Today, we got our first real, new, meaty trailer for Hollow Knight: Silksong in several years, complete with a September 4 release date. Fans are already unpacking details from the trailer, including pointing out that it looks like the base game of Silksong might be bigger than the base game of Hollow Knight - quite a feat for something that started out as DLC.

Evidence for this comes from the trailer above, which has text stating the game contains over 200 enemies and over 40 bosses. Compare that to Hollow Knight's launch trailer, which said over 140 enemies and over 30 bosses:

So it sounds like Silksong is launching with more enemies and bosses than Hollow Knight did. And though we don't know the size of the explorable area in Silksong, it stands to reason that it probably needs to be big enough to fit all those little guys, and thus its map is likely to be at least as big as the original Hollow Knight if not more. And while that may sound like a given for a sequel, it's helpful to remember that Silksong didn't start out as a sequel - it began as DLC, and then somehow morphed into something seemingly even bigger than its predecessor.

Now, that comparison doesn't include Hollow Knight's DLC, which added tons of new enemies, areas, bosses, story, and other content. With all that included, the existing game of Hollow Knight is almost certainly larger than Silksong was at launch. That said, we learned today that developer Team Cherry is still working on more Silksong for the months and years after the game's launch, making it possible it will eventually surpass Hollow Knight's DLC as well.

If you absolutely can't wait until launch to find out what some of these enemies and bosses entail, we did get to preview Hollow Knight: Silksong earlier this week at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany. Funnily enough, it looks like the exact same demo we played back in E3 2019, only with six more years of polish, illustrating how far the game has come in its lengthy development.

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

Pokémon card prices are moving fast this week, and TCGPlayer is coming out ahead of Amazon on some of the most in-demand elite trainer boxes. Black Bolt is going for $84 (25% cheaper than Amazon), White Flare sits at $80.95 (17% cheaper), Destined Rivals is $94.48 (also 17% off), and Twilight Masquerade is $86.87 (about 6% below). On top of that, the market is showing a clear divide: flashy Illustration Rares like Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Terapagos ex are slipping, while useful cards like Hyper Rare Darkness Energy, Dusclops, and Okidogi ex are climbing steadily.

TL;DR: Deals For Today

Outside the TCG world, today’s tech deals are worth a look too. The standout is a buy-one-get-one offer on Baseus’s 10-in-1 charging station, giving you a full desktop power hub for as little as $15 each. iPhone users can also pick up the ultra-slim LISEN MagSafe battery pack for under $20, perfect for quick top-ups on the go. Rounding things out are a mix of other discounts across everyday essentials, so there’s a little something for everyone in today’s roundup.

Cheap Pokémon TCG ETBs

TCGPlayer is killing Amazon for the most in demand elite trainer boxes right now. Black Bolt is 25% cheaper at $84, White Flare is 17% below Amazon at $80.95 followed by Destined Rivals 17% cheaper at $94.48 and Twilight Masquerade at $86.87, which is a modest 6% cheaper. We're still a ways off from MSRP, but if you want to get one of these ETBs this is the cheapest option right now.

Most Expensive Pokémon Cards from Japan's Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia

Japan's Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia Pokémon TCG sets have quickly gained popularity with collectors and competitive players alike, thanks to their focus on iconic Mega Evolutions, powerful Supporter cards, and premium artwork. High-value chase cards like Mega Gardevoir ex 092/063 and Mega Lucario ex 092/063 are priced at $664 and $444 respectively, while many others remain above the $100 mark.

These sets combine strong gameplay mechanics such as Psychic energy acceleration and hard-hitting Fighting-type attacks with visually stunning Special and Ultra Rare treatments that elevate their appeal. Booster boxes and Premium Trainer Boxes are available on TCGPlayer and include guaranteed rare pulls due to Japanese packaging rules. While the most expensive cards draw attention, more affordable options like Lillie’s Determination 086/063, Mega Kangaskhan ex SAR, and Mega Absol ex SAR offer great value with solid gameplay and collector-friendly art, making these sets a standout release for fans looking for both playability and display-worthy cards.

This Weeks Crashers and Climbers

Stellar Crown’s Illustration Rares like Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Terapagos ex are dropping fast, with nostalgia-driven hype fading as supply grows and competitive players move on. Squirtle is down about 32% since February and Bulbasaur is down 31%, both sliding because their gameplay value is minimal. Earthen Vessel and the Special Illustration Rare Fezandipiti ex are also slipping, while Terapagos ex has been hit hardest, losing over half its value.

