As far as game pitches go, an endless Persona 5 spin-off sounds like a pretty solid idea. What’s not to love about turn-based RPG battles, complex villains, and a plethora of sumptuous social links? Enter Atlus’s latest genre-flipping addition to the series, Persona5: The Phantom X, a gacha-fied adventure that boasts all the hallmarks of its iconic source material, from beautifully animated cutscenes to goosebump-inducing needle drops. What’s the catch? Oh, just a boatload of confusing currencies to juggle and a grind-heavy gameplay loop once you escape its inviting early game. It’s a shame, because if you look past the persistently lurking gacha baggage, The Phantom X is a peachy pastiche. But after 35 hours, its charms have more than worn thin as a result of this framework, leaving behind a flattering but deeply compromised imitation of Persona 5.

The Phantom X might be a Persona 5 spin-off, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be playing as Joker and the crew. Instead, you embody a Nagisa Kamisiro (though you can still pick your own name) in an alternate timeline version of Persona 5’s story. A seemingly average student, Kamasiro’s life changes when an adorable owl called Lufel calls on them to fight back against the misery and hopelessness enveloping the world, and to turn the tables against the great despair that clouds the hearts of the public. Unable to refuse, Kamasiro learns to wield their inner Persona and travels to the shadow world to help clear out the collective unconscious, one monster at a time. As with Kamisiro, there are more Tokyoites to meet and awaken as you progress, with each new character’s arc nestled nicely into the overarching story. If you’ve played Persona 5, you’ll quickly notice that The Phantom X is following its formula to a tee.

To fight off the aforementioned evil, you’ll bounce between a handful of beautifully recreated Tokyo neighborhoods and the monster-filled Metaverse – though what you do in either place is now limited by various time- or money-gated resources rather than a rigid calendar marching ever forward. As The Phantom Thieves, you’ll eek out misbehaving fiends and infiltrate their minds while learning to master the series’ trademark turn-based combat that centres around elemental weaknesses. And because Kamisiro is a teen, you’ll also have to balance studying, part-time work, and a social life, too. With all of its obvious derivations, The Phantom X struggles to conjure fresh ideas or immediate excitement in the shadow of a nearly decade-old masterpiece, but it at least manages to clone the Persona formula fairly well, and that will be enough for some.

No matter how familiar the core gameplay mechanics feel, a diverse cast of supporting characters provides much-needed levity and heart to the world. I’ve fallen in love with Anderson, a gym rat with a heart of gold, Yaoling Li, an energetic foreign exchange student struggling with her studies, a cautious nurse-to-be named Minami Mitashita, and plenty more. With energetic voice acting to back up their emotive and often humorous dialogue, it’s clear there’s been an effort to give the NPCs a sense of self, and, similar to Persona 5, the more time you invest in them, the more you can unravel their heartfelt stories.

Helping out the locals doesn’t just reward you with some juicy plotlines to pull at, it can lead to benefits in combat and day-to-day tasks, too. For example, if you choose to keep helping Yaoling Li acclimate to her new life in Japan, you’ll learn key recipes that you can cook to buff your stats in battle. Alternatively, completing small side missions for characters like Minami will reward you with upgrade currencies and special items for your home. These social interactions also expand the variety of Kamisiro’s day-to-day tasks and provide bespoke options like working out at the gym alongside the carousel of regular activities, such as studying for school in local cafes, working at the Konbini for cash, or buying seeds that you can plant in your garden at home. How you spend your time will also feed into your Social Stats (Guts, Knowledge, Proficiency, Kindness, and Charm), which can impact how friendly you can get with certain NPCs, as well as what items are available to buy at the local stores. The healthy combination of social endeavours and solo tasks feed into each other nicely and creates an approachable system that enriches Kamasiro’s initially quiet life (while buffing their skills in the process).

Unlike Persona 5, how you choose to spend your time in The Phantom X is governed by recoupable Action Points instead of a limited daily schedule. This means you don’t really have to fret over spending time with one NPC or another because you can just wait for those points to add back up naturally and not miss out on either. I can appreciate that this system is much more forgiving than the rigid structure the Persona series is known for. However, without that all-important time pressure, The Phantom X fails to hit on how profound these decisions could and should feel. It makes sense in the context of the Gacha setting, but this free-for-all approach makes it a little too easy to flit between NPCs without fully investing in their well-written backstory and considering how they might help you if you choose them instead of some other character.

It’s not all errands and acquaintances, though, and when you’re finished playing above ground, you’ll eventually move on to combat expeditions, which you can launch any time from the Metaverse app located on Kamisiro’s phone. Similar to the system used to govern social activities, your time in combat is partially ruled by an auto-refreshing currency, this time called Stamina. And as you battle, you’ll need to spend it to reap the rewards. The Phantom X bases its combat system on Persona 5, meaning it's turn-based with engaging reactive elements like chaining together One Mores to be as efficient as possible. When you roll up on a baddie, you’ll cycle through your party one member at a time, choosing between melee attacks, ranged attacks, and special Persona abilities. Similar to Pokémon, the enemies you’ll face and the Personas you deploy, all have elemental strengths and weaknesses (like fire or ice) that can be exploited for extra damage.

It’s a tried-and-tested system with enough diversity in its moveset to keep battles fresh, and even if you are starting to tire of it, the imagination-stoking enemy designs pull a good amount of weight throughout. What makes Persona combat truly unique, though, is the series’ bold interface design and legendary battle themes, which have been lovingly recreated here. I promise, no matter how many times you’ve already heard Persona 5’s Last Surprise, it just doesn’t get old.

Sadly, no amount of vocal flair from singer Lyn Inaizumi or introspective dialogue makes up for the sizable array of gacha systems and currencies you need to balance in The Phantom X. Within the first 20 hours or so, there aren’t many barriers in the way of progression, letting you clear out baddies and jump between main and side stories with relative ease. Inevitably, though, as you get deeper in, level barriers paint a clearer picture of what progression actually feels like long term. Once you run out of side quests and main story content to fuel your climb (which can happen fairly quickly), the next best way to earn the XP needed to unlock more is doing random fights in the Metaverse… but in order to do that, you need to spend Stamina. If you’re out of Stamina, you have two choices: purchase boosting supplements with real cash or wait a painstaking amount of time for it to reload on its own. I’m not opposed to grinding out materials, especially when The Phantom X’s combat is so moreish and the stories attached are compelling. It’s rather that this credit card-shaped conclusion was a totally expected but utterly disappointing roadblock to smash into. It was particularly painful to be reminded that I could simply pay via the in-game shop pop-ups every few minutes, too.

Thankfully, not all the Gacha systems in The Phantom X are so frustrating. While there are characters and Personas you can unlock through the story, the quickest way to bolster your team is to engage in the lucky dip Contracts menu. In line with most other Gacha games on the market, you can earn the currencies you need to pull by grinding, or cut to the chase and pay to get an instant boost. Thankfully, it didn’t take me too long to invest my hard-earned Gacha currency and unlock my beloved Persona 5 fave Ann Takamaki without having to reach for my wallet. A ton of new characters are introduced via this system, and Shigenori Soejima’s striking character designs just don’t quit, which sweetens the pot somewhat. While I love all my Gacha children equally, I was particularly enamoured with the icy-haired Kotone Montagne, whose visual style landed somewhere between Joan of Arc and Swan Lake.

Outside of the inclusion of the premium currencies, perhaps my biggest gripe with The Phantom X so far is that it feels more like an uncanny reflection of Persona 5, rather than a unique take on its established lore. Other spin-offs like Persona 5 Tactica or Persona 5 Strikers feel like strong additions to the series that come at or expand upon it from a different angle, whereas The Phantom X is more of a well-executed imitation. It’s not that I’m bored, as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both its combat and getting to know the wide array of quirky characters I’ve met. Plus, the 35 hours of missions I’ve played so far are well-written, appropriately shocking, and do well to frame the villains as complex, fractured souls. But The Phantom X’s “do-over” take on the story of The Phantom Thieves, isn’t a new enough experience to warrant the amount of time (or possibly money) I’ll need to invest if I want to see it through to its lengthy end (the specific details of which are yet to even be revealed) – especially when Persona 5 and its predecessors are readily available and feel far more curated and engaging.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will finally introduce a handful of big names to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but director Matt Shakman says John Malkovich’s Red Ghost won’t be one of them.

Details regarding Malkovich’s removal from the final cut of the new Fantastic Four movie come from an interview Variety conducted with Shakman ahead of the Marvel film’s premiere later this month. He says moments centered on Malkovich’s villain character were some of the many scenes that “ultimately ended up hitting the cutting room floor.”

“When we were building a ’60s retro-future world, introducing all of these villains, introducing these four main characters as a group, as well as individually, introducing the idea of a child — there was a lot of stuff to balance in this movie and some things had to go ultimately in terms of shaping the film for its final version,” Shakman said.

Malkovich’s presence as Red Ghost has remained shrouded in mystery for months, but the role wasn’t exactly kept a secret. While fans weren’t quite sure how much screen time the Burn After Reading actor would get in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, he at least appeared sporting long, white hair and a scraggly beard in its first teaser trailer in February. He’s been absent from most promotional material since, though, leading to rumors that Marvel may have moved to cut Malkovich and Red Ghost from the film entirely. Now, we know that this is indeed the case.

“It was heartbreaking not to include him in the final version of the movie because he’s one of my very favorite humans and one of my biggest inspirations,” Shakman added. “As a person who walks the line between theater and film and television, there’s no one who is more inspiring than the founder of Steppenwolf Theater Company. What he’s done on stage as an actor and what he’s done as a director in theater as well as in film, and as just a film actor of incredible ability — I was honored he came to play.”

Shakman says fans would have been able to catch Malkovich in The Fantastic Four: First Steps during a sequence detailing the early days for Marvel’s First Family. Specifically, the moment involved a battle between the superpowered group as they fought against Red Ghost and his Super-Apes. It’s unclear if we’ll ever get to see how Malkovich almost fit into the MCU, but for now, Shakman at least says that he “was brilliant in it, and gave it his all.”

The Fantastic Four: First Steps has a July 25, 2025, release date and features Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. Other names set to appear in the film include Julia Garner, Ralph Ineson, Sarah Niles, Natasha Lyonne, and Paul Walter Hauser.

