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CS:Legacy is a fully standalone fan remake of Counter-Strike 1.6

Midnight Madness has announced CS:Legacy, a fully standalone fan remake of Counter-Strike 1.6 that will be coming to Steam later this year. To celebrate this announcement, the team has shared the game’s debut in-engine trailer that you can find below. CS:Legacy is built from the ground up with 100% custom code and game assets. The … Continue reading CS:Legacy is a fully standalone fan remake of Counter-Strike 1.6

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Amazon Has Glory Islands for 28% Off in Board Game Sale

Who doesn’t love a pirate game, especially a pirate game that involves racing your ships around an archipelago of islands? And, extra-especially, a pirate game that’s currently on sale? Glory Islands, from Rio Grande Games, typically retails for $45, but Amazon has it on sale right now for the oddly-specific price of $32.17. To save you a calculation, that's a 28% discount. Not bad.

Glory Islands for 28% Off

In Glory Islands, you’ll be dropping off your scurvy crew onto the spaces in the hope of winning treasure and scoring points via a fun mishmash of different mechanics that adds up to a shipshape whole. Ship movement is governed by playing numeric cards from your hand that also have special powers, such as the five allowing you to pause and drop a second pirate. But be careful, as using too many high-value cards will cost you points at game end. Occupying an island space wins you small bonuses but, once an island is full, it bags a bunch of points for the player with the most crew members there.

Glory Islands is a fast, fun, family-friendly board game that doesn’t have the depth to sustain itself over repeat plays or for hardcore hobbyists, but it’s plenty enjoyable if you pick it up at sale price. Getting the balance right between doing well in the race, while still hitting the spaces you need to score with your crew and not incurring a penalty for sailing too recklessly is surprisingly hard. And there’s real tension in watching where other players drop their sailors, as islands you think are in the bag can swing away from you with surprising speed.

The game also comes with neat wooden ships and sailor pieces, plus miniature barrels of rum you can stockpile to really feel like a miniature pirate king.

Check out more cool board games:

Matt Thrower is a contributing freelance writer for IGN, specializing in tabletop games. You can reach him on BlueSky at @mattthr.bsky.social.

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UK Deals Guide: How To Optimise Your ASUS ROG Ally

ASUS ROG Ally is an incredible handheld gaming PC, but after spending a solid amount of time with both ROG Ally Z1 Extreme 512GB and ROG Ally X 1TB, I can confidently say the upgrade was worth it. Both models deliver fantastic performance, but the Ally X’s improved battery life, additional USB-C port, and increased RAM make a real difference in daily use. If you’re trying to decide between them, you can’t go wrong with either, but if you're going for long gaming sessions or need more expandability, the Ally X is the one to get.

ROG Ally Z1 Extreme vs. ROG Ally X – Which One Did I Prefer?

The Ally X’s better battery, extra port, and upgraded RAM make it a clear winner for me, but both models are fantastic handhelds. Obviously ROG Ally X is the most expensive, but the white ROG Ally is a cracking handheld for the money.

The Ally X’s bigger battery means I actually get proper portable gaming, and the extra USB-C port has made docking a lot easier.

Optimisation Guide – How to Make the ROG Ally Even Better

The first thing I did after setting up both models was check for updates. ASUS provides BIOS, firmware, and GPU driver updates right out of the box. Using Armoury Crate SE and MyASUS, I made sure everything was fully up to date. The difference was noticeable—better power management and smoother performance across the board.

Lossless Scaling (Steam App)

Lossless Scaling is a game-changer. AMD’s FSR 3 has too much motion blur, but Lossless Scaling gives crisper visuals and way better performance. Running games at a lower resolution in windowed frameless mode, then scaling them up, has doubled my FPS in some cases. There are occasional visual artifacts, but for single-player games, it’s absolutely worth it.

Little Apps

Windows 11 is full of unnecessary background apps that eat up system resources. Little Apps Suite took care of registry cleaning, disk cleanup, and privacy protection. Boot times got faster, RAM usage dropped, and the whole system just felt snappier.

Winaero Tweaker

WinAero Tweaker helped me disable all the bloat, including telemetry and copilot. It's all in a tickbox format with descriptions on all the features, so you're not going to deactivate something that you need. As always, if you're not sure, don't touch it and do your research.

Avast

The ROG Ally is still a Windows PC, meaning it's just as vulnerable to ransomware, phishing, and malware. Avast Premium Security is what I use—it has real-time malware protection, a built-in VPN, and anti-phishing tools. It’s lightweight, doesn’t impact gaming performance, and provides far better security than Windows Defender.

Best Micro SD Cards for ROG Ally

Storage expansion is essential for handheld gaming, and I’ve tested a bunch of microSD cards to see which ones are worth buying.

SanDisk Extreme1TB190MB/s£86.98 (Was £101.05)Fastest speeds for big game libraries
NY PRO Elite1TB100MB/s£109.99Reliable storage for 4K content and gaming
Samsung PRO Plus512GB180MB/s£49.99 (Was £73.99)Best balance of speed and price
PNY XLR8 Gaming512GB100MB/s£44.99Budget-friendly gaming option
PNY PRO Elite256GB100MB/s£24.99Cheapest reliable option

The SanDisk Extreme 1TB has been the best performer, with fast load times and reliable performance. The Samsung PRO Plus 512GB is great for speed without breaking the bank.

Best Power Banks for ROG Ally

A 65W USB-C power bank is a must-have, and these are the ones I’ve tested.

sharge SHARGEEK 17024,000mAh170W£136.99 (Was £166.99)Best high-end choice
UGREEN Nexode25,000mAh200W£74.99 (Was £98.99)Best mix of power and affordability
INIU 100W25,000mAh100W£50.99 (Was £79.99)Budget-friendly fast charging
Anker Prime 250W27,650mAh250W£189.99 (Was £229.99)Ultimate performance for heavy users

I use the sharge SHARGEEK 170 the most—it charges fast and has a cool display. The UGREEN Nexode 200W is a great mid-range option with fast charging.

Best Docks for ROG Ally

Docks are essential for turning the ROG Ally into a full gaming setup. Here’s what I recommend.

JSAUX 6-in-1 DockHDMI, Ethernet, USB-A£27.99 (Was £39.99)Budget choice
Asus 65W Dock ChargerUSB-C, DisplayPort£59Official ASUS option
UGREEN 6-in-1 Dock4K HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet£24.69 (Was £39.99)Best value for money
UGREEN 9-in-1 Dock4K HDMI, USB-C 10Gbps£39.99 (Was £59.99)Best all-in-one dock

The UGREEN 9-in-1 Dock is what I use for docking to an external monitor. The Asus 65W Dock Charger is great for fast charging while docked.

Do you know something I don't? Maybe a better Windows de-bloater or frame generation software for Window's AMD handhelds? Let me know in the comments!

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

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Onimusha: Warlords just got a must-have 4K Texture Pack

Modder ‘Evgeshajk’ has released a must-have AI-enhanced 4K Texture Pack for the remastered version of Onimusha: Warlords. The modder has used AI tools to enhance the game’s textures. And, as you will see, it looks incredible. Onimusha: Warlords included updated features like HD graphics, a widescreen option, and analog stick support. It also had an … Continue reading Onimusha: Warlords just got a must-have 4K Texture Pack

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This Proposed New Star Wars Trilogy Is a Reminder That Hollywood Needs Fresh Voices

"Mankind has colonized many worlds in a time when travel faster than the speed of light has been made possible by the harvesting of exotic matter from the eggs of the largest species mankind has ever seen. Those that take part in the hunt for the matter are mostly involuntary labor."

Last fall, it was reported that powerhouse writer/producer/director Simon Kinberg was to oversee a new Star Wars trilogy at Lucasfilm, which may not encompass Chapters 10-12 of the Skywalker Saga (the nascent films are very much in creative flux right now) but are believed to be based around the continuing story of Daisy Ridley's Rey Skywalker. It is unknown if these are related to the Jedi Academy film that Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is still set to direct starring Ridley, and from which screenwriter Steven Knight recently departed.

The expanded involvement of Kinberg in the Star Wars universe has been criticized by some fans, considering the disastrous results of his last two directing outings: 2019's Dark Phoenix and 2022's The 355. Yet Kinberg has been involved with Kathleen Kennedy's Lucasfilm since 2012, co-creating Star Wars Rebels, penning an unmade Boba Fett movie, and advising on The Force Awakens and Rogue One. He is considered in the industry to be a reliable, studio-friendly craftsman who can execute notes and works well with talent. He may be a status quo choice to lead creative on the next phase of the galaxy far, far away, but Kinberg has also shepherded some terrific original sci-fi to the screen including Neill Blomkamp's Elysium and Ridley Scott's The Martian. Then there's the big fish that got away…

On March 16, 2015, director Ruairí Robinson posted to the web his 3-minute proof-of-concept film “The Leviathan,” about a future where man hunts giant sky whales in order to harvest them for exotic matter that enables lightspeed travel via an Alcubierre drive. While the key Herman Melville elements of an obsessed captain and an even larger granddaddy space whale would be present in the proposed feature, the focus would be the exploited crewmen on the ground. The short amassed millions of views and hype posts on movie sites around the globe. Eleven days later, on March 27, it was announced that the X-Men franchise's Simon Kinberg had signed to produce a feature version of “The Leviathan” alongside Blomkamp. Then… nothing happened. Despite having the support of powerful producers alongside a script by Jim Uhls of Fight Club fame, “The Leviathan” is one great white whale that hasn't been harpooned by movie cameras.

“I get a lot of people asking, ‘What’s happening with Leviathan more than any other thing I’ve done,” Robinson told us in late 2023.

We're going to look at how “The Leviathan” came to be, then not be, as well as how Kinberg's involvement in Star Wars may or may not have conflicted with Robinson's movie. More than anything, this is a story of how hard it is – even with every advantage of extremely qualified creatives – to summon unique large-canvas stories to the screen when we need them the most.

Filmmaker on the Rise

After the success of his early short films “The Silent City” (starring future Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy) and the Oscar-nominated “Fifty Percent Grey,” Ruairí Robinson became something of a hot commodity. Around 2008, the then-30-year-old Irish filmmaker became attached to helm the live-action Akira, a big-budget Warner Bros. project eyeing actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tetsuo (“Travis”) and a pre-MCU Chris Evans as Kaneda. Robinson ultimately dropped out of the still-unmade Akira, which has over the years enlisted a musical chairs assembly of filmmakers including Taika Waititi, The Hughes Brothers, and Jaume Collet-Serra. After two years fruitlessly spent on that studio experience, he conceived of “The Leviathan” almost flippantly.

Said Robinson, “I came up with the idea of doing ‘Moby Dick in space’ in 2009 as kind of a joke about taking classic literature and setting it in space to ruin it. ‘Jane Eyre… in space!’ Went through a list of classic novels until I hit on Moby Dick and thought, ‘Actually, this could work.’”

In 2015, it was announced that the X-Men franchise's Simon Kinberg would produce a feature version of 'The Leviathan.' Then… nothing happened.

