Today’s the day the PS5 price hike goes into effect. So if you’re looking to save some cash on a PS5, you might want to consider a refurbished model. PlayStation Direct is selling refurb PS5s for $399.99 — that’s $150 off the new MSRP. It’s a great way to buy one for less cash, considering the prices are going the other way. Read on for the details.

Certified Refurbished PS5 for $399

Certified Refurbished PS5 Digital Edition Is Sold Out

Everything that Comes with a Certified Refurbished PS5

• PlayStation 5 Console - certified refurbished
• DualSense Wireless Controller - certified refurbished
• DualSense USB charging cable
• Base to stand the console vertically
• HDMI cable
• AC power cord
• User manual
• Astro’s Playroom (pre-installed game)

I’m old enough to remember when game consoles would gradually come down in price over their lifespan. They might get a new design, and the aging parts would become cheaper or more streamlined to manufacture, so console makers would drop the price. Those days appear to be over. Earlier this year, Xbox announced it was raising prices. Then earlier this month, Nintendo announced it was raising prices on the original Switch console, as well as a number of accessories.

Seeing prices go up rather than down is not a great feeling! But it does mean when you see a steep discount like this one on refurbished PlayStation 5 consoles, that’s a smart time to buy.

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.

Pokémon has just announced an all new Mega Pokémon species set to debut in the upcoming Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 game Pokémon Legends Z-A.

In a video debuted today, fans got a first look at Mega Victreebell, a more bulbous version of the pitcher plant Pokémon.

This new spooky trailer sees the game's heroes investigate a sweet smell in a creepy building after dark. After various jump scares (Espurr! A Clefairy doll!) we finally see the new Mega species.

Fans believe they've worked out the setting of Forza Horizon 6, based on a teasing social media post from a car import company connected to the game.

In a now-deleted Instagram post, vehicle import firm Cult and Classic shared an image purporting to show a Forza Horizon staff member digitally scanning a car made by Japanese manufacturer Kei for use in the series' next game.

The post went on to state that the staff member had travelled to its premises in Australia to scan a series of Kei models, which are unusual to find outside of Japan. And it's because of this (as well as the post's subsequent removal) that fans now believe Japan is Forza Horizon 6's setting.

"Exciting news!" the post read. "We have Cody here, from @forzahorizonofficial, shooting cars for the next installation in the series. As there are no late-model Kei cars in America, he has flown out from the states to use our cars as the basis for their digital versions.

"We are HUGE gamers here at Cult and Classic, and it is an honor to be supporting Forza and making Kei cards accessible virtually for people who can't have them IRL."

An Australian car importeur might have leaked Japan as the next 'Forza Horizon' setting.

Kei cars could imply that the next game is set in Japan.https://t.co/LKXk3tPlJA pic.twitter.com/uogacUBwOh

— Knoebel goes GamesCom (@Knoebelbroet) August 20, 2025

Japan has ranked highly among the most-requested locations for Forza Horizon 6, following previous series entries set in Australia, Mexico and the UK. Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently confirmed that the next Forza game would arrive in 2026, and this is widely expected to be a new Forza Horizon game.

As for the original Forza Motorsport series, Microsoft's most recent round of staff cuts in July heavily impacted developer Turn 10 Studios, with one former employee stating that the Forza Motorsport team was "no more", though some staff remain to assist on Forza Horizon development.

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

Magic: The Gathering’s current set may have taken us to space, but that’s not to say the Final Fantasy set that debuted in June 2025 is gone.

In fact, the set will be standard legal for quite a while yet, but given its incredible popularity, some products are unlikely to see reprints.

Chief among them are Collector Boosters and Collector Editions of Commander Decks, which are sold out, but are selling at a mighty high markup on the secondary market right now.

Final Fantasy Collector Boosters

Final Fantasy Collector Commander Decks

Commander Decks will likely see reprints, and they’re already slipping below MSRP, but the Collector’s Editions are a “one and done” kind of deal.

It’s worth stressing that these don’t offer any additional cards you won’t find in the standard versions, but give every single card a foil treatment. The price for that privelege is $159.99 and up, with the Final Fantasy 7 deck closer to $500 (blimey).

Final Fantasy: Affordable But Awesome Cards

Believe it or not, you don’t have to sell your house to buy Magic cards. There are a whole host of more affordable, but still awesome, cards you can find on the secondary market for a few dollars each.

Even some of the full-art, borderless cards are available if you know what to look for, and we’ve got a handy list.

Bonus Deal: Final Fantasy Commander Decks Just Dropped In Price Again

The complete Final Fantasy precons bundle is now just $185 on Amazon, $95 off its original list price, and the best discount we've seen so far on the Commander Decks.

Magic: The Gathering is offering an unprecedented three crossovers in its 2025 release calendar. The Final Fantasy set was the biggest launch in the trading card game's long history, and Spider-Man is up next.

Time waits for no one, though, and spoilers have already begun for Avatar: The Last Airbender’s set, due to launch on November 21, 2025. Better yet, preorders are now live for sealed products, and here’s where you can get them.

So what's the latest? Online preorders for MTG x Avatar are selling out fast, with Amazon now limited to just a few sealed products left at the time of writing.

It won't be long before the rest disappears, so we're recommending preordering ASAP to lock in your preorder and avoid disappointment, as you won't have to pay a penny until the new Universes Beyond set ships in November.

Also, keep an eye on preorders are Best Buy, which are yet to go live. Otherwise, follow @IGNDeals to stay informed on upcoming restocks before release day.

Beginner Box

Jumpstart Boosters

Play Boosters and Bundles

Scene Box

Where Are The Commander Decks?

Commander’s Bundle Explained

Collector Boosters

UK Preorders

Curiously, Amazon UK has more products available than any other retailer at the time of writing.

• Beginner Box - £28.99
• Play Booster (Individual) - £5.99
• Play Booster Box (30 Packs) - £174.99
• Jumpstart Booster Box (24 Packs) - £104.99

Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He's a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife's dismay.

Black Widow star Ray Winstone has spoken of his frustration with Marvel's demands for movie reshoots, despite the film's director apparently being happy with his performance.

Winstone said he became so exasperated with the situation while working on Black Widow that he asked director Cate Shortland for his role to be recast, only for him to be told he had no choice but to do the reshoots, as he remained under contract.

The Scarlett Johansson-starring movie features Winstone as the villainous Dreykov, the man in charge of the cruel Black Widow training program. But despite initial enthusiasm for the part, Winstone has now said he ultimately wanted out of the project after Marvel Studios decided changes were necessary.

"I worked with this amazing director, Cate Shortland, and we worked on what my character was going to be," Winstone said at the Sarajevo Film Festival, as reported by Variety. "He was like a pedophile running around all these girls, and they'd become black widows.

"We used to get applauded on set," he continued, discussing his performance. "It was probably the best thing I've done for a really long time. Then I come home after finishing the job and get a call saying we need to do some reshoots. I say: how many scenes? [Cate] says 'all of them.'"

Winstone did not specify what exactly Marvel had wanted to change, but the studio has become notorious for making alterations to its movies during production and afterwards, with sometimes-lengthy reshoots often required. At the same time, fans have grown increasingly wary of the practice, and pointed to cuts in The Marvels and the heavily-reworked Captain America: Brave New World as evidence the practice can result in an uneven finish.

"I said she should recast [the role], but I was contracted, so I had to do it," Winstone recalled. "I go back, they do my hair all nice, put me in the suit, and I couldn't do it. I'd already done it. I thought, 'I'm not doing it now. I've done it. That's how it's going to be.' That’s rejection, you know? There's nothing worse than doing something, leaving it on the floor, and then being told it's not right."

