If you’ve ever intrepidly looked up a Paradox game, seen a million DLC expansions on the Steam page, and fled screaming into the woods, rest assured that Paradox have you in their eye. It’s doubtful they’re going to change anything about their broad DLC strategy, mind, but they’re aware that some players may feel reluctant to purchase older Paradox games that have dozens of add-ons.
Inevitably, the New California Republic Power Armor that made such a dramatic appearance in the latest episode of the Fallout TV show is now in Fallout 76. But rather than sell it via the in-game shop and thus allow players to buy it with Atoms, Fallout 76’s virtual currency, it is only available as part of a standalone DLC bundle priced $30.
In lieu of a brand new Fallout video game, Bethesda has leaned heavily on Fallout 76 to capitalize on boosted interest in all things Fallout following the breakout success of the Prime Video TV show. Fallout 76 has Walton Goggins’ character The Ghoul dishing out quests, for example. There is a New Vegas-style expansion (Season 2 is set in New Vegas — or what’s left of it). And now Fallout 76 has the NCR Power Armor that Maximus uses to fight a pack of Deathclaws in Episode 7.
Never underestimate the power of brand recognition. pic.twitter.com/vuHbfcQ6EB
— FALLOUT⚡️ (@falloutonprime) January 28, 2026
That NCR Power Armor is a big talking point among Fallout fans for a number of reasons. It’s brand new — we’ve not seen its type in the video games before — and it sparks all sorts of questions about the Fallout lore and what we thought the NCR was capable of. Setting aside the fact that an NCR Power Armor appearance in Fallout 76, which is set before all the other Fallout video games, makes little sense lore wise because the NCR didn’t exist yet, its price has become the big talking point.
The long and the short of it is that if you want the NCR Power Armor, you need to hand over $30 for this entire bundle — a standard practice these days really, where DLC bundles often cost more than entire video games, and items you might not necessarily want are thrown in to improve “value.”
Some fans have said the bundle is overpriced at $30, and accused Bethesda of “cashing in” on the show by not making it available to buy for Atoms, which most players will have stashed away for DLC like this.
“Yeah, the price of the Mojave bundle is ridiculous,” one fan said. “It’s exhausting to watch a studio that once had credibility reduce everything to cash grabs. I guess a lot of people will pay for it anyway. Good luck.”
It’s a sentiment shared by many across the various Fallout subreddits, Steam’s own forum, and social media. “Yeah this is a hard pass for me. Put it in the Atom shop,” said a disgruntled fan. “£26.99 for eight items, two of which are just words!!!” added another. “Then you’ve got two C.A.M.P items, a Power Armor paint, a weapon, plus an outfit with a helmet…. Not even a cheeky few hundred Atoms thrown in! That’s actually peak lmao, but whilst people keep buying it, Bethesda are going to keep selling it!”
“This DLC includes a set of armor that I’m never going to wear because the Legate armor doesn’t fit in thematically with anything, it also includes a flag and a neon sign, none of which are of particular value to me,” reads one negative Steam review. “And with the Burning Sands starter bundle you at least get a free bullet machine. This bundle gives you nothing of value. For me the only reason to pick this up is the NCR Power Armor, which I can understand cashing in on the show, but they clearly didn’t want to put it on the Atom shop for the people who have saved atoms. I would have paid $10 for this item no problem.”
However, not all players agree. Many are pointing to the $30 price point being standard for bundles of this type in Fallout 76 (and in other games), and others are saying you can simply choose not to but it if you don’t like it.
“Is it overpriced? Yes. Is it undervalued? Yes,” countered one fan. “It’s still not predatory, because you can simply NOT BUY IT. You lose out on zero actual gameplay by not buying it. You also don’t gain any gameplay from buying it. If having this bundle gave me some type of advantage in-game, that might be predatory, but this is just another bundle. I’ve skipped plenty of those over the years. This bundle replaced the Atomic Angler bundle, which I believe was also $30. There’s ALWAYS going to be a cash bundle out there. Just don’t buy it. It’s that simple.”
“You know as weird as it is I just don’t mind,” said another. “There’s no gameplay content or quests / locations locked behind the purchase, so far every expansion has been released for free, there’s plenty to do in the game and loads of other cosmetics and camp stuff to get for free or buy with atoms from challenges, the game (imo) doles out tons of Atoms anyway, and from my understanding these bundles typically go on more than 50% off sale pretty regularly.
