As I’m sure you’re aware, the Nintendo Switch 2 is upon us. So, with a brand new console on the horizon, what better time to look back at some of the legendary publisher’s greatest games?
For decades, Nintendo has given us some of the most famous and best-selling game series ever made, but here, I’ve picked out 18 of the most well-known ones to sort through. Yes, this list could stretch into the 100s, but we don’t want to be here all day, do we? From Super Mario to Zelda, we all have our favourites, and some (sorry Kirby) that we’ve just never quite clicked with. I’ve had a go at ranking them via one of our IGN Tier Lists, purely taking into account my personal enjoyment of each series over the years. Take a look at my tier list here:
I’m sure it’s no surprise to see both Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda in my S-tier category. Two of the most influential and, crucially, very fun video game series to ever do it, it’s a no-brainer really. On the other end of the scale… I’m sure a few eyebrows will be raised at my placing of Super Smash Bros. in the C tier. Please let me explain myself before battering me in the comments, please. Smash Bros. has just never been my thing, I’m afraid. Not only am I not a fighting game fan, but in a time when lots of people grew up playing it with friends, I was simply enjoying other multiplayer and party games, whether those be TimeSplitters, Guitar Hero, or Call of Duty. I just don’t have the connection to Smash Bros. that so many do, and for that, I can only ask for your complete forgiveness.
Don’t agree with me? Think that Pikmin is better than Pokémon? Well, why not have a go at ranking some of Nintendo’s biggest series yourself in a tier list below, where you can compare your own S, A, B, C, and D tiers with the whole of the IGN community.
What’s your favourite Nintendo series that hasn’t made it onto this list? Let us know in the comments, as well as why you’ve ranked the games in the order you’ve chosen.
Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.
Elden Ring Nightreign’s release is just hours away, and publisher Bandai Namco has detailed its day-one patch, which makes some important changes to the game.
The patch, Bandai Namco said, improves “handling” of playable characters, makes balance adjustments, tweaks text, adds character scenarios, and adds to the soundtrack. There are bug fixes in there, too.
“This update brings gameplay and stability improvements to ensure an optimal experience for your first steps in Limveld,” Bandai Namco said. You’ll know you have the latest version of the game on launch day if you see ‘Ver. 1.01’ displayed on the bottom right of the title screen.
In IGN’s recent interview with Elden Ring Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki, the development lead discussed the choice to lean on solos and trios as the core experience options. When asked why there’s no option for a pair of players to drop in together without a matchmade third player, Ishizaki said it was overlooked.
“The simple answer is that this is simply something that was overlooked during development as just a two-player option, so we’re very sorry about that,” said Ishizaki. “As we said before, we set out to make this a multiplayer co-op game for three players, balanced for three players, so that was the main focus and it’s at the core of Nightreign.
“Of course, I myself as a player understand that and often want times where I’m just playing myself, so this is something that we considered from the start,” Ishizaki continued. “And so we did put a lot of effort into creating this experience that was playable for solo players in as much as the rules and new systems allowed. So in putting all our efforts into that aspect, we kind of overlooked and neglected the duos aspect, but this is something that we are looking at and considering for post-launch support as well.”
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.
Funcom asked us to “let them cook,” and going on last night’s Dune: Awakening showcase, the developers did. With just a few days to go before early access players get their “head start,” Funcom put on a livestream showing off Dune: Awakening’s mid-to-endgame, and a wide tour of the Hagga Basin “to emphasize the size and variety players can expect,” including the “lush O’odham, the forbidding Hagga Rift, the tall spires and imposing rock formations of Jabal Eifrit, to name just a few.”
Inspired by Denis Villeneuve and Legendary Entertainment’s blockbuster films, Dune: Awakening lets players explore Arrakis in an open-world game for the first time ever. Up until now, even beta players have only seen around 25% of Hagga Basin, so the stream showcased “these huge and diverse landscapes” in all their glory.
“Before even considering the vast dunes and dangers of the Deep Desert, players will experience a full-scale survival game,” Funcom teased.
“They will rise through the ranks of the Atreides or Harkonnen; build powerful strongholds; brave Imperial Testing Stations; craft advanced schematics; explore and harvest in a variety of vehicles, and much, much more.” Furthermore, the “Landsraad feature allows anyone to contribute in the effort to impact their entire faction, whether they prefer PvE or PvP.”
Dune: Awakening is an open-world survival MMO set on the most dangerous planet in the universe. You’ll learn to survive the desert by learning the ways of the Fremen, and expand your potential through combat, spice, building, and trade. It’s set to release on June 10, 2025, on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S after a three-week delay to fix issues identified during its beta testing. Players with an “early start,” however, get to play five days early from June 5.
