Black Friday is creeping up on us. For those keeping an eye on the calendar, the big sale event kicks off next week on November 28, but there are already plenty of great deals to look through. This is especially true of video games, with select releases seeing some nice discounts so far. Borderlands 4 is among them at Amazon, as it’s hit a new low price for PS5, Xbox Series X, and even preorders on Nintendo Switch 2.
Borderlands 4 Hits a New Low Price
According to price tracker camelcamelcamel, this is the lowest price yet for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions of Borderlands 4. It’s also a first-time price drop for the Switch 2 preorders, which is worth taking advantage of if you’ve been looking to own it for the handheld. It’s worth keeping in mind that the Switch 2 version has been delayed indefinitely, but this will still secure you a copy for when it’s ready.
We were big fans of Borderlands 4. In our 8/10 review, writer Travis Northup said it’s “a badass open-world evolution of a wonderfully unhinged looter-shooter series that needed to try something new, and it largely nails the biggest swings it takes. Combat is slicker than ever thanks to exciting new movement options and some interesting enemy designs, and the entertaining story takes things in a fresh direction while still tying neatly into existing lore.”
This deal is just the beginning. There’s so much more to come as we get closer to Black Friday, especially when it comes to video game deals. Our breakdowns of what to expect from PS5 and Xbox’s sales this year can help you plan ahead. Nintendo’s already announced its Black Friday sale so you can see what they’ll have up their sleeves as well.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
Phantasmal Flames is officially out in the wild, ready for Pokémon Trainers worldwide to catch it. Luckily, I’m here to make sure they can do it with more Pokécoins left in their backpacks.
Right now, the Phantasmal Flames Booster Box is under market value compared to TCGplayer, and you could save another $60 on top of that deal if you play your cards right.
All you need to do is apply for an Amazon Visa card, get accepted, and you’ll receive an instant $60 credit on your Amazon account.
Got AMEX or Discover? Use it at checkout to pay $1 off your order for a possible discount of up to 50%. It isn’t always available, but 100% worth checking before you commit to buying.
Of course, I wouldn’t give any financial advice, so if you’d struggle not getting into debt with a credit card, it might be best just taking the discounted price as is.
Or you could just follow the hyperlinks and buy them outright, with the Illustration Rares costing far less than a booster bundle if you can’t snag the free gift card.
Best Phantasmal Flames Chase Cards You Can Buy Right Now
The good news is Phantasmal Flames is moving to more affordable pricing after it’s launch weekend, with over $200 off the Gold Hyper Rare Mega Charizard X ex alone.
There’s plenty to chase in this set, but if you want to save more money i’d suggest buying single cards over opening endless boosters.
Here’s where to buy the top chase cards right now alongside up-to-date market values.
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.
Donkey Kong 64 fans celebrate! Nintendo will pay tribute to a pair of classic N64 characters via an upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza Emerald Rush DLC challenge.
After years left in the wilderness, both Chunky Kong and Lanky Kong will return in the DLC as “exclusive in-game statues”, Nintendo has today confirmed, as part of the upcoming So Strong It’s Funny in-game challenge.
The event, set to run from November 25 to December 2, will be set on the game’s Hilltop Layer. As of yet, there’s no word on exactly how may points players will need to rack up to earn these latest cosmetic items used to decorate DK Island.
Regardless, long-term Kong fans are simply celebrating the fact that Nintendo has referenced these long-lost characters at all, after only a handful of glimpses over the past few decades.
Brawny but gentle Chunky Kong (cousin of Dixie Kong) has only made three video game appearances since his 1999 debut in Donkey Kong 64. He cameos in a Donkey Kong Country 3 mini-game on Game Boy Advance, then pops up as a sticker and spirit in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Ultimate.
Eagle-eyed fans also spotted a split-second appearance by Chunky Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, standing alongside an equally-brief appearance for Diddy and Dixie — though you’ll need to pause the film to really know it’s him.
Fans had hoped that this appearance, and the fact Nintendo had gone to the trouble of slightly tweaking his design, suggested more appearances for Chunky Kong in future. And indeed, Bananza’s upcoming statue seems to feature this same slightly-tweaked look. Could we see more of him in the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy Movie, or perhaps even that long-rumored upcoming Donkey Kong movie spin-off? Time will tell.
