Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi is once again championing the infamous "yellow paint" to guide players, saying "there is definitely a need" for it.

Using yellow paint on ledges and walls to indicates a traversable area in a video game has been a hot topic among players ever since its rise in popularity in the likes of Uncharted on PlayStation 3. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth uses this tactic too, with players sharing their thoughts on it and leaving Hamaguchi himself surprised about the debate it stirred at the time.

In a new interview with GamesRadar+, Hamaguchi said he understood there are some people who don't want or need the yellow paint, but insisted that it was necessary.

"I get there is a debate about that, whether that fits with that world or not, whether some people want it, some people don't," Hamaguchi said. "I think as a game, there is definitely a need for that kind of thing in a lot of ways. I think obviously different developers experiment, try different things about what works best, what fits best, the right way of doing that in their game."

"The need to guide players around from from a gameplay perspective and show them what can be done, what they need to do, there is definitely times where that is needed," he added. "So I think obviously there is more of a debate about how it's done, what level and what works. And there'll still be people who say, 'No, that doesn't fit at all. We don't like that.' That's fine, but I think there is definitely a need there, and it's something that is definitely worth looking at."

When the yellow paint debate kicked off with Rebirth last year, some said they didn't like how in-your-face the hand-holding was not just in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but modern video games. Others, however, pointed out that it could be helpful, and was an important accessibility feature. Developers, too, weighed in, with some highlighting how in playtests and focus groups, players sometimes struggle to work out where to go, get frustrated, and quit playing altogether. Because of this, somewhat obvious and sometimes unrealistic visual clues are needed to help point players in the right direction. And some have pointed out that video games have featured visual clues for exploration and progression for decades now.

With discussion around the yellow paint in FF7R, who remembers the options red/green arrows plus giant pointer available in the original FF7? pic.twitter.com/qMLnKh3rGw

— John Linneman @dark1x.bsky.social (@dark1x) February 11, 2024

Based on Hamaguchi's comments, perhaps fans can expect the yellow paint to return for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3. Speaking of which, Square Enix said last year that its goal was to see the finale launch by 2027. Excitement for the third and final chapter in the trilogy grew even more when the team revealed that it had completed its story earlier this year.

Most recently, Hamaguchi clarified comments that Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 would "strike a balance" when it came to pacing and be "more concise," insisting didn't mean he would cut any content from the game.

While we wait, find out why the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 team “will not cheat” when it comes to Final Fantasy 7’s iconic airship. And as for if Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 will have turn-based combat? Hamaguchi said it had not been "pre-determined yet" despite the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which boasts traditional JRPG-inspired turn-based combat and recently confirmed sales of 5 million copies in five months.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Michael Waldron, creator of the MCU show Loki and writer of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, has revealed a pitch he came up with alongside Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania writer Jeff Loveness for a battle that would have taken place in the scrapped Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

Marvel Studios’ plans for its overarching Avengers-based storyline included Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, but the movie was retooled and renamed amid Kang actor Jonathan Majors' conviction for assaulting his ex-girlfriend and subsequent firing in 2023.

But the initial idea — indeed the setup from previous MCU movies and shows such as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Loki — was that Kang would be the next big bad after Thanos, and that superheroes would have to battle variants of the character as part of an all-encompassing war.

The plan is very different now. Kang is seemingly forgotten, destined to go down as one of many MCU loose ends, with Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr., drafted in to play Doctor Doom in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday and 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars.

Waldron was one of the writers on Avengers: The Kang Dynasty before moving on to work on Doomsday, and in a recent Reddit AMA, he was asked if there was anything he learnt from those initial drafts of the script that moved over to help him write for the new version, Avengers: Doomsday.

In his response, Waldron revealed a pitch for the Young Avengers to defeat a variant of Kang who would turn out to be… less of a scalp than they’d hoped.

“Jeff Loveness and I spent an afternoon pitching on the Young Avengers defeating a version of Kang and being so stoked about it… only to discover that that particular Kang carried a little card that said to Be Patient with him, it was his first day as a Kang,” he said.

“And then they were so bummed. I think he was gonna be the Lizard Kang from the end of Kang Dynasty? I don't know. Anyway we had fun.”

Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding developer Hideo Kojima says he was "surprised" to read that the creators of The Matrix wanted him to develop a game based on the franchise, insisting: "no one ever told me such a conversation had taken place."

Yesterday, IGN reported that The Wachowskis, the writers and directors behind the Matrix movies, once asked Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima to design a Matrix video game, but publisher Konami reportedly turned it down. "The Wachowskis were big fans of Kojima," Konami Digital Entertainment VP of licensing, Christopher Bergstresser, said. "So Kazumi Kitaue, Kojima, Aki Saito (who still works with Kojima), and I were at the Konami HQ, and we got a call from the Wachowskis, who wanted to come in and meet with Kojima. So they did!

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has dropped yet another hint that the next-gen Xbox is basically a PC.

A new report this week claimed the next Xbox is a console / PC hybrid that will play PlayStation games released on PC via Steam. That means the likes of Sony Santa Monica’s God of War, Insomniac’s Spider-Man, and Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima and pretty much all other PC games will all be playable on the next-gen Xbox in an industry first.

