Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Super Smash Bros., has revealed the reason why the series' food various items each heal your character by a specific amount.
Writing this week on Twitter/X, Sakurai simply dropped the detail out of nowhere — 25 years on from when food was first introduced to Nintendo's hit fighting series, back in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
In short, the more calories a piece of food is likely to have, the more it has been programmed to heal. So, while a bunch of healthy grapes might heal your character by 4% in Smash Bros. Ultimate, a pizza or stack of pancakes will heal by 7%.
While some had guessed the logic previously, this is fans' first official confirmation why Smash Bros.' foodstuffs act this way. And, peering at the Smash Bros. Wiki page on food, the theory generally stands up to reality.
Super Smash Bros. Melee introduced 28 food types, a total that increased to 36 in Smash Bros. Ultimate — though the actual range has varied over the course of the franchise.
Looking just at Ultimate, then, low healing items include cherries (1% damage healed), kiwis, lemons and tea (all 2%), a lollipop (3%) and cola (3% — guess it's diet).
Mid-tier healing items include squash soup (4%), cheese, chocolate and dumplings (all 5%), plus a hot dog, corn dog, cherry pie and popcorn (all 6%). Curiously, a salad heals by 5% — though its image shows it is covered in some kind of dressing.
Undo your top button and we're onto the top-tier foodstuffs by damage healed, such as the hamburger, pancakes and pizza (all 7%), spaghetti (8%), strawberry shortcake (10%), steak (11%) and turkey (12%). Curiously, bread is also in this category (at 10%) — though it is the whole loaf.
So, next time you're playing Super Smash Bros. and food items spawn on-screen, head for the tastiest-looking, highest calorie option. Wombo combo? Popcorn combo, more like.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
With 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (review) now hitting theaters, audience members might be scratching their heads regarding the character known as Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal. Played by Sinners' Jack O'Connell, Jimmy leads a gang known as, well, The Jimmys... and he is not to be trifled with.
After showing up briefly in the previous film, last summer's 28 Years Later, Jimmy and his band of "Fingers" take center stage in The Bone Temple, along with Ralph Fiennes' Dr. Ian Kelson, who also returns from that earlier film. Other Jimmys include Erin Kellyman as Jimmy Ink and Alfie Williams as newcomer to the gang Spike, also back from 28 Years Later.
But why does O'Connell's character dress the way he does, and who is Jimmy Savile, the real-world and highly controversial British celebrity who he's based his identity on? We've got the lowdown right here...
Note that the following does NOT include spoilers for The Bone Temple!
If you’re not from the UK, 28 Years Later's bizzare final sequence probably (and understandably) meant very little to you. But anyone who does call the island kingdom home will instantly recognise who O’Connell and his pals are cosplaying as: Jimmy Savile, one of Britain's most prolific sexual predators. During the 60s, 70s, and 80s, Savile was a household name, having hosted some of the country’s most-watched TV shows, Jim’ll Fix It and Top of the Pops. The former saw him work extensively with children for nearly two decades. Savile’s crimes only became widespread public knowledge after his death in 2011. Extensive investigation by both the police and BBC reporters led to hundreds of allegations of abuse, involving both children and the elderly. There have since been multiple documentaries about his criminal activities, including the Netflix show Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story.
O’Connell’s character is the grown-up version of Jimmy, the little Scottish boy who had a quite terrifying ordeal while trying to enjoy an episode of the Teletubbies during 28 Years Later’s opening sequence (he still wears the crucifix pendant that his dad gave him before being attacked by the infected). The credits of that film reveal that as an adult he goes by the name Sir Jimmy Crystal, and interviews from around the time of the film's release explained that he’s a cult leader with a dark past. The cast list also notes that every member of his cult is named after Savile in one way or another. There’s Jimmy Jimmy, Jimmy Ink, Jimmy Jones, Jimmy Fox, Jimmima… you get the idea.
Very little is revealed about the Jimmys in their first appearance in 28 Years Later, but it's clear that they’ve been causing chaos in England. There are multiple occasions on which the word “Jimmy” can be seen in the environment. The most prominent comes during the film’s first act, when Spike and Jamie discover an infected man hanging upside down inside a house; “Jimmy” has been carved into his chest. At another point, the camera lingers on a house with an exterior wall bearing the message “Behold, he is coming with the clouds” – beside that lettering is another piece of graffiti, simply stating “Jimmy.”
With so little concrete evidence to work with, there are many ways you could interpret the Jimmys. Regardless of your theory, it’s worth considering that the Rage virus outbreak began in 2002, and so the widespread allegations against Savile had not yet begun when the apocalypse kicked off. As such, the Jimmys may see Savile as something of a heroic or comedy character, just as he was to thousands of real people before the truth was revealed. Taking inspiration from his Jim’ll Fix It TV show (which, along with the Teletubbies, Jimmy may have watched in his youth), the cult may be going around “fixing” Britain.
