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The Sinking City 2 is delayed into 2026 because of the war in Ukraine, but not just that: Making a survival horror game requires 'a completely different kind of design thinking' than adventure games, and that 'definitely makes development slower'

Ukrainian developer Frogwares says it will start showing off more Sinking City 2 gameplay in the next few months, but it's not going to make the hoped-for 2025 release.

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Score an RFID Blocking Men's Slim Leather Wallet for $5

One of the most popular affordable men's wallets on Amazon is even less expensive today. The Travelambo minimalist men's slim leather wallet with RFID blocking technology is down to a mere $4.99 after you apply a 50% off coupon code "H4H4W3KH". All colors are eligible for the discount. If you're ok with not dropping a load on designer brand names, then this wallet offers great functionality in a compact size at a practically throwaway price.

RFID Blocking Men's Slim Leather Wallet for $4.99

The Travelambo is a minimalist wallet that measures 3.3" x 4.1" and only 0.12" thin. It's made out of "genuine" leather, which I assume means not vegan (aka usually vinyl), and features a simulated carbon fiber weave design. It has slots for up to 6 cards, including one slot with a clear window for your photo ID. The wallet features RFID blocking technology and "has been tested for 13.56MHz frequency in which credit cards, debit cards, driver license, and ID cards operate".

The reviews are quite good on Amazon, with nearly 14,000 reviews giving it an average 4.5 star rating. Some of the reviews point out that they've owned this wallet for several years and it has held up functionally, albeit with wear and tear. For just $5, I'd call that a pretty great return on your investment. It would also make a great stocking stuffer.

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

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Double Dragon Revive Review

Hot on the heels of Ninja Gaiden's own 2D revival with the excellent Ragebound, Double Dragon Revive comes off more like a tribute band for the series rather than a proper reunion tour. It doesn't play the hits how you remember it, instead putting its own spin on things – from how it looks, to how it sounds, to how it plays. All of those aspects not only fail to live up to my admittedly mild expectations for a new Double Dragon, but after hours of its out of tune meandering, started to cement the idea that maybe we should put a little more distance between attempts to revitalize this series.

Even though I've been playing these games for most of my life it's sort of jarring how straightforward Double Dragon Revive is. Side scrollers of this arcadey, "belt scroll" variety have found a lot of ways to spice up the “punch your way to the right” recipe, and Revive seems interested in keeping as much of that new seasoning away from its plate as possible. It's a basic protein packed with eight non-branching levels, accompanied by starchy combat that's filling but has barely any sauce.

Picking up any of the four playable characters is simple and intuitive, with normal attack strings that can be mashed out on one button alongside special attacks and hyper blows that can be used to punctuate these combos, or in some instances extend your offense into wall bouncing juggles. All of these actions are unique to each fighter. Well, Billy and Jimmy Lee have distinctions that don't translate into mechanical differences, but former damsel-turned-headkicker Marian and ninja frenemy Ranzo have attacks that are a little more flashy and utilitarian. I rarely felt it necessary to use more than basic combo loops on Normal difficulty, though. As long as an enemy didn't have an annoying shield or hyper armor protecting them as they wound up a big attack (something ubiquitous in the later levels), they were reliably vulnerable to a good old fashioned fist to the face.

There are limited options for those who do want to attempt to style on these street thugs, but they all rely on bouncing enemies off of walls to keep them in the air long enough to string more hits together as they come down. It often felt like enemies kind of just went wherever they wanted after a launch or a throw as opposed to where you directed them to go, making a laborious task out of trying to set up simple combo extensions, jamming enemies into background environmental hazards that take them out of the fight instantly, or taking advantage of the super powerful wall strike and wall crash options.

It rarely felt necessary to use more than basic combo loops on Normal difficulty.

There's no air combos to be had either, so chasing a launched bad guy skyward only allows you a single, disappointing smash down to earth so you can wait for them to stand up and let you hit them again. Everyone can get a free hit on downed enemies, if you can finagle the finicky button prompt to do so that is unresponsive and unreliable. If there's the right kind of wall around – the right kind being the one they decide is right based on no reliable context clues – you can do a super sized air dropping attack, but even getting the wall kick off that's required to get the requisite height is a dice roll.

Everyone has powerful, screen clearing finishing blow attacks that are charged up by all the fisticuffs, with boosts given when you make a timely dodge, counter an enemy’s big attack, or grow your combo meter. But no playable character, not even with Ranzo's cool explosive kunai or Marian’s charging knee, can make Revive’s combat feel special, or even interesting, across long stretches of time. It took me around three hours to finish my first playthrough, and I lost interest well before then, with three more playthroughs after that, one for each playable character.

That said, enemy variety is at least diverse and effective at making you use the small menu of options you have. As levels progress, old bad guys show up to mingle with the newer ones to form a sort of street thug gumbo that can get a little spicy towards the end of your run. It’s largely a numbers game, with you often getting overwhelmed by the sheer amount of incoming blows from all angles. I liked the little brain puzzle of having to identify the most dangerous threat to take out first, or needing to figure out the most efficient way to wrangle as many folks as possible into a big attack, but it wasn’t beguiling enough for me to forget that the process of breaking these dudes down was still rather dull. Even the array of limited use weapons, though strong tools usually worth the effort to grab if things get hairy, are your standard fare knives, two-by-fours, sledgehammers, etc.