On the other hand, Shrouded Fable cards with practical utility are steadily climbing. Hyper Rare Basic Darkness Energy has gained around 17% as Dark-focused decks get more popular, and Dusclops is creeping up thanks to its creative ability. Even the Double Rare Fezandipiti ex is bucking the trend, nearly doubling in value as competitive players embrace it. Smaller gains from Powerglass and Okidogi ex reinforce the idea that functional, playable cards are holding their ground while flashy artwork is losing steam.

Nintendo Switch 2 Is on Sale at AliExpress

Brand new, genuine, imported, region unlocked units

LISEN MagSafe Portable Charger

Baseus Charging Station 67W

INIU Portable Charger, Slimmest Fast Charging 10000mAh

Fallout: Season One (4K Ultra HD)

Spawn [Limited Edition]

Pokémon TCG - Black Bolt Booster Bundle Set

BOOKOO Jump Starter 2000A

Apple 20W USB-C Compact Power Adapter

tomtoc Slim Carrying Case for Nintendo Switch 2

EUKI Compressed Air Duster-150000RPM

MTG Final Fantasy Commander Deck Price Drop

Amazon has dropped the Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy Commander Deck bundle to $189.99 (29% off MSRP), the lowest price yet and a significant saving over buying the decks individually. The set includes all four precons: Revival Trance, Scions and Spellcraft, Limit Break, and Counter Blitz. Limit Break offers strong reprints such as Darksteel Plate and Sword of the Animist, while Counter Blitz delivers powerful synergies built around counters and proliferate. Individually, three of these decks have been selling above $50, with Limit Break still listed at $72.50 on Amazon, making the bundle the best way to grab the full set at a discount.

MTG Aetherdrift Sale

Amazon has dropped one of the best Magic: The Gathering deals of the year, slashing the price of the Aetherdrift Finish Line Bundle from $79.99 to its lowest-ever $52.70. Packed with value, the bundle includes 2 premium Collector Boosters (worth nearly $20 each on their own), 6 Play Boosters, 20 foil lands, 3 exclusive Extended-Art cards, 2 foil Box Topper cards, a foil storage box, spindown life counter, stickers, and reference cards. Considering the Collector Boosters alone nearly cover the price, the rest of the contents are essentially a bonus, offering huge value for those chasing Aetherdrift’s rarest cards like the Radiant Lotus Fracture Foil or The Aetherspark First-Place Foil. With stock already more than halfway claimed, this deal won’t last long.

MTG Avatar Preorders Are Live

Best Buy and Amazon have posted its listings for Magic: The Gathering – Avatar: The Last Airbender,

The crossover Universes Beyond set officially launches November 21, 2025 (digital release November 18) and introduces bending-themed mechanics such as airbending, waterbending, earthbending, and firebending, along with fan-favorite characters including Aang, Katara, Zuko, Toph, and even the Cabbage Merchant.

Best Buy will offer multiple products at launch, including the $41.99 Scene Box, $189.99 Play Booster Box, $69.99 Play Booster Bundle, and $109.99 Commander’s Bundle. With full art treatments, collectible foils, and Standard-legal cards, this release is already shaping up to be one of the most anticipated MTG tie-ins of the year.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy [Limited Edition]

TMNT Classic Technodrome Playset - Amazon Exclusive

ACEMAGIC Vista Mini V1 Mini PC

Superman (2025) (Bonus X-Ray Edition)

The Legend of Zelda - The Complete Series

Fantom Drives - VENOM8 2TB NVMe Gen 4 M.2 Internal SSD

MTG: Spider-Man Play Booster Box Back In Stock

I'm expecting this MTG Universes Beyond expansion to web zip off shelves when it drops at the end of Feburary, so if you see a preorder like I have, just secure it.

The money won't be taken from your bank until it ships either, so it's a no brainer. I've also included the listings for the rest of the set from TCGPlayer incase you needed a massive ripping session.

McFarlane Marvel and DC Sale

Plenty of awesome figures to choose from here for more than 50% off in most cases. I absolutley love the comic front cover diorama ones, fantastic display pieces and belong on everyone's show-off shelf for these kinds of prices.

