Author: Game Infliction

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach got a new trailer over the weekend, alongside a release date, collector’s edition, box art, and more. And as fans have pored over the details, one has noticed a fun connection to director Hideo Kojima’s past work: Metal Gear Solid 2.

The box art for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach shows Sam “Porter” Bridges, portrayed by Norman Reedus, holding the child “Lou,” who players of the first game will recognize. Reddit user ReverseTheFlash posted “He did it again,” showing that box art alongside a Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty slipcase with a similar motif.

The Metal Gear Solid 2 promo shows Japanese singer Gackt holding a child in a similar composition. Though it’s not a one-for-one, it’s certainly fun to note the similarities between the two covers. It’s also a reminder of a strange branch of Metal Gear Solid (out-of-universe) backstory.

During the run-up to the game’s release, Gackt was featured in multiple promos for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Part of this, it seems, included special slip-covers for the game in some territories, which have resulted in random MGS ephemera that’s both intrigued and confused people over the years.

In case you’re wondering why Gackt, specifically, was so involved with Metal Gear Solid 2’s promotional campaign, Kojima offered an explanation in 2013. The reason he asked Gackt to “be on MGS2’s TVCM is ‘MGS1’ was about DNA & ‘MGS2’ MEME. DNA consists ‘AGTC’, adding ‘K’ of KOJIMA becomes ‘GACKT.’ ” So, there’s that.

Considering Death Stranding 2’s new trailer has plenty of Metal Gear vibes in it, it’s no surprise fans are drawing the parallels here. Personally, I think any similarities are, at most, a sign of recurring ideas across Kojima’s games. But still, it’s fun to speculate and ponder, and it’s always a good time to travel down memory lane with a promotional cover featuring Gackt.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach launches on June 26, 2025 exclusively on PlayStation 5.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

The Last of Us Season 2 showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin have confirmed “spores are back” following their omission from Season 1.

The latest trailer for the upcoming HBO show, below, teased the introduction of spores after they were left out of Season 1. We see Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, view an infected whose breath releases the spores.

You can’t stop this.#TheLastOfUs returns April 13 on Max. pic.twitter.com/DH8UzAugIV

— Max (@StreamOnMax) March 8, 2025

Warning! Spoilers for The Last of Us Season 1 follow.

In the video games, the cordyceps infection spreads via spores, which forces the characters to wear a gas mask at points. But for Season 1 of the TV show, spores were ditched in favor of tendrils, whose menace certainly appears more horrifying and cinematic. In Season 1, we see clickers sprout terrifying tendrils that simulate the way mushrooms communicate with each other through a root-like network.

There was a practical reason for the change, which is that using spores in the show would mean big-name stars like Pedro Pascal would be forced to wear a gasmask every other scene. While this works on The Mandalorian thanks to his cool helmet, a lot of the tension would be lost in The Last of Us, and tendrils are also way more menacing, visually speaking.

“It’s disturbing and it’s violative. I think it’s very primal in the way it invades your own body,” Mazin said in an interview with Variety about the decision to swap spores for tendrils, particularly in the final scene where Tess receives what can only be described as the world’s worst goodbye kiss.

Most people associate Monster Hunter with actually hunting monsters, but capturing is an important piece of the pie, too. As Monster Hunter Wilds players have discovered, capturing a monster and hanging around long enough can result in a funny little interaction playing out.

As shown by Reddit user RDGtheGreat over on the r/MonsterHunter subreddit, hanging around a captured monster long enough will let you catch a little behind-the-scenes magic. Namely, the monster getting up and leaving.

After capturing a Nu Udra and waiting around, the giant cephalopod just kind of gets up and leaves. Jokes about it all feeling like a wrap on a film set were made a few times over, it’s some good fun.

For actual in-universe theories as to why this is happening, well, it’s not like the research team has giant cages or anything. Monster Hunter Wilds taking a more catch-and-release approach to their studies certainly seems appropriate, and fits with the general attitude of Alma and the rest throughout the story.

