Nintendo has confirmed it will return to Gamescom to showcase Switch 2 this year, after skipping 2024's event.
Gamescom, the biggest games show by attendance in the world, will this year run from August 21 to August 24 at its usual home in Cologne, Germany.
A post by Nintendo on its German-language social media account has confirmed the company will be back on the show floor at the event. But does this mean we'll get a new Nintendo Direct for Switch 2 at the same time?
Nintendo has not yet said what it plans to showcase at Gamescom 2025, but it's worth bearing in mind that its two main titles for the Switch 2 launch window — Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza — will have been out for some time by that point.
What could Nintendo focus on next? Well, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 shooter Metroid Prime 4: Beyond currently still sits with a vague "2025" launch date, and seems likely to arrive this fall. We may see more of that, and a longer demo than the one previously shown to the public at the Nintendo Switch 2 Tour events made available.
There's also Pokémon Legends Z-A, another title set to arrive for both Switch and Switch 2, which is down for a "late 2025" launch.
And while Nintendo could sail through the second half of 2025 with those two games, it seems possible the Mario maker may also have something else for this year still tucked up its sleeve.
Last year, Nintendo raised eyebrows by skipping Gamescom's 2024 event — an ususual move that many saw as indication its aging Switch hardware was running out of steam, and the company did not have much else to show.
Gamescom is one of the key dates on the gaming calendar, with its in-person event regularly attracting more than 300,000 attendees. Online, the show is now accompanied by the Geoff Keighley-fronted Gamescom Opening Night Live, which in 2024 included looks at Borderlands 4, Monster Hunter Wilds and Dune: Awakening.
Earlier this month, Alienware announced its new mainstream lineup of 2025 gaming laptops, dubbed the "Alienware Aurora". The first 16" models are now available for pruchase at Dell. The Alienware Aurora 16 is the less expensive model, featuring an Intel Core Ultra Series 2 i9-270H CPU and GeForce RTX 4050 GPU with 85W TGP, for $1,949.99. The Alienware Aurora 16X is the higher end model, featuring an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and GeForce RTX 5070 GPU with 115W TGP, for $2,299.99. These are expected to start shipping out in mid June. Both models also have the option to be equipped with RTX 5060 graphics, however those are currently on preorder status with no shipping ETA since the RTX 5060 hasn't actually been released yet.
New Releases: Alienware Aurora 16 and 16X Gaming Laptops
The new Alienware Aurora laptops eschew the gamer styling of other Alienware laptops, including the recently released Area-51. Instead, these look more like standard, albeit sleek, laptops with a thin, unassuming profile and the absence of extraneous RGB lighting. The Alienware Aurora 16, in fact, only has white keyboard illumination similar to Apple MacBooks. Under the hood, however, both the Aurora 16 and 16X still pack in gaming-worthy components and a robust Cryo Chamber dual fan and copper heatpipe cooling system. The Aurora 16 is slightly thinner and lighter than the 16X thanks to more efficient components like a low voltage Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU and RTX 5070 graphics that has a lower 85W TGP rating. The Aurora 16X is slightly thicker and heavier to accommodate beefier cooling. In return, you get a more powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 HX series processor and an RTX 5070 graphics with the maximum 115W TGP rating.
Both laptops are priced much more affordably compared to the new Alienware Area-51 laptop, which starts at over $3,000. They're also a lot easier to travel with, since they weigh up to 1.6 pounds less and measure up to 30% thinner than a similarly sized Area-51 16" laptop. I don't expect prices to drop significantly in the near future, especially since Nvidia GPU prices may trend upwards in the near future (according to Tom's Hardware).
Gamers should go with the Alienware Aurora 16X model
There's little argument here; gamers looking for a powerful mobile desktop replacement should go with the Aurora 16X. For an extra $300, you are getting a significantly more powerful laptop with some added extras that make the package more than worth the price premium. The breakdown of the upgrades are as follows:
Better display (2560x1600 240Hz G-Sync vs 2560x1600 120Hz)
More powerful CPU (Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX vs Intel Core 9 270H)
Higher TGP rating for RTX 5070 (115W TGP vs 85W TGP)
Double the RAM (64GB vs 32GB)
Double the storage (2TB vs 1TB)
Better material (metal top and bottom vs metal top only)
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.
Last week, WizKids' Baldur's Gate 3 miniatures arrived, and they didn't exactly garner rave reviews. The public response seems to have been heard, and now WizKids is offering refunds to anyone who feels dissatisfied with their minifig boxes.
"As a company, WizKids seeks to create products that enhance and add to the enjoyment of game play," the company said in an announcement. "We want our customers to build long-lasting, fond memories around game nights with friends and family using our products.
"Unfortunately, we missed the mark on this goal with the D&D Icons of the Realms: Baldur’s Gate 3 Character Boxed Set. If you purchased this set through our online stores, we will be offering a full refund to those who are unsatisfied with their set."
WizKids went on to say it's aware of the reports, and its team is investigating the issues and taking action to both "make this right" and to ensure issues do not pop up again in future products.
The $49.99 pre-painted D&D Icons of the Realms: Baldur’s Gate 3 Character Boxed Set started rolling out to buyers last week, and the results surprised more than a few. Opening the box to strange paint jobs, off details, and a seemingly melting Withers left purchasers feeling frustrated.
WizKids is offering refunds through two options. If you bought the set online, you can contact customerservice@wizkids.com to start a request. If you went through a local retailer, you can return it at the point of purchase for a full refund. The company is also offering a product replacement through its replacement site, where WizKids says it will work to provide a replacement that "meets the standards expected."
It's not exactly the happiest ending for those hoping for a nice new set of Baldur's Gate 3 miniatures, but it's at least something for those disappointed with the outcome of their box of minis. Hopefully those affected can find some other figure-makers to fill the miniature-shaped hole in their hearts.
Nintendo has announced plans to open a new official store in Fukuoka, Japan at the end of 2025.
Nintendo Fukuoka will be the company’s fourth official store in Japan, joining Nintendo Tokyo, Nintendo Osaka, and Nintendo Kyoto. However, unlike the other stores, Nintendo Fukuoka is the first not located on Honshu (Japan’s biggest main island). Instead, it is in Fukuoka City on Japan’s southernmost main island of Kyushu.
Japanese reactions to the news of Nintendo Fukuoka’s opening on X included many congratulatory messages as well as hopes that there will eventually be official Nintendo stores located throughout the country. Quite a few commenters added the opinion that Sapporo (the biggest city on Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido) would be the next logical place in Japan for Nintendo to set up shop.
However, not everyone was happy. Many commenters were disappointed that Nintendo has seemingly skipped over Nagoya. Located in central Japan, Nagoya is the capital of Aichi prefecture and a major manufacturing hub. Despite being the fourth biggest city in Japan, it suffers from a rumor that it is “boring." This perception was driven into the spotlight in 2016, in a survey of Japan’s eight biggest cities, in which residents were asked to rank the cities in order of how attractive they were to travellers. In a show of local patriotism, most citizens ranked their own city as the best, except for residents of Nagoya who placed it third after Tokyo and Kyoto. Amusingly, the survey was conducted by Nagoya’s government.
Nagoya also has the misfortune to be located between Tokyo and Osaka, meaning that many events and tours skip right over it. The clip from the anime Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikke below explains this trend in more detail.
So, “Nagoya skipping” is a phenomenon that Nagoya natives and residents seem to be quite conscious of, which likely explains the sheer amount of comments voicing concern about Nintendo not opening a store there. Incidentally, Nagoya has been in the news recently, as a new 17,000-person arena is set to open there in July. City officials and news broadcasts have been voicing hopes that this new attraction will prevent the “Nagoya skipping” trend (source: Chukyo TV).
As for Nintendo Fukuoka, the new store will be located in a shopping mall within Kyushu’s biggest major railway station, Hakata Station, which is connected by bullet train to Japan’s largest island of Honshu, and by plane to Fukuoka Airport. With Nintendo Fukuoka being located in such a transport hub, this will provide people living in the surrounding prefectures with a much easier way to get their Mario fix. Also, since pandemic restrictions lifted, the number of inbound tourists visiting Fukuoka has been on the increase (with visitors from nearby South Korea making up the majority), and is predicted to rise further (source: Fukuoka Prefectural Government).
Nintendo’s official stores not only sell Switch consoles, games, accessories and all manner of Nintendo merch, but they also host events and hands-on previews with new titles. It seems likely that Nintendo Fukuoka will play a role in promoting the upcoming Switch 2 and getting it into the hands of more customers.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
I’m not complaining, but in the olden days (all of history up until maybe a year ago), you had to wait months for feature films to come to home viewing formats. But in 2025? The window of time between a theatrical release and a 4K steelbook version of the film going up for preorder has shrunk to roughly zero. All of which is to say that you can already secure a preorder for the limited-edition 4K steelbook release of Final Destination: Bloodlines, a film that’s currently (sorry) killing it at the box office. No release date has been announced yet, but it’ll likely be available sometime this summer.
Final Destination: Bloodlines is the sixth entry in the once-frequent series, landing a full 14 years after the previous entry. I can see why they needed a break, as these movies all follow the same format: thanks to one character’s premonition, a group of mostly teens narrowly avoid dying in a mass-casualty event. After that, death comes for them in the form of delightfully suspenseful Rube Goldberg-like set pieces, and they die in the order they would have perished had they not changed the timeline.
Frankly, it’s a brilliant blueprint for a horror franchise. In each set piece, there are about half a dozen things that could kill the character, and the best of the deaths play with audience expectations in sadistically fun ways. I haven’t personally seen this new one yet, but that’s because I’m watching all of the movies in order before heading to the theater. (The first one holds up; the second one is a masterpiece). Another piece that’s worth noting is that Bloodlines features the final performance of the incomparable Tony Todd, who plays the mortician William Bludworth in the series.
Final Destination: Bloodlines Bonus Features
Feature Commentary - with Directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky
Death Becomes Them: On the Set of Final Destination: Bloodlines - A behind-the-scenes cast and crew interview
The Many Deaths of Bloodlines - Making of the best deaths
The Legacy of Bludworth - with horror icon Tony Todd
"In Final Destination: Bloodlines, death is the life of the party. There’s little novelty to the boilerplate family trauma plot of this sixth Final Destination movie, but what its comedy-forward take on the franchise’s established formula lacks in thematic depth, it more than makes up for with delightful, well-designed kills and boundless gallows humor. A testament to the powerful, simple joy of a well-executed setup and payoff, Bloodlines’ lethal Rube Goldberg machines are tactile and satisfying, benefiting from a solid blend of goopy practical and visual effects. It’s a fantastic jumping-on point for new fans, but the Final Destination faithful are well taken care of with cheeky references to previous movies and a truly poignant farewell from one of the horror genre’s late kings, Tony Todd."
Between redefining the mecha genre and inspiring an entire industry of model kits, I'd argue Mobile Suit Gundam is one of the most influential anime franchises of all time. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino, the series is set in the far future, when giant robot suits are used as weapons of war in conflicts between Earth and its space colonies. As Japan's answer to Star Wars, Gundam features epic space battles, laser swords, and people with mind powers, but still feels grounded in its militaristic settings.
Whether you're a veteran completionist looking to fill gaps in your mobile suit knowledge or a total newbie who wants to see some cool robot fights (and perhaps some horrific, poignant explorations of the horrors of war), here's how to watch Mobile Suit Gundam in order.
How Long Is Mobile Suit Gundam?
The Gundam franchise has continuously produced anime shows and movies since its inception in 1979, but not all Gundam are the same. Though the most popular and "fleshed out" Gundam timeline is the original, known as Universal Century (or UC), there are enough alternate timelines and meta-narratives that you could spend decades trying to catch up on everything. At least in this article, we cover 14 timelines total.
Because of these different timelines, and because the franchise originated in anime rather than manga or books, every piece of media in Gundam is considered canon (to its own timeline, at least). However, we recommend starting with the Universal Century timeline before jumping into these alternatives.
Where Can I Watch Gundam?
The majority of the Gundam franchise, including the original series, is on Crunchyroll. Several movies and shows are also streaming on U.S. Netflix. Unfortunately, some entries are simply unavailable to stream at all — like the acclaimed, fan-favorite Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket. Your best (legal) bet is trying to track these down on DVD or Blu-ray.
Mobile Suit Gundam in Order: The Universal Century Timeline
The original Gundam timeline, and the largest in the franchise, starts with the One Year War between Earth and a nation of space colonies and follows the conflict's effects on the galaxy.
1. Mobile Suit Gundam - The Origin
2015-2018
An origin story for Char Aznable in the years leading up to the formation of Zeon and the One Year War. It's a fantastic introduction to the Universal Century.
2. Mobile Suit Gundam (aka Gundam 0079)
1979-1980
The show that started it all. The original Gundam introduced the mobile suit that gave the franchise its name, and tells an epic story of war and rivalry between hero Amuro Ray and the charismatic Char Aznable. The compilation movie trilogy is a great alternative if the '70s animation and pacing prove too much for newer audiences.
3. Mobile Suit Gundam MS-IGLOO
2004-2008
A show all about Zeon engineers trying to rush their technology, showcasing why they might have lost the war.
4. Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team
1996-1999
A side story in the war, focusing on a small squad, and what I consider one of the best Gundam stories. A self-contained story with great character writing and a fascinating look at the war from a more grounded perspective.
5. Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance
2024
Taking place in the last months of the war, the Netflix show follows a Zeon pilot tasked with defending the European front against the Federation's forces.
6. Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
1989
A self-contained story all about the realities of war, shown from the perspective of a child who initially thinks soldiers are cool when the horrors of war come knocking at his door.
7. Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt
2015-2017
A rare glimpse at the non-Amuro or Char soldiers who risked their lives in the war. Be warned, don't get too attached to the characters.
8. Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
1991-1992
What if Gundam was Top Gun? The answer is Stardust Memory, a show with great '80s power ballads, exciting combat, a crew of pilots you could easily see playing volleyball on the beach, and a great need for speed.
9. Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
1985-1986
The war is over, and the victors have become the new villains. The show blurs the line between good and evil, with a more complex story, a great redemption story for Char, and even more space fights.
10. Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
1986-1987
A more humorous Gundam show, a bizarre attempt to balance out the darkness of Zeta with slapstick comedy and a goofy new group of characters.
11. Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack
1988
The story of Char and Amuro comes to a close with an epic movie. Mostly worth it for those invested in the rivalry of the two mecha pilots.
12. Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
2010-2014
In many ways, this is the conclusion to the Universal Century, a story of a normal boy who becomes a Gundam pilot on behalf of Zeon, threatening to bring down the Federation. This is a rare Gundam title that was adapted from a novel.
13. Mobile Suit Gundam: Twilight Axis
2017
This short film is one of the few Gundam titles to have a female protagonist. Sadly, the film's short runtime means it crunches the story into mere minutes.
14. Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative
2018
A year after the events of Unicorn, the discovery of a long-lost Gundam threatens the Federation. This film features some wild Gundam designs.
15. Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway
2021
It's been 12 years since Char's rebellion, and now a chance encounter between a Newtype, an officer, and the son of a major Federation officer from the original series results in an exciting spy thriller full of intrigue.
16. Mobile Suit Gundam F91
2004
The closest Gundam has come to actually being Star Wars, with a protagonist that's essentially Darth Vader and music that resembles the Imperial March.
17. Mobile Suit Victory Gundam
1993-1994
Even Tomino jokingly rejected this entry in the franchise. That being said, the French Revolution inspiration gives this show, at the very least, a cool premise.
18. G-Saviour
2000
A live-action movie about the Federation and the colonies battling over food shortages that serves as proof that Gundam works best in animation.
How to Watch Other Gundam Timelines in Order
The Cosmic Era Timeline
A timeline focused on the conflict between normal Earth-born humans known as "Naturals," and genetically altered superhumans known as "Coordinators." This is where the SEED series takes place, which is a good introduction to the Gundam franchise as an alternative to the original show.
1. Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
2. Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
3. Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: STARGAZER
4. Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom
The Our Century Timeline
What if Gundam weren't real giant robots, but a franchise with merchandise that regular people are fans of? This is the home of the Gundam Builders franchise, which takes place in our reality, and follows fans of Gunpla — plastic Gundam models — that fans use to fight in high-tech arenas.
1. Model Suit Gunpla Builders Beginning G
2. Gundam Build Fighters
3. Gundam Build Fighters Try
4. Gundam Build Divers
5. Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE
6. Gundam Breaker Battlogue
The Correct Century Timeline
This is an alternate timeline with a rather cool tie to the UC that is best left unspoiled. There is only one title in this timeline, which boasts mecha designs by Syd Mead, a charming protagonist, and a unique premise that kind of reminds me of a western.
1. Turn A Gundam
The Future Century Timeline
The first alternate timeline, Future Century skips the One Year War for a more civilized and exhilarating alternative — a giant tournament. Only one show takes place in this timeline, which is the show for people who always wondered what a Matador Gundam could look like, or a Viking Gundam, or the best-named Gundam — Tequila Gundam. It's the Gundam equivalent of the Gremlins 2 skit from Key & Peele.
1. Mobile Fighter G Gundam
The After Colony Timeline
The timeline that gave Gundam its big break in the U.S. — the messy, campy, iconic Gundam Wing. Five young pilots are sent to Earth independently with Mobile Suits on a mission to fight against a hostile Earth on behalf of the rebellious colonies, but the boys end up finding kinship in each other and choose their own reasons to fight.
1. Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
2. Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz
The After War Timeline
A timeline regarded by some fans as an alternate telling of the Universal Century where the One Year War ended in an even bigger tragedy — with 99% of Earth's population dying from colony drops. Only one show takes place in this timeline, featuring a young boy living on post-apocalyptic Earth decides to pilot a Gundam to save the life of a mysterious girl he has just met.
1. After War Gundam X
The Anno Domini Timeline
The only Gundam timeline to use our calendar, this is the home of the Gundam 00 show and movie. The paramilitary organization Celestial Being tries to rid the world of war by creating the most powerful weapon ever. Surprise, it's five Gundams. It has some elaborate worldbuilding and is the very first Gundam entry to feature actual aliens as antagonists.
1. Mobile Suit Gundam 00
2. Mobile Suit Gundam 00 – Awakening of the Trailblazer –
The Advanced Generation Timeline
Several hundred years after humanity has colonized space and endured an era of long-lasting peace, a new enemy appears. This is the home of Gundam AGE, a series that spans several decades as the protagonists grow from children to old veterans.
1. Mobile Suit Gundam AGE
The Regild Century Timeline
Created for the 35th anniversary of the Gundam franchise, this was the first series that Gundam's creator Yoshiyuki Tomino wrote and directed in 15 years. This timeline takes place a millennium after the Universal Century in a world that is more anti-technology.
1. Gundam Reconguista in G
The Post Disaster timeline
A post-Iraq War Gundam timeline that focuses on more grounded subjects like slavery, colonialism, and child soldiers (in a much less subtle way than past shows). This is the home of Iron-Blooded Orphans, one of the darkest Gundam shows yet, which is saying a lot.
1. Mobile Suit Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans
The Ad Stella Timeline
The home of The Witch From Mercury, this timeline is set in an era where space has become a corporate race, with a multitude of companies investing in different types of mobile suits. Additionally, Gundams here have a bit of a psychic connection to their pilots (think synchronization in Evangelion or Pacific Rim) which has caused many pilots to be killed and Gundams to be banned almost everywhere.
1. Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury
The GQuuuuuuX Timeline
Another alternate version of the Universal Century. In this timeline, Char Aznable gets his hands on the White Base and the original RX-78 Gundam instead of Amuro Ray, drastically changing the outcome of the One Year War. This is the home of the most recent Gundam series, Gundam GQuuuuuuX, which IGN's review called "exactly the kind of inventive reimagining of Gundam we deserve."
1. Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
What's Next for Mobile Suit Gundam?
The gears of Gundam never stop turning. In addition to GQuuuuuuX, a new Gundam anime set in the Post Disaster timeline, titled Iron-Blooded Orphans: Urðr-Huntm, is in the works based on the mobile game of the same name. A prequel to SEED Freedom, titled Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom Zero, is also in development.
