman is a much more brutal and violent alternative to DC's more traditional takes on the Dark Knight. He pretty much has to be when he lives in a corrupted world where the deck is utterly stacked against him and his fellow heroes. But after reading Absolute Batman Annual #1, we're starting to wonder. Is there a limit to how far Absolute Batman will go? Does this Batman actually kill?

Read on for a breakdown of what happens in Absolute Batman Annual #1 and why this Batman takes things further than any other version, even the hyper-violent Batman of the Arkham games.

Warning: Beware of spoilers ahead for Absolute Batman #1!

While the main Absolute Batman series is currently exploring the feud between Batman and this universe's terrifying incarnation of Bane, the annual flashes back to an earlier period in the young hero's career. In this story by writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson (of Skybound Transformers fame), Batman wages a one-man war against a group of white supremacists who have targeted a homeless encampment.

Early on, Bruce is shown buying equipment for the coming battle. He asks the seller if the weapons are non-lethal, to which the seller refers to them as more "less lethal." That doesn't seem to faze Bruce at all, one sign that maybe he won't be too broken up if he leaves a few dead bodies in his wake.

Later, when the battle begins in earnest, Batman pulls absolutely no punches in combating the white supremacists. One ringleader finds his arm broken in a truly grotesque fashion. Another is hit with several Batarangs in his eyes, only for that to be swiftly followed up with a brutal knee to the face. As many fans have pointed out, Absolute Bats seems to borrow some moves from AEW star Kenny Omega's playbook, from the V Trigger to the One-Winged Angel (Johnson is famously very fond of professional wrestling).

What do you think? Was Absolute Batman a killer when he started out? Will he kill again in order to end the threat of Bane or Joker? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

For more on Absolute Batman, find out why Absolute Joker is a fundamentally different character and see why artist Nick Dragotta wants an anime series.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Lenovo has dropped the price on one of its best equipped gaming laptops to its lowest price ever. The Legion Pro 5i Gen 10 gaming laptop, featuring an OLED display, Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU, and RTX 5070 Ti GPU, is down to $1,757.49 after coupon code: "EXTRAFIVE". That's over $600 off in combined savings. The RTX 5070 Ti is a powerful mobile GPU that will easily run game you throw at it, even on the display's upgraded 1600p native resolution.

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Gen 10 RTX 5070 Ti Laptop for $1,757

Since HBO Max joined the streaming service wars, it has been a force to be reckoned with due to the extensive Warner Bros. media library. Home to culture-forming shows (Games of Thrones, The Last of Us, The Sopranos, etc.) and movie sagas (The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Mad Max, the DC Universe, the Dune Saga, etc.), HBO Max continues to be one of the best streaming services out there.

As streaming has evolved throughout the years, services have been changing in structure, content rights, and pricing. Despite the increase in competition, HBO Max does not currently offer a free trial. So if you're hoping to hop on really quick just to watch the new Superman movie without paying anything, you're out of luck.

That being said, HBO Max and Disney have joined forces to create a new affordable super-bundle that gives users access to HBO Max, Disney+, and Hulu in one billing cycle. It's one of the best HBO Max deals available, especially after the most recent price hike.

Can You Get HBO Max for Free in Other Ways?

The holiday season is almost here, meaning it's the perfect time to buy a gift for a friend, family member, or yourself. If you're a fan of video games, there is arguably no better gift than a brand-new console. The PS5 has firmly hovered around MSRP this year, but for a limited time, you can save $125 off select PlayStation 5 consoles with IGN Rewards!

Save $125 Off Select PlayStation 5 Consoles!

Humble Choice is always a good deal for PC gamers who like a variety of game types. But the online storefront just launched a promo code that gets you October’s Humble Choice games for just $10, rather than the usual $14.99. All you have to do is enter promo code SPOOKY25 at checkout, and you’ll save $5. This month’s eight-game lineup is pretty great, with Atomic Hearts, V Rising, System Shock, Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, and more. Read on for the details.

Humble Choice - October 2025

Remedy Entertainment's CEO has resigned, leaving the new CEO of the developer of Control and Alan Wake to reassure investors after weak sales of FBC: Firebreak left the company significantly lowering its revenue expectations for the year and writing off the game's development costs.

In its quarterly earnings report issued today, Remedy revealed that it recognized a €14.9 million ($17.4 million) impairment charge representing most of the development costs as well as purchased publishing and distribution rights for FBC: Firebreak.

In total, Remedy's revenue decreased 32% year-over-year, to €12.2 million ($14.2 million). Remedy says this was largely driven by lower development fees coming in than last year at this time, during which it received revenue from Annapurna related to development work it did on Control 2. Remedy also revealed that it was revising its revenue expectations for the year: while previously Remedy expected revenue and operating profit to increase year-over-year and be positive, it now expects revenue to increase, but its operating profit to decrease and be negative. No exact numbers were shared.

Alongside this, CEO Tero Virtala has stepped down after nine years in the position. He is succeeded in the interim by board chairman Markus Mäki, who has stepped down from his chairman role and been replaced by Henri Österlund.

In comments by Mäki shared with investors, he stated that while Remedy would continue "working on features which enhance player value" and would keep true to its shared roadmap for Firebreak, the studio has moved development resources elsewhere going forward. Mäki also attempted to reassure investors that Firebreak was not a total loss:

"We have also found positive sides from FBC: Firebreak," he said. "Our first multiplayer product launch was technically successful in a cross-platform environment, and our publishing team has built capabilities which support the releases of our future self-published titles."

