The Legend of Zelda. The Witcher. Dragon’s Dogma. Monster Hunter. Street Fighter. And now, GTA 5? Every time South Korean studio Pearl Abyss shows off a new slice of its upcoming open-world, action-adventure Crimson Desert, I feel like I see a new line of influence. Over the six years since its reveal, we’ve seen a fantasy land akin to one Geralt would explore, puzzle shrines in the sky that could easily hover above Hyrule, and a complex combat system rooted in Capcom classics. But in the developer’s latest lengthy video detailing the world of Pywel, a new surprise awaited us: the addition of two new playable characters to join Scottish Jon Snow-alike main protagonist, Kliff Macduff. With whole skillsets of their own for us to now anticipate getting our heads around, I can’t help but be excited, but also cautiously wary. By trying to do so much, does Crimson Desert risk achieving nothing?
I say this as someone who has had the benefit of seeing and playing Crimson Desert more than pretty much anyone outside of Pearl Abyss’ walls, having visited the studio a few months back for our IGN First. Despite playing a good few hours of it, and having quite a lot of fun with its dynamic systems and satisfyingly flexible action, I still left feeling like I’d only scratched the surface of what Crimson Desert has in store. And I don’t mean that entirely positively – while it’s good to leave a preview knowing there’s plenty more to see, it’s not often you conclude a studio visit still unsure of a game’s big picture. If all those hours of hands-on haven’t successfully communicated what the game is, is something off?
We now know that Crimson Desert’s open world is twice the size of Skyrim’s and larger than Red Dead Redemption 2’s. I’ve put over 200 hours into Rockstar’s Western masterpiece and feel like I still haven’t seen everything, so it’s anyone’s guess how much awaits in this world. Crimson Desert’s Pywel is a gorgeous piece of geography, too, with streets filled with life and rivers running with glistening water. That water is also systemically linked to the gameplay options, conducting lightning magic to electrocute those who stand in it, and is transformed into blocks of ice when struck by freezing spells.
It’s all very impressive on a technical level, but leaves me wondering if this is all part of a “we can put it in the game, so why shouldn’t we?” mentality. From what I played, and from talking to the team, the ability to manipulate the elements won’t necessarily have puzzles or challenges built around them to make it a system you’d legitimately find worthwhile. In Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, for example, you know that if you’re taught how to make giant ice cubes, a puzzle shrine will likely follow asking you to put that lesson into action. Nintendo is a developer that has been making games like this for decades now, though, whereas Pearl Abyss is a studio in its relative infancy, having only released MMORPG Black Desert Online so far. By trying to fit everything it can think a player would like to do in a fantasy open world into Crimson Desert, I fear it may be shooting straight for the moon without learning how to get into orbit first.
The power trip is there; I just worry about the rest of the journey.
It all loops back to this latest revelation that not only will we be playing through Kliff’s story, but stepping into the shoes of two new protagonists along the way. The as-yet-unnamed characters with their own (presumably) complex fighting systems look very fun to play as, don’t get me wrong — I’m particularly drawn to the quick dodging, magic-shifting, pistol-wielding woman who appears at first glance to better fit my more rogue-ish tendencies — but it's yet another layer added on top of an already ambitious cake. I like cake, you can probably tell from a quick look at my face that that would be the case, but when it's stacked so high that even Bruce Bogtrotter would take a pass on it, I worry it's a sign that Crimson Desert should not be trying to have and eat it.
The other new playable hero is a hulking, giant axe-wielding brute with a machine gun attached to his wrist. If you’ve been keeping up with Crimson Desert, you’ll know that this isn’t your typical fantasy world, but one where dragons, steam trains, and mechs also roam around. It’s all very exciting in isolation, and genuinely fun to play as your giant metal monsters come face-to-face with helpless medieval soldiers holding only a shield. The power trip is there; I just worry about the rest of the journey.
Story and questing are incredibly important to me when it comes to open-world games. The Witcher’s twisting tales and many memorable side stories are what make The Wild Hunt an all-timer in my eyes. The cast of characters in Red Dead Redemption 2 and the way they weave seamlessly in and out of its world are what make it my favourite game ever. Crimson Desert has a lot going for it — the combat is exciting, the world is diverse and beautiful, and its systems are impressively reactive — but I can’t help but feel wary. Most of the missions I’ve played so far, at several different events, have been castle sieges, often ending in admittedly impressive boss battles. But, they’ve all been relatively thin narrative-wise, aside from an interesting detour to a mad inventor’s lair where he’d built a golden mechanical dragon, as you do. I’ve seen little of what’s going to be the thrust story-wise in Crimson Desert as a whole to get me hyped in that regard, nor met any characters that I feel will get close to my heart. And I can’t help but worry that there’s a reason we’ve seen so little of this world’s story.
Now, with the surprise addition of two extra playable protagonists to get to know on this adventure that is less than two months away, I worry that Kliff and his friends may well be fun to play as stylistically, but contain little substance within them. I’d be very happy to be wrong, though. I’ve been looking forward to Crimson Desert for a long time now, and have had a genuinely fun time whenever I’ve managed to get hands-on with it. I just wonder how all of these well-constructed building blocks will, in turn, create a greater whole. Will its gameplay systems overlap in interesting ways and be built into mission design? Will authorial intent come to the fore, or will I ultimately feel like a kid being dropped into a sandbox of possibilities with direction? I’m excited, just also a little afraid that by trying to be everything, it may end up achieving nothing.
Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.
Writing on LinkedIn, former DICE veteran Mesmar assured fans of Ubisoft's long-in-development Beyond Good & Evil 2 that the project had not been impacted in the restructure, as had previously been expected. Still, the developer said he was "saddened" by the reorganization's effects on his colleagues across the wider company.
With an on-again, off-again development stretching back almost two decades, Beyond Good & Evil 2 remains an ongoing project within Ubisoft, led by its French team based in Montpellier.