We'll have more on 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple over the weekend, including a chat with O'Connell and director Nia DaCosta about how Jimmy wound up this way, so be sure to check back then!
Amazon has revealed a first look at Sophie Turner as Lara Croft in the new Prime Video Tomb Raider series.
The image, below, was released to coincide with the start of production. Turner, famous for playing Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, plays a new take on Lara Croft, although with many of the features fans of the world famous archaeologist and adventurer as she appears in the original Tomb Raider games will know well.
The series stars Turner as Lara Croft, alongside recently announced cast Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs, Martin Bobb-Semple, Jack Bannon, John Heffernan, Bill Paterson, Paterson Joseph, Sasha Luss, Juliette Motamed, Celia Imrie, and August Wittgenstein. Weaver will play Evelyn Wallis, a new character not featured in the original games who is described by Amazon as a “mysterious, high-flying woman who is keen to exploit Lara's talents.”
Unlike Weaver, Isaacs will play a character who is canon to the franchise: Croft’s uncle, Atlas DeMornay. Two other canon roles have been cast: Bill Paterson (Lord Lyman Beesbury in House of the Dragon) will play Winston, the Croft family’s longtime butler, while Martin Bobb-Semple takes on the role of Zip, Croft’s right-hand tech support and close friend.
Additionally, Jack Bannon, John Heffernan, Celia Imrie, Patterson Joseph, Sasha Luss, August Wittgenstein, and Juliette Motamed have joined the cast in various roles that have been created specifically for the series, which will “reinvent the franchise on a massive scale” and will interconnect “live-action television series and video games into a unified storytelling universe.”
Tomb Raider cast:
The following cast are confirmed in canon roles from the Tomb Raider video game franchise:
Martin Bobb-Semple is Zip. Zip is Lara Croft’s long-standing tech support and friend.
Jason Isaacs is Atlas DeMornay. Atlas is Lara’s uncle.
Bill Paterson is Winston. Winston is the long-standing Croft family butler.
The following cast are confirmed for roles to the Tomb Raider universe:
Jack Bannon is Gerry. Gerry is Lara’s personal pilot and snack collector.
John Heffernan is David. David is an exhausted government official who finds himself tangled up in Lara's unusual world.
Celia Imrie is Francine. Francine is the Head of Advancement at the British Museum, focused solely on raising funds and glasses of champagne.
Paterson Joseph is Thomas Warner. Thomas Warner is a senior government official brought in to clean up an almighty mess.
Sasha Luss is Sasha. Sasha is a fierce, deeply competitive new adversary of Lara’s.
Juliette Motamed is Georgia. Georgia is a devoted, by-the-books curator at the British Museum, dedicated to the ‘proper’ preservation of history.
Sigourney Weaver is Evelyn Wallis. A mysterious, high-flying woman who is keen to exploit Lara's talents.
August Wittgenstein is Lukas. Lukas is an illegal raider who shares history with Lara in more ways than one.
The series is led by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) serving as creator, writer, executive producer and co-showrunner alongside Chad Hodge as co-showrunner and executive producer. Jonathan Van Tulleken serves as director and executive producer. The series is produced by Story Kitchen, Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics, and Amazon MGM Studios.
We’re still no closer to knowing when Tomb Raider will release, but we did get confirmation of two new Tomb Raider video games at last month's The Game Awards. Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, a reimagining of the first game in the series, is due out at some point in 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Steam. And the brand new game Tomb Raider: Catalyst is due out at some point in 2027. Alix Wilton Regan will now play Lara Croft in both games, replacing Camilla Luddington, who portrayed Lara Croft in the Survivor Trilogy.
Credit: Jay Maidment for Prime Video.
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.
The last few years have marked a very strange journey for Norman Osborn in Marvel's Amazing Spider-Man comics. Once the undisputed king of the hill when it comes to Spider-Man villains, Norman has seen his sins erased and his mind restored, becoming an unlikely ally to Peter Parker in the process. That relationship will continue to evolve in The Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Versity, as the former Green Goblin becomes a mentor to heroes like Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen.
The Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Versity is a five-issue series that spins directly out of Joe Kelly's ongoing The Amazing Spider-Man series. The book is co-written by Kelly and Jordan Morris (Predator: Bloodshed), with art by Pere Pérez (The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn) and covers by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Todd Nauck.
Marvel's official logline for Spider-Versity #1 teases, "Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, Silk, Araña, Spider-Boy and Spider-Girl have one thing in common – THEY AREN’T READY. According to former Resolute Spider-Man NORMAN OSBORN. So he and Spider-Woman are going to TRAIN THEM to meet the next threat – the only way the Green Goblin knows how. Because the next threat might well BE the Green Goblin!"
