Author: Game Infliction

Pokémon TCG: Black Bolt and White Flare Preorders: Where To Find In Stock

Preorders for Pokémon TCG’s new Scarlet & Violet expansions, Black Bolt and White Flare, are expected to go live at major retailers like Best Buy and Amazon from May 8 onwards in the US.

Select sets, like the White Flare Elite Trainer Box, dropped on May 9, 8am PT via Best Buy’s app. Look for the “Drops” tab in the app to secure your preorder.

So what’s the latest? While the Pokémon Center and Best Buy drops have come and gone, we’re also expecting Amazon and Target preorders to go live soon.

Amazon’s listings are up but not live yet, so bookmark each so you’re ready to lock in your preorder ASAP when each set goes live.

You can also see our full list of trusted retailers just below that will likely host preorders between now and release on July 18.

Best Buy is also putting restrictions in place for those looking to preorder, so make sure to check the following on your Best Buy account, as well as every other retailer:

  • Make sure you have an account set up and logged in.
  • Confirm your location and address for store pickup or shipping.
  • Add the item to your cart as soon as you can for account verification and inventory checks.
  • Make sure to follow on-screen prompts and not refresh or close your browser window.
  • Don’t try and use multiple devices to secure stock, retailers usually track your IP Address (Sometimes bypassing VPNS).
  • Complete the purchase as soon as possible when adding to basket.

Where To Preorder: Pokémon TCG Black Bolt

Like previous sets, Black Bolt and White Flare will likely sell out incredibly quickly, so it’ll be a massive task to find the expansions in stock.

I’ll be keeping track on retailers and updating this article as preorders go live, as I’ll be looking to pick up a few sealed boosters myself.

The everything below also be found at The Pokémon Center, although its currently out of stock, and its queue system when new stock is added can take a rather long time with no guarantees.

Black Bolt ETB

Black Bolt Binder Collection

Black Bolt Booster Bundle

Black Bolt Tech Sticker Collection

Where To Preorder: Pokémon TCG White Flare

White Flare ETB

White Flare Binder Collection

White Flare Booster Bundle

White Flare Tech Sticker Collection

Release Date: Black Bolt and White Flare

Pokémon TCG’s release schedule is looking chock full over the next few months, alongside the split explansion set Black Bolt and White Flare, there’s also Destined Rivals releasing on May 30.

Black Bolt and White Flare will have a staggered release between July 18 – August 22, and you can find all the relevant dates to note down just below.

Available July 18, 2025:

  • Scarlet & Violet: Black Bolt or White Flare Elite Trainer Box, each containing nine booster packs, an illustration rare promo card featuring Thundurus or Tornadus, and gameplay accessories
  • Binder Collection, including five booster packs and a nine-pocket album featuring Zekrom or Reshiram
  • Unova Poster Collection, with two booster packs from each expansion, three promo cards featuring Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott, and a full-size double-sided poster
  • Unova Mini Tin, including one booster pack from each expansion, one art card, and one sticker card

Available August 1, 2025:

  • Tech Sticker Collection, with three booster packs, a promo card featuring Reuniclus or Gothitelle, and a themed sticker sheet
  • Unova Victini Illustration Collection, with four booster packs, a foil promo card featuring Victini, a premium parallel Poké Ball version of Victini, and an oversized foil card

Available August 22, 2025:

  • Booster Bundle, including six booster packs from either Black Bolt or White Flare

Key Features: Black Bolt and White Flare

  • Six Pokémon ex
  • Eight ultra rare Pokémon and Supporter cards
  • One illustration rare or special illustration rare card for each Unova Pokémon
  • One special illustration rare Supporter card

A new card style, called Black White rare, will also debut. These cards will feature full artwork in either black or white monochrome, depending on the expansion.

Players will also be able to access Scarlet & Violet: Black Bolt and White Flare digitally starting July 17, 2025, through the Pokémon TCG Live app on iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows. The digital release allows players to collect and battle with new Unova-region cards and earn in-game login bonuses.

Pokémon TCG: Best Deals Today

If you’re trying to keep up with Pokémon TCG without getting ripped off or left behind, here’s where to start, including the latest update on what can be bought here and now from trusted retailers in the US.

Moreover, from our latest report on the biggest Pokémon TCG crashers and risers of the week, prices on cards like Magikarp 203/193 and Pikachu ex 238/191 have nosedived by over 30% this week and are well worth considering as single buys.

While Rayquaza VMAX and Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat are making moves in the opposite direction. Whether you’re hunting bargains or watching the next big spike, here’s what to buy and what to keep an eye on right now.

