The live-action wave continues in Hollywood. The next animated property on the list is none other than Scooby-Doo — and it looks like the powers that be have found their first Mystery Gang member: Daphne.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife's McKenna Grace will star as the iconic redheaded character in a prequel version of the classic cartoon series that will reveal how the gang got together in the first place. The series, which was greenlit at Netflix for eight episodes so far, has an official synopsis, according to Variety, which reads:
“During their final summer at camp, old friends Shaggy and Daphne (Grace) get embroiled in a haunting mystery surrounding a lonely lost Great Dane puppy that may have been a witness to a supernatural murder. Together with the pragmatic and scientific townie, Velma, and the strange, but ever so handsome new kid, Freddy, they set out to solve the case that is pulling each of them into a creepy nightmare that threatens to expose all of their secrets.”
According to the outlet, the show will be a “modern reimagining” of the 60s and 70s style original series, which first started airing in 1969.
Interestingly enough, this won’t be the first time Grace has taken on the role of Daphne. She lent her voice to the young version of the character in the 2020 animated movie Scoob!, and was even set to play the role again in the sequel film Scoob! Holiday Haunt before it was cancelled by Warner Bros. Discovery.
This also is not the first time a live-action Scooby-Doo reimagining made it to the big or small screen. Matthew Lillard starred in the 2002 film Scooby-Doo alongside Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Geller, and Linda Cardellini. It was such a hit that the movie got a sequel film two years later — so it’ll be interesting to see if this series has similar success.
Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg will write and showrun the series, while also serving as executive producers. However, there’s no release date for the reimagining just yet.
Image credit: Olivia Wong/FilmMagic
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
A Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 commercial starring comedian Nikki Glazer has been banned in the UK, following viewer complaints that it trivialized sexual violence.
The country's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld criticism of the ad, which features a man being ordered to take off his clothes during an airport security screening. It's then implied that Glazer wishes to perform an unnecessary search of his anal cavity.
As reported by BBC News, Activision defended the ad as an implausible situation (the joke here being that Glazer and Call of Duty actor Peter Stormare are replacement security agents, as the airport's usual employees are too busy playing Call of Duty instead).
Activision said the ad's humor was meant to imply discomfort rather than sexual activity, that the footage contained no explicit content, and that it had been aired on linear TV at timeslots aimed at adults.
Regardless, the ASA has ruled that the commercial's humor was "generated by the humiliation and implied threat of painful, non-consensual penetration of the man," and was therefore irresponsible and offensive.
"You've been randomly selected to be manhandled," Stormare tells the man within the ad, getting him to bite down on a baton. "I'm going to need you to remove your clothes. Everything but the shoes."
"Time for the puppet show," says Glazer as she snaps a rubber glove.
"Bite down on this," Stormare concludes. "She's going in dry."
Ultimately, the ASA decided that the ad can no longer be aired within the UK in its current form — although it's unclear if Activision still had any plans to do so. Internationally, the commercial is still available online. And, at the time of writing, IGN can confirm it is still available to view from within the UK via YouTube.
Still, the advert is likely the least of Activision's concerns around Black Ops 7, which has underperformed sales-wise amid strong competition from fellow shooters such as Battlefield 6 and ARC Raiders, as reflected in European sales figures and Activision's own admissions. Following the release of Black Ops 7, Activision announced significant changes to the Call of Duty franchise, including promising never to release back to back games in the same sub-brand (Modern Warfare, Black Ops) again.
Image credit: Activision
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
As someone who grew up playing music and turn-based RPGs, People of Note seems like a game made in a lab and specifically targeted at me. It's a rhythm-based RPG where genres of music dictate its societies and timing inputs determine the effectiveness of your abilities. And the way it blends its soundtrack throughout the world and battle is one of its most interesting aspects, and for how it sets the tone for its atmosphere and combat mechanics. These are fantastic ideas I caught glimpses of in a hands-on preview build that featured an early section of the campaign, but the thing I'm still hung up on is how much it's caught up in this cheesy twee attitude that's a bit tough to buy into. As is the case with several RPGs, however, a short snippet isn't going to paint the whole picture.
