Games Workshop has added a Black Library logo to its official Big Summer Warhammer Preview showcase, sparking speculation the company may announce new novels that finally move the overarching Warhammer 40,000 narrative forward.
Big Summer Warhammer Preview, set for this Friday, July 18, will contain reveals for Games Workshop’s main tabletop games, including Age of Sigmar, The Horus Heresy, and of course Warhammer 40,000. Its initially released digital poster for the event did not feature the logo for Black Library, Games Workshop’s in-house book publishing division. However, on July 16, it released a new version of this poster with the Black Library logo added, sparking speculation that fans will get new novel announcements as well.
Why is this exciting for fans of the setting? There is a great deal of speculation that Games Workshop may finally be ready to move the Warhammer 40,000 narrative forward with either a brand new series of books, the teased meet-up between two returned primarchs, or the long-awaited third book in Dan Abnett's Bequin trilogy.
IGN has reported on the now mythical Pandemonium before, when fans speculated its delay might have something to do with Games Workshop and Amazon getting their narrative ducks in a row ahead of the Henry Cavill-fronted Warhammer 40,000 Cinematic Universe. It is perhaps the most-anticipated book in all Warhammer fandom. The first novel in the Bequin series, Pariah, came out in 2012. Its sequel, the Warhammer 40,000 lore treasure trove that is Penitent, followed nearly a decade later, in March 2021. Pandemonium does not have a release date, and the wait for an announcement is fast becoming Warhammer 40,000’s version of George R. R. Martin’s M.I.A. Game of Thrones book, The Winds of Winter. Some fans are speculating — perhaps more with hope than expectation — that now is finally the time for a Pandemonium reveal.
There's heightened interest in Pandemonium because it promises to actually move the overarching Warhammer 40,000 plot forward. Penitent ended with a significant lore revelation (it has to do with the identity of the mysterious King in Yellow, which we won’t spoil here), and so the ramifications of Pandemonium for the wider Warhammer 40,000 universe could be huge.
Perhaps more realistic is a new novel series set during the period known as The Scouring. This is the largely unexplored time in Warhammer 40,000 history when the Imperium ran down the traitor legions following the defeat of Horus 10,000 years before the current setting. With the Horus Heresy seemingly wrapped up following the release of Era of Ruin, The Scouring seems like a natural next step for Games Workshop if it wants to continue filling in the gaps in the Warhammer 40,000 narrative.
Or this may all be much ado about nothing, and Black Library’s presence at the show ultimately goes down as a disappointment. You’d like to think that Games Workshop knew what it would do to fan expectations by slapping the Black Library logo on its preview poster, though.
Which leads me neatly into why Warhammer 40,000 lore fans get excited by teases like this in the first place. As I’ve reported before, the Warhammer 40,000 story, such as it is, is a slow moving beast. The scribes at Games Workshop sometimes take years to inch the overarching plot forward. Take, for example, the return of beloved primarch, Lion El'Jonson, which was announced in March 2023. Now, over two years later, the character is yet to do much of anything in the setting, his hotly anticipated reunion with his brother, Roboute Guilliman, seemingly further away than ever. Could a new novel finally detail this sure to be spicy meet up?
Maybe, on Friday, we’ll finally get some answers. The Big Summer Warhammer Preview is set for 7pm BST / 11am PDT on Friday, July 18.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Quality gaming chairs don’t usually come cheap, especially if you prefer shopping with big, well-known brands – the Razer Iskur V2 X aims to change that. Coming in at a base price of $300, it blends comfort and style at around half the price of the higher-end flagship Iskur V2, with a few compromises to take note of. It’s not necessarily the cheapest option, but it’s a quality and comfortable offering that’s definitely worth considering if you’re looking for a brand name budget-level gaming chair.
Razer Iskur V2 X – Design and Features
The Razer Iskur V2 X doesn’t break the mold in gaming chair designs and doesn’t aim to. If you’re seen the previous iteration of the Iskur we reviewed a while back, or most other racing style gaming chairs, then you’ll have a good idea of what to expect here. It sports a typical bucket seat-inspired design when it comes to its overall shape and design. It has a tall back and wide seat with ample padding for your bottom and back. The backrest is tall, extending all the way behind your head, and both it and the seat have stylized bolsters to guide you toward their center. Unlike most gaming chairs of this type and price range, these bolsters aren’t overly pronounced and there’s no sense of being cramped or hugged into place.
There’s a recline lever on the right that allows you to lean back up to 152 degrees if you want to take a quick nap or kick back with your feet up. The armrests are adjustable, but only in two dimensions (height and rotation). You can rock in place or lock the chair at a certain angle using a lever below the chair or adjust its resistance with a large knob on the bottom, and the height is also adjustable by around four inches. It’s all standard stuff when it comes to typical racing-style chairs.
This is a quality chair that’s definitely worth considering if you’re looking for a name brand at a reasonable price.
What you don’t get is any kind of adjustable lumbar support, and there are no pillows in the box to fill in any gap you might have in the lower back area. Instead, it comes with an integrated lumbar curve and a contoured backrest that helps position you properly without needing to think about it, at least for me. I’m 5-foot 8-inches and found that it was well positioned for me, so I didn’t miss having a lumbar pillow. Razer recommends the chair for people up to 6-foot 2-inches, but without any kind of adjustability, it won’t be a match for everyone.
Its lack of pillows is disappointing; at $300, it’s “budget” compared to Razer’s higher-end chairs, but it’s not necessarily cheap and you’ll be stuck paying extra for pillows if you need them. This is especially noteworthy since the original Iskur was so well known for its lumbar support.
Thankfully, in most other respects the Iskur V2 X impresses, especially with its build quality. It’s available in black and green or grey and black fabric, which is what I had in for testing. The quality of the weave and embroidery was excellent and includes stylized touches such as the snake-like diamond scales on the back and seat. Aesthetically, it’s a good match against the full Iskur V2, so if you like its looks, this is a much cheaper way to add it to your setup.