The long-armed Lanky Kong, meanwhile, is similarly little-seen. He didn’t get a Super Mario Bros. Movie cameo, but did appear as an unlockable character in 2007 Wii racer Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast. Could we be seeing more of him in the future too?
If you haven’t picked it up already, Bananza’s DLC is stuffed full of references to Donkey Kong 64 and other past classics, with appearances from Diddy, Dixie, Cranky, Squawks the parrot from Donkey Kong Country and DK’s house from Donkey Kong Country Returns. Other Kongs referenced (but not seen) include a poster for Candy Kong (don’t ask) and a pair of Donkey Konga bongo drums to bounce around on top of.
So now, who’s next for a return?
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Costing $99.99, the new version of the “Limit Break” Commander Deck offers the same 100-card deck you can find already, but with a download code for the original Final Fantasy 7 on PC, and a new promo card featuring the iconic shot of Cloud in FF7.
The new lineup has been incredibly hard to come by since it was revealed, and preorders sold out within a day. Amazon stocking up with a whole new allocation is great news for fans, and you no longer need to pay inflated prices to third-party sellers.
It’s not just a collectible item either; the commander deck itself is absolutely fantastic, and actually dovetails nicely with Fallout’s Scrappy Survivors precon from last year (as long as you’re happy with yet another bold RPG crossover).
Limit Break is all about getting your creatures to 7 power to trigger additional effects from Cloud or Tifa, while minimizing equip costs to allow you to switch gear and keep opponents guessing.
Reprint value is decent, too. Not only do you get Darksteel Plate, Sword of the Animist, and Fire-Lit Thicket, but Clever Concealment has some amazing new art of Cloud’s disguise.
Thanks to its Final Fantasy synergies, Stoneforge Mystic has been shooting up in both popularity and price.
This two-mana staple slots perfectly into the equipment-heavy Limit Break deck, tutoring out gear with ease, and the market has noticed, it’s jumped from under $20 to around $50 in recent listings.
That’s some serious stonks, and it could end up being a smart long-term pickup.
The set is the most popular in Magic’s long history, and has led to prices skyrocketing for collector’s items like the Travelling Chocobo range and characters like Sephiroth.
Whether you’re opening boosters, sorting through prerelease pulls, or keeping tabs on the market for trade value, it’s clear this set is drawing serious attention.
If you’re curious which cards are in highest demand right now, either to cash in or just to see what the hype is all about, here’s a few handy pointers on what to look out for.
Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN’s resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.
Assassin’s Creed publisher Ubisoft has said it will act swiftly to remove an image found within Anno 117: Pax Romana that contains AI-generated elements, which it says was not designed to be included in the game’s final version.
Fans of the city-building Anno franchise quickly spotted a loading screen featured in the series’ latest entry that was not of the same quality seen in others, with some telltale signs of AI generation: missing limbs, low-quality features and oddly composited elements.
As posted on reddit, and first reported by Kotaku, the game’s Steam listing also features a warning that “AI tools were used tp help create some in-game assets.” In a statement to IGN, Ubisoft noted that the image had been a “placeholder” and provided a final, human-made version of the artwork it had meant to include instead.
“This image was a placeholder asset that unintentionally slipped through our review process,” a Ubisoft spokesperson said. “The final image is attached here and will replace the current version of this artwork with the upcoming 1.3 patch.
“With Anno 117: Pax Romana being our most ambitious Anno yet, we’ve assembled the largest team of artists ever for the franchise and to help meet the project’s unique scope, they use AI tools for iterations, prototyping, and exploration. Every element players will experience in the final game reflects the team’s craft, artistry, and creative vision.”
Still, the final version of the image simply looks to have been retouched to clean up the original image’s more wonky elements — suggesting that anything else AI-generated which did look passable will remain.
Regardless, Ubisoft’s response differs from that of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 publisher Activision, which hit the headlines last week by simply acknowledging the widespread use of AI-generated imagery in its latest blockbuster shooter — particularly in its Studio Ghilbi-inspired calling cards. In a statement, Activision said its AI use was designed to “empower and support our teams to create the best gaming experiences possible for our players.”
