One of the developers of Steam and Xbox hit Palworld has teased the release of a PlayStation version.

Pocketpair community chief Bucky tweeted adding blue-colored hearts to Palworld’s existing black (PC), green (Xbox), and white (Mac) hearts. Blue is, of course, the color of PlayStation branding. With this context, a PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 release now seems likely.

🖤💚🤍Palworld🤍💚🖤

I want to add more hearts, but not sure what colour would fit...hmm...how about....

🖤💚🤍💙Palworld💙🤍💚🖤

Looks good I think!

👀

— Bucky | Palworld (@Bucky_cm) June 22, 2024

Palworld, dubbed ‘Pokémon with Guns,’ launched in early access form in January 2024 on PC via Steam and on Xbox as a day-one Game Pass title. It saw enormous popularity overnight, becoming one of the biggest game launches of all time. But it’s also one of the most controversial. Pocketpair has said its staff has received death threats amid Pokémon "rip-off" claims, which it has denied. Soon after launch, Nintendo moved quickly to remove an eye-catching Pokémon mod, then The Pokemon Company issued a statement, saying: "We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to Pokémon." IGN asked lawyers whether Nintendo could successfully sue.

Player numbers have tailed off in the last half year, but the addition of a PS5 version would certainly provide Palworld with a shot in the arm. Whether Nintendo would greenlight a release on Switch is another matter entirely, of course.

Meanwhile, Palworld gets a major new update this week, called Sakurajima. It increases the level cap, adds new Pals, a new raid, a new faction and boss, and a whole new island. This update also comes with Xbox-dedicated servers, something the game had conspicuously lacked up to this point.

IGN’s Palworld early access review returned an 8/10. We said: “Palworld may crib quite a bit from Pokémon’s homework, but deep survival mechanics and a hilarious attitude make it hard to put down – even in early access.”

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

It’s been a bruising weekend for many Shadow of the Erdtree players. The DLC’s extreme — and intended - difficulty has sparked a debate about the rights and wrongs of developer FromSoftware’s approach with this Elden Ring expansion. But now that debate has spilled over into Steam user reviews, which currently have a ‘mixed’ rating after a flood of complaints about the rock hard bosses as well as PC performance issues.

Ahead of Shadow of the Erdtree’s release, director Hidetaka Miyazaki signaled the DLC would significantly test players’ abilities. "The new challenges for the player are going to be the boss encounters as well as the different kinds of threats that the world will impose on people," Miyazaki told CNET. Some of these bosses are aimed at players who've completed most of the base Elden Ring, meaning FromSoftware has "kind of really pushed the envelope in terms of what we think can be withstood by the player," he added.

And so it has proved. Over the weekend, players began to complain about the extreme difficulty with bosses and performance issues. “As a huge fan of all soulgames, I would love to like the DLC, but the enemies' damages are completely overtuned, especially for some bosses,'' reads one negative review. “Some have a completely erratic moveset rendering the whole experience just painful without any fun.”

“Good DLC, but performance has gone down as of the latest update,” reads another negative review, this time focused on the PC performance problems. “Constant micro-stuttering and frame drops, freezes as well as increases in loading times make it difficult to enjoy and play the game. One of the early boss fights takes place around a puddle of water, which drops frames considerably. Wait for performance improvements before buying.”

Perhaps mindful of the growing negative feedback over difficulty, publisher Bandai Namco tweeted some advice for struggling Shadow of the Erdtree players: “This is a suggestion to level up your Scadutree Blessing.” This tallies with advice IGN itself has offered. Indeed we believe Shadow of the Erdtree's Scadutree Blessings are the answer to the Elden Ring DLC's difficulty (Scadutree Blessing bolsters the recipient's abilities to deal and negate damage). You can check our guide to track down every last Scadutree Fragment.

This is a suggestion to level up your Scadutree Blessing

— Bandai Namco US (@BandaiNamcoUS) June 22, 2024

Meanwhile, the Shadow of the Erdtree review bombing continues, but it’s worth pointing out that at the time of this article’s publication, 65% of the DLC’s 32,722 user reviews are positive on Valve’s platform.

FromSoftware game difficulty has been a hot topic for years, with the likes of Dark Souls, Sekiro, and Bloodborne all called too hard by some. But extreme difficulty has not hindered their sales success. Indeed Elden Ring has sold an incredible 25 million copies, and is by a clear distance the biggest FromSoftware game ever.

Speaking to The Guardian, Miyazaki explained why FromSoftware looks to continuously push players, rather than offer easier difficulties that would theoretically open up its games to a wider audience.

"If we really wanted the whole world to play the game, we could just crank the difficulty down more and more, but that wasn’t the right approach," Miyazaki said. "Had we taken that approach, I don’t think the game would have done what it did, because the sense of achievement that players gain from overcoming these hurdles is such a fundamental part of the experience. Turning down difficulty would strip the game of that joy, which, in my eyes, would break the game itself."

An amusing upshot of the debate around Shadow of the Erdtree’s difficulty is a renewed nostalgia for the base game and its bosses, now said to be relatively easygoing in retrospect.

A shaken looking maid is carrying a bloodied cloth from a child’s room; castle staff are rounded up and menaced by men in armour and snarling guard dogs. Later, in case you missed it, staff will dismantle a child’s bed and the dead boy’s body will be displayed to the world, severed head clumsily sewn back on. A horrific crime has taken place, and one side in the brewing Targaryen civil war is determined that everyone should know about it – though perhaps not quite as keen as the House of the Dragon showrunners are to emphasise it because this is yet another episode about aftermath rather than action, grief rather than get-go.

King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), with his usual restraint, smashes up his father’s cherished model of King’s Landing in his rage. His grief is real, but there’s also the terror that he too could have been assassinated. He beats one of the captured assassins to death and orders the execution of all the castle’s pest control workers. Cue weeping and wailing outside the walls; Ser Otto (Rhys Ifans) calls him feckless, self-indulgent, an idiot and an “insolent pup”. Not entirely surprisingly, he is dismissed as Hand of the King. “Fuck dignity; I want revenge,” is Aegon’s position. “My next Hand will be a steel fist.” He tosses the office to Ser Criston (Fabian Frankel). There’s no way that anything could go wrong with that moody oathbreaker in charge. One of his first acts is to send Ser Arryk (Luke Tittensor) to Dragonstone to pretend to be his twin, Ser Erryk (Elliott Tittensor) and assassinate Rhaenyra. The honourable Ser Arryk is appalled but has his orders.

Cole’s regular booty call, Dowager Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke), is also going through it. She is worried that her daughter, Queen Helaena (Phia Saban) will reveal that Ser Criston was in her bed after the assassination; she’s grieving her own loss and her daughter’s unbearable pain (“The child is dead, his pain is ended. But what they’ve done to my girl,” weeps Alicent, her composure broken for once). She reluctantly sees the wisdom in her father’s plan to stage an open casket funeral and show the world the child’s defiled corpse, though Helaena is visibly appalled by the commoners. And she assures Otto that they can get their power back, though he won’t hear his daughter’s attempts to confess a sin (presumably her relationship with Ser Criston). Alicent sees Aegon weeping and leaves him to it, calling her lover to her side again despite both their moral misgivings. There goes the mother of the year award.

It’s tough to get terribly invested in the King’s Landing crowd: the conventionally nicest character is Helaena, but she’s off in another world. Alicent seems to have some good impulses but is also conniving against her former bestie on behalf of children who even she knows are awful. She’s also allied with Ser Larys (Matthew Needham) but terrified of him at the same time. It’s not a good scene.

Meanwhile on Dragonstone, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) is appalled that anyone might believe her responsible for Jaehaerys’ murder. But as Daemon (Matt Smith) watches her discussion, she sees the truth in his slightly amused face. Cue their biggest argument ever – which is not unreasonable, given that he killed a literal child. He says he sent “the Queen’s vengeance” but “cannot be responsible” for his killers hitting the wrong target: my dude, legally you absolutely can be. What’s more, he absolutely has damaged Rhaenyra’s cause, perhaps irreparably. She asks, “Do you accept me as your Qqueen and ruler, or do you cling even now to what you think you lost?” We all know that the answer to that is “no” and “yes” respectively, and he stalks off with his dragon, Caraxes.

Rhaenyra honours Daemon’s promise to give Mysaria her freedom – which is a big swing given the proven flexibility of her loyalties. At least the current crisis has forced Rhaenyra to take the reins again, which is good; she also seems to have a firm alliance now with Rhaenys (Eve Best), who gets a little bit more to do on the Black council. Rhaenys and Corlys (Steve Toussaint) also get a fun scene in bed together, using politics as pillow talk. It’s nice to see them given more to do so far this season. That said, while House of the Dragon displays a marked preference for the Blacks in a way that George R.R. Martin’s source material did not, there’s still not a huge amount of character here relative to Game of Thrones. Rhaenyra is so reserved, and her children largely still just sketches. Her council are a mass of barely delineated figures shouting at her, and there’s little sense of the wider stakes for Westeros, beyond King’s Landing and Dragonstone – despite the trip to the Wall last week.

