Mario Kart World is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive game that’s set to release alongside the upcoming console’s launch, on June 5. An open-world racing game, Mario Kart World is packed full of characters, vehicles, and regions from the Mushroom Kingdom for you to explore in a free-wheeling manner. You can preorder the game now at various retailers (see it at Walmart). Let’s take a look.
Unlike many video games these days, Mario Kart World is only available in one edition. You can pick it up all by itself for $79.99, or bundled with the Switch 2 console for $499.99.
Switch 2 Super Mario Kart World Bundle
If you buy the Switch 2 bundle that includes Super Mario Kart World, you can save $30 versus buying the console and game separately. Note that the console bundle includes a digital copy, so you won’t get the actual cart or game box if you go that route. If having a physical game is important enough for you that you’ll throw in an extra $30, by all means, proceed with your preorder.
Yes, the MSRP Is $79.99
Purchased by itself, the game costs $79.99, which is $10 more than standard price of AAA PlayStation and Xbox games this generation. While I don’t love seeing game prices getting hiked up between generations, I know games are more expensive to make than ever these days. In any case, I’m hopeful it indicates the scale of Mario Kart World makes it worth the extra money.
What Is Mario Kart World?
Mario Kart World promises to be the biggest Mario Kart game yet. It’s designed as an all-encompassing open world, much like the Forza Horizon series. In Grand Prix mode, you can even drive from the end of one track to the start of the next after finishing a race.
The tracks in Mario Kart World are altered by things like weather conditions and the time of day, which can affect your visibility and traction as you race around. You can also veer off the actual track at any point and drive “virtually everywhere,” according to Nintendo. Each race has 24 drivers, more than any previous Mario Kart game.
Knockout Tour is a new mode that lets you race from one corner of the open world to the other. Along the way, you’ll drive through checkpoints that have placements listed on them; if you’re lagging behind the required placement as you reach a checkpoint, you’ll be eliminated from the race.
If that sounds too hectic to you, you can choose to drive anywhere you want in the world in Free Roam mode. You can team up with friends as you leisurely cruise around, and take photos along the way.
More info about Mario Kart World is coming during an April 17 Nintendo Direct. In the meantime, take a look at our Mario Kart World hands-on preview for more info.
Other Preorder Guides
Chris Reed is a deals expert and commerce editor for IGN. You can follow him on Bluesky @chrislreed.com.
Like a member of the Mythic Dawn popping out of a secret room to stab the emperor in the back, a remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has shown up out of nowhere, and it’s a dagger I’ll gladly throw myself on. As one of my favorite RPGs ever, it’s no surprise that I’ve already put in a full day’s worth of playing: I’ve closed a dozen Oblivion gates as the hero of Kvatch, made Faustian bargains with a bunch of Daedric gods, fought to become champion of the arena in the Imperial City, and am well on my way to completing a few of the faction questlines – and so far I’m quite impressed by the substantial upgrades of this new version. I recently revisited the original Oblivion, so with its shortcomings very clear in my mind, the improved UI, revised voice lines, and especially the graphical overhaul have made this nearly 20-year-old classic massively more playable. That said, I’ve also seen a disappointingly recognizable amount of jank, like weird animations when getting on a horse, broken questlines, and regular framerate hitching. But as someone who is pretty immune to the charms of nostalgia alone, I’m still having a fantastic time returning to this adorably weird open-world adventure.
It probably goes without saying that the graphical upgrade is Oblivion Remastered’s biggest improvement. While things definitely don’t look anywhere near the normal standards of today, putting this version side-by-side with its 2006 doppelganger is eye-raisingly impressive. The entire map is crisp, with a draw distance my teenage-self could have only dreamed of. Lighting, shadows, and character lip syncing in particular have been overhauled so much that it’s actually kind of shocking. That said, other things bizarrely didn’t get the memo, like the faces of NPCs, which are almost universally hideous and cartoonish and have about a 40% chance of being cross-eyed. (Although, honestly, being horrified by character faces might actually be part of the authentic Oblivion experience.) So not every Nord and mudcrab is as beautiful to look at as your typical big budget game in 2025, but it’s still a total glow up. It’s one of those situations where I somehow remember things looking just like this in 2006, even though they very clearly looked much worse, which speaks to how the spirit and style of the original has been maintained.
The addition of sprinting has made for a remarkably less tedious time.
Perhaps the thing that has had the biggest impact on gameplay in Oblivion Remastered is the inclusion of a sprint button. If you haven’t played Oblivion in over a decade, yes, there was no sprinting – wild, I know – and if you never played it, just understand that you’ll never truly know this gift you’ve been granted from Akatosh himself. I don’t even really mind that I’m now losing stamina by sprinting (something that annoys me in RPGs where you’re literally always running around). It’s worth it, even if it does have the odd side effect of making the entire map feel smaller, especially cities and dungeons that can now be fully explored in about half the time. This change has also made me care a whole lot more about investing in skills and magical buffs that increase my stamina, since now I’m using that meter for nearly everything I do. But despite the extra fiddling that causes, moving quickly through areas I already know like the back of my hand makes for a remarkably less tedious time.