Razer also did a nice job making sure it nails the basics for durability and comfort. The wheel base is made of aluminum instead of plastic, which is a nice upgrade at this price and eliminates a common point of failure. I also appreciate that the tilt base, while definitely simpler than the full-fledged Iskur V2, operates smoothly and quietly and still includes key adjustments like tilt tension and angle lock. It also uses a steel frame to support long-term daily use, which isn’t always the case with more affordable chairs.
The cushioning is thick enough and soft enough to be comfortable straight out of the box and the fabric hits the midpoint between softness and robustness. It’s not quite as thick as the Iskur V2, but it’s as thick as it needs to be for a decent seating experience long-term. The armrests are also topped with a dense foam padding that’s soft enough to stave off elbow pain.
There are definitely some trade-offs here, as mentioned above – the biggest ones being the non-adjustable lumbar, lack of pillows, and 2D armrests. Apart from the backrest, the others really aren’t as impactful, and if you mesh with the backrest, it’s not that big of a deal. The overwhelming impression is that, for the most part, this is a chair that makes reasonable compromises on accommodating a range of needs in order to keep its price down.
Razer Iskur V2 X – Assembly
Assembling the Iskur V2 X is straightforward, so if you’ve assembled a gaming chair before, you’ll already know what to do. If not, Razer includes detailed instructions and everything you’ll need to get started. Everything comes separate in the box, which means lots of packaging material, but you don’t need to be especially handy to get it put together within about 20 minutes.
If it is your first time, I recommend getting everything set out ahead of time. With the parts in front of you, it’s pretty easy to intuit the assembly process. You’ll start by getting the casters inserted into the wheelbase, which is a toolless friction-fit. Then, you insert the gas piston into the center hole, cover it with the plastic shroud and wheel it to the side.
From there, I recommend attaching the backrest if you’re by yourself. This is a simple two screws on their side, but lining the threaded holes up with the side brackets can be awkward due to the size of the backrest. With that done, you cover each with their own shroud and then tip the whole setup forward for easy access to the bottom of the chair.
The tilt base attaches with four screws and Razer uses channels for each, so you can easily line them up and move the whole unit as needed before tightening it down. After that, you simply take the wheel assembly you put together before and slide the top of the gas piston into the hole in the base– tip the chair upright and you’re done.
Razer Iskur V2 X – Performance
I was able to spend about a month with the Iskur V2 X and over that time I truly put it through its paces. It lived at my home gaming PC setup for the first half of the review period and then I moved it into my office to see how it would hold up to long hours throughout normal workdays. Like I alluded to in the beginning of this review, the V2 X’s lumbar support was a good match for my back, so across my entire test period, I never got up sore or felt like I was paying a price for using it for too long – well, with one exception near the upper body.
The lack of a neck pillow turned out to be a big omission. Such a small accessory may not seem like it means a lot but it truly does, at least on the Iskur V2 X. The back contours in such a way that it leaves a larger gap behind your head. Leaning back feels immediately awkward unless you’re also reclining and shifting away from a normal seating posture. I eventually harvested a pillow from another gaming chair, but you should probably plan on getting one alongside this chair if you don’t also have a spare, because it really needs it.
With that problem addressed, the chair comes into its own and begins to demonstrate its value through looks and overall comfort. The fabric stands up to more expensive fabric chairs I’ve tested, including those from Secretlab that cost around double the price of the Iskur V2 X. And, if you care about looks, you can rest assured that it doesn’t look budget at all.
I was worried that the 2D armrests would be an issue when swapping between a controller and mouse and keyboard, but they offered just enough to accommodate either, at least by adjusting the width using the fasteners under the seat. Technically, 2D armrests aren’t width adjustable, but since each armrest runs on a track, you have an inch or two of give/movement to better accommodate the natural lay of your arms. It’s a middle ground that may not be elegant, but it gets you there.
And that’s really the story of this chair. There are sacrifices in adjustability, but the core is very good and is made to be more durable and rougher-wearing for the kind of rigorous use whether it be for a gaming setup or office setting. Although it is the “budget” option in the Iskur lineup, It’s not the cheapest, but those extra dollars get you that build quality and fabric finish you should expect. Whether that’s a worthy exchange is up to you.
There’s something oddly satisfying about scooping up post-sale scraps that should be gone by now. The Prime Day rush is done and dusted, yet a slew of cracking offers have somehow avoided the discount bin cull. I’ve been trawling the dregs so you don’t have to, and what’s still kicking around is honestly worth your time and wallet.
This Day in Gaming 🎂
In retro news, I’m lighting a 17-candle cake for Secret Agent Clank using the low-heat blast of a Tie-A-Rang (that tuxedo-grade gadget that slices through henchmen and decorum with equal style). I fondly recall this offbeat PSP spin-off from the Ratchet & Clank universe as a genre-jumper, swapping the series’ traditional bombastic platforming for a stealth-lite spy parody, all deployed to smooth jazz riffs.
While it never hit the highs of the mainline series, Secret Agent Clank did something admirable: it gave the sidekick his moment. With Ratchet framed for a crime he didn’t commit, Clank stepped out of his buddy’s shadow and into a tux, creating a rare handheld experience that mixed rhythm games, QTE spy action, and mini stealth sequences with Bond-level puns. It wasn’t a revolution, but it showed how Insomniac’s world was elastic enough to stretch into spin-offs without snapping.
On Switch, Super Mario RPG is a must-grab. This remake not only nails the SNES original’s off-kilter humour and rhythm-based battles, but it’s also secretly the first Mario game with a Square Enix touch. If you’d rather go full outlaw, Red Dead Redemption runs beautifully in handheld mode and yes, you can hogtie NPCs on a moving train. It still works. I checked.
