Resident Evil Requiem looks like a smash hit for Capcom, with record-breaking Steam concurrent player numbers suggesting big sales. But it’s also a hit on Metacritic, where it has the joint highest user score of all time.
Requiem has a user score of 9.5 on Metacritic, which is the same score last year’s breakout hit, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, has. It surged past Metal Gear Solid, The Witcher 3, and Disney Cory in the House’s 9.3 (if you did a double-take at Disney Cory in the House being up there, well… there’s a whole thing about it being on this list that is well worth checking out). Also on 9.3, perhaps more deservedly, are the original Silent Hill 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3.
Website user review scores can be manipulated, of course (Disney Cory in the House shows that!), and not just with games either (Breaking Bad vs. Game of Thrones is a thing). But clearly fans are loving Resident Evil Requiem, which also has an ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ user review rating on Steam. IGN’s own Resident Evil Requiem review returned a 9/10. We said: “Like the result of an experiment conducted in an underground Umbrella Corporation lab, Resident Evil Requiem successfully splices two separate strains of survival horror together into the one highly infectious new mutation.”
Resident Evil Requiem’s overall Metascore is 88, which isn’t enough to make Metacritic’s top 250 games of all time. The highest-rated Resident Evil video game is the original Resident Evil 4, which has a 96 Metascore. Still, Resident Evil Requiem is the second highest-rated video game of 2026, behind only Pokemon Pokopia for now.
IGN’s Resident Evil: Requiem guide will help you every step of the way through RE9. Take note of these key tips and tricks before you get started, and focus on finding these important items early. Plus, our comprehensive walkthrough will make sure you don’t miss a single Bobblehead or file as you try to survive from the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center all the way to Raccoon City.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Resident Evil Requiem players have spent the weekend trying to solve the game’s cryptic Final Puzzle, and now a Pokémon fan has provided video evidence they have completed the challenge — despite being uncertain exactly how they did so.
The only problem? Even with this evidence, which really does suggest Gengar Collects has completed the challenge, fans still aren’t sure exactly how to do it for themselves, as it requires the holding of an item that normally can’t be found.
“I don’t even know if it was how it was supposed to be done,” Gengar Collects says in a video that attempts to walk fans through his solution. Essentially, it boils down to him holding an item, Marie’s Doll, and then inputting the puzzle’s now-infamous code sequence. Doing so then granted him the challenge completion — something he also provided screenshots of.
But how to get Marie’s doll? The past few hours have seen a frantic back and forth between Gengar Collects and other fans via YouTube comments, and to be fair, it looks like he’s trying his best to help. A series of screenshots show the location he claims he found Marie’s Doll in (which is different to the doll you find in the cell). Further screenshots show he is playing on Xbox Series X/S, which limits the suggestion he has somehow used a cheat or hack to get the doll item to spawn, where for others it can’t be found.
Yet more screenshots, requested by other players, show a close-up examination of the doll in his inventory. There are no other clues on the item itself — “no name in ink on the bottom of the shoe,” Gengar Collects says, as the doll in the cell has — only more evidence that he is being honest with his claim.
So, what’s going on? Why can no one else find the doll and complete the puzzle? The best working theory at the moment is that Gengar Collects legitimately completed the Final Puzzle, but only after unconsciously doing something during his playthrough that spawned the doll. And it’s this step, now, that fans are rushing to reproduce. (Alternatively, it’s possible the doll spawned due to some kind of bug or random glitch.)
On the upside, fans say they now know the challenge’s ending — and as soon as the doll is obtained, the puzzle can finally be completed. On the downside, Gengar Collects seems equally stumped on what he did in order to be able to pick the doll up in the first place.
Back over on reddit, the work continues. “Inputting the code is the last step, but you need Marie’s doll,” one fan summed up. “That’s the step we need to focus [on].”
“This is just a guess, but could the doll spawning be tied to how often we spoke to Emily?” questioned one fan. “Has anyone tried flushing the toilets using the numbers 204,” suggested another. “This is the room number that Grace and her mom stayed in the hotel.” For more detailed pointers, be sure to check out IGN’s Resident Evil Requiem Final Puzzle challenge guide — maybe you can help solve it?
IGN’s Resident Evil: Requiem guide will help you every step of the way through RE9. Take note of these key tips and tricks before you get started, and focus on finding these important items early. Plus, our comprehensive walkthrough will make sure you don’t miss a single Bobblehead or file as you try to survive from the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center all the way to Raccoon City.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
An extraordinarily rare floppy disk — one of just 50 copies of Tsukihime Trial Edition ever produced — was allegedly destroyed coming through U.S. Customs.