He ultimately got a first feature under his belt with 2013's The Last Days on Mars, an indie sci-fi horror picture starring Liev Schreiber, Elias Koteas, and Olivia Williams that made little impact upon release, but showed he could work with good actors amid limited resources. It did him no favors career-wise, though, finding himself “in the position of fighting desperately to be seventh director in line to do some Hunger Games YA knockoff piece of shit sequel… I'm taking meetings and it was not really a positive feeling.”

Changing course, Robinson stopped taking meetings and devoted a year of 15-hour days to develop the visuals for “The Leviathan” alongside concept artist Jordu Schell (who designed the Na'vi for Avatar) and Jim Murray of 2000AD/Judge Dredd comics fame. He did this parallel to Jim Uhls penning the feature screenplay so they could have both tasks completed in that timeline, with films like The Wages of Fear and its remake Sorcerer as tonal influences. Robinson received 45,000 euros in government development funding from The Irish Film Board to put together his 3-minute pitch film for “The Leviathan,” money which had to be heavily augmented by the director doing much of his own animation/storyboards, including texturing, lighting, and rendering in After Effects.

He also employed skilled professionals working for lower rates. For example, video game character modeler Colin Thomas (The Last of Us) created the intricately detailed 3D model of the whale-creature for around two grand when a film-ready textured asset typically goes for $250,000 or more. Thomas also remodeled the costumes for free. Deadpool director Tim Miller allowed Robinson to use Blur Studios' render farm during downtime, crippling it several times. Industry giant WETA was hired for costume and vehicle design, including Adam Anderson (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) and Ben Mauro (Halo Infinite). Ryan Stafford, a visual effects producer on the Andy Serkis Planet of the Apes trilogy, loaned a $60,000 dollar Xsens motion capture suit to create the movement of the involuntary workers onboard the flying ship which hunts the whales.

Paydirt

The overall impression is that all these talents and companies were chipping in because they believed in the potential of the project, a feeling which multiplied once the 3-minute piece finally hit the web in March of 2015. Just a few days prior, Robinson's reps at WME shopped the project to studios, with Simon Kinberg expressing an immediate interest.

“I already know and like Simon Kinberg's work because I've read some of his scripts,” Robinson stated in 2016. “It's unusual to have a writer that's a producer. It makes me feel much more comfortable in the process that it's not some suit, it's someone who actually knows how to tell stories and is in a really powerful position in the industry right now, which is really good for me.”

Once the short dropped to the public – the Vimeo and YouTube uploads having amassed nearly 4.5 million combined views – it was only days before the package was picked up by 20th Century Fox under Kinberg's Genre Film umbrella, with additional financing from Nick Ryan, Robbie Ryan and Billy O’Brien of Floodland Pictures (The Summit). Work commenced on developing Uhls' script further, with plans to utilize many of Blomkamp's production personnel. All the stars seemed to be aligning for “The Leviathan.”

“I like everyone that was involved at Fox, especially Steve Asbell, so I’m sad I wasn’t able to make it there,” Robinson explained. “There isn’t really a big epic tale of woe here either. Disney bought Fox a few years back and Leviathan isn’t really a very Disney-friendly project.”

Indeed, one of Disney's first acts upon taking over Fox in 2019 was to cancel Wes Ball's ambitious adaptation of MouseGuard only two weeks before production. Many of the initial 2020-2021 Disney releases of 20th Century Fox titles under the new 20th Century Studios banner underwhelmed financially (including Kinberg-produced The New Mutants) due to the pandemic and, perhaps, because they were films of the old regime. Cut to 2024, and the shingle only theatrically released three movies (The First Omen, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Alien: Romulus), all based on legacy Fox franchises rather than originals. In a movie world increasingly inhospitable to new/untested concepts, will there ever be a place for “The Leviathan”?

“As of now I don’t have big exciting news to share,” Robinson admits. “I have the rights back and a script I really like. I was approached recently about doing an animated version but don’t think that’s gonna pan out. It’s an expensive movie so I’ve been focusing on developing stuff that's a bit more manageable scale.”

A Galaxy Far, Far Away

Then comes the awkward aspect of Kinberg's involvement. On February 10, 2016, the Disney+ animated show Star Wars Rebels premiered the fifteenth episode of Season 2 titled “The Call,” which featured the first-ever appearance of the Purrgil, flying space whale creatures who are connected to lightspeed travel. The series was produced and co-created by Simon Kinberg, who was also part of the initial Disney-era braintrust developing Star Wars story concepts starting in 2012. Nothing ever came of “The Leviathan,” but Purrgil continue to be a big part of the Star Wars universe, particularly in the 2023 show Ahsoka where they appeared in live-action for the first time, resembling the flying whales from Robinson's short in many, many respects.

“I haven’t seen Ahsoka,” admits Robinson. “But I saw that the writer of Solo acknowledged my short as being an inspiration for a scene in that movie.”

I saw that the writer of Solo acknowledged my short as being an inspiration for a scene in that movie. -Ruairí Robinson

This refers to the giant tentacle creature Summa-Verminoth – partly inspired by the kraken in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – that shows its mug during the Kessel Run sequence of that 2018 bomb. Screenwriter Jon Kasdan name-dropped Robinson's film specifically during a now-deleted Twitter commentary (via /Film):

“One thing we stumbled across while working on this was a fantastic short film/teaser directed by Ruairí Robinson called The Leviathan. You can find it on YouTube and Vimeo. It has long-rumored to be turned into a feature and I sincerely hope it will be.”

“But honestly, space whales are a very old trope,” Robinson adds. “There’s even a section on space whales on TV Tropes showing examples going back to the 1970s at least, so it would be silly for me to claim this was some big innovation on my part.”

While there's still the weird parallel of Purrgil being specifically linked with lightspeed travel ala Leviathan, there were space whale-esque flying sea creature concepts designed for Star Wars by Ralph McQuarrie. These paintings date as far back as The Empire Strikes Back, though they went unused until they appeared as Aiwha (more of an underwater pterodactyl) in Attack of the Clones.

Here's the million-dollar question: Did Kinberg attach himself to Leviathan in order to appropriate Robinson's idea? Conversely, were Purrgil's already in the pipeline at Lucasfilm and he attached himself to kill any conflicts that might arise with Leviathan's teaser going public? Or is it all just parallel development from a producer who has his hand in a lot of pies? Thanks to Jon Kasdan, we know Robinson's short was at least on Lucasfilm's radar. This author even casually brought up “The Leviathan” to Kinberg off-camera after an interview for Dark Phoenix in 2019, and he seemed to have barely recalled the project. While Mr. Kinberg's reps did not respond to requests for this article, Robinson himself is adamant there's neither smoke nor fire to the idea that Purrgil sprang from Leviathan.

“I found out later that there had been other sci-fi adaptations of Moby Dick in various forms,” said Robinson. “The Deadline comments section will always let you know you are ripping off things you have never heard of before. There were other attempts at making versions of this story as a movie too. Apparently Lynn Ramsey was going to do a version at some point, and another sci-fi Moby Dick spec – weirdly also called Leviathan – sold while I was in the finishing stages of doing my short. I guess it’s just one of those ideas floating around in the ether, waiting to plucked from the air and brought into existence in a way that becomes iconic in people's minds.”

Looking Forward

Whether intentional or not, do the parallel space whales of the Star Wars franchise mean “The Leviathan” is no longer a fresh enough concept, even though it technically pre-dates Purrgil? It's also quite possible that – despite an incredible futuristic vision which millions sparked to in 2015 – Robinson's voice may be too distinctive for studios increasingly looking for sure things. Even a film as superficially transgressive as the R-rated smash Deadpool & Wolverine is, below the surface, as safe a movie as you could ever greenlight.

“The Leviathan” on the other hand has strong themes of exploited workers put in untenable situations against their will. That's a lot to swallow for increasingly AI-crazy/residual-resistant Hollywood studios that intentionally starved out unions for months on end during 2023's strikes, during which mining actors' and writers' work with AI without consent was a sticking point. Paperclip to that the screenwriter of the truly subversive Fight Club, a movie that would never get made in today's environment.

Perhaps Robinson is right, and the waiting game will eventually find Hollywood yielding to the fact that we need to harvest new ideas.

There is a ray of hope, though. Traces of the tone and visuals of “The Leviathan” can be found in a 2024 short Robinson co-wrote and directed titled “Ice,” the first of six web films under the series A Thousand Suns funded by BlackMilk Studio. The rugged yellow suits, industrial spaceships, and lousy weather are all there, though the space whale is swapped for a Cthulhu-type creature on an ice planet. Lensed in Iceland, it's a more well-funded realization of Robinson's earlier project… and further proof that he deserves another shot at a feature. It has amassed 2.6 million views to date.

Then in the sixth episode of A Thousand Suns, titled “Tomorrow Land,” the filmmaker was able to get some pyrrhic retribution on the company who put an end to “The Leviathan” by literally annihilating The Walt Disney Corporation before our very eyes. “This film is a love letter to my favorite corporation,” he wrote in an accompanying statement. “I really just love corporations.”

Clearly no longer angling for a cushy Star Wars or Marvel gig, Robinson concludes, “For the future it’s hard to say. I made a ‘psycho robot best friend’ short film in 2011 and haven’t yet been able to get the feature made even though Bad Robot were interested at one point. Since then there have been several psycho robot friend movies. Maybe I still can make it. Maybe it’s dead. Dueling giant meteor movies came out in 1998 but there was also a third that never got made, written by James Cameron, called Bright Angel Falling. But nothing is ever really dead in Hollywood. Work on Last Voyage of the Demeter started in 1992.”

Perhaps Robinson is right, and the waiting game will eventually find Hollywood yielding to the fact that we need – like the space whalers of Leviathan – to harvest new ideas or this whole industry will run out of gas, collapsing under the already crumbling pillar of nostalgia. Even producer Jeremy Latcham – one of the original architects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – once told me that “eventually we are going to run out of IP,” and that we have to start greenlighting originals even when they don't conform to a previously profitable paradigm. For the sake of the enduring creative spirit, let's hope “The Leviathan” is not dead, and will yet have its day.

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NVIDIA RTX 30 and RTX 20 series GPUs also suffer from black screen crashes under certain conditions

A lot of owners of the RTX 40 and RTX 50 series GPUs have been reporting black screen issues while playing games. And, under certain conditions, the NVIDIA RTX 20 and the RTX 30 series GPUs also suffer from black screen issues. You see, right now I’m benchmarking four upcoming PC games. Everything was working … Continue reading NVIDIA RTX 30 and RTX 20 series GPUs also suffer from black screen crashes under certain conditions

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What's Really Going on with Helly R. In This Week's Severance?

Streaming Wars is a weekly opinion column by IGN’s Streaming Editor, Amelia Emberwing. Check out the last entry Daredevil: Born Again — An Unexpected Connection to the Netflix Series Could Right a Decade-Old Wrong.

This column contains spoilers for Severance Season 2.

Earlier this week, I wrote about Severance Season 2’s penultimate episode being a lot darker than it seemed. Dylan G’s decision to effectively die by suicide is a pretty jarring moment, even if it’s difficult to wrap our heads around due to him (presumably) continuing on in the series as his outie. There’s a lot more to the episode, with our boys Burt and Irving having what feels like but probably isn’t a last farewell and Mark dealing with everything going on with his brain at the moment. But there’s something outside of all of that that I actively cannot stop thinking about.