IGN had a chance to speak with Kelly and Morris to learn more about the new series and what happens when Osborn tries to mentor a younger generation of heroes. Unsurprisingly, one of the main selling points for both writers with this series is the opportunity to write Norman Osborn in a more heroic light. This is a man who once murdered Gwen Stacy and orchestrated the Clone Saga, yet now he's doing his best to live by Peter Parker's example.
"Norman is a fascinating character, truly one of the great comic book villains of all time," Morris tells IGN. "I’m trying to look at him like Pete would. Norman has done so many terrible things, many of them to Pete specifically, but Pete believes in people and their ability to be their best selves. When I’ve been writing for Norman, I’ve been trying to summon my inner Pete and view this guy not as one of the worst villains in history, but as someone who has made mistakes, identified them as mistakes and is actively trying to change. I think there’s something heroic about taking steps to be a better person and I want to give Norman credit for that."
Kelly adds, "It's been the fun kind of challenge for me since I took on the book. Norman was left in this 'sin-free' status quo, but he's still an egotistical and entitled dude who's quick to anger... and also, he wants to live up to Peter's example. Characters like that who are at odds with their own nature are juicy to write.
Given the turbulent history between Spidey and Norman, it's safe to assume that there will be a lot of friction between Norman and his young charges. Not everyone is thrilled at the idea of the ex-Green Goblin calling the shots.
"The younger Spiders all have their own take," Morris says. "Some of them are stoked, some are more wary (specifically the ones Norman has killed before). To a certain extent, they’re all students of Pete. Even the ones who haven’t trained with him specifically see him as a role-model. Since Pete has forgiven Norman, the other Spiders are willing to give him a chance. Even though certain members of the team are more prickly, they all share the try-and-see-the-best-in-people ethos that is so important to Pete."
"Not to mention that he handed them their webs the first time they crossed paths!" Kelly says. "'Complicated' is a word that comes to mind."
Perhaps the most immediately fascinating thing about Spider-Versity is the idea that Norman will be teaching Gwen Stacy. This is the version of Gwen from Earth-65, not the one Norman killed, but still, we have to imagine there's a lot of bad blood between these characters worth exploring.
"The Norman/Gwen relationship is FASCINATING and something the team has been talking about a lot," Morris says. "Yes, there’s gallons of bad blood. Not only does Gwen have the rockiest history with Norman but her armor is a little thicker than some of the other Spiders to begin with. It would be very understandable for her to just kick his butt and be done with it, but in the recent pages of Amazing Spider-Man, Norman has done some truly heroic things. Gwen will be keeping an eye on Norman for sure but I think deep down she wants him to have changed."
Also intriguing is the fact that Norman will be partnered with a veteran Spider in the form of Spider-Woman Jessica Drew. How does she deal with this unlikely alliance and the idea of becoming colleagues with Norman Osborn?
"Spider-Woman is here to keep an eye on the kids and generally be awesome at all times," Morris says. "She’s skeptical of Norman’s 'let’s train the Spiders' proposal but she definitely knows the value of a good team-up. She’s been an Avenger, S.W.O.R.D agent, S.H.I.E.L.D agent, and should probably be given honorary X-Men status at this point. The Spiders team up fairly often but it’s almost always impromptu, disorganized and more than a little chaotic (Spiders gonna Spider, after all). Jessica is of course wary of Norman, but she sees this as a potential path to the Spiders leveling up so, to her, it’s worth the risk."
With Kelly co-writing the series, we were curious just how closely Spider-Versity connects to The Amazing Spider-Man. What threat is Norman trying to prepare his students for anyway?
"Joe and Co. have been doing some truly wild and wonderful stuff in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man," Morris says. "As a reader, there’s been moments in every issue that have sent my jaw directly to the floor. It’s not only a big story for Pete but for so many of the characters in his extended cast. So yes, this story will be dealing with some of the more delightfully bonkers elements of Joe’s run so far. If you’ll allow me a brief detour to geek out a bit: I’ve been a reader of Joe’s for years. He’s written some of my favorite comics ever. To be able to tell this story with him has been such an honor. I absolutely cannot believe this is happening."
Morris continues, "Anyway, what were we talking about? Ah yes, the specific threat. I don’t want to say too much and spoil the surprise but yes, there’s a very cool big bad in the shadows that will put this new Spider-team to the test. The Spiders want to be on the level of teams like The Avengers and X-Men but that means going up against the kind of threats those teams deal with on the reg. Does that wet your whistle? Seriously, how wet is your whistle right now?"
Kelly adds, "Spider-Versity spins directly out of the events of Amazing Spider-Man, and Norman has a definitive threat in mind that he's trying to protect the young Spiders against. One he knows intimately. But even for a master planner like Norman, things may perhaps go awry, and the kids will face some unexpected threats. Nothing like learning on the job!"
Finally, Morris praised Pérez's artwork on the series, saying "I’m beyond stoked to be working with Pere on this book! I’m such a fan of his work on Marvel’s recent TVA mini-series. His team-up action is awesome and his characters are so wonderfully expressive. So far he’s nailing not only the thwip-heavy Spider fight scenes but the comedy and drama bits as well. I can’t wait for readers to see this gorgeous book!"
The Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Versity #1 will be released on April 22, 2026. You can preorder a copy at your local comic shop.
Now here is something that completely passed under my radar. In 2025, Accidental Studios released a demo for its upcoming psychological horror game, Subliminal. And, as you will see in the video featured below, this is one of the most photorealistic games using Unreal Engine 5. Subliminal is a psychological horror game inspired by the … Continue reading Subliminal May Be One of the Most Photorealistic Unreal Engine 5 Games Yet→
Update: With the final order cutoff for Mind MGMT/Fort Psycho FCBD 2026 Special happening on January 19, IGN can exclusively debut the first preview of this intriguing, mind-bending new comic. Check it out in the slideshow gallery below:
Here's Oni Press' official logline for the new issue:
First: Congratulations! You have been selected to join the ranks of MIND MGMT – the secretive agency rumored to influence global affairs from the shadows through assassination, sabotage, and psychic espionage. In the hands of our elite instructors, you will be schooled in the exotic arts of mental manipulation, information warfare, subliminal conditioning, and more. This comic book is part of your training. Read on to discover who we are, who we are fighting, and why our lives are no longer our own in this self-contained, educational introduction to the vast underground network we call MIND MGMT: NEW & IMPROVED #1, as written and drawn by Matt Kindt.
Then: BOOM! BANG! DUCK! For the international commandos codenamed SHIV, LYCAN, and DRAGONFLY, a routine mission to catch-and-kill a fugitive from the world's most wanted terror sect is about to go very, very wrong. Who are THE SEVEN SEALS? And what terrible price will the men and women of FORT PSYCHO pay to bring them to justice? Master storytellers Matt Kindt and Brian Hurtt present an all-new, high-octane prelude to the events of FORT PSYCHO #1 – the action comic so extreme, it just might catch on fire.
IN 2026, THE COUNTDOWN TO THE MUST-READ CREATOR-OWNED COMICS EVENT OF THE SUMMER BEGINS ON FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! Don’t miss a moment as FLUX HOUSE launches in full force with three shrapnel-laced new series across summer 2026: MIND MGMT: NEW & IMPROVED #1 in June, FORT PSYCHO #1 with co-creator/artist Brian Hurtt (The Sixth Gun) in August and FLUX HOUSE PRESENTS #1 series with new stories from Kindt, Jesse Lonergan (Drome, Man’s Best), and more in October.
The original story is below:
The next Free Comic Book Day may be half a year away, but that's not stopping Oni Press from revealing what they've got in store for 2026's big event. And it's a big one, as it offers a double dose of new stories from acclaimed writer/artist Matt Kindt and his Flux House imprint.
IGN can exclusively reveal that Oni Press will release Mind MGMT/Fort Psycho FCBD 2026 Special. This issue will offer readers a glimpse of both Kindty's Mind MGMT sequel Mind MGMT: New & Improved and Fort Psycho, his upcoming collaboration with The Sixth Gun artist Brian Hurtt. Check out the cover to the FCBD special below:
Here's Oni's official description of the issue:
From the mind of New York Times best-selling, Eisner Award-nominated creative powerhouse Matt Kindt (BRZRKR), welcome to FLUX HOUSE – the first and only comics imprint designed to conjoin directly with your nervous system to deliver controlled bursts of paranoia, anxiety, and adrenaline as designated by our mysterious benefactors at Oni Press.
Before the arrival of Kindt's first two shrapnel-laced new series under the FLUX HOUSE banner – MIND MGMT: NEW & IMPROVED in June, and FORT PSYCHO with co-creator/artist Brian Hurtt (The Sixth Gun) in August – experience the psychotropic effects of FLUX HOUSE firsthand with this EXCLUSIVE DOUBLE FEATURE ... featuring TWO BRAND-NEW SHORT STORIES debuting first right here, ONLY ON FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!
First: Congratulations! You have been selected to join the ranks of MIND MGMT – the secretive agency rumored to influence global affairs from the shadows through assassination, sabotage, and psychic espionage. In the hands of our elite instructors, you will be schooled in the exotic arts of mental manipulation, information warfare, subliminal conditioning, and more. This comic book is part of your training. Read on to discover who we are, who we are fighting, and why our lives are no longer our own in this self-contained, educational introduction to the vast underground network we call MIND MGMT: NEW & IMPROVED #1, as written and drawn by Matt Kindt.
Then: BOOM! BANG! DUCK! For the international commandos codenamed SHIV, LYCAN, and DRAGONFLY, a routine mission to catch-and-kill a fugitive from the world's most wanted terror sect is about to go very, very wrong. Who are THE SEVEN SEALS? And what terrible price will the men and women of FORT PSYCHO pay to bring them to justice? Master storytellers Matt Kindt and Brian Hurtt present an all-new, high-octane prelude to the events of FORT PSYCHO #1 – the action comic so extreme, it might just catch on fire.