"Thank you for everyone who has reached out to me over the past few days in regards to recent news at Ubisoft," Mesmar wrote. "Myself, my team and our project Beyond Good and Evil 2 are unaffected by the recent changes. I would direct you to the official press release for more information around the latest organisational structure."
This press release was the one which laid out Ubisoft leadership's vision for the company to be split into five "Creative Houses" that lump the publisher's many franchises into groups loosely based around their genre and audience.
Last week, Beyond Good & Evil was announced as being part of Creative House 4, a group dedicated to narrative driven and fantasy-orientated series that also includes Anno, Might & Magic, Rayman and Prince of Persia (though not the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake, which was canned).
"Needless to say, I am saddened by the cancellations that has affected my colleagues in other parts of Ubisoft and the industry," Mesmar continued. "I urge everyone — myself included — to offer support whenever and however they can during these times.
"We remain committed and focused on delivering a remarkable game for our players to enjoy," he concluded.
Beyond Good & Evil 2 originally begun early development in 2007, with series creator and Rayman mastermind Michel Ancel on board alongside the majority of the Montpellier team behind the first Beyond Good & Evil game. Development was put on the back burner while Ancel's team worked on other projects, but Ubisoft re-announced the game with fanfare in 2017 and showed off an in-engine concept featuring space flight and designs to feature multiple solar systems and planets.
If you’ve seen Crimson Desert’s impressive 15-minute gameplay video, you might be wincing at the thought of it running smoothly on your console or PC. Well, right now, the developers at Pearl Abyss are focusing on optimization to help ensure a “smooth” experience when the game comes out in March.
Crimson Desert is set in a huge and seamless open world packed with enemies, NPCs, and all sorts of things to do. It’s dense with detail, and you can zip around quickly on the back of a dragon. Based on the video, below, Crimson Desert will be a demanding beast — it will be interesting in particular to see how it runs on the Xbox Series S.
According to Will Powers, director of public relations at Pearl Abyss America, the developers are doubling down on the "optimization phase” as we speak, telling former IGN video extraordinaire Destin Legarie in a new interview that this is the focus ahead of Crimson Desert’s March 19 release date.
“We have gone gold. Now comes further, further optimization to make the game run as good as it possibly can,” Powers said. “And that’s as important of a part. So that's the phase we're currently in between now and launch to make sure that the experience when players eventually get their hands on the game, is as smooth as possible.”
Powers wouldn’t go into specifics on the graphics settings that will be available on consoles, but did confirm Crimson Desert has PS5 Pro enhancement. You can also turn off the particle effects in settings, although Powers said they do convey important information during fights.
Pearl Abyss built a new engine for Crimson Desert, and Powers explained that it’s capable of providing a 4K60 native presentation, complete with ray tracing, without the aid of graphics technology such as DLSS or FSR. But of course you’ll need powerful hardware to enable it.
“Yeah, we'll show 4K 60 native, sure, with ray tracing on, that's not done through DLSS or FSR, that's done natively in-engine,” Powers said. “And then if you want to further optimize then you can tweak all the settings and do all the things, but we want to show that you don't have to… like the game itself should be able to stand on its own.”
And on that decision to go with a proprietary engine:
“I'm not going to say that the game is absolutely perfectly optimized, but within the engine it's using every single thing. So it's as optimized as it can be within that space. That's not possible otherwise. And so rendering thousands of trees within draw distance, it does those things better than an off-the-shelf engine could because of that.
“Off-the-shelf engines weren't able to deliver the uncompromised vision that the developers set forth to create with this game. So, they needed to create their own engine in order to deliver on that vision.”
Crimson Desert’s huge open world has been a topic of debate recently. Pywel is divided into five distinct regions: Hernand; Pailune; Demeniss; Delesyia; and the Crimson Desert itself. The main quest revolves around protagonist Kliff’s journey, but you’re free to explore the world in any order, taking faction-driven quests, large-scale battles, fortress sieges and smaller, character-focused missions.
Pearl Abyss confirmed that as the story progresses, two additional playable characters become available, each with unique combat styles, skills and weapons. Exploration is a big part of the game — you travel on horseback, climb terrain, glide across distances, and later access advanced traversal options such as a missile-firing mech and a dragon. Pearl Abyss said the world is filled with hidden treasures, ancient mechanisms, puzzles and points of interest “designed to reward curiosity and discovery.” As for combat, expect to face enemy soldiers, sorcerers, beasts and machines.
Speaking on the Gaming Interviews YouTube channel, Powers said that describing the size of Crimson Desert’s world in terms of numbers doesn’t do it justice, because doing so fails to capture the scope and scale of the game. But he did go as far as to compare it to two of the biggest open-world games around.
"I don't think numbers really do it justice because, how big is that in terms of scope and scale?” he said. “But what we can say is that the world's at least twice as big as the open world, the playable area, of Skyrim. It's larger than the map of Red Dead Redemption 2."
Powers went on to insist that the size of Crimson Desert’s open world wouldn't determine its quality. Rather, what you actually do in it is the key factor.
"The continent of Pywel is absolutely massive, but size doesn't really matter if there's nothing to do,” he said. “Open-world games are about doing things, having activities, having distractions. So we wanted to create a world that's not only massive, but is also incredibly interactive."
Image credit: Pearl Abyss.
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.
Following the revelation that hit superhero game Dispatch features enforced censorship on Switch platforms, Nintendo has responded to address the situation.
Dispatch developer AdHoc Studio acknowledged the change in a statement that noted how "different platforms have different content criteria" and that the company has "worked with Nintendo to adapt certain elements so Dispatch could be on their platform." Now, Nintendo itself has chimed in to try and explain the matter further.
"Nintendo requires all games on its platforms to receive ratings from independent organizations and to meet our established content and platform guidelines," a Nintendo spokesperson said in a statement obtained by GoNintendo.
"While we inform partners when their titles don’t meet our guidelines, Nintendo does not make changes to partner content. We also do not discuss specific content or the criteria used in making these determinations."