There are also a bunch of major changes to the UI, skills, and leveling system, as well as an entirely new feature called Character Origins, which seem to further modify starting stats. The UI has been modernized with today’s design sensibilities, so there are lots of appreciated additions you might not even notice. The compass has moved to the top of your screen and provides way more information; the health, magicka, and stamina meters are now spaced out across the screen instead of being shoved into one corner together; and the menus are much more intuitively placed, so you can toggle between your spells and character stats a lot faster. Some elements still feel pretty old timey – like the quest log popping up right in the middle of the screen anytime you’ve reached a new milestone in one, awkwardly interrupting whatever you were doing – but most of these annoyances haven’t bothered me much just yet. I also just need to spend more time with the altered leveling system and skills to understand if those changes were for better or worse.
It’s a bummer that two decades wasn’t long enough to fix the jank.
Although developer Virtuous Games headed up this remaster, this is still a Bethesda game through and through, and with that comes a lot of bugs. I’ve already seen odd stuff, like one time when an Oblivion gate disappeared before my eyes, or how an NPC walked away and wouldn’t let me talk to them even when my quest objective told me I had to (though I was still able to advance the questline despite the log not updating, otherwise I’d be madder about that). Then there’s just plain and simple performance issues I’ve seen while playing on Xbox Series X, like how I lose frames for a second or two anytime the autosave triggers or if I’m battling too many dirty, rat-faced scamps in Kvatch. So far most of this has been the usual cheeky blunders that generally don’t ruin my time, but it’s definitely a bummer to see that two decades wasn’t long enough to fix this janky fantasy world.
That’s all I’ve got for now, but am hoping to have a full review before too long. First I want to wrap up the main quest line, pay a visit to the Shivering Isles, and maybe go on a rampage across Cyrodil just to hear the Imperial guards give me their arrest monologue a few hundred more times. Okay. That’s it. Gonna go catch vampirism or something now. Goodbye.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered reimagines one of Bethesda’s most important games with new visuals, gameplay mechanics, and more, but that didn’t stop the team at Virtuos from including one of the original’s most iconic lines.
Most veteran Elder Scrolls fans have no doubt heard of Master Speechcraft trainer Tandilwe, a High Elf who can be found in the Temple of the One in the Imperial City. When Oblivion launched for PC and Xbox 360 more than 19 years ago, it was clear Tandilwe could use some speech training of her own. One of her voice lines is a recording of what has long been assumed to be mistakenly included audio of actress Linda Kenyon taking another stab at a line.
As players began their trek through a revitalized Cyrodiil yesterday, many were on the hunt to see just how faithful the ground-up remaster truly was. While so many environments, character models, and items have been given a fresh coat of paint, others have been happy to find that many of the blemishes that made 2006 Oblivion so special remain intact. Tandilwe’s infamous (and hilarious) blooper is one moment fans have been overjoyed to see return. It’s just as it was nearly 20 years ago, lack of subtitles and all.
In a 2019 interview with YouTube channel Jake ‘The Voice’ Parr, Kenyon was made aware of the Oblivion blooper making it into the game and becoming internet famous, insisting: “It wasn’t my fault!”
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
I may have dabbled with Xbox in the early days, but at some point I made the full switch over to PC gaming. The high frequency of Steam sales has usually been enough to tide me over on newer releases. So while I knew Game Pass was out there and did occasionally offer some big name games, there was never a moment where it felt like it would be worth it for me, personally. Well, until yesterday.
Bethesda and Virtuos shadow-dropping Oblivion Remastered straight onto Game Pass? A badly kept secret, but still an insane reveal. Tomorrow, the gaming subscription will get Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the stylish debut from Sandfall Interactive that takes inspiration from the JRPG greats. I have to admit, as a die-hard RPG fan: Microsoft, you finally got me.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Both Hit Game Pass This Week
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered was revealed and released on PC, consoles, and Game Pass on April 22. Like most people, I spent most of the day downloading the game and most of the night basking in the music. Highlights from the borderline-remake include new character models, combat interactions, and remastered VFX. And while they did enlist more than five new voice actors, it seems Virtuos kept the best of the original’s janky dialogue. The base edition of the remaster launched at a price of $49.99, which includes both the original DLCs, with a deluxe edition available for $10 more.
Meanwhile, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the long-awaited debut game from French studio Sandfall Interactive. Ahead of the game’s launch (12am PST tonight in the U.S.), it holds a 92 rating on Metacritic, with IGN’s 9/10 review praising the story design and describing it “as a true modern throwback.” The game’s stylish UI reminds me of the Persona series, and early gameplay footage shows off one of the coolest turn-based combat systems I’ve ever seen. The base edition is launching at the same price as the Bethesda remaster: $49.99.
While Expedition 33 was marketed as the headline of April’s Game Pass lineup, the surprise release of Oblivion Remastered has led to some concern of a “shadow” over the indie game’s release. That said, my perspective is that we’re getting two incredible cakes, and Game Pass makes enjoying both a little easier on the wallet. Instead of spending $100 on two new games, I spent $20 on a Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Now the only question is when I’ll touch grass again.
Plenty more of 2025’s biggest games have recently made it onto the service, including Blue Prince, South of Midnight, and Avowed, which join mainstay classics like GTA V and, of course, the full spread of Call of Duty. It really does seem like there’s something for everyone.
