Capcom’s Street Fighter 6 will be hadouken-ing its way into an anime this year. Kadokawa recently revealed a teaser trailer for Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games, an anime adaptation of Eri Ejima’s manga of the same name.
The story is set in Kuromi Girls’ Academy, an exclusive school for rich kids which aims to produce refined young ladies. Gaining entry to the prestigious institution on a scholarship is main character Aya Mitsuki, who has played fighting games since elementary school. She soon becomes fascinated by beautiful and graceful fellow student Mio Yorue, nicknamed Shirayuri (white lily). However, appearances can be deceptive, as beneath her elegant exterior, Mio is a tough-talking button-mashing gamer! Will a mutual love of fighting games result in a deeper relationship between the girls?
📰(NEW) Seinen Anime ‘Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games’ Promotional Teaser featuring Street Fighter 6!pic.twitter.com/MAVLSBiWGW
In the original manga, the characters played a fictional fighting game, however, with Capcom’s sponsorship of the anime, it seems like they will be battling it out in Street Fighter 6. Interestingly, FAV Gaming (Kadokawa’s professional esports team) is credited in the trailer for collaborating on recording.
The anime of Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games is due out sometime in 2025. If you are interested in catching up with the story before then, Seven Seas have already released the manga in English.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is packed with spooky stuff — skeletons, spirits, and even zombies — but no-one can remember seeing this ‘ghost horse’ in either the original 2006 game or this 2025 remaster.
“So I was crafting stupid spells in Frostcrag Spire, as it’s possibly my favourite way to have fun in this game, however this time when I left the Cosy Chaos Spire that has divided this community so very much I noticed something suuuuuuper strange in the distance,” TaricIsNotASupport began.
“I did as any of us of the right mind would do and B-lined it over there like a maniac. To my amazement was this spectral horse with no name.
“I have played thousands of hours of the original Oblivion — and have already sunken over a hundred hours into the Remaster — yet this is the first I have ever seen this horse.
“I don’t know if it’s something new that’s been added, or if I’ve just missed out on it before and never knew.”
TaricIsNotASupport then called on the community to help them work out what had happened here, which sparked something of a ghost hunt online, with players searching through the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages website for any word of a spectral mount in the original Oblivion. So far, nothing.
Could it be a mod? TaricIsNotASupport followed up their post to say they are playing on PlayStation 5, where mods are unavailable. TaricIsNotASupport also posted a clip of their character riding the horse. Despite its non-corporeal form, it appears this horse is very much present and correct, and works how any other horse would in Oblivion. “He fast travels and even gets stabled!” TaricIsNotASupport said. “By all accounts it’s now my steed!”
Some are suggesting this ghost horse is the result of a glitch, perhaps caused by a spell gone horribly wrong. Bethesda games are known for their bugs (in fact one is making the camera break the longer you play the game), and maybe this ghost horse is another to add to the list.
“Very weird, the wiki says there’s only 2 unique horses, Shadowmere and unicorns,” ClaymoreBeatz commented. “And there’s no horse mods that I can see that do this so I highly doubt your [sic] lying about not being on PC, this is probably some sort of glitch that the new Remastered has or glitched magical effect. Armored horses names change to Armored horse I think so maybe it’s an Armored horse that got hit by a spell and now its name and spell effect is glitched.”
Others are wondering whether the developers at Bethesda and Virtuos might have added this ghost horse to the game as a spooky secret for players to discover in Oblivion Remastered. This seems less likely, although it is a fun thought because if it’s true, then what other secrets might be hidden within the ramaster?
There are plenty of players who want to work out how to replicate the steed so they can have a ghost horse for themselves. Again, there doesn’t appear to be any particular process TaricIsNotASupport used to spawn it, at least none so far discovered.
In lieu of an in-game name, TaricIsNotASupport has called their Oblivion ghost horse ‘Spookmane,’ which I think is a wonderful effort. TaricIsNotASupport has pledged to continue their adventure with Spookmane by their side. Perhaps this is a one-off, perhaps it’s a secret, perhaps it’s a bug. Either way, Spookmane has captured the attention — and maybe even a few hearts — of the Oblivion community and its fans.
“This creature might be my favourite new friend I’ve made,” TaricIsNotASupport said. “Spookmane, you’re glorious and I love you.”
Oblivion Remastered, developed by remake specialist Virtuos using Unreal Engine 5, has a long list of visual and feature improvements. It runs at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, as you’d expect, but other changes are more meaningful. Everything from the leveling systems to character creation, and combat animations to in-game menus have been improved. Meanwhile, there’s lots of new dialogue, a proper third-person view, and new lip sync technology. The changes are going down well with fans, some of whom believe Oblivion Remastered would be more accurately described as a remake. Bethesda, however, has explained why it went down the remaster route.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
The following article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2, episode 5.