WTF is going on with Helena and Helly R.?

We start the episode with a brief swim before Helena (Britt Lower) heads to her father’s estate for breakfast. As is always the case with the Eagens, literally every second of their encounter is weird. Helena eats a hard-boiled egg, to which her father says “I wish you would take them raw” in the creepiest way humanly possible. This is followed later on in the episode by an equally unnerving encounter, this time on Lumon’s severed floor. As Helly R. tries to memorize the directions left by Irving to get to the dark hallway, she is interrupted by Jame (Michael Siberry). He tells his daughter’s innie that she “tricked” him, and calls her “My Helly.” True to character, Helly responds with a simple “WTF?” But, dear reader, “WTF” is somehow not enough for whatever the hell is going on here.

There is something wrong going on with both versions of Helly in this episode, I can’t put my finger on it, and it is driving me mad. The likelihood of all of this being easily explained is not small, but for some reason I need that answer. The goats don’t even drive me into this kind of hyperfixation spiral.

As mentioned, meetings with any Eagan are always on the unnerving side. But there is something different about Helena at the beginning of this episode. At first, I thought the episode title “The After Hours” was a hint toward the overtime contingency rather than just the cabin Cobel (Patricia Arquette) was taking Mark (Adam Scott) to, implying that Helly R. somehow found a way to take over her outie’s body for the morning. I’d talk myself out of it one moment, and then talk myself right back into the theory the next. But this proverbial brain tennis eventually took me in a completely new direction.

What if it isn’t Helly R. pretending to be Helena? There’s something too simple about that theory. It feels too clean. What if, instead, they’re not flipping the earlier story of Helena taking Helly’s place on the severed floor, but coming back to it? Stick with me here.

At first, this line of thinking seems absurd. Nothing’s happened to nudge the woman – who was literally homegrown inside a cult – outside of her loyalist tendencies, right? Wrong!

Two inciting incidents have occurred that may have snapped Jame Eagan’s daughter out of her Lumon fugue state. The first is the aforementioned overtime contingency. A woman who has, as far as we know, never rebelled a second in her life got the opportunity to be free. To dissent. To speak up and speak out about something she didn’t support. We also know that she was following Helly R.’s rebellion in Season 1. How refreshing (and possibly terrifying) that must be for someone who grew up an Eagan!

The second inciting factor was getting to live as Helly when she was masquerading as her innie. Adventures, rebellions, sex?! Helena has grown up in a world that looks down on laborers, but doesn’t seem like the type of person who has ever been confronted by the idea of being free, even if that freedom was occurring while trapped in a dead-end job.

Two non-Eagan focused scenes in “The After Hours” seem to corroborate this line of thinking. All Helly R. has done from the moment we met her is stand up and/or defy every authority figure she encounters. Still, there was a strange spark in her when she looked Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) in the eye after he accused her of insubordination and she responded “yeah, no shit,” with a grin before slamming the door to his office. Additionally, Dylan G. (Zach Cherry) may have been unnecessarily mean to his friend during his heartbreak, but he has a line during their conversation where he brings up the fact that no one can tell when Helena takes over her body, not even Mark.

The final salvo in this strange line of theorizing comes by way of Jame Eagan himself. At first, Helly’s “WTF?” to her dad (who she had never met) convinced me that Helly and Helena were each where they belonged, Helena with her father in his compound, and Helly on the severed floor. But, once I realized the possibility that we spent the whole episode with Helena rather than Helly, it all made sense.

“What the fuck” seems like a strong response from Helly R. However, “what the fuck” is a completely reasonable response to seeing your father in a place where he absolutely does not belong.

Jame’s little “you tricked me” confounded me for days, but it seems Daddy dearest may have cracked the code on Helena’s little game.

If it is Helena living her alternate life as a woman unbeholden to anyone and on a newfound mission to say “eff the man,” then the follow-up question becomes “to what end?” Has Helena had a change of heart after experiencing a brief taste of what it’s like to live outside of her family’s monotone cult, or is it just a phase?

To that, I don’t have an answer just yet. But I can say that it all has me damn excited for next week’s Season 2 finale. What are your Helly R. theories?

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Why Assassin's Creed 2 and 3 Had the Best Writing the Series Has Ever Seen

One of the most memorable moments in the entire Assassin’s Creed series happens near the start of Assassin’s Creed 3, when Haytham Kenway has finished rounding up his band of assassins in the New World. Or at least, the player is led to believe they’re assassins. Haytham, after all, uses a hidden blade, is just as charismatic as previous series protagonist Ezio Auditore, and has – up until this point in the campaign – played the part of a hero, busting Native Americans out of prison and beating up cocky British redcoats. Only when he utters the familiar phrase, “May the Father of Understanding guide us,” does it become clear we have actually been following our sworn enemies, the Templars.

To me, this surprising setup represents the fullest realization of Assassin’s Creed’s potential. The first game in the series introduced an intriguing concept – find, get to know, and kill your targets – but fell short in the story department, with both protagonist Altaïr and his victims being utterly bereft of personality. Assassin’s Creed 2 took a step in the right direction by replacing Altaïr with the more iconic Ezio, but failed to apply the same treatment to his adversaries, with the big bad of its spinoff Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, Cesare Borgia, coming across as particularly underdeveloped. Only in Assassin’s Creed 3, set during the American Revolution, did the developers at Ubisoft devote as much time to fleshing out the hunted as they did the hunter. It lent the game an organic flow from set-up to payoff and, as a result, achieved a delicate balance between gameplay and narrative that as yet hasn’t been replicated since.

While the current RPG era of the series has largely been well received by players and critics, a wealth of articles, YouTube videos, and forum posts agree that Assassin’s Creed is in decline, and has been for some time. What exactly is responsible for this downfall, however, is subject to debate. Some point to the increasingly unrealistic premises of the modern games, which have you face off against gods like Anubis and Fenrir. Others take issue with Ubisoft’s implementation of a varied spectrum of romance options or, in the hotly-disputed case of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, replacing its hitherto fictional protagonists with a real-world historical figure, an African samurai called Yasuke. My personal nostalgia for the Xbox 360/PS3-era games notwithstanding, I’d argue it’s none of these. Instead, such decline is a result of the series’ gradual abandonment of character-driven storytelling, which has by now gotten buried deep inside its sprawling sandbox.

Over the years, Assassin’s Creed has padded its original action-adventure formula with a slew of RPG and live service-ish elements, from dialogue trees and XP-based levelling systems to loot boxes, microtransaction DLC, and gear customization. But the bigger the new installments have become, the emptier they have started to feel, and not just with regard to the countless climb-this-tower, find-that-object side-missions, but also their basic storytelling.

While a game like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey technically has more content than Assassin’s Creed 2, much of it feels wooden and underbaked.

Although allowing you to choose what your character says or does should theoretically make the overall experience more immersive, in practice I’ve found it often has the opposite effect: as scripts get longer and longer to account for multiple possible scenarios, they feel like they lack the same level of polish as a game with a more limited range of interaction. The focused, screenplay-like scripts of the series’ action-adventure era allowed for sharply defined characters that were not pulled thin by a game structure that demands its protagonist be compassionate or brutal on the whim of the player.

Thus, while a game like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey technically has more content than Assassin’s Creed 2, much of it feels wooden and underbaked. This unfortunately breaks the immersion; it's too often very obvious that you are interacting with computer generated characters rather than complex historical figures. This is in stark contrast to the franchise’s Xbox 360/PS3 era, which in my humble opinion has produced some of the finest writing in all of gaming, from Ezio’s fiery “Do not follow me, or anyone else!” speech after besting Savonarola, to the tragicomic soliloquy Haytham delivers when he is at long last killed by his son, Connor:

“Don't think I have any intention of caressing your cheek and saying I was wrong. I will not weep and wonder what might have been. I'm sure you understand. Still, I'm proud of you in a way. You have shown great conviction. Strength. Courage. All noble qualities. I should have killed you long ago.”

The writing has suffered in other ways over the years, too. Where the modern games tend to stick to the easily digestible dichotomy of Assassins = good and Templars = bad, the earlier games went to great lengths to show that the line between the two orders isn’t as clear-cut as it initially appears. In Assassin’s Creed 3, each defeated Templar uses their last breath to make Connor – and, by extension, the player – question their own beliefs. William Johnson, a negotiator, says the Templars could have stopped the Native American genocide. Thomas Hickey, a hedonist, calls the Assassins’ mission unrealistic and promises Connor that he’ll never feel fulfilled. Benjamin Church, who betrays Haytham, declares it’s “all a matter of perspective,” and that the British – from their point of view – see themselves as the victims, not the aggressors.

Haytham, for his part, tries to shake Connor’s faith in George Washington, claiming the country he’ll create will be no less despotic than the monarchy from which the Americans sought to liberate themselves – an assertion which rings all the more true when we discover that the command to burn down Connor’s village wasn’t given by Haytham’s henchman Charles Lee, as previously thought, but Washington. By the end of the game, the player has more questions than answers – and the story is stronger for it.

Looking back on the franchise’s long history, there is a reason why one track from the Jesper Kyd-composed Assassin’s Creed 2 score, “Ezio’s Family,” resonated with players to the point of becoming the series’ official theme. The PS3 games, particularly Assassin’s Creed 2 and Assassin’s Creed 3, were – at their core – character-driven experiences; the melancholic guitar strings of “Ezio’s Family” weren’t meant to evoke the game’s Renaissance setting so much as Ezio’s personal trauma of losing his family. As much as I admire the expansive worldbuilding and graphical fidelity of the current generation of Assassin’s Creed games, my hope is that this out-of-control franchise will someday scale itself down, and once again deliver the kind of focused, tailor-made stories that made me fall in love with it in the first place. Sadly, in a landscape dominated by sprawling sandboxes and single-player games with live service-style ambitions, I fear that’s just not “good business” anymore.

Tim Brinkhof is a freelance writer specializing in art and history. After studying journalism at NYU, he has gone on to write for Vox, Vulture, Slate, Polygon, GQ, Esquire and more.

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Unrealcraft Is Minecraft in Unreal Engine 5, Free Demo Released

Greg Coulthard has released UnrealCraft, an Unreal Engine 5.5 template that allows you to create Voxel Worlds with only blueprints. Basically, think of it as Minecraft in Unreal Engine 5. And, to be honest, this is actually pretty cool. UnrealCraft comes with a procedural map generator and a block building system. There is also NPC … Continue reading Unrealcraft Is Minecraft in Unreal Engine 5, Free Demo Released

The post Unrealcraft Is Minecraft in Unreal Engine 5, Free Demo Released appeared first on DSOGaming.

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GTA 5 Enhanced Edition looks even better with RealityV Mod

Modder ‘BadassBaboon’ has released a new version of his RealityV Mod which is now compatible with the Enhanced Edition of GTA 5. This mod will improve the graphics of this new PC version of GTA 5. So, if you’re currently replaying it, I strongly suggest doing so with this mod. Going into more details, RealityV … Continue reading GTA 5 Enhanced Edition looks even better with RealityV Mod

The post GTA 5 Enhanced Edition looks even better with RealityV Mod appeared first on DSOGaming.

