LEGO has announced another five Star Wars sets infused with its Smart Brick, doubling down on its freshly-announced interactive technology.

Fresh versions of the iconic Millenium Falcon, Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder, the Mos Eisley Cantina, Yoda's Dagobah hut and an AT-ST will all feature Smart Play elements, including the technology-packed LEGO Smart Brick, Smart Tags and Smart Minifigures.

LEGO revealed its big push into interactive bricks last month alongside three other Star Wars sets, all of which will launch on March 1. These include an X-Wing, TIE-Fighter, and a Death Star duel between Luke and Emperor Palpatine.

This further wave of sets are headlined by a new 885-piece Millennium Falcon ($99.99), which features Smart Han Solo, Smart Chewbacca, Smart C-3PO and Smart Luke Skywalker minifigures. Smart tags allow fans to experience the lights and sounds of heading into hyperspace, firing lasers, playing holochess, or practicing lightsaber duels.

The smaller 215-piece Luke's Landspeeder set ($39.99) features Smart Luke, plus a Jawa and Gonk Droid. Smart tags allow for interactive refuelling and repairing of the speeder when you add a Smart Brick in.

The 440-piece Yoda's Hut and Jedi Training set ($69.99) features Smart Yoda and Smart Luke and is based on the Jedi master's Dagobah digs. Add a Smart Brick and the set provides interactive Force training and sleeping. Yes, it sounds like we're about to hear Yoda snore.

Another small set, the 347-piece AT-ST Attack on Endor ($49.99), features a Smart Wicket the Ewok, as well as two regular AT-ST Driver and Scout Trooper minifigures so you can recreate the diminuitive creatures' attack on Imperial forces. Paired with a Smart Brick, this set will add AT-ST walking and firing sounds.

Last but not least is the Mos Eisley Cantina ($79.99), which lets Smart Obi-Wan Kenobi and Smart Greedo minifigurines sing karaoke, slurp drinks, ride on the included Dewback and more. The set features 666 pieces, including a Sandtrooper and Cantina band members.

"Though he was never a fan of adventures himself, I have always loved C-3PO as a LEGO Star Wars minifigure but Smart Play takes it to a whole new level," said veteran C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels, who was on hand at the Nuremberg Toy Fair to help unveil the range. "Fans will get to experience my friend and other beloved characters in a thrilling new way. It makes me happy and proud that 3PO will now be part of endless SMART Play adventures."

Speaking to IGN earlier this month, LEGO said that its Smart Brick technology was "here to stay" and would become a core part of its offering going forwards — though would not replace its non-Smart ranges, which will of course still be offered.

"It's a big part of the future," LEGO exec Federico Begher, SVP of Product, New Business told IGN. "[But] I mean, it's very important to be clear that this does not mean that we're leaving our core proposition behind, which is some of the questions and concerns I've heard, like, 'are you leaving what's been successful in the massive move into this?'

"Sometimes we compare it with the Minifigure," he continued. "Back in the day, the Minifigure started small, it was in a few things, and then wherever there was roleplay, it made sense to have the Minifigure. And in that sense, we see that in a similar way where we say, wherever there's opportunity for this type of dimensional play, we will probably explore it. And that's kind of the thinking."

Image credit: LEGO.

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

A former Lara Croft actress has been spotted filming for Amazon Prime's new Tomb Raider series starring Sophie Turner.

Keeley Hawes, who voiced Lara Croft over a decade of video games, was snapped in a set photo published online this week by British tabloid The Sun. The image shows Hawes on Amazon's Tomb Raider TV series set, wearing a trenchcoat and flanked by two odd-looking masked figures.

The Sun speculates that Keeley could be playing the mother of Lara Croft — Lady Amelia Croft, Countess of Abbingdon — in what would be a neat passing of the torch moment. In the video games, Lady Amelia is shown disappearing in mysterious circumstances following a plane crash. The plot of Tomb Raider: Underworld later involves a search for her — a game that Hawes voiced Lara in.

Keeley Hawes spotted filming new Tomb Raider series for Prime Video

According to The Sun, onlookers were speculating that Keeley could play the mother of Lara Croft, but there has been no official announcement news of her casting yet.#tombraider #keeleyhawes #sophieturner pic.twitter.com/A5Awa5ZQfl

— All Things Keeley Hawes (@allthingshawes) January 26, 2026

A veteran British actress, Hawes has appeared in dozens of UK series including Line of Duty, Bodyguard, Ashes to Ashes, and It's a Sin. In the world of video games, Hawes leant her voice to Lara Croft beginning with 2006's Tomb Raider: Legend. Other titles to include her vocal performance notably include Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light and its sequel Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, Tomb Raider: Underworld and 2021's Tomb Raider Reloaded.

Amazon revealed a first look at former Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner as Lara Croft earlier this month, via a photo that revealed the actress wearing Croft's iconic green tank top and red shades. Other cast members include Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs, Martin Bobb-Semple, Jack Bannon, John Heffernan, Bill Paterson, Paterson Joseph, Sasha Luss, Juliette Motamed, Celia Imrie, and August Wittgenstein. Amazon has previously made no mention of Hawes' involvement, likely to keep the surprise under wraps.

Weaver plays Evelyn Wallis, a new character not featured in the original games who is described by Amazon as a "mysterious, high-flying woman who is keen to exploit Lara's talents." Other actors play more familiar roles, with Isaacs portraying Croft’s uncle, Atlas DeMornay, Paterson her butler Winston, and Bobb-Semple her tech support Zip.