As the challenge escalates, some of Revive’s jank becomes an enemy of its own. Small things, like the direction of your character sometimes defaulting to the opposite direction inexplicably, stops being a quirk to work around and starts being the reason you drop a combo or get punished.

Enemy variety is at least diverse, but breaking dudes down is still rather dull.

Bosses break the monotony up a little bit, introducing slightly more engaging stage hazards and pattern mechanics, like Linda, who you need to shake off of the pillars she’s hiding on top off before you can attack her directly. These get pretty brutal towards the end, though, specifically the chapter seven boss, which has to be the most aggravating fight I’ve maybe ever played in one of these games – truly a test of endurance against a ceaseless onslaught of the most cheating cheaters the game has to offer.

There’s not a lot of flash visually, either. Most character models look good, but the fire, wind, and dragon effects that come from their limbs when channeling their chi looks a step behind in quality. Camera work and sound design come together adequately to make big hits feel good and all that jazz. The sound track is decent, with a handful original riffy rockouts and remixes of old series jams that sound good in the moment but sort of leave your head immediately after they end. Overall, Double Dragon Revive lacks the visual identity that the 16-bit Double Dragon Gaiden and even pastel-punk Double Dragon Neon have, let alone its peers like Shinobi: Art of Vengeance and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound from this year.

The stages you bash your way through run a much broader gamut. A colorful Japanese pagoda-style tower with a fun little perspective shift mid-way through is simple but much more stirring than a non-descript highway level, even if there is a wrestling ring at the end of it. Some of these zones require some platforming that I was never happy to see but in mercifully short bursts. It’s a bit of an eye-roll that most of these stages are just takes on series staple locations without much novel flair added this time around, but it’s truly disappointing how many of these locations are just bland and lifeless.

And not to be one of those “the story in this beat 'em up sucks” sort of freaks, but I mean, it does. It's less that the plot is nonsense, the characters are bland, and the writing is lousy and more that Revive lacks the confident and chaotic energy that is necessary to sell this sort of thing to begin with. The post-apocalyptic villain of Neon was a gang-leading demon knight straight out of a heavy metal album cover named Skullmaggedon. The gang struggles in Gaiden made that version of New York City feel like Gotham City, complete with goons color-coded and themed after their outlandish bosses. By comparison, Revive is just a completely tame and underwhelming take on returning villains Willy and Raymond, who used black magic and the military industrial complex to experiment on people and make the Sousetsuken kid’s lives worse.

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Save $750 Off the High-End Alienware Area-51 16" RTX 5080 Gaming Laptop Directly From Dell

Dell is offering a new deal this week on one of its highest-end Alienware gaming laptops. The Alienware 16 Area-51 16" gaming laptop, equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and RTX 5080 mobile GPU, has been marked down to $2,699.99 with free delivery after a $750 discount. New for 2025, the Area-51 is Alienware's highest-end gaming laptop. It's pricier than other RTX 5080 equipped laptops (less so with this deal), but that's because the build quality and performance exceeds most of its competition.

Alienware 16 Area-51 RTX 5080 Gaming Laptop for $2,699

The Area-51: new color, curvy design, metal construction, and upgraded cooling

The Alienware Area-51 is a considerable upgrade compared to the previous generation's Alienware m16. For starters, it's clad in anodized aluminum for both the lid and bottom chassis and features a unique iridescent finish that sparkles in direct lighting. The frame is made of a durable and lightweight magnesium alloy. Cooling has been upgraded with generous amounts of copper and a new thermal interface. Dell claims that it can handle up to 240W TDP without raising acoustics.

Design-wise, the Area 51 has a sleeker, more contoured shape compared to previous models, with rounded edges and soft corners replacing the traditional squared off design. The hinges are internally positioned so that they're near invisible. There's a transparent window on the undercarriage to show off the internal components. There's also plenty of RGB illumination, although most of it can be turned off if you don't like that sort of thing.

The GeForce RTX 5080 mobile GPU is better than the RTX 4090 mobile

The Alienware Area-51's aggressive cooling allows it to accomodate the RTX 5080 mobile GPU without throttling it. The RTX 5080 is roughly 15%-20% more powerful than the RTX 4080 that it replaces. In fact, it's even more powerful than the RTX 4090, which was the previous generation's flagship card. You'll be able to play any game at frame rates of 60fps or higher on the 1600p display. You could even enable ray tracing in most games, something that was unheard of in laptops just a few years ago. The general consensus is that upgrading from an RTX 5080 (mobile) to RTX 5090 won't yield significant performance gains relative to the huge price difference.

Check out more of the best Alienware gaming laptop deals.