“So I mean like, whatever, you don’t need to day one buy every single piece of content, if Bethesda releasing these lil whale drops occasionally means the vast majority of the game can stay free for the vast majority of players that’s a good thing. Just be glad we’re not a gacha or a lootbox game or something with actual predatory pricing.”
Bethesda will of course be hoping that as many fans as possible decide that $30 is a reasonable price to pay to patrol the desert of Burning Springs like you’re straight out of the Fallout TV show. Data shows that the show has fueled an increase in player numbers for all Fallout games, with some newcomers dipping into the likes of Fallout 76 for the first time. I imagine in that context, this NCR Power Armor will prove quite popular.
Fallout 76 itself, meanwhile, is free-to-play until February 5, with the Season 2 finale set to broadcast on February 3. If you need to catch up, Amazon has released Season 1 for free on YouTube. If you’re up to date, it’s worth checking out the Fallout co-showrunner’s tease about Season 2, Episode 8, which sounds like it will have a significant impact on The Ghoul, Lucy, and Maximus. After that, be sure to check out IGN’s Fallout Season 2, Episode 7 review.
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.
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Ahead of Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties‘ release on February 11th, devs RGG Studio have announced plans to put out a day one patch to fix visual issues spotted the remade beat-em-up’s demo. Specifically, there’s a section of the game’s version of downtown Okinawa by a river which players have pointed out to be garishly oversaturated compared to the original Yakuza 3 and its previous remaster.
Go on, tell us.
In case you somehow missed it, Nintendo’s next big Switch release Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is launching on 16th April 2026.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Including Mega Dimension tracks and more…
One aspect of Pokémon Legends: Z-A we thought was “excellent” was the music. With this in mind, it’s been announced the game’s soundtrack will be getting a physical release in Japan on 17th April 2026.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
It “does not represent the final experience”.
Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio recently released a demo for Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties on the Switch 2 and multiple other platforms. As much as fans appreciated this early play test, it’s also drawn some criticism.
Some players had been highlighting “graphical issues” and other problems and in response to this, RGG has now shared an official message on social media, mentioning how the “graphical quality” and other issues in the demo are not representative of the “final experience”, with a patch to be made available at launch. Here’s the message in full:
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Magic: The Gathering feels like it’s more popular than ever, and with no fewer than seven sets on the roadmap, here’s hoping there’s something for everyone.
The first set of the year is Lorwyn Eclipsed, and it’s pretty darn great, actually. It’s also causing some big changes to card value as players rush to upgrade its precons, particularly the Blight Curse one. Thanks to our friends at TCGplayer, we’ve got a rundown of the movers and shakers kicking off the latest set.
We’ll get to the Blight Curse deck in a moment, but this Spider-Man Land is seeing some play since it works with the Dance of the Elements precon.
As Multiversal Passage enters, it can become any basic land you need it to be, entering tapped or being ready to go at the cost of two life. It’s wobbling at around $10 right now, but was half that just weeks ago.
OK, it’s Auntie Ool’s time to shine. The Commander behind Blight Curse deck is all about putting -1/-1 counters on cards, and that makes Nest of Scarabs a great pick since it turns those counters into 1/1 insect creature tokens, too.
It’s reached almost $10 seemingly overnight, and is a nice, obvious inclusion for the precon upgrade package.
Generous Patron is anything but obvious, though. It puts +1/+1 counters on creatures, which at first glance feels like the opposite of what Auntie Ool’s deck will have you doing. Still, the text below reads “Whenever you put one or more counters on a creature you don’t control, draw a card.”
Since that part doesn’t specify which counters trigger card draw, enjoy drawing more cards! It’s reached $12, again almost overnight.
Faeries were popular in Lorwyn’s first go-round, and Bitterbloom Bearer is one that’s particularly sought-after. One variant has appeared in our list of the priciest cards already, and the basic one is going for around $26 right now.
Finally, Pandemonium has spiked to around $14. It’s from the Exodus set, and lets a creature deal damage as it enters play. Almost tempted to put it in my Lord of Pain deck…
Gah, so close. I’ve been waiting for Icetill Explorer from Edge of Eternities to drop a little further, and while it’s cheaper than it was a fortnight ago, it’s still around $20.
A perfect inclusion for Landfall decks, it lets you play an additional land each turn and play lands from your graveyard, too.