Windows Central reported that while users of the next-gen Xbox can remain inside the Xbox ecosystem if they want, they can exit to Windows, where the console acts like a traditional Windows PC. That means having access to PlayStation games on Steam, and mouse and keyboard games from Blizzard's launcher, Battle.net (World of Warcraft), and Riot's launcher (League of Legends).

Note: This is a spoiler-free review of Star Wars: Visions Volume 3, which is available to stream now on Disney+.

With this franchise being so beholden to its tropes and so fixated on the Skywalker clan, Star Wars: Visions has always been a much-needed breath of fresh air. What if you invite an international team of animators to play in this sandbox, exploring brand new characters and storylines, and bringing their own outside perspectives to the table? It’s a format that served Visions well in its first two seasons; sadly, the novelty has started to wear off, and Volume 3 proves to be the series’ most uneven outing.

After Volume 2 opened the gates to a truly multinational team of animation studios, Volume 3 returns to the anime-centric approach of the first season. That’s where the new season really stumbles right out of the gate. As fun as “anime Star Wars” sounds on paper, the various episodes in Volume 1 did tend to retread a lot of the same ground and eventually started to blur together. Volume 2 was much more diverse in terms of tone and style; that was where we got the brilliantly goofy “I Am Your Mother” from the inimitable claymation giant, Aardman, and the downright stunning “Sith” from El Guiri.

By comparison, Volume 3 suffers from much the same flaw as Volume 1. Even if each animation studio brings its own sensibility and animation style to the table, the overall variety simply can’t compare to that of Volume 2. Most tend to focus on dramatic clashes between good and evil, leaving little room for the purely comedic approach taken by the aforementioned “I Am Your Mother.” A lot of elements tend to repeat themselves from episode to episode: Expect plenty of emphasis on clashes between Jedi and Sith; expect a lot of orphaned heroes making their way in the galaxy with only a plucky droid and/or alien companion for company; expect mostly stories set during the Imperial era, albeit with zero focus on Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and the rest of the Original Trilogy icons we know so well. It would be nice if the series cast a wider net there, given how massive the Star Wars timeline truly is, but the same could be said for Star Wars in every medium. Lucasfilm still seems loath to venture too far outside the Skywalker saga.

One thing remains true for Visions: This is not a series that particularly rewards binge viewing. That might seem strange given that we’re once again talking about a batch of nine episodes of only 15-20 minutes each, but binging the show only highlights those more repetitive elements. It’s really best to consume each episode slowly and savor its own particular take on the franchise before moving on to the next. That approach doesn’t change the fact that the various studios hit many of the same beats, but it helps.

One benefit of returning the focus to Japanese animation studios is that it gives the series a chance to revisit some of the characters and stories from Volume 1. Three Volume 3 episodes serve as direct sequels; easily the best of these is Kamikaze Douga and ANIMA’s “The Duel: Payback,” which returns to the gritty, black-and-white world of the Ronin (Brian Tee). Once again, this episode ranks among the most visually stunning of the group thanks to its use of texture and limited color. And as one of many episodes to depict a duel between Jedi and Sith, at least this one shakes up the formula by blurring the lines between the two groups and showing us a Jedi poisoned by revenge.

The other two, Production I.G ‘s “The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope” and Kinema Citrus Co.’s “Yuko's Treasure," are less satisfying sequels. The former is especially disappointing given that it’s set so far in the future and explores a new phase in the eternal Jedi/Sith rivalry. This sequel fails to build on the original in a meaningful way, but merely follows Kara (Kimiko Glenn) as she becomes stranded following an attack by Jedi Hunters. As for “Yuko’s Treasure,” it has the unenviable task of trying to live up to “The Village Bride” from Vol. 1. The sheer beauty and sense of wonder from the original episode don’t quite come across in this follow-up, suggesting that F (Karen Fukuhara) is better served as a background character rather than the central protagonist she becomes here.

The remaining six episodes are all-new. There’s nothing here I would consider an outright failure, though episodes like Project Studio Q’s “The Song of Four Wings,” WIT Studio’s “The Bounty Hunters,” and Trigger’s “The Smuggler” do suffer the most from that “been there, done that” quality. Again, there are an awful lot of orphans, Jedi, and down-on-their-luck bounty hunters to be found here, and nothing in these episodes leaves me particularly hungry for future sequels.

Ultimately, two episodes emerge to truly show the strength of the Visions premise and prove what's possible when a foreign studio is given free rein to play with the Star Wars toys. The first is Polygon Pictures’ “The Bird of Paradise." Here, Sonoya Mizuno plays a Jedi Padawan blinded in battle and forced to survive in the wilderness with only the Force as her guide. Visually, it’s a gorgeous, colorful feast for the eyes that rivals Volume 2’s “Sith” and makes excellent use of the concept of seeing through the Force. It’s also one of the best to date in terms of exploring the philosophy behind the Jedi and what it means for a student to find enlightenment.

The other is David Production’s “BLACK,” an experience quite unlike anything else in these three seasons. Rendered in director Shinya Ohira’s trademark frenetic, flowing lines, this episode depicts the chaotic final moments in the life of a Stormtrooper. It’s more tone poem than coherent narrative, aided greatly by both the psychedelic visuals and the relentlessly jazzy score by Sakura Fujiwara. This is the bold, experimental approach to Star Wars storytelling that Visions needs more of.