Amazon previously pitched the series as part of an interconnected "unified storytelling universe" that spans the franchise's video games as well as this new TV series, which is created and written by Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The games themselves are getting something of a reboot, with the first in the franchise reimagined later this year for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S as Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis. A brand new game is also on the way in the shape of Tomb Raider: Catalyst, due at some point in 2027. Alix Wilton Regan has now been cast to voice Lara Croft going forward, following Camilla Luddington's turn during the Survivor Trilogy — and Keeley Hawes before that.

Image credit: Tristan Fewings/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

Return to Silent Hill debuted to a lukewarm reception last week, with just $3.2 million coming in from North American theaters.

Faring a little better outside the domestic market, director Christophe Gans' take on the revered Silent Hill 2 storyline was the fifth-biggest movie of the week internationally, making $16 million. $9.3 million of that came from China, where Return to Silent Hill has started strong. Overall, the global opening weekend box office amounted to $19.3 million.

That domestic tally of just $3.2 million will be of particular concern, though. Despite Konami resurrecting its horror franchise with two well-received games, Silent Hill 2 Remake and Silent Hill f (as well as the divisive Silent Hill: Ascension and upcoming Silent Hill Townfall), Return to Silent Hill had the lowest domestic box office opening of all three Silent Hill movies; 2006's Silent Hill generated $20.2 million, and the painfully poor follow-up Silent Hill: Revelation just $8 million — which is still more than twice Return to Silent Hill's domestic opening.

Even taking into account the snowstorms blowing across North America, over at Rotten Tomatoes, Return to Silent Hill sits on an abysmal 18% on the Tomatometer, and 29% on the user-driven Popcommenter, making it the worst-reviewed movie of the year so far (although, in fairness, we're still in January!).

Gans recently said that despite receiving death threats over adapting the horror series for the big screen, he would be open to bringing another instalment to life, insisting: "I will adapt another chapter because there are some that are extremely good, something very different from the first film, and now Return to Silent Hill. I like this world, and I can see that plenty of people are thinking I’m doing a pretty good job."

The question is, will he get the chance to make another Silent Hill movie? Perhaps working in Gans' favor is the fact Return to Silent Hill carries a modest production budget of $23 million.

IGN's Return to Silent Hill review returned a 5/10. We said: "Return to Silent Hill isn’t completely without merit. It’s certainly a better follow-up to Cristophe Gans’ original 2006 film than 2012’s Silent Hill: Revelation, one that finds some success drawing on the creepy imagery and sound design of the games. But it’s ultimately an adaptation that fails to improve upon the source material or do anything particularly new and interesting. Those craving a truly great psychological horror experience are better off booting up a version of Silent Hill 2."

You can find out more about what was and wasn't changed in the Silent Hill 2 movie adaptation right here. We also have a handy list of all the video game movies and TV shows coming in 2026 and beyond.

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.

Highguard launched last night as planned, and met with big Steam concurrents but also a flood of negative user reviews.

The free-to-play “PvP raid shooter” was the big new game reveal at the end of last month’s The Game Awards, but developer Wildlight then went dark until the game’s January 26 release date. Highguard hit a peak of 97,249 concurrent users on Steam — a significant number for any new game launch on Valve’s platform — but Wildlight will be particularly concerned by its “mostly negative” user review rating.

Currently, just 32% of the 14,500 user reviews are positive. While some of the negative reviews revolve around PC performance problems, most criticize Highguard’s game design, and question some of the decisions made by the developers.

Chief among the criticisms is that the size of the map feels too big and empty for a 3v3 competitive shooter. You’re able to summon a mount to get about faster (the mounts are one aspect of Highguard that players seem to universally like), but some players believe a 4v4, 5v5, or even 3v3v3 mode would have been a better fit.

There are complaints about the resource-gathering phase of each map, too, which involves what some are calling boring mining and loot farming. The gist here is there is too much downtime and a lack of excitement, although players seem to be enjoying the raid phase of each match, where combat is concentrated. There is also criticism of the playable characters, which are differentiated only by two abilities each on a cooldown. Some are calling Highguard’s visuals bland, too.

Indeed, the top post on the Highguard subreddit reinforces this sentiment. “I’m sorry but this is boring as f**k,” it reads. “Gathering is boring as f**k, looting is boring as f**k, 3v3 with short TTK is boring as f**k. No PVE is boring as f**k. The only good thing in this game is the f***ing horse mount. What were they thinking?”

The Steam portion of Highguard’s release doesn’t tell the whole story, of course. It also launched as a free download on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, but neither Sony nor Microsoft make player numbers public.

Here’s how Highguard works. You play a Warden in a team of three, and select a base to fortify. You then ride out into the map to loot and harvest resources, upgrading your gear along the way.

Teams end up fighting over what’s called the Shieldbreaker, which can be used to trigger a raid of the enemy base. This phase — certainly the most exciting in the match — forces teams to attack and defend. Usually, one raid isn’t enough to destroy the enemy base, which triggers a new loot phase, a new Shieldbreaker to spawn, and the potential for a new raid to finally end the match. Check out IGN’s Highguard review-in-progress to find out what we think.

Yesterday, Wildlight talked about Highguard’s first year of content already being in the works, and outlined its roadmap for updates. It’s making all the right noises about being in this for the long haul. As a free-to-play game, Highguard’s success will rest on its ability to get as many people as possible to continue to play the game, fueling revenue from its live service. As we’ve seen, live service is a particularly brutal space to be in right now, so it will be interesting to see if Highguard can improve this launch sentiment and maintain interest in the months ahead.

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.

Walmart is advertising Nintendo Switch Online with a poster that includes several GameCube classics yet to be made available via the service.

An image visible now on Walmart.com shows a library of Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack titles including the brilliant Pikmin 2 and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, neither of which are currently playable on Switch 2.