For more, you can read up on why Tom Holland Spider-Man director Jon Watts ultimately decided to leave the project early on. You can also check out everything we know about Sam Raimi's canceled Spider-Man 4 movie, which also would have featured Malkovich as an iconic Marvel villain.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

October 2025 marks the one-year anniversary of DC's hugely successful Absolute Universe line. To celebrate the occasion, DC is giving readers the first proper Absolute Universe crossover in the form of Absolute Evil #1. This universe may not have a Justice League, but it looks to be gaining its own version of the Legion of Doom.

Each of DC's Absolute titles in October will be extremely important to the future of this shared universe, with key developments like Superman's showdown with Ra's al Ghul and the debut of Absolute Catwoman. Read on to see all of the Absolute books releasing in October 2025 and why they're so important.

Absolute Evil #1

Creative Team: Al Ewing, Giuseppe Camuncoli, & Stefano Nesi

Release Date: October 1

In Absolute Evil, Ra’s al Ghul, Veronica Cale, Hector Hammond, Elenore Thawne, and the mysterious Joker are no longer working at cross-purposes. Together, they’re aligned, united, and dangerous. But an insidious betrayal from within threatens to unravel everything they’ve built.

This one-shot special issue features the introduction of not one but two major Absolute characters who will change the course of the Absolute Universe in its second year, and is unmissable for all fans of this red-hot publishing line!

Absolute Batman #13

Creative Team: Scott Snyder & Nick Dragotta

Release Date: October 8

Batman’s final confrontation with Bane threatens to trap him in Ark-M forever. In the aftermath, a new figure steps onto Gotham’s stage. Oh...and Absolute Catwoman debuts in this pivotal issue!

Absolute Batman Annual #1

Creative Team: Daniel Warren Johnson, James Harren, & Meredith McClaren

Release Date: October 29

How did Bruce acquire his Batmobile? What happened when Black Mask’s crew tangled with the Bat in those first few days? DC’s Absolute Batman 2025 Annual delivers insight into the raw, formative chaos from Absolute Batman’s earliest days.

Absolute Wonder Woman #13

Creative Team: Kelly Thompson & Matías Bergara

Release Date: October 22

In Gateway City, Diana uncovers lost history as Barbara reveals fragments of the myth of the Amazons. But as supernatural attacks erupt across the globe, Diana and Etta race to find a pattern—only to discover that the answer strikes closer than imagined.

Absolute Superman #12

Creative Team: Jason Aaron & Rafa Sandoval

Release Date: October 1

Superman must choose: bend to Ra’s al Ghul’s will and accept his place as the Son of the Demon—or see Smallville suffer. As the Lazarus Corp descends, the invasion of Kansas begins.

Absolute Flash #8

Creative Team: Jeff Lemire & Travis Moore

Release Date: October 15

The origins of Fort Fox and Barry Allen’s experimental tech finally surface, but what they reveal will challenge everything Barry knows about speed, consequence, and the foundation of the Absolute Universe itself.

Absolute Green Lantern #7

Creative Team: Al Ewing & Jahnoy Lindsay

Release Date: October 1

The Blackstars are coming—and Earth is in their path. Only Tomar Re stands between their cosmic ambition and the final unraveling of what remains of Absolute Oa.

Additionally, DC has revealed that Absolute Martian Manhunter will end its current hiatus and return with issue #7 in December 2025.

For more on the Absolute Universe, find out why it's the most exciting DC launch in years and get the full scoop from the Absolute Batman creative team.

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

Although the official trailer for Mortal Kombat II won't drop until Thursday, July 17, Warner Bros. has released a fake movie-within a-movie trailer for Uncaged Fury, a faux 1990s action movie starring Johnny Cage (played in that film by Karl Urban).

You can watch that trailer via the player above or the embed below.

The trailer is in the style of the kind of cheesy ‘90s action movies that might have starred the likes of Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Gary Daniels, Jeff Speakman or Michael Dudikoff.

The overly serious voiceover tells viewers “They pissed him off … They fucked with his shades … They should have brought more guys.”

We see logos for Johnny Cage’s other ‘90s films: Cool Hand Cage, Hard to Cage, and Rebel Without a Cage.

And in a nice touch, those three fake movies and Uncaged Fury were all made by New Line Cinema, the real-life studio behind the Mortal Kombat movies of the ‘90s (and the 21st century reboot and its upcoming sequel).

The trailer depicts a martial arts melee inside a warehouse between Cage and some goons (who are dressed in true ‘90s fashion). There are flips and kicks and Johnny Cage utters “showtime!” right before he fights.

After Johnny takes care of the guys, a lady in a red dress shows up with a rocket launcher and fires at him. Johnny does an absurdly high leap, with the missile soaring just under his crotch and then, defying physics based on the angle it was fired, curling upwards and taking out a helicopter.

The only real hint at Mortal Kombat itself is the franchise logo that quickly flickers in and out over the closing title for Uncaged Fury.

Mortal Kombat II opens in theaters on October 24, 2025.

A new report into Superman has allegedly revealed the salaries of its top stars as well as writer and director James Gunn, and offered a hint at where DC Studios is headed next.

Variety said Gunn earned 20 times more than David Corenswet, the relative newcomer who played Superman / Clark Kent, and Rachel Brosnahan, who played Lois Lane. Corenswet and Brosnahan each earned $750,000, with Gunn taking home $15 million. This is reportedly in addition to Gunn’s seven-figure salary as co-CEO of DC Studios. The more established Nicholas Hoult, however, earned $2 million from playing Lex Luthor.

GameFly is running an impressive sale right now on PS5 and Xbox Series X games, plus Blu-ray movies. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re looking to save money on recent AAA games. You can get PS5 deals like Elden Ring Nightreign for $27.99 and Doom: The Dark Ages for $39.99. You’re not likely to find those kinds of discounts anywhere else for quite a while on new copies of those games, especially after Prime Day.

The caveat is that all of the games are pre-played (more info on that below). You can shop the whole sale here, or read on for our picks.

Save Up to 50% Off Pre-Played Games at GameFly

Elden Ring Nightreign is a fun twist on the From Software formula perfected in the original Elden Ring. It turns the game into a three-player co-op roguelite. It might not be for everyone (see our review for details), but $27.99 makes it much more palatable.

Doom: The Dark Ages may be available for Xbox players on Game Pass, but that doesn’t apply to PS5 owners. So this is a great way to play through it at significantly less than the new game MSRP. Check out our 9/10 Doom: The Dark Ages review for more info on that.

Also on sale are Civ 7, Monster Hunter Wilds, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and many more. You can even save cash on Blu-rays like Mickey 17 and Mufasa: The Lion King. Lots of savings to go around.

Is GameFly a Good Place to Buy Used Games?

Everything you buy from GameFly is “pre-played,” meaning it’s been sent out to GameFly customers. That said, everything GameFly sells in these sales is in good condition. It also comes with brand-new new cases and inserts where applicable. I’ve bought games in previous GameFly sales, and I never would’ve guessed they were used, aside from arriving without shrink wrap.

All of these games are also “100% guaranteed,” so if you have any problem with them, you can get a full refund. Buying pre-played games is a good way to pick up recent games at way cheaper than new pricing. And this sale knocks even more money off the pre-played discount, which is essentially stacking a deal on a deal.

Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.

Amazon just reopened invite requests for the Nintendo Switch 2 with Mario Kart World Bundle at $499.99. Switch 2 upgrades the now-classic hybrid console with a larger 7.9-inch HDR touchscreen, 4K dock output, and GameChat voice and video chat. If you've been holding out for the newest Switch, now is a good time to request an invite before stock dries up again.

TL;DR: Deals For Today

You can also grab the Pokémon TCG Scarlet and Violet Destined Rivals Elite Trainer Box for $88.95, which is slightly below market value. It includes nine booster packs, a full-art promo card featuring Team Rocket’s Wobbuffet, and plenty of extras like card sleeves, dice, and a collector’s box. I've got more deals comming your way too. Including the INIU 10,000mAh 45W Power Bank for $12, a 5-pack of six-foot USB-C charging cables for $6.99, the Superman 2025 Steelbook 4K Blu-ray, and TCL’s 55-inch QM6K Mini LED Smart TV for $449.99, $350 off its usual price. Let's get into it:

Destined Rivals Elite Trainer Box

Where To Buy Japanese Pokémon Cards

Japanese Pokémon TCG booster boxes have far better odds at pulling chase cards, have far less bulk and are often half the price of English booster boxes. This also mean said chase cards are worth significantly less, but Japanese cards are far easier to get perfect grades in given they're always busting out of booster packs in perfect condition. Want a Pokémon card collection on a budget? Go for Japanese cards.

Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Preorders

This is it, the beggining of a new expansion for Pokémon TCG. Best Buy have gone live with their preorder allocation for Mega Evolutions today, which mean Target and Walmart won't be far behind. Here's all the links you need and good luck trainers!

Pokémon TCG Price Updates

I can't believe I'm writing this, but Amazon has quite a bit of sealed Pokémon TCG product for under market value. Whilst that unfortunately means it's still way above MSRP, some of these sets are at the best prices they've been in the last month.

This Weeks Crashers and Climbers

Scarlet and Violet base set prices have been shifting noticeably ahead of the final sets Black Bolt and White Flare, with Psychic-type Illustration Rares like Ralts 211/198 and Kirlia 212/198 each climbing 28 percent this month while Gardevoir ex 245/198 now sits at $54.99 after a 25 percent jump. Miraidon ex and Koraidon ex are both trending upward as well, holding value around $23.99 each. At the same time several cards are sliding down as Fidough 213/198 dropped 15 percent, Armarouge 203/198 is down 11 percent, and Pachirisu 208/198 fell 19 percent. The steepest dips hit Dondozo 207/198 and Starly 221/198, now around $9.99 each after dropping 30 percent and 37 percent respectively, reflecting a market that is narrowing in on long-term playability and collector interest.