Collector Keripo shared a video of themselves opening the demo floppy disk delivery on X/Twitter, only to discover the disk had been damaged in such a way that it could only have been deliberate. Across the original packaging tape is another labelled “Opened and Resealed By Customs.” It’s unclear if it was courier DHL or U.S. Customs that destroyed the disk.
“My Tsukhime Trial Edition (月姫 体験版) finally arrived, one of only 50 copies in the world,” wrote Keripo on X/Twitter (thanks, Tom’s Hardware). “Only to discover that U.S. Customs had removed all the bubble wrap and physically destroyed the floppy disk. Will file a report, but literally crying right now.”
The tweet includes a video of Keripo opening the package. Getting a peek at the contents, they mutter “Oh my god,” under their breath, before exclaiming: “What the f***! No way. No way. Noooo way. What… they actually destroyed the floppy disk. What the hell. W-w… what the f***.”
This was what it looked like before it was shipped. The sender even took extra care to sandwich it between cardboard paper and use lots of bubble wrap to protect it. Would never have expected US Customs to both remove all that AND intentionally damage the floppy directly… pic.twitter.com/k4tHjIuBZ5
If you’re wondering if the sender/seller could’ve sent it like that, Keripo wrote: “This [embedded above] was what it looked like before it was shipped. The sender even took extra care to sandwich it between cardboard paper and use lots of bubble wrap to protect it. Would never have expected U.S. Customs to both remove all that AND intentionally damage the floppy directly…
“It was actually a friend who helped me buy and ship it. He has his own copy, so he was able to do a scan and confirm its authenticity, including some unfortunate bad sectors. But the value isn’t the content but the physical collectors item, which has been damaged beyond repair.”
Challenged on why they just-so-happened to be recording as the package was opened, Keripo wrote: “When your carefully packaged box containing a historical artifact arrives at your doorstep completely ripped apart and barely held together with ‘Opened and resealed by Customs’ tape, plus makes rattling noises that it shouldn’t when you pick it up, the first thing you should do is whip out your camera and record.
“The video is real, U.S. Customs opened/resealed the box poorly, the item is genuine, not a fake, the package shipped from my friend in Portugal, not Japan, the excess packaging is common for fragile Japanese collector item,” they added.
It’s unclear why the disk was destroyed, but some suggest the demo’s ‘Adult Only’ label may have been the issue, as the law states “all persons are prohibited from importing into the United States from any foreign country […] any obscene book, pamphlet, paper, writing, advertisement, circular, print, picture, drawing, or other representation, figure, or image on or of paper or other material, or any cast, instrument, or other article which is obscene or immoral.” What constitutes “obscene or immortal” is determined on a case-by-case basis.
Tsukihime is a Japanese adult visual novel released in 2000 developed by Type-Moon. It has since been adapted into both an anime and manga series. Keripo hasn’t said how much they paid for Tsukihime Trial Edition, but did point to what they described as an authentic auction listing for it, which went for around $16,000.
This is what an authentic auction listing of a Tsukihime Preview Edition looks like. The winning bid here for this 2021 Mandarake live auction was 2.5 mil JPY (~$16k USD). There has been no legit public listing for Tsukihime Trial Edition in over 15 years so this is the closest… pic.twitter.com/xsnQJgiL4x
IGN has asked the U.S. Customs and Border Protection department for comment.
Keripo added that they intended for Tsukihime Trial Edition to be the main attraction at a public Type-Moon museum “featuring all their historical works before they became big.” “Now its even more special as the one-of-a-kind ‘destroyed by U.S. Customs’ edition!” they joked.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Highguard, the free-to-play PvP raid shooter announced at The Game Awards last year and released only for most of its developers to be laid off just weeks after launch, may have failed because it “leaned too far into the competitive scene.”
That’s according to former Wildlight developer and level designer Alex Graner, who told Quad Damage Podcast that developers “don’t strive to create something that doesn’t work out,” throughout development, Wildlight “really leaned into the competitive side of it, and that was always one of my biggest fears as a player.”
“I can only speak to my side of it as a level designer, but when I joined [Wildlight], it was trying to figure out this new, ambitious game, and this team is always pushing the boundaries,” Graner said, as transcribed by PCGN, via Eurogamer. “You don’t strive to create something that doesn’t work out, but it happens, unfortunately. Throughout development, we really leaned into the competitive side of it, and that was always one of my biggest fears as a player.”