Metroid Prime 2 is of particular interest to fans, as some had speculated its release was deliberately being held back so Nintendo could sell a full remake of the game instead. The company launched a full Metroid Prime 1 remake back in 2023, but has since made no comment about continuing to relaunch the rest of the classic trilogy.

A former Ubisoft Osaka staff member has spoken out against persistent "online conspiracy theories" that the publisher's performance is being impacted by a focus on DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives, rather than the company instead suffering from "Big Business Syndrome."

Last week's major company reshuffle that saw Ubisoft cancel six games, close two studios and confirm layoffs at three more locations has led to a fresh wave of criticism online, and some commentators suggesting that Ubisoft was now suffering following a directive to increase DEI within its games.

Last year's Assassin's Creed Shadows became a lightning rod for controversy surrounding the inclusion of its Black samurai protagonist Yasuke, a real-world historical figure whose prominence sparked a backlash against staff members working on the project — something that Assassin's Creed's former boss Marc-Alexis Côté was forced to fiercely condemn.

Now, a staff member previously employed at the recently-closed Ubisoft Osaka has offered their perspective, and suggested that the firm's DEI advocates wielded limited influence, while "beneficial" initiatives saw "improvements to the workplace environment, market expansion into South America and the Middle East, etc."

Writing on X, and translated by Automaton, the former staff member blamed Ubisoft's current troubles on "Big Business Syndrome" — essentially a stagnation in new ideas due to risk-averse staff in senior positions.

"The decline in marketing/creative departments stemmed from Big Business Syndrome – something that can happen to any large company," ex-Ubisoft Osaka developer Kensuke Shimoda wrote. "One example of this was the excessively low turnover rate, leading to a clear lack of senior/lead-level staff with experience developing online/mobile/F2P games.

"Additionally, as a French-first company establishing branches outside French-speaking regions to build a global development structure, they faced management issues unique to non-English global corporations."

When contacted by IGN for a response, Ubisoft declined to comment.

Ubisoft Osaka was shut down a year ago, impacting 134 staff, including Shimoda. Previously, the team had worked as a support studio, and had contributed to Shadows' development.

Less than a week after announcing its sweeping company reorganization, Ubisoft has proposed a reduction in headcount of around 200 people based at its headquarters in Paris. After the cancelation of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake, one actress said she has lost three years of work - and found out via the internet.

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

A recent analyst report has suggested that Sony may push the launch of the PlayStation 6 beyond 2028 and lengthen the PlayStation 5 lifecycle.

Ahead of Sony's third quarter financial report due on February 5, 2026, David Gibson, senior analyst at MST international who focuses on game and tech companies, published a Japanese language report giving insights into the Sony Group's current performance and potential next moves.

According to Gibson, Sony’s earnings for the third quarter are expected to exceed forecasts, with strong sales of first and third-party games driving growth. He also noted that game and network services (including PSN subscriptions) are set to remain strong. Q3 sales are predicted to total around 1.8 trillion yen (approx. $11.6 billion), with operating income at 160 billion yen (approx. $1 billion).

“Sony expects the PS5 lifecycle to be longer than that of previous console generations,” Gibson said, adding that this is likely to push the PS6 launch back beyond previous predictions. “There’s a high likelihood that the PS6 launch will occur after 2028.” If Gibson is right, we won't see the PS6 until 2029 at the earliest.

Hints that Sony aims to extend the PS5 lifecycle can be seen in recent moves made by the company. In a bid to make the PS5 more affordable to domestic players, Sony launched a reduced-price Japan-only PS5 console model in November. It also implemented planned price cuts to PS5 consoles for Black Friday in the U.S. and elsewhere. ThIs suggests Sony is trying to attract more users to its five-year-old console and expand its audience.

However Gibson suggested that Sony is more focused on existing PS5 users than boosting console sales. Regarding PlayStation Network services and active PS5 users, Gibson observed that “PS5 user activity continues to set all-time record highs according to usage data. Sony is focusing more on retaining active users than expanding hardware sales.”

One problem that is facing console makers this year is the rising costs of components. Memory is in high demand because companies like Nvidia and Google require so much of it for their AI chips, with a CNBC report pointing out that these companies "are the first ones in line for the components." This will likely push up RAM prices and have a knock-on impact on both console retail prices and availability. Over at Sony rival Nintendo, president Shuntaro Furukawa failed to rule out future price increases for the Switch 2, commenting that "we must monitor the situation closely."

It’s likely that Sony is also keeping a close eye on this situation with regard to both PS5 hardware and the timing of the PS6 launch. Gibson predicted that “rising memory prices will not impact short-term performance thanks to Sony’s existing inventory.” However, he noted that increased memory costs could become an issue for Sony in the next fiscal year (ending in March 2027), saying “Sony might pass future cost increases onto consumers.”

The timing of a console’s launch can make or break its success, as seen with the Sega Dreamcast. At the moment, Sony seems to be sticking with the PS5 and PS5 Pro thanks to strong network service profits, healthy game sales, and growing active user numbers. And let's remember that the console-exclusive Grand Theft Auto 6, due out later this year, is sure to spark a surge in console sales all on its own. However, Gibson warned that if Sony waits too long to launch the PS6, “it could create long-term risks.”

Back in October, Sony’s tech wizard Mark Cerny teased a number of new video game graphics features in a video published to the official PlayStation YouTube channel titled ‘From Project Amethyst to the Future of Play: AMD and Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Shared Vision.’ Almost all of the near nine minute chat was about advances in graphics technology Sony and AMD have been working on over the past two years.

But then, at the end of the video, a rather innocuous line from Cerny himself mentioned a "future console" coming in "a few years' time." Most took that to suggest Sony planned to release the PS6 late 2028. Could Sony's next-gen console plans include a new PlayStation handheld, too? In August last year, PlayStation 6 handheld rumors ramped up, alongside claims the device would be dockable.