Xbox Series X players, Alan Wake 2 is absurdly good value right now. It's a masterclass in digital horror, with Remedy writing actual playable pages of the in-game novel. Meanwhile, Cyberpunk 2077 is (kinda sorta) finally the game we were promised, and Night City has never looked better or felt more alive thanks to the Phantom Liberty DLC injection.
Over on PlayStation, I’ve been loving Epic Mickey: Rebrushed on PS5. It’s not just a port – it retools the physics and AI while keeping the concept art-inspired charm. Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut on PS4 is also a no-brainer. Its Kurosawa Mode isn’t just visual flair because the devs studied actual samurai films to get the camera angles and lens grime just right.
And finally, on PC, Pacific Drive is a wild roguelike driving sim I can’t stop recommending. It turns car maintenance into a full-on survival mechanic. If you want bang for buck though, Moonlighter at under four bucks is insane. It’s Zelda by day, capitalism by night. Trust me, it works.
There’s an old idea called the sophomore slump that says second efforts generally aren’t as good as the first. Sophomore students don't care as much as freshmen; bands have less time to make a second album than the “out of nowhere” breakout hit they worked on for years; athletes who have exceptional rookie years regress to the mean; and so on. There’s no denying the power of new car smell, and part of the reason College Football 25 popped off as hard as it did (and trust me if you’re unsure: it popped off) was because it’d been more than a decade since NCAA 14. People really, really wanted a new game based on college football. It didn’t hurt that it was also a good one, but the annual “it’s the same game as last year” fatigue of the sports genre hadn’t set in yet. College Football 26 doesn’t benefit from new car smell anymore, but it’s not a game suffering from the sophomore slump, either. This season is better than last year’s; it’s just more focused on steady improvement than breakout success.
Here’s the secret, y’all: once a sports series “solves” the gameplay, it’s never really going to be bad. And College Football 26 (and frankly, Madden, too) has largely solved the “make the football video game play good” part of the football video game. At worst, it’s going to feel samey from year to year, like you’re stuck in football-themed purgatory at a party that’s never quite bad enough to leave. That’s not College Football 26; this is good-ass barbeque, and I’m happy to be here. But like a good-but-not-great QB working on his footwork and release, the devil is in the details. Improvements here are more evolution, less revolution, but this is an annual sports game. You kinda knew that going in.
Part of that is because College Football 26 is built on a really firm foundation. College Football 25 was a good game, and it still has that infectious spirit and sense of tradition that made it a nice change of pace from the more straight-laced Madden. This year’s iteration expands on that in good ways. One of the things I appreciate most is the Trophy Room, which tracks the real world trophies you’ll accumulate across your entire career, no matter what mode you’re in. It’s cool to see stuff like the Heisman Trophy, the Unitas Golden Arm Award, and the Orange Bowl Trophy collected in one place, and be able to learn about them, too. There’s a lot of history to college football, and I appreciate that EA has tried to capture that.
Aside from the addition of the Trophy Room, though, there are no new modes in College Football 26. The options are the exact same as last year, so I am going to copy and paste last year’s paragraph breaking down the modes. Fair’s fair, right?
“You’ve got Play Now, Road to the College Football playoffs, which is a quickfire online ranked mode where you’ll pick a team and try to guide them to a National Championship; Road to Glory, which lets you create your own player and pilot them through their college career; the flagship Dynasty mode, where you’ll helm one of College Football 25 26’s 136(!) [Delaware and Mississippi State are new additions] teams as either a head coach or an offensive or defensive coordinator; Practice and Minigames; and finally, College Ultimate Team (CUT), the college version of Madden Ultimate Team. Just like its big brother, CUT is a slot machine masquerading as a trading card game that will almost assuredly make EA hundreds of millions of dollars and eventually earn the ire of the community as it gets more updates per year than every other mode combined.”
Leaving tutorials in Ultimate Team is still a bad system and a deeply cynical move.
I was kinda hoping that College Football 26 would move its tutorials out of Ultimate Team, but no such luck. This is still a bad system and it’s still a deeply cynical move on EA’s part. Again, I quote from last year’s review:
“The only reason to do it this way is to corral new players into CUT so they can fall down the money hole – of course, it’s somewhat self-defeating that they have to figure out that the tutorials are in CUT in the first place, which is something College Football 25 26 doesn’t actually tell you. As someone who doesn’t play Ultimate Team beyond my obligations as a critic for obvious reasons [and presuming I hadn’t played College Football 25], I would’ve just assumed that there were no tutorials at all and EA simply wanted college football-curious folk who didn’t already play their football to wander around aimlessly until they figured it out for themselves. In actuality, EA wants all of us to get hooked on CUT and spend lots and lots of money. I’m not sure which is worse.”
That’s all still true, but the College Football team has at least made some really nice quality of life updates to Ultimate Team. I’m going to single out two I appreciated in particular: One is the Pack Helper, which will immediately tell you if a player is better than someone in your current lineup and let you equip them on the spot without entering another menu. The other major one is that you can now see your challenges from the play call screen and bring them up at any time pre-snap, no more pausing required. These, as well as some other changes, are very nice tweaks. That said, I functionally believe, deep in my soul, that these modes are predatory, more than a little evil, and designed to trigger the dopamine-producing parts of our brain that gambling stimulates in the hopes that you will continue to spend money for a chance at a good outcome, which is what gambling is, and I cannot endorse anything about them. Yes, you can build a team without spending money, but it is designed to take much longer than just opening your wallet, and given that doing so can literally make your team better, it is pay to win. These are unremarkable and verifiable truths. Do with them what you will. I say we move on to greener pastures.
The mode that has seen the most meaningful changes in my eyes is Road to Glory, where you’ll create a player and begin your college journey. Notably, you can now (kind of) play through your high school phase, which determines how colleges view you. Last year, my very own Joe Throw was a five-star recruit because I work hard enough already. This year, I said “f*** it, we ball,” and legendary QB Joe Throw started down the more challenging path of a two-star prospect because why not? You have more customization options this year – I could select my throwing style, shotgun stance, running animation, line up look, and so on – that is really cool, and once I got Joe Throw all prettied up and ready for the dance and selected my archetype (I opted for Backfield Creator), it was time to step out onto the floor. There are six preset teams to play for (I played for the Rattlers), but you can build your own in the Team Builder if you’re so inclined.