On her way to the boat, Mysaria spots what appears to be Ser Erryk coming up from the shore – which is strange, since she just left him in the castle. She pauses, and it’s not entirely clear if she’s going to go back and warn the castle that a doppelgänger is among them. This felt like slightly loose storytelling: maybe a scene was edited out? Anyway, Ser Arryk infiltrates Dragonstone, though Erryk finds him just in time, and the pair have a brutal duel as one tries to protect and one to attack Rhaenyra. Erryk finally deals his brother a fatal blow, and cradles him as he dies, before falling on his own sword. It should be a devastating finale – and it is, a little, but we haven’t spent enough time with either character for it to really hurt as much as it did when, say, Brienne fought the Hound.

Outside those main story strands, this was a good episode for people not born with a dragon egg in their cradle and an overly complicated family tree. We get another look at Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim) and meet his brother Addam (Clinton Liberty), who’s a little easier going than his older sibling. Addam also gets an odd scene where he is interrupted while digging for cockles or mussels or something on the shore by a pale dragon (Laenor’s Seasmoke?) circling overhead. We also get another glimpse of the smith, Hugh (Kieran Bew), who petitioned the King last episode. Here we see his family are struggling to put food on the table and his daughter is sick: – the stakes for him are higher than for any of the Targaryens, not that they’re likely to appreciate that. There’s also one final newcomer, as yet unnamed but played by Love & Friendship’s Tom Bennett, who arrives in King’s Landing and pauses to stare at the bodies of the murdered ratcatchers. It’s a fair guess that there must be more for him to do than that.

This episode is directed by Claire Kilner, who did three episodes on season one. She manages the chaos of those opening moments well, with a handheld camera following running figures through the Red Keep. But it’s a heavy-hearted episode, weighed down by the grief of almost all the main cast: even Jac (Harry Collett) and Baela (Bethany Antonia) talk about loss. Still, it’s effective in showing the different ways that loss can spur people into ill-advised action or keep them paralysed, and there’s drama in that.

Warning: Full spoilers follow for House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 2.

In the second episode of House of the Dragon Season 2, Team Black and Team Green aren’t just dealing with the emotional fallout of the devastating murder of Prince Jaehaerys. No, of course the child’s death leads to even more moves and counter-moves by the two groups as they vie for control of the Iron Throne.

I spoke to the stars of the show about the latest developments in this week’s episode, including some big moves by Ser Criston Cole, Daemon’s dramatic departure from Dragonstone, and the intense and emotional duel between the twin brothers Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk.

Battle of the Twins: Ser Erryk vs. Ser Arryk

By the events of Episode 2, Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk, played by real-life twins Elliott and Luke Tittensor, have found themselves as divided as Team Black and Team Green. But after Jaehaerys’ murder, Ser Criston concocts a revenge scheme that ends tragically for both brothers.

Fabien Frankel, who plays Criston, says that his character is “genuinely very upset” about the death of the child.

“I think he really thinks it's his fault,” he says. “He wasn't there. He should have been there. He was with the queen when that happened. And I think he feels a great burden of responsibility. And so it's like a kid, when you tell a kid they've done something wrong and they just want to fix it, whatever it is, and they can't really understand the nuances of how to fix it in a way that's rational. So they fix it by just doing something that feels immediate.”

And so he sends Arryk to kill Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy), but Erryk intercepts his brother. In the end, Erryk kills Arryk, and Arryk immediately commits suicide in his grief.

“It's obviously very sad,” continues Frankel. “I don't want them to die at all. They're my two favorites. … Everyone's going to hate Cole so much after that. Jesus Christ.”

D'Arcy was on set during the duel between the two knights, as Rhaenyra barely escapes Arryk’s blade before his brother intercedes.

“I just watched the work,” they recall. “The stunt coordination is astonishing. It happened over days and days. Luke and Elliott worked extraordinarily hard, as hard as I've ever seen people work on camera, I think. I don't want to speak for them and I hope they will speak about this at some point, but I think that the whole sequence had a deep personal resonance.”

The Changing of the Hand

Meanwhile, King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) has replaced Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) with Ser Criston as his new Hand. We saw in the season premiere that Larys (Matthew Needham) was scheming, as always, as he met with the king, and it seems that now we know what seed he was planting. I asked Needham if his character’s plan was to become the Hand himself eventually.

“I think it's just changing the board,” he says. “The board's constantly changing, and getting rid of Otto, that's a big player out. I don't know whether he instantly thinks he's going to fill that space, but somebody will. And then that could possibly change again. So I don't think it's remove and take over.”

Frankel adds that Criston will be more of “a man of action” as Hand than Otto was.

“He's going to do what he wants to do and he's going to do it at the cost of whatever it takes to achieve what he thinks is right,” says the actor. “But I think, to be honest, he just wants to get out of the castle. I think he's been trapped there for so long. He's been there since the beginning. He never gets out and he's suddenly put in a position where he can get out and he can hatch a plan to get him out and get Aemond out and resolve what we feel is a war that's taking too long to end. There's too much talking and it's just got to a point where it's like, how many more of these games are we going to play? Let's just go and fix it.”

When Rhaenyra realizes that Daemon (Matt Smith) was behind the murder of the young prince, the two have a falling out which results in Daemon taking off on his dragon for parts unknown.

“He's like, ‘Bye! Fuck you! That's enough,’” laughs Smith. “I find it so petulant.”

Several other characters react to the Blood and Cheese killing in memorable ways, including Aegon, who is not only thirsty for revenge, but also seen just crying by himself at one point.

“It also shows [the king is] capable of love,” says Glynn-Carney of his typically cold character. “I hear a lot of people make those comparisons with Aegon and Joffrey [from Game of Thrones]. I disagree with that because Joffrey is a psychopath and I don't think Aegon is. He's way more complex than that.”

Ewan Mitchell, who plays Aemond – the original target of Blood and Cheese – says that his characters sees the civil war between Team Black and Team Green as inevitable at this point.

“It's either them or it's us. And Aemond chooses them, I think, by hook or by crook. You even see it in Episode 1, the Shadow Council, this idea that Cole and Aemond, they're kind of manipulating the Council to what they want to, to their kind of vision of how things are going to go. They want to take the reigns.”

But what do you think of what went down in Episode 2? Let’s discuss in the comments…

Welcome back to another week of savings! I know some of you are sporting a Shadow of the Erdtree hangover right now—because I've already served my time in those salt mines—so I'll be brief. Today is all about securing the cheapest preorders from the most recent Nintendo Connect, and PS5 hardware is uncharacteristically reduced for EOFY purposes. Make a play for a 'Station while you can, I guess?

In retro news, I'm celebrating the 27th birthday of my personal favourite moustache racer, Mario Kart 64. What sold me was its first-in-series 4P multi, and probably about a hundred hours spent doing "winner plays on" 150cc VS. Mode and Block Fort balloon battles at a mate's house. When the surf was crap in Kiama, his place was basically a youth drop in centre—just a constant state of shoulder-to-shoulder competition. Some of the best gaming years of my life.

This Day in Gaming

Aussie birthdays for notable games.

- Mario Kart 64 (N64) 1997.

- Destroy All Humans! (PS2,XB) 2005.

- Tekken 5 (PS2) 2005.

- Guitar Hero Smash Hits (PS3,Wii,X360) 2009.

With Sunday here, the weekend is once again winding down. New gaming headsets, SSDs, monitors, and video games are on sale this weekend, with a solid variety available across retailers. The best deals for Sunday, June 23, include the Samsung G50A Monitor, SteelSeries Arctis Pro + GameDAC, Samsung 990 PRO 1TB SSD, Rise of the Ronin, the Belkin 3-in-1 Charger, and more.

50% Off Samsung Odyssey G50A 27-Inch 165Hz 1440P Monitor

SteelSeries Arctis Pro + GameDAC Wired Gaming Headset for $109.99

Samsung 990 Pro 1TB SSD for $89.99

Amazon has a fantastic discount on this Samsung 990 1TB PRO SSD model. This SSD is compatible with PlayStation 5, so it's perfect if you're looking for a new PS5 accessory to pick up. Additionally, it's great for any gaming PC or other device that supports a full NVME M.2 SSD. With speeds up to 55% faster than the 980 Pro, this is an SSD that can instantly level up any build.