Last Weeks Crashers and Climbers

As newer Pokémon TCG sets grab the spotlight, Paradox Rift is seeing its high-rarity SIR ex cards drop in value while several Illustration Rares quietly climb due to shifting collector interest and low inventory. Cards like Altaria ex, Gholdengo ex, and Steelix have dropped between 16% and 25%, while Illustration Rares including Morpeko, Plusle, Minun, Groudon, and Iron Valiant ex are climbing fast, with Morpeko leading at a 43% increase. This mirrors earlier trends where less flashy cards gain traction as availability tightens.

MTG Edge of Eternities Preorders

Magic: The Gathering’s next set, Edge of Eternities, officially launches August 1 with preorders now live on Amazon for bundles including Play Booster Boxes, Commander Decks, and Collector Booster Boxes. Blending Magic’s iconic gameplay with science fantasy themes such as flying space whales and alien races, Edge of Eternities introduces four new mechanics: Void, Warp, Station, and Lander Tokens. Fan-favorite tribes like Eldrazi and Slivers return alongside reprints of coveted Shock Lands. Wizards of the Coast is gradually revealing more details, with a full card gallery arriving July 18 and prerelease events happening July 25 through 31, so now is the time to lock in your preorder if you want first access.

MTG Pricing Updates

It's a bit of a mixed back for Magic: The Gathering prices this week, so it's always worth double checking eBay before TCG Player and Amazon for a last minute bargain. Also, whoever thinks a Theros Beyond Death booster is worth north of $700 needs to have a word with themselves.

Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle

SanDisk® 512GB GamePLAY microSD Express Card

Superman (2025) (4K Ultra HD Steelbook)

USB Type-C to A Cable 5 pack

INIU Portable Charger 10000mAh 45W

TCL - 55" QM6K Series

INIU 140W Power Bank

Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker

Personal Fan with LED Display

9-Outlet Anker 332 USB C Power Strip Surge Protector

INIU USB C Charger Block x 2

Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection (Switch)

Superman (Blu-ray + Digital)

Split Fiction (PS5)

Apple AirPods Pro 2 Wireless Earbuds

DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake (Switch)

The Lord of the Rings Illustrated (Tolkien Illustrated Editions)

Suikoden I & II HD Remastered (Switch)

Amazon has had its time selling us cheaper video games and hardware during Prime Day last week, and now it's PlayStation’s turn with the launch of the PS Direct Summer Sale ‘25.

Live right now at PlayStation Direct until July 29, the Summer Sale is cutting up to 60% off select games, PS5 consoles, and bundles.

Price drops on the PS5 Pro have not been included this time around, but this is the perfect time to grab a reduced PS5 Slim and jump into this console generation if you haven’t already.

If you have, you can simply sift through the deals on physical PS5 games below and tick some off your ‘need to buy’ backlog.

PS5 Console Deals for Summer Sale 2025

There’s quite a variety of PS5 console SKUs you can buy, depending on what you’re after, but the Digital Edition PS5 Slim is the highlight at £90 off its price at £339.99 from £429.99.

The standard PS5 Slim with disc drive included has been dropped to £434.99 from £479.99, but you could save an extra £20 by just grabbing the Digital Edition and buying the disc drive separately for £69.99.

If you want an extra DualSense Wireless controller, either as a spare or for co-op games like Split Fiction, the Summer Sale also has deals on the PS5 console controller bundles: costing £389.99 for the Digital Edition console and £484.99 for the disc drive console.

Arguably the biggest money-saving deal, though, is the PS5 Slim (with disc drive) bundle with 24 months of PlayStation Plus Premium for £634.99. That’s a £45 price cut from its £679.99 to start.

Then, with two years of PS Plus Premium valued at £239.98 (£119.99 for each 12 months), you’re essentially getting the PS5 Slim with disc drive for only £395.01 — an added saving of £39.98 compared to the standard SKU above, whilst giving you access to PS Plus Premium's full catalogue of over 700 PS5, PS5, PS4, PS3, PS2, PS1, and PSP games.

Physical PS5 Game Deals for Summer Sale 2025

Speaking of games, the PlayStation Direct Summer Sale has quite a few gems on offer. While some of these deals bring them more in line with price tags at other retailers, others are unique bargains you won’t find elsewhere.

For example, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered has been reduced to £25.99 from £44.99, whereas the cheapest elsewhere is Amazon for a much higher £34.95.

The very fun Stellar Blade, new physical copies still going for around £59.99 at most major UK retailers like Argos and Currys, had been cut to £51.99 at PS Direct.

Another standout is the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection for only £17.99, which is almost £8 cheaper than at Amazon. Containing both Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy, that’s a great deal for two PS5 ports of some solid PS4-era adventures.

Take a look through the full catalogue containing everything in the sale I laid out above and see if anything takes your fancy. Although this sale’s going on until the 29th, some games in the sale — like The Last of Us Part 1, The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, and Sackboy: A Big Adventure — all dropped to their lowest prices, have sold out already.

We’re assuming any consoles or games that sell out won’t be restocked until after it ends, so I’d recommend grabbing any of the best deals now if you’re considering them.

That said, we'll still be going back to the PlayStation Direct Sale page each day to check if any out of stock games or consoles have been restocked, and we'll update this article accordingly if they do end up being re-added.

One of the biggest web series in the world is making the jump to comics, as Oni Press reveals a new Murder Drones graphic novel. The comic, which debuts on Kickstarter in September 2025 and in comic shops in February 2026, will adapt the first season of the hit animated series.

Murder Drones is a collaboration between Oni and animation Studio Glitch Productions. The graphic novel is written by Wyatt Kennedy (Nights, Marvel United) and drawn by Jo Mi-Gyeong (Eve, Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance), with cover art by Alessio Zonno (I Heart Skullcrusher!).

About midway through the new I Know What You Did Last Summer, survivor of past hook-handed murder sprees and former teen with a guilty conscious Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.) responds to a new rash of deaths in his coastal hometown: “There’s a lot of similarities to 1997.” Well, yeah. We all know why we’re here, and why a now gray-bearded Prinze is once more playing Ray in this kinda sequel to/kinda reboot of the first I Know What You Did Last Summer: To see if there are any new frights (and any lingering goodwill) to be squeezed from a slasherfied take on Lois Duncan’s YA bestseller about the consequences of covering up vehicular manslaughter. And while Ray is right – this movie does share a lot of similarities with its predecessor – it’s not quite enough to make it a horror classic on its own.

The cast is a cross-generational mix of notable up-and-comers (Outer Banks’ Madelyn Cline, The Studio’s Chase Sui Wonders) and returning favorites (Prinze, Jennifer Love Hewitt ), but the plot is more or less the same: An unknown assailant starts picking off a group of young adults one by one a year after they hid their involvement in a violent death. Normally, the identity of the killer – fashioned after a one-handed urban-legend boogeyman who’s haunted amorous youngsters for decades – would be I Know What You Did Last Summer’s central mystery. But co-writers Sam Lansky and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (the latter pulling double duty as director) barely have any time for that, convinced as they are that their movie must tie all of its threads back to the Southport massacre of ’97 film whether it truly makes sense to do so or not. The things that happen in I Know What You Did Last Summer happen because something must continuously move the plot forward, not due to any sense of internal logic.

Even the fun nods to the modern day, meant to set this movie somewhat apart from its predecessor, feel ho-hum. Characters reference a couple of online memes. Model/musician Gabbriette shows up as the host of a murder podcast. Hewitt’s recovering final girl Julie James is saddled with defining “trauma” in a scene that, assuming it hasn’t made your eyes roll right out of their sockets, could be read as a parody of Jamie Lee Curtis’ press tour for 2018’s Halloween.

That said, every now and then there are moments of true inspiration that pop amid the overriding paint-by-numbers feeling. Many of them involve Cline, who capably inherits the mantle of I Know What You Did Last Summer prom queen from Sarah Michelle Gellar. An early scene gives us the memorable image of her character soaking in a bathtub with a blood-red bath bomb, and one dream sequence involving another beloved character had me howling in the theater.

It made me wish that there was more of that wink-wink goofiness, more nods to I Know What You Did Last Summer’s rebooquel nature and the inherently silly sea of horror-movie staples waded through by Cline and her co-stars. After all, there’s really only so much self-seriousness a movie about a killer fisherman can conjure. At this endlessly self-referential point in modern pop culture, where the things we loved when we were young are resurrected for our entertainment in forms identical and strange, even a little acknowledgement of what the whole project is all about is nice.

Today's a big day for Nintendo Switch 2 owners, as Donkey Kong Bananza reviews are finally dropping (and we gave it a glowing 10/10!). If you've already picked up the game to play tomorrow and are searching for some good Switch 2 deals to take advantage of next, we're here to help. Here, we've gathered up some of the best Switch 2 deals that have crossed our radar lately. These range from sturdy carrying cases to keep your new Switch stored in, to screen protectors and a selection of accessories to stock up on.

If you're in the Switch shopping mood, now is a good time to pick up some of these items with great discounts available. Have a look through the latest Switch 2 deals we could find below.

TL;DR - The Best Nintendo Switch 2 Deals

Nintendo Switch 2 Invites Are Being Sent Out by Amazon

Save on the SanDisk 512GB GamePLAY microSD Express Card

Switch 2 Carrying Case Deals

If you're planning on taking your Switch 2 out on any trips or adventures you have planned this summer, a carrying case is a very wise investment. Thankfully, there are plenty of great deals to check out right now on a variety of different case styles, whether you want something slimmer or with a very sturdy build. We're particularly fond of the tomtoc slim carrying case, which is discounted right now.

Best Switch 2 Screen Protector Deals

Once you've picked up your new Switch 2, it's important to find some extra protection for it. Screen protectors are a worthy investment and, thankfully, there are plenty of deals available right now. Even though these items are usually pretty affordable on their own, the discounts are a nice little treat to take advantage of while they're available.

Switch 2 Accessory Deals

If you've picked up your Switch 2 console and are now on the hunt for some accessories, there are a few deals worth checking out right now. From thumb grips to a protective case that can be wrapped around your Switch 2 in handheld mode, we've included some of our favorite deals above that are available at the moment.

Best Switch 2 Power Bank Deals

And lastly in our list of Nintendo Switch 2 deals for right now, you'll want to make sure you've got plenty of power to keep you going once you start playing on your new console. If you've been looking for a new power bank to have for when you're on-the-go, we've included a few great deals above that are worth checking out.

