There are few games as revered as the original Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
This prequel entry in the stealth-action series transported players back to the height of Cold War espionage to prevent nuclear armageddon, and the PS2 game still holds up today through its themes and memorable boss fights.
But, thankfully, there’s an easier way to play this adventure nowadays, too, since Konami released Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater back in August - a fun remake that brings everything up to an incredible new visual standard.
And, just a couple of months on, the game’s Collector’s Edition has gotten a surprising discount at Amazon, with the stacked box coming in at $168.85 - down from the original $199.99 list price.
Snake Eater’s Collector’s Edition Discounted, But Is It Worth It?
The controversy behind this collector's edition takes a little explaining, so let's dig into what's included and we'll get there. This set come with the game itself (which isn’t a given with some collectors' editions these days), but you get a bunch of tidy memorabilia, too. That's a good start.
There’s the fake ID badge Snake uses to break into a restricted area, and a stitched patch for the Fox Unit insignia. There’s also a rubber patch for the opening Halo jump, too, but the biggest draw is supposedly the terrarium diorama.
Well, only if you don't look too closely, as the model featured has received some fair criticism for looking a lil' cheap considering the cost. Dubbed "John Metal Gear" by fans, the Snake model does leave you a little wanting in the quality department.
Still, if you don't mind that, there's still plenty here for fans to get their hands on while it's a little less expensive - just don't say that I didn't warn you!
Extra digital goodies are also packed in, including bonus outfits for Snake, including a gold version, Snake in glasses, and even a frog mask. This includes Snake skulking in the long grass while his equipment bag hangs from the tree above, taken from the opening of Virtuous Mission. Add to that the steelbook case, which includes art from the original PS2 release and you’ve got plenty for collectors to get excited about.
Though, the deal only applies to the PS5 version - the Xbox version is still over $200. So, there's not any specific reason why the PS5 version is discounted, there could just still be an overabundance of stock that Amazon is looking to shift. But for now, anyone who wants to pick up the packed collector's edition for PS5 can do so, and with a tidy 16% discount to boot. What a thrill!
Our reviewer Michael Higham gave the remake 8 out of 10 in his review, saying “Between its old-school stealth-action gameplay and engaging spy-thriller story, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater largely succeeds as a faithful, visually impressive remake of the 2004 classic.”
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.
This article contains contributions from Robert Anderson.
The Pokémon world can feel a bit idyllic at times to imagine, especially when you think of the free universal healthcare via magic healing machines provided to all Pokémon at any Pokémon Center. Since the very first games, these Pokémon Centers have been staffed by a roster of completely identical women (skin, hair, eyes, expression, everything!), all known in the anime as Nurse Joy.
But in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, for the first time, working Nurse Joys can be a little different.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces unique Nurse Joys at every Pokémon Center for the first time in a Pokémon game. While the first one you're likely to encounter looks like a fairly standard Joy, every woman staffing a Center has slightly different features: different skin tones, different eyes, different mouths, and different eyebrows. They're all still in the same uniform and still sporting the same red loopy pigtails, but they now are giving a lot less pre-1980s Rockette.
This is in keeping with one of the features I've really enjoyed about Z-A so far: its character diversity. In past Pokemon games, towns could start to look a little samey, as every character of a single trainer class would have the exact same features copy-pasted. That has started to change in more recent games, but Scarlet and Violet took a bit of a step backward by dressing most of its cast in samey uniforms, again creating the illusion that every character looked the same.
In Z-A, though, not only do NPCs all have different facial features, their outfits can change things up a bit too. You still might see a couple of matching characters here or there, but I've spotted athletes sprinting through town in different colored workout gear, and artists with different colored aprons. It's a small touch, but it adds a lot to the feeling that Lumiose City is actually populated by real people and not a lot of weird clones.
So congrats to every woman who didn't look exactly like the original Nurse Joy in Pokémon Red and Blue (read: every woman), the job is now open to you, if you want it! Sorry to the gents though, as I still haven't seen any men in the profession. Hopefully next game we can move into the 21st century on that front.
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.
id Software has released Title Update 2.2 for Doom: The Dark Ages and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table. Patch 2.2 brings new handheld optimizations and quality-of-life improvements. It adds a special handheld benchmark mode and new advanced settings made just for handheld devices. The … Continue reading Doom: The Dark Ages Update 2.2 Released – Full Patch Notes→
Back to the Future's iconic Marty McFly guitar scene contains a number of timeline conundrums fans have noted many times over the years. But chief among them is a mistake that revolves around the iconic guitar McFly plays during his performance of Earth Angel and Johnny B. Goode.
Marty borrows Marvin Berry's Cherry Red Gibson ES-345 in the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. While most viewers are blissfully unaware of the guitar’s significance, hardcore Back to the Future fans and guitar aficionados often point out that in the real world, the Gibson ES-345didn’t exist until 1958 — three years after the year in which Back to the Future is set.
