We enter week one of RPS Post-Graham. The office Slack echoes like the Great Hall of Durin after a Balrog teaparty. Horace coils about the foot of the Treehouse like a sullen Viking serpent. The Maw seems peevish and incontinent, spurning any news we offer it. The wifi network keeps changing its name to “Execute Order 66”.
It is time to smash the emergency glass and bust out a few favourites from my personal collection of morale-boosting videogame intros. Here’s Red Alert, to put some spring in your step; Okami to let the light in; Colony Wars for the WRAAAOW noise at the end. And here are this week’s most interesting new PC games.
Financial service giants Mastercard have denied accusations that they sought to influence the recent removal of adult/NSFW games from Steam and Itch.io, claiming that they have “not evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity on game creator sites and platforms,” and that they allow all lawful transactions. It’s a brief and unequivocal statement, but Valve themselves have since suggested it might not be entirely accurate, telling PC Gamer that Steam’s payment processors objected to the availability of law-abiding adult games by citing one of Mastercard’s specific rules.
And it’s still releasing this year, according to Nintendo!
We are all pretty excited for Metroid Prime 4‘s arrival at this stage, we think you’ll agree. In fact, apart from the ever-elusive Silksong, we can’t think of another game that’s got us biting on our furniture as we wait for further information about when we can actually play the bleddy thing again, as we loved it so much first time around. Deep breaths.
Now though, Nintendo has just gone and casually announced that lucky gamers who happen to be attending Fan Expo Canada at the end August, will be able to get a hands-on and play the game. They’ve also, just casually mind, reconfirmed that Samus’ latest outing will see a release in the year of our lord 2025. Which is the same year that we are currently in. Hooray for that!
As fans continue to wait for a final release date, Nintendo has reaffirmed that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is still on track for 2025.
After a long and bumpy development that has stretched much of the past decade, fans are eager to hear when the highly-anticipated Switch and Switch 2 exclusive will arrive.
But as the months roll on and gossip spreads of the game needing more time than initially expected, Nintendo has now re-stated that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will still launch before the end of the calendar year.
Indeed, in a news post advertising the company’s upcoming preseence at Fan Expo Canada, Nintendo has stated that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will be playable there ahead of it becoming “available later in 2025.”
It’s unclear if this hands-on opportunity is a new demo, or the one made available to members of the public who attended the Switch 2’s pre-launch tour. Still, it’s a positive sign the game and its launch are in Nintendo’s sights — and still coming at some point within the next five months.
The statement comes amid online discussion surrounding the fact that Nintendo has not released new details on the game or fresh footage of it for a little while. The last new Metroid Prime 4: Beyond trailer uploaded to the Nintendo of America YouTube account comes from the company’s Nintendo Switch 2 full console reveal back in March. Since then, the biggest news about the game’s launch has been the advertising slip-up that saw the game promoted as being “Out Now” in a billboard on the London Underground. If only!
At the same time, Nintendo leaker KiwiTalkz had prompted concern among fans that the game was originally due sooner, closer to the Switch 2’s launch, but has been held up due to last-minute snags. This, just days after Nintendo’s recent third-party focused Partner Direct (where Metroid Prime 4 would not have featured anyway) has contributed to a sense of unease among fans over the game’s arrival.
It has been a long wait for a new 3D Metroid game, lengthened further by Nintendo taking the decision to reboot the project’s development back in 2019 after an earlier incarnation being made by Bandai Namco did not meet Nintendo’s expectations.
Nintendo’s current Switch 2 release schedule for the remainder of 2025 includes Drag x Drive (August 14), Kirby and the Forgotten Land — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World (August 28) and Pokémon Legends Z-A (October 16), plus Kirby Air Riders and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which do not have set dates.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Following a leak earlier on, Capcom has now officially released the teaser trailer for the next Street Fighter 6 DLC character.
The secret agent C. Viper, who originally made her debut in Street Fighter IV, is scheduled to arrive in Street Fighter 6’s World Tour, Battle Hub and Fighting Grounds on Autumn 2025 for all platforms including the Switch 2.
Ahead of EVO 2025 later this week, Arc System Works has finally shared an update about the Switch version of Guilty Gear Strive, which was released at the beginning of this year.