LEGO Deals

We're not just talk about bricks here, we've even got a cracking deal for a physical copy of LEGO Horizon Adventures on PS5 for $21.99, a massive 63% off. Sick of buying your better half flowers and them dying quick? Just make some out of LEGO Botanicals instead thanks to some big savings on Amazon. Even Harry Potter has rocked up with some deals

Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection Nintendo Switch

INIU Portable Charger

A Nightmare on Elm Street: 7-Film Collection

HOTO 25 in 1 Precision Electric Screwdriver Set

As Team Cherry finally, truly nails down a release date for Hollow Knight: Silksong, the studio has confirmed the original game has managed to reach 15 million copies sold.

A sales update for the bleak and beloved metroidvania title comes from Bloomberg, which spoke with Team Cherry ahead of today’s long-awaited release date reveal. Along with a swarm of details about what took the team so long to finish its sequel, the studio confirmed that 2017’s Hollow Knight has officially sold 15 million units across PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

It’s proof Hollow Knight had plenty of staying power in the eight years since launch, as players have not-so-patiently awaited news for a sequel. One million of its sales were reached in its first year on PC, alone, with its June 2018 Switch launch and September 2018 PS4 and Xbox One launch only giving players more avenues to pick up a copy. More than anything, it’s clear the unending hype for Hollow Knight: Silksong news only bolstered sales of the original game in the last six years.

Reaching the 15 million mark is one milestone not many independent games manage to achieve, cementing its bug-filled world and crushing gameplay as a particularly important universe for gaming going forward. We’ll see more of that universe when Hollow Knight: Silksong finally launches for PC, Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X | S September 4, 2025.

Team Cherry already has more content in the works for the sequel, so if you thought you were done waiting for more Hollow Knight content, get ready to wait some more. In the meantime, you can check out our original 9.4/10 Hollow Knight review.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

In a shake-up for TT Games' LEGO series, the newly-announced LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight features just a handful of playable heroes, even if many more DC Comics characters will appear in the game as enemies or NPCs — something that is prompting plenty of fan debate.

Typically, TT Games' LEGO adventures include hundreds of characters to unlock and play as, with character collection a fun part of fully completing a LEGO game. TT Games' previous project LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga offered one of the biggest rosters yet — with around 400 characters depending on whether you owned the base game or all of its DLC.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is taking a different approach, however, with an official Q&A page for the game confirming just seven heroes will be playable — and no supervillains.

"LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight will feature seven playable characters, including Batman, Jim Gordon, Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, Catwoman, and Talia al Ghul," reads the game's official Q&A. "Each character is equipped with unique skills, combos, and gadgets — like Batman's Batclaw, Jim Gordon's foam sprayer, Robin's line launcher, and Catwoman's whip."

This makes it sound like the game's focus is on providing a smaller number of distinct characters, rather than hundreds of options with many gameplay similarities. Indeed, speaking to IGN at Gamescom, TT Games Head of Production Jonathan Smith said Legacy of the Dark Knight had been designed to focus more squarely on the story of the "Bat Family."

"This is wholly a Batman game to focus on that character, to really bring that character," Smith said. "That means you'll still play as and with other playable characters, Jim Gordon, Catwoman, Robin, Batgirl, to round out the bat family. But we think we really need to focus on Bruce Wayne and his story for that player journey, that player experience in Gotham."

Additionally, for collectathon fans, the game's seven characters will have multiple costumes to unlock. For example, Batman's suit options include his look from 2022's The Batman movie, the animated Batman: The Brave and the Bold series, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, Batman's original Golden Age comics appearance, plus well as his colorful Rainbow Batman suit.

The decision to lock two of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2’s six clans behind a DLC add-on pack is a “business” informed choice, publisher Paradox has said.

Bloodlines 2’s clans have been boiling the blood of fans for a little while now. It all started with the reveal that the game would feature four clans: Brujah; Tremere; Banu Haqim; and Ventrue. While this selection provides four different starting options for how you build your protagonist, it’s a more limited offering compared to the cult classic original Bloodlines, which featured seven clans.

Reacting to fan feedback, developer The Chinese Room has added a further two clans to Bloodlines 2 (Lasombra and Toreador), but these are only available as part of the Shadows and Silk add-on pack, which costs $21.99 as DLC, or is included as part of the $89.99 Premium Edition. The standard edition costs $59.99.