Legendary composer John Williams is teaming up with Steven Spielberg for the iconic director’s currently-untitled 2026 UFO film. The news was revealed by the president of esteemed performing arts institution Juilliard School, Damian Woetzel, who was speaking at an event exploring the work of Williams.

According to music journalist Doug Adams, Woetzel told the crowd Williams is currently in Los Angeles “doing what he does: he is working with Steven Spielberg on the next movie.”

Details are scarce on Spielberg’s mysterious UFO film, which was first discussed back in mid-2024. However, we do know it’s being written by regular Spielberg collaborator, David Koepp, the writer of Jurassic Park, The Lost World, War of the Worlds, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and it’s backed by Universal Pictures.

The 2026 film will be the 30th Spielberg film scored by Williams, a figure which does not include his consultancy credit on 2021’s West Side Story, or his score for 2023’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (which was directed by James Mangold).

Williams had previously hinted back in 2022 that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny would be his last film, but the composer walked back his comment in 2024, saying, “If a film came along that I was greatly interested in, with a schedule that I could cope with, then I wouldn’t want to rule anything out. Everything is possible.”

John Williams is one of the most celebrated composers in the history of Hollywood. The 93-year-old film music icon has been nominated for 54 Academy Awards, winning five, and is responsible for the music behind Jaws, Jurassic Park, Home Alone, Saving Private Ryan, Superman, E.T., Indiana Jones, Schindler’s List, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and many more.

Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.

For three days only or until supplies last, Woot (owned by Amazon) is offering an incredibly low price on Beats' flagship headphone. You can pick up a pair of Factory Reconditioned Beats Studio Pro wireless noise canceling headphones that includes a one year Amazon warranty for just $99.99 after you apply 20% off code "BEATS20". The coupon code field is on the last step of checkout before placing your order. Currently, the same headphone costs $200 new on Amazon.

Beats Studio Pro Headphones for $99.99

Factory Reconditioned with 1 Year Amazon Warranty

Looking for a desktop charging station that has enough ports and delivers enough power to satisfy your needs? Amazon has discounted the Anker Prime 6-Port 200W USB Desktop Charging Station to under $50 for the first time this year. This charger features both USB Type-A and Type-C ports and can deliver as much as 100W of power per port. I bought this charger myself last year during Black Friday (at a higher price) and highly recommend it.

Anker Prime 6-Port 200W USB Desktop Charger

Welcome back to another day and a gaggle of game bargains you'd better not let get away. Between Amazon, Fanatical, and the first-party platform stores, the below deals are a smorgasbord of new releases and cult classics that deserve a place in your life. I’ll try to keep you from going broke, but no promises.

Contents

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

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I'm using the backfire from a freshly nicked lowrider to light a 21-candle cake for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, a game that needs very little introduction. If you somehow aren’t familiar, though, it was the PS2’s crown jewel that went way bigger than Vice City to offer us a level of freedom and chaos opportunities hitherto undreamt of.

I was there, at launch, with my jaw on the floor. Every gamer mate I knew fell head over heels with its ‘90s, West Coast-inspired narrative, baller soundtrack and new systems that let us hit the gym, get burger chunky, gamble and make CJ proficient with RPG-lite skills. Sure, some of those layers seem clunkily executed in retrospect, but, overall, Rockstar’s staggering ambition delivered one of gaming’s boldest and most beloved sequels.

Aussie birthdays for notable games.

- Final Fantasy VIII (PS) 1999.

- Age of Empires II (PC) 1999.

- Gradius V (PS2) 2004.

- GTA: San Andreas (PS2) 2004.

- Sly 2: Band of Thieves (PS2) 2004.

- The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (PS2,XB) 2004.

- Siren: Blood Curse (PS3) 2008.

- AC IV: Black Flag (PS3,X360) 2013.

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

• Super Mario Party Jamboree (-26%) - A$59
• Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy (-29%) - A$53.20
• Sonic Origins Plus (-65%) - A$17.10
• NBA 2K26 (-46%) - A$49
• Zelda: Breath of the Wild NS2 (-19%) - A$89

Expiring recent deals

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (-23%) - A$67
• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (-23%) - A$69
• Sonic Frontiers (-41%) - A$59.10
• Pokémon Legends: Arceus (-20%) - A$64
• Mario Tennis Aces (-27%) - A$58

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

Back to top

Exciting Bargains for Xbox

• Borderlands 4 (-42%) - A$69
• Battlefield 6 (-22%) - A$85
• Dynasty Warriors: Origins (-42%) - A$61.30
• Warhammer 40K: Darktide (-44%) - A$33.40
• WWE 2K25 (-59%) - A$49

On Xbox One, Desperados III remains one of the slickest stealth-tactics games ever made. Mimimi Games gave us a dusty Wild West take on Commandos, and it’s just as brutal and satisfying. Meanwhile, No Man’s Sky continues to pull a full redemption arc. Sean Murray and Hello Games somehow turned a meme into a masterpiece, and the constant updates prove it’s still worth the ride.

• Desperados III (-82%) - A$10
• The Lego Movie 2 (-56%) - A$26.40
• No Man's Sky (-60%) - A$35.90

Expiring recent deals

• Red Dead Redemption 2 (-75%) - A$22.40
• Dishonored 2 (-87%) - A$5
• Monster Hunter Rise (-75%) - A$14.20
• Ghostrunner 2 (-36%) - A$35
• Dying Light 2 Del. (-46%) - A$64.50

Or just invest in an Xbox Card.