Marvel boss Kevin Feige recently discussed the studio's practice of continually tweaking its movies throughout production, a habit he has termed "plus-ing".

"I've never been satisfied with a movie we’ve released," Feige told The Hollywood Reporter. "There’s plus-ing happening every day on the Avengers: Doomsday set right now, and it is amazing to watch because what those filmmakers, those actors, both the ones that are playing these characters for the first or second time and the one playing them for the 10th or 12th time, are the best in the world at it, and know these characters so well. So if they have an idea, you want to listen to it and you want to adjust to it and you want to improve it. I wouldn’t want to change that."

Image credit: Mike Marsland/WireImage

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

In case you missed it, Final Fantasy’s Magic: The Gathering set was, as Ron Burgundy might put it, kind of a big deal.

A few weeks back, we mentioned the Commander Decks had finally dipped under MSRP on Amazon, but now there’s an even better deal if you’re looking to snag all four at once.

gamescom 2025 is fully underway and there have already been a ton of huge reveals that have given a glimpse at the future of video games. We've already had Opening Night Live and a full day of previews and interviews and news, and we've decided to gather all the biggest moments right here to ensure you don't miss a thing.

So, check out everything below and continue to check back throughout gamescom to see what other surprises have been revealed.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 New Trailer Reveals Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies Details, Release Date, and Much More

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 had a big night at gamescom's Opening Night Live, as we got a first-look at its campaign, learned new details on multiplayer and zombies, got a release date of November 14, learned about its Open Beta, and much more.

The story of Black Ops 7 takes place in 2035 and is a follow-up to both Black Ops 2 and Black Ops 6. The campaign supports solo play of up to four-player co-op, with global progression for the first time for the franchise.

For more, check out why Black Ops 7 is the series' biggest swing in years, how the devs are 'paying attention' to feedback over goofy skins, and how the series is using generative AI to "not replace, but streamline."

How Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's Campaign Weaponizes Fear

We talk to Call of Duty developers Miles Leslie and Natalie Pohorski at gamescom 2025 to find out how Black Ops 7's co-op campaign takes cues from the Batman Arkham games by using fear toxin as the basis of the weirdest COD missions we've seen yet.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Shows Up at Gamescom: Opening Night Live With Almost 30 Seconds of New Gameplay, as a Treat

While we still don't have a release date, Hollow Knight: Silksong showed up in a big way during ONL with a confirmation it will be out in 2025 and with almost 30 seconds of new gameplay. We also won't have to wait long to learn more about this much-anticipated game as there will be a "special announcement" taking place this Thursday, August 22.

Hollow Knight: Silksong - We Played It!

As if the above wasn't enough, we also actually got to play Hollow Knight: Silksong. Thankfully, we came away very impressed and said the "long-awaited sequel shows little sign of disappointing."

"Yes, we've been waiting many, many years for this sequel, but everything at this stage points to it being worth it. Each aspect feels authored and prescribed to a clear vision — a piece of playable art that is as fun to wield as it is to watch (I should know, the gamescom queue was very long)," IGN's Simon Cardy wrote. "It may have been the shortest of demos, but so far, Silksong is very much singing to me, maybe even more than the original."

Kirby Air Riders – The First Preview

Following its big Nintendo Direct, we had the chance to play Kirby Air Riders at gamescom.

"The maximalism of Kirby Air Riders is its core charm; it feels brewed from impish, chaotic-neutral alchemy," our previewer, Leanne Butkovic, said. "Even Nintendo is calling this a “vehicle action game,” not a kart racer, which honestly seems apt – a silly genre distinction for a purposefully unserious game. It might not have been the sequel the people were clamoring for, but I’m glad that it exists."

Resident Evil Requiem Hands-On Preview

IGN's Dale Driver had a chance to play a 20-minute demo of Resident Evil Requiem, and one of the biggest things we took away from playing the game is that a new, unstoppable stalker could be the scariest one yet.

Resident Evil: Requiem Trailer Shows Fresh Look at Grace Ashcroft's Backstory, But Where's Leon?

Resident Evil: Requiem showed up in a big way at ONL with a new story and gameplay trailer that dives deep into our protagonist, Grace Ashcroft. However, we are still waiting for Leon S. Kennedy, where is he?!

Resident Evil Requiem Takes Stalkers to the Next Terrifying Level

The latest stalker in the Resident Evil series takes the chase to the next level, hunting Grace Ashcroft throughout the hallways of the small but impactful Resident Evil Requiem demo. IGN's Matt Purslow and Dale Driver got to go hands-on with the game and discuss their initial impressions of the latest Resident Evil game coming out in 2026.

Pragmata Aims to Break the Rules of Third-Person Shooters

Pragmata was playable at gamescom, and we said that, "while it produces a combat experience quite different to anything I’ve played before, I’m left wondering if that same level of ingenuity will be felt in Pragmata’s exploration and level design, too."

Pragmata Rethinks Shooting but Is That a Good Thing?

Capcom's Pragmata has a new system for shooting mechanics, asking you to do a hacking mini-game before each enemy encounter. It's a fresh take, but is it a good thing? After playing the Pragmata demo at gamescom 2025, IGN's Matt Purslow and Dale Driver have some mixed feelings, enjoying the innovation but with slight concerns that the process could wear thin over a full game.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword Skillfully Sharpens a PS2 Classic for a New Generation

Onimusha: Way of the Sword brings back the franchise for the first time since the PS2 days, and we walked away from playing this new game in a very positive way.

"The gamescom demo may have been short – little more than some winding paths and a boss fight in a temple – but it’s more than enough to convince me that Onimusha: Way of the Sword is built on rock-solid swordplay fundamentals," IGN's Matt Purslow said.

Onimusha Could be as Sharp as Sekiro Without the Soulslike Difficulty

Is Onimusha: Way of the Sword a triumphant return for the long-dormant franchise? IGN's Matt Purslow and Dale Driver got to play the demo at gamescom 2025 and share their thoughts about the supernatural samurai fighting demon combat and the inevitable Soulslike comparisons. How does Onimusha compare to the obvious Ghost of Tsushima and Sekiro comparisons? Let's find out.

LEGO Voyagers Might Already Be My Favorite LEGO Game Ever

IGN's Ryan McCaffrey said Lego Voyagers just might already be his favorite LEGO game of all time.

"Will LEGO Voyagers have some poignant moment waiting for players near the end like fellow dialogue-free physics puzzle platformers Limbo and Inside? That remains to be seen, but even if it doesn’t, it’s clear that Voyagers intends to make its memories along the journey if not the destination. But hopefully it’ll do so in both."

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Announced, Featuring Open World Gotham

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight was announced during gamescom's Opening Night Live and it looks to be a love letter to many Batman movies and comics with a sprinkle of Batman Arkham combat thrown in. Oh, and it has Matt Berry playing Bane.

"Whether he’s the wrathful Dark Knight, the brilliant detective, or the unlikely father of the ‘Batfam,’ Batman has constantly evolved — shaped by the world around him while remaining a timeless symbol," said Jim Lee, President, Publisher, and Chief Creative Officer, DC.

"This game brings together nearly every facet of his legacy, letting you experience the full range of what makes Batman iconic. Built with incredible care, creativity, and deep respect for the mythos, TT Games has crafted a love letter to the world of Batman.”

For more, you can check out how this game is the perfect combo of Arkham & Lego combat and 31 minutes of gameplay frme Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight.

Microsoft Still Can't Say How Much the ROG Xbox Ally X Will Cost Due to "Macro-Economic" Conditions, Despite Announcing Release Date and Availability Details

While we learned that the ROG Xbox Ally X will be released on October 16, Microsoft still isn't revealing the price of the system yet.