Where to Buy Official Nintendo Switch 2 Accessories

If official Nintendo Switch 2 accessories have been on your radar, we've included where you can buy those as well. Some of these have been going out of stock quick, though, so if something that catches your eye is still in stock you'll want to be quick to scoop it up while it's still available.

Where to Buy Nintendo Switch 2 Games

Most importantly: the games. If you're looking to fill up your Switch 2 library with some brand new games, or Nintendo Switch 2 editions of your favorites, we've included a wide variety of Switch 2 games that are available to preorder or buy above. Again, be quick to grab your favorites while they're still in stock.

Where to Buy Nintendo Switch 2

Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.3 launches on July 17, CD Projekt has confirmed, across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S — but not Nintendo Switch 2.

In a livestream, CD Projekt developers said the studio needs more time to work on patch 2.3 for the Switch 2 version of the game. No release date was mentioned, but it was said it will release "soon after." Patch notes, per the Cyberpunk website, are below.

Paweł Sasko, Cyberpunk 2 Associate Game Director, said this patch focuses on vehicles and customization. Adrien Jouannet, Lead Designer at support studio Virtuos, which has helped CD Projekt with Cyberpunk 2077 updates, confirmed 2.3 adds three new cars (including the brand-new Yaiba Semimaru from the Cyberpunk 2077: Kickdown comic) and one new motorcycle, which is the first customizable motorcycle in the game. The new vehicles are each unlocked by completing a small quest. Sasko said it will be "intuitive" to trigger the quests. The new quests do not contribute to 100% completion for achievement hunters.

Elsewhere, update 2.3 adds the new AutoDrive feature, which lets you drive vehicles hands free. In-universe, AutoDrive hits all the vehicles in the game via a software update. You can set a marker, sit back and let the car drive there for you. It's worth noting to use AutoDrive you have be driving on a road, and it follows traffic rules, so expect to stop at red lights.

If you're attacked, AutoDrive stops automatically so you can deal with combat. Sasko said CD Projekt has fine-tuned the feature to make combat unlikely, so it sounds like you'll need to actively drive into combat to trigger it.

There's also a wandering mode, where the vehicle will drive automatically endlessly in free roam, which sounds fun for explorers. Helpfully, the Delamain AI taxi company can be hired for AutoDrive, so he can just drive you around if you'd like.

This, accompanied with the cinematic camera you can activate while driving, will let you see Night City in a much more cinematic way. This, Sasko said, was inspired by fan-made videos of driving around Night City for hours on end. You can use Photo Mode while using AutoDrive.

Speaking of Photo Mode, there's a lot of new features with 2.3. You can now change the time of day and the weather for the scene. There are 27 new NPCs for Photo Mode, too, as well as new outfits and natural poses for the main characters. CD Projekt teased a new Photo Mode contest for fans.

On the technical side, PC gamers can expect AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3.1 (FSR 3.1) Frame Generation and Intel XeSS 2.0 support from the release of 2.3 tomorrow. Cyberpunk 2077 will support FSR 4, Sasko said, but it will arrive alongside a future AMD driver release. HDR10+ gaming is now properly supported, however. VRR is coming to the console versions of Cyberpunk 2077, too.

And finally, CD Projekt talked about the already-announced Mac version of Cyberpunk 2077, which launches alongside 2.3 tomorrow, July 17. There was no mention of the much-wanted New Game Plus, nor are there significant new quests or characters.

Is 2.3 the final update for Cyberpunk 2077? CD Projekt has said previously released patches drew a line under the near five-year-old game, so perhaps there is more to come. During the livestream, Sasko didn't say either way. Could Cyberpunk 2077 go out with a bang this December with a new update to coincide with its five-year anniversary?

In the longer term, CD Projekt recently confirmed Cyberpunk 2 has moved into the pre-production phase of development. But don’t hold your breath — the developer has suggested it won't release until late 2030 or even early 2031.

Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.3 Patch Notes:

Vehicles

Added 4 new vehicles, including several Side Jobs tied to acquiring them:

• Yaiba ARV-Q340 Semimaru

Reward from a new side job (to unlock, complete The Hunt and The Beast In Me).

An additional side job unlocks the CrystalCoat™ feature for it.

• Rayfield Caliburn "Mordred"

Reward from a new side job (to unlock, complete The Beast in Me: Badlands, The Beast in Me: Santo Domingo, Transmission, and Search and Destroy).

• Yaiba ASM-R250 Muramasa

Reward from a new side job (to unlock, purchase 1 Yaiba vehicle, purchase at least 3 vehicles through AUTOFIXER, and complete Reported Crime: You Play with Fire...).

If you fail the side job, the vehicle can later be purchased through AUTOFIXER.

• Chevillon Legatus 450 Aquila

Available for purchase on AUTOFIXER.

• Introducing AutoDrive! This cutting-edge, autonomous driving feature will take you to your chosen destination (i.e. job objective or placed pin on the map). If you have no set destination, it will take you on a leisurely ride through the streets of Night City. Simply hop in any of your vehicles, make sure you're on a road, and hold H (PC) / Left Stick (consoles) to activate. This feature is disabled when you enter combat or when your vehicle is heavily damaged.
• Implemented Cinematic Camera for AutoDrive. Hold Q (PC) / D-Pad Right (consoles) to activate. Sit back and enjoy cinematic views of Night City as you cruise toward your destination.
• Self-driving Delamain cabs are now available on demand! Simply open the menu to call vehicles, then select "Delamain Cab" from the list to request a ride. This feature unlocks after completing the job Don't Lose Your Mind (regardless of outcome) and receiving a message from Delamain.
• Rayfield's CrystalCoat™ is now available for vehicles from partner brands, including motorcycles. Additionally, the infamous hacker known as Cosmetic_Troll exploited a vulnerability and created a cracked version of Rayfield's CrystalCoat™ technology for lower-end vehicles. Please note, however, that some models do not support the technology, such as heavily modded nomad vehicles and job-related vehicles.
• Fixed an issue where unique color schemes did not work properly on the Mizutani Shion MZ1 and MZ2.
• Fixed an issue where unique color scheme could not be applied properly to the Villefort Deleon "Vindicator".

Photo Mode

• Added 27 new NPCs that can be spawned in Photo Mode, including Rita Wheeler, the Cassel twins, fixers, Dum Dum, the iguana, Brendan, and more.
• You can now switch between alternative outfits for NPCs spawned in Photo Mode.
• You can now switch between V's saved Wardrobe outfits in Photo Mode.
• Added a confirmation pop-up when exiting Photo Mode to prevent accidental exits after setting up the perfect shot.
• Added more customization options to the Look-At Camera feature, including an option for only the character's eyes to turn toward the camera instead of their entire body.
• Lights now spawn around the camera instead of the player character.
• Added an outline to the spotlight mesh and an indicator when it's off-screen for better visibility.
• Improved light movement speed on controllers.
• Added multiple new stickers and frames, including iconic quotes and stylish overlays that let you turn your screenshots into Night City postcards – perfect for sharing memories from the City of Dreams.
• Improved Depth of Field and moved it to the Camera tab.
• Added a new Color Balance tab, allowing you to create your own custom filters.
• Weather: includes rain, acid rain, fog, sandstorm, pollution, and sunny.
• Time of Day: changes the time of day within Photo Mode.
• Frame Forward: advances through an unlimited number of frames to capture the perfect shot.
• Game Speed: allows in-game time to progress while in Photo Mode.

Quality of Life & Accessibility

• The game will now detect if the player is using inverted mouse button settings and automatically adjusts in-game button prompts accordingly.
• Added an option to toggle aiming down sights in Settings → Controls.

Jobs & Open World

• Cyberpsycho Sighting: Bloody Ritual - the "Crack the ritualist's shard" objective now properly disappears from the Journal after completing the objective.
• Sex on Wheels - now properly appears in the Journal after receiving the message from Jake Estevez.
• Shot by Both Sides - fixed an issue where selecting a specific dialogue option in the conversation with Bree created a nameless, iconless item in the player's Inventory.
• Shot by Both Sides - fixed an issue where the button to go to the lower level didn't appear on the elevator panel.

Gameplay

• Fixed an issue where, when using a controller in Trauma Drama, the controllable character would default to shooting upwards instead of forward.
• Players can now drop more Cyberware Capacity Shards if some within the intended drop limit were previously missed.
• Fixed an issue causing automatic weapons to fire slower than intended.
• Fixed an issue where the Official BARGHEST Tac Vest didn't drop from the scripted Airdrop as intended.
• The level 60 Engineer perk no longer activates the EMP blast outside of combat or after entering a vehicle.
• Added an option to replay the gameplay tutorial at any time via Settings → Controls.

Miscellaneous

• Added an option to tell Johnny to go away after you look at him for a short while when he appears in the passenger seat. He takes the hint and disappears as a passenger for a couple days.
• Fixed an issue where the sound of V's Radioport could be randomly interrupted by the Radioports of nearby NPCs.
• Fixed an issue where History by Gazelle Twin and Trash Generation played too loudly compared to other songs on the radio.
• Improved the HDR Setting screen: fixed the HDR calibration preview so it correctly reflects the chosen settings, and clarified the description of the "Tone-Mapping Midpoint" setting.
• Updated the End User Licence Agreement. You will be asked to accept it again when you load the game after updating.
• Fixed several visual issues with missing, clipping, or floating textures.
• Fixed several localization issues in various languages.

PC-specific

• Added support for AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 for compatible AMD GPUs. IMPORTANT: The FSR 4 option will not be available in the in-game settings until the supporting AMD driver is installed. Please note that the driver will be released at a later date.
• Added support for AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution Frame Generation 3.1 for compatible hardware. It can now be used in combination with any upscaler.
• Added support for ​Intel XeSS 2.0, with XeSS Frame Generation available on compatible hardware.
• Added support for HDR10+ GAMING certified Intel GPUs. To enable this feature, your display must support the technology (Find My Display) and have "Game Mode" enabled. The HDR10+ GAMING toggle can be found in Settings in the Video tab.
• Fixed an issue where the DLSS Super Resolution Preset would invisibly revert from the CNN model to the Transformer model after restarting the game, even though the UI still displayed the CNN model as active.
• Added more detailed information to the DLSS Super Resolution Preset tooltip in Settings to help players choose the best option for their setup.
• Added the ability to move the mouse cursor to a different display while in Windowed Borderless mode.
• Increased the maximum save size from 12 MB to 15 MB.
• It will now be possible to rebind the key used to jump out of vehicles with the Stuntjock perk.

