It was an understandably quiet January in the U.S. games market, with very few new releases and a bit of a comedown from a busy holiday season leaving Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 again the best-selling game of the month, and the PlayStation 5 on top for consoles.

The PS5 led hardware in both unit and dollar sales, with the Nintendo Switch 2 taking second in both, according to analysis shared by Circana senior director and analyst Mat Piscatella. Overall hardware spending was up 16% year-over-year, with an increase in Switch 2 spending (admittedly an increase over nothing, as the Switch 2 wasn't out last year) offsetting declines in spending on PS5 (down 17%), Xbox Series (down 27%) and Switch 1 (down a whopping but understandable 79%). Accessories spending was down 5% to $185 million.

In content, spending up was up 3% year-over-year to $4.3 billion, largely driven by a 23% increase in subscription spending. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was once again the best-selling game of the month, followed by NBA 2K26 again in the No.2 spot, and Madden NFL 26 rising from No.4 last month to No.3 in January. Battlefield 6, last month's No.3, dropped to No. 5 in January.

The only new game entering the top 20 for January was Code Vein II, which came in at No. 11. We did see Final Fantasy 7: Remake leap from No.225 last month to No.9 for January, thanks to its Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch 2 releases. Fallout 4 also made a big jump from No.68 to No.20, possibly thanks both to Season 2 of the Fallout TV show coinciding with a major drop in price on Steam at the end of the month.

Additionally, Piscatella tells IGN that outside the top 20, both Fable Anniversary and Animal Crossing: New Horizons saw significant sales bumps. In the former's case, this was thanks to the new trailer for the upcoming Fable game, and in the latter's, due to the DLC and Switch 2 release.

Overall, total gaming spending reached $4.7 billion, up 3% year-over-year. Not exactly a thrilling start to 2026, but when has January ever been an explosive month for games?

January 2026 U.S. Top 20 Best-Selling Games:

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
2. NBA 2K26
3. Madden NFL 26
4. Minecraft*
5. Battlefield 6
6. EA Sports FC 26
7. Grand Theft Auto V
8. Red Dead Redemption II
9. Final Fantasy VII: Remake
10. Forza Horizon 5
11. Code Vein II (NEW)
12. Ghost of Yotei
13. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
14. EA Sports College Football 26
15. Helldivers II
16. Pokemon Legends: Z-A*
17. Split Fiction
18. Elden Ring
19. Flight Simulator 2024
20. Fallout 4

* Indicates that some or all digital sales are not included in Circana's data. Some publishers, including Nintendo, do not share certain digital data for this report.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Spoilers follow for Strip Law on Netflix, which debuts on February 20.

13 years ago, Adult Swim launched an animated series that would change the game – Rick and Morty, which became a cultural behemoth and redefined what adult animation can do. And while there have been plenty of series before and since that have inspired and been inspired, respectively, by the now iconic show, Netflix’s Strip Law is the first adult animated comedy series since the debut of Rick and Morty that feels like it’s really doing something fresh and new, and could be as impactful as the adventures of that famous duo.

To be 100% clear, Rick and Morty and Strip Law are two extremely different programs. The former is a riff on the sci-fi classic Back to the Future that pairs a drunken scientist with his relatively normal (though extremely horny) grandson to go on adventures through time and space, while ultimately being a deep dive into sadness, grief, and an exploration of healing and self through family. Meanwhile, Strip Law is about lawyers in Las Vegas.

OK, that isn’t fair to how revelatory Strip Law feels to watch (the full 10-episode season was provided to critics). The show focuses on Lincoln Gumb (Adam Scott), the son of the most popular lawyer in Vegas; after she dies, Lincoln is fired by his mother’s long-time partner, Steve Nichols (Keith David). Lincoln has to make it on his own now, but the problem is that he plays things by the book, and Vegas – as depicted through the lens of former Late Show with Stephen Colbert writer and showrunner Cullen Crawford – is a surreal wonderland/wasteland where almost anything can happen at any time, and the populace values ads and spectacle far more than the letter of the law.

Gumb teams up with a street magician named Sheila Flambé (Abbott Elementary's Janelle James), who provides the pizazz while Gumb locks down the actual trials…at least, as best as he can. It’s a classic sitcom setup, but it’s really just an excuse to go hog wild with the most imaginative, demented series of episodes that have hit TV since Rick and Morty premiered well over a decade ago.

At least part of that evolution can be chalked up to the difference in references, and while Strip Law may also call to mind reference-humor-heavy shows like Family Guy, what separates Strip Law from the pack is that the points of origin lift up the characters rather than merely existing to remind the audience of moments they remember. Basically, it’s the difference between satire and parody; satire (among other things) is using references to make a point, while parody is merely presenting them as is. While Rick and Morty was very pointedly riffing on movies of the ’80s, the touchstones for Strip Law are moved at least 10 to 20 years up and squarely in the late ’90s and early 2000s.

That’s made incredibly clear in the first episode, when a Vegas montage is hilariously set to “Cleveland Rocks,” the theme song from The Drew Carey Show; Strip Law knows this, calls it out, and loves it. Strip Law may be the first TV show that is specifically aimed at those of us who have been irrevocably brain-poisoned by social media. Your mileage may vary about whether this is a good or bad thing, but the breakneck pace of the series is the equivalent of doomscrolling through vintage Twitter while taking a Buzzfeed quiz, or perhaps browsing Vine a half-hour at a time instead of six seconds at a time.

There’s a more important point of comparison between Strip Law and Rick and Morty: You instantly know who these characters are and what they want. More often than not, comedies take a while to find their footing. You need to introduce the characters, find their games (i.e., recurring bits and point of view), and then the writing staff needs to realize they don’t quite work and tweak accordingly. Animated shows, by working years ahead, don’t have the luxury of seeing how an audience responds to their actors and pivoting; instead, this often takes the form of providing a supporting cast and recurring characters to bump up the main cast. Think about the citizens of Springfield in The Simpsons; sure, the title family are the main event, but without Moe, Mr. Burns, Ralph Wiggum, and all the rest, the show wouldn’t work.

Rick and Morty, meanwhile, came out of the gate clean and clear with a clarity of purpose and understanding of what made its main characters tick. The rest of the family may have taken a moment to slide into their games, and arguably the show didn’t kick things up to the next level until the sixth episode of Season 1 (“Rick Potion No. 9”), but from the first moment Rick blathered on about “a hundred years Rick and Morty” while Morty convulsed in the driveway, you knew what the show was about.

Similarly, Strip Law is crystal clear from the get-go, from the relationship between Gumb and Flambé, to supporting characters at the firm like Lincoln’s weight-lifting niece/investigator, Irene (Aimee Garcia), and the requisite disgusting old man, Glem Blorchman (Stephen Root). Each and every character on the show hits the ground running, and thanks to an instantly populated Las Vegas full of characters like a stripper named Lunch Meat and various judges who would rather celebrate Halloween or win a world’s record for most cases judged, it’s clear that Strip Law looked at The Simpsons, Rick and Morty, and other programs, figured out what worked, put that in a blender, and remarkably came out with one of those milkshakes that has a cake and candy on top instead of disgusting sludge.

