Metroid has rarely been able to play with the Nintendo big boys as far as sales are concerned, so it’s no surprise that Samus merch drops have been a fair bit rarer than those seen for Zelda and Mario. But, with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond finally here, Nintendo is changing that… in Japan, at least.
Yes, a new wave of Metroid merch is now available exclusively at the Nintendo Stores in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka and the Okinawa pop-up. Just to really rub salt in the wound, it’s also available on the My Nintendo Store, exclusively in Japan. *sigh* Back to looking longingly at plane tickets, it is.
Magic: The Gathering has grown in the last few years, no doubt in part due to its Universes Beyond crossovers, and the current set, Avatar: The Last Airbender, has been well-received.
As we covered in our preview of the product, the contents are very similar to the same Beginner Box released in 2024 for Foundations, only with an Avatar focus instead.
Inside, you’ll find 2 play boards, and two pre-built half decks with one for Aang and one for Zuko, as well as a tutorial booklet to help you do battle between them.
Once you’ve played through the guided game, there are eight other half-decks, so you can put any two together to build an instant deck, with multiple combinations based around Fire, Earth, Water, Air and features like big creatures, spells, and more.
It’s a great way to get started learning how to play, and it gives you plenty of cards to start your collection with and learn how Avatar-centric mechanics like elemental bending work within the confines of Magic: The Gathering.
Believe it or not, there are still MTG Black Friday deals knocking around. You can still pick up a Tarkir: Dragonstorm Play Booster Box for just $99.99, which includes 30 packs of the dragon-themed sets, while if you’re looking to try Commander, it’s never been easier.
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.
Access to Roblox has been blocked in Russia, with federal censorship and media oversight agency Roskomnadzor accusing the platform of distributing content “justifying terrorism” and spreading “LGBT propaganda”. According to Russian media reports, the state body said Roblox has become rife with content that can “negatively impact the spiritual and moral development of children”.
Access to Roblox has been banned in Russia, as the country’s authorities have deemed it a host of “LGBT propaganda.”
Russia’s communications watchdog Roskomnadzor announced the move last night, news agency Reuters has reported, blocking the giant gaming platform to Russian citizens.
In a statement explaining its decision, Roskomnadzor said it had removed the ability to access Roblox as it was “rife with inappropriate content that can negatively impact the spiritual and moral development of children.”
By many measures the biggest game in the world, with more than 151.1 million daily active users, Roblox hosts countless player-made game experiences — including breakout hits such as Grow a Garden and Steal a Brainrot that enjoy player counts bigger than anything on Steam.
It’s unclear exactly which games on the Roblox platform have prompted Russia’s ire, though the country has taken an increasingly strict approach to any content featuring LGBT themes in recent years. In 2013, Russia implemented the Law for the Purpose of Protecting Children from Information Advocating a Denial of Traditional Family Values, which was designed to mark LGBT content as contradictory to traditional Russian values.
“We respect the local laws and regulations in the countries where we operate and believe Roblox provides a positive space for learning, creation and meaningful connection for everyone,” a spokesperson for the game said in a statement issued to Reuters. “[Roblox has] a deep commitment to safety and we have a robust set of proactive and preventative safety measures designed to catch and prevent harmful content on our platform.”
Russia isn’t the first country to block access to Roblox, though countries such as Iraq and Turkey which have also banned the game have done so citing concerns over child safety fears. Amid ballooning player numbers, and a user base primarily made up of users under 18, Roblox has spent the past year belatedly adding various features designed to improve its user safety, following a string of reports that have highlighted cases where users were contacted and groomed by adults.
Last month, Roblox announced plans to require facial age checks for all chat communication, with an aim to limit communication between minors and adults. The move came shortly after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton revealed a fresh lawsuit which claims Roblox has allegedly been “deceiving parents” and “flagrantly ignoring” child safety laws.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Hi-Fi Rush is ditching its Denuvo anti-tamper software as part of developers’ Tango Gameworks transition to working under new owners Krafton. A fresh patch has been released swapping logos to reflect that switch in management, and you’ll need to install it before mid-January if you want the game to stay playable.
Krafton, of course, bought up Tango after the studio’s former parent company Microsoft announced plans to shut it down back in May, alongside Redfall developers Arkane Austin and Mighty Doom creators Alpha Dog Games.
It’s confirmed Ezra Duke (Sergeant Duke) is voiced by the accomplished actor Jason Kelley…aka Doom Slayer! Yes, Kelley actually was the voice actor behind id Software’s legendary character in DOOM: The Dark Ages, which was released earlier this year, and he’s now voicing a soldier in Samus’ latest outing.
I’ll forgive you if you’ve not clocked The God Slayer. While it’s always been vaguely curious in an Inside Baseball sort of way, its action-RPGness being a stark departure for My Time at Sandrock/My Time at Portia lifesim devs Pathea Games, the project’s been in hiding since its 2023 reveal as an apparent PS5 exclusive. Yet it’s still in the works, release date TBD but with a PC version confirmed, and has successfully caught my eye after a hands-off preview session last week – even with said preview being shy about its most intriguing, immsim-influenced openness.
Delta Force is set to end the year with a bang as the 2025 Delta Force Invitational: Warfare will take place in Hanoi, Vietnam, from 11th December to 14th December, 2025. This marks the first championship dedicated to the game’s Warfare mode, where teams from around the world will battle it out in 20 vs 20 warfare for a share of a $200,000 USD prize pool.
Developer Team Jade has emphasised that this year is only the beginning, with the aim to grow Delta Force into a globally recognised esports title. In September, the Delta Force Operations Invitational put the extraction format in the spotlight, with Chinese powerhouse team Q9 emerging victorious. Now, the competitive scene shifts its focus to the high-stakes Warfare mode, where fans can expect a large-scale epic showdown.
Dates & Format
The Invitational will see teams compete in Warfare mode across four days of top-level competition.
Warfare mode in Delta Force is a large-scale, team-based PvP experience focused on capturing or defending objectives across expansive maps. It features combined-arms combat with infantry, vehicles like tanks and helicopters, and distinct operator classes that encourage teamwork and strategic roles.
The tournament will run on a double-elimination playoff, meaning an initial loss doesn’t end a team’s run. Instead, it pushes them into a lower bracket with the chance to fight back. The top teams from each bracket will then proceed to the Grand Final.
December 11th – 13th: Playoffs
December 14th: Winners and Losers Bracket Finals, Halftime Show, and Grand Final
Teams Competing
Teams earned their spots through a mixture of regional qualifiers and standalone tournaments, which served as an official path into the global finals. The tournament is a true showcase of international talent with teams competing from across the world.
Teng Long
ToxidoNxG
Hostile Response
DNI
RRQ x 7SINS
No Mercy
RLF Rapid Lofi
Project One
Prize Pool
The $200,000 USD prize pool will be divided among all eight finalists, with the sums awarded scaling based on placement.
1st Place: $60,000
2nd Place: $40,000
3rd Place: $30,000
4th Place: $24,000
5th–6th Place: $13,000 each
7th–8th Place: $10,000 each
Where To Watch
Fans will be able to follow the action live starting 11th December at 05:00 UTC across X, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.
Every game is getting in its final update of the year before the holiday period gets underway, and Sega has today rolled out a major patch for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
If you keep up with the Nintendo Music app’s release schedule, you probably noticed Nintendo didn’t update the app at the regular time earlier this week.