Game Pass Is a Ridiculously Good Deal Right Now
Game Pass Ultimate starts at $19.99/month and gives you access to the full Game Pass library across console and PC as well as cloud gaming. The exclusive-to-PC Game Pass lowers that cost to $9.99/month. The Standard and Core subscription tiers are $14.99/month and $9.99/month, respectively, but don’t include day one releases. The last Game Pass price hike was in July 2024, and with these types of game launches, I wouldn’t be surprised if those prices go up again some time this year.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows debuted last month to become the best-selling game in the U.S. for March 2025 in dollar sales.
This is according to analytics firm Circana, which reports that Shadows has also become the second best-selling game so far this year, trailing only Monster Hunter: Wilds and ahead of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. It was also the best-selling game on Xbox in March, and second best-selling game on PlayStation and Steam.
We reached out to Circana analyst Mat Piscatella for a bit more context on Assassin’s Creed: Shadows’ success. He told us that Shadows’ launch was the third-biggest in franchise history in the U.S., following Assassin’s Creed 3 and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. “It’s a great start, so now we’ll have to see where it goes from here.”
Last month, Ubisoft created a subsidiary company based on its Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six brands, with a €1.16 billion (approx. $1.25 billion) investment from Chinese megacorp Tencent.
Shadows saw the second highest day-one sales revenue in Assassin’s Creed franchise history, behind only Valhalla, the biggest Ubisoft day-one ever on the PlayStation Store, and has seen over 40 million hours played so far.
March was a big month for new releases, with seven of the top 20 games entering the charts for the first time, including WWE 2K24 (No.4), Split Fiction (No.5), Bleach: Rebirth of Souls (No.9), Xenoblade Chronicles X (No.17), and Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune & Dunan Unification Wars (No.18). Hello Kitty Island Adventure also ranked No. 4 on Nintendo Switch specifically in its console debut, and free-to-play game FragPunk debuted at No.8 in the Top 10 Steam charts ranked by Monthly Active Users (MAUs).
In second place this month, just behind Assassin’s Creed, was another debut title: MLB: The Show 25, which was also the best-selling game for the month on PlayStation. Its sales were 23% higher than its predecessor, MLB The Show 24, during the same debut month last year.
Other games doing well in March included Fortnite, which led all games in MAUs on both Xbox and PlayStation, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which leapt from No.103 in February to No.10 in March on PlayStation specifically thanks to being added to PS+. Co-op horror game R.E.P.O. made a similar leap from No.93 in its debut month of February to No.1 in March on the Steam MAU charts, likely due to growing social media virality over time.
Despite all these exciting new releases doing pretty well for themselves, March was actually a bit of a low month for games as a whole. Overall games spending dropped 6% year-over-year to $4.7 billion, and content spending dropped 4% year-over-year to $4.2 billion, Circana reports. Non-mobile subscriptions and digital premium downloads on console were the only content areas showing growth.
I asked Piscatella for context as to why content spend was down, and he pointed to mobile as the primary perpetrator. Mobile spending, per SensorTower’s report, was down 6% year-over-year.
“Mobile being such a big component of content means that a dip there usually means the market dips. Console full game download spending was up this March. But declines in mobile and drops in PC full game spend and a drop in digital add on content spending meant overall content fell.”
As for hardware, spending was down 25% year-over-year to $286 million, the lowest March spending total since 2019 ($279 million). PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console of the month, but its sales were still down 26% year-over-year. Xbox took second place, down 9% year-over-year, and Switch sales were down 37% from last year, likely in anticipation of the impending successor, the Nintendo Switch 2.
March 2025 U.S. Top 20 Best-Selling Games:
Assassin’s Creed: Shadows (NEW)
MLB: The Show 25* (NEW)
Monster Hunter: Wilds
WWE 2K25 (NEW)
Split Ficton (NEW)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
PGA Tour 2K25
NBA 2K25
Bleach: Rebirth of Souls (NEW)
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Minecraft*
Grand Theft Auto V
EA Sports FC 25
Red Dead Redemption II
Madden NFL 25
Elden Ring
Xenoblade Chronicles X* (NEW)
Suikoden I & II Remaster: Gate Rune & Dunan Unificaiton Wars (NEW)
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
EA Sports College Football 25
* Indicates that some or all digital sales are not included in Circana’s data. Some publishers, including Nintendo and Take-Two, do not share certain digital data for this report.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Original The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion senior game designer Bruce Nesmith has said Bethesda and Virtuos’ Oblivion Remastered is so impressive that he’s not sure calling it a remaster “actually does it justice.”
The mastermind behind much of what made the OG 2006 RPG so special shared his thoughts about the newly announced – and released – Oblivion remaster during a recent conversation with VideoGamer. He touched on the “blood, sweat, and tears” that went into bringing every inch of Cyrodiil to life, and that’s why it’s been such a shock to see Oblivion reimagined in nearly every way.
“I was assuming this was going to be a texture update,” Nesmith said. “I didn’t really think it was going to be the complete overhaul that they’ve announced it to be… I would not have batted an eye at that. But to completely redo the animations, the animation system, put in the Unreal Engine, change the leveling system, change the user interface. I mean, that’s, you’re touching every part of the game.”
Bethesda didn’t officially mention Oblivion Remastered before its launch yesterday. Still, longtime fans have been left mostly impressed by the countless changes that range from shallow visual touchups to fundamental gameplay tweaks. Additions such as a new sprint mechanic and changes to the leveling system have many feeling like Oblivion Remastered is less of a remaster and more of a remake, and Nesmith is leaning the same way.