Photo by Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.

Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.

Developer ChillyRoom and publisher Spiral Up Games have announced ReBlade: The Death Spiral, a new cyberpunk action roguelike. You'll run through its dystopian city as many times as it takes as a condemned Synthetic fighting your way through to get at the truth.

You'll find different weapons and augments to customize your build in each roguelike run, battle evolved cyborg monsters who've been forged and shaped by the same unforgiving world you have in high-speed combat, trade with people you encounter, and build allegiances along the way. Check out the excellent reveal trailer above and the first screenshots in the gallery below.

ReBlade doesn't have a release date just yet, but you can wishlist it on Steam if you're interested.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our semi-retired interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

After we've seen Super Mario and even the Minions immortalized at theme parks, I’ve always wondered why Pokémon hasn't received the same treatment. We all know Pokémon is massive. I imagine children to adults all over the world would likely love to visit the world of Pokémon for real — and maybe not ever leave. I’m one of them! Finally, during Pokémon’s 30th Anniversary year, PokéPark KANTO is permanently opening in Yomiuriland Amusement Park just outside of Tokyo, Japan. And I’m one of the very, very lucky few who got to explore the park before its official opening on February 6, 2026.

As we visited well before opening day, I’m not able to share the superfluous number of photos and videos I took, but I can tell you all about my experience and a little of what to expect in PokéPark KANTO. Again, the park wasn’t in operating order, so the rides, shows, music, game booths, and food offerings weren’t available. But honestly, I wouldn’t say any of that is the draw of PokéPark KANTO—it’s simply exploring a space with more than 600 life-sized Pokémon.

PokéPark KANTO is mainly split up between two areas–Pokémon Forest, which is essentially a trail in a woodland inhabited by life-sized Pokémon statues meant to emulate living Pokémon; and Sedge Town, a small collection of buildings and stalls meant to look like what a town within the Pokémon world would look like, also inhabited by life-sized Pokémon statues. These statues don’t move, but they are amazing to spot around the area and are clearly made with care.

Valentine's Day is still a few weeks away, but Amazon is already breaking out the LEGO deals for anyone searching for a unique gift idea. One such discount is on one of the silliest builds that's been released in recent years. The Looney Tunes Sweetheart Tweety Bird set has dropped to its lowest price ever on Amazon. At just $23.99 after the discount is applied, it's really quite affordable (by LEGO standards). This set was first released back in January 2025, but this is the first time its ever been discounted on Amazon.

LEGO Tweety Bird Deal at Amazon Today

The idea of an anime-style soulslike releases plenty of good chemicals in my brain, but the first Code Vein back in 2019 turned out to be just okay in my book. Like a number of Bandai Namco's original IP, I was intrigued to see that idea get another shot, which made me optimistic for Code Vein 2. However, with a middling execution of its open world and inconsistent gameplay qualities, this sequel doesn't necessarily improve upon its predecessor, and instead struggles to stand out in a somewhat saturated genre. Its story premise still compelled me through the 50 hours I spent to finish the main quest and all of the side content at least, but that time came with a lot of ups and downs.

Coming off of From Software's Elden Ring (which Bandai Namco published) not too long ago, pulling up the map of Code Vein 2 had me intimidated and enticed in equal measure. A few hours past its opening act, I was able to grasp its cadence and scale, which thankfully wasn't as overwhelming as I initially thought. A big part of what pulled me in was its concept: a time travel story where you repair a post-apocalyptic present by going to the past to change the outcomes of pivotal moments in its history. Having an open world that subtly changes between timelines drives home a sense of place and the feeling that your character's actions have an impact, even if you're simply following your quest objectives.

Looking out to the horizon from the tower on Magmell Island (the starting region) as your leader Lady Lavinia lays down some exposition, you see the land itself transform upon completing the prologue's quest; it's a strong moment that shows promise for the road ahead. You're then asked to go back in time to aid the three heroes of the world's past in their respective regions to alter their fate, and I enjoyed the fact that you get to take part in shifting the conflicts that led to the present day's destruction.

However, its storytelling style sells itself short at times, with key moments for its major characters relegated to barren dream-like visions – vague dialogue gets overlaid as you stand there waiting for the next set of static character models to appear. It's hard to get a real gauge of what's happening or feel the gravity of the situations the story is trying to portray. It's evident in other dialogue sequences that the writing in Code Vein 2 is rather generic and missing some of the personality that would draw me in to care about the world I'm supposed to be fighting for. In the rare fully animated cutscenes that tee up certain battles, however, Code Vein 2 shows great potential and had me hyped for the moment, but like its many parts, the momentum ends just as quickly as it starts.

I do like a handful of the star characters – for example, Lou being the frail girl who has the time traveling power is an extension of your created silent protagonist, and she carries a convincing sense of sorrow. The three heroes have fitting backgrounds and are nice to team up with, too; Holly is a standout for her story as a gifted doctor put in tragic situations because it's one of the few times Code Vein 2 hits a genuine emotional note. As a whole, though, I wanted to care more about the broader struggle between revenants and humans, and the dynamics that led to so much conflict and the monsters that roam the land, but the plot threads run shallow and the way they're delivered leaves them underdeveloped. As a consequence, I came away from its conclusion fairly underwhelmed even as it tried to pull on my heart strings since I wasn't quite invested as it seemed to hope I would be.

I do think the open world serves its purpose as a vehicle for giving the story some impact. It struck a chord with me to visit a particular location in the before-times, seeing where people struggled to eke out an existence and then that same place dilapidated in the present. The Undead Forest's lush greenery turning to a cold barren wasteland is one of the starkest examples of this; the differences aren't drastic from a gameplay standpoint, but it's visually effective for showing the lifelessness of the present day.

