For a low-stakes open world cycling game, Wheel World has a lot of lore. You wake up in the forest and discover a spirit called Skully, a ghost who offers the player a rusty bike and immediately ejects so much fantasy jargon and frontloaded backstory that I started to think it was an intentional joke. Thank Cog (the god of cycling) that this loredumping is not habitual. The rest of the game plays out as a chill and happy-hearted racer in a small but well-crafted world of rolling vineyards, bumpy forests, and honking city streets. It’s a short tour, lasting only about five hours, but it’s five hours nicely pedalled.
The Rat King is dead, long live the Fool King. In this medieval roguelite autobattler, you must murder a skeleton monarch with dice. You will do this not by loading bags of D20s into a culverin and shooting the Fool King point blank, though yes, that sounds like an amazing lategame unlock. Instead, you will be rolling the dice to determine how many knights, peasants, wizards and crossbowmen you can summon to each battlefield. I’ve been playing the prototype, and while roguelites are thick as wheat these days, this is a promising contender. Here’s a trailer.
PC gaming mouse ‘n’ keeb manufacturers Endgame Gear have admitted to and apologised for unknowingly spreading malware, after an infected version of the OP1w 4k v2’s Configuration Tool software was left available to download from their website.
After Reddit user Admirable-Raccoon597 raised the alarm, having installed the Configuration Tool and found the malware hiding inside, German tech site Igor’s Lab confirmed that the publically available application had been compromised for at least two weeks. Endgame Gear have since replaced the dirty software with an apparently safe version, and today shared a post admitting the oversight – though claimed no sensitive data was stolen via the server infrastructure that was hosting it.
The motion-controlled air hockey will be televised!
I wasn’t expecting to give Super Mario Party Jamboree a big juicy 9/10 when I sat down to play it for its initial release on Switch. Not by a long shot, truth be told. And returning to the game for this Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV edition (that’s the last time I’m typing that out), I was a little worried that perhaps I’d gotten a bit excited. A 9?! Surely no.
Anyway. Long story short, and after several raucous hours spent refamiliarising myself with the core board-gaming aspects involved here…well, 2024 me was 100% right. Jamboree is absolutely excellent stuff, provided what you’re looking for is fun, frantic, family-friendly entertainment that’s full of surprises and activities to get everyone involved. Honestly, these Nintendo board game nights do be getting competitive lately.
Only 19 of the ‘05 NISMO R34 GT-R Z-tune were produced by Nissan’s performance division. Nineteen. With some mathing, that’s one of Z-tune R34 for every 424,315,789 humans on Earth. If you happen to be one of the ridiculously few, good for you. For the rest of us, we have the free Update 1.61 from the Polyphony team. In addition to being able to drive the grail-status Z-tune the ’22 Honda N-ONE RS and ’22 Nissan Qashqai Tekna 190 2wd e-Power are also available in this free update.
Three new events, a new Lone Pine location added to Scapes, and a ’17 Lexus RC F GT3 with the “ANEST IWATA Racing 2025” livery in the Lexus Showroom are additional content for the month. The Sophy AI racing agent will be available to battle against on the High-Speed Ring circuit.
Update 1.61 for Gran Turismo 7 is available as of today, Wednesday, July 23 at 10:00pm PT / July 24 at 6:00am GMT / 3:00pm JST.
NEW CARS**
’22 Honda N-ONE RS
(Can be purchased from Brand Central / Used Cars)
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This “hot” model boasts the first front-wheel drive turbo, 6-speed manual transmission combo is a kei car.
The N-ONE was introduced as a new basic car featuring motifs from the original N360, Honda’s first kei regulation passenger car. The first generation was released in 2012 and found critical and commercial success for its charming looks and driveability.
In 2020, the N-ONE entered its second generation. Though the body frame was overhauled, requests from fans to not change the car’s looks led to the body panels from the first generation model being carried over and reused. Instead, subtle changes were made to the shape of the grille and bumper to tastefully express the evolution of the model.
The second-generation sports model was dubbed the “RS,” standing for “Road Sailing.” While this grade also existed for the first generation, the 2nd gen. model featured the first combination of a front-mounted turbocharged engine with front-wheel drive paired with a 6-speed manual transmission, which made it even more of a joy to drive.
The RS features an exclusive exterior design with black trim parts, but its most interesting feature is probably the 6-speed transmission. Designed for the enthusiast, it uses a close-ratio gear set as in the S660. The 2nd and 3rd gears feature heavy-duty synchros, and the clutch also uses heavy-duty parts.