Even the Rick and Morty comparison – though it will likely be called out the most – isn’t quite right. Strip Law is more akin to classic Adult Swim series like Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law or Space Ghost Coast to Coast. It has an ‘anything goes’ aesthetic that still sits within guardrails that may not be visible but are clearly there. The pace is more packed, and there’s less of the “you’re at home on a Saturday night past midnight and extremely high” vibe that most Adult Swim series go for, but the idea of setting the rules merely so they can break them is omnipresent.

Strip Law is a show that is aware of itself as a TV show, hitting the beats while throwing everything at the wall…with most of it sticking. Episodes feature plots like putting the characters in a virtual HR seminar hosted by an AI amalgamation of the Rat Pack while the rest of the town is rioting over an update of the horny claymation characters, the Hot Dates. Yet, even with all of that going on, it’s never overwhelming, because Crawford and company remember this needs to first be about Gumb, Flambé, and the other staff of the law firm. Even when the show is going for the throat with an episode about the emptiness of religious shows in Vegas mixed with the nihilism of faith-based filmmaking (including an absolutely wild live-action trailer), it’s surprisingly respectful in its exploration, and continues to focus on what this means for Gumb and his co-workers.

In essence, what Strip Law is doing isn’t reinventing the wheel so much as discovering a new, exciting voice (tire?) in animated comedy. Cullen Crawford gives Strip Law a different pace and tone while also delivering what audiences have craved since the beginning of animation: good characters, wild situations, and a way of using the form to the height of its abilities.

A hundred years Strip Law!

The Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro are a true novelty: they are open-ear earbuds that, with a quick pivot, become in-ear noise-cancelling ones. It makes them one of the most flexible headphones I've ever tried, and I'd be surprised if they don't start a trend.

They're packed with bonus features including spatial audio, head tracking, dual connection to your phone and PC, and they've even got a gaming mode to reduce latency (with admittedly mixed results). But while their audio is impressive in both modes, and their customization rich, their in-ear configuration is a letdown thanks to meagre active noise cancellation (ANC) and a below-par battery. Is it enough to ruin these $180/£180 buds?

Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro: Comfortable, well-built earbuds

The thick anchor portion of the AeroFit 2 Pro buds hugs the bottom of your ear and I never felt like they'd fall off, even when I went running in the rain (which you can do thanks to the IP55 rating). The loop sat snugly on my ears without ever chafing or irritating me.

The case is a lot larger than most, but slim enough to sit in my pocket without issue. The buds feel light and particularly comfortable in open-ear mode. I could almost forget I was wearing buds and, as somebody who's used to in-ear buds with transparency modes, it was a real joy to keep my ear canals clear. I could, for example, play on my Steam Deck while still hearing everything my wife was saying, and when I was listening to a podcast outside I was fully aware of what was happening around me.

When I twisted the pivot to slide the tips into my ear they felt slightly less comfortable, probably because there's no flexible rubber on those tips. But they're slim, which means they won't dig into your ear, and I could still wear them for hours at a time. Only once, after about three hours, did I feel the urge to take a break.

Nintendo has released a lengthy Q&A article discussing its upcoming Switch re-releases of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, and addressed its decision to launch them separately — rather than as part of the Nintendo Switch Online service, like numerous other Game Boy Advance titles.

In response to the question "Why are you handling these classic games differently?" Nintendo writes: "In celebration of 30 years of Pokémon, we thought it would be fun to return to the ultimate versions of the original Pokémon adventures in the Kanto region with these special releases."

And in response to the question "Will these games also be coming to the Game Boy Advance – Nintendo Classics collection?" Nintendo replies: "These games are being offered as standalone software and are not planned for release as part of the Game Boy Advance – Nintendo Classics collection."

Neither of these answers seem to address the question of why the games could not also be part of the Switch Online's GBA collection (as a nice way for subscribers to access them at no extra cost) or why the games are priced at $20 each — a cost that has raised many fans' eyebrows.

Indeed, the whole Q&A reads as a rather defensive list of answers to questions Nintendo has anticipated fans will naturally raise in response to its decision-making here.

"If these titles are meant to celebrate 30 years of Pokémon, why aren't you releasing the original Pokémon Blue Version and Pokémon Red Version games that launched 30 years ago?" reads another pre-empted question. "We thought users will appreciate the ultimate versions of those original adventures, which add various features and upgrades to the contents of Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version," comes the reply. That's fair enough, but then having opened the Red and Blue can of worms, Nintendo goes on to pre-empt another popular question.

"Will you add the original Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version or other Pokémon games to the Nintendo Classics collections available with Nintendo Switch Online?" It's a question Nintendo fans have asked ever since the first Game Boy titles were announced for Nintendo Switch Online, years ago. In response, Nintendo lists a selection of Pokémon spin-off games which are already available via the service, and then concludes with: "We have nothing to announce regarding any other potential titles."

One notable response suggests that Nintendo sees its launch strategy for FireRed and LeafGreen as likely a one-off: "What about other classic games beyond Pokémon titles? Is this the return of standalone Virtual Console types of offerings?" The response: "We remain focused on offering classic games through Nintendo Switch Online and Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack."

But again, other than Nintendo thinking this solution would be "fun", there's little reasoning given here for why FireRed and LeafGreen will be a costly exception to its usual rule.

Of course, Nintendo is unlikely to turn around and say to fans that, really, money is the reason why it is doing this — whether that is the motivating factor here or not. And of course, despite any complaints online, these re-launches will undoubtedly sell very well.

Other fans have suggested that Nintendo is just technically unable to offer FireRed and LeafGreen via its usual Nintendo Switch Online GBA catalog, which typically allows players to load multiple save states and rewind gameplay. Such antics would likely create havoc for The Pokémon Company, by allowing for easier duplication of Pokémon. With just this list of Q&A answers to go on, though, this remains speculation.

Pokémon will celebrate its 30th anniversary next Friday, February 27, with its annual Pokémon Presents livestream. Tune in then 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

Saudi-owned RTS has officially taken full ownership of fighting game tournament series EVO, as former co-owner Nodwin Gaming exits and leaves RTS solely in charge.

As reported by Shacknews, Nodwin Gaming will remain involved in EVO to assist with marketing and some members of leadership will remain in place. However, RTS, the talent management and brand consulting company originally founded by streamer Pokimane, will take full control.

"We are proud of our legacy with Evo that started 5 years ago," said RTS CEO Stuart Saw in a statement. "We’re going to continue investing in the things that matter to our community, elevating and empowering members of the FGC and working diligently with our game developer partners to ensure that EVO benefits all involved parties."

EVO's shifting ownership has been an ongoing point of discussion and eventually concern in the fighting game community for the last several years. In 2021, PlayStation purchased EVO alongside RTS, leading many fans to express concern over how this would impact games from competing first parties, such as Nintendo. And indeed, Nintendo removed Smash Bros. from EVO 2022. Then, last August, Sony sold its ownership stake in EVO to Indian gaming and events company Nodwin Gaming, which left Nodwin and RTS as joint owners.