Ellie’s descent into violence truly kicks off in this week’s episode of The Last of Us. The show’s fifth chapter sees her brutally assault Nora in the spore-infested basement of the WLF’s hospital base. It’s one of the game’s most recognisable scenes and remains similarly harrowing in HBO’s adaptation.
This and three other key sequences from the original game were adapted for this episode. Here we’ve compared them against the original source material, analysing what’s changed and what’s stayed the same. You can see both versions in the video above, or read on below for our written explanations.
Seattle Day 2
In both the game and the show Dina listens in on WLF radio chatter to work out the group’s location and patrol patterns. In the game, we see Dina explain all this to Ellie – in part because it helps establish the objectives of the upcoming level. In the show, Dina takes notes but there is no like-for-like conversation about what the WLF codes mean.
Elsewhere in the theater, Ellie explores the auditorium and finds a guitar. It’s one of the more memorable scenes from the game – Ellie takes a seat in the front row and begins to play. In the show, Ellie instead sits on a stool up on the stage. Both versions play the opening of Pearl Jam’s Future Days, although Ellie in the game sings the first two lines – show Ellie sings just the first.
In the game, Day 2 sees Ellie head out to Hillcrest. That section of the game is pretty much cut entirely from the show – there’s no hiding from dogs in overgrown houses – but we do get a version of the Seraphite mural that is seen shortly after Ellie leaves the theater. In the game, the “Feel Her Love” graffiti is on the back of a truck. In the show, a similar image is painted on a wall. The WLF have left dead Seraphites below it as some kind of ironic gesture.
Stalkers
Later in the episode, Ellie and Dina have a tense encounter with a group of Stalkers. While Ellie does come across Stalkers on Day 2 in the game, this scene isn’t a direct translation of that moment. For one, Dina is now with Ellie – in the game, Dina stays at the cinema. The location has also changed; Ellie was attacked in an office building in the game, where the show’s Stalker showdown takes place in a warehouse.
More significantly, though, the show’s Stalkers behave in a very different manner to their game counterparts. In the game, Stalkers are cautious, almost skittish predators, and so this encounter is a tense game of cat-and-mouse as you try to spot where they are hiding. While the show has made suggestion that Stalkers are more intelligent than the more animalistic Runner variants, in this scene there’s little evidence of that. The Stalkers pretty much just charge – or, indeed, run – at Ellie and Dina, and attempt to break into the cage the duo have barricaded themselves inside of.
Another change comes with the reintroduction of Jesse into this section of the story. In the game, towards the end of the Hillcrest section, Jesse emerges from the shadows to catch Ellie before she walks into a WLF patrol. In the show, Jesse turns up to help Ellie and Dina escape from the Stalkers.
The Seraphites
While much of what players will remember of Hillcrest has been removed for the show’s version of events, memories of the game will very much be evoked by the group’s encounter with the Seraphites. The forest and foliage is very similar to Part 2’s environment, and the sequence in which a hanging man is killed by his Seraphite captors is very close to the events of the game.
The key difference here is in the people present. In the game, Ellie explores this area on her own, whereas in the show she is accompanied by Dina and Jesse. This directly impacts a key moment when a Seraphite fires a bow and arrow; in the game, the arrow strikes Ellie and she is forced to wrench it from her shoulder. In the show, it is Dina who is shot, the arrow hitting her leg. This forces the group to move on, carrying Dina to safety.
St. Mary’s Hospital
This episode’s big, climactic event takes place in St. Mary’s Hospital. It’s the sequence that most closely resembles the video game – a near 1:1 recreation of Nora’s final minutes. Like the game, Ellie finds Nora in the WLF-occupied hospital and holds her at gunpoint, demanding to know where Abby is. Their exchange culminates in Nora saying that Joel got what he deserves, her wording in the show closely resembling the script of the game. She then makes a run for it, throwing a container of liquid at Ellie to momentarily stun her. That last detail is slightly different to the game, in which Nora just throws a steel tray that only catches Ellie off guard for a second.
The chase through the hospital is similar to that in the game, although notably shorter and less game-y. Nora shouts for her allies to shoot and they do so from a balcony, replicating the gunfire that sparks around Ellie as you push her forward in the game.