And, of course, there is also the live-action movie we've been threatened with for a few years. Though the film has (predictably) suffered setbacks, there is a small chance it could genuinely be great. As of now, one of the only details we have is the possibility of none other than Sydney Sweeney’s involvement.
If you're out of Game Pass Ultimate, or thinking about jumping in for the first time, there's a clever way to get back on board without paying the full £14.99 a month, and save up to £120 a year.
If you need a little help getting started, here's a further in-depth step-by-step guide on how to secure this brand-new deal and not overlook any of the key steps.
It’s important to buy these one at a time in separate orders, as Amazon may occasionally block multiple digital code purchases placed in a single transaction.
Once you have the codes, head over to Microsoft’s official redemption page and enter each one. This will load your account with 36 months of EA Play.
Microsoft will immediately convert the 36 months of EA Play into 12 months of Game Pass Ultimate (ratio of 3:1), and the one-month upgrade itself adds an extra month, bringing the total to 13 months of Ultimate access.
All in, you’ll pay £59.97 for EA Play and £14.99 for the upgrade, totalling £74.96.
So just by stacking a few EA Play codes and triggering Microsoft’s conversion system, you can score 13 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate forthe equivlent of ~£5.76 per month, and access major titles like Doom: The Dark Ages, Oblivion Remastered, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and much more.
Considering a full-price 13-month subscription would normally run nearly £195, this workaround creates a bargain that’s almost too massive to pass up. So tell your friends!
Note: This only works if you don't have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. So ensure you don't have anything left on your membership before proceeding.
Ben Williams – IGN freelance contributor with over 10 years of experience covering gaming, tech, film, TV, and anime. Follow him on Twitter/X @BenLevelTen.
At this point, Tom Cruise might very well live forever — and if he does, at least we know he’ll still be making movies. The legendary actor and daredevil stunt performer recently doubled down on his past declaration that he would continue to make movies into his 80s, and he even took that claim to the next level.
“I actually said I’m going to make movies into my 80s; actually, I’m going to make them into my 100s,” he told THR recently while attending the Cannes Film Festival in honor of his new film Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, which played the festival out of competition. “I will never stop. I will never stop doing action, I will never stop doing drama, comedy films — I’m excited.”
Cruise has been the core of the Mission: Impossible franchise for nearly 30 years now, and it should come as no surprise that the actor has a treasure trove of memories from making the films, starting with the very first in 1996.
But in reflecting as the franchise comes to a close once and for all, Cruise claimed it’s impossible to pick just one because of how wonderful the entire experience has been.
“There's been so many levels of reward with the filmmakers that I’ve collaborated with, the crews, the people, the cultures that we’ve worked in,” he explained at the festival.
“Everything that I’ve learned and continue to learn about storytelling, about life, about leadership, about character and every aspect of filmmaking. It’s been exceptional, it really is exceptional. I feel very fortunate to be able to make the films that I make and I love it, I just [love] making movies.”
Earlier this month, Cruise revealed that M:I 8 director Christopher McQuarrie wanted him to do some actually impossible stunts for the upcoming film, but in order to illustrate how difficult the feat was, he quite literally put McQuarrie up to the trick himself.
Honestly, his life just sounds like a blast. Thankfully cinema has a hype man like him. Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, directed by Christopher McQuarrie, arrives in theaters May 23, 2025.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
The rebooted DCU is in full swing, with Superman waiting to get the main event underway in July. So, can fans a Disney+-style official chronological timeline? James Gunn has responded.
As has become apparent in recent months, there are a number of characters set to appear in Superman, Peacemaker Season 2, Supergirl, and Lanterns. It could get confusing, which begs the question: will the DCU will have a chronological timeline similar to what Marvel Studios' MCU has on Disney+?
That’s a question that was put to DCU steward James Gunn on social media, and he responded to say the DCU timeline is, for now at least, as the films and TV shows come out.
"As of now it's basically as the movies and shows come out — although of course some of these feature flashbacks — 'Creature Commandos,' 'Superman,' 'Peacemaker,' 'Lanterns,' 'Supergirl,' " Gunn explained.
That means this summer’s Superman is set before Peacemaker Season 2, which premieres on HBO Max (yes, they’ve changed the name back) on August 21, 2025. Supergirl comes out on June 26, 2026, but we don’t have a release date for Lanterns. Now we know both are set in-universe after Superman and Peacemaker Season 2. As for in which order, that will depend on when they come out, based on Gunn's latest comments.
Disney+ has a section that orders all the Marvel movies and TV shows in chronological order to create a really helpful and canon timeline. While Gunn’s response here makes it sound like HBO Max won’t have something similar, perhaps in the future when there are a lot of DCU projects to think about, the time will come.
Other upcoming DCU projects known to be in the works include Clayface, which has a September 11, 2026 release date. DCU movie The Authority, however, sounds like it’s in trouble. Gunn has said Waller, a spinoff of Peacemaker, “has had a couple of setbacks, frankly.” However, HBO Max series Booster Gold “is going pretty strong,” and Paradise Lost is "totally, still important and we're working heavily on it," Gunn has said.
As for Swamp Thing, Safran said DC Studios is willing to wait for Logan and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold to be ready to make it.
Speaking of cross-project characters, fans are wondering how the Superman movie is going to deal with all its side characters. The latest trailer showcased everyone from Mister Terrific to The Engineer, as well as newcomer The Hammer of Boravia and the mysterious Ultraman. Guy Gardner is also in Peacemaker Season 2, as is Rick Flag Sr., Maxwell Lord, and Hawkgirl.
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.
This is a spoiler-free review of Rick and Morty season 8, which premieres on Sunday, May 25. New episodes air weekly through July 27.
Eight seasons into its run, Rick and Morty has become two shows. Sometimes it clings to its roots as a science-fiction adventure that brews up a fresh parody of a genre staple every week. But it’s best when it spends time expanding its characters and world, exploring Rick’s dark backstory, his impact on the multiverse, and his relationship with his family. Unfortunately, the four episodes of season 8 that I’ve seen lean on the classic Rick and Morty formula, which is getting a bit tired.
In recent years, the show has challenged Rick’s dominance by having characters push back against his abusive and self-destructive behavior while simultaneously proving that the guy who fancies himself the smartest being in any reality isn’t right about everything. That progress seems to have evaporated in season 8. While Rick does get duped after making a big mistake in the season premiere, “Summer of All Fears,” he mostly gets what he wants and persuades others to fall in line with his amorality.
When Morty argues for trying to actually help people on their adventures, he winds up regretting the decision. Rick, meanwhile, finds that being kind rather than cruel can work to his advantage, but it’s not a lesson bound to stick. Judging by these episodes, season 8 takes a sadistic glee in undermining potential character growth, even as it provides a glimpse at what the Smith family is willing to do to each other to achieve their goals.
Rick and Morty still shines when it pairs its absurdism with sharp writing, pulling no punches when mocking Christianity and the War in Afghanistan with some very weird sci-fi twists. Its over-the-top use of gore, violence, and apocalyptic threats means the stakes are always high and prone to get improbably higher. And it’s never forgotten the value of a good callback – just wait to see how Morty’s decision to add a snorkel to a death-race car in “Summer of All Fears” pays off.
Yet its newest episodes also offer less rewarding reminders of things Rick and Morty has done before. Several of them feel like structural or thematic retreads: "The Rick, The Mort & The Ugly," for example, is a solid little Western that follows the model of “The Ricklantis Mixup,” focusing on the fallout from the destruction of the Citadel of Ricks while the primary versions of Rick and Morty remain blissfully ignorant of the larger plots unfolding around them. The body horror-heavy “The Last Temptation of Jerry” is a mashup of The Santa Clause and Prometheus, but beneath the surface, it’s just another opportunity to use Morty’s poor dad Jerry (Chris Parnell) as a punching bag – which would be less bothersome if it were as funny as (or offered the richer character arcs of) previous Jerry episodes like “The Jerrick Trap” or “Big Trouble in Little Sanchez.” Even with that killer snorkel punchline, “Summer of All Fears” has a bit too much in common with the season 6’s "Rick: A Mort Well Lived," which also combined zany action with an emotional arc about digital selves.
It feels as though Rick and Morty is at a crossroads: At similar points in their long runs, fellow animated comedies Archer and The Venture Bros. had evolved beyond their spoofs of espionage thrillers and Hanna-Barbera boy adventurers, staying fresh by allowing their characters to grow and change. Season 7 saw Rick kill his nemesis and Morty confront his fear of being abandoned by Rick, and yet neither major development seems to have an effect on the early parts of season 8. (Maybe we see that reflected in episode 2, “Valkyrick,” which wasn’t screened for critics.) The end of last season also saw the title characters admit that all the cosmic horrors and untold pleasures they’ve experienced have left them feeling a little jaded. If Rick and Morty isn’t careful, its audience might start to feel that way, too.
Market Price on the Play Booster Set seems to have surged, as on May 14, 2025, you could pick it up for$164.99 from TCGPlayer; it's now $185.59, a $20+ spike. Amazon had also restocked at $189, and still managed to promptly sell out as well.
So, what is "Market Price"? Those collecting Pokémon TCG will be wildly familiar with the concept, but it's where retailers will take liberties with the "recommended" part of an MSRP, and list it for what they think folk will pay. Capitalism at its finest, I know, and for Final Fantasy MTG, "Market Price" is currently around $20-40 over MSRP, depending on what you're buying.
If you can stomach the cost, with the rest of the sets sold out and some singles already going for over $500, you'll want to lock in your preorders before everything vanishes faster than you can say Chocobo.
TCG Player is good spot for a wide collection of single cards you can purchase and add to your deck without having to hope for a good pull.
It's also a good resource for figuring out how much your cards are worth once the new set is out, so if you pull any Surge Foil cards in your booster pack preorders, you might suddenly find yourself with quite the nest egg. But, it's also worth noting that prices change all the time, so some cards may change in value closer to release.
Other highlights to look out for when opening boosters, or to consider buying standalone, include the Cloud, Ex-Soldier Commander card, which costs $45.99 at the time of writing. That’s not surprising, given how easy it makes it for equipping other creatures you might have in play on the field.
Then there's also the full-art version of the Yuffie Kisaragi - Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow, currently just under $100. That’s due to both the card’s use as a Commander and its rarity, especially in that classic late 90’s FF7 art style.
It’s when you get to some of the special cards where things get extra expensive, though. Alongside that eye watering $599 Cloud card, the borderless version of the Traveling Chocobo card, costs $169.98, while the standard version stands at a cheaper, but still expensive $114.97.
Moreover, TCG Player is also hosting preorders for select Final Fantasy booster sets, albeit at over MSRP, but at current market price.
But, for those just preordering the Starter Kit today, it is also worth noting that each deck in the set is preconstructed, and doesn't feature boosters to open (so no surprise $600 cards).
Instead, it includes one traditional foil legendary creature, five brand-new non-foil cards debuting in Magic, and 54 cards from the main set.
The kit also comes with four non-foil double-sided tokens, two MTG Arena code cards (one per deck), and two deck boxes. That’s a lot of value packed into a $20 price tag.
For new Magic: The Gathering players, the Arena code cards are especially useful. You can redeem both decks to play online, giving you a chance to learn the game at your own pace through AI matches or competitive play.
More MTG Preorders and Restocks at Amazon
Looking for more? There's also plenty of other Magic: The Gathering products to buy now or preorder, such as the highly anticipated Edge of Eternities set.
The rest are a mixed bag, with older products going for an absolute fortune, such as the $749 Theros Beyond Death booster to the pricey Lord of the Rings sample bundles.
Ben Williams – IGN freelance contributor with over 10 years of experience covering gaming, tech, film, TV, and anime. Follow him on Twitter/X @BenLevelTen.
The Lego Group has forced an intrepid team of developers to shut down their impressive-looking Bionicle fan project, after eight years' work.
Bionicle: Masks of Power was set to have been an open-world action RPG inspired by Horizon: Zero Dawn, featuring the fan-favourite masked warriors from Lego's legendary toy series.
Successive trailers for the game had hyped up Bionicle fans for the release, and all looked fine from The Lego Group's side — until, in the last month, something appears to have changed.
In a blog post confirming Bionicle: Masks of Power's shock cancellation, its developers Team Kanohi said that they had recently been contacted by The Lego Group and told to shut down the project "in its entirety" and remove the game "from the public eye."
The developers said they were not given any further specifics on the decision, but speculated that Bionicle: Masks of Power had grown to the point where it was now "too easy to mistake for an official product."
A now-removed Steam page for the game was among the first search results for "Bionicle game," and despite disclaimers that it was a fan project, its developers admit the whole thing may have been a victim of its own success — and beginning to look too legitimate.
Indeed, newly-published footage meant as a farewell to the project shows a relatively polished Unreal Engine-powered experience, featuring the Bionicle characters in a lush jungle world.
Could Lego finally be preparing its own Bionicle game now, and not want Masks of Power as competition? Or, perhaps, might Bionicle be set to appear within Lego's deep integration within Fortnite, where players can make their own Lego games and worlds using Unreal Engine?
Whatever the reason, this looks to be the end for Bionicle: Masks of Power, though its development team has said it will rebrand and continue.
"Our plan is to take everything we've learned through creating Masks of Power and use that knowledge and experience as the foundation of a brand-new, original game," the developers said.
"Currently codenamed Project Rustbound, our team has already begun brainstorming concepts for a new, original world that we get the chance to build ourselves."
This will also come with a new name for Team Kanohi, as it leaves the masked Bionicle warriors behind. And that new name? Unmasked Games. After eight years and some promising progress, we'll be keeping an eye out for what the team does next.
Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear spiritual successor, Physint, is still "another five or six years" away from release.
That's according to Kojima himself, who told Le Film Francais that his aspirations to direct a movie were on hold at least until he had finished developing his first "action espionage" game since he very publicly parted ways with Konami in 2015.
"I've had so many offers since I left Konami, with serious conditions to develop games in my independent studio," Kojima said, as translated by ResetEra member Red Kong XIX. "Besides Death Stranding 2, there's also Physint in development. That will take me another five or six years.
"But maybe after that, I could finally decide to take on a film," the director said. "I grew up with cinema. Directing would be, in a way, a tribute to it. Also, I'm getting older, and I'd prefer to do it while I'm still young!"
PlayStation Studios boss Herman Hulst announced Physintback in January 2024, but since then, news has been sparse. Interestingly, at the time, Kojima alluded that it would also be a movie, but later clarified on X/Twitter that the “look, story, theme, cast, acting, fashion, sound, etc… are all at the next level of ‘Digital Entertainment’ that could be called a ‘movie.’ ”
This is one of several projects Kojima and his studio are working on, alongside Death Stranding 2 and OD. The latter is a new IP in collaboration with Xbox Game Studios, with actress Hunter Schafer and filmmaker Jordan Peele attached to the project. Kojima is also involved in A24's film adaptation of the original Death Stranding.
Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Marvel fans have their best look yet at the MCU Galactus after a Snapple promo revealed the design of the supervillain in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
As spotted by ComicBook.com, social media users picked up on promotional art used for the Snapple drinks brand. It shows Galactus himself towering over the Fantastic Four and the Baxter building with a level of detail we have yet to see officially. If you look closely, you can see the texture of Galactus himself, which some fans are saying gives off Death Star vibes.
New promo art for Fantastic Four: First Steps featuring Galactus for Snapple. pic.twitter.com/2J8Ykl8Oq9
Fans are also taking a close look at Galactus’ face here — at least, the human-looking portion of his face — to see if it’s modeled after actor Ralph Ineson, below. Most agree it does indeed look like Galactus' face is Ineson's face, if this promo accurately reflects the character we will see in the movie.
Galactus is set to arrive at the alternate Earth shown in the Fantastic Four trailers with planet eating on his mind. If this MCU version is anything like his comic book counterpart, that’s bad news for Earth and the Fantastic Four.
Warning! Spoilers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps follow:
The Funko Pop figures for The Fantastic Four: First Steps include Mr. Fantastic, Human Torch, Thing, Silver Surfer, Galactus, and Invisible Woman, who is paired with her and Reed’s toddler son Franklin Richards.
In the Marvel comics, Franklin is Reed and Sue Richards’ first child; their daughter Valeria would follow years later. The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer revealed that Sue is pregnant in the movie. These collectibles suggest that either First Steps takes place over a long enough period of time to go from Sue announcing her pregnancy to Franklin being of toddler age.
Fans don’t have long to wait to find out how this all plays out, with The Fantastic Four: First Steps set for release in July. We’ve got plenty to keep you going until then, including comments from Julia Garner on Silver Surfer.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
The following article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2, episode 6.
Season 2 of The Last of Us has thus far presented events in chronological order, a departure from the game’s frequent dips into non-linearity. That means there are several important flashbacks it has skipped over – fan favourites like Ellie’s birthday at the Wyoming museum and Joel singing Future Days. Thankfully they were not consigned to the cutting room floor: we got a whole bunch of them in episode six, grouped together for an hour-long look at Ellie’s past.
Three key flashback sequences from the original game were adapted for this episode. Here we’ve compared them against the original source material, analysing what’s changed and what’s stayed the same. You can see both versions in the video above, or read on below for our written explanations.
Prologue
Episode six takes us back a few years to one of Ellie’s birthday’s. Now living in Jackson, she’s treated to a birthday cake and a present from Joel: the musical instrument that some folks call a gee-tar.
This is an adaptation of The Last of Us Part 2’s second scene, and so arrives much later in the story than it did in the game. The framing of the scene has been changed significantly, as in the game it was not Ellie’s birthday, rather just a random late night. After having spoken to Tommy about what he did at the end of the first game, Joel visits Ellie to bring her the guitar. The shift in framing means the environment is much darker and more somber in the game, but otherwise the events of this scene are largely identical.
We see Joel play Pearl Jam’s Future Days in both versions of the scene, and both Troy Baker and Pedro Pascal perform the song in a similar fashion. In the show Ellie urges Joel to play, while in the game Joel offers himself. The show’s version of Ellie is more animated as she listens, while the game version is more reserved and stoic. But the differences are minute; this is very clearly the same sequence. Both versions of the song end with Ellie saying “Well, that didn’t suck.”
In the game, Joel then gives Ellie the guitar and promises to teach her how to play. In the game the gift is already made obvious; this is Ellie’s birthday, after all.
The Birthday Gift
Originally taking place at the end of Seattle Day 1 in the game, The Birthday Gift flashback that takes up the middle portion of this episode is a fan favourite. It sees Joel take Ellie to the Wyoming Museum of Science and History for her birthday, where she has a close encounter with a T-Rex and blasts off into outer-space (sort of). Of all the recreated flashbacks in this episode, The Birthday Gift is the most lovingly replicated. This is pretty much a 1:1 clone of what we played in the game. I do wish they’d done the pulling faces in the mirror, though.
The scene begins outside, with Ellie discovering the overgrown Tyrannosaurus rex statue and climbing up onto its head. The dialogue here is nearly line-for-line the same as in the game, and the clothing and backpacks used by both Joel and Ellie are very close matches.
The scene skips slightly ahead of the game to take Joel and Ellie to the museum’s space exhibition, which opens on a perfect recreation of the game’s orrey room. This mechanical model of the solar system functions exactly as it does in the game, with the sun orb lighting up and the planets moving through their orbits when Ellie turns the crank.
Of course, it’s the next room where the important stuff happens. There we find a great recreation of the overgrown rocket shuttle cockpit from the game. Ellie acquires her helmet in a very slightly different fashion – in the game she simply picks it up from a display, where in the show she breaks a glass cabinet to get one – but both versions remark that the helmet smells “like space and dust”.
Inside the shuttle, Joel gives Ellie the tape that contains the lift-off recording. He does so with exactly the same dialogue: “This is something that took a mighty effort to find.” The scene then proceeds into a near identical recreation of the “launch”, with the camera focused on Ellie’s face as the lighting replicates that of a space mission. The only real difference is that where the game’s camera is locked directly on Ellie’s face for the full duration of the sequence, the show sometimes uses a side angle to show the shuttle’s window and the bright light pouring in.