The demo I played (which is available now) drops you into Durandis, a mountainous region that's home to several genres of rock music. You have the metalheads living separately from the punk rockers who despise grunge kids in a way that's very reminiscent of how we formed cliques in middle school based on music and the fashion that came with it. It's corny for sure, but that's the idea it's going for. As the pop singer and lead protagonist Cadence, she still has a lot to learn about the world of music, and so she familiarizes herself with these genres along the way. Shortly after you arrive, Durandis is attacked by a faction of old-timey Western musicians called The Homestead – for what reason, I'm not entirely sure, but it explains how divisive music tribalism harms its world known as Note.
Although the music itself didn't strike a chord with me, I appreciate how it mixes genres throughout. Going into the grunge part of town plays a riff on Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" while the punk section picks up the tempo while using melodic octave chord progressions. When fighting the wild west-coded invaders, an uptempo folk tune plays as the battle theme, but a pop mix blends pretty seamlessly into the same underlying song when the turn order goes into a pop phase and the same goes for a classic rock phase – there's a mechanical reason for this, too.
When it switches to a certain music genre during a turn, the song will shift accordingly and this powers up party members who represent that specific style. Cadence's attacks will hit harder during a pop phase while the washed-up guitarist Fret gets a boost in his abilities in a rock phase. It's neat how this works, but adds a strategic layer to who you tee up for big hits as you line it up for the best turn possible. People of Note includes mechanics like timing-based inputs to maximize effectiveness of attacks and abilities, which many more are now familiar with thanks to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and I'm happy to see this trend continue because I enjoy the active element it brings to turn-based battles.
I need that story and its characters to grip me at some point, because that's what great RPGs are often remembered for.
One thing I wish People of Note was better about in this regard was syncing up those inputs to the backing track, or making the battle themes punchier to accentuate on-beat cues for those button prompts. At least in this early hour-plus, the visual indicators aren't quite as clear and the audible feedback wasn't really felt; not to keep invoking Clair Obscur's name, but for a non-rhythm game, it was very good about creating "beats" when executing attacks or dodging/parrying enemies through visuals and sound cues. Perhaps more time with People of Note and getting deeper into the mechanics will let these kinds of features shine more, so it's something I'm paying attention to when the time comes to play the final version.
I only played with two characters (Cadence and Fret) in my party, yet I still got a good feel for how party composition and builds are important to winning tougher battles. You collect Songstones to modify their perks and can customize characters' movesets, and I had Cadence as my heavy hitter while Fret was more of a support role with healing and feeding BP (beat points, the resource needed to use abilities). Still, with the genre phases throughout a battle, I needed them to remain versatile. That's also because you can do some interesting things with turn order – the time signature at the bottom of screen telegraphs how the turn can play out, and who you use and in those specific open measures is up to you. For example, against the last demo boss Freq, I had three open measures and I would use Fret to boost Cadence's BP to then use her powerful Instant Hit attack, and then use the third turn to either heal or defend depending on the situation. Enemies can also permanently modify specific measures in the fight, like how Freq put a half-damage debuff on all attacks used in first measures. This is where I think People of Note can really differentiate itself from other combat systems and go from a novel music-based RPG to a uniquely tactical one.
A nice feature that makes dungeon crawling smooth is that you recover HP after each fight, and since BP is built within battles themselves, you don't have to manage some sort of magic resource like MP or mana. Each combat encounter is a turn-based puzzle to figure out on its own. It's more appreciated considering that dungeons in People of Note have actual puzzles to solve, which break up the pace; in the playable demo, there's a series of rooms with light beams you need to align and reflect off mirrors to unlock doors. It's not exactly noteworthy as we've seen these kinds of challenges many-a-time, so it's also appreciated that there aren't random encounters and all battles thus far clearly delineated in the overworld.
