PlayStation users can stock up and save on some new games for their library through Amazon right now. The retailer is offering some excellent deals on a selection of PS5 games, including Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (down to $30), Silent Hill f (down to $40), Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (which is down to $25.24 after clipping a coupon), and more.
These are just the start of what's available. Have a look through more of our favorite PS5 games that are currently on sale at Amazon below.
What makes these deals even better is that some of the games above have hit their lowest prices yet at the retailer. Price tracker camelcamelcamel shows that this is the lowest price Silent Hill f, Civ VII, Double Dragon Revive, and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (with its coupon) have all hit at Amazon so far. Similar to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, with the help of the coupon on its store page, this also marks a new low price for Space Marine 2 at the retailer.
And while it's not the lowest price point it has ever hit at Amazon, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater has matched its Black Friday price, which is certainly still a deal to celebrate. If you haven't added it to your library yet, now is a great time while it's still on sale for $30.
That applies to all of the available games: This is a great opportunity to scoop them up and save while they're still on sale. They're not the only game deals worth taking advantage of right now, though. If you're looking for more outside of PlayStation, February’s Humble Choice lineup has dropped for PC players as well, offering the chance to add 8 games to your digital library for just $15 when you sign up for a Humble Choice membership. This month leads with Resident Evil Village, which is definitely worth grabbing ahead of Resident Evil: Requiem.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
Mondo is one step closer to assembling the full, iconic X-Men: The Animated Series roster, as the company has just revealed a truly epic Beast 1:6 scale figure.
IGN can exclusively debut the first images of the X-Men: The Animated Series - Beast 1/6 Scale Figure - Limited Edition. Check them out in the slideshow gallery below, along with a new Jim Lee X-Men poster and a Beast enamel pin:
The Beast figure is designed to fit alongside the rest of Mondo 1:6 scale X-Men figures. The figure includes a wealth of accessories, including several interchangeable heads and hands, an optional lab coat, a tech pack and tech gear, books, and even a Howard the Duck T-shirt.
Beast is priced at $255, and this deluxe limited edition version is limited to 1500 units worldwide. The figure will go up for preorder on February 17 on Mondo's website.
Also being offered alongside the figure is a new 24" x 36" screenprint poster reproducing one of the most iconic splash images from Jim Lee's X-Men run. This image is specifically taken from 1992's X-Men #11 and is titled "We Ask The Stars 'Why?'" Mondo is also releasing an enamel pin featuring Beast's face.
Will you be ordering any of these new X-Men collectibles? Let us know in the comments below. And to see more of Mondo's past X-Men releases, check out their Magneto figure, Gambit figure, and exclusive Wolverine figure.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
Amazon and Sony have confirmed that Callum Vinson will play Kratos’ son, Atreus, in the upcoming live-action God of War show.
It’s yet another casting update for the hotly anticipated series adaptation of a classic PlayStation game, this time locking in what is no doubt one of its most important roles. Vinson will join Ryan Hurst’s Kratos when the two tear their way through Norse mythology on Prime Video at an unspecified date.
Vinson has quite the resume, with shows like Chucky, Long Bright River, and Poker Face already under his belt. Beyond the projects he’s previously appeared in, audiences will also be able to catch him as a young Jason Voorhees in the upcoming Friday the 13th spinoff, Crystal Lake. His role as Atreus will see him partnered up with one of the most imposing characters in video game history, but he’ll still be able to hold his own against the creatures – and gods – he’ll almost certainly come up against.
“Atreus, the 10-year-old son of Kratos, grew up in a remote forest cabin, isolated from the rest of the world and raised almost entirely by his mother, Faye,” an official description for the character says. “He is an accomplished archer, has an affinity for animals, and is intensely curious about what lies beyond the confines of his forest home. After his mother’s death, Atreus is left with a cold, distant father who he barely knows and who knows little about him in return. Nonetheless, Atreus yearns for his father’s approval and is desperate to prove he is strong enough to survive in a harsh and dangerous world.”
Casting confirmation for Atreus marks an important moment for the God of War show, but Vinson is far from the first name to join the team. Hurst, who played Thor in 2022 video game sequel God of War Ragnarok, was first, with Amazon and Sony confirming he had joined as the Blades of Chaos-wielding Ghost of Sparta a little less than one month ago.
It was a bombshell for the game-turned-show that opened the floodgates with more announcements, as Teresa Palmer, Max Parker, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, and Mandy Patinkin joined as Sif, Heimdall, Thor, and Odin, respectively, in the weeks that followed. The most recent additions saw Amazon bringing back Alastair Duncan as Mimir, while also adding newcomers Danny Woodburn as Brok and Jeff Gulka as Sindri.
Those who have played the Norse installments in the God of War franchise – which encompasses God of War (2018) and Ragnarok – will note that most major cast members are now locked in. Still, as the project’s cast seems to lean more on Ragnarok than its predecessor, there are plenty of other characters left in limbo. Freya and Baldur are two names crucial to developer Santa Monica Studios’ original story who have yet to be mentioned, for example, with fans also hoping to see Daredevil and True Blood star Deborah Ann Woll reprise her role as Faye.
The Prime Video God of War show currently has no release date. For more, you can read about why we think the series needs to rethink the franchise’s approach to violence. You can check out HBO’s recently announced Baldur’s Gate 3 adaptation.
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).
HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter TV series appears to be doing things a little bit differently than the books — and some of the changes they’re making are probably going to be catnip for fans. Specifically, I’m referring to the decision to include more of the Malfoys, Harry’s school enemy’s family, and their home life.
“I think with this adaptation, you get to see so much more than the books," said Lox Pratt, the young actor who will be playing Draco Malfoy in the upcoming show, during a chat with 1883 Magazine. “[The books] are very much over Harry’s shoulder, which is great, and that’s how they played the film as well. And I think Francesca [Gardiner] and Mark [Mylod] have been audible about this in their interviews, there’s just so much more that you get to see.”
The actor also noted, “You get to see all the teachers in their little rooms. You get to see Draco at home. I won’t spoil too much about that, but there are some brilliant scenes at home where you start to get an insight into how he is.”
Last year, Harry Potter fans gained their first glimpse of John Lithgow as Dumbledore via a mysterious set of photos showing the long-bearded wizard on a beach. Other images showed Lithgow meeting actors apparently playing Nicolas Flamel and his wife, in what appeared to be scenes described in the book but not shown in detail. Not only was this a reveal of Lithgow himself, but of the fact the series will indeed include never-before-seen moments from the overall saga, with extra room for these due to its ability to spread each novel's events over a full TV season.
As for other big changes, the show plans to reintroduce History of Magic lessons with Richard Durden as Professor Binns. Plus, there is speculation that Lucius Malfoy, Draco’s father played by Johnny Flynn, is going to join the story in the first season of the show, which is earlier than his second installment introduction in the books and movies.
Gardiner will showrun the upcoming series and Mylod will direct. The series features several heavy hitters including John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu, Nick Frost, and Bel Powley. As for the core three characters, Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry, Alastair Stout will play Ron, and Arabella Stanton will play Hermione.
The series is set to be released in early 2027.
Image credit: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireImage
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
If you’re reading this, you already know the importance of good audio when it comes to gaming, but it’s tough to find out which is the best gaming headset for you among the sea of options. As is the case when you're looking for a gaming mouse or gaming keyboard, there are several factors to consider. You'll want to account for your budget and seek out the best sound quality and comfort, as well as the kinds of features most important to you. The easiest way to find that personalized experience is to know exactly what you’re getting into and rely on those who have first-hand knowledge.
I’ve reviewed plenty of headphones and gaming headsets in my time, so I’m familiar with what makes them great, and I’ve put my expertise and ears-on experience to use here. Each pick was made with careful consideration for what each headset offers as a whole, but also for the aspects they excel in most based on their category. With that in mind, I’ve included options for the best mid-range wired headset like the HyperX Cloud III and the best high-end wireless option in the Audeze Maxwell 2, the recent refresh to one of my long-time favorites. But more sophisticated features like virtual surround, active noise cancelation, or customizable EQ profiles can be defining for certain wireless headsets like the Razer Kraken V4 or Razer BlackShark V3 Pro. And if money is no object and want the absolute best no matter what, well, we can confidently point you to the $600 SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite. There's a little something for everyone!
This guide is intended to be a comprehensive look at the best options based on specific categories in which certain headsets prioritize or do better than the competition. This doesn’t mean there aren’t amazing headsets outside of the ones I’m recommending, but these are all headsets I can vouch for based upon the first-hand testing done by me and my colleagues. These are also great options whether you play games on PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch 2, or any mix of consoles (just be sure to get the right model when picking something out). I will also be updating my picks as new ones come out and I test more of what’s out there, so be sure to check back periodically, or whenever you need some advice on choosing a new gaming headset.
It’s hard not to fall in love with the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. You still get all the great features of the previous SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless with some new technology, including active noise cancellation and improved audio all around. Using a hybrid noise-canceling system with four mics, it can drown out everything from harsh noises from outside your room to the ambient hum of loud fans.
Most importantly, the Nova Pro offers some fantastic sound quality out of the box with bold and balanced audio. Its spatial audio onboard is crucial as well, so it's easy to hear enemy footsteps around the corner or gauge the distance of action happening in a competitive shooter. And you can make some next-level customizations to the EQ settings and game-chat mix with Sonar and the SteelSeries GG app – good luck going back to your ordinary headphones for anything but listening to podcasts or the news.
With SteelSeries’ latest top-end headset, we see the biggest design shift since the start of the Arctis lineup. The Arctis Nova Pro Wireless sports telescoping arms on its adjustable headband so it can better accommodate larger head sizes. The earcups are also slimmer and sleeker, giving off less of a gaming headset vibe and more of a look akin to wireless headphones without sacrificing the comfort SteelSeries headsets are known for. And one of our favorite features remains intact with a few upgrades: the hot-swappable rechargeable battery system. This means that when the battery runs low during a gaming session, you can quickly change it out without having to plug in, giving you wireless freedom indefinitely.