In other words, yes, Nintendo does require content on Switch to meet certain requirements, and will flag when it decides that something has fallen foul of these. However, Nintendo does not change the game itself — meaning that the manner of how an issue might be remedied is up to the developer.
A workplace comedy game featuring superhero characters and adult humor, Dispatch features occasional scenes that depict full frontal male and female nudity that players on other platforms have the ability to cover up. This setting censors breasts and genitalia with black boxes and even puts sex noises on mute. Characters giving each other the finger (as in, flipping the bird) are also obscured.
Online, fans have discussed the situation at length — and pointed to other examples of Switch games featuring nudity that Nintendo seemingly didn't have an issue with, such as The Witcher 3. The situation is confused, however, by the existence of a specific Japanese version of Cyberpunk 2077 that removes nudity and decapitations, released separately from the game's standard version that released on Switch uncensored elsewhere.
Fans have suggested a similar scenario could have impacted Dispatch, with the stricter Japanese ratings board CERO potentially taking a disliking to the game's contents. If so, this could leave Dispatch's developer with a decision to make: create an entirely separate version of the game for Japan, or the presumably quicker option to simply censor it everywhere. Barring any further comment from either Nintendo or Adhoc, however, this remains speculation.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Shaun of the Dead star Nick Frost has revealed how he manifested himself getting the part of Hagrid in HBO's new Harry Potter TV series: by writing the name "Hagrid" down 7,000 times while binging the franchise's movies.
Frost will take on the role of Hagrid in HBO's ambitious TV project that's set to adapt all seven Harry Potter books over the coming decade. The star of Spaced, Hot Fuzz and Paul was announced as playing Hagrid last year, taking on the baton from the late Robbie Coltrane, who played the Hogwarts groundskeeper throughout the previous film series.
Speaking to The Guardian, Frost said he was already familiar with the Harry Potter universe as his family watches all eight movies as a regular ritual each Christmas. It was during Christmas 2024's rewatch, however, that he also attempted to get himself cast.
"I've seen all the films," Frost said. "We go through them all as a family during Christmas every year. We start on December 20 and finish a week and a half later.
"Before I was cast as Hagrid, my partner suggested trying to manifest it," he continued. "So last Christmas, I watched all the films back to back on the Sky Harry Potter channel [a UK channel that plays just the Harry Potter movies and nothing else], while writing out the word 'Hagrid' 7,000 times."
Frost also revealed we'd see Hagrid knitting in the series, and that he had recently taken lessons to learn how. Hagrid does indeed knit in the first Harry Potter book, when he and Harry take the train to London and the half-giant is described as "knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent" to pass the time.
"While I'm really aware of what went before me in terms of Robbie [Coltrane]'s amazing performance, I'm never going to try and be Robbie," Frost previously said, describing his approach to playing Hagrid that would try and avoid directly copying what viewers had seen before. "I'm going to try and do something, not 'different,'" he continued, "I think you have to be respectful to the subject matter, but within that, there's scope for minutia."
Inevitably, the New California Republic Power Armor that made such a dramatic appearance in the latest episode of the Fallout TV show is now in Fallout 76. But rather than sell it via the in-game shop and thus allow players to buy it with Atoms, Fallout 76’s virtual currency, it is only available as part of a standalone DLC bundle priced $30.
In lieu of a brand new Fallout video game, Bethesda has leaned heavily on Fallout 76 to capitalize on boosted interest in all things Fallout following the breakout success of the Prime Video TV show. Fallout 76 has Walton Goggins’ character The Ghoul dishing out quests, for example. There is a New Vegas-style expansion (Season 2 is set in New Vegas — or what’s left of it). And now Fallout 76 has the NCR Power Armor that Maximus uses to fight a pack of Deathclaws in Episode 7.
That NCR Power Armor is a big talking point among Fallout fans for a number of reasons. It’s brand new — we’ve not seen its type in the video games before — and it sparks all sorts of questions about the Fallout lore and what we thought the NCR was capable of. Setting aside the fact that an NCR Power Armor appearance in Fallout 76, which is set before all the other Fallout video games, makes little sense lore wise because the NCR didn’t exist yet, its price has become the big talking point.
The NCR Power Armor is available in Fallout 76 via the Mojave Bundle, which includes the following:
Ranger Power Armor Paint
NCR Flag
New Vegas Neon Sign
Ad Victoriam (Super Sledge)
Legion Legate Outfit
Player Title Prefix – “Advictoriam”
Player Title Prefix & Suffix – “Tribune”
The long and the short of it is that if you want the NCR Power Armor, you need to hand over $30 for this entire bundle — a standard practice these days really, where DLC bundles often cost more than entire video games, and items you might not necessarily want are thrown in to improve “value.”
Some fans have said the bundle is overpriced at $30, and accused Bethesda of “cashing in” on the show by not making it available to buy for Atoms, which most players will have stashed away for DLC like this.
“Yeah, the price of the Mojave bundle is ridiculous,” one fan said. “It’s exhausting to watch a studio that once had credibility reduce everything to cash grabs. I guess a lot of people will pay for it anyway. Good luck.”
It’s a sentiment shared by many across the various Fallout subreddits, Steam’s own forum, and social media. “Yeah this is a hard pass for me. Put it in the Atom shop,” said a disgruntled fan. “£26.99 for eight items, two of which are just words!!!” added another. “Then you've got two C.A.M.P items, a Power Armor paint, a weapon, plus an outfit with a helmet.... Not even a cheeky few hundred Atoms thrown in! That's actually peak lmao, but whilst people keep buying it, Bethesda are going to keep selling it!”
“This DLC includes a set of armor that I'm never going to wear because the Legate armor doesn't fit in thematically with anything, it also includes a flag and a neon sign, none of which are of particular value to me,” reads one negative Steam review. “And with the Burning Sands starter bundle you at least get a free bullet machine. This bundle gives you nothing of value. For me the only reason to pick this up is the NCR Power Armor, which I can understand cashing in on the show, but they clearly didn't want to put it on the Atom shop for the people who have saved atoms. I would have paid $10 for this item no problem.”