This DLC is available from day one, which has created the impression that the “full” roster has been carved up, with only those paying extra getting the complete launch experience. Some fans are now feeling like a vampire caught in the sunlight, especially because Toreador was a clan available in the original Bloodlines and is considered fairly significant to Vampire: The Masquerade mythology.

At Gamescom 2025, IGN was able to ask publisher Paradox why Lasombra and Toreador are only available as part of the add-on pack. We were told that additional content is “pretty typical” for games, but that adding fan-requested content comes at a cost.

“What the team has done here is make these two clans accessible on day one, while still understanding that the original experience is going to be with the first four,” said a Paradox representative. “You hear fan feedback and you're like, ‘Okay, you know that they want these two clans. It's highly sought after.’

“At the end of the day, business-wise, game development takes time,” they continued. “And [the two clans] is additional content that does get created. So instead of making it ‘day 30’ content, making it day one [content] allows it to be available for those players who have been asking for those two clans the entire time. And like I said, it's business. That just happens the way that it does, but it provides that access on day one rather than them having to wait.”

As the representative mentioned, these additional clans were “highly sought after.” But their inclusion required an “an awful lot of time testing, listening, going through comments,” explained Ian Thomas, narrative director at The Chinese Room.

“We have spent so much time over the last couple of years extending the release date by going, ‘Yeah, we should really add some stuff about this’ and fattening out the game and deepening the story because of this sort of thing,” Thomas said.

“Because of people going, ‘Oh yeah, we really like that. Are we going to get that?’ In some cases we've gone, ‘No, artistically it doesn't make sense to do that.’ And in some cases we have gone, ‘You know what, that would be really nice. Paradox, can we have a little bit more time and we'll put that thing in?’ And Paradox have said, ‘We think it'd be nice too, have another few weeks.’”

Those weeks, plus many others, have contributed to Bloodlines 2’s later-than-originally-anticipated October 21, 2025 release date. And while we have waited a very long time for this sequel to a cult classic, it does now come with those six clans… at a price. As we mentioned earlier, not every fan is satisfied with the way these character-defining clans are being locked behind DLC.

While there’s some controversy around this decision, we have been able to play several quests and have come away from Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 feeling optimistic. It’s dripping with atmosphere and has some smart approaches to vampire abilities and the way an undead blood-drinker navigates a modern city.

Matt Purslow is IGN's Executive Editor of Features.

The cost of the PlayStation 5 (PS5) is increasing, but GameStop is willing to help with the price hike – if you’re fast.

Sony announced it would bump the price fifth-generation PlayStation consoles in the U.S. yesterday, revealing that the PS5 with disc drive, PS5 Digital Edition, and PS5 Pro will each see $50 increases to their base costs starting today. It means you’ll now be paying at least $499 or as much as $749 for a new gaming console, so pop-culture retailer GameStop is introducing a deal to help offset the toll for a limited time.

GameStop has your back. https://t.co/ksPN4H3o1g pic.twitter.com/JkGHtAQO1q

— GameStop (@gamestop) August 21, 2025

Shortly after Sony announced its PS5 price increases, the store took to its social media pages, proclaiming, “GameStop has your back.” It adds that a new deal will let players “take that $50 back” by granting an extra $50 bonus to anyone who trades in a PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, or Nintendo Switch toward the purchase of a new PS5.

“We’ve been helping gamers upgrade, trade, and save for decades, and this is just another way we’re keeping you in the game,” GameStop’s message says. “Because when it comes to the next generation, we want to make sure you don’t get left behind.”

That effectively erases the damage Sony’s $50 PS5 price increase will do to your wallet, but the catch is that the offer is only valid for about three days. In small print at the bottom of the deal images shared is a notice that the offer is only valid through August 23, 2025, meaning you’ll have just today, tomorrow, and Saturday to haul any dusty consoles over to your closest GameStop.

The price of the PS5 is not getting any cheaper, so if you’re a PS4 owner who’s been waiting for the right time to upgrade, for example, you’ll want to act fast. However, it is also worth noting that the retailer is notorious for its trade-in credit and cash compensation.

GameStop Pro members looking to hand in a PS4 can only get up to $49.50 in store credit and $34.65 in cash, with non-Pro members only promised up to $45 in store credit and $31.50 in cash. So, the new offer could effectively double the value of your traded-in PS4 if you’re a Pro member, but that’s still only about $100 off of a $500 console. Credit and cash varies for different consoles, with the Xbox Series X tradeable for as much as $297 pre-bonus and the Switch tradeable for as much as $82.50 pre-bonus.

