The Mortal Kombat series has been kicking around (and pulling out gory human insides) for several decades now. It spans over two dozen entries and numerous gaming platforms. It’s a cultural behemoth. To celebrate the history of this over-the-top violent fighting game franchise, Insight Editions is set to release a new book on October 21. It’s called Mortal Kombat: Flawless Victory – A Visual History of the Iconic Series, by Ian Flynn, and it’s available to preorder now (see it at Amazon).

As a Yakuza fan, I’ve recommended the series from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, otherwise known as RGG, to plenty of people, but it has long come with one big caveat: Yakuza 3. It’s not that there is anything necessarily wrong with it, but with high-quality remakes of the first games in the series, and the more modern and refined graphics and gameplay of the newer entries, it has stood out a bit as a bit of an odd duck, looking and playing worse than the games before and after. However, with the just-announced Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties, a twin pack combining a remade Yakuza 3 alongside a brand-new companion game, that might all be about to change. I had a chance to play both at Tokyo Game Show 2025, and I came away impressed by how much RGG Studio is trying to improve and expand on the original.

Yakuza Kiwami 3

Yakuza Kiwami 3 isn’t just an up-rezzed port; it’s a full remake. Everything is rebuilt, from the graphics to the combat to the new cut scenes and voice acting – including some modern motion capture to better bring the characters to life. While it will still follow the story of Yakuza 3, some scenes will play out differently or expand. It’s an ambitious agenda, but probably the right one to bring the now 16-year-old game to modern audiences.

My hands-on begins with Kazuma Kiryu chopping wood outside the Morning Glory Orphanage, where he was raised and now runs, in Okinawa. The modern graphics look great as he swings his axe, his sweat glistening in crisp 4K (for those that are into that sort of thing). After the events of Yakuza 2, he’s moved on from being a Yakuza and is trying to live a peaceful life running the orphanage. An eviction notice arrives, and Kiryu heads into town to confront the head of the Ryudo family, the owners of the land on which the orphanage is built. He runs into Rikiya Shimabukuro, a member of the Ryudo clan and, naturally, a brawl ensues, giving us our first taste of the updated battle system.

Kiriyu has two fighting styles to employ. The first is Dragon of Dojima, his classic brawling style, mixing punches, kicks, throws, and environmental weapons like street signs, traffic cones, and even the odd bicycle when the opportunity presents itself. It’s as flashy as ever, and charging Kiriyu’s Heat Gauge to execute brutal finishers like smashing a chair on an opponent’s (in this case, Rikiya’s) head never gets old. The real magic comes when I switch to his brand new Ryukyu style, however. This style is rooted in Okinawan culture, and while using it, Kiryu combos through eight different weapons, like a pair of tonfa, a weighted chain, or, my personal favorite, a boat oar. I put away my opponent with a mix of all of the above, which was enough to convince Rikiya to direct me towards where to find his boss.

This opened up an opportunity for a bit of open-world exploration, which I took full advantage of, exploring a nearby street market, beating up some ruffians with a crowbar, and taking in a quick round of a golf mini-game. Okinawa looks great on the modern engine, and getting around was a breeze thanks to the new Street Surfer Mk. 0, a Segway-like rideable that Kiryu seems to be able to summon out of thin air for some quick joyriding. Zooming around on that, hopping off to beat the snot out of some goons with my tiny shield (also part of the Ryukyu set), then making a speedy getaway was so Yakuza in the best way.

Finally, I turned my attention back to the main story. As Rikiya escorts me to his headquarters, we are interrupted by a commotion as a rival family trashes a local market, taking the shop owner hostage. Kiriyu, sweet guy that he is, agrees to help, leading to a massive nine-vs-two melee, as he and Rikiya take on the boss and his lackeys. This really showcased how much more refined the combat is, as I was able to take advantage of the smooth movement and dodging, creating windows to bash the bad guys and escape, with a slick double-team KO of one poor crony eating a massive kick to the face from Kiryi while restrained by Rikiya.

My time in Yakuza Kiwami 3 ended there, but I barely scratched the surface of everything new coming to it. There will be more personal moments with supporting characters, time dedicated to running the daily operations at the orphanage and taking care of the kids, even a new team battle mode where you build your own biker gang to fight for turf with others.

Dark Ties

The bigger surprise of the Yakuza Kiwami 3 announcement was the reveal of Dark Ties, an all-new companion story to the main game. This places you in the role of Yoshitaka Mine, the antagonist of Yakuza 3. Dark Ties covers Mine’s rise from a disgraced businessman, driven from his own tech startup, to the underworld boss that acts as Kazuma’s foil in Yakuza 3.

His story begins with Mine reflecting on his life and the loneliness that drove him to pursue wealth and influence. By happenstance, he witnesses a deadly fight between rival Yakuza families, and seeing the bond of men willing to die for their boss, Daigo Dojima, acts as a catalyst, and he sets out to see if he can find that same loyalty in the criminal underworld.