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UK Deals: I'm Getting The Best Pokémon TCG Sword and Shield Boosters At Retail Pricing On Amazon

If you’re after Pokémon TCG Lost Origin, Astral Radiance, or Brilliant Stars booster packs but don’t want to overpay or fork out a fortune for Prismatic Evolutions and Journey Together? these Pokémon V Boxes are epic.

V Boxes are an underrated way to get booster packs at retail prices. You get promo cards and an oversized collectible card too. Trying to track down Lost Origin, Astral Radiance, or Brilliant Stars booster packs without paying inflated prices is bloody impossible as Pokémania 2025 rolls on. Single packs from these sets can now cost £5 to £10 each, especially for the more popular expansions. That’s where Pokémon V Boxes come in.

Pokémon TCG: Hisuian Electrode V Box

The Hisuian Electrode V Box is available for £19.53 and includes two Lost Origin packs, one Astral Radiance pack, and one Brilliant Stars pack.

Pokémon TCG: Virizion V Box

The Virizion V Box is available for £19.99 and includes two Lost Origin packs, one Astral Radiance pack, and one Fusion Strike pack.

V Boxes are an underrated way to get booster packs at retail prices . As a bonus, you get promo cards and an oversized collectible card. Trying to track down Lost Origin, Astral Radiance, or Brilliant Stars booster packs without paying inflated prices is bloody impossible as Pokémania 2025 rolls on. Single packs from these sets can now cost £5 to £10 each, especially for the more popular expansions. That’s where Pokémon V Boxes come in.

These boxes contain four booster packs and cost under £20, meaning you’re paying under £5 per pack while also getting a couple of foil promo cards and an oversized card. If you’re still trying to complete your Sword and Shield-era collections, this is one of the best ways to do it at retail price.

Lost Origin boosters are my main target (Giratina V Alt-Art is my dream pull), Hisuian Electrode V Box is the best choice. It includes two Lost Origin packs along with Astral Radiance and Brilliant Stars, two sets loaded with Trainer Gallery hits. Considering individual packs can run you £6 or more on eBay, this is an easy win.

Want Lost Origin packs but don’t mind swapping out Brilliant Stars for Fusion Strike? Virizion V Box is another bargain. Fusion Strike has some strong chase cards, including Gengar VMAX and Espeon VMAX Alt-Art, so it's well worth ripping open. Lost Origin’s Giratina V, Astral Radiance’s Origin Forme Dialga, or Brilliant Stars’ Charizard VSTAR are all solid reasons to grab these V boxes before they sell out or go out of print. Both aren't far off.

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

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We Build LEGO Dinosaur Fossils: Tyrannosaurus Rex, The Most Impressive Skeleton Model in 68 Million Years

The LEGO Dinosaur Fossils: Tyrannosaurus Rex set, available exclusively at the LEGO Store, is a visually stunning, ambitious build. You're first taken aback by its size; this is a 1:12 scale model of a real T-Rex.

Then you look closer and notice the detail: how the ribs are built at different lengths to create a rib "cage," how the dark-colored bricks create the illusion of shadow and throw the light-colored "bone" bricks into sharp relief. It's easier to put together than it looks, which makes its apparent intricacy that much more impressive.

I loved dinosaurs as a child, and whenever I visited the American Museum of Natural History, the T-Rex's skeleton stood out for how tall it was. Years later, I read Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder," a sci-fi short story about time travel. It included the following passage, which captured the thrill and awe of seeing something so unnaturally large:

"It came on great oiled, resilient, striding legs. It towered thirty feet above half of the trees, a great evil god, folding its delicate watchmaker's claws close to its oily reptilian chest. Each lower leg was a piston, a thousand pounds of white bone, sunk in thick ropes of muscle, sheathed over in a gleam of pebbled skin like the mail of a terrible warrior."

Like many people my age or older, I was led to believe that the T-Rex stood like this:

Years later, however, the scientific community concluded that the T-Rex, contrary to popular imagination and depiction, did not walk upright with its tail dragging on the ground. The T-Rex actually stood more like this, with its spine parallel to the ground and its tail serving as a counterbalance to its head:

The above photo is of "Sue," the most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton ever found (90%). When paleontologist Sue Hendrickson discovered it, it revolutionized what we know about the T-Rex's life and visual appearance. See those tiny bones where the T-Rex's belly would have been? Those are called gastralia. When scientists first discovered Sue in 1990, they didn't know where those bones went, and so they left them out of the initial public display. Today, we know that they lined the T-Rex's belly and supported its breathing.

Scientists rethought several other physical traits as well. The T-Rex above is from the 1993 film Jurassic Park, and it captures the outdated popular perception of dinosaurs from 30 years ago. This T-Rex's body's positioning is more horizontal and correct than its earlier, upright depiction. But notice how the body is very lean. Now thanks to the gastralia, we know that the T-Rex was much heavier than previously thought – nine to ten tons, rather than five to seven tons – with a big belly that hung close to the ground.

This life-sized model, based on Sue's bones, is our most updated, accurate depiction of a T-Rex:

It's chubbier and cuter than we once thought, isn't it?

Accordingly, the LEGO Dinosaur Fossils: Tyrannosaurus Rex set is more accurate than fanciful. It retains the T-Rex's horizontal positioning, based on the most recent scientific conclusions. Unfortunately, it does not depict the T-Rex's gastralia. But its ribs are positioned in such a manner that suggests a "barrel-chested" creature, rather than the lean, efficient killing machine in popular fiction. Its arms are forward, in keeping with the newly-mounted Sue display at the Field Museum in Chicago.

The set comes in 25 sealed plastic bags. First, you build the black stand upon which the model sits. Then, you build the T-Rex's backbone and attach it to the vertical supports; the rest of the model hangs onto it. Then the neck. Then the legs and hips, which attach to the spine and anchor to the stand's base. Then the ribs and the arms. Then the tail. And then finally, the head. The legs and torso are locked in place, but the arms, head, and tail are all adjustable and posable.

Tip to tail, the model is nearly three-and-a-half feet long, which might cause some space concerns if you're wondering where you're going to put it once it's done. Wherever it goes, it's going to dominate the space it occupies. A wide, flat surface like a dresser or coffee table would work well. A shelf between other shelves would not. Find a location that befits this thing's magnificence.

Tip to tail, the model is nearly three-and-a-half feet long.

This set is technically a part of LEGO's Jurassic Park franchise. That's why the final bag has two minifigures of fictional characters – one of Alan Grant and one of Ellie Sattler – and poses them in front of the fossil on a stand attachment. The placard that accompanies the T-Rex is branded with the trademark Jurassic Park logo.

The odd thing about this franchise tie-in, however, is that it feels shoehorned in. For example, LEGO branded this set as a tie-in to Jurassic World, even though the two minifigures represent characters from the first Jurassic Park film.

But the disconnect runs even deeper. Even the name of the set, 'Dinosaur Fossils: Tyrannosaurus Rex,' contains no movie tie-in. And the instruction booklet even has an option for disconnecting the minifigure and placard display entirely, allowing the massive skeleton to stand on its own. Of course, anyone could have accomplished this – no instructions unnecessary – with a little bit of ingenuity. But it's odd that LEGO is offering an official option to do it, as it makes the Jurassic Park (World?) connection even more awkward and superfluous.

And to be real, that's because it is superfluous. A massive T-Rex of this size, scope, and price is not going to sell additional copies on account of its brand synergy; a massive T-Rex of this size, scope, and price is going to sell itself. It is, by itself, classy in the same way that the LEGO Titanic build is classy. It needed no minifigure tie-ins for the same reason that the LEGO Titanic did not need minifigure tie-ins of Jack and Rose. Don't think of this as a piece of movie memorabilia. It's so much better and more significant than that.

More Sets From LEGO Jurassic Park Collection:

Kevin Wong is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in LEGO. He's also been published in Complex, Engadget, Gamespot, Kotaku, and more. Follow him on Twitter at @kevinjameswong.

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It’s Weird That Christopher Nolan’s Making an Odyssey Movie, But Also Christopher Nolan Is Actually the Perfect Guy to Make an Odyssey Movie

That Christopher Nolan! What an unpredictable guy he is, with his “movies told out of order” games, “is it a dream or reality” stories, “what timeframe are we witnessing things happen in” trickery, and his “screw it, let’s just run time backwards” hijinks.

All of which is to say, for someone with such a notably wacky outside-the-box storytelling track record, it’s a bit surprising that Nolan’s next movie is seemingly a straight-up adaptation of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey.

Sure, we don’t really know all that much about the film yet. Matt Damon is playing Odysseus, who is of course the main character of Homer’s story, and an extensive group of noteworthy actors have been cast in as-yet unannounced roles in the film, including Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Lupita Nyong'o, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, and Charlize Theron, among others. The Odyssey is shooting now and has a release date of July 17, 2026, with Universal Pictures calling the film “a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology.”

Matt Damon is Odysseus. A film by Christopher Nolan, #TheOdysseyMovie is in theaters July 17, 2026. pic.twitter.com/7a5YbfqVfG

— odysseymovie (@odysseymovie) February 17, 2025

Real quick for those who skipped it in high school, The Odyssey tells the 10-year story of Odysseus’ attempt to get home to the Greek island of Ithaca after the events of the Trojan War, an effort that is made all the more difficult when he angers the god of the sea, Poseidon. And this after already being stuck at Troy for 10 years! Waiting for him at home are his now adult son Telemachus and his ever-faithful wife Penelope, although things have grown increasingly dicey for both of them as a group of “suitors” vie for Penelope’s hand in marriage. As he fights to get home, Odysseus encounters all manner of mythological creatures and challenges.

It’s freaking great, and one of my favorite books. But it’s also proven challenging to properly adapt to the screen. There have been a bunch of attempts over the years, dating back at least as far as the 1911 Italian silent film L'Odissea, but often the scope of Odysseus’ story has been truncated or mismanaged in translation to movie or TV form. However, Nolan, fresh off the financial and critical success of the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer, is perfectly placed to finally get Homer’s story right on the big screen.

It’s Nolan's interest in playing with time, or how the viewer perceives time in relation to the story being told, that is perhaps the key to nailing The Odyssey.

But again, what exactly is the director drawn to in this story? He’s often got sci-fi or sci-fi adjacent concepts in his films, and while Odysseus certainly exists in the realm of the fantastical, that’s not quite the same vibe. (A cyclops is not sci-fi, sorry!) Still, I think there’s a good chance that Nolan’s real obsession… no, not dead wives, his other obsession… could be why he’s making this movie, and also why he’s perfect for this movie: It’s his interest in playing with time, or how the viewer perceives time in relation to the story being told, that is perhaps the key to nailing The Odyssey.