“3v3 duos is always the sweatiest version of anything like battle royale, objective modes, wingman, you know it, you name it. It requires such a high intensity of communication with your team, and team play, that it doesn’t leave much room for casualness. I think that was the biggest thing that turned a lot of players off Highguard,” he added.
The issue, Graner believes, is that Highguard had “all these different rules and stages,” which made it difficult for players who don’t already have a team to play with, and particularly challenging for new players.
“It’s like, ‘Oh, you want to loot, now we’ve got to chase this objective, now we have to plant this objective, now it’s overtime… It has all these rules, which I think works at a really high level, but when players are first coming in it’s a lot to grasp,” Graner explained. “On top of all that, because it was 3v3, that kind of game just requires high-skill movement and shooting, which is already a pretty high [bar to] entry as well. So if you just have a few bad games or your teammates aren’t sticking together, you’re just going to get rolled, and it’s very hard to 1v2 in our game.
“It’s all designed to be a team-based shooter. I think that was the biggest thing. People just kind of turned it off because they didn’t have the team.”
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Another month has ended, and we are now officially in March! Today, there are quite a few solid discounts across the board, including savings on the Twin Peaks Blu-ray, Super Mario RPG, Death Stranding 2, and more. Check out our top picks for Sunday, March 1, below.
Twin Peaks: From Z to A for $43.56
Twin Peaks is one of the most beloved projects of the late David Lynch, inspiring countless creatives across TV, film, and even video games. Currently, the Twin Peaks: From Z to A Blu-ray set is discounted to $52.51. This 21-disc set includes all three seasons of Twin Peaks, the Twin Peaks: Fire Walks With Me film, and over 20 hours of special features.
Super Mario RPG for $35.99
Super Mario RPG is one of the best Mario games on Nintendo Switch, as it brings back the beloved SNES classic in brilliant fashion. This adventure is a collaboration between Square Enix and Nintendo, following Mario, Bowser, Peach, and new friends on a journey to find the seven star pieces. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Super Mario RPG is considered a classic for a reason, and this faithful remake makes it easy for anyone who missed it in the SNES era to see why.”
Pokémon Pokopia Out This Week
Pokémon Pokopia is finally out this week, and if you’ve been itching for a new Switch 2 game, look no further. As Ditto, it’s up to you to rebuild the world, team up with other Pokémon to complete tasks, grow crops, and more! Pokopia is shaping up to be a big hit for both Pokémon fans and cozy gamers. Now is the time to lock in your pre-order.
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach for $49.99
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is an incredible follow-up to 2019’s Death Stranding that is one of the must-play games on PS5. Sam Porter Bridges is forced to venture out to the continent of Australia as the world continues to face the challenges thrown at it by the Death Stranding, and this sequel packs together a wild, sci-fi story, ultimate gameplay freedom, and some of the best visuals we’ve ever seen. Grab a copy this weekend for $49.99 at Amazon.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for $39.88
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is one of the best games on the Nintendo Switch, and you can pick up a copy today for $39.88 at Walmart. If you played Donkey Kong Bananza on Switch 2 and are searching for another adventure with DK and friends, Tropical Freeze is an amazing choice.
Fantasian Neo Dimension for $24.99
Fantasian Neo Dimension is the latest game from a legendary creator who needs no introduction: Hironobu Sakaguchi. This incredible turn-based RPG is a joy to play through, featuring a great story with music from the all-time great Nobuo Uematsu. Pick up a Nintendo Switch or PS5 copy today and add it to your collection for only $24.99.
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble for $20
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble was the brilliant return to Monkey Ball we all hoped for, bringing a wonderful adventure to Nintendo Switch. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is a brilliant return to form with the best stages and controls the series has seen in over 20 years.”
Save Big on This Woodkid Death Stranding 2 Vinyl
Woodkid was one of the two main composers for Death Stranding 2, and his work truly shaped the sound and feel of the game. Tracks like ‘To the Wilder’ and ‘Story of Rainy’ elevate key scenes throughout, and you can count on this album being added to your playlist. Right now, you can score the gorgeous 2xLP of Woodkid for Death Stranding 2: On The Beach for $40.49. Don’t miss out on your chance to add this to your collection.
Scarlet 4K UHD Blu-ray Up for Pre-Order
Scarlet is the latest film from renowned director Mamoru Hosoda, and you can pre-order the 4K UHD Blu-ray starting today at Amazon. This film was directly inspired by Hamlet, following Princess Scarlet on a journey of revenge.