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

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Game Companies Compete in the Kitchen for Charity

Game publishers have been cooking for charity! As part of gamescom asia x Thailand Game Show 2025, the first ever Charity Cook-Off was held in Bangkok on October 13, with 10 contestants from the game industry flexing their kitchen skills for Chef Willment Leong, the hot-tempered celebrity chef who hosts Hell’s Kitchen Thailand.

The event was livestreamed in support of two charities, one global and one local: Doctors Without Borders, and the Bangkok Community Help Foundation.

Among the lineup of contestants was… me! Representing IGN Japan, I felt the pressure to bring the spice, doing my best to replicate Chef Willment’s signature menu that blends the Western dish salmon confit with a Thai twist – green curry cream sauce, crispy chicken skin crust, handmade ailoi, poached egg and rocket salad.

Bonus points were awarded for adding a videogame twist, so my dish was populated by cute little edible Pokémon and a Mario-themed salad.

Here’s the full list of contestants:

  • Adorapixel - Gordon Van Dyke
  • Powell Group - Jay Powell
  • Raw Fury - Johan Toresson
  • Miniclip - Govind Cacciatore
  • Wired Production - Leo Zullo
  • Joystick Venture - Ivan Carrillo
  • IGN - Daniel Robson
  • PlayPark - Jham (Sattra Viriyacharoentham)
  • AGP - Lili Zang
  • Poki - Romy Halfweeg

The event was hosted by gaming investment company Agora Gaming Partners and gamescom asia organizer Koelnmesse. It was held in the professional-grade kitchen of Dusit Thani College, as seen on cooking shows like Netflix’s The Maverick Academy. The college also provided volunteer assistants – my assistant Tia was awesome, and helped make sure I didn’t set fire to or slice off anything important.

As game media, we often review creations made by game companies, so it was a thrill to be on the other side and have the judges rate my cooking! Cooking under pressure, surrounded by cameras and under a tight time limit in an unfamiliar kitchen, was an experience I’ll never forget. I didn’t win (my salmon was a little pink), but I didn’t embarrass myself horribly either, and I was especially proud of my attempt at green curry cream sauce – I’ll tinker and perfect that recipe at home for sure.

A digest video will be published soon, but you can check out the archive of the full livestream here right now.

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Save 33% Off the Steelseries Arctis Gamebuds Earbuds for PlayStation 5 and PC

Ever thought of replacing your gaming headset with a pair of earbuds? Amazon has dropped the price of the Steelseries Arctis Gamebuds from $199.99 all the way down to $127.99 shipped after a hefty 36% off instant discount. This is by far the best deal I've seen (the previous lowest price being $160) and this earbud is our front-runner for the best dedicated gaming earbuds of 2025. This particular model is compatible with PlayStation 5 and PC.

Steelseries Arctis Gamebuds Down to $127.99 (was $200)

I don't see as many gaming-specific earbuds as I do gaming headsets. In fact, this is Steelseries' first product release in the category. What makes this earbud more gaming focused is that it can be paired with a mobile app (for console, you use the Steelseries GG software for PC) preloaded with over 100 different audio presets customed tailored to specific video games and genres. Each earbud contains a 6mm neodymium magnetic driver that can simulate bass and spatial audio effects. Also, the Gamebuds connects to your PS5 or PC over a fast and reliable 2.4GHz wireless networking with the included USB Type-C dongle. No headset is complete without a built-in microphone, and the Gamebuds has a decent one, although not nearly as good as an extendable boom mic.

The Gamebuds can be used outside of gaming, of course. Like any good pair of in-ear buds at this price point, the Gamebuds features Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity and active noise cancellation. Three different sized eartipsa are included for a more customized fit. The battery life is below average at 10 hours, but a charging case is included that extends playtime to 40 hours before needing to recharge.

I have a pair of these myself and quite like it. I prefer these over standard headphones on hotter days, because my ears sweat profusely when I use traditional over-ear headsets. Not so with these Gamebuds.

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

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Gearbox Confirms the Big Borderlands 4 Patch That Will Finally Dull the Infamous Crit Knife Is Now Set to Launch Alongside the Horrors of Kairos Mini-Event

Gearbox has said the hotly anticipated Borderlands 4 patch that will finally dull crit knife builds is delayed again and will now launch alongside the Horrors of Kairos mini-event.

Borderlands 4’s 'Day 30 Update' was set to launch last week but was delayed to early this week. Fans had wondered when it would turn up after another no-show today, prompting developer Gearbox to say it’s now due out alongside Horrors of Kairos, which runs from October 23 to November 6.

“Glad you’re excited for the update!” Gearbox is posting on social media in response to questions about the patch. “We have a few things we're tidying up right now, and it’ll be rolling out with the Horrors of Kairos mini-event. We can’t wait for you to see what we’ve been brewing.”

The question now is when exactly the patch will be released. Horrors of Kairos is down to start on October 23, but it may end up releasing at some point between then and November 6.