The chase finally ends in the same spore-filled corridor bathed in red light that we saw in the game. Nora, collapsed and breathing in fatal spores, finally realises who Ellie is. “You’re her,” she says in both versions of the story. In the show, Ellie then takes a single swing with a metal pipe and the show cuts to black. In the game, Nora’s death is much, much more violent – with the camera lingering on Ellie’s twisted face, she strikes Nora three times. While this shot isn’t used for the show, HBO does somewhat replicate it a minute earlier by holding the camera on Ellie’s face as she holds Nora at gunpoint. It’s not as viscerally powerful as the shot from the game, but you can see where the inspiration comes from.
For more from The Last of Us, check out our spoiler-free season two review and our spoiler-filled review of the fifth episode.
Amazon also decided to keep their Keyboard and Mouse sale after the countdown finished, while also holding a solid book sale that includes some of the best Legend of Zelda hardcovers.
TL;DR: Deals For Today
There are some classics up for grabs in the Xbox Game Studios Bundle, whilst IGN Store has some stunning Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 art prints.
We’ve also got some best sellers from over the weekend, including a LEGO Technic set, Jason X 4K Blu Ray, and a cracking deal on a Nintendo Switch 2 carry case that includes screen protectors. Let’s get into it:
While the $239.99 price reflects the early hype, it’s significantly over MSRP, so collectors looking for specific hits may be better off buying singles instead of ripping packs.
More Pokémon Restocks
It’s the same across the board with predatory pricing right now. Regardless of this being at a distributor or retailer level, it’s getting harder to find a good deal on sealed product.
At the moment, it’s a bargain finding something at MRSP. I’d seriously reccomend looking into the single Pokémon Cards below.
My Top Crashing and Climbing Pokémon Cards
Pokémon single prices are seeing big swings as trainers gear up for Destined Rivals. Greninja ex 214/167 has nearly halved in value this year, with Alakazam ex from 151 also down over 30%. Bulbasaur IR has dropped a massive 52%, making it a great pickup under $30.
Obsidian Flames fans can grab the Ninetales IR for around $18 after a 40% dip. On the flip side, Dragonite V Alt Art from Evolving Skies has nearly doubled since January, now around $225, and
Rayquaza VMAX alt art continues to climb past $649. With prices this volatile, picking up singles instead of sealed boxes can be the smarter move for most collectors right now.
GravaStar Wireless Mercury M1 Pro
GravaStar Mercury M1 Pro Wireless Gaming Mouse combines a lightweight magnesium alloy body with a 26,000 DPI PAW3395 sensor for ultra-precise tracking. It supports tri-mode connectivity across 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, and wired options, with up to 200 hours of battery life.
Fully programmable buttons, 4K polling support, and customizable RGB lighting round out a premium package for under $80 right now with stacked discounts. I’ve been using this for a couple of weeks now and it’s become my favorite for work and getting a bit of Fortnite in.
More Gaming Mouse Deals
Xbox Game Studios Game Bundle
The Xbox Game Studios Game Bundle offers eight PC games for just $10, including highly rated hits like Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Quantum Break, Wasteland 3, and Sunset Overdrive.
All titles redeem on Steam with no Xbox console required. With a total value of $214, it’s one of the best bundles running, and your purchase helps support the nonprofit Gameheads.
Corsair K70 RGB Pro Cherry MX Red
Corsair K70 RGB PRO Mechanical Gaming Keyboard features fast, linear Cherry MX Red switches, an 8,000Hz hyper-polling rate for ultra-low latency, and durable double-shot PBT keycaps. It also includes a soft-touch palm rest and a tournament mode switch for competitive play. Down to $99.37 from $169.99, it’s a strong pickup for serious gamers.
More Gaming Keyboard Deals
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Art Prints
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 12×16 Print brings striking artwork from one of 2025’s most anticipated games to your wall. Printed on premium hot press fine art paper or stretched canvas, each piece features vivid, fade-resistant colors on bright white, ultra-smooth stock or a durable solid wood frame. Officially licensed and exclusive to the IGN Store, it’s a perfect addition for fans prepping for the surreal world of Expedition 33.
Buy 2 Books, Save 50% on 1
Amazon is running a major Buy 2, Save 50% on 1 Book Sale across thousands of titles. Add any two eligible books to your cart and you’ll automatically save half off the lower-priced item at checkout. Popular picks include Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins, and The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.
It’s a great chance to stock up on bestsellers, new releases, or even collectible editions at a serious discount. Just make sure to check for the “Qualifying Item” label before adding to cart. Oh, and don’t miss the below Legend of Zelda books.