Save 33% Off Nerf LMTD Halo Needler Dart-Firing Blaster

Razer Viper V3 HyperSpeed Mouse for $54.99

Rise of the Ronin for $49.99

Belkin MagSafe 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Stand for $68

Persona 5 Royal on Switch for $24.99

Spider-Verse Box Set for $65.97

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu No Yaiba- Sweep the Board! for $39.99

Save 20% Off This LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Medieval Set

Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has only been out for a few days, and many players are already finding that their character — who became the Elden Lord of the Lands Between — is barely a match for the first chakram blade-wielding weirdo you can run into. These early punishing fights are merely a prelude for the raw aggression of the DLC bosses, who are able to turn you into a bloody smear on the ground with just a few attacks. Even worse, this difficulty ramp-up spares no one — regardless of your level, the weapons you wield, or the armor you equip.

The key to salvation in the Realm of Shadow lies within a brand new Shadow Realm Blessing system, but if you aren't paying attention you may just miss out on how it works.

With a bit of exploring, you're likely to find at least one Scadutree Fragment, which gives a short tooltip:

It can be easy to overlook this tip in the thick of battle or when distracted by distant points of interest, but it's safe to say Shadow of the Erdtree may be underselling just how important your Scadutree Blessing really is. Simply put, it can quickly become the difference between victory and defeat in almost every encounter, and it's barely even comparable to Elden Ring's normal leveling system.

The reason for this is because Shadow of the Erdtree has to account for a wide variety of players looking for a challenge in this DLC realm: Fights have to be difficult enough for a level 500 player on New Game+ 7, but also winnable for someone who just beat Mohg for the first time the other day. The solution: Make everything hit extremely hard, with incredibly high health pools, but introduce a new item to rapidly raise your own abilities to deal and negate damage.

Using just one Scadutree Fragment to increase your Shadow Realm Blessing to Level 1 will raise your armaments damage AND your damage negation to all sources by around 5%, and there are many more fragments to find just in the first region alone.

Saturday is here, meaning the weekend has arrived! New gaming headsets, SSDs, and video games are on sale this weekend, with a solid variety available across retailers. The best deals for Saturday, June 22, include the SteelSeries Arctis Pro + GameDAC, Samsung 990 PRO 1TB SSD, Rise of the Ronin, the Belkin 3-in-1 Charger, and more.

SteelSeries Arctis Pro + GameDAC Wired Gaming Headset for $109.99

Samsung 990 Pro 1TB SSD for $89.99

Amazon has a fantastic discount on this Samsung 990 1TB PRO SSD model. This SSD is compatible with PlayStation 5, so it's perfect if you're looking for a new PS5 accessory to pick up. Additionally, it's great for any gaming PC or other device that supports a full NVME M.2 SSD. With speeds up to 55% faster than the 980 Pro, this is an SSD that can instantly level up any build.

Rise of the Ronin for $49.99

Belkin MagSafe 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Stand for $68

Persona 5 Royal on Switch for $24.99

Spider-Verse Box Set for $65.97

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu No Yaiba- Sweep the Board! for $39.99

On the hunt for some Roblox Anime Last Stand codes? You've come to the right place. We've put together all of the redeemable Anime Last Stand codes available in June 2024 for free resources and rerolls.

To find Anime Last Stand codes, you'll want to head to the game's official Discord server. After you're signed up, make your way to the announcements channel and you'll find various posts guiding you to new code drops. These codes are found on the server itself and across social media platforms, including Instagram and YouTube. However, we'll post all of the currently available codes in this article to save you from having to skip around each page.

Active Anime Last Stand Codes

Make sure you're inputting the exact codes shown below. Anime Last Stand's codes are case-sensitive, and so won't active unless you input them exactly as shown:

• SECRETCODE??? - 5 Rerolls
• FREESHARDS - 1 Mythic Shard
• ALSISBACK! - 500 Emeralds
• BERSERK! - 250 Emeralds, 5 Rerolls
• AFKCAPSULEYAY - 300 Emeralds
• FollowBoss - 300 Emeralds, 5 Rerolls
• 170kFavorites - 500 Emeralds
• 170kLikes - 10 Rerolls
• DemonPortals!! - 5 Rerolls
• SorryForShutdown!! - 10 Rerolls
• PatchUpdate!! - 750 Emeralds, 10 Rerolls
• UpdateRerolls!! - 1250 Emeralds, 10 Rerolls
• Sorry4Delay! - 500 Emeralds, 20 Rerolls
• ChooChoo - 1000 Emeralds, 5 Rerolls
• SUMMERSOON!? - 750 Emeralds, 5 Rerolls
• QOLSprinkleUPD - 500 Emeralds, 10 Rerolls
• PARTTWOUPD!? - 750 Emeralds, 5 Rerolls
• QuickFixies - 1000 Emeralds, 10 Rerolls
• SOLOPARTTWO?! - 1000 Emeralds, 10 Rerolls
• QuickRestart! - 1250 Emeralds, 10 Rerolls
• ALSREVAMPSOON? - 750 Emeralds, 5 Rerolls
• SOLOPART2SOON?! - 1000 Emeralds, 10 Rerolls
• QOLUpdate2! - 500 Emeralds, 10 Rerolls
• NEWUPD?! - 750 Emeralds, 10 Rerolls
• Part1UPD! - 500 Emeralds, 5 Rerolls
• HBDCaleB2024 - 1000 Emeralds, 15 Rerolls
• SOLOLEVELING! - 750 Emeralds, 10 Rerolls
• X7Weekend! - 500 Emeralds, 5 Rerolls
• ConverterFix?! - 750 Emeralds, 10 Rerolls
• REDGATE?! - 750 Emeralds, 10 Rerolls
• QOLUPD! - 750 Emeralds, 10 Rerolls
• SOLOPREPARING! - 500 Emeralds, 5 Rerolls
• BannerFixed? - 500 Emeralds, 10 Rerolls
• BannerFix!?! - 500 Emeralds, 5 Rerolls
• BugFixesTeehee - 1000 Emeralds, 5 Rerolls
• FreeRerolls!! - 1250 Emeralds, 10 Rerolls

Expired Codes

• DelayedUpdate
• OPMUpdate
• CaleBTheHero
• TorSavedALS
• BossStudio1stUpd
• AriseWakeyWakey

How to Redeem Codes in Anime Last Stand

You can redeem codes from the lobby in Anime Last Stand. When you're in the game, look at the tabs on the left-hand side of the screen. Amongst these, you'll see one labelled "Codes".

Click it and a text bar will appear in the centre of the screen. Type in your chosen code and click enter. If it's valid, you'll see the rewards you gained flash below the bar in green text. If it's invalid, you'll get a message that the code has already been claimed or isn't valid in yellow text.

What Can You Get With Anime Last Stand Code Rewards?

Whenever you redeem a code in Anime Last Stand, you'll earn Emeralds and Rerolls. Emeralds allow you to request new units at the Summon counter, so you can add to your roster of characters. Meanwhile, Rerolls allow you to roll for new buffs you can add to your units at the Technique counter.

How to Get Other Free Rewards in Anime Last Stand

As with a lot of Roblox games, Anime Last Stand has multiple other ways to get free rewards outside of codes. The best method is to spend some time in its AFK World, where you'll accrue free rewards by leaving the game on while you aren't playing. If you're in AFK World, you'll slowly earn Emeralds and Gold, which you can claim before you leave and then use in-game. If you're looking to hop into AFK World and earn some bonuses for your next session, here's what you have to do.

Boot up the game, load into a server and then look in the northeast corner of the plaza you spawn in. You'll see a waterfall with the words AFK above it. Make your way over to this waterfall and, as you approach it, a text box will appear asking you if you want to go into the AFK chamber. Select yes and you'll reach the AFK screen. Here you can see how many Emeralds and how much Gold you've earned, as well as how long you have before your next supply of rewards comes in. When you're ready to leave or get back to the game, press the Claim button to add all of your accumulated rewards to your account.

You can also make sure visit the game once a day to recieve the daily login reward. As soon as you boot up Anime Last Stand, you'll be met with a tab showing all the rewards you'll recieve for visiting the game each day. Simply press the claim button at the bottom of this tab to add the current login reward to your inventory. These range from emeralds to EXP, so it's well worth dropping in at least once each day to claim some additional resources for when you next play.

Another way to bag quick free rewards is to complete your daily quests. Amongst the tabs on the left-hand side of the screen, you'll see a Quests tab. Press it and a page will appear showing a list of daily quests to complete. These range from logging in to killing a set number of enemies. Once you complete these quests, head back into the tab and click the complete button to get a bunch of free resources and currency.

Callum Williams is a freelance media writer with years of experience as a game critic, news reporter, guides writer and features writer.

Sonic the Hedgehog toys get all the hype from fans of all ages. Some Sonic toys are easier to find, while others are so rare they cost a small fortune on eBay. However, one type of Sonic toy is extra special: plushies.

Tons of plushies of Sonic and friends (or enemies) are out in the world, waiting to be added to your growing collection of Sonic merch, from most common to ultra rare. For the sake of your wallet, we've narrowed it down to five Super Sonic, super-soft options. Here are the best Sonic plushies we found in 2024.