By no means does People of Note seem like a high-budget project, but it's hard to overlook the ways in which its production values sometimes undercut what it's trying to portray. Dialogue scenarios are nearly all still portraits with overlaid text boxes, which would be fine if its writing was sharp enough to make said dialogue intriguing. As a frequenter of visual novels, it's par for the course. However, it's hard to get a sense of the goings-on for this style of game. Some of the enemy attack animations are quite odd, too, but some of the abilities you have, like the limit-break style Mash Up attack where party members attack simultaneously, add some much-needed spectacle in the rare moments you get to use them. Even if I think the scene itself has that cheesy twee tone I'm not too fond of, there's a fully animated scene in the demo when Cadence recruits Fret that does showcase its visual chops with a musical number to flex the team's musicality.
There's plenty of corny media I've enjoyed, some of which just needed time to establish itself before shining. So this isn't to say I'm dismissive of People of Note, but it's for hoping that it comes around and embraces that attitude in an endearing way. The drama between Fret and former bandmate Freq in the demo's story bits is quite charming for its play on familiar music industry tropes, and the larger idea of finding unity in blending musical genres (possibly realizing that we're not all the different) could be an enticing theme to bring it all together. I just hope it can transcend the incessant need to be quirky and at least be clever in ways that elevate its world and story instead of going for simple references for the sake of it.
For my part, I was immediately drawn to the concept for People of Note, as a lifelong musician (of sorts) and lover of rhythm games; Hatsune Miku: Project Diva, Dance Dance Revolution, and the like. And as an RPG sicko, I've seen a lot of innovation in the genre coming out of smaller-scale games and indie spaces in recent years. People of Note does remind me of last year's Fretless and 2023's Thirsty Suitors in its approach as well, so I hope it can hit those similar highs in its own ways.
People of Note, so far, clearly seems like something that can speak to both the musically inclined and turn-based enjoyers, so it has promise for sure. It's also got a great cast of voice actors we've heard in other RPGs and animation projects and a neat combat system to potentially set itself apart from its contemporaries. But I need that story and its characters to grip me at some point, because that's what great RPGs are often remembered for. I'll find out for sure when People of Note launches on April 7 on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch 2, and PC – and you can try it for yourself with the demo that's out now.
Logitech's new X2 Superstrike mouse is said to be "taking over" the PGL Cluj Napoca Counter-Strike 2 tournament, with multiple players on five top teams trading their previous picks for the faster-clicking mouse released this month. In all, 13 players out of the 50 still remaining in tournament contention are wielding the Superstrike, including players on Navi, The Mongolz, Falcons, Furia and G2. That's a surprisingly high number for a mouse that has only been officially available for a few days, especially with how conservative pro players tend to be when it comes to changing to new equipment for fear of a performance drop-off as they adapt.
Users in the /r/mousereview subreddit first clocked the trend in the PGL tournament, which is the first significant Counter-Strike 2 event since the X2 Superstrike was released on February 10th. Prototype versions of the mouse have already been used to win CS2 tournaments, most notably by Furia player Kscerato, but Cluj Napoca 2026 seems to confirm that the mouse has become a popular - if not yet universal - choice for players already used to playing with Logitech mice, whether they're officially sponsored by Logitech or not.
The Superstrike is an upgraded version of another popular choice for Counter-Strike pros, the Superlight 2, which trades that mouse's optical microswitches for a new tech called HITS (haptic inductive trigger system). The idea is that by eliminating the physical movement needed before each traditional mouse click, players can reduce the time it takes to fire their first shot by up to 30ms. Pro players see less of an impact than amateurs, but the speed-up is still an order of magnitude faster than the switch from a 1000Hz to 8000Hz polling rate for example, another recent trend for gaming mice and keyboards that's also about reducing latency.
The Superstrike also allows for rapid trigger, another technology first seen in keyboards. Here, mouse click and release signals are sent as soon as a change in direction is detected, rather than by reaching a set point, again allowing for faster click cadence. Critically, the rest of the mouse is unchanged, with the same shape, weight, sensor and wireless as the Superlight 2, which should minimize the time it takes to adapt.
The Mongolz, Falcons and Furia all have three players on the team using the Superstrike, including aim stars m0NESY, Techno and Kscerato, while Navi and G2 have two players each on-board. The Mongolz and Navi are all-Logitech when it comes to mice, while the remainder use a mixture of brands. Counter-Strike pros tend to have free choice when it comes to their peripherals, so important are they for performance.