Lorwyn Eclipsed only has one vampire card, but it got me thinking: How much is Edgar Markov going for these days?
The answer is around $25, but given his power for Vampire decks, he still feels like a must-buy for anyone looking to play a fanged deck.
Remember when everyone went wild for Ragost, Deft Gastronaut? This Lobster makes your Artifacts into Foods, and despite seeing a spike in recent weeks, it is still under $1.
I’ve been tooling up an Eldrazi deck recently, and picked up Sire of Seven Deaths. Its value jumps around a fair bit, but for $19 you can get a 7/7 with (deep breath) First Strike, Vigilance, Menace, Trample, Reach, Lifelink, and Ward – 7 Life. Savage.
Finally, talking of keyword soup, I picked up Atraxa, Grand Unifier. No idea where I’ll play it, admittedly, but it’s sitting around $11 right now, which is much lower than in recent months.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.
Carlo is everywhere, though.
Well folks, the Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Nintendo Direct has won over many hearts, with its bizarre humour, huge amount of freedom and flexibility with customisation, and even a a dramatic romantic storyline.
We fell in love with Hugh Morris, the clown-like character from the Nintendo of America presentation (who doesn’t want to talk about monster trucks, sadly). But when we announced our love for him, a lot of people were quick to ask, “wait, who? What about Bubbles?”
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
I Hate This Place is an isometric survival horror game that very intentionally uses a lot of comic book–infused design choices. With the launch of the game today on Xbox Series X|S, I’d love to take this moment to dive a little into the how and why this was done to help create I Hate This Place.
The first obvious reason for the comic aesthetic is that our game is set in the same world and universe as the award-nominated comic series “I Hate This Place” by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin. But since we were always going to be making a standalone story with our own characters, we decided that keeping that connection to the comic series alive was important, but it had to be in a way that wasn’t just parroting the original look.
Below are some examples comparing the game to the comics so you can see where and how we stayed true to the source while also allowing our team to make the art style and overall feel our own. Elements such as proportions, the vibe of the setting, sticking more to realism vs a totally cartoony approach, were all taken from the original comics. Where we chose to diverge was things like in the shading, line thickness, and the use of a wider color palette.
Since the original series takes place in the 1980s, both the comics and the game lean heavily into that strong, stylized comic book aesthetic inspired by that decade. This is not a muted or realistic take on horror. Instead, it is loud, a bit graphic, and unapologetically over the top.
Visually, that again meant thick black outlines, bright and punchy colors, and heavy contrast and saturation throughout the world. Shadows are deep and deliberate, highlights pop, and there is, of course, plenty of VHS-style static.
While comic-inspired visuals are the most obvious choice, we also wanted the gameplay itself to have comic flair. One of the most distinctive design choices in I Hate This Place is how sound is communicated visually. Instead of relying purely on audio cues, the game translates sounds into comic book-style callouts that appear directly in the world.
For example, your footsteps are represented on screen as bold “thud” effects and are color-coded to communicate volume. Green footsteps mean you are quiet, crouched, moving slowly, and minimizing danger. Yellow footsteps signal normal movement and moderate noise. Red footsteps mean you are running or being loud, effectively becoming a beacon for nearby threats. This is especially important because many of the monsters in I Hate This Place also hunt by sound, not just sight.
Weapons follow the same philosophy. Guns don’t simply fire out an audio crack. Instead, they visually rattle across the screen with bold “bang!” and “ratatat!” effects. Creatures also announce themselves with jagged, unsettling visual screech callouts, reinforcing their presence just as they are about to attack. As a result, sound becomes something you read just as much as hear, much like in a comic panel.
Another way we ramp up the comic book presentation is through character communication. Dialogue in I Hate This Place appears in speech bubbles above each characters’ heads rather than as traditional subtitles at the bottom of the screen. This keeps conversations grounded in the feeling that you are playing through a graphic novel rather than watching a cinematic overlay.
At its core, I Hate This Place is about honoring the comic while finding ways to make its visual language interactive. The thick lines, vibrant colors, on-screen effects, and speech bubbles are not just stylistic flourishes. They are intentional design choices meant to shape how you read the world and make it feel like both a game and a comic book at the same time.
Thanks so much for reading. I Hate This Place is out today on Xbox Series X|S, and we really hope to see you out there on our twisted, haunted ranch!
