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Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Preorders Are Now Live – Out April 16

2 février 2026 à 18:06

Get ready for an island adventure with your Mii this year. Nintendo Switch owners can now preorder Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream at a variety of retailers (see it here at Amazon). All have it listed for $59.99, with a release date of April 16 this year, so you can kick off spring with your new Mii characters.

Below, we've included several places where preorders for the game are available at the moment, alongside some more details on what you can expect when you jump in.

Preorder Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is only available to preorder for the original Switch, though Nintendo did note in a recent announcement that the game will "be playable on Nintendo Switch 2." It's currently unclear if a dedicated Switch 2 version will eventually be released. There's also no mention of a preorder bonus at the moment, though we're keeping an eye out to see if anything changes.

What Is Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream?

It's been over a decade since the last Tomodachi game, and the most recent Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Nintendo Direct gave us plenty of details about what to expect from this new installment. Set against a little island paradise you get to make your own, the game allows you to fully customize the Mii characters that inhabit it.

According to Nintendo, you can customize them "right down to their personalities, little quirks and living spaces, then see what weird and wonderful things they’ll get up to. Give them an occasional nudge to divulge what’s on their minds, help them solve life’s problems, cultivate their friendships and more." Nintendo has also made the game more inclusive than before, offering a range of options for your character's gender, voice, and dating preferences.

Other Preorder Guides

Curious what else is available to preorder right now? Have a look through our list of preorder guides below to start securing some new additions for your library, whether you're interested in Pokémon Pokopia, Mario Tennis Fever, or Resident Evil Requiem. There's plenty of upcoming Switch 2 games to look forward to in 2026 already.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.

Dead by Daylight: The Hillbilly #1 Spotlights an Iconic Killer

2 février 2026 à 18:00

The Hillbilly is easily one of the most memorable Killers in Dead by Daylight. That makes him a perfect choice to get the spotlight in Titan Comics' latest Dead by Daylight tie-in comic.

Last month, IGN debuted the trailer for Dead by Daylight: The Hillbilly #1. Now we can reveal a new preview of this issue. Check it out in the slideshow gallery below:

Dead by Daylight: The Hillbilly is written by Derek Fridolfs (Stranger Things) and drawn by Kyle Hotz (Immortal Hulk), with colors by Allison Hu. The first issue features cover art by Hitz, Alex Horley, Francesca Ciregia, Ilan Sheady, and Niclas Mortensen. Each issue of the series also comes with a code for exclusive DLC for the game.

Here's Titan's official description of this issue:

When Officer Darnell Hollis makes the largest drugs bust in his small town’s history, the success draws the attention of City Hall. On the fast-track to success, this could be life-changing for Hollis and his young family. But the Rookie is haunted by horrific visions of violence and viscera in waking nightmares. And on Coldwind Farm, Hollis is confronted by a monster who is kept in a dark basement and lives for the slaughter. In the dense fog, a man called Boy tests the strengths of his chains, waiting for the day he’ll break free...

Dead by Daylight: The Hillbilly #1 will be released on April 8, 2026. You can find out more about the series here.

In other Dead by Daylight news, you can check out a new trailer for the game's Stranger Things: Season 2 content.

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

LEGO Batman, 007 First Light, and Mortal Kombat II Headline More Than 80 Exclusive Reveals Coming to IGN Fan Fest 2026

2 février 2026 à 18:00

This February, IGN Fan Fest returns for its seventh edition with a jam-packed lineup of the biggest games, movies, TV and streaming series, and more. Fans will be able to catch celebrity interviews, exclusive gameplay, trailers, and deep dives across some of the biggest upcoming titles in the worlds of games and entertainment.

We’ll have more than 100 exclusive reveals across two days of livestreams February 25 and 26 starting at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST each day. Plus we’ll be counting down to the main show starting Monday February 23 with additional first-looks, exclusives, and in-depth interviews.

We'll have special celebrity appearances from:

  • Simu Liu
  • Melissa Barrera
  • Kenny Omega
  • Zach Braff
  • Sarah Chalke
  • Donald Faison
  • Bob Odenkirk
  • Lashanna Lynch
  • Genndy Tartakovsky
  • Jonathan Smith, Strategic Director & Head of Development Team, TT Games
  • And more!

Check out some of the big-name titles that will be coming to IGN Fan Fest 2026 below. And be sure to check out the live show on February 25 and 26 for announcements of some brand-new games and more!