Back to top

Pure Scores for PlayStation

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (-74%) - A$29
• Borderlands 4 (-42%) - A$69
• Dragon's Dogma 2 (-54%) - A$49.80
• Dead Space (-55%) - A$49
• Back 4 Blood (-72%) - A$28
• Battlefield 6 (-22%) - A$85

PS4 still holds its own with Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster, the game that introduced half the modern JRPG world to apocalyptic existentialism. Dante from Devil May Cry even pops in for a cameo, because why not. And Inside remains one of the most haunting indie platformers ever made. It says more in silence than most games do in 40 hours.

• Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Rem. (-56%) - A$30.50
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (-24%) - A$84
• Inside (-90%) - A$2.90

Expiring recent deals

• Star Wars Outlaws (-64%) - A$40
• Horizon Zero Dawn Rem. (-33%) - A$50
• Octopath Traveler (-60%) - A$36.30
• Epic Mickey: Rebrushed (-63%) - A$37.30
• Just Dance 2021 (-71%) - A$24.20
• PGA Tour 2K25 (-54%) - A$55

Or purchase a PS Store Card.

Back to top

Purchase Cheap for PC

• Hades (-66%) - A$12.40
• Hollow Knight (-50%) - A$10.90
• Sid Meier's Civilization VI (-91%) - A$8
• Cult of the Lamb (-50%) - A$17.90
• Alien: Isolation (-78%) - A$13.40

Expiring Recent Deals

• Silent Hill 2 (-51%) - A$50.20
• Marvel's Midnight Suns (-87%) - A$12.10
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla (-75%) - A$22.40
• Dead Cells (-50%) - A$17.90
• South Park: The Stick of Truth (-75%) - A$11.20

Or just get a Steam Wallet Card

Legit LEGO Deals

Lastly, LEGO fans can snag some solid builds this week. The Minecraft Warden Encounter and Fortnite Supply Llama sets are the perfect excuse to justify more shelf clutter. I’ll tell myself it’s for “display purposes,” but we both know I’ll end up playing with them.

• Minecraft Warden Encounter (-27%) - A$22
• Minecraft Nether Portal (-25%) - A$45
• Fortnite Supply Llama (-25%) - A$44.90
• Mario Kart - Baby Mario (-22%) - A$39

Expiring Recent Deals

• Darth Maul Mech (-50%) - A$22
• Creator 3in1 Wild Animals (-35%) - A$39
• Botanicals Sunflowers (-35%) - A$15
• Fortnite Peely & Sparkplug (-27%) - A$22

Back to top

For the first time in several months, there's an OLED gaming monitor priced under $400. Best Buy is currently offering the 27" AOC QD-OLED gaming monitor for just $399.99 with free delivery. Despite the fact this is the least expensive OLED monitor currently available stateside, it seems to have all the features you'd expect in a premium gaming monitor. The last time I posted an OLED monitor this cheap was back in January and this monitor has better specs.

27" AOC QHD 240Hz QD-OLED Gaming Monitor for $399.99

Ahead of the holiday season, Dell is offering an Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop equipped with the GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card for as low as $2,045 with free delivery. Most RTX 5080 prebuilts you'll find elsewhere, including the more affordable brands you find on Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart, are priced closer to $2,400 and up. That's impressive considering Alienware usually commands a higher price premium. Such a system would have cost as much as $3,000 at the beginning of the year, but Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 prices have been trending downwards lately.

Alienware Aurora RTX 5080 Gaming PC From $2,045

Lanterns showrunner Chris Mundy has shed some additional light on his upcoming HBO series about DC Comics’ Green Lantern Corps characters Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), calling it “as much of a buddy cop show as a superhero show.”

According to the series’ official logline. Lanterns “follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.”

“Our show is in a lot of ways about replacement—when should someone step aside and when is it time for the next person to take the reins?,” Mundy revealed in a new Men’s Health profile of rising star Aaron Pierre.

Mundy continued: “That push and pull between those two characters is really important. So much of the power that John has is by not taking the bait, understanding that you lose your power if you’re yelling and screaming. That’s what we’re trying to convey: He knows he belongs, so he doesn’t have to overcompensate. There’s a real balance there that’s just innately inside of Aaron. He’s big. He’s an intimidating presence just physically. But there’s a softness to him too. There’s a thoughtfulness. You can’t teach that.”

Baseus recently released a new "ultra mini" variant of its Picogo MagSafe power banks, and it certainly lives up to its name. Right now you can save 46% off the 5,000mAh Qi2-certified model when you apply coupon code "LZEYJ4MP" in cart, dropping the price to just $26.99 with free shipping. This is compatible with the Apple iPhone 17, Samsung Galaxy S25, and more. Baseus makes solid power banks and I recommend them as a less expensive alternative to Anker.

Baseus Picogo Ultra Mini 5,000mAh Qi2 MagSafe Power Bank

It's hard to imagine what first-person shooters would be like today, if they were to exist at all, without the original DOOM, released back on December 10, 1993, for MS-DOS. A lone super soldier, the legendary Doom Guy, fending off the hordes of demons from hell is one of the defining images of PC gaming, and the series continues to shock and amaze fans to this day with every new gory entry. Now, Modiphius Entertainment is bringing DOOM to the tabletop with the upcoming Doom Arena Board Game, now on Kickstarter, and I had a chance to get some time with a prototype to see just how well I could rip and tear in my dining room.