At the Evo 2025 fighting game tournament, Guilty Gear Strive developer Arc System Works revealed a first look at Lucy from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and confirmed an August 21 release date for the DLC guest character.
Lucy is the final playable character from Strive’s Season Pass 4, and is lifted from the hugely popular Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Netflix anime that followed the release of CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077. And anyone who’s played the game will instantly recognize the hacking mechanic we see in the gameplay trailer, below.
Time pauses as Lucy selects from a number of Quickhacks, such as Algorithm Malfunction, Optics Inhibition, and Energy Siphon, using Cyberdeck Ram in the same limited fashion you do in Cyberpunk 2077.
We then see Lucy’s opponent afflicted with the hacking debuffs via icons that display above their character. These icons are the same from Cyberpunk 2077, and appear to clear quite quickly.
So, does Lucy mark the end of DLC for Guilty Gear Stive? Four years after its launch, it seems more is to come. Arc System Works tweeted to say Guilty Gear Strive “will continue… we look forward to your continued support.”
That message came alongside a video that revealed Strive has had 3.5 million players since launch, and announced Guilty Gear Strive 2.00, coming at some point in 2026. What that means for gameplay is anyone’s guess right now. Perhaps of more interest, the video teased two new characters, which fans are speculating are Robo-Ky and Jam Kuradoberi.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Invincible supervillain Omni-Man is a playable character in fighting game Invincible VS. The announcement came as part of the EVO tournament alongside a first look at gameplay.
Invincible VS is the upcoming 3v3 tag fighting game set in the Invincible universe. It’s developed by Skybound Entertainment’s first in-house game studio, Quarter Up, and already has a number of confirmed playable characters, including Mark Grayson (Invincible), Atom Eve, Thula, Bulletproof, Rex Splode, and Battle Beast. Now we can add Omni-Man to the list.
Here’s the official blurb on Omni-Man:
A versatile and brutal fighter, Omni-Man is an excellent pick for or against any team composition. His versatile move set offers options at all ranges: he can apply pressure from a distance with his concussive blast, punish reckless advances with anti-air tools, or close the gap in an instant with his sudden and devastating takedowns. Balanced, efficient and relentless, Omni-Man is a top-tier “point” character for players who want to set the pace from the very first hit.
Of course, this isn’t Omni-Man’s first foray into the world of fighting games. He was a popular guest character in the equally gory Mortal Kombat 1, which included some of his iconic scenes as Fatalities.
So, we now know seven playable characters in Invincible VS. There will be more, of course. But just how many? Based on comments from Invincible creator Robert Kirkman in an interview with IGN at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, Invincible VS will have a massive roster.
Fresh from his SDCC 2025 panel where he announced Battle Beast for Invincible VS, Kirkman told IGN that if fans are wondering if a specific character from either the Invincible comic or the Prime Video animated series will be in the game, there’s a “99%” chance they will be.
“There’s so much care being put into being true to the Invincible universe,” Kirkman began. “So if you’re a fan of the comics or the show and you’re like, ‘Oh, there’s a fighting game coming, who would I like to be in that fighting game?’ There’s a 99% chance they’re going to be in the game. I’ll just say that. That’s a spoiler. I might get in trouble for that. I don’t know.”
Kirkman continued: “The lineup is going to be absolutely insane. I’m so glad that we announced Battle Beast. You can’t do an Invincible fighting game without having Battle Beast be one of the playable characters. There are other characters like that that will more than likely be in the game. So we’ll see. We’ve got a lot of announcements to roll out. There’s a really great team working on this and I can’t wait for people to see everything is going into it.”
Who would you like to see playable in Invincible VS? Let us know in the comments below.
As for when Invincible VS will be released, Kirkman said 2026, which we already knew, but then he added: “Sooner than you may think… But next year. I’m not being specific.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
We’ve rounded up the best deals for Sunday, August 3, below, so don’t miss out on these limited-time offers.
Elden Ring Nightreign Deluxe Edition for $39.49
Elden Ring Nightreign is a great time with friends, and you can save on the Deluxe Edition of the game this weekend at Amazon. This edition of the game includes additional DLC content, featuring additional playable characters and bosses, in addition to a digital artbook and mini soundtrack. Bandai Namco has continued to release new content for Nightreign, so this is a great time to jump in.