My demo takes place early in the game, with Mine tracking down Tsuyoshi Kanda, an infamous Yakuza just released from prison. Mine hopes Kanda will be his entry point to begin his own rise, though as is Yakuza tradition, you don’t go more than a few early steps before some punks decide to pick a fight. Apparently, Mine’s suitcase looks expensive, and they want whatever is inside. A bad decision.

The core battle system is roughly the same as Yakuza 3, but with a few significant twists. Mine’s fighting style is very different from Kiryu’s, relying heavily on quick boxing combos, technical wrestling moves, and new aerial attacks. He can jump and plant a foot on the chest of one enemy, then leap to another, dishing out damage all around as he delivers an array of flying moves, like springboard jump kicks or mid-air tackles. They look very cool, and make for a fun bit of planning ahead as you scope out which enemies to latch onto and jump towards.

In addition to the standard Heat Gauge that fills up to enable special moves, Mine has three chained hearts that fill up as he lands attacks. Once at least one is full, he can activate a powerful buffed mode called Dark Awakening. This functions like a new fighting style, with a different moveset unleashing extremely powerful attacks. More than one chained heart can be activated at once, increasing the potency of Dark Awakening. It’s a neat twist to make Mine’s gameplay more distinct, and tapping into the rage behind his calm exterior fits his character well.

It quickly became clear these punks picked the wrong suitcase to try to snatch, as I knocked them senseless to the cheers of onlookers who witnessed the attempted robbery. With the ruffians handled, I’m given the option to head to the prison to track down Kanda or kill some time exploring the city. This sorry mission seems important, so naturally I… immediately go find a karaoke bar to sing a song. Hey, it is Yakuza after all. I rent the room, and Mine pours his heart and soul into his solo performance, which is really funny given his normally extremely stoic nature. I nail rhythm on my button presses, delivering a perfect performance befitting a man of Mine’s talents.

Buoyed by my outstanding singing, I decide it’s time to get down to business and try to hail a cab to the prison where Kanda is being released. One more group of punks tries to stop me (nothing a fireman’s carry followed by a quick kick to the face couldn’t solve), and I find myself outside of the prison as Kanda takes out his frustration on his paltry, two-man welcoming committee. Kanda is penniless, his branch of the Yakuza family disgraced. As Mine tails him through the streets of Kamurocho, my hands-on time ends just as he rounds a corner to meet his future right-hand man for the first time.

As a sucker for a good organized crime story, I’m definitely intrigued to see how much we get to witness Mine channel his inner Vito Corleone and build his criminal empire from the ground up, especially if it means some proper bromance time with Mine and Diago. The fact that it comes as part of the package with Yakuza Kiwami 3 is great, and I’m excited to see how it all turns out when Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties release on February 12, 2026.

I was very pleasantly surprised when a new Thief game was announced at Sony’s June 2025 State of Play. It’s one of my favorite franchises — I am still of the opinion that Thief II: The Metal Age is the best stealth game ever made – and it’s been dormant since 2014’s fairly forgettable Thief. That entry in the series was probably most notable not for what it included but what it didn’t: namely, voice actor Stephen Russell, who’s provided the titular thief’s voice and wry attitude since the original back in 1998.

And so Thief VR already starts off on the right foot by including Russell as Garrett – even if you don’t play as him. Rather, you play another prowler named Magpie in events set between Thief: Deadly Shadows and Thief (2014). I played the tutorial mission and then a later one, with a developer politely refusing to spoil how Garrett factors in, only that he and Magpie become joined somehow at an early point in the campaign. From a context clue I heard in the second mission I played, it sounds like Garrett’s spirit or soul might be trapped in some kind of trinket that Magpie wears (after presumably stealing it).

Anyway, Thief has always been about stealth in its purest form, meaning: steal as much loot as possible and don’t get spotted, because if you do, you aren’t physically powerful enough to kill almost anyone. And based on what I’ve played so far, Legacy of Shadow seems to get and fully embrace this. Quite simply, there are valuables everywhere here. On tables, in chests (both locked and unlocked) – even on top of those fancy beds that have a “roof” on them. Keeping a keen eye out for goodies to stuff into your pockets (by way of grabbing them with your VR controller and putting them into an imaginary loot bag on your hip) will satisfy the inner kleptomaniac in any of us. In fact, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the numerous times there were multiple loot items in a single spot – say, two valuable chalices – and I did something that only a Thief VR game could allow me to do: grab them both at the same time, like some insatiable loot-hording goblin.

Speaking of unique VR modifications to gameplay, I really like the way you can go about knocking out unaware (and unhelmeted) guards in Legacy of Shadow when you’re sneaking around crouched: by first swinging your blackjack at their knees to bring them down to theirs, and then whacking them on the back of the head. And yes, you can reach your hand out, grab them by the ankle, and drag them into darkness in order to hide the unconscious bodies. Lockpicking, meanwhile, has you take your pick out from your inventory, insert it into the lock, and then grab both pieces with both hands and rotate until they get into a narrow zone. It’s a good VR-ification of Thief’s classic mechanic. Also, just as in the other Thief games, you’ve got a light gem that shows you how visible you are, though here it’s on your hand since that’s the most organic form of a UI for VR.