Sonic the Hedgehog 7-inch Sonic Plush Figure

This 7-inch Sonic the Hedgehog plushie is the cutest plush you could ever get a kid. This Classic Sonic design is made with a premium, super-soft fabric that can withstand every play session and outing it's brought along to. This plush is great for kids and adults who are kids at heart, including yours truly. It's small enough to take wherever you go, or place it on your desk to look at or squeeze when you need to relieve stress at work.

Shadow the Hedgehog 12-inch Great Eastern Entertainment Plush

The Shadow the Hedgehog plush from Great Eastern Entertainment is the most accurately designed Shadow plush you can find on the market. The curves on his spiky hair stand upright as they would when he’s idle, and his air shoes are incredibly detailed, down to the last hole in the soles. In addition to being an excellent plush for anyone’s Sonic toy collection, you can take this Shadow plush to any anime convention, or to see Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in theaters December 20.

Hero Chao Plush 6-inch Great Eastern Entertainment

The large Hero Chao plush from the Sonic Adventure 2 line of plushies has become a rare and expensive item for Sonic fans to get their hands on, but Great Eastern Entertainment has you covered with the smaller 6-inch Hero Chao plush. This plush is designed after the Hero Chao model on the Sonic Adventure 2: Battle cover art, with its arms folded together in front, and has a string that you can hang from anywhere for easy display.

Tails Squishmallow

Squishmallows are the most popular brand of plushies and Sonic and his friends have been mallow-fied. However, of all the Sonic characters in the collection, we’re nominating Tails for best Sonic Squishmallow. What makes the Tails Squishmallow design even better than the rest is he actually has his signature twin tails.

Club Mocchi-Mocchi- Sonic the Hedgehog Plush

Show off the Sonic the Hedgehog's giant head with the Club Mocchi-Mocchi- Sonic the Hedgehog plush. Mocchi-Mocchi- are plush pillow heads originating from Japan that are designed to be twice as soft, squishy, and huggable as Squishmallows are. The only difference is that Sonic’s facial features and his trademark hairdo are designed with a little more accuracy to his features in-game. Use it as your pillow at night and have sweet dreams of running through Green Hill Zone.

Where Is the Best Place to Buy Sonic Plushies?

Unlike Pokemon plush toys, three isn't a Sonic-specific retailer where you can buy all of the various plushies available. Because of that, the overall best place to buy Sonic the Hedgehog plushies online is through Amazon. You can also find Sonic plushies for sale at Target, Walmart, and even GameStop, but the lowest prices and greatest variety appears to be on Amazon in 2024.

Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.

Looking for Roblox Blade Ball codes? You've come to the right place. This is a complete list of all the codes available in June 2024. You'll usually find new Blade Ball codes on the game's official Twitter account, where the devs post them alongside updates for the game, or you can also head over to the game's Discord server and check the Codes channel. The mods will update the server when a new one is posted on Twitter, but you can also keep an eye on this article to see all active ones.

Codes in Blade Ball will net you a host of useful bonuses and other rewards, including free spins on the wheel in the lobby and tickets you can use to open chests for free.

Active Blade Ball Codes June 2024

• REBIRTHLTM - 1 Rebirth Crate Ticket
• DRAGONS - 1 Dragon Crate Ticket
• ENERGYSWORDS - Free Spin on The Wheel
• ROBLOXCLASSIC - 1 Hacker Event Crate Ticket
• GIVEMELUCK - 4 x LUCK in AFK World
• GOODVSEVILMODE - Event Crate Ticket
• DUNGEONSRELEASE - 50 Dungeon Runes
• FROGS - Free Spin on The Wheel
• GOODVSEVIL - Free Spin on The Wheel
• RNGEMOTES - Free Spin on The Wheel
• FREESPINS - Free Spin on The Wheel
• 2BTHANKS - Free Spin on The Wheel

How to Redeem Codes in Blade Ball

You can redeem a Blade Ball code at any time in-game by clicking the Extras menu on the HUD in the top left corner of the screen. Set your game to AFK to ensure you don't hop into a round of Blade Ball while redeeming your rewards, then select the extras menu and pick Codes.

From here, a text bar will appear in the centre of the screen. Type any codes you have into the bar and, if they're still valid, you'll get a message confirming your input was successful. If the code is no longer available, it will inform you that the code has expired.

What Can You Get With Blade Ball Code Rewards?

By redeeming Blade Ball codes, you'll get your hands on a bunch of resources. Here's a quick list of what you can do with all the rewards you earn:

• Spins on the Wheel - Allows you to spin the wheel in the centre of the lobby for free to earn coins and occasionally new abilities and skins.
• Dungeon Runes - A currency you can use to buy items in the Dungeons server.
• Event Crate Tickets - Allows you to open an event crate for free, where you can earn new cosmetics.

How to Get Other Free Rewards in Blade Ball

Between codes and looking to get additional rewards in Blade Ball? There are a few free ways to get new resources while you play. First up, you can always hop into AFK World to get free rewards and new bonuses. To access AFK World, head to the left-hand side of the lobby and look for a portal to the left of the server area. Inside the portal, you'll see your avatar floating in the air in a sitting position. Walk up to the portal and Hold E and you'll enter AFK World.

As you enter, you'll access a menu that shows your avatar floating in the centre of the screen with a timer below them. From here, leave the game on and, over time, you'll accumulate free rewards. These include crystals, coins, and stars.

You can also claim daily free rewards for logging into the game. When you're in the lobby, look for the calendar icon in the top left-hand corner of the screen. Click it and a tab will appear showing the daily rewards for logging in. Press claim below the current reward to add it to your account. These rewards can range from coins to free items, so it's well worth getting in the habit of claiming them each time you play.

Another way to get free rewards quick is to complete daily quests. These are found in the quests tab on the left-hand side of the screen. Open the tab and you'll see a list of quests you can complete today that will earn you free cash. These range from competing in solo games to eliminating players, so you'll quickly rack up coins by playing. Once the quest is complete, head back into the tab and press claim to get your reward.

Callum Williams is a freelance media writer with years of experience as a game critic, news reporter, guides writer and features writer.

If you're scouring the internet for the latest Type Soul codes, we've got you covered. Below, you'll find a list of all the currently active Type Soul codes available this month, so you can redeem some free rewards and bonuses.

If you're interested in keeping up to date with the latest codes to drop in the game, check out the game's official Discord server. Not only will new codes be added to the Announcements channel, but you'll also frequently see members of the community sharing codes, so you can keep up to date on all the latest bonuses and rewards. Of course, you can also keep up with all the latest active codes here for your convenience.

Active Type Soul Codes June 2024

• whatdoesheevendo
• 300mvisits
• tama62121
• nuovarandomcode
• tamarandomcode
• timetravellermistake
• cristi10k
• thegreattypesoultrellolieisrealtyfor10kbtw
• therewasnotruebankaiinthefirstplace
• gokuvsvegetasupersaiyanrapbattlebegin
• thisisnotsigma
• ermwhatthetypesoul
• causethatstheupdateineed
• yurrrrlistenman
• thereisnosuchthing
• abracadabra
• tweakinpostupdate
• arrogantecristi5k
• 500kdiscmemberswoo
• 2weekdelaywoah
• hqrsepowered
• imnotnamingitthat
• lightningshunkoaftertwoyearslol
• quincynerfagainleaveourracealonedude
• thatoneguyinvcaskedmeforthisonesoblamehim
• putthesefoolishambitionstorest
• readysetboomxdgetitbecauseboomboominokwhateverheresacode
• allaccordingtocake
• codethatsenkumadecuzhesmakingsomethingtakethisgiftbecauseitsjustasimpleupdate
• 7staredwardnewgate
• petgod101
• canyougiftmeacinmightyomega
• ineedasacredscrollindemonhuntertm
• greeniscoolandbest
• tamaverified
• jayomalawfirm
• brovisitedhisfriends

Expired Codes

• newfaceswow
• canyourecmeintodemonhunter
• somethingrandom
• canyouwrap
• tsugokusenku
• nosreppbestaustraliandeveloperinthewholeworld
• mobileflashpd
• 160mvisits
• 400kdiscmembers
• myhopewillneverdie
• robloxban
• icanimaginesomeonesayingimnexttoatree
• nothinghappened
• davehashit10kwow
• almightyeye
• thekiraeventparttwo
• thekiraevent
• 5minutesoffame
• breathlesspumpkle
• senkuwascloudkageinjoedame
• hakudanerfafter1000years
• cursedgearruinsfriendships
• theresahiddennpcsomewhere
• cyberpoint
• setraboominda

How to Redeem Type Soul Codes

To redeem a code in Type Soul, boot up the game, jump into a server and then click the gift icon in the top left-hand corner of the screen. This will pull up a text box where you can redeem codes. Input your chosen code and hit enter. If the code's valid, it will be redeemed. If it isn't, a message reading "Invalid" will appear in the box.