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.

Additional contributions included by Robert Anderson.

Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (10th May)

Break out the banjo.

Say hello to the weekend folks, because it’s here.

Before we get into what we’re playing, however, let’s just recap the week so far. Nintendo released its latest financial data, confirming that it is forecasting a total of 15 million Switch 2 sales within the next fiscal year. It also reconfirmed its upcoming slate of games, updated its user agreement to crack down on emulation, and appointed a new outside director to its board.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Overwatch 2 x Street Fighter 6 Collaboration Announced

Here’s the animated teaser from EVO Japan.

EVO Japan is currently taking place this weekend and there’s already been some video game announcements. One of them happens to be a new crossover between Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 and the Capcom title Street Fighter 6.

Blizzard shared this news on stage at day one of the event. It will see the characters from Street Fighter 6 transported to the world of Overwatch 2 with new skins and all their iconic moves.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Video: Nintendo Kicks-Off Switch 2’s Marketing Campaign Down Under

All together now.

The Switch 2 marketing campaign is well underway around the globe and now Nintendo’s Australian branch has joined in on the fun with a new commercial.

It’s far from a tear-jerker – like that other one featuring the guy on the bus playing Zelda, but it does the job. The focus here is on being able to connect with others “anytime, anywhere” with games like Mario Kart World and the new GameChat accessory.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Finding Humanity in a Mechanical World

Summary

  • From Sketch to Soul: How We Created Zoe in Steel Seed.
  • The face of Steel Seed: Crafting Zoe’s story, style, and spirit.
  • Behind the scenes of Steel Seed.

After five years in development, Steel Seed has officially launched on Xbox Series X|S — and whether you’re just starting your journey or well into the story, there’s more beneath the surface worth exploring. In this behind-the-scenes breakdown, we’re diving into the creative and technical process behind Zoe, the game’s central character. You’ll learn how Storm in a Teacup — a small team of around 20 developers based in Italy — approached the challenge of building a protagonist who is both machine and deeply human.

From early concept art to animation and narrative design, this article unpacks how Zoe’s robotic form was carefully balanced with emotional depth. These design choices don’t just affect how she looks or moves — they directly shape how players engage with the world, make decisions, and connect with the game’s story. Steel Seed isn’t just a sci-fi action title; it’s a layered experience about identity, resilience, and the personal cost of survival.

Steel Seed zoe prototype

Character Core: From Concept to Conflict

Zoe’s story begins in mystery: she awakens alone in a robotic body deep within an AI-dominated facility, with no memory of how she got there. This setup posed an immediate creative challenge — how do you design a character that players can emotionally relate to while she herself is unsure of what she is?

Our solution was to emphasize vulnerability in her animations and body language. We intentionally contrasted mechanical precision with subtle, human-like motion — shaky breaths, cautious glances, hesitant footsteps — so players would instinctively connect with Zoe before even hearing her motivations.

Steel Seed mockups

Design Influences & Visual Language

Zoe’s look was heavily inspired by a blend of cyberpunk and anime sources: “Alita”, “Casshern”, and “Blame!” formed the visual backbone. But more importantly, her design needed to serve gameplay readability. Her glowing joints, for example, are not only stylistic but also provide feedback in low-light environments. Her expressive eyes — built with an advanced eye-tracking rig — became a key storytelling tool for in-game cinematics.

Steel Seed Koby design

Emotional Anchors: Koby’s Narrative Purpose

No character like Zoe could exist in isolation. Enter Koby — a small, expressive drone initially designed as a gameplay mechanic. Very quickly, however, Koby became much more: an emotional anchor. His design language evolved to reflect that. His “face,” for example, is an LED screen that shows simple emoticons in real time, allowing him to “talk” in tones and visuals, which helps Zoe (and players) feel less alone.

Creating Koby meant fusing function and emotion. He helps solve puzzles, unlocks doors, and scouts ahead — but he also beeps in concern when Zoe is hurt and celebrates small victories. It’s AI companionship by way of empathy. He’s based on a robot originally designed and modeled by the Storm in a Teacup head when he was just 19 years old.

Steel Seed screenshot

Bringing the Bay: Designing Cinematic Action

Steel Seed features cinematic action moments we internally dubbed “Michael Bay Sequences.” These were built to break tension and change pacing through high-octane gameplay: collapsing bridges, high-speed chases, massive explosions. But even here, storytelling was key.