One of the reasons why The Odyssey has always been a challenge to properly adapt to movies and TV (aside from the obstacle of convincing visual effects until relatively recently) is the nature of the main character’s story. While his time away in the Trojan War isn’t technically part of The Odyssey (that’s The Iliad, for those who also skipped that class), those first 10 years away from his family are a necessary bit of backstory that infuses The Odyssey with a lot of its emotion. Add to that the 10 years that it takes Odysseus to finally get back home and then the actual re-taking of that home when he battles the suitors (this last part was its own movie alone just last year – The Return starring Ralph Fiennes), and you’ve got a lot of story taking place over a very long period of time.

I’ve always thought that biopics always run the danger of being the CliffsNotes version of a person’s life, which is why when a movie like James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown focuses in on just a few years of a historical figure like Bob Dylan’s life, it can be a much more effective way of telling a story. Equally, trying to do The Odyssey in, what, three hours? It’s a tall, tall order.

But here comes old Chris Nolan with his timey-wimey and, let’s be fair, highly creative ways of dipping in and out of a story, using the very nature of time as a tool rather than an obstacle. Look at Interstellar, where Matthew McConaughey’s Cooper takes off into outer space for what is basically a one-way mission where time gets all kinds of weird for him and his crewmates, even while his children grow to adulthood back on Earth and, eventually, mourn their apparently lost father. There are certainly Odyssey parallels right there in terms of the missing father on a lost voyage, whose family faces disaster back home, but it’s the way that Nolan tells the story, despite the challenges of, well, time, that is so affecting. He’s not deterred by the vast gulf between the father and his children, but instead uses it to his advantage.

Odyseuss fights a giant Cyclops, sees a bunch of his men turned into pigs, and confronts a bunch of other crazy shit in his story, but he also faces time as an enemy, and in a variety of ways. Not only is he literally 20 years away from his family by the end of his journey, but seven of those years see him trapped on the island of the nymph Calypso, who loves him and offers him immortality (another aspect of time or the perception of it) if he’ll stay with her. He and his crew's visit to the realm of the Lotus-Eaters plays with time in a different way, in that those who eat the fruit of the land lose any interest in returning home, content to stay and eat the fruit forever. And then there’s our hero’s trip to the Underworld, where he finds lost friends and family, including his mother and his comrade Achilles, who are doomed to exist, if not quite live, for eternity as mere shades of their former selves.

Then there’s the situation back home, as Telemachus was just a baby when his father left and is now a young man. Odysseus’ father Laertes is a sad shell of his former self, having lost his wife to grief over the past 20 years, while assuming his son is gone forever too. And in one of the most effective passages in Homer’s poem, even Odyseuss’ dog Argos has been waiting for him all this time!

Will Nolan be able to tell Odyseuss’ full story effectively by utilizing his particular brand of stylized filmmaking? The guy is fixated on time, and by extension memory, and that certainly seems to be a quality he shares with the hero of The Odyssey as well, a man who eventually has nothing but memories – of his family and the life he once lived – to rely on as he fights the great gulf of time to get home.

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The Best Star Wars Tabletop and Board Games 2025

Star Wars has invaded every inch of our culture, including Star Wars toys, Star Wars LEGO sets, and even the tabletop. It may come as a surprise, but the slate of board and roleplaying games based on this popular intellectual property includes several absolutely killer options.

The diversity here is strong. There are smaller, less complex options, as well as sprawling games with mounds of miniatures, each its own compelling experience that captures aspects of this beloved film series. All of these are currently available and can be picked up and played right now.

TL;DR: The Best Star Wars Board Games

Short on time? Click the links above to check out each game on the list. Read on for details about each one.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian Adventures Board Game

If your love of Star Wars got refreshed by the The Mandalorian series, you can now put your own personal spin on the best episodes with this excellent tabletop adaptation. Players take the role of heroes from the show, including IG-11 and, of course, Mando himself, and select an episode to play from the ring binder of maps. You’re all cooperating using a novel action system whereby a buildup of action cards will eventually trigger enemy responses, ensuring everyone needs to plan together to control the pace of events and counter threats. With lots of narrative references to the series and envelopes of surprising variants to add replay value, each play through The Mandalorian: Adventures is a whole new adventure to enjoy.

Star Wars: Bounty Hunters

If you’ve ever wanted to play as the villains and delve into the role of one of Star Wars’ iconic bounty hunters, now’s your chance with this simple, frenetic drafting game. You draw cards from four decks: hunters, targets, contracts and the Jawa Market which contains droids and other goodies. Then you play one and, to mix things up, pass the reminder to your neighbor. The aim is to have enough hunters, which cost points, and droids on a target to match its shield values and take it down, earning you points, with contracts earning you a bonus for particular combos. Fast, fun and full of your favorite characters, it’s a great chance to explore your dark side with some scum and villainy.

Star Wars: Shatterpoint

Shatterpoint is the newest Star Wars tabletop design. This comes from Atomic Mass Games, the studio that took over X-Wing and Legion, and which conceived the exceptional Marvel Crisis Protocol miniatures game. Atomic Mass is fully behind this new release and has already released many additional miniatures with shiny new content.

Following in the footsteps of Crisis Protocol, Shatterpoint focuses on a small number of units with players fielding squads from the Clone Wars era. Aesthetically, it’s a more vibrant and focused experience in comparison to Legion. The larger-sized 40mm miniatures are impressive and offer a striking presentation. Gameplay is dynamic and swift with several unique flourishes. It is rather detailed, however, and offers plenty of tactical fat to chew on. This comes at the cost of complexity, which can occasionally bog down play. For those looking to engage in this exciting new title, you will find a rather sophisticated game full of modern touches.

Star Wars: Unlimited

Following the success of 2023’s Disney Lorcana, the trading game format has found new life. Disney wants to keep the cash flowing, and that’s arriving courtesy of Fantasy Flight Games' Star Wars: Unlimited. This one hit the market in March 2024 to a great deal of buzz. With a little focus, you can hear the millions of wallets crying out in terror.

Gameplay is relatively straightforward and leans into concepts common to the TCG format: Spend resources to put new equipment, characters, and vehicles into play. One novel concept is alternating actions, following a pattern common to miniatures skirmish games. This establishes a unique cadence to play that offers some distinction from its peers. Veering away from Decipher’s old CCG, they’ve opted for new illustrations as opposed to stills from the films. This helps to bolster the game’s personality and enhance its attraction.

Star Wars: Jabba’s Palace – A Love Letter Game

Love Letter is the popular card game that made serious waves in 2012. It’s seen a large amount of spinoffs since, including Star Wars: Jabba’s Palace. This functions much like the other variants, taking the core framework of Love Letter and adding a twist to freshen up the experience.

Players choose between two cards to play each turn. Each has a different effect and includes iconic characters from Return of the Jedi. For instance, Boba Fett allows you to take a card from another player, while Salacious Crumb lets you look at their hand. The goal is to outlast your opponents by using a degree of intuition and bluffing. This particular edition adds a new Agenda mechanism which changes scoring each round. It’s a solid changeup that adds some variety and tactical nuance to play. This is a simple game, one that is appropriate for a wide age range. Better yet, it’s incredibly cheap.

Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game

If you and a friend or family member want to duke it out in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game is an excellent choice. Rather than making you buy booster packs to assemble a deck, this standalone game comes with all the cards you need to pit the Reble Alliance against the Empire. It's a great pick for newcomers to deckbuilding games, but it has enough depth and strategy for diehard fans.

If you like this type of play, make sure to check out our larger list of the best deck-building board games.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

If you've played Pandemic (and not just by living through one!), you know the basics for how this game works. Set during the Clone Wars era of Star Wars, this board game pits the Jedi against Count Dooku and the Sith Lord's forces. It comes with four scenarios to play through, giving it lots of replay value.

Star Wars Villainous: Power of The Dark Side

Following on from 2018’s very successful Disney Villanous, this amped-up version lets you pilot some of the most famous villains from the Star Wars franchise to succeed in their evil plots. You’ll need to shepherd resources and cards wisely as you pursue your character’s unique objective, such as Darth Vader turning Luke to the dark side. But beware: other characters can draw from your fate deck and play pesky heroes and deleterious events onto your board, setting your plans awry unless you can deal with them. With new resources and the potential to move into deep space, this is a more complex and challenging game than the original, but it pays off with crunchier strategy and more engaging theme.

Star Wars: Outer Rim

Star Wars games tend to focus on the epic struggle or the details of one battle. Outer Rim fills the wide gap between with a strategic story of the lives of the scum and villains who ply their trade on the galaxy's edge. Except since they're your scum and villains, it's up to you how villainous you want them to be.

As you fly missions and smuggle cargo from system to system, your choices will shape your character. The cleverly linked mission cards give each game a cohesive but unique narrative. You'll upgrade your skills and ship along the way. But whether you choose to be a heroic rogue or a sky bounty hunter is up to you. Why not both?

Star Wars X-Wing (2nd Edition)

The success of this tactical space \war board game has spawned imitations across the hobby. But X-Wing has two things its mimics do not. First, it's Star Wars. Second, the figures are pre-painted to a high standard, so you can have amazing-looking games for zero effort. And if you collected Star Wars toys as a kid, the nostalgia appeal is impossible to ignore.

The game became a victim of its own popularity, bloated with confusing expansions. But a second edition has cleaned things up and added a bunch of cool rules tweaks. Now, as well as the squad building and hidden movement tactics of the original, you can deploy force powers to aid your cause. Existing players can get upgrade kits with new dials and cards for their collection.

And the core game remains fantastic fun, a fast-paced snapshot of movie action. There are ship lines not only for Rebels and the Empire, but ones from the prequels and newer films, alongside iconic rogues in Scum and Villainy.

Star Wars: Imperial Assault

Spaceship combat in Star Wars is spectacular, but it's not where the real heart of the films is. That's in the unfolding story, the Jedi powers, the blaster battles. It's in Han and Leia, Luke and his father. If that's where you are with the movies, Imperial Assault is your game.

Borrowing heavily from the mechanics of dungeon-crawling game Descent, this is a grid combat game. You set up a map of interlocking tiles and play out a battle between Imperial and Rebel forces using plastic models of film characters. Turn by turn you need to position your models and use their abilities to best effect in order to win an edge over the opposition.

That's only half the story. This is two games using similar mechanics. One is a battle game where you pick your models and fight it out. The other is an ongoing adventure where one player controls the Imperial forces and the other plays the Rebel heroes. Over the course of many sessions – and with a vast number of expansions to extend your game – your own Star Wars saga will unfold.

You can check out our guide to dungeon-crawling board games for more like this.

Star Wars: Rebellion

If controlling Star Destroyers or AT-AT's isn't big enough for you, how about a Death Star? In fact, how about several Death Stars? That's what's waiting for you in this grand board game, which lets you replay the entire rebellion on your dinner table.

Of course, as befits the movies, the Rebel player can't hope to hold a holo-candle to the might of the Imperial navy. But they don't have to: they have to fight a clandestine war of insurgency and politics, swaying planets to join them while poking thorns in the Imperial side. The Emperor and his minions, meanwhile, merely need to destroy the Rebel base to win. Except they have to find out where it's hidden first.

Rebellion takes a long time to play, but it's engrossing, strategic and surprisingly characterful. Players do get to control a lot of popular film heroes and villains, albeit relegated to a single card.

