Category: IGN

Arc System Works, the developer of the Guilty Gear series, is making a 4v4 Marvel fighting game called Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls for Sony.

Announced during Sony’s State of Play June 2025, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is due out on PS5 and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store at some point in 2026.

In a post on PlayStation Blog, Reed Baird, Senior Producer, XDEV, PlayStation Studios, confirmed the inclusion of iconic Marvel heroes and villains such as Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Doom, Storm, Ms. Marvel, Star-Lord, and Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes) – each with Arc’s unique twist on their character designs and gameplay styles.

A 4v4 tag fighting game sounds overwhelming, but Game Director and Lead Battle Designer, Kazuto Sekine, insisted that wouldn’t be the case.

“Generally, a team VS fighting game requires the player to learn multiple characters, but for Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, you only need to master one character in order to play the game,” Sekine said.

“We have designed the mechanics in such a way that you can perform a variety of actions with either traditional fighting game inputs or simple inputs. With the press of a few buttons, multiple characters can appear on screen to provide backup or attack together – creating a new and exciting team VS battle experience.”

In a haunting new trailer at today’s Sony State of Play, we learned that Silent Hill f’s fog of fresh horrors is imminent: it’s coming out on September 25, 2025.

In a deeply upsetting new trailer today, we saw a longer, darker look at what’s in store for us in Silent Hill f. We saw the main character, Hinako Shimizu, and her friends in Ebisugaoka living normal, peaceful lives, just before a mysterious fog envelopes the town and makes everything real weird.

Creepy red flowers bloom. Heinous, jerky dolls start chasing Hinako around and trying to rip her apart. Her friends don’t seem to be doing so hot, either. There’s gore, there’s violence, lots of paranormal, and Hinako proving remarkably efficient with a crowbar.

Silent Hill f was first announced in 2022. It’s set in 1960s Japan and is intended to juxapose horror with beauty in a story written by acclaimed Japanese writer Ryukishi07. We’ve since learned that it’s standalone from the other Silent Hill games, and that it’s Japan’s first M-rated Silent Hill game, with truly gruesome warnings about impalement, faces being ripped apart, a character being burned alive in a cage, entrails on serving platters, and lots more. Yikes!

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.

Drivers, ready your A buttons, because Mario Kart World’s countdown clock is finally about to tick down! Unfortunately, Nintendo opted not to send out the Switch 2 for any early coverage, so my review is still in the garage getting tuned up. The good news, however, is that I’ve already gone hands-on with Mario Kart World twice, and when this article is published, I’ll probably already be standing in line to pick up my copy so I can jump right back in. (Sorry, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, but you’ll have to wait a bit longer to get my 10 bucks.)

You can read my most recent thoughts on World from a preview earlier this week, but I also wanted to take a moment to briefly share who I am and why I’m assigned to this review. (Those who have been watching our video reviews to the end may have seen us sharing some context about our reviewer’s tastes and history there as well.) Earlier this year I took over hosting duties for IGN’s Nintendo Voice Chat podcast, and I’ve been excitedly reporting on Nintendo for roughly a decade. I’ve also been doing more and more Nintendo reviews for IGN, including both Super Mario Party Jamboree and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door last year.

I’m also an enormous Mario Kart fan. I’m not sure there’s a video game franchise I’ve spent more total hours playing than this one. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is my favorite entry – and in my top 10 favorite games of all time – and I’ve logged over 500 hours of track time there alone. That’s not even counting the base Mario Kart 8 on Wii U, which I proudly picked up at launch back in 2014 as one of the few Wii U owners out there at the time. (There were dozens of us!) With its gorgeous art direction, amazing track design, and impressive amount of content (including the return of F-Zero!), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe felt like the franchise reaching the finish line of the more-or-less linear Mario Kart formula that began on Super Nintendo, so I’m very excited that World is tackling something entirely new to this series rather than simply iterating on what came before.

Beyond that one, my favorites are Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart 64, which are the two I spent the most time playing with friends and family growing up. Double Dash’s two-character mechanic is such a blast and 64 is an undeniable classic, but I’ll also shout out the 3DS’s Mario Kart 7, which I believe is the most underrated entry in the series. I’ve always loved just playing as Mario in Mario Kart – which leads some of my friends to call me crazy – but I am looking forward to racing as the new-look Donkey Kong in World.