After a brief interview with a local reporter allowed me to talk about what I was looking for in a college program, I set up my recruiting board, which showed me what potential schools thought of Joe. You might think you’d play full high school games, but the reality is you’ll select up to four of five possible goals and play through drives based around them, whether that means throwing a play action pass while avoiding a ball-hawking safety, leading your team on a late drive to win the game, or converting an important third down.
The high school system is solid, even if I wish we were playing full games.
How well you do will determine what you put on tape, which is how colleges will evaluate you. Each school has its own criteria and is looking for different things in its players, so some will jive with certain goals (and player archetypes) more than others. Navy is probably more interested in a mobile QB who can run the option than a pocket passer, and will evaluate you accordingly, while a school that runs a pro style offense probably wants a cat who can sling it.
It’s a solid system, even if I wish we were playing full games instead of regular drives. That said, I do like it overall, and it’s a big improvement over last year. I also like that you get a limited number of retries per game depending on your difficulty, and that teams will give you special challenges you can undertake to improve your tape score with them, or tell you that they’re just not that into you thanks to their current lineup or because they’ve just secured a commitment from another player at your position. That doesn’t mean they won’t give you a scholarship or you can’t try out for them as a walk on; it’ll just be harder.
As a two-star recruit, my path was really difficult. I essentially had to play perfectly to get an offer from my preferred school (Virginia), but I liked the challenge. I also like the little touches EA has added: Senior Night, how the camera trails your player during run outs, and a hat ceremony where you can fake people out before you select your school. I started off as a third string QB at Virginia, but it wasn’t long before Joe Throw was in a position battle for the backup spot. Once I won that, he was soon promoted to starter.
Otherwise, stuff is more or less the same as last year, and the same problems persist. It takes too long to get access to things like audibles and hot routes, your coach will make boneheaded play calls (why are we constantly running play action when we never run the ball, coach?) with limited options for you to change them, and your coach will blame you for “stalled drives” when your receivers drop the ball or your running back gets stuffed. You know, things that are not your fault, reducing his trust in you. Some of these restrictions don’t even make sense. Why am I allowed to call timeouts and not audibles? Why can I flip the play on the play call screen but not after I come to the line? It’s maddening until you earn the ability to do basic things. I get that this is meant to simulate earning your coach’s trust and serve as progress in what is essentially a sports RPG, but it can also be frustrating to deal with.
Outside of the games, Road to Glory is largely the same. You’ll manage your time between studying, resting to restore your health, upping your leadership skills, training, and managing your brand. There are occasional extras, like NIL deals and the opportunity to study for or cheat on tests, and so on, all of which mostly boil down to text exchanges that offer their own risks and rewards. You now have to manage Coach Happiness and Career Health, which are nice additions, though the former is very easy if you’re smart (and don’t get caught cheating). The latter requires making sure your Season Health stays as high as it can, otherwise it reduces your career health pool in the subsequent season. These are good additions, if still a little easy to manage. Joe Throw is once again almighty, and Road to Glory is still the same as it was: solid, but not great.
Dynasty is where most people will spend their time, and it’s got the same highs and lows as it did last year, though there are some great upgrades. Over 300 real world coaches are in College Football 26, complete with their own playbooks, tendencies, and skills. Custom coaches have more customization options, from their clothing to how they behave on the sidelines, and they all now have a level cap of 100 up from College Football 25’s 50. Jack-of-all-trades builds are harder than specializing, though you can compensate for this by hiring coordinators who supplement your weaknesses.
There have also been an enormous number of quality of life changes here. I won’t go into all of them because we’d be here forever and EA has a blog explaining all of that anyway, but I dig many of them, like how bringing in a player close to your school costs fewer recruiting hours than flying in someone from across the country, and that you can always see your team needs when you’re on the recruiting menu because they’re now pinned to the top of the page. Oh, and now every player has a dealbreaker (some of which change over time), so there’s more players in the Transfer Portal at the end of any given year, and how much they progress between seasons (or how much weight they gain) is based on how good your school’s training facilities are. Better still, you can finally level them up manually. It’s great stuff, and I saw how much harder it is to recruit at a school like UConn (my online dynasty) and Boise State (my solo world). All very good, very welcome changes, among many, many others.
However, many of Dynasty’s improvements are largely still around the edges, under the hood kind of stuff. This is the same engine and the same car, and you have to love the act of recruiting, leveling up your coach, and playing games because, beyond that, there isn’t much else to do. Dynasty is still good, but it’s very much “more of the same, just better.” If you liked it last year, you’ll like it this year. If, like me, you wish there was more to do, that hasn’t changed. I’m going to try to stick with my Online Dynasty longer than I did last year, but it still doesn’t compel me the way Franchise does in Madden.
The best stuff might be the on-the-field tweaks.
The best stuff might be the on-the-field tweaks. The little change I’m happiest about is to how defenders play the football when it’s in the air. If you’ve played College Football or Madden in the last few years, you’ve probably noticed defenders intercepting passes that they couldn’t have seen without turning around. They essentially had eyes in the back of their heads, and it could be very frustrating. EA has said they’ve changed that, and in my testing, it’s proven true. Now a defender has to see the ball to pick it off, and you’ll notice defenders turning their heads (or not) before the ball arrives. If they don’t, however, it doesn’t mean that defender can’t make a play on the ball. They can still swat it. It’s a good change because it’s two-fold: you now actually have a reason to swat the ball down instead of going for the pick every time, and better defenders can now make plays average ones can’t.