Star Wars: Destiny

In a move as bold as Obi-Wan confronting Grievous, Destiny resurrects the collectible card game. You begin with a fixed starter set, either Rey or Kylo Ren, and expand it with blind boosters. From this collection you build decks that span across space and time, featuring the likes of Count Dooku pairing up with General Hux.

The unique hook is that Destiny isn't only about playing cards – you’ll be tossing dice around, too. Each character in your deck brings custom dice to the fight, and rolling them partly dictates what you can do with your turn. While this might sound a strategic no-no, it keeps the game varied, fast and exciting, much like the battles it seeks to recreate.

Plus, the variety of the dice themselves help build tactical options. Dice that are more reliable are also less flexible, so it's up to you how you build your force.

Star Wars: Legion

Legion is the ground-based equivalent to X-Wing, a miniatures title with troops and tanks instead of spaceships. The miniatures don't come painted or assembled for this. But don't let that put you off. Publisher Fantasy Flight has learned well from other popular miniatures games and put out a doozy.

At heart, there's the measuring and moving, estimating and dice rolling you'd expect from a game of this type. Two clever tweaks to the formula catapult the game to the next level. First is the activation system in which you have to balance moving what you want against when you want to move it: you won't get both. Second is the card-based scenario creation which puts a tactical twist on making each game unique.

There are sculpts of all your favorite characters and vehicles from the movies to expand your collection. The fact they make up a varied strategic challenge to build an effective army is just a bonus.

Star Wars Board Game FAQ

What is a miniatures game, and how do the various Star Wars ones differ?

Miniatures games share a lot of DNA with board games which, confusingly, often have miniatures as playing pieces. The difference is twofold. Firstly, miniatures games have much higher quality figures and for many players, painting and converting them is an additional hobby in its own right. Second, miniatures games are generally played on an open table with scenery of your choice, on which you move pieces by measuring distances with a tool or tape measure, rather than a fixed board with spaces.

There are currently four different Star Wars miniatures games, a reflection of the franchise's popularity and visual appeal. The easiest one to get into is space dogfighting game X-Wing, which comes with fantastic pre-painted starfighters, like the iconic titular ship and TIE fighter. It has the simplest rules of the four, you don't have to do any modelling at all, the starter set is fun to play with by itself, and you don't even really need any scenery. Next up is Armada, which represents fleet level action with pre-painted scale models of huge capital ships like the Star Destroyer. Although it has a smaller range of models they're also more expensive and you'll need more than just the starter box to properly appreciate what it offers. Some of the expansion content comes with miniscule starfighter wings, and they won't look great next to your painted models unless you take the plunge and paint them up yourself.

The ground combat games, Star Wars: Shatterpoint and Star Wars: Legion are very different beasts, as both come with unpainted models and the expectation is very much that you'll paint them up yourself. You'll also need a collection of scenery although both starter boxes come with some for you to play with. Shatterpoint uses bigger models for smaller-scale action, skirmishes between famous characters from the Star Wars franchises. It's the most complex of all four games but rewards you with movie-like narrative action. Legion depicts bigger battles and is slightly more anonymous in the sense that most of your forces will be stormtroopers or rebel soldiers, with the occasional better-known character as a leader. But while its easier to learn, you'll also have a lot more painting to do to get those larger forces tabletop ready!

For more, check out our picks for the best '90s board games, as well as the best classic board games.

Matt Thrower is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in tabletop games. You can reach him on BlueSky at @mattthr.bsky.social.

Charlie Theel is a tabletop games freelancer. You can follow him on Twitter @CharlieTheel.

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Hulu + Live TV: How Much Does a Subscription Cost?

Streaming services are getting increasingly bloated, more competitive, and more convoluted, and many people are realizing it's actually more expensive than a standard cable subscription if you want to have it all. However, if you're looking for a simple solution that offers live TV, sports, news, plus a massive back catalog of content that includes just about everything from Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and more, then Hulu + Live TV just might be the perfect service for you. And if you don't care about live TV, then the Disney+, Hulu, Max bundle is what you're looking for.

Hulu + Live TV Free Trial

Hulu + Live TV offers a three-day free trial that allows you to take the live TV streaming service for a spin. This is one of the overall best streaming free trials because it gets you a bundle of services. It is quite a bit shorter than the standard Hulu free trial of 30 days, but it's a great way to test it out over the weekend.

Plans and Prices, Explained

If the name wasn't obvious enough, Hulu + Live TV is the base Hulu service (with ads) in addition to a live TV service complete with over 95 channels, unlimited DVR space, and a hassle-free monthly subscription fee that doesn't include any hidden fees. If that doesn't sound great enough already, Hulu + Live TV also includes Disney+ (with ads) and ESPN+ (with ads) as part of the streaming package. That means you've got access to the massive Disney catalog that includes the Marvel movies and TV shows, Star Wars movies and TV shows, Pixar movies, and so much more. If you're looking for a great replacement for cable that ticks just about every box, well, Hulu + Live TV is one of the best options available.

Since Hulu + Live TV includes the base Hulu (with ads) service, you'll have access to Hulu's rich library of TV shows and movies. This includes Hulu Originals such as Paradise and Only Murders in the Building as well as popular FX programs such as The Bear, Shōgun, and What We Do In The Shadows. Plus, you can watch thousands of additional TV shows and movies from Hulu's extended streaming library.

With Hulu + Live TV, you can watch over 95 of your favorite channels live, or catch up on some of the best programming that you may have missed on demand. You can record as much live TV as you'd like with the included DVR service, as well, to ensure you don't miss the shows or movies you're currently watching. By default, you can watch Hulu + Live TV on two supported devices, but you can upgrade to have unlimited simultaneous screens if you'd like the whole family to have access.

You can watch Hulu + Live TV on every device that supports the standard Hulu streaming service including Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV devices, PS5, PS4, all modern Xbox consoles, select Samsung, LG, and Vizio smart TVs, Nintendo Switch, and more. Simply put, if it's capable of streaming TV shows and movies, it's likely able to stream Hulu + Live TV.

How Much Does Hulu + Live TV Cost?

Hulu + Live TV costs $82.99 per month and can be canceled at any time. Keep in mind, this includes the base Hulu (with ads), Disney+ (with ads) and ESPN+ (with ads) streaming services as part of the overall price, which normally runs $16.99 on its own.

Additional premium channels such as HBO, Showtime, Starz, and Cinemax can be added on if you desire, and you can upgrade your subscription to include unlimited screens at home and up to three screens on the go — perfect for the whole family.

What Channels Does Hulu + Live TV Include?

Hulu + Live TV features over 95 channels in the base service including local network affliliates and news from ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. Additionally, it features popular channels such as Comedy Central, ESPN, FX, Food Network, Disney Channel, HGTV, The History Channel, ID, Lifetime, MTV, NFL Network, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, and more.

Can You Watch Live Sports on Hulu + Live TV?

Yes! You can watch many of the most popular sports on Hulu + Live TV including NFL, NCAA, NBA, MLB, NHL, international soccer, UFC, and more. Whatever's airing live on TV will be available to watch, so if you're looking to watch your favorite non-local team, you may need to subscribe to a premium service to catch those games. However, there are a number of sporting events regularly available on local channels as well as CBS Sports Network, NFL Network, ESPN, and FS1, just to name a few.

This means that you can watch March Madness games and stream NFL games with this service as well.

Matthew Adler is a Commerce, Features, Guides, News, Previews, and Reviews writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.

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Amazon Is Having a Board Game Sale on Maps of Misterra for $12.99

If you’re interested in unusual or innovative games, then Maps of Misterra should be on your radar, especially since it’s currently selling at a hefty sale discount. It normally runs in the $30 range, but Amazon currently has it on sale for $12.99, which is less than half price. That's quite a deal on a game that's worth a look.

Maps of Misterra on Sale for $12.99

In Maps of Misterra, players are cartographers, seeking to chart an unknown island. You’ll start with some end-game goals of what you think the island is supposed to look like, and initially you’ll place terrain tiles on a shared board trying to match that map. But exploration is a tricky business and you can be mistaken: other players can overwrite your placements with their own until someone takes an extra action to confirm that tile, fixing it in place. Terrain effects, such as being able to see further atop mountains, or travel further over steppe, lend extra weight to the strategy and flavor to the theme.

The result of this clever, two-step, discover and confirm mechanic is a fascinating dynamic and interactive puzzle where your goals push and pull against those of other players, and the island takes shape around them. This also provides a real sense of revelation, of venturing into the unknown as every version of the island is different.

If you enjoy getting into the theme of a game, you can also have a great time loudly proclaiming that your suggestions are the absolute truth against the nonsense other players are trying to foist on the map. It’s fun as a solo board game, too, against an automated opponent so you still get the sense of playing against an active player. The slightly messy interaction might put off some players, but at this price it’s worth a look for its sheer oddness.

See more cool board games

Matt Thrower is a contributing freelance writer for IGN, specializing in tabletop games. You can reach him on BlueSky at @mattthr.bsky.social.

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The New Hunger Games Book Releases Next Week and Preorders Are Already Discounted

The new Hunger Games novel, Sunrise on the Reaping, is my most anticipated book release of 2025. It's been sitting on Amazon's best sellers list for most of the year so far, and has even broken into the top five ahead of its release date. It's no surprise that the new Suzanne Collins book is already super popular considering all of the Hunger Games books have been turned into movies already. In fact, even Sunrise on the Reaping will be getting a movie adaptation in 2026. The book is thankfully coming much earlier.

Sunrise on the Reaping will be released on Tuesday, March 18. Amazon is currently discounting hardcovers and Kindle editions of the book. You can also find exclusive editions from Barnes and Noble and Target that offer little extras.

Sunrise on the Reaping - Where to Buy

Preorders for the standard version of the hardcover is the only option currently discounted on Amazon (30% off). The Kindle eBook version is cheaper than the hardcover at $18.99 and will be available as soon as the book is released. There isn't a paperback version of this book yet, but you can usually expect one to release about a year after the hardcover edition.

If you're looking for a special edition of the new Hunger Games book, you have a couple of different options. Barnes & Noble has an exclusive version that includes an in-depth conversation between Suzanne Collins and her publisher. Target also has an exclusive edition, but it's unclear what extras come with it. Additionally, Amazon has a hardcover boxed set for sale that is set to release on June 3, 2025.

See more Hunger Games books:

The Audiobook Is Releasing at the Same Time

If you'd prefer to listen to the new Hunger Games novel, you'll be happy to know that the audiobook will be releasing at the same time. The book will be narrated by Jefferson White, who you may already know from Yellowstone where he played Jimmy Hudstrom. The audiobook has a listening time of about 12 hours and 48 minutes. You can purchase it for $20.47 or get it for free when you sign up for an Audible free trial.

Looking for more book recommendations? Check our out guide to more books like the Hunger Games and the best-selling books of all time.

Jacob Kienlen is a Senior SEO Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor's degree in communication and over 7 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different topics -- from TV series to indie games and popular book series.