MOVIES

  • Mortal Kombat II
  • Scream 7
  • Diabolic
  • Faces of Death
  • Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
  • Motor City
  • Normal
  • Redux Redux
  • The Mortuary Assistant
  • The Napa Boys

TV

  • Devil May Cry
  • Hijack
  • Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
  • Netflix’s One Piece
  • Primal
  • Scrubs
  • Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
  • The Copenhagen Test
  • The Vampire Lestat
  • Young Sherlock

GAMES

  • 007 First Light
  • Crimson Desert
  • Invincible VS
  • LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
  • Poppy Playtime
  • Powerwash Simulator 2
  • Street Fighter 6
  • WWE 2K26
  • Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes
  • Bellwright
  • Bus Simulator 27
  • Celestial Return
  • Denshattack!
  • Directive 8020
  • Dreadmoor
  • Esoteric Ebb
  • Everwind
  • Frostrail
  • Gallipoli
  • Gambonanza
  • Gate Guard Simulator
  • Going Medieval
  • Hela
  • Heroes of Newerth Reborn
  • HITMAN
  • Imprinted
  • Join Us
  • Kiln
  • Mexican Ninja
  • Minos
  • Mistfall Hunter
  • Mixtape
  • MONOWAVE
  • Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
  • Necrophosis: Full Consciousness
  • Out Fishing
  • Outbound
  • Outward 2
  • Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf
  • Poppy Playtime
  • PowerWash Simulator 2
  • Ranger's Path National Park Simulator
  • Samson
  • Second Stone
  • Solarpunk
  • Space Scum
  • Tears of Metal
  • Threads of Time
  • Town to City
  • Until Then
  • Valorborn
  • Vampire Crawlers
  • Verminsteel
  • Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2
  • Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy
  • Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
  • Where Winds Meet
  • WILL: Follow the Light
  • Windrose
  • Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis

Plus brand-new games and reveals from Red Octane Games, Limited Run Games, Hyperkin, Running With Scissors, Kwalee, and more.

You can watch IGN Fan Fest on the following platforms on Wednesday, February 25 and Thursday, February 26 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST:

While we wait a little longer for the exciting winter event, check out all the biggest announcements from IGN's October edition of Fan Fest including a sneak peek at Predator: Badlands, an exclusive look at The Witcher Season 4, a behind the scenes look at Return to Silent Hill, an exclusive interview with Keanu Reeves, a brand-new trailer from Dispatch, and a deep dive into Terminator 2D: No Fate.

The Best Disney+ Deals and Bundles for February 2026

2 février 2026 à 15:32

Considering what it offers, Disney+ is one of the best streaming services on the block. From classic Disney animated films to the latest from the MCU (currently Wonder Man), Star Wars, and so much more, Disney+ puts an incredible range of high-quality viewing options at your fingertips. There's tons to watch, but after another round of price hikes, you might want to revisit your streaming subscriptions. We're here to help.

At the moment, one of the best Disney Plus bundle deals available is the massive Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max streaming bundle. This starts at $19.99/month to get you all three streaming services with ads. Bundles are definitely worth considering, especially following the news of Hulu eventually fully integrating into the Disney+ app.

Limited-Time Deal: One Month of Disney+ and Hulu With Ads for $9.99

Until February 17, you can get one month of Disney+ and Hulu (with ads) for $9.99, $2 less than standalone subscriptions to either service. Sure, it's not a door-stopping discount, but it's a decent way to test out the Disney waters or catch up on a particular series.

How to Get the Disney Plus, Hulu, and HBO Max Streaming Bundle

Want a way to save on your Disney+ membership sooner rather than later? Bundles are a great, affordable way to go. Our top recommendation is the Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max streaming bundle can be purchased through any of the three streaming services and starts at $19.99/month for the ad-supported tier or $32.99/month for ad-free access across the three platforms. If you currently own all three and want to cut down on costs, this is a great way to bundle them together and save big on what you'd pay for them separately per month – 42% on the ad-supported plan and 43% on the ad-free plan.

Every Other Disney+ Bundle Option

Beyond HBO Max, you can also choose to bundle Disney+ with just Hulu or the all-new ESPN Unlimited service. Here's the breakdown of all your bundle options:

  • Disney+, Hulu Bundle is $12.99/month and comes with subscriptions to Disney+ and Hulu. This plan lets you stream on multiple devices at once and comes with ad-supported versions of both services.
  • Disney+, Hulu Bundle Premium is $19.99/month and comes with Hulu and Disney+ with no ads. It also includes Disney+ Premium features like the ability to download shows to watch on the go.
  • Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle adds ESPN Select (With Ads) to the mix alongside Disney+ (With Ads) and Hulu (With Ads), bumping up the price to $19.99/month. You can also download and watch select content on ESPN Select at this level.
  • Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Premium is $29.99/month and comes with ESPN Select (With Ads) and ad-free versions of Disney+ and Hulu. You can also download select content across all three streaming services.
  • Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle is $35.99/month and includes the new ESPN Unlimited service with live ESPN coverage as well as Hulu and Disney+ (With Ads).
  • Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle Premium is $44.99/month. The big difference here is you get the ad-free versions of Hulu and Disney+.