The mouse enthusiast community has been fiercely debating Logitech's speed-up claims since the mouse was first revealed, with anecdotal accounts in both directions, but relatively little objective testing outside of Human Benchmark reaction time tests. That makes the Superstrike's adoption amongst esports teams a vital metric in the fight for the best gaming mouse title.
Logitech originally told us that it accelerated the development of the HITS technology due to its strongly positive reactions from early pro play-tests, so it will be interesting to see whether the Superstrike mouse becomes a true de facto standard amongst Counter-Strike teams, and indeed whether other esports-focused brands like Razer, Zowie and SteelSeries can adopt similar inductive mouse switches in the future. We've already seen black-buttoned Superstrike lookalikes pop up on AliExpress, but it could be years before other brands are able to claim a similar reduction in click latency.
Of course, there's also the open question of whether such technology could be banned by tournament organisers, given the level of advantage it theoretically provides. So far, Counter-Strike developers Valve and tournament organisers have yet to announce any restrictions, though Valve did ban the 'SOCD' feature built into some magnetic switch keyboards back in 2024. That was largely on grounds of automation, rather than a simple speed increase, but expect the legality discussion for Superstrike to continue.
If you're interested in reading more about the new mouse and how it works, our X2 Superstrike review covers just that.
Will is deputy tech editor for IGN, specialising in PC hardware, sim racing and display tech. He has been publishing about games and technology since 2001 (age 12). Will was formerly Deputy Editor at Digital Foundry. He is currently playing BattleTech Advanced Universe.
When you think of the best Switch and Switch 2 games, there’s a good chance you might not immediately think of platforming royalty like Super Mario Galaxy and Galaxy 2 being playable on Nintendo’s most recent generations of hardware, but they’re here and still just as good as ever.
Save $10 on the Super Mario Galaxy Double Pack on Switch and Switch 2
Essentially, the pricing can’t be seen on the Amazon listing until it’s added to your cart, so there’s not much of an indication that it’s discounted to $59.
Once you add it to your checkout items, though, you’ll see that you’re getting two of the best platformers in the history of the medium for $30 each. Whether you’ve played them before or want to jump in ahead of the movie release, that’s a great deal.
Back in 2007, we awarded a 9.7 out of 10 for the first game, calling it “The pinnacle of three-dimensional run-and-jump gameplay.”
Fast-forward three years, and IGN awarded the sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2, a 10 out of 10, going even further and saying “Mario Galaxy 2 is the pinnacle of Mario games: everything that makes them so incredibly fun is represented here.”
That’s some praise, if we do say so ourselves, and it’s likely the best way to play the games without breaking out the Wii.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He's a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife's dismay.
Considering what it offers, Disney+ is one of the best streaming services on the block. From classic Disney animated films to the latest from the MCU (currently Wonder Man), Star Wars, and so much more, Disney+ puts an incredible range of high-quality viewing options at your fingertips. There's tons to watch, but after another round of price hikes, you might want to revisit your streaming subscriptions. We're here to help.
At the moment, one of the best Disney Plus bundle deals available is the massive Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max streaming bundle. This starts at $19.99/month to get you all three streaming services with ads. Bundles are definitely worth considering, especially following the news of Hulu eventually fully integrating into the Disney+ app.
How to Get a Disney+ Free Trial
Starting from the top, if you haven't gotten a Disney+ subscription yet, you might be interested in any free trials. While Disney+ doesn't offer it's own free trial directly, it is technically included in a Hulu + Live TV subscription (alongside Hulu and ESPN Unlimited), which does happen to offer a three-day free trial. Just remember that plan will auto-renew at the full live TV cost of $89.99 after the trial period.
How to Get the Disney Plus, Hulu, and HBO Max Streaming Bundle
Want a way to save on your Disney+ membership sooner rather than later? Bundles are a great, affordable way to go. Our top recommendation is the Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max streaming bundle can be purchased through any of the three streaming services and starts at $19.99/month for the ad-supported tier or $32.99/month for ad-free access across the three platforms. If you currently own all three and want to cut down on costs, this is a great way to bundle them together and save big on what you'd pay for them separately per month – 42% on the ad-supported plan and 43% on the ad-free plan.