Epilogue
The final sequence of this episode recreates The Last of Us Part 2’s epilogue, and so arrives much earlier in the show than it did in the game. A flashback to the night of Ellie’s kiss with Dina and Joel’s subsequent attack on Seth, this scene sees Joel and Ellie hash out their issues and finally arrive at some kind of resolution. In the game it’s a powerful end point – a reveal that Ellie and Joel didn’t part on a bad note. It’s interesting to see that brought forward to an earlier moment in the story, where it now feels more like season 2’s farewell to Joel.
Despite the relocation, the scene remains largely the same. Ellie arrives at Joel’s porch to find him drinking coffee. The dialogue here is practically identical to the game’s script, with Joel explaining that he’s “a little embarrassed” about what he traded for the coffee. The duo proceed to discuss the same topics as they did in the game; Ellie’s complaints about Joel’s behaviour at the dance, Joel quizzing Ellie on Dina’s intentions. This all leads to the real topic at hand: what Joel did at the end of the first game/season.
While the script is broadly similar for this part of the conversation, the characters are notably more distressed in the show. The game’s tone has always been very subtle, its characters very reserved and stoic. In the show, there’s tears and broken voices from both sides. When Joel explains that, if given the chance, he’d make the same decision again, in the show he expands on those thoughts, saying that Ellie will never understand the way he loves her. He ends by saying he hopes that she’ll do better than he did, should she ever have a child of her own.
Both in the game and show, Ellie concludes their conversation by saying that she can never forgive Joel, but that she would like to try. The scene then cuts to black in the show, but there’s a little extra in the game, as Joel responds that he’d “like that”. It’s a line that actually makes the whole sequence feel a little more uplifting – a hope that things may return to “normal”, or something resembling it.
For more from The Last of Us, check out our spoiler-free season two review and our spoiler-filled review of the sixth episode.
An eye-opening leak from the set of Avengers: Doomsday has spilled the return of a major location in the Marvel universe — and with it, the likely reappearance of a character from earlier MCU films and TV series.
Warning! Potential spoilers for Avengers: Doomsday follow:
Over the weekend, Instagram user theyneversawitcoming posted footage apparently gained from accessing the Avengers: Doomsday film set at Pinewood Studios. Within it, several glimpses of a set featuring the fictional location of Madripoor can be seen.
In Marvel comics, Madripoor is a crime-ridden city-state in Southeast Asia, home to various rogues and villains (and also Wolverine, who has spent time there). More relevantly, however, Madripoor has also featured within the MCU, in the so-so TV series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
The last time we saw the city, Sam Wilson (Antony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) were being helped there by Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), whose character had started a life in the island's underworld after the events of Captain America: Civil War.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's finale revealed to audiences that Carter had secretly become the supervillain Power Broker, Madripoor's defacto ruler — though she has not reappeared in the MCU since.
A return to Madripoor in Avengers: Doomsday strongly suggests Carter's arc will now continue, however, as it seems impossible that the film will feature the city without also picking up the story of its key character, more than five years later.
Hopefully this means MCU fans will now get more backstory for Carter, who has featured as a side-character in projects as far back as 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, though always as a more minor player. (Remember when Carter was being lined up as a love interest for Steve Rogers, despite being Peggy Carter's grand-niece? If so, Marvel would probably like you to forget that happened.)
Avengers: Doomsday is set for release on May 1, 2026 and feature one of the largest casts ever (Avengers) assembled for an MCU film, including the return of Robert Downey Jr., now in the iconic role of Victor Von Doom.
This latest leak follows an apparent Avengers: Doomsday set photo that revealed what looked like the grounds of the X-Mansion, also known as Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, as it appears in the Fox X-Men films, with mini-craters suggesting a big battle was taking place. It begs the question: is Avengers: Doomsday secretly an Avengers vs. X-Men movie?
A good, high-quality LEGO set is great for collectors across various ages and fandoms, and this Super Mario kit, which is now back at My Nintendo Store UK for £149.99, combines the best of both worlds.
Containing 1972 pieces, this build-and-display model is recommended for those over the age of 18, making it perfect for adult Nintendo fans who love Mario Kart.
Part of its dynamic display capabilities, the fully built Mario has posable head and arms, allowing the Mushroom Kingdom's favourite hero to sit behind the wheel however you like.
With the included stand as well, you can adjust the position of the kart at assorted angles, to simulate Mario Kart's iconic actions of drifting or simply speeding around Rainbow World.
The fully built set will sit at over eight and a half inches (or 22cm) in height, while being 12.5 inches (32cm) long and seven and a half (19cm) wide — making it a dazzling centre piece for your living room, bedroom, or gaming space/office.
While waiting to play Mario Kart World on the Nintendo Switch 2, taking a few nights to put this lavish kit together will certainly help fill the void in the meantime.
The Super Mario Kart LEGO kit can be bought with free delivery at both Nintendo UK and the LEGO store, but is immediately available from Nintendo. The LEGO store currently has units of the set available for back order, to ship slightly later on the 23rd of May.
However, buying from the LEGO store and waiting a bit longer does come with an added incentive. When placing an order over £135, the LEGO store adds a 250-piece Up-Scaled Baby Astronaut set for absolutely free, normally worth £16.99.
If you want the most value for your money whilst building your LEGO collection, the titular retailer is the way to go.
Ben Williams – IGN freelance contributor with over 10 years of experience covering gaming, tech, film, TV, and anime. Follow him on Twitter/X @BenLevelTen.
However, I'll show you how to save some real money. Plus, on top of that, the single card market is crashing, so now is a great time to grab individual chase cards while prices are in free fall.
TL;DR: The Best Deals For Today
Today’s deals also include major discounts on Switch 2 accessories, a still-live preorder window for Magic: The Gathering’s Final Fantasy crossover, and some premium gaming hardware drops.
If you’ve been holding off on upgrading your desktop setup, the latest Cooler Master and Skytech builds are down hundreds of dollars, and there’s also a 1TB Pixel 9 Pro with Google AI priced well under retail.
Even DOOM fans get a nod today with a limited edition A3 print up for preorder through IGN Store
151 Poster Collection
Let's take this 151 poster collection on Amazon as a solid example. This is a $15 product that has three booster packs and three promos inside, nothing special.
This currently has a market value of around $33.24 at TCG Player, so it's a little baffling how big box retailers like Amazon can charge above what people in the market are willing to pay. But if you're desperate, it's up and available for $40+ sold and shipped by Amazon.
151 Booster Pack, But at Market Value
Unless you're dead set on grabbing the promo cards and poster in the bundle above, grabbing booster packs from TCG Player could be where it's at, or just the poster bundle in general quite honestly.
If you're not bothered about opening packs and just want 151 chase cards, here's some of my favorites as well.
Some of the prices above look crazy, but some of them we're nearly double just a couple of weeks ago, with the latter 5 cards climbing higher and higher. If your heart is set on ripping open booster packs, let's get into the best way to do just that without destroying your life savings (much).
This hand-numbered A3 art print is limited to 995 copies and features Slayer in all his demon-destroying glory.
It’s printed in the UK on high quality paper, includes a certificate of authenticity, and ships in July 2025.
If you’re already excited for DOOM The Dark Ages, this is the first official piece of merch up for preorder.
MTG Final Fantasy Preorders
Meanwhile preorders for Magic the Gathering: Final Fantasy are still up at Walmart and Amazon, specifically the Bundle and Starter Kit for retail pricing.
This is set to be the biggest MTG set in the history of the trading card game, so it's a wise choice to preorder now. You can also preorder single cards at the moment too:
The worst thing you can do as a Magic or FF fan is to sleep on this set, it's going to explode. These are the current biggest cards in the set before launch on June 5.
Bear in mind it's mega risky to buy before release day, as prices could plummit in the meantime. Still, it's worth keeping an eye on what's hot, and what's not!
T1D Breakthrough Bundle
This Humble Bundle packs nine games tied to creators with Type 1 diabetes, and your purchase supports Breakthrough T1D, formerly JDRF.
At just ten dollars for the full bundle, it’s an easy way to support a good cause while picking up a solid collection.
Nintendo Switch 2 Accessories Sale
Did you manage to grab a Nintendo Switch 2 preorder in? If so you'll want to protect that tarrif-dodging investment at all costs. Luckily I've got the best cases, screen protectors and thumb grips on the market right now.
I've included JSAUX as i've been hands on with the products above and can't reccomend them enough.
Cooler Master NR2 Pro Mini ITX
Cooler Master’s ultra-compact NR2 Pro Mini ITX system packs serious specs into a case roughly the size of a shoebox. This build includes an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor, RTX 5080 GPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 2TB Gen4 NVMe SSD. It runs quiet thanks to a 280mm AIO cooler and even supports glass or mesh panel configurations. At 10 percent off, it’s a rare price drop for one of the most powerful small form-factor PCs you can buy.
Skytech Chronos Gaming PC
This high-performance Skytech Chronos build features a Ryzen 7 7800X3D processor and RTX 5080 graphics card, giving you 4K-ready gaming with no thermal compromise. It’s cooled by a 360mm AIO and comes loaded with 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 2TB Gen4 SSD. It also includes a free gaming keyboard and mouse. With a 14 percent discount, it’s a great option if you’re looking to upgrade for modern triple-A performance.
ASUS TUF F16
Down to $1099.99, this F16 laptop includes an i7-13650HX processor and RTX 4060 GPU. Its 165Hz display runs at a 16:10 aspect ratio with 100 percent sRGB coverage for better color accuracy and smoother gameplay. It’s also MIL-STD-810H certified, meaning it’s built to handle everyday bumps and travel. You get strong cooling features, 512GB of Gen4 storage, and a subtle, clean design that doesn’t scream gamer when it’s closed.
Google Pixel 9 Pro 1TB
Pixel 9 Pro is Google’s most powerful phone yet, and today’s deal brings the 1TB model down to $1149. That includes the new Super Actua display, upgraded triple-camera system, and a full suite of Gemini-powered AI tools. From photo editing with Magic Editor to real-time help from Gemini Live, it delivers Google’s best features with premium hardware and a slick, matte finish. It’s also unlocked for all major carriers.
Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of "Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior". Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.
CD Projekt Red has a reputation for making special games. The Witcher 3, now celebrating its 10th anniversary, is still frequently cited as one of, if not the best, RPG ever made. Meanwhile, Cyberpunk 2077 has (thanks to some substantial upgrades) blossomed into one of the deepest, most robust examples of open-world roleplaying. These two games alone have made the studio one of the most famous and respected in the world, not to mention its other, equally fascinating releases. But what is it that CD Projekt Red does that makes its games stand apart from their peers?
While there are many elements that come together to ensure a CDPR game’s quality, it’s how the smaller pieces connect to create a coherent and convincing whole that really makes these RPGs sing. The authenticity of that whole is achieved through the story, world, and characters shifting and changing based on your choices. It’s a template that many RPG developers use, but few have succeeded in their ambitions in quite the same way as CDPR has.
“When I play other triple-A RPGs or RPG adjacent games, I very often can feel the limitations of their tools,” says Patrick Mills, CD Projekt Red’s franchise content strategy lead. “You can see the ambition of the designer and you see that the ambition is not quite delivered upon. And I think a lot of people who don't know how games are made look at that and they just say, ‘lazy devs,’ or ‘they're bad designers.’ And that's not what it is. I think, a lot of times, it's that your tools just aren't capable of delivering the thing that you want to do.”
CD Projekt Red has spent nearly as many hours making tools as it has making games. Almost all of its RPGs have been built using the company’s REDengine, a bespoke toolkit that has been designed, augmented, and iterated upon across four different versions to allow the design team to achieve its very specific ambitions. Those tools have allowed all the pieces of each game to connect, enabling a coherent experience in which players’ actions feel impactful and accounted for.
Newer versions of the REDengine have also allowed the studio to get really wild with some of its quest designs. In The Witcher, for instance, there’s broadly three kinds of objectives: exploration and investigation, dialogue-driven drama, and cutthroat combat encounters. By Cyberpunk 2077, the studio had pushed deep into the minutiae of character creation, which opened up the need for a game that supported an even wider range of playstyles, including stealth and hacking – both of which require bespoke systems. Cyberpunk’s Phantom Liberty expansion doubled down on this, resulting in quests that referenced very different genres, such as its famous survival horror-inspired optional finale. Variety, then, has been key to CD Projekt Red’s journey.
“I think especially with the RPGs that we're making, which tend to be relatively sizable, it's almost like a necessity, right?” says Miles Tost, level design lead at CD Projekt Red. “You need to find the variety in the gameplay and ways to bend the systems in a way that you create some new and fresh experiences, because otherwise players will just burn out on it.”
“With the size of these games, even [with] the best story, people will slowly taper out if the gameplay doesn't keep them engaged and refreshed,” he adds.
Whatever the choice is and whatever the consequence is, we want players to feel rewarded, even if the emotion in the end is sadness.
That’s not to say that stories aren’t an important part of CD Projekt Red’s games. Far from it. In fact the studio has a tried, tested, and proven approach to how it tells a tale in every single one of its quests. They all need a twist. A wrinkle. As Mills explains, killing the bandits who stole from a village is “boring” and “not an interesting story.” But successfully telling the story of a bandit attack isn’t just about turning an unpredictable corner – it also needs to take into account the method in which players explore that story. To anticipate that, CDPR puts every quest through “destruction testing”, in which playtesters attempt to navigate the mission in every conceivable way. With the data from that testing, quest designers are then able to re-tool missions to account for unexpected player behaviour, ensuring they support as many solutions as possible. The result is a more natural-feeling storyline that authentically responds to your choices.
Choices in video games are complicated. Cyberpunk’s open-ended nature means that every single body modification purchased, weapon looted, and skill point invested can change the way a player interacts with the world, and so a huge amount of possibilities must be accounted for – everything from stealth to brutality to diplomacy to the inevitable player-divised tactics that take developers by surprise months after release.
But such decisions are not the choices that CD Projekt Red is famous for. Rather, the studio is known for its big story-branching choices. For years such decisions were generally considered “BioWare-style”, so synonymous was the design with games such as Mass Effect and the original Baldur’s Gates. But CDPR’s take on them has arguably become the go-to in the public consciousness. That’s largely thanks to their challenge; there’s no clear line between good and evil in either Cyberpunk or The Witcher, and so every choice feels like untying a thousand knots to work out the best option. But there are other factors: CDPR has a tendency to delay the consequences of your actions, meaning you can’t immediately reload a poor choice and try again, which grants each decision a sense of inescapable authenticity. And when the consequences do strike, they feel impactful and far-reaching; choices often result in major character deaths, political upheaval, or roll the dice on romantic encounters.
The success of these choices is rooted in careful preparation. “All the sides are presented to you beforehand,” says Paweł Sasko, associate game director. “You had an opportunity to actually assimilate all the information. You understood it well, you get the characters, you know what they are about. So at the moment when you are faced with a choice, you understand the context and you understand the implications of what you're doing.”
This thorough approach means that players can have a nuanced relationship with the result of their actions. As quest designer Paweł Gąska explains, “We want the player to see that even a good choice can have bad consequences, and that a bad choice can still be justified because of something else you focused on.”
A great example of this can be found in Cyberpunk 2077’s Phantom Liberty expansion, which sees FIA agent Songbird offer to help cure your terminal condition, provided you help her escape the clutches of her tyrannic employer. Simultaneously her former partner, Reed, asks that you help him bring Songbird into FIA custody, as he hopes that his (admittedly questionable) bosses will do right by her. By presenting both character paths as viable, nuanced options rather than a choice between good and evil, CDPR helps players build authentic relationships and eventually make decisions that reflect their own feelings and values.
“Whatever the choice is and whatever the consequence is, we want players to feel rewarded, even if the emotion in the end is sadness,” explains Sebastian Kalemba, game director on The Witcher 4. “If this is coherent with the emotional journey we're delivering, [it will allow] the player to feel [that they are] okay with this consequence.”
Several of CDPR’s choices have gone down in video game legend. While the branching pathways through The Witcher 3’s Bloody Baron quest and the choice between helping Songbird or Reed at the end of Phantom Liberty are among the company’s best and most well-known, my personal favourite can be found in The Witcher 2. At the end of chapter one you must ally with either Vernon Roche, commander of the Temerian special forces, or Iorweth, the elven leader of the Scoia'tael freedom fighters. Your choice here completely changes the quests, characters, and location of the game’s middle-act. It was a bold, ambitious swing for the studio’s second-ever game, and one it has not attempted since.
“The difficulty with that is not so much about being bold, it’s mostly about the resources you invest,” says Tost. “We haven't gotten more afraid over the years of people missing our content. We're very much fine with that happening. But it's also the amount of resources you commit to basically making two different stories, which is almost like two different games.”
As quest designers, we can think of good choices, but it's the writers who have to actually elicit emotions in the players.
The company’s decision to move away from level-based locations to an open world design made creating branching pathways as significant as that in The Witcher 2 “more difficult to do.” But the idea wasn’t abandoned. The final act of The Witcher 3’s Blood and Wine expansion is notably malleable. Similarly, the choice between Songbrid and Reed towards the end of Phantom Liberty results in two radically different pathways. “Phantom Liberty in general was sort of a response to some criticism that we got for the base game, which was that we lost a lot of non-linearity,” Tost explains.
According to Mills, CDPR worked on Cyberpunk 2077 “thinking that we understood choice and consequence,” but discovered upon completion of the base game that such choices weren’t landing correctly. “We built choice and consequence into most of our quests,” Mills insists. “We built it into the structure of the game, but it just didn't feel satisfying.”
Following a period of careful analysis, the Cyberpunk development team came to the conclusion that its approach to choice and consequence had been too subtle. Elements that telegraphed upcoming choices were often missed by players who simply could not spot such small details in the dense ocean of near-photo realistic detail that is Night City. And then, following their decisions, players were not being shown the consequences of their actions in a clear manner.
“The Witcher 3 had a structure where you were making your choices, you were visiting Skellige and [Velen] when you made those choices, and then later in following acts, you were actually visiting those places again,” recalls Sasko. “And we could, in a really simple way, show you, ‘Hey, here are your consequences, because you are visiting the same places again.’ It's so simple to do it. In Cyberpunk, the structure is so much more complex. You rarely come back to the places that you have seen.”
Sasko discusses his work on The Pickup, a Cyberpunk 2077 quest in which you must acquire a prototype combat robot from a gang holed up in a meat factory. There are a number of ways this quest can be tackled, and the aftermath reflects your approach. “When you come back to the meat factory, there are consequences of your choices,” Sasko says. “But you have to really be there, come and look for it, and most players don't. That's the reality. So the learning [is that] the structure of the game needs to support [revealing the consequences].”
It was this learning that led to a “more heavy handed” approach for Phantom Liberty and its branching final questline. But the choice and resulting branch is only worth so much in and of itself. Because no matter how good the choice is, no matter how many options are built into the story, none of it can succeed if the writing surrounding the choice is sub-par.
“As quest designers, we can think of good choices, good dilemmas, good themes, but it's the writers who have to deliver the dialogues that will actually elicit emotions in the players,” says Gąska. “It's the cinematics [team] and the animators who have to give [the story] to you in a way that you will actually feel it.”
Gąska likens this to the dilemma of a terminally ill person deciding to end their own life. Without any emotion or connection, the question is “just a theoretical thing.” But when the choice is personal, involving people you love and care for, it becomes a heart-wrenching issue. And so the fundamental skill behind creating resonant choices is to craft characters that feel truly authentic. Such authenticity can then inform how choices and consequences are built into the game's design and story.
“Our approach is the approach for the way we live, right?” says Kalemba, who explains that he doesn’t believe in foreshadowing the consequences of choices. “You don’t know what's going to happen tomorrow, but there are several choices you have today. And by designing the experience from the get-go this way, we let ourselves do our games as best as possible and ask players to be open and ready for the consequences.”
While Kalemba and his team will no doubt draw upon the studio’s prior successes for The Witcher 4, there’s naturally a desire to do something more advanced. Something more impressive. But to do so will require solving a tricky development puzzle.
“All of the work we did on [our] expansions was generally more enjoyable than working on the base games themselves,” admits Tost. “All of these unknowns that you had when you were working on the base game are answered and it's a matter of pure creation. I think we should look at how we answer these questions in a timely manner so that we can simulate the process of working on an expansion earlier than by the time we get to making an expansion.”