The Arctis Nova Pro is one of the best headsets you can buy right now. It’s well-rounded with uniquely robust features, great sound quality for gaming, and comfort to keep you going. Take our word for it – in our Arctis Nova Pro headset review, it earned a rare 10 for all the aforementioned reasons and more.
Beyerdynamic is one of the many audiophile-focused brands that have entered the gaming headset space in more recent times. Its latest in the MMX 300 Pro and MMX 330 Pro make slight upgrades over its predecessors in overall design, but brings similarly powerful audio performance. It provides the kind of sound quality you’d expect from studio-grade headphones like the DT 770 or DT 990, but packs them into a wired headset that’s easy to wear for hours on end. The two models only have one distinction: The MMX 300 Pro is closed-back and the MMX 330 Pro is open-back. I personally prefer the audio profile of an open-back headset in exchange for natural sound isolation, so it really comes down to preference.
What’s almost as impressive is the microphone clarity, which can rival even some mid-range standalone mics. I tend to see built-in mics on gaming headsets as an afterthought. So long as my voice comes through intelligibly, that’s all I really need from it – but not with Beyerdynamic. So if you really want that all-in-one gaming headset, especially for streaming or recording content, you’ll find that in these headsets.
Personally, I gravitate toward the intentionality and craftsmanship of a wired, analog-driven headset or pair of headphones, and Beyerdynamic's headsets sound beautiful right out of the box. Of course, you can potentially get more out of it if you drive them through a DAC or amp, but they're already tuned with gaming in mind (to emphasize certain sound effects in competitive games) while also delivering the kind of audio experience in other applications you’d expect from headphones at this price range. For all that and more, I gave a 9 to the MMX 300 Pro/MMX 330 Pro in my review.
You can ask anyone who has used the Audeze Maxwell if it's worth its price tag, and you're going to get the same answer: It's a resounding yes, including from me. And finally, Audeze refined its top-tier headset with the Maxwell 2, making it the definitive version to get. In the same vein as its audiophile ethos, it sports a sleek, no-frills design that looks more like studio-grade headphones than a typical gaming headset. It also lives up to the expectations when it comes to sound quality, defying the notion that wired headphones hooked through an amp will give you the best listening experience.
The 90mm planar magnetic drivers still jump out of the spec sheet – it's just not something you typically see in headsets, and while bigger doesn't always mean better, Audeze made the most of these drivers. The clarity across all frequencies even at louder volumes is impressive, and the well-rounded bass gives a rich natural audio profile, which is enhanced by the spacious soundstage that comes with its driver and earcup design. It's like having a home theater strapped to your head, as it's suited for both competitive gaming where you rely on detailed sound cues and cinematic experiences where you expect big sound effects to be punchy.
Another thing that jumps from the spec sheet is that weight – 560g makes it the heaviest headset we recommend, by far. Thankfully, the updated strap design (while still a pain to adjust) and the plushy earpads keep the Maxwell 2 comfortable to wear for hours on end. It may be a bit unwieldy, but any shortcomings are far outweighed by the upside, like tremendous battery life, clean microphone, and a no-nonsense app for customization. It sets a high bar for high-end gaming headsets, as I detail in my Audeze Maxwell 2 review, and justifies its asking price.
No matter which version of the HyperX Cloud headset you go with, you'll get a quality product. If you’re running on a budget and want to get the most bang for your buck, I always recommend the wired HyperX Cloud III, which can often be found below its $100 base price. It punches above its weight with impressive sound and mic quality and great comfort. Plus, it’s built like a brick house so it’s not going to fall apart through years of use.
Out of the box, the Cloud III impressed me with its build and durability – its aluminum frame can be flexed and contorted in any which direction without ever feeling like it’s going to break. Stretching the headset out to fit on your head is super easy and you can toss them on your desk without worrying about damaging them. It's built for comfort as well with dense foam earpads wrapped in a leatherette (just be aware it tends to get a bit sweaty), although its clamp force may be a bit much for some.
At the end of the day, it’s all about sound quality and the Cloud III handles various frequencies wonderfully. In my Cloud III headset review, I felt comfortable tracking enemy footsteps while playing a ton of Valorant and enjoyed the balanced audio in Final Fantasy XIV, which this more budget-friendly headset handled gracefully. Assuming you’re on a budget, you probably don’t want to spend extra on a decent microphone – luckily, the mic clarity on the Cloud III was equally as impressive. (And if you're so inclined, the wireless version of the Cloud III goes on sale for a nice price.)
Looking for the right headset in the mid-range can be challenging since you're caught between saving some money going with a cheaper option or tempting yourself on spending a bit more go up a tier. Considering how often the Asus ROG Pelta goes on sale, and the quality you get out of it, it makes for a fantastic choice if you're looking to spend between $110–$150.
We recently reviewed the Asus ROG Pelta and awarded it an 8/10, and our long-time writer and tech reviewer Mark Knapp shares a lot of my same sentiments, saying, "The Asus ROG Pelta is solid, delivering great sound for gaming and an exceptional microphone (something few wireless headsets manage) while managing to be extremely comfortable. As long as you can find a quiet environment to game in, you’ll get great use out of this headset, and you won’t have to charge often. If you want an even more open soundstage, there are high-tier headphones that can do it better, but the ROG Pelta is exceptional when it comes to gaming headsets. Asus has a winner on its hands and it's able to stand out in a crowded field."
We have a total of three SteelSeries headsets currently on this list, but the company has earned its place as one of the top gaming headset makers with the Arctis Nova lineup that covers the entire pricing spectrum. Yes, the Arctis Nova Elite carries a shocking price tag (upwards of $600), but for around $50, you can get the entry level Arctis Nova 1 that shares many similarities. It's super lightweight at 236g and has soft sports mesh padding along with the stretchy suspension band for comfort atop your head. I find the Arctis Nova headsets to fit a little fight, but they feel secure to wear out and its earpads balance out the pressure.
They sound fantastic for the price as well, rocking the 40mm audio drivers that most SteelSeries headsets use. It might not be tuned as precisely as the higher-end entries in the lineup, but the Arctis Nova 1 still puts out decent bass and clear mids and highs even when the volume is pumped up. It's a wired headset so you don't get the versatility offered by others, but the tucked-in microphone offers solid clarity for Discord calls and in-game chat (and you can split the line-in and microphone input for PC users). If you want the best sound for the price, I can't recommend the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 enough.
As I mentioned above, Turtle Beach knows what it's doing when it comes to gaming headsets, and even if I go down the pricing hierarchy, there are still impressive headsets like the Stealth 500 to be found. Although it’s quite bulky in its physical design, I found the Stealth 500 to be easy to wield thanks to its super flexible headband and durability, which also translates to solid comfort that’s easy on the ears.
More importantly, the sound quality you get from the Stealth 500 is nothing to scoff at. While it may struggle in higher frequencies, which tend to sound a bit crunchy, its strong bass and clear mids make games sound full without coming across as artificial. With the Swarm software’s Signature Sound profile, you’ll be set without having to fiddle with too many settings. Its positional audio was great as well, which I sussed out while playing competitive rounds of Counter-Strike 2, so you don’t really need to shell out the big bucks to get that kind of advantage.
Even at this price point, you get Bluetooth capabilities and can swap between devices with the press of a button. While the mic isn’t anything to boast about, it’s serviceable and can be customized in the software as well. It’s no surprise that there are compromises that need to be made in budget-level headsets, but it gets the essentials right, which earned it an 8 in my Stealth 500 review.
Sticker shock will hit you with the $600 SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite, but when you're working in genuine audiophile spaces, it comes with the territory. That's a hefty price tag, but what you get in return is a gaming headset that stands on its own atop the bunch for its precisely designed audio drivers and hi-res audio capabilities. If you care about having the absolute best audio fidelity, listen to a lot of lossless music, and want something that is packed with the latest state-of-the-art features geared toward gaming, nothing really comes close to the Arctis Nova Elite. For these reasons, it earned a rare score of 10 in our Arctis Nova Elite review.
Reviewer Will Judd concluded, "The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite is the best gaming headset that I've ever tested, offering small, meaningful, and multi-faceted upgrades over the already-excellent Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. As with that model, the key to success here is delivering industry-leading or at least competitive quality in almost every element: audio quality, mic quality, comfort, connectivity, design, software, and features. If you want the ultimate gaming headset at any price – an all-in-one offering that works brilliantly across PC, consoles, and mobile – this is what I'd recommend."
I've tested and used this headset myself, too, and it lives up to all the hype, which was achievable by improving upon the already great Arctis Nova Pro that's stilll our No. 1 recommendation. Again, the Elite is going to cater to a niche crowd, but if you're in that crowd, there's just nothing like it.
The Kraken V4 is Razer's flagship headset that's geared more towards luxury features (whereas something like the Blackshark V2 is more tuned for the competitive scene). And with that particular focus, you get one of the best implementations of virutual surround sound in any gaming headset. That's largely due to THX Spatial Audio and the fact that the Kraken V4 was designed with the feature in mind. Instead of it sounding like you're in an empty hall, there's a lot more detail in the positioning and distance of sound effects, especially when the game or movie you're experiencing was designed with spatial audio in mind. It's not something I'd recommend for competitive gaming, but having good theater-like sound on a headset is tough to find.
In my review of the Razer Kraken V4 Pro, I praised its sound quality, comfort, and surround sound capabilities, but it carries a heftier price tag with it being the Pro mode. While it comes with a robust base station, things like Sensa haptics just aren't worth seeking out. You can get the standard Razer Kraken V4 for significantly less and still get the fantastic virtual surround sound features along with that great audio quality and comfort.