However, not all players agree. Many are pointing to the $30 price point being standard for bundles of this type in Fallout 76 (and in other games), and others are saying you can simply choose not to but it if you don’t like it.
“Is it overpriced? Yes. Is it undervalued? Yes,” countered one fan. “It's still not predatory, because you can simply NOT BUY IT. You lose out on zero actual gameplay by not buying it. You also don't gain any gameplay from buying it. If having this bundle gave me some type of advantage in-game, that might be predatory, but this is just another bundle. I've skipped plenty of those over the years. This bundle replaced the Atomic Angler bundle, which I believe was also $30. There's ALWAYS going to be a cash bundle out there. Just don't buy it. It's that simple.”
“You know as weird as it is I just don't mind,” said another. “There's no gameplay content or quests / locations locked behind the purchase, so far every expansion has been released for free, there's plenty to do in the game and loads of other cosmetics and camp stuff to get for free or buy with atoms from challenges, the game (imo) doles out tons of Atoms anyway, and from my understanding these bundles typically go on more than 50% off sale pretty regularly.
“So I mean like, whatever, you don't need to day one buy every single piece of content, if Bethesda releasing these lil whale drops occasionally means the vast majority of the game can stay free for the vast majority of players that's a good thing. Just be glad we're not a gacha or a lootbox game or something with actual predatory pricing.”
Bethesda will of course be hoping that as many fans as possible decide that $30 is a reasonable price to pay to patrol the desert of Burning Springs like you’re straight out of the Fallout TV show. Data shows that the show has fueled an increase in player numbers for all Fallout games, with some newcomers dipping into the likes of Fallout 76 for the first time. I imagine in that context, this NCR Power Armor will prove quite popular.
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.
Genigods Lab has announced a new hardcore action RPG that will be using Unreal Engine 5, called Genigods: Nezha. To celebrate this announcement, the devs shared the game’s debut trailer, which you can find below. In Genigods: Nezha, you play as the Spirit Pearl—the first life created by Nüwa, the Goddess of Life, using earth, … Continue reading Genigods: Nezha is a new Unreal Engine 5-powered action RPG→
Chengdu Cangmo has announced a new martial arts-themed ARPG game that is set in ancient China, called A Whisper of Fall: Jinyiwei. This game will be coming to PC and PS5, and you can find its debut trailer below. In A Whisper of Fall: Jinyiwei, you play as a simple boatman. But after an unexpected … Continue reading A Whisper of Fall: Jinyiwei Is a New Martial Arts-Themed Action RPG→
Wildlight Entertainment has released the first title update for its free-to-play PvP raid shooter, Highguard, and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this first patch brings to the table. Patch 1.0.4 adds the ability to set Crouch to Hold or Toggle for all platforms. It also adds the ability to set Aim … Continue reading First Title Update for Highguard Released – Full Patch Notes→
The first set of the year is Lorwyn Eclipsed, and it’s pretty darn great, actually. It’s also causing some big changes to card value as players rush to upgrade its precons, particularly the Blight Curse one. Thanks to our friends at TCGplayer, we’ve got a rundown of the movers and shakers kicking off the latest set.
Climbers
We’ll get to the Blight Curse deck in a moment, but this Spider-Man Land is seeing some play since it works with the Dance of the Elements precon.
As Multiversal Passage enters, it can become any basic land you need it to be, entering tapped or being ready to go at the cost of two life. It’s wobbling at around $10 right now, but was half that just weeks ago.
OK, it’s Auntie Ool’s time to shine. The Commander behind Blight Curse deck is all about putting -1/-1 counters on cards, and that makes Nest of Scarabs a great pick since it turns those counters into 1/1 insect creature tokens, too.
It’s reached almost $10 seemingly overnight, and is a nice, obvious inclusion for the precon upgrade package.
Generous Patron is anything but obvious, though. It puts +1/+1 counters on creatures, which at first glance feels like the opposite of what Auntie Ool’s deck will have you doing. Still, the text below reads “Whenever you put one or more counters on a creature you don't control, draw a card.”
Since that part doesn’t specify which counters trigger card draw, enjoy drawing more cards! It’s reached $12, again almost overnight.
Faeries were popular in Lorwyn’s first go-round, and Bitterbloom Bearer is one that’s particularly sought-after. One variant has appeared in our list of the priciest cards already, and the basic one is going for around $26 right now.
Finally, Pandemonium has spiked to around $14. It’s from the Exodus set, and lets a creature deal damage as it enters play. Almost tempted to put it in my Lord of Pain deck...
Crashers
Gah, so close. I’ve been waiting for Icetill Explorer from Edge of Eternities to drop a little further, and while it’s cheaper than it was a fortnight ago, it’s still around $20.
A perfect inclusion for Landfall decks, it lets you play an additional land each turn and play lands from your graveyard, too.
Lorwyn Eclipsed only has one vampire card, but it got me thinking: How much is Edgar Markov going for these days?
The answer is around $25, but given his power for Vampire decks, he still feels like a must-buy for anyone looking to play a fanged deck.
Remember when everyone went wild for Ragost, Deft Gastronaut? This Lobster makes your Artifacts into Foods, and despite seeing a spike in recent weeks, it is still under $1.
I’ve been tooling up an Eldrazi deck recently, and picked up Sire of Seven Deaths. Its value jumps around a fair bit, but for $19 you can get a 7/7 with (deep breath) First Strike, Vigilance, Menace, Trample, Reach, Lifelink, and Ward - 7 Life. Savage.
Finally, talking of keyword soup, I picked up Atraxa, Grand Unifier. No idea where I’ll play it, admittedly, but it’s sitting around $11 right now, which is much lower than in recent months.
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.
Warning: This review contains full spoilers for The Pitt Season 2, Episode 4!
The ending to last week’s episode of The Pitt suggested the good times are just about over and everything is about to turn very bleak again for the men and women of the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. That said, Episode 4 doesn’t end up delivering quite the tonal upheaval I was expecting. The tension is mounting, to be sure, but it’s clear the series is still operating under a slow-burn approach. And so far, that approach is working just fine.