As the U.S. Trump Administration continues to impact the world with its continuously shifting global tariffs, Sony isn’t the first to bump the price of its tech. Microsoft announced steep price increases for its hardware and even some of its accessories in May, with Nintendo following with price increases for its original Switch earlier this month. Sony also increased the price of PlayStation’s in other areas earlier this year.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection now has its final lineup of games and confirmation of a number of new features.

Publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developer Digital Eclipse announced Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat Special Forces, two rare PlayStation-era titles that have been unavailable for decades, are in Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection.

Also revealed today is the Kollection's inclusion of an Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 version that has not been playable anywhere since 1997. The WaveNet edition of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was originally developed to support Midway's WaveNet online matchmaking service for arcade machines, Warner Bros. explained.

"This unique edition was the only arcade release to feature Noob Saibot as a selectable character. Now emulated and preserved for the first time in history by Digital Eclipse, the WaveNet version debuts in Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection."

Warner Bros. recently confirmed Mortal Kombat Trilogy, which it said has been optimized for modern platforms with “drastically reduced load times for a faster, smoother experience.”

As for new features, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection has a new Rewind feature for “more forgiving” gameplay, on-screen move lists, and a Trainer mode “to help players perfect their kombos.” There’s also a Fatality Trainer, which gives players a chance to master the finishers.

The Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection final lineup includes:

• Mortal Kombat – 1992 (Arcade, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear)
• Mortal Kombat II – 1993 (Arcade, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, 32X)
• Mortal Kombat 3 – 1995 (Arcade, SNES, Genesis)
• Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 – 1995 (Arcade, WaveNet Arcade, SNES)
• Mortal Kombat Trilogy – 1996 (PlayStation)
• Mortal Kombat 4 – 1997 (Arcade)
• Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero – 1997 (PlayStation)
• Mortal Kombat Special Forces – 2000 (PlayStation)
• Mortal Kombat Advance – 2001 (Game Boy Advance)
• Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance – 2002 (Game Boy Advance)
• Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition – 2003 (Game Boy Advance)

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is set to launch in 2025. The digital version of the game will be on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One consoles, PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch, with the release date to be confirmed at a later time, Warner Bros. said.

The physical versions of the game will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, PC, Nintendo Switch 2, and Nintendo Switch and will ship on December 12, 2025.

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

The wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong is almost over, with Team Cherry announcing today that the game will finally release on September 4, 2025, over six years after it was first announced.

But it sounds like Hollow Knight lovers won't be done obsessing over Silksong news even then, because Team Cherry is apparently working on even more Silksong content for months, or even years down the road.

This comes from a Bloomberg interview with Team Cherry co-founders Ari Gibson and William Pellen, which ends with the pair confirming they're already planning extra content for Silksong.

“Launching it is obviously quite exciting,” Pellen said. “What comes after for us is equally as exciting.”

“The most interesting thing now is what can we add to it next,” Gibson added. “We got a plan. Admittedly, some of the plans for that stuff are kind of ambitious as well, but hopefully we can achieve some of it.”

It's not shocking the pair have more they want to add to Silksong. The game originally started out as DLC for Hollow Knight, but grew and evolved as the team fleshed the idea out more and more. And Silksong kept growing throughout its development, with both developers saying they simply had so much fun continuing to add things that excited them.

“You’re always working on a new idea, new item, new area, new boss,” Pellen said. “That stuff’s so nice. It’s for the sake of just completing the game that we’re stopping. We could have kept going.”

“I remember at some point I just had to stop sketching,” Gibson said. “Because I went, ‘Everything I’m drawing here has to end up in the game. That’s a cool idea, that’s in. That’s a cool idea, that’s in.’ You realize, ‘If I don’t stop drawing, this is going to take 15 years to finish.’”

The pair tell Bloomberg that their enjoyment of the development process and desire to keep adding more fun things was the entire reason development took so long. Gibson says the game was "never stuck", but they are a small team, and games take time. "There wasn't any big controversial moment behind it."

Notably, despite the community's zeal around Silksong and the memes, obsession, and fanaticism around its eventual release, neither Gibson nor Pellen really paid much attention. They say they tried to stay quiet throughout development both to avoid spoiling the community, and to focus on development first. But then, development took a lot longer than they originally thought it would. Still, they didn't really read either Reddit or YouTube comments.