What About Standalone Disney+ Subscriptions?

Disney+ is available in a couple of different tiers. You can get the least expensive option (simply called Disney+) for $11.99/month, which gives you access to everything except the ability to download select shows to watch on the go. This tier is ad supported. If you want to get rid of ads and be able to download certain shows, you can spring for the $18.99/month or $189.99/year Disney+ Premium package.

What Is the Paid Sharing Plan on Disney Plus?

In an effort to crack down on password sharing, Disney has added a paid sharing plan for individuals outside of your household. Basically, anyone using your account that's not within your household will have to be added as an "Extra Member" to your account. This costs an additional $6.99/month for the ad-supported subscription and $9.99/month for the Premium ad-free plan, and only one Extra Member slot is available per account. You can learn more from Disney's paid sharing explainer here.

Disney+ Gift Cards

If you want to help someone out and give them a gift that will keep on giving, gifting a one-year Disney+ card is a great option. It provides all the great things Disney+ offers and it costs a fraction of what it would take to buy even a small sampling of those movies physically.

What Can You Watch on Disney+?

There is a bonkers array of shows and movies you can watch on Disney+. Highlights coming to Disney+ in February include the return of The Muppet Show, a new season of The Artful Dodger, and a 24/7 Hannah Montana stream. For new and potential subscribers, here's a deeper dive into what's available on the service:

Disney

On the Disney front, you have awesome classic movies like The Sword In The Stone, Robin Hood, 101 Dalmations, Hercules, and Sleeping Beauty, modern classics like The Princess & The Frog, Tangled, and Frozen, and a wide range of animated shows, including Phineas & Ferb.

You also gain access to a ton of vintage content like Escape to Witch Mountain, The Apple Dumpling Gang, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, The Love Bug, and a whole lot more. The Disney Junior section is home to absolutely top tier animated shows like Bluey (which, for my money, is worth the price of admission on its own).

There's way more on offer, too, including a ton of Muppet movies, new live-action films and adaptions (including the new Snow White), nature programs, documentaries, Pirates of the Caribbean, and musical programs featuring Taylor Swift (like her wildly popular The Eras Tour), Elton John, Ed Sheeran, and more.

Pixar

When it comes to computer generated films, Pixar stands alone. Kicking off the revolution with Toy Story, Pixar has consistently put out fantastic films, and they are all here. From the Toy Story series to Finding Nemo, Cars, and more recent hits like Inside Out 2, there is a ton to love.

Beyond even that, there are incredible shorts like Bao and Party Central, as well as a wide range of originals and series based on major films, such as Dory's Reef Cam, Forky Asks A Question, Cars On The Road, and more.

Marvel

The MCU has become a true juggernaut, and there are many viewers who subscribe to Disney+ purely for access to nearly the entire MCU lineup of films and shows.

Whether you are a fan of the blockbuster action films, you are an appreciator of the classic 90s runs of "Saturday morning" cartoons like X-Men, or you are currently vibing to the funky theme of the 1981 Spider-Man series, there is a ton of Marvel to enjoy on Disney+. And with new movies and shows being added to the MCU all the time, including most recently the series Wonder Man, there is always more coming.

Star Wars

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a film that changed everything. The original Star Wars is a seminal sci-fi fantasy work that inspired generations of creators, but there is still nothing quite like that far away galaxy. Disney+ grants access to all things Star Wars, including the remastered versions of the original trilogy (hopefully some day they'll add the theatrical cuts, too), as well as the prequels and sequels.

You can also stay up-to-date on all the latest shows, including The Mandalorian and the critically-lauded Andor, which recently wrapped up its second and final season. There are also fantastic short series like Star Wars Visions, and longer-form series like The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, Young Jedi Adventures, and a whole lot more.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.
Original story from Brian Barnett.

CODE VEIN 2 Benchmarks & PC Performance Analysis

2 février 2026 à 16:34

Last week, Bandai Namco released its new anime Souls-like game, CODE VEIN 2. Powered by Unreal Engine 5.4.4.0, it’s time now to benchmark it and examine its performance on PC. For our benchmarks, I used an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, 32GB of DDR5 at 6000Mhz, AMD’s Radeon RX 6900XT, RX 7900XTX, RX 9070XT, as well … Continue reading CODE VEIN 2 Benchmarks & PC Performance Analysis

The post CODE VEIN 2 Benchmarks & PC Performance Analysis appeared first on DSOGaming.