While Doom Arena isn't the first cardboard adaptation of the series, this latest rendition is a bloodbath contest between one player controlling Doom Guy and the other controlling the demons. Taking place in – you guessed it, an arena – the two players maneuver their plastic forces around the hexagon grid-based warzone, competing to see who can dish out the most pain.

Each point of damage done to an opponent earns you blood, which serves as a victory point. The winner is whoever comes out ahead in two out of the three rounds by earning the most blood, with each round consisting of six turns each for both sides. Between rounds, both Doom Guy and the Demons can upgrade their arsenals. Doom Guy gets new weapons and armor, while the Demons swap out weaker enemies for hartier ones like Pinky, Cacodemons, or the mighty Cyberdemon.

Doom Arena is one of those games that fits great as a filler between some heavier ones during a game day, or when you just want to have some fun while sipping a cold one and munching on some snacks. The gameplay is a slick dice-chucker where the strategy takes a back seat to running in guns blazing and seeing how much pain you unleash, which is very reminiscent of its source material. The only real "strategy" I found myself thinking about is what upgrades I was going to spend my resources on between rounds.

I appreciate the simpler ruleset behind Doom Arena, because you can explain the rules to friends pretty quickly and be rolling dice shortly after. That being said, I wouldn't complain if there were a smidgen more depth to be found. To be fair, the prototype I had access to and a work-in-progress ruleset included only two-player game modes, whereas the final game will be playable with 2-4 players, so it's possible the additional depth I am hoping for will be found in the final rules and other game modes. On the topic of game modes, I will say that having official rules for starting with more upgrades is smart, and makes for a ton of chaotic fun, and I could see some great matches happen by adopting a pick/counter-pick approach.

The version of Doom Arena that I played featured miniatures showcasing the classic looks of Doom Guy and demons that players of the original game from the '90s will recognize. But those who jumped on the chainsaw wagon in more recent decades will have a version for them, too. Modiphius is producing a mechanically identical version that instead has arenas, models, and weapons pulled from the most recent Doom: The Dark Ages, with Doom Guy replaced by the menacing Doom Slayer and demons including the Mancubus, Imps, Imp Stalkers, Hell and Battle Knights, Pinky Rider, Arachnotron, and Soldiers. And for folks who may be lacking in storage space, Modiphius will also offer a version that replaces the plastic miniatures with acrylic standees, shrinking the box size and lowering the cost.

When I first heard the announcement that Modiphius was designing a new Doom board game, my mind immediately went to images of playing as Doom Guy, exploring corridors, finding keys to unlock doors, that eventually would lead to a fight with a big scary demon. Something more akin to say a Betrayal at House on the Hill, Cthulu: Death May Die, or Zombicide. I still would love a Doom game like that, but I can't deny that Doom Arena captures the spirit of these games splendidly.

This is a series about killing as many things as fast as possible, and Arena delivers on that premise in an exciting and digestible package. Even playing dice with this WIP build led to tense moments where I had to hold my breath as I rolled my dice, or giant sighs of relief as my demons avoided being brutally dismembered by a chainsaw. I eagerly look forward to seeing what sort of additional elements or add-ons will be available to play around with and what sort of other game modes will ship in the final release that use three and four players. With the Doom Arena Board Game, Modphius looks to deliver a box that fans of both the video games and board games in general can enjoy, and I am counting down the days until I can rev up my chainsaw again and take it to some demons again.

Doom the Arena Board Game’s campaign runs until November 21, 2025 with an expected delivery date of October 2026.

Scott White is a freelance contributor to IGN, assisting with tabletop games and guide coverage. Follow him on X/Twitter or Bluesky.

The Secretlab Magnus Evo is now available to purchase, and this kitted-out premium desk is one of the best options around for gaming enthusiasts. That is, of course, if you're prepared to dish out its equally premium asking price of $749..

The Magnus Evo makes a killer case for its high cost by getting all of the basics right — it's sturdy and well-made — while also offering beautifully integrated controls for adjusting height, a power supply column and magnetic cable management tray that hide away ugly cords, and a clean visual style that helps it effortlessly blend into any work or gaming setup.

The new American Psycho movie won’t gender-swap its serial killer protagonist as a recent report claimed.

In both American Psycho the book and the 2000 movie, the killer is Patrick Bateman, played in the earlier film adaptation by Christian Bale in one of his best films.

Citing “sources close to the project”, Deadline shot down The Sun’s report that Margot Robbie would star in director Luca Guadagnino‘s as the film’s titular murderer.

The Sun had claimed the “novel and the film were so controversial and the people working on the remake wanted to twist the narrative by having a female actress take on the lead of Bateman. … and by having a female killer, it puts a different spin on the crimes.”

If you’re interested in a female-led American Psycho then there’s always American Psycho II: All American Girl, a direct-to-video sequel starring Mila Kunis as a killer inspired by Patrick Bateman. The film made our list of the Top 10 movie sequels that should never have existed.

This isn’t the first proposed gender-swapped movie that Margot Robbie has been linked with. The Barbie and Suicide Squad star was previously up for a reboot of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

No official word yet on who will play Patrick Bateman in the new movie although past reports have claimed that Austin Butler is in the mix.