Fans have long wondered why Marty didn’t use the Gibson ES-350T, which was released in 1955 and played by Chuck Berry himself, instead. Now, in his new memoir, Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum, Michael J. Fox has addressed the mistake.
As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Fox described the timeline gaffe as "a temporal inconsistency that guitar aficionados and Back to the Future fans have pointed out again and again."
"Granted, this is noteworthy only for the thousands of Future heads who clock every detail in the movie and parse every quirk in the timeline continuum,” he continues.
It turns out that the guitar’s inclusion is not an intended Easter egg. Fox revealed: “the film's art department simply picked the ES-345 because it evoked the iconic wine-red axe that Chuck Berry famously duckwalked across stages all over the world."
Indeed, Fox sounds entirely unfussed about the whole timeline debate around Back to the Future, saying: "both the '55 and '58 versions of the Gibson electric are rare and beautiful instruments; for me, it makes little difference which I played. I've always loved the Gibson E line: big, imposing guitars yet hollow-bodied and therefore lightweight. Even a little guy like yours truly could sling 'em and fling 'em and still make 'em sing."
Since you made it this far, you're probably interested in Back to the Future's timetravel shenanigans (we know Ant-Man is!). So you might already know that the same guitar scene also features what's called a 'bootstrap paradox.' Marty plays Johnny B. Goode in 1955, which inspires Chuck Berry's cousin, Marvin, to call Chuck and let him hear the song, inspiring Chuck to write and release the song in 1958, after which Marty heard the song, learnt how to play it, and traveled back in time to 1995 to debut it to the world and Chuck Berry himself. Still with us? Don't worry if you're left scratching your head; it's just a harmless timetravel joke from Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale.
In June, Fox and Gibson launched a search for the ES-345 after it went missing following the release of the film. “We need your help, we’re trying to find the guitar I played in Back to the Future,” Fox told fans in a video released on YouTube to support the search. “It’s somewhere lost in the space-time continuum, or it’s in some teamster’s garage.”
As for Fox, he’s officially returned to acting after retiring five years ago, and will appear on the hit Apple TV+ dramedy Shrinking. It’s his first role since 2020’s The Good Fight. The supporting role Fox plays on the series is a special one as his character lives with Parkinson’s disease, which Fox has also lived with since his diagnosis in 1991. The actor was interested in working on the series after he discovered lead Harrison Ford’s character was diagnosed on the show.
Image credit: Gibson TV / YouTube.
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.
Marvel fans now have a date for the return of Daredevil: Born Again, which will air its second season on Disney+ early next year.
The horned superhero's second season will premiere on March 4, 2026, Disney has now confirmed, just days after it screened a teaser trailer at New York Comic-Con.
Season 2 will see a long-awaited return for Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones, plus an expanded role for Deborah Ann Woll's Karen Page, and an appearance by Elden Henson's Foggy — who only had a brief shot (sorry) at making an impression in Season 1.
While last weekend's New York Comic Con trailer was meant to be kept under wraps, the footage appeared online after accidentally being posted (then deleted) by Krysten Ritter herself. A series of quick shots revealed that Matt Murdock and Karen Page have rekindled their relationship, before their happy reunion is plunged into peril. Vincent D'Onofrio is, of course, back as Wilson Fisk, while Wilson Bethel is also set to return as the murderous Bullseye.
"I obviously can't say very much," Wigutow told IGN of Daredevil: Born Again's upcoming second run, "but it's a very big muscular season that revolves around Fisk in office as mayor. There's a lot of political intrigue and palace intrigue.
"What I think is really awesome about the season is that ultimately... [we have] all these moving pieces and this big kind of canvas of New York City, but at the end of the day, it's about these two characters that you care about most, almost the two face-to-face in a playground," he continued. "That's the idea. They hate each other, but they need each other. And how do they get through that? That's ultimately what it all comes down to. And I think we did a really fun job of delivering that."
Hallmark's brand new Halo 3-themed Christmas ornament is now up for preorder at Amazon, and it looks absolutely stunning. It features a 3D Master Chief leaning out from the front cover of the iconic Xbox 360 game case, and measures approximately 2.75in height, 3in width, and 1in length. It's listed for $24.99, and it's shipping on October 20, 2025.
Pairing this up with the Master Chief might be the move, if you don't mind the cost of picking up both, especially since the Xbox 360 ornament features light and sound effects, even playing the Halo 3 theme tune.
Otherwise, my next favorite ornament from Hallmark right now isn't Christmas-themed, but more aptly, Halloween.
It's the spooky season right now, and the Halloween Pikachu ornament features the adorable Pokémon decked out in a pumpkin costume. It's such a delight, and also up for $24.99 right now.