On the other side of the coin, it also features many assistance functions like any other modern manual car—from the peak torque limiter, which reduces shift shock when suddenly releasing the clutch, to automatic brake hold, which makes things like hill starts much easier.
Thanks to its compact size and light weight at just under 1,000 kg, the driving feel is much more direct than one would expect from a car of this type. Overall, it makes for a very attractive package which brings the joy of sports driving closer to home.
’05 NISMO R34 GT-R Z-tune
(Can be purchased from Brand Central)
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The second wave GT-R finishes with the ultimate complete tuned car.
In 2004, Nismo (currently Nissan Motorsports & Customizing) celebrated the 20th anniversary of their founding. To mark the occasion, they decided to create the ultimate road car as a culmination of their 20 years of experience. The result of this passion project was the Nismo R34 GT-R Z-tune.
However, production of the R34 model Skyline GT-R, which formed the base of this project, had already ceased by this time. To get around this, Nismo selected 20 used cars that met a strict set of requirements and dismantled all the bodies so they could be carefully reconstructed by hand.
Naturally, every part that was added was of the highest level, befitting of the “Z” label. At its core sits the RB26DETT Kai-Z2 engine. Starting with the same 2.8L setup as the contemporary GT500 class GT-R race car, every component—from the pistons to the block to the conrods—was selected for strength and reliability. The turbochargers are IHI-made units, which had seen success in the 2004 Nürburgring 24-Hour race. Meanwhile, the exhaust is constructed from titanium, increasing catalyzer performance and exhaust flow rate.
To increase chassis rigidity, extra spot welds were added around areas like the door frame, while areas more prone to distortion from the heat of welding were reinforced with molded CFRP parts. The suspension features specially tuned bolt-on dampers produced by SACHS, a company with a proven track record in GT500. In order to achieve the target of 1.6G braking force on semi-slick tyres, bespoke brake parts were developed in conjunction with Brembo.
The exterior also received a number of refinements focused on weight reduction, cooling, and aerodynamics. In particular, on the front end, the bumper, fenders, and bonnet were all replaced with CFRP parts.
In the end, only 19 cars were produced, including the prototype, but the R34 GT-R Z-tune is almost certainly Nismo’s greatest contribution to the second wave of GT-R models.
’22 Nissan Qashqai Tekna 190 2wd e-Power
(Can be purchased from Brand Central)
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Nissan’s Compact SUV Is Even Better with e-Power.
The Qashqai is a compact SUV that occupies the C-segment in Nissan’s lineup. The first model was released in 2006, with a second-generation model introduced in 2013. The model presented here is the third-generation incarnation, which debuted in 2021.
The third-gen Qashqai features a styling overhaul to go along with its new, larger body. The sharp lines of the bold exterior design converge upon Nissan’s emblematic V-Motion grille. The car uses the latest CMF-C/D3 platform, which provides improved ride comfort and handling.
Looking toward the powertrain, along with more traditional gasoline engines, the Qashqai is also available with Nissan’s proprietary e-Power series-hybrid system. This system uses the engine to power a generator, the electricity from which is sent to electric motors that turn the wheels. What’s more, Nissan’s electric-generating engine is the world’s first mass-produceable variable compression ratio engine. Its excellent thermal efficiency also offers great improvements in CO₂ emissions.
‘Tekna’ refers to the model grade. The Tekna offers a wealth of equipment, with larger wheels, ambient lighting, and a head-up display included as standard.
World Circuits (New Events)
The following new events have been added to “World Circuits”:
Lightweight K-Cup: Nürburgring Nordschleife
Japanese FF Challenge 450: Alsace – Test Course
Race of Turbo Sportscars: Fuji International Speedway
Gran Turismo Sophy
The next-generation racing AI agent, ‘Gran Turismo Sophy’ is now available on the following course. Look for the Sophy icon in ‘Quick Race’ and ‘Custom Race’ on each track to test your skills against Sophy.
High Speed Ring
Scapes
“Lone Pine” has been added as a featured Curation in Scapes.
Brand Central: Lexus
Added a new base color “ANEST IWATA Racing 2025” for the ’17 Lexus RC F GT3 on sale in the Lexus Showroom.
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*Internet connection and Gran Turismo 7 game required for update. **Credits (paid or via game progression) required to purchase vehicles.