M4 MacBook Air for $799
This weekend at Amazon, you can save $200 off an M4 MacBook Air. This 13-inch model includes 16GB of Unified Memory and 256GB of SSD storage, making it ideal for multitasking and running intense applications. All 2025 models support Apple Intelligence features as well.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake for $34.99
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake was one of the most enjoyable RPGs of 2024, featuring a gorgeous remade HD-2D world and voice acting. If you haven’t had the chance to check this one out yet, Amazon has copies available for only $34.99. The Nintendo Switch version even got a Nintendo Switch 2 update this week, so you can experience the game with higher resolution and frame rates on your new console! This is by far the definitive way to experience this classic, and now is the perfect time to catch up before Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake this Fall.
Nintendo Switch 2 Available at Walmart & Target
While Nintendo Switch 2 has been quite challenging to find if you didn’t secure one at launch, both Target and Walmart have the highly popular console in stock. This is the Mario Kart World bundle, too, which packs in a digital copy of Mario Kart World for $50. The Nintendo Switch 2 is an upgrade to Nintendo Switch in almost every way possible, featuring a 1080p display with a 120Hz refresh rate, improved Joy-Con, and much more.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition for $46.99
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition launched earlier this year, and it’s still one of the biggest RPGs you can jump into on any platform. The remaster introduced numerous quality-of-life updates that were much needed, in addition to a brand-new epilogue chapter. We gave the game a 9/10 in our review, stating, “Xenoblade Chronicles X was already one of the Wii U’s best games, and this Definitive Edition does more than enough to justify another trip to planet Mira.”
Lexar microSD Express 512GB Card Available
The Nintendo Switch 2 requires microSD Express Cards, so you aren’t able to use the standard microSD cards that worked on Nintendo Switch. As a result, microSD Express Cards have been incredibly hard to find, often only having a few minutes worth of stock at a time. Right now, Amazon has the Lexar 512GB Play PRO microSD Express Card in stock, so if you’ve yet to upgrade your Switch 2 storage, don’t wait to do so.
Marvel VS Capcom: Ultimate Complete Works Up for Pre-Order
Amazon has opened pre-orders for the brand-new Marvel VS Capcom: Ultimate Complete Works hardcover art book from Udon Entertainment. This book contains 336 total pages, with over 140 pages of new artwork to discover. Set to release in December, this is the perfect time to lock in your pre-order.
Wall-E & EVE LEGO Set Up for Pre-Order
New LEGO sets are always being announced, and this one is no exception. You can now pre-order the LEGO Disney & Pixar Wall-E & Eve set, featuring WALL-E, EVE, M-O, and Hal as buildable characters. Each character has movable heads and arms, so you can pose them however you’d like.
Razer BlackShark V2 X Headset for $30
Amazon has the wired Razer BlackShark V2 X Gaming Headset on sale for only $30 right now. While this is a wired headset, you’re not sacrificing on sound quality, as the BlackShark V2 X packs in 50mm Drivers into its lightweight design. If you’re looking for a cheap, quality headset to use for Xbox or PC, look no further than this one. However, if you want something more high end, don’t hesitate to check out the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro.
2TB Samsung 990 EVO Plus SSD for $129.99
Amazon has this huge 2TB Samsung 990 EVO Plus SSD listed for $129.99 this weekend, and if you’re the owner of a PlayStation 5 or PC, this is a great option for upgrading your storage. Especially for PlayStation 5 owners, 2TB of extra storage is a godsend, as you no longer have to enter the cycle of uninstalling and reinstalling your favorite games to save space.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for $34.99
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was my favorite game of 2024, and it’s available for just $34.99 at Woot this weekend. This is the lowest I’ve seen the PS5 copies so far, and I cannot recommend picking it up enough. Cloud and the rest of the party leave Midgar to step into the open world of Gaia for the very first time, and there is well over 100 hours of content available for you to complete.
There’s a lot of fun to be had in smashing the place to tiny little voxel pieces in Donkey Kong Bananza, it’s easily its biggest draw. People have been into the sweet catharsis of wanton destruction since way back before there were even people. Probably.
However, the one thing that’s caught my attention most whilst playing thus far – and I must admit, I’m only around about halfway through the campaign at this point – is the game’s absolutely beautiful world map design. I love it.
