The Final Fantasy: Through the Ages collection reimagines classic Magic: The Gathering cards with iconic art and characters from all 16 mainline Final Fantasy games. Packed into Magic's newly released Universes Beyond: Final Fantasy set, these reprints aren't just nostalgic; they're in high demand for collectors, with several fetching serious prices on the secondary market.

TL;DR: 16 Most Valuable Final Fantasy: Through The Ages MTG Cards

Beyond just looking incredible, many of these cards are proven staples in multiple formats like Commander. That combination of competitive relevance and collector appeal has already driven prices up, with several cards becoming some of the most sought-after in the entire set.

Whether you're opening boosters or tracking down singles, these are the 16 most valuable cards from the Through the Ages collection right now. They're powerful, flashy, and, for longtime fans of both games, pretty irresistible right now. Let's take a look.

16. Clive Rosfield (Vial Smasher the Fierce)

Since these drops are no longer available directly from Wizards of the Coast, don’t expect to find them at their original prices. Standard nonfoil sets launched at $30, and rainbow foil versions at $40, but most listings now sit between $80 and $150 or more.

It’s a steep jump, so if you’re looking to grab one now, make sure you know exactly what you’re paying for. You can find them on eBay, but we’ve always found TCGPlayer, while also eBay-owned, to be the more secure and trustworthy option for picking up Secret Lair drops after release.

Myles Obenza is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Bluesky @mylesobenza.bsky.social.

Early on in Elio, archival audio of the late astronomer Carl Sagan states that humanity’s interest in the cosmos takes root in finding out if we’re alone in the universe. It’s a question about whether or not there’s intelligent life on other planets, but the deeper concern, as it relates to the latest animated movie from Pixar, is our need to know if other people have ever felt the same way we do. And if they don’t, can they still love us for who we are and not who they wish we were? In Elio, this preoccupation takes the form of a wondrous sci-fi epic, in which the titular, stargazing orphan (Yonas Kibreab) gains a friend in an unexpected place and forges a stronger bond with the aunt who adopted him after his parents died.

Dazzling as its animation is, what’s most striking about Elio is how it depicts the slippery feeling of yearning for something we might not even know exists. Here, that desire for belonging means traveling across galaxies to find radiantly rendered, playfully envisioned worlds and extraterrestrial lifeforms. Elio’s curiosity about aliens is sparked when he learns about The Voyager Golden Records, the “message in a bottle” humanity sent into space in the 1970s. (Sagan’s involvement in that project in real life makes his inclusion in Elio particularly relevant). The opening scene showing this epiphany conveys a bittersweet sentiment somewhere between melancholy and hope, setting the tone for the entire movie.

As Elio grows up and becomes obsessed with UFOs and being abducted by one, his relationship with his Aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña) – an Air Force major at a satellite terminal who once dreamed of becoming an astronaut – deteriorates. When he achieves his goal of communicating with outer space, he not only escapes the military camp Olga enrolls him out of desperation, but Earth altogether. After a voyage through a luminous portal, Elio arrives at the communiverse, a fanciful gathering place for dignitaries from countless planets. As far as they’re concerned, this new arrival is the leader of Earth.

There’s an intricate thought process behind every aspect of the production design in Elio – just get a look at the homemade cape the main character wears, festooned with plastic cutlery and soda-can tabs. The various sections of and advanced technology in the communiverse read as if they were imagined by a kid – and that’s absolutely a compliment, because every element feels fantastical, yet intuitive, like a hands-on exhibit at a children’s museum. In fact, there might be too much cool stuff onscreen. There simply isn’t enough time within this 93-minute feature to fully explore the number of intriguing ideas and fun-looking alien characters it introduces. Not that the movie is incapable of painting a whole picture from just a few glimpses: For example, Elio and Olga’s Latino identity comes across in small details like a Spanish-language song on the radio or a setup in their house that seems like a Day of the Dead altar.

Fortunately, there’s ample room in Elio for the other main pillar of Pixarian animated whimsy: an astute sense of humor pitched at older members of the audience, best exemplified by the communiverse’s sentient “user’s manual.” Appearing as a glowing, perpetually shuffling deck of translucent cards, it contains all the secrets of the universe, even the meaning of existence – big questions that, naturally and hilariously, don’t interest a kid like Elio. This echo of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is but one example of how Elio toys with staples of the science-fiction and horror genres, the cleverest of which puts a goofy, goopy spin on cloning.

Conflict kicks into high gear when the fearsome Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett) is denied admission into the communiverse. To prove his usefulness to his newfound comrades, Elio volunteers to negotiate with the towering, four-eyed warlord, a doomed endeavor that leads him to meet Grigon’s son Glordon (Remy Edgerly). An adorably plump, miniature version of a Dune sandworm (complete with the rows and rows of sharp teeth), Glordon connects with his new pal over their inability to make their parental figures understand them. He doesn’t want to become a war machine like his father, which would involve putting on a rigid armor and giving up all manner of emotional softness. It’s a tad on the nose, but a poignant analogy nonetheless: Glordon’s people must step into a protective, mechanized shell to become adults, much like how most humans leave behind their capacity for wonder and build emotional barriers when they come of age.

Intrepid, intergalactic feats follow, leading to a moving resolution with Sagan’s voice reminding us that it’s only human to ponder what’s hiding in the mysterious darkness of space. The adventure helps Elio reexamine his beliefs about what home can be – a thoughtful conclusion to this delightful animated treasure. Life on Earth or any other planet is inherently imperfect, and it’s surprising (and rewarding) how deeply Elio engages with that notion.

James Cameron’s beloved sci-fi film The Abyss has been removed from Disney+ in the UK due to the inclusion of a banned scene.

The original version of the 1989 film includes a scene in which a rat is dunked into a vat of fluorocarbon liquid — and a real rat was used in production. The rodent is believed to have survived, but that didn’t stop groups like charity The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) from taking steps to have the scene removed 36 years ago.

The scene was subsequently cut by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) under the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937, which means it must be cut for any theatrical use. The BBFC also cut the scene under the Video Recordings Act 1984, meaning it must not be included on releases on formats such as Blu-Ray and DVD. Similarly, the scene should also not be aired on traditional TV in the UK.

Despite this, a version of the film that included the banned scene was added to Disney+ a few months ago in April. In response, the RSPCA called out what it described as a "loophole" that enabled the banned rat scene to make it onto Disney+ in the UK, pointing out that streaming platforms are not bound by the same standards as film releases in cinema, DVD, or on traditional television.

Speaking last month, David Bowles, the RSPCA's Head of Public Affairs, said: "The RSPCA is really concerned that a loophole currently exists allowing animal abuse scenes deemed unacceptable elsewhere to be streamed freely and legally into our homes.

"The Abyss' controversial rat scene has long concerned the RSPCA, and has always been deemed unacceptable by BBFC — so it's hard to fathom out why Disney Plus has decided to broadcast it.