Speaking to IGN today at gamescom, Microsoft and Asus said the companies still needed "more time to figure out the macro-economic impact to pricing". The statement comes amid a backdrop of frequently shifting market conditions, fuelled by ever-changing US tariffs.

Xbox Hardware Boss Says 'Who Knows What the Future Entails' Following Report Company Had Sidelined First-Party Handheld Plans

Amidst reports that Microsoft has sidelined first-party handheld plans with Asus' ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X on the way, we chatted with Jason Ronald, Microsoft's vice president of gaming devices & ecosystems, to see what we could find out.

"We're just really excited about the partnership with Asus, we've found an ideal partner to bring their strengths with our strengths, and for us we're really focused on just growing the category overall," Ronald said.

Anno 117: Pax Romana – The Final Preview

We were able to go hands-on with the other half of Ubisoft Mainz's Roman city-builder Anno 117: Pax Romana, and we said, "given the opportunities to define its culture across multiple evolutionary phases, Albion may even have more layers to it than the dedicated Roman settled that would, theoretically, serve as the epicentre the Empire. Colour me intrigued."

Halloween Revealed by Friday the 13th: The Game Developer

Halloween was revealed at the Future Games Show and we had the chance to interview developer IllFonic on the single-player story mode, working with John Carpenter, and more.

The Blood of Dawnwalker Offers 2 Very Different RPG Playstyles

A team of former creatives behind The Witcher 3 are working on dark fantasy RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker, and our hands-off demo showed how the game is handling the parallel playstyles of human and vampire action.

Ghost of Yotei Trailer Confirms Free Legends Multiplayer DLC Coming in 2026

Alongside a trailer with new footage, Sucker Punch confirmed that the Legends multiplayer DLC, which first appeared in Ghost of Tsushima, will be released in 2026.

Black Myth: Wukong Developer Game Science Announces Sequel, Black Myth: Zhong Kui

Black Myth: Wukong developer Game Science is working on Black Myth: Zhong Kui, a character who is desribed as the "ghost-catching god who wanders between hell and earth."

"Set against the backdrop of the classic Chinese folktale 'Zhong Kui Banishing Evil,' Black Myth: Zhong Kui is a single-player action role-playing game rooted in ancient Chinese fantasy," GameScience said. ---"The game will deliver distinctive experiences and gameplay features that push our limits, while also bringing fresh ideas and necessary changes to address past flaws and regrets."

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is Xbox's First Nintendo Switch 2 Game

Alongside a trailer for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's The Order of Giants DLC, it was also confirmed that the adventure will be released on Switch 2 in 2026. The Order of the Giants, on the other hand, will be released on September 4 and expands on the game's Rome location and has Indy searching for the helmet of the Nameless Crusader.

Silent Hill f Gamescom Trailer Reveals Suzie Yeung as Hinako

Alongside a horrifying new trailer, it was confirmed that Suzie Yeung (Yuffie From Final Fantasy VII Remake) will be voicing protagonist Hinako in the English dub. As for the footage, it featured a lot of freaky dolls and we really don't like freaky dolls.

Fallout Season 2 Trailer Reveals First-Look at a Deathclaw, Mr. House, and a Release Date

gamescom is about more than games, as it was the place where the debut trailer of Fallout Season 2 was revealed. The much-anticipated new season arrives on December 17 and will see Walton Goggins' Ghoul and Ella Purnell's Lucy finally getting to Vegas.

Fallout: Season 2 Trailer Ties The Ghoul's Origin Story to Mr. House

The trailer for Fallout: Season 2 seemingly ties The Ghoul's origins story to Mr. House. We will soon get to learn more of his backstory and how Coop went to Las Vegas before the war, where he met with the man who he claims was the main cause of the end of the world: Robert House.

FromSoftware’s Sekiro Gets the Anime Treatment via Crunchyroll in 2026 — Here’s the Debut Trailer and First-Look Images

FromSoftware's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is getting an anime adaptation called Sekiro: No Defeat, and it will be a retelling of "the game's unforgettable story - a tale of loyalty and blood, set in a fantastical reimagining of Sengoku-era Japan."

Elden Ring on Switch 2 Is a Disaster in Handheld Mode

We played Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition in handheld mode on Switch 2 and came away very disappointed with the game's performance, especially when in the open areas like Limgrave. Frame rate drops were significant when turning the camera whilst exploring outside of the tutorial area, and this, combined with a confusing button layout on Switch 2, made combat confusing and exploration fairly dispiriting. We weren't allowed to record gameplay at the booth, probably due to this fact, but you can hear our thoughts on Elden Ring Switch 2 handheld gameplay in this video. Elden Ring Tarnished Edition releases in 2025, so hopefully there's time for Bandai Namco to work on its performance.

Borderlands 4 Has The Weirdest Weapons You'll Ever See

Harlowe is the latest exciting addition to Borderlands 4's vault hunter line-up. Randy Pitchford, founder and president of Gearbox teases what we can expect from the Gravitar-class hero, plus he reveals more about some of areas to explore and billions (!) of gun combos there are to play around with.

How Ninja Gaiden 4 Continues Ryu's Legacy in New Ways

Ninja Gaiden 4's producer and director Yuji Nakao reveals why they shifted away from the much-loved character of Ryu to new face Yakumo, goes into detail about its combat upgrades, and discusses how Ninja Gaiden 4 will continue the challenge the series is best known for.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Legacy of the Forge DLC Trailer Reveals September Release Date and Henry's New Home

"Returning to Kuttenberg, Henry puts his blacksmithing skills to the test to acquire and repair a legendary burnt-down forge, where his father, Martin, spent his youth as an apprentice,” an official description for the Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Legacy of the Forge DLC says. “Venturing down memory lane, Henry learns of his father’s legacy as a blacksmith, revealing a part of his life that has remained hidden until now. Gaining new blacksmith prestige, Henry becomes a forge master, helping the
people of Kuttenberg with sword crafting, armor-smithing, and other quirky requests.”

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 Is Finally a Reality — but Its Developer May Surprise You

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 is real, but is not being developed by Relic Entertainment. Instead, it is in development at King Art Games, the studio behind Iron Harvest. In Dawn of War 4, which looks to return the RTS series to its roots, will have four facitons, "deeply satisfying gameplay," and a "brutal, expanded Sync Kill system."

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 – First Impressions From a Series Veteran

"I certainly wasn't expecting a new Dawn of War any time soon, much less from a studio other than Relic," IGN's Leana Hafer wrote. "But from the bit of it I've played, it seems like King Art Games understands the assignment. As a Dawn of War 2 fan, I miss the emphasis on cover and move-and-fire tactics. But Dawn of War 4 has nevertheless made a big first impression. I can hardly wait to get dug in next year."

Lords of the Fallen 2 Gets Official Reveal Trailer, Still on Track for 2026

CI Games has given Lords of the Fallen 2 its big coming out party, and this 2026 sequel looks to to be shaped by community feedback after an inital rocky reception at launch of the original game. As for the gameplay, expect to explore two parallel worlds, an expanded Umbral realm, and shared campaign progression in online co-op.

21 Years After the Original, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Finally Has a Release Date

gamescom's Opening Night Live gave us a release date of October 21 for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, which is roughly 21 years after the original was released.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 - We FINALLY Played It

We also had the chance to play Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, and we came out of our play session "cautiously optimistic." We may not love the combat yet, but its a well-written and well-voiced mystery story that also lets me explore our urban hunting ground with cool movement abilities.