Every New LEGO Set Releasing in February 2026

2 février 2026 à 17:04

February has arrived, and as with every new month, it comes with a new batch of LEGO sets. There aren’t many new sets this month (just wait for the wild deluge scheduled for March 1), but all of them are worth a look. We’ve got the first Pokémon LEGO sets releasing toward the end of the month, plus a couple more sets, all of which are detailed below. Let’s dive in.

Featured in this article

Is you’re just looking for a quick list of what’s coming this month, just scroll through the catalog above. There are only five sets for February 2026.

Eevee - LEGO Pokemon

Eevee is one of the most adorable Pokémon, and this LEGO version is also the most affordable of the three sets. You can preorder it now for a reasonable price.

Pikachu and Poké Ball - LEGO Pokemon

If you’re more of a Pikachu fan, you can preorder this set that depicts the friendly yellow creatures springing from a Poké Ball. There’s even a trail of electricity in its wake. Also, you can build this model with either the male or female tail.

Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise - LEGO Pokemon

The biggest and most expensive of the Pokémon LEGO sets, this gorgeous collection of evolved starters is no longer available for preorder. However, if you missed out on it, you’ll have another chance at midnight as February 26 turns into February 27, as it will become available then. Don’t expect it to last long, though. These big LEGO Store exclusives sell out fast.

LEGO Golden Retriever Puppy

What’s more adorable than a golden retriever puppy? Whether you’re allergic or you just don’t have room in your life for a furry friend, you can now build your own. You don’t even need to feed it or take it out potty.

LEGO Flower Wall

LEGO releases new flower sets nearly every month. This month’s addition sits on a buildable frame and was made to hang on a wall. It looks downright fancy and would make an excellent decoration in pretty much any room.

LEGO Star Trek: U.S.S. Enterprise Is Available at Amazon

This set originally launched as a LEGO Store exclusive back in November. It almost immediately went out of stock, but later came available for backorder. However, now the LEGO Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise is available at Amazon. It’s in stock and shipping right now. It costs $399, and it looks phenomenal. If you’re a Star Trek: The Next Generation fan with a few hundred bucks to spare, this is a no-brainer.

New LEGO Gift With Purchase

Purchases from the LEGO Store of $80 or more come with a free Gift With Purchase (GWP) set. It’s Penguins in Love (set# 40886), and it’s here just in time for your Valentine’s Day orders. If your significant other is into LEGO, might I suggest taking a look at the best LEGO Botanicals sets?

Maybe you're not a big Pokémon fan. Maybe a golden retreiver pup bit you as a child and you dislike flowers with a passion. Fear not, LEGO fan, because a veritable tsunami of new sets is gathering in the distance, set to pummel storefronts on March 1. The first batch of LEGO Smart Play hits that day, in the form of no less than eight Smart Play Star Wars sets. Also out March 1 are four sets based on the upcoming video game LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. There's also an awesome display build of Sauron's Helmet, and a lot more. Stay tuned.

Alternatively, you can check out the LEGO sets of January 2026, many of which are great, and all of which are already available.

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.

This Incredible Super Mario Remix Just Beat Wicked Star Cynthia Erivo to a Grammy, and Nintendo Wasn't Even Involved

2 février 2026 à 16:00

A big band remix of Super Mario themes just won a Grammy Award, beating Wicked star Cynthia Erivo to win in the Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella category.

Super Mario Praise Break, a five-minute medley of toe-tapping Mario tunes, marks the second win for talented video game soundtrack outfit The 8-Bit Big Band, which previously won in the same category for a Kirby cover back in 2022.

Featuring tunes from throughout the Mario franchise, from its earliest days through Super Mario Galaxy and beyond, you can listen to the Grammy Award-winning composition below:

Jazz Orchestra '8-Bit Big Band' won a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental, or A Cappella for ‘Super Mario Praise Break’

It contains music from Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy.https://t.co/dqaA1X7buZ pic.twitter.com/YV0zel6gLt

— Stealth (@Stealth40k) February 2, 2026

Once again, this is an entirely unofficial cover, meaning that Nintendo shares none of the glory (other than having created the original tunes in the first place). The tune beat three other tracks to the award, most notably including Cynthia Erivo, who was nominated for her arrangement of original song Be Okay.

"WE JUST WON OUR 2nd GRAMMY 🤯🤯🤯," The 8-Bit Big Band wrote on social media. "Thank you to everyone who listened and supported to all of our new releases and huge congrats to my co-arrangers on the now Grammy winning Super Mario Praise Break."

Video game nominations remain a rare occurrence at the Grammys. Back in 2011, Civilization 4 theme song Baba Yetu scooped the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals. A year later, Austin Wintory's soundtrack for Journey became the first video game soundtrack to receive a Grammy nomination in the Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media category, though that award was ultimately won by The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Since 2023, the Grammy Awards have featured a dedicated video game soundtrack category, at least. This year's award was another gong for Austin Wintory, who won for his work on Sword of the Sea. Losing out this year were Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora — Secrets of the Spires, Helldivers 2, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card & A Pirate's Fortune.