I’m also a big fan of dynamic subs and custom zones for defenders. The former allows you to swap players on the field and not just on the playcall screen (thank God), though you have to wait a play for the substitution to take effect, and the latter is the defensive version of last year’s custom stems for routes on offense. I enjoy the defensive game more than the offensive one, so being able to set where I want my zones to be on the field in real-time and not in a menu is welcome. I’m enjoying playing around with this stuff, and I imagine I’ll be using it quite a bit. And man, being able to sub on the field is a godsend, even if it’s not immediate. Maybe one day we’ll get to the point where players are running on and off the field in real time. That would be neat, but this is a good first step to that (hopefully possible) future.
Ahead of San Diego Comic-Con, DC continues to reveal big plans for Fall 2025. Hot on the heels of the reveal of Absolute Evil, DC is shedding light on DC K.O., the publisher's next big crossover event.
Overseen by Absolute Batman writer Scott Snyder and Superman writer Joshua Williamson and building on the foundation of 2024's DC All In, DC K.O. explores what happens when the fate of the entire DC Universe hinges on a Mortal Kombat-style death tournament. 36 fighters will enter the tournament, with only one standing the chance of rising through the ranks and building up enough Omega Energy to challenge Darkseid himself.
“DC K.O. is a knock-down, drag-out fight between all your favorite DC Super Heroes in a cosmic tournament to save the universe from Darkseid,” said Snyder in DC's press release. “Darkseid has evolved into something bigger and stronger than ever.”
“He’s destroyed the future,” added Williamson. “There’s no future for the DC Universe because of what he’s done—the heroes’ only shot is to stop him in the present.”
DC is teasing that readers will be greatly surprised at which heroes enter the tournament and, especially, which ones make it through the early battles. However, the core of DC K.O. is built around Superman.
“Metal was a Batman story, Death Metal was a Wonder Woman story—and DC K.O. is a Superman story,” said Williamson.
“I wanted to tell a story about Superman looking into his own heart of darkness,” said Snyder. “It’s a very personal story wrapped in nine layers of candy exploding in your face.”
The core, five-issue DC K.O. miniseries will be written by Snyder and illustrated by Javi Fernández (Batman & Robin). Williamson, meanwhile, will write several tie-in books spinning out of the main series. Other ongoing DC books like Justice League Unlimited and Titans will also tie into DC K.O.
DC K.O. kicks off with the prologue issue Justice League: The Omega Act #1 on October 1, 2025, followed by DC K.O. #1 on October 8.
While nowhere near as popular as Mario games, Donkey Kong has continuously released some of the best 2D platformers in the entire market. The Donkey Kong Country series, which started on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, has released two remasters on Nintendo Switch specifically. One of these is Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, launched earlier this year for Nintendo Switch, and if you're a fan of 2D platformers, this is easily a must-own game. Then there's also Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, which is on sale for the same price at Woot as well.
These deals are part of an ongoing video game sale at Woot, which lasts until August 1 and includes a ton of other Switch games.
Donkey Kong Switch Games Are on Sale at Woot
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD features over 80 levels across nine different worlds. This version of the game brings the new features found in the 3DS release, in addition to a new Modern Mode that increases the number of hearts per level. Some of the levels you'll come across will be incredibly challenging, but the platforming is very fair and exceptionally fun, whether playing alone or with a friend.
DKC Returns initially launched on the Wii in 2010, but even 15 years later, the game still holds up. We gave the game an 8/10 in our review, stating, "Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a passable remaster of an amazing platformer – more modern improvements and a larger graphical update would have been nice, but this is still one of the greatest 2D platformers Nintendo has released this century."
The other deal worth mentioning in this sale is Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, which was originally released for the Wii U. We gave that game a 9/10 in our review, stating, "Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze is a fun and challenging platformer that isn’t afraid to make you work hard."
Now is the perfect time to jump into DK's previous adventures, as Donkey Kong Bananza (out tomorrow!) is set to feature numerous references to older games in the series. If you're excited for Donkey Kong's big debut on Nintendo Switch 2, be sure to check out our 10/10 review of the game.
What is Woot?
If you aren't familiar with Woot, the easiest way to learn more about it is through the about page on its website. In a nutshell, Woot is a daily deals site that was founded back in 2004 and later purchased by Amazon. They offer deals on just about everything that many other retailers don't often have. The products themselves are always high-quality and backed by Amazon, so it's legit. Prime members even get free standard shipping on anything they buy on Woot, so you don't need to worry about hitting a minimum price or total shipping costs if you already have Prime.
Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.
The plot continues to thicken in the ongoing battle between the former leadership of Subnautica 2 studio Unknown Worlds, and parent company Krafton, now with the studio's founders alleging in a lawsuit that Krafton went out of its way to hinder Subnautica 2's development, delay the game, and ultimately fire them from the studio after it learned it may have to pay out a $250 million bonus to employees if the game were to be released on time.
In a newly-unsealed complaint reported by Bloomberg and shared by Aftermath, former Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill, and fellow co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire claim their relationship with Krafton, as well as the development of the game, was all going well up until early 2025, when the leaders presented Krafton with new revenue projections that suggested Subnautica 2 would do better than they initially anticipated. They also say they tried to negotiate for developers who had joined the team later and were not currently eligible for bonuses to receive them.
The former leaders claim that upon learning this, Krafton began to suggest the game be delayed, allegedly combing through contracts to determine if they had a legal standing to force a delay, despite the contract saying the decision lay with Unknown Worlds. They say that Krafton even went so far as to take action to make it difficult or impossible for it to release on time. Krafton began offering feedback that the game was not ready for its early access launch, pulled marketing materials, and refusing to follow through on certain pre-launch commitments. Ultimately, the founders say this culminated in Krafton letting the three of them go earlier this month and officially delaying Subnautica 2.
While Krafton has since extended the bonus period for the remaining employees to receive their earnout if targets are hit, notably Krafton has claimed that the former leadership was eligible for 90% of the bonuses, meaning Krafton would only have to pay a maximum of $25 million if targets are met, not $250 million.