IGN Deals' Instagram commenters also already love the look of the new Halo 3 ornament as well, with a slew of comments saying something along the lines of "shut up and take my money!"
I can certainly see why, Hallmark has been producing some absolute banger gaming ornaments these past few years, and the 2025 line up is pretty stellar as well.
These don't light up or make sound like the Star Wars holo-chess diorama, so the prices are much more tolerable. I'll definitely be picking up the Link ornament when December rolls around.
Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN's resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.
Nintendo has responded to reports that its servers were recently breached by hacking group Crimson Collective, and has claimed that no development or business information was taken.
In a statement to Japanese newspaper The Sankei Shimbun, Nintendo suggested that any breach had been minimal, and limited to servers simply hosting its websites.
Last week, Crimson Collective claimed it had breached Nintendo's servers, and an image purporting to show a long list of Nintendo development files was widely shared on social media. "We have not confirmed any leak of personal information, and there has been no leak of development or business information," Nintendo's statement today reads.
IGN has contacted Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for comment on this week's further spread of information derived from the Teraleak, but has not heard back.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Japanese video game developer Tomonobu Itagaki has died aged 58.
Itagaki, best known for creating the Dead or Alive series and for reviving the Ninja Gaiden franchise in 2004, had asked a close friend to publish a 'final words' message on his Facebook page in the event of his death. It went live hours before his passing was confirmed by friends.
Last Words
The light of my life is finally fading.
The fact that this message has been posted means that the time has finally come. I am no longer in this world.
(I am entrusting this final post to someone important to me.)
My life has been a series of battles. I kept winning.
I have caused a lot of trouble, too.
I am proud to say that I followed my beliefs and fought to the end.
I have no regrets.
However, I am filled with regret that I was unable to deliver a new work to all my fans. I am sorry.
That's how it is.
So it goes.
Itagaki Tomonobu
James Mielke, co-founder of Tigertron and BitSummit, took to social media to say: “RIP, senpai. You will always be a ninja.”
“Today I lost someone who was truly like a brother to me,” Mielke said. “I am gutted to the core. I guess I can say so now that it's on his Facebook page. He even listed himself as my actual brother on Facebook. Anyone who knows me knows how close we were. RIP, senpai. You will always be a ninja.”
Tekken chief Katsuhiro Harada posted on X / Twitter to express his disbelief at the news.
No way, Itagaki-san you said, “Let’s grab a drink sometime,” didn’t you? I don’t believe it. I don’t.
saw Tomonobu Itagaki has passed away— a rare breed of ronin auteur developer; uncompromising, chaotic, unforgettable
I grew up inspired by his work and had a few chances to encounter him in the E3 halls… May his influence burn in every creator who still believes in going all in pic.twitter.com/rl26OwyKOL
RIP Tomonobu Itagaki, the legendary creator of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive. Here's a video from 17 years ago where I interviewed him about Ninja Gaiden II for Xbox 360. pic.twitter.com/Wqgzo6cFad
Born in 1967, Itagaki joined Tecmo in 1992, originally to handle the graphics for Tecmo Super Bowl. Itagaki's brash nature wasn't fully seen until he started on his own Dead or Alive series in 1998, which featured female characters with strategically-placed "bounce" physics and more than a passing resemblance to SEGA's Virtua Fighter, a series he has mentioned being a fan of.
When Dead or Alive 2 arrived for the Dreamcast, the graphical leap shone a light on Itagaki and Team Ninja, and the outspoken developer — who became well known for wearing shades at all times — never shied away from commenting on industry trends. Itagaki's Ninja Gaiden launched as an Xbox exclusive in 2004, breathing new life into the hardcore action game franchise. He went on to release Ninja Gaiden Black, considered by some to be one of the greatest action games of all time. Nintendo DS game Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, and Xbox 360 exclusive Ninja Gaiden 2 followed.
Itagaki split from Tecmo as part of a heated and very public breakup on June 2, 2008. After resigning from his role, he released a public statement alleging unpaid completion bonuses, with a complaint filed in the Tokyo District Court on May 14, 2008.
He later founded Valhalla Game Studios with several Team Ninja members and released Devil's Third. Itagaki stepped down from Valhalla in 2017 and went on to form Itagaki Games in 2021. At the time, Itagaki said he had spent the prior four years teaching game development to a younger generation. However, he felt that he wanted to "make a game again and just established a company for that purpose."
Itagaki's death comes just days before the release of Ninja Gaiden 4, an action sequel he had no involvement with.
Image credit: Tomonobu Itagaki / Facebook.
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.
All of these are set to be released on November 14 this year as well, so thankfully, you only have about a month to wait before you can get your hands on them. Get your preorders in at the links below before they sell out.
Disney Lorcana Whispers in The Well Expansion Revealed
On top of the expansion, two new Disney Lorcana playmats are releasing on the same day.