Such an approach is made all the more trickier by tools – CD Projekt Red is leaving its bespoke REDengine behind for The Witcher 4, instead opting for Unreal Engine 5. And so on top of trying to answer those questions, development staff will also be learning how best to maximise the potential of a new and unfamiliar engine. To meet their ambition, the team will need to avoid Mills’ earlier observation of developers fighting against the limitations of their tools. No doubt a close relationship with Unreal’s creator, Epic, will be vital to moulding the engine into a shape that allows CDPR to deliver on its goals.
“We want to put player agency in the center,” says Kalemba of those goals. “We want players to be able to really sense these opportunities and to go in-depth when it comes to choice and consequences.
“It's the evolution of The Witcher, so more tools at players' disposal to be able to not only play and go with the consequences narratively, but also gameplay wise,” he adds. “We want to give players more tools, more opportunities, to be able to feel that ‘I am the player and I define my experience.’”
Simply matching The Witcher 3’s choices and their resulting consequences would be a massive undertaking for CD Projekt Red. But to evolve and advance The Witcher 4 beyond the studio’s past accomplishments no doubt requires something much more complex. As Cyberpunk 2077 proved, even the master of branching stories can trip and fall. Phantom Liberty saw the studio stand back up and dust itself off, but The Witcher 4 will be the true test of how past learnings inform new ambitions. Hopefully Ciri’s next adventure will continue to cement CD Projekt Red’s reputation as the studio dedicated to respecting and fulfilling player choices.
As Destiny 2 developer Bungie scrambles to recover its reputation after yet another independent artist accused the studio of "lifting" their artwork in Marathon, the community around the developer is wondering what's next.
Last week's accusation prompted an "immediate investigation" and acknowledgement from the studio that a "former Bungie artist" had indeed used Fern Hook's work without compensation or credit.
Then, on Friday night, Marathon game director Joe Ziegler and art director Joe Cross apologized on a painfully uncomfortable livestream that featured no Marathon art or footage at all as the team was "still scrubbing all of our assets to make sure that we are being respectful of the situation."
Since then, players have been trying to untangle who the "former artist" is (if there even is one, as some are wondering), with some reporting they "just feel hollow." Others wonder whether Marathon can still succeed at all, and what a "flop" would mean for the storied studio.
"The game went from mixed/negative reception to PLAGIARISM_WILL_MAKE_ME_GOD, four months from launch in the eyes of the larger gaming community. If they don't delay it, it's 100% DOA," suggested one player. "If the game does in fact die, we're talking over $100 million+ lost (probably a gross underestimate for a AAA game/studio). So yeah, really bad.
"Make no mistake, this is an existential struggle for Bungie at this point."
"I think it releases to a very lukewarm reception, similar to the Destiny expansion in July," hypothesized another. "It will last til January for active updates, put in maintenance mode til about summer 2026, then shut down with Bungie finally absorbed into Sony."
In a different thread, a fan reflected on Destiny lore YouTuber My Name is Byf's excellent video summary of the situation, saying: "watching the video just sort of reminded me that most of the people who will likely be affected if Bungie goes under are completely unrelated employees that don't deserve to be punished over this.
"I sort of feel ill about the whole situation now [...] I want to see them make an effort to [independent artist] Antireal. I want to see them take the steps towards making sure this never happens again. I want them to win back whatever they need to make this game special (Goodwill, a delay, anything). I WANT to see the Marathon ship in this artstyle, man."
It's not having an adverse impact on all potential players, however.
"Ima be real I’m excited for this game. All this art drama is way overblown," said one. "I think from what I’ve gathered in this game I fully anticipate the aliens to inevitably make their way into the game. Other than that I’d like the characters to be customizable but I anticipate any big changes like that to come later. Very hyped for Marathon."
"I can't remember who exactly, but it was a famous musician talking about how he would never copyright others' music because all music eventually comes back to the same source," replied another. "Basically the same principal [sic] every artist has been inspired by some other artists and so on and so forth. Of course, it's not cool to blatantly just copy/paste someone's work, but then again, even the concept of completely original art is debatable. Especially since there are recorded cases of people making basically the same art around the same time as someone else. So yeah, it's pretty overblown."
"For any Bungie employees checking in here, please remember that you have millions of fans that want to see Marathon succeed," added someone else. Forbes now claims the studio is in "chaos," with morale at the studio in "free fall." Marathon is set to launch for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S on September 23.
Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Switch 2's GameChat includes a couple of clever features that Nintendo has so far been keeping under wraps: live subtitles and text-to-speech.
GameChat is Nintendo's major new social feature for Switch 2 that allows for video calling and gameplay sharing, and is accessed via the console's once-mysterious C button.
Now, videos have showcased how GameChat can transcribe what's being said in real-time, providing a text-based feed for you to follow. GameChat can read out text you've typed out, too.
So far, Nintendo has showcased GameChat using videos of smiling Switch 2 owners sat at home, nattering away to each other. But it's easy to imagine scenarios where you might want an alternative.
Playing Switch 2 in a quiet room? GameChat's text-to-speech saves you from annoying anyone else nearby. Live subtitles, meanwhile, mean you can follow the chat even with the sound down, or when you might not have headphones.
Videos shared on social media by prolific Switch leaker OatmealDome show these features in action. As noted here, Switch 1 supports USB keyboards — so it's likely (though not yet confirmed) Switch 2 will also.
While Nintendo has focused on the video calling function of GameChat so far, these options would allow for a more casual use of the feature (maybe you just don't want to be on camera in your spare time, after hours of Microsoft Teams calls at work).
GameChat supports up to four people for video calls, and up to 12 people in the same voice chat.
Nintendo fans have also criticised the fact that such a central part of the Switch 2 offering — with its own dedicated controller button, no less — will become paywalled as of March 31, 2026. After this point, it will require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to use.
For now, we've collected all the retailers where you can buy Destined Rivals, just below, so bookmark every listing you need to keep an eye on new restocks, and follow @IGNDeals for the latest updates.
TCGPlayer Listings
Destined Rivals: What We Said in Our Preview
Here's what I had to say in my Destined Rivals preview for IGN: "After getting my hands on the expansion for the first time, it's safe to say that this is one of the best times I have had opening cards in ages."
"The illustrations are some of the best I've ever seen. The expansion plays with more Trainer Pokémon cards, including Ethan, the Pokémon Gold and Silver protagonist, and brought back more nostalgia than I could cope with. It feels like exactly what Pokémon TCG needed."
"Destined Rivals is more than just a trip down memory lane. It is a real evolution for the game. From the way the new Trainer’s Pokémon open up deck-building possibilities to the much better pull rates, this set feels like they finally figured out what collectors and players want again."
Between May 17–25, pre-release events will pop up at select stores, offering early access via Build & Battle boxes and small-scale tournaments. Want in? Talk to your local league store yesterday. And maybe bring snacks—you’re negotiating with gatekeepers now.
What’s in the Destined Rivals Lineup?
Team Rocket returns to stir up trouble once again, Trainers' signature Pokémon are back in the spotlight, and the card art? Some of the slickest in years.
Whether you're chasing eye-catching collectibles or just addicted to the thrill of cracking a fresh pack, Destined Rivals is engineered to tempt you.
We all tell ourselves we’ll buy just one item. That’s adorable. Here’s everything that’ll test your willpower on launch day:
Booster Packs
Booster Boxes (36 packs)
Elite Trainer Box
Pokémon Center Exclusive Elite Trainer Box
Booster Bundle (6 packs)
Triple-Pack Blisters
Build & Battle Box
Build & Battle Stadium
Expect premium collection boxes too—likely with alternate art promos starring fan-favorites like Misty, Cynthia, Ethan, or Marnie. You technically don’t need them. You’ll get them anyway.
If buying through a third-party resellers when preordering Destined Rivals, you may be willing to pay more to secure it, but it's also worth knowing the MSRP for each set so you're making an informed decision.
ETB: $49.99
Booster Bundle: $26.99
Booster Display Box: $159.99
1pk Booster: $4.99
3pk Booster: $12.99
Cards That Should Be In Destined Rivals
Here’s the full expected card list by Japanese set origin.
Trainer Cards: Team Rocket’s Giovanni, Archer, Ariana, Receiver
Special Energy: Team Rocket Energy
Steven’s Starter Deck
Steven’s Metagross ex
Steven’s Skarmory, Beldum, Metang
Steven’s Carbink
Steven’s Claydol, Baltoy
Trainer Card: Granite Cave
Marnie’s Starter Deck
Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex
Marnie’s Impidimp, Morgrem, Liepard, Scrafty
Marnie’s Purrloin, Scraggy
Trainer Cards: Energy Recycler (reprint), Spikemuth Gym
Destined Origins Cards I’ve Got My Eye On
There’s a good chance I’ll end up with multiple binders full of these, but a few cards have already secured a permanent place in my mental wishlist.
Cynthia’s Garchomp ex is a power move in every sense. Big damage, hand draw, and the smug energy of someone who always gets her turn one setup. This is peak Champion energy and I want three.
Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex is what happens when utility and sparkle collide. The ability accelerates Fire Energy like it’s no big deal, and Shining Feather heals your whole team while smacking for 160. It’s absurd, and I’m obsessed.
Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex is pure drama. It refuses to attack unless you’ve built an entire Rocket-themed deck around it, but when it does, it throws energy around like a caffeinated Gengar. It’s also incredibly extra, which I respect.
Misty’s Psyduck is here to make you laugh and then probably lose a game in the most lovable way possible. It has an ability that lets you discard it to the top of your deck, for... reasons. I don’t care. It’s perfect.
Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex brings the villain vibes with an aggressive Dark-type build that thrives on energy acceleration and being just annoying enough to work. It’s a disruption deck’s dream, and I plan to run it like it’s 2020 all over again.
Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of "Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior". Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.
While there's still no formal explanation on why sales have been blocked in over 100 countries around the world, it's thought the list broadly matches that of places where PlayStation Network is not available — although neither PlayStation nor Shift Up has explicitly confirmed that. Instead, the developer insisted it was "doing our BEST to resolve most of it as soon as possible."
"PSN connecting [is] entirely optional and NEVER required," the studio added.
"As shown in the test chart below, the DRM has been hard tuned to maintain the same average frame rate, with even higher minimum frames in some cases," the studio explained, adding modding is also "fully supported without any restrictions."
🔸️We are closely discussing the region lock issue with the publisher and are doing our BEST to resolve most of it as soon as possible. 🔸️As shown in the test chart below, the DRM has been hard tuned to maintain the same average frame rate, with even higher minimum frames in… pic.twitter.com/JDimvKiKte
At the time of writing (Monday, May 19), there has been no further update on the issue.
The PC version of Stellar Blade launches via Steam on June 11 along with a raft of PC-specific features, including AI upscaling via Nvidia DLSS 4 and AMD FSR 3, an unlocked framerate, Japanese and Chinese voiceover, ultrawide display support, higher resolution environment textures, and DualSense support for haptic feedback and trigger effects.
IGN's Stellar Blade review returned a 7/10. We said: "Stellar Blade is great in all of the most important ways for an action game, but dull characters, a lackluster story, and several frustrating elements of its RPG mechanics prevent it from soaring along with the best of the genre."
Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Nvidia announced the RTX 5060 along with the RTX 5060 Ti back in April 2025, but the more affordable GPU is now available, following an announcement at Computex.
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 starts at $299, which will get you 3,840 CUDA cores across 30 Streaming Multiprocessors, which should be enough for 1080p gaming. Nvidia does claim that the RTX 5060 can do some pretty incredible things at that resolution. For instance, Team Green says the 5060 can hit 223 fps in Doom: The Dark Ages at 1080p with max settings – although that's with multi-frame generation set to 4x.
That is the big selling point Nvidia is pushing with this generation of graphics cards, and while the RTX 5060 is the most affordable of the bunch, it will have full support for Multi-Frame Generation and the rest of the DLSS 4 technology suite. Just realize that with just 30 SMs, there's still a limit to what DLSS can do.
Keep in mind that the $299 price tag is only a starting price, too. While there will be a few models available at that low price, there will be many versions of the RTX 5060 that'll be much more expensive, though these are usually balanced with nice-to-have features like factory-tuned overclocking and RGB lighting.
Reviews Are Coming... Later
Even though the RTX 5060 is a reasonably affordable card – assuming the $299 MSRP holds up – you should still wait to pull the trigger on it until you know how it will perform. And while Nvidia has made some bold performance claims, those numbers are all with Multi-Frame Generation enabled, and we won't know how it'll actually perform until we can get it in the lab.
Unfortunately, we're going to have to wait a bit. Unlike with previous launches this generation, like the RTX 5090, Nvidia is not supplying an early driver to press, so you won't be seeing much in the way of reviews for the first week or so of this GPU's lifespan. The RTX 5060 will probably be a decent 1080p graphics card, but the rest of the Blackwell lineup has struggled with generational uplift.
It's entirely possible that the RTX 5060 will share a similar performance uplift as the RTX 5070 saw over its last-generation counterpart, particularly in traditional gaming workloads without frame generation. When I asked Nvidia about the performance uplift over the RTX 4060, it claimed that the 5060 would get as much as double the performance when frame generation was turned on, but just around 20% in games without ray tracing or frame generation – and that's likely a best-case scenario.
As with any expensive tech product, my advice is to wait for reviews to pull the trigger, so that you know you're getting your money's worth. Those reviews are coming, they just might take a few days to show up.
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra
Episode 6 of season 2 of The Last of Us is directed by Neil Druckmann, and when viewed through that lens, its intentions become clearer. It contains some of the scenes that fans of The Last of Us Part 2, and presumably its creator, hold dearest. This allows Druckmann to tightly control the sacred bond between Joel and Ellie, as well as giving space to further explore characters barely present in the game – the final moments of Eugene’s life strains the connection between the protagonists in new ways. Joe Pantoliano imbues the doomed Eugene with a dash of class, Bella Ramsey slots nicely back into the role of a younger Ellie, and Druckmann steadily steers the whole ship, but this chapter is undeniably Pedro Pascal’s. His pitch-perfect portrayal of Joel reminds us of what both Ellie and the show have lost.
Framed around each of Ellie’s birthdays following their return to Jackson, episode 6 delicately displays Joel’s urge to fulfil his role as a father. It's rooted in the very first scene, in which we see him as a teenage boy: The conversation between Joel and his father, played with warmth yet underlying hardness by Better Call Saul’s Tony Dalton, presents the poisoned chalice passed down from Miller to Miller. That struggle of generational fatherhood is what has driven Joel ever since. Sarah was his world before the outbreak. Then he grieved her, holding onto her memories until Ellie arrived. By the end of this episode, she’s 17, and he’s on the brink of losing another daughter. It’s a crossroads he’s contending with, and one brilliantly displayed by Pascal throughout, as he battles to do the right thing by her.
It’s perhaps best conveyed in the final moment between them – and the very last conversation between Ellie and Joel before his death. Their porchside chat is perhaps the most affecting in all of the game, so it's a huge relief to see it recreated so well here. The vulnerability in Pascal’s face is all-consuming, as he barely utters a word but lets his eyes speak for him. He’s terrified of losing Ellie, but he’s expressing it in a way that he can’t really control, and a way that will infect her, too – his tears filling that cursed cup once more, ready for Ellie to sip from and make the same selfish mistakes he did. It adds extra heartbreaking context to her “I’m gonna be a dad” quip from earlier in the season. She’ll aim to break this cycle, but little in her present-day actions suggests this.
Though that’s giving more thought to the present day than episode 6 can muster, which is my major reservation about this episode. The series of flashbacks is heartfelt and works excellently when it comes to building out the protagonists of The Last of Us’ past and future, but I can’t help but feel like momentum has stalled here. It feels off to spend a whole episode exploring Ellie’s history when we’ve just ratcheted the tension on who she’s become. And with only one episode left to go in the season, it feels like the only road to a satisfying finale will involve covering a lot of ground in a short period of time. It’s not so much a criticism of what this episode does, but more of its place within season 2.
It feels like some of that season 1 magic has been rebottled.
Bella Ramsey feels much more at home as a younger Ellie, portraying a wide-eyed, excitable version of the character with a far greater verve than the more fearsome evolution we got last week. It’s best shown in her and Joel’s visit to a nearby museum, where Ellie takes a heartstring-tugging trip into orbit, thanks to a tape recording and a long-forgotten space capsule. The smile that dances across her face is a rare moment of levity in a show, that, up until this moment, has been irrepressibly bleak. As we watch the pair enjoy their respite, it feels like some of that season 1 magic has been rebottled.
But, as ever, what The Last of Us giveth with one hand, it taketh with the other, not letting us sit with this flash of joy for long. Episode 6 finally answers a question posed in the season premiere: What did Joel do to Eugene to make Gail resent him so much? Pantoliano is given his time to shine as Eugene, a member of the Jackson community whose time is ticking away thanks to an infected’s bite. His introduction enables Joel and Ellie’s dynamic from season 1 to resurface, and echoes of their experience in Salt Lake City can be felt. Joel has lived long enough in this world to be wary of Eugene – any sense of optimism (or hope that Eugene can be healed) is long gone. Not Ellie, though: She still carries an element of naivety and wants to help Eugene.
The mercy killing carried out by Joel only sows more seeds of distrust between him and his surrogate daughter. In his lie to Gail about it, Ellie realises just how easy it is for Joel to hide the truth. It’s in this moment that the fissures in their relationship really start to crack wide open. What Joel did isn’t necessarily wrong, but it runs counter to Ellie’s moral code and how she would’ve dealt with Eugene. It effectively means that she now knows that Joel has been lying about what happened in that Firefly hospital, and the revelation of him lying about Eugene is a great choice by Druckmann. It’s an example of adaptation for the better – which this season largely hasn’t landed for me – and a much more impactful, and logical, option than having Joel and Ellie traipse all the way back to Salt Lake City as they do in The Last of Us Part 2.
It’s something the episode as a whole does to great effect as it further explores the intervening years and Joel and Ellie’s dynamic, offering new glimpses into previously unseen moments. Joel catching Ellie doing things she maybe shouldn’t be doing at 17 and his built-in resentment for Seth (due to his former life as a policeman, like Joel’s dad) add more shades to the character, even though he’s long gone in the present day. These little touches and grandstand speeches combine to great effect to help us fully understand why Joel made every decision that led to his death, all the way up to rescuing his eventual killer from a horde of infected. Above all else, it’s the desire to be a protector that forged the Millers’ poisoned chalice – and eventually led to his downfall.
Strap in for a ripper round of savings that’ll leave you over-encumbered in no time, like a stroll through an Oblivion market. From slashing prices on open-world epics to trimming the tag on sports sims, these deals breathe fresh life into your gaming roster without shredding your budget. Let’s kick this off right by saving a bundle now.
This Day in Gaming 🎂
In retro news, I’m celebrating the 13th bday of Max Payne 3, a bullet-riddled Brazilian holiday that, I think, delivered Rockstar’s finest ever third-person shooting. From the neon-soaked favelas of São Paulo to the rain-slicked rooftops of downtown, this one taught a new generation of gamers how gloriously satisfying it is to dodge incoming hailstorms of lead and drop one-liners that now very much speak my middle-aged "too old for this shit" language.
I still have powerful memories of the single-player campaign’s noir-tinted heartache; watching Max slump through betrayal, loss, and mob hits with a drink in one hand and a gat in the other. Totally worth a replay. Needs to be remastered ASAP.
On Nintendo Switch, Geralt’s saga comes in hot with The Witcher 3 Complete Edition at a staggering 75% off. That's just A$19 for over 100,000 lines of dialogue and a well of hidden quests. Equally unmissable, Dead Cells is down to A$18, half its usual price, a rogue‑vania romp whose punishing weapon permadeath mechanic began as a single chaotic level test.
Xbox Series X owners can ball out with NBA 2K25 at A$38 (68% off), a title whose motion capture sessions once had Steph Curry coaching the devs through his signature crossover. For a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars Outlaws at A$40 (64% off) has recently been patched to have smoother combat, though I think it was more than serviceable beforehand.
On PS5, Doom: The Dark Ages drops to A$99 (17% off) and it's slayertastic stuff. Meanwhile, Judgment slides into A$28 (48% off), its courtroom drama enriched by Japanese legal consultants, though Yagami still lands those trademark one‑liners.