“It’s nice that people are passionate about the game, and that they’ve obviously formed their own strange or very exciting communities around it,” Gibson said.

“Feels like we’re going to ruin their fun by releasing the game,” Pellen said.

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

DC's Absolute Batman series is currently in the midst of its second major story arc, "Abomination," which pits this rookie Dark Knight against a reimagined version of Bane. As we saw in issue #9, Bruce Wayne is hopelessly outmatched against his bigger, stronger, and seemingly smarter foe. And with issue #11, we now have more insight into who Absolute Bane is and what unholy process transformed him from a humble freedom fighter into a hulking assassin in the Joker's employ.

Read on to learn how Absolute Batman #11 reinvents Bane's origin story, but beware of full spoilers for the issue ahead!

Absolute Bane's New Origin Story

Initially, at least, it doesn't seem as though Bane's origin story is being radically overhauled for this new universe. Narrated by Agent Alfred Pennyworth, who deeply regrets not telling Bruce more about Bane before the latter made his ill-fated journey into the Ark-M prison, this issue recounts Bane's traumatic childhood on the island of Santa Prisca. Bane's father is the leader of a group of rebels attempting to rid their home of its imperialist invaders. Both father and son are captured and doomed to spend years fighting for survival inside the infamous Peña Duro prison.

The boy who will become Bane grows strong within the walls of Peña Duro, biding his time until he and his allies can make their escape. Bane's father clings to the inspirational symbol of the quetzal, a bird the rebels use as a symbol of their independence. Each night, the father asks the boy if he can see the bird flying free in his mind. But Bane sees only the image of a white, skull-shaped bird, one that will eventually come to form the face of his iconic mask.

Eventually, the fully grown Bane leads his allies to freedom, and they prepare to storm the mainland and finish their guerrilla war once and for all. But just as they land on the beach, Bane is stopped by a mysterious figure dressed in white. This is our best look yet at the Absolute Universe's Joker.

Absolute Batman #11 is in stores now. You can also order a copy of Absolute Batman Vol. 1: The Zoo on Amazon.

For more on the Absolute Universe, see why it's DC's most exciting launch in years and check our our interview with the Absolute Batman creative team.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

There's a new Fanta flavor hitting stores this fall and you can already reserve a pack for yourself on Amazon. Chucky's Punch is a fruit-punch flavored soda featuring the iconic villain from the Child's Play movies. This Fanta collaboration is set to hit store shelves starting on August 25, but you can already order a pack online at Amazon ahead of that release date.

Grab a 12-pack of Fanta Chucky's Punch

The days of spending hundreds of dollars over MSRP for a new Nvidia Blackwell GPU are over. Amazon currently has the Asus Prime GeForce RTX 5080 16GB Graphics Card in stock for Amazon Prime members at the original launch price of $999.99 with free delivery. This is the first time I've seen one readily available at this price.

Th Asus GeForce RTX 5080 GPU Is Back Down to MSRP

Deadpool is hardly any stranger to Hasbro's long-running Marvel Legends line, but the company is looking to create the Deadpool figure to beat them all in 2025. IGN can exclusively reveal that Deadpool is the third figure in Hasbro's new collector-oriented Marvel Legends Maximum Series.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for a first look at this dynamic Deadpool figure and his many, many accessories:

As with the previous Maximum Series Spider-Man and Hulk figures, the goal with Maximum Series Deadpool is to cater to a more discriminating audience of collectors. The price tag is higher than traditional Marvel Legends figures, but with that comes increased articulation and detail and a wealth of accessories and switch-out parts. There's even a miniature Doop figurine.

All told, Maximum Deadpool comes with 24 accessories, including an alternate head and hands, various weapons, blast effects, a chimichanga, a stick of dynamite, and the aforementioned Doop companion piece. Like most Marvel Legends, Maximum Deadpool is a 6-inch, 1:12 scale figure.

The Marvel Legends Maximum Series Deadpool figure is priced at $49.99 and is slated for release in Fall 2025. Preorders will open on the Hasbro Pulse website and other retailers on Tuesday, August 26 at 10am PT.