Whatever the lore reasons are, it’s a fun little moment. I find it neat that the developers at Capcom thought this scenario through and planned a little animation, rather than just a fade out. It looks a little silly with this monster, now lacking in several limbs and other appendages, scurrying off into the distance. But it’s a neat touch that possibly adds some deeper insight as to how Alma and the crew are conducting their research.

Patch 1.000.05.00 just went live for Monster Hunter Wilds, fixing some quest progression blockers and addressing bugs. Performance tunings are still on the way, as the game still sits at a ‘mixed’ overall rating on Steam as of this writing.

To help get your Monster Hunter Wilds adventure started, take a look at what Monster Hunter Wilds doesn’t tell you, and a guide to all 14 weapon types in the game. We’ve also got a detailed Monster Hunter Wilds walkthrough in progress, a Monster Hunter Wilds multiplayer guide to explain how to play with friends, and if you’ve played one of the open betas, here’s how to transfer your Monster Hunter Wilds Beta character over.

IGN’s Monster Hunter Wilds review returned an 8/10. We said: “Monster Hunter Wilds continues to smooth off the rougher corners of the series in smart ways, making for some extremely fun fights but also lacking any real challenge.”

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

It’s Mario’s big day, and Nintendo’s plumber is getting a new Lego set with quite a few pieces in the box. Lego has revealed a new Mario Kart Lego set today, March 10, with almost 2,000 pieces and an “18+” age recommendation, arriving on May 15, 2025. It’s available to preorder now at the LEGO Store.

Originally spotted popping up on some store listings, Lego has officially unveiled the set, which includes both Mario and his Standard Kart from the Mario Kart series. It’s a detailed model, meant for display and decor, with a special stand meant to showcase Mario and his kart at various angles.

On Lego’s site, the company clocks the Mario Kart build at 1,972 pieces with a recommended “18+” Ages rating. This is due to the complexity of the build, it seems, and the intention of the product versus sets meant for play. “This building kit is part of a large assortment of LEGO Sets for Adults designed for people who enjoy hands-on creative activities to relax,” Lego said in its description.

Here we go! 🏆 Launching May 15th 🏁 #LEGOSuperMario #MarioKart pic.twitter.com/NZ13sCIFHo

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 10, 2025

The tenor of this build certainly seems aimed at the older, “advanced” builder of Lego. It also works with the Lego Builder app, which offers in-app building instructions and tools that let builders zoom and rotate around a 3D image of the model as they build. The final result is a posable, Lego-made Mario in his Kart.

Lego and Mario have built up a solid relationship over the years, with the collaboration resulting in numerous crossover sets. There’s the Lego Super Mario line, which erred more on the side of interactive play and incorporated some game elements into its set design.

Activision has confirmed the release date for the return of original Verdansk map to Call of Duty: Warzone.

Verdansk returns to the battle royale on April 3 alongside Season 3, Activision said alongside the following tease: “Get ready for the drop zones and familiar terrain that players loved, alongside new updates to explore.”

There’s even a teaser trailer, below, to whet players’ appetites.

Verdansk returns to Warzone as part of its fifth anniversary celebration. Since launching in March 2020, the free-to-download Warzone has seen more than 125 million players. Fueled by stay-at-home gaming during the pandemic, Warzone changed Call of Duty forever, and in the years since has become tied to the release of each annual premium game in the shooter series.

However, Warzone has suffered a troubling 12 months, with an ongoing backlash over cheating that Activision is struggling to get a handle on, and a perceived lack of content fueling what many in the community believe is a shrinking playerbase. The pressure is on Verdansk to breathe new life into Warzone, and Activision will be hoping a spot of nostalgia for the way the battle royale was at launch will help it along.

The April 3 release date for Season 3 of Warzone and Black Ops 6 is a little later than expected, as the countdown on the current battle pass had suggested a reset on March 20. Last week, Activision said “we’re taking the time to deliver a great experience.”

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.