There’s definitely an increased sense of urgency in Episode 4 as more patients start rolling in, including a pretty gnarly case of parkour gone awry. But again, the writers clearly aren’t turning the dial up to 11. There’s still ample time for the situation to really spiral out of control. Instead, we get a sense that the day is starting to heat up even as this episode manages to cling to the humor and heart that have defined Season 2 so far.
Ernest Harden Jr.’s Louie is probably the best example of that balance in action. We get some nice, heartfelt scenes between Louie and his caretakers, including further bonding with Dr. Langdon (Patrick Ball). But as charming as Louie is, underneath it all, there’s a nagging and growing sense that something is about to go wrong. Is Louie’s luck about to run out? Is there some unforeseen complication that’s about to rear its head? I fear the answers to both questions are a definite yes. That, along with a handful of other cases like the ongoing mystery of Jackson Davis (Zack Morris), provides this episode with all the drama it needs.
If it seemed that Episode 3 wasn’t giving enough focus to the doctors, that’s not an issue this time around. This installment manages to keep a great many plates spinning and gives us valuable time with most of the big players. In particular, we get some solid scenes involving the newbies, Ogilvie (Lucas Iverson), Kwon (Irene Choi), and Nurse Nolan (Laëtitia Hollard). Ogilvie has quickly become the guy we all love to hate, so it’s nice to see him knocked down a peg when his overeagerness endangers a patient’s life. Meanwhile, Kwon’s minor injury and Nolan’s bungled attempt to draw blood remind us that this series really does have a sly sense of humor when it wants.
And if it feels like Langdon still isn’t receiving quite as much focus as he deserves, at least Episode 4 makes it clear that this is by design. Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) is purposely (and perhaps foolishly) keeping him at arm’s length, pushing off that inevitable reconciliation scene we all know is coming. Gotta clear the air before the big sabbatical.
Some other, more lighthearted moments really stood out this week. It’s fun seeing Dr. McKay (Fiona Dourif) catch a break after some of the drama she endured in Season 1, fending off one flirtatious charmer of a patient and forming a connection with another. It’s also hilarious to learn that Javadi (Shabana Azeez) has been moonlighting as a YouTube advisor named “Dr. J.” Hopefully, we get to see a clip or two of her show before the season is up. Finally, it’s interesting to watch the shift in the tenor of the relationship between Drs. Whitaker (Gerran Howell) and Santos (Isa Briones), now that the former’s stock is on the rise and the latter can’t seem to catch a break. Is Santos next up for an on-the-job emotional breakdown?
Sony Pictures has unveiled the first look at director Sam Mendes’ The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event through postcard drops at various Beatles landmarks and music enthusiast locations in Liverpool (the Beatles’ hometown), New York City, Tokyo, and Hamburg.
These postcard images revealed each member of the Fab Four – Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr – and were first documented in an Instagram post by the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.
“We’ve been given exclusive postcards promoting the new Beatles movies!,” LIPA posted. “We’ve hidden them around LIPA, and we want students to find them.”
First peek at the cast for the 4 ‘BEATLES’ biopics
• Harris Dickinson as John Lennon • Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney • Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr • Joseph Quinn as George Harrison
In addition to LIPA, fans can postcards at John Lennon’s childhood home in Liverpool. IGN has learned that limited edition numbered postcards (some autographed by the cast) have also been distributed in New York, Tokyo, and Hamburg. Beatles fans will know each of these cities have an importance to the Beatles as a band and to them individually.
The Hamburg locations include The Beatles Monument as well as the Cavern Club, the Kaiserkeller, and The Star-Club, all clubs the Beatles played at before making it big internationally.
In New York City, postcards can be found at Strawberry Field in Central Park, New York University, Columbia University, and, we’re told, at various record stores, vintage clothing shops, cafes and bars.
Tokyo locations include Abbey Road Live, Tower Records in Shibuya, Broadway Diner in Yoyogi, Tsutaya, and The Capital Hotel Tokyo.
For this week only, Best Buy just dropped the price on the HP OMEN 35L gaming PC, equipped with a GeForce RTX 5080 16GB graphics card, to just $2,219.99 shipped after a $480 off instant discount. This is currently one of the least expensive RTX 5080 prebuilts available.
HP OMEN 35L RTX 5080 Gaming PC for $2,220
The HP OMEN 35L is equipped with an Inter Core i7-14700F processor, GeForce RTX 5080 16GB graphics card, 32GB of DDR5-6000MHz RAM, and a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 M.2 SSD. The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core processor with a max turbo frequency of 5.4GHz. It's not the newest CPU on the block, but it's plenty fast for gaming and won't bottleneck your RTX 5080 GPU. It's cooled by a 240mm liquid cooling solution.
The GeForce RTX 5080 GPU will run any game in 4K
Performance-wise, the RTX 5080 is no slouch. It's one of the fastest cards on the market, bested only by the $2,000 RTX 5090 and the discontinued $1,600 RTX 4090. This is a phenomenal card for playing the latest, most demanding games in 4K resolution at high settings and ray tracing enabled. The RTX 5080 supports DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation, which means you can push even more frames out of games that support the technology with minimal visual compromise. Recent games that support it include Doom: The Dark Ages, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Borderlands 4, Stellar Blade, and Battlefield 6. Check out our Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 FE review for our hands-on impressions.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
I've spent more time than is healthy staring at storefronts, convincing myself restraint is a virtue. It is not. This week’s spread is the rare kind that justifies the lapse, stacked with games that respect your time, your intelligence, and your wallet in roughly that order.
A good sale is not about volume. It is about confidence. These are games I have played, finished, or at least bounced off hard enough to know exactly who they are for. If something is here, it earned the slot.
In retro news, I've baked a large America-shaped birthday cake for Cruis'n USA, an early N64 arcade racer that's turned 28. This was uncomplicated wannabe 3D Outrun stuff. Just select one of seven muscle cars and then race against time through the checkpoints of 14 different courses. Simple. Fun.