In other Marvel Legends news, Hasbro revealed a wealth of Marvel, Star Wars, and G.I. Joe toys at Comic-Con. The company also recently debuted a line of Marvel Gamerverse figures inspired by the Marvel vs. Capcom games.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Magic: The Gathering’s Universes Beyond sets may upset some purists, but there’s no denying the power of a crossover with another franchise.

Final Fantasy’s set was the biggest in history, while other crossovers have included Lord of the Rings, Warhammer 40K, and more. Next up, it’s a veritable pop culture goldmine with Marvel’s Spider-Man, launching next month.

Here’s everything on offer, and where you can still preorder before September 26.

Play Boosters and Bundles

Spider-Man Collector Boosters are, at the time of writing, sold out unless you want to go to the secondary market.

Doing so will cost you a whopping $88 for a single pack, or (at the time of writing) up to $1000 for a booster box.

Is it really worth it? Only you can make that call, but here’s hoping prices settle down as we get closer to launch.

Spider-Man Welcome Decks

Wizards of the Coast is holding a series of new player events in the coming weeks, and is offering Spider-Man-themed ‘Welcome Decks’ that feel a little like Jumpstart packs.

There are five to collect, with decklists available here. Each is themed after a character and has a mono color identity. Mash two decks together to make a 60-card deck.

• Spider-Man - White
• Spider-Man 2099 - Blue
• Venom - Black
• Spider-Gwen - Red
• Miles Morales - Green

You can check the store locator to see if your game store will have stock, but TCGPlayer has listings, too.

Action Figure Bundles

Something unique to the Spider-Man set is the arrival of Marvel Legends bundles that include a foil, borderless MTG card alongside the relevant action figure, with four to collect: Spider-Man, Mary Jane, Man-Wolf, and Anti-Venom.

They sold out pretty quickly, but we’re keeping an eyeout to see if more become available.

Where Are The Commander Decks?

While Final Fantasy got its own Commander Decks (as did Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, Fallout, and Warhammer 40k), there’s no such luck with the Spider-Man set.

That’s a shame, as we’d have loved a Red/Black Symbiote Deck helmed by Carnage and Venom, or a deck that packed as many versions of Spidey together as possible.

Once the set is out, we’ll do our best to find the best cards to use in your Commander decks, though.

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

LEGO has announced a new set based on the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. The set depicts the candy wonderland of Wonka’s factory, complete with the chocolate waterfall and the Wonkatania boat. The set is aimed at the 18+ age group and consists of 2,025 pieces, with nine minifigures.

The Willy Wonka LEGO set will be available exclusively at the LEGO Store starting September 18, for $219.99. It’s not available for preorder.

It’s a big, colorful set befitting the source material. It has candy trees, a bridge over the chocolate river, the boat (the tunnel of terror is not included, unfortunately), and the chocolate waterfall. Turning a dial hidden on the back of the set makes the waterfall flow. There’s also a secret door that opens to Wonka’s office.

The nine minifigures included are as follows:

• Willy Wonka
• Charlie Bucket
• Grandpa Joe
• Augustus Gloop
• Mike Teavee
• Veruca Salt
• Violet Beauregarde
• 2 Oompa Loompas

This set is part of the LEGO Ideas program, which allows fans to build sets of their own design, and submit them for voting. Sets that receive 10,000 votes moves on for consideration to become real sets. You can check out our picks for the best LEGO Ideas sets released so far.

This Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory set looks great and would be perfect for any LEGO adults who have fond memories of watching the movie as a kid. It joins other LEGO sets based on movies, like Jaws, Home Alone, and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

For more similar coverage, you can check out all the best LEGO sets released in August, as well as our building experience with the LEGO Arcade Machine, a rumored $1,000 Death Star set, new LEGO advent calendars for 2025, and lots more.

LEGO Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory set announced, out September 18. https://t.co/v2SLgrMC0b pic.twitter.com/9QAu9iu92B

— IGN Deals (@IGNDeals) August 21, 2025

Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.

Team Cherry has finally reemerged with a release date for the long-awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong. It's coming out on September 4, 2025.

We learned this today via a nearly-two-minute new trailer dropped by Team Cherry, which showed a ton of new footage from the game. We see Hornet exploring, loads of new insectoid NPCs, dreary graveyards, swamps, a bustling city, new enemies (over 200, per the trailer!), new bosses (over 40!) an Ori-style escape sequence, and more.