For PC aficionados, BioShock: The Collection clocks in at A$15 (80% off) with Big Daddy designs refined from bulky concept art into streamlined terror, while Sid Meier’s Civilization VI at A$8 (90% off) uses fractal geometry to ensure every map feels uniquely yours.
A month after launch, a small percentage of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered players have completed the main questline. But for a game like this, that’s not particularly surprising — fans are saying they’re way too busy doing other stuff.
I’m one of those fans! I’ve been playing and enjoying Oblivion Remastered since it shadow-dropped on April 22, and upon leaving the sewers and handing over the Amulet of Kings to Jauffre at Weynon Priory, I’ve done everything BUT the main questline. I’ve joined the Fighters Guild, explored Cyrodiil, and completed loads of side quests. I’ve even tried to brute force my way out of the map, as one player managed to do.
Why? Well, the side quests in Oblivion are brilliant fun (I won’t spoil any story stuff here), but I'm also trying to avoid the main quest (and potentially difficult parts of it like Kvatch) for the time being while keeping leveling up to a minimum.
So, I’ve decided to enjoy Oblivion until I get bored enough to play the game properly. Although there is no properly with a Bethesda game like this one, is there? That’s why they’re brilliant. You do what you want whenever you want, and the game still works.
“I spend 160 hours in already and Kvatch is still waiting for me,” added Roffear. “I'm one of those weirdos who actually likes the Oblivion gates so I purposefully don't finish the main quest until I've found all 60 gates in my world and closed them,” said Ellert0. “44 hours and an actual in-game year, and I haven't even been to Weynon Priory,” said PlayaHatinIG-88. “Those poor Kvatch city guards never stood a chance.”
At the time of this article’s publication, a paltry 2.97% had completed Oblivion Remastered's main questline on Xbox and a slightly better 4.4% had on Steam. Why the difference? I presume that’s because Xbox factors in Game Pass, which will have seen a number of players dip their toe into Oblivion Remastered before bouncing. Steam players are all in, of course, because they actually bought the game outright.
Either way, it’s still a low percentage for Oblivion Remastered, which has so far seen over 4 million players. But in truth most video games have a surprisingly low campaign completion rate, whether it’s an epic, 100-hour open-world fantasy role-playing game like Oblivion Remastered or a five-hour story like Call of Duty. Indeed, a lot of games have a surprisingly low percentage of players who stick around after an hour or so or continue playing after the tutorial. Such is the fickle nature of the gamer.
For Oblivion Remastered, the stats may be skewed further because it’s a remaster of a beloved game many of its players finished back in the day. If you completed Oblivion's main quest 20 years ago, perhaps you’re less inclined to do it again now, and would rather focus on all the pretty new visuals and upgraded bits and bobs. Or, as one player has done, spend seven hours lining up books to get a Dominoes chain reaction just right.
Thaddeus122 said they were almost 100 hours in and hadn’t even completed three of the main quests. They have, however, completed the Arena and the Mages Guild. And the rest of the time? “Leveling, getting money for homes, closing all the Oblivion gates, the Nirnroot quest, a bunch of little quests. To be fair, also don't fast travel anywhere.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
The director of Thunderbolts* — now officially renamed The New Avengers — has explained why one character in particular had to die early on in the movie, and how conversations with the actor who played the character went.
Warning! Spoilers for Thunderbolts* / The New Avengers follow:
Early in Thunderbolts* / The New Avengers, Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) is killed by Ava Starr / Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), unceremoniously shot in the head as the assassins come to blows within a covert O.X.E. facility. Taskmaster dies in her first and only scene in the movie.
Making matters even more obvious, Kurylenko was the only member of the Thunderbolts* not to appear in Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal. So, for MCU fans who were paying attention, Taskmaster’s death wasn’t exactly a surprise. But for many it will have come as a shock, especially so early in the film.
So, why did Taskmaster have to die? In an interview with The New York Times, director Jake Schreier said the idea came about as a result of the movie feeling “a little bloodless,” and a desire to have a “real tension” between characters who were capable of killing people.
“That was a tough one because it’s a character that matters to a lot of people and we don’t want to take that lightly,” Schreier said.
“That idea came after the strike when it just felt like the movie at that point was a little bloodless. It’s not rated R, but if we were trying to tell a story that had real tension about people who killed people for a living, you needed to depict that in a way. Obviously, we could have introduced a new character and then gotten rid of them, but then it wouldn’t have the resonance or potentially the shock of doing it to Taskmaster.”
Schreier admitted it wasn’t easy to tell Olga Kurylenko, who played Taskmaster in Black Widow, that she’s return for Thunderbolts* only to be killed off early on.
“It’s like in sports: players want to play,” Schreier said. “Olga’s a great actress and of course that’s a hard conversation to have, but she was an absolute pro about it and willing to show up, and I’m very grateful for that.”
Earlier this month, Schreier told Entertainment Weekly that the team behind Thunderbolts* felt they needed to kill Taskmaster early “so that you didn't really know who was going to make it."
"The decision to do it when we did it, we went through a lot of different versions of that, and we thought very carefully about it," Schreier added.
"And it felt like, while it would've been very nice — and Olga is a wonderful actress — to have her on the team for longer, that death would've kind of reverberated a lot harder and made it harder to find our tonal balance if it had happened later in the film.
"And it would've occupied such a kind of more emotional space that would've stepped on what we really need to be building. And we have so little narrative real estate to do it, which is the connection between Yelena and Bob [Lewis Pullman], and the movie is really going to hinge on that. And so in order to keep our tone and to build that team together, it actually felt best, even if it feels a little cold-blooded, to have that happen early."
“That's one of the biggest changes from my final draft, because in the last version that I did, [Taskmaster] lived out the whole movie and there was a pretty big subplot of her and Ava connecting as two characters that were raised in labs and being controlled by other people,” Pearson told IGN.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Final Destination Bloodlines is making a killing at the global box office, shooting past the $100 million mark on launch weekend.
An even split of $51 million domestically and $51 million internationally make for an impressive $102 million globally. That’s the best opening weekend box office for a Final Destination film. With this start, Bloodlines looks on course to become the highest-grossing Final Destination film so far, ahead of current record-holder The Final Destination ($186.1 million in 2009).
Final Destination Bloodlines also looks set to successfully revive a franchise that has been dormant since 2011's Final Destination 5, which made $157 million worldwide.
Meanwhile, MCU flick Thunderbolts* is now up to $325.7 million worldwide after three weeks. For context, Captain America: Brave New World ended its theatrical run with $415 million at the global box office.
Sinners continues its impressive run at theaters. Ryan Coogler’s horror movie now has $316.6 million at the global box office. And A Minecraft Movie is inching towards $1 billion, with $928.6 million at the global box office.
Photo by Eric Milner. 2025 Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
We’re seeing big deals this weekend since Amazon decided to drop its Memorial Day sale a week early. Given the holiday is the unofficial start to summer, we’re seeing deep discounts on portable speakers and backup power, which are great for outdoor gatherings and camping trips. Other home essentials like lawn mowers, routers, and TVs are also hitting some of the lowest prices this year. So, it’s time to get shopping.
TL;DR: Deals for Today
While you’ll probably want to spend lots of time outside in the coming months, we’ve also found some tablets, LEGO sets, and puzzles on sale for those rainy days. And if you’re anticipating Magic: The Gathering’s epic Final Fantasy TCG crossover drop in June, the pre-orders are still live for the latest sets and single cards. Be sure to grab them before they sell out or prices skyrocket. You’ll probably want to keep your latest TCG investment protected, and luckily, PJU has a great deal on sleeves and toploaders, too.
PJU 200 Card Sleeves and Toploaders
If you’re spending some serious dough on the new MTG Final Fantasy release, or want to be ready for May 30th when Pokémon Destined Rivals drops, grabbing a set of card sleeves is a must. PJU has a great deal on a pack of 100 sleeves and 100 toploaders to keep your investment safe. Costing just $13.99, it’s the lowest price we’ve seen this year. The toploaders are acid-free, anti-scratch, and durable to prevent trading cards from bending while maintaining a clear view for displaying and storing.
Portable Speaker Deals
With the weather finally getting nice, many outdoor gatherings are to come, and a great portable speaker can amplify the experience. The Beats Pill is a brilliant Bluetooth speaker offering up to 24 hours of battery life, water resistance, and booming audio with crisp highs and rich mids. There’s even a handy strap attached for easier carrying. But perhaps best of all, the Beats Pill is on sale for the lowest price ever.
Check these other great portable speaker deals:
Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 300
Given the wild storms that come with the summer humidity, it’s a good idea to have some backup power to keep the essentials juiced up in case of an emergency. The Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 300 is currently on sale for its lowest price ever. This 293Wh lithium battery generator can deliver up to 300W of power to keep all your devices charged. Weighing only 7.1 pounds, it’s also a great option for those who want to go off the grid for a bit on a camping trip but still want to power drones and cameras for some epic nature shots.
Anker 325 Power Bank (PowerCore Essential 20K)
Anker is the king of portable chargers, and you can grab the 325 Power Bank (PowerCore Essential 20K) for the best price ever. With a 20,000 mAh battery and 15W of max charging power, this battery bank can top up phones and even some tablets multiple times. Dual charging is available to charge two devices simultaneously, while trickle mode optimizes charging for lower power devices like earbuds. It does all this while keeping things compact, weighing just 11.9 ounces.
Roborock Qrevo Master Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo
I spend tons of time reviewing robot vacuums, and Roborock makes some of the best. Currently, the top-of-the-line Qrevo Master Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo is on sale for 50% off. The vacuum and mopping capabilities, along with the impressive intelligent home mapping ensure you’ll barely need to lift a finger to enjoy spotless floors. Adding even more value is the base station’s mop washing and hot air drying to prevent smells or mold from ruining the mopping pads. There’s a whole lot more on offer, too! Talk about making spring cleaning a breeze!
Tablets Are On Sale
The Fire lineup got a revamp in 2024, and we’re already seeing a great discount on the Amazon Fire HD 10. The current 89.99 price tag is the lowest price we’ve seen in 2025. Now’s the time to buy and enjoy a lovely Full HD display that’s ideal for streaming shows or reading. This tablet even offers a decent camera for video chatting and a 25% faster performance than previous generations.
Check out these other tablet deals:
LEGO Set Deals
Who doesn’t love LEGO? Well, one set I’m particularly stoked about being on sale is the Star Wars R2-D2 figure. Not only does it look awesome, but the droid’s head rotates 360 degrees, and it comes with an attachable periscope and tools. A 25th-anniversary Darth Malak minifigure is even included in the package, adding more value.
Check out these other LEGO deals:
Amazon Fire TV 55" 4-Series 4K UHD smart TV
Save 40% on a 55-inch smart TV. This 4K display from Amazon features HDR support for a vivid picture and has all your favorite streaming apps baked in, so you can skip the streaming stick. Plus, the Alexa Voice Remote Enhanced makes it easy to find all your favorite shows and movies by just speaking into your remote.
Buy One, Get One 50% Off Books
Amazon is running a buy one, get one 50% off promotion on books for Memorial Day. A few of Star Wars books are a part of the deal, including Thrawn and High Republic stories. Just note that not every book is included, so you’ll have to double-check before making the purchase.
Switch 2 Accessories Are Already Discounted
Sure, the Switch 2 isn't even out yet, but if you managed to score a Switch 2 pre-order, chances are good you’ll want to keep the precious handheld safe. Grabbing a new case is an absolute must, and the TZGZT carrying case is already on sale, has an EVA hard shell, and offers space to hold tons of accessories. There’s even a screen protector included in the package. However, if you’re just looking to keep that display safe, JSAUX has a 3-pack of screen protectors at 20% off right now. The screen protector features a 9H hardness and smudge resistance, while still keeping the touch controls ultra-responsive.
Greenworks 40V 16" Cordless (Push) Lawn Mower
Spring is finally here, with summer just around the corner, and that means it’s prime mowing season. The Greenworks 40V 16" Cordless (Push) Lawn Mower is a great option for keeping your lawn on point and is on sale for 30% off. Rather than gas, this mower features a 40-volt battery for about 40 minutes of runtime and starts with just the push of a button. It offers the same power as your typical gas mower but with less hassle (and emissions).
Get 1 Year of Peacock Premium for $24.99
Bravo fans, Wicked aficionados, and more will love this current 1-year subscription deal for Peacock Premium. Peacock has made some major moves in recent years, adding popular TV shows (Hello, Parks & Rec and The Office), straight from the theater releases, and live sports. If you’ve been looking to add to your streaming services, Peacock is on the cusp of joining titan streamers like Netflix and Max.
Ravensburger Puzzle Sale
Ravensburger Dean Macadam Most Everyone is Mad is a 1,000-piece puzzle that’s currently discounted. The artwork is stunning, and given that it’s from Ravensburger and made in Germany, the quality is hard to beat. It’s not the only puzzle on sale, though, as Amazon has slashed the prices on a range of puzzles.
Check out these other great puzzle deals:
Xbox Core Controller
The Xbox Core Controller is our favorite PC controller and top Xbox controller for a reason, and right now, the Velocity Green colorway of the gamepad is discounted by $16. Its responsive controls, comfortable build, and great price are hard to beat. Some upgrades from previous models include a redesigned D-pad, extra grip, and a Share button to make grabbing screenshots a breeze. What’s even better? The wide range of support. So, you can play on the Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, Android, and iOS.
TP-Link Deco AXE5400 Tri-Band WiFi 6E Mesh System
Nothing is worse than a slow, laggy internet connection. Get your router up to speed with the TP-Link Deco AXE5400 Tri-Band WiFi 6E Mesh System, which is discounted by 30% right now. This mesh setup features a main router and two nodes for up to 7200 sq. ft. of coverage. With Wi-Fi 6E, tri-band support – including a 6GHz band – and a multi-gig Ethernet port for a wired connection, all of your devices should be ready to experience a speedy, reliable connection online.
ASUS TUF Gaming 27" 2K Monitor
If you’ve got a mid-range PC battle station, the ASUS TUF Gaming 27" 2K HDR Gaming Monitor (VG27AQ) is the perfect partner. This monitor can push up to 165Hz in 2K and offers G-Sync support for a butter-smooth gaming experience. A shadow boost feature can even help further enhance scenes, making it easier to spot enemies lurking in the darkness. Now’s the time to grab this display too, as it’s on sale for only $229 – one of the lowest prices we’ve seen this year.
Squishmallow Sale on Woot
It’s hard not to fall in love with just about every Squishmallow that exists. They’re cute, soft, and right now, deeply discounted during Woot’s Garage Sale. You’ll find some of these adorable plush toys on sale for over 80% off.
MTG Final Fantasy Pre-Orders
The first wave of pre-orders for MTG Final Fantasy vanished quickly. Luckily, production was amped up, so you can still score this epic mashup. Whether you want the ultra-popular starter kit for under $20 or are looking to get a bit more with a bundle full of some extra collectibles, now’s the time to grab them before they run out. TCGplayer has pre-orders for single cards, too, which could see prices rise after MTG Final Fantasy is released in June.
Disney has officially begun its year-long celebration of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary and they invited us to preview all of the festivities it has planned throughout Summer 2026, and this guide will provide you with everything you need to know about the entertainment, food and beverages, merch, and more.
From the return of Paint the Night to new retro food items to a Disneyland Key that will unlock surprises all across the park, there’s a lot to look forward to when planning a trip to the park. Below, you will find the twelve things you need to know about Disneyland's 70th anniversary, and we'd love to hear what you are most excited about!
1. Paint the Night Is Back With Elsa, Anna, and Over One Million LED Lights
The return of Paint the Night, the fan-favorite nighttime parade that first debuted for Disneyland’s 60th anniversary, has perhaps received the most buzz in the lead-up to the celebrations of the park’s 70th. The parade’s initial run ended in 2016 and is now back with over one million LED lights, the return of Frozen’s Anna and Elsa, and more.
2. Disneyland is More Affordable Thanks to Limited-Time 70th Anniversary Ticket and Disneyland Hotel Offers
For those hoping to make a trip to Disneyland for its 70th anniversary celebrations, Disney is offering a few deals to make the trip a little more manageable. Guests will be able to purchase a multi-day theme park ticket for as low $360 with a special 3-day, 1-park per day ticket. There will also be an option to get a 4-day, 1-park per day ticket for as low as $400. These tickets will be good for May 16 - August 14 and they don’t need to be used on consecutive days.
For those looking to stay on property, guests will be able to save up to 20% on select stays at the Disneyland Hotel between May 16 and August 14. This will also give them the chance to check out how the Disneyland Hotel is celebrating its own 70th anniversary as well, as the hotel will have special decorations, themed in-room celebrations, unique beverages, and more.
Staying at a Disneyland Resort will also put guests just steps away from Downtown Disney, which is dressed up for the occasion. Alongside 70th anniversary medallions placed around the area with favorite Disney characters that are great photo spots and other decorations, the path to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will continue to offer all of its many food and shopping experiences.
3. World of Color Happiness! - A New Version of the Disney California Adventure Water Show Featuring Inside Out
World of Color Happiness! is the big new nighttime spectacular for Disney California Adventure, and it is actually the seventh version of World of Color since its debut in 2010. This show is all about celebrating happiness with over one million water fountains and projections, and it takes inspiration from Walt Disney’s words from Disneyland’s opening day park dedication, “To all who come to this happy place… welcome!”
Inside Out’s emotions are front-and-center in World of Color Happiness!, with Joy and the other emotions making up parts of the logo. Guests will be able to help alter the story of World of Color Happiness! and can vote on whether Sadness, Anger, Disgust, or Envy are featured in various scenes on the Disneyland app.
World of Color Happiness! also features a brand new pre-show with The Muppets, who also happen to be celebrating their 70th anniversary this year. As for the music, highlights include Boyz II Men, who recorded a special rendition of ‘Rainbow Connection,’ and FITZ, who recorded a new original song called ‘Makes Me Wanna Move.’
4. Wondrous Journeys Celebrates Over 60 Walt Disney Animation Studios Films With Fireworks, Projections, and Music
Disneyland’s nighttime spectacular Wondrous Journeys, which first debuted for Disney’s 100th anniversary, is back for Disneyland’s 70th. This show celebrates over 60 films in Walt Disney Animation Studio’s catalog and, as Disney puts it, “illustrates the possibilities, excitement, heartache, and determination we all face when working to make our dreams come true.”
Wondrous Journeys is pretty much the same as it was, but it remains a favorite nighttime spectacular for fans of all ages. It’s also a show that is slightly different depending on where you are in Disneyland, as Main Street, U.S.A., Sleeping Beauty Castle, Rivers of America, and the façade of it’s a small world all offer unique experiences and moments.
Check out our thoughts on Wondrous Journeys in my Disney 100th Anniversary Guide, but this is a must-see show that is filled with so much heart, emotion, and truly special moments.
5. Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration! Shines a Spotlight on the Importance of Friendship with Toy Story, Coco, and More
Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration! is another returning parade that’s getting a new run for Disneyland’s 70th and it features many fan-favorite characters from beloved Pixar films like Toy Story, The Incredibles, Turning Red, Luca, Soul, Coco, Inside Out, Monsters, Inc., and Up.
“This parade wants to honor and celebrate the more recent films that Pixar produced where you feel like there are characters who feel lesser than… like they don’t belong,” Susana Tubert, creative director at Disney Live Entertainment, told us. “And through these friendships, they're upheld, they're celebrated, and they're accepted. And that's the message that we want this parade to share with our guests - that it's okay to be you, that you can bring your authentic self to Disneyland, and at the end of the day, we're better together.”
6. Tapestry of Happiness Brings a Special Projection Show to it’s a small world that Celebrates Disneyland’s Past
it’s a small world’s Tapestry of Happiness was the big surprise during the entire Disneyland 70th Anniversary Media Preview. For roughly five minutes, this show transforms the façade of it’s a small world with projection effects and music and celebrates the history of Disneyland in such a beautiful way.
The whole show is inspired by Disney Legend Mary Blair, who was responsible for the timeless design of it’s a small world, and many of Disneyland’s biggest attractions and shows get their time to shine, including Pirates of the Caribbean, the Main Street Electrical Parade, the Enchanted Tiki Room, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and many more. It’s made even more special as the songs from those experiences are woven into The Jonas Brothers’ ‘Celebrate Happy’ Disneyland 70th Anniversary theme song, and it’s really just the best.