Guadagnino‘s American Psycho won’t be a remake of director Mary Harron’s movie but rather a more faithful adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ 1991 novel.

Scott Z. Burns is scripting the new film, which will be released by Lionsgate. It will be produced by Frenesy Films and executive produced by Sam Pressman.

Starting this year, Best Buy has become an official reseller of Bambu Lab 3D printers. Bambu is widely considered one of the better 3D printer brands on the market, and its most popular model is on sale today. Best Buy has the Bambu P1S Combo 3D Printer with Automatic Material System for multi-filament printing for just $549.99 after a $200 off instant discount. This printer was $899 when it first launched, but prices have been steadily dropping since then.

Bambu P1S Combo for $549.99

Lenovo is currently offering one of the lowest prices on prebuilt RTX 5070 Ti gaming PC. The Lenovo Legion Tower 5 GeForce RTX 5070 Ti gaming PC is down to just $1,652.99 after you apply coupon code: "EXTRAFIVE". Free delivery is included. Curiously, this gaming PC is equipped with a laptop processor, albeit a powerful one. This CPU/GPU duo can run even the even most demanding games in 4K resolution at 60fps and beyond.

Lenovo Legion RTX 5070 Ti Gaming PC for $1,653

When it comes to fantastical book series that shaped our childhoods, Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians is one of the best. With season two of the Percy Jackson Disney+ series arriving in December 2025, we're here to lay out what makes the books so special and the order you need to read the books in to make the most of the series.

Jump to Series:

• Percy Jackson and The Olympians Books
• The Heroes of Olympus Books
• The Trials of Apollo Books

What Are the Percy Jackson Books About?

Imagine a world where modern Greek gods have children with the powers of demigods. That's the fantastical concept at the center of the Percy Jackson and The Olympians book series. Created by Rick Riordan, the stories begins following the titular son of Poseidon as he traverses the secret world of mythical gods, goddesses, and their superpowered offspring. Over the original series and two sequel series The Heroes of Olympus and The Trials of Apollo, the world has expanded massively bringing new characters and new generations of fans to the Greek-myth inspired universe that has been enchanting readers since 2005.

How Many Books are in the Series?

There are a total of 18 books in the Percy Jackson universe, which are spread across three different series. The original Percy Jackson and the Olympian series features 7 books as of 2025 with the release of Wrath of the Triple Goddess just last year.

Percy Jackson Book Sets

If you're looking to add a collection of books to your shelves at home, there are a few box sets available. Below are links to both the paperback and hardcover versions for each series:

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Books in Order

Below is how to read the Percy Jackson series chronologically. There's a bit of a time jump between The Last Olympian and Chalice of the Gods, but the timeline is further explained on Rick Riordan's website.

1. The Lightning Thief

In the original novel that sparked off the series, Percy Jackson, discovers that his normal life is not what it seems. Rather than being a normal 12 year old trying to get through school with ADHD and Dyslexia, he's actually a demigod! His life is turned upside down when he's accused of stealing Zeus' lightning bolt. It's not just that he's accused of being a thief though, as he also learns that he's the son of none other than the god Poseidon. Soon he's swept away to a summer camp for demigods known as Camp Half-Blood where he must solve the mystery of Zeus' stolen master bolt and find his way as the son of a god that he's never known.

2. The Sea of Monsters

After discovering Camp Half-Blood and his new life in the first book, in The Sea of Monsters Percy and his friends have to come together to save the place they first met. When the magic that protects the camp begins to fail the crew must head to the titular ocean in order to find a powerful artifact. But they don't have much time and in case you didn't realize the Sea of Monsters is filled with just that. Many, many dangerous creatures fill the pages of this epic adventure, as Percy navigates rough seas and family secrets as he tries to save the day.

3. The Titan’s Curse

As the title hints, this story pushes the Greek mythology of Percy Jackson into the realm of the legendary Titans. When Percy is enlisted to help his old friend Grover he knows something dangerous must have happened, but not even he can guess what's coming. New demigods are on the horizon and with them comes the threat of one of the oldest beings in the world Kronos who hasn't forgiven the teens for besting him. That's not all though as there's also the matter of a massively powerful ancient monster, and the titular curse to keep them busy.

4. The Battle of the Labyrinth

Though he's starting freshman year, things are far from normal for Percy Jackson. With the war between the Titans and the Gods threatening to spill over into every part of life he can barely catch a break, so when demon cheerleaders show up at school he can't believe his bad luck. Reimagining the classic Greek Myth of Daedalus and the Minataur, Percy and his Camp Half-Blood buds have to venture deep into the depths of the Earth to defeat the challenges of an intricate maze in order to stop the destruction of all that they hold dear.

5. The Last Olympian

It's a race to save the legendary Mount Olympus as Percy and his friends must come together in order to defeat the Titans. Luckily they've been training all year for just this but as Kronos starts his attack on New York, can the young demigods actually stand against him? This is the epic finale to the battle that began long ago in The Lightning Thief and throws the mythical world of Camp Half-Blood onto the streets of Manhattan for a world-changing fight of the ages.

Although not directly connected to the Heroes of Olympus series, The Demigod Diaries includes additional short stories set in the Percy Jackson universe. Also included is new artwork and some games.