Despite cover versions from two of its franchises now being Grammy winners, Nintendo has never officially been nominated itself, despite decades of soundtracks and tunes.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Review

2 février 2026 à 16:00

I’m a sucker for nostalgia, so I have yet to tire of the enhanced ports, remasters, and remakes that are all the rage these days. I love revisiting games from simpler times, sporting fresh graphics and handy new features, but I also enjoy completely new takes on them I would never have expected. Dragon Quest VII already got the latter treatment on 3DS a decade ago, and now Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is ringing in the 40th anniversary of the series with a fine third iteration, though it’s not one without sacrifices. This time around, there is a clear focus on improving the pacing of one of Dragon Quest’s most notorious entries, and Square Enix has succeeded in that regard – but some of the other adjustments Reimagined makes in an effort to appeal to newer players have come at the expense of longtime fans.

Alone on a small island in a vast ocean, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined tells the tale of a humble fisherman’s son (your main character) and his childhood friends, the outspoken Maribelle and the rebellious and brotherly Prince Keifer, as they seek out fragments of 17 magical tablets in an effort to restore the world. Their quest takes them to the pits of volcanoes, under the sea, high into the sky, and even through time itself, meeting new allies and uncovering dark secrets from history along the way. I’ve always thought Dragon Quest VII stands out among the series, approaching its storytelling in a different and engaging way thanks to those time-travel elements and how it reveals the overarching story over the course of the adventure.

Instead of a single sprawling plot that grows increasingly complex, Dragon Quest VII weaves a tapestry from many seemingly independent strands into a final work of art – a grand story the Dragon Quest games are known for, but one that’s hidden at the start. That really helps drive home its themes of isolation, with the oddly disconnected nature of each island’s tale being lessened as you literally rebuild the world. Add in that you get to see how your actions in the past echo through into the present, and this still remains one of my favorite stories of the Dragon Quest series.

Bringing the world of Dragon Quest VII into the modern era of high-definition graphics, Reimagined sports a brand-new art style inspired by a puppet-and-diorama aesthetic that does a really good job of depicting Akira Toriyama’s original cast of characters. The proportions of these particular heroes have always been a bit more chibi compared to others in the franchise, but here muted tones and being able to see the fabric materials of hats and clothing have replaced the vivid colors and dramatic, anime-inspired outlines that I usually adore about Dragon Quest. The fact that Reimagined removed the 3DS version’s outfit changes for the different vocations saddens me as well. I admittedly found myself growing more accustomed to the puppet-y look as I went, and both my wife and my two-year-old loved to point out how cute everything was as I played, but I’d still be fine if this art style ended up being a “one and done” affair.

This remains one of my favorite stories of the Dragon Quest series.

Thankfully, Reimagined retains much of the same classic RPG goodness that the Dragon Quest series has held onto these long decades, but it also introduces more goodies than just a facelift to mix up the adventure. New Monster Heart accessories impart unique aspects to the character they are equipped to, such as reducing your MP to zero but doubling your strength or increasing the damage you dish out with each subsequent attack. You can now take out weaker enemies in the field without ever entering combat as well, cutting them down from the world map itself. As nifty as both of these additions are, they are just the tip of the iceberg.

What I found more fun to mess around with and build my team around were the powerful Let Loose attacks, which are super moves that act as Reimagined’s take on the Square staple Limit Break concept, and the ability to have characters equip two vocations at a time. Both of these can result in some deliciously broken combos that feel great to pull off. Anyone currently equipped with the Priest vocation will be able to fully heal and revive the entire party with its Born Again action, while the Troubadour's Encore ability will temporarily reduce the party’s MP costs to zero. My personal favorites were the Champion’s Divide and Monk’s Critical Stance, with the former causing three copies to appear and perform whatever action you pick that turn, and the latter guaranteeing your next physical attack to be a critical hit – a particularly devastating option when using the Monk’s Multifist attack that hits seven times.

It’s nice that the new Moonlighting feature that allows each party member to have two vocations at a time provides both their specific stat buffs and access to their toolkit of spells and abilities. Accessible a few hours after unlocking the vocation system itself, I appreciate the flexibility that Moonlighting offers in adjusting how you want your team to run. What I like even more is that there are no downsides or restrictions with whatever you pick for that Moonlighting spot – both vocations earn the same amount of experience points after combat, and it just speeds up the whole process of unlocking the especially good advanced vocations that require you to have mastered multiple other ones already. Keeping one of those mastered vocations equipped even gives the non-mastered role a boost with extra vocation experience.