Every Other Disney+ Bundle Option
Beyond HBO Max, you can also choose to bundle Disney+ with just Hulu or the all-new ESPN Unlimited service. Here's the breakdown of all your bundle options:
Disney+, Hulu Bundle is $12.99/month and comes with subscriptions to Disney+ and Hulu. This plan lets you stream on multiple devices at once and comes with ad-supported versions of both services.
Disney+, Hulu Bundle Premium is $19.99/month and comes with Hulu and Disney+ with no ads. It also includes Disney+ Premium features like the ability to download shows to watch on the go.
Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle adds ESPN Select (With Ads) to the mix alongside Disney+ (With Ads) and Hulu (With Ads), bumping up the price to $19.99/month. You can also download and watch select content on ESPN Select at this level.
Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Premium is $29.99/month and comes with ESPN Select (With Ads) and ad-free versions of Disney+ and Hulu. You can also download select content across all three streaming services.
Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle is $35.99/month and includes the new ESPN Unlimited service with live ESPN coverage as well as Hulu and Disney+ (With Ads).
Disney+ is available in a couple of different tiers. You can get the least expensive option (simply called Disney+) for $11.99/month, which gives you access to everything except the ability to download select shows to watch on the go. This tier is ad supported. If you want to get rid of ads and be able to download certain shows, you can spring for the $18.99/month or $189.99/year Disney+ Premium package.
What Is the Paid Sharing Plan on Disney Plus?
In an effort to crack down on password sharing, Disney has added a paid sharing plan for individuals outside of your household. Basically, anyone using your account that's not within your household will have to be added as an "Extra Member" to your account. This costs an additional $6.99/month for the ad-supported subscription and $9.99/month for the Premium ad-free plan, and only one Extra Member slot is available per account. You can learn more from Disney's paid sharing explainer here.
Disney+ Gift Cards
If you want to help someone out and give them a gift that will keep on giving, gifting a one-year Disney+ card is a great option. It provides all the great things Disney+ offers and it costs a fraction of what it would take to buy even a small sampling of those movies physically.
What Can You Watch on Disney+?
There is a bonkers array of shows and movies you can watch on Disney+. Highlights coming to Disney+ in February include the return of The Muppet Show, a new season of The Artful Dodger, and a 24/7 Hannah Montana stream. For new and potential subscribers, here's a deeper dive into what's available on the service:
Disney
On the Disney front, you have awesome classic movies like The Sword In The Stone, Robin Hood, 101 Dalmations, Hercules, and Sleeping Beauty, modern classics like The Princess & The Frog, Tangled, and Frozen, and a wide range of animated shows, including Phineas & Ferb.
You also gain access to a ton of vintage content like Escape to Witch Mountain, The Apple Dumpling Gang, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, The Love Bug, and a whole lot more. The Disney Junior section is home to absolutely top tier animated shows like Bluey (which, for my money, is worth the price of admission on its own).
There's way more on offer, too, including a ton of Muppet movies, new live-action films and adaptions (including the new Snow White), nature programs, documentaries, Pirates of the Caribbean, and musical programs featuring Taylor Swift (like her wildly popular The Eras Tour), Elton John, Ed Sheeran, and more.
Pixar
When it comes to computer generated films, Pixar stands alone. Kicking off the revolution with Toy Story, Pixar has consistently put out fantastic films, and they are all here. From the Toy Story series to Finding Nemo, Cars, and more recent hits like Inside Out 2, there is a ton to love.
Beyond even that, there are incredible shorts like Bao and Party Central, as well as a wide range of originals and series based on major films, such as Dory's Reef Cam, Forky Asks A Question, Cars On The Road, and more.
Marvel
The MCU has become a true juggernaut, and there are many viewers who subscribe to Disney+ purely for access to nearly the entire MCU lineup of films and shows.