The classic 1995 first-person shooter Star Wars: Dark Forces is finally getting its due, in action figure form. Kyle Katarn, the hero of the video game, is getting a Star Wars The Black Series action figure. It costs $27.99 and will be available on April 1. You can preorder it now at Amazon.

Preorder the Kyle Katarn Star Wars The Black Series Action Figure

The Kyle Katarn figure is six inches tall, with a good amount of articulation. It comes with a blaster and a blue-bladed Lightsaber, with a standard blade and one that mimics the blurred swinging effect. It’s a figure that looks good enough for adults to enjoy as a collectible, but it works equally well for play, with a suggest age range of 4+.

The video game Star Wars: Dark Forces hit PC in 1995, with a port to PS1 the following year. It’s one of the early “Doom clones,” but it had strong enough story and gameplay elements to stand up on its own. Gameplay-wise, it included novel ideas like the ability to jump and duck, as well as to look up and down, all of which Doom and Doom 2 lacked.

Dark Forces is set in the (no-longer-canon) extended universe, around the time of the first Star Wars movie. It follows Kyle Katarn, a mercenary working for the Rebel Alliance, as he uncovers the Dark Troopers Project and goes about trying to stop it. This mission brings him all over the galaxy to locations like Jabba’s yacht, the Imperial mines on Gromas, inside a Star Destroyer, and more.

Star Wars: Dark Forces got the remaster treatment last year, making it accessible on modern platforms and tweaking its graphics and adding various quality-of-life improvements.

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.

Free-to-play hybrid action RPG Duet Night Abyss is out now worldwide on PC, mobile devices, and Epic Games Store featuring a dual narrative with two protagonists, no stamina limits for movement or commissions, and no character or weapon gacha systems. Let’s get into the details of what this game has to offer.

Duet Night Abyss takes place in the world of Atlasia, where tree-like crystals called Heaventrees were viewed as gifts from the gods and gave rise to a central religion called the Elysian Church. Originally, practically everyone followed this religion, but over time, groups broke off and formed their own factions.

You play through the story from the perspectives of two protagonists with very different backgrounds, and you can freely choose and deploy each of them across different chapters. You’ll meet people from several of Atlasia’s different factions, and you can unlock many of them as playable characters by using character shards, which can be obtained either by buying the exact number you need for a specific character or by collecting them through gameplay.

Characters are not sorted into tiers or star ratings, all of them are just as viable in combat as the others. There are also no character gacha banners where you have to spend resources and just hope you eventually get what you want. You can identify the character you want, gather the required crystals, and be 100% guaranteed to unlock that character.

As the developers said when we interviewed them in August, this was in response to player feedback and was with the goal of making the game more accessible to free-to-play (F2P) players. And as part of the game’s global launch rewards, players can complete events to unlock seven characters for free, giving you the opportunity to build the team you want right from the start.

No matter what characters you want to use in battle, you can equip them with both melee and ranged weapons and swap between them on the fly. Every character has access to every weapon type, so you can freely equip them however you want.

Melee weapon options include standard choices like swords, polearms, and greatswords, as well as more unique ones like the whipsword. There are also a variety of ranged options, from a bow and arrow to dual pistols, grenade launchers, and shotguns. And like characters, weapons aren’t locked behind banners and aren’t sorted into different tiers or star ratings. So you can use whichever combination of weapons you want with no optimization lost.

Combat will pit you against waves of enemies in hack-and-slash action, where you’ll mow down hordes of foes in seconds. The flow of combat stays quick thanks to the fact there are several mobility options with no stamina requirements, so no need to keep your eye on a gauge to see what moves you can use. At any time, you can sprint, use a grappling hook, dodge, jump, double jump, wall jump, or Helix Leap, which in one button press allows you to cover very long distances very quickly.

You can tackle commissions with up to three players in co-op mode, or go solo with two AI companions. There are no stamina restrictions for commissions either, so you’re not limited to only a certain amount of time you can play freely. And you can further customize your fighting style with Demon Wedges, which are versatile add-ons that you can obtain during commissions.

Demon Wedges come in three varieties: character, melee weapon, and ranged weapon. They can provide boosts to your health, crit rate, attack speed, and other attributes. These boosts are guaranteed at a set level when you acquire and upgrade them, so you don’t have to keep grinding for the same thing and hoping to get a better version. There’s no randomization involved.

On top of stat boosts, Demon Wedges can also change the mechanics of your characters’ attacks and skills, and you can combine these with certain weapon traits to customize your attack pattern. And once you’ve acquired a Demon Wedge, you can use it across as many characters or weapons as you want. So again, no need to farm for additional versions to equip multiple of them.

Characters, weapons, and Demon Wedges can all be obtained through normal gameplay. The game’s monetization model is currently focused only on cosmetics, with a range of character skins, accessories, patterns, dye colors, and weapon skins. Both outfits and weapons can be dyed, allowing for an additional level of customization.

The developers recently unveiled new skins for the characters Psyche, Rebecca, and the duo Truffle and Filbert. They also revealed Christmas-themed skins and a new sword skin called Tough Love. And as part of the game’s global launch rewards, players can get up to 107 Pristine Hourglass and Prismatic Hourglass just for logging in. These items can be used to draw new skins.