My Favorite Books In This Sale
Apple AirPods Pro 2
Apple AirPods Pro 2 are down to $169 at Amazon, their lowest price in months. These premium earbuds feature powerful Active Noise Cancellation that removes twice as much background noise as before, Adaptive Audio for seamless switching between noise canceling and transparency modes, and personalized Spatial Audio for a more immersive soundstage.
Powered by Apple’s H2 chip, they deliver clearer calls, richer bass, and better battery life, with a dust-, sweat-, and water-resistant design. The addition of hearing health features and a customizable fit makes these a smart upgrade for iPhone users.
LEGO Technic Planet Earth and Moon in Orbit
LEGO Technic Planet Earth and Moon in Orbit Building Set is currently on sale for $59.95, down from $74.99 at Amazon. Designed for kids aged 10 and up, this 526-piece model lets young builders create a moving representation of the Earth and Moon orbiting the Sun.
It features printed months, moon phases, and an interactive crank mechanism to show how the orbits affect seasons. Whether used for learning or as cool space-themed room décor, it’s an imaginative way to bring the solar system to life.
Jason X 4K UHD Blu Ray
Jason X 4K UHD Limited Edition is now $28.99 at Amazon, down from its $49.95 list price. This cult sci-fi slasher flings Jason Voorhees into deep space, where he unleashes carnage on an unsuspecting spaceship crew.
The Arrow Video release comes packed with extras, including new and archival commentaries, documentaries, and a double-sided poster. Featuring Kane Hodder back in the mask and an upgraded 4K Dolby Vision transfer, this is a must for horror collectors.
Nintendo Switch 2 Travel Carrying Case
Keep your gear safe with the TZGZT Travel Carrying Case for Nintendo Switch 2, now just $12.84 at Amazon (down from $27.73). Designed for the new Switch 2, this lightweight EVA hard case holds your console, accessories, and up to 24 game cards securely. It also comes bundled with two 9H tempered glass screen protectors for added protection. Tough, waterproof, and shock-resistant, it’s perfect for travel or everyday carry.
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.
Nintendo has disputed accusations it used AI-generated images to create billboards in Mario Kart World.
Rumors began to swirl when a Nintendo Treehouse livestream gave us a closer peek at the upcoming racer a few weeks back. Eagle-eyed fans pointed out that a handful of in-game advertising boards looked a little strange, with images of a construction site, a bridge, and a peculiarly tall car all raising eyebrows.
Of course, many pre-release titles include placeholder graphics that won’t be included in the final product, but Nintendo refuted claims that anything, even in its pre-release game, was AI-generated, saying in a statement to Eurogamer: “AI-generated images were not used in the development of Mario Kart World.”
Generative AI is one of the hottest topics in the creative industries right now and a burning issue within video game development itself. Apart from ethical and copyright issues, labor unions have expressed concern about the potential for generative AI to replace jobs, and video game performers have called for increased protections against its use.
In an interview with The New York Times, Miyamoto brought up AI himself as an example of something where Nintendo would rather do things differently than its peers.
“It might seem like we are just going the opposite direction for the sake of going in the opposite direction, but it really is trying to find what makes Nintendo special,” Miyamoto said.
“There is a lot of talk about A.I., for example,” he continued. “When that happens, everyone starts to go in the same direction, but that is where Nintendo would rather go in a different direction.”
“We have decades of know-how in creating the best gaming experiences for our players,” Furukawa added. “While we are open to utilizing technological developments, we will work to continue delivering value that is unique to Nintendo and cannot be created by technology alone.”
Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 fans are rejoicing after the developer handed modders the keys to its internal editor, sparking hope it could ‘do a Skyrim’ and last for years with user-generated content.
Game director Dmitry Grigorenko took to the Space Marine 2 modding Discord to announce what he described as “our biggest milestone yet in supporting the modding community.”
Developer Saber Interactive has released the official Integration Studio for public use. This is the same editor the developers use internally for all gameplay development. This first release lets modders work with everything from level scenarios to game modes, tinker with AI behavior, abilities and melee combo logic, user interface and HUD elements, and make much of the general modding work with Space Marine 2 faster and easier.
“Not long ago, I promised we would support the modding scene — and we meant it,” Grigorenko said. “Watching this community grow, push boundaries, and create incredible experiences has been both inspiring and humbling. We’re excited to see what you build next — whether it’s a cinematic campaign, wild new game mode, or something we never saw coming.”
To get the ball rolling, Grigorenko released jokey concept art for a “Fishing With Daddy Calgar” mini-game, below, which is technically possible now with these tools. Calgar is Marneus Calgar, the leader of the Ultramarines chapter of Space Marines.
