Category: Video Games

The Pokémon TCG market is moving, and not quietly. With Black Bolt and White Flare coming in hot, many Black and White-era cards are suddenly on every collector’s radar again.

We’re seeing massive jumps on cards that have sat stable for years, all because Gen V is back in style. If you’re looking to trade, cash in, or just gawk at how weird card prices can get, I’ve got you covered.

Here are five cards that are flying and five that are faceplanting. Some of these are smart buys. Others? Let’s say I wouldn’t want to be the one who paid full price three weeks ago.

Pokémon Card Crashers

Fortnite’s Star Wars season has just dropped its biggest new skin yet from a galaxy far, far away — and stunned fans by locking it behind a 1.28 million XP grind.

Darth Jar Jar became available to buy from Fortnite’s Shop over the weekend, but only after you earn the ability to do so. And even then, after accruing that 1.28 million XP, Darth Jar Jar still costs 1500 V-Bucks (around $13).

Fortnite has locked skins behind an XP requirement before, but only done so once in recent years and not with a skin that had been anticipated as one of the key cosmetic releases of this shortened Star Wars season.

Several weeks in, there’s now less time for players to get the XP needed to nab Darth Jar Jar (Fortnite’s Star Wars season ends on June 7), and anyone who had managed to finish their battle pass already now has a fresh chunk of level grinding to go.

“I was so hyped for this skin and was fine with it being behind a pay wall, after all it is just another skin,” wrote one fan on reddit, in a long thread dedicated to Darth Jar Jar’s release. “But this whole locked behind an XP wall is ridiculous. You want me to earn the right to give you money? I immediately closed the game.”

Another common complaint is the fact that Darth Jar Jar has been released alongside a regular Jar Jar Binks skin, which does not have an XP requirement but still costs a separate 1500 V-Bucks.

Together with the various accessories for both Sith and Gungan variants of this skin, you could choose to pay 6,500 V-Bucks for everything Jar Jar Binks. Which is a lot.

“Regular Jar Jar alone is 20 dollars,” another fan wrote. “If you want both that s**t is 52 entire ass dollars for something that ought to have just been 1 skin with 3 styles.”

Others, meanwhile, have countered to say that Jar Jar is simply a cosmetic option — and there’s no need to buy him at all if you don’t want to. Ignore him, and your Fortnite locker will be as free of the character as George Lucas wanted to be after the backlash to Phantom Menace hit.

“It wasn’t that hard to earn the XP took me around 8/9 hrs,” wrote a third fan. “I had no plans on Saturday. I did it in 3 sittings, but all in one day. I played Rocket Racing and Ranked and did Alignment Challenges to farm as much XP as possible.

“Nothing is making anyone get every item in the Shop you can just pick and choose, and the fact he was just 1500 V-Bucks when Deathstroke was 1,800 V-Bucks I wasn’t bothered at all by the price. I was pissed off at first than I realised after a couple hrs that I had over 300,000 XP already.”

Fortnite’s Star Wars season continues this week with a focus on Mandalorian warriors, and the highly-anticipated release of a new customisable Mandalorian skin in the game’s Shop next.

Epic Games’ battle royale will conclude its time in the Star Wars galaxy with a live narrative event on June 7 — which fans believe will see them boarding the Death Star that has been hovering ominously over the game’s Island since the start of the season.

Earlier this month, Epic Games’ ongoing feud with Apple escalated after Fortnite was “blocked” from returning to the iPhone App Store in the US.

Nintendo has confirmed it will return to Gamescom to showcase Switch 2 this year, after skipping 2024’s event.

Gamescom, the biggest games show by attendance in the world, will this year run from August 21 to August 24 at its usual home in Cologne, Germany.

A post by Nintendo on its German-language social media account has confirmed the company will be back on the show floor at the event. But does this mean we’ll get a new Nintendo Direct for Switch 2 at the same time?