Whether you are a fan of the blockbuster action films, you are an appreciator of the classic 90s runs of "Saturday morning" cartoons like X-Men, or you are currently vibing to the funky theme of the 1981 Spider-Man series, there is a ton of Marvel to enjoy on Disney+. And with new movies and shows being added to the MCU all the time, including most recently the series Wonder Man, there is always more coming.
Star Wars
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a film that changed everything. The original Star Wars is a seminal sci-fi fantasy work that inspired generations of creators, but there is still nothing quite like that far away galaxy. Disney+ grants access to all things Star Wars, including the remastered versions of the original trilogy (hopefully some day they'll add the theatrical cuts, too), as well as the prequels and sequels.
IGN can exclusively reveal the latest new series from Oni Press, and it's one that will appeal to anyone who prefers their dystopian sci-fi with a dash of humor. That series is Destination Kill, and it's worth keeping an eye on.
Check out the slideshow gallery below to see cover art and interior pages from Destination Kill #1:
Destination Kill is a four-issue limited series that serves as the solo debut for cartoonist Joe Palmer (Time Before Time). The first issue features cover art by Palmer, Riley Rossmo, Ronald Wimberly, Tango, and Liana Kangas.
Here's Oni's official description of the series:
The year is 2125, and the all-powerful corporation Overcon uses its robot workers to pour our drinks and dispense our meds, all while rebuilding London’s Central City into a hyper-modern megalopolis bolted together in its own image. But as Overcon prepares to celebrate the first year of its Paradise Loop—a superfast transatlantic train that connects the Central City to New York in under 60 minutes—an unwieldy army of displaced human workers floods the streets with weapons, plotting an attack at the anniversary gala. Enter: Gina Serene, a stressed-out, pill-popping police detective in desperate need of a vacation and her ex-partner turned P.I., Lance Wingman—who are now the only thing standing between Overcon’s skyscraper-sized fist and the worker uprising that threatens to bring Britain's capital crashing down around them.
“DESTINATION KILL started life as an image in my mind of a lone, masked builder armed with a pistol, standing on the snow-covered rooftop of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London,” said Palmer in a statement. “That image really stuck with me, and over time it evolved into this fantastical story of a transatlantic train and a citywide builder-led revolution that I knew I had to make someday. This book is me taking the (long overdue!) step of being in total creative control of my work, which turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I wasn’t consciously thinking about it at the time, but at least part of the reason for doing this was to put something out in the world that represents me and my personality, and I feel like I’ve done that.”
Destination KIll #1 will be released on May 13, 2026. You can preorder a copy at your local comic shop.
Replaced developer Sad Cat Studios has announced a delay to its 2.5D cyberpunk game, just three weeks shy of its planned launch.
Instead of arriving on March 12, the retro-futuristic platformer will now debut on April 14 — a move that Sad Cat said was decided upon following the response to its Steam demo.
"As a small team working on our very first title, we've poured everything we have into this project," the studio wrote in a statement shared on X/Twitter. "While the game is technically finished, reaching this final stretch has shown us that we need just a few more weeks to ensure the experience is exactly what you deserve. We want the version of Replaced you play on day one to be polished, stable, and true to the vision we've shared with you.
"The response to our Steam demo has been the ultimate fuel for us," Sad Cat continued. "To be honest, putting it out there was nerve-wracking, but seeing your gameplay, reading your reviews and hearing your excitement has been overwhelming in the best way possible. We are constantly reading your comments, and that feedback is helping us make the final tweaks that will make the full game shine."
On the upside, IGN went hands-on with the game earlier this month for one final look — and found it was shaping up very nicely indeed. Oh, and if you've not tried it yet, Replaced's Steam demo is still available.
"No matter what you’re tasked with doing, it seems as if Replaced never loses sight of its slick style and rich tone grounded in a love for all things Blade Runner, all while letting that reverence permeate into every aspect of its design in interesting ways," we wrote in our Replaced final preview. "I started my playthrough thinking I knew exactly what I was in for. I was wrong, but thankfully still ended it excited, knowing there’s still plenty left to discover."