Feardemic
I Hate This Place is an isometric craft-based survival horror game set in a cursed land filled with reality-bending nightmares and terrifying creatures that thrive in the dark. You’ll need to scavenge, build, sneak, and fight if you want to make it out alive.
Classic Craft-Based Survival Horror
Scavenge every corner of Rutherford Ranch to stay alive. From haunted forests, a derelict town, to infested bunkers. Explore a world teeming with danger as you gather vital resources, craft essential gear, upgrade your campsite, and rebuild outposts to have somewhere to hide.
Day Prepares You. Night Hunts You
A dynamic day-night cycle that changes the world. Use daylight wisely to explore, scavenge supplies, craft what you need, and prepare for what’s coming. When night falls, the real nightmares come out to play. More enemies appear, stronger and more aggressive than before. The landscape becomes harder to navigate with just your flashlight. Sometimes your best hope is to find shelter and hunker down till morning.
Deadly Silence Goes A Long Way
Stealth and combat go hand-in-hand here as many of the twisted creatures in Rutherford Ranch hunt and stalk you by sound alone. Brute force will often just land you in an early grave. Use sound to your advantage, luring creatures away from your path or cleverly leading them straight into deadly traps you laid.
80’s Vibes Meets Comic Book Flair
Inspired by the award-nominated comic book series created by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin, I Hate This Place comes to life with bold colors, a punchy retro comic book style, and a heavy dose of ’80s flair. A unique blend of horror, dark humor, and just the right touch of camp and gore where unsettling dread meets stylized charm.
Developed and published by Broken Mirror Games – founded in 2024, co-development horror label under Bloober Team S.A. Broken Mirror Games and Bloober Team are registered trademarks of Bloober Team S.A. in US and/or other countries. “I Hate This Place” and all related logos, characters, names, and related indicia are © 2025 Skybound Interactive LLC. “I Hate This Place” is based on the comic book by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin. SKYBOUND, SKYBOUND GAMES and any related logos are registered or otherwise protected trademarks of Skybound, LLC. All other copyrights and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All Rights Reserved.
The post I Hate This Place: How a Comic Shaped an Entire Visual Style appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Video game adaptation company Story Kitchen is cooking up a movie based on the popular Roblox experience, Steal a Brainrot.
As reported by Deadline, the movie studio has announced that it is officially in early development on a feature-length film based on the meme-collecting experience that launched just last May. It’s not exactly Sonic the Hedgehog, Tomb Raider, or any of the other games the studio is known for getting involved in, but it’s still something it’s (mostly) serious about.
“We’re thrilled to bring STEAL A BRAINROT to the big screen,” Story Kitchen co-founders Dmitri M. Johnson and Michael Lawrence Goldberg said in a statement. “Noobini Pizzanini 6-7.”
Deadline says the Steal a Brainrot movie will blend all of the “chaos, comedy, and competitive mischief” that has attracted the 56.6 billion visits the Roblox experience has achieved. Fans have turned up every day since May to buy “Brainrots,” which are essentially meme versions of collectible monsters not unlike Pokémon. Some Brainrots are rarer than others, with players able to generate money, sell Brainrots, and, of course, steal them from other players.
Around 400,000 users are active in Steal a Brainrot as of this piece’s publication, with the all-time peak it reached in October being a whopping 25.8 million concurrent players. Even if you’ve never played Roblox, there’s a decent chance you’ve heard about this particular experience, as multi-instrumentalist and Uptown Funk mastermind Bruno Mars helped put together an exclusive concert for Steal a Brainrot earlier this month.
Story Kitchen is bringing Steal a Brainrot to moviegoers at an unspecified point in the future. The project is in development alongside Do Big Studios and Spyder Games, and it’s led by Johnson, Goldberg, Timothy I. Stevenson, and Elena Sandoval. Think Influence, which represents the creators of the experience, is also involved in the production.
The company has shown interest in the Roblox community before, announcing in November 2025 that it had started putting the pieces together for a movie based on Grow a Garden. Other projects in the works at Story Kitchen include the live-action Tomb Raider show, a Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 movie, a Life is Strange show, an It Takes Two movie, and more.
While we wait for updates on how Steal a Brainrot will bring memes to the movies, you can read about why experiences like Grow a Garden are bringing in millions of players. You can also see where Roblox ranked on the list of the most-played console games of 2025 (and 2024).
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