Mind MGMT/Fort Psycho FCBD 2026 Special will be released on Free Comic Book Day 2026, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 2, 2026. Expect more publishers to reveal their FCBD offerings in the weeks to come.
Games Workshop has confirmed that a recently released Warhammer 40,000 army set a sales record for the company, reinforcing this Space Marine chapter as among the most popular in the setting.
Delivering Games Workshop’s latest financial results, CEO Kevin Rountree confirmed that the Space Wolves secured a new record for army set sales at the company. This relates to the Space Wolves army set that launched in May last year, and which you can see in the image below. It contains 28 brand-new miniatures, a Codex Supplement for the Great Companies of Fenris, a set of datasheet cards, and a new transfer sheet. In terms of minis, the army set includes a Wolf Guard Battle Leader, a Wolf Priest, three Wolf Guard Headtakers, 10 Blood Claws, and 10 Grey Hunters.
Rountree called the army set format one that is “specifically designed for hobbyists who want ‘all the new miniatures’ in a release.” Clearly, it proved popular. This army set benefited from amazing-looking minis, the amount of time since the Space Wolves had seen a refresh, and the enduring popularity of the Space Wolves themselves. The Space Wolves army set is sold out at Games Workshop, leaving fans faced with the prospect of paying a markup from the likes of eBay.
For the uninitiated, the Space Wolves are a long-running and legendary chapter of Space Marines heavily inspired by Norse mythology and Viking culture. They’re a savage, in your face group who like getting up close and ripping their enemies to shreds with the help of actual space wolves. Their primarch (demigod sons of the Emperor who led the original Space Marine legions before the Horus Heresy tore them apart), is Leman Russ, one of the most popular in the setting despite the fact he has never been active in the 41st millennium (there are rumblings he may return, as Ultramarines boss Roboute Guilliman and Dark Angels chief Lion El'Jonson have).
The Space Wolves — as evidenced by their army set sales record — are right up there in terms of Space Marine chapter popularity. Without having hard data to back up this claim, I’d suggest the Ultramarines are there or thereabouts given they’re the poster boys of Warhammer 40,000, and Ultramarines captain Titus, protagonist of the hugely popular Space Marine 2 video game, is leading the tabletop wargame's next narrative expansion. But I suspect the Blood Angels (glorious space vampires with a dark secret), and the Dark Angels (righteous space crusaders) aren’t far behind.
So! I’ve put together a poll, below, with what I suspect are the likely candidates for most popular Space Marine chapter, so that IGN’s readers can vote for their favorite. For science! For the Emperor!
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.
LEGO is very fun. But as anyone who's wandered into the LEGO aisle can attest, that fun comes with a hefty price tag.
Many of the best LEGO sets for adults that trend on social media will run you about $150-$200 on the low end, and a massive set with third-party branding can run even higher. The 7541-piece LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon, long considered to be the gold standard of LEGO builds, costs $849.99. That's approximately what the average American, in an entry-level position, makes in a week.
But LEGO has sets for every budget, and it pays to be a smart, frugal shopper. Here are the best cheap LEGO sets that you can buy in 2026 for under $25.
Looking for some more impressive sets at a higher price? Check out our guide to the most expensive LEGO sets for some of the most amazing builds you can buy.
Playful Cat
One of LEGO's trademark 3-in-1 builds, Playful Cat can also become a Playful Puppy and a Playful Pigeon. All three models are articulable, but the Cat comes with two buildable accessories: a food bowl and a ball of yarn to bat around.
More Like This
Donut Truck
A simple yet eye-catching build, the Donut Truck has a massive Homer Simpson-style pink-frosted donut attached to its roof. The donut kiosk, which comes with coffee machine and cash register accessories, detaches from the truck and acts as a sort of pop-up shop. Don't let the set's age range fool you; this is an excellent starter build for anyone who wants to try LEGO without breaking the bank.
Mario Kart - Yoshi Bike
The LEGO Mario Kart - Yoshi Bike has great value. You get a model of Yoshi, which is actually displayable separately from the bike. The bike itself is sharp looking, with Yoshi egg decals on its sides. And coolest of all, there's a mechanical launch feature on the back of the bike, which lets you throw red shells at the racers drifting behind you.
Darth Maul Mech
The LEGO Star Wars line is the best and worst of this hobby. Its sets are the most detailed and intricate, but they are also the most prohibitively expensive, with some of the highest markups for third-party partnership sets. This Darth Maul mech, while priced relatively high for its piece count, is also less than $20, and comes with a large double-bladed lightsaber.
Wild Animals: Surprising Spider
The Surprising Spider has bright red and yellow coloring, which makes it look both terrifying and poisonous. As a 3-in-1 set, the Surprisjng Spider can also be rebuilt as a scorpion or a snake, which gives you a lot of LEGO building for your buck.