Project Spectrum Is Looking Extremely Weird and More Than a Little Creepy

We had the chance to play eight minutes of Project Spectrum, and our previewer, Travis Northup, said it "left me with as many questions as I got answers, with lots left unexplained about how exactly this weird idea will work, but it also showed signs of a fairly new take on the asymmetrical multiplayer genre that’s become one of my favorite pastimes in recent years."

Where Winds Meet's Open World Could Take You 150 Hours to Fully Explore

Brutal sword fights and mastering devastating combos are at the heart of Where Winds Meet, an open world ARPG in which the action is so relentless there's barely time to soak up the gorgeous visuals. It's also massive, as the development team behind the game reveals in this gameplay walkthrough.

Monkey Island's Ron Gilbert Is Making a New Roguelike RPG Where the Scrolling Screen Is Trying to Kill You (Again)

Monkey Island's Ron Gilbert is working on Death by Scrolling, a rouguelike RPG when players are pursued throught Purgatory by a constantly-scrollins screen and Death herself.

Monster Hunter Wilds and Final Fantasy 14 Collaborations Reveal New Content Coming This Fall

Capcom and Square Enix are teaming up for exciting crossovers between Monster Hunter Wilds and Final Fantasy 14. Monster Hunter will be getting rideable Chocobos, Cactaurs, and more, and Seikrets and Palicos and hopping over to FF14.

Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes Aims to Deliver an FTL-Like Roguelike

Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hope is basically a turn-based roguelike that's giving us big FTL vibes with a wonderful layer of Battlestar Galactica on top of it. In this game, you are actually a junker who is trying to catch up with the Galactica in hopes to find safe haven and, hopefully one day, find Earth.

Bubsy 3D Is Getting a Sequel, Almost 30 Years Later

Bubsy, that talking orange bobcat mascot from the 90s, is returning for a brand-new adventure called Bubsy 4D, and it will be the first new entry in the franchise since 1996's Bubsy 3D.

Denshattack! Might Be a Killer Blend of Tony Hawk and Jet Set Radio

If you love Tony Hawk and Jet Set Radio, you may want to keep an eye on Denshattack!, which has you riding a train instead of a skateboard or roller blades. In this game, you have to be the fastest train on the track by doing incredible tricks.

Valor Mortis Announced From the Developer of Ghostrunner

Ghostrunner developer One More Level is back with a new game called Valor Mortis, and it is a single-player, first-person soulslike that takes place in an alt-history Eastern Europe during a ficitonalized version of Napoleon's invasion. Valor Mortis will be released in 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

There’s something about a stacked digital sale that makes me cave, even when my backlog is immense. This idle Thursday's crop had me dusting off wishlists, rediscovering old gems, and even contemplating LEGO shelf space I simply do not have. From reimagined fighters and RPG epics to nostalgic throwbacks and indie brilliance, here’s the gear I’d happily obliterate my piggy bank (or yours) to own.

Contents

• Retro
• Nintendo
• Xbox
• PlayStation
• PC
• LEGO

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I’m celebrating the 16th birthday of Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again, one of the best DSi downloads I ever nabbed. Minis March Again bolstered the original formula with four more game worlds of 10 stages apiece. Along with the brilliant DIY level creator that let me wirelessly share my conundrums with friends, this was just more of the same stuff (old school Nintendo game design with pitch perfect puzzle platforming and high sheen visuals). Please remake more of this sizeable series on Switch, Ninty.

If you're a Windows user that's looking for an affordable PC that's as small as the Apple Mac Mini, then check out this deal from Amazon just in time for the Back to School season. Amazon Prime members can pick up the recently released AceMagic Vista Mini V1 Intel N150 Mini PC for just $130.26 shipped after you apply coupon code "SLICKDLV1". You do not need to be an Amazon Prime member. This is an excellent price for a complete PC that comes ready to go out of the box with a CPU, RAM, storage, and even the Windows 11 Pro operating system. AceMagic is a popular mini PC brand.

AceMagic Vista Mini V1 Intel N150 Mini PC for $130.26

Walmart is offering a great deal on a powerful prebuilt gaming PC. The CyberPowerPC gaming PC, fearturing an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU and GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU, is on sale for $1899 shipped. This is the best price I've seen so far for a 9800X3D and 5070 Ti combo and it's also generously equipped with loads of RAM and SSD storage.

CyberPowerPC AMD 9800X3D RTX 5070 Ti PC for $1,899

If your workstation or gaming desk requires both USB ports and AC outlets, here's a very inexpensive solution to your problem. Amazon is offering a Baseus 3-Port 3-Outlet Desktop Charging Station for just $11.99 after you clip both $4.50 off and 50% off coupons on the product page. This compact desktop charger features both USB Type-A and Type-C ports as well as AC outlets for the ultimate versatility.

Baseus 3-Port 3-Outlet Desktop Charger for $11.99

After over a month of zero units available, Dell Outlet has finally restocked its inventory of Clearance, Like New (Refurbished) and Scratch & Dent Alienware Aurora R16 gaming PCs. There are currently several dozen different configurations available, and they are priced very competitively. For example, you can pick up a well-equipped Alienware RTX 5080 gaming PC with a one year Dell warranty for under $2,000. Curiously, Dell Outlet also has a limited number of RTX 4090 gaming PCs in stock for reasonable prices. That's pretty surprising considering the fact that RTX 4090 GPUs are discontinued, difficult to find, and the resale value on them is spectacularly high at the moment.

Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 4090 PC Deals

Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 PC Deals

Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5070 Ti PC Deals

Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5070 Deals

Asus isn’t reinventing the wheel with the ROG Pelta headset. Though I originally thought the name was a typo, as I’ve tested Asus’s ROG Delta in the past, this is a distinct headset, and a pretty good one at that. There isn’t necessarily anything new to get excited about, with the ROG Pelta not advancing gaming headset technology in any way. But with a $155 price tag, solid audio chops, flexible connection options, and a very comfortable fit, the ROG Pelta still has a lot to offer those looking for a worthy gaming headset.

Asus ROG Pelta – Design and Features

The Asus ROG Pelta is perhaps the least original-looking headset I’ve seen. From the tall oval shape of the earcups, the half-arc yokes, and the elastic suspension headband design, this headset may not be a clone of SteelSeries’ Arctis Nova lineup, but they certainly rhyme. In fact, they look a little bit like a mix between the newer and older models of the Arctis Nova headsets.

All that said, there’s nothing to complain about from design. The oval earcups provide ample space for a comfortable fit around the ear, the cushions have substantial padding, and the elastic headband does a great job dispersing the weight of the headset. All that makes it exceedingly comfortable, though its weak clamping force rules out any headbanging.

The headset’s controls are all on the left earcup. You’ll find a three-way switch, making it easy to turn off the headset or select between Bluetooth and the dedicated 2.4GHz wireless connection. There’s a USB-C port here for charging and wired audio (although there is no 3.5mm analog input). Rather conveniently, the recessed charging port is also just the right size to fit the USB-C dongle, providing a nice spot to slot the little transmitter when you’re taking the headset on the go.

There’s also a volume wheel that’s easy to get at without having to feel around a bunch. A mic mute switch sits above this, and when activated, a little light ring around the mic will illuminate. Below the volume wheel is a simple control button that can control playback and skip forward or backward on audio tracks. On the outside of each earcup, Asus has put its ROG logo with just a touch of RGB lighting to back it up. If you’re out and about using the headset and don’t want the RGB lighting, you don’t have to dive into Asus’s Armoury Crate software to turn it off – holding the mic mute button for 5 seconds will toggle the lighting.

Next to the USB-C port is a 3.5mm jack for the headset’s boom mic. While I find retractable options more convenient since you can’t lose them, the option to remove the mic is still nice when you’re not gaming. The mic comes with a little pop filter, too. The ROG Pelta are compatible with most platforms except Xbox. And since they don’t have an analog input or come with an adapter like the Razer BlackShark V3 does, you can’t wire them up to Xbox controllers either.