Outside of its AI use, Ubisoft’s Anno 117: Pax Romana has otherwise been warmly received. The game “is a gorgeous antique city-builder that sucked me in for dozens of hours,” IGN wrote in our Anno 117: Pax Romana review, awarding the game a 9/10 score.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster Collection just hit its best price ever ahead of the Black Friday sales. It’s sitting at $40 right now, down from the usual $75, which is a clean 47% cut and even beats the recent Prime Day offer by another five bucks.
Break it down, and the value is absurd. Based on HowLongToBeat times, you’re looking at roughly 30 cents per hour of classic Final Fantasy if you work through the whole bundle.
In a market where new releases can run you double this package for a fraction of the content, that’s downright generous. These Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 editions also run perfectly on Switch 2 and PS5, so you’re covered on the hardware front.
Maybe you’ve recently discovered Final Fantasy because of the Magic: The Gathering crossover, and you’re curious where those characters and creatures actually come from.
This is the easiest way to get the full tour. You’re getting the first six games with modern touches like adjustable EXP gain, toggleable encounters, and auto-battle, all of which make these versions the most approachable they’ve ever been.
Not long ago, the physical edition was one of those almost impossible-to-find collector items. Reprints finally fixed that, and now all six games cost about half the price of a single new release.
As I mentioned, it’s the best price ever on this collection, so you’re getting the best deal possible (backed up by trusted price trackers like CamelCamelCamel).
Should You Wait for Black Friday?
Probably not. When a deal hits an all-time low during the run up to Black Friday, that’s usually the signal that retailers have already fired their biggest shot for deals like this.
This collection doesn’t swing up and down like mainstream blockbusters, and Square Enix hasn’t been in the habit of pushing deeper cuts on it outside the major tentpole events. The last meaningful drop was during Prime Day, and this price already beats that.
Plus, physical stock also isn’t guaranteed to sit around forever. This is still a niche collector-leaning release, and once the early Black Friday rush cleans out retailers, you’re at risk of FOMO.
Could Black Friday proper knock off another dollar or two? In theory. In practice, retailers use early Black Friday offers to test demand, and if something sells well at an all-time low, they don’t bother dropping it further. So if you’ve been waiting for the right moment to grab this set, in my expert opinion, this is the moment.
More Early Black Friday Deals
Black Friday discounts are already starting to roll in, and we’ll see a whole host of sales go officially live in the next few days across retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and more.
Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN’s resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.
IGN’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Ashes of the Damned map is now available! Our interactive map tracks all crucial locations across Ashes of the Damned, including Perk Machines, Secret Zombies Easter Eggs, Main Quest Objectives, Wall Buys, and even Audio Log collectibles, so you’ll know exactly where to go as you attempt to fend off those waves of incoming Zombies.
The available map filters for our Ashes of the Damned interactive map include:
Locations, such as Weapon and Armor Wall Buys, Ammo Caches, Perk Machines, Arsenals, Crafting Benches, Jump Pads, Door Buys, and much more.
Collectibles, including Artifacts, Audio Logs, and Documents.
Easter Eggs, including Main Easter Egg Quest objectives, and secret Side Easter Eggs.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Guides
Whether you’re jumping into the BO7 Campaign, Multiplayer or Zombies, IGN’s comprhensive game help coverage has got you covered, with detailed walkthrough guides, weapon builds and recommendations, Easter Egg locations, and so much more. Our coverage includes:
We’ve rounded up the best deals for Sunday, November 16, below, so don’t miss out on these limited-time offers.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for $30
GameStop has Final Fantasy VII Rebirth available for $30. The second chapter of the Final Fantasy VII remake project brings Cloud Strife and the iconic cast into the world of Gaia for the first time, as they step out of Midgar following an eventful escape. Many new characters join the party, including Yuffie Kisaragi, Cait Sith, and more. With the third entry in the project currently in development, now is the perfect time to catch up and prepare.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake for $34.99
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake was one of the most enjoyable RPGs of 2024, featuring a gorgeous remade HD-2D world and voice acting. If you haven’t had the chance to check this one out yet, Amazon has copies available for only $34.99. With Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake available now, it’s the perfect time to dive into one of the most important games in the genre.