Navigating the open world is sometimes a pain, though. You get a motorbike to drive around, and it controls like a flimsy RC car – you can glide in the air by deploying its wings, only to be met with a few invisible walls blocking you from entering parts of the map that are clearly accessible (you just have to enter from where you're supposed to). And certain falls that just don't seem like a problem result in automatic death. These seem like minor inconveniences, but they compound with several other ways that Code Vein 2 seems sloppy.

Some of the vistas are quite impressive on a macro level, but the closer you get to the details, the more you see how muddy everything looks. It's quite jarring, especially as nearly every cutscene would constantly load textures in and out every time the camera cuts to a different angle. And even playing on a PS5 Pro with performance priority mode on, the frame rate fluctuates wildly and oftentimes not even when the action gets hot.

There isn't much mystery or intrinsic reward to exploration, although once you understand what certain landmarks entail, you'll find critical upgrades to your healing item, materials for weapon upgrades, and persistent stat buffs for specific regions. You're not left completely empty-handed, just don't expect to stumble upon interesting dungeons, bosses, or rabbit holes that evoke your curiosity. I am glad that the open world is rather trim rather than being padded out with a bunch of checklist objectives, and important side quests are clearly delineated in the quest log.

Much like my sentiments about the story and open world, Code Vein 2's combat bounces around wildly in quality. It uses the design principles of the Souls-style games – experience points and currency that disappear upon death (and must be recovered), enemies respawning after hitting save points, and punishing combat that moves at a deliberate pace, among other typical mechanics. While I've experienced a bit of fatigue from games in this realm, I still lock in once I pick up what it's putting down and begin to understand its systems. There were times in Code Vein 2 where I felt close to the highs I got from others in the genre (although I wouldn't compare them to my favorites like Bloodborne or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice).

A couple of bosses feature creative mechanics that are super tough but fair, conquerable by fully focusing on reading their attack patterns and seizing the rare opportunities you get to attack. But more often, you get bosses who are either pushovers or annoyingly frustrating in ways that bring out the worst in Code Vein 2's faults. Having played so many soulslikes at this point, I'm familiar with how the best games in the genre really nail the tough-but-fair design philosophy; Code Vein 2 is not one of them. Part of that comes from when it doesn't play by its own rules, like being hittable while recovering as your invincibility window is just a few frames shorter than when you're able to actually move again, leading to deaths that felt unfair. Or how a damage-over-time attack sometimes stops if you get hit even when the ability has been fully deployed. Or how the camera just doesn't know what to do when you're smothered and shoved into a corner by a boss that's 10 times your size. Or just hitboxes that don't really make sense for the space a character model occupies. There are ways around these things as I was eventually able to defeat every optional and main boss I encountered by adjusting my approach, but it's dejecting when a game betrays the tenets that've made its contemporaries great.

While I think some of its systems seem incomprehensible or convoluted upon first impression, it's much simpler than it presents itself to be. Instead of pumping points into stats, Blood Codes dictate your build and what you're capable of in combat. Each important character you meet offers an equippable Blood Code, and you can think of these as a way to respec whenever you want as they offer emphasis on certain stats that will then modify the effectiveness of the weapons and gear you use. You're not locked into a specific build, but the progression path of Blood Codes is tricky since they level up the more you use them – you get pigeon-holed in a way, but with some experimentation, I was quick to understand which ones worked best alongside my favorite weapon types. And using new Blood Codes for long enough will get you back to where you want to be in due time.

You have quite a few tools to work with as well. Through most of the journey, you can summon one of the story characters to join you, and it's effective for tougher battles since their attacks can draw aggro to give you room to breathe or go for a big hit. You can even fuse with them for some noticeable buffs, with the trade-off of being solo in combat. They also temporarily sacrifice themselves to revive you if you die, which is clutch for alleviating frustrating deaths. Alternatively, Ichor is the mana of Code Vein that lets you cast spells and use abilities that are necessary to diversifying your combat approach. The way Ichor feeds back to you when using your superweapon (called a Jail) forced me into cycling through all my capabilities over the course of harder fights rather than relying on a single tactic or cheese. Once I found a setup that worked for me, and some alternatives in case I needed to switch gears for different kinds of fights, I got into a comfortable groove with Code Vein 2's own brand of RPG mechanics and action combat.

The foundation for great combat is clearly here, I just don't think it offers enough interesting opportunities to make the most of its systems. The dungeons throughout the world get woefully repetitive and enemies can be a real cakewalk; you'll be punished if you're not careful, of course, but the imbalance is felt when you go for long stretches of mowing through the same fodder mindlessly. You'll also come across a lot of repeat bosses, which feels like being thrown something harder for the sake of it, and at a certain point, they too can be conquered with ease.

There are at least cases where harder versions of previous bosses show up in the critical sidequests, and a few of those do up the ante, remixing familiar attack patterns and throwing in new, demanding phases. To which I was internally saying, "Hell yeah, this is that good stuff." However, once I burned through the final dungeon, it was clear to me that it had played the hits a few too many times, reminding me of how the campaign just didn't have enough tricks up its sleeve to sustain itself in a consistently engaging way.

I come away from Code Vein 2 impressed with the timeline shifting side quests more than anything else, because those are more compelling than large swathes of the main story. As they explore the more interesting parts of the lore, they also take a few more risks and let characters shine a bit brighter. You're drawn a little closer to the struggle that led them to their fate, and they share a few bittersweet moments with your own character. Not all of it is super inventive, but I saw it breaking away from the predictable cadence at times, and I just wish Code Vein 2 did more of that.