"We need to ensure people are not being exposed to content which promotes or showcases cruelty to animals.

“As the way millions of households consume entertainment changes, it's vital the legal framework is responsive to that and continues to consistently protect people and animals."

As reported by GamesRadar, Disney has now pulled The Abyss from Disney+ in response. "This isn't about cancel culture — we'd welcome Disney Plus reinstating the film to their platform, just with this troubling scene removed — as is already the case in cinemas, on TV, and on DVD," Bowles said in a fresh statement.

"This was instead about highlighting a loophole that currently exists allowing animal abuse scenes deemed unacceptable elsewhere to be streamed freely and legally into our homes — and protecting the public from having to see this animal abuse content."

Disney has yet to say when The Abyss will return to Disney+ in the UK.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.

Minecraft was never designed with visuals as its key selling point. With an endless sandbox landscape and unlimited customisation, Mojang's now-familiar pixellated graphics were never the main focus.

Today, however, that all changes, with the launch of Minecraft's long-awaited Vibrant Visuals update on PC and a range of compatible consoles and smartphones. But not all platforms will get the upgrade, and the game's classic Minecraft: Java Edition will also be left without.

Still, if you're playing the main Minecraft: Bedrock Edition on PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S or certain Android and iOS devices, Vibrant Visuals is available now, as part of the game's wider Chase the Skies update.

Chase the Skies adds ridable Happy Ghast creatures to the game's overworld, following years of stress caused by their meaner cousins who spit fireballs in the Nether. You can also now leash a chain of camels together to create a resource-transporting caravan, and track down your friends faster with the Player Locator HUD bar.

If you play Minecraft on an older console, such as PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, or if you play on an older Android phone, you'll need to manually switch on the Vibrant Visuals option via the game's video settings menu. Mojang warns that "performance may degrade for these devices".

On PC or smartphone, you'll need the following tech specs:

• Android: Adreno 640, Mali-G68, Mali-G77, or Xclipse 530 or higher

• iOS: A12 or M1 or higher

• PC: Running Minecraft on DX12

Splitscreen multiplayer, custom Worlds and Texture Packs are not currently supported by Vibrant Visuals, either.

And what of Nintendo Switch — or Switch 2? No mention is made of Nintendo's console platforms in today's Vibrant Visuals launch blog, leaving fans in the dark about compatibility there.

However, on a brighter note, Minecraft is now at last listed as Xbox Series X/S optimised, some five years after Microsoft's current console generation launched.

Vibrant Visuals finally makes good on Microsoft's promise to launch a proper graphical upgrade for Minecraft, first mentioned back in 2017 when a fancy trailer was released for the later-cancelled Super Duper Graphics Pack. At the time, Mojang said this upgrade would arrive for Xbox One and "Project Scopio" — what became Xbox One X. Now, finally, something similar has arrived.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

The humble party game genre has connected people throughout gaming generations. And while nobody really considers it whenever a new one hits the fray, the results are usually an enjoyable time. That’s true for Lego Party, the mini brick’s seemingly successful attempt to Lego-fy Mario Party so that fans of the tiny constructables can get together in a group of four and proceed to ruin their friendship over minigames.

If you’ve played Mario Party you know exactly what to expect for Lego Party. A group of four players will drop onto a boardgame-like table and roll numbers to advance the requisite number of spots. Some spots will have special prizes, some will hide traps that will steal your hard-earned Stars, or in this case, a golden Lego Brick. After every player rolls their turn, they’ll all drop in to compete in one of 60 Lego-themed minigames.

And to Lego Party’s credit, the minigames is where this effort can differentiate itself from Mario Party. There are some standard-fare activities, like a game where players jump over a swinging octopus tentacle until the last player is left standing, to some very off-kilter ones. One I tried is a Bennett Foddy-style unicycle racing game where players must use the joysticks to balance atop a very fiddly unicycle and inch their way towards the finish line. We only played about eight minigames total, so I’m very excited to see what else Lego Party has in store.

Another Lego innovation is how Lego Party leans into the creative aspect of the toy bricks. While the overworld maps are themed after fun concepts like “Pirates,” they can also be modified if certain conditions are met within the game. Landing on a specific spot will let players create unique elements to add to the map like a pirate ship that wasn’t there when the game began.

Visually, Lego Party has the crisp, colorful aesthetic Lego games have come to be known for, though the party game aesthetic means that these Legos lean towards more whacky designs than something I’d consider charming. That is to say, these Legos are all about being zany and loud, which is perfect for the genre.

Playing with three other players (my two IGN colleagues and a developer), we found ourselves immediately sucked into its playful orbit. The goal is to collect as many Gold Bricks by the end of the game. Winning minigames on their own will only award you Lego bits that you can turn into ways to score Gold Bricks, such as movement modifiers that will help you land on the spot where a Gold Brick has spawned.

There’re also traps you can purchase (don’t worry, it’s not in a microtransaction way) to potentially steal Gold Bricks from other players, and unique spots on the board that will initiate a special 2v2 game where the winning team will both get Gold Bricks as a reward. These 2v2 rounds include special minigames where, for example, both players each control one half of a car and must coordinate their controls to drive to the designated goal.

While we did complete a small game ourselves, we only saw a fraction of what Lego Party has to offer. If the rest of the games are anywhere near as fun as the handful that we played, I can see Lego Party having the kind of addictive appeal Mario Party has had – which is especially good news for PlayStation and Xbox players that don’t have access to Mario Party.

Matt Kim is IGN's Senior Features Editor.

Microsoft has announced a partnership with AMD to power the next generation of Xbox, including its first-party future Xbox consoles.

“Announcing that we’re building the next-generation of Xbox first-party devices and cloud, including our future Xbox consoles, together with AMD,” Microsoft said in a statement published online.

Microsoft failed to detail its plans, but did promise “next-level performance, cutting-edge graphics, breakthrough gameplay, and unmatched compatibility.” It also said everything it’s working on will be “fully compatible” with users’ existing Xbox game library.

“We’ve established a strategic, multi-year agreement with AMD to co-engineer silicon across a portfolio of devices, including our next-generation Xbox consoles,” Microsoft said.

“Together, we’re delivering deeper visual quality, immersive gameplay, and AI-powered experiences - grounded in a platform designed for players, not tied to a single store or device, and fully compatible with your existing Xbox game library.”

In a video, Xbox president Sarah Bond said Microsoft was investing in "our next-generation hardware lineup across console, handheld, PC, cloud, and accessories."

The news confirms Microsoft's plan to release another home Xbox console as well as an Xbox handheld. No release date was mentioned, but Bond did say "we can't wait to show you what's next."

Earlier this year, Microsoft was reported to be targeting a 2027 release window for both its next-gen Xbox and its Xbox handheld. At the time, it was said that the next-gen Xbox would be more like a PC than any Xbox before it, and would support third-party storefronts such as Steam, the Epic Games Store, and GOG.