Last week, Gearbox developers addressed disgruntled Borderlands 4 players who questioned the need to nerf overpowered builds in the mostly single-player looter shooter, saying it was necessary to preserve the challenge and encourage build “diversity.”

Players have been bracing themselves for the end of builds that rely on what the community has dubbed 'the crit knife,' an "unintended interaction” Gearbox has said will be nerfed with this upcoming patch.

Borderlands 4 is rife with overpowered builds that cause massive damage, even to the game’s toughest bosses on the hardest difficulties. The most infamous of these is the crit knife, which Gearbox has said it’s aware of. But there are many others.

The nerf sweep set to hit Borderlands 4 has sparked a debate within the game’s community about the rights and wrongs of balance changes such as these in single-player games. With no PvP component, Borderlands 4 is mostly about solo players — and occasional groups of co-op players — farming bosses for loot that makes their build ever so slightly better each time.

(IGN recently interviewed a Borderlands 4 player who spent 150 hours on over 3,000 boss kills to find out the game’s true drop rate.)

Builds based on the crit knife, for example, can essentially delete bosses even on Borderlands 4’s toughest difficulty, making farming for loot a trivial endeavor. Some believe there’s nothing wrong with such overpowered play because players aren't competing with others in any way. Others argue it’s bad for the game.

Borderlands 4 creative director Graeme Timmins has responded to the complaints, pointing to the game’s upcoming Invincible boss, which the developers want to present a challenge.

“We have future content like the upcoming Invincible that we want players to find challenge/accomplishment in,” Timmins explained. “If we balanced that content around bad gear, it would remove build diversity, forcing players into specific builds using said gear.”

Specifically on the crit knife, associate creative director Grant Kao said this particular, hugely popular build “diminishes playstyle variety,” and confirmed changes are planned.

“We will be adjusting it,” Kao said. “The crit knife’s potential output diminishes playstyle variety. The gun builds that use the crit knife have other options and will have more options coming soon.”

Timmins then chimed in on the crit knife, saying: “Our intent is always to expand the number of builds, so any adjustment we make is in service of that goal.”

All eyes are now on Gearbox to see what changes it has in store for not just Borderlands 4’s crit knife build, but any build it believes relies on an “unintended interaction.”

Earlier this month, Gearbox revealed Borderlands 4 Bounty Pack 1: How Rush Saved Mercenary Day, the first seasonal mini-event for the game, the aforementioned Invincible boss, and more. Last month, Gearbox revealed Borderlands 4’s first of two new Vault Hunters coming to the game as part of the paid Story Pack DLCs. C4SH, due out during the first quarter of 2026, is a playable character whose luck-based powers can make him either the best or worst character in the game.

We’ve got plenty more on Borderlands 4. Last month, a Borderlands 4 dataminer unearthed evidence to suggest that one of the most hated characters from Borderlands 3 was cut and replaced relatively late in development. 2K Games and Gearbox declined to comment when contacted by IGN.

And we recently reported on comments from Gearbox chief Randy Pitchford, who said if more developers better understood why gamers love making decisions about loot, "We'd have good competitors."

If you are delving into Borderlands 4, don't go without updated hourly SHiFT codes list. We've also got a huge interactive map ready to go and a badass Borderlands 4 planner tool courtesy of our buds at Maxroll. Plus check out our expert players' choices for which character to choose (no one agreed).

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

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Classic FPS Painkiller Returns with a Modern Reimagining

Gothic first-person shooter Painkiller first graced our screens in 2004, and it built a cult following thanks to its fast pace, dark atmosphere, weapon arsenal, and intense combat. Now it’s back with a modern reimagining with the same name from developer Anshar Studios and publisher 3D Realms that’s out now on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

If you’re not familiar with Painkiller, the central concept is you play as someone trapped in Purgatory because of your previous transgressions, but you get a mission to redeem yourself and earn your way into Heaven. In this reimagined version, that mission is simple: stop the fallen angel Azazel and his three children, the Nephilim.

While that’s the explanation for the setting, this isn’t a narrative-focused game. It’s all about action, all the time. So really, your mission can be summed up in even simpler terms: kill as many demons and horrors as you can, in whatever brutal way you choose.

You’ll always have a three-person team, which you can form by teaming up with people in online co-op or by playing offline with bot teammates. Between missions (called raids here) you’ll return to a hub area called Purgatory’s Crossing, where you’ll choose your loadout before jumping into the next raid. That starts with picking one of four characters: Ink, Void, Sol, or Roch, each of whom has a unique perk. Ink has better health restoration, Void does more weapon damage, Sol has higher ammo capacity, and Roch has increased max health.

Regardless of who you choose, speed, agility, and weaponry are the primary focus of combat. You’ll start the game with the classic Painkiller weapon, which will be a permanent part of your loadout on every raid. Its alt fire mode, called the Shredder, can shred enemies (hence the name) and also acts as a grappling hook. You can use it on designated grappling points to traverse biomes quickly, or you can use it directly on enemies. Be careful of using it on tougher enemies though, they’ll retaliate if they’re not stunned first.