Asus ROG Pelta – Software

Like any Asus peripheral, the ROG Pelta uses the rather bloated Armory Crate for customization. The software includes a 10-band equalizer, custom EQ presets, virtual surround sound, bass boosting, and various other sound enhancements. There is also some customization for the microphone with a noise gate, a feature called perfect voice, and an echo cancellation and noise reduction toggle. In the separate settings menu, the headset supports microphone sidetone. And this is a nice clean feed from the microphone that sounds like what other people will hear.

You'll find some basic control from the lighting of the headset inside the software suite. Here you can select from a static color, breathing, strobing, color cycling, or synchronization with other devices using Asus's Aura Sync. The headset can also display an alert using the exterior lights when the battery is low.

Asus ROG Pelta – Gaming and Performance

One of the first things I noticed about the ROG Pelta was its pretty meager passive isolation. When using it out in public, I heard a lot of what’s going on around me. It’s all slightly muffled, so it’s not perfectly clear, but it’s still loud. This sees me having to turn up the volume a bit to overcome the outside environment, often to slightly uncomfortable volumes. However, the audio performance is impressive. Listening to some music, I was surprised by the width of the soundstage and stereo imaging, which was expansive. I heard very localized drums in “The Court of the Crimson King,” and everything sounded nicely spaced out, not crammed in like it can on some headphones. While you’ll probably get a wider soundstage from an open-back headset like the Turtle Beach Atlas Air, the ROG Pelta is no slouch.

That wide soundstage only helps out even more in games, making it all the more easier to pick out where sounds might be coming from, so the headset delivers when you’re in the thick of the action. It has booming bass, hitting notes deep down in the sub-bass territory with ease. Explosions? No sweat. With balanced sound, the ROG Pelta presents game audio wonderfully and is not guilty of over-emphasis at the expense of other frequencies. There’s also support for virtual surround sound that may prove interesting in some situations, but it shouldn't be left on all the time. Listening to people talk in YouTube videos, I noticed it was introducing a bit more hissy, echoey background noise. Thankfully, you don’t need to try using it to enjoy a clear picture of your surroundings in games, as the wide soundstage of the headset will already have you covered.

The microphone does pick up a little bit of background static with its default settings, but my voice is clear and relatively full. There's a noise gate option within Armoury Crate that can help eliminate that static, but it also lowers the overall volume of my voice. There's another feature called Perfect Voice that almost seems to do the opposite – it seems to boost some of the higher vocal frequencies while also elevating the static. Lastly, there's Echo Cancellation and Noise Reduction that also has the effect of eliminating some of that static, but it introduces more digital artifacting in my voice. Activating all three features together doesn't result in a great sounding vocal presentation. Overall, the best result was with a small noise gate applied. At that level I was very pleased with the sound of my voice in test recordings, and I found the ROG Pelta competing admirably against even wired headsets, which tend to outshine their wireless counterparts.

The battery life on the ROG Pelta is rock solid, with the headset offering a 70-hour runtime using its 2.4GHz mode with RGB lighting disabled. Having used it extensively in both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth modes with RGB on, I have yet to need to recharge the battery or get a low-battery warning from the headset throughout my testing period – to state it plainly, you can use it all week and just remember to plug in once. Better yet, the headset is really good about idling; it’s easy to forget to turn it off at the end of the day, but even then, I haven’t seen dramatic battery drain from this even after leaving it on overnight several times during testing. With a long battery life like that, you might be inclined to wear the headphones for long stretches. Thankfully, they are very comfortable. Combined with the breathable fabric of the earcups, these headphones are great for lengthy gaming sessions.

Severance star Tramell Tillman will reportedly make his Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut in Spider-Man: Brand New Day in an unnamed role.

Details on the latest casting news for the new Tom Holland Spider-Man movie come from Variety. The site says information about which character he’ll be playing remains under lock and key for now.

If you're looking for an ultra-slim power bank for your smartphone, then check out this new deal that popped up on Amazon. For a limited time, you can get a Lisen 5,000mAh wireless magnetic power bank for just $13.99 when you apply coupon code: "W7F2KBG7" in cart. It's one of the slimmest power banks and features great build quality for less than $15.

Lisen Ultra Slim 5,000mAh MagSafe Power Bank for $13.99

There's been lots of excitement over the presence of a Hollow Knight: Silksong game demo on the show floor at Gamescom this year, in both the Xbox and Nintendo booths. And by all accounts, the demo seems pretty great. Our own previewer said it's "a piece of playable art that is as fun to wield as it is to watch." But some Silksong superfans hoping for new story, new bosses, or new content to reveal themselves in this demo might be a little disappointed, because the Gamescom demo is the same demo from six years ago at E3 2019. But shinier.

We first noticed this when reading through our previews of the demo from today alongside our preview from 2019. It's more discernable when looking at 2019's video footage, but both demos cover the same two areas - the early game Moss Grotto, and the later Deep Docks. They cover the same encounters and bosses as well. We've been able to comb over some other footage posted by other individuals from Gamescom and yup, looks like an updated version of the same demo.

To be clear, that's not necessarily a bad thing. If anything, it shows how far the game has come in six years. Looking at similar clips from both demos, and there are very clear signs of polish. Lighting and backgrounds have been adjusted, platforms have been moved around slightly. Fans have even spotted the teensiest, tiniest dialogue change between the two demos. It's also not surprising that neither area has undergone massive content changes in six years. If these two levels were ready for prime time in 2019, they were likely the closest to "done" at the time that Team Cherry had ready, and thus wouldn't need developers to spend years tweaking them infinitely. And for what it's worth, this is also the first time we've seen the game on both an Xbox Series console, and the Nintendo Switch 2, as the E3 2019 demo was only on Nintendo Switch 1.

The only real disappointment to be had here is that we're not actually seeing any new content after such a long wait - no new bosses or enemies or characters or stories. So anyone looking to scour this new demo for clues as to what Silksong will be when it finally releases is probably not going to come up with much that we don't already know.

Still, that probably won't be necessary either. Team Cherry has announced an announcement of some sort for tomorrow, and after a rash of teases around Gamescom and the demo finally re-emerging after a six year cocoon, it seems likely that a release date is imminent. (Silk)soon, we won't need to scour tidbits of footage for a crumb of new Silksong info. We'll just be able to, finally, play the long-anticipated sequel to Hollow Knight for ourselves.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Ever since digital streaming was introduced as an alternative to cable, companies like Disney, Warner Bros, Netflix, and Amazon have been finding new ways to "revolutionize" monthly subscriptions, which has more or less come right back around to the concept of cable. (Only now every "channel" requires its own login and password, and costs at least $7 a month.) As the streaming service war wages on with constant changes, mergers and acquisitions, "bundles" are becoming more common as more streaming services are created, and some of these have gotten creative with including both digital and physical services.

The ability to combine multiple networks and major streaming platforms into a single subscription is becoming simpler than ever (thankfully) and gives better savings over subscribing individually to every service you'd want. Depending on your needs as a subscriber and your interests as a streamer and/or online shopper, the options available should tick many of your boxes.

Check out our picks below for the best streaming bundles to consider subscribing to in 2025 to help you save on your streaming bill.

Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Bundle – $16.99/month (with ads)

Lenovo just listed a rare Legion gaming PC equipped with a GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card as part of the Intel Gamer Days Sale. Right now you can get a Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 10 gaming PC equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor and RTX 5090 graphics card for $4,554.99 after two stackable coupon codes "EXTRAFIVE" and "BUYMORELENOVO". This is actually the first time I've seen an RTX 5090 gaming PC available on Lenovo's site. It's nearly impossible to find at other retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, or Newegg as well.

Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 10 RTX 5090 Gaming PC for $4,555

Google has officially announced the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL, and a truly dustproof foldable, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold phone. Unsurprisingly, the announcement was all about AI features, including the ability to turn your photos into videos, built right into the phone, all presented during Made by Google today in a cringingly-awkward talk show format hosted by Jimmy Fallon. And AI aside, they all come with one thing that most Android phones still lack: built-in magnetic charging, which Google is calling Pixelsnap.

So it's four phones, with the standard Pixel 10 starting at $799, the Pixel 10 Pro at $999, the Pixel 10 Pro XL at $1,199 (a bump from the 9 Pro XL's $1,099, but with double the starting storage at 256GB), and the Pro Fold is $1,799. The Pixel 10s come in blue, green, a pinkish white, and black colors, though Google decided to make them more muted in the 10 Pro models, I guess because pros aren't allowed to have fun. The 10 Pro Fold comes in just gray and green.

Pixel 10 By the Numbers

The Pixel 10's cameras are different this year, but whether it's an upgrade or not is up to your priorities. There are three cameras, instead of just two, in the base model Pixel 10 – the standard Pixel 10 now has a 10.8MP telephoto camera. However, Google made the other cameras a little worse than the Pixel 9, so now the Pixel 10 now has a 48MP main camera instead of a 50MP one, and a 13MP ultrawide with a 120-degree field of view (FOV), versus the 48MP with 123-degree FOV in last year's phone. The Pixel 10 Pro and Pro Fold models feature the same camera specs as their 9 Pro equivalents.

Google also bumped the battery capacity of all of the phones versus last year: The 10 Pro XL has 5,200mAh (up from 5,070mAh); the 10 Pro has 4,870mAh (up from 4,700mAh); and the Pixel 10 has 4,970mAh (up from 4,700mAh). Finally, the 10 Pro Fold features a 5,015mAh battery, up from 4,650mAh before.

Otherwise, these are largely the same phones as before, with very similar display specs and mostly the same RAM and storage specs (except, again, there's no 128GB Pixel 10 Pro XL model).

We may take it for granted today, but imagine telling a younger version of yourself that one day there will be a magical app that will gather everything Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, and National Geographic in one place you can watch whenever and wherever you want for a relatively low monthly price.

That is what Disney+ is thanks to all of the companies Disney owns, and it’s obviously one of the leading streaming platforms as it offers a wide collection of classics and original programming featuring some of the most beloved characters and stories ever told. However, there are so many streaming services out there and it can be tough to keep them all, no matter how much they claim to offer.

That being said, if you are considering signing up for Disney+ for the first time or feel the time is right to jump back into the vault as Scrooge McDuck would dive into his money bin, this guide will provide you with everything you need to know about the current Disney+ subscription plans, bundles, and more.

As of July 2025, Disney+ offers two main plans - Disney+ Basic and Disney+ Premium - and the main differences between the two are whether you get ads, if you are able to download content to watch on the go, and if you get Dolby Atmos. One thing you may not know, however, is that there are various Disney bundles that can get you multiple streaming services for a much lower price than you’d be able to get each individually. The newest streaming bundle includes Disney+, Max, and Hulu, but you can also bundle Disney+ with ESPN. You’ll be able to see all the options below, and we hope it helps make the decision of joining or not an even easier one!

Does Disney+ Have a Free Trial?

Disney+ does not currently offer any sort of free trial for new subscribers. However, there are quite a few other streaming services that do offer a free trial. And one potential work around is to sign up for a Hulu + Live TV free trial, which grants you access to Disney+ as a bonus bundle.

Disney+ Plans and Prices (As of August 2025)

All Disney+ plans increased in price on October 17, 2024. More recently, Disney+ announced its merger with Hulu starting in 2026, which has led to the Hulu and Disney+ bundle becoming the "de facto" subscription the streamer recommends you.

The following information has been updated to reflect these changes. Below is the most up-to-date information we've found from the Disney+ help page.

Disney+ Basic - $9.99/month

• Steam Disney+ with ads
• No downloads
• Supports up to 5.1 audio
• Up to 4K UHD video quality
• Watch on four screens at once at no extra cost
• Over 300 titles in 4K UHD and HDR

This is the cheapest Disney+ option and is excellent for those who don’t mind watching a few ads and don’t feel the need to have movies and shows ready for those times when no Wi-Fi or cellular service is available. If you travel a ton or have kids and want to load up some episodes of Bluey or Spidey and His Amazing Friends on a tablet for a vacation, you may want to consider an upgrade to the premium plan.

It’s also important to note that, while Disney+ Basic does offer over 300 titles in 4K UHD and HDR, it does not offer Dolby Atmos like Disney+ Premium does.

Disney+ Premium - $15.99/month or $159.99/year

• Stream Disney+ with no ads
• Unlimited downloads on up to 10 devices
• Watch on four screens at once at no extra cost
• Over 300 titles in 4K UHD and HDR
• Dolby Atmos

There are only two tiers of Disney+ and this is the top one. With the increase in price, you get everything Disney+ Basic offers, but you also don’t have to sit through ads and can download as much as you want on up to 10 devices.

Another big benefit you get from upgrading to Disney+ Premium is the addition of Dolby Atmos, which is one of the leading surround sound technologies on the market. In addition to having sound enveloping your room, Dolby Atmos features spatial audio that allows creators to place sounds in specific places and fully immerse you in your favorite stories.

Disney+ Bundle Pricing

Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic - $10.99/month

• Disney+ with ads
• Hulu with ads
• No downloads
• Watch on four screens at once at no extra cost
• Over 300 titles in 4K UHD and HDR

This bundle is for those who want to watch everything Disney+ and Hulu have to offer, but don’t mind watching ads and don’t need to download content to their devices. With Hulu merging with Disney+ in 2026, this has essentially become the "standard" Disney+ plan.

Disney +, Hulu, and Max Bundle Pricing

Halloween was revealed at the Future Games Show during gamescom 2025 with a debut trailer and a raft of game details.

IllFonic, the asymmetrical horror specialist behind the likes of Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game, Friday the 13th: The Game, and Predator Hunting Grounds, is developing Halloween and will handle publishing with Gun Media. It’s based on the iconic 1978 movie, and is due out at some point in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC.

Unlike IllFonic’s previous horror games, Halloween has a single-player mode. John Carpenter was involved, as was Compass International Pictures, which produced the original film.

Here’s the official blurb:

Step into the chilling world of John Carpenter’s genre-defining film, now transformed into a suspenseful one-versus-many stealth horror experience. Put on the iconic mask to become the ultimate slasher, Michael Myers, stalking and executing the citizens of Haddonfield one by one, or striving to thwart Michael Myers’ plans as Civilians determined to save the unaware townsfolk before it’s too late.

Stick to the shadows as Civilians, seeking out Haddonfield residents to warn them and searching for a way to contact the authorities. As Michael Myers, give them a reason to fear the dark and cut the phone lines to prevent the police from ruining his favorite holiday. Whether playing solo in story mode, against bots offline, or facing others in online multiplayer, each mode rewards stealth, strategy, and skillful play.

Staying true to the original film, IllFonic masterfully recreates the eerie atmosphere of Haddonfield across multiple maps and authentic locations. With a haunting ambience and score inspired by the legendary movie, Halloween brings the terror home in a new experience that will keep both old and new generations looking over their shoulders.