Comments from Bond in today's video back that up. "This is all about building you a gaming platform that's always with you, so you can play the games you want across devices anywhere you want, delivering you an Xbox experience not locked to a single store or tied to one device," Bond said.

"That's why we're working closely with the Windows team, to ensure that Windows is the number one platform for gaming."

In the shorter term, Microsoft is partnering with third-parties on Xbox-branded hardware such as the Xbox Ally. This is a handheld gaming PC that runs on a version of Windows 11 designed to be more usable on a handheld. Expect a release later this year.

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.

If you're still on the hunt for a Switch 2 console, here's an opportunity you might want to consider. Not only does AliExpress have the Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World Tour Console Bundle available for shipping, the price is actually discounted. Yes, you heard that right. The seller prices the console bundle at a moderate markup of $532.24, but a $70 off coupon code "IFPPVZR" drops it to $462.24 with free shipping. Is this Switch 2 deal too good to be true? It's quite possible. The last time I checked, coupons were not intended to work on this listing.

The Nintendo Switch 2 was released on June 5 and is currently sold out everywhere. We expect more units to trickle out from participating retailers throughout the year, but that won't necessarily make it easy to get one. If you're looking for our official review of the new console, it's still in progress. The biggest Switch 2 video game release is Mario Kart World Tour. It retails for $79.99, but buying it as part of the launch bundle means you'll effectively pay just $50. Logan Plant recently reviewed the game and wrote that "Mario Kart World may not make the most convincing case that going open-world was the boost the series needed, but excellent multiplayer racing, incredible polish, and the thrilling new Knockout Tour mode still more than live up to its legacy."

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

A solid way to judge a co-op shooter is by how many inside jokes you and your mates come up with while you play. And after around seven hours working in The Oldest House, it’s safe to say that if that were the only metric to judge FBC: Firebreak on, it would be an easy 10. Of course, it helps that the setting and the enemies you face are so curiosity-inducing. So far, I’ve encountered a sticky note behemoth, an evil drum kit, and a possessed traffic light. I’ve also carved a path through pink goop and loaded mannequins into ski lifts. Do I understand why? No. Does it matter? Not at all. With slick combat, striking graphical effects and diverse objectives, FBC: Firebreak is a first-person shooter that’s a load of silly fun with your friends. The main question I’m still figuring out is: how far can Remedy sustain this wackiness to keep me interested in the long term?

FBC is set six years after the events of Control, and invites you back to the wonderfully strange architecture of The Oldest House under wildly different circumstances. Instead of saving the day as upstart director Jesse Faden, you’re a trio of first responders attending to oddball emergencies that would make an OSHA officer wince. When radioactive leeches have infested a quarry and need to be thrown into a furnace on wheels that resembles Team Fortress 2’s Payload, it’s you and your team that receive the call. And once you’ve finished your Jobsite shift, your team will also have to trek back to the elevator you arrived in and survive until it reaches your station. Hey, it’s hard work, but someone's gotta do it.

Despite the time since Control, that game’s interdimensional antagonist, The Hiss, also remains ever-present. As such, while you’re trying to tackle the quirky jobs at hand, you’ll also need to manage hordes of possessed office employees hellbent on your disposal. While there hasn’t been a vast range of enemy types to tackle, at least so far, there is enough diversity to keep gunplay interesting. And, whether it was a glowing ghoul sprinting at me, or flying desk jockeys zooming through the sky, I found plenty of joy in taking them out all the same.

To pull off these expedition, you call in the help of two additional players, with each member of the squad wielding a specialised ‘Crisis Kit.’ Similar to the class systems found in other cooperative shooters, each kit equips you with a unique skill set that can expedite key tasks throughout jobs. For example, on the map called Hot Fix, the player wielding the Fix Kit can speedily repair the internals of a broken fan with their quick-fixing wrench, while the Splash Kit crew member can provide support by keeping them from heat death thanks to their globs of healing ammunition. Meanwhile, the Jump Kit player can sprint around activating the generators with their electro-kinetic charge impactor, using their secondary fire to rocket jump around the map and control the field.

It’s worth mentioning that there are no restrictions on repeating roles, and your crew can triple down on one skillset, rather than diversifying the team. You’ll still be able to finish jobs, though the approach you’ll need to take will be drastically different depending on the specific composition of your team. While the gunplay across each role is identical (depending on your choice of loadout), the mixture of your cohort's Crisis Kits do well to tailor expeditions around your team’s preferences.

Regardless of how your team pick powers between the roles, though, FBC provides opportunities for each role to shine, especially as you start to level up and invest in the upgrade trees to unlock perk-based modifiers and new weaponry. As the resident Fix Kit operator and player most likely to get into sticky situations, I funnelled my Lost Assets (the currency that allows you to progress the upgrade tree) into perks like ‘Shower Thoughts’, which enabled me to expedite recovery when using healing sources, as well as ‘Greasy Fingers’, which allowed me to switch between my tools faster. While I was initially sceptical that these additions would make any tangible difference, I immediately noticed a positive change in my performance, especially during high-octane combat encounters.

As of now, FBC has five unique Jobsites to choose between, with more expected to arrive after launch. And, despite the small pool of options, there’s plenty of replayability in the current lineup already. The pink goo level, which my friends lovingly dubbed the Mr Blobby level in homage to the British children’s TV mascot from the early 90s, became the bane of our existence – primarily due to our clumsy play leading us right into explosives. The sentient sticky note-infested Paper Chase mission, on the other hand, provided the right amount of risk vs reward, and we revisited that map frequently in search of more Lost Assets.

Each Jobsite in FBC offers three unique ‘Clearance Levels’ that expand on the base job, and as you progress deeper into these levels, the number of Hiss agents and objective criteria increases in both number and intensity as the map expands. Soon enough, the infected office workers make way for winged eldritch horrors and tanky beasts, and your team will be forced to communicate to avoid being downed.

There is some reprieve from the constant combat, and in each Clearance level, you can find healing decontamination showers and ammunition bays. Though in the FBC, not even safe zones are truly safe, and these life-saving stations can also break and falter, demanding a quick fix from a certain kit or a more lengthy button-pressing session if you’re caught in a bind. Attempting a repair without the appropriate kit in FBC leads to a rhythmic quick-time event where you have to tap Q and E (or L1 and R1) in sequence without making errors to progress the meter. I wasn’t expecting to encounter a stressful rhythm game in my cooperative shooter, but I was pleasantly surprised by how it ramped up the anxiety of completing essential tasks nonetheless.

Perhaps what makes FBC so morish, though, is how quickly poor communication can turn a level upside down. During one such mission, I found myself caught between enemy fire and literal flames while attempting to retrieve Lost Assets. In response to my screams, my Splash Kit teammate valiantly came to my rescue, putting out the fire and starting to revive me… that was, until a second horde of Hiss appeared, and the fire restarted without warning. As you could expect, my teammate fell to the same fate I did while trying to revive me. At any point, I could have said, ‘Leave me, save yourself.’ But, naively, despite the flames and enemies, I thought it was going to be okay. Thankfully, FBC isn’t keen on punishing you for your poor planning, and depending on your difficulty setting, you’ll have a series of lives to expend before it’s a total game over.