The previous versions of Dragon Quest VII, especially the original PlayStation release, were known – almost notoriously so – for how long they could take to play through or get to the cool stuff, like combat or unlocking character classes for your party of heroes. Addressing those pacing issues was a core principle behind Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, and some of those changes are more welcome than others, but the pursuit has been a success overall. You’ll get to swing your sword (or sticks, in this case) at some monsters for the first time within 30 minutes of starting Reimagined, and I was able to get to Alltrades Abbey to unlock the vocation system, the crux of your party customization, around 11 hours later. To put the difference here into perspective, at one point I booted up a save from my 3DS version of Dragon Quest VII that was at roughly the same spot: not only was I five levels higher in Reimagined with twice as many vocations mastered, I had also done all that in half the time. When I rolled credits in Reimagined, I clocked in at just over 46 hours, with my party hovering right around level 50, which is much shorter than both previous versions – although that time doesn’t include either of the post-game dungeons or going for 100%, which will likely put you up to the 70+ hour mark.

Reimagined has smoothed away a crucial sense of discovery and challenge.

It’s no secret that this adjusted pacing has come at the cost of some parts of the original game being removed, with producer Takeshi Ichikawa being transparent about how locations such as El Ciclo, Gröndal, and Providence were left on the cutting room floor. Certain areas and dungeons have been reduced in size, too, with the boat the main character’s father departs on right out of the gate now being only a single level instead of two. The Sunken Citadel in the Wetlock region is another such example, with the dungeon being basically removed altogether and replaced with a short, straight-shot corridor. Losses like that are certainly disappointing, but outside of the occasional dungeon feeling a bit small, I actually really enjoyed how the story flows now, and I never felt an obvious gap or awkward break caused by “missing” content.

What I think has had a more noticeable negative impact on the pacing, though, is how Reimagined has seemingly smoothed over nearly every aspect of the original that could potentially cause even the smallest bit of discomfort or aggravation. That may sound fine on the surface, but it has resulted in the removal of things that have traditionally helped define this series, taking away much of that crucial sense of discovery. When I boot up a Dragon Quest game, I expect that the journey will take me into some headwinds and that there will be points where I struggle with a challenge to overcome. In Reimagined, I found none of that.

In any other Dragon Quest, managing your resources – be it your HP, your MP, or your consumables – is something you always need to keep in mind. For example, you have to weigh the benefits of an encounter with whether or not you can spare the MP to end that fight quickly, at the expense of not being able to cast your biggest spells as many times in the eventual boss fight. In contrast, Reimagined bombards you with free healing statues, respawning items that refill both health and magic are all over the place, characters fully heal whenever they level up, and party members that die during a fight even respawn with a single hit point afterwards, doing away with that classic Dragon Quest imagery of seeing your lone character leading around a parade of colorful coffins in a dreary dungeon. And if you do find yourself in a situation where everyone dies, the penalty is so minimal, forcing you to lose only 1,000 gold as opposed to half of your total, that even that threat is far from scary. The first time I actually had to pay this fee was in the very last dungeon, playing on hard difficulty, and at that point I was more just curious to see what would happen.

Individual carrying bags have been done away with in favor of a single shared inventory as well, making it so you don’t have to worry about strategically divvying up your items. (And you have no need to worry about accidentally equipping a cursed item you can’t get off – those are gone now.) There are some difficulty options you can toggle and adjust, such as lowering or raising the amount of experience, vocation points, or gold you earn after a fight (though, unfortunately, you can’t set them to zero), but none of the other stuff I mentioned is included in those settings. In fact, you can choose to make things even easier for yourself by fully restoring your party after every encounter.

This really is a literal reimagining of Dragon Quest VII as a sort of “My First Dragon Quest."

This handholding approach, where you almost can’t fail, even extends into the main questline. So much of the sense of exploration and discovery has been removed, with enough information being fed to you that quests almost turn into a simple matter of glancing over your screen to find where the big icon is. Is there a tablet fragment in your location? You’ll see a marker on your map letting you know one is somewhere nearby, which turns the hunt for them into an almost mundane task to check off a list rather than the epic, world-saving mission it’s made out to be. You don’t even have to try spells out on enemies anymore to know how they might affect them, as an icon over the monster's head will show whether the one you have highlighted is weak or strong against it, or if they will resist it altogether.

Having recently played through last year's spectacular HD-2D remakes of Dragon Quests I & II, all of this smoothing gave me whiplash. That package added some solid accessibility options to help newer players, but it still retained – and in many cases expanded – the challenge of the originals. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined feels like it goes in the complete opposite direction, with the only real challenge coming from the last hour of the story and the post-game grind.