The latest headset from Razer took me by surprise with how much it genuinely improved over its previous model. With the new BlackShark V3 Pro, you get a rare combo of top-notch audio performance, long-term comfort with sports mesh padding, and powerful active noise cancellation. Even with the sports mesh upholstery on the earpads, which typically doesn't create as good of a seal for natural sound isolation compared to leatherette, it is impressively strong at blocking outside noise through ANC. While many other headsets come with some noticeable distortion with ANC enabled, the BlackShark V3 Pro still comes through with clean and detailed sound quality. So, if ANC is of utmost importance, Razer is doing it better than most here.
The Xbox model of the BlackShark V3 Pro comes in a black scheme with green stitching to match the platform's aesthetic, and it looks fantastic. More importantly, its expansive feature set helps it stand out from a crowded lineup; wired analog audio, Bluetooth, ANC, great microphone clarity, fine-tuned EQ profiles, solid battery life, smart implementation of 3D audio, sensible onboard controls, and the lowest latency (on paper) from a wireless headset thus far. Razer paid attention to the little things, and it paid off in a worthy flagship product.
There was a lot to praise in my recent review of the BlackShark V3 Pro, even though it comes in at a whopping $250 at retail price. It has a fairly balanced audio profile, but can really sing with punchy bass and clean mids when tuned right, which was apparent in the many rounds of Call of Duty Warzone I played when I was reviewing it. When you stack it against the likes of the Audeze Maxwell and SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro recommended above, it easily competes with those high-end juggernauts, making it one of the top gaming headsets and one of Razer's best yet.
Gaming earbuds are a fairly recent trend with the notable peripheral companies like Razer, Asus, and PlayStation making their own that are suited for games. It's tough because of the limited driver size and battery life, earbuds tend to make sacrifices in one way or another. But the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are so impressive because of how uncompromising these little rounded buds are.
On top of having solid foundations of sound quality, battery life, and long-term comfort, SteelSeries has one of the most robust software suites, which is easily controllable through a mobile app. This takes out the inconvenience of having to flip through PS5 menus to customize the earbuds, while also letting you access its 100+ custom-tuned EQ profiles easily.
Although there are a few minor inconveniences with how some of its quality-of-life features work (autoplay when taking it on and off, connecting through Bluetooth reliably), the GameBuds do all the important things extremely well. While you should definitely use these as your primary earbuds to listen to music on your phone, they really shine in games with the kind of bold audio experience you expect from a headset. They'll pair nicely with your PS5 or Switch 2 since you also get a 2.4GHz USB-C wireless receiver for a no-latency connection; this is my preferred audio setup for Switch 2 thanks to the additional USB-C ports, letting me ditch my old wired earbuds for good. For all that and more, I gave a 9 to the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds in my review.
At $160, these have cheaper base price than the Razer Hammerheads I previously recommended. While I still think the Hammerheads have a very slight edge in sound quality, it's the battery life, software support, and overall comfort that make the GameBuds the best all around.
First thing’s first: How much are you willing to spend? Next thing to ask yourself is, what are your biggest priorities when looking for a gaming headset? Is it overall sound quality, comfort, microphone clarity, durability, or something else? And if you want to go wireless, you have to consider battery life and what a headset’s software suite is capable of. You’ll likely want some mix of all those things, but while you don’t have to pick one particular feature or strength to seek out among a wide array of options, some headsets simply do certain things better than others.
For me, this is the primary factor to look for regardless of price range (it’s rather a matter of managing expectations with more budget-friendly options). While the size of the drivers – the actual hardware in each earcup that produces sound – is an easy shorthand for determining a headset’s potential, it’s certainly not the be-all-end-all. How the headset is tuned, the material and physical construction of the drivers, and how it sounds in specific scenarios are things you can only learn about through reviews and first-hand accounts, if you can’t test it for yourself.
Pay attention to what reviewers say about frequencies like bass/lows, mids, and highs and how they describe their experience. Sometimes bass drowns out other frequencies, mids might be distorted in hectic gameplay, or the highs are harsh at loud volumes – these are the types of things we say when describing audio shortcomings. Some folks like deep bass even if it’s overpowering, so some detractors may not matter as much to some, for example.
This is also crucial for competitive gamers. The best headsets are able to express the details and nuances of sound effects, not just produce clear frequencies. This helps you judge direction and distance of footsteps or gunshots in games like Counter-Strike 2 and Valorant, for example, and can also result in a more immersive experience in single-player games or even movies. Some of this can be simulated through software but things like Turtle Beach’s Superhuman Hearing tend to sound too artificial, so be wary.
How comfortable a headset is can be challenging to understand without trying on a headset first. If you absolutely cannot try them on on first, pay attention to descriptors such as clamp force (how hard a headset latches onto one’s head), the density of the earpads, the type of material used to wrap the earpads, or how the headband rests above the user’s head. Materials like leatherette, sports mesh, and velour all have their pros and cons, with the former being better for sound isolation but not as great as the latter for airflow and mitigating sweat around the ears.
Many premium-level headsets use an aluminum frame, which may be heavier but can withstand much more contortion and mishandling. Some budget-friendly headsets opt for a flexible rubber-like plastic headband that offers a similar level of flexibility, so it doesn’t feel like you’re going to break the thing when putting it on or taking it off. Any gaming headset worth its salt shouldn’t have durability issues, but it is something to consider.
I typically find the microphones on gaming headsets to be an afterthought, mainly because you can get much better sound quality from a standalone external microphone – that’s what I use most of the time. That doesn’t mean I overlook microphone clarity altogether.
It’s rare to find a headset outside of the premium price range with a great mic, but it’s something we as reviewers always test because it’s certainly nice to have. Something like the HyperX Cloud III was truly impressive for a mic on a $100 gaming headset, and the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro is close to approaching mid-range standalone mics – and those who often use voice for communication or some sort of content creation can get a lot out of a good headset mic.
Noise isolation is worth paying attention to, as well as how well it picks up your voice – software-side features like controlling the noise gate can also be useful. And don’t overlook the importance of sidetone, which is a rare feature that automatically feeds your voice back to you.
Wireless headsets have evolved to the point where battery life is either a non-issue or manageable with good habits of charging them whenever you can. But for headsets you’re planning on using for multiple purposes (like ones with simultaneous Bluetooth connectivity for music on mobile devices, for example), total battery life can be a more important factor. Many should last in the 40-hour range from a full charge and higher-end ones can last upwards of 80 hours, although several variables feed into how long they last in actuality.
The last thing I’ll mention is a headset's customization, at least through software. Every gaming peripheral manufacturer has its own software suite it wants you to download, and they tend to be all-encompassing apps for all its gaming gear. But good software lets you get granular with your headset, such as Turtle Beach’s Swarm app. You can fiddle with equalization, make your own EQ presets, use premade profiles, control certain aspects of your microphone, and so much more. While it’s not as important as the essentials like sound quality and comfort, a proper software suite can help you get the most out of your purchase.
There are ways to extract audio data from a headset to get a look at how they handle various frequencies, like artificial ear and audio analyzing software, but that alone won’t be able to tell you what the actual audio experience is like. Admittedly, it can be quite abstract to have someone describe what games, music, or movies sound like. Paying attention to descriptors like distortion, drowning, cleanliness, or balance when talking about frequencies are common ways to explain the sound quality of a device, and at some point you need to trust the reviewer’s trained ear.
There’s also the factor of driver size, the actual hardware that delivers the audio. Generally, bigger drivers means better potential for cleaner and bolder sound, but again, that alone isn’t going to determine whether or not a headset sounds good. Quality can also come down to spatial or positional audio which gives the impression of sound effects having distance and direction – it’s important for competitive settings but can make for more immersive experiences outside of trying to get an advantage over your opponents.
Gaming headsets tend to pack additional features that support the actual gaming experience, some of which may be gimmicky, but many that I would call essential. Not everyone wants to have a standalone microphone, for example, but the key feature that separates a headset from headphones, is a built-in microphone. While most headset mics are passable in terms of clarity that can suffice for in-game communication, some go the extra mile to provide better clarity or mitigate ambient noise spilling through.
Good gaming headsets are generally tuned to pick up on certain sound effects and have a more intimate sound profile since you’re an active participant in the experience rather than a passive observer (especially in competitive games). When it comes to wireless capabilities, most gaming headsets come with 2.4GHz USB dongles for the lowest latency possible – something that wireless headphones rarely include. As you’ll see in the next section, software suites for USB-based headsets (wireless or otherwise) have gotten sophisticated as well and sometimes offer a level of customization for specific gaming scenarios.
Of course, it depends on your needs. I still gravitate towards wired headsets and headphones since I tend to prefer the sound profiles of a properly-tuned analog audio device (I also tend to forget about charging devices until it’s too late, but that’s a me-problem). However, battery life and latency of modern gaming headsets have come so far that you rarely, if ever, see them being issues on the latest releases. Good software suites and apps can also help you get more out of your headset by letting you customize EQ settings or swap sound profiles for certain games.
Wireless headsets are also sometimes capable of multi-device connectivity and simultaneous Bluetooth, which makes them versatile and opens them up to more use-cases (especially swapping to a mobile connection within seconds). Even though they tend to be more expensive, there’s a lot of upside to going with a wireless gaming headset, just be sure you know what you’ll be getting out of it.
Virtual surround sound had been a bit of a gimmick when high-end headphones started simulating the experience of a 7.1 speaker setup. But I will admit that the technology has come a long way. It’s not always best suited for gaming, especially in the competitive scene – there’s some artificiality with virtual surround that can lead to misjudging audio cues. But damn does something like DTS Headphone:X or Dolby Atmos sound impressive when done right – especially in action games or movies.