If you bought a Nintendo Switch 2 in June, the odds are good you also bought Mario Kart World. In fact, according to Circana, 82% of Nintendo Switch 2 purchasers also picked up Mario Kart World.
That comes from Circana’s June report, which shared that the Nintendo Switch 2 is officially the fastest-selling video game console in the U.S. In total, the Nintendo Switch sold 1.6 million units in the U.S. in June, beating out the PlayStation 4’s previous record of 1.1 million units in November of 2012.
Of those 1.6 million unit sales, 82% either purchased the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle, or bought the game standalone. This helped propel Mario Kart World to become the third best-selling game of the month in Circana’s rankings, though it’s possible it could have ranked even higher due to the exclusion of Nintendo’s digital data from the sales charts.
As a comparison point, when the Nintendo Switch 1 launched, over 100% of new console owners that month also purchased its launch game, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, worldwide. Yes, the game sold more copies on Switch than Nintendo did Switch systems. “This may be attributed to people who purchased both a limited edition of the game to collect and a second version to play,” Nintendo suggested at the time. So Mario Kart World isn’t quite beating those numbers.
Additionally, we learned from Circana this morning that 32% of Nintendo Switch 2 purchasers in June also bought a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, helping make it the best-selling accessory of the month in the U.S. by dollar sales.
Unshockingly, one of the reasons people are buying Mario Kart World is because it’s pretty dang good. We gave the game an 8/10, saying that it “may not make the most convincing case that going open-world was the boost the series needed, but excellent multiplayer racing, incredible polish, and the thrilling new Knockout Tour mode still more than live up to its legacy.”
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Riot’s spin-off fighting game with the terrible name, 2XKO, is getting a closed beta in a few months and, to entice fans to sign up, the developers have released a new video showing off pink-haired League Of Legends bruiser Vi doing some biffing. I know you like biffing, so I’m telling you about this despite being unable to reliably write the title of this free-to-play wrecker without carefully typing it out like my mum composing an email with a single forefinger.
A statement from OnceLost Games, published today, has now confirmed LeFay’s passing — “with profound sadness and heavy hearts”.
“Julian LeFay was not just a colleague — he was a visionary who fundamentally shaped the gaming industry as we know it today,” OnceLost Games’ statement reads. “Known as the ‘Father of The Elder Scrolls’, Julian directed the creation of legendary titles including Elder Scrolls 1 and 2: Arena, Daggerfall, and Battlespire.
“His pioneering work established the foundation for open-world RPGs and influenced countless developers and games that followed.”
Born in Denmark in 1965, LeFay began his career working on early Amiga and NES games, before becoming one of Bethesda’s earliest employees in 1987.
After working on a string of Elder Scrolls titles, his career next took him to Sega, and then ultimately to found OnceLost Games in 2019 to develop a new open-world RPG, Wayward Realms, that was successfully pitched on Kickstarter as a Daggerfall spiritual successor.
“Throughout his courageous battle with cancer, Julian never wavered in his passion for The Wayward Realms,” OnceLost Games’ statement continues. “Even during his illness, he continued to share his vision with our team, mentor our developers, and ensure that every aspect of the game reflected his commitment to creating something truly extraordinary. His strength, determination, and unwavering focus inspire us all.”
Development on The Wayward Realms will now continue under the guidance of fellow former Bethesda veteran and OnceLost Games co-founder Ted Peterson, the studio concluded, with its team “more committed than ever to bringing The Wayward Realms to life exactly as Julian envisioned it”.
Image credit: Shae Jensen/Julian LeFay
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 new report delves into the behind-the-scenes chaos caused at Elder Scrolls Online studio ZeniMax by Microsoft’s mass layoffs earlier this month. Staff say the manner in which the corp let go of around 9k staff was “inhumane” and has left those who remain facing an incredibly tough future.
An unannounced MMO in development at ZeniMax, codenamed Project Blackbird, was one of the games cancelled by Microsoft as part of the corporate bloodletting, with Rare’s Everwild and The Initiative’s Perfect Dark reboot also being canned. Just last week, the ZeniMax Online Studios United (ZOSU) union said they’re still fighting on behalf of workers at the studio left in limbo by Blackbird’s cancellation.
Yes, we already reported a little while back that well-known YouTuber, NateTheHate, has suggested that a Nintendo Direct is incoming sometime in and around July. That’s this month!
Speaking on his YouTube show, Mr TheHate (hope we got that right) had said that:
