ICYMI: Nintendo’s Keeping amiibo Alive On Switch 2 With New Zelda: TOTK Collection

Sage advice.

Nintendo has revealed so much in the last two weeks that we’re sure the odd announcement or two will have passed you by. So, just in case you missed it, amiibo is still alive!

Yes, alongside the announcement that Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom will be getting enhanced ‘Nintendo Switch 2 Editions’ on the new console, Nintendo revealed a fresh batch of Zelda amiibo to add to the ever-growing collection.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

How to Recreate A Minecraft Movie in Your Minecraft Game

How to Recreate A Minecraft Movie in Your Minecraft Game

Minecraft Movie Hero Image

‘A Minecraft Movie’ has proved that everyone yearns for the mines – not just the children. Now that the film based on the best-selling video game of all time is a smash-hit success, Minecraft players new and old might be wondering how they can recreate iconic movie moments in their own worlds – or maybe just run around yelling “I am Steve!”

Thankfully, we have the answers (well, apart from the “I am Steve!” one – you can probably just do that for yourself). Read on to find out:

Taming a Wolf

If you want to be like Steve, taming a wolf has to be your first task. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy – you’ll need bones to feed a wild wolf, and the easiest way to get those is by killing skeletons. But if you don’t want to risk life and limb fighting skeletons all night, there’s another, much safer way to get them – go fishing!

Finding a Village

Many Minecraft players start their journey by building houses from common materials like dirt and wood. But if you want to step up your game like Steve does in ‘A Minecraft Movie’, you’re going to want to find a real village to call your own. After all, villagers make great neighbors.

There are many ways to find a village. One thing to remember is, in most worlds, you generally won’t have to wander too far from your initial spawn point. But if you’re really feeling lost, you can always use Creative Mode to fly around without a care.

Venturing to the Nether

One of the pivotal moments in ‘A Minecraft Movie’ occurs when Steve enters the Nether for the first time. Players who are looking to live dangerously can do the same as soon as they find some diamonds and iron in their Minecraft worlds. Using iron to make buckets, you can pour water on lava to create obsidian. Then craft a diamond pickaxe to mine that obsidian, build it into a five-by-four rectangle, and ignite the center using flint and steel (“Flint and steel!”). Ruined portals can also be found, just like you might have seen in the movie.

Getting Elytra and Firework Rockets

If you’ve seen ‘A Minecraft Movie’, you’re probably interested in recreating the thrilling elytra flight using firework rockets to propel you at breakneck speeds. Fireworks are easy enough to craft using gunpowder from Creepers and paper crafted from sugarcane. But finding your own elytra is a different story – you’ll need to locate a stronghold in the overworld, jump through the portal to the End, defeat the Ender Dragon, and venture out to distant End islands until you find an End City.

Easier said than done – but it’s worth the effort once you’re flying through the sky. If you’d like to skip straight to the flying, you can take a sneak peek at the new happy ghast in Minecraft’s upcoming game drop. Curious about how the ghast became happy? Check them out in our most recent Minecraft Live broadcast!

Chicken, Creeper, and More Farms

‘A Minecraft Movie’ showcases some of the different farms that players might build in their Minecraft worlds. For example, Steve’s lava chicken cooker is based on a real contraption that uses Minecraft items including a dispenser, chicken eggs, and a bucket full of lava to automatically hatch, cook, and harvest chickens. Likewise, the “Creeper farm” that the movie characters venture through on their minecart ride is a useful build for players who need lots of gunpowder – if, say, they wanted to craft a lot of fireworks for some reason (wink). If you want to build these in your own world, the Minecraft community has created countless wonderful, in-depth tutorials on YouTube and elsewhere.

Applying Official A Minecraft Movie Marketplace Content

Minecraft Movie DLC Hero Image

For those who don’t just want to recreate ‘A Minecraft Movie’ moments in their worlds, but want to really live them, the Minecraft Marketplace has several movie-inspired downloadable items – and the best part is that they’re all free.

A Minecraft Movie: Add-On and Lava Chicken Add-On can be applied to any world, including existing ones, to bring items and entities from the movie into your game; while A Minecraft Movie DLC is a full-on standalone movie-themed adventure. Of course, you can always simply download A Minecraft Movie Hero Pack to play as Steve, Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison, and the other movie characters in any Minecraft world.

‘A Minecraft Movie’ is in theaters worldwide now.

The post How to Recreate A Minecraft Movie in Your Minecraft Game appeared first on Xbox Wire.

“We have no official information on an Oblivion remake,” say Bethesda, which isn’t a denial, is it

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion‘s remake is near upon us, going by the Loud Noises online. Somebody’s finally managed to get a response out of Bethesda regarding the much-tipped Oblivion comeback, and it is that special flavour of non-committal that attracts the true believers like wasps to a capsized icecream van. “We have no official information on an Oblivion remake,” observed the company’s Support staff in a response to some nosy parker last week. “Apologies for any confusion.”

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Switch 2 Zelda Ports Will Let Players Repair Equipment With the Zelda Notes App, If They’re Lucky

The Nintendo Switch 2 versions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are getting a few upgrades, and one of them looks to be a way to repair equipment.

As spotted in the recent Nintendo Treehouse Live stream by YouTuber Zeltik, the Zelda Notes app—a mobile companion app exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2 versions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom—has a Daily Bonus feature. When the user opens this up, they can roll for a number of in-game bonuses, including helpful meal effects, health and stamina recovery, and one labeled Equipment Repairs.

Both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom use durability meters, where weapons, shields, and other items will break after enough uses. It’s been a controversial mechanic, so having a workaround for keeping your favorite Flameblade intact certainly has its appeal.

For those worried about this completely changing the game though, there is at least one notable limitation: chance. The Daily Bonus uses a roulette wheel to randomly select which bonus the player gets, so it’s not guaranteed to always hand you an Equipment Repair. The bonus is also daily, with a built-in timer you’ll have to wait on until your next spin. While this may be extremely effective in a pinch, it’s unlikely to become a massive game-changer.

The Zelda Notes app looks to have many other interesting features alongside some free Equipment Repairs. Both Zelda games are also getting their own form of achievements through the mobile companion program, and special audio memories will add new lore and background to different parts of Hyrule.

These additional upgrades certainly seem like they’ll enhance the open-world Zelda experience, alongside the performance improvements, especially for people who really disliked breaking their favorite weapons.

For more, read up here on how the Nintendo Switch 2 is improving on certain Switch 1 games.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

Crawl 8-bit catacombs with a glowstick in first-person horror Repose

If you’ve been playing Blue Prince and thinking, ah, this could really benefit from having approximately 16.7 million fewer colours and a couple more homicidal husks in diving suits, may I usher you wincingly towards Repose. It’s a moodalicious, monochrome dungeon-crawler in which you get 50 in-game steps to search hideously dishevelled techno-crypts for oxygen cylinders, before you die of exhaustion. More likely, you will die of getting shot by a zombie astronaut. Here’s a trailer.

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Switch 2 Around the World: High Game Price Is a Universal Pain

What a year for Nintendo to finally release the Switch 2. While the hardware itself looks to be what anyone could have hoped for in a Switch successor — a more powerful version of the console millions of owners already love — the economic uncertainty gripping the world has made the Switch 2 a much more complicated prospect.

And that’s before we even consider the trade war the United States is currently engaged with China in. The $450 USD console price point and $80 USD sticker on Mario Kart World has made the Switch 2 something of a flashpoint amid the rising cost of games and gaming hardware, both here in the US and abroad.

To get a better idea of how the world is reacting to the Switch 2, I spoke with editors from IGN brands across the world to get a sense of the Switch 2’s impending release.

How the Rest of the World Feels About the Switch 2

After consulting with editors from IGN sites abroad, including those based in Europe, South America, and Asia, the reception to the Switch 2 has been, well, mixed. The hardware improvements like 120hz refresh rate, HDR, and 4K output are praised, but missing features like not having an OLED screen are seen as serious drawbacks.

“As far as reception goes, IGN Italia’s readers are predominantly dissatisfied with the Nintendo Switch 2,” says IGN Italy editor-in-chief, Alessandro Digioia. “Among hundreds of comments across news articles and social media, the main concerns revolve around the price point, the lack of an OLED screen, the absence of a trophy/achievement system, and a modest launch line-up. While some third-party announcements were welcomed, many readers expected more from Nintendo’s first-party titles.”

IGN Portugal’s Pedro Pestana shared similar sentiments from their readers – sentiments they agreed with: “Personally, I’m not that impressed with Switch 2, as it is basically a souped up Switch 1 – better in every sense, but without the novelty factor of the original. That being said, I reckon it’s gonna come down to the games, and Mario Kart World looked damn nice.”

Other regions are seemingly more receptive to the Switch 2’s hardware improvements. IGN Benelux’s Nick Nijiland says the site has been getting mostly positive feedback, despite the price of the console. “We have seen in our region that the console has been received very well. People complain about the price, but at the same time the console sold out within hours. We put up a post on our website stating that we would let our readers know through our Discord server when pre-orders went live and our Discord got so many new members that day, it was insane.”

IGN Turkey’s Ersin Kilic also shared positive views from the region’s readers. “When I look at the comments, it is seen as positive that Nintendo corrected the points criticized on [the first] Switch. Although the console is stylish and uses LCD, the fact that the screen is much better was received positively.” However, Kilic says “the most criticized point was that Hall Effect was not used in Joy-Con 2,” which some gamers hoped could minimize the risk of Joy-Con drift.

IGN China’s Kamui Ye gave both sides of reader reactions to the Switch 2. “The reveal event has been met with widespread disappointment due to its lackluster launch title lineup and perplexing regional pricing strategies,” they explained. Furthermore, Ye says the launch lineup that didn’t include a new Mario, Legend of Zelda, or Animal Crossing was another negative.

“However, optimism persists among core fans regarding Nintendo’s long-term plans,” Ye adds. Along with the belief of a better software lineup down the line, any of the horsepower and battery concerns for the Switch 2 “appear secondary to loyalists prioritizing backward compatibility, hardware refinements like magnetic Joy-Cons, and Nintendo’s legacy of iterative software support.”

“Ultimately, the brand’s entrenched fanbase seems willing to tolerate short-term missteps, betting on Nintendo’s historical ability to refine its platforms through compelling games over time,” Ye says.

Hardware Price and Tariff Fears

The Switch 2 is expected to launch at a $450 USD price point in the United States when it is made available to pre-order some time in the future. The reason pre-orders have yet to happen in the United States and Canada, despite the rest of the world already registering their purchases with retailers, is of course due to an ongoing tariff situation from President Trump. It’s a state of affairs that’s seemingly making Nintendo reconsider how to roll out the console properly in time for its June 5 release date.

Naturally, IGN editors from Europe aren’t particularly impacted by the tariffs in their regions, where pre-orders are already up and running.

“In Germany, nobody is really worrying about the tariff situation regarding the Switch 2,” says IGN Germany’s Antonia Dressler. However, the actual retail price of the Switch 2 is a separate matter.

“There are a lot of complaints about the pricing of the console… and [readers are making] direct comparisons with the pricing of the PS5 [which] is seen as the better console,” explains Dressler. Despite the complaints, though, pre-orders do seem to be coming in for the region.

The pricing of the Switch 2 firmly places it in direct competition with consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X in many regions, making the choice of which console to get even harder for global buyers. “At the moment, Nintendo’s official website is taking pre-orders and the price is R12,499,” says IGN Africa’s Zaid Kriel. “It is not crazy pricing, but it’s now in the same bracket as the PS5 and Xbox Series X. It’s no longer a cheaper alternative, and that could be a problem, especially with the increase in game prices Nintendo has introduced.”

“The pricing problem pretty much overshadowed everything going on around the Switch 2 reveal, good or bad,” IGN France editor-in-chief, Erwan Lafleuriel, says. “The debate is raging mainly about prices, but I believe because it was kind of easy to overshadow a reveal lacking in many other aspects. Part of that is… we already knew most of what was revealed from the leaks. And there is no impressive ‘one more thing’ to add. Even in terms of games, it’s good, but it feels like something is missing.”

Other regions outside of the United States, however, are contending with the fallout of the tariffs. IGN Brazil’s Matheus de Lucca says, “The current tariff war initiated by the United States makes the scenario even worse for Brazil, since the Real is a weak currency compared to the dollar and an increase in the price of the Switch 2 in the United States will most likely have a huge impact on the whole of Latin America. The scenario of uncertainty and a possible increase in the price of the console could make the Switch 2 accessible to only a very small group of players in the Brazilian market.”

There is also the unique situation in Japan where Nintendo is launching a region-locked version of the hardware at a lower pricepoint to protect its domestic market “I think Nintendo knew they couldn’t go over 50,000 yen in Japan – the weak yen means the relative pricing scale is very different here,” says IGN Japan’s executive producer, Daniel Robson. “But presumably they also realised that if the console was much cheaper here than anywhere else, people would try to import it or buy all the stock when they visit Japan. Hence the region lock – our cheaper Switch only plays Japanese games and supports only Japanese accounts. I’m sure this is a direct result of the global trade situation.”

Robson also says that, “The price is still high, and will be tough for many families here, but it’s far more competitively priced than the 77,000 yen PS5. Not to mention that Japan is firmly a Nintendo country – the house of Mario dominates the console Top 10 week in, week out, so I doubt families here will be able to go without a Switch 2. That said, as a parent, I’m secretly relieved that my daughter hasn’t asked for a Switch 2, as the price puts it comfortably over the bounds of a birthday present.”

Software Price Remains the Biggest Pain Point

Despite the issues of hardware costs and tariffs, the biggest bugbear affecting the general feeling regarding the Switch 2 announcement has been the price of software. Some of that pain is to be expected: Nintendo games have always been expensive and held their price, and it’s only natural that Nintendo would join the trend of increasing game prices. But it seems the company may have jumped the gun by pricing Mario Kart World at $80 USD. While Nintendo says pricing will be determined on a game-by-game basis, with other Switch 2 launch window games priced at $70 USD or as low as $10 USD, the move has prompted fears that the gates are now fully open for even more expensive software.

“Game pricing is by far the biggest issue raised, not only by our readers but by the Italian gaming community at large,” says IGN Italy’s Digioia. “Many feel that Nintendo’s new pricing structure is unjustifiable, especially in light of recent increases that came with the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S era (when AAA titles moved from €70 to €80). Now, Nintendo is pricing some first-party games at €90, which has caused considerable concern – particularly given the company’s historically conservative approach to discounts. The €9.99 price for Switch 2 Welcome Tour sparked additional backlash, and even the paid upgrade paths for existing Switch games are widely seen as another way to extract money from loyal customers.”

“People are pissed,” IGN Germany’s Dressler says plainly. “Especially with the 90 Euro for Mario Kart World, that is a record for a video game in Germany; not even titles like Assassin’s Creed cost as much (talking about the base version). It also seems ridiculous that the tutorial game will cost anything — Nintendo just looks absurdly greedy right now.”

Take a look in any Switch 2 comment thread on IGN.com and you’ll find similar sentiments; the high price of games is unwelcome, especially in a time of increased living costs. A more unusual perspective can be found in mainland China, however, where there are no current plans for an official release. As a result, Switch 2 shoppers there may have to look to the gray market, with stock coming from Japan and Hong Kong – places where prices for games look to be a bit cheaper.

“Regarding pricing, game prices in Hong Kong and Japanese editions are relatively lower compared to Western markets. Observations from social media comments under our content show most players find the official price acceptable,” IGN China’s Ye says. “While the console itself has seen some price hikes, users generally consider it more cost-effective than handheld PCs like Steam Deck, especially with backward compatibility support. Based on our data, Chinese mainland Nintendo Switch 1 players appear largely receptive to the official Nintendo Switch 2 price increase.”

Right now it seems sensible to bet that the Switch 2 will be a success – it’s a safe, recognizable upgrade to one of the most popular and beloved consoles of all time. But what kind of a success story Nintendo has on its hands remains to be seen. The threat of an era of $80 games during a time of economic hardship has clearly put a substantial amount of prospective buyers into a negative headspace. Plus there are still many unknowns surrounding the console, especially in the United States where tariffs stand to negatively impact the North American launch. Then there’s the question of how international politics may result in potential stock shortages and impact the system’s launch around the globe.

For all those unknowns, what is clear from chatting with IGN’s global staff is that Nintendo has whipped up excitement around the world. It’s just excitement with a few more caveats than you’d expect from Nintendo.

Matt Kim is IGN’s Senior Features Editor.

This ROG Ally X/Steam Deck charging dock is $35 off today at Best Buy

I want fewer cables in my life: Fewer plugs, fewer dongles, and definitely fewer moments spent wondering why something isn’t charging. That’s why I own the ASUS ROG 65W Charger Dock. And for thirty big ones, it can also save you from the cable spaghetti and gives your ROG Ally X or Steam Deck some actual desktop or TV stand respect. It’s down to $29.99 at Best Buy, or £39.99 at Amazon in the UK.

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Review: Lunar Remastered Collection (Switch) – Two Of The Most Charming RPGs Ever Get A Fair, If Flawed, Port

A Lunar landing.

Love and miracles. These are two words that get thrown around a lot when talking about video games, particularly our childhood favourites. But with the Lunar Remastered Collection, these are two words that feel more than appropriate.

A combination of rights disagreements between co-developers Studio Alex and Game Arts and the passing of Game Arts co-founder Takeshi Miyaji in 2011 meant that many thought the Lunar series was lost to time, aside from a PSP and mobile port of the first. But GungHo, of which Game Arts is a subsidiary, has made possible the miraculous.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

How Bloom & Rage: Lost Records Tape 2 takes a dark and supernatural turn on April 15

The first episode of Don’t Nod’s narrative adventure, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, ended with a hell of a cliffhanger: a massive discovery of something unknown, possibly malevolent, and a devastating revelation about one of the story’s central figures. As the second episode, or tape, of this player-choice-driven, nostalgia-powered story aims to draw things to their conclusion when Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2 launches April 15 day one into the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, players have been left wondering what to expect.

To dig deeper into the game’s ambitions and get some further insight on what to expect from Swann, Nora, Autumn, and Kat’s next escapade, we sat down for a chat with Michel Koch, Creative Director at Don’t Nod’s Montreal studio.

You Oughta Know

Koch was eager to tell us how this experience would differ from the first. “The first Tape, ‘Bloom’, is the nice and sunny part of the beginning of the summer, of you meeting and bonding with those girls. The second half is called ‘Rage’, which is mostly the aftermath of the cliffhanger at the end of Tape 1. We wanted Tape 1 to let the player find their own space within the group of friends, getting a feeling of a summer where you meet friends, but also giving hints of weird things. They’re finding the clearing. They’re finding the abyss. It’s a very natural story of four girls having a fun summer together before Swann moves away.”

“But Tape 2 will focus more on this weirder part of the story. We know what happened at the end of the summer. We still don’t know why, but we know that they promise not to see each other again. We know about the weird box, we know about Kat, but we don’t know the consequences of this revelation. How do you continue to have a normal summer with your friends? And, of course, the continuation of what’s happening with those weird things they found in the forest.

​​

Those supernatural elements will be more important. Personally, I love trying to blend supernatural things and surrealism revolving around the story of our characters. You can create a darker, weirder mood while still focusing on the characters and then adding the characters. We create this vibe, and it will get stronger and play a huge part of the story’s resolution.”

The pacing in this follow-up will be more brisk, as well. “Tape 2 definitely picks up the pace,” he continues. “We saw what happened with Kat and the end of the concert, and Tape 2 will start the next day with Swann having to face kind of the guilt, even if it’s not our fault, of putting friends in danger. We’ll advance through the month of August up to the end events. So yes, it’s faster paced, with higher stakes.”

Koch also emphasized that players will see more of how their choices in tape one affect the overall narrative. “We had a lot of choices. Who you are talking to, who you are getting closest to, all those interpersonal relationships with the girls, and so on. What was the choice you made during the ritual? What did you do at the abyss? How did you react to Corey and Dylan in the times you were with them? Are you behaving in a more violent or unlawful way, or are you sometimes taking the route to be cautious?  A lot of those will change the course of what’s happening in Tape 2.”

Girls on Film

One of the most interesting features of tape one was the camcorder, which protagonist Swann carries with her everywhere to chronicle her life in Velvet Cove, Michigan. Players could tape objects of interest as in-game collectibles or just film whatever and edit it together to make mini-movies. However, the camcorder becomes a crucial plot and gameplay element at several points.

We asked Koch about the role the camcorder will play in Tape 2. “We are expanding it a bit. We wanted to give you a tool that’s Swann’s ‘weapon’ or ‘shield.’ She’s filming people, but she’s also hiding behind the camcorder. We wanted to make it fun in a way that’s engaging like it was to film things in the 90s. We wanted to use these mechanics to link a lot of other mechanics of the game.

So, in Tape 2, there will be a few more exotic moments: unlocking a puzzle or finding a solution to a clue or something you have to do. There is a twist with the camcorder and your videos that I don’t want to spoil, that hopefully will resonate with players. It will be the way you film the game that will be important at a point story-wise, and hopefully, there will be a strong connection between those pictures and your own journey.”

Will Tape 2 also include more puzzles than the handful seen in the first half? Koch says yes. “There are puzzles that I really like in Tape 2. One is more like a narrative puzzle that’s still a blend of interaction, moving around, and dialogue. I think it’s very interesting because it uses all our narrative design elements, dialog options, and your knowledge about the characters to unlock situations, not just by finding objects but also by really knowing someone and using your main tools of dialogue and the camcorder.”

Tonight, Tonight

What about the other half of the narrative, the friends reuniting in a bar again 27 years later? “That part will still take place mostly in the bar,” says Koch. “We still need to finish remembering the past. We need to open the box, which will be an important scene. We have four different main endings at the end of the present-day portion, with variations on those endings based on your choices. During those endings, we will get out of the bar. You might discover a bit more of how the town is today, 27 years later.”

The bar, he explains, is what the game’s whole concept was built around originally. “Our pitch was a story where we were trying to convey the feeling of meeting again with old friends you haven’t seen for a long time, having a discussion with them, where you would be remembering your past and seeing if you can reconnect with them today. I thought of having a moment in a bar, in a restaurant, or a room where you start to connect again, and sometimes you reconnect perfectly. Sometimes, it’s iffy, and you don’t know if you can still be friends. That was the interesting part for me, the narrative aspect. Within these walls, you’re forced to talk. You’re facing each other, so you are obliged to remember the past.”

We asked Koch if he had any closing comments for fans. “I would say to the players, thanks for playing Tape 1, and I hope that Tape 2 will fulfill their hope of where the game goes. I also hope that Tape 2 will surprise them where the game goes, and that they enjoy seeing how relationship choice and morality choices they made in tape one play out. What will happen in Tape 2 will surprise, but also hopefully satisfy them, and they will love the end of the journey. For new players, I hope that they will love the characters, interacting with those girls, and engaging with this story, with us, with the summer.”

Pokémon TCG: Journey Together and Lost Origin Premium Box Boosters Are Back in Stock Today

I rarely need an excuse to grab more Pokémon cards, but every so often, something especially good comes along. Right now, a few premium boxes are actually worth it. Not because they’re stacked with guaranteed hits (they’re not), but because the sets inside are finally seeing a drop in single-card prices.

That opens two solid options: rip the packs and hope for something great, or skip the gamble and grab your chase cards while they’re cheaper. Either way, it’s one of those rare moments where buying in doesn’t feel like lighting your wallet on fire. With decent promos, good pack variety, and a few worthwhile extras, these boxes are the ones to watch.

Pokémon TCG: Iono’s Bellibolt ex Premium Collection

Yes, it’s one of the pricier premium collections out there. And yes, you get a Bellibolt ex promo, which is about as subtle as a battery-powered frog can get. But the real draw here is the 2 x Journey Together, Surging Sparks, Obsidian Flames, Twilight Masquerade and Paradox Rift packs.

Single prices from Journey Together are already coming down, which is great if you’ve been waiting to scoop up stuff like Perrin or Pecharunt ex without giving your credit card a stress headache. You also get an acrylic standee display and photo stickers, which is either a cute bonus or something you’ll shove in a drawer forever. I’m choosing to see it as décor. Don’t ruin this for me.

Single Card Options

Pokémon TCG: Infernape V Box

This is probably the easiest yes on the list. It’s cheap, it’s on sale, and it includes packs from Fusion Strike and Lost Origin. That’s a decent combo if you like old sets with some high highs and very, very low lows.

If you’re thinking of chasing Gengar VMAX or Giratina V, just know those prices are finally starting to cool off. So you can skip the suspense and buy singles now, or you can open these and pretend you’re immune to regret. Either way, the Infernape and Empoleon promos make nice binder filler, and the oversized card will make a great bookmark for someone who doesn’t read.

Single Card Options

Pokémon TCG: Ogerpon ex Premium Collection

This one’s for anyone who actually plays the game or just likes pretending they might. You get six Twilight Masquerade packs, a Teal Mask Ogerpon ex promo, and sleeves that don’t suck. Twilight Masquerade’s singles are already starting to slide in price, including cards like Carmine, Bloodmoon Ursaluna, and Dragapult ex.

So if there’s a card you’ve been eyeing, now’s the time to grab it without going through a box’s worth of filler. Still, if you do want to roll the dice, this is probably the best pack selection of the bunch. Plus, the magnetic card protector almost tricks me into thinking I own something valuable. Almost.

Single Card Options

Pokemon TCG: Stacking Tin (Q1 2025)

Is it weird that this is the one I’m most tempted by? You get three booster packs from three solid sets: Stellar Crown, Surging Sparks, and Temporal Forces. That gives you a shot at everything from Pikachu ex to Hydreigon ex to Iron Crown ex. Or nothing.

That’s also on the table. But with single prices dropping in all three of those sets, this is a decent way to gamble without spending too much. You also get two sheets of stickers, which is exactly the kind of freebie that tricks me into thinking I made a responsible decision.

Single Card Options

Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of “Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior”. Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.