To find out what the Space Marine 2 modding community plans to do with this editor, I had a quick chat with Tom, aka Warhammer Workshop, the modder behind Space Marine 2’s excellent Astartes Overhaul. Fresh from releasing a mod that enables 12-player co-op in Space Marine 2, Tom told me that he now has access to all the scripting tools that control what happens in any particular mission, as well as for all the different game components like weapons and abilities.
This means modders could, for example, create a Space Marine 2 roguelite mode where modders spawn in one of the swarm sequences from the campaign with nothing but a combat knife, and progressively spawn bigger and tougher enemies, with percentage chances to spawn weapons, ammo, and health on death. “Killing a Carnifex might grant you a Heavy Bolter,” Tom suggested.
As for a brand new cinematic campaign, Tom said that while a Chaos campaign would “definitely” be doable, cutscenes are trickier because modders so far do not have access to the animation tools necessary.
However, Tom is currently planning on adding new factions to Space Marine 2, including the Tau and Necrons, as the modders have the rigs that will fit those. Meanwhile, the Space Marine 2 modding community is racing to actually make the Fishing With Daddy Calgar mini-game mod Grigorenko challenged them to.
Reaction from Space Marine 2 fans is hugely positive, and with good reason. While Space Marine 2 is well-received and has gone down as one of the best-selling Warhammer video games of all time, it is relatively limited in terms of its official offering. That is to say, it contains three factions only: Space Marines, Chaos (a mix of Chaos Marines and some Tzeentch Daemons), and the Tyrannids. Players had hoped for DLC that might extend the faction roster (the Space Marine 2 campaign teased the Necrons), but can now take matters into their own hands.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Oblivion Remastered has enjoyed a hugely successful launch, with over 4 million players and a ‘very positive’ user review rating on Steam. However, if there’s one issue that continues to crop up, it’s performance problems.
No platform is spared of issues: whether it’s PS5, PS5 Pro, or either Xbox Series machine, all struggle with traversal hitches while roaming the open world. Secondly, there’s major sub-60fps frame-rates, where I’ve also discovered that performance slowly degrades with more playing time – quite possibly down to a memory leak. And finally, software freezes are the icing on the cake, with all PlayStation and Xbox platforms crashing to the system menu on loading a save one too many times.
How does this manifest itself in-game? According to DF, a “charged” playthrough with more continuous play time behind it performs worse than a fresh boot. Cycling through saves also introduces bugs in the charged play through, Morgan revealed. And this is particularly curious: this also leads to the camera position being too high while riding horseback. You can fix this by resetting the game.
The discovery of performance degrading over time as a result of a potential memory leak is of particular concern. The crashes on loading a save too many times is a significant issue, too.
The hope of course is that Bethesda addresses these problems sooner rather than later, especially as players spend more time with the expansive fantasy role-playing game and are more likely to run into these performance problems.
“It’s a dire position for any remaster to be in and developer Virtuos needs to address the game’s stability – the crashes – as a priority,” Morgan continued.
Digital Foundry asks some tough questions in its analysis, suggesting Oblivion Remastered was “rushed to market.” There also seems to be a discrepancy between versions, with a hotfix released for Xbox Series X so far unavailable for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro.
That’s a damning assessment of Oblivion on console, but what about PC? DF had already issued its analysis of the PC version, calling its performance “dire.” It’s worth checking out DF’s analysis in full for more.
Despite the performance issues, Oblivion Remastered is a hit. It became the third best-selling game of 2025 in the U.S. after just one week on sale, having shadow-dropped on April 22. Oblivion Remastered trails only Monster Hunter: Wilds and Assassin’s Creed: Shadows at the top of the 2025 sales chart.
Oblivion Remastered, developed by remake specialist Virtuos using Unreal Engine 5, has a long list of visual and feature improvements. It runs at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, as you’d expect, but other changes are more meaningful. Everything from the leveling systems to character creation, and combat animations to in-game menus have been improved. Meanwhile, there’s lots of new dialogue, a proper third-person view, and new lip sync technology. The changes are going down well with fans, some of whom believe Oblivion Remastered would be more accurately described as a remake. Bethesda, however, has explained why it went down the remaster route.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
The Monster Hunter franchise is a phenomenon, accumulating critical and commercial acclaim and spanning dozens of main titles and spinoffs. The secret to its success is an addictive gameplay loop, where you battle huge and terrifying monsters to gain loot that, in turn, lets you acquire better gear and hunt bigger, badder beasties. It’s an easy loop to replicate on the tabletop and that’s exactly what Monster Hunter World: The Board Game does. Just like its parent franchise, however, it comes in a variety of flavors, so here’s what you need to find your feet in this video game board game.