“As a longtime fan of Dune, it also just feels so good to explore and learn more about a world that I’m quite fond of, and Funcom has clearly put a ton of effort into worldbuilding and lore, even despite taking quite a bit of creative liberty by placing Awakening within a parallel reality and canon than the books/movies,” we wrote in IGN’s Dune: Awakening closed beta impressions preview.
“There are little details that have a massive impact on gameplay. I won’t go into spoilers, but this kind of attention to detail touches just about every aspect of the world, including the factions and characters you meet along the way, which should be a treat for any fan of the setting.”
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.
FromSoftware games have always had a very distinct visual style, So much so, that it’s usually pretty easy to predict when that iconic “FromSoftware” logo is about to pop up after a sudden fade to black, even in an announced game trailer for an upcoming FromSoft game. This is thanks to the many talented artists at the studio, and during my time at their office, I got a chance to sit down with one of them, Concept and Environmental Artist Saori Mizuno, to talk about her inspirations, the art direction she was given for Elden Ring Nightreign, and how it differed from her work on previous FromSoft games.
IGN: So generally, what was different about working on Nightreign versus the base Elden Ring game, or and anything prior that you have worked on with FromSoftware?
Saori Mizuno – Concept Artist on Elden Ring: Nightreign: In general, for Nightreign, we would receive an order for a design and then if it was myself in charge of that particular concept, then I would iterate on that image that I had, that interpretation of the design and then I would align and collaborate with the other designers and eventually produce the final design. I think one aspect that changed a lot on Nightreign’s design process is that we had a lot of back and forth, a lot of brainstorming in person, actually speaking about these designs rather than just getting text-based feedback.
Interviewer:
Can you talk a little bit about the setting of Nightreign and how you approach making it feel distinct from the base Elden Ring game, despite it being a spinoff that uses a lot of the same assets?
We didn’t want to make it feel too different from Elden Ring, as it used that as a base for the design and the setting. But one specific direction we did get early on was to create something that first feels and looks familiar and gradually transforms into the unfamiliar and into the unknown. So that was a nice sort of policy or a direction that we had to approach with the design.
Elden Ring had this sort of very gorgeous painterly feel to a lot of the environments, but we wanted Nightreign to feel like at a glance beautiful, but if you look a little bit deeper, there’s something sinister and there’s something darker there. Elden Ring, maybe there’s a lot of bright colors in the scenery and in the sky box and such, but we wanted there also, the player to feel a sense of darkness there as well. So that was another aspect of the design that differed slightly from Elden Ring.
“We didnt want to make it feel too different from Elden Ring.”
One of the locations that really stuck out to me was the Roundtable Hold, which is such a familiar location in the base Elden Ring, and it has such an interesting twist in Nightreign. Can you talk a little bit about what went into the new design for the Roundtable Hold and what were some of the inspirations behind some of those changes?
With Nightreign’s new kind of speedier, high-tempo gameplay, we wanted the Roundtable this time in particular to feel like somewhere you could relax and take your time and sort of cool off after that intense three day/night cycle. So we wanted it to feel, from a design perspective, more cozy and more welcoming, more at home. One inspiration was the Fire Link Shrine from Dark Souls 1, where you feel sort of more embraced by the atmosphere. You feel like you are coming home after these hardships, after a hard fought battle, and safe more importantly than anything.
So from a design perspective, we used techniques such as gentle lighting, a feeling of the surrounding environs as well as the Roundtable Hold itself. And also while a lot of the place is in ruins, we didn’t want it to feel completely destroyed and desolate. We wanted it to feel like it was a safe place to come home to and that the player could relax and take their time there.
Another impetus for the design of the Roundtable Hold in Nightreign was this feeling of early morning, so a sort of daybreak, dawn, the player setting off on a new adventure. So that came into some of the lighting and architecture choices that changed in Nightreign, and we wanted the player to be aware of this. We wanted them to be conscious of this when setting out on this new adventure.
So when the player hits day three, they’re transported to this brand new location that is really unlike any other in Elden Ring. One that is predominantly white, mixed in with a very colorful sky box full of orange, blue and purple kind of all mixing together. What’s the story behind this environment and what were some of the inspirations that went into that work? If you need a visual representation, I have this one.
So one of the first requests we got from the director regarding this environment was that it should feel like a sense of finality and we should get this feeling of buildup before a storm. And that we should also feel like the impression you got from the sky box is that the sky is falling, this calamity is coming to an end. So it’s the boss at the end of the third day, so we wanted the player to feel this tightness in their chest like they’re getting ready to embark on something greater than themselves and hopefully this culminates and comes through in the design.