As I mentioned, I do have a bit of a head start here because I’ve already played a healthy amount of Mario Kart World at a pair of Nintendo preview events. I went hands-on with the Switch 2 and Mario Kart on the same day as their reveal Direct, and I was intrigued by what I saw from the new Knockout Tour mode – even though that initial demo was fairly limited. But earlier this week, we published my impressions from a more robust Mario Kart World preview event where I got unmitigated access to the launch version. You can check out my final preview while you wait for the full review, but there I said, “I’m confident Mario Kart World’s thrilling racing will kick off Nintendo’s eighth generation with a rocket start, even if I’m still not completely sold on its open-world exploration.” The combination of that hands-on time means I’m going into launch with roughly eight hours of gameplay already logged, so I can hit the metaphorical A button right after the “2” flashes to have a good boost off the line. I’m hoping to get our final, scored review published before the end of next week.

I’ll even be working on my review from the floor of IGN Live 2025, which is happening in downtown Los Angeles at The Magic Box this weekend, June 7-8. There’s a ton happening at the show, and you can come on down to IGN Live yourself for a chance to be part of the review process by playing against me. We’ll have an official “Game with IGN” setup featuring Mario Kart World where you can play against IGN editors like myself, our co-founder Peer Schneider, and many others – and if you see me on the show floor, you can channel your inner Pokémon trainer and challenge me to a race. (You can’t back out of a trainer battle once a stranger locks eyes with you, that’s just how it works.) Last year at IGN Live 2024, I had a great time playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe against fans that came out to the show, and I can’t wait to do it again – this time with a brand-new Mario Kart.

You can look forward to some updated thoughts on Mario Kart World in the coming days – and, if you managed to secure a Nintendo Switch 2 at launch, then I’ll see you on the open roads!

Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the world’s premier trading card game, is as popular as it’s ever been. Aside from the cards themselves, longtime Magic players (like me!) know that there are countless accessories and other goodies to enhance your experience.

With Father’s Day coming up soon (June 15), I’ve compiled a list of great MTG gifts, from playmats and card sleeves to dice and merch, for that special Magic player in your life.

As a competitive player of 10+ years, these are products I’ve had and would buy for my personal use, so rest easy knowing that these suggestions aren’t without extensive trial and error.

TL;DR – Best Magic: The Gathering Gifts

Magic has been around for over 30 years, but thanks to the recent crossover sets with other IPs, what Wizards of the Coast (WoTC) has dubbed Universes Beyond, its audience has grown monumentally.

Properties like The Lord of the Rings, Fallout, Assassin’s Creed, and more have all received the MTG treatment, with Final Fantasy being the next crossover in June.

There’s even a full Spider-Man set coming later this year. So there’s plenty of great sets to choose from now, and incoming in the near future as well.

Sealed Product

Magic: The Gathering sets are released every few months, and with them come various sealed products to help supplement your collection.

You have booster boxes, collector boosters, starter kits, commander decks, the list goes on. I recommend starting with bundles of the most recently released sets, or looking ahead to expansions like Edge of Eternities.

They make great gifts, as they include nine booster packs, an alternate-art promotional card, extra land cards, a spindown life counter, and the box itself is a great storage solution for extra cards.

Card Sleeves

You have all these fancy new cards, what are you supposed to put them in? Card sleeves are the perfect solution not only for protection but for easily shuffling.

Ultimate Guard and Ultra PRO are some of the best MTG accessories brands around, but Dragon Shield sleeves are my go-to recommendation as a gift for dad.

The Ultimate Guard Katana sleeves are great, too. The matte sleeves are crisp and feel great in your hands. No matter what you pick, make sure you get standard size sleeves, not Japanese card size — Yu-Gi-Oh! cards are much smaller than Magic cards!

Deck Boxes

Your cards are now sleeved up and ready for battle. Now you need a reliable deck box. Here, you can’t go wrong with Ultimate Guard’s sturdy options.

I’m a big fan of the Flip ‘n’ Tray myself, as it can hold a fully sleeved deck, sideboard, and tokens, along with a built-in dice compartment.

For larger storage solutions, there are massive boxes that can hold up to 500 loose cards. All Ultimate Guard options come in a handful of different colors, and the Ultra PRO boxes sport some great official MTG art.

Playmats

Playmats are a must-have for any Magic player, since playing without one can make it hard to pick your cards up off the kitchen table.

Usually made of the same material as a standard mousepad, many people (myself included) like to use mats featuring art of their favorite cards or of their proudest Magic accomplishments.

You can even buy blank white playmats if you find yourself at a Magic Con and want to commission your favorite artist to make it look snazzy!

Dice and Counters

Keeping track of Planeswalker loyalty, +1/+1 counters, or Finality counters are a massive headache without an efficient way of doing so. Luckily, a set of D6 will set you right.

Some more unique cards, like Qarsi Revenant, give other creatures ability counters that are hard to keep track of, so I highly recommend a set of ability counters to go along with your accessories arsenal.

Binders

If you have rare or valuable cards you don’t want to store in a bulk storage box, binders are the way to go to keep them nice and pristine.