Console-specific

• Added VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) support for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
• Fixed an issue where foliage was not properly affected by weather conditions on PlayStation 5.

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.

Piecing together a puzzle is a great way to relax. Whether you enjoy the hobby on your own or with others, there's quite a few different formats to choose from these days, too. There are some puzzles that offer fun 3D builds that bring your efforts to life and some even tell a story with a secret ending that ties it all together. If you don't frequently build puzzles, though, finding a good option like the ones previously mentioned means tracking down a reliable brand first.

One visit to Amazon will show you that there's an abundance of companies offering different puzzles, which can feel quite overwhelming. We're here to help, though. In this list, we've gathered up some of our favorite puzzle brands that we believe are worth dropping money on and noted some puzzles from each that we highly recommend. If you've been itching to pick up something new to get stuck into, have a look at our collection of the best puzzle brands below.

Ravensburger

Ravensburger is a brand that's been around for a while, offering a wide range of puzzle sizes from smaller 500-piece options - and even lower, if you prefer - to one of the largest puzzles with 40,000 pieces. Yes, really! The puzzle pieces are cut to fit neatly into place, with the company stating on its website that its "puzzles are made using custom-built tools and steel strips, handcrafted by skilled artisans. This meticulous process ensures each piece fits perfectly, providing a flawless puzzle experience without any false fits." The company also notes that each puzzle goes through quality checks, so you know you're getting a product that'll last. It's also worth noting that Ravensburger puzzles are even used in the world jigsaw puzzle championship.

Below you can find some Ravensburger puzzles we'd recommend in a wide range of sizes. Starting from just 500 pieces and going up to a whopping 5,000, there's a puzzle for every challenge level available. We've even included a couple of their 3D puzzles if you want a finished product that you can set up afterward. Ravensburger also has many officially licensed puzzles from franchises like Harry Potter, Star Wars, and The Lord of the Rings.

Recommended Puzzles From Ravensburger

Magic Puzzle Company

The Magic Puzzle Company really lives up to its name. Its magical puzzles combine a "traditional jigsaw puzzle experience with ideas from the worlds of tabletop games and magic," according to its website. It's become a very beloved brand as well, with its Kickstarter boasting 62,284 backers from when it was last updated. Each of its 1,000-piece puzzles features over 50 easter eggs for you to find, but the coolest part about them is the special secret ending you get after finishing the first part of the puzzle. This important element helps tie together the story from the first set of pieces in the box, making it even more satisfying to finish. There are now a total of four series' releases of these puzzles with series four arriving at Amazon earlier in 2025.

Each puzzle from the Magic Puzzle Company offers a unique experience with original art, to boot. We've included a few of our recommended puzzles below that each have something interesting to bring to the table, from the magical Mystic Maze to the colorful Gnomes' Homes.

Recommended Puzzles From Magic Puzzle Company

Springbok

Springbok is another well-regarded brand that's been around for a very long time - since 1963 to be exact. The company offers a variety of different puzzles to choose from so you can find an option that best suits your personal tastes and skill level. Each one is made with a lot of love, too. The company prides itself on creating quality puzzles, stating on its website that, "The quality of our dies and above average thickness of our chipboards ensures the interlocking pieces will come together flawlessly multiple times."

From piecing it together to admiring the final work and all of the details within it, Springbok's puzzles will keep you busy for quite a while. Below we've included a few fun puzzles from their collections, from a selection of sweet treats to a puzzle paying homage to some excellent films.

Recommended Puzzles From Springbok

Heye

Heye's puzzles come in a fun variety of unique designs and ones with incredible amounts of detail. On its website, you can find the 'Puzzle' category broken down into five sections: Art Lab, Cartoon, Fantasy, Fine Art, and Photo Art. Each of these is further broken down into more sections so you can explore the many different styles of puzzle that are available. Not only that, but Heye also offers a range of puzzle sizes, from 500 pieces to 6,000, so you can easily find one that fits the challenge level you're looking for.

On top of its creative puzzle designs, the company also notes on its website that, "HEYE puzzles have been successively converted to plastic-free production without plastic bags and shrink wrap." That's a very big win for sustainability. Below you can find just a few of our recommended puzzles from Heye.

Recommended Puzzles From Heye

Rokr

Not all puzzles come in a 2D format. If you're looking for something a little different to work with, Rokr offers a great collection of 3D builds that can up your puzzling game with their intricate designs. With 10 years of experience and, according to its website, 4,190 Happy Members, Rokr is a reliable brand for those looking to expand on their puzzling skills. Its models are built to last, too. On its website, the company states that it prioritizes, "the use of durable, child-safe materials to ensure that our products not only withstand the rigors of play but also provide a reliable and secure play environment."

Below we've listed just a few of our favorite puzzles from Rokr, from an illuminated globe to a miniature pinball machine. These come with varying amounts of puzzle pieces as well, so there's a little something for every challenge level here. If you're looking for a good LEGO alternative, we recommend starting witht his brand.

Recommended Puzzles From Rokr

Buffalo Games

Buffalo Games is another brand that's been in the game for a while, since 1986. The company has crafted numerous puzzles since then, with care for their construction at the forefront of its mind. According to its website, the company states that, "With a careful eye for quality and sustainability, our puzzles use the thickest graphic board, premium paper, and sturdy set-up boxes." Each puzzle is also "manufactured using a precision cutting technique that guarantees every piece snaps into place with our signature Perfect Snap™ technology."

Whether you want a puzzle with a scenic view or one that captures your favorite piece of entertainment, Buffalo Games has quite a few options to choose from. We've included just a few of our favorites below in varying sizes, from 300 to 2,000 pieces.

Recommended Puzzles From Buffalo Games

How Do You Know if a Brand Has Quality Puzzles?

It's always worth researching a brand when you come across a puzzle that interests you to learn more about them. Quite a few companies will have further details about them on their website to read so you can have a better idea about who you're buying from. Another great way to learn more about a brand is by reading reviews or comments from fellow puzzlers online who have bought from the brand previously. Doing this can help you make a good judgement call about a brand and if they're worth your time and money.

Jigsaw Puzzle FAQs

What is the best piece count for puzzles?

Puzzles come in a pretty wide variety of piece counts, but some of the most common are 300, 500, and 1000-piece puzzles. Choosing what piece count is right for you depends on a mixture of how good you are at puzzles, how much time you have, and whether or not you have a dedicated space to do puzzles. Lower piece counts are usually better for casual puzzlers and kids, but higher piece counts are better for adults and challenge seekers. That being said, the most common piece counts you'll see from the best jigsaw puzzle brands are 500 and 1000-piece puzzles.

What type of material is good for quality puzzles?

For most quality jigsaw puzzles, a sturdy cardboard base is what you'll find used as the material. You can usually judge a puzzle's quality by just how sturdy and thick the cardboard is. Puzzle cardboard (also known as chipboard) comes in a pretty wide variety of thicknesses and this can affect how easily the puzzle fits together. Lower-quality puzzles will usually use thinner base coardboard resulting in flimsier pieces that don't have that same 'click' when you put them together. Outside of cardboard, wood can be a good material for puzzles. However depending on the type of wood used you might end up with chipped or splintered pieces. Most of the time high-quality cardboard is what you should be looking for.

3D Puzzles vs. 2D Puzzles

In the world of jigsaw puzzles, there are multiple dimensions in which you could be working with. 2D puzzles are the standard flat versions most folks are used to, but the 3D variety brings the puzzle into model kit territory. If you're trying to choose which type of puzzle to buy, it really just comes down to whether or not you want to display the end result. 3D puzzles are great if you're looking to build something to keep on a shelf or a desk, whereas 2D puzzles are great for framing and hanging on your wall. If you're just looking for a jigsaw puzzle to put together at your leisure and then stuff back in the box, 2D is the way to go.

If you're interested in 3D puzzles, we recommend you check out some of the coolest book nook kits for adults. These are designed to sit on your shelf among a book collection.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.

Emmy nominations dropped yesterday — and needless to say, audiences have been heavily debating which shows and performers have been recognized for their hard work and which have not. Everyone’s got their opinions, including Andor creator Tony Gilroy, who recently opened up about who he feels is missing from the nominations list from his own series.

“There are a lot of performances that I wish were recognized,” Gilroy told Deadline about his Disney+ series. “Diego Luna and Genevieve O’Reilly. There are a dozen performances.”

For Gilroy, performances like Luna’s and O’Reilly’s are the glue of the show that makes the character development written on the page truly come alive — and will catapult them into legendary status, with or without any nominations.

“These aren’t great moment-to-moment [performances],” Gilroy said of the two snubs, as well as others he hoped to have been recognized. “These are epic, long-term character studies that they’ve done over 24 episodes. I think the ultimate victory is that these performances will be celebrated and discussed for years to come. I feel confident about that.”

Overall, Andor collected 14 Emmy nominations this year, which is the third most ever for a Star Wars show. The second and first seasons of The Mandalorian take the top two spots with 24 and 15 nominations respectively.

Luna plays the show’s starring role, Cassian Andor, while O’Reilly takes on the part of Mon Mothma, whom she began playing in 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. That said, her part ended up on the cutting room floor of that film, but she still returned to the role for 2016’s Rogue One and 2023’s Ahsoka. Additionally, she lent her voice to 2017’s Star Wars Rebels as Mothma.

Andor premiered on Disney+ in September 2022. The second and final season of the series took nearly three years to debut, arriving in late April 2025.

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

Netflix has released the first full trailer for Stranger Things Season 5, offering fans their best look yet at the final chapter in one of the most popular streaming shows of all time.

Stranger Things 5 releases on Netflix across three premiere dates, with Volume 1 on November 26 (four episodes), Volume 2 on Christmas (three episodes), and the finale on New Year’s Eve. Each volume releases at 5pm PT.