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
The New Price For TMNT Play Boosters Is Almost Their Lowest Ever
With 30 packs per box of Play Boosters, you’re getting each one for $4.19, a discount that adds up and should give you a sizeable collection of TMNT cards right from the jump.
As a reminder, the set’s rarest alternative treatments will more likely be found in Collector Boosters (more on those in a moment), but Amazon setting this price means it should be relatively easy to get up to speed and build something playable for your next Magic night.
You can also read my colleague Scott's deep-dive on the set in his full preview, including the unique 'Turtle Team Up' co-op boxed game that's part of the lineup above.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He's a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife's dismay.
The incident prompted widespread shock and sympathy for the fledgling outlet, which lost $100,000 worth of stock in minutes. But now, the business has said the famously-litigious Nintendo has been in touch — not to offer aid, however, but to share "concerns" over its name and logo.
The Poké Court is now being forced to rebrand, with its storefront, social accounts and online site all being rebranded to "The Trainer Court" over the coming days. The previous design featured a stylized Pokéball logo that is now being replaced by a simple "C" colored in green.
In a statement posted to Instagram, the newly-retitled Trainer Court thanked fans for support "amidst the robbery and beyond" but said it was now having to change its name and logo due to a complaint from Nintendo.
"The short story is Nintendo reached out to us with concerns about our name and logo," The Trainer Court wrote. "This means we're evolving! Same team, same ridiculous hit rate, and soon, even greater things coming your way."
The post has already gained plenty of further support for the outlet, with more than 2000 likes at the time of writing and a comment praising the business from Sarah Natochenny, the voice actress who previously provided the voice of Ash Ketchum in Pokémon's animated TV series.
Numerous stores selling Pokémon cards have been hit by robberies over the past year, including locations in Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle. In December, $100,000 worth of stock was swiped from a store in Burbank — an incident that Californian cops suspected was linked to "half a dozen" similar thefts within the southern half of the state. Separately, IGN has reported on numerous other examples that have also occured nationwide over the past 12 months.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Is Crimson Desert an RPG? Does it even matter? What is an RPG anyway? Those are questions sparked by the hotly anticipated “open-world action-adventure” game as it nears release, and it’s fair to say there is a variety of opinion.
Let’s start with developer Pearl Abyss’ official description of its own game:
Crimson Desert is an open-world action-adventure game set in the beautiful yet brutal continent of Pywel. Embark on a journey as the Greymane Kliff and restore what has been lost. Explore uncharted lands, fight against threats that stand in your way, and discover the wonders the world has in store.
Pearl Abyss does not call Crimson Desert an RPG here. Nor does it call the game a ‘soulslike,’ which I’ve seen some wonder about. It’s an “open-world action-adventure” game, and it’s as simple as that. But why are people wondering if it’s an RPG in the first place?
X / Twitter user Synth Potato kicked things off by posting about how progression works in Crimson Desert, declaring the game not to be an RPG. That’s because it doesn’t have levels or experience points, which we associate with role-playing games. Rather, new abilities are gained by finding artifacts out in the world, and you can buy or craft better gear. This places Crimson Desert firmly in the action-adventure category, according to this analysis, and not in the RPG category.
But does this mean Crimson Desert cannot also be considered an RPG? Some say that playing as a character in an open world who can progress, even in this form, makes Crimson Desert a role-playing game. Levels and XP are not needed for it to be so, they say. But, following that, does that mean all open-world games are RPGs? Is GTA? Is Red Dead Redemption 2? What about The Legend of Zelda? Link doesn’t level up with experience points, but lots of people call The Legend of Zelda an RPG series.
It’s worth noting that, like in The Legend of Zelda games, in Crimson Desert you play a set protagonist (the wonderfully named Kliff) and experience a set story. You’re not making big decisions here that change the course of events, or determine which ending you’ll get. It’s a more fixed experience, although there is freedom of exploration within it.
“I think everyone is aware it’s not marketed as [an RPG],” a fan said. “It’s still got a ton of RPG systems. Gear score, skill points to progress skill trees and stats to increase for builds.” “It absolutely does have RPG elements,” added another. “What makes an RPG has become a very unclear line as well with how many action adventure games are RPGs.” "It’s more akin to Just Cause or Shadow of Mordor, which is just what I wanted," commented one fan.