The founders' lawsuit accuses Krafton of breach of contract and demands payout of the full bonus promised as well as damages and other costs.
The drama around Subnautica 2 kicked off earlier this month when Krafton announced suddenly that it was replacing the three founders with former Striking Distance CEO Steve Papoutsis effectively immediately, which Gill, Cleveland, and McGuire claimed was a "shock" to them. In the following weeks, reports have emerged regarding the $250 million bonus promised to staff, and Krafton has made statements accusing the former leaders of neglecting their duties and saying that Subnautica 2 was not in an acceptable state for launch. In particular, Krafton alleged that Cleveland was told to stop devoting time to a personal project and focus on his duties at the studio. The lawsuit, filed last week, counters that this personal project was a Subnautica film, and was worked on at the explicit request of Krafton.
The readiness of Subnautica 2 remains an open question. Leaked documents since verified by Krafton confirm that Unknown Worlds was receiving feedback from the publisher that the game was not ready for early access launch. However, a report from Bloomberg that sources developers on the project, as well as the lawsuit from the founders, suggest it was in good shape.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Prime Day may be over, but there are still countless great deals on books at Amazon. The Legend of Zelda books are great deep-dives into the history and lore of Nintendo's legendary action-adventure games, and the Deluxe Edition of the official encyclopedia is at its lowest price we've seen all year. It's currently sitting at $44.66, which is a nice 50% off of its original list price, $89.99. At this price, I'm real close to picking one up for myself even though I don't have any more room on my shelf. This is a great gift for any Zelda fans out there.
The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia Deluxe Edition Is at its Lowest Price in 2025
The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia details the first 30 years of the game series' long and storied history, from its original NES inception to an expanded official timeline we first got in Hyrule Historia. Like the standard edition (the one with the blue cover), the Deluxe Edition is also 328 pages and offers deep insight into the series, with illustrations, maps, screenshots, concept art, and so much more for your viewing pleasure. There's even an exclusive interview with Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma that's worth a read.
What's different with the Deluxe Edition is its cover and slipcase, which are designed to look like the original Legend of Zelda NES cartridge. The cover is gold foil paper with shiny lamination that really captures that retro vibe we all love. The black slipcase is also reminiscent of the ones that came with new NES games, and it also includes an oversized instruction booklet as a fun bonus detail.
Hyrule Historia, Art & Artifacts, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion are other awesome books you can add to your collection. If you prefer to match your Encyclopedia with the other books, it's available and on sale as well. But come on, how can you resist that incredible gold printing and retro design?
The Legend of Zelda Manga
There are also some great Legend of Zelda manga you can find in complete box sets. The Legendary Edition box set comes in a treasure chest with the entire run of manga besides Twilight Princess, which has its own box set, and the Link to the Past book is a quick, fun read that takes you through the entirety of the game's plot. I reread mine every now and then, and it always sparks a nostalgic playthrough of the SNES masterpiece.
With its exceptional storytelling, characters, worldbuilding, and animation, Netflix’s Leviathan has the trappings of a modern classic. In this clever alternate history of World War I – adapted by Studio Orange (Trigun Stampede, Beastars) from a trilogy of novels by Scott Westerfeld – alliances are determined by technology. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans are “Clankers,” relying on machines and other electrical phenomena. On the other side, the “Darwinist” Brits use genetically engineered animals as both weaponry and smaller-scale technology. There’s a genuine inventiveness to these concepts – and the coming of age saga that they surround – that gives all 12 episodes of Leviathan a refreshing air.
To wit: The morning after the Austrian archduke and his wife are assassinated in 1914, their son Aleksandar is whisked away to a safe house in the Swiss Alps. In a mech. Meanwhile, in the U.K., young Deryn Sharp dreams of becoming an aviator (despite it being a male-only profession). She cuts her hair, adopts the first name Dylan, enlists in the British Air Service, and then gets whisked away on a giant flying jellyfish. The Clankers’ steampunk mechs feel period-appropriate, but the Darwinists’ technology is far more enthralling, and Leviathan knows it – after all, it’s named for a whale that serves as an airship. There are smoke-screening birds, bats that drop missiles, and funny little lizards who can record short messages and play them back.
Leviathan’s preference for showing rather than telling is one of its greatest strengths – and one of the ways in which it authentically draws favorable comparisons to Studio Ghibli (and merits the participation of its go-to composer, Joe Hisaishi). Similar to a Ghibli film, some key turns are communicated through facial expressions and other visual cues. This leaves Leviathan open to interpretation, giving it a depth and richness that lingers long after the finale.
The art direction helps amplify this – and the Ghibli-ness, too. In the second episode, Aleksandar and his entourage go to a town that, from the color choices to camera and character blocking, feels right out of Porco Rosso or Kiki’s Delivery Service. It’s impressive that Studio Orange is able to evoke the atmosphere of these hand-drawn classics within a computer-animated series. Sometimes the “slowness” of the CG feels manufactured, or a character can’t quite reach the levels of expressiveness the animators are going for. But given the sheer number of incredibly complex machines in Leviathan, CG is the sensible choice. Every country represented onscreen has its own style of technology, and Studio Orange makes them all look pristine.
All this openness gives Leviathan a critical gray space to move around in, which allows its story and characters to flourish. When the Leviathan crashes in the Alps, Aleksandar – going by the comically weak pseudonym Alek – and crew are forced aboard on a globetrotting journey. “The development of a friendship from opposite sides of a war” and “teens travel the world” are both tried-and-true story structures that settle Leviathan into the cozy, classic feeling of the generations of YA stories that inspired it. Yet the well-formed characters play with those conventions, and give us plenty of reasons to care about them.
Both Alek and Sharp (as most everyone in Leviathan refers to the character) are immediately likable, due in large part to the spirited work of their voice actors, Ayumu Murase and Natsumi Fujiwara. Alek has all the trappings of a sheltered noble without ever seeming too pompous, stuffy, or flat. The growth he demonstrates as he’s thrown into the wider world for the first time is a robust, relatable depiction of a kid emerging from a sheltered upbringing. Sharp, on the other hand, has an infectious eagerness that never lets up.