Featured in this article
If you’re not one for blurbs, you can scroll through all the items in this article right here. However, if you’d like to know more about what’s available and what comes in each box, read on for the goods.
Core Boxes
Each of the core boxes is a standalone game, containing four hunters and four monsters for them to hunt. However, they can also be combined, allowing you to mix and match characters and their prey from different sets. The majority of the components in each box are specific to the hunters and monsters unique to that set, but there is some overlap, and each set contains a few extra cards that are only used if you’re combining with its opposite number.
As such, you’re probably best off with a single core box to start with and, if you get into the game, you can start by adding some of the smaller expansions, listed below, doubling up on a second core set in the event that you develop a passion for the series.
There’s not really any difference between the core sets in terms of quality. Both feature the same ruleset, the same compulsive loop and the same stratospheric levels of production quality, with gigantic monster miniatures that tower above the hunters for an awesome sense of scale. But the look and feel of each is quite different, so you’re best off just going whichever one appeals most aesthetically, or ties in with fond memories from the video game series.
Monster Hunter World: The Board Game – Ancient Forest
As you might expect from the title, the setting for this collection is a primeval forest. The game boards are a lush green and brown and the monsters are clearly inspired by dinosaurs and tropical animals. There’s the lizard-like Great Jagras, the furred and scaled Tobi-Kadachi, the fearsome tyrannosaur Anjanath and the huge dragon Rathalos. Setting out to take them down are the classically-armed hunters Great Sword, Sword and Shield, Dual Blades, and Bow.
Monster Hunter World: The Board Game – Wildspire Waste
Wildspire Waste is a little more esoterically-named but the monsters and boards make clear that it’s a badlands-type setting, with a mixture of rocky outcrops, desert and swamp. The included creatures are the heavily-armored Barroth, monstrous swamp-fish Jyurados, the bird-like Pukei-Pukei, and underground behemoth Diablos which bears more than a passing resemblance to its demonic namesake. The hunters in this set are a little more bizarre, wielding Charge Blade, Switch Axe, Heavy Bowgun and Insect Glaive respectively.
Retail Expansions
As is often the case with Kickstarter-driven games, there were a slew of expansions available to pre-order at the same time. Most of these are still available at retail, however Nergigante is very hard to find and Teostra is exclusive to the publisher, Steamforged games – both of them are currently available directly from their website.
Nergigante, Kushala Daora and Teostra are all Elder Dragons, a new type of monster for you to hunt. They come with additional quest content for the base game, but perhaps most appealing of all they offer an extra, five-star difficulty level that’s a grade above any of the base game monsters, and the included miniature is a whole level bigger than any of their core box counterparts, too. That gives you an extra, mega-boss challenge to overcome and extends your campaign.
While getting to fight an ultimate boss in a longer campaign might sound like the ideal way to extend your base game content, all these expansions are expensive, and many have features that only work with one core box or the other. For example, Daora has one special crafting weapon that fits a hunter from the Ancient Forest, and another for a hunter from the Wildspire Wastes. As such, picking up the second core set might well be your best first stop if you want additional content for your game.
Monster Hunter World The Board Game: Hunter’s Arsenal Expansion
This offers six new hunters, as usual named after their weapons, which are a mixture of the traditional and peculiar. You can choose from the Light Bowgun, the Long Sword (which is very long indeed), the Gunlance, the Hammer, the Lance and the Hunting Horn (which looks nothing like a horn). While cool dragons and other monsters are obviously appealing, in terms of adding variety to your games, this box gives you the biggest bang for your buck as you get six different new toys to play with, and six new upgrade paths to explore, rather than just one beastie. However, you’ll need both core sets to be able to fully utilize all six.
Monster Hunter World: The Board Game – Nergigante Expansion
If you do want one single dragon to add to your campaign, this might be your best bet because it allows you to craft additional weapons for all the currently available characters, including all those from the core sets and the Hunter’s Arsenal. He’s also delightfully odd, a spiny colossus who grows vicious spikes to impale the hunters wherever he’s damaged.
Monster Hunter World The Board Game: Kushala Daora Expansion
Kushala Daora is a wind dragon, who buffets the hunters with powerful storms and he’s also got the biggest miniature in the range, with a foot-wide wingspan. As if beating such a behemoth wasn’t a tough enough fight in the first place, you’ll also have to fight through strong winds and tornado blasts just to even close with your quarry.
Monster Hunter World: The Board Game – Teostra Expansion
Of all the dragons, Teostra might be the most familiar simply because it’s the classic fire dragon everyone knows and either loves or fears, possibly in equal measure. As you might expect that means a lot of ranged punishment from blasts and fireballs for anyone that dares trespass onto the dragon’s lair.