To add to that, looking again at the colors and the composition of the sky, we wanted it to feel like something was about to be born from that chaos, from that chaotic scene. Again, the boss culminates at the end of that third-day struggle. We wanted the player to feel this from the use of color and the use of these design elements. And some of the inspirations we took from that were from real-life cosmic events. So something we can’t quite understand, something that’s very distant and abstracted from regular human perception and we wanted it to feel just as abstract and just as grandiose even within the world of Nightreign.
Just speaking personally, what’s something that you yourself are very proud of that you’ve worked on in Nightreign?
Personally, one of my favorite areas is actually the area we just talked about, the environment that you enter just before facing that boss at the end of the third day. One of the keywords we found while exploring the design for this environment was this concept of shedding skin. And so this was something that really resonated with me and stuck with me. This idea of personifying the surroundings and the building into something that was once living and has now since been petrified or gone through these ages of time and gone through this whole process. And we wanted players to feel this sense of age, this old fantasy feel from this particular set piece.
One of the things that surprised us about Nightreign was the environmental variety, despite it being a much smaller and more condensed kind of world. Was it difficult to achieve this kind of variety in such a small, confined space?
So generally with these kind of emergent map changes and these kind of terrain effects and events, we wanted it to feel like something immediately fresh and exciting, just at a glance. So the player will know there’s been an impactful change to the map and to the scenery and they’ll have an immediate idea of what they need to do to progress. So for instance, the volcano, the crater that appears, you’d need to sort of dig deeper into it. Or for the snowfield terrain change, you’d need to sort of climb right up to the top of it, this sort of thing. We wanted this to be immediately effective and change the way the players approach and behave in the map just by changing that sense of space.
And then personally as a designer, who are some of your favorite artists, either classic or contemporary, and are there any people that you can point to as being particularly influential on your work?
One of my personal favorite traditional artists, or classical artists is Zdzisław Beksiński. I took a lot of inspiration from his various expressions when designing my work. Also with the concept of Nightreign and battling the Night Lords after these repeated plays, I felt like this is inherent to the game design. And so I wanted this feeling to come through in the designs I created as well. And one sense I got from that was from watching the film Spirited Away from Hayao Miyazaki. This feeling of being unable to go home, unable to escape from a dream. This sort of feeling I wanted to kind of harness while designing these worlds and tried to get that through to the player as they play through the game.
Even when designing Limveld, that initial map, that initial environment on the first day, I wanted it to feel beautiful. Like from an outward glance, it looks beautiful and inviting, but pretty quickly you feel like something’s off or something’s not quite right. So I think that is a part of the inspiration that we definitely got across in the design of Nightreign.
So switching to video games really quick, can you just talk about what are some of your favorite video games that may have inspired your work as well?
I enjoy Diablo II and other such multiplayer games. I enjoy open world survival games where you have to sort of start from scratch and build your own house and things like that world. I like a variety of indies and I’ve also had a fondness for a Legend of Zelda since childhood, games like Majora’s Mask, which kind of are obviously really fun to play, but they sort of have this… again, this sense of repeat play and this kind of sense of darkness to them as well. I think that’s stuck with me since childhood. So yeah.
And then a final question. A lot of designers and artists like to make their own personal imprints on a game. Are there any secrets or Easter eggs that you managed to sneak in yourself into the game? Or is there maybe anything that you hope players will see and enjoy as they play?
Yes. I don’t think you’d call this a sort of a signature as an artist, but one important thing that I paid attention to while designing Nightreign was this sort of all encompassing theme of the night and how we go about expressing that. We obviously tried various things and various methods and Limveld is ultimately a place that you keep coming back to as a player. So we thought one way we could express that was these changes throughout the three-day structure and what players can notice as their journey progresses. What keeps them coming back and what keeps them interested.
And so to talk a bit more about that theme of night, we had to explore what night meant to us as designers, like as a base concept. So of course, night brings with it some negative connotations, like the dark and fear and the unknown, things like this. So we wanted at first when the player jumps into this world to feel those kind of negative feelings conveyed quite directly and have that sense of anxiety and that sense of fear of the unknown.
“We had to explore what night meant to us as designers, like as a base concept.”