Code Vein as a series has some good ideas I still want to see iterated upon, and this sequel touched on them in several ways. I've felt similarly about Scarlet Nexus and God Eater, both of which are clearly plays on established styles of games with an anime-inspired twist – fantastic ideas on paper with potential that still have a lot of room to grow. This isn't a genre that's sacred to From Software's catalogue, either – Lies of P and Nioh 2 come to mind as fantastic takes on the formula from other developers. I'd hoped Code Vein 2 would join the ranks of them, but it's missing some of the fundamentals necessary to do so.

I have reached the stage of my gaming life where I am deeply suspicious of anything that does not respect my time. These deals pass the test. This list is full of games that know exactly what they are, so let's just get to the good stuff quickly. End: preamble. Begin: mad savings.

Contents

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

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I'm using the explosion from a red canister tumbling by in zero-G to light a 15-candle cake baked for Dead Space 2. Saying I was excited for this sequel is an understatement (I adored the first so much, I 1000 Gamerscored it on McStupid 'Impossible' difficulty). That said, I did have some reservations about EA's decision to up the action and unmute our hero, Isaac Clarke, mere engineer/dissector of Cronenbergian E.T.s.

Fortunately, those minor fears were superseded by a wealth of worthier white-knuckle moments in-game. Expanding the mayhem from the pokey Ishimura to "The Sprawl" delivered some great setpiece horror moments in addition to some desperate, on-the-back-boot firefights (which benefitted from streamlined gunplay and inventory handling). The part of DS2 that still lives rent-free in my head, though? That "stick a needle in your own pupil" mini-game. That failure animation still makes me wince.

Aussie birthdays for notable games.

- Disney's Aladdin (SNES) 1994. Redux

- Mass Effect 2 (PS3) 2011. Redux

- Dead Space 2 (PC,PS3,X360) 2011. Get

- Resident Evil: Revelations (3DS) 2012. eBay

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

• Pokemon Pokopia (-19%) A$89 A gentler Pokemon that will trade edge for vibes, but is still looking to bring that dangerous just one more catch momentum.
• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (-23%) A$69 Retro Studios doing what it does best, trusting atmosphere, silence, and level design more than constant noise.
• Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance (-60%) A$40.30 The most confident version of SMT V, where every demon negotiation feels like a hostage situation you chose willingly.
• Dragon Ball FighterZ (-50%) A$44.90 Still absurdly pretty and still brutally honest, mash early and you will be taught a lesson immediately.
• Cult of the Lamb (-60%) A$14.90 Equal parts cute and unhinged, like Animal Crossing after a bad podcast recommendation.

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

Back to top

Exciting Bargains for Xbox

• Sonic Frontiers (-76%) A$24.40 Wild ideas, uneven execution, but enough genuine sparks that you start rooting for Sonic again.
• Like a Dragon: Ishin! (-67%) A$32.70 Historical drama one minute, karaoke adjacent nonsense the next, which is exactly why it works.
• Prince of Persia The Lost Crown (-51%) A$24 Tight platforming and clean combat that politely reminds you Ubisoft can still cook when it wants to.
• Hogwarts Legacy (-65%) A$39 The fantasy of being at Hogwarts finally delivered, homework optional, exploration encouraged.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (-55%) A$49 Slick, familiar, and ruthlessly efficient, like muscle memory in game form.

Xbox One

• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (-55%) A$31.60 A reminder that perfect controls never go out of fashion.
• Assassin's Creed Origins (-59%) A$40.70 The moment Assassin's Creed stopped flailing and found a new identity.
• Forza Horizon 5 (-50%) A$49.90 Driving perfection disguised as a road trip playlist.

Or just invest in an Xbox Card.

Back to top

Pure Scores for PlayStation

• Gran Turismo 7 (-40%) A$74.90 Obsessive car love rendered with the seriousness of a documentary.
• Street Fighter 6 (-44%) A$56.10 Shockingly welcoming, quietly deep, and still happy to humble you online.
• Star Wars Outlaws (-68%) A$34.90 The Star Wars fantasy that skips destiny and leans into being a professional mess.
• Final Fantasy XVI (-42%) A$49.20 Maximalist boss fights and earnest melodrama, completely unafraid of going too hard.
• NBA 2K26 (-59%) A$49 Still the basketball sim that ruins your standards for everything else.

PS4

• Dead Island 2 (-60%) A$27.90 Way better than its development story suggests, with gloriously dumb melee combat.
• Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX (-53%) A$33.10 An emotional rollercoaster powered entirely by friendship speeches and keyblades.
• Red Dead Redemption 2 (-68%) A$29 Slow, deliberate, and devastating in the way only Rockstar can manage.

Or purchase a PS Store Card.

Back to top

Purchase Cheap for PC

• Octopath Traveler (-60%) A$35.90 A gorgeous throwback that quietly asks you to care about eight different lives.
• Kingdom Come Deliverance: Royal Ed. (-81%) A$11.30 A medieval RPG that assumes you will fail first and learn later.
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (-50%) A$52.40 Nostalgia with ambition, refusing to play it safe at any point.
• Red Dead Redemption (-50%) A$34.90 A classic western finally freed from console constraints.
• Streets of Rage 4 (-65%) A$12.50 A revival that understands exactly what needed changing and what absolutely did not.

Or just get a Steam Wallet Card

Legit LEGO Deals

• Retro Gaming Console (-37%) A$19 A tiny dopamine hit for anyone who grew up blowing into cartridges.
• One Piece The Baratie (-27%) A$363.40 A commitment piece that basically demands shelf space and respect.
• Minecraft Chicken Farm (-27%) A$22 Small, silly, and instantly readable from across the room.
• One Piece The Going Merry (-25%) A$149 Pure Straw Hat nostalgia rendered in brick form.