It's worth noting that codes can only be redeemed if you're a high enough rank to recieve them. Unlike other Roblox games, codes won't immediately give you items if you haven't spent some time building your character and gaining experience. If you input a code for a reward that's too high level for your character, you'll get the message "Too Low Rank" in the code bar.

When Do New Codes Drop For Type Soul?

Type Soul releases a lot of new codes, with the majority of them launching as the team updates the game. If you look in the Update Log channel on the game's official Discord server, you'll see that the team are constantly adding new features and mechanics as well as implementing changes. Whenever you see some significant patch notes in the channel, there's a good chance the devs will follow them up with a new code, so if you've run out of redeemable codes to cash in it shouldn't be long until you have more to exchange.

How Does AFK World Work in Type Soul?

Much like other Roblox games, one way to get resources quickly in Type Soul outside of codes is to visit its AFK World. This is a server you can load into where you leave the game on and accrue passive rewards, gaining new items and resources. However, there's a catch. Type Souls' AFK World functions differently from most Roblox AFK Worlds in that it requires a World Ticket to enter.

How do you get a World Ticket? Well, you either have to purchase it using Robux (which cost real money) or trade with other players to get one. The ticket costs 1000 Robux (which is the equivalent of around $10), so while it's a good way to stock up on new items, you'll have to weigh up whether the cost is worth the additional rewards.

To get a World Ticket, head into your inventory while in-game by pressing N, then scroll through the tabs to the right until you reach the Inventory page. In the Dev Products menu on the right-hand side, you'll see a World Ticket listed. Go through the purchase screen and then the World Ticket will appear in your inventory. If you traded for the ticket, it should just show up in your inventory after the trade's gone through. When you have a ticket, click on it while in your inventory and you'll enter AFK World.

Be careful once you arrive, as the AFK world is separated into a small grassy area known as the Safe Zone and a large arena. The grassy area functions like most AFK Worlds. You'll accrue rewards simply for being logged in and can't be attacked by other players. However, once you step into the arena, you'll initiate PVP, meaning other players can kill you and remove you from the AFK World entirely. Facing off against other players in the arena will net you better rewards, however, you're risking the time you purchased to stay in the AFK World during each battle.

Callum Williams is a freelance media writer with years of experience as a game critic, news reporter, guides writer and features writer.

When word dropped on Thursday that Donald Sutherland had passed away, I’m sure many sci-fi fans of a certain age immediately thought of the actor’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers remake from 1978 – and more specifically, the iconic closing shot from the film which freaked out so many of us, so badly, for so long.

Sutherland had a long and incredible career, but that final shot of him pod-person-screeching and pointing directly into the camera was just the amazingly disturbing capper to what remains one of the great sci-fi/horror films of all time. A remake, of course, of the 1956 Cold War metaphor of the same name, director Philip Kaufman’s 1978 Body Snatchers takes the original’s “the Commies are here already!” analogy and flips it, putting a decidedly New Age spin on the idea of everyone around you turning into someone, or something, else. This time though it’s not that the Reds are coming for us. No, instead it’s simply that we gave up on ourselves.

The actor had acquired something of an anti-establishment persona in the years prior to this film, not only through his real-life anti-war activities during Vietnam (at one point he made a sort of bizzaro-USO tour documentary with Jane Fonda, the queen of counter-culture Hollywood), but also because some of his best-known roles fell into that niche, from playing one of the Dirty Dozen in the film of the same name, to the original Hawkeye in Robert Altman's M*A*S*H, and as Sergeant Oddball, who joins with a group of soldiers to go AWOL and pull off a heist in Kelly's Heroes.

So it’s funny that by the time 1978 came around, his two most notable roles of that year were as pretty straight arrows. In Animal House, he’s the professor who smokes pot (and sleeps with) his students, sure, but he also comes across as a figure who is likely a shadow of his former, counter-culture self. The ’60s ended, man, and he had to start paying the rent. (“I’m not joking,” the professor pleads as his class empties out at the sound of the bell, ignoring his homework assignment. “This is my job!”)

And then there’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, where he plays Matthew Bennell, a San Francisco health inspector who by day is looking for ways to shut down restaurants that are in code violation, and by night pines after his co-worker, Brooke Adams’ Elizabeth Driscoll. As far as counter-culture heroes go, picking through a restaurant’s food supply to look for rat turds isn’t where it’s at. And it’s usually not where genre movie heroes start off either.

But Matthew, who one senses used to aspire for something more, just like Sutherland’s Animal House professor, turns out be both a counter-culture hero and a movie hero once the pod people invasion starts in earnest. Sure, the culture he’s countering is a bunch of samey zombies who are anti-individuality, anti-creative thought, and, well, probably even anti-Jane Fonda. What do you expect an ex-hippie to do?

That’s the talent of Sutherland, though, to take this corduroy sports jacket-wearing desk jockey and convey that he’s smart enough to almost, just almost, beat back an alien invasion once that spark of purpose returns to him. Of course, Kaufman is also key to selling the Body Snatchers concept, layering his film with hints and clues of the weirdness that is going on behind the main action. Multiple viewings are rewarding as you notice, say, all the garbage trucks that keep showing up in the background throughout the film. (When you know, you know.) Even something as simple as a distorted mirror or a silhouette in an office building window take on entirely new meaning in the context of pod people being born everywhere, just out of sight.

What if when playing Mario Kart and you throw a red shell at an opponent, instead of just knocking them aside, you blow them up instead? That’s the kind of outside-the-box thinking Sumo Digital is cooking up with DeathSprint 66, which is basically a real murder-y version of Mario Kart.

Set in a dystopian future that’s part GhostRunner, part Running Man, DeathSprint 66 has a story insofar as you play as a runner forced to partake in a deadly race for the amusement of viewers on the internet. This race isn’t just built for speed, however, it’s also built for danger. This futuristic race course is full of buzz saw traps, laser beams, and other deadly additions to make your run truly a run for your life.

I was able to play a few rounds while at Summer Game Fest and came away thoroughly impressed by what I saw thanks in part to the tried-and-true arcade racing style mechanics but with violent twists.

While there are no racing karts here, your runner will effectively sprint very much the same way. The right trigger serves as your accelerate, and you will need to “drift” around corners and time your release correctly for a burst of speed. Along the way you’ll need to dodge deadly environmental traps and collect random power-ups like tripmines, buzzsaws, and a powerful and deadly dash that’s DeathSprint 66’s answer to the Mario Kart Bullet Bill power.

It’s not just deadly obstacles, though. There are neon-lit rails to grind on, and large walls for you to wall-run on as well, plus boost pads to further give you a jolt of speed. It’s all very over-the-top and races are fairly quick, so I imagine it’ll be easy to get a few rounds in with friends online.

For fans of Mario Kart, DeathSprint 66 will seem awfully familiar. But, as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The core gameplay of violently racing your way to victory while trying to sabotage seven other players was incredibly fun during my hands-on, even when I was just playing against A.I. opponents. I imagine the challenge and the fun will only go up when these are seven other real players.

Visually, too, DeathSprint 66 is going all-out. This is meant to be a futuristic game show and the neon-soaked race tracks, lasers, and futuristic cityscape paints a gorgeous, dystopian portrait of cyberpunk excess. And while the player character was a bit generic, I’m told there will be customization options and cosmetics in the final game to help make your character truly your own.

DeathSpring 66 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it has a good sense of what makes arcade-style racing games fun. I can easily see DeathSprint 66 becoming a new Fall Guys, a quick and fun pick-up-and-play game in between marathon sessions of your favorite RPG.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's Senior Features Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Fortnite is launching a new mode today, June 22, called Fortnite Reload that features a new map, a ton of classic weapons and locations, endless revives as long as one player on a team remains alive, and no vehicles.

As detailed by The Fortnite Team, Fortnite Reload is a 40-player "Fill or No Fill Squads'" experience on a "tighter map" with such POIs as Tilted Towers and Retail Row, and players will be able to return to the action much quicker than other modes.

When a player is downed, their individual reboot timer begins and will keep running as long as one other team member is alive. Reboot timers begin at 30 seconds and increase to 40 seconds later in a match, and teammates can decrease the time until their friends return by downing an opponent (-2 seconds), eliminating a player (-4 seconds), and wiping a whole squad (-10 seconds).

While it will be great to have your teammates returning left and right, it is important to note that reboots will end towards the closing moments of a match, so be sure to never get too comfortable with your aggressive tactics.

Alongside all these reboots, a handful of unvaulted loot will be joining the fun of Fortnite Reload at launch, including the Revolver, Tactical Shotgun, Lever Action Shotgun, OG Heavy Shotgun, Tactical Submachine Gun, Infantry Rifle, Heavy Assault Rifle, Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle, Rocket Launcher, and Grappler.