Nintendo has not yet said what it plans to showcase at Gamescom 2025, but it’s worth bearing in mind that its two main titles for the Switch 2 launch window — Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza — will have been out for some time by that point.

What could Nintendo focus on next? Well, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 shooter Metroid Prime 4: Beyond currently still sits with a vague “2025” launch date, and seems likely to arrive this fall. We may see more of that, and a longer demo than the one previously shown to the public at the Nintendo Switch 2 Tour events made available.

There’s also Pokémon Legends Z-A, another title set to arrive for both Switch and Switch 2, which is down for a “late 2025” launch.

And while Nintendo could sail through the second half of 2025 with those two games, it seems possible the Mario maker may also have something else for this year still tucked up its sleeve.

Last year, Nintendo raised eyebrows by skipping Gamescom’s 2024 event — an ususual move that many saw as indication its aging Switch hardware was running out of steam, and the company did not have much else to show.

Gamescom is one of the key dates on the gaming calendar, with its in-person event regularly attracting more than 300,000 attendees. Online, the show is now accompanied by the Geoff Keighley-fronted Gamescom Opening Night Live, which in 2024 included looks at Borderlands 4, Monster Hunter Wilds and Dune: Awakening.

Last week, WizKids’ Baldur’s Gate 3 miniatures arrived, and they didn’t exactly garner rave reviews. The public response seems to have been heard, and now WizKids is offering refunds to anyone who feels dissatisfied with their minifig boxes.

“As a company, WizKids seeks to create products that enhance and add to the enjoyment of game play,” the company said in an announcement. “We want our customers to build long-lasting, fond memories around game nights with friends and family using our products.

“Unfortunately, we missed the mark on this goal with the D&D Icons of the Realms: Baldur’s Gate 3 Character Boxed Set. If you purchased this set through our online stores, we will be offering a full refund to those who are unsatisfied with their set.”

pic.twitter.com/pKkkroQrWt

— Gale-LOD 😏 (@HighLODLar) May 13, 2025

WizKids went on to say it’s aware of the reports, and its team is investigating the issues and taking action to both “make this right” and to ensure issues do not pop up again in future products.

The $49.99 pre-painted D&D Icons of the Realms: Baldur’s Gate 3 Character Boxed Set started rolling out to buyers last week, and the results surprised more than a few. Opening the box to strange paint jobs, off details, and a seemingly melting Withers left purchasers feeling frustrated.

WizKids is offering refunds through two options. If you bought the set online, you can contact customerservice@wizkids.com to start a request. If you went through a local retailer, you can return it at the point of purchase for a full refund. The company is also offering a product replacement through its replacement site, where WizKids says it will work to provide a replacement that “meets the standards expected.”

It’s not exactly the happiest ending for those hoping for a nice new set of Baldur’s Gate 3 miniatures, but it’s at least something for those disappointed with the outcome of their box of minis. Hopefully those affected can find some other figure-makers to fill the miniature-shaped hole in their hearts.

Larian just bid farewell to Baldur’s Gate 3 with Patch 8, its final major patch for its 2023 RPG that took the world by storm. The studio’s CEO Swen Vincke has dropped some hints about what’s next for Larian, but aside from it not being Baldur’s Gate nor Dungeons & Dragons, there’s not too much more to go on.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

One of the most exciting trading card crossovers in years is nearly here. Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy releases on June 13, and the only set still available from major retailers is the Starter Kit, now back in stock and available to preorder at Amazon for just $19.87 (and £15.99 in the UK).

The upcoming set has been steadily building in hype since its announcement, and a new trailer has since kicked the excitement up an extra notch. Walmart also has the Final Fantasy bundle back in stock today for $69.87.

Market Price on the Play Booster Set seems to have surged, as on May 14, 2025, you could pick it up for $164.99 from TCGPlayer; it’s now $185.59, a $20+ spike. Amazon had also restocked at $189, and still managed to promptly sell out as well.