In addition to the permanent Painkiller weapon, you can take two other weapons with you on every raid, which you can switch out in the hub area. You’ll get your first two weapons automatically during the prologue, while the rest can be unlocked in the order you choose. There are six selectable weapons in total (not counting the Painkiller), each of which has a main firing mode and two alt fire modes that you can swap between before each raid.

So that’s 18 firing modes, and you can unlock upgrades for each weapon that modify how it works, bringing that total up to 72 different attack types. You unlock things by gathering ancient souls from finishing raids, which can then be spent in the hub area. You can use them to unlock new weapons, alternate shots, or upgrades, so your loadout will consistently evolve as the game goes on.

The Painkiller weapon isn’t the only one that fans of the series will recognize. The Stakegun and Electrodriver also make their return, and they’re the two starting weapons you’ll unlock in the prologue.

The Stakegun can impale enemies and launch different types of grenades as alternate shots, and just like in the original game, you can combine these two capabilities if you’re skilled enough to pull it off. The range of the primary stake shot is longer than the grenades, so you can fire a grenade and then hit it with the stake in mid-air to carry the grenade farther.

The Electrodriver is for dealing with larger groups. It has electric shock attacks that stun enemies, and it can fire a set of bouncing shuriken that can ricochet around corners or past enemy shields. Combo those two together, and you have a recipe for clearing out hordes of enemies quickly.

Not all of the weapons are returning classics. The new Handcannon is a powerful handgun focused on hitscan precision. If your aim is on point, it has very high DPS potential. You can also modify it with a scope to turn it into a sniper-style weapon if you so choose.

On top of weapon modifications and alt fire options, you can also customize gameplay with tarot cards that enhance your abilities. You use gold collected in raids to unlock new cards in the Tarot Lottery in the hub area, and you can select cards to activate before you start a new raid. That card’s benefits will stay active for the entire next raid, then be used up, but you can use ancient souls to replenish one if you want to reuse it.

There are currently 44 tarot cards, and they can have a wide range of effects. Some are passive and always active, others react to particular enemies, and others require certain conditions to activate. For example, Angel’s Torment allows you to one-shot kill any regular enemy that’s thrown in the air. Demon’s Payload spawns explosive barrels when you kill a large demon. Crimson Cadence gradually heals you as long as you keep your combo count above a certain threshold.

Other tarot cards affect your teammates, so you and your allies can try to find synergies that combine together well. For example, Harmonic Torment allows you to share your health with allies and Revenant’s Veil causes enemies to ignore you while you’re reviving downed teammates.

This is just a taste of the different types of weapons, modifications, and tarot cards available. The rest you’ll have to discover for yourself. Painkiller is available now on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. If you want to learn more, you can check out the game’s official website or follow it on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

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Apple TV Announces Season 3 Release Date For Hit Dramedy Shrinking

Apple TV — no, not Apple TV+, remember the rebrand — finally announced the premiere date for season 3 of its beloved dramedy Shrinking. It feels great to have a date on the books… but make no mistake, fans will still have to wait a bit for their next appointment.

The show is set to return on January 28 with a super-sized one hour premiere episode. From there, episodes will air on a weekly basis every Wednesday through April 8, which will be the season finale.

Jason Segel and Harrison Ford lead the show’s cast, which also includes Christa Miller, Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie, Michael Urie, Lukita Maxwell and Ted McGinley. This season, series cocreator and former Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein will return to the show in a guest star role. Damon Wayans Jr, Cobie Smulders, and Wendie Malick will also guest star this season, in addition to Jeff Daniels and Michael J. Fox.

Interestingly enough, it seems as though Fox is playing a man with Parkinson's disease on the show, something he deals with in his personal life.

“I said, ‘You did a show about Parkinson’s, and you didn’t call me?’” Fox explained of talking with Ford about getting on the series in a recent interview with People. “And he said, ‘Oh, you want to do it?’ And I said, ‘I’d love to do it.’ So he said, ‘Let me think about it, see what I can do.’ So he went to work on it and came up with this concept, it’s really good.”

Needless to say, it was a great opportunity for the Back to the Future actor to be unapologetically himself on set considering the limitations placed upon him by his illness. “It was the first time ever I got to show up on-set, and I didn’t have to worry about am I too tired or coughing or anything,” Fox told the outlet. “I just do it. It was really good, because for the moments when I say, ‘I’m not going to be able to do this,’ then I say, ‘Well, I’ll just deal with how I can’t do it in the scene.’ And you get through it.”

Ford was also particularly excited to have the iconic actor guest star this season and show the world he’s still got it.

“Michael’s courage, his fortitude and his grace, more than anything else, is on full display. He’s very smart, very brave, noble, generous, passionate guy, and an example to all of us, whether we’re facing Parkinson’s or not,” Ford told People. “You cannot help but recognize how amazing it is to have such grace… Parkinson’s is not funny. And I want to get it right. It’s necessary to be correct with what we do in respect of the challenge that Parkinson’s represents, and that we don’t use it for its entertainment value.”