Victory Crowns can still be earned and, when you eliminate a player, they will drop Small Shield Potions, medium ammo, light ammo, shotgun shells, and (for Build only) 50 of each building material. So yes, there will be a lot of fun and wild action to be had.

As for the rewards, Fortnite Reload has intro Quests that each reward 20,000 XP, and if you complete three you will unlock the Digital Dogfight Contrail, six will get you the Pool Cubes Wrap, and nine will net you the NaNa Bath Back Bling. Oh, and a Victory Royale will gift players The Rezzbrella Glider.

This review contains full spoilers for Doctor Who Season 1, Episode 9, "Empire of Death."

"Empire of Death" is both a fantastic follow-up to "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" and a spiritual sequel to the 1975 Doctor Who serial "The Pyramids of Mars." It offers high-stakes sci-fi thrills, captures the exhilaration of an apocalyptic finale, and answers every burning question set up by the prior episode (and Season 1 as a whole). This episode retains the cataclysmic tone that raptured through "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" and maintains its intensity until it ties everything together. It even includes its own Infinity War "Snap" moment, as all life in the universe is dusted into oblivion by Sutekh.

Gabriel Woolf's return as the voice of Sutekh is magnificent. Although I still dislike his new CGI appearance, he’s incredibly menacing throughout “Empire of Death.” Woolf’s performance perfectly captures the terror of a presence pursuing you at every turn, and I love the concept of Sutekh’s consciousness following The Doctor, Mel, and Ruby across time and space. There was a brief moment when I thought they might permanently kill off Katherine Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), who’s been a part of Doctor Who for over 10 years. They didn’t, but the mere thought impressed me, considering the family-friendly nature of the show. The stakes have never been higher, and the emotional weight of "Empire of Death" is palpable in every scene.

Ncuti Gatwa showcases his brilliant talents in his first finale as The Doctor,. and there’s a wonderful mix of humanity and alienness to Gatwa’s performance throughout "Empire of Death.” At times, he can seem a little too emotional or human, which feels like a defining characteristic of the 15th Doctor, who wears his heart on his sleeve. However, there are moments where he embodies the ageless Time Lord persona, shielding his emotional side for the benefit of others.

At the end of the episode, there's a beautiful moment where The Doctor leaves Ruby behind to live her life away from the TARDIS. It feels straight out of classic Who, as the wise and mighty Time Lord rises above human motivations. It’s blunt, unwavering, and incredibly alien. But when Ruby leaves after an emotional farewell, we glimpse The Doctor’s fragile emotional state. It’s like he’s releasing a bird back into the wild after nursing it back to health. Despite trying to move on from the burdens of his past, they’re still following him, and it almost broke the universe (again). Gatwa shows tremendous range throughout "Empire of Death," and the final scenes are another defining moment for his run as The Doctor.

The episode is filled with nods to both new and old Doctor Who, my favorites being the Remembered TARDIS, which draws its power from memory, and the Time Window. It’s a treasure trove of references, jam-packed with nicknacks, and Easter eggs from every era. The set for the Remembered TARDIS feels like a time machine held together by a shoestring, a direct and delightful contrast to the clinically clean TARDIS we’ve seen throughout Season 1. What I didn’t enjoy were the repeated attempts to reference "Pyramids of Mars." While the unfamiliar may be interested in the villain’s history, the execution of these nods was too on the nose for my liking.

"Empire of Death" benefits from being 10 minutes longer than the average Season 1 installment. This additional time gives the episode plenty of breathing room, enough for Sutekh’s defeat to feel satisfying and earned. Although resetting the universe feels like contrived, typical sci-fi fantasy nonsense, it doesn’t spoil the ending and worked just fine for me. This extra runtime also allows us to finally meet Ruby’s mother. I loved the grandeur given to what amounts to an ordinary woman. While I initially raised an eyebrow at this unremarkable reveal, it settled well with me. I much prefer Ruby coming from an extraordinary human background rather than being a mystical long-lost Time Lord or similar. Doctor Who has done the damp squib “Impossible Girl” arc before, so it’s good that Ruby’s mystery went in a different direction.

There are still a few questions left unanswered, such as the identity of the strange neighbor Mrs. Flood, and the approach for Season 2’s TARDIS team. The finale signals that Ruby will return for more adventures, possibly part-time alongside Varada Sethu, who’s set to join The Doctor soon. In the end, it’s an emotional send-off for Ruby. While we could’ve used more time to get to know her, her enigmatic origins are now satisfyingly tied up, along with the rest of Season 1.

There’s a concept in business called a “fast follow.” The idea, essentially, is that one company shows a product it’s working on, and another imitates it and gets their version out quickly, taking advantage of the buzz and beating the original to market. Bodycam, made by the two-person team of Reissad Studio, looks very much like it is fast-following Unrecord, a first-person shooter from the perspective of a police bodycam that garnered a lot of attention for its exceptionally lifelike graphics. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – Fortnite adding a PUBG-like battle royale was a literal game changer, for instance. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with Bodycam. While it is an interesting proof of concept in its early access phase, it has too many critical design blindspots to be a good shooter just yet.

The idea behind Bodycam is creative, and the mix of a rounded lens, dust on the glass, and rough movement does a good job selling the vibe of actual police-style footage. It pairs well with high-quality textures, dense debris, and lush foliage to make a visually impressive game. The lighting effects in particular are excellent, with a broad range from pitch-black hallways to blindingly bright flashlights factoring heavily into the strategy in the team-based modes.

Unfortunately, the concept just isn’t great for a competitive first-person shooter because you don’t gain anything by having a worse view of the world. It makes locating and shooting enemies more awkward, and it doesn’t contribute to the experience thematically. Police aren’t looking through a camera when they’re actually in a shootout, and, as you aren’t actually playing as law enforcement, it doesn’t say anything about the state of policing. It’s also a bit strange the way aiming down site means your character is lifting the gun to their chest to be in front of the bodycam, not their eyes. I can see how this perspective would work great for something like a horror game; the time spent stalking around in the dark and deciding if and when to risk giving away my position by turning on my flashlight in order to see is pretty gripping. Here, however, it feels gimmicky, not immersive.

That said, the fundamental shooting mechanics are solid. Bodycam is the classic example of a pixel shooter: as soon as you see a single exposed pixel of the enemy you open fire, hoping you beat them to the punch. It only takes a single well-aimed bullet to kill or be killed, and even a handful of less accurate hits is enough to send you to an early grave. I like that it creates opportunities to win engagements through clever positioning and anticipation rather than raw shooter skills, and it’s especially important to carefully lean around corners instead of running and gunning. Ultimately, whether you’re a fan of instant kills or not is a matter of taste, but just know this isn’t a shooter that affords a margin of error.

It does take a certain amount of skill to compensate for the fact that weapons tend to have a lot of kick, which makes accuracy difficult if you lean on auto fire. It’s a realistic element that makes it particularly satisfying to take down other players in rapid succession.

I just wish the movement was better. I’m sure some of it has to do with the disconnected way the characters’ arms and bodies shift independently of the bodycam itself, but it is way too easy to get stuck on minor obstructions that litter hallways, like desks and filing cabinets. With how slowly and deliberately characters walk, and how fast the time to kill is, being stopped because your elbow is colliding with a table is both annoying and potentially deadly. You can theoretically climb over small obstructions, but in practice even the smallest step up can be a major obstacle to get your character past, and every second you spend exposes you to lethal gunfire.

That’s a shame, because the six levels currently in Bodycam are generally pretty neat. An abandoned hospital, for example, has a great mix of long corridors and connecting offices. The Russian Building level is also spooky as hell when the built-in day/night cycle decides it’s time for the sun to go down. Another is an airsoft arena, complete with a plywood mockup of a house and person-shaped training dummies that I’ve definitely shot in a moment of panic when they surprised me as I was coming around a corner. The way each level both looks and plays differently is effective at staving off the “been there, done that” feeling after I’d played the limited selection of three game modes, at least for a little while.

Not ready for competition

Team deathmatch is my favorite way to play Bodycam. Up to 10 players are split into teams and given the same weapons, but that gear is randomized after each round and first to 10 wins. Maybe you all have pistols one time, but shotguns another. It’s a unique spin on a tried-and-true shooter mode, and having each round be elimination based, with no respawns, ratchets up the tensions considerably. Moments where I’m carefully creeping down hallways, dividing the responsibility of checking corners with a squadmate, do a great job scratching that tactical itch.

When you die you respawn as a drone for the rest of the round, which gives you the ability to either watch things play out or scout the other team’s positions. It’s pretty fun to turn on your drone’s flashlight and spot the enemy, doing your best to avoid getting shot down by annoyed opponents.