FBC is an engaging extension of the Control universe, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time blasting through the Oldest House with friends in tow. Unfortunately, beyond the initial exhilaration, I was disappointed to find that I didn’t feel as embedded in the Remedy Connected Universe as I was expecting. It is the nature of the replayable co-op shooter genre, I suppose, but the story only appears in loading screens and the occasional voice line on the main menu. So far, it’s left me with many stories, but I’m still keen for a little bit more lore, and hoping that it arrives as I push deeper into the difficulty modifiers.

As of this writing, I’ve completed the final stage of each Jobsite and am now messing around with Corruption and Threat-based difficulty modifiers to unlock rare Research Samples that will allow me to specialise my perk build. There’s still a lot more to explore before I deliver my final review, like playing on my own and the forthcoming weapon upgrades, like the ‘Functional’ Submachine Gun that I’ve yet to unlock. But right now, despite how sparse the story can seem in moments, there’s a lot of fun to be had wrangling erratic monsters in Remedy’s spectacularly absurd bureaucratic setting. I’ll be playing more this week and wrap up this review as soon as I’ve tested the limits of Remedy’s chaotic cooperative job simulator.

Pik-Sen Lim, an actress known for roles across British and Malaysian television, has died at age 80.

Per Malay Mail, the Penang-born actress appeared in numerous roles over the years, including appearing on Doctor Who as Chin Lee in The Mind of Evil. Lim also gained international fame for her role as Chung Su-Lee in Mind Your Language, a British comedy from the 1970s.

She also appeared in series like Coronation Street and Spearhead, as well as American TV shows like Vampire Academy and The Nevers. On the film side, Lim played the Killer Cleaner in Johnny English Reborn.

In today’s interesting crossover news, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is set to screen the world premiere of a cinematic cut of the hit video game Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.

The screening will be playing in the special screenings section during the festival, which takes place annually in the Czech Republic, and will be held on July 9 at 7pm in Kaiserbad.

“We are honored to be working together with world leaders in their field on this unique project,” the festival’s artistic director Karel Och said in a statement. “Which represents an exceptionally original contribution to our long-standing goal of presenting powerful and gripping stories captured in a unique manner.”

The game’s developer, Warhorse Studios, will also be represented at the festival with a KVIFF Talk with directors Daniel Vávra and Petr Pekař earlier in the day at 3.30pm in Kaiserbad.

“I have wished to see Kingdom Come: Deliverance II on the big screen for a long time. I believe that the civil story of a blacksmith's son will also appeal to film audiences and stand up to the competition of international movie productions,” Martin Frývadlský, CEO of Warhorse Studios, said in a statement. “Together with my colleagues in the studio, we are proud that we have the opportunity to present the story we have been working on for many years in a world premiere at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival.”

According to the festival, the film’s synopsis teases an epic. “Kingdom of Bohemia, 1403,” it reads. “Chaos has befallen the Kingdom. As invaders pillage this ungoverned land, sowing fear and terror, Henry of Skalitz seeks revenge for his murdered family. Now a trusted servant of the rightful king’s allies, Henry is sent to escort Sir Hans Capon on a diplomatic mission. After they are ambushed and nearly killed, the two young men embark on a series of perilous adventures, putting their skills, character and friendship to the ultimate test”.

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival takes place July 4-12 this year.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.

IGN's Mario Kart World map is here! Our interactive map tracks essential locations across Mario Kart World's Free Roam mode, including P-Switches and Peach Medallions. It also tells you where to go to find Dash Food, which is essential for unlocking new character outfits.

Mario Kart World Interactive Map

A new Amazon Prime Day event in July has been revealed, but the service is now offering a free selection of six PC games to celebrate early, all of which Amazon Prime members can claim right now, including Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, Saints Row 2, Saints Row IV Re-Elected, Star Wars: Rebellion, and more.

The heavy metal-themed horror comedy Deathgasm is expanding into a veritable multimedia franchise. Not only is the original film getting a direct sequel (appropriately titled Deathgasm II: Goremageddon), the series is also spawning an original prequel graphic novel and a 16-bit-style video game.

Now that the Deathgasm 1.5: Director's Cut graphic novel is live on Kickstarter, IGN can exclusively reveal a very cool new detail about the book. It's going to feature a cameo from the stars of 2014's What We Do In the Shadows movie, Taika Waititi's Viago and Jermaine Clement's Vladislav. Check out the slideshow gallery below for a closer look at that cameo and the previously revealed artwork and Kickstarter extras for Deathgasm 1.5. Note -beware of some NSFW language and violent imagery!

Deathgasm 1.5: Director's Cut is written by Deathgasm director Jason Howden and Peter Bune (Squatch Watch), with art by Industrias Lamonicana (Fierro), colors by Zac Atkinson (Farscape, Star Trek), and letters by Jeremiah Lambert (Masters of the Universe, Transformers). The book features covers by Skinner (Skin Crawl Magazine), Preston Asevedo (The Exiled), and Matthew Therrien (The Wrath of Becky). The book also includes contributions from writers Michael Schwartz (Armored, Zombie Town) and Joshua Viola (True Believers, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver).

“Between the events of Deathgasm 1 and Deathgasm 2 was a story that I needed to tell,” said Howden in a statement. “The story was so visually epic, so gory, and so offensive that it could never be filmed without watering it down. Instead, we made it into a graphic novel: Deathgasm 1.5. We’re stoked for fans to witness Brodie and Medina slashing demons and thrashing metal riffs, meeting old mates and an ageless evil that lurks in the shadows of a heavy metal-hating church!”

The Kickstarter campaign for Deathgasm 1.5 and the Deathgasm video game features a number of optional extras like latex masks, original art, shirts, and signed art prints.

For more on What We Do In the Shadows, check out IGN's review of the TV show's final episode.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Dying Light: The Beast game director Nathan Lemaire walks you through the weapons you'll wield in Techland's upcoming standalone first-person melee/shooter/parkour open-world action-adventure, in which you once again play Kyle Crane, who's out for revenge on the people who experimented on him and turned him into the eponymous Beast.

From flamethrowers to vicious (and maybe even a bit rusty) melee weapons, the development team is aiming to give weapons even more impact on the world than they've had the first two Dying Light games. Check out the trailer above, and if you missed our exclusive 30-minute extended gameplay trailer, you can watch that below.

If you missed our other two exclusives so far this month, we had an exclusive hands-on preview (that included a fight with one of the Chimeras), and we also had a deep-dive video on the Chimera bosses you'll battle.