That all said, the more I played this new version, the more I eventually came to accept it for what it was, even if that wasn’t exactly what I was expecting or looking for. Between its faster pacing, toy-like aesthetic, and insistence on reducing pain points, this really is a literal reimagining of Dragon Quest VII as a sort of “My First Dragon Quest” entry point for new players. Once that realization clicked, I just let myself enjoy the ride as I soaked in a story and characters I still adored – I just also had to come to grips with the fact that it wasn’t going to deliver the challenge and discovery that I usually play Dragon Quest games for.

Select JRPGs Are up to 67% Off Right Now at Amazon

2 février 2026 à 15:49

Amazon is offering some excellent discounts at the moment on a select few JRPGs, which is great news for those looking to fill up their game library with something new.

After clipping a coupon on its store page, Metaphor: ReFantazio for PS5 is down to $23 at the retailer, while the Xbox Series X version is down to $32. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is another on sale, with its Xbox Series X version down to $20.59 with a coupon and its PS5 and Switch copies down to $34.99. Then there's Octopath Traveler 0, which is down to $31.99 for Xbox Series X with a coupon and $39.99 on all other platforms. Finally, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake has dropped to $49.99.

Select JRPGs on Sale at Amazon

What's nice is that each of these games has earned a glowing 9/10 rating from us in their respective reviews, and Metaphor: ReFantazio was even chosen as our Game of the Year back in 2024, so they all certainly seem like worthy additions to your library. In particular, for Metaphor: ReFantazio, its PS5 price even marks its lowest price yet, so there's no better time to scoop it up.

It's not the only game that's down to its lowest price at the moment from this selection. Octopath Traveler 0 is another that's now available at its best price so far on all platforms, and Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake for Xbox Series X hits its lowest price if you use the coupon on its store page.

There are plenty of other game deals worth checking out right now, too. Over at Woot, which is an Amazon-owned online retailer, there's a big selection of video game deals available as part of its Video Game Mega Sale, including quite a few Switch deals. If you're stocking up, it's well worth a look before the sale ends on February 6.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.

Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 Has Its Official Trailer, Release Date, and the Voice of Steve

2 février 2026 à 15:00

Netflix has pulled the curtain back on Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85, the upcoming animated series set between Seasons 2 and 3 of the hit show.

We have a release date, April 23, 2026, a new trailer, below, new images and art, and further voice actor confirmation.

Here’s the story setup:

Return to Hawkins with Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, an exciting new animated series from Showrunner Eric Robles and Executive Producers the Duffer Brothers. In the winter of 1985, snow blankets the town and the horrors of the Upside Down are finally fading. Our heroes Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max have settled back into a normal life of D&D, snowball fights, and quiet days. But beneath the ice, something terrifying has awakened. Could it be from the Upside Down? From the depths of Hawkins Lab? Or from somewhere else entirely? Our heroes must race to solve this mystery and save Hawkins in this untold story set in the Stranger Things universe.

Something from the Upside Down must have survived…

Stranger Things: Tales From '85, a new animated series, premieres April 23. pic.twitter.com/7lwtOsU0wr

— Netflix (@netflix) February 2, 2026

In the trailer, the main characters from the show encounter what looks like a sort of pumpkin monster. It evolves into a more terrifying creature. We’re told something from the Upside Down survived last year — a reference to prior events in the Stranger Things timeline.

"We get to spend time with these kids in a way that you did not have time to in the flagship series,” commented showrunner and executive producer Eric Robles. “We were able to freeze time and really go on these never before told adventures with them in this timeline.”

Of course, given fans know the events that follow those we see in Tales From ‘85, there is a risk of a lack of stakes here. But Robles insisted that wasn’t the case.

“We want the audience to feel that these kids are in danger, the stakes are real, and bad things can happen to anyone,” Robles said. “And things do happen that are very scary in a sense, so that really makes the danger for the kids that much more tangible."

Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 features the main characters from Stranger Things itself, but they’re voiced by new actors. Today, Netflix confirmed Jeremy Jordan as the voice of Steve. Jordan is the voice of Lucifer Morningstar in the adult animated musical series Hazbin Hotel.

Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 voice cast:

  • Brooklyn Davey Norstedt is Eleven
  • Jolie Hoang-Rappaport is Max
  • Luca Diaz as Mike
  • Elisha “EJ” Williams as Lucas
  • Braxton Quinney as Dustin
  • Benjamin Plessala as Will
  • Brett Gipson as Hopper
  • Jeremy Jordan as Steve
  • Odessa A’zion
  • Janeane Garofalo
  • Lou Diamond Phillips

Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 comes hot on the heels of Stranger Things Season 5’s dramatic and controversial ending, which wrapped up the main characters’ stories for good (at least, according to creators the Duffer Brothers). The Duffers have ruled out a Stranger Things sequel that would check in on the characters years later, saying it would be “a gross cash grab.” As well as Tales From ‘85, there is an unnamed live-action series spinoff also in the works. We don’t know much about it, but we do know it will address a plot thread left dangling in the Season 5 finale.

