Ready or Not's console port finally released last week, and it's already surpassed one million sales. Combined with sales of its early access PC version, which released in December 2023, the game has now topped 10 million units sold.
"When we launched Ready or Not on PC, it took about 36 days to reach 1 million units sold," said VOID CEO, Julio Rodriguez. "On console, it took about 3.6 days. I’m incredibly proud of the team and what we’ve accomplished together. It’s a huge moment — and one we don’t take for granted."
Rodriguez then went on to thank Ready or Not's players and "everyone who believed in the project."
Last week, July 15, VOID Interactive proceeded with changes introduced to controversial shooter Ready or Not despite widespread condemnation from fans who claimed the developer was "censoring" the game's gore and violence by "appeasing console market regulators."
At the time, VOID insisted the changes were "small enough that most people here wouldn't notice if we didn't say anything," but it "wanted to be transparent" with its players. Players disagreed, and the news caused Ready or Not's Steam user review rating to plummet to "mostly negative" for recent reviews. Up until the controversy, it had accured a "Mostly Positive" rating.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Amazon selling anything for near MSRP Pokémon TCG related is a miracle in itself, but this Black Bolt ETB is available right now for just under $79. I loved opening Black Bolt and White Flare, and it's certainly one of the best Scarlet and Violet sets to collect Illustration Rares from. This is a good deal in the current climate, snap this up.
Pokémon TCG Stock Update
Amazon is finally killing it for Pokémon TCG elite trainer box stock and pricing, and some are the closest to MSRP the big box retailer has been for weeks. Not only is the Black Bolt ETB vastly undercutting the secondary market, Paradox Rift ETB is even cheaper (And an overlooked set in my opinion, stock up now).
There's other great deals on ex boxes too, which are also near MSRP and around the same or just under listings on TCG Player. The sealed market is becoming more competitive, so it's more important than ever to give eBay a quick check before hitting buy.
Nintendo Switch 2 Stock Updates
As predicted, Nintendo Switch 2's launch window is seeing stock shortages. If you didn't preorder at launch, you've probably been waiting for stock drops since launch. Amazon currently has it's invitation system in place for both the standard console SKU and the Mario Kart world bundle, so it's always worth getting on the waiting list whilst you wait. If successful, your purchase link will be live for 72 hours.
2 x Nintendo eShop $50 Gift Card
Why pay $100 when you could pay $88? Redemmable on US Nintendo eShop accounts, this cheeky little bargain will save $12 off $100 worth of eShop games, including Nintendo Switch 2 games.
The Legend of Zelda Hardcover Book Sale
Nearly every The Legend of Zelda hardcover book you need for your collection is available in this sale with some cracking discounts. It includes my favorite one, Hyrule Historia, that fills in more than a few gaps in the LoZ lore, although the timeline has already been slightly retconned. It also includes full and expanded official guides for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
KRK Kreate Powered Studio Monitors
I can personally guarantee a set of powered studio monitors will sound better than almost any sound system with or without a subwoofer. The new line of KRK Kreate studio monitors aren't just for recording music (Although they'd do an amazing job), they're a versatile sound option for content creation, editing, gaming, watching TV and movies and more. Buyers can even teather to them via Bluetooth for no fuss connections.
I've been using the 8-inch speaker models for a couple of weeks now, and they destory my soundbar and subwoofer combo that cost's nearly double the price of these. There's precision adjustments knobs on the back, which I keep mostly in neutral with volume up by half for a crisp flat sound with the right amount of bass. Although that can be cranked up when needed.
Personally I use an audio splitter so my Krate 8s can handle my Nano QuadCortex guitar amp moddler, my TV audio and gaming PC audio for the best experience. For me, going from a 3-inch to 8-inch speaker option is night and day. The clarity difference and range is top-tier, not to mention the jack, XLR and aux outputs available on each monitor that fits in perfectly in everyone's setup. You're getting top-of-the-range brand quality without the "gaming" brand tax, it's a win-win.
Apple AirPods Pro 2
AirPods Pro 2 are one of those earbuds I keep noticing for their mix of sound quality and thoughtful features. At $199, they offer a strong balance of value and performance. The active noise cancellation blocks out a lot of background noise while adaptive audio automatically adjusts based on your surroundings. You get four sizes of silicone tips for a customizable fit, and once those are set they stay comfortable even through longer listening sessions. The personalized spatial audio and hearing aid features add extra depth, giving them more flexibility than just a standard pair of wireless earbuds.