Dying Light: The Beast will be released on August 22 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Stay tuned to IGN all June long for more exclusive coverage.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

There’s a scene in F1 that I think counts as the movie’s big rah-rah speech. It’s about how if everybody on the crew contributes a half second at some point in the race, if they can all find just a fraction of a second here or there, that’s the difference between last place and first. As far as sports-movie speeches go, it’s pretty good. But what I found so intriguing about it is that it perfectly describes the difference between a bad sports movie and a good one. It seems to be a lesson Joseph Kosinski, Brad Pitt, and the rest of the team behind F1 took to heart. As a sports movie following some pretty tried and true tactics, F1 ups its game at every stage of things. This won’t win it any awards for originality, but it still adds up to a real win.

I’m a sucker for sports movies. Unashamedly and unreservedly, I love an underdog defying the odds on a field, a court, a pitch, wherever. Even, as it turns out, on a racetrack. There’s something comforting about their formula, which comes in subtly different flavors, of course: Inspirational, comedic, based-on-a-true-story, based on Super Bowl ads that team Michael Jordan with Bugs Bunny. But ever since Rocky in 1976, any new entry the genre gets a head start thanks to a blueprint that’s honestly hard to mess up. F1 is definitely not a sports movie that messes this up.

Director Joseph Kosinski clearly has both hands on the wheel where the sports-movie formula is concerned. The story he’s concocted with Transformers vet Ehren Kruger follows an aging, never-was racecar driver as he tries to rescue his old pal’s team and the cocky rookie driver who’s got lessons to learn before he can realize his full potential. Throw in a romantic interest and feel free to stop me when you’ve heard all that before.

But when I use the word formulaic here, it’s not meant to be derogatory. Because here’s the thing about a good formula: If it didn’t yield good movies, people wouldn’t use it over and over and over again. But it requires a steady and delicate hand. Use too much of one ingredient here, or apply the wrong amount of heat there, and the whole thing can blow up in your face.

On a technical level, F1 is impeccably put together. Kosinski and his frequent collaborator, Academy Award winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda, put cameras in just… all the places. Picking up where they left off with Top Gun: Maverick, F1 is filled with impossible angles and quick, robotic pans that make us feel like we’re at the mercy of these rocketship machines. The major difference between these movies’ depictions of speed and mechanical might is that there isn’t a global television audience tuning in nearly every weekend from mid-March to early December to watch fighter jets tool around. There’s a deep cultural familiarity with what a Formula One race is supposed to look like onscreen. F1: The Movie gets that too. One shot puts you intimately and dangerously into the driver’s seat while the next feels broadcast-worthy.

The editing does the same as well, thanks to Stephen Mirrione, another member of the pit crew with an Oscar in the garage. F1 is cut beautifully and peacefully in stretches, chaotically and nervously in others. There’s one character who owes her entire struggling-to-keep-up-to-coming-through-in-the-clutch story arc to the editing. That particular sports-movie must-have is landed perfectly in the three second edit of a tire change.

But that’s behind the camera. In front of the camera you can see the fruits of the reliable sports-movie formula as well. The fun everybody had making this movie is both obvious and infectious; there’s an ease and joy that shows up in even the tensest scenes. Everybody knows the score. It’s like “We’ve seen this movie before, so let’s just enjoy ourselves.”

Pitt plays his character, Sonny Hayes, like the Don Quixote of driving: Searching for the great prize that even he can’t articulate, and carrying F1 with the uncomplicated charm of one of Earth’s last movie stars. Sonny approaches his assignment with what he describes as hard-earned wisdom and a directness that sometimes borders on disinterested. He’s every bit the archetypal weary veteran, a Brad Pitt specialty at this point in his career. (It’s the type that won him his Oscar, after all.) If he’d endeavored to paint outside the lines too much, F1 would’ve been a weaker movie for it.

The supporting cast is stacked with celebrated actors doing admirable work alongside Pitt. Javier Bardem is perfect as the friend who’s in over his head and needs a Hail Mary. (It’s fair to mix this particular sports metaphor, because F1 does it, too.) He’s rooting for Sonny, and we’re rooting for him – it works great. Kerry Condon is charming as hell as technical director Kate McKenna – a tremendous foil for Sonny and Damson Idris as Joshua Pearce, the aforementioned arrogant young racer with a lot to learn from the grizzled old man.

All the pieces that you’d expect are there – and, again, plussing up the “familiar” is the best thing Kosinski and his crew have done with F1. They’ve built a super-charged vehicle that can outdo the competition on almost every level – give or take a two-and-a-half-hour-plus runtime. While I can totally understand the instinct to include every frame of that in-the-driver’s-seat footage, by the time F1 made its final laps, I was starting to feel out of gas.

This is where the film runs into the downside of a formula: For most of F1, the competition is internal, with Sonny and Joshua battling themselves and each other. Their rivals on the circuit are all familiar faces and sponsors from the real world of Formula One, but as movie characters, they’re as anonymous as the “enemy” countries in Top Gun and Maverick. As if to correct for this lack of an antagonistic Ivan Drago to their Rocky (or Yankees to their Bad News Bears, or East Germany to their Jamaican Bobsled Team…), an adversarial element that’s been hovering in the background plays an outsized importance in the final act. It’s one extra thing that the formula demands, but that F1 just doesn’t need.

The climactic race also gets a little exposition-heavy, going out of its way to establish the obscure rules (maybe just semi-obscure… I’m not that into actual Formula One racing) that bring a last gasp of hope to Sonny and Joshua’s chances. That’s not the case for the rest of F1 – you don’t have to be fluent in the sport to tell what’s going on in the rest of the races. Each one brings a new obstacle, which in turn gives rise to a new and character-building solution. It’s a pattern that really works, escalating in all the right ways until Kosinski goes to the well one too many times.

But that’s the formula for you, I suppose. It’s a game of inches with sports movies, or in the case of F1, tenths of seconds. Kosinski and his incredibly talented crew have all the pedigree to elevate a road-tested format, Brad Pitt and his co-stars are talented drivers sitting on top of an immaculately crafted racecar, and all any of them need to do is hang on and not steer too far out of their lane. For 125 or so of its 156 minutes, F1 is every bit the experienced veteran. In its weaker moments though, it reverts to brash-rookie mode.

After months of rumors and searching, DC has finally selected Tom Rhys Harries as the actor who will play legendary Batman villain and shapeshifter Clayface in the upcoming standalone DCU film.

DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn announced the news when sharing a Deadline article on social media platform Bluesky. It’s a promising update for the movie, which is still finding its shape as its September 11, 2026, release date inches closer.

“After a long and incredibly exhaustive search, we finally have our DCU Clayface in Tom Rhys Harries,” Gunn shared. “Both Matt Reeves and I were just blown away by this guy, and can't wait for you to see this film, directed by James Watkins and written by Mike Flanagan.”