So we conveyed this straight up with things like the imposed time limit and the encroaching circle of rain, things like this. But we found that night is, we didn’t want it to be fully negative. Again, once the players get used to that cycle and they get used to what they’re seeing, we wanted it to be more than that. We wanted players to kind of begin to almost yearn for the night and sort of look forward to this encroaching darkness and maybe even feel a sense of comfort from it, from getting used to this rhythm and these aspects. So as the game progresses and the player is kind of getting used to these things, that’s definitely an aspect of the design that we wanted to incorporate and be a part of that player experience.
Electronic Arts is canceling its planned Black Panther game and shutting down developer Cliffhanger Games, IGN has learned.
In an email sent to staff from EA Entertainment president Laura Miele, Miele said that these changes, alongside other recent cancellations and layoffs, are being done to “sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities.”
In addition to closing Cliffhanger and canceling Black Panther, EA is also laying off some individuals on both its mobile and central teams. When asked for an exact number of individuals impacted, EA declined to comment. IGN understands the total number of affected individuals in this wave is less than the roughly 300 roles cut last month across Respawn and EA’s Fan Care teams – but cannot confirm by how much.
“These decisions are hard,” Miele wrote. “They affect people we’ve worked with, learned from, and shared real moments with. We’re doing everything we can to support them — including finding opportunities within EA, where we’ve had success helping people land in new roles.”
As with past rounds of layoffs, EA is endeavoring to place affected individuals in other roles across the company. The company has made use of this placement program with each round of layoffs in recent years, an effort that remains possible despite the constant team cuts likely due to EA seemingly drastically increasing headcount on other teams at the same time. Per Game File’s reporting, EA employed 800 more people as of March of this year than it did the same time in 2024.
To that end, Miele’s email continues, the company is focusing on a small handful of franchises going forward: Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, and Apex Legends. Miele also reassures EA will continue to invest in its Iron Man game at Motive and the third Star Wars: Jedi game, as well as it maintain its mobile business despite today’s cuts, while Bioware works on the next Mass Effect. Additionally, last year, CEO Andrew Wilson announced the company would be “moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry.”
The email doesn’t mention EA Sports, but this is due to Miele running EA Entertainment, while EA Sports is a separate division. IGN understands that the sports division is unaffected by these changes for now.
Meanwhile, EA recently implemented mandatory return-to-office for all workers, a move that some employees told IGN has left many currently remote workers with concerns about what will happen to their roles long-term.
When asked for comment on the exact number impacted, the reasons for these repeated cuts, or if more cuts are expected in the near future, EA referred IGN back to Miele’s email. Marvel has not yet responded to IGN’s request for comment.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
The PlayStation VR2 headset has dropped to match its all-time low price thanks to the PlayStation Days of Play sale, so if you’ve been considering picking one up for yourself, right now would be the time to do so. But the question is: Should you actually buy one in 2025? The PSVR2 originally launched for a whopping $599, but Sony dropped the price down to just $399 back in March. The latest discount brings that price all the way down to only $349 for both the stand-alone headset and the Horizon Call of the Mountain Bundle.
The PlayStation VR2 Headset Is On Sale at Amazon Today
The new $50 discount on the PSVR2 bundle is certainly tempting if you’ve been wanting to get into VR, but there are a few things to consider before you buy. This is likely the lowest price we’ll see on this headset for quite some time and it is the only VR option for PS5 owners. If you want to play Horizon Call of The Mountain, owning a PSVR2 is currently the only way you’ll be able to do that. Just last year Sony also released the PSVR2 PC adapter that allows you to connect it to your PC and play VR games there as well.
That being said, Sony isn’t really investing much into first-party VR games anymore. And with the price drop back in March and the release of the PC adapter, it definitely seems like PS5 owners aren’t going to be seeing a slew of new and exciting VR games any time soon.
Is It Worth Buying a PSVR 2 in 2025?
Now that the PSVR 2 is cheaper than the standard Meta Quest 3 and has PC compatibility, it’s worth considering if you’re looking to get into VR. Since it is really the only VR option for PlayStation, this price definitely makes it worth it if you have both a PS5 and a PC that can handle VR games. You do have to purchase the PC adapter if you want to access your SteamVR library, but connecting to PC is a fairly simple process overall.
If you don’t own a PS5 and are just looking for a decent VR headset for PC, the PSVR 2 probably isn’t worth your money. The Meta Quest 3S is still cheaper and doesn’t require any sort of extra adapter to start playing games. Since the PSVR 2 isn’t a standalone VR headset, you’d also be better off going with the Quest 3 if you don’t have either a PS5 or a PC to connect to.
Crystal of Atlan is an action MMORPG from developer VI-Games that wants to put its own unique spin on the gameplay of the genre. It features a focus on class-based build diversity, fast-paced aerial combat, and chaining together abilities to build up your combo meter. It’s available to download for free right now, but if you’re looking for more info before you dive in, we’ve got you. Let’s start with the classes.
