Video Games | Page 59 of 1348

2025 Pokémon Worlds VGC Champion Kevin Han Achieves Historic First

Pokémon World Championships competitor Kevin Han just won the 2025 Video Game Seniors World Champion title in Anaheim, CA, making him the first to win the VGC Pokémon World Championships in both the Junior and Senior age divisions. To make this achievement even more impressive, Han took these titles back-to-back, and this year, with a completely undefeated record.

“I have no words to describe it. It’s an unreal feeling, I still can’t believe it,” Han said after being asked about his unprecedented achievement.

Han, a 12-year-old from Pennsylvania, US, faced Sian Lee from South Korea in the Senior division finals. Last year, Han was defeated only twice during his climb to the Junior Championship title, and one of those defeats was at the hands of Lee, making this finals match-up especially nerve-racking.

Before the match, Han’s brother, Chris Han, was asked about how Kevin Han was feeling.
“I can tell you one thing, he’s super nervous… but Kevin’s got this,” Chris Han said. “I don’t have any words of advice, just trust your gut Kevin–you know exactly what to do.”

Chris Han’s faith in his brother rang true, as Kevin Han won 2-0.

“I think after turn one of each game, where I got my positioning up, I think I felt a lot better,” Kevin Han said. “Sometimes if you’re too nervous it can hurt you, but, in my opinion, having at least a little bit of nerves can help you a lot.”

Kevin Han secured his victory in the second match with a Double K.O. with his Ice Rider Calyrex’s Glacial Lance, super effective on Lee’s Rillaboom and just powerful enough to finish off the previously-damaged Zamazenta.

Ray Rizzo is the only previous Pokémon competitor to have won the VGC Championship in two divisions: the Senior division in 2010, then the Master division in 2011. This makes Kevin Han the first-ever contender with the ability to take the World Championship title in all three divisions: Juniors, Seniors, and Masters. We’ll have to wait three years before he ages into the Masters division, where he just might make history yet again.

Kevin Han’s win isn’t the only historical first at this year’s Pokémon World Championships. This is also the first ever time Championship Sunday was held in a dedicated arena rather than on the stage on the convention center floor.

Casey DeFreitas is a deputy editor on the guides team at IGN and this year is the second time she’s covered the Pokémon World Championships in Anaheim, CA. Catch her on socials @ShinyCaseyD.

The Best Deals Today: Lies of P, The First Berserker: Khazan, Doom: The Dark Ages, and More

We’ve rounded up the best deals for Sunday, August 17, below, so don’t miss out on these limited-time offers.

Lies of P for $29.99

Lies of P has continued to sit atop many favorite game lists over the last few years. A sequel is in development, with a major tease left for players at the end of the base game. The recently released Lies of P: Overture prequel gave yet another reason to re-enter this world, and for new players, there’s never been a better time to jump in.

The First Berserker: Khazan for $49.99

The First Berserker: Khazan is available on sale this weekend at Amazon for $49.99. That’s a discount of $10, and while small, is still solid if you haven’t yet picked up the game. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “The First Beserker: Khazan is a brutal but impressive soulslike that makes pushing through its devastating bosses worth the effort.”

Attack on Titan Final Season Steelbook up for Pre-Order

A brand-new Attack on Titan Steelbook is up for pre-order, and this is one you won’t want to miss. This Steelbook contains Part 1 and Part 2 of Attack on Titan Final Season, in addition to the two Attack on Titan Final Season The Final Chapters specials. The front of the Steelbook features the Final Season Part 1 key art, while the back features Part 2’s key art. If you haven’t picked up any of the Final Season on Blu-ray just yet, this is the ultimate bundle, especially considering the price.

Score Raidou Remastered on Switch for $39.99

Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army launched in mid June, and you can save $10 off a Nintendo Switch copy for the first time this weekend at Amazon. This action RPG is a remaster of the 2006 PS2 game, and there are many improvements and new features to discover. For one, UI, visuals, and voice acting have all been tweaked to refine the experience, but you can also discover more than 120 different demons.