It’s wonderful that Sharp is allowed to be Sharp.
Their relationship gets an added layer of intrigue because both teens keep their true identities a secret from each other. Leviathan has an opinion on whose secret is the most dangerous, but again, shows us rather than telling us: Whereas Alek risks endangering his life, Sharp risks endangering everything in his life. Leviathan makes us feel the brunt of not only the limitations aligned against women, but how merely identifying someone as “female” changes peoples’ perceptions of them. Leviathan even uses sympathetic characters like Alek to show how widespread these prejudices are. It’s tricky subject matter, but Leviathan handles it with remarkable deftness and care.
Another sign of that care is how Sharp is treated as far more than some archetypal cross-dressing woman. Once the truth is out, Leviathan doesn’t pigeonhole Sharp’s queerness and gender identity. Where Sharp lies on the artificial spectrum between “Deryn” and “Dylan” is not only left to interpretation, but beyond the point. The complexities of how Leviathan portrays this are vast, and more than a review can do justice to. But this much can be definitively said: It’s wonderful that Sharp is allowed to be Sharp.
Once more, Leviathan’s commitment to showing instead of telling pays off. When presented with the choice of three gowns to wear to a gala event in a later episode, a panicked Sharp runs from the room. Cut to: A hotel lobby, where a dashing Sharp makes a grand entrance in a suit and tie – a marvelous affirmation of Sharp’s character that cleverly reworks the type of traditional glamour shot another series might’ve gone with. Leviathan’s deeply refreshing stance is that it does not matter if Sharp – or any character – is male or female or somewhere in between. Any person can have any characteristic. A good character is a good character.
Providing some of the accompaniment to these dynamic characters bursting with feelings: Joe Hisaishi, a master of sentimental musical themes. Both of Hisaishi’s contributions to Leviathan are soaring, emotional, and beautiful. The main theme, “Paths Combine,” initially appears as a solo piano arrangement during the opening, but slowly seeps into the rest of the show. By the time you finally hear the lyrics, your heart’s ready to melt – another reward of Leviathan’s willingness to slowly, deliberately grow its characters. The full instrumental score, meanwhile, was composed by the Suzume duo of Nobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi, who more than live up to Hisaishi’s example.
All that globetrotting means that Leviathan’s story is briskly paced. As much as it allows for space, the series also crams three books into twelve episodes. You’d expect such breakneck speed to stunt the characters’ growth, but it doesn’t. Even though there are occasionally odd cuts or scenes I wish would stick around longer, the pacing somehow works. Each 25-ish-minute episode feels like it contains 40 minutes’ worth of story and passes by in the blink of an eye.
Finding ways to improve ergonomics when playing the Nintendo Switch 2 in handheld mode is tricky with so many options already available – Genki’s Attack Vector grip is one such Switch 2 accessory. Despite a few cool perks like a MagSafe point to conveniently hold portable chargers and swappable grip sizes, the Attack Vector comfort grip comes up short in a few key ways. Even though the grips themselves have a great texture for long sessions, the loose fit, frustrating application and swapping process, and general shape just weren’t quite right.
I’ve had a repetitive-use wrist condition for over three years, which has been spurred on by frequent, sustained writing and gaming sessions, and working as a cook. So, I’m always on the hunt for ergonomic solutions for everything from your garden variety kitchen knife to keyboards to grips for my Switch – and now my Switch 2. While I generally prefer to stick to docked mode and use Nintendo’s first-party Pro Controllers for this exact reason, sometimes I want to play in bed or on the couch without being tethered to a TV. That’s where Genki, alongside just about every other Switch 2 hardware manufacturer, comes in with their attempts at a comfort grip.
Clocking in at a retail price of $49.99, Genki’s Attack Vector runs a premium price. That price is somewhat justified by a convenient MagSafe-style magnetic ring, swappable grips of different shapes and sizes, and a slim wrap for the system itself (that's also dock compatible). But in my experience, that price hasn’t fully justified itself during my hours of hands-on time with its various configurations.
I can see the potential for an improved version down the road.
It all starts with applying the case itself: the part that covers the Switch itself featuring the magnetic ring snaps on like a charm, with rubber padding on the inside to prevent the case from slipping out of place. Unfortunately, the case partially obscures some important stuff, like the power and volume buttons. They’re significantly harder to press because the case has a decidedly higher profile, making you reach around for the power and volume buttons. I regularly found myself needing to turn the console over in my hands, having trouble fitting my finger into the divot, and unsatisfyingly just barely pressing the power button.
Oddly, this is really the only place where the Attack Vector’s profile is an issue, as it’s still fully dockable. It feels a little unnatural when you’re slotting the Switch 2 into the dock on your first go, but that’s only because of how smooth the naked Switch 2 is. This frees you from needing to rely on the awkward docking solutions you might find with other, undockable grips.
The grips themselves latch onto the shells you attach to each Joy-Con 2. Each shell has rails for the swappable comfort grips to slide in and out, and the three options can accommodate hand size, portability, and general ergonomic preference. The smallest of the three doesn’t register much in my larger hands, but it’s the only setup that doesn’t add any width to the already pretty big Switch 2, making it the most portable option. The second-biggest option feels comfortable in my hands, adding a nice rounded edge where my hands would normally hover awkwardly around the console. And the biggest adds proper ergonomic grips, adding a little extra anchor for the pinky and grooves that feel closer to an actual controller.
For my hand size, I definitely preferred the biggest one with the extra grip, though the mid-size and biggest options both have a critical issue: they don’t fit in most standard Switch 2 cases, including Genki’s Sleeper Case. Genki doesn’t offer a screen-covering solution to this issue, unlike other manufacturers, such as DBrand. It also doesn’t help that swapping in a new set of grips (like switching to the smallest option if you’re hoping to take your grip on the go) is kind of awkward, and more trouble than its worth since you have a wrestle with the grips a bit to remove them – so is removing the shells from your Joy-Con 2 altogether.