Physical media fans, this is a preorder well worth picking up for your collection: Monty Python and the Holy Grail is getting a 50th anniversary 4K steelbook (see here at Amazon). Huzzah! The beloved comedy's fun new steelbook is now available to preorder for $39.99 and is set to release in just a couple of months on August 26.

Preorder Monty Python and the Holy Grail 4K Steelbook

Years before Fortnite became a battle royale phenomenon, Epic Games' shooter originally launched as a PVE game, with an offering now dubbed Save the World that saw teams working together to survive against waves of zombies.

Now, Fortnite is returning to its roots with a Lego Fortnite Expeditions, a fresh mission-based PVE mode for up to four players, which looks like a mix of the game's existing Lego gameplay with PlayStation console hit Helldivers.

In Expeditions, players embark from the mode's Academy hub, where you choose from a range of combat missions set in one of three locations. Successful mission completions contribute to global Team Projects that unlock buffs for all players, as well as new mission types. You can also chill back at the Academy and undertake Assignments from other Fortnite characters.

Expeditions launches with three map locations and three upgradable hero classes. Shadow Caller lets you fly and launch ranged explosive attacks, or enter Shadow Form to escape battle. The Hunter is equipped with Bull's-eye Blade, a mark that multiplies damage and makes attacks for all players more accurate. Rift Ripper, meanwhile, can warp around the battlefield, fire rift crystals and buff other classes.

Developer Epic Games is positioning Expeditions to be another permanent Fortnite mode, and the game's third major Lego experience after the survival-focused Lego Odyssey and sim-like Lego Brick Life. But while these have been fairly separate experiences, Expeditions will feature the theme and main villain of the game's main Battle Royale mode storyline.

At launch, Expeditions sees players facing off against Mask Maker Daigo and his minions, while allying yourself with Battle Royale's various heroes. (Yes, Jonesy and Hope are included.) A trailer for the mode also includes the current Battle Royale season's logo, Super, and its major crossover character, Superman. The suggestion seems to be that Expeditions may adapt to tie in with other Battle Royale season themes going forward.

Fortnite is currently early in its new superhero-themed season, which arrived following the explosion of its Star Wars Death Star. This week is a busy one for Fortnite, with the arrival of a new 32-player battle royale mode named Blitz Royale, pitched as being perfect for quicker gameplay sessions on mobile devices. Both Blitz Royale and Lego Fortnite Expeditions launch tomorrow, June 18.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Microsoft has announced the Xbox Game Pass June 2025 Wave 2 lineup in what is a strong month for the subscription service.

As confirmed in a post on Xbox Wire, available today is Remedy’s co-op first-person Control spin-off FBC: Firebreak (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) in Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass as a day one release. Also today is Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time (Console and PC) via Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Standard, and Lost in Random: The Eternal Die (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass as a day one launch.

Tomorrow, June 18, sees the release of Star Trucker (Xbox Series X|S) and Wildfrost (Console) into Game Pass Standard.

June 19 sees 5v5 online arcade soccer game Rematch (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) hit Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass as a day one release. It’s worth noting that crossplay is not available at launch, which means PC Game Pass players can’t play with Steam players.

Moving on to June 24, Volcano Princess (Cloud, Console, and PC) is added to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. June 26 is a big day for Game Pass, with Against the Storm (Cloud and Console) via Game Pass Ultimate (it’s currently available on Xbox PC and coming soon to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta).

Blizzard is set to release a trio of PC Warcraft games on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, all on June 26: Warcraft I: Remastered (PC); Warcraft II: Remastered (PC); and Warcraft III: Reforged (PC).

And here’s a surprise: Call of Duty: WWII (Console and PC) hits Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Standard on June 30. This is Sledgehammer Games’ 2017 Call of Duty effort, which has a Headquarters social space where players can call down loot boxes onto Normandy beach.

Moving into the early part of July, Little Nightmares II (Cloud, Console, and PC) hits Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Standard on July 1, and also on that day, Rise of the Tomb Raider (Cloud, Console, and PC) returns to the Game Pass library across Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Standard.

Xbox Game Pass June 2025 Wave 2 lineup:

• Star Trucker (Xbox Series X|S) – June 18 Now with Game Pass Standard
• Wildfrost (Console) – June 18 Now with Game Pass Standard
• Rematch (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – June 19 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Volcano Princess (Cloud, Console, and PC) – June 24 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Against the Storm (Cloud and Console) – June 26 Game Pass Ultimate
• Warcraft I: Remastered (PC) – June 26 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Warcraft II: Remastered (PC) – June 26 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Warcraft III: Reforged (PC) – June 26 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Call of Duty: WWII (Console and PC) – June 30 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
• Little Nightmares II (Cloud, Console, and PC) – July 1 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
• Rise of the Tomb Raider (Cloud, Console, and PC) – July 1 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard

Leaving Xbox Game Pass on June 30:

As always, a number of games leave Game Pass this month. Subscribers can get a discount to save up to 20% to keep the games in their library.

• Arcade Paradise (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Journey to the Savage Planet (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• My Friend Peppa Pig (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Robin Hood: Sherwood Builders (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• SteamWorld Dig (Cloud and Console)
• SteamWorld Dig 2 (Console and PC)

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.

With PS5 games getting bigger each year and SSD prices rising, we want to make sure you can find the best storage for the lowest price possible. Here, we'll point you in the direction of some of the greatest 2TB SSD deals we can find, including this deal on the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB PS5 SSD, which has dropped to $149.99.

It's worth noting that you can't use any old SSD and expect it to perform well on the PS5 console. You'll want to pick up a PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 solid-state drive with at least a 5,500MB/s read speed to match the PS5's internal drive. We've gathered up SSDs that match or exceed these specs in the list below to make your search easier.

Note that Sony recommends that you have a heatsink attached to your SSD, and not all SSDs listed here have pre-installed heatsinks. For the ones that do, we'll be sure to mention it. For the ones that don't, all you have to do is purchase your own heatsink (like this one for $10) and install it yourself. For our top recommended picks for 2025, check out our full breakdown for the Best PS5 SSDs.

Samsung 990 Pro 2TB PS5 SSD for $149.99

Preorders for the upcoming Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet expansions, Black Bolt and White Flare, are starting to roll out at major US retailers ahead of the release next month on July 18.

Walmart has confirmed its listings will go live on June 18 at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET. Amazon and Target are also expected to follow up with wider availability soon, potentially even around the same time, so keep an eye out and bookmark the following links if you're looking to secure early stock.

Amazon's listings are up but not live yet, so bookmark each so you're ready to lock in your preorder ASAP when each set goes live.

You can also see our full list of trusted retailers just below that will likely host preorders between now and release on July 18.

Best Buy is also putting restrictions in place for those looking to preorder, so make sure to check the following on your Best Buy account, as well as every other retailer:

• Make sure you have an account set up and logged in.
• Confirm your location and address for store pickup or shipping.
• Add the item to your cart as soon as you can for account verification and inventory checks.
• Make sure to follow on-screen prompts and not refresh or close your browser window.
• Don't try and use multiple devices to secure stock, retailers usually track your IP Address (Sometimes bypassing VPNS).
• Complete the purchase as soon as possible when adding to basket.