The closest that could come [to categorising it] is Oblivion 2.0.
“That’s a staggering amount of remastering,” he added. “It almost needs its own word, quite frankly. I’m not sure remaster actually does it justice.”
Elsewhere in his chat, he attempted to label what he’s seen from Oblivion Remastered so far: “The closest that could come [to categorising it] is Oblivion 2.0.”
As fans gather to appreciate the work that’s gone into Oblivion Remastered, Bethesda has chimed in with its own explanation for how it came up with the name for its RPG re-release. In a statement posted to social media yesterday, the studio explained that it “never wanted to remake” Oblivion. Instead, its focus was maintaining the experience players know and love while modernizing it for newcomers, warts and all.
“We know many of our longtime fans will be thrilled to revisit Oblivion and the land of Cyrodiil,” Bethesda’s statement added. “But there are also so many who have never played it. We can’t thank you enough for all the support you have given us and our games over the years. Our hope with this remaster is, that no matter who you are, when you step out of the Imperial sewer – you feel like you’re experiencing it for the first time.”
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered was revealed and released yesterday as a shadow drop from Bethesda. You can hop into its reimagined version of Cyrodiil on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S now, and if you’re an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, it’s available at no extra cost. For more on how Oblivion Remastered has reinvigorated the Elder Scrolls community, you can check in on how the modding community responded to the surprise launch.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
By Azura, by Azura, by Azura – the rumors were true. Yesterday, Bethesda set the internet on fire by finally pulling back the curtain on Virtuos’ remaster (or is it really a remake?) of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. An ‘Elder Scrolls Direct’ of sorts culminated in the surprise shadow-drop, which near-immediately transformed into hundreds of thousands of concurrent players. This moment of global hype and celebration feels like a much-needed port in the current storm Bethesda Game Studios has been facing in recent years. From conducting years-long damage control to rectify Fallout 76’s misfire launch, to the lackluster reception of its new sci-fi universe, Starfield, the studio’s most recent output has had many fans asking the same question: Has Bethesda lost the magic? There’s fiercer competition in the RPG space these days, with Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 and Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds franchise both garnering critical acclaim as Elder Scrolls and Fallout spiritual successors. But while Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 may be years away from reclaiming their crowns, this re-release of Oblivion may be a step in the right direction – just not in the direction you’d expect.
At its peak, Bethesda Game Studios was an RPG juggernaut. In 2020, Microsoft’s leaked FTC documents revealed that Fallout 4 had sold 25 million units-to-date. The game shifted over 5 million units in its first week alone according to VGChartz. Likewise, in 2023 Todd Howard announced Skyrim had crossed 60 million sales (though it’s worth noting rereleasing it 50 times likely helped). So what about Starfield? Estimates put it at just over three million units a year-and-a-half post launch. While taking into account Game Pass subscribers (which would boost players if not sales) and Starfield’s lack of a PlayStation presence, this must still be something of a disappointment for Bethesda. And while there is a Starfield fanbase, it’s far smaller than that enjoyed by The Elder Scrolls or Fallout, and even it has voiced displeasure with the game’s first expansion, Shattered Space.
This all leaves the developer with a big problem. With The Elder Scrolls 6 “years away” and Fallout 5 just a whisper in the hallowed halls of the studio’s corridors, how can this once-iconic RPG developer enchant their fanbase once more? The answer lies in its past.
Rumours of the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remaster began back in September 2023, when leaked Microsoft documents revealed a number of unannounced Bethesda titles, including a remaster of 2006’s landmark trip to Tamriel (it also includes another interesting remaster – we’ll get to that soon). All was quiet until January 2025, when a former employee of Virtuos let slip more details, dividing Elder Scrolls fans as to their authenticity like the Stormcloaks vs. the Imperials. Finally, last week the dam broke (albeit early), setting the internet ablaze – there were over 6.4 million Google searches for ‘The Elder Scrolls VI: Oblivion’, rising by 713% in the last week alone. At its peak, Bethesda’s reveal livestream had over half a million viewers watching. Despite the leaks (or perhaps because of them), over 600,000 people tuned in to see a 19-year-old game re-revealed to them. The intense fervent demand to play the remaster caused discount game key websites like CDKeys to crash, and slowed Fanatical and Green Man Gaming to a crawl. As of yesterday, Steam’s concurrent players stood at 125,000 and the game is firmly the #1 best seller. The enthusiasm Bethesda fans have for Oblivion burns as bright as the flames that spill from the Oblivion gates themselves.
How can this once-iconic RPG developer enchant their fanbase once more? The answer lies in its past.
The message from players is clear: if you (re)build it, they will come. What better way to keep fans engaged and invested during these long development periods than to invite them to take a trip back to the mysterious isles of Morrowind or the hollowed-out husk of the East Coast? From a commercial standpoint, it makes clear sense. While Bethesda’s main development staff toils away on long-gestating new projects, trusted partners like Virtuos can use historic blueprints to craft remasters in shorter time frames. Such remasters are based on games with built-in audiences, and for many they’re the first real RPGs gamers will have sunk their teeth into during their respective generations. Restoring these works also invites a whole new generation to become obsessed with the inner workings of the land of Tamriel or crawl out from the post-apocalyptic fallout into Las Vegas and D.C.