Standard deathmatch, unfortunately, is a bit of a disaster. Respawns are quick, and it’s all about accumulating kills, which completely removes the tense tactical action from the equation. Worse, the spawns are managed terribly. Anytime you die it’s basically a dice roll whether your next life will start with you staring down the barrel of a gun, and it’s common to go several lives without time to take a single step before being gunned down. It’s in terrible need of significant rework and, since it’s the only solo play mode, Bodycam doesn’t have much to offer anybody who prefers to go it alone.

Bodybomb, meanwhile, has one team trying to plant and defend a bomb, somewhat similar to Counter-Strike or Search and Destroy from Call of Duty. The biggest difference here is that the bomb can be planted anywhere, but the duration of the detonation timer decreases the further into enemy territory you decide to place it. It’s a fine concept, but doesn’t work extremely well in practice. The main issue is that it is too easy for the bomb team to just arm immediately and then just set up camp to guard all the pathways leading to it. In my experience it’s rare for the bomb team to not score when this happens, which sucks all the competitive energy out of the match.

The other issue – one that’s universal across all the modes – is they just take too long. A single match can easily last 30 minutes, which feels like an eternity in a small squad shooter like this. There have been plenty of times where I’d have loved to just pop in for a quick match before I do something else, but the time commitment required just doesn’t allow for it. Worse, because it uses peer-to-peer connections instead of servers, if the host quits or disconnects at any point – no matter how far along a game is – the match ends. That’s unfortunately a too-common occurrence, especially when the host is on the losing side of a match.

Assuming you can complete your match your rank will go up or down on the simple leaderboard system, which gives you something to strive for. It works as expected, except for in Deathmatch, where only one person wins – you can finish with a very strong kill-to-death ratio, landing you in second place, and still drop in ranks. Giving positive progress to the top several finishers is pretty common in other shooters, and seems like a strange omission here.

The other thing you can advance is your cosmetics. Match performance (like kills), and wins net you R points you can spend on one of the 11 cosmetics for sale. That’s 11 total cosmetics available at a given time, not 11 categories. You could buy the shirt for sale, or the single hat option. Hopefully the store expands with future updates, but I can’t help but wonder what the point is in having a store at all if there is so little to choose from. It does refresh daily, but things are so expensive it’s easy for the more interesting options, like a unique gas mask, to shuffle out before you can save up for it. The 4,000 R it would take to buy a backpack, for example, represents multiple hours of grinding. There is text in the menu that says you can pay for R points to save time, but that’s not actually true; as of this writing there is no mechanism to buy points, just earn them in game, which adds to the feeling the shop is simply not ready, even for early access.

Batman has flown beyond the pages of his comic book beginnings to become one of film's most recognizable heroes. The DC character has starred in over a dozen feature-lengthed movies over the past 60 years, his cape and cowl having changed hands from one A-list actor-director team to the next. The Caped Crusader currently resides with director Matt Reeves and actor Robert Pattinson, who are preparing a sequel to their excellent 2022 crime thriller, The Batman.

For those looking to watch or rewatch the films as we await The Batman Part II, we've created this guide for where you can watch all the Batman movies online right now.

Where to Watch Batman Movies Online

Of the 13 Batman movies included on this list (every theatrical release in which Batman serves as a main character) 11 are available to stream on Max. Several movies can also be streamed on Prime Video, while all 13 are available to rent or buy from various digital storefronts.

Check out your streaming options for each Batman movie online in 2024 below:

Batman Movie Box Sets

If you'd prefer to own a physical set of Batman movies, we've gathered some of the best available collections right here:

What's the Best Order to Watch the Batman Movies?

Watching the Batman movies in order is straightforward, though it can seem daunting given the number of directors, actors, and disributors the movies have moved through over the past 60 years. If you want to be sure you're viewing the movies in the best order for you, check out our Batman movies in order explainer (or click through the gallery below). You can also dive into our list of the best Batman comics if you'd prefer to start there.

When Are New Batman Movies Coming Out?

The Batman – Part II (2026)

The next Batman movie is The Batman – Part II, a sequel to 2022’s The Batman. The movie will once again star Robert Pattinson and be directed by Matt Reeves. There’s no word on plot details yet, though we know the film is slated to hit theaters on October 2, 2026.

The Brave and the Bold (TBD)

The Brave and the Bold will begin a separate line of live-action Batman movies. Directed by Andy Muschietti (The Flash) as part of James Gunn's new DCU, The Brave and the Bold will introduce a new Batman and draw heavily from Grant Morrison's Batman comic book run. The story follows Damian Wayne, the 10-year-old son of Batman raised in secret to be an assassin.

Joker: Folie à Deux (October 4)

While not a Batman movie, series fans may be interested in this year's Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux. Out October 4, Folie à Deux features the return of Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck/Joker and introduces Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn.

For more on the Caped Crusader, check out IGN's Batman movie reviews:

• Batman (1966) review
• Batman (1989) review
• Batman: Mask of the Phantasm review
• Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology review
• Batman Begins review
• The Dark Knight review
• The Dark Knight Rises review
• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice review
• The LEGO Batman Movie review
• Zack Snyder's Justice League review
• The Batman review

Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.

The Nintendo Switch has entered what is likely its final year in the console market, and it appears to be going out in a blaze of glory with some exciting games to make way for its successor, the Nintendo Switch 2. Whether they’re exclusively developed for the Switch or ported over from other platforms, we’ve rounded up the upcoming Switch games that will make the hybrid console’s final year one of the most memorable.

The next big release we've got coming down the pipeline is the HD remaster of Luigi’s Mansion 2. Following that there's a bunch of new games coming that were announced during the June 2024 Nintendo Direct, including the long-awaited Metroid Prime 4. Here are all the new Switch games we can look forward to in 2024 and beyond.

Take a look at our guide to all upcoming video games for release dates on every platform.

All Upcoming Switch Games With Release Dates

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble (June 25, 2024)

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble surprised fans during the Nintendo Partner Direct with cute new character designs for AiAi and the other monkeys and loads of new gameplay features. You can customize your monkey and Monkey Ball in 300 different ways, use the new Spin Dash move to zip past opponents and create shortcuts (a la Sonic) in 200 new levels. And for the first time in the Super Monkey Ball series, you can play with up to 16 people in online multiplayer mode.

Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD (June 27, 2024)

Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is a remaster of the 2013 Nintendo 3DS title, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. In the game, Luigi is sent to Evershade Valley by Professor E. Gadd to capture ghosts in five haunted mansions with his invention, the Poltergust 5000, and retrieve a Dark Moon fragment hidden within it. Each mansion is built around a specific theme, such as a frozen mine, an overgrown greenhouse, and a sandy clock factory. Get your flashlights ready!

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Deluxe Edition (July 11, 2024)

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Deluxe Edition is an enhanced version of the original game developed exclusively for Nintendo Switch. The game follows fighter pilot Trigger, who gets assigned to a penal squadron after being accused of murder during a war between Osea and Erusea. The Switch-exclusive deluxe version will come with six DLC packs and bonus content not seen in the original game.

Darkest Dungeon 2 (July 15, 2024)

Darkest Dungeon 2 is a turn-based roguelite horror game where you ride a stagecoach with your friends up the mountain to escape the impending apocalypse. You can play as one of 12 characters, customize your difficulty, discover 10 companion pets, and explore the progession hub called The Altar of Hope. And if you pre-order the Oblivion Edition, you'll get The Binding Blade DLC, which comes with two new characters, a special storyline, a wandering boss, and more.

Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus (July 18, 2024)

Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus is a hand-drawn 2.5D action platformer inspired by Japanese folklore developed by Squid Shock Studios in partnership with Humble Games and funded on Kickstarter. You play as Bo, the celestial blossom (fox tentaihana) descended from the heavens to embark on a journey through the mystical land to take part in a mysterious ancient ritual. The bo staff helps you bounce and glide seamlessly from place to place throughout the dreamlike realm, and you’ll get to meet yokai and monsters of various types, shapes, and sizes.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (July 18, 2024)

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is a compilation of 13 classic NES games — including Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Ice Climber, Kid Icarus, Kirby's Adventure, Donkey Kong, and Excitebike — that are packed with mini-games based on the challenges that were played at the real-life Nintendo World Championships there were held in 1990, 2015, and 2017. There's three modes of gameplay to partake in: Speedrun Mode, where you runthrough sections of games as fast as possible to set a new personal record; World Championship Mode, where you can compete with other players and rise up the global online leaderboard; and Party Mode, where you play locally with up to eight players.

The New Denpa Men (July 22, 2024)

The New Denpa Men is a free-to-play RPG that will have you scouring radio waves to find other Denpa Men and team up to discover dungeons and fight monsters. You can also customize your Denpa Men, design your radio wave island Animal Crossing style, and participate in local four-player co-op to fish for even more Denpa Men.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection (September 6, 2024)

Ace Attorney: Investigations Collection will have you playing as Miles Edgeworth in his adventures beyond the courtroom in remasters of Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit, the latter of which is making its debut outside of Japan. You can swap between the revamped anime art style or the original pixelated art style, play in additional languages, and discover more bonus content.