Diverse Class Paths for Personalized Builds
There are five base classes available at launch, all unlocked for free at the start of the game: the melee damage dealing Swordsman, ranged attacker Musketeer, magical Magister, martial artist Fighter, and summoner Puppeteer. Each class branches into specialized subclasses, with a total of 11 subclass options and more than 20 unique abilities to experiment with and tailor to your preferred style.
For example, the Swordsman branches into the Magiblade or Berserker. They’re both melee damage dealers, but the Magiblade adds magical abilities (which you could probably guess from the name), and the Berserker can sacrifice health to generate shields and increase power as you get closer to death. Regardless of the subclass you choose, each of the skills you unlock have individual cooldowns. You can mix and match those skills at any time, letting you come up with unique character builds and find skills that chain together well to build combos.
Seamless Ground-to-Air Combat Innovation
Traditional MMO combat focuses on ground-based attacks with a fairly simple stand-and-attack style. Crystal of Atlan differentiates itself by including a heavy focus on the Z-axis, introducing a system that encourages you to seamlessly transition between ground and aerial combat.
You can attack and dodge in mid-air, allowing you to pull off aerial combos and adding a new dimension to each battle and a level of responsiveness to moment-to-moment gameplay. You can jump to avoid attacks, then chain that into aerial combos to keep the pressure on enemies. So you’re rewarded for staying on your toes, reacting quickly, and using all your abilities to fluidly chain attacks together.
That focus on ground and air combos also informs the design of Crystal of Atlan’s varied environments. All of the game’s maps, from the fantastical Wonderland to the mechanical Chrome Military Factory, have an open 3D layout to allow freedom of movement. Couple that with smooth animations and you get a combat system that’s fluid and fast-paced.
Cooperative Challenges and Social Progression
As you might expect from an MMO, there are a variety of dungeons you can tackle with other players. You fight through packs of normal enemies before getting to the end and facing off against a boss with unique mechanics. That’s all pretty standard, but Crystal of Atlan mixes things up by requiring synchronized team coordination.
There are numerous dungeons with interaction-based mechanics that require teamwork to solve problems. Naturally, if your whole group is tackling such a dungeon for the first time, you’ll need to communicate and help each other figure out what to do. Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you can take on a mentor role in future runs, but everyone will always need to work together.
There’s also a fleet system, which is basically like guilds you’ve probably experienced in other games. It’s a key part of Crystal of Atlan’s social ecosystem, allowing you to link up with friends to tackle co-op gameplay together or just hang out and chat.
Competitive PvP and Creative PvE Challenges
If you’re the competitive type, there are also options for PvP combat. There are 1v1 and 3v3 battles, with attributes, skill damage, and skill cooldowns balanced so there’s no competitive advantage. It’s all about skill.
While Crystal of Atlan is an MMO at heart, it has plenty of content for solo players too. In classic MMO style, there are hub areas where you can see lots of other players. These areas are where you’ll find quests to complete and new zones to explore.
Adventure Mode takes you through the game’s main story, which unlocks in stages. You can tackle these stages solo, and they have a variety of different goals. Some will be focused on combat, where you need to defeat groups of enemies or take on a boss. Others introduce new elements, like requiring you to use stealth to sneak past enemies or use platforming to progress through the area.
There are plenty of other modes you can tackle solo or co-op. The main one is the Arena, where you can fight alone or with a partner and gradually work your way up through tiers of opponents, earning escalating rewards as you do. If you manage to get through all the tiers, you can reach the Finals for the ultimate reward.
To sum it all up, Crystal of Atlan is an MMORPG that mixes together classic staples of the genre with evolved gameplay to keep things fun, fast, and fluid. It launches May 28 on PC, PS5, iOS, and Android, with crossplay across all platforms. The PS5 version has an optimized HUD layout to avoid clutter and utilizes the haptic feedback of the DualSense controller. It also has a remapped UI for controller input, using a function wheel you’re probably familiar with from other games. There’s HDR support for enhanced lighting, and PSSR is enabled on the PS5 Pro for sharper visuals and more stable frame rates.
For more info on the world, classes, and features of Crystal of Atlan, you can check out the official website. Or to join the community and get news updates, you can follow them on Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and Discord.