For me, Cruisn' was only really memorable for its rockin' soundtrack, some decent 2P split racing, and a bunch of censorship decisions enforced by Nintendo. Seems they weren't fans of the ability to roadkill wildlife, including a bikini-clad pornstar handing over trophies (a shirt was Photoshopped in), and they also ditched this weird secret ending with Bill and Hillary Clinton partying in a hot tub. Different time, folks.
Minecraft Dungeons Ult. Ed. (-33%) A$39 A breezy Diablo-lite that trades depth for accessibility, still fun solo and better with kids, but I found endgame fatigue arrives fast if you chase loot too seriously.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (-12%) A$79 Still the definitive party fighter, impossibly stacked with characters, balanced through sheer stubborn effort, and chaotic enough that skill and nonsense happily coexist.
Zelda: Link's Awakening (-13%) A$69.90 A faithful remake with toybox charm, compact dungeons, and a bittersweet tone, though slight performance hiccups remain its one persistent annoyance.
LEGO City Undercover (-56%) A$39.80 GTA silliness filtered through LEGO slapstick, surprisingly long, chuckle-worthy, and best enjoyed in short bursts before the open world padding shows.
LEGO Jurassic WorldA$29 Four films worth of dino chaos, uneven but charming, and saved by co-op antics that make even the clunkiest sections tolerable.
EA Sports FC 26 (-23%) A$85 Incremental but polished sportsballing, still unmatched for matchday feel, though career mode changes remain conservative to a fault.
Battlefield 6 (-23%) A$85 Large scale chaos done right again, spectacular when systems align, frustrating when teamwork collapses, which is often, because idiots.
Monster Hunter Wilds (-64%) A$41.30 Deep, demanding, and endlessly replayable, with combat that rewards patience, though tutorials still assume you already know everything.
Hogwarts Legacy (-65%) A$39 A lavish theme park RPG that nails atmosphere, even if the open world checklist fatigue set in about halfway through for me.
Resident Evil 4 (-40%) A$36 Taut, modernised survival horror that respects the original's pacing, with combat tuned to feel stressful without tipping into cruelty. I adored this.
Xbox One
Assassin's Creed Valhalla (-62%) A$38.30 Enormous to a fault, packed with strong moments, but best enjoyed if you accept you will not see everything.
Borderlands 3 (-66%) A$34.30 Gunplay finally caught up to the loot fantasy, writing still polarising, and pacing improves dramatically if you skip side noise.
Moving Out 2 (-56%) A$19.90 Co-op chaos that tests friendships, funny in motion, exhausting in long sessions, and best treated as a party game, not a marathon.
Resident Evil 2 (-75%) A$13.70 A masterclass remake that trades spectacle for tension, still unsettling, still smart, and a goddamn bargain at this price.
Resident Evil 3 (-75%) A$13.70 Shorter and more action focused, enjoyable but noticeably less ambitious, especially coming straight after RE2.
No Man's Sky (-38%) A$43 Still expanding, still weirdly serene, with systems deep enough now to justify the early optimism.
Atomic Heart (-47%) A$57.60 Stylish and ambitious FPSing, mechanically uneven, but memorable enough to forgive its rough edges.
Hitman World of Assassination (-44%) A$59.40 Three games worth of elegant murder sandboxes, endlessly replayable, and one of the smartest stealth experiences ever shipped.
PlayStation 4
Lost Judgment (-69%) A$30.60 A confident spin off with tighter combat and a darker story, though side content can still spiral out of control.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy (-65%) A$24.40 Faithful remasters that feel great to play. Wanton sheep abuse remains timeless.
Street Fighter 30th Ann. Col. (-67%) A$13.10 A historical archive more than a competitive platform, invaluable for fans, limited for newcomers.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (-50%) A$52.40 Expansive, confident, and finally comfortable with its own weirdness, though pacing still wobbles in the final act.
Red Dead Redemption 2 (-75%) A$22.40 Slow, deliberate, and unmatched at atmosphere, a game that demands time and rewards it generously. In all ways, very much my huckleberry.
Fallout 4 (-75%) A$6.20 Messy but moddable, better now than at launch, and still one of Bethesda's most approachable sandboxes. New Vegas was still better. Fight me.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps (-67%) A$13.10 Beautiful, demanding platforming with emotional weight, occasionally punishing, always precise.
Nocturnal (-90%) A$2.40 Stylish and brief, built around rhythm and atmosphere, over before it wears out its welcome.
Adam Mathew is a passionate connoisseur, a lifelong game critic, and an Aussie deals wrangler who genuinely wants to hook you up with stuff that's worth playing (but also cheap). He plays practically everything, sometimes on YouTube.
This review is based on a screening from the Sundance Film Festival.
Padraic McKinley’s first feature, a Depression-era heist western led by Ethan Hawke, is an absolute delight. At turns nerve-wracking and gradually riveting, The Weight is incredibly self-assured in its straightforward plot, following a group of prisoners tasked with stealing gold in exchange for their freedom. It boasts an entertaining ensemble – among them, a scenery-chewing Russell Crowe – each of whom play fully fleshed-out people as much as they portray unexpected symbols of American history, resulting in the kind of slick, sophisticated dramatic thriller that comes about once every so often.
The year is 1933. It’s been four years since the Great Depression thrust single Oregonian father Samuel Murphy (Hawke) and his young daughter Penny (Avy Berry) into poverty, but he keeps her amused by speeding their rickety Ford through open fields, pretending to be an outlaw of the Old West. “I ain’t never been caught!” he playfully boasts, drawing innocent laughter. The film’s introduction is intentionally saccharine and, it turns out, quite ironic, since Murphy is indeed locked up soon after a violent misunderstanding. Sentenced to labor in a prison camp under the watchful eye of the stringent, hard-nosed Warden Clancy (Crowe), Murphy uses his skills as a handyman and mechanic to expedite his roadway building in the hopes of having days or weeks knocked off his six-month sentence. He’s up against a ticking clock: Within 30 days, Penny will be made a ward of the state and put up for adoption.