At the same time, Saudi Arabian investment company Qiddiya entered the picture. Qiddiya Investment Company is the company behind a massive entertainment and tourism project in Saudia Arabia, which aims to build a high-tech city centered around sports, gaming, and entertainment, and is both owned and funded by the Saudia Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF). While Qiddiya initially just announced an investment in RTS, as well as an intention to remain an EVO partner through 2027. However, just one month later, Qiddiya fully acquired RTS, meaning that EVO is now effectively owned and run by the Saudi government.

This news has been met negatively from many fans of the fighting game community. "Evo is dead. Go to your locals," reads one top comment on the thread about the news on r/Fighters. "And this, everybody, is why supporting grassroots locals should still be the priority over pushing big tentpole tournaments," reads another. Largely, those expressing criticism of the change cite Saudi Arabia's history of human rights abuses including in recent years, and including in connections to projects funded by the PIF. Community members also cite the country's repression of LGBTQ+ individuals, noting that many members of the fighting game community also identify as LGBTQ+ and would not feel safe attending. Some major players, such as Maximillion Dood and Sajam, have already stated they would not attend EVO last year, when Saudi involvement first became apparent.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Blogroll image credit: Joe Buglewicz/Getty Image

Finji, publisher of beloved indie titles such as Night in the Woods and Tunic and the developer behind Overland and Usual June, says that TikTok has been using generative AI to modify its ads on the platform without permission and pushing those ads to its users without Finji's knowledge, including one ad that was modified to include a racist, sexualized stereotype of one of Finji's characters.

This was first brought up by Finji CEO and co-founder Rebekah Saltsman on Bluesky, where she shared a screencap of a social media post from another brand that appeared to be going through the same thing, and saying the following, "If you happen to see any Finji ads that look distinctly UN-Finji-like, send me a screencap."

Unusual June

According to Saltsman speaking with IGN, Finji's official account on TikTok does push ads for its games, but has "AI turned all the way off." The team first learned that generative AI ads were being created without their knowledge thanks to social media comments on Finji's actual, regular ads from users concerned about what they were seeing. Saltsman was able to get screenshots from audience members showing the offending ads, which prompted her to escalate the issue to TikTok support.

The original ads in question appear to be videos advertising Finji's games, with one showing off several games and the other focused on Usual June. The AI-"enhanced" versions, which appear on TikTok as if posted directly from the official Finji account, seem to consist of slideshows rather than videos as indicated by a number of comments on both ads. Finji has sent IGN screenshots sent in by viewers who claim they saw the AI version of those ads. While several of the AI-"enhanced" images seem to be relatively unedited compared to their official counter parts, one image seen by IGN is noticeably modified.

Veteran game designer Jake Solomon has announced the shock closure of his studio and the apparent cancellation of its "next-gen" life simulation game, while publishing a glimpse at how it worked.

Solomon is famed for his work on the XCOM franchise at Firaxis, though began his career as a programmer on Civilization 3. Solomon was also creative director of the beloved Marvel's Midnight Suns, though departed Firaxis following its poor commercial performance.

In May 2024, Solomon announced Midsummer Studios, a fresh outfit founded by himself and other former Firaxis talent, with a goal to make a "next-generation entry to the life sim genre." But now, just 21 months later, Midsummer is closing, and its life sim project appears to have been scrapped mid-development.

We built a studio, we made a game, and I'm really proud of both. Before we close the doors at Midsummer Studios I'd like to share a glimpse of Burbank, the game we poured our hearts into.

It's like "Life Sims + The Truman Show," but it's more than that. I believe people are… pic.twitter.com/RuYvDhdEZO

— Jake Solomon (@SolomonJake) February 19, 2026

"We built a studio, we made a game, and I'm really proud of both," Solomon wrote in a post on social media. "Before we close the doors at Midsummer Studios I'd like to share a glimpse of Burbank, the game we poured our hearts into.

"It's like 'Life Sims + The Truman Show,' but it's more than that. I believe people are storytellers, and I want them to share whatever stories and characters they can dream up. Burbank let's you do that."

The trailer, above, shows players being able to create characters with detailed backstories, then place them in TV show-like scenes where they can direct interactions and watch as stories develop. Over time, the digital actors playing these characters can level up, new types of interaction can be unlocked, and more locations for the story to develop in can be unlocked.

One moment sees the player unlocking the ability to place their characters in The Office-style talking heads interviews, then prompt them with a specific question.

Harry Potter movie star Daniel Radcliffe has revealed he was once pitched a bizarre Wizard of Oz adaptation that also featured his fellow Hogwarts co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.

Describing it as "one of the worst ideas I've ever heard," the plan had apparently been for the Harry Potter trio to reunite in a fresh version of the classic story, for which Emma Watson would have played Kansas girl Dorothy.

Speaking via the Hot Ones show, Radcliffe said the offer came in while the trio were still making the Harry Potter movies, when he was aged either 14 or 15. Even then, though, Radcliffe said he was instantly aware that this was "a bad idea."

"One of the worst ideas I've ever heard, during Potter, somebody came to us and I think asked... like they wanted to cast all three of us, me, Emma and Rupert, in a remake of Wizard of Oz," Radcliffe revealed. "Emma was Dorothy, I can't remember what Rupert was, and I just remember that I was going to be the lion, but also he knew karate?

"I was like a karate kicking cowardly lion," he continued. "And I remember I was like 14 or 15, and I was like, 'I don't know a lot about the world, but this is a bad idea, this should not be made."

For context, the timeline here would place Radcliffe and his co-stars as filming the fourth Harry Potter book, Goblet of Fire. So, had the Wizard of Oz remake progressed, the trio would still have been fairly young — though not too dissimilar to the age of 16-year-old Judy Garland in the story's classic 1939 adaptation.

Numerous Wizard of Oz adaptations have surfaced over the years, including various spin-offs, prequels and sequels. These include the 2013 Sam Raimi-directed Oz the Great and Powerful, which starred James Franco, Michelle Williams and Mila Kunis, and of course the two-part Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

Earlier this week, Radcliffe discussed HBO's upcoming new adaptation of Harry Potter, and issued a plea for the series' new young cast to be allowed to get on with their work without the original movies' cast becoming "spectral phantoms" in their lives. Maybe hold off from offering them a new Wizard of Oz adaptation, too?

Image credit: Scott Gries/NBC 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

Ubisoft has said its long-awaited Splinter Cell remake remains in development despite layoffs at the studio working on the project.

40 jobs will be lost at Ubisoft Toronto, the company has now announced, as part of the ongoing push to cut costs that has seen thousands of employees depart over the past few years. In a statement sent to IGN, Ubisoft said that work on Splinter Cell was unaffected by the redundancies.

The company announced plans to remake the original Splinter Cell using The Division's snazzy Snowdrop engine back in December 2021, though little has been heard of it since.

"Following the recent announcement of the final phase of Ubisoft's global cost-savings plan and the discontinuation of projects, Ubisoft Toronto will be reducing its workforce by 40 roles," a Ubisoft spokesperson said.

"This decision was not taken lightly and does not in any way reflect the talent, dedication, or contributions of the individuals affected. Our priority now is to support them through this transition with comprehensive severance packages and robust career placement assistance. 

"The Toronto studio continues development on the Splinter Cell game and serves as a co-development partner on Rainbow Six, along with supporting additional co-development projects."