There’s a lot to get excited about in today’s deals, especially if you’re looking to upgrade your gaming setup or add some new collectibles to your stash. For starters, Amazon is running a killer sale on SteelSeries gear. It’s a perfect time to grab a new gaming headset like the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless (23% off right now) or a sleek Apex 9 TKL keyboard for your battle station. There are also solid price drops on the Arctis Nova 5X and the Alias USB Mic, so it’s a great time to kit yourself out without breaking the bank.
Twilight Masquerade and Surging Sparks booster bundle restocks are live on Amazon this morning, although once again, they’re way above MSRP. A quick look at TCG Player sees Surging Sparks for $10 less and Twilight Masquerade at $15 below Amazon’s asking price. Yes, the market value on TCG Player is above MSRP, but this is the current market value for these products.
Slashing Legends Tin In Stock At Walmart
Featuring a new promo, Journey Together and Surging Sparks boosters alongside Obsidian Flames and Paradox Rift, this is arguably one of the best Pokémon TCG tins people can buy for retail value right now. Snap it up before the bots do!
Destined Rivals Single Cards Are Available Right Now
If you’d like to pay for sealed product in this climate to rip open boosters and find your chase card, go mad and have a blast. But if you’d like to save some money long term and guarantee that chase card, TCG Player has Destined Rivals single cards available in their presale before they set officially releases on Friday. Looking for the best market values on Destined Rivals sealed products? Here you go:
Pokémon TCG Stock Update
Long story short; things are looking bleak at retail for Pokémon TCG right now. Almost everything is way above MSRP and seems to becoming the new normal for big box retailers. I could write a whole article and why this is and what should be done to stop this practice, but here we are. If you have your heart set on opening booster packs, have at it, but you might want to check out the sections below to save money.
TCG Player Has The Same Products For Less
TCG Player and the Pokémon TCG secondary collectors market is significantly cheaper than big box retailers at the time of writing. This will likely be the case unless you can secure preorders on new sets such as Destined Rivals, Black Bolt and White Flare. Make no mistake products are still over MSRP, but If small businesses can undercut large retailers on TCG Player, there’s something fundamentally broken in the supplier-distributor-retail chain.
This Weeks Pokémon TCG Crashers and Climbers
The Single Pokémon TCG market on the other hand is going through a grand reset right now, which is down to a few factors. The crypto bro mentally to reselling products is dying down a little and more product is becoming available thanks to reprints. We’re not out of the woods yet by any means, but this weeks Crashers and Climbers show recent cards going down in price and cards from the X and Y era shooting up in value. We’re 100% moving in the right direction.
MTG Final Fantasy Bundle Walmart Preorder
This is the only preorder I can find from a big box retailer this morning, and it’s actually cheaper than the market value over on TCG Player right now. Imagine that? If you’re planning on picking up Final Fantasy at launch, this is a no-brainer.
MTG Final Fantasy TCG Player Preorders
MTG: Final Fantasy is set to be the biggest Magic: The Gathering set ever, which is a shock to absolutley no-one. Preorders are drying up at retail, but there’s plenty of choice available on TCG Player right now. I’ve found all the preorders listed so far (including prerelease boxes) alongside massive cases on booster displays. Don’t sleep on these preorders, MTG FF is going to fly off the shelves on release.
MTG Final Fantasy Single Cards
The single card market for MTG Final Fantasy is flying right now, so I’ve included over 40 of (in my opinion) the most popular Final Fantasy cards collectors and players will be chasing once packs start getting ripped. Don’t want to spend money on boosters and hope? Secure your chase cards for release day instead.
MTG Marvel’s Spider-Man Preorders
Whilst there’s only the Play Booster Box and Scene Bundle for MTG: Marvel’s Spider-Man live on Amazon right now, TCG Player has every sealed product that will hit the market on launch day. I’ve even found some pricing on cases of sealed product for those looking to rip open a tonne of boosters, so get on it before the market value on these products shoot up.
MTG Spider-Man Single Cards
Unfortunatley there’s no listings for Spider-Man single cards right now considering we’re a few months out from release, but I’ve managed to round up the listings for cards currently sitting on TCG Player waiting for presale allocations, so keep your eyes peeled.
DOOM The Dark Ages Limited Edition A3 Art Print
For fans of the DOOM franchise, the DOOM The Dark Ages – Limited Edition A3 Art Print from the IGN Store is an absolute must-have. This officially licensed piece features Slayer in the thick of the action and is limited to just 995 hand-numbered prints worldwide. Printed at one of the oldest commercial printers in the UK on high-quality art paper, this A3-sized print (11.69 x 16.53 inches) includes a certificate of authenticity to make it extra special.