Where To Preorder: Pokémon TCG Black Bolt

Like previous sets, Black Bolt and White Flare will likely sell out incredibly quickly, so it'll be a massive task to find the expansions in stock.

I'll be keeping track on retailers and updating this article as preorders go live, as I'll be looking to pick up a few sealed boosters myself.

The everything below also be found at The Pokémon Center, although its currently out of stock, and its queue system when new stock is added can take a rather long time with no guarantees.

Black Bolt ETB

• Amazon
• Best Buy
• Target
• Walmart
• Magic Madhouse
• TCG Player

Black Bolt Binder Collection

• Amazon
• Best Buy
• Target
• Walmart
• Magic Madhouse
• TCG Player

Black Bolt Booster Bundle

• Amazon
• Best Buy
• Target
• Walmart
• Magic Madhouse
• TCG Player

Black Bolt Tech Sticker Collection

• Amazon
• Best Buy
• Target
• Walmart
• Magic Madhouse
• TCG Player

Where To Preorder: Pokémon TCG White Flare

White Flare ETB

• Amazon
• Best Buy
• Target
• Walmart
• Magic Madhouse
• TCG Player

White Flare Binder Collection

• Amazon
• Best Buy
• Target
• Walmart
• Magic Madhouse
• TCG Player

White Flare Booster Bundle

• Amazon
• Best Buy
• Target
• Walmart
• Magic Madhouse
• TCG Player

White Flare Tech Sticker Collection

• Amazon
• Best Buy
• Target
• Walmart
• Magic Madhouse
• TCG Player

Release Date: Black Bolt and White Flare

Pokémon TCG's release schedule is looking chock full over the next few months, alongside the split explansion set Black Bolt and White Flare, there's also Destined Rivals that recently released at the end of May.

Black Bolt and White Flare will have a staggered release between July 18 - August 22, and you can find all the relevant dates to note down just below.

Available July 18, 2025:

• Scarlet & Violet: Black Bolt or White Flare Elite Trainer Box, each containing nine booster packs, an illustration rare promo card featuring Thundurus or Tornadus, and gameplay accessories
• Binder Collection, including five booster packs and a nine-pocket album featuring Zekrom or Reshiram
• Unova Poster Collection, with two booster packs from each expansion, three promo cards featuring Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott, and a full-size double-sided poster
• Unova Mini Tin, including one booster pack from each expansion, one art card, and one sticker card

Available August 1, 2025:

• Tech Sticker Collection, with three booster packs, a promo card featuring Reuniclus or Gothitelle, and a themed sticker sheet
• Unova Victini Illustration Collection, with four booster packs, a foil promo card featuring Victini, a premium parallel Poké Ball version of Victini, and an oversized foil card

Available August 22, 2025:

• Booster Bundle, including six booster packs from either Black Bolt or White Flare

Key Features: Black Bolt and White Flare

• Six Pokémon ex
• Eight ultra rare Pokémon and Supporter cards
• One illustration rare or special illustration rare card for each Unova Pokémon
• One special illustration rare Supporter card

A new card style, called Black White rare, will also debut. These cards will feature full artwork in either black or white monochrome, depending on the expansion.

Players will also be able to access Scarlet & Violet: Black Bolt and White Flare digitally starting July 17, 2025, through the Pokémon TCG Live app on iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows. The digital release allows players to collect and battle with new Unova-region cards and earn in-game login bonuses.

Pokémon TCG: Best Deals Today

Checking these prices against TCG Player secondary market values, a lot of these products aren't far off the mark. Make no mistake, they're still way off MSRP, but finding Pokémon products on shelves that haven't been marked up past the point of anyone caring is a positive.

Still refusing to pay over MSRP for new sets? Well played, I'm proud of you. Here's some single card highlights for you to shuffle through instead. Spoiler, there's plenty of deals to be had.

Destined Rivals Singles Are On The Rise (Again)

It's hard to stick a pin on Destined Rivals single card values right now, and the dips in value seem to match the little bits of stock distributors release to stores.

Looking at the tracking charts for each of these cards, we can see mostly plummets from day one, then either upticks or cards for sale that exceed the original value at launch.

It's crazy, but we now know how low these cards can go. Sure there's always attempts at market manipulation, but I wouldn't buy any cards on the rise right now.

Journey Together Singles Are Settling In Value

Having keeping an eye on the market since launch, Journey Together singles are now more affordable than ever.

Many of these cards have stabilized, with the main chase card - Lillie's Clefairy ex SIR, settling at around $150.

If you were planning on getting into Journey Together at some point to collect the illustration rares and SIRs, now is a great time to jump in.

Epic Primastic Evolutions Cards That Aren't Umbreon

There's so many great cards in this set that aren't Umbreon ex SIR, all of which are a damn sight more affordable right now.

Because I hate anything popular (Yes, I know I'm a massive fan of the most popular IP on earth), my two favorite cards are Dragapult ex SIR and Roaring Moon ex SIR.

The former is now down to a respectable $125, with the latter holding it's value well since launch, floating towards the $200 mark. These prices and below are great deals for these cards, so don't miss out.

Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of "Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior". Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.

Additional contributions included by Robert Anderson.

Oni Press recently acquired the rights to the Adventure Time franchise, and they've wasted no time in delivering new comic book adventures featuring Finn, Jake, and the rest of the gang. Oni is about to kick off the monthly series' next major story arc, "Friends to the End," and IGN has an exclusive first look at cover art for issue #5.

Head to the slideshow gallery below to see cover art for Adventure Time #5:

Adventure Time #5 is written by Nick Winn (Silver Sprocket’s Bloody Mary) and drawn by Kenzie Bugg (Adult Swim’s Tuca and Bertie). Both creators have also contributed covers to this issue, alongside Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb, and Agustin Morales. Issue #5 also features a backup story by Adventure Time animated series writer and storyboard artist Derek Ballard.

Here's Oni's official description of the new issue:

Finn and Jake, fresh off their funky dance battle in outer space, get word that Billy has mysteriously reappeared in… the Computer Kingdom?! Determined to find the Enchiridion for Computer Princess and prove himself a true hero (and not just some adventurin’ kid), Finn wastes no time in getting there—but Billy is not all he appears… Just what exactly is hiding in Computer Princess’s past? And what darkness awaits in Finn’s future? Definitely totally not something super-duper evil, right? RIGHT?!?!

Adventure Time #5 will be released on September 3, 2025. You can also preorder Adventure Time Vol. 1: Best of Buds on Amazon.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Cartoonist Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer is widely regarded as one of the best and most influential graphic novel memoirs of the 21st Century. It's also among the most commonly banned books in the US, with the Los Angeles Times labeling it “the most banned book in American schools.” Fittingly, Kobabe is teaming with Oni Press for a new fundraising campaign dubbed "Fight Censorship, Read Comics."