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.

Helldivers 2 Set to Celebrate Second Anniversary With Some 'Surprises,' Including This Fantastic BTS Look at How John Helldiver Was Born

2 février 2026 à 14:32

As part of a "month of anniversary surprises," Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has formally introduced us to the "face of Freedom, the voice of Victory, the light of Liberty… John Helldiver."

In a fascinating deep dive into the writing and casting of the iconic character, actor Craig Lee Thomas and lead writer Russ Nickel discussed developing the face and voice of the game that the fandom has dubbed, quite rightly, John Helldiver.

"Casting was crazy," said Russ Nickel, Helldivers 2's lead writer between 2020 and 2022. "I did all the writing, and then the script went off sort of into the abyss, and I didn't hear anything for a while. Then I found out that it was going to shoot in a week.

"They actually hadn't really done any casting. They were just going to use this actor who's based in Sweden, who was perfectly good, but I was like, 'This is going to be John Helldiver!' (I didn't know that would be his name at the time). We can't just get someone who's good! Like, we need to get the funniest person we can possibly find!"

"From the initial audition, you read for what you can as an actor, and you get excited about so many things," added Thomas, admitting: "But this in particular, as soon as I read it, I was like, ahh, I really, really, really want to do this." So, with very little notice, he recorded a quick audition tape and sent it off. The video includes Thomas' audition and even though his portrayal is a little less amusing than we've come to expect, there's no doubting that it's our John Helldiver.

"Within a couple days, I had gotten self tapes from Craig Lee Thomas, who plays John Helldiver," Nickel explained. "He's perfect. I love that man. He's so good!"

For more, check out the 15-minute featurette on YouTube, complete with insights into the recording and mocap process, and some thoughts from the director of the opening cinematic.

Helldivers 2's next Warbond 'Siege Breakers' will release tomorrow, February 3. As detailed in a recent post by Arrowhead's social media and community manager, this Warbond is for players needing "something to smash through [...] towering foe with impenetrable fortifications,"... which I'm pretty sure means it's needed by all of us.

In September, the studio’s CEO confirmed Helldivers 3 is not in any plan developer Arrowhead has right now, saying that instead it wants Helldivers 2 to keep going for years and years, like veteran MMO RuneScape. The Helldivers 2 movie is also picking up steam, and in December, Helldivers 2 received its big 5.0.0 patch as well as its jungle-themed Python Commandos Warbond, which added a number of fan-requested weapons, including a minigun.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Nioh 3 Could be Coming to More Consoles Than Just PS5 Sooner Than You Think

2 février 2026 à 13:24

Nioh 3 is slated to release on Friday, February 6, on PC via Steam and PS5, but the game's latest trailer has revealed that Xbox and maybe even Nintendo Switch 2 owners may not have too long a wait for a version of their own.

According to the small print in the trailer, the PS5's console exclusivity period looks set to run for just six months. This means Nioh 3 could debut on other consoles, such as Nintendo Switch 2 or Xbox Series X and S, as early as August 6, 2026, potentially marking the first time a Nioh title will be available on any console other than Sony's PlayStation.

Though none of this is confirmed, of course — and publisher Koei Tecmo may hold off on porting to other consoles for technical and other reasons — it should be good news nonetheless for Team Ninja fans with an Xbox Series X and S looking to give it a go.

Nioh 3 was unveiled at Sony's State of Play show in June 2025. Here's the official blurb, as shared in the PlayStation Blog: "In Nioh 3, the protagonist is a young warrior poised to become the next Shogun. Why is he dedicated to battling against yokai? We’ll save those details for another day, but what we can tell you today is as the battles unfold, players will now be able to fight using two distinct combat styles: Samurai and Ninja.

"The Samurai style provides a gameplay experience similar to previous Nioh titles," it adds. "New actions such as Arts Proficiency, which enhances the power of martial arts, and Deflect, which allows players to block enemy attacks at the last moment have been added, helping create a series of intense and deadly face-to-face confrontations."

A demo is out now, progress for which carries over into the full game, plus players who complete the demo will receive the Twin-Snake helmet reward when Nioh 3 officially releases. IGN gave the original Nioh a 9.6/10, calling it "an epic, unforgettable adventure carried by a fierce combat system that cleverly balances style and strategy," and we similarly praised Nioh 2 with a 9/10, too.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

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