The suggestion here is that Toronto was working on one of the six games that Ubisoft canned last month, including its Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake. At the time, the company also confirmed the full closures of Ubisoft Stockholm and Ubisoft Halifax, and "restructurings" of staff at Ubisoft offices in Abu Dhabi, Trials studio RedLynx and at Massive, home to The Division. A week later, Ubisoft then announced plans to lose up to 200 jobs at its headquarters in Paris — a decision that has since been the subject of employee protests.

As for the Splinter Cell remake, the project remains firmly under wraps without any kind of release window. Still, some positive news emerged late last year — when the remake's original director David Grivel announced he had returned to recommence his role after leaving Ubisoft in 2022. Here's hoping more emerges from the shadows soon.

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

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, which originally launched for the Game Boy Advance back in 2004, will arrive on Nintendo Switch next week to celebrate the Pokémon series' 30th anniversary.

The games will become available on Switch shortly after this year's Pokémon Presents broadcast — The Pokémon Company's annual announcement showcase held on February 27 each year — that is expected to be a very important one indeed.

Today, The Pokémon Company also now firmed up the timing of the Pokémon Presents stream, which will be held at 6am Pacific / 9am Eastern / 2pm UK.

════════════
Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen confirmed for Nintendo Switch!
═══════════
These download-exclusive titles will be available after the #PokemonDay Presents presentation which begins Friday, February 27, 2026, at 6AM PST. #PokemonFRLG pic.twitter.com/m8xEFOOjle

— Pokémon (@Pokemon) February 20, 2026

Unlike other retro games available as part of the Nintendo Switch Online subscription, FireRed and LeafGreen will be standalone releases — sold via the eShop for $19.99 each. Local wireless play for battling and trading will be possible, though online features are not supported.

Still, the game is expected to enable players to connect and transfer Pokémon into Pokémon Home, the franchise's cloud-based monster storage service.

As for next week's Pokémon Presents broadcast, fans are anticipating that the franchise's 30th anniversary will be marked by some big announcements. We'll hear more about promising upcoming life sim spin-off Pokémon Pokopia of course, but fans will be waiting to see if the series' long-awaited 10th generation of games and creatures also gets a showing.

Expectations for this year's celebrations are sky high, following last year's so-called Teraleak of Pokémon game development data that spilled various details of the franchise's highly-anticipated 10th generation of games. Alongside a fresh roster of new Pokémon, fans expect these titles to feature new gameplay mechanics and procedurally-generated areas for the first time.

Meanwhile, Pokémon has already begun its 30th anniversary celebrations by revealing the franchise's first LEGO sets (which also drop on February 27) and airing a Super Bowl spot featuring Lady Gaga singing the Jigglypuff song.

Join us next Friday for Pokémon Presents, which IGN will be reporting on live.

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

Warning: This review contains full spoilers for The Pitt Season 2, Episode 7!

The overall quality of The Pitt Season 2 may be slightly less consistent than it was in Season 1, but at its best, the series is still every bit as good as before. That much is clear from these last few episodes. Episode 5 was the best chapter up to that point, while Episode 6 stumbled a bit from some frustrating character moments and an emphasis on relatively less interesting medical cases. But now the series bounces back again in Episode 7, as things really start to heat up in the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. Literally.

If last week’s crop of medical cases proved slightly underwhelming, that’s not at all a problem here. Thankfully, we’ve already moved on from that inexplicably mundane motorcycle accident. Instead, the show pivots to a handful of new cases and provides newfound momentum with several ongoing subplots. The season is nearing the midway point now, and the tone is definitely shifting in a darker and more frantic direction.

Perhaps most notably, we see Dana (Katherine LaNasa) and Emma (Laëtitia Hollard) take charge of a sexual assault case. These scenes are hard to watch, and they do a great job of conveying the dehumanizing ordeal involved in being poked, prodded, and tested in the aftermath of a terrible trauma. LaNasa really shines throughout, radiating warmth, compassion, and experience. But as things start to go off the rails at the end, we see the terrible toll this work takes on her. LaNasa really is one of the show’s MVPs.

Elsewhere in the ER, we got the surprise return of Shawn Hatosy’s Dr. Jack Abbot, who, it seems, doesn’t get enough thrills in his night job. More Jack is always a good thing for the series. The fight to save the life of the injured SWAT member adds a welcome sense of urgency to the episode. And in the aftermath, we get to savor several memorable scenes between Hatosy and other cast members. The moment of bonding between Jack and Samira (Supriya Ganesh) is especially enjoyable (if a bit heartbreaking, given the sad turn in the case of her diabetic patient).

And if the series has been a little slow to advance the plight of Dr. Langdon (Frank Ball), that finally changes here as Langdon and Robby (Noah Wyle) finally have their big confrontation. It’s very brief, sure, but Robby clearly says everything that he feels needs to be said. That brief exchange leaves Langdon crushed and at loose ends. Once again, it’s impressive just how differently Ball is playing his character in Season 2. The swagger is gone, replaced by a weary man trying and failing to make amends for his misdeeds. I can’t wait to see where Langdon’s story arc progresses in the back half of the season.

This is all pretty heavy material, but the show doesn’t entirely lose sight of the humor that characterized earlier episodes. The focus on Javadi’s (Shabana Azeez) family strife continues to amuse. The poor kid never stood a chance with parents like these. And the show continues to make a meal out of Santos (Isa Briones) and her futile quest to get her charts in order. It even turns out that she has a pretty decent singing voice. Though it should be noted, we also get some newfound insight into her personal struggles and learn that she has a habit of self-harm. Santos has become one of the show’s most well-rounded and compelling characters in Season 2.

Finally, Episode 7 wraps up with the big reveal about what’s been going on with the mysterious Code Black. It seems multiple hospitals are being targeted with ransomware attacks, forcing The Pitt to not only accept even more patients, but to go offline in the process. If the tension wasn’t already soaring along with the heat, that’ll certainly do it. The season’s slow start is making way for a very interesting and high-stakes struggle to survive the holiday onslaught.

The League of Legends trading card game Riftbound's second set, titled Spiritforged, was released in the US on February 13. The newest expansion has been out in China for a couple of months now, and in the west for just over a week, sowe've seen a general picture of how the new cards are impacting the metagame thanks to two recent Regional Qualifiers in Fuzhou and Chengdu. With that being said, these are some of the best Spiritforged cards I think you should look into picking up now that the set is finally available.

10. Blood Money

9. Card Sharp

8. Not So Fast

7. Bellows Breath

6. Trinity Force

5. Piercing Light

4. Ferrous Forerunner

3. Called Shot

2. Guardian Angel

1. Ezreal, Prodigy

Where to Buy Riftbound: Spiritforged

If you prefer the rush of cracking packs hoping to pull your favorite chase cards, below are the Spiritforged sealed products available for purchase.

Like Origins before it, the second set is already sold out on Riot's online storefront, but you can order through TCGplayer at pretty high markups if you're desperate to secure the goods.

Myles Obenza is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Bluesky @mylesobenza.bsky.social.