Final Fantasy VII Remake: Material Ultimania Plus for $19.99

This weekend, you can save 50% off the Final Fantasy VII Remake: Material Ultimania Plus, which was delayed consistently over the last few years but finally released last November. This book includes brand-new insights to Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, including concept art and design works for Episode INTERmission. If you’re a fan of FFVII, books like these are always an excellent add to your collection.

Save 20% Off the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 Collector’s Edition

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skayer 3 + 4 was a great blast from the past this Summer, and you can now save 20% off the PS5 Collector’s Edition at Amazon. This edition packs in the full game on a physical disc, all digital deluxe content, which includes the Doom Slayer Skater, and a limited edition full-size Birdhouse Wings Design skateboard deck. Time to hit the park.

Doom: The Dark Ages for $44.99

Doom: The Dark Ages is on a major sale for the first time, and you can save $25 off a PlayStation 5 copy at Best Buy this weekend! This game takes the Doom Slayer back to the medieval ages, acting as a prequel to both Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal. The latest update was just released last week as well, so really, there has never been a better time to hop in.

Save on Grave of the Fireflies

Studio Ghibli is one of the most beloved names in the anime space, with each film offering a heartfelt message. Grave of the Fireflies is set near the end of World War II in Japan, following the young Seita and his sister. Directed by Isao Takahata, this is an excellent movie to add to your collection.

Persona 5 Royal PC for $19.91

Persona 5 Royal is still one of the most popular RPGs to this day, but most deals on the game are often for consoles. However, this weekend, you can score a PC copy of the game for $19.91 at Amazon. This physical edition contains three art cards and a Steam code you can redeem for a copy of the game.

Review: ANTANK S3 MAX TV Dock Station For Nintendo Switch 2 – A Decent Little Travel Dock

A SIWIQU by any other name.

Nintendo’s own dock is a non-nonsense device that just works. You slide your console in, crack the Joy-Con off, and boom, you’re off to the races. Given the larger size of Switch 2, though, its dock is a substantial slab of black plastic and various third-party firms have stepped in with offerings that are a little more portable.

Antank is one such company, and the S3 MAX TV Dock Station for Nintendo Switch 2 — also known as the SIWIQU Dock Station in some parts — is certainly smaller than the dock that comes with the console. Weighing in at 109 grams (compared to 383 grams), you’ll barely notice you’re carrying it in your satchel, backpack, or anywhere else you care to secrete your hardware.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

What’s on your bookshelf?: The Stanley Parable, The Beginner’s Guide, and Wanderstop’s Davey Wreden

Hello reader who is also a reader, and welcome back to Booked For The Week – our regular Sunday chat with a selection of cool industry folks about books! That’s two weeks in a row now, which I’ve decided is enough for me to not have to caveat or lampshade the word ‘regular’, except obviously in this specific instance. We are back 4eva, in the Blakean Infinite sense, which is my favourite reference for making my fecklessness seem profound.

Mattel Adds Special Edition Pauline To Its Mario Kart Hot Wheels Line

Pre-orders are now live.

Mattel has already released a whole bunch of Mario Kart vehicles and next up is a “special edition” Pauline release, which was originally revealed at San Diego Comic-Con this year.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Poll: Box Art Brawl – Super Adventure Island (SNES)

Super duper.

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl!

Last week, we looked at WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ for the GBA – a true classic and one of our favourites here at NL Towers. North America and Europe joined forced against Japan and, uh… Oh, poor Japan. The western design won with a whopping 91% of the vote! We quite like the Japanese design, there’s definitely something to it. Though if you said it was boring, we wouldn’t necessarily disagree. Hm.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

The Best Deals Today: Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Raidou Remastered, and More

We’ve rounded up the best deals for Saturday, August 16, below, so don’t miss out on these limited-time offers.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker for $27.99

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is an amazing game that ranks among my favorite Nintendo Switch games. This adorable puzzle game challenges your brain, as each stage can be rotated around. Captain Toad cannot jump, so it’s up to you to guide him to find gems, coins, and stars. The Nintendo Switch release packed in a few new levels based on a few Kingdoms found in Super Mario Odyssey, too.