Some virtual surround sound software requires you to purchase a license, and personally I find the overall applicability of them fairly niche, but that doesn’t take away from how they simulate theater-like qualities. Just because a headset is compatible with features like Dolby Atmos or DTS Headphone:X, it doesn’t mean you’ll get an equal virtual surround experience – the headset itself has to be equipped to express a level of nuance in its sound quality for it to work well.
Michael Higham is the tech reviews editor at IGN and has a passion for good audio, which often drives him nuts when picking out headsets, headphones, earbuds, and speakers. He graduated from downloading low bitrate music to seeking lossless versions of his favorite songs at an early age. Having grown up playing Counter-Strike 1.6, and now keeping up with the Valorant competitive scene, he finds positional audio to be just as important as sound quality. But he actually just wants the best and most immersive audio for all the RPGs he plays, especially the ones with banging soundtracks.
Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution's latest expansion, Ascended Heroes, is (as per usual) increasingly hard to get hold of right now. While Ascended Heroes cards are technically already available, stock is painfully low or nonexistent in major retailers.
Moreover, several products, including the Elite Trainer Box, are part of a staggered release all the way through to April 2026. If you're looking to bag yourself an ETB (or several) that sport a rather magnificent Mega Dragonite, in anticipation of its launch day on February 20, then here's where you can currently pick one up, and what prices to expect at each retailer.
MSRP is $49.99, but the current market price at TCGplayer is listed at $141.11. That's around a 186% markup. That's a pricey increase, and even pricier compared to the $115-$120 value we were looking at just a few weeks ago.
That's because interest has spiked since the end of January (and the set's official release), and we've seen a +20.88% climb in value over the past month in total. Fans can only hope this doesn't rise any further in the coming weeks. In my view, the market price looks to be levelling out, but for now, it still takes the ETB closer to the Phantasmal Flames' ETB level of expensive come release day.
That was settling at around $150-$200 in November last year, but has thankfully since come down to around $82 market price, which is much better, a whole lot more what most fans would be happy/ expecting to pay for an ETB these days, even if it is above the original list price. Fingers crossed that Ascended Heroes can follow a similar trend.
In terms of where to buy, TCGplayer is the most reliable option, but also the most expensive, so proceed only with the knowledge that you're paying a premium. Amazon is without a listing just yet, but we're anticipating this will appear post release (so anytime after February 20).
GameStop also has preorders open for GameStop Pro members, with the listing at $99.99 / $94.99 for Pro members, plus $8.99 for delivery on top. It's a decent enough option for those already sporting Pro memberships (there are dozens of us!) but unfortunately an added expense for everyone else.
GameStop Pro Memberships are $25/Year - so in total you're looking at $128.97 for the ETB, Pro Membership, and shipping. Still, that's less than the average resale listing at TCGplayer, so it's not an entirely bad idea.
Best Buy has a "Coming Soon" listing at $49.99, but you'll need to be ready to purchase come release day. Have your account logged in and ready to go, with credit card info saved or also nearby to ensure success. Walmart also has a listing at $138.99, but it is a third party seller, so we'd consider it unreliable/ unverified at how trustworthy this can truely be, so proceed with extreme caution.
Finishing up, if you're after the exclusive Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box for Ascended Heroes, you're instead looking at around $339.85 market price right now.
It's also somewhat down compared to its sky high $399 price point I'd seen most recently online, and, according the latest data, has dropped 10.63% at TCGplayer over the past month. That's still pretty steep all things considered, but hardly unsurprising with how sought after these exclusive ETBs are, even years after release.
Yet, that's the price of cards on the resale market these days! I'm sure most of us are already quite used to it, even if it's still a mega pricey. That being said, in my opinion, you may be better off waiting for prices to come back down a bit post release day for the ETB (February 20), so a bit of patience may pay off if you can manage it.
I'd say anywhere around the $100-$110 mark is a good time to buy the standard ETB, but if you can wait a few months longer, hopefully we can see these falling to around $80 as well, just like the Phantasmal Flames ETB has.
Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN's resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.
“Zero Parades is an exploration of failure,” explains Jim Ashilevi, writer and VO director at ZA/UM. “What it means to lose everything and then keep going regardless. And then, since it's such a painful question, it inevitably becomes an exploration of what it means to be human. How uncomfortable and strange it is to exist in a body that has thoughts and feelings and responsibilities, and a past that they can't go back and fix.”
“This is why I love working here,” says ZA/UM’s head of studio, Allen Murray, with a smile. “I never had these conversations making Halo games.”
The studio behind Disco Elysium was, of course, never going to follow up its 2019 “disaster cop” RPG with a game about heroes saving the world. That’s not to say that it hasn’t moved into slightly more traditional video game territory, though. Its new game, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, is an espionage spy thriller set in a dark, almost psychedelic reflection of the Cold War’s closing years. Global powers conspire, enemy agents lurk in the dark, and the entire world sits on the doorstep of the end of history. But while that could theoretically be the elevator pitch for any number of mainstream, combat-forward RPGs, ZA/UM is doing spycraft the only way it knows: Disco style.
“I think the one North Star that we have is that we have to be genuinely interested in the stories that we are choosing to tell,” says Ashilevi. “If we were to start mimicking someone else, or go bigger and more expensive and add production value and fighting mechanics and multiplayer, I think we would just destroy ourselves in the process.”
This “North Star” means that, on the surface, Zero Parades looks almost identical to Disco Elysium. It’s another dialogue-centric, introspective, isometric RPG with striking art direction. But that’s not to say it’s the exact same game dressed up in a John le Carré skin.
“I think you can see the team has really wanted to exceed their production chops with Zero Parades,” explains Murray, “in terms of having the world seem more reactive, more lived in. There's more action, more people walking around doing things.”
While ZA/UM had no intention of creating a “traditional” video game RPG, it did want to dig deeper into the genre’s more crunchy elements. This time around there are more skill checks, alongside a mental and physical health system that can be exerted to increase the chances of passing those checks. There’s further emphasis on multiple solutions to individual problems, the very foundation of BioWare’s celebrated Infinity Engine games. By pushing the depth of choice available and enhancing the world’s reactivity to those choices, the team saw the opportunity to create something that stood distinct from Disco Elysium.
“Sophomore efforts are really challenging,” Murray admits. “You don't want to repeat your first hit, nor can you really.”
It took a lot of time for the team to come to terms with that. During the years following Disco Elysium’s release and subsequent “Final Cut” version, ZA/UM experimented with a number of concepts – some were effectively direct sequels, while others explored “a completely different direction,” according to Ashilevi. The path to Zero Parades arrived with the decision to “not fully reinvent the wheel.” The goal, Murray says, was to “expand on what we know how to do, and make a bigger game, both mechanically and in terms of production scope, and do it well.”
Murray acknowledges that there were “years of drama” before the studio got to that point. For many fans of Disco Elysium, that will mean only one thing: the firing of several key creatives in 2022 and their subsequent accusation that ZA/UM’s executive management had seized control of the company through fraud. It’s a complicated chapter in the studio’s story, in which those exorcised from the company – including game director Robert Kurvitz, writer Helen Hindpere, and art director Aleksander Rostov – are characterised as either toxic disruptors or the victims of corporate conspiracy, depending on your source.
But there’s more to ZA/UM’s troubled recent history than those controversial dismissals: this is a studio that has repeatedly cancelled projects and, in early 2024, made 20 of its staff redundant. It all paints a picture of an inexperienced studio struggling to adapt to life after releasing an unexpected mega hit on the first attempt, with the workers caught in the crossfire. Perhaps unsurprisingly, ZA/UM’s UK-based workforce unionised last year.
But while collective bargaining is undoubtedly important, those workers also need strong leadership to avoid the woes of the past. Maybe they’ve found that in Murray, a 20-year veteran of the video games industry with previous tenures at Microsoft, Bungie, PopCap, and Private Division. He was appointed as ZA/UM’s new head of studio shortly after news broke about those painful redundancies, and over the past two years his goal has been “coaching the people in the studio, maturing our processes, helping people to really focus on what we're making, how we're making it, and why we're making it.”
“It was easy to have a lot of things sort of floating around,” he admits. “But how are we actually going to animate this, or how are we going to light this? What does this story really mean? What are you really trying to get across to the player?”
Today, ZA/UM is made up of around 90 members of staff. Several of them have, like Murray, been recruited from established developers such as Rocksteady in order to arm the studio with specialist video game experience. But the remaining members of the Disco Elysium team, which makes up approximately 35% of the studio’s total roster, plus many of the new recruits, “come from a background that has nothing to do with game dev,” says Ashilevi.
“As a studio, we still view ourselves pretty much as a collective of artists,” he explains. “The artistry comes first, the storytelling comes first. To me personally, it still feels like the whole video game development side of things is just like a happy accident.”
That brings us back to Zero Parades, which tells the story of Hershel Wilk, codename “Cascade”, who’s pulled out of retirement for the all-time classic spy trope, One Last Job. By moving into the espionage genre, ZA/UM has been able to work at a notably different scale than it did with Disco Elysium. While Zero Parades takes place in a physical space not too dissimilar to that of the studio’s previous game, by stepping into the shoes of a spy rather than a local detective, the story naturally explores a much grander stage.
“You do have to contend with world powers,” Ashilevi reveals. “It's not just wallpaper, or stuff that you read from notes that people leave in drawers, or newspapers left on tables. You do have to come into close contact with some of the big players as well.”
This global stage is explored through Hershel’s very personal lens, so while the stakes are certainly heightened this time around, your actions are still conducted at street level. You may be able to turn the cogs of a mega corporation and shift the balance of worldwide politics, for instance, but to do so may require betraying your closest friend. Hershel’s own pain will be tangible, whereas those rotating cogs will feel distant, perhaps even unimportant, to her own life. Such is the toll of espionage.