INIU Portable Charger 10000mAh 45W
This is ideal for carrying around when you've forgot to stick your phone on charge overnight, 45W is more than enough power to charge anything whilst using it, from phones to Nintendo Switch 2. So who can argue for $12?
Donkey Kong Bananza
If you own a Switch 2 and not Donkey Kong Bananza, there's something a-miss. We've given it a rare 10/10, and is officially Nintendo's latest handheld's first killer app and system seller. It's from the same team behind Super Mario Odyssey and takes full advantage of the power packed into Nintendo Switch 2. Just get it, play it, then thank me later.
Someone has recreated a whole new Fallout map in the GZDoom Engine.
In a stunning and surprisingly cinematic teaser, modder Alexander "Red888guns" Berezin has been hard at work recreating Fallout's city of Necropolis from the original Fallout game. As PC Gamer points out, the Fallout: Bakersfield project was initially unveiled back in 2022, but we've heard very little since, leading some to speculate that the project may have been abandoned.
Now, however, we know Berezin is still working on recreating the Necropolis sequence, complete with the obligatory boss fight with Harry in the watershed. To be honest, it's kind of wild that this entire world has been recreated by just two people — Berezin and what's presumed to be a family member, Denis Berezin.
"Never seen a fan project get so close to the OG vibe," said one commenter on the YouTube page. Another agreed, writing: "Duuuuuuude whaaaat this looked cool at first, but the gameplay got me so hyped. This looks frickin' legit. This has more Fallout vibes than the last few actual games."
Given the quality of the teaser, you'd be forgiven for thinking the mod's release is imminent, but an infographic at the end of the teaser suggests development is only about 60% done. Berezin posits that he's about 30% of the way through creating the creatures, 50% done with making the weapons and UI, and completed 80% of walls, tiles, and scenery.
The mod's release date is simply listed as: ??.??.202?... which takes us right up until December 31, 2029, unfortunately.
A new Fallout project has been spotted in the wild: Fallout: Bakersfield. And it's so cool ! ☢️
The mod's creators specify that it's a non-commercial 1993 Doom total conversion.
Fallout Season 1 hit Prime Video in April 2024 and was an instant breakout hit. While the show’s popularity sparked a flood of new players across all Fallout games, Bethesda — and by extension parent company Microsoft — failed to make the most of it with, for example, the release of a new Fallout game. For Fallout Season 2, it's off to New Vegas, the setting of Obsidian's much-loved Fallout: New Vegas, and it sounds like tie-in content is indeed planned for Fallout 76.
Of course, a brand-new Fallout game is also coming down the pipe, with Howard confirming Fallout 5 is in the long-term plan, potentially after The Elder Scrolls 6 comes out.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Despite being Nintendo’s original mascot and being one of legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto’s most iconic character creations, Donkey Kong has had a bit of a weird history of getting his own video games compared to that mustachioed plumber he’s frequently feuding with. Sometimes he’s the hero. Sometimes he’s the villain. Sometimes he’s a bongo drummer. But with Donkey Kong Bananza out now - DK’s first new starring role in over a decade and first new 3D platformer in over 25 years - it’s time to ride a rickety minecart down memory lane and look back at the big ape’s greatest games. Here are the ten best Donkey Kong games of all time.
10. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble
While Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble (an admittedly strange name for the third game in a series) isn’t exactly a game where you play as Donkey Kong himself, it does continue to build on the momentum based platforming gameplay that kicked off with the first Donkey Kong Country. Double Trouble tags in Dixie Kong and her cousin Kiddy Kong for another adventure, bringing more collectible coins, rideable animal sidekicks, and incredibly catchy background songs along with them. New abilities like Dixie’s ponytail hover (which feels similar to Tails’ foxtail helicopter hover seen in the Sonic games) add some interesting new mechanics to the mix, and while Double Trouble doesn’t quite reach the heights of its predecessors, it’s still an excellent and occasionally tough as nails adventure on its own and one of the best looking games on the Super Nintendo.
9. Donkey Kong 64
Donkey Kong’s first (and until recently, only) foray into joystick-controlled platforming wasn’t quite as strong as when Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda’s Link made the jump from 2D games on the Super Nintendo to 3D games on the N64, but hey, those were the early days of 3D gaming and there were bound to be some growing pains. Donkey Kong 64 is often derided for its over abundance of often tedious collectibles but when levels open up and progression requirements get out of your way, it’s an absolute blast to explore.