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

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Netflix Goes All-in on Catan, With Live-Action and Animated Films and TV Series Planned

Netflix is making various films and TV series based on Catan, the world-renowned multiplayer board game.

In Catan, players take on the roles of settlers who try to build and develop holdings while trading and acquiring resources. It carries the tagline: “Trade. Build. Settle.”

According to Variety, Netflix has secured the global rights to Catan, and plans to release various projects in both live-action and animation. There’s talk of film and scripted and unscripted TV. All projects will be produced by Darren Kyman from Asmodee (which recently split from Embracer), Pete Fenlon of Catan Studios, and Guido and Benjamin Teuber, the sons of Catan inventor Klaus Teuber.

Teuber first published The Settlers of Catan in Germany in 1995. It would go on to become one of the biggest board games ever, selling over 40 million copies. He died aged 70 in 2023.

Benjamin and Guido Teuber, co-CEOs of Catan GmbH, offered the following comment: “When our father Klaus Teuber first introduced Catan 30 years ago, he imagined an aspirational world where people would gather by trading, building and settling together — both at the table and beyond it. This collaboration with Netflix marks an exciting new chapter in that journey. For three decades, Catan has connected families and friends around the world. Now, we’re thrilled to see it inspire storytelling on a global stage — staying true to our father’s vision of creativity, strategy and human connection.”

There’s no release window for any Catan projects, nor any details on what those projects will be. But it’s clear Netflix sees huge value in projects based on board games and video games, following a string of successes. Indeed, Netflix struck a deal for the rights to Monopoly from Hasbro Entertainment earlier this year.

Photo by Marijan Murat/picture alliance via Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

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Stephen King's The Long Walk Is Now Available to Watch at Home

It’s been a big year for Stephen King adaptations, with the release of Oz Perkin’s The Monkey back in February and Edgar Wright’s take on The Running Man hitting theaters next month. In between those two releases, we got Francis Lawrence's adaptation of one of the most bleak Stephen King stories out there: The Long Walk.

Starring David Jonsson and Cooper Hoffman, The Long Walk follows a group of teenage boys who must continuously walk across the United States, or else risk execution. If you’ve been interested in checking out the particularly gruesome movie in the comfort of your own home, I’m happy to report that The Long Walk is now available online through PVOD platforms like Prime Video.

The Long Walk Is Now Available on Digital

The Long Walk arrives on digital just over a month after its initial release in theaters. The film has grossed over $50 million globally, over double its reported budget of $20 million. Perhaps more notably, The Long Walk currently holds one of the highest average Rotten Tomatoes score for any Stephen King movie.

Here’s what Tom Jorgenson had to say in his review of the movie for IGN: “Anchored by strong performances from Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson, The Long Walk overcomes the repetitive nature of its story to deliver a timely and powerful condemnation of normalized violence… with some seriously brutal, R-rated violence.”

Aside from Hoffman and Jonsson, Mark Hamill also gives a particularly strong performance as the film’s villain, a casting decision allegedly inspired by his performance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

4K and Blu-ray Out November 25, No Word on Streaming Release Date

A DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K steelbook edition of The Long Walk are all up for preorder with a release date of November 25. While you may have to wait a couple more weeks, I always think it’s worth noting that physical releases are pretty much the same price as digital purchases that you don’t really get to “own.”

Unfortunately, we still don’t have any confirmation about a streaming release date for The Long Walk, but we do know the movie will eventually land on Starz, which has an ongoing “first dibs” streaming agreement with distributor Lionsgate. Recent Lionsgate releases like Ballerina and Freaky Tales landed on streaming around three months after releasing in theaters. Assuming we see a similar timeline, The Long Walk should be streaming on Starz some time this December.

Blythe (she/her) is an SEO Coordinator at IGN who spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.

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'It's Good to Put Her Down and Then I Miss Her and I Want Her Back' — MCU Star Elizabeth Olsen Says She'd Jump at the Chance to Play Scarlet Witch Again, but Is the Character Still Alive?

Marvel star Elizabeth Olsen has said she’d “jump at” the opportunity to play Scarlet Witch again.

Olsen last played Scarlet Witch in live-action form in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. She subsequently reprised the role for this year’s animated series Marvel Zombies, but that was voice work only, and she recorded her lines some years ago.

Ever since Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ release, fans have speculated about Scarlet Witch’s potential return, particularly with Avengers: Doomsday set to come out next year, and its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars, set to follow in 2027.

While her return to the MCU has yet to be confirmed, in a new interview with InStyle, Olsen suggested she was now ready to play Scarlet Witch once again.

“It’s ridiculous,” she said of making MCU movies. “We're grown people behaving like children on a playground. We're flying. We're shooting things out of our hands. And it’s a character that I've gotten to return to so many times over 10 years. It’s good to put her down and then I miss her and I want her back. I'd jump at the opportunity to be in her shoes again.”

Olsen pointed to “the consistency of a community and a job, which is hard to find,” as one of the reasons she loves the Marvel universe.