Funko Fusion (September 13, 2024)

In Funko Fusion, you'll play as 60 different characters modelled after the Funko Pop figures you collect from 20 different pop culture franchises, including Jurassic Park, Five Nights at Freddy's, Invincible, Back to the Future, M3GAN, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and The Walking Dead. It's a crossover adventure of extremely cute proportions!

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (September 26, 2024)

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom features Zelda as the protagonist for the first time in the franchise's history. The princess is tasked with rescuing Link and other people in Hyrule after strange rifts popped up all over the kingdom and took them. She'll work with a fairy named Tri and use the Tri Rod to create echoes of objects found in her environment to overcome obstacles and solve puzzles. She'll create echoes of enemies she fights and get them to join her team as well! This will be the 8th Legend of Zelda game on Nintendo Switch since it's launch.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time (October 10, 2024)

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is the long-awaited sequel to the original RPG-style life-sim game that released on Nintendo 3DS in 2014. In addition to working any job you want — from woodcutter, blacksmith, paladin, cook, and more — each with its own set of quests, you’ll get to build your own city on an abandoned island, travel through time, and meet new characters with some mysteries of their own.

Super Mario Party Jamboree (October 17, 2024)

Super Mario Party Jamboree is the third Mario Party game to come to the Switch following Mario Party Superstars and Super Mario Party. You'll be taken to a large island resort to play over 110 minigames between five new game boards with different environmental hazards, including Rainbow Galleria and Goomba Lagoon, and compete in Koopathlon mode with up to 20 players. Plus, it will bring back Mario's Rainbow Castle and Western Land from Mario Party and Mario Party 2, respectively.

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven -Remake- (October 24, 2024)

After 31 years of Japanese exclusivity, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is getting a full-blown remake treatment in the West, English voice acting, enhanced graphics and all. You play as an emperor or empress of Avalon, building the kingdom and protecting as you fight the seven heroes who have returned as villains hellbent on revenge on those who have forgotten their sacrifices.

Farmagia (November 1, 2024)

From the creator of Fairy Tale and Rave Master comes Farmigia, a game about monster combat and farming. In the realm of Felicidad, you play as Ten and help him grow monsters in a garden — seriously — and raise them as an army to fight against a despotic king of the underworld.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership (November 7, 2024)

Mario & Luigi: Brothership is the first entry in the Mario & Luigi series to make the jump to the Switch with 3D graphics and a unique animation style. This game will see the Super Mario Bros. go island-hopping across Concordia on a part ship, part island called Shipshape Island, visiting rainforests, cities, and running into other characters from the Mushroom Kingdom, including Princess Peach and Bowser.

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D (November 14, 2024)

Announced in 2021, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake has finally been confirmed for the Switch to the delight of Dragon Quest fans. Developed with the gameplay styles of Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D takes you back to where the franchise began as you save the world from the evil Baramos. Chronologically speaking, this is the first game of the Erdrick Trilogy, with Dragon Quest 1-2 HD 2D Remake coming out in 2025.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (January 16, 2025)

Donkey Kong Country Returns gets the HD treatment for Switch, and it will have new features that will make you go bananas. You'll play through 80 levels from the original Wii game, additional levels from the 3DS version, and play in two-player local co-op as you fight the Taki Tak Tribe to win back Donkey Kong's previous banana pile.

Upcoming Switch Games With Unknown Release Dates

Over the last year, we’ve been hearing rumors about the Nintendo Switch 2 regarding its appearance, release date, and name. Though the Switch 2 should have been released by now per the 7-year console release rule, Nintendo has reportedly delayed its release to March 2025 in an effort to curb scalping and garner enough stock to satisfy demand. There are also rumors that the Switch 2, if that’s its final name, has the same hybrid functionality as the original, but with a bigger screen.

Meanwhile, there are other upcoming Nintendo games coming out this year and the next that don’t have a solid release date yet, but will update them as soon as we hear them. Here are the games without release dates.

• Dragon Quest 1-2 HD-2D - 2025
• Epic Mickey: Rebrushed - TBA
• Fantasian - Holiday 2024
• Fairy Tail 2 - Winter 2024
• Hello Kitty Island Adventure - 2025
• The Hundred-Line -Last Defense Academy- - Early 2025
• Hollow Knight: Silksong - TBA
• Just Dance 2025 Edition - October 2024
• LEGO Horizon Adventures - Holiday 2024
• Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports - Fall 2024
• Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics - 2024
• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - 2025
• MIO: Memories in Orbit - 2025
• Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero - 2025
• Professor Layton and the New World of Steam - 2025
• Pokemon Legends: Z-A - 2025
• Stray - Holiday 2024
• Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game - Holiday 2025

Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. She has contributed her work to various publications, including Digital Trends, TheGamer, Twinfinite, Mega Visions, and The Escapist. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.

Doctor Strange actor Benedict Cumberbatch may have revealed some details about the Marvel hero's involvement in the upcoming Avengers movie.

During an interview with Netflix, Cumberbatch broke down his artistic approach to some of his most popular on-screen characters. Key among Cumberbatch’s iconic roles were Sherlock Holmes in BBC’s Sherlock, Smaug in The Hobbit, and of course, Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. During his segment on Doctor Strange, Cumberbatch let it slip that his character may be involved in Avengers 5 in some capacity.

"It’s been a pretty lovely relationship with that [Marvel] ever since [being cast],” Cumberbatch said. "I’m very much looking forward to Avengers next year, which is cooking up a storm."

Each Friday, we round up the new, hot, and leaving items at IGN Store. This week, new items from the Tomb Raider, Sonic, and Final Fantasy series are all available, with pre-orders open now. As for the hottest items, the biggest items of the week come from GUNNAR Optiks, The Legend of Zelda, and Metal Gear Solid. Lastly, items from Fallout and Kaiju No. 8 are set to leave IGN Store very soon. Explore this week's offerings below and see what's new at IGN Store!

What's New: Tomb Raider, Sonic, and Final Fantasy

First up, a new Lara Croft statue based on her Classic Era look is now available to pre-order! This Tomb Raider statue from Dark Horse is set to arrive in March 2025 and is packed with detail. The Tomb Raider series logo is even featured at the base of the statue!

Next, a new Sonic the Hedgehog 2 statue based on the Mountain Chase scene from the movie is also available to pre-order! This Definitive Edition statue features Sonic snowboarding down an icy mountain with two robots chasing quickly behind him.

Finally, two new Final Fantasy figures from Square Enix's Adorable Arts line are available to pre-order at IGN Store. Both Sephiroth and Noctis would make an excellent addition to your collection, so lock in your order today before these figures are gone!

What's Hot: GUNNAR Optiks and Metal Gear Solid

As part of the IGN Store Sun-Sational Sale, ten pairs of GUNNAR Optiks are on sale for a limited time! From Black Panther to Loki, GUNNAR has teamed up with Marvel to provide some of the best and most stylish eyewear around. Check out each of the pairs available through the link below and save big on GUNNAR Optiks!
Additionally, the Metal Gear Solid 6LP Vinyl Box Set is once again one of the hottest items at IGN Store this week. The box set includes a total of 53 different tracks from the Metal Gear Solid series, including arrangements that were made for the 20th and 25th anniversary Metal Gear Music Collection releases. Each of the sleeves even features original series art by Yoji Shinkawa.

What's Leaving: Elden Ring, Fallout and Kaiju No. 8

Last but not least, a handful of items are leaving IGN Store soon. A Nendoroid of Vagabond from Elden Ring is first up, and this is an item you don't want to miss. This figure comes with two face plates, a longsword, heater shield, torch, and a flask of crimson tears. Pre-order this Nendoroid before it's gone!

Additionally, three YouTooz figures of Lucy, Maximus, and The Ghoul from the Prime Video Fallout TV Series are closing pre-orders soon. If you were a fan of the Fallout series, these figures will make a great addition to your collection!

Finally, two figures from Kaiju No. 8 are set to leave IGN Store soon. These are Kikoru Shinomiya and Kaiju No. 9 action figures from the S.H.Figuarts line. Set to release in January 2025, these are two figures that no Kaiju No. 8 fan will want to miss.

Shadows... Calling...

About IGN Store

IGN Store sells high-quality merch, collectibles and shirts for everything you're into. It's a shop built with fans in mind; for all the geek culture and fandom you love most. So, whether you're into comics, movies, anime, games, retro gaming or just want some cute plushies (who doesn't?); this store is for you!

Supernatural alum Jared Padalecki has spoken to showrunner Eric Kripke about potentially joining Prime Video’s hit superhero show, The Boys.

Padalecki, who is best known for portraying Sam Winchester in the long-running paranormal investigation series, professed his excitement during an interview with Deadline. The two previously collaborated on Supernatural, where Kripke served as creator and showrunner.