Bethesda has already strategically uplifted its own catalogue once before. Fallout 4 was discounted by up to 75% during the Fallout TV show’s first season on Prime Video, alongside a cleverly scheduled next-gen update which brought over certain homages from the show. As a result, Fallout 4 sales jumped over 7,500% in Europe alone despite being nearly a decade old.
Looking back to Microsoft’s leaked Bethesda roadmap, many noted that a Fallout 3 remaster was listed to follow Oblivion two years later. It’s important to note the timelines from this original presentation have shifted – Oblivion was originally cited as fiscal year 2022. However, assuming these original gaps remain true, it appears a Fallout 3 remake could be on the cards for 2026 – just in time for Fallout Season 2, coincidentally. While a Fallout remaster seems inevitable now, given the second series’ shift to New Vegas, could it be possible that Bethesda’s early conversations with showrunners Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet mean that a surprise New Vegas remake could be in store? Given the synchronicity of the show’s first season to Fallout 4’s vibe and aesthetic, could Bethesda level-up its craftiness even more for the upcoming New Vegas-centric second season? It shadow-dropped Oblivion – it’s not out of the realm of possibility that a New Vegas Remastered trailer is lying in wait for us at the end of Fallout Season 2’s finale.
The message from players is clear: if you (re)build it, they will come.
However, if there’s one game in Bethesda’s back catalogue that deserves to be remade the most, it’s undeniably The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Many Elder Scrolls fans have spent years fus-ro-dahing on the mountaintop for this, with one group of superfans going as far as to remake Morrowind using Skyrim’s tools, ala Skyblivion. However, Morrowind is not as easy a game to remake as Oblivion. It sits on the precipice between Bethesda’s evolutions as a studio – it is literally built differently to our modern understanding of an Elder Scrolls game. It’s only partially voiced, most of the story is told through text, there are no quest markers (players must literally write down directions given by NPCs, save for those with perfect memories), and combat physics are non-existent. Whereas Virtuos was able to overhaul some of the more finicky systems of Oblivion, the entirety of Morrowind is a finicky system. It’s why many love the game, but it’s also why it’s difficult to remake. To remake Morrowind is a dangerous tightrope. Modernize it too much and you risk losing the magic it was originally imbued with. Leave too many antiquated systems in place, and it’ll feel worse than an almighty skooma hangover.
When a studio becomes the icon of a gaming sub-genre, the challenge is this: how do you innovate and evolve whilst holding onto your audience? Rockstar Games has kept Grand Theft Auto players satisfied for over a decade through the ever-expanding multiplayer world of GTA Online, which in turn fuels the eye-wateringly expensive rumored budget for GTA 6. Bethesda’s bread-and-butter is richly detailed, expansive worlds that are resolutely single-player – Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76 just don’t hit in the same way. However, what’s clear through the overwhelming response to Virtuos’ Oblivion remaster is that gamers are more than on-board to dive back into the historic annals of Elder Scrolls of years-gone-by. That’s not to say any remaster is a slam dunk – this particular one is a clear product of careful consideration and skilled development, and a lesser game may have garnered a very different response, ala Rockstar’s own GTA Definitive Editions – but what better way for the former king of the modern RPG to get back on track than to breathe new life into some old classics?
Sab Astley is a freelance writer who has written for IGN, Polygon, TotalFilm, Rolling Stone, Radio Times, and Metro UK.
Every veteran Bethesda fan knows the studio’s games come with a generous dollop of jank. Oblivion, which first launched in 2006, was one of the chief culprits, with objects flying all over the place, characters making poorly-timed (but often hilarious) on-screen interjections, and things happening in the background that, in the context of what was going on in the foreground, were perfect meme material.
Nearly 20 years later, and Bethesda’s remaster (not a remake, it’s insisted), has all the “charm,” of the original, as Todd Howard put it. And that’s not an issue. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
“Oblivion is back,” is what players of the remaster are saying in response to clips of the game going wrong in some way, or doing that Bethesda game thing of having a random NPC’s face steal the scene.
None of Oblivion Remastered’s jank is seriously affecting player enjoyment of the game. For some it offers a warm familiarity. Can you imagine if the game had stripped all this out? It would feel… soulless, somehow, and nothing like the original fans fondly remember. Perhaps such attention on polish is best reserved for The Elder Scrolls VI.
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 most pivotal moment in any Pokemon game comes right at the start – choosing your partner Pokemon. The first moment you lock eyes with the creature you’ll spend tens of hours raising, bonding with and sending into battle is a special experience. That decision is usually based on vibes and taste to the point where many fans see it as a personality test. However, in those moments, you have no knowledge of how that decision will affect your journey to becoming a Pokemon master, with the gyms, rivals and secrets of the region yet to reveal themselves to you.
Well, we’ve done the research, looked into the base stats, found every strength and weakness of every starter Pokemon and all their evolutions and pitted them against their native regions to determine who is the best starter pick, not just to get you past the first couple gyms, but to take on the Elite Four and beyond. This is the first step to becoming a Pokemon master across all iterations.
Gen 1: Bulbasaur
While being the obvious pick to tackle the first gym in Pokemon Red and Blue (Grass beats Rock, as any Pokemon fan knows), Bulbasaur outshines both Charmander and Squirtle as the best starter pick in any bid to dominate the Kanto region.