Right at the end of Resident Evil Requiem, you’re presented with a choice to seal the fates of Grace and Leon. There are two options, and we trust that you chose wisely, because the outcome of one is certainly much less desirable than the other.
If you’d like to know about the ending you didn’t choose, you’re in the right place. In the video above, you can see both endings play out, and in the text below you can read how it all goes down. So let’s dive in and explain both of Requiem’s conclusions.
The Good Ending
Grace and Leon’s adventure brings them to Raccoon City, the place where all this Resident Evil mess began. While we all know that the NEST secret facility was hiding under the city, Requiem reveals that another lab lies beneath the infamous orphanage: the ARK. There, in the system’s computer files, Grace discovers an unpublished interview with Ozwell E. Spencer – Umbrella’s mastermind – conducted by her mom, journalist Alyssa Ashcroft.
The video reveals that Spencer was eventually remorseful for all the disasters he caused with Umbrella’s viral and bioweapon projects. His push to be a more decent human is shown by his adoption of a baby girl, Grace. Yes, Grace is just a regular girl, and not some genetic key to a virus as villains Zeno and Victor Gideon have suggested throughout the game. And if you pay close attention to Spencer’s wise words, you can read between the lines to work out that Elpis – the mysterious macguffin at the heart of Requiem – is not in fact a weapon, but the vaccine for bioweapons. And so when Grace is given the opportunity to release or destroy Elpis, it’s clear which is the right way to go.
When Grace releases the antiviral, it initially seems like a great result for Zeno – a lightning-fast, sunglasses-wearing, slick haired villain who isn’t actually Wesker, despite all appearances. He believes Elpis is the key to ultimate control, and so swiftly injects it. Unlucky for him, the fast-acting serum quickly cures his existing infections, erasing his Wesker mojo and robbing him of the ability to dodge bullets.
To make things worse for Zeno, an armless Victor Gideon – Requiem’s lead villain and a former member of Umbrella – arrives on the scene and claims that Spencer’s plan for Elpis was genius, as a world without virus-based weapons would surely descend into anarchy. Unsurprisingly, he’s very onboard with the idea of uncontained chaos. Zeno, who reveals his true masters to be The Connections (the secret evil corporation from Resident Evil 7 and Village), is angered by all this, but his rage is temporary: he’s quickly decapitated by a rapidly mutating Gideon.
With a boss fight clearly on the way, Grace gets to work on healing Leon – who throughout the game has been suffering from stage three T-Virus infection – with the Elpis antiviral so our hero can take on Victor. Leon makes swift work of Gideon, despite him now having the ability to wield electricity and tear apart flesh with his newly-mutated arm, although in predictable Resident Evil fashion, killing a final boss once just isn’t enough. Gideon mutates into a hulking monstrosity, finally pulling back the curtain on what exactly our not-quite-human villain is: a Nemesis.
After shooting a fair amount of pulsating biosack weak points and parrying strikes from tentacles, Gideon is finally defeated. And if that wasn’t Resident Evil enough for you, the entire ARK begins to collapse. With no way of escape, Leon and Grace conclude that they’re goners. But, just in the nick of time, Hound Wolf squad rappel in to save the day. Unfortunately, though, their captain – Resident Evil’s other big hero, Chris Redifeld, is nowhere to be seen.
With our protagonists finally safe, Leon informs his handler, Sherry Birkin, that the Elpis antiviral works, and that he has a dose with her name on it (it seems like everyone who was there for the Raccoon City incident is suffering from T-Virus infection). Grace, although free of all the chaos, can’t help but mourn the death of Emily, the young test subject she helped save from Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center before watching her mutate into a bioweapon monstrosity and then get gunned down by Leon. Thankfully, our crack-shot hero theorises she could still be alive because he “didn’t hit any of her vitals”. What a guy!
News reports confirm that every shady Umbrella secret is finally being exposed, including the true motivations behind the missile strike that obliterated Raccoon City in 1998. The Connections are also put on blast by conspiracy theorists, who claim the group is secretly controlling the government and are responsible for Alyssa’s death in an effort to cover up their wrongdoings.
Does Resident Evil Requiem Have a Post-Credits Scene?
If you opt to follow the “good” ending, there is a post credits scene. Set a little while after the events of the game, Grace is back working at her desk as an FBI analyst. A phone call between her and Leon revealed that Emily did survive and now lives with Grace, who is teaching her to read. A photo on Grace’s desk reveals that Emily regained her eyesight, presumably thanks to the restorative qualities of Elpis.