Borderlands 4 (Switch 2) for $54.99
While the release of Borderlands 4 for Nintendo Switch 2 was delayed indefinitely, Target has discounted the Key Card this weekend. Instead of paying the full $70, you can secure a copy of the Nintendo Switch 2 version for $54.99. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Borderlands 4 gives the series the massive kick in the pants it has needed, with a fantastic open world and greatly improved combat, even if bugs and invisible walls can sometimes throw off that groove.”
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound for $32.48
Ninja Gaiden has had an incredible 2025, and today, you can score one of the franchise’s most unique entries for $32.48. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound released in August and was created by The Game Kitchen. In our 9/10 review, we wrote, “Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound looks and sounds incredible, and the fast but thoughtful combat is so satisfying it’s hard to put down.”
NBA 2K26 for $29.99
NBA 2K26 is on sale this weekend for $29.99, which is the lowest price we’ve seen to date. You can score a copy for Switch, Switch 2, PS5, or Xbox Series X at this price. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Ball Over Everything” is a fitting description for NBA 2K26. The smooth on-court action is better than ever and MyCareer’s excellent started-from-the-bottom journey to the pros story make it so the imperfections are easier to ignore.”
Glorious GMMK PRO 75% Keyboard for $99.99
Best Buy has a huge sale on this Glorious mechanical keyboard today, allowing you to save $250. This keyboard is fully customizable, so you can switch out switches, keycaps, and more with ease. If you’ve been looking to upgrade your setup with a luxury mechanical keyboard, this is a deal worth your attention.
Apple AirPods 4 for $84.99
Amazon has the Apple AirPods 4 on sale for $84.99 today, a price even lower than last weekend! These earbuds feature Spatial Audio, up to five hours of listening time per charge, and so much more. Apple AirPods 5 likely won’t be out for a good bit, so now is the perfect time to pick up a pair of new AirPods if your old ones are giving out.
Beats Solo Buds for $39
The Beats brand has continued to provide quality wireless earbuds throughout the last few years, and the Solo Buds are no exception. These small earbuds may come with a tiny case, but you can expect up to 18 hours of earbud battery life. For $39, it’s hard to find another pair of earbuds better than this ahead of Black Friday.
Gurren Lagann Complete Box Set Blu-ray for $109.99
Crunchyroll Store is holding its annual Aniplex sale, meaning now is the only time you can save on some of the most expensive anime Blu-rays out there. Today, you can score the Gurren Lagann Complete Box Set, which includes both the original TV series and two movies, for $109.99. This is a must-watch for any fan of the genre, and this box set is the perfect way to make this all-time classic a permanent part of your collection.
LEGO Star Wars Tantive IV Set for $51.19
Amazon has the iconic Tantive IV available in LEGO form for $51.19 this weekend. Normally priced at $79.99, this set features a total of 654 pieces, recreating the ship that kicked off the Star Wars franchise. For collectors, this is a must-have, especially as it features a LEGO Star Wars 25th Anniversary brick.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure for $24.99
Hello Kitty Island Adventure officially came to Nintendo Switch, PC, and PlayStation 5 this year, and it’s a great time if you’re a fan of cozy games. A massive island is yours to explore, with a story that slowly unfolds as you build relationships with Hello Kitty and friends.
We’ve rounded up the best deals for Saturday, November 15, below, so don’t miss out on these limited-time offers.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound for $32.48
Ninja Gaiden has had an incredible 2025, and today, you can score one of the franchise’s most unique entries for $32.48. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound released in August and was created by The Game Kitchen. In our 9/10 review, we wrote, “Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound looks and sounds incredible, and the fast but thoughtful combat is so satisfying it’s hard to put down.”
NBA 2K26 for $29.99
NBA 2K26 is on sale this weekend for $29.99, which is the lowest price we’ve seen to date. You can score a copy for Switch, Switch 2, PS5, or Xbox Series X at this price. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Ball Over Everything” is a fitting description for NBA 2K26. The smooth on-court action is better than ever and MyCareer’s excellent started-from-the-bottom journey to the pros story make it so the imperfections are easier to ignore.”