Thank your own personal deity--possibly Athena of God of War: Sons of Sparta fame--it's Friday. Some sales are noisy. This one is curated. These are games I have played, finished, stress tested, and would still recommend at these prices without hesitation. And now I'm off to play some Resi. Weekend well. See you Monday.

Contents

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This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I'm celebrating the 23rd birthday of Rez, Tetsuya Mizuguchi's synesthesia masterpiece. One part Panzer Dragoon on-rails shooting and another part LSD degrees of "ohhh, I can seeee the muuuusic," this Dreamcast must-own stands up today, particularly inside of a PS VR2 headset.

Not everyone is the DIY type. If you're in the market for a prebuilt gaming PC, Dell is one of the best brands we'd recommend. Alienware desktops and laptops feature solid build quality, top-of-the-line gaming performance, excellent cooling (further improved on the newer models), aggressive styling, and pricing that is very competitive with other pre-built options. Best of all, there are plenty of sales that happen throughout the year, so it's not difficult to grab one of these computers at considerably less than their retail price.

Dell and Alienware Coupons

Alienware Area-51 Gaming PC Deals

If you're seeking the absolute best of the best in PC gaming performance, look no further. Dell unveiled the new Alienware Area-51 gaming PC at CES 2025. The product photos don't give it due justice; this is a big chassis that towers over the Aurora R16 model with superior build quality and a redesigned cooling system with even greater airflow. This is the only model that can be configured with the hot and power hungry GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card. The first wave of Area-51 systems featured Intel CPUs exclusively, with AMD X3D options only available since late November.

Alienware Aurora R16 Gaming PC Deals

The Aurora R16 is Alienware's bread and butter gaming PC. It can be equipped with an Nvidia RTX 5060 graphics card all the way up to an RTX 5080 and the prices for Cyber Monday are extremely competitive with other brands. For example, currently Alienware has the least expensive prebuilt RTX 5080 gaming PC that I've found anywhere. Most of these systems are customizable, however it's not difficult to upgrade your own RAM and storage yourself.

Alienware Aurora Gaming Laptop Deals

Alienware's newest mainstream gaming laptop is dubbed the "Alienware Aurora" and it replaces the previous generation's x16 and m16 series of laptops. It comes in two models: the 16 and 16X. The 16 is the more economical model, but gamers should definitely opt for the higher-end 16X model. If you're looking for build quality and performance on par with the previous generation m16, then the 16X is its spiritual successor. It features an anodized aluminum lid and base, a higher quality display, a more powerful CPU, and a GPU that isn't throttled for maximum gaming performance.

Alienware Area-51 Gaming Laptop Deals

Alienware 18 Area-51 (18")

Alienware 16 Area-51 (16")

The Area-51 is Alienware's new flagship gaming laptop for 2025. It features an anodized aluminum shell for both the lid and bottom chassis with a gorgeous iridescent finish. The frame is made of a durable and lightweight magnesium alloy. Cooling has been upgraded with generous amounts of copper and a new thermal interface material to better transfer heat away from your hottest components as well as more fans and bigger cutouts for greater airflow. Dell claims that the laptop can handle a higher power ceiling of up to 240W TDP without raising acoustics.

Design-wise, the Area 51 has a sleeker, more contoured shape compared to previous models, with rounded edges and soft corners replacing the traditional squared off design. The hinges are internally positioned so that they're near invisible. There's a transparent window on the undercarriage to show off the internal components. As befits an Alienware laptop, there's plenty of RGB illunimation, although most of it can be turned off if you want your laptop to be a bit more subtle.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

Violent weather is about to hit the Rust Belt, as developer Embark Studios has revealed a first look at the new Hurricane map condition coming to Arc Raiders.

The studio pulled back the curtain on Shrouded Sky, its next major content update, with a post on its website. It comes with a sneak peek at how hurricanes will tear through maps like Spaceport, promising what already looks like the most dangerous weather the southern Italy-set video game has faced yet.

Powerful Electromagnetic Storms and wintery Cold Snap conditions have had players seeking shelter before, but Embark says Arc Raiders hasn’t seen anything quite like this. Starting with the launch of Shrouded Sky February 24, Raiders may be subjected to strong winds that will have them rethinking how they approach PvP and PvE.

Searching for topside resources and blueprints during a hurricane will have players fighting both with and against the wind. Running with the storm could provide a small speed boost, for example, but running against it will result in slowed movement and drained stamina. Raiders can also expect everything from gas grenades to trailblazers and other throwables to behave differently when winds pick up.

One look at the trailer makes it clear visibility will be low during a hurricane, but Embark says Arc Raiders players will want to be wary of debris, too. However, like with most other map conditions, the increased threat level means more opportunities to find better loot, with today’s post teasing Raider Caches and relics of the First Wave for those who brave the storm.

Shrouded Sky is Embark’s major update for February and follows the January Headwinds update. While that relatively small content drop added a solo vs. squads queue option and the Bird City map condition, Shrouded Sky is said to come packed with a Raider Deck and map update, as well as a new Arc threat, which we may have gotten a small glimpse of toward the end of today's trailer. Players can also expect to reset their ranks once again with the launch of the next Expedition the following day.

The Arc Raiders roadmap also promised the Flashpoint update for March and Riven Tides for April. The former is said to come with yet another map condition, while the latter’s headlining feature is a brand-new map to raid. We interviewed Embark CEO Patrick Söderlund earlier this month to learn more about what the studio has in store for its popular extraction shooter and how its success has set it up for a bright future. Meanwhile, the team is still doing its best to crack down on cheaters by issuing suspensions for those who take advantage of in-game exploits.

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).

Relive Marty McFly's time traveling adventures in glorious ultra high definition. For a limited time, Amazon is offering the Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy in remastered 4K Ultra HD for just $31.99 after a 43% off instant discount. The last time I saw the price drop this low was back in April of 2025. If you already have the Blu-ray set, it's still worth the upgrade. The 4K remaster is widely accepted to be a noticeable upgrade in visual fidelity.

Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy for $31.99

It's never a bad idea to keep a power station on hand to keep your mobile electronics charged up during emergencies. If you're of the same mind and plan to look on Amazon, then you might want to check out this better deal from AliExpress.

Right now, AliExpress is offering the Ecoflow River 3 230Wh LiFePO4 power station for just $130.84 after you apply the $10 off code "USSS10". (Compare this to a similar product $190 on Amazon currently.) It's sold through Ecoflow's official AliExpress storefront and it ships from a local US warehouse so your order delivers quickly and you don't need to worry about additional tariff fees.

Ecoflow River 3 Power Station for $129.22

Developer Mega Crit has published a new animated trailer for Slay the Spire 2, revealing four-player co-op and an early access release date of March 5, 2026.

The sequel to the studio’s beloved roguelike deckbuilder reappeared with a two-and-a-half-minute trailer today. Alongside the promise to bring a host of new features to Early Access players on Steam in just a few weeks, the footage comes mixed with a stylish animation that almost looks like it could stand alone as its own TV show.

As the trailer’s silent hero falls in battle, we see others come to their aid, revealing that players won’t have to fight through Slay the Spire 2’s dark fantasy world alone. Gameplay featured in the footage highlights combat encounters for up to four players, with Mega Crit explaining in a blog post on Steam that the multiplayer mode will feature its own specific cards and team synergies.