Back to top

Don't miss this rare opportunity to score a well-regarded pair of noise canceling headphones for an outstanding price. For a limited time, Woot (owned by Amazon) is offering the certified refurbished Bose QuietComfort wireless noise canceling headphones for just $129.99. Amazon Prime members get free shipping, otherwise it will add on an extra $5.

This is one of the best deals I've seen for Bose headphones (better than any deal during last Black Friday, at least), especially since it's refurbished by Bose directly and comes with a 1-year manufacturer's warranty.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones for $129.99 (was $350)

Certified refurbished with 1-year Bose warranty

If you've collected any of the Harry Potter books illustrated by Jim Kay over the years, you've likely experienced the pain of an unfinished collection. The last book to get the illustrated treatment was Order of the Phoenix, which was released all the way back in 2022. Jim Kay stepped down from the project shortly after that book was released, and as someone who has slowly been buying up these books for my brother over the years, I was afraid that I'd never actually be able to finish building his collection.

Thankfully, just last year the publisher announced that Levi Pinfold would be taking up the project and finally finish up the illustrated series. According to new product listings, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Illustrated Edition is now officially set to release on October 6, 2026. A cover has yet to be revealed, but you can already get your preorder in at any of the major online bookstores.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Illustrated Edition

The Planet of the Apes franchise is one with a rich history and sci-fi lore all its own, which makes it a natural choice to be adapted into a tabletop role-playing game. That's exactly what Magnetic Press aims to do with The Role-Playing Game of the Planet of the Apes.

IGN can exclusively debut a new preview of The Role-Playing Game of the Planet of the Apes: Core Rulebook. Check it out in the slideshow gallery below:

The Role-Playing Game of the Planet of the Apes consists of three volumes. Along with the aforementioned Core Rulebook, there's also Planet of the Apes RPG: The Ansa Files Sourcebook and Planet of the Apes RPG: Into the Forbidden Zone. The former focuses on iconic movie characters like Caesar, Taylor, Zira, Hasslein, and Dr. Zaius. The latter features a guided campaign that includes two map posters, 64 reference cards, seven preprinted character sheets, a Game Master screen, punch-out map markers and tokens, 12 dice, and a 96-page campaign adventure module.

The creative team on The Role-Playing Game of the Planet of the Apes: Core Rulebook includes writers Andrew E.C. Gaska and E.L. Thomas and artists Runa I. Rosenberger, Chris Scalf, Shane Molina, and Chandra Free, while Bill Sienkiewicz provided the cover art.

“As you play you can become an intellectual Chimpanzee who seeks to better apekind through science and exploration. Choose an Orangutan statesape whose weapons are philosophical debate, political savvy, and the power of the Sacred Scrolls themselves. Perhaps a Gorilla soldier is more your style—honor-bound to protect Ape City and lead aggressive expansions into new territories. What else, if not an ape? Be a time-lost astronaut struggling to grasp a world gone insane. Become a mute tribal human forced to scavenge for resources as you are hunted by murderous gorillas on horseback. The rules even allow you to play mutant survivors who use the power of their minds to turn their enemies against each other,” said Magnetic Press Founder and Publisher Mike Kennedy in a statement.

Kennedy continued, “Your adventures in this world of madness will take you to the ruins of a world destroyed—see what remains of the Statue of Liberty, the ostentatious Ape City, the foreboding Forbidden Zone, and the mysterious mutant undercity. It is a world defined by the stark contrasts of brutality and civility. Are you ape enough to handle the truth about the world you live in or will you lose your mind to it?”

The Role-Playing Game of the Planet of the Apes: Core Rulebook is priced at $49.99 and will be released on February 3. You can preorder a copy on Amazon.

For more on the Apes franchise, find out how to watch the Planet of the Apes movies in order.

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

Andaseat, a popular gaming chair brand - is offering a limited time deal on one of its higher end chair. The Kaiser 3 Pro, specifically the Weiboo Limited Edition model, is on sale for $359.10 after you apply a 10% off coupon code "AndaIGN". This is a lot less expensive than the standard Kaiser 3 Pro, which retails for $490, plus it includes a bonus lumbar pillow. In fact, with this price it's even lower than the Kaiser 3 non-Pro. This chairs are stocked in US warehouses and are usually delivered within a week and come standard with a 5 year warranty.

Kaiser 3 Pro Gaming Chair for $359.10

Secretlab just launched preorders for its highly anticipated lineup of Pokémon gaming chairs and, not surprisingly, they're selling out quickly. These themed Titan Evo chairs - decked out in your choice of Gengar, Eevee, and Pikachu regalia - have all pretty much sold out of their first wave of preorders and have moved onto their second or third waves. I have no clue how many "waves" there will be for this initial batch, but if you want your chair to arrive within the first half of 2026, you should probably put in your preorder as soon as you can.

Preorder the New Secretlab Pokemon Gaming Chairs

Samsung's S84F TV features all of the advantages of OLED technology that make it the best TV for gaming minus the exorbitant price tag. For this week only, Best Buy is offering a 65" Samsung S84F 4K OLED Smart TV for just $899.99 with free delivery. This matches Best Buy's Black Friday deal and is overall an excellent price for a current generation OLED TV.

65" Samsung S84F 4K OLED Smart TV for $899.99

Prime Video announced Monday that they’re moving up the release dates for the final two episodes of Fallout: Season 2.

Episode 7 will now launch Tuesday, January 27th at 6pm PT and the season finale, Episode 8, will now begin streaming on Tuesday, Feb. 3rd at 6pm PT.