Happy Plants
If you like the LEGO Botanical Collection but you're new to this hobby, consider the Happy Plants set. It has a simple build – which makes it an accessible entry point – and it has a displayable end result that would look great on any mantle or work desk.
Simba the Lion King Cub
It's a Disney set – featuring a popular character – that's under $25. That's a rarity, and the final product looks adorable, capturing Simba's carefree days before things went horribly, horribly wrong. This is the classic look for Simba, ignoring the fact that a live-action Lion King movie was made.
LEGO Japan Postcard
LEGO has numerous postcard builds, each from a major country. This one of Japan includes Mount Fuji, a cherry blossom tree, and a recreation of Himeji Castle. The latest postcard is from Italy, which includes the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Roman ruins, and the RIalto Bridge.
LEGO Cherry Blossoms
An entry in LEGO's Botanical line, these cherry blossoms are pink-on-pink and pink-on-white. There are even some buds mixed in with the blossoms, which really sells the illusion and makes it look real from a distance.
LEGO 3-in-1 Retro Camera
This 1980's styled camera has a lot of fun features and accessories, including a multi-colored strap, film that loads into the back of the camera, and a rotating lens. You can also take it apart and rebuild it into a retro TV or a retro camcorder.
Featured in this article
Daisies
The latest addition to LEGO's popular Botanical Collection, the Daisies include two large ones, a smattering of smaller ones, and three lavenders, along with a ladybug crawling on its stems.
Simple but sweet, these letters show your significant other that you care; you can even build it together. It's a perfect, inexpensive gift for a Valentine's Day date.
Spider-Man vs. Ghost Rider Motorcycle
For only $10, you get Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, and his bike. And Ghost Rider is one of the coolest minifigures in recent memory, with flaming hair and flaming hands. If you need a little desk display or a quick gift for a Marvel friend, it's hard to do better than this.
If you like this set, you might also like our round-up of the Best LEGO Marvel sets.
Speed Champions Time Machine from Back to the Future
It's a little bit above the $25 limit, but it's too good a deal not to talk about. The massive $169 version of the Doc Brown's time machine is still available. But the smaller version (based on the Delorean in the first Back to the Future film) is 1/6 of the cost and looks almost as cool. It's also minifigure-scaled, so Marty and Doc can actually ride in it.
Optimus Prime Robot & Vehicle
You could get the big, expensive version of LEGO Optimus Prime, which we built and loved. Or, if you're on a budget, you get the smaller Brickheadz version for $25. It doesn't transform, but it does include two separate models – one for Autobot mode and the other for Truck mode.
How many "cheap" LEGO sets are there?
Acccording to LEGO's handy filter feature, there are currently 220 LEGO sets under $25 as of January 2026.
How are LEGO sets priced?
A common rule of thumb among LEGO fans is 10 cents per brick – that's approximately how much a LEGO set typically costs. So a LEGO set that's 200 pieces sells for around $20. A LEGO set that's 2000 pieces sells for around $200. And so forth.
By that metric, a 300-piece set that sells for $20 is priced well. When a set's pricing is disproportionately higher than its piece count would indicate, it often comes down to licensing fees from third parties.
How Much Should You Spend on Value LEGO Sets?
All of the sets listed above are $25 or less. These are great builds, but on the downside they won't take you very long to put together, as one of the main factors determining price is piece count. How much you want to spend on a LEGO set is up to you, but it's good to know that there are fun sets for frugal fans.
The big sets get the press, but there are plenty of cheaper sets that give you a great building experience and an attractive end result. They're perfect to give as a small gift, either to a friend or to yourself, or as a stopgap measure, while you're saving up for the expensive set that you've had your eyes on.
Are There Any Cheaper LEGO Alternatives?
There are a number of suitable LEGO alternatives, many of which cost significantly less than official LEGO sets. Mega makes some of the most notable, because they have the Pokemon license – though they can be pricy as well (see them on Amazon). A number of Chinese companies like LOZ also offer builds similar to (but with smaller pieces than) LEGO.
Kevin Wong is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in LEGO. He's also been published in Complex, Engadget, Gamespot, Kotaku, and more. Follow him on Twitter at @kevinjameswong.
Hardware Unboxed cites conversations it's had with Asus over the EoL status it has applied to the RTX 5070 Ti. What's on the shelves now is all there is.
The Lord of the Rings has already earned more than $5 million in ticket pre-sales ahead of the trilogy's new theatrical re-release this weekend.
Peter Jackson's classic fantasy films will return to theaters from tomorrow, with showings of Fellowship of the Ring's Extended Edition — originally released on home media. Subsequent days this weekend will see The Two Towers and Return of the King's Extended Editions shown in theaters nationwide, before the trilogy's standard editions are shown over a similar schedule next weekend.
