Category: IGN

While the latest trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gave fans plenty of new things to get excited about, it also appeared to show a classic enemy from the N64’s Ocarina of Time.

The infamous ReDead monster can be seen nestled between a Lizalfos and what appears to be a giant Bokoblin in a gameplay trailer shared during February 8’s Nintendo Direct.

The trailer only showed the ReDead for a couple of seconds, but those familiar with previous Zelda games will understand how it fits into a darker version of Hyrule.

It’s been four months since we last saw The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but with less than a hundred days to go until we get the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nintendo couldn’t help but give us another look at the game.

Despite two new trailers within months, we’re still not any closer to learning more about what is happening in Hyrule during the events of Tears of the Kingdom. We do, however, get a better glimpse of some of the new gameplay mechanics we’re sure to see when we dive back in.

Here are the biggest surprises we saw in the new Tears of the Kingdom trailer.

Vehicular Fun

Do you remember how weeks after Breath of the Wild released players began sharing videos of themselves creating homebrewed airplanes and cars made from barrels and baskets? It seems like Nintendo thought those were pretty good ideas and decided to integrate vehicles directly into the sequel, Tears of the Kingdom.

The ancient Master Cycle Zero was obviously added to Breath of the Wild as part of the Champions’ Ballad expansion, but the trailer highlights many more new vehicles players can ride, including some kind of hovercraft, a land rover, and a hot air balloon.

However, these vehicles might not just be items you come across fully built in the world. At the 1-minute 39-second mark, you can see Link pull out what looks like a wheel from a swamp. Moments later, he’s riding a vehicle that uses that exact same wheel. Furthermore, the hovercraft looks to be held together by some kind of green glue substance, which might be a crafting item found in the world. One thing’s for sure, the DIY ethos from the first game is returning and with even more toys to play around with, it’s exciting to imagine what else players can create in Nintendo’s sandbox.

Darker World, Darker Story?

The trailer for Tears of the Kingdom has all been quite grim, and now we know that the Kingdom of Hyrule is in an especially bad place right now. There’s a menacing red moon hovering in the sky, the Bokoblins have free rein over the land, and everything is shrouded in dark, miserable gloom.

The darker tone follows a not-rare trend of Nintendo following up one of their Zelda games with a darker sequel. Think Majora’s Mask versus Ocarina of Time, or Twilight Princess after Wind Waker. The main imagery of the game so far — Link’s corrupted arm and the mummified Ganon — all paint a much darker sequel

There’s Gotta Be Two Worlds

I’ve seen Link jump from some sky plateau enough times that I’m fully convinced we’re going to get two worlds to explore, a sky world and a land world just like Skyward Sword. There’s just no way Link is shooting off into the sky, especially now that he can build himself a hover plane, just for a one-off dungeon.

Having dual worlds, especially one layered on top of each other, could effectively double the size of Hyrule, assuming that the base map stays the same (although Tears of the Kingdom’s version of Hyrule certainly has differences compared to Breath of the Wild).

There is reason to believe this might not be the case, however. The various areas shown so far appear to be broken in some ways, and the final scene of the new trailer shows some kind of terrible fracture happening across Hyrule, which could hint at cavernous areas underground (A third area? In this economy?). So whether Hyrule is intact during the events of Tears of the Kingdom remains to be seen.

Everything’s Bigger in Hyrule

The primary takeaway from the new Tears of the Kingdom trailer for me is “more.” There’s just more of everything players loved from Breath of the Wild in Tears of the Kingdom based on the two trailers we’ve received so far. From more kinds of enemies (from flying lizards that carry Bokoblins to fire-breathing dragons to what I’m pretty sure was a ReDead), more tools like heat-seeking arrows and some kind of bomb-thrower, and more ground (sky?) to cover thanks to the new hovercraft and hot air balloon technology.

While we’ll have to wait until May to see what Tears of the Kingdom truly has in store, the driving ethos behind the sequel appears to be give players more of what they want, and that’s exactly what the trailer promised.

If you haven’t already seen, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is now available to preorder at its new price of $69.99 from various retailers. You can see our full preorder guide for all the details, alongside news on the Collector’s Edition preorders. But, some of us may just be after the new Link – Tears of the Kingdom amiibo. If you are, you’re in luck, as we’ve got all the current preorder details for the brand-new amiibo figure in one easy-to-access article.