With the Fight Censorship, Read Comics campaign now live on Oni's site, IGN can exclusively debut new images of the exclusive merchandise featured. Get a closer look in the slideshow gallery below:

A portion of the proceeds from Fight Censorship, Read Comics will be donated to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) and the Florida Freedom to Read Project (FFTRP). The campaign features 15 different items, including T-shirts, art prints, enamel pins, keychains, and even signed and numbered editions of the Gender Queer hardcover. Preorders are open from now until August 20, with fulfillment slated to begin in September.

“The freedom to read, the freedom to access information, and the freedom to learn are some of the most vital rights in this country,” said Kobabe in a statement. “Removing books from schools and public libraries cuts off people's access to knowledge about the wider world and about their own lives within it. This is especially true when the books being removed are about minority identities, or topics less commonly portrayed in popular culture. A book that might seem pointless to one reader might be life-saving to another. Removing a book because its themes offend one reader is censorship, and must be combated at every turn. Please stand up for the freedom to read and the freedom to write!”

"For nearly a century, comics as an art form have played a critical role in championing the all-American ideals of free speech, equality, and anti-authoritarianism," said Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson. "Although Maia's work is one of the first and prominent examples of impactful and important work to be singled out by pro-censorship forces, we can guarantee that it will not be the last. It is the responsibility of creative institutions like Oni Press and our fellow publishers to protect the free expression of cartoonists and our medium as a whole, and we are proud to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and Florida Freedom to Read Project with our ongoing 'Fight Censorship, Read Comics' initiatives."

To help celebrate Pride Month, check out our recommendations for the best LGBTQ comics to read right now.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Hello. I’m Simon, and I’ll be reviewing Death Stranding 2: On the Beach for IGN. As you probably know, the response to the original Death Stranding was varied to say the least, so I thought it would be helpful to provide a bit of context regarding my own feelings about the 2019 sci-fi epic before hearing my thoughts on the sequel.

I didn’t review Death Stranding for IGN – that was the job of the excellent Tristan Ogilvie, and you can read his thoughts here. His score of 6.8 isn’t anywhere close to the most negative assessment Death Stranding received at launch, but it’s also far from the glowing praise some others bestowed upon it. As I said, verdicts were varied, and I’m about to add yet another to that mix. Opinions are inherently subjective, especially when it comes to art, so naturally my thoughts on Death Stranding differ from Tristan's, albeit not by too much. This is not a re-review, so you won’t get a different score here, but let me explain what I did and didn’t like about the original.

Let’s start with the story, arguably the most complex and divisive aspect of Death Stranding. It’s the element I enjoyed the most, as I fully embraced its ever-increasing glossary of fresh sci-fi terminology and ended up quite connected to its core cast of characters. I think it's definitely the sort of experience that rewards you the more you put into its world, and while it can prove a little impenetrable during its slower, earlier hours, I really did end up fully invested by its final act. Sam’s connection to Lou, as well as the dynamic between Cliff Unger and Die-Hardman, especially resonated with me. Die-Hardman’s final scene, brilliantly brought to life by Tommie Earl Jenkins, is one of the most affecting performances in a video game that I can remember. That’s not to say that the rest of the cast aren’t also fantastic; I could lay on praise for all of them, ranging from Margaret Qualley’s dual roles to Lea Seydoux’s complicated Fragile. I’m looking forward to seeing new faces join them this time around, in particular Elle Fanning’s enigmatic Tomorrow, and I’m willing to go on the record as saying I don’t trust her at all.

Yes, there’s a huge scale here in its world-ending events and giant oil monsters, but this is the sort of sci-fi and post-apocalypse fiction I really connect with – grand, global stories rooted in deeply personal tales, a la Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival or Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Death Stranding delicately balances moments of wonder, whether they be colossal looming threats or simply walking over the crest of a hill to a dose of Low Roar, with one-on-one conversations that anchor that grandeur in relatable humanity. It’s those very human themes of birth, death, hope, and grief that we can all relate to, and I enjoyed greatly how these shone through, no matter how much alien language was thrown my way over the 40 or so hours its tale takes to tell.

In terms of gameplay, it looks like we’ll be getting more of that MGS-flavour tactical espionage action from Death Stranding 2, if recent hands-on previews are anything to go by. This excites me greatly, because no matter how much I enjoyed the original’s story, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find the act of actually playing Death Stranding a slog at times. In fact, it’s what made me bounce off of it when it first released back in 2019. On my first go around, I got just a handful of hours in before deciding all that walking just wasn’t working for me. Its routine of setting out for a hike, crossing rivers and mountains, before eventually reaching nothing more exciting than a delivery location became tiresome for me very quickly, especially during its laborious (and seemingly never-ending) third chapter.

But I’m very glad I gave it another shot a couple of years ago, this time playing the Director’s Cut to completion, as I found myself having a much more enjoyable time with it. That new version’s addition of deeper combat and new delivery tools, such as the companion bot and catapult, introduced some much-needed variety into the mix. Plus, the fact that many half-built highways, helpful ladders, and convenient bridges already existed in the world thanks to the online Chiral network definitely made the journey a lot smoother than it was at launch. The further I got into the game and the more my collection of tools grew, the more fun I found myself having. I bombed along on a motorcycle and enjoyed setting up zipline systems to dart around with ease. I’m hopeful that many of these more convenient delivery options are available from the get-go in Death Stranding 2.

Travelling across Death Stranding’s world was ultimately rewarding, then, but I still can’t say I ever fully clicked with its combat. Yes, I did have a good laugh chucking blood and piss grenades at a big oily lion, but I largely found its BT encounters a bit of trudge. It meant that I avoided conflict as much as I could – a perfectly valid way to play Death Stranding, but one that did result in me letting out a groan every time it started to rain. I also found myself largely dodging human enemies, too, with their yellow hazmat suits often signifying tedious stealth situations. I’m encouraged, then, that Death Stranding 2 looks to be quite a bit more action-heavy in the way it's expanding your arsenal and enabling you to deal with threats in more dynamic ways. While I’m not asking for Sam to become a super soldier able to take waves of enemies head-on, I am looking forward to wielding a bit more firepower this time around instead of opting to skirt around the edges of combat.

So, the TLDR version is that I really enjoyed the world of Death Stranding and its characters, but didn’t find the moment-to-moment gameplay consistently rewarding. I liked it, just didn’t love it. I am very excited to jump back in with Death Stranding 2, though – from what we’ve seen so far, it does look like the story is packed full of intrigue again, and that we’ll be treated to the sort of spectacle that rarely gets created outside of Kojima’s studio walls. I’m just hoping it has the gameplay to match its cinematic ambitions this time around, and doesn’t make the gaps between its gloriously sculpted cutscenes as much of a chore. I guess we’ll all find out when my review of Death Stranding 2 drops on June 23rd.

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.