That's not all for it's a small world after all, as Coco's Miguel and Dante have been added to the attraction just in time for the 70th anniversary. Additionally, a brand-new verse from the late Richard M. Sherman will be added to it's a small world on July 17.
7. The Celebrate Happy Cavalcade at Disneyland Stars Duffy and ShellieMay
Going into this 70th Anniversary Media Preview, we were perhaps most excited to take a look at The Celebrate Happy Cavalcade led by Duffy and ShellieMay. For those unfamiliar, Duffy was first designed as the “Disney Bear” in 2002 for Disney World’s Disney Springs, but he proved to not be very popular.
However, Tokyo Disney Resort took the idea and gave him a name - Duffy - alongside a story, friends like ShellieMay, and so much more, and it proved to be a great decision. He is very popular overseas, and now he and ShellieMay get a chance to shine stateside along other Disney favorites in a smaller parade that is still so worth a watch.
8. Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! Is the Perfect Place to Take Your Kids For Some Dancing and Fun
Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! is another pleasant surprise aimed at younger guests and encourages them to get up and dance and sing with Mickey and his friends.
This time around, Mickey and Minnie are trying to find Goofy, Daisy, and Pluto as they are missing from their party, and we get to visit each of their differently themed houses (two of which come with bubbles and fake snow!) for a fun adventure.
The music is fun and upbeat, and it will undoubtedly be a great place to escape the heat for a few moments and let kids get some energy out with some of their favorite characters!
9. Disneyland 70th Merch, Led by the Disneyland Key, Is a Celebration of Today and Yesterday
As with any big milestone at a Disney Park, there is a ton of new merch available for guests to celebrate with. For Disneyland’s 70th, the team at Disney wanted to not only celebrate this momentous occasion in 2025, but also honor the past. However, the item that has garnered the most buzz during the preview was the Disneyland Key.
This interactive key is now available and allows guests to “unlock magic” in all of the nine lands in Disneyland. There is one lock not-so-hidden in each land and there is a keyhole that fits the key perfectly. Each one does something special when unlocked, including playing music and showing lights and more, and it also adds that land’s icon to your key.
When you unlock each one - and don’t worry, you don’t have to do this all on one trip as it will save your progress - you can head to the Mickey Topiary Finale lock by the entrance of the park to unlock the final surprise. After you put the key in the lock and some bubbles fly to the sky in celebration, a secret compartment in the key will unlock with one of nine commemorative trading pins inside. These pins represent the lands of Disneyland and are just a fun way to celebrate you accomplishing your quest.
You can check all the 70th Anniversary merch offerings in the slideshow above and with the link right here.
10. Disneyland Food and Drinks Offer a Window Back in Time With a Delicious Twist
One of the best things to do at a Disney Park is try out all of the new food and drink offerings made available with a festival or big event, and the 70th anniversary is no exception. There are over 70 items to try during this year-long celebration, and they’re a mix of new delights and dishes inspired by Disneyland’s past.
What Chef Steven Medina and the team are doing with Disneyland’s 70th is very special, as the team really wanted guests to get a glimpse of what it was like when the gates opened for the first time. For example, there’s a Banana Split and a plate of Apple Pancake Rolls that guests can try that are recreations of actual items that were available on Disneyland’s first day.
As for the new offerings, these are new spins on beloved favorite treats like the 70th Celebration Churro. This twist on the park classic matches the purples, and blues, and pinks of the anniversary and features an ube sugar coating, marbled blue raspberry drizzle, and sprinkles.
You can check out the 70th anniversary food offerings in the slideshow above and right here!
11. Toy Story Midway Mania!, Carthay Circle, Downtown Disney, and Much More
There really is a ton of things to do and experience for Disneyland's 70th anniversary, and I wanted to highlight a few others to look out for, including a new glow up for Toy Story Midway Mania! This attraction at Disney California Adventure now features a ton of 70th anniversary stickers that Andy has put up that net you bonus points when you hit them. It's a very fun addition that adds some flair to the well-known attraction.
Also in DCA, Celebrate Happy: A Little Bit of Magic Every Night will illuminate the outside of Carthay Circle with lights, projections, and a special visit from Tinker Bell, and Animation Courtyard (which is one of my favorite places in all of Disneyland) now features Encanto, Coco, Soul, The Princess and the Frog, Zootopia, and Moana.
For those with MagicBand+, there will be special Disneyland 70th anniversary interaction points that will all do something fun, including those at Jungle Cruise and Frontierland that print out actual tickets that commemmorate this milestone.
12. Walt Disney - A Magical Life and More Experiences to Come
While the celebrations for Disneyland’s 70th begin on May 16, the actual anniversary won’t happen until July 17, which is also the same day Walt Disney - A Magical Life will make its big debut. This will be the first time Walt Disney will become an Audio-Animatronic and will welcome guests into his office to hear about his story.
We recently had the chance to go to Imagineering to learn more about this project, and you can read all about how Disney is bringing Walt back to life. This experience will open alongside an Evolution of a Dream exhibit that features many items from Walt’s past and another that celebrates the history of Disney’s cast members.
After about a hundred hours of being happily hunched over my Moza AB9 FFB Base and MH16 Flightstick, bolting in the Moza MTP Throttle and MTLP Panel felt like quite the level up. All that gear is starting to morph my office space into a serious simpit. Pretty soon I’ll be needing aflight suit, a spare 60K forthis helmet, or maybe just intervention from my loved ones before those purchases can happen.
When I affixed it to my port side, the MTP Throttle delivered a fighter-jet-inspired grip, 27 programmable switches, an adjustable detent system for afterburner and trim positions, and game-changing vibration feedback that let me feel every gust and buffeting breeze.
Perched to starboard (or connected above the MTP, if you’d prefer), the MTLP Take-off and Landing Panel brings 25 Hall-effect-driven switches, a true-to-life parking brake lever, and telemetry-driven lighting straight from an iconic F/A-18 cockpit. And, when paired together, this Master Blaster of a peripheral is a chonk requiring 170 x 430mm worth of real estate.
Putting this bundle through its paces, mostly in an A-10 Warthog in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (complete with bunghole-puckering canyon runs), was a blast. I feel I’ve experienced every yaw-trim tweak, afterburner snap, gear-down click, and parking brake yank these peripherals can muster. Before I elaborate more, though, let’s talk about the deep end – prices. Or click here to skip the window shop to my continued thoughts.
After you take a small age to bind every function to it, the MTP Throttle will competently emulate the full-range control demands of your fave fighter, from idle settings to screaming afterburner engagement and even centre-detent modes for precision yaw or spacecraft simulations. Inspired by carrier-based fighter throttle panels, its aluminium alloy grip felt substantial and reassuring in my clammy hands, far removed from the hollow plastic of my many budget joysticks from the Pentium-II days of yore.
Surrounding that dual-split throttle grip are 27 perfectly backlit physical switches, which include rotaries, toggles, and a Hall-effect mini-joystick. Basically,you have everything you need to assign flaps, trim, weapon selection, or camera angling/zooming without reaching for an immersion-breaking keyboard (which, let’s face it, should have little business in your sim-pit).
Tack on a 15-bit magnetic encoder for drift-free, ultra-precise throttle position sensing and dual vibration motors that more-than-decently rumble out aerodynamic buffeting or overspeed warnings, and you’ve got an impressive piece of all-in-one thrust control. Everything about this looks premium and feels smooth and crisp to the touch; a product worth an asking price that’s steeper than your average Immelman.
Sliding the lever forward in MSFS 2024’s A-10 felt mesmerising; the adjustable damping screw lets you dial in a heavy carrier-style feel or a nearly frictionless slide for rapid thrust chops, perfect for the Warthog’s “your ordnance delivered in 5 minutes or it’s free” strafing runs. Switch presses registered instantly, and the haptic feedback added subtle jolts when breaking the sound barrier in my mental Top Gun montage. After hours of gun runs and canyon drifts, wrist fatigue was minimal, thanks to the throttle’s ergonomic layout and smooth travel path.
In the final analysis, anyone craving realistic, customisable thrust control should find the MTP Throttle hard to resist. It commands a decent chunk of desk real estate and demands PC-only drivers, but its build quality, precision, and immersive feedback make it worth the investment. If you want to feel every ounce of power from idle to afterburner, this is a brilliant addition to any simmer’s ongoing flight(s) of fantasy. Back to top
Moza MTLP Panel
As veteran eyes would have already spotted, the MTLP Panel is designed to ape the landing controls of an F/A-18, giving you 25 Hall-effect-monitored switches for gear, lights, flaps, and more, all laid out to guide your fingertips instinctively without glancing down. Its signature parking brake lever reproduces the spring-loaded recoil and rotation of real jet brakes, complete with a reassuring click on release that is satisfaction plus.
The composite housing and aluminium accents of the MTLP are consistent with the superb build quality of its sister MTP unit (though the hook and gear levers do feel a tad cheaper). Moza has struck a balance between sturdiness and lower weight so it stays firmly in place even during my most enthusiastic brake yanks (to let bogies fly right by–that old Pete Mitchell chestnut). Meanwhile, telemetry-driven LED indicators glow to confirm gear status or landing-light activation, turning your desk into a mini runway light show.
When I deployed landing gear during a low-altitude A-10 approach, the brain-muscle memory switch flick felt instantly familiar and satisfying, a vast improvement over fumbling with on-screen menus. The brake lever’s Hall-effect sensor gave crisp, drift-free inputs, and I never once forced a failed gear-up on final. Its compact footprint meant I could palm-reach each switch without looking down like a learner (after)burner or lifting off my stick.
Ultimately, the MTLP Panel makes takeoff and landing procedures more immersive and efficient, but at around A$299 (US$150) it’s definitely a nice-to-have rather than a must-have. If you’re piecing together a full fighter-jet cockpit and crave that final touch of realism, just be prepared to clear desk space or mount it securely.
There’s something undeniably thrilling about wielding hardware that echoes the heft and detail of real combat aircraft, especially when you’re diving into my test case scenarios (close-air support missions). The MTP Throttle and MTLP Panel aren’t merely flashy desk ornaments; they integrate seamlessly into Moza’s Cockpit Suite for drag-and-drop mapping, telemetric lighting, and vibration tuning, delivering an immersive sim experience.
Side note: I also have to say, as a primarily VR-based flight simmer, having so much functionality “where it ough to be” at one’s fingertips, as opposed to blindly faffing about on a keyboard, is next-level handy. Put simply, I cannot go back from here.
Whether you’re lining up for a low-and-slow bomb run or wrestling a heavy bomber through crosswinds, these peripherals elevate every cockpit interaction. If you can afford the mid-to-high-end price of admission, I say cue up some Kenny Loggins, engage those detents, retract your gear, and turn ‘n’ burn in an altogether higher tier of tactical.
Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays practically everything, often on YouTube.
It's never a bad time to get into the Legend of Zelda. Nintendo's legendary action-adventure franchise has seen over 25 mainline games and a handful of great spinoffs, and if you own a Nintendo Switch and subscribe to their online service, you have access to just about every single Zelda title to date. But the green-clad Hero of Time transcends just video games, so we've put together a gift guide for that special Zelda fan in your life. From the video games and controllers, books to apparel, and even an amazing LEGO Deku Tree set, there's quite literally something for both new and old Legend of Zelda fans alike.
Legend of Zelda Video Games
With the Nintendo Switch 2 just around the corner and both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom receiving performance upgrades, you can still pick up two of the best games the system still has to offer. And if you're waiting a bit to pick up the Switch 2, there are still plenty of other Legend of Zelda games to keep you occupied. Skyward Sword HD and the Link's Awakening remake are the best ways to revisit these older titles, while Echoes of Wisdom finally allows players to take control of Zelda. The first two Hyrule Warriors titles are incredibly fun action games, so be sure to check them out before Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment releases on Nintendo Switch 2.
Legend of Zelda Controllers and Accessories
Now what if you already have all these Legend of Zelda games, what are you supposed to play them with to show your support of the franchise? Luckily there are tons of great Zelda-themed controllers and accessories to deck your system out with. From official Zelda Joy-Con (I have Skyward Sword HD set, they look incredible!) and pro controllers to third-party Nintendo Switch dock covers, you'll be sprucing up your game room setup in no time.
For more things like this without the Zelda theme, you can check out our guide to the best Switch accessories.
Legend of Zelda Encyclopedias
Legend of Zelda Manga
There are an impressive amount of Legend of Zelda manga and encyclopedias that look great a shelf or coffee table. We put together a breakdown of all the Zelda books you should know about, like the wide breadth of manga covering the games from the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and even both Oracles of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. The encyclopedias are great collectibles for any Zelda fan, as they offer closer looks at the lore and history of Hyrule, complete with old concept art and sketches.
Legend of Zelda Puzzles, Cards, and Board Games
There are tons of great jigsaw puzzles for adults, and the Legend of Zelda-themed puzzles are among our favorite. The 1.000-piece Hyrule map puzzle would look right at home framed over a fireplace once complete. You can also find a handful of classic board games with a Legend of Zelda skin, such as the Monopoly Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition or Legend of Zelda Uno. Also, be sure to have a look at the official Zelda playing cards (these are Japanese imports only!).
LEGO Great Deku Tree Set
Other Nintendo properties, like Super Mario and Animal Crossing, are no strangers to getting the LEGO treatment, and the massive Great Deku Tree set is one of the best LEGO has to offer. The over 2,500-piece set has a 2-in-1 modular function, allowing you to build either the Breath of the Wild or Ocarina of Time Great Deku Trees. It comes with four minifigures: Princess Zelda and three different versions of Link - Breath of the Wild's Link and both young and adult Link from Ocarina of Time. It also comes with detailed Master Sword and Hylian Shield pieces and a buildable Hestu figure.
Legend of Zelda Amiibo and Action Figures
There are dozens upon dozens of available Nintendo Amiibo figures, and the Legend of Zelda characters make up a healthy chunk of them. You can scan these figures on your Nintendo Switch system to unlock different features in various Nintendo Games. Check out our breakdown of every Legend of Zelda Amiibo. You can also grab a couple of Legend of Zelda action figures from the IGN store, like super detailed Zelda and Ganondorf Figma action figures from Tears of the Kingdom.
Legend of Zelda Apparel
Also available on the IGN store are tons a great Legend of Zelda apparel items. T-shirts, hoodies, and crew necks all with sweet Legend of Zelda designs are available in various sizes. The designs vary from retro pixel art to stylized images of classic scenes from throughout the series' entire history. I'm a big fan fan of the Wind Waker stained glass crew neck, myself.
Legend of Zelda Replica Weapons, Drinkware, Vinyl Records
Everything listed here is just scratching the surface of the awesome collectibles and items you can get with a Legend of Zelda theme tacked onto it. On the IGN store, you can pick up a replica Master Sword and Hylian Shield, great for future cosplays or game room displays. I highly recommend the 2LP vinyl record set from iam8bit which include a collection of the some of the series' best tracks. On Amazon, you can find an array of Zelda memorobilia like mugs, thermoses, and coasters. You can even buy a working ceramic ocarina!
Memorial Day Weekend may still be a week away, but some Memorial Day deals are already here. Whether you're looking to gear up with a pair of noise-canceling headphones for your summer eurotrip or want to get your yard in tip-top shape with a lawnmower, there's something on sale for you. Amazon even has a special buy one get one 50% off promotion on a wide range of books.
TL;DR: Deals for Today
That’s not all you can grab, as Magic: The Gathering’s epic Final Fantasy TCG crossover still has pre-orders live for their latest boxes. To ensure you get your favorite characters, some pre-orders are open for single cards, too.
Switch 2 Accessories Are Already Discounted
Sure, the Switch 2 isn't even out yet, but if you managed to score a Switch 2 pre-order, chances are good you’ll want to keep the precious handheld safe. Grabbing a new case is an absolute must, and the TZGZT carrying case is already on sale, has an EVA hard shell, and offers space to hold tons of accessories. There’s even a screen protector included in the package. However, if you’re just looking to keep that display safe, JSAUX has a 3-pack of screen protectors at 20% off right now. The screen protector features a 9H hardness and smudge resistance, while still keeping the touch controls ultra-responsive.
beats Studio Pro x Kim Kardashian
The beats Studio Pro x Kim Kardashian are an epic pair of headphones with noise-canceling capabilities, balanced audio across a range of frequencies, and a 40-hour battery life. It also helps that they look sick, too, coming in a range of neutral colors that should fit well with just about anyone’s aesthetic. Right now, you can save over 50% on the headphones, which is the lowest price we’ve seen on them in 2025.
Greenworks 40V 16" Cordless (Push) Lawn Mower
Spring is finally here, with summer just around the corner, and that means it’s prime mowing season. The Greenworks 40V 16" Cordless (Push) Lawn Mower is a great option for keeping your lawn on point and is on sale for 30% off. Rather than gas, this mower features a 40-volt battery for about 40 minutes of runtime and starts with just the push of a button. It offers the same power as your typical gas mower but with less hassle (and emissions).
LEGO Star Wars R2-D2
Who doesn’t love LEGO? Well, one set I’m particularly stoked about being on sale is the Star Wars R2-D2 figure. Not only does it look awesome, but the droid’s head rotates 360 degrees, and it comes with an attachable periscope and tools. A 25th-anniversary Darth Malak minifigure is even included in the package, adding more value.
MTG Final Fantasy Pre-Orders
The first wave of pre-orders for MTG Final Fantasy vanished quickly. Luckily, production was amped up, so you can still score this epic mashup. Whether you want the ultra-popular starter kit for under $20 or are looking to get a bit more with a bundle full of some extra collectibles, now’s the time to grab them before they run out. TCGplayer has pre-orders for single cards, too, which could see prices rise after MTG Final Fantasy is released in June.
Buy One, Get One 50% Off Books
Amazon is running a buy one, get one 50% off promotion on books for Memorial Day. A few of Star Wars books are a part of the deal, including Thrawn and High Republic stories. Just note that not every book is included, so you’ll have to double-check before making the purchase.
Get 1 Year of Peacock Premium for $24.99
Bravo fans, Wicked aficionados, and more will love this current 1-year subscription deal for Peacock Premium. Peacock has made some major moves in recent years, adding popular TV shows (Hello, Parks & Rec and The Office), straight from the theater releases, and live sports. If you’ve been looking to add to your streaming services, Peacock is on the cusp of joining titan streamers like Netflix and Max.
Xbox Core Controller
The Xbox Core Controller is our favorite PC controller and top Xbox controller for a reason, and right now, the Velocity Green colorway of the gamepad is discounted by $16. Its responsive controls, comfortable build, and great price are hard to beat. Some upgrades from previous models include a redesigned D-pad, extra grip, and a Share button to make grabbing screenshots a breeze. What’s even better? The wide range of support. So, you can play on the Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, Android, and iOS.
Amazon Fire HD 10
The Fire lineup got a revamp in 2024, and we’re already seeing a great discount on the Amazon Fire HD 10. The current 89.99 price tag is the lowest price we’ve seen in 2025. Now’s the time to buy and enjoy a lovely Full HD display that’s ideal for streaming shows or reading. This tablet even offers a decent camera for video chatting and a 25% faster performance than previous generations.
TP-Link Deco AXE5400 Tri-Band WiFi 6E Mesh System
Nothing is worse than a slow, laggy internet connection. Get your router up to speed with the TP-Link Deco AXE5400 Tri-Band WiFi 6E Mesh System, which is discounted by 30% right now. This mesh setup features a main router and two nodes for up to 7200 sq. ft. of coverage. With Wi-Fi 6E, tri-band support – including a 6GHz band – and a multi-gig Ethernet port for a wired connection, all of your devices should be ready to experience a speedy, reliable connection online.
ASUS TUF Gaming 27" 2K Monitor
If you’ve got a mid-range PC battle station, the ASUS TUF Gaming 27" 2K HDR Gaming Monitor (VG27AQ) is the perfect partner. This monitor can push up to 165Hz in 2K and offers G-Sync support for a butter-smooth gaming experience. A shadow boost feature can even help further enhance scenes, making it easier to spot enemies lurking in the darkness. Now’s the time to grab this display too, as it’s on sale for only $229 – one of the lowest prices we’ve seen this year.