Initial analysis might understandably lean towards Charmander. Fire types are a minority in Gen 1, many random encounters pitt you against Flying types (which are strong against Bulbasaur’s Grass) and the final gym is heavy on Ground types – something Charizard is immune to.
However, those who are Bulbasaur-inclined will find themselves flying through the majority of the game, with the Grass type being super effective against Brock’s Rock Pokemon, Misty’s Water collection, and the Giovanni’s final gym line-up, as well as being the best choice to take out the first two members of the Elite Four. The biggest challenge Bulbasaur will face are Erika’s Grass type gym, where strategy will be vital to overcoming the barrage of “not very effective” attacks, and Blaine’s Fire type gym, which can be defeated thanks to the abundance of water types present in Kanto.
There are some issues a Bulbasaur trainer will have to contend with, not least the many Pidgeys and Spearows you’ll come across in tall grass, whose Flying typing will provide a problem for anyone looking to grind their way to a high level. Thankfully, the amount of Ground and Rock types in caves will provide ample opportunity for Bulbasaur to wipe out entire bloodlines of Pokemon to gain a few XP. Also problematic are the frequent encounters with Blue, whose Pidgeot and Charmander will be a consistent issue, the latter of which can be helped by a Water type on your team.
But Bulbasaur, along with having well-balanced base stats, has the added bonus of evolving into Venasaur who also is a poison-type, giving him a solid advantage over the other two offerings from Professor Oak.
Gen 2: Cyndaquil
Pokemon Gold and Silver introduced just eight new Fire types to the series, in comparison to 10 Grass and 18 Water types. That minority means snapping up a powerful Fire Pokemon like Cyndaquil from the start adds a great deal of diversity to your team. More importantly, Cyndaquil proves to be the best matchup for the majority of gyms and Elite Four members that populate Johto.
Bugsy’s (you guessed it) Bug type gym and Jasmine’s Steel type gym will easily fall before a few Embers and Flame Wheels from Cyndaquil and his subsequent evolutions. The same cannot be said for the cutest of the starters, Water type Totodile, with there being no Fire, Ground or Rock gyms for him to dismantle. Grass type Chikorita (or more likely her third form, Meganium) would have a field day in Pryce’s Water gym but would struggle with the early Bug and Flying type gyms as well as Morty’s Poison type gym. Pryce will pose a problem for Cyndaquil, and so you’ll want to put together a well-balanced team to get you through that penultimate gym, but you’ll have many hours to assemble the perfect group before that hurdle.
Also working in Cyndaquil’s favour are the Grass and Bug types dotted throughout the Elite Four’s roster. Though all four of these teams are well-balanced enough to give you trouble no matter who you pick as a starter, the many Poison types and Lance’s team of Dragon/Flying types makes this a no-go zone for Meganium. Meanwhile Totodile’s final evolution, Ferligator, would certainly hold its own against many of these Pokemon, but won’t blaze through a few like Typhlosion will.
Picking Cyndaquil does come with its issues. There will be many Rock and Ground Pokemon bothering you with random encounters in caves and Lance’s team containing a Charizard and a Gyrados will require some solid strategy to overcome, but the effects of these are much lesser compared to what ails Chikorita and Totodile.
Gen 3: Mudkip
You might pick Mudkip because you just think he’s neat, but the reasons to go Water type for Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire run a bit deeper. In terms of gyms, Water type Mudkip has a bit of competition from the Grass type Treecko as both of them are super effective against three of the eight. They both have an advantage in Roxanne’s and Tate & Liza’s Rock/Ground gyms, while Mudkip will be best suited to take on Flannery’s Fire gym and Treeko for Wallace’s Water gym.
By the time you get to Wallace, Treeko would have almost definitely evolved into Sceptile, as Sootopolis City houses the final gym. The significance of that can’t be understated, but Treeko’s Grass typing sees it at a disadvantage in battles with Flannery and with Winona’s Flying type lineup. Mudkip, on the other hand, will struggle with just the one gym – Wattson’s (you guessed it) Electric type gym early on in Mauville City. Your third option, Torchic, doesn’t really enter the conversation here, with Fire types being super effective against none of the gyms and Fighting (a type gained by Torchic’s third form, Blazicken), only super effective against one, not to mention being at a massive disadvantage for Wallace’s battle.
The makeup of the Elite Four can lend a slight advantage towards Treeko’s final form, Sceptile, as you come across Glacia’s Ice/Water Pokemon and a few Grass Pokemon along the way which will cause Swampert (Mudkip’s third evolution) some issues. However, as Mudkip evolves into its final form, it gains Ground typing and very nicely balanced stats which see it gain a huge defensive boost, becoming immune to Electric and its only weakness being Grass. This makes Swampert able to power through battles where it usually might be the underdog.
Another consideration may be the amount of water present in the Hoenn region, meaning random encounters can be a bit of a grind, but Mudkip shows enough advantages in other areas to overcome that obstacle. Bonus points for being the cutest of the bunch.