Glorious GMMK PRO 75% Keyboard for $99.99
Best Buy has a huge sale on this Glorious mechanical keyboard today, allowing you to save $250. This keyboard is fully customizable, so you can switch out switches, keycaps, and more with ease. If you’ve been looking to upgrade your setup with a luxury mechanical keyboard, this is a deal worth your attention.
Apple AirPods 4 for $84.99
Amazon has the Apple AirPods 4 on sale for $84.99 today, a price even lower than last weekend! These earbuds feature Spatial Audio, up to five hours of listening time per charge, and so much more. Apple AirPods 5 likely won’t be out for a good bit, so now is the perfect time to pick up a pair of new AirPods if your old ones are giving out.
Beats Solo Buds for $39
The Beats brand has continued to provide quality wireless earbuds throughout the last few years, and the Solo Buds are no exception. These small earbuds may come with a tiny case, but you can expect up to 18 hours of earbud battery life. For $39, it’s hard to find another pair of earbuds better than this ahead of Black Friday.
Gurren Lagann Complete Box Set Blu-ray for $109.99
Crunchyroll Store is holding its annual Aniplex sale, meaning now is the only time you can save on some of the most expensive anime Blu-rays out there. Today, you can score the Gurren Lagann Complete Box Set, which includes both the original TV series and two movies, for $109.99. This is a must-watch for any fan of the genre, and this box set is the perfect way to make this all-time classic a permanent part of your collection.
LEGO Star Wars Tantive IV Set for $51.19
Amazon has the iconic Tantive IV available in LEGO form for $51.19 this weekend. Normally priced at $79.99, this set features a total of 654 pieces, recreating the ship that kicked off the Star Wars franchise. For collectors, this is a must-have, especially as it features a LEGO Star Wars 25th Anniversary brick.
We’ve seen stories built around redemption arcs plenty of times before, and if I’m being honest, I’m a total sucker for them. A sarcastic baddie who, despite their disdain for the law, gains enough empathy to save the day – what’s not to like? After eight episodes full of cliffhangers, surprising plot twists, and patience-testing puzzles, Dispatch has finished its own rumination on the topic, allowing me to take a more active role in determining who amongst its strong cast of charming superheroes deserves a second chance. It’s fitting, then, that developer AdHoc Studio has similarly revived a style of video game I worried was fading into the background, confidently injecting the interactive narrative genre with exciting new life.
Dispatch takes place in a captivating bizarro Los Angeles where superpowered beings, aliens, demons, and all manner of extraordinary humanoids coexist with regular people. As you can imagine, not every gifted being is benevolent, and many choose (or are forced into) a life of villainy. To help manage the onslaught of supers roaming the streets, an organisation called the SDC has stepped in, launching an insurance-type racket that allows citizens to pay for the privilege of a powerful watchdog. One of the aforementioned good guys is our discerning protagonist, Robert Robertson — otherwise known as Mecha Man — whose heroic aspirations are dashed when a rogue explosive renders his suit useless, leaving him to take on the role of a call centre worker at a small branch of the SDC.
That’s not all, though, as due to his lack of tenure, Robert is tasked with managing a group of barely reformed villains, lovingly called the Z-team, whose snarky attitudes and violent tendencies leave a lot to be desired. Across Dispatch’s approximately eight-hour runtime, it’s compelling to watch Robert grow in the wake of this sudden downgrade, experiencing the peaks and valleys of shift work. I found myself invested from start to finish thanks to Dispatch’s grounded, witty writing and the heartfelt performances delivered by its sizable cast.
Your time with Dispatch is split into two distinct parts: most of the time, you’ll be chatting through beautifully animated cutscenes, picking between amusing dialogue options and completing quick-time events like those seen in The Wolf Among Us or the Life is Strange series. Certain decisions trigger a heart-pounding ‘X Person remembered that’ notification at the top of the screen, which feels like a refreshing jolt of nostalgia in 2025. Not every decision is as impactful as you might expect, and more often than not, my choices led to unique jokes or funny animations rather than game-shifting consequences. Crucially, though, when the credits finally rolled — avoiding any spoilers — the ending I received still felt true to my version of Robert. It says something that I’m keen to jump in again, to see how the other narrative branches pan out.
It says something that I’m keen to jump in again after rolling credits.