Each of these sequences was crafted not just to look great, but to show how Zoe reacts under pressure. We used dynamic camera systems and occasional 2D perspective shifts to amplify spectacle without sacrificing player control. These scenes are also crucial moments for Koby to shine — rescuing Zoe, alerting her to hazards, or navigating tight quarters at speed.

Steel Seed zoe

Tips & Tricks for Players: Reading Zoe’s World

While Zoe’s enhanced mobility (wall runs, air dashes, silent takedowns) gives her an edge, surviving the Facility is all about environmental awareness.

  • Look for Koby’s cues: He often highlights hidden routes or dangers you might miss.
  • Use sound: Footsteps, enemy drones, and power surges all emit unique audio—you can use them to time movement and stealth.
  • Read the lighting: We use subtle visual language—flickering bulbs, red vs blue tones—to help players intuit enemy activity and puzzle mechanics.

These soft cues are all part of what we call passive storytelling—immersing players without pausing the action.

Legacy of Zoe

At its core, Steel Seed is not just about survival — it’s about what defines us as human beings. What makes Zoe work isn’t just that she’s cool or capable — it’s that she’s scared, conflicted, and trying anyway. Her journey isn’t just about defeating enemies—it’s about reclaiming agency. Players may see a machine, but what we hope they feel is a very human soul.

Steel Seed is more than an action game — it’s an emotional blueprint of identity told through pixels, motion, and sound. And Zoe, more than anyone, carries that blueprint.

On behalf of the developer, Storm in a Teacup and all of ESDigital Games, thanks for all of the support during all these years! Steel Seed is finally here and it’s time to save humanity.


Steel Seed

Steel Seed

ESDigital Games

☆☆☆☆☆
13
★★★★★


$39.99

$33.99
Get it now

Steel Seed is a single player stealth-action adventure game set in a dark sci-fi world. In her epic journey inside a hostile underground facility run by AIs, Zoe is alone with Koby, a flying drone, as her only companion.

The post Finding Humanity in a Mechanical World appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Pokémon GO Doubling Amount Of Daily Remote Raids Has Nothing To Do With New Owners

“It’s entirely the leadership here, internally”.

Pokémon GO has been in the headlines a fair amount recently after Niantic sold off its gaming division to Saudi-owned mobile specialist Scopely. But in some good news for fans of the AR game, the developers have announced that they’re doubling the number of daily remote raids players can take part in.

This looks to be a permanent change, and given the timing, you’d be fair in assuming that this was a decision made by Scopely. However, in an interview with Eurogamer, senior producer John Funtanilla has said that the decision came from the team: “It’s entirely the leadership here, internally, and definitely 100 percent our decision to make these changes.”

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Official PlayStation Podcast Episode 514: 33 and a Third

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here

Hey, everybody! Sid, Tim, and I are back this week to discuss the new Grand Theft Auto VI trailer, explore how Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 innovates on the turn-based RPG formula, and the ways Doom: The Dark Ages goes medieval. 

Stuff We Talked About

  • Next week’s release highlights:
    • Labyrinth of the Demon King | PS5, PS4
    • Palia | PS5
    • Smash Drums | PS VR2
    • Doom: The Dark Ages | PS5
    • Capcom Fighting Collection 2 | PS4
  • Destiny 2 — Two new expansions: The Edge of Fate (July 15) and Renegades (Dec 2)
  • Elden Ring Nightreign — FromSoftware details the classes and deep dives into combat 
  • Death Stranding 2: On The Beach — Hands-on report and Hideo Kojima interview
  • Helldivers 2 — A fresh look at the regal Masters of Ceremony Premium Warbond 
  • Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 — Scope out nine fresh skate parks 

The Cast

Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE

O’Dell Harmon Jr. – Content Communications Specialist, SIE

Tim Turi – Content Communications Manager, SIE

Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.

[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

Grab Every Mainline XCOM Game for $10 at Humble Bundle

XCOM is one of the most beloved strategy game series of all time, with many entries since the first game’s release in 1994. Right now, you can take home every single mainline XCOM game on Steam for just $10. This includes the mainline games from the 1990s and the rebooted series from 2012 onwards. With over 15,000 bundles already sold, don’t miss your chance to secure to entire XCOM collection for only $10 (if purchased separately at MSRP, the total would be $269).

XCOM Complete Bundle for May 2025

  • XCOM: Chimera Squad
  • XCOM 2
  • The Bureau: XCOM Declassified
  • XCOM: Enemy Unknown
  • X-COM: Enforcer
  • X-COM: Interceptor
  • X-COM: Apocalypse
  • X-COM: Terror From the Deep
  • X-COM: UFO Defense

These games are sent as Steam codes, which are yours to keep forever. You can play them on a desktop, laptop, Steam Deck, or even send them to a friend if you already have the game or want to gift one! In addition to the above games, you will also gain access to all major XCOM 2 DLC, including XCOM 2: War of the Chosen.