🚨 CODE RED 🚨

THE STRANGER THINGS 5 TEASER IS HERE pic.twitter.com/xklBxyJ11N

— Netflix (@netflix) July 16, 2025

Stranger Things 5 release schedule:

• Volume 1: November 26, 2025 @ 5pm PT
• Volume 2: December 25, 2025 @ 5pm PT
• The Finale: December 31, 2025 @ 5pm PT

Here’s the official blurb on Season 5:

The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.

Netflix previously revealed the episode titles of Stranger Things Season 5, which arrives over three years after the finale of Season 4. For more, check out the burning questions we still have from Stranger Things Season 4.

The cast includes Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Brett Gelman (Murray), Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), Amybeth McNulty (Vickie), Nell Fisher (Holly Wheeler), Jake Connelly (Derek Turnbow), Alex Breaux (Lt. Akers), and Linda Hamilton (Dr. Kay).

Created by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things debuted in July 2016 and quickly became one of Netflix’s most popular television series ever with its fourth season alone amassing over 140.7 million views globally.

Stranger Things was so popular it rekindled interest in ‘80s pop culture items like Eggo waffles, New Coke, and even boosted Kate Bush’s iconic track Running Up That Hill into the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time in its 38-year history.

While Stranger Things is coming to an end in terms of its main Netflix series, there’s plenty more from the franchise to look forward to. Stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow made its Broadway debut this April, there’s a Stranger Things animated series that will take fans back to Hawkins in 2026, a collection of books, and the touring Stranger Things Experience.

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.

Nintendo has announced the actors set to portray Link and Zelda in its upcoming live-action The Legend of Zelda film — but who are Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth?

Unlike the casting of Chris Pratt as Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Nintendo has chosen a pair of relatively unknown actors to fill its next set of iconic roles.

Perhaps that's for the best, considering the initially mixed reaction to Pratt's announcement. But it's also likely out of necessity, as Link and Zelda are traditionally portrayed as younger characters — and indeed, Ainsworth has landed his role as the series' protagonist while aged just 16.

All of that said, both Ainsworth and Bragason are far from amateurs, and both already have several notable roles under their belts.

Benjamin Evan Ainsworth is Link

The Pokémon TCG’s Destined Rivals expansion has been as elusive as any of the others, but the coveted Elite Trainer Boxes are back in stock at Amazon and ready to order right now. The only reason that this isn’t sold out already, though, is that they’re being sold for a massive mark-up.

While being advertised on its product page at "11% off from $99.99", Amazon is now selling Destined Rivals ETBs for an inflated $88.95. As a reminder, that’s $38.96 up from the base price of $49.99, which it's usually sold for at other retailers like Best Buy.

Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics have big plans for Conan the Barbarian this fall, and IGN has your first look at what's in store. Ahead of Comic-Con 2025, the company has revealed two major Conan projects launching in October, including a big milestone special and a remastered version of Classic Conan material.

Read on to see exclusive cover art and to find out what to expect from these new Conan comics.

Conan the Barbarian #25

Creative Team: Jim Zub & Alex Horley

Price: $5.99

Release Date: October 8, 2025

Milestone 25th issue featuring an epic stand alone story! Perfect jumping on point for new fans! Written by fan-favorite writer, Jim Zub!

THE NOMAD: Conan the King welcomes a strange visitor with an even stranger mission. Can the Ruler of Aquilonia prove his mettle or will the mysterious wanderer’s incredible power change the course of history?

This special issue #25 is a must-have for Conan fans!

The Savage Sword of Conan: Reforged #1

Creative Team: Robert E. Howard, Roy Thomas, Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema, Alfredo Alcala

Price: $9.99

Release Date: October 22, 2025

REFORGED revitalizes the legendary black-and-white magazine with vivid, all-new color restorations, bringing new depth and intensity to Conan’s celebrated adventures.

This new series kicks off with two of Conan’s most iconic stories: Tower of the Elephant featuring art from the legendary John Buscema and Alfredo Alcala, and The Frost-Giant’s Daughter from the incomparable Barry Windsor-Smith, now recolored to fully capture the brutal majesty of Robert E. Howard’s Hyborian Age.

The sword is drawn, the battles rage, and the legend is reforged.

Titan will be revealing more details about Conan the Barbarian #25 and The Savage Sword of Conan: Reforged #1 at San Diego Comic-Con next week.

In other comic book news, Cult of the Lamb is returning to comics for the new Schism Special, and Marvel introduced David Colton, the forgotten post-9/11 Captain America.

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

Roblox has launched a new licensing platform to allow easier connections between Roblox creators and IP holders, including Netflix, Lionsgate, and Sega.

License Manager makes it easier for "eligible creators" to use approved assets based on iconic franchises like Squid Game, Stranger Things, Twilight, and Saw, and games like the Yakuza series, Like a Dragon.

"Traditionally, licensing IP for game development has been a complex, time-consuming process, limiting opportunities to larger studios," Roblox said.

"[Rights holders] can take a more tailored, selective approach with revenue sharing, an open source-style approach where fans can take the reins, or simply scan for IP usage across experiences. Licenses can be offered to existing experiences or by listing them in the new Licenses catalog, where creators can browse and apply."

As well as being able to directly liaise with creators, the IP holders can also "proactively scan experiences for IP usage," intimating there may eventually be a crackdown on unauthorized fan games.

The company says this is just the beginning, with more IP holders expected to join the program "throughout the year."

Earlier this month, Roblox brought in 1,000 developers to participate in The Hatch, an event the Lego-like game platform said would go down as its biggest Easter Egg hunt ever. While the official experience is propped up as an important moment, thousands of players voiced their support for a boycott by using the #BoycottTheHatch across social media as part of a campaign to make the platform safer for all ages.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

James Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe is off to a flyer with Superman, but whose story is the DCU really? In a new interview, Gunn of course wouldn't say, but did tease they’re a character no-one would expect.

In an interview with ScreenRant, Gunn jokingly acknowledged the DCU isn’t Krypto the Superdog’s story, despite his star turn in Superman. Then, he added: “I think... I do know whose story it is. And it probably isn't anyone anyone would ever expect.”

ScreenRant asked if this mystery character is someone we’ve seen already in the DCU, and Gunn confirmed it is.

As Gunn has indicated in prior interviews, he’s building towards a big event. But this, too, sounds like it will take fans by surprise.

“And it's not what anyone thinks,” he continued. “It's not what anyone would guess. But I think that if people watch the next season of Peacemaker, they'll see where a lot of these things are going, and have a little bit more of a sense of maybe what can happen.”

Peacemaker Season 2, which sees John Cena reprise the title role, launches on HBO Max in August. In May, Gunn teased what sounded like a significant cameo that appears near the end of the season — but stopped short of saying whether it’s a character we’ve seen in Superman or another character from the wider, rebooted DCU. Is this the character Gunn is now referring to?

Warning! Spoilers for Superman follow:

It’s also worth noting that Supergirl appears in cameo form at the end of Superman. Could Gunn be referring to Kara Zor-El, played by Milly Alcock? Is the DCU her story?

Given Gunn’s cryptic comments about the character in question being a total surprise, perhaps Supergirl is too obvious a pick. But we know it’s someone we’ve seen on-screen already. Hal Jordan? Mister Terrific? Lois Lane? Jimmy Olsen?!

Or could it be Maxwell Lord? Lex Luthor? Hawkgirl? Surely it’s not Peacemaker himself. Could it be Batman? We have, technically, seen Batman in the DCU via a brief scene in animated series Creature Commandos.

Let us know who you think it is in the comments below.

In the U.S., Superman got the DCU off to a flyer with a global weekend take of $217 million at the box office. Its $122 million domestic haul was enough to make it the biggest North American launch ever for a solo Superman film, not adjusted for inflation.

Check out IGN’s Superman review to find out what we think, and then head over to our Superman Ending and Post-Credits Explained to find out what it all means.

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.

So, I hear you want a new 3D Mario. If that means you’re looking for a console-defining platformer with satisfying, expressive movement, innovative mechanics that constantly grow and evolve, and expertly crafted challenges that unleash the interactive potential between said movement and mechanics, then I’m beyond thrilled to share that Donkey Kong Bananza is all of that and so much more. Bananza is no mere “side project” from the team behind Super Mario Odyssey – it’s a brilliant successor to that masterpiece, a tremendous reinvention for one of Nintendo’s original mascots, and a groundbreaking adventure in every sense of the word.

Every breakable corner of DK’s world (which is most of them) is bursting with timeless Nintendo magic and equally fresh ambition. Bananza wonderfully balances honoring its star’s various incarnations over the decades – with lovely nods to both Shigeru Miyamoto’s seminal arcade original and Rare’s classic Donkey Kong Country trilogy – while also fearlessly punching through a mountain to forge its own path. It also tells a light, sweet story about DK and his spirited sidekick Pauline pursuing an underground legend that will allegedly grant them one wish (Pauline hopes to return home, and DK just wants more bananas, of course), and the deeper the pair dives toward the Planet Core, the deeper the gameplay becomes. Bananza is a constant crescendo across its 20-hour campaign that hits its pinnacle with an unforgettable finale that cements this as one of the best 3D platformers I’ve ever played.

Nintendo builds each new 3D Mario around one big idea: Sunshine’s water pack, Odyssey’s body-snatching hat, and so on. Mario is nowhere to be seen here but, in that same tradition, Bananza’s fully destructible environments suit a hulking, rampaging gorilla far better than the Mushroom Kingdom’s usual leading man, and this exciting concept is truly fit for a Kong. Practically everything in this world is designed for Donkey Kong to punch and break, and the extent to which Bananza commits to letting you tear through its environment is both technically impressive and a ton of fun. It’s refreshing to experience a Nintendo 3D platformer with an almost completely new toolkit, and DK’s set of abilities is endlessly enjoyable and fulfilling to pull off. Donkey Kong is powerful, and that’s regularly reflected across his moves.

The simple action of tearing a chunk from the ground – which you can do almost anywhere – leads to so many dynamic possibilities: DK can hurl it at airborne enemies, swing it to break through walls, bounce off it to double jump, or surf on it to get around faster and safely cross dangerous terrain. When he’s empty-handed he can punch in any direction, slap the ground to instantly gather loose gold and reveal nearby collectibles, and perform a satisfying roll-jump-roll combo cut from the same cloth as Mario throwing Cappy and bouncing off him for distance. Plus, he takes a page out of Link’s book and can climb basically any non-slippery surface, granting an extra sense of freedom to the entire journey.