To create something that reflects Disco Elysium’s triumphs, though, you can’t just tackle issues of the human condition. You’ve got to get at least a little eccentric. And that’s where Hershel’s hobbies come into play.
“She's deeply fascinated with comic books, music, you name it,” Ashilevi reveals. “So the story is also an exploration of pop culture and what soft power means. Why is it important for us to be obsessed with pop artists and cartoons, and films and pulp novels, and things like that? Why are people so deeply obsessed with retro tech and bootlegged media, like underground forbidden films? What does it do to your soul, and how does it define your identity?”
While music, fashion, TV shows, and retrofuturistic music formats all contribute to the city of Portofiro’s vibrant texture, there is a dark side to it all. What is a consumer as a political entity? How do tiny decisions, like tuning into a particular show or buying a certain magazine, tie into the movements of the big powers? These are potential avenues for Hershel – for you – to investigate.
The battle for soft and hard power, waged between international banks, imperialist states, and communist unions, is something that goes beyond just Hershel’s current mission. “We need to come up with an inspiring enough sandbox so that whatever we choose to do with those characters or this universe next, we can just jump right into it and keep telling stories because the groundwork has been laid,” says Ashilevi. Zero Parades is the starting point for something bigger, then.
At least that’s the hope. The world of Elysium was also envisioned as a space for multiple stories, but it seems that book is now eternally closed. And while Zero Parades may not necessarily need to be as significant a breakout hit as Disco Elysium was to unlock the potential for sequels, it does need to stand tall in a world where the “Disco-like” is a rising genre, made up of games developed both by fans inspired by that RPG masterpiece and new studios set up by the scattered former members of ZA/UM’s original creative team. But by following their own creative North Star, the team behind Zero Parades hopes to captivate players once more.
“We have no clue what kinds of games or stories people are hoping to get out of ZA/UM,” Ashilevi says. “The only thing we can control is whether we're staying true to our own vision and voice. And that's what we have done with Zero Parades.”
Matt Purslow is IGN's Executive Editor of Features.
The LEGO Ideas Vincent van Gogh The Starry Night set, one of our favorite LEGO art sets, has received quite the discount at Amazon, dropping to $139 from its original price of $169.99.
This appears to be a new low price for the set. While price tracker camelcamelcamel claims that it's never received a big discount before from Amazon, last year we reported on a deal that saw it reduced to $147.99. Today's discount price is lower than that, though, making now an even better time to grab it. Head to the link below to add it to your cart while the offer is still available.
For adults, this looks like an absolutely lovely set to work on, especially if you're a fan of Vincent van Gogh's work. It'll certainly take you a while to piece together, too, as it comes with 2,316 pieces. These create a 3D version of the beloved The Starry Night painting, but that's not all. It even comes with a little minifigure of van Gogh who's holding a paintbrush and palette, painting a mini version of The Starry Night.
Once you've completed it, you can also choose to either hang it up on a wall or display it freestanding. It definitely looks like a piece that would be great to have on display, so it's nice you have multiple options for showcasing it. If this is one LEGO set that you've had on your radar, now is the time to pick it up while this excellent deal is still available.
If you're curious what other LEGO art sets are worth your time, have a look through our breakdown of the best LEGO art sets. Alongside this Starry Night set, there's plenty more that are worth a look, including van Gogh's Sunflowers set. And for even more sets we adore outside of the artsy ones, check out our breakdown of the best LEGO sets for adults.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
Blizzard has reportedly partnered with Korean gaming giant Nexon for yet another crack at turning StarCraft into a shooter.
While unconfirmed by Blizzard itself, the project is the subject of an article in The Korea Economic Daily, the country's largest business newspaper. The report states that Nexon has a development team dedicated to the project within its shooter division, with a StarCraft modder installed as its project lead.
Blizzard has long held ambitions to launch a shooter spin-off from its sci-fi real-time strategy series, while Nexon has recently found Western success within the shooter space as the owner of Swedish development studio Embark Studio — the outfit behind The Finals and Arc Raiders.
Still, the report is cautious on the project's development — noting that Nexon previously partnered with Square Enix to develop a Final Fantasy spin-off that faltered in the planning stages. A note of caution here is likely wise, too, considering Blizzard's own track record on abandoned StarCraft spin-off projects.
StarCraft Ghost, announced in 2002, was Blizzard's first attempt to expand the series beyond its real-time strategy origins. Planned as a tactical-action console game in which you played as a deadly Ghost operative in the employ of the Dominion, it was canceled in 2006 after a series of delays.
A second StarCraft shooter attempt, codenamed Ares, was canceled in 2019 so Blizzard could focus on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. Ares was reportedly "like Battlefield in the StarCraft universe," but, like Ghost, fell by the wayside. Finally, in 2024, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier shared word of a third StarCraft shooter project then in development within Blizzard, with former Far Cry executive producer Dan Hay, who joined Blizzard in 2022, leading the charge.
Could Nexon's shooter be the same project as the one Hay had been leading, or a new iteration of it? This remains unclear, especially since Hay's project had apparently been in development two years ago, whereas Nexon's game sounds more recent — and developed on a different continent. IGN has contacted Blizzard for more.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Sports are foundational to gaming as a medium. From Pong to NES Baseball, the infancy of the medium was littered with just-about-recognisable renditions of real-life sports in an attempt to conjure a degree of familiarity to this fledgling form of entertainment. But in the mid ‘90s, the developers at Nintendo collectively had a light bulb appear above their head housing an idea that would change gaming forever – what if Mario and his friends played tennis?
The greatest Mario sports games are a perfect blend of those two words: Mario and sports. It has to be a simulation worth its salt, giving you a reasonable adaptation of what it’s truly like to play the sport in question. However, just as vital is the Mario part, splicing the sport with the Mushroom Kingdom’s trademark personality. In the decades following 1995’s Mario’s Tennis, Nintendo’s sports games evolved from simple sims to wacky adventures, before retreating back to a steady, if uninspiring, run of titles. The early days of Camelot Software’s handheld RPGs and chaos-inducing console sims are seemingly long gone, and today many of Mario’s sporting outings are greeted with more of a shrug than with anticipation.
But with Mario Tennis Fever releasing this month on Nintendo Switch 2, we could be about to enter a new era. So in celebration of a joyful future (or just a magical past) here’s the top 10 Mario sports games, ranked.
If many modern Mario sports games are poisoned by a lack of personality, games like Mario Hoops are the antidote. 3-on-3’s unique presentation blends 3D models with excellent sprite work, a striking approach that bridges the graphical styles of the GameBoy Advance and Nintendo’s then-new DS handheld. Nothing represents this mix better than the character select screen, the single greatest in all of Mario history, which lays the groundwork for a charming basketball romp.
Hoops could easily claim to be the best use of the DS’ touch screen. Tapping in different areas sees Mario and his friends dribble around the court, keeping the ball away from opponents and collecting coins and items. It’s an intuitive motion, and that use of the stylus extends to all the basics of basketball, like shooting and passing. Regrettably, Nintendo has rarely returned to the idea of basketball in the Mushroom Kingdom, but even if it did try again, few consoles would execute the idea better than the DS… well, as long as you’re not left-handed, that is.
The early days of handheld Mario sports games produced some of the most unusual oddities in Nintendo’s history, and their lack of Mushroom Kingdom whimsey and focus on regular human characters is often looked back upon with a raised eyebrow. However, actually dive into the Game Boy Color’s Mario Tennis and you’ll find that eyebrow is put firmly back in place.
Mario Tennis features a wonderful RPG “Tour” mode that nails the genre’s basics. Being locked into three-set matches with a far more powerful opponent is akin to boss battles in a more traditional RPG. They become challenges that you relish, always pushing you to move more quickly after a serve or time your smashes to perfection. Working through the tour sees you levelling up your original character via a very satisfying process, with the grind required to improve specific skills never feeling like a chore. The graphics and controls are inherently limited by the console, but that simplicity lends Mario Tennis a lovely rhythmic quality that encourages repeat replays even a quarter of a century later.
For as slow and ponderous as the sport of golf can be, it’s a miracle that it consistently dovetails so beautifully with the chaotic and colorful world of Mario. World Tour nails the balance between both sides of the Nintendo sports coin, offering a quick and snappy way to execute precise and considered rounds of golf. With no need for complicated button schemes or deep systems, World Tour gives you a great sense of control that allows you to cut through the fiddly stuff and get to work on the eternal quest of improving your swing, just like a real casual golfer.
The 3DS and Wii U era was a difficult one for Mario sports titles, but World Tour stands out from a lacklustre crowd thanks to its personality-packed game modes like Point Tourney, Star Coin challenges and Speed Golf. Castle Club also adds a story mode centred on your Mii, complete with a fun upgrade system with stat-boosting cosmetics like clothes and clubs, which is reminiscent of Camelot’s handheld glory days.
Much like basketball, Nintendo has barely paid any attention to baseball across the past couple decades, despite knocking it out of the park on the first try back in 2005. Mario Superstar Baseball is a wonderful marriage of addictive baseball mechanics and Mushroom Kingdom chaos, played out in iconic Mario locations that have been contorted into baseball fields. Only in Wario Palace could a barrage of environmental hazards turn a home run into a devastating out.
Superstar Baseball boasts one of the Mario sports series’ most engaging story modes thanks to its “chemistry engine”. The relationships between your teammates dictates the speed and accuracy of their passes, meaning you won’t want to pair Mario with Wario and Bowser, but he’ll combine beautifully with Luigi and Peach. It’s a simple and effective way to bring depth to an already smooth experience that belongs in the Nintendo big leagues.