Impressed with Murphy’s workmanship and sympathetic to his predicament, Clancy presents him with an opportunity. If he and three prisoners of his choosing can help one of Clancy’s associates out of a bind, he’ll sign their release papers early, reuniting Murphy with his child. The catch? As prisoners, they’re considered disposable. Their task is to make a dangerous trek at gunpoint, transporting gold stolen by its own mining overseer before it’s reclaimed by the Franklin D. Roosevelt government – a real executive order forbidding the hoarding of bullion in an effort to inject money back into the US economy. These are the beginnings of not only the movie’s larger plot but the streamlined political backdrop against which the characters wrestle. Some are content to live under the bootheels of capitalism, transporting other people’s gold for a pittance; others, especially those dealing with racial animus, are less enthused, leading to a mood of fomenting rebellion.
Risking life and limb over treacherous terrain, and under fire from bandits, Murphy’s quest takes the form of breathtaking set-pieces interspersed with quiet character moments, which help flesh out the story just as much as the interpersonal banter. The men he chooses to accompany him are his sharp-tongued bunkmates, who, despite their wildly different backgrounds and dispositions, at least get along while playing poker. There’s Rankin (Austin Amelio), a boorish WASP loudmouth; Olson (Lucas Lynggaad Tonnesen), a kindly, trusting Swede; and Singh (Avi Nash), a restless Indian-American socialist lumped in with the trio instead of in the “colored” bunks, since Indians were legally considered “Caucasian” at the time. A pair of armed security guards – the terse Amis (Sam Hazeldine) and the burly Letender (George Burgess) – guides them on their journey, keeping their eyes and crosshairs trained on the prisoners. Along the way, the ragtag bunch also picks up a Native American straggler – the dexterous, headstrong Anna (Julia Jones), who bargains her way into the group and matches Murphy’s penchant for MacGyver-ing his way out of sticky situations.
The film veers deftly between reflective silence and cheer-worthy pandemonium, yielding numerous heart-in-mouth moments.
The film veers deftly between reflective silence and cheer-worthy pandemonium, yielding numerous heart-in-mouth moments. The rotten planks of a steadily-collapsing bridge snap off with the thundering echoes of gunshots – the movie’s sound design is impeccable, enhancing the motion of people and objects – while logs floating down a treacherous river practically assault the motley fellowship like a swarm of sharks. It’s maddeningly intense, and often just as funny.
All the while, Hawke – as usual – puts on a clinic of performance that feels like the polar opposite of his meek, shallow, wordy (and recently Oscar-nominated)Blue Moon character. His conception of Murphy is gruff but never caricatured. He serves the plot precisely, calculating each decision and motive with lucid clarity, and yet he embodies each scene in completely organic ways that create worlds of wordless backstory. Despite keeping largely to himself and to his mission, you know exactly who Murphy is, as though he were Jesse James or some other American outlaw who had risen to the ranks of folklore; perhaps the movie’s opening wasn’t so ironic after all. Would you believe Murphy’s skills behind the wheel turn out to be relevant too?
Cinematographer Matteo Cocco makes tremendous use of space and light, framing forest thickets as labyrinths and hiding sinister intentions behind bonfires and deep shadows. A particularly inventive scene uses the alternating flashes and pitch-blackness of a lightning storm to ratchet up the tension, while the movie’s violence is filthy and raw. Some viewers might miss the expanse of action scenes depicted in their entirety, but McKinley places a rewarding amount of trust in his audience, creating momentum through implication and, on occasion, propelling the film forward by interweaving several moments from adjacent scenes, as though each new sequence were being imagined by the last, and the movie were persistently creating itself anew. If the filmmakers couldn’t shoot enough footage for a traditional presentation, they’ve certainly made the most of it.
The Weight moves with furious focus and rollicking intensity. It never wavers from its characters or their political and historical purviews, and makes its unlikely heroes look phenomenally cool.
Audible's first sale of 2026 ends today, January 29. New and returning Audible subscribers can sign up for three months of Audible Premium Plus for just $0.99 per month, or £0.99 in the UK. This time around it doesn't look like you need to be an Amazon Prime member either. After the three months is up, your subscription will convert to the standard $14.95/mo, so make sure to cancel beforehand if you don't want to continue with the service. You also get a free audiobook of your choice for each of those three months that you get to keep indefinitely.
Note that if you recently signed up for an Audible Premium Plus promotion, you may not be eligible even if your subscription has ended. There's usually a wait period (about 3-6 months) before you are re-eligible.
3 Free Months of Audible Premium Plus
Audible is a subscription service that gives you access to hundreds of thousands of the best audiobooks without ever having to purchase them. There are two paid membership plans: the lower tier Audible Plus ($7.95/mo) and the higher tier Audible Premium Plus ($14.95/mo). The biggest difference between the two is the size of the audiobook library. Whereas Audible Plus only lets you listen to a selection of about 10,000 audiobooks, the Audible Premium Plus plan gives you access to a whopping 500,000 audiobooks.
Premium Plus includes other perks as well. Every month Premium Plus members get to pick one audiobook to keep in their library indefinitely, even after the membership expires. Also, Premium Plus members can get 30% off any additional audiobooks they wish to purchase in addition to exclusive limited-time discounts.
If you were already planning to purchase a couple of audiobooks, then it makes more sense to pay less than $3 to get three audiobooks you get to keep indefinitely and enjoy all the benefits of Audible Premium Plus for three months. This deal only pops up a few times per year, so don't waste your "first-time subscriber" eligibility status on a short 30-day trial.