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The Best Streaming Services With Free Trials in 2025

In today’s world of seemingly endless streaming platforms and bundles, shopping for the right one(s) can be a trying ordeal. Since so many have their own expansive media libraries, it can be hard to commit to a monthly payment for one or multiple options. Do you want access to every Transformers movie before watching Transformers One? Paramount+ would be a good option. How about all the anime your heart desires? You’ll want to try out Crunchyroll to satisfy that craving. Luckily, most streaming services these days offer a sneak peek via free trials into their cache of goodies. So whatever you’re looking to watch in 2025, these nine free trials are a great way to test the waters of the streaming landscape.

1. Hulu (30-Day Free Trial)

The mecca of popular series both original and classic, Hulu has almost everything a series-binger would need. Adding to its impressive library over the years with some quality, sought-after films as well as TV shows, Hulu also has a wealth of groundbreaking, interesting, original content to dive into. After exploring every nook and cranny that Hulu has to offer in this generous 30-day trial, there are a wide range of subscription options to opt into, from $9.99 a month (with ads) all the way up to just over $100 a month – if you want to include live TV or premium add-ons such as Max, ESPN+, Disney+, Cinemax, Paramount+ with Showtime, Starz, and more.

It's worth noting that Disney now offers a bundle that combines Hulu, Disney+, and Max into a single streaming package. While that bundle does not have a free trial, it is arguably the best streaming deal available.

Hulu + Live TV Also Has a Free Trial

If you're looking for a more robust option, the Hulu + Live TV free trial gets you access to a lot more content. This service includes live TV channels, Hulu, ESPN+, and Disney+ all in one subscription. The free trial only lasts three days.

Read our review of Hulu or check out all of the Hulu bundles available.

2. Paramount+ (7-Day Free Trial)

Much like Hulu, Paramount+ has dug deep into the nostalgia bin while also offering a breadth of modern shows and movies to choose from. Paramount+ offers exclusive access to media such as the Transformers movies, the Halo series, and the entire Star Trek film/series universe. With new shows and movies added every week along with some well-made originals of its own, Paramount+ is quickly becoming a contender with the big names in streaming. After the seven-day free trial of its services, the recurring monthly amount to stay subscribed will be as low as $7.99 (or $59.99 a year) with limited ads, or $12.99 a month (or $119.99 a year) to add Showtime’s full library and remove almost all ads. You can also get access to Parmount+ via a Walmart+ membership if you're hoping to avoid a free trial all together.

If you're looking to watch the new Knuckles TV series or want to stream Sonic 3, Paramount+ is the destination for that franchise. You can also now watch the new season of Yellowjackets exclusively on this service.

Read our review of Paramount+ or dive into our explainer of the Paramount+ free trial.

3. Apple TV+ (7-Day Free Trial)

An up-and-coming streaming service in the streaming wars, Apple TV+ takes exclusivity to a whole new level. Featuring some highly praised original shows (Ted Lasso, Severance, Shrinking, The Morning Show, Masters of the Air) and movies (Killers of the Flower Moon, Spirited, Napoleon), Apple is quickly gaining momentum in the race against its competitors. After the seven-day free trial has expired, the monthly subscription will cost $9.99 at base cost, depending on how many users are added to the account. As a disclaimer for those without Apple products, you will have to create a verified Apple ID to access the premium Apple TV+ streaming library. With season 2 of Severance and season 4 of Mythic Quest happening right now, this is a great service to try out.

Read our review of Apple TV+.

4. Crunchyroll (7-Day Free Trial)

For viewers looking to expand their Anime horizons and join in on the millions of viewers worldwide, Crunchyroll free trial is an offer that is hard to beat. While there are three different membership tiers to choose from ($7.99/mo to $14.99/mo), Crunchyroll also has a decent amount of anime content streaming for free. With the various membership packages available, subscribers can also gain access to Crunchyroll games as well as discounts at the Crunchyroll online store. Any fan of anime knows that Japan is the leader in anime production, which is why Crunchyroll gives users premium access to brand-new episodes shortly after its initial release in Japan. It's arguably the best place to watch anime online in 2025.

Read our review of Crunchyroll.

5. fubo (7-Day Free Trial)

Another streaming service targeted on live TV streams with a focus on sports, fuboTV is the leading streaming service for sports fans across the globe. While it may be most popular for streaming sporting events, fuboTV has subscription packages that offer up to 10 screens, 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR space, 4k streaming quality, up to 448 TV channels, and even a premium Showtime add-on option. Besides these features, there is also a catalog of popular shows and movies available for on-demand streaming. Once the seven-day trial has expired, subscribers will pay as low as $59.99 for the first month, then $79.99 for the remainder of the membership.

Disney recently struck a deal to combine its service with fuboTV, so while you can still access the free trial now, it may eventually become merged with other Disney properties down the line.

6. DirecTV Stream (5-Day Free Trial)

Although many may remember DirecTV only as a satellite TV service, the company also offers a pretty solid streaming service. DirecTV Stream has an array of streaming options that include various movies, series, and live TV access. Though the trial may be a short one at five days, DirecTV sweetens the deal with some premium content offered upon subscription. When customers sign up for one of three packages ranging in content and priced from $79.99 a month to $119.99 a month, it includes Max, Paramount+ with Showtime, Starz, MGM+, and Cinemax in the first three months of the subscription.

It's worth noting that DirecTV was able to reach an agreement with Disney over various channels. Because of this DirecTV subscribers now has access to ESPN channels again in 2025.

7. Philo TV (7-Day Free Trial)

An additional option for those looking to stream premium TV channels from their living room, Philo TV offers similar options but for a bargain. While many consider this simply an alternative to cable TV (considering its 70+ channels for a much cheaper rate), it also has over 70,000 titles to stream on-demand even without utilizing the DVR capabilities. Set at a constant monthly rate that includes everything Philo has to offer, subscribers only pay $25 a month after their seven-day free trial to keep using one of the more underrated TV services the internet has to offer.

8. Mubi (7-Day Free Trial)

A streaming service catered to the arthouse/foreign film cinephiles, Mubi takes streaming subscriptions to a whole new level. Headlining with some of the more obscure and cerebral films to date, Mubi takes pride in its appreciation of the auteur and the directors who made it happen. Presented as a movie theater in a subscription, users can pick from 30 available films – every day one is added and one is removed. After the seven-day free trial, subscribers will be charged $14.99 a month to retain their membership. With the add-on of a fairly new premium feature called MubiGo, users (in select cities) have access to one movie theater ticket every week – a movie chosen by Mubi – and the Mubi library for $19.99 a month.

9. Amazon Prime (30-Day Free Trial)

As one of the biggest competitors in the streaming wars, Amazon Prime offers a surprisingly long trial of 30 days to decide if you enjoy what it has to offer. Responsible for the production of more high-quality films and series every year (including Rings of Power and the new Fallout series), it’s hard to look away from the Amazon Prime catalog. With access to exclusive content as well as a vast library of established films, much of the content is included with the membership but with an option to rent much newer releases. After the 30-day trial is concluded, users will be charged $14.99 a month (or $139 a year) to continue viewing and enjoy free shipping on orders from Amazon’s shopping center. There is also a student discount of $7.49 a month (or $69 a year).

Read our review of Prime Video.

What are the best free streaming services?

If you're looking for a streaming service that is permanently free, there are actually quite a few. One of the biggest names in free streeming is the Roku Channel, which offers tons of movies and shows without the need for a paid subscription. Tubi is also a great option for free movies, TV shows, and live TV channels. Alternatively, if you just want access to live TV directly from the air, you can buy a TV antenna and get access to local channels.

Streaming Free Trial FAQs

Does Netflix have a free trial?

Unfortunately, if you're looking to get a free trial to Netflix, you're out of luck. Netflix does not offer any free trials and is unlikely to ever do so. If you're hoping to add Netflix to your list of subscription services, however, you can take a look at our guide to Netflix plans and prices for more info or dive into some of the best Netflix alternatives.

Does Disney+ have a free trial?

When Disney+ first launched, there was in fact Disney+ free trial. That is no longer the case, and you will need to pay for a subscription to get access to the service in 2025. That being said, it's possible to bundle Disney+ with other services to save some money. You can check out our guide to Disney+ bundles for more info or checkout some of the best Disney+ alternatives.

Does Max have a free trial?

Similar to Netflix and Disney+, Max does not currently offer a free trial. However, the HBO/Discovery streaming service has been known to offer discounts on its service at various points throughout the year. You can check out our guide to Max deals for more info.

Does Peacock have a free trial?

Although it's offered free trials in the past, Peacock does not currently have a free trial option in 2025. So if you want to watch Oppenheimer or shows like The Office, you will have to pay for the subscription.

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The 55" Sony Bravia 4K OLED Google TV Drops to Just Under $1K at Best Buy (65" for $1299.99)

If you're looking for an OLED TV from a reputable brand name at a great price, then Best Buy has got a solid deal going on right now. The Sony Bravia XR A75L 4K OLED smart TVs are on sale right now with the 55" model priced at $999.99 and the 65" model for $1,299.99. These prices are lower than what we saw during Black Friday (the 65" model was $1499 at the time). Although the A75L is an older generation (2023) TV, it's still one of the best TVs out there in terms of image quality and gaming performance. Especially for the 55" model, you won't find a better TV for under $1,000.

55" Sony OLED 4K Smart TV for $999.99, 65" for $1,299.99

Generally speaking, OLED TVs are considered the best TVs you can buy right now. Compared to traditional LED LCD TVs, they offer better image quality, deeper blacks, better contrast ratio, wider color gamut, and super fast response times. Because of these advantages, the OLED TV are easily the best type of TV for viewing 4K HDR content in all of its intended glory.

OLED technology aside, the A75L has the features you'd want in a current generation gaming TV. It has a native 120Hz panel as well as two HDMI 2.1 ports that can run games in 4K at up to 120fps on a PS5 or Xbox Series X gaming console. The OLED panel benefits from a near instantaneous response time (sub 0,.03ms) and supports features like variable refresh rate (VRR) including G-SYNC and auto low latency mode (ALLM). Note that despite this being a Sony TV, it pairs equally well with an Xbox console.

Sony OLED TVs use Google TV as its smart interface. Google TV is intuitive to use and supports voice commands through Google Assistant. You can also pair it with an Android phone to use as a remote.

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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How to Watch Novocaine - Showtimes and Streaming Status

After a press tour that recently featured Jack Quaid looking progressively more beat up at a Clippers game, Novocaine has arrived in theaters. The R-rated action comedy stars Quaid as a man who feels no pain, so it's starting to seem like 'The Boys' veteran goes out of his way to get covered in fake blood.

In her review for IGN, critic Lena Wilson states that “Novocaine offers more depth than its gimmicky 'man who feels no pain' premise may lead you to believe," with "clever storytelling and character writing that reminds us of a time when seeing movies in theaters was just plain fun.”

If you're planning to catch Novocaine in theaters or want a sense of when the movie will be available to stream, check out the details below.

How to Watch Novocaine - Showtimes and Streaming Status

Novocaine just released in theaters. You can check for showtimes near you at the main theater links below:

Novocaine Streaming Release Date

Novocaine will eventually stream on Paramount+ instead of Netflix or Hulu. Recent Paramount movies, like Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Gladiator 2, arrived on the streaming service about three months after releasing in theaters. Assuming the new action comedy follows a similar release schedule, Novocaine will likely be streaming on Paramount+ by late June.