Exclusive Expansion
This was originally only available as part of the Kickstarter campaign for the game. Expect to pay a hefty premium if you want to pick one up second-hand. However, there’s currently another chance to snag one thanks to the more recent Kickstarter campaign for the new Iceborne boxes, detailed below.
Monster Hunter World – Kulu-Ya-Ku Expansion
This bizarre creature can pick things up in its dextrous claws, such as rocks to throw at intrepid hunters. In mechanical terms this not only gives it a missile attack but its ability to use tools makes it unpredictable, ensuring you’ve got to pick the right spot from round to round in order to score maximum damage. It looks a lot like an ornithomimosaur – an ostrich-mimic dinosaur – so looks right at home in the Ancient Forest although it can be used with either core box.
Upcoming Content
Monster Hunter World Iceborne: The Board Game
Following the success of the initial lineup detailed above, publisher Steamforged Games ran a second Kickstarter for a new iteration of the basic design called Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. While it features the same core mechanics it has a range of new concepts, so it’s only partially compatible with the original boxes: you can port monsters and hunters from one to the other in arena games, but you can’t shunt a campaign from one setting to a different one.
The Iceborne content follows a similar, but slightly different path to the original campaign. There’s just one core box this time, Hoarfrost Reach, again with four monsters and four hunters. Also as before there are Elder Dragons and a Hunter’s Arsenal expansion to add. But instead of another core box there are three monster expansions with four new monsters each, Absolute Power, Seething Anger and Overpowering Hunger. Plus a smattering of extras unlocked during the campaign.
While the campaign has closed, the game has not yet shipped and you can still order items from the offered range via Gamfound.
Mafia: The Old Country was in ‘managing expectations mode’ this week, announcing a cheaper than expected $49.99 price point, and confirming that it is absolutely not an open-world game, rather a linear, narrative-driven game.
The Hangar 13-developed gangster shooter showed off new gameplay in the trailer, below, and it is impressive indeed. But this is no GTA 6. Indeed, it is no Mafia III. Tellingly, 2K President David Ismailer said of Mafia: The Old Country: “We think there’s a large audience for compelling stories that don’t require massive time commitments.” It felt like a PSA more than a promo.
Based on these comments, Mafia: The Old Country will be a relatively short affair. There is no multiplayer mode, so the story is the entire package. How long will it be? Some are speculating anything from five to 15 hours.
Yes, there are some complaints in the reaction across the internet, mostly from those who were hoping for a Mafia game more along the lines of a GTA than a, say, shorter Uncharted-style game. But The Old Country was never going to be that sort of game.
In the interview, the pair dismissed comparisons to GTA 6, insisting Mafia: The Old Country shouldn’t be considered an open-world game at all.
Rather, the pair explained, Mafia: The Old Country is more like Mafia 1 and 2 than it is the open-world Mafia 3. It is a “linear, narrative-driven” game, a “focused package” that offers a “cinematic experience.” You might find yourself driving around an authentic representation of 1900s Sicily in Mafia: The Old Country, or even riding around on horseback a bit like that other Rockstar game, Red Dead Redemption 2, but the similarities to Rockstar games stop there.
So, while there are the perhaps inevitable complaints about the scope of The Old Country, I’ve seen positivity about the experience on offer. Many are saying they’re more interested in a high quality, cheaper, shorter story-driven Mafia game than a bloated open-world game filled with repetitive mechanics.
Indeed, there seems to be a growing call for more of these cheaper, manageable games, with Sandfall’s well-received Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has sold an impressive 2 million copies despite being available day-one on Game Pass, held up as a potential trend-setter.
This comes as game prices are becoming more expensive, with both Nintendo and Microsoft hitting $80. In a market when Mario Kart World costs $80, a $50 Mafia: The Old Country looks like a bargain.
“I think setting the price at $50 is the move,” said IGN reader BabyGroot1 in response to the Mafia news. “Look at Clair Obscur sales.”
“Yea, I think there could be a lot of fence-sitters that see $70-80 and wait for a game to be on sale around $30,” added Automating_The_Game. “But at $50 they’re like f*** it, getting it now.”
It’s a similar sentiment across social media and reddit. “I hate putting things on a number scale, but if this is one of those games that are like a good 10-12 hour, 8/10 experience I feel like we have to support it as best as possible,” said 99DGE of Mafia. “$50 when publishers are pushing for $80 is so fascinating that we need to reward and vote with our wallets if it’s worth it (that is of course, we can afford it given the economic climate).”