Preorder Link – Tears of the Kingdom Amiibo Right Now

The new amiibo featuring Link in his new Tears of the Kingdom look will grant access to materials, weapons, and a special fabric for Link’s paraglider when scanned. It will cost $15.99, and releases the same day as the new game on May 12. It is currently only available to preorder from Best Buy, but we’ll update this article when we get any more news, or you can follow @IGNDeals on Twitter for instant updates.

• Preorder at Best Buy – $15.99
• Preorder in the UK – Register Your Interest
• Preorder at Amazon – Not Live
• Preorder at GameStop – Not Live
• Preorder at Target – Not Live
• Preorder at Walmart – Not Live

Other Zelda Amiibo Will Also Work in Tears of the Kingdom

Scanning other amiibo from The Legend of Zelda series will unlock different designs for your glider, including one that looks like Majora’s Mask. According to Nintendo, other amiibo can help you receive helpful materials, weapons or a paraglider fabric based on the amiibo you scanned. Unforutently, the only one that’s widely available still is the Zelda and Loftwig amiibo, so I’ve left a quick link to that just below as well.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is launching on May 12, 2023 for $69.99. This confirms the rumored $10 price increase from previous Nintendo Switch first-party titles. Nintendo also showed off a look at Tears of the Kingdom’s Collector’s Edition alongside the brand new amiibo figure.

The Collector’s Edition will retail for $129.99 and include a physical version of the game, an artbook, a Steelbook case, a steel poster, and four pin badges. An amiibo featuring Link in his new Tears of the Kingdom look will grant access to materials, weapons, and a special fabric for Link’s paraglider when scanned. Scanning other amiibo from The Legend of Zelda series will unlock different designs for your glider, including one that looks like Majora’s Mask.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was shown off again at Nintendo’s most recent Direct live stream, and featured a few minutes of new gameplay footage. The game is officially up for preorder in the UK, and will now cost £59.99 (and $69.99 in the US, unfortunately for them).

But, if you’re savvy enough you can definitely save some money on your preorder in the UK. Affordable gaming retailer Hit (previously Base), has still got it preorders for Tears of the Kingdom down at £48.85. Other retailers such as Amazon, GAME, and Argos have the game available to preorder as well, but now at the new price of £59.99. You can also now register your interest for the Collector’s Edition and Link -Tears of the Kingdom amiibo from Nintendo, but keep an eye on @IGNUKDeals as we’ll tweet when these are available to preorder as well.

Where to Preorder The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in the UK

The best Tears of the Kingdom (or Breath of the Wild 2 as many of us called it for years) preorder deal in the UK is still at Hit for £48.95. In case you’re wondering, Hit is a 100% legit retailer and used to be called Base. We’ve linked out to them before and had no complaints! I’ll leave all the relevant links down below for Tears of the Kingdom preorders.

Where to Preorder Tears of the Kingdom Collector’s Edition and Amiibo

You can register your interest in The Legend of Zelda Collector’s Edition (£119.99), or the Link – Tears of the Kingdom amiibo (£12.99) from Nintendo right now in the UK. Otherwise, follow and set notifications of for @IGNUKDeals on Twitter as we’ll tweet when the preorders go live.

Best Hogwarts Legacy Preorder Deals in the UK

These deals from Green Man Gaming are incredible, and definitely worth considering if you’re getting Hogwarts Legacy on PC or Xbox. This is especially good for those who use Steam, and even better if you’ve got a Steam Deck, as Hogwarts Legacy is confirmed to be Verified at launch.

For just £42.49 you can preorder the game and be ready to play on February 10 (or go for the Deluxe Edition for £50.99 and play on February 7 instead). See our full 9/10 review for the game here.

Save 20% With Code HOGWARTS20 at Currys

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Metroid Prime Remastered Is Now on Nintendo Switch

ICYMI, After years of rumors, Metroid Prime Remastered is real. If that wasn’t exciting enough, Nintendo is releasing the game today on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Physical copies of the game will also be available on February 22.