Crunchy sound effects that change depending on the material DK’s interacting with make it even more entertaining to wreck stuff – like the loud crumble of breaking down a sturdy wall of stone, or the juicy splash of tearing into a watermelon. The controls for doing all of this are so polished, and when you chain together a combo (like tearing a chunk out of the ground, smacking it into an enemy to weaken them, and slamming into it with a roll to finish the job) everything sings together in perfect harmony.

To slightly misquote Shrek, Bananza is like an onion – its levels are called layers, and each one is a sprawling playground constructed to maximize the potential of DK’s destructive abilities. There’s so much to find both on their surfaces and tucked away in hidden caves and tunnels you find by bashing your way through the environment. But Bananza rarely relies on mindless destruction for the sake of it, so you almost never have to stumble onto random discoveries just by beating the snot out of everything. Instead, it excels at rewarding discoveries by way of smart destruction, and it’s remarkable how intentional and well-designed its dense, vertical layers are. Visual cues masterfully draw your eye to areas worth exploring, similar to how veteran Zelda players know to place a bomb in front of any suspicious crack. See a tantalizing gold piece or fossil embedded in the wall? Chuck an explosive Boom Rock at it and there’s a good chance you’ll reveal a new path to explore.

Sure, the open-world nature of these maps means you can occasionally happen upon a collectible by skipping the intended puzzle entirely and just carving a tunnel straight to it. In my experience as I played naturally, though, it didn’t happen that often, and it fits in with modern Nintendo trends seen in games like Tears of the Kingdom where the designers don’t care how you get from point A to point B as long as you have fun doing it. On the other hand, there are limits to that freedom: Bananza smartly walls off most of its main objectives behind terrain the nefarious Void Kong has turned indestructible in order to force you to go through the proper steps of the story, so it’s not like DK can just punch his way straight down to the end credits. That said, I can’t wait to see how speedrunners will find ways to optimize their routes through different levels – I’m sure there are some crazy demolition techniques and shortcuts waiting to be found.

What’s interesting about how the world and objectives are designed is that Bananza isn’t really about destroying everything. Instead, it’s about exploring, platforming, fighting, and collecting in a vast world where you can destroy everything, which is an important distinction. It never feels like a gimmick or the only tool you have to solve every problem, but rather one integral part of Bananza’s larger game design philosophy. I was rarely asked to create random tunnels underground with no guidance like you might in Minecraft, and DK’s upgradeable sonar ability helped me find buried collectibles hidden to the naked eye. And, Pauline helps out with the search, too, as using her singing ability reveals waypoints to collectibles marked on your map, making it easy to pick your next destination. That keeps the hunt for completion focused and fun, even if the camera occasionally struggles with the weird angles you force it into when digging yourself a nice hole. Of course, if you want to rip an entire level down to the studs for the fun of it, you can do that, too.

Romping around the sublevels hunting for treasure is a blast, and the fact that I still felt totally in control of the action even with so much fast-paced chaos unfolding on screen at any given time is an impressive feat. I love how the world crumbles around DK when I’m on a rampage: it makes everything feel more alive and really sells the weight and heft of this character, like the way he leaves a crater when crash landing after a high jump off a cliff (there’s no fall damage, naturally). To some extent, it’s made returning to past Mario games feel less dynamic in comparison – what do you mean Mario’s ground-pound doesn’t shatter the terrain around him?

There was some pre-launch concern that the world’s malleable nature might leave each layer feeling like a palette swap of one big underground region, but fortunately, that’s not the case. Every world has something unique to offer both visually and mechanically, from the Freezer Layer’s icicles you have to knock down to create platforms, to the Resort Layer’s tropical vibes and Liftoff Ore that sends DK soaring into the sky when you grab a chunk of it.

And Bananza never stops pulling fresh ideas right off the vine over its 20+ hours. Without spoiling anything, I was stunned at the ingenuity on display as I dove to some of its deeper, late-game layers. There are tons of different material types that make up the world, and there are set rules to how they all interact with each other. A simple example is how throwing ice onto lava creates a hardened rock platform, but the chemistry and interplay between different elements gets more complex as you progress, and learning these relationships and using your knowledge of them to solve increasingly smart puzzles is supremely gratifying.

Those puzzles are often found in standalone challenge rooms, the entrances to which are scattered across each layer. There’s a nicely curated mix of fights, logic puzzles, and platforming sequences that offer a welcome change of pace from the open-ended, explorable layers themselves, and I was consistently impressed with how the challenges take full advantage of the systems Nintendo built for Bananza. After more than 50 hours, I’m still finding new challenge rooms that mix and match enemies, materials, and abilities in brand-new ways. Some of the best examples are sections of blue and pink slime that are inverses of each other: If the blue slime section is completely full, its pink counterpart is totally empty; destroying part of the blue slime fills in the matching part of the pink slime area. Bananza builds several brilliant puzzles off this one idea, and gets similar mileage out of every toy in its toybox. It’s astonishing how frequently I discovered clever challenges that forced me to think about something I’d already seen before in a new way.

On its own, exploration is gratifying, but it helps that there are great rewards for finding Bananza’s heaps of collectibles as well. Fossils are used to buy region-specific outfits that add different perks to DK and Pauline – like increasing your chances of finding a treasure chest – and it’s also just fun to give them both a fresh look. You’ll also collect mountains of gold, and while I was swimming in cash for the first several hours, I eventually had to pay for some optional content that ran my wallet dry. Trust me when I say collecting as much gold as you can will be worth it in the end.

Of course, the main collectible in Bananza is its Banandium Gems, which are comparable to Odyssey’s Power Moons in that they’re plentifully stashed around the levels in places that are often challenging to reach. Unlike Odyssey, though, Bananza doesn’t require you to gather a certain number of Gems before moving onto the next area. Instead, the main story relies on its own linear set of objectives (which often reward you with Gems anyways), while collecting five earns DK a skill point which can be used to upgrade his health, moves, and Bananza transformations. The skill tree doesn’t have a ton of surprises that’ll radically change your playstyle, but it’s nice knowing that grabbing a Gem is always working toward a specific short-term goal, whereas Odyssey’s Moons didn’t really serve a purpose after the credits rolled other than unlocking the far-off final challenge or for the simple sake of being a completionist.

There are tons of Gems to find. I had found literally hundreds by the time I cleared the main story after 20 hours, I’ve spent 30 additional hours collecting hundreds more, and likely have double-digit hours left to reach 100% completion. Going for 100% is a massive undertaking, but with how enjoyable Bananza is to play, I’m not slowing down until I’ve collected every last one. And, unlike Mario Kart World’s lackluster Free Roam map, it’s easy to track your progress this time with a helpful list of your Gems in each layer and a really cool 3D map that accurately reflects the current state of the terrain you’ve destroyed.

Unfortunately, that map does occasionally suffer from minor framerate drops, as does the rest of Bananza. The action generally stays at a solid 60 fps both while docked on the TV and when playing handheld, but it can briefly dip below that when you’re going crazy with the destruction or when you first drop into a brand new level. It’s not great that we’re already talking about performance issues on Nintendo’s brand new console, but it’s never too noticeable or distracting, either. It’s easier to forgive the occasional dropped frame when it’s because so much beautiful chaos is happening at once, and the ambition of this fully interactable, destructible world is definitely worth that tradeoff.

Bananza really does look great, with amazing, expressive animations for DK himself and colorfully detailed environments, NPCs, and enemies. It also constantly pulls inspiration from DK history, such as the opening level being littered with fallen girders from the original Donkey Kong arcade game and sidescrolling segments that reference classic Donkey Kong Country levels, including a lovely new arrangement of Stickerbush Symphony that’s just one tune in Bananza’s awesome soundtrack. This may be from the 3D Mario team, but Bananza regularly pays respects to all of DK history and, at times, feels like a modern follow-up to Rare’s golden era from the SNES and N64. Even the friendly rocks with googly eyes look as if they were plucked right from Banjo-Kazooie.

Some of the flashiest moments happen during DK’s Bananza transformations: a variety of powered-up, time-limited states that are unlocked as you progress deeper into the planet. Kong Bananza is essentially a souped-up version of DK himself who can disintegrate the harder materials you’d usually need a Boom Rock to break through. Zebra Bananza is all about speed, where you can run over terrain that would crumble underneath DK’s ordinary giant feet, while Ostrich Bananza lets you glide through the air. The character design is hilarious, and each Bananza is accompanied by a catchy tune performed by Pauline, so it’s always fun to mutate into one of these fierce forms. They all feel fleshed out and great to control, and even better, you can instantly swap between the Bananza transformations when you’re in the powered-up state, giving you even more flexibility in how you want to tackle challenges.

If I had to say something critical about the Bananza powers, it’s that sometimes they’re too powerful. You can only enter a Bananza if you have enough Bananergy, which is a meter filled by collecting gold, so in theory, the Bananzas should be somewhat limited. However, gold is so plentiful that you’ll pretty much always earn enough Bananergy to transform almost immediately after spending it. This can sometimes trivialize otherwise interesting puzzles in the overworld – for example, if there’s a Gem surrounded by poison water and the “intended” route involves creating your own path to it using vines, you can instead just skip the whole challenge by gliding to it as Ostrich Bananza. That’s admittedly still a real solution that fits in with Nintendo’s recent love of designing puzzles where any answer that works is a correct one, but having that power so readily available can feel cheap compared to the fun actually figuring an obstacle out. I was usually able to restrain myself from using the most streamlined options Bananzas sometimes provided, but if you’re someone who was unable to resist relying on Tears of the Kingdom’s convenient-but-boring hoverbike, I could see them being a dangerous temptation.

The sheer power of Bananzas also come into play during the boss battles, which are cool but pretty easy for the most part. The decision to give the big bads a traditional health bar instead of using the “expose the weak spot, hit it, and repeat three times” Mario template fits DK’s brawler-focused style perfectly. Still, thanks to the Bananza powers, that meant I defeated some of newcomer Grumpy Kong’s earlier creations in less than 30 seconds. The bosses all have exciting designs and are very fun to look at, like a giant stone squid made up of dozens of smaller squids that feels clearly inspired by Splatoon, so I would have liked if they had been able to take a few more punches before being ground into the dirt. That said, it does eventually right the ship: some of the late-game bosses put up much more of a fight, so I had few complaints on that front by the end.