Stream Similar Movies:

What Is Novocaine About?

Novocaine is an original action comedy movie about a man who can't feel pain. Here’s the movie’s official synopsis:

Novocaine Cast and Crew

Novocaine was written by Lars Jacobson and directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen. The movie stars the following actors:

  • Jack Quaid as Nathan "Novocaine" Caine
  • Amber Midthunder as Sherry Margrave
  • Ray Nicholson as Simon Greenly
  • Jacob Batalon as Roscoe Dixon
  • Betty Gabriel as Mincy Langston
  • Matt Walsh as Coltraine Duffy
  • Conrad Kemp as Andre Clark
  • Evan Hengst as Ben Clark
  • Craig Jackson as Nigel
  • Lou Beatty Jr. as Earl

Novocaine Rating and Runtime

Novocaine is Rated R for strong bloody violence, grisly images, and language throughout. The movie runs for a total of one hour and 50 minutes.

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The CRKD Nitro Deck for the Switch Just Dropped to Its Lowest-Ever Price

One of my main frustrations with playing the Nintendo Switch in handheld mode is how uncomfortable it gets. The Joy-Con controllers that come with the Switch are great in a pinch, but they just weren't built for longer gaming sessions. I love the Nintendo Switch Pro controller for playing games on my TV, but whenever I play on the go I use the Nitro Deck.

I purchased my CRKD Nitro Deck during Prime Day last year when it dropped in price, but Amazon has just discounted the price on the white model even further. Right now, you can pick up this great Switch accessory for 24% off its normal price.

CRKD Nitro Deck Deal on Amazon

Multiple colors of the Nitro Deck are currently on sale, but only the white version has dropped to its lowest-ever price. You can purchase the black, gray, blue, and pink versions for just $2 more. There are also various special editions that are quite a bit more expensive that are discounted.

The selling point of the Nitro Deck is comfort. The grips fit my hands wonderfully, and the controller itself includes gyro compatibility and rumble support. There's also a convenient kickstand that lets you set your Switch upright on a flat surface. Unlike some Joy-Con, the joysticks offer zero stick drift. You can also remap the buttons if you want to take customization further.

See more design options:

Will the Nitro Deck Work With Switch 2?

Now that we know the Nintendo Switch 2 is coming out later this year, you may be wondering if this particular Switch accessory will be compatible with the new hardware. The answer is no. The Switch 2 will be larger than the standard Switch, so the Nitro Deck will not be compatible with it. You will only be able to use it with the standard Switch model and the Nintendo Switch OLED.

Jacob Kienlen is a Senior SEO Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor's degree in communication and over 7 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different topics -- from TV series to indie games and popular book series.

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FragPunk Review

With all the trailers, showcases, and dev diaries that can lead up to a game’s launch nowadays, it’s harder than ever for one to be a real surprise – and that’s especially true of a multiplayer first-person shooter when, like me, you are a Certified Old Gamer™ who’s been playing them since the genre began. Yet FragPunk has done just that. What I worried might end up being a Valorant clone with a card gimmick and a big list of other buzzword features has instead impressed me with how fresh it all feels. That said, a messy mishmash of in-game currencies and rewards hurts the fun that can come from leveling up and chasing cosmetics.

In many ways, FragPunk reminds me of a reverse Ship of Theseus. If every component of a game came from somewhere else, does it eventually become something original? It’s hard to say, but the result here is quite amusing regardless. Like Overwatch, it has very distinct characters with big personalities and unique tools to match them. Like Valorant or Counter-Strike, the primary game mode, called Shard Clash, revolves around teams of five competing to plant or defuse a Converter (aka bomb) or eliminate one another across multiple rounds. And like Fortnite, it has a deep bag of cosmetic items like costumes, weapon skins, stickers, and emotes to entice you to spend some money on this otherwise free-to-play shooter.

FragPunk’s playable characters are called Lancers, and they are an entertaining group to choose from. Some are relatively typical archetypes, like a sniper named Hollowpoint and her abilities that help reveal enemies. Others are way out there, like the punk rocker Axon, who shoots lightning from his guitar. Unlike Valorant, where abilities can give you an edge but are rarely what win a fight, Fragpunk places a much bigger emphasis on using them to dominate the map, which I like. When abilities like Broker’s rocket launcher can instantly erase someone, it feels good to use it yourself or devise a counter on the fly as you see it coming, like throwing down a shield wall as Nitro to provide cover and then returning fire from a remote controlled combat drone.

Naturally, Fragpunk isn’t all lightning guitars and rockets. Your standard assortment of shotguns, SMGs, assault rifles, and more forms the backbone of combat. I don’t mind that the guns really aren’t the star of the show here, but I do wish there was more variety to choose from. There are two options in each category you can select as your primary weapon, and they all shoot pretty much exactly how you’d expect. But the gunplay is at least smooth and responsive, and the fast time-to-kill does a good job of emphasizing the importance of positioning over raw gun skill.

The real star of the show is the Shard Card system.

The other aspect of shooting that stands out is how little movement affects your aim. Unlike Valorant, where stopping and popping is often essential if you want to be accurate, Fragpunk fully embraces running and gunning. I found myself repeatedly lagging behind my squad in kill count until a teammate pointed out that I’m better off treating gunfights like Call of Duty with powers – advice that put me right at the top of the next match’s leaderboard. That style of shooting isn’t necessarily better or worse than the more deliberate action of other games, but it does stick out as atypical for an objective-based tactical shooter in a way that’s a perfect fit with the general FragPunk vibe.

The real star of the show is the Shard Card system. Before every round, each team has three random cards pulled that players can then put Shard Points into, effectively voting on which ones will be active. The costs of their effects vary, and you earn more Shard Points either by getting kills or picking them up off the ground mid-round. Some Shard Cards are simple, like one that increases your movement speed, while others are extremely powerful, like another that forces the next round to play out as a melee battle – or one called Big Heads, which (as advertised) gives the entire enemy team overgrown, easy-to-hit craniums. A few are even downright weird, like Egg King, which causes everyone to lay an egg after crouching for 10 seconds, which you can then eat to regain health. It’s hilarious, utterly bizarre, and unlike anything I’ve ever seen in a shooter before.

I’m surprised by how much I enjoy the card-collecting aspect of FragPunk. You start with access to less than a third of the 169 total Shard Cards that are currently available, and you can earn more after completing matches. Getting more matters, as the cards that are randomly selected before each round are based on what each team member has unlocked. It’s pretty exciting getting a new card and reading what weirdness it’s going to introduce. I also appreciate that you can easily see your collection, read the effect, and, in some cases, watch a quick video showing you exactly what it does.

Rounds of Shard Clash go by fast – possibly too fast. In theory, one team is trying to plant the Converter on one of two objective points, which the other team would then need to defuse… but in practice, the overwhelming majority of rounds end when one team wipes out the other, often in just a few minutes. That means that matches rarely have the same sort of strategic back and forth that makes hard-fought games of something like Valorant so engaging. It also means that Lancers with abilities that have more of a nuanced, tactical focus have seemed less viable overall. I’d love to hunker down with Nito’s turrets and drone to hold a point, but so far that’s just a recipe to have all the action happen elsewhere. Hopefully some balance tweaks will arrive to make the objectives a more relevant part of the action.

The cosmetic hunt is too complex without having a lot of enticing options.

A match ends when one team wins four total rounds, but if both teams reach three wins before that happens, it activates one of my favorite twists: Duels. This has each team face off in a series of 1v1 fights in a small arena, and whoever survives sticks around to face the other team’s next champion until every member of one has been eliminated. Health and abilities don’t regenerate round to round, which makes it tough for one great player to run the table. The action is as exciting as it is tense, and spectating while you root on your teammate and wait for your own turn is thrilling, especially when you get the win that clinches the Duel and, by extension, the entire match for your team.

Ranked competition isn’t available until you reach level to 30, which can potentially take up to 10 hours. That’s a little on the long side, and I was pretty done with no-stakes matches well before I was able to start playing for rank. Shard Clash is the same in ranked, apart from the fact that you are now playing to six wins rather than four, but the random element of the Shard Cards might be a little too random in this context. It’s tough to be fighting with actual stakes and feel like bad draws are costing you wins. There’s an advanced version of Shard Clash you get access to once you reach Diamond rank that gives teams some control over selecting and banning cards to mitigate that, but I can’t help but feel like it should be the default for ranked competition across the board.

A few other modes add some variety, though none stand out. Simple Deathmatch is nice for shooting practice, and Duel Master is a similarly good gametype to train for those one-on-ones, though it not being the finale of a long match takes a lot of the drama out of it. Outbreak is the most interesting option: Like Halo’s Infection playlist, most players start with weapons while a few turn into Zombies, and everyone who is killed turns and starts hunting the survivors. Unfortunately the matches are much too long, and the mix of zombies with too much health and guns that slow them down tends to make fights frustrating for both sides.

Like so many free-to-play games, FragPunk relies on incentivising people to spend money on things like cosmetics as a source of revenue, rather than game sales. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that model, and it can even be a fun motivator if there are cool things to chase. Here, however, the cosmetic hunt suffers from a mixture of being too complex without having a lot of enticing options that make it feel worth investing in.

There are way too many different currencies. There is Gold, which you use to buy items and new Lancers, and there’s Glunite, which also buys items – those are both earned largely through playing matches and progressing along the battle pass. Then you can buy FragPunk Coins, which cost real money and are also used to unlock characters and items. If you buy into the premium version of the battle pass for 900 FragPunk Coins, which will cost you around $10USD, you’ll earn Battle Pass Tokens to spend on a different set of cosmetics. Meanwhile, playing ranked matches will get you Ranking Coins, which let you pick from an exclusive pool of weapon skins. That’s not to be confused with the Membership Pick, obviously, which you cash in for weapon skins from a different pool. And, of course, if you or create an in-game Club, you can get Club Supplies. These are all spent on basically the same types of things, but from separate catalogs, which creates unnecessary confusion with no benefit to you as a player.

It’s a mess, and that’s without including the additional currencies that will presumably rotate in and out for special events. It’s too scattered, and way too much to keep track of. It’s also hard to feel any interest in figuring it all out when most of the prizes aren’t very appealing. None of the additional skins stand out the way the best options in Marvel Rivels do, for example. Many of the things Gold (the currency you earn the most of) gets you are random pulls for small touches like gun stickers. The most valuable thing Gold can buy, the Lancers, are prohibitively expensive, resulting in a far too coercive push towards spending real money to buy new characters outright – when it took me 10 hours to unlock a single Lancer, that $10 price tag starts to look less like a suggestion.

Even the battle pass, a staple of games like this, misses the mark. There are very few rewards on the free tier of the 60-level pass, and they consist primarily of stickers, icons for your profile, and pop cans that give out random rewards. Paying for the premium tier gives you access to many more prizes, including several bland character and weapons skins… but there’s also an Ultimate level on top of that, which adds very little other than doubling a few of the random pull rewards, two weapon skins, and one Lancer skin. That seems absurd given the Ultimate Pass is more than double the cost of the premium version at a whopping 2500 FragPunk Coins, or around $25.

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