Fan interest in reconnecting with the Fellowship has been high, with ticket pre-sales up 65% on those for Lord of the Rings' last theatrical outings, back in 2024. But perhaps this is to be expected, as the movies have likely benefited from a big 25th anniversary marketing push — and word of new introductions to each film from Jackon himself.
Earlier this week, Warner Bros. and re-release production company Fathom Entertainment revealed that Jackson has recorded new messages to fans set to be played ahead of each of the trilogy's titles. In one clip posted online by Entertainment Weekly, Jackson recalled filming the cave troll battle sequence in Fellowship, and having to hide the fact that Aragorn actor Viggo Mortensen had gained a black eye over the weekend.
"The Lord of the Rings trilogy re-release is off to record start for the franchise at Fathom," said the company's CEO Ray Nutt. "We could not be more pleased that the large Lord of the Rings fanbase will have the benefit of hearing in-depth and exclusively in theatre from Peter Jackson himself prior to each of these three remarkable films."
Variety has reported that roughly 407,000 tickets have been sold so far, which will add on to the $3 billion in worldwide revenue earned by the trilogy to date.
And, of course, the Middle-earth movie franchise is far from over. Jackson is currently working as a producer on the upcoming The Lord of the Rings prequel The Hunt for Gollum, due for release next year on December 17, 2027. Frodo actor Elijah Wood — who looks likely to reprise his role on the project — previously praised the movie for reuniting Jackson Jackson with his Middle-earth scriptwriting team Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, as well as Gollum actor Andy Serkis, who is set to both star in and direct the film.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
It's official: "several" new Ecco the Dolphin games are in development.
Last summer, the creator of Ecco the Dolphin pleased many fans by announcing that not only were remakes of the original games underway, but a "third" instalment was also in development. Ed Annunziata — the original creator of the famed and fiendishly difficult action-adventure games — was interviewed about raising awareness of ocean conservation, his life as a developer, and, right at the end, he dropped his bombshell revelation.
California-based developer A&R Atelier, at which Annunziata works, revealed in a press release that it is remastering Ecco the Dolphin and Ecco: The Tides of Time, as well as that all-important third game.
“It has been years in the making, and we’re honored to bring Ecco back,” Annunziata said (thanks, Gematsu). “Ecco has always been more than a game about a dolphin — he’s a bridge between worlds.” Sadly, that's essentially where the details stop, but the developer said to keep an eye on both its website and the official Discord for more information.
Ecco the Dolphin originally launched in 1992 on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, and was followed by a sequel, Ecco: The Tides of Time, in 1994. Ecco Jr. and Ecco Jr. and the Great Ocean Treasure Hunt were released in 1995, although they were "edutainment" games and primarily developed as learning tools.
You play as the titular dolphin, your underwater world now devastated by a swirling gust of air and water. You must help him navigate back through treacherous tropical reefs and freezing polar ice floes to reunite him with his dolphin pod. There have been a few remasters since: we thought the 2000 remake was okay, writing: "Ecco the Dolphin is a classic from SEGA, but sometimes classics should stay in the past," and of the 2007 remake, we wrote: "For those who have played Ecco before, there's really no reason to come back to it."
The last Ecco the Dolphin game — ostensibly the "third" game, although Annunziata wasn't involved — fared much better, however, getting a 7.6 in IGN's Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future review. A further sequel, Ecco 2: Sentinels of the Universe, which had been written as a direct sequel to Defender of the Future, was cancelled.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Fallout Season 2 Episode 5 contained a number of revelations for the ongoing storyline of Amazon’s adaptation of the post-apocalyptic video games — some of which have ramifications for what we understand of the overarching Fallout lore. And, as you’d expect, fans have a number of theories about what it all means.
Warning! Spoilers for Fallout Season 2 follow:
Episode 5, called The Wrangler, features a flashback to pre-war Las Vegas, where Cooper Howard meets the real Mr. House. This scene has got the Fallout community talking for a number of reasons, chief among them the suggestion that there is a secret player at the table, a variable pulling the strings that Mr. House can’t quite figure out, much to his annoyance.
The Fallout TV show has highlighted the influence and power of pre-war corporations in determining the fate of the world, and a meetup between them in Vegas provides the backdrop to Episode 5’s flashback scenes. Mr. House is aware of his role via his company, RobCo, of course. He knows about Vault-Tec, West-Tek, and Big MT. That’s four megacorps meeting secretly to plot the end of the world. But Mr. House believes there is an unknown organization at play, one that is also behind the Deathclaw seen in the flashback to the Battle of Anchorage. Mr. House believes this mystery player will trigger the nuclear war he himself is preparing for.
Fallout’s nuclear apocalypse was thought to have been triggered by China dropping the bombs first. Tim Cain, co-creator of Fallout, has said this was the developers’ original intention. The Fallout TV show, however, had heavily suggested that Vault-Tec, the evil corporate manufacturer of Fallout’s famous vaults, triggered the nuclear war by dropping bombs of its own — essentially for profit. But Mr. House casts doubt on this possibility. He knows Cooper Howard will end up having something to do with the end of the world, but exactly how… well, he’s clueless.