Ahead of the announcement, IGN had the chance to interview Chief Creative Officer Jared Gerritzen and Design Director Jordan Mathewson to find out everything you need to know about Halloween.

IGN: People know IllFonic for their multiplayer horror games. Why was having a single-player mode for Halloween important for you?

Jared Gerritzen: It's definitely because of the games that we've done. This is our fifth runaround with a multiplayer only game. But in the past, in my previous jobs, anytime that a multiplayer-only game gets released, especially if it has a very strong fan base — it is just a fact that some people don't play multiplayer games. And we've learned that in the past. In Ghostbusters we added the ability to play by yourself and better AI. Hardcore Ghostbusters fans were able to come in and play the game and get a great experience, and then they got the skills, and then they saw that multiplayer button and then they came in. And it's really cool because I now know people that were like, I came in for Ghostbusters, but now I'm a multiplayer fan, and now I'm playing multiplayer games.

Because I do think that in this day and age we are getting these massively cool and exciting IPs, but if there isn't a multiplayer experience and if there isn't a single-player experience, I do think that people don't get those itches scratched. And so year after year, each one of our IllFonic games, it's an iterative process where we look at the last project and we try to do better. And so with this, it was very important, especially with it being Halloween, that we brought in an experience for people that don't play hardcore multiplayer games.

Asymmetrical multiplayer games can be a little bit more hardcore too. And the stress of being the killer versus a bunch of bullies can be pretty daunting. And so we really wanted to make a way that people can play a single-player game, get a bit of a story, get deeper into the universe. And so it was very, very important. And that's why we've not only ramped up our development team, really put in some major effort on getting some really awesome AI engineers, but also bringing on Pollard to help out with their skills and their abilities. So I think it's going to be a really cool experience just to have that total package finally of a popular IP.

IGN: How will the single-player mode actually work? You mentioned story. How extensive will that be?

Jared Gerritzen: Well, so we can't really talk that much about that because that's definitely a different phase. But we are working with John. We are working with Malek [Akkad, President of Compass International Pictures]. We've got some really great writers that we're working with to bring this world to it.

It will crisscross the film a lot. When we take an IP, we really, really have to be a fan of it. We turn down IPs more than we chase IPs. We know this film like the back of our hands. And so there's a lot of things that I think that if you have never seen the film, you'll get this great experience, but if you have seen the film, you'll see those really cool moments that you've seen for decades. If you're a fan that just knows who Michael Myers is and you've seen a couple of the newer films, that'll be cool. But I think that it'll be fun for people to be able to really connect to the OG film.

IGN: You’ve decided to focus on the original film. Why was that important for you, and how involved has John Carpenter been in the process?

Jared Gerritzen: Listen, I have definitely said we need to make sure John's happy multiple times! John Carpenter's put out genuinely some of my favorite films, like my top five films. He's put out such amazing films that just us getting to work with him, like with Predator or being able to work with Dan Aykroyd and Ivan Reitman with Ghostbusters, we're used to that. We're used to people like, this is their baby, this is their thing. We're playing in their sandbox. But I do genuinely feel that we leave making some really cool stuff that they're very happy about.

Malek, this is his birthright. His father was the one that produced this. He has been working on and with Halloween since he was a child. And so him and John are really the arbiters where when we come up with a crazy idea, we have to come and present it and we have to explain it and most likely give them a couple of days to unpack it, and then come back and get more of those questions.

So the way that I see it is, by working with those guys and proving to those guys what we're doing is right, I think that that should mean that anyone who's a fan should also be happy with what we're doing. Because with a video game, we have to add systems, we have to add gameplay, we have to make sense of a scene that in the film you're like, okay, that's a cool scene. But in the game, you don't cut the camera, you don't have a way to just go like, okay, other location cut. We're trying to explain these things, and I genuinely feel some of the systems that we're going to talk about when we start going more heavy with the gameplay, I think that people will definitely go like, oh wow, that explains some major components in the franchise. And when we've presented it, people have been very happy with it.

And honestly, something that we'll talk about in the future, I'm extremely happy we figured it out, because it’s changed the way that you look at Michael Myers. It's been very cool. It's always stressful coming and saying, ‘Hey, here's this wild idea.’ Honestly, the way that they see us is as a bunch of kids. 1978, I was two. Jordan was still floating around. I'm the person that says, ‘Okay, in the seventies we did this, phones had cables connected to the wall.’ And so it has been one of those really weird things where by choosing that era, it's so far away, and technology has gone so far, that it's like playing — I don't want to say it's as bad as a Red Dead — but it's definitely like playing something that a lot of kids won't understand.

Jordan Mathewson: It is the purest form of Halloween. It is the starting of that entire concept, and it's been wonderful not only to go towards that period piece mentality of making a unique seventies American town that we see in the movie itself. And the reason it resonates and kind of clicks into that horrific element is it’s such a calm and normal, unassuming town that you wouldn't expect there to be this mass killer on the loose.

So it gave us a really good, grounded foundation to lay down everything that we wanted to in the play space on top of it being in that era. It gives us just a lot of good things to work off of that keep it very focused into what Halloween is as a whole. It's been really fun going down that path and focusing on that movie.

IGN: You can’t just make a phone call outside to help save you! Were there any moments during development when you had to explain to younger staff how things worked back then?

Jordan Mathewson: One that's pretty tame is getting ahold of the police back then. We have 911 now, which is the understanding of how you get ahold of emergency, but it's not quite the same back then. It wasn't developed like that. So we have to do a lot of technological understanding syncs to make sure everyone is very well aware of what existed back then.

We do some research just how that technology would flow into the Illinois section of the country. The idea of landlines, phone cords, that kind of thing. The way that you dial, it's not always buttons, sometimes it's the rotary. So it's very much a fun conversation, and we're always exploring back and forth the different things. And then from there it's like, how do we make this a gameplay mechanic? Because that can be fun if we're thinking about trying to set it in place and not making it a hassle and actually making it a mechanic.

IGN: Does Halloween have a canon? Does that factor into what you’re doing? Do you have to obey any rules?

Jared Gerritzen: Yeah! There's a lot of rules that are set that we don't talk about, that have been there since the beginning. But there's a lot of elements where we really try to use the film as the canon. We're pulling from as many frames as we can.

There's definitely contention points and caveat points that we have to go like, well, the gameplay. So it's not one-to-one, but it's pretty much like, these are elements, these are the factors that we have to pull in. But really it is about Michael's Halloween night, like him going out. You're not stalking Laurie in the day, and you're not doing boring stuff. You're going to that, okay, this is what he was doing when it wasn't about him. And so those are the big things that we're really trying to push.

It's very difficult, but we have done this a lot in the past. And honestly, the great part is when we have to push out that wall and break out of the box.

IGN: Have you had any fun situations where someone has had to point out that it would actually be like this at this point? Who are the custodians of the Halloween lore?

Jared Gerritzen: Yeah! Malek and Ryan [Freimann, Trancas Films] are absolutely… they've been very diligent. They've been really great, and it's added the authenticity.

The mask is probably the best. We had to capture the mask in the highest possible fidelity. Looking at original molds, looking at original masks, they're degraded. It's not like someone put it in and made it exactly the same, but the turnaround on making just Mike's mask has been, I mean, that’s probably the greatest thing to go like, okay, where did you guys spend a lot of effort? And that was the key thing, because when you get the screenshots of the renders… there's been a lot of Michael Myers' out there and a lot of other games, and they've been made by top top artists, but it was part of like, okay, we're doing all of these other things.

We put a laser beam on that mask, and every wrinkle, every crack, finding out exactly how it happened, talking to them like, ‘Hey, in this shot, it's like this and this shot, it's like that.’ And it's like, well, yeah, because he took the mask off in between and when he pulled it down, it kind of folded a little bit differently or the hair's a little bit different. So that's been the thing that we've really kind of cut our teeth with them.