I think this is one of the reasons why they’re being really careful to not call it a RPG. That term has expectations from the player that crimson desert doesn’t have. CD definitely strikes me as an open world action adventure with an incredibly fun combat sandbox https://t.co/7guY0AsEE2
“You choose the type of character you want to play as in terms of your progression within the systems in the game,” Powers explained. “And then through head canon you’re having this very different experience than other players because of the scope and scale of the game. You’ll be distracted by something, you’ll go on this quest line, you’ll have an experience that’ll be radically different than someone else, even though they’re playing the same game and the same canonical storyline that you both are going through.”
And after the debate over whether Crimson Desert is an RPG or not went big online, Powers himself explained why Pearl Abyss doesn’t want to call it an RPG, even though it’s perfectly happy for fans to do so.
“Open world questing and action sandbox for sure,” Powers tweeted. Then, in response to someone who said it should be made clear that Crimson Desert is not an RPG to avoid mismanaged expectations, Powers said: “honestly.... it's not my place to dictate someone else's experience. If because of good amount of RPG elements in the game, they want to call it an RPG... Sure. I'm just explaining why WE don't call it one.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Update 1.2 addresses many of the complaints players have raised over the last couple of months, including adding a new 60 Hz mode, improved FPS performance, fixed "visual issues," and more. Here's the full list.
Skyrim Switch 2 Update 1.2 patch notes:
Features:
Added a 60 Hz mode under Display settings that allows players to toggle between “Prioritize Visuals” or “Prioritize Performance”.
In addition, frame rate has been locked at 30 Hz in “Prioritize Visuals” mode for smoother gameplay.
Crashes and Performance Fixes:
Fixed a crash that occurred when reading “The Crimson Dirks Vol. 4” book for the “Tilted Scales” quest in German.
Fixed an audio-related crash.
Fixed a crash, infinite load, and game freeze that sometimes occurred when rapidly selecting “Load” multiple times in the pause menu.
Fixed a crash that occurred when the “Transmute Ore” spell was repeatedly cast outside of the Haltered Stream Camp.
Improved FPS performance drops that occurred in the following locations:
during the Hide and Seek quest in Kynesgrove
during combat at Secunda’s Kiss
when discovering the “Drelas’ Cottage” location
when engaged in combat with a giant at the Talking Stone Camp.
Visuals Issues Fixes:
Viewing water planes from a distance or within menus caused them to shift up and down.
Distant aspen trees appeared with a blue tint.
Transitioning out of caves caused an outline of the entrance to linger during the fade-to-back loading screen.
User Interface Fixes:
Switching between mouse and controller mode while in dialogue or the Help menu, caused different options to be highlighted.
Switching between mouse and controller mode while in help menus or user hints, did not dynamically update callout prompts.
The “Ready/Sheathe” option was missing from the Joy-Con 2 Mouse Controls menu.
The “Delete” prompt remained grayed-out within the Load menu when swapping between mouse and controller mode.
Deleting a save in the Save/Load menus reset the highlighted selection to the top of the menu list.
While in mouse mode, the cursor remained stuck within a smaller section of the screen when changing between docked/undocked modes or interfacing with GameChat.
Controls Fixes:
The “Eagle Eye” Archery perk remained active after switching between mouse and controller mode.
Holding down the Right Joystick while reassigning a button caused that button to disappear from the Controls list.
The Joy-Con 2 controllers provided haptic feedback while in mouse mode.
Buttons became unresponsive when controls were remapped while moving the Joy-Con 2 controllers in mouse mode.
Rotating the map in mouse mode was slower and less smooth than in controller mode.
Audio Issue Fix:
Scrolling SFX continued to play while holding up or down on the Left Joystick or buttons at the top or bottom of the Save/Load menus.
Localization Fixes:
“Amiibo” appeared as plural in Spanish.
Miscellaneous:
Added new translations for the features listed above and UI updates.
Updates were made to the game credits.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Connexion
PC Gamer
IGN