Even so, it’s fairly simple to reach the end credits of Bananza if that’s all you’re looking to do. As with most Nintendo games, much of the enjoyment comes from surprise, delight, and poking around for secrets rather than white-knuckle difficulty. That’s not a complaint, given how fantastic the mechanics are and how many optional challenges Bananza presents off the beaten path for veteran players. For example, the platform challenge rooms each hold three Gems within. One is usually not that tough to reach, but the other two are often hidden in shrewd places you’ll have to keep your eyes peeled to spot. It strikes a great balance where most people should be able to get to the end of the story (especially since there’s an optional Assist Mode that increases DK’s health if needed, and a two-player mode great for letting younger players help out by firing Pauline’s vocal projectiles using the Switch 2 Joy-Con’s mouse controls) while still offering plenty to keep hardcore fans entertained. And the gloves truly come off during the post-game content, which continues to push the mechanics in more extreme, exciting ways.

Colin Farrell has insisted Penguin Season 2 is not currently in the works, but he has pointed to Matt Reeves’ The Batman 2 and even namechecked the so-far unannounced Batman 3.

There’s a lot to untangle here, so let’s start at the beginning. Matt Reeves’ self-contained DC universe is called the ‘Batman Epic Crime Saga.’ This so far includes 2022’s The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader, and HBO Max series The Penguin, which sees Colin Farrell reprise his role as Oz Cobb.

The Penguin is set one week after The Batman and leads into the events of the upcoming The Batman 2, whose script everyone and their dog (DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn included!) has been waiting on with a great deal of anticipation. That script is finally complete, with The Batman 2 itself due out Oct 1, 2027.

But given the success of The Penguin, the expectation is it will get a second season. At least, that’s what everyone keeps asking Colin Farrell about. In a new interview with Variety, Farrell was asked about rumors there could be a second season. Here’s his response:

“There’s literally not. If there was, and I was told to lie to you, I’d probably have to lie to you. But genuinely, no. Because the show went well, of course, there’s been rumblings about, ‘Would we do a second season? What would that look like?’ There is absolutely nothing in process. There’s Batman 2, which I haven’t read the script for yet. And then there’s Batman 3. I don’t know if I’m in them or what’s happening, but I’ll hopefully read Batman 2 soon.”

Wait, Batman 3? Yes, Reeves has said he set out to make a trilogy of Batman films, and as of last year that plan was still on, but given how long it’s taken to get The Batman 2 going (if it does come out in October 2027, it’ll arrive five-and-a-half years after The Batman), the idea of The Batman 3 following in a timely fashion feels tricky.

And then we have to take into consideration Gunn’s own plans for the DC Universe’s Batman. Last month, while promoting the rebooted DCU kickstarter Superman, Gunn admitted: "Batman's my biggest issue in all of DC right now."

In February, Gunn and co-CEO Peter Safran confirmed The Brave and the Bold will introduce a new Batman into the DCU, ruling out Pattinson crossing the streams in the process. At the time, Safran and Gunn said Pattinson would play Batman in Reeves’ Batman Epic Crime Saga only.

So what does the prospect of The Batman 2 in 2027 and The Batman 3 coming out after mean for the timing of The Brave and the Bold? Gunn faces the potentially confusing situation of having two actors playing Batman in movies across two different DC universes.

As of February, The Brave and the Bold was said to be in “very active development,” and the story was “coming together very nicely.” But is The Flash director Andy Muschietti still directing? Gunn and Safran are developing the script, and will show it to Muschietti "when we have it in a place where we think it's ready to go... and see if it's a fit for him," Safran said earlier this year. "I'm very, very actively involved in that script," Gunn said, also earlier this year.

Speaking more recently on Batman, Gunn said he’s not actually writing The Brave and the Bold, but is working with an unnamed writer to “get it right.”

“Batman’s my biggest issue in all of DC right now, personally,” he said. “And it’s not — I’m not writing Batman, but I am working with the writer of Batman and trying to get it right, because he’s incredibly important to DC, as is Wonder Woman.

“So outside of the stuff that I’m doing in the projects that are actively going, our two priorities are finishing our Wonder Woman and our Batman scripts.”

Gunn then discussed in vague terms the kind of Batman he’s going for — or, perhaps it would be better to say the kind of Batman he's trying to avoid.

“Batman has to have a reason for existing, right? So Batman can’t just be, ‘Oh, we’re making a Batman movie because Batman’s the biggest character in all of Warner Bros.,’ which he is. But because there’s a need for him in the DCU and a need that he’s not exactly the same as Matt’s Batman.

“But yet he’s not a campy Batman. I’m not interested in that. I’m not interested in a funny, campy Batman, really. So we’re dealing with that. I think I have a way in, by the way. I think I really know what it’s — I just am dealing with the writer to make sure that we can make it a reality.”

Gunn reportedly plans for his Batman to join forces with Superman and Wonder Woman for a Justice League movie, but when that comes out is anyone’s guess. Matt Reeves’ Batman, meanwhile, may come to an end with The Batman 3.

And while Farrell himself cast doubt on The Penguin Season 2, HBO Max boss Casey Bloys sounded more positive, also in an interview with Variety. Without providing a release window, Bloys said:

“The number one thing right now that Matt [Reeves] is dealing with is getting the movie going. I believe they’re making progress there. I know that he and [showrunner] Lauren [LeFranc] have talked about various ideas. So, could another chapter be in the future? Definitely possible. Right now, I think the priority for Matt is the movie. But I know that Lauren is thinking of various ideas that might work alongside the movie. I think it’s possible. I just don’t know at this point.”

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.

The Last of Us Season 3 is "definitely planned" to arrive in 2027, HBO boss Casey Bloys has confirmed, pinning down a launch window for the series' next — and potentially last — run of episodes.

Amid a mixed response to The Last of Us' recent second season and the subsequent departure of franchise creator Neil Druckmann, Bloys said he was confident in showrunner Craig Mazin's ability to continue on — and to do so successfully despite the series' lead actors changing.

Exactly how long the series will continue remains uncertain, Bloys continued, saying there was a possibility The Last of Us would wrap up in 2027 as well.

"The series is definitely planned for 2027," Bloys told Variety, dodging the specific question of whether the show would return for the 2026-2027 TV season, or later.

"Craig [Mazin] is still working it out whether it will be two more seasons or one more long season," he continued. "It hasn't been decided yet, and I'm following Craig's lead on that."

HBO previously confirmed that The Last of Us Season 3 will now feature Kaitlyn Dever as its main star, following the departure of Pedro Pascal's Joel and a waning focus on Bella Ramsey's Ellie. Would the change of lead actors — particularly from the series' hit first season — present something of a challenge?

"Not from a marketing perspective," Bloys responded, "because I think the title is obviously helped by the video game, and now the first two seasons is pretty well established. I kind of appreciate shows that take things and do a show from a different point of view."

While HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us has stuck pretty close to its source material, and the elevation of Kaitlyn Dever's Abby as a main character is perhaps to be expected, fans were still surprised to see the exit of Neil Druckmann, the franchise's creator, following the Season 2 finale.

"Obviously it was great to have Neil involved in the beginning," Bloys said of Druckmann's involvement. "The whole reason that I wanted to do Last of Us is after Chernobyl, I said to Craig, ‘What do you want to do next?’ And Last of Us was what he wanted to do. That’s what was most important to me, Craig’s creative excitement about the show. It was fantastic to have Neil involved."

In a statement posted to social media, Druckmann said he would now return his focus full-time to Naughty Dog's next project, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

"A lot of people don’t realize that Neil has a full time job creating video games and running Naughty Dog," Bloys concluded. "It’s a really big job that he’s got. So I understand why he needs to focus on that. But I believe he’s given us a good blueprint with the show. And obviously Craig is a pro, so I think we’ll be in excellent shape. I’m not worried at all."

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

After weeks of radio silence, Amazon has finally flipped the switch... kind of. Listings for the Nintendo Switch 2 and the Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle now include a "Request Invite" button, signaling a soft rollout for direct purchases. And according to IGN's own data, Amazon has already begun sending out invites to buy.

That means the system is live, stock is moving, and your shot at securing the new console could be just a few clicks away. If you want to avoid eBay scalpers or third-party markups, now’s the time to visit the listings and request an invite.

Nintendo Switch 2: Where to Find In Stock

Nintendo Switch 2 Games: Where to Buy

Games, games, games. That’s the point of a new console, right? At least, partly. The Nintendo Switch 2 is already shaping up with an impressive lineup, mixing brand-new exclusives with upgraded re-releases of fan favorites.

Heavy-hitters like Donkey Kong Bananza ($69.99) and Mario Kart World ($79.99) are leading the charge, while Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are seeing a massive performance boost on the new hardware.

It’s also a great excuse to revisit your existing library and see which games feel like a true upgrade.

Don’t forget, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is already up for preorder as a Switch 2 Edition, and iconic titles like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are getting enhanced versions that finally make the most of modern hardware—perfect for those who skipped them last gen or just wanted a better way to play.

Switch 2 Accessories: Where to Buy

Accessories are just as essential to the Switch 2 experience as the console itself. A good setup can elevate your gaming, while a bad one drags it down.

Top priority? A Pro Controller. If you don’t already own one, grab it now. It’s a must-have for playing docked on a TV or monitor, offering a far better experience than the standard Joy-Cons.

If you’re already feeling the strain on your wallet, third-party accessories are a smart way to save—especially on carry cases or screen protectors.

Just make sure not to remove the pre-installed screen layer when swapping it out.

Switch 2 Amiibo: Where to Buy

We’ve also got a new batch of Nintendo Amiibo ready for Switch 2. Fans of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Street Fighter 6 can buy a handful of brand new Amiibo from those games.

The side-scrolling carousel above has all the new Amiibo in it, but if any of them are sold out when you click to buy or you want more details, check out our full guide on everything available.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Senior Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.

This article includes contributions by Chris Reed.