The rest of your time is spent working at the SDC as a Dispatcher, assigning superheroes to a variety of jobs. Using your mouse and your wits, you’ll monitor a city map where hazard notifications periodically pop up with a timer, alerting you to various jobs the SDC needs to handle efficiently. Each hero under your command has a stat matrix, similar to that seen in Pokémon. You’ll receive a verbal description as a job appears, with your own task being to match your best hero, or in some cases heroes, based on their stats and personalities. You’ll be told very soon after whether you’ve passed or failed, with success earning you experience points that lead to a permanent stat boost for each hero. Failure, on the other hand, can lead to your heroes getting hurt or, worse, being taken out of commission for the shift. Managing their individual skill sets as multiple clocks tick down in front of you is a surprisingly stressful task that compelled me to lock in.
On top of stat boosts, the Z-team can also earn special skills that impact how efficiently you operate. The superstar-turned-superhero Prism can use her powers of duplication to extend the timer on jobs, carving out precious moments to find a resolution. Elsewhere, Invisigal can utilize her lone wolf status to increase her speed if sent solo. All these moving parts compound over time and meld together well, creating a satisfying feedback loop that complements the complexity of the surrounding story without overwhelming you.
Aspects like team morale, along with how you impact poignant story beats, shape how effectively the Z-Team will perform, too. During one shift early in the series, the heroes are fighting against one another, hoping to avoid being cut from the team. This argumentative overtone bled into the dispatching minigame, with each member acting on their own accord rather than on my explicit orders.While I was frustrated by this at first, hoping to overcome the challenge with my wits, these moments of disobedience did well to integrate the interactive segments into the overarching story, with AdHoc effectively conveying Robert’s irritability by ensuring you feel it firsthand. It’s one thing to write an emotive character for me to play as, it’s another to actually make me want to quit a job I don’t really have in the exact way they do.
A secondary hacking minigame is also part of your day-to-day activities, as Robert flexes the only superpower he has left: his mind. Here, you’ll roll a 3D object through a cybernetic maze as the clock ticks down, using directional inputs to forge a path towards the end goal. On top of the clock, you’ll also need to evade undulating anti-virus orbs and transfer power sources between light blocks to unlock new paths. It can be overwhelming at times as the difficulty scales over the course of Dispatch’s eight episodes, and muscling through these puzzles sticks out as some of the least compelling moments in a game that is otherwise full of them, which is a shame.
A steady mix of dark humor and sincere interactions kept me on my toes.
Still, despite all the roadblocks I faced at the hands of the Z-Team, I found myself defending them at every point, like a parent going to bat for their misbehaving children. The concept of ethically murky superhumans has been explored across film and TV before, but Dispatch often subverts expectations through a steady mix of dark humor and sincere interactions that kept me on my toes.
For example, while celebrating a win at one point, Robert and his team visit a villain bar, but the Thing-like Golem is forced to sit outside due to their humongous size. At this point, I’d taken quite a dislike to them and their attitude, and yet watching them slumped on the gutter with their earbuds in made them appear more human than rock monster. Just like that, a switch had flipped inside my head, and I was putty in the palm of AdHoc’s hands.
What makes Dispatch’s redemption story so effective is how it portrays its villains as emotionally complicated souls who may have lost their way rather than one-dimensional brutes. This empathetic lens makes it enticing to peel back the layers of the group, no matter how horrible they’re being or how petulant they seem. That’s not to say every character is worth forgiving, but instead, if you’re willing to make a risky dialogue choice, you may be rewarded with precious lore that could sway how you react in future situations, or what kind of ending you will receive.
All this drama is delivered through incredible vocal performances that bring Dispatch’s most profound moments to life with finesse, from the main cast of heroes to the background characters as well. Laura Bailey’s Invisigal masterfully dances between bratty and sincere, often encouraging me to break the rules with her flirty, if not threatening, style. Erin Yvette, on the other hand, subtly switches between Blonde Blazers’ heroic prose and dorky banter with sharp precision. Notably, Aaron Paul’s Robert is more than just Hollywood stunt casting – he’s a standout here, delivering a nuanced performance as a man struggling to hold onto his optimism while reconciling with who he is outside of his giant mech suit.