Warning! Spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Agatha All Along Season 1 follow.

Scarlet Witch apparently died at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and failed to make a dramatic return in Disney+ show Agatha All Along, much to the disappointment of fans. MCU boss Kevin Feige has issued a tease that got Scarlet Witch fans excited, however. “We had Agatha Forever on Disney+ just now, and that series was great for us,” he said. “Since then, there have been a lot of questions about Wanda on fans' minds... So all I can say is that we're excited to find out when and how the Scarlet Witch might return.”

But if that return to the MCU does happen, it apparently won’t be in Avengers. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Olsen insisted she wouldn't be in London for the filming of either Doomsday or Secret Wars. Was that yet another example of a superhero actor misdirect?

The big question, of course, is whether or not Scarlet Witch is still alive following the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. She was asked, flat out, in the interview with InStyle. Her response: “No idea.”

Olsen’s name was not a part of Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday reveal, but further actors set to star in the movie will be announced, Marvel has said. Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. will return as Doctor Doom, and Benedict Cumberbatch will apparently return as Doctor Strange in Secret Wars. The Russo brothers have said they see Avengers 5 and 6 as a “new beginning” that will lay the foundation for whatever comes next in Phase 7 of the MCU.

“The only thing I’ll say about the movie is this: we love villains who think they’re the heroes of their own stories,” Joe Russo said. “That’s when they become three-dimensional and they become more interesting. When you have an actor like Robert Downey, you have to create a three-dimensional, well shaped character for the audience. That’s where a lot of our focus is going.”

Avengers: Doomsday is currently set to arrive in theaters May 1, 2026 and Secret Wars arrives about a year later in May 2027.

Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

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Crimson Desert: Introducing Three Brand New Bosses

There’s plenty going on in Crimson Desert’s open world. From puzzles to castle sieges to blowing up enemies with a battle robot, there’s a wide range of activities to get stuck into. But from what we’ve seen so far, the real show stoppers are the boss battles. As part of this month’s IGN First, we’ve already shown you two new ones: the Golden Star mechanical dragon, and Fortain, The Cursed Knight. But there’s still more to see. Today, we’re showcasing three brand new bosses: Muskan, Walter Lanford, and Kearush the Slayer. You can see protagonist Kliff duke it out with all three in the video above.

The trio demonstrates a chunk of Crimson Desert’s enemy scale – Walter Lanford and Muskan are both human, but the former is pretty regular in size, while the latter is an eight-foot powerhouse. And then there’s Kearush, a massive, gorilla-like beast who's actually one of Crimson Desert’s smaller monsters.

Those “weight categories” help distinguish each boss, but each is defined by their ability set. Muskan is a fierce pugilist, only providing you a few seconds of reprieve while he charges up his powerful punches and dive kicks. He’s not afraid to fight a little dirty, with sweeping kicks knocking your legs from under you, and choke slams sending you sputtering to the floor. When his fury meter maxes out, he’s able to unleash a chain of blows that repeatedly launch you into the air, so learning how to avoid his lighting-fast fists is the name of the game.

Walter Lanford may be no bigger than you are, but he’s arguably the most sophisticated of the three bosses we’re showing today. Armed with a shotgun, he’s able to fight effectively at range. Dodging the wide-spread projectiles is key, but get your timing right and you can actually deflect his blasts back at him. Should your reflexes not be quite that sharp, you can spin up a magic barrier that collects incoming bullets and fires them back where they came from. Walter’s weak to grapples, so getting in close is vital – thankfully you can use the “deflect light” skill, typically used to find hidden items, to temporarily blind him and close the distance. You’ll need to act fast, though, as Walter’s armed with smoke grenades that can help conceal his rapid getaways.

Finally, Kearush the Slayer is a monster with no less than three health bars - a fight-extending trick that multiple foes across Crimson Desert’s campaign can pull. There’s a Hulk-like intensity to this fight, with Kearush being able to climb the walls and unleash clumsy-but-destructive leaps in his attempt to turn every bone in your body to dust. As a larger creature, you’re able to clamber onto his back and stab away, Dragon’s Dogma-style, but be careful - he’s more than happy to fall back-first from a great height, so let go of those shoulders before you’re forced to cushion his landing.

All three of these fights only reinforce my feeling that the bosses are going to be the real stars of the show in Crimson Desert. Every one I’ve faced so far across multiple hands-on opportunities has had a unique twist, a clever mechanic, or simply an exciting moveset that kept me on my toes. I’ve fought a powerful knight who I crushed with fallen masonry columns. I’ve faced off against an antlered snow beast who could cause avalanches that froze me in my tracks. And I’ve clambered up the side of a giant walking mountain, Shadow of the Colossus-style, seeking out its weak points in a battle of endurance. And I hope these are only just the start. I can’t wait to see what Crimson Desert’s most ambitious showdowns are made of.

Matt Purslow is IGN's Executive Editor of Features.