The XCOM Complete Bundle supports the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Founded in 2000, the MJFF is aimed at supporting those with Parkinson’s diseases and finding a cure for it. To this day, no cure is available for Parkinson’s, despite over six million people affected around the world. Each bundle purchase will help contribute toward the fight for a cure.

More Game Bundles Available Right Now:

Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.

The Biggest Pokémon Card Crashers And Climbers This Week – May 9

Another week, another hectic shift in the Pokémon single card market whilst trainers are waiting for Destined Rivals to drop. At least the Black Bolt and White Flare Pokémon Center preorders avoided a hostile bot takeover this time around.

The most dramatic crash this week is Greninja ex 214/167, crashing by nearly half when compared the the start of this year. We’re also seeing some nice price drops across Obsidian Flames and the elusive 151 expansions. Meanwhile, Dragonite V from Evolving Skies is doing the opposite, nearly doubling in value compared to the start of this year, and the artwork alone always made this card undervalued.

Charizard V Alt Art is also a banger, depicting a Pokémon battle against Venusaur whilst slowly climbing up in value. But Rayquazza VMAX Alt Art is quite literally soaring high, scoring an extra $100 in value since the start of this year. Let’s dig into all the rest of the biggest Pokémon TCG climbers and crashers of the week.

Pokémon Card Crashes

Whilst we’re finally seeing a noticeable climb in Sword and Shield era Pokémon Cards, Scarlet and Violet series cards are settling back down into the realm of reality for the most part.

Alakazam ex SIR from 151 is a georgous card, and it’s 34% lower in price than the beggining of March. There’s absolutley no reason for not having Uri Gellars Grandad claiming a spot in your binder this year.

Bulbasaur was my first starter Pokémon when I first loaded up Pokémon Blue way back when, so this Bulbasaur IR has a special place in my heart. This card has dropped by a massive 52% since mid-March, so there’s no reason to not catch this beautiful card.

Moving onto Obsidian Flames, Ninetales IR has always been one of the best cards of the set. If you agree then it’s time to snap this card up seeing as it’s crashed by 40% from Feburary so a reasonable $18.17.

People can complain about Obsidian Flames all they want, but it’s Charizard ex SIR so cool. Rocking a stained glass look in it’s Tera form, it’s a show stopper for sure. Granted it’s not come down too much since March, but $5 less is $5 saved.

Finally the biggest crasher this month is Greninja ex SIR, which at one point was set to become the most expensive Scarlet and Violet era card. Then Prismatic Evolutions came along and took the FOMO up 10 notches. It’s still a class card that’s holding it’s weight at $275, but imagine reading this and paying $411.62 at the end of Feburary. Oh dear.

Pokémon Card Climbers

Moving onto this weeks climbers, Rayquazza VMAX alt art is one of the main grails of the Sword and Shield era. It was already a $500+ card, but at $649.99 it shows no signs of slowing down. This could arguably hit the $1,000 mark in a few years, so i’d get one fi you can afford it.

There can’t be enough Kanto love in my book, and Charizard V Alt Art smashes it out of the park with this Venusaur battle. The angle is great and it feels like a moving card instead of a static body shot so many Pokémon cards are guilty of (Looking at you, WotC era). It’s earned another $40 since January, and there’s no reason why this card can’t get over $200 before the year is out.

Dragonite V Alt Art is one of the highlights of Evolving Skies. It’s a fan favorite Pokémon that can look cute as hell or ready to rip another mon’s face off. It’s a full package that looks nothing like it’s pre evolutions, but that’s ok because it’s Dragonite.

It’s cute side comes out in this artwork, and that’s exactly why it’s nearly doubled in value since the middle of January. It’s now rocking a solid $225, so make sure to grab yours before it flies any higher. Did you catch last week’s article? There are some bangers on there too.

Pokémon Card Sealed Boosters

If you’ve dedicated your life to pulling chase cards yourself, here’s what we can find in stock right now. Just watch out for pricing over MSRP, we’re in a wierd spot as Pokémon trainers right now, so don’t pay more than what you have too.

Here’s the Pokémon TCG full Release Schedule so far for this year too so you don’t miss anything. Buying singles is the cheapest way to collect right now, but don’t feel like you have to “Catch Em’ All!”.

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.