Ring Doorbell
Deter intruders and porch pirates with a Ring Doorbell. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for the handy little camera/doorbell combo that’s full of smarts. You’ll be able to check on packages, receive notifications, and more. A built-in battery that charges via USB-C also means installation will be a breeze. It’s really the easiest way to keep your home protected.
Ravensburger Puzzle Sale
Ravensburger Dean Macadam Most Everyone is Mad is a 1,000-piece puzzle that’s currently discounted. The artwork is stunning, and given that it’s from Ravensburger and made in Germany, the quality is hard to beat. It’s not the only puzzle on sale, though, as Amazon has slashed the prices on a range of puzzles.
Squishmallow Sale on Woot
It’s hard not to fall in love with just about every Squishmallow that exists. They’re cute, soft, and right now, deeply discounted during Woot’s Garage Sale. You’ll find some of these adorable plush toys on sale for over 80% off.
Skytech Gaming PCs are Discounted
Skip the hassle of building your own gaming PC and grab one of these powerful options from Skytech. From a mid-range rig ready to take on all the action to absolute beasts kitted out with all the latest and greatest components, something is bound to suit your playing needs. Best of all, each of these PCs are discounted by 12% or more right now!
With Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returning for Season 3 on July 17, the marketing is about to heat up for the continuing mission of Captain Pike and the rest of the crew of the USS Enterprise. But some Trek fans may be a bit confused by the teaser trailer for the new season, which hints at the inclusion of a holodeck – technology that wasn’t really seen in the world of Trek until Captain Picard’s Next Generation adventures kicked off in 1987.
Since TNG was set about 100 years after The Original Series, which in and of itself is set about a decade after Strange New Worlds, this moment in the teaser trailer seems like a bit of a continuity gaffe. And yet there’s Spock (Ethan Peck) and La’An (Christina Chong) standing on the very familiar grid of the holodeck – La’An even has on period clothing, indicating she’s heading into some holo-adventure.
Watch the teaser here:
Other shots in the trailer seem to be setting up a murder-mystery episode – Clue in space! – with the whole cast getting to play dress-up… no doubt on the holodeck with La’An. But again, you ask, why is there a holodeck on the OG Enterprise at all!?
Well, first of all, let’s put aside all the other possibilities that sci-fi (or even basic storytelling) offer us. This could be a dream, or it could be an alien creation, like a reality created by Q (or a Q-type being like Trelane, the TOS one-and-done character who turned out to basically be a baby Q, and is rumored to be returning for this season of SNW). Or this could be time travel! Or an alternate reality! Or…
Nah, this is a holodeck. But the thing is, the holodeck didn’t originate on Next Generation. Not really. In fact, the concept goes back to this version of the Enterprise (no bloody A, B, C or D…). According to Memory Alpha, the book Inside Star Trek: The Real Story reports that Trek creator Gene Roddenberry wanted to include a holodeck-like area on the ship in the third season of The Original Series, but budget constraints proved prohibitive. He finally did get the idea onscreen, however, on Star Trek: The Animated Series in 1974. In the episode “The Practical Joker,” a version of the holodeck is featured – but it’s called a “recreation room.” Sulu, Dr. McCoy and Uhura use it to go to the beach, and then to a forest, but even back then holodeck malfunctions were a thing. (The ship’s computer becomes the practical joker of the episode title and causes all kinds of mischief for the folks in the rec room.)
But beyond that, Star Trek: Discovery also featured something that was holodeck-adjacent, if not an actual holodeck. This was in Season 1 of that series, which is set even earlier than Strange New Worlds. Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs) and Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) are undergoing some military training exercises in what amounts to a holographic setting. There’s no grid on the wall, but then again, there’s no malfunction either! Seems like a win?
All of which is to say, yes, holodeck tech did exist in some form back during Captain Pike’s era. Now let’s see if they call it a “rec room” – if they do, then you’ll know the writers are really paying attention to Trek history.
If you're looking for DTI codes, IGN's got you covered! In this article, you'll find a list of all the active and working Dress to Impress codes in May 2025 that you can redeem for free rewards and bonuses in DTI, including outfits and accessories like hats, bags, and jewelry.
Active Dress to Impress Codes (May 2025)
Here are all the active Dress to Impress codes in May 2025 and the free rewards you get for redeeming them:
LNY2025 - Cheongsam Dress and Tang Suit, expires 8 AM PT on May 19, 2025 (NEW! Re-released old code)
HAPPYNEWYEAR - Hanfu, expires 8 AM PT on May 19, 2025 (NEW! Re-released old code)
ANGELT4NKED - Helmet
3NCHANTEDD1ZZY - Wand
ELLA - Skirt
1CON1CF4TMA - Sweater dress
B3APL4YS_D0L1E - Doll accessory
MEGANPLAYSBOOTS - Boots
CH00P1E_1S_B4CK: Streetwear outfit set
S3M_0W3N_Y4Y: Axe
KREEK: Bear hat
LANA: White shorts, shirt, and legwarmers
LANABOW:White bow
BELALASLAY: Black jacket with pink halter top
LANATUTU: White dress
IBELLASLAY: Red, green, and blonde hairstyle
M3RM4ID: Orange mermaid set
TEKKYOOZ: White handbag
LABOOTS: Black boots
ITSJUSTNICHOLAS: Black jacket
ASHLEYBUNNI: Bunny slippers
LEAHASHE: Sweatshirt and sweatpants
KITTYUUHH: Black cat
C4LLMEHH4LEY: Puffy dress and bear headband
SUBM15CY: Necklace and eyelashes
D1ORST4R: Bag and bow
All Expired Dress to Impress Codes
Below, you'll find a list of expired DTI codes that no longer work and can't be redeemed as of May 2025:
SWEETHEART (was only redeemable between February 15 and February 16, 2025 at 8AM PT)
YEAROFTHESNAKE
NY2025
WINTERUPDATE(was only redeemable between 8 AM - 11 AM PT on Saturday, 14 December!)
4BILLION
CHOOPIE10K
THEGAMES
EYELASHES
REWARD4CLASS1C
How to Redeem Dress to Impress Codes
Follow the steps below to redeem Dress to Impress codes and claim free rewards in DTI:
Open the Dress to Impress Roblox Experience.
Click on the handbag icon on the left-hand side to open the DTI Codes menu.
Enter your code in the "Type here..." field.
Check for any spelling mistakes or errors.
Click the checkmark icon to redeem the code.
Why Isn't My Dress to Impress Code Working?
If the code you're trying to redeem in DTI isn't working, it's likely because of one of two reasons:
The Dress to Impress code is expired
There's a spelling mistake in the code
When inputting a DTI code in Roblox, make sure it's spelled correctly (for example, a capital I isn't a lowercase l, 0 and not O, and vice versa) and that there are no spaces before or after the code. We'd recommend copying and pasting codes straight from our article to ensure they're correct as we've tested and verified that the codes on this page are working ourselves.
If your DTI code still isn't working after checking for typos, it's more than likely expired and can no longer be redeemed in Dress to Impress.
How to Get More DTI Codes
To get more Dress to Impress codes, the best way is to join the official DTI Discord server. While we check for new codes daily, the quickest way to know about new Dress to Impress codes is to follow the Roblox experience's official Discord server where updates are posted in real time.
Now that the Petal Update is live, we currently do not know of any upcoming Dress to Impress codes. We'll update this page as soon as we find out!
What is Dress to Impress in Roblox?
Dress to Impress is a popular dress-up Roblox Experience available on PC, console, and iOS and Android mobile devices. In it, you put on your best outfit to complete a specific theme and walk the runway in a bid to earn votes from other players and become a top model. As you gain votes, you gain ranks and can access more clothing and accessories, so make sure you're truly dressed to impress! Also, for toy lovers and collectors, you can now pre-order a mystery pack of 2 Dress to Impress minifigures right now for $30 at Walmart.
Meg Koepp is a Guides Editor on the IGN Guides team, with a focus on trends. When she's not working, you can find her playing an RPG or making miniatures.
Doom. Four letters, two gunbarrels, one space marine and boatloads of demon guts is all it takes to change the face of gaming forever.
Id Software’s seminal series is ground zero for first-person shooters, PC gaming, online multiplayer, community modding, speedrunning, and so, so much more.
Video games are still living in the shadow of this infernal masterpiece three-decades later. The FPS genre has evolved a lotsince the days they were called “Doom-likes,” and so has the series itself– with varying degrees of success.
How does your favorite title rank among the seven (or so) main entries in the franchise? Which Doom games cover themselves in guts and glory, and which are cursed to wallow knee-deep in the unalived? We promise not to be too rough as we rip and tear through the series to bring you every Doom: Ranked.
7. Doom 3
2004’s Doom 3 is the end result of an ultimatum John Carmack issued to the rest of Id, and it kind of feels that way.
Carmack was dead-set on making a next-generation remake of Doom to showcase the impressive new light and shadow capabilities of the IdTech 4 engine. Doom co-creator John Romero was long gone at this point, and the remaining Id OGs were staunchly opposed to what they saw as a retread– a tech demo in search of a purpose. Carmack very publicly overruled them, and thus we have Doom 3.
To their credit, Carmack and crew made some big changes in pursuit of modernizing the series. Doom 3 is a slower, more story-driven affair than the first two games. There are voiced NPCs and lore-filled terminals that you interact with in a super clever way. Its jumpscares and “monster closets” instill a sense of anxious survival horror, a sharp contrast to the run-and-gun arcade frenzy of classic Doom.
It’s a valiant effort to bring Doom to a new generation of gamer culture. The problem is that this generation was extremely ugly.
The graphics tech itself is awesome. The projectiles and explosions almost make the game’s dull metal hallways interesting, but Id’s decision to showcase the game’s lighting engine is the game’s fatal flaw. You can’t see anything. Intentionally. The game is tuned to be super dark until you switch to your flashlight, which you cannot use at the same time as your weapon.
This was largely met with derision from fans, but the combat is actually tuned around it– juggling between seeing your enemy and shooting it creates a huge amount of drama and tension. It’s actually kind of cool, just not that fun. A popular “duct tape” mod addressed this, as did Doom 3’s “BFG Edition” remaster, but it somehow makes things worse. Having your light and your gun trivializes the entire combat loop. It’s the worst of both worlds.
The new demon designs are sapped of color and charm, turning iconic abominations into run-of-the-mill Umbrella B.O.W.s. It’s impossible to envision them as anything but their counterparts in the 2005 movie. The aesthetic is very of its era and just all wrong for Doom.
Doom is a heavy metal mural airbrushed on the side of a speeding van. Doom 3 is the embodiment of nu metal butt rock– more Mudvayne than Metallica. Decent for what it is, but it would take 12 years more before the series got a refresh with some actual rizz.
6. Doom 64
Some fans insist that Doom 64 is the true sequel to Doom 1 and 2. Id closely supervised Midway Games’ development of the N64 exclusive, resulting in an interesting but ultimately inconsequential side entry in the series– A Doom gaiden.
The game still utilizes sprites, but instead of digitized photos of hand-sculpted maquettes, Doom 64’s demons are pre-rendered with the same SGI tech as Donkey Kong Country. The enemy designs are slightly more subdued, but nowhere near the grey blobs of Doom 3, and they’re a higher resolution than the vintage bestiary.
Doom 64 isn’t hurt too much by its titular console’s limitations, but there are fewer enemies thanks to small cartridge sizes, and the reduced animation frames on the shotguns really robs them of their kick. Worst of all, Midway couldn’t get multiplayer working, despite four-player, split-screen Doom deathmatches being a perfect fit for the system that gave us Goldeneye.
Still, on the whole the game looks great. Doom 64 has a uniquely bleak, gothic vibe, with a gorgeous colored lighting system that’s impressively sophisticated for the era.
Instead of MIDI speed metal, the soundtrack is a dark ambient drone. There’s no HUD, no grimacing Doomguy face, only subtle numbers and letters rendered in bleary N64 textures. The gameplay is largely the same, though a new scripted events system creates neat opportunities for map design.
Doom 64 seems like the game Carmack’s co-owners were afraid Id was going to make: More Doom, slightly different. It’s just not different enough to warrant a higher place on the list. Doom 64 is a fun, fascinating, evolutionary dead end.
That brings us to another followup that doesn’t reinvent the wheel:
5. Doom II
Today’s fans demand big changes to make a sequel worthwhile, but in the olden days folks were perfectly happy with an iterative successor like Doom II.
32 new levels designed in-house by Id, a bunch of new enemies, and just one new weapon was more than enough to make Doom II the highest-selling software program of 1994.
Doom II is Doom refined. Old monsters are reconfigured in clever ways while fresh faces like the Revenant and Arch-Vile add more complexity to demon distribution. Your arsenal has only one addition, but it’s a weapon that would come to define Doom: the Super Shotgun.
So, with all this great new stuff, shouldn’t Doom II be a straight upgrade to the original? It almost is, but Doom II’s map design just doesn’t hit the same.
Maybe it’s the amount of larger, more open levels compared to the disciplined precision of the original’s holy spaces. Doom II was billed as “Hell on Earth,” but the aging tech couldn’t really produce convincing Suburbs or Downtown the same way Duke Nukem’s Build Engine would a couple of years later.
It’s also possible that John Romero was checked out. On the verge of leaving the company after clashing over Quake, Romero contributed fewer and less-interesting maps to Doom II compared to his ten definitive levels from the first game, which may be why Id programmers snuck their co-founder’s disembodied head inside the final boss.
Doom II feels like less of a journey than Doom. As shareware, the first game was divided into three (later four) clear episodes, with interstitial map screens between levels tracing your path of destruction across the moons of Mars until thy flesh is consumed by Hell itself.
As a boxed game from the get go, Doom II is presented as a barely-connected 32-level megawad. The game supposedly depicts a full-on demon invasion of Earth, but this is mostly conveyed through three different skyboxes.
Map duties were largely handled by designers American McGee, of later Alice fame, and Sandy Peterson, who really shines with unique gimmick levels like Tricks & Traps and the infamous Barrels o’ Fun. Doom II has some great maps and lots of innovative twists on the formula, but on the whole it’s a less cohesive and satisfying package than the first game.
At the time, map quality didn’t matter quite as much. Fans had already been sharing their own custom levels en masse, passed around as .wad files via floppy disks and 28-kilobaud modems. Doom II is almost more notable as a platform than as a standalone title. It gave modders and wadders a chance to shine and even go legit.
A group called TeamTNT created two megawads that impressed Id so much they bought the rights and slapped them together for retail as “Final Doom.” Today, these maps and others have been fully incorporated into the canon by modern releases of Doom II. It makes the game a more comprehensive product, but that’s not enough to elevate it above our next, and most recent entry:
4. Doom: The Dark Ages
The Dark Ages couldn’t be more different than Doom II. A sequel that refuses to offer more of the same, The Dark Ages takes a sharp turn away from the neon frenzy of Doom Eternal into a grim and gothic new setting, with drastically altered gameplay to match.
If Eternal is Doom meets Devil May Cry, The Dark Ages is Doom Souls. The gameplay isn’t slow, like some of the trailers would have you believe, but it is deliberate, and the player’s individual actions have more consequences.
Stand and fight is more than just a marketing slogan, it’s the only way you’re going to take down some bosses and badder enemies. Melee combat means getting up close and personal with monsters, trading mace blows and shotgun blasts in a boxing match from hell.
Gone is Eternal’s verticality, deliberately downplayed in homage to the original Doom’s lack of a jump button. Projectiles move more slowly, choking the battlefield with patterns that evoke bullet-hell shmups and Serious Sam. Glory kills are a shadow of their former, well, glory, taking a backseat to the new rhythms of The Dark Ages’ combat.
The most impactful addition to the Doom formula is the parry mechanism that allows the player to deflect green attacks with the integral new shield saw. It’s the backbone around which the game is designed and it’s not going to click with everybody, but
The Dark Ages brings a few firsts to the franchise, like friendly NPCs fighting alongside the Slayer and difficulty sliders to make the series more accessible. It’s also the first game since Doom 64 to lack any kind of multiplayer.
The Slayer trilogy’s online components have been a noble but largely perfunctory effort. Id decided to ditch it entirely and focus on making the most compelling campaign they could, exchanging multiplayer and snapmap for dragon riding and giant mechs. It’s bummer to see the IP that literally invented deathmatch drift away from multiplayer entirely, but frankly a lot of fans aren’t going to miss it.
You have to give modern Id credit: they just will not make the same game twice. Will The Dark Ages become the new way forward for the franchise or merely an interesting diversion like the aforementioned Doom 64? Only time will tell if it has the same staying power as our next entry,
3. Doom: Eternal
Doom: Eternal is a Doom game’s Doom game. It’s everything a fan of Doom 2016 would expect from a sequel, and while the vibe is different from its predecessor, the whole experience feels more vibrant and alive.
The Doom franchise isn’t exactly known for its awe-inspiring vistas and diverse biomes, but Eternal impressively mixes snow levels and baroque ivory fortresses in with the usual techbases and fleshy hellscapes. We’re not used to seeing this kind of environmental variety in Doom, and it’s a refreshing change of pace.
The monsters have shed the last remnants of their realistic Doom 3 designs and embraced their inner iconography. Cacodemons bleed blue again, the Imps have all their spikes back, and the former humans have once again embraced the crew cut. If Illumination ever made an animated Doom movie, this is what the monsters would look like.
In line with the more expressive demons, Doom: Eternal embraces its inherent arcadeiness. The Doomslayer now has extra lives, which he secures from glowing in-world pickups that literally say “1UP.” Weapons and items now float off the ground and spin around, easier to spot and snag as you double jump across implausible arenas with not one but two airdashes.
Doom: Eternal is unrepentantly a video game, designed for maximum readability and playability. It’s worth noting that the game’s technical performance is impeccable, offering smooth frame rates across a variety of hardware that would make its famously compatible ancestor proud.
When it comes to combat, Doom: Eternal asks a lot more of you than 2016. Ammo is much more scarce, forcing you to juggle through most of your weapons in nearly every fight. Choosing the right gun for the right enemy and exploiting their weak spots is essential, though some fans argue that the Marauders, dark Doomguy counterparts with a limited vulnerability window, are a bridge too far for the power fantasy.
Doom: Eternal’s biggest flaw is that it’s doing too much. The Doomslayer has new guns and enemies to deal with, a meathook to yank yourself across the battlefield, and a shoulder cannon with grenades and bombs and fire belches that are crucial for survival– on top of an avalanche of additional collectibles, resources, and upgrade trees
Even the Doomguy himself has gotten a little too big for his armored green britches, having somehow come into possession of a massive outer space fortress between games, a vast hub to explore that has plenty of great easter eggs and secrets but also a lot of locked doors and samey-looking hallways to get lost in.
Speaking of getting lost, Doom: Eternal suffers under a sheer mountain of lore. Endless paragraphs of indecipherable sci-fi fantasy with more proper nouns than a phone book are at your bloody fingertips. To some, it’s a welcome addition that makes the series that much more rich. For others, it’s an albatross around the neck of Doom’s action-first ethos: start shooting as soon as the screen melts.
It’s an excellent sequel, superior to its predecessor in many ways, but as a total package, it falls just short of
2. Doom (2016)
Doom 2016 is the platonic ideal of Doom.
It marries the kinetic and aesthetic purity of the original with a winking, self-aware tone that evokes not just the first game’s “Hurt Me Plenty” attitude but society’s perception of the series.
This is the Doom we envisioned in our adolescent brains. It’s the Doom of the infamous ‘90s comic, the ultraviolent nightmare that Jack Thompson and Joe Lieberman warned us about– and it is glorious. But Doom 2016 almost didn’t happen.
The game was originally conceived as “Doom 4,” designed around a dull-looking modern-day demon invasion that incorporated some of the worst excesses of 7th-gen shooter design.
Scripted setpieces, cover-based firefights, and health regeneration earned Doom 4 the derisive nickname “Call of Doom.” Why “press F to pay respects” when you could “press F to rip a demon’s jaw off and slice open its belly?”