Because Legacy of Shadow is set farther along in the Thief timeline, the light-giving torches of the early games have been replaced by electric lights, meaning you can’t snuff them out with one of your water arrows. Yes, if you were wondering (as I sure was) if Thief’s classic arrow types would return, most of them indeed have! In addition to regular arrows — used as a last murderous resort that will leave a noticeable bloodstain on the floor – the fire, water, and rope arrows are back. No word on the moss arrows that were useful to fire at cobblestone floors in the old Thief games to muffle the sound of your footsteps as you slunk about.

And speaking of dousing lights, some rooms have lit candles providing illumination. Not only can you pinch them out with your fingers via the VR controller, but my demo guide told me that in the final version, the PSVR 2’s microphone will be incorporated, allowing you to blow out the candles (note: Thief VR is also being released for Steam VR and Meta Quest). Another VR-specific touch: you can find loose non-valuables like plates or pottery to toss across the room, causing them to shatter and luring any nearby guards to investigate.

OK, so Thief VR has all the right tools, but does it know how to use them? Based on the mission I played – I’m not going to go into detail on the tutorial level, as it was really just to (obviously) get me up to speed on Legacy of Shadow’s mechanics – this longtime Thief fan is going to answer with a resounding “Yes!” thus far. The goal in this mission was to steal a relic from inside a large, well-guarded manor. And by well-guarded I’m talking about plenty of guards patrolling the grounds outside as well as a bright searchlight that pans back and forth across the premises and an alarm system that will sound off if you’re spotted.

Just getting in was a chore. My instinct in every Thief game is to try and figure out how to stealthily take down every guard. After a few failed attempts, I won’t say that wasn’t possible here, but I had to be wary of the time constraints of my one-hour demo appointment. So I reluctantly snuck past the patrolling guards outside until I could reach the side of the manor, where I was able to use protruding stones in the masonry as climbing points to grab onto and mantle my way up to an open window.

Once inside, I found loot – so, so much loot – and a bookcase puzzle that required me to pull books with sentence-like titles on their spines in a specific order. It turned out that the solution was inscribed on a painting on the opposite side of the room, but before I noticed that, I was able to put the phrases together into a cohesive poem of sorts, which granted me access to a key I’d need later. I next needed to get downstairs, leaving me two choices: the stairs, which meant getting by a patrolling guard; or down a chimney, at the base of which was a roaring fire. (On this note, having multiple paths to get everywhere is another classic Thief tenet that Legacy of Shadow seems to absolutely nail.) I chose the latter, physically reaching over my shoulder with my PSVR2 controller, grabbing my bow, and then reaching my other hand over my other shoulder to get and ready a water arrow. I aimed down the chimney, loosed the arrow, and snuffed out the flames, allowing me to safely descend to the first floor undetected.

I took out a couple guards on the ground level using the aforementioned kneecap-to-neck-whack one-two blackjack combo, then reached the library room housing the relic I sought. It was in an elevated glass case in the center of the room, very prominently displayed. But when I approached my prize, a security measure activated, sending the relic and its display down a level to the basement via a pulley system its platform was rigged to.

But before I could go down, I had to go back up – to the second floor of this very study, which had a fuse box way up high that I needed to pull in order to disable the relic’s security system. Another VR moment ensued: after climbing a ladder up against the wall of books, I had to hand-over-hand my way along bars hanging down from the ceiling in order to access the fuse box at the very top of this high-ceilinged space.

Once I snuck down to the basement – via a main hallway I’d already knocked out the guard of – I simply had to sneak past one last guard. Except this one was sleeping. I snuck around behind his chair, stood up, took out my blackjack, and…saw at the last moment that he was wearing a helmet, which almost certainly meant that whacking him over the back of the head would only wake him up and piss him off rather than send him into a deeper state of unconsciousness. Moving along and into the relic’s safe room, I this time had no more opposition from either man or security system, grabbed the relic, and then simply had to escape, which meant going back upstairs, outside, and past those pesky patrols and their searchlight again. I remained annoyed at myself for not taking them out in the beginning, but I did successfully reach the exit.

There were a few secondary objectives I very badly wanted to go back and achieve – like finding a secret loot room in the basement and burning the hanging banners of the manor’s lord – that I knew I didn’t have time to do in my limited time. Yet again, Thief VR gets kudos from me for respecting that critical part of Thief’s past: having more to do than just the main quest, and making it fun to want to make that extra effort. Anyway, I look forward to taking my sweet time to check everything off of my to-do list in the final version of Legacy of Shadow later this year.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) 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.