Gen 4: Chimchar
Continuing the trend from the very first game, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl adds far fewer Fire type Pokemon to the series; just five in comparison to the14 introduced for Water and Grass. Though this isn’t a deciding factor in which starter to pick, it adds to the list of attributes going in Fire type Chimchar’s favour over Grass type Turtwig and Water type Piplup. Three is the magic number in terms of how many gyms a Pokemon needs to be super effective against to come out on top over its peers, and Chimchar’s Fire typing helps it overcome Gardenia’s Grass type gym, as well as the sixth and seventh gyms ran by Byron’s Steel types and Candice’s Ice types.
Chimchar faces tough competition from Turtwig, who can eliminate Roark’s Rock type and Crasher Wake’s Water type gyms with ease. After evolving into Torterra, it also gains Ground typing, making it immune to Electric attacks which will see it waltz through the final gym owned by Volkner. Though they may seem perfectly matched, a lot of Turtwig’s strengths are most exemplified in the early stages of the game, while Chimchar’s abilities sees him primed for late game success.
Coming through the gyms with minimal fuss is important due to the Sinnoh region’s very well-balanced Elite Four. Chimchar’s final evolution, Infernape, is perfect to take on Aaron’s Bug Pokemon, which would be super effective against Torterra, but the Grass type would admittedly be best to dismantle Bertha’s Water and Ground types. Piplup, despite evolving into the very resilient Empoleon, doesn’t have a significant advantage over many of the gym leaders or the Elite Four to make a dent here.
It’s a close matchup between Chimchar and Torterra, but due to the frequent battles with Team Galactic’s Bug types, the advantage falls with Chimchar, who has the gym battle credentials to back it up.
Gen 5: Tepig
Gen 5 makes for a more clean cut decision, with the Fire type Tepig making the biggest claim for being the smartest pick. Grass type Snivy doesn’t quite make the cut as it only has an advantage over just the one gym, nor any significant advantages over any Elite Four member, as well as being plagued by the various Bug and Flying types across the Unova region’s tall grass and boss battles. Water type Oshawott isn’t as embattled as Snivy, being the best choice to take on Clay’s Ground type gym and being resistant to Brycen’s Ice Pokemon, which are super effective against Snivy. But like the Grass type, there are no Elite Four members who lean into a type specifically tailored to Oshawott or its evolutions.
However, Tepig’s Fire abilities, and its final form, Emboar, also being a Fighting type, allows it to have a smoother ride through Unova. Firstly, Burgh’s Bug gym and Brycen’s gym are light work for a Fire type, the latter being the penultimate gym in the game. Alternative solutions will need to be found to make it through Clay’s Ground-based gym, but the same can be said for Oshawott as it arrives in Elesa’s Electric gym.
The Elite Four battles are where Emboar’s Fighting type comes in handy, being super effective against Grimsley’s Dark type Pokemon. Emboar is admittedly vulnerable to Caitlin’s Psychic types, but if you have a strong enough bench, this battle can easily be overcome.
Also working in Emboar’s favour are his strong attacking stats and the presence of Team Plasma, who have an abundance of Steel types. Having to fight the Elite Four twice makes Pokemon Black and White a tough challenge no matter who you choose, but Tepig can put your mind at ease more often than the others.
Gen 6: Fennekin
Pokemon X and Y continue the dominance of Fire types in this list. The sixth generation has a quirk where you can choose from two sets of starters, first between the new bunch of Chespin, Fennekin and Froakie, and later between the Kanto starters from the original games. For this list, we’ll focus on the starters unique to this game, of which Fennekin is the standout. The Fire Pokemon can almost stroll through the gyms, being super effective against three and resistant to two more. Though two of those gyms are in the early stages of the game, the final three being Fairy, Psychic and Ice based means that Fennekin’s third evolution, Delphox, now imbued with Psychic typing, can head off to the Pokemon League relatively unscathed.
Froakie evolves into Greninja, a Water/Dark type Pokemon, making it super effective against Olympia’s Psychic team but weak against Valerie’s Fairy types. Being a Water type mostly gets it into trouble, matching up poorly against Ramos’ Grass types and Clemont’s Electric types, something Grant’s early Rock gym doesn’t make up for. Chespin’s story makes for similar reading, struggling off the bat with Viola’s Bug gym and going on to gain a Fighting typing after evolving into Chesnaught which leaves it at a disadvantage against Olmpia and Valerie.
As the games progress, the Elite Fours get a bit more balanced. Pokemon X and Y is another example of a series of battles suited to a different type each time. You’ll want Water to overcome Malva, Fire to overcome Wikstrom and Grass to overcome Siebold. Delphox just about has the edge, able to resist whatever Diantha’s Gardevoir throws at it.
Gen 7: Litten
Rounding out this Fire type four-peat is Litten from Pokemon Sun and Moon. Despite having to struggle through the first couple trials (the Alola region’s version of gyms, of which there are only seven), Litten is the obvious choice for the rest of the battles. Mallow’s Grass trial is the only lineup where each Pokemon is weak to Fire, but Sophocles’ Electric gym contains two Steel types and a Bug type. And by the time you arrive at Acerola’s Ghost trial you could have evolved Litten into the Fire/Dark type Incineroar whose attacks will be super effective against the whole lineup, especially the Grass and Ice Pokemon in Acerola’s team.
The final trial, in which you must face Mina with her Fairy Pokemon, is a little more complicated because of Incineroar’s Dark typing. A regular Fire type would be able to resist Fairy attacks, but Incineroar is damaged normally by them. Helpfully, Mina has a Steel, Grass and Bug type in her team.