Marty Silva and Hugo Martin salvaged Doom 4 from the shores of development hell by stripping it into a back-to-basics, gleefully indulgent romp that fully rekindles the lost soul of the series.
It’s no coincidence that retro “boomer shooters” comeback began right around Doom 2016. The aggressive, push-forward gameplay has you leaping onto cacodemons in midair as Mick Gordon’s impossibly detuned guitars belch out riffs of pure hype. It’s here we first see the glory kills, expanded on in future sequels but never quite as elegant as their debut.
Simple is the operative word of Doom 2016, and sometimes to its detriment. Unlike later games, there’s little incentive to cycle through your weapons. It’s easy to let the rockets or the SSG carry you to the Spider-Mastermind. Still, the barebones approach is appreciated, particularly when it comes to the plot.
It was John Carmack who famously compared video game stories to those of x-rated movies: “It’s expected to be there, but not important.” Doom 2016’s less-is-more approach is extremely refreshing after the dense Metal Hurlant nightmares of its sequels. The storytelling is never really bad in Eternal or The Dark Ages, but also never quite as funny as the Doomslayer seething with impatient rage as exposition drones on.
It took some huge guts to name the 2016 reboot “Doom,” but that very confidence is what propels this game to greatness. There’s only one shooter in the world that could possibly top Doom 2016.
But first:
1. Doom
Doom has more than earned its spot on the Mt. Rushmore of the medium.
As chronicled in the excellent book Masters of Doom, the game's creation is a brilliant example of developers stripping away extraneous details and focusing on what works. As a followup to Id’s groundbreaking but plodding and plain shooter Wolfenstein 3D, original designer Tom Hall dreamed up a sprawling space RPG with multiple playable characters, an inventory system, and a thick “bible” filled with backstory and lore.
Carmack and Romero rightly recognized all of this as chaff that got in the way of the fast and brutal gameplay they envisioned. They slowly stripped away unnecessary flavor and realism until what remained was a bare-bones, no BS exercise in adrenaline. Doom is like the titular Xenomorph in Alien: One must respect its purity.
There’s no mouselook in the original Doom. Aiming on the y-axis literally doesn’t matter, you can hit that Imp on a ledge above you as long as it’s centered on your gun. Doomguy cannot jump, and his only interaction with the world besides shooting, punching, and chainsawing is a single “use” button that you’ll spam endlessly as you search each legendary map for secret doors.
Anyone can pick up the game today, whether through a fan-made source port or an official rerelease, and immediately understand the assignment. Run, gun, rip and tear. Find keys and snag powerups to keep Doomguy alive as he stares bullets through your soul from the UI.
To say Doom has aged is to say Tetris or Pac Man has aged. Its simplicity is its greatest strength– there’s almost no friction between you and the coveted “flow state” towards which all action games aspire. Doom’s kinetic appeal makes it immortal,
Released as shareware, anyone with a working PC was free to play the first episode of Doom, from the iconic first moments of E1M1 to beating the Bruiser Brothers in Phobos Anomaly. You could mail a check to Id if you wanted more, but the sheer accessibility and availability of Knee-Deep in the Dead’s nine perfect levels all but ensured Doom’s dominance.
Doom became shorthand for gaming itself. The moral panic over video game violence resulted in pundits and politicians alike warning parents of the gory, demonic slaughter simulator warping their children’s minds, blaming the shooter for real-world tragedies. It's a sad footnote in an otherwise unparalleled success story, and a formative moment in gaming history that helped shape a still-developing industry.
At the start of every new project, the current developers at Id play through the original Doom, to re-familiarize themselves with its brilliance and look for interesting new ways to expand the formula.
Every single entry on this list is in some way a response to the first game, either trying to recapture its glory or recreate what makes it fun. Some games succeed, others have faltered, but they’re all chasing after perfection that was already achieved in 1993. Doom is still the best Doom.
Where does your favorite Doom rank on the spectrum? Would you have put Eternal above 2016? Should we have included the surprisingly awesome mobile phone RPGs? Leave a comment and let us know.
This review contains spoilers for season 2, episode 6 of Doctor Who, “The Interstellar Song Contest.”
“The Interstellar Song Contest” somehow manages to squeeze in enough moving parts that it could probably fuel an entire season of Doctor Who. A galactic Eurovision in space (debuting the day of its earthbound counterpart’s final round), well-realised antagonists, surprise cameos, and more all jostle for attention in a tight 45-minute runtime. It’s a lot to take in, and the episode does end up a little bloated, but the script holds it all together with a sharp sense of fun. Writer Juno Dawson gleefully leans into Doctor Who’s love of big, pulpy sci-fi spectacle, wheeling out “delta waves” and “mavity” jokes, and the result is an episode that feels remarkably alive and focused in spite of all it has to pay attention to. Director Ben A. Williams even matches Dawson’s maximalist energy with confident, striking visuals, none more so than a chilling sequence where 100,000 people are flung out of a space station. It’s yet another stand-out example of season 2 nailing its horror-inspired themes – the scene alone is one of the highlights of the whole season.
It’s also the season’s best showing from its side characters so far. With so much plot to juggle, it would have been easy to let them blur into the background like usual, but “The Interstellar Song Contest” gets surprising mileage out of its supporting cast. Even the episode’s cameos (such as Rylan and Graham Norton) serve a larger purpose, but none more notable than the dramatic reappearance of Carole Ann Ford as Susan, the Doctor’s granddaughter. It’s a huge cameo that avoids feeling like empty fan service, with just enough weight to justify its impact. Despite everything “The Interstellar Song Contest” is already trying to balance, the episode makes a clear effort to ensure its characters actually matter, not just take up space, whether that’s in a one-off appearance or the return of the character that gave the very first Doctor Who serial its name.
The same can be said for this week's main threat, “Kid” and “Wynn,” members of an alien race known as the Hellions, humanoids with distinctive horns protruding from their heads. They won’t be troubling any all-time great lists, but rather than rolling out moustache-twirling schemes, their plan is rooted in a tangible motivation: revenge for the destruction of their homeworld for profit, an event tied to the Song Contest’s corporate sponsor. This also ties neatly into one of the season’s strongest throughlines: its timely and affecting look at issues of race, displacement, and discrimination. From the Doctor and Belinda’s reflections on community in “The Story & The Engine” to the unflinching depiction of 1960s racism in “Lux”, these topics have been explored with a deft hand so far this season, and that continues with the broad-but-effective allegory for the marginalized that is the Hellions.
It’s easy to empathise with their anger, made all the more troubling when considering that they’re out to kill 3 trillion people in response. That makes pitting them against the Doctor increasingly more interesting. Their confrontations are surprisingly intense, and “The Interstellar Song Contest” even does a good job of playing up 15’s quirky veneer to set up a dramatic jolt later on. One minute he’s blasting back into the space station on a confetti cannon, the next he’s lashing out. His sudden outburst reveals a darker edge that has been largely hidden this season, and it’s a welcome return of a more complex side to the character. But while the intent is clear and the scene mostly works, it does feel a little sudden.
As we approach the end of the season, Belinda remains a captivating presence, but she also feels like someone caught in the same character development rush as the Doctor. Her unique background provides a sturdy foundation, but her connection with the Time Lord now ironically feels both hyper-accelerated and strangely static, forced to carry the emotional heft of an incoming two-part finale without the organic growth a longer episode, or season, might have allowed. There are several great ideas sprinkled throughout “The Interstellar Song Contest”, such as Belinda’s fear of being displaced in time and space, or her distrust of the Doctor after seeing the Time Lord’s rage, but it all ends up feeling rather sidelined by the end. Ultimately, while “The Interstellar Song Contest” is bursting with ideas, and its ambitious scope is one of the many reasons it’s so enjoyable, it also unfortunately gets squeezed by the season’s eight-episode sprint. Still, it’s a testament to its energy and ambition that it remains so undeniably charming, even if it leaves you wishing there was just that little bit more to experience.
When The Mandalorian and Grogu is released next year on May 22, 2026 – the first new Star Wars movie to hit theaters in six and a half years – and then Grand Theft Auto VI hits four days later on May 26, 2026 – the first new GTA game in 12 and a half years – which one do you think is going to be the bigger deal? And which is going to be same old/same old?
On paper at least, these should be two of the biggest pop culture events of the year – the Barbenheimer of 2026. A new Star Wars movie? A new GTA title!? Grand Theft Watto!!? And while we can guarantee that GTA 6 will be huge – it’s already huge – The Mandalorian and his little friend are actually far less of a sure thing.
It reminds me of when I was a kid and I told my Noni that I would eat pizza every day if I could. And I meant it! She was like, no, you’d get sick of it eventually. But man, pizza every day sounds amazing! You know what though? Noni was 100% right. Pizza every day is actually really freaking gross, and it’s bad for you, and it’s bad for the people selling the pizza in the long run because eventually I’m just going to not want to even think about pizza again for a long, long time.
And this is where we’re at with Star Wars right now: It’s pizza every day, over and over again. But GTA… the anticipation for a new GTA game has been building for years. And in some ways, that very anticipation is a big part of the allure of the franchise as well. It’s something Lucasfilm and Disney would do well to take note of.
It’s not that GTA has a bigger cultural footprint than Star Wars. On the contrary, everyone knows who Darth Vader is (even my Noni did, I expect; at the very least she got me a TIE Fighter toy for my third-grade graduation). But the GTAs of the world are still aimed at a tighter demographic. The reason something like GTA can make as much money as it does (more on that in a sec) is because folks spend a lot more playing a game like that than they do going to see a movie. Its success is not because more people are playing it than are watching Star Wars. But one must also consider the lasting impact of a game of this nature, the amount of time that it takes to complete, the replayability, and the interactivity versus the, frankly, old-fashioned act of watching a movie or show and then moving on.
2015’s The Force Awakens, which kicked off the era of modern (i.e., Disney) Star Wars, brought in $2.071 billion at the box office worldwide. But Lucasfilm’s hyperdrive motivator was already starting to lose some steam by the time the Sequel Trilogy closed out: The last new Star Wars movie to be released, 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, made $1.077 billion, almost half what The Force Awakens did. Star Wars was already feeling pretty commonplace after just four short years of its return to the big screen, and the numbers bear that out.
Star Wars was already feeling pretty commonplace after just four years back on the big screen, and the numbers bear that out.
The Force Awakens actually serves as a better comparison than Rise of Skywalker to the last Grand Theft Auto game, GTA 5, since the game came out in 2013. That just lets us compare the amount of money the two properties brought in a little more cleanly since it’s just a two-year gap between releases. And even though Rey, Finn and Poe’s first adventure (remember them?) is also the fifth-highest grossing film of all time worldwide (not adjusted for inflation), its numbers still pale in comparison to those of GTA 5.
So about that: Released in September 2013, GTA 5 made a billion dollars in three days. By May of 2014, the game had sold 33 million copies, which would come to approximately $1.98 billion in sales (based on a price of $60 per unit, which is an estimate and doesn’t take into account sale prices, for example). I know – you’re thinking, ‘That’s still below The Force Awakens’ $2.017 billion and it took nine months to get there.’ But whereas The Force Awakens made all that theatrical dough in just a couple of months before leaving theaters, GTA 5 just kept on grabbing the loot year after year after year.
In 2023, Barron’s reported that GTA 5 had grossed over $8.5 billion since its release in 2013. And last year, publisher Take-Two revealed in an earnings report that the game had, at that time, continued to sell approximately five million units every three months. This is of course in part due to the fact that GTA 5 has been released on three generations of consoles over the years, and the revenue from GTA Online must be considered as well.
By comparison, the combined box office total of all the Disney-era Star Wars movies – The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One, and Solo – is $5.934 billion. That’s, well, a few billion dollars less than what is essentially a single game in GTA 5. But the other money that the Star Wars franchise brings in is a little harder to track – Blu-rays, digital downloads, streaming, merchandising, theme parks, and, of course, its licensed video games as well.
Things get a bit opaque here because while having, for example, all the Star Wars movies (and TV shows) available on Disney+ exclusively is certainly a draw for potential subscribers, it’s also difficult to attach a dollar value to that scenario. Ditto the theme parks. Yes, you too can rub elbows with an ersatz Rey while at Galaxy’s Edge, and you can also pay $200-plus for a custom lightsaber to shut up your kid’s whining, but how much does that add to the overall take-home of quote/unquote Star Wars itself? (Star Wars games, meanwhile, can be hit or miss; for every Jedi Fallen Order success there’s an Outlaws that has a rough go of it.) Does all the Star Wars stuff in the world that people can and do buy make up that extra three billion dollars to put the series at the same gross revenue point as GTA 5? Maybe.
But that’s only one Grand Theft Auto game as compared to the entirety of the modern Star Wars line. Of course, GTA’s online multiplayer mode, with its new cars and interactive events, keeps players coming back over and over again – easily spending beyond the price of the game itself thanks to its in-game currency. (And by the way, why doesn’t GTA have a more extensive line of merchandise IRL? Where are my GTA toys? Why can’t I go to a GTA theme park in California, or even better, Florida, where I can get in an awesome car and run over people to my heart’s desire before buying a custom uzi!?)
Well actually, maybe that’s where the real difference between these two franchises – in the here and now of the year 2025 – can best be articulated, and why people rolled their eyes when, for example, the Ryan Gosling/Shawn Levy Star Wars movie Starfighter was officially announced recently compared to the incredible excitement that can be felt around any and all GTA 6 news. As noted, it’s going on 13 years since a new GTA game was released. Compare that to the constant watering down of Star Wars through streaming shows, announced movies that never happen, bad movies (and, sure, some good ones!), and the aforementioned ever-present merchandising that we’ve been inundated with since at least 2014, when the marketing build-up to The Force Awakens kicked in. There’s just so much Star Wars now.
When a new GTA title finally is released, there's a huge demand, but also the amount of time and resources that have been put into it are clear.
And that brings me back Noni and my pizza dreams – dreams that were dashed (Dash Rendar’d?) when I realized she was right about too much of a good thing. Sure, sometimes the toppings are different, and some days it tastes better than others, but Star Wars is just always there now. There’s nothing special about it anymore.
But GTA… GTA brings me to a different Noni memory. Rockstar only serves new editions of the beloved franchise on the most special of occasions. It’s sort of like lasagna on Christmas! We didn’t get lasagna all the time growing up, so when we found out Noni was making sauce and lasagna was in the offing, it was awesome. The meatballs and sausage sliced up, the oozing ricotta, the basil leaves on top, the toasted Italian bread to go with it – just the best. And it wasn’t just the actual lasagna, but even the anticipation of it. Knowing that it was coming was almost as good as actually sitting down and eating it. It was a rare and special thing, like a new GTA game.
Rockstar also has a history of delaying new installments of the series – they will serve no wine before its time. The result of this philosophy is that when a new GTA title finally is released, there is a huge demand, but also the amount of time and resources that have been put into the game are clear in the finished version. With all due respect to the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, there was obviously no plan in terms of the trilogy part of it all. (One day Rian Johnson will say how he really feels about the 180-degree turn The Rise of Skywalker took after his film.) Audiences aren’t dumb; they can tell the difference between something that is rushed to make a date versus a work of art that is given its due time to develop and evolve as it should.
Is the GTA series an outlier in the world of games? Certainly. And yet, as of 2023, Minecraft had sold over 300 million copies (including sales across the many platforms it's released on) and Tetris had sold over 520 million copies. (GTA 5 is at 200 million+ and the Grand Theft Auto franchise overall has 430 million units sold.) And that’s just the top of the pile of best-selling games. People like video games! Who knew?
It’s crazy to think now that there was a 16-year gap between Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace. It was a relatively fallow period for Star Wars (even if the expanded universe and merchandising continued), and when George Lucas finally did return to theaters in 1999 with young Ani and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, there were lines around the block everywhere. That was excitement. There was huge anticipation for a thing we all loved that we hadn’t gotten a new installment of in a long, long time. The same happened 10 years after Revenge of the Sith, which we had all thought was the end of the Star Wars movies forever, when The Force Awakens rekindled the Star Wars flame. Audiences were truly amped to return to that galaxy far, far away again.
And that gap between Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace, that 16 years, that’s not far off from the 13 years that will have passed between GTA 5 and GTA 6. The expectations, the hopes, the theorizing, the fun of knowing a new game in the series is coming. It’s almost as important as the game itself.
But in the case of the next Star Wars movie… which is the continuation of a TV show… which has had three seasons already… and at least a couple of spin-offs… well, it’s gonna be kind of hard for audiences to get too excited for that, I think. Sure, it may prove to be a good or even a great movie – I hope it does.
But you have to wonder. How many people are gonna say to themselves, “Eh, I’ll wait for when it hits streaming.”
Final Destination has made its bones bringing audiences’ worst fears to the big screen. Through a twisted mix of horror and absurdity, the franchise explores the cosmic balance of life and death, building stories (and tension) around the idea that disasters are not averted, only delayed, and Death cannot be cheated.
For those who want to watch or rewatch the full Final Destination saga ahead of Bloodlines, we’ve compiled this chronological list of the series’ six movies.
How Many Final Destination Movies Are There?
Six Final Destination movies have been released since the franchise debuted 25 years ago. Outside of film, there are also six original Final Destination novels (not counting novelizations of the movies) and two comics.
Which Final Destination Movie Should You Watch First?
There are two potential starting points: Final Destination (to view the movies in release order) or Final Destination 5 (to view them in order of their narrative chronology). Given Final Destination isn't a franchise with a crucial throughline, we recommend starting with the original.
Final Destination Movies in Chronological Order
The following blurbs contain broad spoilers for each movie.
1. Final Destination 5
The earliest-set movie in the franchise is Final Destination 5, which takes place in (or just before) the year 2000. Like the four movies prior, it introduces a group of people who avoid a deadly disaster — this time, a bridge collapse — thanks to the protagonist's premonition.
Final Destination 5 is purposely hazy with its place on the timeline until the very end, when we discover it leads straight into the original Final Destination.
2. Final Destination
The beginning of Final Destination connects to the end of the fifth movie through the Flight 180 disaster. High schooler Alex Browning has a vision of his fight exploding midair, kicking off a series of events that lead him and several others to deboard the plane. The vision comes to fruition, and the group is left to evade Death and its relentless pursuit to reclaim their lives.
3. Final Destination 2
Set a year after the first movie, Final Destination 2 introduces a new group of characters and another averted disaster: a massive traffic accident initiated by the series’ infamous logging truck. The film connects to Final Destination through Flight 180 survivor Clear Rivers, who attempts to help the new group cheat Death.
4. Final Destination 3
Final Destination 3, set in 2005, features an all-new cast of characters (excluding Death). The inciting accident here is every amusement park goer’s worst nightmare: a deadly roller coaster malfunction. As the formula goes, the survivors, led by high schooler Wendy Christensen, spend the movie trying to prevent Death from collecting its debt.
The events of the first two movies are referenced in Final Destination 3, though it features no returning characters.
5. The Final Destination
The franchise’s fourth film, The Final Destination, is set around 2008-2009 and follows a new group of survivors led by college student Nick O'Bannon. Nick foresees a disastrous crash at a racetrack and saves himself and a handful of other spectators, thrusting the group into Death's all-too-familiar game of cat and mouse.
6. Final Destination: Bloodlines
2025’s Final Destination: Bloodlines, released 14 years after the previous movie, straddles the series’ timeline; it primarily takes place in the present, though its intro scene is set in the 1960s, depicting a disaster at a fictional version of Seattle’s Space Needle. Unlike previous Final Destination movies, Bloodlines’ protagonist (college student Stefani Reyes) has visions of the past rather than the future. The movie explores her familial connection to and the present-day consequences of that 1968 disaster.
Bloodlines is notably the final movie in which the late Tony Todd appears. Todd reprises his role as William Bludworth, who previously appeared in Final Destination 1 and 2.
Final Destination Movies by Release Date
Final Destination (2000)
Final Destination 2 (2003)
Final Destination 3 (2006)
The Final Destination (2009)
Final Destination 5 (2011)
Final Destination Bloodlines (2025)
What's Next for Final Destination?
After almost 15 years, Final Destination is back. Whether Final Destination continues from here will likely depend on how the new movie performs, but it seems like the slasher franchise is headed in a solid direction.
Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.
Connexion