It’s amazing what a little pop of 2D animation and a few guitar riffs can do to make a subset of Mario sports games feel completely unique. Super Mario Strikers, the jumping plumber’s first foray into the world of soccer, has always had a rebellious edge. Anyone who was glued to their GameCube in the mid-2000s will look back on it with a special kind of fondness, especially in the light of its disappointing revival on Switch.
The nostalgia for Strikers isn’t just due to its bold presentation, though: its gameplay is perfectly calibrated. Each character controls just loosely enough to invite exactly the right amount of chaos into each and every match. If the dial was turned too far towards clean passing and shooting, Mario Strikers would be nowhere near as fun. Instead, developer Next Level Games created something aggressively competitive, wholly chaotic, and vibrantly unique – everything a Mario sports game should be.
Mario Golf: Advance Tour is one of the Game Boy Advance’s true gems, launched during a time when developer Camelot was proving itself as a Nintendo sports powerhouse. Compared to its predecessors it is genuinely beautiful; the GBA was an absolute haven for bright and colorful adventures and Advance Tour benefits greatly from the system’s then-advanced capabilities.
Those vibrant visuals are just the face of a game that takes the proven and perfected RPG structure from Camelot’s previous sports games and introduces even more Mario characters and locations to the mix. On the gameplay front, despite only having two face buttons available, Camelot designed a great-feeling, tight control scheme that ensured each shot you took felt measured and clean. That sharpness became a design philosophy that continues to stick around throughout every installment in the Mario Golf series. Advance Tour remains special to this day, though, thanks to its unique pixel art rendering of otherworldly courses, and the GBA’s form factor making it the perfect game to pack for on-the-go strolls through the Mushroom Kingdom’s premier golf courses.
The moment you play your first shot in the Nintendo 64 version of Mario Tennis, something just clicks. The responsive gameplay, smooth animations, and freeing analog control creates an indescribable sense of elegance. Long rallies become like trances in which you find yourself less determined to win the point and instead simply addicted to the sensation of knocking the ball back and forth. Well, until you completely mistime a shot, Toad falls flat on his face, and you’re suddenly a couple sets down, that is.
Released in the year 2000, Mario Tennis is another example of deep gameplay that requires just two face buttons and directional controls, representing Nintendo at its most simple and effective. Subsequent tennis games went on to add ideas, gimmicks and modes that undeniably helped them surpass the offerings of this N64 title. But the bones of modern Mario Tennis are all here, a timeless gameplay loop perfected 26 years ago that endures throughout Nintendo’s history.
So much of what we expect from modern Mario sports games originated back on the GameCube, and the brilliant Mario Golf formula established by Toadstool Tour is one that Nintendo has defaulted to over the last couple decades. Its use of normal and power shots, manual or automatic swinging, and approach to camera control are all now staples of 3D Mario Golf titles for good reason: the simplicity just works.
That simplicity gives Toadstool Tour plenty of space to carry out an overwhelming charm offensive. There are so many different ways to play, especially in multiplayer, from the conventional Doubles and Tournament modes to the more eccentric Coin and Ring attacks, giving Toadstool Tour a shot at being the best party game on this list. It’s also the Mario Golf game that does the sport itself the most justice while still feeling quintessentially Mario. It’s simply a great bit of goofy, golfy goodness.
Everything that made Mario Tennis on the N64 so brilliant is preserved and built upon with the GameCube’s Mario Power Tennis. The console’s extra horsepower is used to add wild flourishes to the courts and characters, allowing the established, excellent 3D tennis formula to thrive alongside a deep collection of crazy Mario-isms. Smartly, developer Camelot decided against making full use of the GameCube’s iconic multi-button controller, understanding the enduring appeal of a simple control scheme, while still finding a way to add deeper mechanics, such as offensive and defensive skill shots.
Along with fun challenge courts that test specific tennis skills and Item Battles which create chaos over the net, Mario Power Tennis boasts feats of creative genius like Artist on the Court, a mode in which you use your tennis skills to paint a mural.These may not be flagship modes, but they add the kind of personality and flavour that you can’t get from anyone else but Nintendo in today’s gaming landscape.
Much like how Power Tennis and Toadstool Tour benefited from the excellent foundations of their predecessors, Super Mario Strikers Charged takes every beloved detail from the original Strikers and advances them several steps further. Its refined design places increased emphasis on tactics; each character now has stats and special abilities, which makes playstyles and team composition as vital to victory as actually kicking the ball.
What makes Strikers Charged the very best game in this list, though, is how that tactical play is enhanced through Super Abilities and Mega Strikes, AKA the greatest gimmicks ever introduced to a Mario sports game. Abilities like Yoshi turning into a giant egg and flattening people across the pitch, or Bowser setting players on fire, or Petey Piranha spraying mud in every direction provides a variety of incredibly silly, yet highly tactical opportunities. The Mega Strikes, meanwhile, increase the level of hype around the proceedings, triggering a cut scene and allowing you to score up to six goals in one go. This is a great arcade soccer game, but Super Mario Strikers Charged is also completely out of its mind, and it’s that wonderful blend that makes a Mario sports game truly great.
And those are our picks for the very best Mario sports games. Did we get a hole in one, or have we suffered a triple bagel? Let us know your thoughts and favourites in the comments.
Discord has announced plans to enforce a new "teen-appropriate" experience by default next month, requiring age verification to access restricted content or change content settings.
In a blog post issued today, Discord said it was enhancing its age-appropriate protections for users worldwide while maintaining "privacy, community and meaningful connection on the platform."
The move comes just months after Discord admitted that hackers had gained access to images of 70,000 government IDs, uploaded to the servers of a third-party vendor that it had entrusted with the data, following user contact with its Customer Support or Trust & Safety teams.
Discord first began rolling out age verification last year in the United Kingdom and Australia, alongside similar moves by other social media firms prompted by the tightening of local laws. It was at this point that some users realized they were able to trick the live facial estimation software by simply showing it their character in Death Stranding — a loophole that has since been fixed.
Today, Discord said that new and existing users "may be required to engage in an age-verification process" starting in early March, in order to access "age-restricted channels, servers, or commands and select message requests." This also includes the ability to unblur sensitive content and receive Direct Messages from unknown users.
Users will be able to verify their age by submitting a form of ID to a vendor partner, or by using Discord's own facial age estimation software. But some users may not be prompted to have their age checked, as Discord will also use an age inference model to automatically assume a user's age, based on their usage history.
Discord says its age estimation technology boasts "privacy protections" as your video selfie won't leave your device. As for ID documents uploaded to vendors, these are "deleted quickly — in most cases, immediately after age confirmation," Discord said.
Speaking to The Verge, Savannah Badalich, Discord’s global head of product policy, said that the company had ceased working with the vendor behind last year's hack. "We’re not doing biometric scanning [or] facial recognition," Badalich added. "We’re doing facial estimation. The ID is immediately deleted. We do not keep any information around like your name, the city that you live in, if you used a birth certificate or something else, any of that information."
After an account has been verified once, no further checks should be needed in future, Discord concluded.
Image credit: Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
There are a million things that have to go right for a video game to be a success. Well, maybe not a million. But a lot. Michael Choung, the CEO of AdHoc Studio – which released the popular superhero workplace comedy game Dispatch last year – admits as much. Choung says that there were “probably 20 decisions in the last seven years” that aligned to make the game a huge success. And casting Aaron Paul as Dispatch’s protagonist, Robert Robertson/Mecha Man, was one of those decisions.
I spoke exclusively with Choung and Dispatch Creative Director/Executive Producer Nick Herman ahead of the DICE Awards (Dispatch is nominated for six, including Game of the Year) on February 12 to break down everything that had to go right in order for Dispatch to see the light of day. Herman says that, although they had “pretty decent” temporary tracks out of the stand-in actors they hired before the main cast got into the studio, Paul’s performance pushed the entire development of the game in a new direction.
“Once we cast Aaron Paul and brought him into the booth, he brought a lot more gravitas,” Herman says. “He brought a heaviness to the character that started to allow us to take him more seriously. You can actually feel that he's got this burden on his shoulders and this weight from his past, and the game got a little bit more serious. When we were working with him we realized that was a good thing. We wanted that depth to show up in the game.”
Paul, perhaps best known for his Emmy-winning turn as Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad, is nominated for a DICE Award for Outstanding Achievement in Character, a nomination he shares with Herman and Dispatch’s other Narrative and Creative Directors. Laura Bailey, Paul’s co-star in the game who plays Courtney/Invisigal, is nominated for the same award. Herman says that assembling an all-star cast – which also includes Jeffrey Wright, Matthew Mercer, and Ashley Johnson – was both a creative and strategic decision.
“We knew that we wanted to have some big talent that when people see the name, they’d go, ‘Oh I know who that is. I know that actor and I like them,’” Herman says. “Aaron just read the script and he liked it. So we were very fortunate. We needed that tier, especially when you're going into rooms with a lot of suits who have a lot of money and make decisions.”
“I think there's a desire for people to want there to be this puppet mastery strategy around this stuff,” Choung adds. “But we just like these voices. You want it to be creatively compelling. (But) then you have these other additional bonuses: (the actors) having a huge audience, they (come from) different worlds. A lot of them were friends. They were people that we'd worked with before. So it’s years and years of experience just coming to bear.”
Now that Dispatch has become both a critical and commercial success, both Herman and Choung are reflecting on the intense reaction to the game. I asked them each if they could point to a single thing they were most proud of.
“You can dislike it, but the tone is unique and the result of countless numbers of decisions,” Choung says. “It’s a very strange alchemy that results in a tone like this. I'm proud that we stuck to our guns and we were okay with something a little off the beaten path.”