Duet Night Abyss is available to download now on PC, iOS, and Android. For more information on the world and characters, you can check out the official website. Or you can follow the game on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or Discord to keep up with the latest news and info.

The divisive Star Wars TV series The Acolyte would have featured a connection between The Stranger and villain Kylo Ren had the show been given a Season 2 and not been cancelled, its showrunner has confirmed.

Creator and showrunner Leslye Headland, who is perhaps best known for her work as a playwright, revealed that The Acolyte's central villain, Qimir also known as The Stranger, would have gone on to start The Knights of Ren, the cult the young Kylo Ren joined following his departure from the Jedi. Indeed, The Acolyte would have confirmed The Stranger as the first Knight of Ren.

“It was in the design of the character, as well as knowing that we were going to introduce Darth Plagueis, who has to end up with Palpatine as his apprentice," Headland wrote in The Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte by Kristin Baver, as reported by SFF Gazette.

"Following the Rule of Two - a precept that limited the Sith to just two at any given time, a master and an apprentice - one way to keep it going is if the Stranger is the first Knight of Ren, part of a Sith-adjacent cult that we know eventually survives."

The Knights of Ren are not Sith per se, as Headland explains, but they also align themselves much more with the dark side of the Force than the light the Jedi follow. Some of the Knights seemingly appear with Kylo Ren in The Rise of Skywalker, but the context surrounding them, who they really are, and why Ren is with them is never properly explored.

Knowing all of this, some fans will undoubtedly be wishing more of this could’ve been explored both in further seasons of The Acolyte, and the project Adam Driver, who played Kylo Ren / Ben Solo, and director Steven Soderbergh were trying to make — The Hunt For Ben Solo — before Disney tossed it in the trash.

Indeed, Star Wars owner Disney canceled The Acolyte after Season 1, leaving a number of plot threads, chief among them the dramatic first appearance of Darth Plagueis in live-action form, dangling, perhaps never to be resolved.

Since the cancelation, a number of actors who appeared in The Acolyte have said they still hope for a Season 2. In December last year, Manny Jacinto, who played Qimir, said Darth Plagueis would have had a bigger role in further seasons of The Acolyte, but didn't reveal too much because "we could come back."

Meanwhile, Sol actor Lee Jung-Jae has said he was "quite surprised" to hear The Acolyte wouldn't get a second season, which Headland was thinking about even before Season 1 premiered. Others, including Amandla Stenberg, have said they weren't shocked by the cancellation, however. "I'm going to be transparent and say that it's not a huge shock for me," she said. "I was in the bubble of my own reality, but for those who aren't aware there's been a rampage of vitriol that we've faced since the show was even announced. When it was still just a concept and no one had even seen it."

Here's the page from The Art of The Acolyte book where Leslye reveals that The Stranger was supposed to be the first Knight of Ren, in HD quality.
This page and others were initially previewed at Celebration Japan and I guess no one read them too carefully lol pic.twitter.com/NxZMvXfU7T

— Retney's Holocron YouTube (@retneysholocron) October 26, 2025

Mother Aniseya actress Jodie Turner-Smith raised this issue too, calling out Disney for not doing enough for the cast who faced waves of racist slander online. "They’ve got to stop doing this thing where they don’t say anything when people are getting f**king dog-piled on the internet with racism and bulls**t," she said. Jacinto is still eager to create more of The Acolyte though, calling Season 2 his life's goal not long after its cancellation.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.

Ruben Bolling's Tom the Dancing Bug is widely hailed as being one of the most influential and creative comic strips of the '90s and '00s, and Clover Press is busy reprinting that series in a new batch of collected editions. Next up is a two-volume set collecting the series' run from 1990 to 1998.

With Clover Press' latest Tom the Dancing Bug crowdfunding campaign now live, IGN can exclusively debut a new preview of the book and the accompanying lithograph art print. Check them out in the slideshow gallery below:

Tom the Dancing Bug started out as a surrealist alternative to traditional newspaper comic strips. The series increasingly took on a more political humor-focused approach, first in the wake of 9/11 and then as a response to the election of Donald Trump. The Complete Tom the Dancing Bug collection aims to reprint 35 years' worth of strips in one comprehensive set.

“With the announcement of these two volumes, The Complete Tom the Dancing Bug program will soon stand as a full eight-volume chronicle of 35 years of comics – my life’s work,” said Bolling in a statement. “I’m grateful to Clover Press for its commitment to the project. The quality of the books has been extraordinary, and I’m honored to have this complete set in print. These two volumes will document this strip’s earliest years, and in some ways, my most audacious and ambitious work.”

The Kickstarter campaign for Tom the Dancing Bug is live now.

In other comics news, check out the other superhero crossovers featured in Batman/Deadpool #1 and learn more about Marvel's Wiccan: The Witches' Road.

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

Fallout Day has just recently concluded, and plenty of news was released for Bethesda's online RPG. Fallout 76 continues to deliver new content each year, with the Burning Springs DLC set to release later this year. Next year, Bethesda is finally set to release native PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game. Similar to the rest of the franchise, nothing is more iconic in Fallout 76 than Vault Boy. Today, you can pre-order the Vault Boy 76 Nendoroid at IGN Store. If you're a fan of the legendary RPG series, this is the perfect item to level up your collection.

Shop the Vault Boy 76 Nendoroid at IGN Store