First announced in 2019, the release date for the long awaited sequel was finally shared more than six years after Silksong was announced.

Originally confirmed for just Nintendo Switch and PC, but eventually Xbox (and Game Pass) and later PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Team Cherry has been slowly ramping up the conversation around Silksong after going quiet for a long time.

A trailer officially re-revealed the game at the Xbox Bethesda Showcase in June 2022, at which point Xbox also confirmed the game would be available sometime within the next 12 months. Team Cherry didn't say anything itself, however, leaving some speculation around its release date.

The fervor has reached a fever-pitch in recent weeks, as the game was revealed to be playable at Gamescom, and Geoff Keighley teased with some new footage at Gamescom Opening Night Live. The community around Silksong has turned the long wait for a release date into a meme over the years, getting worked up over chocolate cake recipes and metaphorically "putting on clown makeup" every time a new showcase dropped.

Congrats to the Silksong lovers. Silksong is finally Silksoon.

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

X-Men and The Traitors star Alan Cumming has revealed more about his time recently filming Avengers: Doomsday, and said he spent the shoot alone.

Cumming previously acknowledged he had already wrapped filming on next year's Avengers blockbuster earlier than other cast members, as his schedule then required him to go work on the next season of The Traitors.

Perhaps to accomodate this, Cumming's time reprising his X2 role of Nightcrawler was relatively brief compared to some other Avengers stars - with overall shooting on the movie expected to continue on still for several months.

"I did the entire film in isolation," Cumming told Gold Derby. "Lots of green screen, face replacement. They even gave characters fake names. I don't know who I was acting with half the time."

Intriguingly, Cumming appeared to then reference a previous statement he made about sharing a fight scene with Reed Richards actor Pedro Pascal, and suggested what he had said may actually not be the case due to this confusion.

"I broke the internet by mentioning something once," Cumming noted, "but honestly, I might have got it wrong."

Despite all this, Cumming previously described his overall experience returning to the character of Nightcrawler as "really healing" after the "miserable" time he spent shooting classic X-Men movie X2 under the now-disgraced director Bryan Singer.

Avengers: Doomsday will see the return of numerous X-Men actors from Fox's older mutant movies. Presumably via the magic of green screen, at least, Cumming is expected to share screen time with Patrick Stewart's Professor X, Kelsey Grammer's Beast, James Marsden's Cyclops, Rebecca Romijn's Mystique, and Ian McKellen's Magneto.

Following the events of Avengers: Doomsday and the subsequent Avengers: Secret Wars, Marvel boss Kevin Feige has said that a semi-rebooted timeline will see a new, younger X-Men team come to the fore, in a fresh X-Men movie set to be directed by Thunderbolts*/The New Avengers' Jake Schreier.

Image credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images

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

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

Certified Refurbished PS5 for $399

Certified Refurbished PS5 Digital Edition Is Sold Out

Everything that Comes with a Certified Refurbished PS5

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

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

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

Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Final Fantasy Collector Boosters

Final Fantasy Collector Commander Decks

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

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

Final Fantasy: Affordable But Awesome Cards

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beginner Box

Jumpstart Boosters

Play Boosters and Bundles

Scene Box

Where Are The Commander Decks?

Commander’s Bundle Explained

Collector Boosters

UK Preorders

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Image credit: Mike Marsland/WireImage

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hollow Knight: Silksong - We Played It!

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

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

Kirby Air Riders – The First Preview

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

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

Resident Evil Requiem Hands-On Preview

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

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

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

Resident Evil Requiem Takes Stalkers to the Next Terrifying Level

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

Pragmata Aims to Break the Rules of Third-Person Shooters

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

Pragmata Rethinks Shooting but Is That a Good Thing?

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

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

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

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

Onimusha Could be as Sharp as Sekiro Without the Soulslike Difficulty

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

LEGO Voyagers Might Already Be My Favorite LEGO Game Ever

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anno 117: Pax Romana – The Final Preview

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

Halloween Revealed by Friday the 13th: The Game Developer

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

The Blood of Dawnwalker Offers 2 Very Different RPG Playstyles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Silent Hill f Gamescom Trailer Reveals Suzie Yeung as Hinako

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elden Ring on Switch 2 Is a Disaster in Handheld Mode

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

Borderlands 4 Has The Weirdest Weapons You'll Ever See

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Valor Mortis Announced From the Developer of Ghostrunner

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