“We had a lot of bold ideas that people told us were maybe a little too risky,” Herman adds. “People were saying there's no money in narrative experiences. This stuff is dead. Removing freewalk, not having exploration, focusing on having one core main mechanic. All of these things are things we wanted to try for for a very long time. And we've treated Dispatch like this is our one shot, like this might be the last time we ever get an opportunity to make something on our own together. I think all of those things combined is the reason Dispatch is successful.
“The fact that it worked and that people were responding to it is awesome. I hope other people learn from this. Just go fucking nuts if you can. I'm proud that we went as hard as we did and we took as big of a swing as we could. Whether it's an indie game with one developer or it's a larger studio, it's hard and it's a miracle when a game gets made every time.”
Be sure to catch IGN’s exclusive broadcast of the 29th Annual DICE Awards on Thursday, February 12 at 8pm PT.
Michael Peyton is the Senior Editorial Director of Events & Entertainment at IGN, leading entertainment content and coverage of tentpole events including IGN Live, San Diego Comic Con, gamescom, and IGN Fan Fest. He's spent 20 years working in the games and entertainment industry, and his adventures have taken him everywhere from the Oscars to Japan to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Follow him on Bluesky @MichaelPeyton
The finale season of Stranger Things was something of a world-changing event in pop culture — but not everyone in the cast liked the direction the show went in season 5. In fact, star Matthew Modine recently opened up about his feelings on the ending of the series.
Modine — who played Dr. Martin Brenner, aka “Papa,” the scientist who trained and nurtured Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven beginning in season 1 — recently shared a video of himself on Instagram, and in the comments, a fan asked if he liked the series finale. “Nope,” he bluntly replied to the fan.
From there, he was asked by another viewer, “Does Papa believe in Stranger Things episode 9?” (If you’re thinking, wait, the season only had eight episodes, we’ll explain in just a second.) Modine’s response to the question clearly echoed his distaste for the episode: “Hoping so for the fans.”
So, about that ninth episode. In case you’re not aware, the "Conformity Gate" fan theory gained significant traction online last month as fans claimed that the show’s finale was not actually its finale, but a clever trick played by the Vecna itself. Unhappy with the show's actual ending, fans suggested another finale was on the way — something that was later shown to be nonsense.
Interestingly enough, Modine has been a vocal supporter of the theory for a little while now — and this isn’t his first time addressing it. At the end of January, the actor shared a clip of himself dressed in character with the caption, “Waiting.” It can be inferred that the actor is alluding to the wait for the secret ninth episode, and if so, unfortunately he’s still waiting even now.
The Duffer brothers, co-creators and showrunners of Stranger Things, have ruled a Stranger Things sequel out, saying making such a thing would come across as a “gross cash grab.” That said, more from the show's universe is already in the works — such as a live-action spin-off with new characters, and Stranger Things '85, an animated series showing further adventures with the gang while they were younger.
Stranger Things can be watched in full on Netflix.
Image credit: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
A beautiful bouquet of flowers sent direct to you is always a nice surprise. If you’re hoping to pick one up for your favorite person to have on Valentine’s Day this year, but are unsure if your local florist can set you up with something in time, we have good news: there are plenty of places online that you can order from.
To help you narrow down your search for the best bouquet, we’ve gathered up just a few spots worth grabbing flowers from this year. Each location offers their own unique arrangements to choose from - and some even offer extras like chocolates you can bundle them with - so you can pick out something you think will really surprise your loved one. Some locations will even let you know if they’ll arrive in time, or allow you to set a delivery date, so you can plan ahead to make sure you’ve got your bouquet secured for the big day.
Whether you want to go the traditional route with a big bouquet of roses or want a vibrant display of various blooms, have a look through some of the available arrangements below and which locations you can order them from.
ProFlowers offers a variety of different sized arrangements. Many also have the option to be bundled with extra goodies such as chocolates, a stuffed bear, or a vase to show off your chosen bouquet. If you don’t mind spending a little bit more, these combo deals are certainly worth a look for Valentine’s Day. You can even choose a specific delivery date on the store page once you find the arrangement you like, so you can make sure it arrives just in time.
Amazon is another spot that offers a wide variety of bouquets, and some of them even have delivery information to give you peace of mind. On the store page for certain bouquets you’ll find a notice above the 'Add to Cart’ button that details when exactly you can expect the bouquet to arrive. This is incredibly helpful if you’re getting some last-minute shopping done before the day itself.
Similar to ProFlowers, 1-800 Flowers has a selection of bouquets in various sizes and the option to bundle many of them with a sweet treat or a vase. Also like ProFlowers, this online retailer's prices are more on the premium side, but the beautiful, bright arrangements certainly seem worth every penny. Like many of the other options we suggest, 1-800 Flowers gives you the option to ‘Pick a Date’ for delivery on their store page.
From You Flowers is another place that offers a wide variety of bigger, slightly pricier bouquets, with some having the option of coming bundled with extras like chocolates, a vase, or even a stuffed teddy bear. If you don't want those additional items, the bouquets themselves certainly stand out on their own and will easily hold up as a complete, beautiful gift. From You Flowers also offer the option to choose a specific delivery date on the store page once you find the bouquet you like.
If you’re looking for something kinder on the wallet than the pricier bouquets above, Walmart is a great place to look for more affordable arrangements. They have a wide variety of options available, from a dozen roses to a mixed bouquet or a delightful little orchid, plus many more. In terms of how you get them, Walmart has a ‘Pickup’ option, so you can order online and grab them from your nearest store.
At some point, real flowers will inevitably wilt and fall apart even under the most attentive care. May I suggest LEGO flowers as a terrific, permanent, low-hassle alternative. While they do take some work (you have to put them together), it's a fun task rather than an onerous one. And you can put them together with your significant other to spend some time together. Once assembled, you can display them in a real vase, no water or upkeep required. These sets are one of the best LEGO gifts for Valentine's day or any other occasion.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
After last year’s swashbuckling Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii triumphantly hoisted the black flag, this year developer Ryu Ga Gotoku has set its sights on elevating the Yakuza series’ black sheep. While well-received critically upon its original 2009 release, Yakuza 3’s sluggish combat and uneven story pacing has seen it age about as well as leftover sashimi, leaving it to linger at the back of the pack while the Like a Dragon series has pushed forward into exciting turn-based twists and experimental spin-offs. Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, then, is a much-needed retooling that ratchets up the fun factor of its fighting and smooths out most of its unwanted story creases, resulting in an enjoyable return to the largely underused island setting of Okinawa – even if not all of its changes and additions were powerful enough to uppercut me off my feet.
Although it received an HD remaster in 2019, I must admit I haven’t revisited Yakuza 3 since it first debuted on PlayStation 3 because I couldn’t bear the thought of once again battling my way through its annoyingly block-happy hordes. The bulk of Yakuza 3’s enemies were so stubbornly resilient to Kazuma Kiryu’s attacks that getting further than a few hits into a combo was a struggle; instead of gleefully breaking jaws, Yakuza 3’s fighting felt more like painfully pulling teeth.
Thankfully, that has all changed with Kiwami 3, which dramatically speeds up enemy encounters and endows Kiryu with two flexible fighting styles to cover all his thug-bashing bases. His default stance is classic Dragon of Dojima, a mix of satisfyingly weighty combo attacks and wrestling-style grapples that hit harder than a shotgunned can of Suntory Highball. As entertaining as that is, however, I found myself largely relying on his secondary stance, which arms him with eight different weapons. Those range from the baton-like tonfa to inflict stun, a pair of scythes to inflict bleed, brass knuckles to break guards, a shield to deflect blades and bullets, and a pair of nunchucks to regularly look like a total badarse with.
It’s a versatile and violent fighting style that transforms Kiryu into a lightning-fast, leisure suit-wearing shinobi, and it’s supremely intuitive to pick up. There’s no manual weapon switching or inventory management to fiddle with, since everything in his sharp-edged arsenal is triggered by a seamless combination of tapping and holding the three main attack buttons, allowing you to go from slapping a group of gangsters with a wooden boat oar to flinging a pointy pair of sai at their throat without even the slightest pause in the action. The original Yakuza 3 may have ultimately had more weapons to choose from, but given how quickly they would break I rarely bothered to actually use them, and thus I found Kiwami 3’s Swiss Army Knife-style fighting stance a vastly improved method for dealing out wanton destruction using the contents of a Ninja Turtle’s toy chest.
Kiwami 3’s combat doesn’t just feel smoother and more satisfying, it looks a lot flashier too. As was the case with the previous Kiwami remakes, Kiwami 3’s visual design has been boosted to bring it inline with the more modern entries, from the vastly improved character models to the firework-like particle effects that spark off Kiryu’s furious fists. This aesthetic overhaul extends to the environments too, and I was particularly pleased to explore the remodelled slice of Okinawa that features heavily in Kiwami 3’s opening half, since it’s a region that’s rarely been revisited in subsequent Yakuza and Like a Dragon adventures. Its sun-kissed coastal town vibes contrast nicely with Kamurocho’s hustle and bustle, making it akin to Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s Hawaii – albeit on a significantly smaller scale.
While Kiwami 3 broadly retains the same outline of the original game’s story, which centres on a spiteful turf war in Okinawa, the developers have treated the plot like a street thug and given it a good punch up. In the original Yakuza 3, certain chapters confined Kiryu to the Morning Glory orphanage he runs for lengthy periods of time, presenting precious little beyond slowly paging through text-based conversations with its pint-sized residents. Thankfully, Kiwami 3’s structure has been reshuffled to make these sleepy seaside sections entirely optional beyond an initial set of mandatory tutorials, meaning you now have the choice of either taking the time to forge bonds with these little Okinawan Oliver Twists, or just hurrying back to black-belting the Pocari Sweat out of every mobster yakuzin’ for a bruisin’ in the world outside the orphanage’s walls.