SteelSeries Sale
Amazon has a solid sale going on right now for a bunch of SteelSeries gear, and if you’ve been waiting for a good excuse to upgrade your gaming setup, this is it. You can grab essentials like the SteelSeries New Apex 9 TKL, which is down to $109.99, or go all-in with the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset, which is $269.99 right now (23% off). For Xbox and PC gamers, the Arctis Nova 5X is also a solid pick at $122.99. And if you’re looking to upgrade your audio setup, the SteelSeries Alias USB Mic for PC is a steal at $107.27. Whether you’re after a sleek new keyboard, a high-end headset, or a pro-level mic, these deals are worth a look before they’re gone.
Team 17 Chains of Command Bundle
If you’re looking to dive into some fresh indie titles, the Humble Team 17 Game Bundle is a solid pickup. For $20 or more, you’ll unlock eight games, including the intense 50v50 FPS Hell Let Loose, the gritty WW2 tactics of Classified: France ’44, the brutal, plague-fueled combat of Thymesia, and the cult-building chaos of Honey, I Joined a Cult. Other highlights include the haunting CONSCRIPT, pixel-perfect Narita Boy, chaotic WARCANA, and the party-perfect King of the Castle. Best part? Your purchase supports indie developers and The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN), so you’re gaming for a cause.
Lossless Scaling
Lossless Scaling is a game changer for PC players who want to upscale games or generate extra frames without sacrificing quality. Available via Humble for just $6.99, this tool lets you scale windowed games to full screen using a range of algorithms like AMD FSR, NVIDIA Image Scaling (NIS), and Anime4K. The latest update even adds frame generation support for games that don’t natively offer it, including emulators. Whether you’re running older pixel-art titles or modern games with GPU limitations, Lossless Scaling offers a smarter, sharper way to game at higher resolutions.
UGREEN USB C to USB Adapter 4 Pack
If you’re tired of juggling different cables for your devices, the UGREEN USB C to USB Adapter 4 Pack is an affordable and practical solution. This pack includes four sturdy USB-C male to USB 3.2 female adapters, each capable of 10Gbps data transfer speeds—perfect for moving files quickly between your USB-A devices like flash drives, keyboards, or mice and your latest USB-C devices, including the MacBook Pro, iPhone 16, and Samsung Galaxy S24. The ultra-compact, thumb-sized design makes them easy to stash in your laptop bag or pocket, and the aluminum housing is built to withstand over 10,000 plug/unplug cycles.
Fallout Pip-Boy
Fallout Pip-Boy Die-Cast Replica is a stunning, 1:1 recreation of the iconic Pip-Boy 3000 Mk V as seen in the Fallout TV series. Available exclusively from the IGN Store for $199.99, this collector’s item is crafted with a die-cast metal front, injection-molded ABS body, and a memory foam cuff for comfort. It features a functioning TFT LCD screen that displays over 45 in-universe animations, an alarm clock function, and an FM radio for tuning into your favorite stations or Wasteland broadcasts. Whether you’re wearing it as the ultimate cosplay accessory or displaying it on its elegant, laser-etched aluminum stand, the Pip-Boy Die-Cast Replica is an essential piece for any Fallout fan.
Cable Zip Ties 400 Pack
For an all-in-one cable management solution, the HAVE ME TD Cable Zip Ties, 400 Pack offers unbeatable value. This set includes 400 self-locking black nylon zip ties in a variety of sizes: 4, 6, 8, and 12 inches. With a strong tensile strength of up to 40 lbs, these versatile ties are perfect for organizing cords in the home, office, garden, workshop, or garage. Whether you’re bundling wires, securing plants, or tidying up tools, the HAVE ME TD Cable Zip Ties are built for durability, flexibility, and easy handling even in high temperatures. At just $3.99, this assortment is a no-brainer addition to any DIYer’s toolkit.
INIU 45W Power Bank
If you’re looking for a reliable, high-capacity charger that won’t weigh you down, the INIU 45W Power Bank is a stellar choice. This compact 10,000mAh portable charger is 25% smaller and 15% lighter than comparable models, yet it delivers a full 45W of charging power—perfect for topping up your iPhone 16, Samsung S24 Ultra, and more. The built-in USB-C cable doubles as a lanyard, eliminating the need for extra wires in your bag, while the charger’s trickle-charging mode ensures safe, optimized power for smaller devices like earbuds.
Javascript, Scripting And Web Development Book Bundle
Humble is serving up a piping hot bundle for web devs and JavaScript enthusiasts, offering 19 coding resources in the JavaScript Tech Book Bundle for as little as $1. For just $18, you can unlock the full collection, including highlights like Clojure Brain Teasers, Test-Driven React, Second Edition, and Serverless Apps on Cloudflare. Diving into Ruby, Rails, Tailwind, or WebAssembly? There’s something here to level up your skills across the board. Every purchase supports Save the Children, so you can sharpen your coding chops and make a difference at the same time.