This case’s best feature (and the reason why I plan on leaving it on my Switch 2 for the time being) is its MagSafe-style ring that lets me throw a power bank on the back of my Switch 2 for longer play sessions. It’s convenient and the type of thing that makes it stand out in the sea of grip options available. But I don’t think I’ll be using the Joy-Con grips very much – even the most comfortable options come with notable compromises, sacrificing the portability of an already large handheld. I could still see myself using the grips when I’m at home playing in handheld mode, but these won’t be my first choice for travel.
The list of retired LEGO sets grows each month, and while you may feel like you missed out on sets that have already retired or are retiring soon, retailers like Amazon have some of these still on sale. Of course, there are other ways to buy LEGO, but I've found Amazon to be the most reliable when it comes to hard to find or recently retired kits. For our July update, we've listed out some of these sets you can still buy (some with extremely low quantities available), and removed the ones that are gone completely.
Retired LEGO Sets Still Available at Amazon
Amazon still has dozens of retired LEGO sets for sale, although at limited available quantities depending on the set. The large-scale R2-D2 is one of the best ones you can still buy, and the 2,314-piece model is one of the most detailed recreations of our favorite astromech droid we've seen in LEGO form. The Technic Porsche 911 RSR is the perfect display set for both LEGO and car lovers. The Technic line has some of the most complex, accurate, and impressive scaled-down LEGO versions of their real-life counterparts. If I were more of a car guy, this is one I'd definitely add to my collection. And then there's the BrickHeadz, cute Chibi-like buildable statues featuring tons of characters from decades of iconic pop culture properties like Lord of the Rings, Disney, Star Wars, and Harry Potter.
For Marvel fans, there is currently only really one recently retired set still available, but it's a really cool one. The LEGO Art Amazing Spider-Man set was officially retired back in December 2024, but Amazon still has it available for its original MSRP. Prices on this set have continued to fluctuate over the last few months as stock is becoming more limited. Star Wars fans have quite a few more options available in July as the the N-1 Starfighter and Spider Tank from the Mandalorian are available again at normal prices.
Which LEGO Sets Are Retiring Soon?
LEGO's official site has a full breakdown on their "Retiring Soon" page. Notable updates this month include the Super Mario Goombas' Playground set, Disney Snow White's Jewelry Box, and the Marvel Rocket's Warbird vs. Ronan sets. For an even more extensive list, Brick Economy has a great breakdown of dates and statistics for retiring LEGO sets. Finally, there are plenty of third party brick and mortar brick shops around that may have backstock of retired sets you might have missed, so I'd definitely give those a browse if you're near one.
IGN has partnered with Warner Bros. and IMAX to launch the first trailer for Mortal Kombat II. Join us across our platforms – including IGN.com, YouTube, Twitch, and our socials – beginning July 17 at 8:05am PT and counting down to the Official Trailer debut at 9am PT.
You can also bookmark this page where you will be able to view the Mortal Kombat II Trailer Event Kountdown stream via the player above or the embed below.
During the Mortal Kombat II Trailer Event Kountdown, fans will be treated with surprise guests and get the chance to unlock exclusive content from the movie.
IGN will also have an exclusive cover story featuring Johnny Cage himself, actor Karl Urban, director Simon McQuoid, and producer Todd Garner going live with the trailer.
In our report, the star and filmmakers provide an in-depth behind-the-scenes account of the making of Mortal Kombat II and the casting of Urban as Johnny Cage.
We’re a few weeks into the Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy Universes Beyond set, and things are starting to settle down as we head into (you guessed it) another set.
That’s right, Edge of Eternities is right around the corner, but before the space-themed set arrives, there have been yet more price fluctuations in the world of Magic: The Gathering.
Crashers: Vivi Drops Again
Vivi Ornitier was around $70 a week or two ago, but is now at around $45. He’s still incredibly popular, but he is dropping off.
Vivi’s synergies are also dropping. Harmonic Prodigy reached $13 but has started to roll downward, closing in on the $10 mark.
Perch Protection from Bloomburrow is also down, now as low as $8 for all you Chocobo lovers. It’s still up, but it’s lower than it has been.
Remember when Tifa, Martial Artist was absolutely flying at around the $50 mark? She’s seen a steep drop, likely because she’s included in the FF7 Commander precon.
She’s down to under $4 now, when just a few weeks ago she’d have set you back $50 (although she’s great fun to use in a game).
Climbers: Cloud Nine
For the first few weeks of the Final Fantasy set, a big focus was on counters thanks to Tidus’ Final Fantasy X deck, but now Cloud is our spiky-haired boy of the week.
The former lets you cast equipment as if it had Flash (and is up to over $20 from $3 in the last 3 months), while Sword of the Animist is up to $14 and lets you rack up land like there’s no tomorrow.
Finally, Panharmonicon gives you extra triggers, meaning you could build an absolutely savage board state very quickly indeed. Interestingly, Pnaharmonicon is sitting at around $5 still. I might have to invest.
Sticking with Cloud, the Kaldheim set’s Halvar, God of Battle is up to around $30 It gives equipped (and enchanted) creatures Double Strike, lets you mix and match equipment, and turns into the Sword of the Realms which can power up a card and protect it from death by sending it back to your hand. Not bad, Halvar.
Finally, another clash of Universes sees the RMS Titanic from the Doctor Who set rising in prominence. Why? Because the now $5 card is likely to be a big winner for the new rules in Edge of Eternities, which will see vehicles become more important since they can be used as Commanders.
MTG Sealed Sets
Everything else Final Fantasy is pretty hot right now, so if you manage to find anything in stock, it might be worth picking up ASAP to avoid disapointment.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He's a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife's dismay.
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