There’s also the nine-booster Final Fantasy bundle (plus bonus cards) that’s shot up to $95 (was $87.99), despite still being available to preorder for $70 at Walmart, alongside single sealed boosters that have risen from $7.99 to $9.54 as well.

So, what is “Market Price”? Those collecting Pokémon TCG will be wildly familiar with the concept, but it’s where retailers will take liberties with the “recommended” part of an MSRP, and list it for what they think folk will pay. Capitalism at its finest, I know, and for Final Fantasy MTG, “Market Price” is currently around $20-40 over MSRP, depending on what you’re buying.

If you can stomach the cost, with the rest of the sets sold out and some singles already going for over $500, you’ll want to lock in your preorders before everything vanishes faster than you can say Chocobo.

Prices in the singles market are looking remarkably high as well, with the borderless version of Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, currently sitting at $147.23, and the Surge Foil version is at an almighty $599, the most expensive of the entire FF set.

If you’ve already preordered, or are just on the hunt for rare singles, there are a few other clear standouts to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

That includes the gorgeous borderless Kefka, Court Mage card, shown off in the new MTG teaser trailer from PAX East, and featuring longtime Final Fantasy artist, Yoshitaka Amano.

TCG Player is good spot for a wide collection of single cards you can purchase and add to your deck without having to hope for a good pull.

It’s also a good resource for figuring out how much your cards are worth once the new set is out, so if you pull any Surge Foil cards in your booster pack preorders, you might suddenly find yourself with quite the nest egg. But, it’s also worth noting that prices change all the time, so some cards may change in value closer to release.

Other highlights to look out for when opening boosters, or to consider buying standalone, include the Cloud, Ex-Soldier Commander card, which costs $45.99 at the time of writing. That’s not surprising, given how easy it makes it for equipping other creatures you might have in play on the field.

Then there’s also the full-art version of the Yuffie Kisaragi – Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow, currently just under $100. That’s due to both the card’s use as a Commander and its rarity, especially in that classic late 90’s FF7 art style.

It’s when you get to some of the special cards where things get extra expensive, though. Alongside that eye watering $599 Cloud card, the borderless version of the Traveling Chocobo card, costs $169.98, while the standard version stands at a cheaper, but still expensive $114.97.

You can also buy the new Traveling Chocobo cards, which even had their own teaser trailer featuring a limited edition Gold Chocobo.

While it can be expensive when seeking out the rarest cards, quite a number of singles at TCG player can also be bought at a low price.

That includes the likes of Sazh’s Chocobo for $1.96, Tonberry for $2.49, the useful Summon: Shiva for $1.56, or even Gladiolus Amicitia for 33 cents.

Moreover, TCG Player is also hosting preorders for select Final Fantasy booster sets, albeit at over MSRP, but at current market price.

But, for those just preordering the Starter Kit today, it is also worth noting that each deck in the set is preconstructed, and doesn’t feature boosters to open (so no surprise $600 cards).

Instead, it includes one traditional foil legendary creature, five brand-new non-foil cards debuting in Magic, and 54 cards from the main set.

The kit also comes with four non-foil double-sided tokens, two MTG Arena code cards (one per deck), and two deck boxes. That’s a lot of value packed into a $20 price tag.

For new Magic: The Gathering players, the Arena code cards are especially useful. You can redeem both decks to play online, giving you a chance to learn the game at your own pace through AI matches or competitive play.

More MTG Preorders and Restocks at Amazon

Looking for more? There’s also plenty of other Magic: The Gathering products to buy now or preorder, such as the highly anticipated Edge of Eternities set.

The rest are a mixed bag, with older products going for an absolute fortune, such as the $749 Theros Beyond Death booster to the pricey Lord of the Rings sample bundles.

Ben Williams – IGN freelance contributor with over 10 years of experience covering gaming, tech, film, TV, and anime. Follow him on Twitter/X @BenLevelTen.