FBC: Firebreak was Remedy's first ever self-published game, and while the studio claims it technically succeeded, it also admitted last quarter that it "underperformed" on Steam and that the company was "unsatisfied" with its commercial reception. In today's earnings, Remedy stated that Breakpoint improved the game's sales only "marginally."

We gave FBC: Firebreak a 6/10, saying that it was a "compelling co-op shooter that, despite its good looks, doesn't have the depth to keep things interesting long-term."

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Walmart just dropped the price yet again on a powerful prebuilt gaming PC. The CyberPowerPC gaming PC, featuring a liquid cooled AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU and GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU, is on sale for $1699 shipped. This prebuilt was originally priced at $2,300, but it went down to $1900 during October Prime Day and another $200 starting this week. This is the best price I've seen so far for a 9800X3D and 5070 Ti combo.

CyberPowerPC AMD 9800X3D RTX 5070 Ti PC for $1,699

EA just introduced its new, destructive take on battle royale with Battlefield REDSEC, and Battlefield 6 base game players are already slamming it with “Mostly Negative” Steam reviews.

PC users who head to Steam to check out the standalone Battlefield experience, which launched across PC and consoles for free yesterday, will be met with a flood of negative Steam reviews across the board. At the time of this piece’s publication, just 35% of REDSEC Steam user reviews were positive, with positive reviews in all languages fairing just slightly better at 39%. Both measurements result in a dark red, Mostly Negative label.

A wave of negativity for Battlefield’s latest crack at battle royale arrives as Battlefield 6 players continue to express their dissatisfaction with the premium experience. Calls for changes to the base game reached a boiling point with the launch of Season 1 yesterday, and now, criticism is spilling into REDSEC.

Although Battlefield 6 and REDSEC exist as separate multiplayer offerings, both EA and Battlefield Studios games share unlocks tied to many challenges, cosmetics, and battle pass unlocks. Where this has evolved into a problem is how one experience might affect another, with many Battlefield 6 players complaining of weekly challenges that require them to play battle royale.

“I wouldn't hate it so much if I wasn't forced to play it for challenges in the main game,” one negative Battlefield REDSEC Steam review says. “But I am. So I do.”

“This is not why I bought Battlefield 6,” they add.

"Oh, but you just can reroll the challenges!" another negative review says. "Yeah and 3 of them are sill for the BR because they are pushing it hard on people that would not touch it even once..."

Other PC players agree that challenges granting large amounts of Battlefield 6 battle pass XP shouldn’t be tied to another experience, but dissonance isn’t the only thing tanking REDSEC Steam reviews. Some base game players are using Valve’s digital storefront to air out grievances related to multiplayer map sizes.

Early Battlefield 6 adopters have called for larger multiplayer maps as far back as the August beta tests, with the October 10 launch only adding fuel to the fire, as launch locations failed to live up to expectations for the community. At least a few negative Steam reviews even praise REDSEC’s exclusive battle royale map, Fort Lyndon, with their frustrations mostly summed up with one question: Why does the free-to-play game get the map sizes that premium players are asking for?

“Oh wow a nice big map with lots of POIs and flanks,” another negative REDSEC review says. “If only we could get something like this for the main game.”

“It's trying to be too much all at once,” another Steam user review adds. “The map in this Battle Royale is so good it's criminal that it's not being used for Conquest right now.”

As Battlefield 6 players aim to leave their mark with REDSEC Steam reviews, there are plenty of comments actually related to the new standalone experience itself, too. Many are positive, applauding how BF Studios blends classic Battlefield mechanics with other popular battle royale experiences, like Call of Duty: Warzone. Launch also ushered in a spike in activity, with Steamdb recording a 24-hour peak of 549,766 Battlefield 6 players yesterday.

REDSEC, which encompasses Gauntlet and Portals modes in addition to its battle royale mode, is getting love in the Battlefield community, but there is still a general feeling that the experience is incomplete. Specifically, it’s the lack of a solo queue option and battle royale fatigue that many are calling out – both in negative and positive reviews.

“No solo Mode... When will they learn the overwhelming majority of players play solo?” one negative review asks. “It doesn't feel good to play with randoms against premade coordinated squads.”

“Fun update, the battle pass is not half bad,” a positive review adds. “Only problem with me is not having a solo battle royal mode.”

REDSEC is just 24 hours into its time in the public’s hands. Seasonal updates will continue to offer shared experiences between REDSEC and Battlefield 6. Season 1 launched yesterday, introducing the new Blackwell Fields map for multiplayer, with more mid-season maps and guns set to follow in November and December.

EA has addressed fan feedback in the past, with the latest update introducing fixes for a controversial green skin and some of the bothersome lighting effects that have distracted players since launch. In the meantime, some players have been content simply using their time to draw on walls with the Engineer repair tool.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

Physicist Brian Cox has thanked YouTube for taking down accounts that used AI to create deepfakes of him saying “nonsense” about comet ATLAS 3i — but was left wondering what the long-term solution is.

Cox, Professor of Particle Physics at The University of Manchester and star of a number of high-profile science documentaries, took to X / Twitter earlier this week to complain about what he described as “AI shite of me popping up on YouTube.”

“The general rule is that if I appear to say something that you agree with and you are a UFO nobber, flat earth bell end or think comet ATLAS 3i is a spaceship, it’s fake,” he said in the tweet, now viewed 618,500 times.