You can get various sizes and colors from both Ultimate Guard and Ultra PRO, but the Zipfolio from Ultimate Guard is my go-to for expensive singles. These fit great in your backpack for when you’re heading out to your local Friday Night Magic

Other Accessories

These suggestions are just scratching the surface of what these accessory makers have to offer. There are countless other sleeves, boxes, and mats to pick from, so pick your favorite Magic player’s favorite for a great gift.

Other accessories I recommend are lifepads; some Magic player prefer to write their life totals down and take notes instead of using the MTG Companion app or a spindown counter.

Dry erase tokens are great for cards with copy abilities. A playmat tube is a great storage solution to keep your mats dry and safe, and the Ultra PRO land station is a good way to sort your basic lands or have lands ready for your booster draft night.

Merch

Did you know that the IGN store has some awesome Magic: The Gathering merch? We have a handful of t-shirts, a crewneck sweater, and even a 17oz stainless steel water bottle for sale.

These make great gifts if you aren’t quite sure what cards, sets, or formats your favorite Magic player enjoys!

Myles Obenza is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Bluesky @mylesobenza.bsky.social.

As players dive deeper into Elden Ring Nightreign‘s launch content, more discoveries are being made and Nightlords felled. Some Nightfarers would like a little bit of assistance, though, when it comes to knowing what’s dropped on the ground.

One post on the Nightreign subreddit that picked up a bit of traction is asking for more weapon info when items drop on the ground. Clearing a camp or point-of-interest in Nightreign tends to result in a decent amount of loot to sort through, and so the idea is that you’d like some more details to quickly scan over.

As commenters have pointed out — and I went in to verify with a quick run — you are able to see a weapon class type by hitting R3 for details. This also provides info on Weapon Arts and passives, which helps a ton. You can still get confused by an item name in the heat of the moment, but otherwise, you’ll need to pause for a moment and read over.

It still doesn’t account for scaling, though, and while commenters note scaling is incorporated into the overall damage number on a weapon, sometimes seeing scaling can help. For example, knowing a raw damage number only tells you the damage of one hit, not how fast you can swing it. It’s uncertain whether that incorporates split damage weapons, either.

In another, potentially more controversial post, one Redditor suggested loot names on the drops, in colored text. This one honestly got a mixed reaction from me, as I don’t know that seeing a bunch of cluttered names littered on the ground would help that much. I also like the stress of picking an item up off the ground and debating its merits, pit against the ticking clock and urgency of the Night closing in.

Still, in this thread, others are asking for the same clarity in the previous one. While scaling and other details can be found in the sparring grounds, through the equipment chest, that does mean internalizing a lot of knowledge or having a wiki handy. There’s some desire for even a few extra tidbits of info, to help make those swift calls and decisions.

It’s an understandable desire, even if I’m not sure that any of the suggestions yet have looked like the right implementation. FromSoftware is clearly paying attention to player feedback though, as evidenced by its quick patch to nerf solo player difficulty and the commitment to adding a Duos mode. We’ll see if this is an area FromSoftware feels like it needs to fine-tune, or if it’s left as-is. Either way, some study time in the sparring grounds could ultimately do every Nightfarer some good, in their quest to take down the Nightlord.

We’ve got plenty of Nightreign tips and tricks to help you take down all the eight Nightlord Bosses, and if you’re wondering how to unlock the two locked Nightfarer Classes, check out How to Unlock the Revenant and How to Unlock the Duchess, plus How to Change Characters.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

The Nintendo Switch 2 edition of the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A can now be preordered for just £52.95 at Amazon, the lowest price we’ve seen from major UK retailers so far.

Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney believes small teams will soon be able to use AI prompts to make video games on the scale of Nintendo masterpiece The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Speaking to IGN at Epic’s State of Unreal 2025 event (where CD Projekt revealed a stunning The Witcher 4 tech demo), Sweeney said AI prompts will be “a fundamental part” of game engines, and will result in “entirely new genres of games invented that weren’t possible or practical before” without it.

A Switch 2 Edition for No Man’s Sky will be available alongside the launch of Nintendo’s new console, developer Hello Games has announced.

This version will come as a free upgrade for current No Man’s Sky owners, and offer a range of improvements such as full multiplayer, high-res texture support, and improvements to resolution and frame-rate.

No Man’s Sky on Switch 2 also offers cross-save and cross-play, so you can pick up exactly where you left off on Switch 1 — or elsewhere.

Hello Games has said the Switch 2 version of its successful sci-fi adventure survival game is the product of 12 month’s work getting to grips with Nintendo’s new hardware, after receiving development kits a year ago.

This new version arrives alongside (and, unsurprisingly, also contains) the latest big update for No Man’s Sky, entitled Beacons. This overhauls settlements and adds town management to the game, with some surprising new features.