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Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

Is the Nintendo Switch too old? Can Nintendo’s wildly successful handheld, now in its sixth year, maintain its momentum amid concerns about horsepower and a potentially barren release schedule in the second half of 2023? Is The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom really worth $70?

These were some of the questions being asked heading into the first Nintendo Direct of 2023 — a show that Nintendo typically uses to set the agenda for the rest of the year. There was excitement among Nintendo fans, but wariness as well. Coming off a year marred by releases with notable technical problems, and with the long-rumored Switch Pro failing to materialize, the calls for a next-gen Switch have become difficult to ignore.

In the end, Nintendo fans didn’t get their Switch 2, or even much in the way of new information on The Legend of the Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. They did, however, get to see several prominent rumors come to fruition, including the long-awaited arrival of Game Boy and GBA games on Switch. The heavily-rumored Baten Kaitos collection also made the cut, and Advance Wars got a release date at last. Even Mario Kart 8 got a little love with a new character and track.

In a sign of the Nintendo Switch’s increasingly advanced age, many of the announcements were more about looking back than looking forward. Retro Studios’ Metroid Prime remaster — rumored since seemingly the dawn of the Switch — was a big part of the Direct, even receiving a shadow drop after the show was over. It’s a release that’s been loudly requested by fans over the years, not the least because Metroid Prime is so hard to get these days. Is the remaster enough to fill the gap between now and whenever the next Switch is released? It’ll have to be.

Nintendo fans know it could be much worse

Of course, Nintendo fans know that it can always be worse. Much worse. The Wii U saw fewer than 20 games released at retail in 2016. The GameCube fared little better, but both consoles effectively withered on the vine in their final years as third-party developers fled to other platforms and new releases were pushed to next-generation successors.

The Nintendo Switch feels strikingly robust by comparison, handily surpassing the PS4 to become the third highest selling platform in history. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, for all of their technical problems, still managed to move some 18 million units combined last year. With a mix of sequels, indie releases, and remasters, Nintendo has maintained a steady drumbeat of new releases on the platform. Add in the occasional tentpole release, and the Switch has managed to remain relevant — even essential — despite being multiple generations behind in tech.

That sense was heightened by the anticipation for today’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom trailer. Ever since its brief reveal in 2019, the long-awaited sequel to Breath of the Wild has stood on the horizon like a glittering treasure for Switch owners. Its predecessor has grown in esteem to the point that many fans regard it as the best game in the series, if not the best game ever made. Tears of the Kingdom has come to symbolize the hope and anticipation that has defined so much of the Switch’s run, which has fueled endless speculation around the next Nintendo Direct, the next Smash Bros. reveal, the next remaster, the next sequel.

Nintendo was content to let that speculation go on a little longer with today’s trailer, teasing Zelda fans with around two minutes of new footage. It wasn’t much, but it was seemingly enough to overcome some of the discontent over its $70 price point, which feels especially high on an older system like the Nintendo Switch. It hardly seems possible that Tears of the Kingdom will live up to its sky high expectations fueled by years of waiting, but Nintendo has made a habit of matching and exceeding the hype with Zelda.

A murky future for the Switch

After Tears of the Kingdom, though, Nintendo faces plenty of questions. Most of the anticipated sequels are out now; the well of remasters is almost dry. With so few future titles highlighted during the Direct, it’s hard to know what the rest of 2023 holds for Nintendo Switch. Even now, there’s a growing consensus among fans and observers that it’s time for Nintendo to move on from the Switch.

That won’t be easy for Nintendo. The Switch has been easily the most successful Nintendo platform in two 25 years, surpassing even the highs of the Wii. It has seen the company enjoy a creative and cultural renaissance that will be difficult — if not impossible — to replicate. A new Switch will garner plenty of excitement, but it’s hard to imagine another moment like Animal Crossing: New Horizon.

Nintendo fulfilled many long-held rumors and dreams with the first Direct of 2023. After today, there won’t be many left. More than ever, the end is in sight.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Kirby’s Return To Dream Land originally came out in 2011, right at the tail end of the Wii’s incandescent lifespan. It aimed to be Kirby in its purest, SNES-aping form; a bright, side-scrolling beat-em-up laden with digestible power-ups, airy platforming, and a flat difficulty curve. (In other words, it wasn’t a kart racer, or a pinball machine.) Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, which hits the Switch later this month, is effectively the same game with some notable bells and whistles tacked on. If Kirby’s recent foray into the Forgotten Land has you hungry for more of his trademark dayglo hijinks, then Nintendo will gladly let us explore the fairly recent past.