Catch up the the latest novel releases, audiobook style
Several best-selling new and recent releases are available in an audiobook format and part of Audible's Premium Plus subscription plan. Rebecca Yarros' The Empyrean Series romantasy novels have consistently hit the top of the New York Times' best seller list throughout all of 2025 and they're all available in audiobook format. Sunrise on the Reaping, the latest Hunger Games novel, is narrated by Jefferson White, who you may already know from Yellowstone where he played Jimmy Hudstrom. The audiobook has a listening time of about 12 hours and 48 minutes. Stephen King released his Never Flinch crime novel in May 27 and it's also available as a nearly 15-hour long audiobook narrated by veteran Jessie Mueller. If you're a fan of Brandon Sanderson, check out Wind and Truth, book five of the popular The Stormlight Archive series. It was released in December of 2024 and runs an epic 63 hours long.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
Spoilers follow for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Episode 4, “Vox in Excelso,” which is available on Paramount Plus now.
So we finally know what’s been going on with the Klingons in the era of The Burn.
The status of Star Trek’s classic villains/frenemies has been a big question mark ever since Michael Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery jumped 900 years into the future of the 32nd century back in Discovery Season 3’s premiere. That future would prove to be filled with a lot of familiar alien races, and a bunch of characters who were of mixed race as well – like Laira Rillak, the president of the Federation who was of human, Bajoran and Cardassian descent. It made sense that, almost a thousand years after the era of Captain Kirk, many of the people of the Federation would have diverse racial heritages.
And yet, one question that remained unanswered was what happened to the Klingons in the nine centuries since that era. Disco seemed to purposely avoid the issue altogether, after leaning heavily on the warrior aliens in its first two seasons. But Starfleet Academy is diving into the matter bumpy-head first with the introduction of main cast member Karim Diané, who plays the Klingon cadet Jay-Den Kraag, and now with the reveal that the Klingons have become galactic refugees as a result of the cataclysmic Burn.
That’s a long way around to saying that “Vox in Excelso” finally gives us our 32nd century Klingon episode, and it’s a good one where we get not just an update on where the Klingons have been (and where they’re going), but also a focus on Jay-Den and the events that led him to the Academy. And it’s all interwoven into another “school activity” plot involving… debate club!
The Klingons have always run the risk of being one-note, which is why Michael Dorn’s performance as Worf has stood the test of time. Worf was never simply a warrior or a bad-ass, but a complicated character with layers and textures who loved, feared, and learned with the best of them. And Jay-Den now looks to be continuing in that tradition, as he is a Klingon who not only doesn’t want to be a warrior, but who is haunted by his choice to pursue a different life.
So when he has his first shot at debating Caleb (Sandro Rosta) in The Doctor’s (Robert Picardo) class, the fact that he basically has a panic attack is quite telling. “Arguing, standing up for what I believe, makes sweat flood down my face,” he says. (I hear you, Jay-Den.) As “Vox in Excelso” proceeds, we see in flashbacks how Jay-Den’s father constantly pressured him to join the warrior’s way. It’s difficult for him to even say out loud to his family that he does not want to be a warrior, and that pressure and fear of letting them down – and of speaking his mind and talking about his true feelings – takes a toll.
The situation is further complicated when his family is revealed to have been onboard a ship that has recently crashed; whether or not they’ve survived is currently unknown. Meanwhile, the Federation has found a planet that would make a perfect new home for the displaced Klingons, but the Klingons themselves have spent the past century refusing hand-outs. As this news becomes a hot topic of discussion – the crash, the new homeworld potential – it bleeds onto the debate stage where Jay-Den has to work out some issues.
Jay-Den is a Klingon who not only doesn’t want to be a warrior, but who is haunted by his choice to pursue a different life.
The episode’s flashing back and forth from present to the past is handled in an interesting way by regular Trek director Doug Aarniokoski, as we get bits of introspective voiceover from Jay-Den accompanying flashes of memory and a melancholy score. It actually reminds me a bit of how Battlestar Galactica handled such moments at times (particularly Kara Thrace’s remembrances in the all-time great episode “Scar”). Also notable is Jay-Den’s anger at Caleb, who after all is just trying to be a good friend. But it’s those memories, particularly of his fallen brother, that makes Jay-Den react so strongly to Caleb. The performances across the board are excellent here, particularly with these two.
Holly Hunter also gets a B-story, and fortunately I was able to understand her words much better than I could in last week’s episode, as Chancellor Ake reunites with her old Klingon flame General Obel Wochak (David Keeley). The plan is to get Obel to grease the wheels of a Federation/Klingon agreement to give the Klingons the newly discovered world, Faan Alpha. Hunter and Keeley have fun in their scenes together, and the relationship is also used to explore the long history that Ake has as a 400-year-old Lanthanite.
Unfortunately, while the emotional culmination of Jay-Den’s story is effective as he makes the case in the debate for the Klingon way of life to be respected, even if most members of the Federation can’t understand it, the plan to get the Klingons to accept the gift they cannot accept – Faan Alpha – rings false. A bloodless battle where some ships shoot at each other for a few minutes and then everyone says “Yay, the Klingons won”? Nope, doesn't work.
Questions and Notes from the Q Continuum:
“Vox in excelso” is a Latin term which means “a voice on high” and refers to Pope Clement V’s order to dissolve the Order of the Knights Templar.
A chancellor’s address instead of a captain’s log!?
Speaking of which, why is Ake on the bridge all alone at the start of the episode? Where’s Beta Shift!
Judge Aaron Satie, who The Doctor references here, was the father of Jean Simmons’ Rear Admiral Norah Satie from the Next Gen episode “The Drumhead.” Norah, you will recall, very much missed the point of her father’s famous words.
The rendering of the Klingon homeworld Qo'noS as inhabitable after The Burn makes perfect sense – The Burn was basically dilithium reactors going kablooey. It makes so much sense, in fact, that one can’t help but wonder why Earth and many other worlds didn’t suffer a similar fate.
It’s also a callback to Praxis, the over-mined Klingon moon that got blown apart in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. It was the destruction of that satellite, and its effect on Qo'noS, that led to the first détente between the Klingons and the Federation… and the first Khitomer Accords (which Sam mispronounces here).
Nice to see the Klingon death ritual is still being practiced.
What’s going on with Jay-Den and Darem?
Great, they still have conspiracy theories in the 32nd century…
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