While Early Access is said to come with new cards, characters, events, relics, potions, abilities, alternate acts, and more, today’s trailer shows off how some of these new mechanics will offer chaotic twists on the original formula. The footage also teases an additional new character to look forward to.

“For 1,000 years, the Spire lay dormant, its secrets buried and its horrors forgotten,” an official description for Slay the Spire 2 says. “Now, it has reopened, hungrier and more dangerous than ever, devouring all who dare to ascend.

“New perils demand sharper strategies, relentless cunning, and unwavering resolve. Outwit the Spire’s brutal trials and uncover the truths hidden at its peak.”

Slay the Spire 2 is Mega Crit’s follow-up to its massively popular 2019 original and was announced in 2024. Although a delay saw its release date move from late 2025 to this March, fans will no doubt be excited to hear they’ll now only need to wait two weeks before going hands-on when it comes to PC via Steam March 5.

For more, you can see why we thought the original Slay the Spire is a 9/10. You can also check out how the world’s first human Neuralink patient used the technology to play Slay the Spire.

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).

The fire-breathing dragons of the Game of Thrones universe are heading to the sea as war breaks out in the first teaser trailer for House of the Dragon Season 3.

Regardless of the tense conversations had in the Season 2 finale, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) are heading to war. Today’s trailer gives viewers just a glimpse of the battle ahead, showing fights filled with fire and blood as the factions in Dragonstone and the Red Keep fight for the Iron Throne.

Absolute power is within grasp. #HOTD Season 3 returns this June on HBO Max. pic.twitter.com/hFa3tRt58b

— House of the Dragon (@HouseofDragon) February 19, 2026

House of the Dragon Season 3 picks up where the show left off in 2024, and that means all of the story’s major players are back, too. Highlights from the footage (above) show Jacaerys (Harry Collett) warning against his mother’s decision to trust Alicent, while faces like Daemon (Matt Smith) and Corlys (Steve Toussaint) head to the front lines.

Meanwhile, as an injured Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) leaves the Red Keep, it seems his brother, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), is starting to get quite comfy on the Iron Throne. As the trailer reaches its conclusion, audiences are warned that Rhaenyra’s true reign as Queen of Westeros is almost here.

HBO has yet to announce a release date for House of the Dragon Season 3. However, as revealed with teaser art yesterday, we do at least know that the Game of Thrones spinoff show’s latest batch of episodes is set to premiere sometime in June. It means we have a few more months of waiting to do, and maybe even a few more trailers, before we see how its adaptation of the events of George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood will continue.

House of the Dragon originally launched in 2022 and has taken a two-year break between season premieres. Season 4 will be its last, and as revealed in a roadmap published by HBO last year, we can expect it to tie a bow on the story in 2028. For more, check out our 7/10 review of Season 2, and then learn about the behind-the-scenes tensions between Martin and the showrunners. You can also check out our review of episode 5 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, another Game of Thrones spinoff currently airing on HBO.

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).

How important is a left click?

Your answer might determine whether you love the Keychron M3 Mini, a wireless lightweight gaming mouse with impressive specs for less than $70. Its pinpoint sensor, fast polling rate, low click latency and marathon battery life match those of more expensive devices, and make me feel like I'm using a pro-level lightweight FPS mouse. But that left click is, under certain conditions, jarring, hollow, tinny, and unpleasant.

I did eventually make it work for me – which I'll explain later – but it points to niggling build quality issues with an otherwise excellent mouse.

Let's get the bad stuff out of the way before focusing on the pile of good stuff.

The left and right mouse clicks are absolutely fine, provided you touch the buttons towards the front. They feel relatively clean and crisp, and spammable if needed. No complaints. But if your fingertips stray down the mouse towards the middle of the buttons – which they can easily do in fingertip or claw grips – the clicks are awful. They sound echoey, feel loose and sloppy, and vibrate against your fingers.

With most mice, when you click the bottom of the button, the whole button will move as one. When you press the bottom of the buttons on the M3 Mini, the top doesn't click in, only the bottom does. It feels almost like those buttons are on a see-saw, with a pivot in the middle, rather than moving as a solid piece.

It's not the only issue I had with the M3 Mini. The side buttons feel pretty solid but the casing around them doesn't. If you squeeze the sides of the mouse they'll start to flex, and if you really squeeze you can actually activate the side click without touching a button.

Both of these problems sound alarming but neither ruined the mouse for me. In reality, you're never going to squeeze the mouse hard enough to flex the sides, and it felt sturdy and safe in my hand.

The mouse button is the more serious issue, and I had to adapt to get around it, training my hand to stay forward. In claw grip, I just bent my fingers a little less than normal to ensure the tips stayed in the right position. And when I got used to it this mouse was pleasant to use, mostly because of its light weight and comfortable shape.

A Light, Comfortable Shell

At 55g, the M3 Mini is a genuinely lightweight mouse. Lighter doesn't mean better, of course: the most important thing is how it feels in the hand and how smoothly it glides across your mousepad. The feet on the M3 Mini aren't the slickest, and have more friction than higher-end mice, but because of the mouse's weight I never felt like I was having to drag it across my pad. The ride was effortless.

It certainly helps that its hourglass-style shape and curved base fills my hand surprisingly well for a smaller mouse, to the point where I could use it in a full palm grip – where your whole palm grabs the bottom of the mouse – with zero issues. Switching between fingertip, claw, and palm grips felt natural, and my fingers and hand always found a comfortable place to rest.

If you have particularly large hands (mine are slightly larger than average), you might struggle to find a stable position on its slim body, but it'll work well for everyone else.

The textured patterns on both sides of the mouse helped me grip it securely. If you run your thumb along them it feels scratchy, but when I was actually using the mouse I never felt any movement or irritation. The chalky plastic coating was easy to hold onto for hours at a time.

Fast Sensor and Long Battery Life

There are four variations of the M3 Mini, each with different combos of sensors and max polling rates, which is the number of times the mouse reports its position to your PC. They range in price from $40 to $70, although the top-of-the-range model that I tested is often available cheaper (it's close to $60 as I write this).

The ones you want to consider are the PixArt 3395 sensors (either 1000Hz or 4000Hz polling rate), or the 3950 sensor 8000Hz variant. Those two sensors are both widely used and will perform well no matter what you throw at them. I tested the 8K variant in a variety of genres– Arc Raiders, Fortnite, CS2, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – and was very happy. Quick flick-shots hit their mark and slower tracking felt smooth, with no noticeable hitches or stuttering.

Whether it's worth paying more for 4K or 8K polling rate is personal preference. It should make tracking less jittery and more responsive, but to feel a difference above 1000Hz you'll need a decent CPU-GPU combo and a high refresh-rate monitor – even then, not everyone thinks it's worth it. I can feel a very slight benefit as I move from 1K to 4K, but I think 8K is overkill.

Base your choice on the price and your budget: personally, I think it's worth stumping up the extra $20 for the best sensor but if you don't want to, you'll still get solid performance.