If you’d have given me the option of skipping these slice of life segments in the original Yakuza 3 I’d likely have taken it, yet surprisingly in Kiwami 3 I found myself growing more invested in the plight of Morning Glory’s munchkins than I ever did before. That’s thanks to a smart use of snackable mini-games that transform humdrum domestic chores into stimulating diversions. You can complete the kids’ algebra homework against the clock, go spearfishing for flounder and then transform those ingredients into a meal in an energetic burst of Cooking Mama-inspired culinary chaos, or, my personal favourite, steer a sewing machine needle around a Super Hang-On style circuit made of fabric in a delirious bout of high-speed hemming that regularly left both me and the handcrafted tote bag onscreen in stitches. As I ticked off each enjoyable household task, I found myself bonding with these little wide-eyed waifs in a more organic manner. That meant the stakes felt appropriately heightened later on when Kiryu’s criminal past inevitably catches up with him.
That’s not to say that Kiwami 3 completely sharpens the original’s storytelling, and there are still some of the series’ signature attention span-stretching conversation cutscenes present here – including one marathon meeting room exposition dump in its ninth chapter that’s so comically drawn out it actually gives you the option of taking regular breaks for Kiryu to stretch his legs by walking around a tiny office he can’t leave. There’s also a surprising twist in Kiwami 3’s post-credits epilogue that will likely raise a few eyebrows among series purists (though was really neither here nor there for me), but by and large Kiwami 3’s main story has been reworked for the better and it kept me hooked for the 17 hours it took me to reach its cathartic, combat-heavy climax.
Elsewhere Kiryu goes from playing daddy to slaying baddies in Kiwami 3’s other major addition to its main story, Bad Boy Dragon. This biker gang-based riff on the Devil Flags subquest from Pirate Yakuza tasks Kiryu with rescuing new recruits from bullies on the streets, splitting them into squads, and accompanying them into large scale clashes against other rival leather-clad clubs, from the easybeats of Okinawa’s streets to the more fierce fighters from Tokyo’s Night Terrors outfit. In between battles you can hold gang rallies to boost the XP of your members, customise your gang colours, and invest in special attacks to unleash in a scrap, from humble hand grenades to spectacularly silly stampeding bulls.
However, Bad Boy Dragon’s novelty wore off far sooner for me than Pirate Yakuza’s equivalent seafaring mode did, because Kiwami 3’s gang-based brawler is considerably more repetitive by comparison. Whereas Pirate Yakuza featured a healthy mixture of cannon-based naval warfare and on-land scraps, Bad Boy Dragon is mostly just a series of samey skirmishes held in copy-and-pasted warehouses that quickly blur into each other. Despite the fact you’re in a biker gang, there’s very little actual biking to be done – you can’t get stuck into Road Rash-style battles on Tokyo’s expressway like in Lost Judgment, for example. Kiryu’s chopper is strictly used to rapidly ferry him between the four squads under his command before resuming the button-mashed biker beatdowns. Bad Boy Dragon ultimately feels a little half-baked – if you’re going to build a mode around biker gangs, you really need to go the whole chrome-covered hog.
Still, even though I parked Kiwami 3’s biker mode fairly early on, I found plenty of other things to do outside of the main story. In one moment I’d be struggling to deliver towering ice cream cones through streets lined with waddling sumo wrestlers, while in another I’d be customising my 2007-era flip phone with dangling tchotchkes to boost Kiryu’s health and damage. Later I found myself posing as a host at a cabaret club and disappointing the customers with terrible jokes, as well as indulging in optional mainstays like karaoke and the baseball batting cage. Sure, at this point a lot of these amusements have been repurposed more than the fabric of Marge Simpson’s pink Chanel suit, but I was pleased to find that collectible Game Gear games have been included for the first time in the series – even if it is a bit odd that handheld Sega classics like Columns and Sonic Chaos can only be played back at Kiryu’s hideout rather than pulled out of his pocket on the fly. (Perhaps that’s a tacit admission that the Game Gear’s godawful battery life made portable play too impractical?)
Admittedly I was surprised to find the substory count in Kiwami 3 had been whittled down to 31 from the original game’s 100 or so, but then I remembered how many of Yakuza 3’s optional quests were just clones of the same small handful of ideas. Kiwami 3’s substories focus on quality over quantity, and I have no objections to that approach.
Outside of its remodelled main campaign, Kiwami 3 features an entirely new story mode called Dark Ties, which puts the player into the shoes of the sharply dressed and amusingly sardonic antagonist, Yoshitaka Mine. Dark Ties explores Mine’s first steps into the Tokyo underworld, his reluctant alliance with the lecherous Tojo clan heavy Tsuyoshi Kanda, and the complex motivations behind his devastating actions in Kiwami 3’s main campaign. It also allows us to let loose with his ferocious ‘shoot-boxing’ fighting style, which blends fast flurries of punches with acrobatic flip-kicks and the ability to pinball off one enemy and completely redirect your attack towards another to seamlessly continue your combo. He can also unleash devastating ‘Dark Awakening’ special attacks, such as spiking an enemy’s skull into the ground and dragging their faces along the pavement like a bloodied bowling ball.
Mine is limited to the one fighting stance, however, and his skill tree is stumpier than a yakuza’s left pinkie. That’s because his quest simply doesn’t last long enough to allow room for any real evolution of his abilities. Dark Ties has been marketed as a fully-fledged game in its own right, but that seems slightly disingenuous given it only features three chapters versus Kiwami 3’s 12, restricts the action to the same Kamarucho setting that Yakuza fans know better than the calluses on the back of their face-mashing fists, and pits you against just two bosses in two fights a piece.
To be fair, it still took me just over five hours to roll credits in Dark Ties, but that runtime didn’t feel as substantial as it sounds since Mine’s mode regularly gates its story missions behind the arbitrary completion of agonisingly menial tasks. During Dark Ties’ prolonged middle chapter in particular, the advancement of Mine’s story is dependent on performing good deeds for Kamarucho locals in order to slowly boost the reputation of his unlikeable cohort Kanda. A few of these are genuinely entertaining, like being asked to pose as a bouncer outside an adults-only club and evaluating the clientele, but the bulk of them are boring chores like legging it to the nearest convenience store and back so that you can bring a hungry man a bento box.
Tasks like these are made all the more arduous given that Mine isn’t equipped with the same segway-like Street Surfer that Kiryu can whip out on a whim to speed things along in Kiwami 3. I wanted to enjoy Mine’s calculated ascension towards the top of the Tojo clan, but for extended periods, Dark Ties made me feel less like a dragon and more like a dogsbody.
Mine does have one ace up his pinstriped-suit sleeve, however, and that’s the dungeon-brawling roguelike minigame unique to his adventure. Dubbed ‘Survival Hell’ – despite the fact that ‘Roguelike a Dragon’ was sitting right there – this strictly-timed dash for cash and collectibles takes place across five underground arenas, each consisting of four floors of increasingly challenging goons and culminating in an imposing boss fight. Die during a run and you lose it all, but each floor has an optional exit point should you wish to bank your winnings early and invest them into buffs like special weapons and CPU-controlled bodyguards to better your chances of survival on subsequent runs. It’s compelling, chaotic, and stuffed with countless surprises. Having rolled credits on both Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties, Survival Hell is the one feature of either story that is still calling me back for more.
Last night's Super Bowl teaser for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie featured an extended look at Mario and Luigi being chased by a T-rex. But why is it actually Baby Mario and Baby Luigi we see here? As ever, the internet has some theories.
Nintendo fans got a first glimpse at Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Toad and Yoshi encountering a T-rex in last month's The Super Mario Galaxy Nintendo Direct. The dinosaur, which looks similar to its appearance in Super Mario Odyssey, roars at our heroes, sending them running away scared.
Now, we've got a slightly longer look at the same scene, with Baby Mario even shown waking up the sleeping dinosaur by drumming the classic NES Mario theme on its teeth. Still, the jury's out about what's really going on — and why we're seeing the plumbers' infant forms at all.
Don’t wake the dino. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is only in theaters April 1. pic.twitter.com/34vjqImsBf
— The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (@supermariomovie) February 9, 2026
As fans will remember from the first Super Mario Movie, Mario and Luigi travel to the Mushroom Kingdom for the first time as adults, suggesting this is unlikely to be a flashback to their youth. (We also see the brothers as Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, confirming they are their past selves, although very much living their childhood in Brooklyn.)
Could we have been misled, and the brothers actually visited the Mushroom Kingdom as children? It seems unlikely. Instead, the pair appear to have been reverted in age. Perhaps this is something to do with the fact they're in a prehistoric environment? Or maybe this is the work of Bowser Jr., or his minion Kamek?
"I'm sure Kamek made Mario and Luigi babies," wrote Nintendo fan Delbianco27 on reddit.
"There is a possibility that they either hid the fact that they once ventured into the Mushroom Kingdom as babies, or some weird time travel shenanigans," countered josh_winnnnnn.
"I feel like there in an area that 'takes them back in time' hence why Mario and Luigi are babies," suggested GoldenGirlsFan213. "I really hope they aren't babies for most of the movie cause that would be awful."
"Could possibly be a relative of the present-day Toad," agreed josh_winnnnnn again. "We'll find out in several weeks..."
Other fans have suggested this scene is simply an homage to Yoshi's Island, Nintendo's 1995 classic for the SNES where Kamek attempts to kidnap Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, before they're saved by Yoshi. Speaking of Yoshi, last week gave us our first look at the beloved dino eating someone (Kamek) and pooping them out as an egg.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie stars Brie Larsen as Rosalina and Benny Safdie as Bowser Jr., alongside the returning cast from the first film: Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, and Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek.
As for the mystery behind Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, all will be revealed when The Super Mario Galaxy Movie lands in theaters on April 1.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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