Return to Dream Land was built around the chaos of four-player co-op, which translates nicely to the Switch’s flexibility. I played the game using a single Joy-Con on its side, and given how Kirby has never been the most mechanically dexterous series on the planet, I had no trouble chowing down on the many hapless Waddle Doos in my reign of terror. If Kirby doesn’t resonate with you, players can also strap into either Meta-Knight or King Dedede — both of whom have apparently defected to the side of righteousness for this adventure — to aid in the campaign. The controls are eerily similar to what you might find in Super Smash Bros., with distinct attack abilities mapped to the directional tilt of the joystick. Yes, Kirby has an up-B, a down-B, and even a bubble shield in Return to Dream Land. All that’s missing is a grapple.

Hal Laboratories has added a few new enemies (and their corresponding morph suits) to the campaign to spice up the action for returning Dream Land residents. I encountered one who, upon consumption, turned Kirby into a mechanized gundam warrior. He reigned hellfire down on his enemies with hilarious splendor. There are also a few “ultimate” transformations to find, which as the name implies, can clear the screen in a hurry. After snagging one, I was able to expand into a giant runaway snowball, rolling up everything — yes, even my teammates — in my wake. It wouldn’t be a multiplayer Nintendo game without a bit of anarchy.

Our squad breezed through the gauntlet and the corresponding boss battle, so if you’re expecting a foreboding challenge — the prophesied Dark Souls of Kirby — you won’t find it here. What you will find are a number of mini-games that are siloed off in a different mode called Merry Magoland. We played one, called, adorably, Kirby on the Draw, which was a standard shooting gallery affixed to Joy-Con motion controls. If you tire of the story missions, it appears that Return to Dream Land can easily double as a party game.

But the most interesting new wrinkle is what Nintendo is describing as an epilogue attached to the end of Return to Dream Land’s story. In it, we play as the ostensible final boss — Magolor — who finds themselves bereft of their powers and left for dead. At the start of the chapter, the only character functionality you’ll have access to is a floaty jump and a wimpy pea shooter. However, as you and up to three friends blast through the enemies (and maintain Devil May Cry-style combos), you’ll be able to purchase upgrades to your arsenal, as if you were outfitting a League of Legends Champion. After going under the hood, suddenly Magolor’s energy beam covers more ground, and he’s able to drop bombs from the sky. I wasn’t able to see the full depths of Magolor’s journey, but structurally, it does appear to pack more of a punch than the effervescent levity that has defined the Kirby series for decades. I doubt it’ll match the daunting challenge of, say, Metroid Dread, but it’s still an interesting direction.

Will that be enough for Return to Dream Land to leave a dent on the release schedule? It’s difficult to say. There are certainly more auspicious re-releases lingering in Nintendo’s back-catalog, and a deluxe version of a tasteful but featherweight Kirby game can’t hope to match the same megaton appeal of a remastered take on Skyward Sword or Link’s Awakening — both of which recently made their way to the Switch. Still, this is a surprisingly generous package for a game that could’ve easily been saddled with the standard HD up-res and a few quality of life improvements. Kirby’s Return To Dream Land wants to be regarded as a brand new game. We’ll see if gamers agree.

Nintendo has announced that it is adding Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games to the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service, and they’re coming later today.

Revealed as part of today’s Nintendo Direct event, Nintendo said that classic Game Boy games will be available as part of the basic Nintendo Switch Online subscription, while Game Boy Advance games are coming as part of the premium Expansion Pack upgrade for Switch Online.

Game Boy games included at launch include Tetris, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX, Gargoyle’s Quest, Game & Watch Gallery 3, Alonme in the Dark: The New Nightmare, Metroid II: Return of Samus, Wario Land 3, and Kirby’s Dream Land. You can use the Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, and Game Boy Color filters.

The launch lineup for Game Boy Advance includes Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, WarioWare Inc.: Mega MicroGames, Kuru Kuru Kuruin, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. More games are coming in the future for both platforms.