I like how simple Keychron makes it to switch between polling rates and DPI. Both have a dedicated button on the bottom of the mouse, and both buttons have their own indicator LEDs so that you always know your current setting. As somebody who likes to switch regularly – I generally bump up my polling rate and lower my sensitivity as I move from work to gaming – I appreciated how streamlined it felt. There's also a switch to toggle between the fast 2.4Ghz wireless connection and Bluetooth.

If you opt for higher polling rates you'll sacrifice some battery life, but that's fine here because the M3 Mini lasts for ages. On the top two configurations, you should get 135+ hours at 1000Hz polling rate. Impressive. It runs out faster at higher polling rates, but I tested it on and off for a couple of weeks at various polling rates and only drained a third of the battery.

The battery life on the 1K mouse variant is less impressive: Keychron says it'll last roughly 70 hours. It's another reason to pick the meatier specs.

Keychron's launcher software is browser-based and there's no offline version, which will rule this mouse out for some people – although, again, you can change polling rate and sensitivity just by clicking the buttons on the bottom. I personally prefer web-based software to installing a new program on my PC for every mouse, and I found Keychron's intuitive. Tweaking the basics such as polling rate and DPI is simple, and you get the advanced settings you'd hope for, including ripple control, angle snapping, motion sync and adjustable lift-off distance.

Samuel is a freelance reporter and editor specializing in longform journalism and hardware reviews. You can read his work at his website.

If you haven't already, there's no better time to start monster huntin' than now. Starting today and running through Saturday, Best Buy is offering the PS5 version of Monster Hunter Wilds for just $19.99. This is by far the lowest price I've seen for the wildly popular PS5 game, the previous low being $30 during Black Friday.

Monster Hunter Wilds for PlayStation 5 for $19.99

Castlevania? Now that's a name I've not heard in a long time. After years of making almost no video games at all, Konami has decided to get back into the fray with a handful of new game announcements in beloved franchises. Among the upcoming releases is Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, a new side-scrolling entry in the long-dormant action-horror series.

Belmont’s Curse is set to release sometime in 2026 for PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PC. It’s already available to preorder for $39.99 (see it on Amazon). Below, we dive into what this game is and where you can place your preorder. Let’s get to it.

Preorder Castlevania: Belmont's Curse

Preorder Bonus? (Nah)

As yet, no preorder bonuses have been announced. If any become available in the future (which does happen from time to time), this is where you’ll find them.

What Is Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse?

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is the first brand-new side-scrolling Castlevania game since 2008’s Order of Ecclesia came out on the Nintendo DS. That’s 18 years! Dang! It’s published by Konami, but it’s being developed by Evil Empire, the company behind The Rogue Prince of Persia and several Dead Cells DLCs, including Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania. So they know their way around a side-scrolling action game. Motion Twin, the main developer of Dead Cells, is also on board in an advisory role.

Belmont’s Curse takes place in 1499 Paris, which is in the midst of a monster invasion. That puts it 23 years after the events of the NES game Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. It’s not 100% clear if this is a “metroidvania” or “search action” game in the vein of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and the GBA and Nintendo DS installments of the early 2000s.

In terms of gameplay, it looks like you do plenty of jumping on platforms, swinging from rings, and whipping on enemies. Bosses can tower over you. Environmental hazards like saw blades are strewn about. You have access to additional weapons and abilities like a flame spell and a cross you can throw like a boomerang. It looks like fun. Watch the trailer above to see for yourself.

More Preorder Guides

Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.

This article contains spoilers for Paradise Season 1; Paradise Season 2 debuts on Hulu on February 23.

The first season of Hulu’s Paradise was extremely hard to talk about before it was released, particularly because the premiere episode’s big twist – that the show takes place entirely inside a suburban-style bunker under a mountain in Colorado after the apparent end of the world – was expressly forbidden from being mentioned in reviews. Well, the secret is out, and while there are plenty more twists and turns in Season 2 of the series – including a likely game changer in the finale (seven of the season’s eight episodes were provided to critics for review) – it’s a little easier to talk about this time around. With Season 2, Paradise continues to be one of the most propulsively binge-worthy dramas on TV.

To revisit Season 1 just a bit: After the murder of third term President Cal Bradford (James Marsden), Secret Service agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) went down a conspiracy rabbit hole, unraveling some of the truth behind the bunker community of Paradise and how Samantha "Sinatra" Redmond (Julianne Nicholson), the billionaire behind its construction, was maybe not being so truthful about what went down outside its walls.

Specifically, after a bit of the ol’ insurrection led by Xavier, he discovered that not only are there people alive outside Paradise, his wife – who he thought died the day a super-volcano exploded, causing a tsunami to wreck most of the world – is alive as well, and living in Atlanta. There’s a lot more that happened as the show jumped backwards in time to show how we got here, as well as moving the conspiracy plot forward in the present, but the most important bit of info to know is that the season ended with Sinatra on life support, Xavier exiting the bunker via a small airplane to go find his wife, and Cal (ostensibly the third lead of the show) still very much dead, though often popping up via flashback to give ghostly advice.

With the dual secrets of the premise and how the world ended out of the way, we’re in literal and figurative uncharted territory in Season 2. Granted, showrunner Dan Fogelman has a fair amount of post-apocalyptic TV shows and movies to pull from, as well as mystery box/flashback-heavy shows like Lost, which he picks and chooses from liberally as we explore more of the world outside as well as how life continues inside Paradise. But what characterizes the new season more than anything is that while Fogelman lays in new mysteries and new sci-fi concepts to replace the ones tied with a bow in Season 1, he also leans straight into his comfort zone: emotionally charged character studies.

The thing is that Paradise is an odd note on Fogelman’s resumé. He hasn’t shied away from more fantastical concepts in the past; he wrote Cars, Tangled, and even a draft of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Most of the time, however, he’s been known for more grounded human fare like: Crazy, Stupid, Love; the late, lamented TV show, Pitch; and most notably, This Is Us.

Paradise Season 2 – at least in its first half – might as well be called This Is The Last Of Us without the fungal zombies. Yes, they’re in a post-apocalypse that’s been devastated by climate change – though the show rarely says those words – but everybody is so nice. We’ve been trained time and again by shows like The Last of Us and particularly The Walking Dead to expect that every time you encounter a new community, they might seem good at first, but it will turn out that they’re eating people, or they’re fascists, or they’re just not prepared to survive the circumstances of their particular apocalypse.

While Fogelman plays with that, he seems far less interested in what makes a world fall apart than what helps build it back up again. To that end, the majority of the season also takes the form of the more focused flashback episodes from Season 1. There, we got the full-on flashback episode of “The Day,” which revealed how the world fell in pulse-pounding real time. Paradise Season 2 isn’t quite on par with that high watermark episode, but instead channels the feeling of an extended sequence in the finale, where we met a construction worker helping build the bunker and followed him as he befriended his crew, discovered things weren’t quite right, tried to stop the bunker from being built, and ultimately failed.