The final two episodes had originally been scheduled for Wednesday releases.

Good morning, Vault Dwellers! Due to strong participation and interest, we have amended the start times for the remaining Season Two presentations. Episode Seven will now begin Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. PT, and Episode Eight will now begin Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. PT. Your… pic.twitter.com/x1LhnwEsRL

— FALLOUT⚡️ (@falloutonprime) January 26, 2026

The first season of Fallout was a binge release where all the episodes dropped on the same day, whereas Season 2 has been a weekly rollout, “which makes viewership comparisons tricky.”

Fallout: Season 2 has thus far been receiving largely positive reviews from IGN’s Matt Purslow, although he was most critical of last week’s Episode 6 (“The Other Player”), which he nevertheless still gave a score of 7 (or “good” on the IGN review scale), writing:

“Fallout twists its big Season 1 finale by revealing that there’s an entirely different hand steering the apocalypse, finally bringing The Enclave into the picture. Back to back with last week’s Mr. House confrontation, this recent set of flashbacks are easily the best of the show so far.

But things are more uneven out in the wasteland: while Lucy’s morals and her relationship with Hank are tested in interesting, complicated ways, our first encounter with a super mutant is disappointing, as is Fallout’s refusal to make the Vault storylines feel a truly essential part of the entire stage.”

For more Fallout coverage, find out about the planned Fallout Shelter reality TV competition series and discover what it took to pull off those game-accurate Deathclaws this season.

It’s been a long winter for many of us, and after the wild weather across the US this weekend, we're probably ready for it to end. Unfortunately, we still aren’t even into February. To make this never-ending season a bit more tolerable, there are some awesome deals on everything from rechargeable handwarmers to video games and manga box sets. Check out all the top deals today below:

TL;DR: The Best Deals Today

The Legend of Zelda Complete Box Set is 47% Off

Get Tales of Graces f Remastered for PS5 for Only $16.30

Enjoy 60% Off the Razer BlackWidow V3 Hyperspeed Phantom 65% Mini Wireless Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

Save 16% on MTG: Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box

Get $20 Off a Waterpik Water Flosser

Score 42% Off Godzilla: The First 70 Years: The Official Illustrated History of the Japanese Productions

DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO for Xbox Series X Hit Lowest Price Ever

OCOOPA Rechargeable Handwarmers for $10.99

3 Months of Audible Premium Plus for $0.99/mo

LEGO recently started dipping into more sports-themed sets with the Nike collaboration last year, but it looks like the company is taking it even further in 2026 ahead of the FIFA World Cup. The LEGO Soccer Ball is now available to preorder for a whopping $129.99 and will be released on March 1, 2026. This is the second set to be revealed as part of LEGO's World Cup collaboration, with the official trophy build going up for preorder back in December.

LEGO Editions Soccer Ball Up for Preorder

With the advent of PC gaming handhelds, the nearly limitless library of games on Steam and other PC clients are now at your fingertips anytime and anywhere. The best gaming handhelds have a hefty price tag and the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X - arguably the best Windows gaming handheld - retails for $1,000.

Fortunately, Best Buy is offering one easy way to get a solid discount on the Xbox Ally X. Best Buy is currently stocked with "Excellent Condition" open box units. Starting this week, the price of these units have dropped from $950 to $899.99. That makes it $100 cheaper than buying brand new. Mind you these are pre-owned, but they are Geek Squad verified and the best graded units are in like-new condition cosmetically and even include all or most of its original warranty.

Asus ROG Xbox Ally X for $899.99

Open Box - Excellent Condition

Funko Pops: they’re everywhere. And there’s at least one of the vinyl figures made of every single character in the history of pop culture. And while some find these facts annoying, there’s something to be said about a great-looking Funko Pop based on something you personally like. The latest Funkos to go up for preorder are based on Pokémon, and there are some bangers in here: an angry, electricity-summoning Pikachu, an angry, vine-summoning Venusaur, and more. Take a look and see if you want to preorder any from Amazon ahead of release.

Pokémon Funko Pops Up for Preorder

The two centerpieces of this new batch of Pokémon Funkos are the aforementioned Pikachu and Venusaur. Both are Funko Pop! Premium figures, meaning they’re 4.5 inches tall, rather than the 3.75 inch height of standard Funko Pop figures. They’re also in more dramatic stances, as if sculpted in mid-attack. They look pretty great, even for a seasoned commerce editor like me.

The rest of the upcoming Pokémon Funkos are standard Funko Pops. We have Ivysaur, Zoroark, Electabuzz, Magmar, and the adorable Goomy. Some people don’t like the Funko style, with its lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll’s eyes, but I think it works perfectly with Pokemon. There’s just less stylization going on between the real thing (as depicted in the games) and the vinyl figures. They’re also made in eye-catching bright colors, so they look great wherever you decide to display them.

If Pokémon isn’t your speed, you can likely find another upcoming Funko Pop that appeals to you more. The company just keeps on pumping out these things, with everything from the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Disney Princesses to Star Trek and even Australian animals represented. Even if you just want to stick to Funkos based on video games, you can find BioShock and Silent Hill ones up for preorder at Amazon. There's even one based on the Wolverine meme. There’s something for everyone.

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.

The Alienware Area-51 is Dell's highest-end gaming laptop and the only model that can be equipped with the super powerful GeForce RTX 5090 mobile GPU. Prices have gone way up for the new year, but fortunately there's still an easy way to get a good deal. Dell Outlet recently restocked its inventory of Alienware Area-51 16" gaming laptops, including RTX 5090 models. You can currently get one for as low as $3,564, which is about $500 cheaper than the least expensive brand new 5090 config (with worse specs). These are "Like New" models with 1 year warranty.