The Expansion Pack for Nintendo Switch Online launched last October, and made N64 and Sega Genesis games available for subscribers. Its launch wasn’t the smoothest in gaming history with players reporting lag while playing the classic games, but those games did at least play at 60Hz in all territories.

Improvements have since been made, and the library has also expanded to include The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Game Boy games only add to the library of nostalgia.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Microsoft has been putting out new Xbox controller designs at a steady clip for years now. The latest is an eye-catching entry called Xbox Wireless Controller – Stellar Shift Special Edition. It continues the Shift line that includes the Aqua Shift and Lunar Shift designs, and it looks pretty great. It costs $69.99 and you can order it now at Best Buy and the Microsoft Store.

Xbox Wireless Controller – Stellar Shift

The controller is a somewhat shiny kind of purple-blue color that shifts hues as you turn it. You can see the color-changing effect in a video in the official announcement. Xbox PR says it has “deep space vibes.” It also has marbled purple and black textured grips on the handles that goes well with the overall somewhat trippy design of the device.

Textured grips are also in place on the triggers, bumpers, and back case, meaning your fingers shouldn’t be slipping off this thing no matter how intense your gaming session gets. Most of the rest of the features are pretty standard for Xbox controllers. Xbox makes the best controller of them all, in my opinion.

One other bonus you get for picking up the Stellar Shift controller is that it comes with a dynamic deep-space purple and blue Xbox background that’s unlocked when you connect the controller to your Xbox Series X or S. You can select this from the settings screen.

These Shift controllers do seem to be available in somewhat limited quantities. The Aqua Shift one seems to have sold out everywhere, though the Lunar Shift one is available for the discounted price of $49.99. So who knows what will happen to this one. It looks pretty cool though.

Chris Reed is a deals expert and commerce editor for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed or on Mastodon @chrislreed.

Following a two-week delay, Activision has fully revealed the Season 2 roadmap for both Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and its free-to-play companion game, Warzone 2.0.

The extensive list of updates includes new maps for both games, the return of popular modes, and even a new watercraft vehicle. More importantly, it will add ranked play to multiplayer in Modern Warfare 2, which will offer “plenty of rewards and bragging rights.”

Season 2 is currently slated to launch for both games on February 15 at 9am PT.

The #CODBlog has everything you need to know about Call of Duty #Warzone2 and #MWII Season 02 ? https://t.co/7IPLy2iMju

? Resurgence is back on Ashika Island
? Grind to the top with MP Ranked Play
? Infected and Gun Game return
? Major BR changes including 1v1 Gulag pic.twitter.com/sz7uLLItCC

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) February 8, 2023

In a blog post detailing the updates, Activision laid out the changes while revealing Warzone’s new Japanese-themed Ashika Island map. Here’s the official description.

Developed by High Moon Studios, Ashika Island is a centuries-old village currently under siege by Shadow Company forces. After dropping in through the mist, Operators can navigate an ancient shipwreck and ruins, modern apartments and town center, a sprawling beach club, a bustling port, an organic farm, or the fortified castle that looms over the entire island. They may even discover plenty of rooftop pathways or the underground waterway networks that can be used for stealthier maneuvers.

The island is suited for Resurgence Mode, Activision says — a variant on the traditional battle royale formula built around respawns and smaller maps.

Other additions include:

• Two core maps and two battle maps in Modern Warfare 2. Dome (6v6) and Museum (6v6) will be the staple maps for the entirety of Season 2.
• A “half-dozen modes” including Hardcore Mode, which is considered a series staple.
• Episode 2 of Raid, which serves as a continuation of the Modern Warfare 2 campaign.

Originally released last year, Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 both proved popular but also generated lengthy wishlists from fans. The long-awaited Season 2 update was subsequently delayed due to the desire to address “player feedback.”

In our review of Warzone 2 we wrote, “Building on the already rock-solid foundation of the original Warzone, Warzone 2.0 is a positive update to Call of Duty’s battle royale mode, even with few drawbacks of its own.”

Elsewhere, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) released its initial findings on the Activision Blizzard merger earlier today, with the CMA arguing that the deal would ultimately hurt gamers. Nevertheless, Xbox’s Phil Spencer says he remains confident the deal will ultimately go through.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.