Season 2 takes the feeling of that extended sequence and runs with it, almost becoming a Paradise anthology-style series where each episode is done in one, only lightly connecting to the episode that came before, and often keeping our main characters off-screen for episodes at a time. Part of that is utility, given we’re now following multiple characters in multiple locations versus the more focused locale of “just” Paradise in the first season. But another part of it is that it allows Fogelman the space to spend time emotionally with the characters, particularly new cast members like Shailene Woodley’s lost Graceland tour guide, and Thomas Doherty’s mysterious Link (yes, named after the Legend of Zelda character). We don’t know those folks yet the same way we know Xavier, Sinatra, and Cal, so while there might be some audience frustration about our Season 1 stars being in absentia for large chunks of episodes, when you’ve got good actors digging into meaty speeches and one-on-one scenes, you won’t really miss the folks you already know.

But don’t worry: Paradise falls back on a more conventional TV structure eventually. The level of restraint shown in the early part of the season is laudable, and particularly with Hulu dropping three episodes on premiere day, it should be less frustrating for fans of the series than if, say, you had to wait three to four weeks to find out what happened to Xavier, or what’s going on back in Paradise.

On that note, Sterling K. Brown continues to be the most ridiculously charming man on TV. While most of his arc falls under the heading of “I just want my wife back!” action heroes, and Brown’s chiseled muscles certainly make him convincing in the show’s infrequent but well-staged blockbuster action scenes, it’s Brown’s smile that makes viewers melt. Early on, there’s a swoon-worthy flashback to Xavier’s past that lets the actor flex all his rom-com muscles, and you will grin a goofy smile the entire time as Brown provides more raw romance power in a single scene than most movies can manage in their entire runtime. Other episodes let Brown flex his dramatic muscles as his hard-earned steely demeanor begins to melt thanks to Paradise’s Nice-pocalypse. And then other times, he just flexes his muscles, and when he does – hubba-hubba.

Nicholson also gets some substantial dramatic work this season, and though we may run out of rope eventually with the plotline that she’s been traumatized and motivated by the death of her son well before the end of the world, we haven’t gotten there yet. Nicholson is a master of the locked-up microexpression performance, and her sympathetic bad guy persona lets her play that to the hilt.

As for other members of the cast, Nicole Brydon Bloom continues to be a delight as the Wii-obsessed psycho secret service agent, Jane Driscoll; she bubbled in the background in Season 1, but the show knows what they’ve got with her unhinged performance and lets her freak flag fly in Season 2. And while he has less to do now that we know how he was murdered as well as his role in ending/saving the world, Marsden’s Cal is still incredibly engrossing in every flashback appearance. His folksy “I’m just a dumb, young guy who happens to be President” attitude belies a sharp judge of character, and an episode late in the season gives Marsden a stellar monologue. Cal may be back essentially because the show likes working with Marsden, but we like watching Marsden, so they get a pass here.

If Paradise Season 2 excels when it’s working with dramatic, human scenes, it struggles a bit with the sci-fi elements, which become more outlandish and farther from reality in Season 2. While this was never an expressly political show despite opening with the murder of the President, the idea of billionaires abandoning Earth to a climate disaster they caused is very present in our reality. The second season moves further away from that with new sci-fi ideas that are far less based in reality and seem more focused on the longevity of the series than reflecting something happening outside our window. It’s unfortunate, because it moves the show from pressing sci-fi warning to something more akin to naive fantasy. Granted, naive fantasy is where Fogelman lives, even when his shows are ostensibly set in the real world versus some time in the near future. But depending on how the finale pans out – there are big secrets being held back – it’s possible we could get something very timely, or we could end up diving completely into something less relatable and more fantastical.

Even given that, and with some of the jankier decisions on the part of our characters later in the season – choosing niceness, all apologies to Fogelman, is not always the answer when the stakes are this high – Paradise remains engrossing pulp fun. There’s a lot resting on Brown’s prodigious muscles to keep this show going, but thanks to a game supporting cast and plenty of twists, turns, and flashbacks that will tug on your heartstrings, the Hulu hit may be almost paradise, but it’ll keep you knocking on Heaven’s door, begging for more episodes.

With a slim, comfortable feel and a premium-only feature at a 25% discount, the EasySMX S10 has a leg up on most of the market when it comes to great third-party Switch 2 controllers. While it doesn’t pack the same punch as the first-party Switch 2 Pro Controller, the S10 makes for a solid second option for anyone willing to sacrifice ancillary stuff like Amiibo support. Plus, it comes with better triggers and a customizable d-pad.

EasySMX has made a big push into the third-party controller scene with one big claim: remote wakeup. It’s odd that Nintendo locked this basic, highly convenient feature behind the $80 Switch 2 Pro Controller or its even pricier counterpart, a pair of Joy-Con 2 controllers. This confusing change from the original Switch keeps just about every pro controller option from waking up the Switch 2 with the Home button. Even the official Switch 1 Pro Controller falls short here, effectively paywalling what should be a universal, standard feature. Enter EasySMX with a somewhat awkward solution to the issue, promising remote wakeup with a strange workaround.

Per the instructions provided by EasySMX, I synced my shiny new controller, detached both Joy-Cons, and then reattached them within 20 seconds after the initial sync. After putting my console back into sleep mode and trying to wake it up again… I got nothing. A few frustrated tries later though, it did work. I haven’t had any issues since it clicked, aside from when I connected the controller to my PC and then went back to the Switch 2, but I just repeated the process without issue.

In motion, the controller itself is really comfortable, especially for anything that relies heavily on its two buttery-smooth sticks, with comfortable, textured grips that kind of remind me of the DualSense’s stick grips. I played the entirety of Once Upon A Katamari, which is controlled almost exclusively using both sticks, using the S10.

My only real gripe with the sticks extends to the rest of the controller’s face; it’s all too low-profile. The grip part of the stick, where it mushrooms out from the rest of the stick, is too close to the rest of the controller, considering the distance between each controller element. This gives a kind of claustrophobic feel to swapping between sticks, buttons, and the d-pad. Granted, my thumbs are a bit bigger than average, but I found myself accidentally bumping the stick when pressing up on the d-pad.

That flaw aside, this d-pad is great. Despite literally inventing the d-pad decades ago, Nintendo has repeatedly dropped the ball in recent iterations, with a design that often accidentally triggers a secondary input in an additional, adjacent direction. I can’t tell you how many games of Tetris 99 I’ve had to salvage because of an accidental input from Nintendo’s first-party Pro Controllers. The Switch 2 Pro Controller is a step in the right direction, but it’s not where I need it to be.

The S10 offers customization between a classic d-pad and a circular design similar to the one found on the current Xbox models. I usually prefer the circular setup, but the traditional mode is a little more precise. Either way, it’s nice to have a choice.

The mechanical face buttons press with a satisfying little click like a mechanical keyboard would. They’re also pretty low-profile – which unfortunately isn’t my preference, because they give each press a kind of soft feeling that I can’t get behind. The triggers and bumpers, on the other hand, are much more comfortable and satisfying to press. They’re still low-profile like the first-party options, but this works much better for non-analog triggers than it does face buttons.

The grip buttons are the weakest link, though. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve accidentally pressed them just by gripping my controller tighter. This won’t be an issue for everyone, especially people with smaller hands and fingers, and it only became an issue when I had those buttons mapped to an input. Still, I wish there were a tighter gate to minimize accidental presses.

Charlie is a freelance contributor for IGN. You can reach them via Twitter or Instagram at the handle @chas_mke.