Oh, and if you take a close look at Grace’s phone, you can see Leon’s phone number displayed. It’s 266-555-0173, if you wanna give that a go. Hopefully Capcom didn’t dox our floppy-haired hero.
Grace’s boss arrives at her desk to demand her full report on the events that occurred in the ARK and their wider implications. The complete 60-page document is then made available to read in the bonus menu, confirming that this ending truly is Requiem’s canon conclusion.
In the final post-credit scene, back at ARK, shady soldiers wearing all black and gas masks declare that remaining BSAA forces have been neutralized, and they’re on their way to retrieve the “objective” before Wolf Squad arrives. This no doubt teases what The Connections have up their sleeves for the events of Resident Evil 10.
The Bad Ending
Should you make the mistake of not realising that Elpis is a cure, and decide to opt for the more traditional route of “destroy the thing that Umbrella made,” you’ll trigger Requiem’s bad ending. After typing in the destruction password, ARK begins to collapse, and Leon, being the hero that he is, springs into action, boosting Grace up to a higher platform so she can escape. Zeno, still loaded with Wesker powers, immediately kicks Leon’s arse, and then unceremoniously holds his gun’s barrel to Leon’s head and pulls the trigger. RIP.
Showing no urgency after Leon’s death, Zeno takes one last look at Grace as the platform collapses beneath him and plummets downwards, signalling his apparent end.
Grace, in shock and with no doubt a bit of survivor’s guilt, rides an elevator up to the surface, where she’s greeted by a rescue team.
And that’s it! There’s no fancy credits like in the good ending, and no post-credit scenes. The game just finishes. It truly is an anticlimactic bummer. Unsurprisingly, you’re immediately given the option to reload from the moment Grace chooses what to do with Elpis, allowing you to quickly get on with the canon ending.
Grace’s Report
As previously mentioned, completing the “good” ending unlocks Grace’s final report in Requiem’s bonus menu. This 60-page document details her findings and six decades of Umbrella activity, stretching back to the company’s establishment in 1968.
Two of the company’s co-founders, Ozwell E. Spencer and James Marcus, were ideologically opposed, which caused a number of issues in the direction of Umbrella’s research. While Spencer eventually demoted Marcus, things were already too far gone. The Connections, the shadowy group who Zeno works for, had been funneling funds to Marcus for years, while also placing moles within the company. By the 1990s, Spencer had lost much of his control of Umbrella, and had retreated to ARK to develop Elpis.
Elpis was created in secret, and so The Connections were only able to learn minor details through their network of moles. The only significant leak suggested Elpis had the potential to upset the military balance of the entire world, an idea The Connections interpreted to mean some kind of mind control virus. This was, of course, totally incorrect – Spencer’s creation was an antiviral that would render the world’s bioweapons impotent.
In an effort to secure Elpis, The Connections lobbied the US government to launch a missile at Raccoon City in the wake of the original T-Virus outbreak – not to prevent the virus’ spread, but to disrupt the relationship between Umbrella and the U.S. government. By influencing the subsequent criminal trial against Spencer, The Connections ensured he took all the blame for the outbreak, which in turn led to the dissolving of Umbrella. The Connections could then step in and claim the company’s assets, putting them in control of Elpis. All they then had to do was unlock its safeguard system – a task that led them to Grace, Spencer’s adoptive daughter and, as far as they were concerned, the key to releasing the greatest bioweapon of all.
Grace theorises that Spencer’s motivations for Elpis were peace and redemption for the many horrors he was responsible for. Not that such a goal could stop The Connections, seemingly the real power behind the world’s problems, from turning the ruins of Raccoon City into a hub for the production and distribution of bioweapons. She concludes that it’s the FBI’s role to investigate The Connections, who largely remain a mystery, and bring justice to those who have died because of their actions – something that will presumably take us into the story of Resident Evil 10.
The weekend is finally here, and new deals have popped up! There are quite a few solid discounts across the board, including savings on Super Mario RPG, Death Stranding 2, and Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble. Check out our top picks for Saturday, February 28, below.
Super Mario RPG for $35.99
Super Mario RPG is one of the best Mario games on Nintendo Switch, as it brings back the beloved SNES classic in brilliant fashion. This adventure is a collaboration between Square Enix and Nintendo, following Mario, Bowser, Peach, and new friends on a journey to find the seven star pieces. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Super Mario RPG is considered a classic for a reason, and this faithful remake makes it easy for anyone who missed it in the SNES era to see why.”