One of these is a delightful playmat featuring a design of Mickey Mouse, while the other features Jasmine from Aladdin. At the moment, they are both available to preorder for $19.99 a piece.
If the big booster box has caught your eye, it comes with 24 booster packs that each contain 12 randomized cards. Illumineer's Trove, on the other hand, comes with 8 booster packs alongside six damage-counter dice, six card dividers, one lore counter, and a card storage box.
If you're not looking to splash out on these big sets, though, the single booster pack will just set you up with 12 cards. As for the single-player decks, these come with 60 cards (including two foil cards of the characters featured on the front of the package), 11 damage tokens, a bonus booster pack, and a rulebook.
IGN has released a new trailer for Where Winds Meet, showing off its beautiful open world. Players will explore many different places inspired by 10th-century China. So, you’ll get to explore green forests and busy markets, to peaceful palaces and more. Where Winds Meet is a new third-person open-world game featuring action, adventure, and martial … Continue reading Where Winds Meet Gets Official Open-World Gameplay Trailer→
NetEase Games has announced that its open-world MMO, Sword of Justice, will be released on November 7th. To celebrate this announcement, the team shared a new trailer, as well as a PC demo. Sword of Justice will feature a new “Paths Converge” system, letting both casual and competitive players earn full rewards no matter how … Continue reading Open-World MMO Sword of Justice Releases on November 7th, PC Demo Available for Download→
South Park has abruptly brought Season 27 to an end after just five episodes, and kicked off Season 28 with a new episode dubbed Twisted Christian.
Season 28, Episode 1 — the sixth episode of South Park broadcast this year — hit Comedy Central on October 15. Season 27 has enjoyed big ratings and sparked much debate, but it has suffered an erratic release schedule. The first two episodes arrived on the standard weekly schedule, but then the series switched to a biweekly schedule before the delayed fifth episode, which now goes down as the series finale, aired three weeks later on September 25.
Now, three weeks after that and without explanation, South Park is back with Season 28. The expectation was that Season 27 would have 10 episodes — now it will be five for Season 27 and five for Season 28. Future episodes of South Park will air every two weeks through December 10 (October 29, November 12, November 26, and December 10).
Twisted Christian: Cartman is possessed and may be the key to stopping the Antichrist.
Watch an all-new episode of South Park tonight at 10/9c on Comedy Central and next day on Paramount+. pic.twitter.com/tSht6Emj6z
Comedy Central had delayed the Season 27 ender just hours before it was due to air, with co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone insisting the blame lay at their door. “Apparently when you do everything at the last minute sometimes you don’t get it done,” the pair told Variety. “This one’s on us. We didn’t get it done in time. Thanks to Comedy Central and South Park fans for being so understanding. Tune in next week!”
Parker and Stone create each episode week-by-week, which makes for a chaotic production but topical shows. But they had switched to a biweekly schedule for Season 27, with the elongated production time allowing the pair more room to work on each episode, something Paramount was reportedly happy with.
It’s worth noting that during their San Diego Comic-Con 2025 panel, which took place the day after the Donald Trump-skewering Season 27 opener aired, Parker said the pair were unsure what the next episode would be, revealing the decision was “super stressful.”
The delay sparked speculation that the episode was pulled out of fear of reprisal following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, an ally of Donald Trump who was shot at a Utah university on Wednesday, September 10. Comedy Central had pulled the scheduled repeat of South Park Season 27, Episode 2, titled Got a Nut, in which Eric Cartman cosplays as Charlie Kirk, becomes a right-wing podcaster and issues messages similar to those used by Kirk in the past as he "masterdebaters" college graduates.
Kirk had responded to the episode at the time in a TikTok post, calling it “hilarious” and even saying “South Park gets this right. I think they've been watching a lot of Charlie Kirk videos.” He added: “We have a good spirit about being made fun of. This is all a success, this is all a win. We as conservatives, we have thick skin, not thin skin, and you can make fun of us and it doesn’t matter.”
Some MAGA conservatives had hit out at South Park, drawing a line between the show and Kirk’s murder. But in a new interview with The Denver Post, Stone insisted alleged censorship had nothing to do with the decision, and reiterated the prior statement.
“No one pulled the episode, no one censored us, and you know we’d say so if true,” Stone said. “We just didn’t get it done. When you always cut it close, sometimes you mess up. That’s the price of being a procrastinator.”
As for Season 28 Episode 1, it mocks Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel, the ‘6 7’ craze, and continues the overarching storyline about Trump and Satan’s baby. Cartman, who like the other kids at South Park Elementary is obsessed with saying ‘6 7,’ is believed to be possessed by the Antichrist. Peter Thiel apparently knows just what to do. Meanwhile, disenfranchised school counselor Jesus goes on a nightmarish double date as he wrestles with PC Principal’s take on Christianity.
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.
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