“I was probably going to pass on this as I just don’t have it in me for most open world games anymore, but hearing that it’s linear, story focused, and priced at $50? I’m on board day one now,” said ElJacko170.
“I’d rather have a short Mafia game for $50 than one with a needlessly empty open world with almost nothing to do in them like all the previous Mafia games,” said everythingsc0mputer.
“If they’re not gonna add side quests or side activities for you to do like the previous Mafia games, then might as well keep it short and linear.”
For all this positivity online, for publisher 2K and developer Hangar 13 it will be sales of Mafia: The Old Country that determine its and the franchise’s future. The game will have a sales target it needs to hit in order for the project to be declared successful, and social media and forum posts do not generate revenue. Hard sales do.
All eyes will be on Mafia: The Old Country to see if the success of Clair Obscur really is the start of something sustainable for the video game industry.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Preorders for Pokémon TCG’s new Scarlet & Violet expansions, Black Bolt and White Flare, are expected to go live at major retailers like Best Buy and Amazon from May 8 onwards in the US.
So what’s the latest? While the Pokémon Center and Best Buy drops have come and gone, we’re also expecting Amazon and Target preorders to go live soon.
Amazon’s listings are up but not live yet, so bookmark each so you’re ready to lock in your preorder ASAP when each set goes live.
You can also see our full list of trusted retailers just below that will likely host preorders between now and release on July 18.
Best Buy is also putting restrictions in place for those looking to preorder, so make sure to check the following on your Best Buy account, as well as every other retailer:
Make sure you have an account set up and logged in.
Confirm your location and address for store pickup or shipping.
Add the item to your cart as soon as you can for account verification and inventory checks.
Make sure to follow on-screen prompts and not refresh or close your browser window.
Don’t try and use multiple devices to secure stock, retailers usually track your IP Address (Sometimes bypassing VPNS).
Complete the purchase as soon as possible when adding to basket.
Where To Preorder: Pokémon TCG Black Bolt
Like previous sets, Black Bolt and White Flare will likely sell out incredibly quickly, so it’ll be a massive task to find the expansions in stock.
I’ll be keeping track on retailers and updating this article as preorders go live, as I’ll be looking to pick up a few sealed boosters myself.
The everything below also be found at The Pokémon Center, although its currently out of stock, and its queue system when new stock is added can take a rather long time with no guarantees.
Pokémon TCG’s release schedule is looking chock full over the next few months, alongside the split explansion set Black Bolt and White Flare, there’s also Destined Rivals releasing on May 30.
Black Bolt and White Flare will have a staggered release between July 18 – August 22, and you can find all the relevant dates to note down just below.
Available July 18, 2025:
Scarlet & Violet: Black Bolt or White Flare Elite Trainer Box, each containing nine booster packs, an illustration rare promo card featuring Thundurus or Tornadus, and gameplay accessories
Binder Collection, including five booster packs and a nine-pocket album featuring Zekrom or Reshiram
Unova Poster Collection, with two booster packs from each expansion, three promo cards featuring Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott, and a full-size double-sided poster
Unova Mini Tin, including one booster pack from each expansion, one art card, and one sticker card
Available August 1, 2025:
Tech Sticker Collection, with three booster packs, a promo card featuring Reuniclus or Gothitelle, and a themed sticker sheet
Unova Victini Illustration Collection, with four booster packs, a foil promo card featuring Victini, a premium parallel Poké Ball version of Victini, and an oversized foil card
Available August 22, 2025:
Booster Bundle, including six booster packs from either Black Bolt or White Flare
Key Features: Black Bolt and White Flare
Six Pokémon ex
Eight ultra rare Pokémon and Supporter cards
One illustration rare or special illustration rare card for each Unova Pokémon
One special illustration rare Supporter card
A new card style, called Black White rare, will also debut. These cards will feature full artwork in either black or white monochrome, depending on the expansion.
Players will also be able to access Scarlet & Violet: Black Bolt and White Flare digitally starting July 17, 2025, through the Pokémon TCG Live app on iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows. The digital release allows players to collect and battle with new Unova-region cards and earn in-game login bonuses.
Pokémon TCG: Best Deals Today
If you’re trying to keep up with Pokémon TCG without getting ripped off or left behind, here’s where to start, including the latest update on what can be bought here and now from trusted retailers in the US.
While Rayquaza VMAX and Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat are making moves in the opposite direction. Whether you’re hunting bargains or watching the next big spike, here’s what to buy and what to keep an eye on right now.
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.
Additional contributions included by Robert Anderson.