Silent Hill 2 for $29.99

Bloober Team’s remake of Silent Hill 2 is on sale at Target this weekend for $29.99. Recreating one of Konami’s most beloved titles was never going to be easy, but the Silent Hill 2 remake delivers an immersive horror experience that preserves almost everything that made the original so great. In our 8/10 review, we said the game “smoothly polishes down the rough edges of the original game’s combat while taking a piece of heavy grit sandpaper to scuff up every rust and mold-covered surface of its nightmarish environments, successfully making them appear far more abrasive and menacing to explore.”

Attack on Titan Final Season Steelbook up for Pre-Order

Score Raidou Remastered on Switch for $39.99

Save 20% Off the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 Collector’s Edition

Doom: The Dark Ages for $44.99

Persona 5 Royal PC for $19.91

Final Fantasy Dominates The Top-Selling Magic: The Gathering Cards of 2025 So Far

Magic: The Gathering is having its biggest year yet with Final Fantasy’s Universes Beyond set, and its cards dominate the top-selling cards of the year.

In fact, in putting together this top 10, every entry was Final Fantasy themed, from characters to Surge Foils worth hundreds.

With that in mind, we’ve put together the top 10 below, covering Final Fantasy, Edge of Eternities, Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Aetherdrift, and Innistrad Remastered.

Here’s the top 10 for each, thanks to data from TCGPlayer.

Final Fantasy

According to TCGPlayer, the top-selling Final Fantasy cards are as follows:

Many of those Borderless Surge Foil variants have been commanding a fair amount of value on the secondary market, but Starting Town popping up near the top is a nice surprise.

Edge of Eternities

The next most popular set at the time of writing (and the most recent), Edge of Eternities shows there’s plenty of appetite for Magic’s own characters and stories.

Tarkir: Dragonstorm

The set before Final Fantasy might feel as though it’s been swept under the rug, but anyone looking for dragons will find a lot to like. And yet, the top 10 most popular cards include multiple versions of the same four cards.

Aetherdrift

Magic’s power-sliding set is still proving pretty popular, with the top 10 cards according to TCGPlayer data including lands, sorceries, and that all-important Aetherspark.

Innistrad Remastered

Perhaps unsurprisingly, many of the top 10 here are versions of everyone’s favorite vampire, Edgar Markov. He appears no less than four times!

Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.

Feature: 32 Games We’re Dying To See On Switch 2

We’d give our right Joy-Con 2.

The first months of Switch 2’s life have seen plenty of multiplatform games arrive on Nintendo’s newest console — winners like Cyberpunk 2077, No Man’s Sky, Apex Legends, and Yakuza 0 to name a handful — and its extra power affords devs the chance to bring newer, bigger, more ambitious games to the platform where ports simply weren’t viable on the old Switch.

And yes, we’ve got things like Elden Ring, Persona 3 Reload, and Star Wars: Outlaws to look forward to before the year’s out, but we’re an insatiable bunch, always wanting more, more, moaaaaar. Honestly, we thought we’d see a few more big-name ports announced during the July Partner Showcase, and with zero announcements from Microsoft thus far, we’re expecting plenty MORE to come throughout the rest of the year.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Review: OFF (Switch) – A Worthy Remaster Of A Weird Cult Classic RPG

Get up, get up, get out of here!

Though it may feel like the ‘quirky’ branch of indie JRPGs has become a played out trope by now, it wasn’t too long ago that a confusing, humorous, and parodying take on the standard template was seen as a novel concept. One of the most significant examples of this was OFF, a simple freeware RPG Maker project that caught fire on Tumblr in the late 2000s and inspired the development of games like OMORI, Yume Nikki, and Undertale.

Now, developer Mortis Ghost (along with Fangamer) has put out a modestly tweaked remaster of the game for Switch and PC, introducing the classic to a new generation while also polishing up some of its rougher edges. I’m pleased to say that this remaster has largely stuck the landing—the original game feels like it’s barely aged a day, while the few additions genuinely enhance the overall experience.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com