Alongside new homesteads to discover, you’ll be able to become mayor of multiple locations. This will let you design hangout locations such as bars or fishing ponds, defend your towns from attack, and even get involved in the lives of your settlers, welcoming them in and helping them resolve disputes.

Beacons launches as a free update on all No Man’s Sky platforms today, ahead of the game’s Switch 2 version launching tomorrow, June 5.

Nintendo has a swathe of Switch 2 Editions also set to arrive tomorrow, although some of these will need paying for, while others (Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom) also come included with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

Today, Nintendo has released an array of updates to existing Switch 1 games in readiness for them to be played on Switch 2. For some, such as Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, this means improved visuals on when running on Nintendo’s new console. For others, such as Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, this includes support for GameShare sessions.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Mario Kart 8’s souped-up 200cc difficulty isn’t yet included within Switch 2 launch title Mario Kart World — but Nintendo has hinted at the possibility of its reappearance via a post-launch update.

Nintendo added 200cc mode to the Mario Kart series for the first time in Mario Kart 8, though it only turned up in a post-launch patch. Could Nintendo be planning to do the exact same thing for the series’ follow-up? It seems very likely.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, Mario Kart World producer Kosuke Yabuki acknowledged that 200cc had been a popular addition to the series, but stopped short of confirming anything around its return — for now.

“Some players are really happy with the addition of high difficulty modes likes this,” Kosuke teased. “However, does that mean we’re going to consider adding engine sizes that are larger than 150cc to Mario Kart World? I’m afraid I can’t say just yet.”

It’s not surprising that Nintendo has not included 200cc within Mario Kart World at launch. The mode’s arrival at a later date allows the game’s fans to learn courses and get used to playing at the standard 150cc (or lower, if you need) before the tougher challenge of 200cc arrives at a later date.

This will likely only be more of a consideration with Mario Kart World’s multiplayer-friendly gameplay, in which groups of players are encouraged to team up and explore together, their GameChat open, and cameras switched on.

Presumably, whenever Mario Kart World’s 200cc update does arrive, all players will need to be playing at the same level to explore the game’s map together. It’s therefore better, once again, to let players get to grips with 150cc first before things step up a gear, or engine size.

Mario Kart World launches this week alongside Nintendo Switch 2, and boasts a seamless map that can be explored at will. Just don’t go into this offering expecting it to be like Forza Horizon, IGN has said. And in other important Mario Kart news, IGN asked Nintendo if the game’s already-beloved Cow character is really eating beef.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

The developer of Balatro has confirmed the reason his viral hit poker game doesn’t have any microtransactions or ads is because seeing games with those types of things “makes me want to put my computer in the dishwasher and set it to pots and pans.”

“The honest reason I don’t have microtransactions/season pass/ads/100 DLCs/etc in Balatro isn’t just about the ethics of those practices, but because when I play other games that have those things it makes me want to put my computer in the dishwasher and set it to pots and pans,” Localthunk posted on Bluesky.

“Like, I get why people add those things, but you’re shooting your UX in the foot if players are having their first impression and also being bombarded with a bunch of nonsense that isn’t actually the game.”

When asked if he was “subskeeting” free to download digital collectible card game Marvel Snap, Localthunk replied: “This isn’t about them, but I’m not letting them off the hook either lol. There’s, like, a 95% chance that if the game is [free-to-play] then the main menu UI is more complicated than the actual game UI.”

Microtransactions are an ever-present hot topic within the gaming community, with some developers and publishers accused of exploiting their customers with predatory in-game stores. Some government agencies, like the consumer council in Norway, have called loot boxes exploitative and predatory, and they’re banned in some parts of the world like Belgium and the Netherlands. Even some senators in U.S. have called for a ban on “greedy” in-app purchases after they were investigated by the FTC.

Just last week, Activision sparked a backlash when it quietly added adverts to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone’s loadout menus, which the company later removed, claiming it was a “feature test” published “in error.”

Localthunk was recently compelled to denounce AI art after a subreddit moderator erroneously claimed neither the developer nor publisher Playstack had an “issue” with AI-generated art. Localthunk came out on the record to say: “Neither Playstack nor I condone AI ‘art’. I don’t use it in my game, I think it does real harm to artists of all kinds. The actions of this mod do not reflect how Playstack feels or how I feel on the topic. We have removed this moderator from the moderation team.”

Balatro is the viral deckbuilder where you play illegal poker hands, discover game-changing jokers, and trigger adrenaline-pumping and outrageous combos. IGN’s Balatro review returned a 9/10. We said: “A deck-building poker roguelike of endlessly satisfying proportions, Balatro is the sort of fun that threatens to derail whole weekend plans.”

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.