Like I said, we're in their sandbox so we have to adhere to it, but they've been very understanding and very flexible for what we need to do.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

My first hands-on with Anno 117: Pax Romana left me excited for Ubisoft Mainz' latest take on the city-builder, which tasks players with founding a thriving metropolis within the Roman Empire. But I wouldn't necessarily say I was intrigued by it. The studio made significant strides in its game design with 2018's industrial revolution-focussed Anno 1800, and 117 felt wary of rocking the boat in the wake of 1800’s success.

While Pax Romana demonstrated some interesting ideas, like enabling production buildings to affect the mood and prosperity of nearby structures, forcing you to think more carefully about your city's layout, it otherwise felt a little safe, a little familiar. That isn't necessarily a huge problem—getting to build Roman cities with 1800’s core systems was enough of a hook, and I would merrily play that game. But I was nonetheless left wondering whether stepping deeper into the past would inhibit Ubisoft Mainz from carrying the city-builder forward.

Then again, I'd only seen half of the game. That initial preview session focussed on constructing a city in the province of Latium, one of two provinces you'll be able to manage in Anno 117's nebulous, historically unmoored representation of Rome. All lush green hills, lavender fields, and terracotta rooftops, Latium offers everything you'd expect from a city-builder set in the Roman Empire, and perhaps because of that, it doesn't feel especially surprising.

By comparison, my more recent play session let players choose between Latium and Albion. Anno 117's second province is drastically different from Latium's Mediterranean paradise, and where Anno 117 has the chance to stand out from other games that depict the legacy of Rome.

What's immediately interesting is that you can start the game in either province, establishing yourself there before expanding to the other province later. This is a big change from Anno 1800, where you always started in the European-themed Old World before establishing colonies in the tropical New World, exporting exotic goods like cacao and bananas for your industrialised hoi-polloi to enjoy at home.

How this starting choice will affect the structure of trade between Anno 117's two provinces isn't wholly clear. Yet what is clear is that building a city in Albion feels substantially different from constructing one in Latium.

For starters, Albion looks and fields a world away from Latium. Where Latium's undulating landscape is vividly green and inviting, Albion is wild, weird, and wet. Its landscape is all brownish scrub, dark evergreen forests, and glistening marshland wracked constantly by wind and rain. Imagined from the perspective of a Roman soldier, it feels appropriately alien, the last place any Centurion who marched out of Italy would want to end up (then again, as someone who lives in Scotland and begins to melt in any temperature above 18 degrees Celsius, it feels fondly like home.)

Establishing a settlement remains roughly the same between the two provinces. Your basic construction material is still timber, sourced by placing logging camps in forests, then transporting those logs to nearby woodcutters to be fashioned into building materials. Roads still start out as simple dirt paths, and all production buildings require a nearby warehouse to efficiently transport goods around your settlement.

Likewise, the economic fundamentals are also the same. Basic income is generated by houses, but only when you meet the needs and desires of the class of citizen who lives in that dwelling. Once you meet all those needs, you can then upgrade the building to house a higher class of citizen. This generates more income, but involves fulfilling more complex needs that require exponentially more elaborate production chains.

In a new addition to Anno 117, you can also boost a house's income (and other stats like 'happiness' and 'health'), by placing certain production buildings within your residential areas. Building a tunic spinner among your dwellings, for example, provides +1 income for every home inside the spinner's radius. Other buildings, like charcoal burners, can have a negative impact on these stats, so you want to keep those distanced from your core settlement. The intent is to fold in extra strategy and reward more thoughtful city-planning, and from my experience with both sides of the game, it works.

Yet while the underlying systems are the same, the actual production chains vary significantly from those of Latium. Your lowest class of citizen, which in Albion are named 'Waders', subsist on a diet of cockles and eels dredged from the abundant waters around you. Your second-tier building material isn't roman brick but wattle-and-daub, created by mixing mud with dried cattail reeds.

Many of these resources are harvested from an environment that you don't see in Latium at all—the marshes. Far more than a thematic affectation in Albion, its wetlands are a crucial part of Celtic civilisation. Many Celtic buildings can be constructed on the marsh itself, and some of them—like reed farms and cattle pens—can only be built within the fens, erected on wooden poles driven into the mud, and strung together with creaking networks of boardwalks.

While these buildings afford a distinguishing flavour to Albion, curiously, it’s the boardwalks that make the most difference mechanically. These are constructed in the same way as roads; by dragging them across the landscape with your mouse. Yet where roads simply cost coin to build, boardwalks require timber. Since every major structure requires timber at the outset, this means you have a much higher initial demand for building materials Albion than you do in Latium, which makes getting your settlement up and running slightly more challenging.

Alongside this greater resource pressure, the boardwalks cause several other complications. Like regular buildings, marshland structures require access to a warehouse, further increasing your timber cost. Moreover, many wetland-specific production buildings need plenty of additional space for reed crops and cattle paddies, which can easily encroach upon one another and reduce productivity. Consequently, laying out the boardwalks to maximise space without obliterating your wood supply makes for an unexpectedly challenging spatial puzzle.

What results, even at this early stage, is a highly distinctive settlement, a semi-aquatic village with one foot soaked in prehistory. Where Albion truly begins to fascinate, however, is what happens when you start upgrading these basic buildings to accommodate a higher class of citizen. Upon upgrading your first house, Albion's Anno map presents you with a choice: do you want your structure to house 'Romano-Celts’ (i.e. native Celts who have converted to a Roman lifestyle), or do you want to maintain the culture and architecture of your home nation?

Which of these you prioritise leads to diverging needs and desires, and thus different production chains. Higher-tier Celts want to eat cheese and adorn themselves with fancy bracelets, while Romano-Celts want to eat more Imperial cuisine and maintain their appearance with the use of hand mirrors. On top of this, the two cultures receive improved bonuses from different traits. Romano-Celts have a more formalised education system and are thus more adept at acquiring scholarly knowledge, while Celtic peoples who keep to the old ways receive greater benefits from faith.

The choice you make is also intended to influence the look and layout of your city. Adopting Roman culture encourages players to build a single, large metropolis, supporting which may require you to drain the marshes to create more building space and farmable land, relying on aqueducts rather than natural water bodies to keep your city hydrated. Sticking with the Celtic traditions, on the other hand, will see you continue to build in and around nature, using the wetlands and the forests without making large scale alterations to the landscape.

It appears you won't be forced along one of these cultural avenues for the duration of your game, either. Upgrade paths unlock again upon reaching the next tier. If you then decide you want to switch from Celtic to Romano-Celtic or vice-versa, you should be able to.

How these decisions work in practice, and the impact repeatedly switching between one or the other has on your settlement, I cannot say. This play session was considerably shorter than my time with Latium, just long enough to establish a basic settlement and get a quick overview of the second, Celtic civilisational tier. While there seems to be some overlap between all Anno's cultural variants, I can't say just how much Celtic and Romano-Celtic resources and structures diverge, nor what the differences are between the hybrid Romano-Celtic lifestyle and the pure, Latium-derived Roman culture.

Nonetheless, there is one clear evolution here over previous Anno games. Anno 1800 and the futuristic Anno 2205 treated your colonies as secondary concerns—settlements whose purpose was to support your primary metropolis. In Anno 117, building settlements in Latium and Albion will be equally involved. Indeed, given the opportunities to define its culture across multiple evolutionary phases, Albion may even have more layers to it than the dedicated Roman settled that would, theoretically, serve as the epicentre the Empire. Colour me intrigued.

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