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach for $49.99
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is an incredible follow-up to 2019’s Death Stranding that is one of the must-play games on PS5. Sam Porter Bridges is forced to venture out to the continent of Australia as the world continues to face the challenges thrown at it by the Death Stranding, and this sequel packs together a wild, sci-fi story, ultimate gameplay freedom, and some of the best visuals we’ve ever seen. Grab a copy this weekend for $49.99 at Amazon.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for $39.88
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is one of the best games on the Nintendo Switch, and you can pick up a copy today for $39.88 at Walmart. If you played Donkey Kong Bananza on Switch 2 and are searching for another adventure with DK and friends, Tropical Freeze is an amazing choice.
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble for $20
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble was the brilliant return to Monkey Ball we all hoped for, bringing a wonderful adventure to Nintendo Switch. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is a brilliant return to form with the best stages and controls the series has seen in over 20 years.”
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II for $29.99
If you’re on the hunt for one of the most talked-about RPGs of 2025, look no further than Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. This hit RPG is on sale this weekend at Amazon for 50% off, so you can take home a copy for $29.99.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening for $39.88
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is one of the best Zelda games on Nintendo Switch. This Presidents Day weekend, you can score a copy of the game at Walmart for $39.88. If you’re playing on Nintendo Switch 2, you can play the game at 60FPS with a higher frame rate in both docked and handheld modes.
Scarlet 4K UHD Blu-ray Up for Pre-Order
Scarlet is the latest film from renowned director Mamoru Hosoda, and you can pre-order the 4K UHD Blu-ray starting today at Amazon. This film was directly inspired by Hamlet, following Princess Scarlet on a journey of revenge.
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, a new take on the classic LEGO game formula, doesn’t launch until May 29. Luckily, to hold over all you ravenous Batfans out there, there are a handful of new LEGO sets you can buy that not only look great on your bookshelves lined with your favorite Batman comics, but come with some pretty awesome, unique digital download codes you can use in the game. What do you get with the download code after scanning the QR code in the instructions? Well, it wouldn’t be a LEGO Batman game without a ton of optional skins, and you’ll get some fancy gold minifigure and Batmobile skins for your trouble.
There are four of these new sets are available starting on March 1, each of which can be purchased via Amazon or through LEGO directly.
Every LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Set
Check out detailed breakdowns of each new set below. The three Batmobile sets each celebrate different eras of iconic Batman films (minus the Christopher Nolan/Christian Bale era, which I am personally bummed about) and will run you $29.99. Each one is a faithful recreation of their onscreen counterparts, complete with a minifigure of that Batmobile’s respective Batman.
LEGO DC Batman: Batman Logo
Of the four available sets with digital bonuses for the game, the Batman Logo is an intricate-looking build made up of 678 pieces that stands fairly tall. It comes with a classic black-suited Batman, as well as a special gold Batman minifigure to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of our favorite Caped Crusader in brick form. The skin you’ll get in-game from this set is the gold minifigure.
LEGO DC Batman: Batman v Superman Batmobile
The Ben Affleck Batmobile is probably the most different out of any iteration of the car we’ve seen over the years, but it’s still a pretty cool design nonetheless. At 220 pieces, it’s the smallest of the bunch, but the plated armor details and Batman v Superman minifigure it comes with make up for it. You’ll get a gold version of this Batmobile with the digital download code.
LEGO DC Batman: The Batman Batmobile
I’m partial to the Robert Pattinson version from The Batman — this Batmobile is a less exaggerated version of the car we all grew up with, and I love the all-black and off-road-like design. Redeeming the code from this set gets you a gold skin of the Pattinson’s Batmobile in the game. This one is 330 pieces, the highest brick count of the three.
LEGO DC Batman: Batman & Robin Batmobile
For you classic Batman fans, the George Clooney Batmobile from Batman & Robin is a 272-piece recreation of that film’s vehicle. The red accents on the side are a nice added touch, but sadly the Batman minifigure does not include the infamous Batnipples. And like the other two sets, the digital download code nets you a gold version of this car.
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Is Up For Preorder
If you haven’t been following along with IGN Fan Fest, we’ve had the opportunity to get some exclusive new looks at some more LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight gameplay, where we’ve learned you can play as Catwoman. Both the Standard and Deluxe editions are available to preorder from all major retailers now before it launches May 29, and you can choose to reserve your copy for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version planned for release later on this year. By preordering any version of the game, you’ll receive the Dark Knight Returns Batsuit skin.