“The bombs will not be dropped by me or any of the idiots in that meeting,” Mr. House insists, referencing the representatives of the big four megacorps. “I believe there is another player at the table. The same unknown entity responsible for your demon in the snow.”
So who, or what, is this “unknown entity?” The theory picking up the most traction right now is that it is The Enclave. For the uninitiated, The Enclave is the secretive faction from the video games that was formed by pre-war members of the U.S. elite. It claims to be the true successor of the United States government across the wasteland, displaying the same fascist tendencies pretty much all the factions in Fallout do.
The Enclave actually appeared in the Fallout TV show at the beginning of Season 1, when Doctor Siggi Wilzig defects from the organization and sets the plot in motion. And in Fallout lore, The Enclave are thought to have played a part in the creation of some of the Deathclaws, which Mr. House ties to this “unknown entity.” It’s not confirmed, but fans believe The Enclave fits the bill.
Either that, or there’s a brand new faction that’s never been seen in the video games, one that was secretly in charge of world events but known by no-one. The introduction of a brand new faction seems a bit much for the Fallout TV show, and would call into question pretty much everything fans have come to understand about the history of the world.
If it is The Enclave, then which characters are involved with them? Some believe Hank to be secretly working for The Enclave, rather than Vault-Tec, and his work in the Vegas vault for management to be about continuing the group’s secretive work. Indeed, some believe Hank’s message to an unknown recipient earlier in the season was directed at someone at The Enclave, not Mr. House.
How does the revelation that FEV is part of the tri-vault experiment factor into all this? It’s unclear. In Fallout lore, The Enclave is not revealed to be behind the supermutant-creating virus, but perhaps the show will confirm that they were.
“I could buy the Enclave being the overall antagonist of this show,” said one fan, “the ones who ended it all and are attempting to control the wasteland for their idealized America.”
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.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer actor James Marsters has said there's been "interest" in him reprising his iconic role as Spike in the upcoming Hulu continuation series Buffy: New Sunnydale.
Speaking on Charisma Carpenter's The Bitch is Back podcast, Marsters revealed he had recently rewatched the classic Buffy series to try and "get back" into the headspace of playing beloved British vampire Spike — though cautioned that any on-screen return as the character would likely still not be for some time.
Buffy: New Sunnydale — the franchise's upcoming continuation series that's being worked on by Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar — is still finalizing plans for its first season having shot its pilot episode last summer. Now, Marsters has said that while he expects to return, he would be "surprised" if it was before the show's first season finale.
"I didn't rewatch for a long time. And I recently did, just because of this whole reboot issue," Marsters said. "I had to go back and watch it just to ask myself, 'Can you play that character again?' Never mind the externals, can you internally get back to that psychology?"
At this point, Carpenter asks Marsters exactly what he is implying with returning to the character of Spike, and whether he was confirming that Spike would indeed appear in New Sunnydale.
"I am not, I have no idea... let's see, what can I say..." Marsters replied. "There is interest in having me back."
But this is the first time any other actor from the classic Buffy era has indicated that they may be involved — even if Marsters himself believes he won't appear for some time.
"If I was producing the reboot, I wouldn't call me yet," he continued. "I would have to do the origin story of the new slayer, I would have to introduce all of her friends, I would have to set up the new world, and I would have to get them into at least one new adventure together before I dropped in any other characters — whether it's other new characters that I imagine, or whether it's characters from the original show. So I wouldn't imagine I would be called until, at the earliest, the end of season one, possibly into season two. That's when I'd do it.
"I guess I would be surprised if I was not called," he concluded, "and I'd be surprised if I was called now."
James Marsters' character originally began his life (or death) in the classic Buffy series as a villain, with initial plans simply for Spike to appear briefly within the show's second season. But the character's popularity led to Spike later becoming a series regular and a core part of the show — even transferring over to Buffy spin-off Angel when the former series finished.
Spike's later relationship with Buffy herself remains one of the series' hotly-debated storylines, while his fate in Angel — alongside the rest of that show's cast — was left on a cliffhanger due to that series' untimely cancelation. If Spike does indeed return in New Sunnydale, fans will no doubt be fascinated to see where the past 20 years has taken him.
For now, though, there's no clearer word on when New Sunnydale will continue production on its first season — or when it will be released. "I know we live in a society where we want binging, we want it now," Gellar said earlier this month, discussing the fact that work was still continuing behind the scenes. "I know this seems like it's taking a long time, and that's because unless we're sure it's exactly what we set out to do and that it makes sense to do it, we don't want to sully the legacy. When I know it's perfect, then it will be out there. But I won't do it unless I know it can be that."
Connexion