Litten’s starter counterparts, Rowlet and Popplio, will find success with one of the first three trials, but will cease to have an advantage over any of the late game battles. Rowlet’s evolution, Decidueye, gains Ghost typing, which is a blessing and a curse for Acerola’s trial, but doesn’t garner much of an advantage elsewhere. Popplio evolves into the Water/Fairy type Primarina, but that doesn’t affect its fortunes with the trials at all.
Sun and Moon’s Elite Four are just a small fraction of what awaits you in the Pokemon League. After becoming champion yourself, you face challenges from 10 more trainers looking to take your place. These battles, on top of the Elite Four themselves, are too diverse for any starter to have any advantage over the other, meaning Litten’s ability to clear the trials is even more vital. The Alola region also introduces just eight Fire Pokemon in comparison to Grass and Water’s 13 (after the series had become more balanced in that regard) so snapping Litten up early is a great aid.
Gen 8: Sobble
Sobble’s victory over Grookey and Scorbunny might be the closest of the lot. All three Pokemon are the best picks against three gyms, with Gordie and Raihan’s Rock and Ground gyms being perfect for Sobble and Grookey, and Melony’s Ice gym and Opal’s Fairy gym being tailor made for Scorbunny. Additionally, the first three gyms are Grass, Water and Fire typed, in that order, lending no advantage to any of the three starters. Raihan’s gym being the final one gives it a bit more importance, so the gym battles give a hair’s breadth of a lead to Grookey and Sobble.
The Galar region’s version of the Elite Four, The Champion Cup, allows Sobble to just inch past Grookey in the standings. None of these Pokemon’s final evolutions gain any new types, making them work with what they’re given from the start. The semi-final opponents don’t lean any particular way, but Bede’s Fairy Pokemon, followed by Nessa’s Water types and Raihan’s Fire and Ground heavy Dragon team, favour Fire, Grass and Water respectively. If success against the toughest opponents is most valued, then Sobble just about edges victory here.
Other considerations like the rivals, Team Yell, and random encounters are even less impactful than normal in Pokemon Sword and Shield. Team Yell uses mostly Dark types, which attack and defend normally against Fire, Water and Grass types, and the introduction of overworld Pokemon means random encounters happen less. If there’s any other factor that tips the scales towards Sobble, it would be that its final evolution, Inteleon, has a nicely balanced set of stats.
Gen 9: Fuecoco
The sixth Fire type to be chosen on this list is one of the clearest winners. You might think that the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s focus on player freedom might allow for little separation between Sprigatito, Fuecoco and Quaxly – You can do the gyms and raid Team Star bases in any order you like and you can avoid encounters with wild Pokemon almost entirely. But even with all of that, the Paldea region feels designed to be dominated by Fuecoco.
The gyms in Scarlet and Violet don’t level scale, so if you have a bad matchup, you can just return once you’re able to power through a disadvantage. Still, the highest level gyms being Psychic/Fairy and Ice types, courtesy of Tulip and Grusha, and the two lowest level gyms being Katy and Brassius’ Bug and Grass types, means there’s a good reason to go with Fuecoco (and its Ghost type final evolution, Skeledirge) regardless of your strategy. Being a water type, Quaxly isn’t strong against any gym until it reaches its third form, Quaquaval, where it becomes a Fighting type, helping it in Larry’s Normal type gym. Sprigatito fares a bit better, evolving into Grass/Dark type Meowscarada, enabling it to best Tulip’s gym and Ryme’s Ghost gym.
The Team Star base raids place even more importance on what starter you pick, being vital to the story progression of the game. The crews based around Dark and Poison Pokemon have an abundance of Bug Pokemon who have to be cleared before you can face the boss, while crews based around Fairy and Fighting types are perfect for Skeledirge, who is immune to attacks from the latter. Quaquaval and Meowscarada are worthy opponents for the first member of the Elite Four, Rika and her Ground Pokemon, but from Poppy’s Steel team onwards, Skeledirge finds itself miles ahead of the competition.
Nintendo has clarified compatibility concerns around its all-new GameCube controller, confirming there may be “issues” using it to play contemporary Nintendo Switch 2 games.
Nintendo has now clarified that small print, reiterating that the retro controller was designed to be used primarily with GameCube games. Players may be able use their GameCube controller for other Nintendo Switch 2 games, but there “may be some issues” doing so given the retro device will be missing “all the buttons and features” found in more modern controllers.
Nintendo also repeated its warning that the GameCube controller is only compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2 system.
“The Nintendo GameCube controller is designed for use with the Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics collection of games and is an optional way to play those games,” Nintendo confirmed in a statement to Nintendo Life.
“Since it doesn’t have all the buttons and features found in other controllers that can be used with the Nintendo Switch 2 system, there may be some issues when playing other games. The Nintendo GameCube controller can only be used on Nintendo Switch 2 and is not compatible with Nintendo Switch.”
The GameCube collection is a major update to the Nintendo Switch Online library, and grants subscribers access to a laundry list of classic 2000s-era titles, including The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and Soulcalibur 2, which will all be available at launch this summer. Of course, this library will be expanded in the years to come, with some teased titles including Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi’s Mansion, Super Mario Strikers, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, and more.
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.