The pulse of Lumiose City is racing, and for good reason! Pre-orders for the Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution – Perfect Order expansion are dropping ahead of its March 27, 2026, release. This gorgeous new set continues the Mega Evolution hype of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, bringing Mega Zygarde ex into the spotlight.
This guide collects the best deals on the market right now for Pokémon Perfect Order boosters and ETBs, including line-ups, predicted chase cards, and what to expect from this latest collection.
We’ll be regularly updating this page with confirmed deals, so bookmark this page, keep checking back in, and follow @IGNDeals for the latest updates.
What’s in the Perfect Order Lineup?
As the third main expansion of cards from the Mega Evolution Series of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, this set has over 120 cards. There’s plenty to get your hands on, because let’s be real, we’re not just buying one.
Perfect Order will introduce new mechanics, four Mega Evolution Pokémon ex; nine Pokémon ex; 11 illustration rare Pokémon; 18 ultra rare Pokémon and Trainer cards; and six special illustration rare Pokémon and Supporter cards.Look out for Mega Zygarde ex, Mega Clefable ex, Mega Starmie ex, and the newly revealed Mega Skarmory ex!
Seemingly confirmed via Japanese set lists (M3), which historically dictate about 90% of what we see in our English releases, it will also introduce Telepath Psychic Energy, which provides psychic energy as long as this card is attached to a Pokémon. Neat!
Where to Preorder Pokémon TCG Perfect Order
While preordering ensures you get what you want, there’s no saying what the market will do in the weeks following release. Here are the most reliable sources right now, but we’re still waiting for a few preorders to drop.
TCGplayer
TCGPlayer is a reliable third-party retailer that has all Perfect Order options available for preorder. This is your best option for securing everything at the moment, but only if you’re ultimately comfortable with paying over MSRP.
Albeit, compared to previous expansions, Perfect Order’s market price isn’t that far over standard pricing. For example, a booster box set is running for around $200 right now, about $40 more than Best Buy is selling it for at MSRP.
It’s a similar story for the Elite Trainer Boxes, listed at around $100 market price, which is $50 more than MSRP. But, that’s already $20 less than the recently released Ascended Heroes, and far better than the average $150-$200 we see more regularly. Hopefully Perfect Order follows the same trend as Phantasmal Flames and drops below $100 soon.
Walmart
Walmart will likely have Perfect Order preorders between now and release day on March 27. To be in the best chance to securing anything at MSRP, you’ll need to be a paid Walmart+ member to early access to the drops. No free trial option here, you’ll need to be paying for your membership to be in the race.
Pokémon Center US
The classic, and always the first to sell out. You’ll get the absolute best price (MSRP) and the exclusive Pokémon Center ETB, which has two copies of a full-art foil promo card featuring Tyrunt (one with a Pokémon Center logo).
Best Buy often has “Coming Soon” listings, and launches pre-orders closer to release than other retailers. Pre-orders haven’t gone live here yet, so keep checking back.
Remember – it also offers “Pick up in-store” options, which are always popular. If you want to risk it, keep your local Best Buy in mind for release day.
Amazon
Perfect Order is an English curated localization of the Japanese Nihil Zero expansion. Amazon US currently has no listing for Perfect Order. But, we usually see the online retailer begin to stock new sets after release, so keep an eye out through to March 27.
Predicted Chase Cards
We can look at the SAR pull rates from the Japanese Nihil Zero expansion and secondary market prices in Japan to predict chase cards for the US market.
Unsurprisingly, the new Mega Ultra Rare Mega Zygarde ex (card #117/080 in the Japanese set) fetches a pretty penny on Japanese marketplace PokeninJapan thanks to its “Nullifying Zero” attack mechanic. {115/080} Rosa’s Encouragement is also trending high.
As the March 27 2026 release draws ever-closer, we’re sure to see more pre-orders dropping. Keep checking back for more information!
Magic: The Gathering is a fantastic card game, but the Commander format has given it even more legs.
It revolves around a central Commander that helms your deck, giving it a ton of personality as players gravitate towards their favorite legendary creatures to build around.
Wizards of the Coast finally recognized the format in 2011, beginning a deluge of preconstructed decks that are playable right out of the box. We’ve got a full list of them, but for now, we’ve narrowed down our top 12.
These aren’t presented in any real order, but let us know which ones you’ve played!
The Most Powerful Magic: The Gathering Commander Precons
Heavenly Inferno – Commander 2011
Heavenly Inferno is one of the first Commander precons, and its strength lies in its flexibility. The Commander, Kaalia of the Vast, helps you bring creatures into play, whether they’re Angels, Demons, or Dragons.