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Deals for Today: The Best Prices on MTG Preorders and Sealed Products

For me, I don't think I've ever been more excited about Magic: The Gathering since Wizards of the Coast brought out the Lord of the Rings expansion. Not only are we currently enjoying Marvel's Spider-Man, but we've got Avatar: The Last Airbender next month and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in March next year.

TL;DR: Deals for Today

Hasbro and co. haven't forgotton about it's core audience either. Aswell as bringing in new faces to the massive TCG, Lorwyn Eclipsed is releasing in January, and will have players reminicing about Shadowmoor. MagicCon: Atlanta revealed some cards and new mechanics, with Planeswalker letting players in on the lore behind the new set.

It's all very exciting, but the main worry for players new and returning is the price of entry. Don't worry, ive got that covered below. Here's where to get upcoming, new and legacy Magic: The Gathering sealed products at the best prices:

MTG: Cheapest at Amazon

There's a handful of booster boxes available for slightly less at Amazon this week, but it's a bit of a poor turnout for Magic: The Gathering players. Most of the listing on Amazon are above MSRP and higher than secondary market values, but the carosel above are good deals when compared to TCGPlayer.

MTG: Cheapest at TCGPlayer

TCGPlayer's sellers are keeping away from the sneaker-heads and crypo bro mentality that's hit Magic and Pokémon TCG is 2025 and is keeping prices down. Market value for MTG sealed product goes off what people are willing to pay, and it shows. There's so much here that's at a lower price than big box retailers it's embarassing. But, it's great for your pocket!

Blaziken ex & Volcanion ex Premium Collection

Trainers and collectors will get five Destined Rivals Boosters and five Journey Together Boosters in this bad boy, so that's about the right kind of ball park for ten booster packs, plus you're getting the promo Volcanion ex and Blaziken ex promo card and a jumbo version of Blaziken ex.

I think these promo's would work great together in a fire-themed deck. Use Blazikens Seething Spirit to grab fire energy from your discard pile to build up Volcanion. In the meantime Volcanion can burn opposing Pokémon then use Scorching Cyclone for 160 damage then transfer all it's energy to a benched Pokémon. So many possibilities here.

Poké Price Check: Mega Evolution In Stock

Mega Evolution seems to be a well-printed start to the next era of Pokémon TCG. I'm seeing boosters in convienience stores and some products on physical shelves, not to mention the Booster Bundle ($52.89), Gardevoir ETB ($88.81) and Three Booster Blister ($28.90) available on Amazon. Like the rest of the products in this carousel though, the cheapest is TCGplayer right now.

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Xbox 360 Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Is Available Now, and Looks Awesome

I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention, but Hallmark has been killing it with ornaments in recent years. Like LEGO, Hallmark has ventured into licenses and partnerships with companies that make fun things: video games, movies, TV shows, etc. One of the latest new Hallmark Keepsake ornaments for 2025 is one that will have Xbox fans (both current and lapsed) excited to put up their Christmas trees this year. It’s a small, yet intricately detailed, re-creation of the Xbox 360 console. It even plays the Halo theme song when you press the button. It’s available now, for $28.99 (see it at Amazon).

Xbox 360 Console with Light and Sound - Hallmark Keepsake Christmas Ornament 2025

The Xbox 360 console ornament is 3.25 inches tall. It’s an almost perfectly scaled-down model of the iconic white console that was first released in 2005. The ornament has the console standing up, with a white Xbox 360 controller leaning against it.

As indicated by the higher-than-usual price, it’s a “With Light and Sound” ornament. The power button on the console glows green when you press it. It then emits the familiar Xbox 360 startup sound, followed by about 20 seconds of “Behold a Pale Horse,” a song from the Halo 3 soundtrack. You can watch a video of it on the Amazon listing page.

Speaking of, also new this year in the Hallmark Keepsake line is an awesome Halo 3 ornament that features the game’s box, with Master Chief actually emerging from it, 3D-style. It’s one of the coolest ornaments I’ve ever seen. Both of these are like a blast of nostalgia for anyone who had an Xbox 360.

It’s hard to pick, but the Xbox 360 is in the running for my favorite console of all time, and these ornaments bring me right back to those golden days of gaming. The Xbox 360 paved the way for so many things we take for granted these days, from easy online play to huge open-world games. And even though the console came out 20 years ago, that’s the platform Grand Theft Auto V debuted on, a game that’s still relevant today in the lead-up to the sequel.

More New 2025 Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments

There are plenty of other new ornaments to choose from, including this awesome (yet pricy!) Star Wars ornament that requires a power cord that's sold separately.

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.

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The Sinking City 2 Delayed to 2026 — But These New Screenshots Look Great

Frogwares has announced that The Sinking City 2, their upcoming Lovecraftian survival horror game, will be shifting its release window to the first half of 2026. To make up for the delay, the team shared a new set of screenshots that you can find below. While no official release date had been set previously, Frogwares … Continue reading The Sinking City 2 Delayed to 2026 — But These New Screenshots Look Great

The post The Sinking City 2 Delayed to 2026 — But These New Screenshots Look Great appeared first on DSOGaming.

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