Peacock TV
Peacock TV is running a stellar promotion for new and returning subscribers: grab a full year of Peacock Premium (Ad-Supported) for just $24.99 when you redeem code SPRINGSAVINGS at checkout. That’s a hefty discount from the usual $79.99/year. Peacock Premium offers a massive library of hit shows, movies, originals, live sports, and NBC/Bravo content, alongside 50+ always-on channels.
Expedition 33 Merch
If you’ve been captivated by the hauntingly beautiful world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the IGN Store has an exclusive collection of officially licensed merch. The lineup includes a range of clothing like the Expedition Hoodie and Petals T-Shirt ($64.99 and $27.50, respectively), plus art prints of characters like Gustave, Maelle, and Sciel, starting at $30. For everyday essentials, there are mugs, tote bags, tumblers, and mouse pads, all featuring designs straight from the game.. Whether you’re looking to wear your fandom or add some atmosphere to your space, the full Expedition 33 merch collection has you covered. Browse the entire lineup now at the IGN Store.
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.
Looks like Death Stranding isn’t only heading to live-action, but anime as well. In a new article ahead of June’s Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, director Hideo Kojima has seemingly confirmed an anime adaptation of Death Stranding is on the way.
Speaking to Vogue Japan (via VGC), Kojima mentioned his current collaboration with A24 on the live-action Death Stranding film adaptation, but closed off with a little extra note about an anime in the works. Here’s the quote, via machine translation:
“I am also currently working with A24 on a live-action film adaptation of ‘DEATH STRANDING”. When it comes to film adaptations of games, there have been recent films like ‘The Last of Us’ that keep the plot of the original intact, and films like ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ that are more like a service to game fans. Each of these works has its own merits, but as a film lover, I want to pursue expression as a film. I am aiming to make ‘DEATH STRANDING’ in a way that can only be done as a film, and that will win awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival. In fact, we are also currently working on an anime adaptation.”
While no production studio was confirmed, it does certainly sound like Death Stranding has another adaptation on the way, in anime form.
In 2023, A24 officially confirmed it was collaborating with Kojima Productions and its director on a live-action Death Stranding movie. At the time, Kojima said the adaptation was not just a “direct translation” of the game. “The intention is that our audience will not only be fans of the games, but our film will be for anyone who loves cinema,” said Kojima. “We are creating a Death Stranding universe that has never been seen before, achievable only through the medium of film, it will be born.”
With another adaptation on the way, I’m admittedly curious to see what could be done with Death Stranding in the anime space. Depending on which studio picks it up, we could get some different and interesting versions of the Death Stranding universe. It’s pretty fun to imagine a Studio Trigger-made Death Stranding, for example.
Meanwhile, in the video game world, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is due out on June 26, 2025 for the PlayStation 5. If you’re curious about how the next entry in Death Stranding is coming together, check out our hands-on impressions of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach after a whopping 30 hours with the game.
Alternative history PS4 exclusive The Order: 1886 was originally meant to be the first game in a trilogy, one of its developers has revealed.
Two other games — The Order 1891 and The Order 1899 — were also planned (thanks, VGC). As Ru Weerasuriya, creative director of The Order: 1886, explained in an French-language interview with Julien Chieze, the sequel was in the early stages of development before it was cancelled.
In The Order: 1886, a game that re-writes history by introducing a unique vision of Victorian-Era London, you discover history’s darkest secret. From its 10-page pitch, Weerasuriya said the first sequel would have boasted bigger combat sequences, as well as an additional multiplayer mode. The third game didn’t even make it to early production, but Weerasuriya and the team at Ready at Dawn had planned where the story would’ve taken them, as well as other instalments which could’ve taken the franchise into the 20th century.
Ready at Dawn was a venerable, 20-year-old game studio that worked on God of War and Daxter among other projects. Following the mixed reception of The Order: 1886, Ready at Dawn began to move into VR, releasing Lone Echo for the Oculus Rift in 2017. It was acquired by Meta in 2020, but closed down entirely in August 2024.
Weerasuriya suggested that it was the mixed critical reception to the original game that saw the series cancelled. Like a lot of players at the time, here at IGN we thought the 2015 game was okay, awarding it a 6.5, writing: “Though a stylish adventure, The Order: 1886 emphasizes its cinematic polish at the crippling cost of gameplay freedom.”
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.