Because of that, you can easily swap out a bunch of Angels and Demons for Dragons, or lean into two of them if you’d prefer. As with some others on this list, it can get out of hand pretty swiftly.
Guided By Nature – Commander 2014
It’s not often we get mono-color decks in recent years, but Guided By Nature is a mono-green powerhouse helmed by a Planeswalker in Freyalise, Llanowar’s Fury.
Freyalise brings more tokens into play, includes removal, and allows for card draw, and she’s flanked by big-hitters like Siege Behemoth and Rampaging Baloths.
Tyranid Swarm – Universes Beyond: Warhammer 40K
How many +1/+1 tokens are enough? You’ll never have to find out, because Magus Lucea Kane can dish out plenty and give you double X-cost spells, while the Swarmlord turns your creatures with counters into card draw.
Tyranid Swarm is a deck that truly does feel like a ‘swarm’, and can give you big creatures to attack with, and plenty of tokens back to defend if you’re smart.
This mono-black Warhammer deck costs a pretty penny these days, with its Commander, Szarekh, able to mill cards to put more creatures into your hand.
I personally prefer to use Imotekh the Stormlord as my Commander, though, letting you create token creatures as you use recursion and power up a creature during combat.
Mutant Menace – Universes Beyond: Fallout
I hate this deck. It’s a pain to deal with, causing plenty of mill and life loss for the whole table, but there’s no denying it’s effective.
The Wise Mothman, its Commander, dishes out rad counters and then grows in power as those counters mill cards and wound your opponents. Nasty business, truly.
Endless Punishment – Duskmourn
A deck that’s so effective at dealing damage it can make Commander matches take half as long to complete, Endless Punishment is a great deck that gets even better if you swap out Valgavoth with Master of Pain.
This 5/5 stops opponents from gaining life, has Menace, and turns the mana cost of every first spell of a player’s turn into damage against another player. Given how expensive spells get as the match wears on, that can be a big, big hit.
Sliver Swarm – Commander Masters
A deck that’s all about Slivers, a creature type that’s relatively minor on its own but buffs every other ally with the same type.
This five-color precon is a problem for everyone at the table, helmed by the Sliver Gravemother that can help bring cards back from the graveyard as attacking tokens. Oh, and it means you can have multiple copies of Legendary creatures, too.
Eldrazi Incursion – Modern Horizons 3
An Eldrazi deck with five colors and a Commander that can copy spells and activated abilities for two generic mana, Eldrazi Incursion is great off the bat, but becomes positively vile with the right upgrades.
If you prefer, you can use Morophon the Boundless to make Eldrazi spells cheaper and give creatures of that type +1/+1.
Eldrazi Unbound – Commander Masters
Another Eldrazi deck, this one puts Zhulodok, Void Gorger as your Commander and lets you enjoy double Cacade on spells with mana value 7 or higher – ouch.
Kozilek, the Great Distortion, is another Legendary Creature in the deck. It costs a lot, but acts as a 12/12 with Menace and gets you card draw.
Vampiric Bloodlust – Commander 2017
There’s a reason that Edgar Markov remains the de facto vampire-type Commander in Magic: The Gathering. His Eminence ability, which triggers even if he’s in the Command Zone, means this 4/4 with First Strike and haste can create Vampire tokens as you cast spells of that type, and he empowers them with +1/+1 when he attacks.
Teferi’s Protection is here, too, with this being the kind of deck with no real weaknesses that’s easy to pilot as well.
Food and Fellowship – Universes Beyond: Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings Commander Decks were all solid, but Food and Fellowship wins out for its strength in just about every aspect. Sam generates Food tokens to gain life, then Frodo is tempted by the Ring as you consume them, with each of the Partner cards feeding into a cycle.
It’s not all Shire-friendly, either, with some true wrath coming in the form of Toxic Deluge, spot removal like Path to Exile and Swords to Plowshares, and cards like The Gaffer to turn that lifegain into more card draw. A great, well-constructed deck.
Veloci-Ramp-Tor – Lost Caverns of Ixalan
The kind of deck that steamrolls the precons it launched alongside, Pantlaza, Sun-Favored helms this dinosaur deck and helps you bring more and more creatures into play with the Discover ability.
With cards like Wakening Sun’s Avatar being a non-dino board wipe and comically large beasts like Apex Altisaur, this deck is wild right out of the box.
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.