DK 64’s main hook is allowing players to control an entire family of Kongs for the first time instead of splitting them off into duos like the Donkey Kong Country series was known for. There are a ton of levels to hop around in, secret areas to unlock, and seemingly endless things to collect, plus a bonus multiplayer mode where Kongs run around shooting each other with guns, which may seem strange until you remember Donkey Kong 64 was made by Rare, the same company known for reinventing console multiplayer shooters two years earlier with their hit game GoldenEye 007. However, ask any kid who grew up playing Donkey Kong 64 and they’ll tell you their two fondest memories have nothing to do with the gameplay itself. First, the bright banana yellow cartridge the game was released on, and second and most importantly, the DK Rap theme song, possibly the catchiest title screen music in the history of video games.
8. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
During the GameCube era Nintendo experimented with a bunch of offbeat peripherals, but one of the strangest (and most adorable) were the DK Bongos, a large plastic pair of drums shaped like wooden barrels. The DK Bongos were most famously used for a series of rhythm games known as Donkey Konga, inviting players to smack the bongos in time with the beat to various songs. But the real star of the bongo supported GameCube game library was Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, a side scrolling platforming game that used bongo inputs to control Donkey Kong across a wide variety of stages.
By smacking the bongos individually or together, Donkey Kong can move around, interact with objects, and beat the bananas out of a ton of different enemies and bosses. And while Jungle Beat is a bit on the short side, players were encouraged to replay it to beat their high scores over and over again. Jungle Beat eventually made its way to the Nintendo Wii and Wii U with updated Wiimote motion controls so here’s hoping it gets ported to the Nintendo Switch 2 so more players can finally experience this often forgotten modern classic.
7. Donkey Kong
The first Donkey Kong game is still one of the greatest arcade games ever made, even decades later. At the time of its release in 1981, Nintendo was struggling to connect with arcade audiences and fast tracked a new game from then unknown game developer Shigeru Miyamoto. The result was the Kong Kong inspired Donkey Kong game, a unique arcade experience that showcased multiple levels, challenging platforming gameplay, and a little guy named Jumpman, now known around the world as Super Mario.
Donkey Kong was not only a massive hit for Nintendo, it also inspired two increasingly stranger arcade sequels, Donkey Kong Jr and Donkey Kong 3. It also served as the basis for the hit film King of Kong which documents the real life feud between two Donkey Kong high score world champions. For being a 40+ year old arcade game, the first Donkey Kong game ever made still holds up well today and brought the world Mario, Donkey Kong, and Pauline. Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if they let some Mario developers make a game with Donkey Kong and Pauline! Well, more on that in a bit.
6. Donkey Kong Country
It’s hard to express just how revolutionary Donkey Kong Country was when it first came to the Super Nintendo in 1994. For starters, DKC was a total reinvention of Donkey Kong, his world, and his enemies. It gave us Diddy Kong, Donkey’s acrobatic sidekick who went on to appear in tons more games, including a few of his own. It featured groundbreaking pre-rendered graphics based on scans of 3D assets and an amazing soundtrack to boot. It gave us the Kremlings and King R. Rool and a bunch of other huge bosses. And it gave us Cranky Kong, Funky Kong, and Candy Kong.
Donkey Kong Country was a massive success, spawning several sequels as well as Game Boy and Game Boy Advance ports and remakes. It’s absolutely packed with diverse environments, tricky platforming, animal sidekicks, and collectibles and the minecart levels are still tense and challenging to this day. At the time it was incredibly rare (pun intended) for Nintendo to outsource one of their most important characters to a UK-based studio instead of just making a game in house but the result was a redefining of Donkey Kong that still impacts how he’s seen today.
5. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest
What do you do with Donkey Kong after the groundbreaking Donkey Kong Country? Well, you lock him in a cage so he can be rescued by Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong, obviously. Coming out just one year after the original, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest improved on nearly everything from the first game and cemented itself as the best game in the original trilogy. The levels are tougher and more clever, the graphics are better, the soundtrack is somehow even catchier, and the two playable characters are a ton of fun to control. There are dozens and dozens of secrets and collectibles to unearth across its eight vast worlds and 52 levels and finding them allows players to ultimately display a “102%” next to their save file.
4. Donkey Kong Country Returns
After Microsoft bought Donkey Kong Country creators Rare, the Donkey Kong games series was in a bit of a strange place. But 16 years to the day since the original Donkey Kong Country was released, Donkey Kong Country... well, returned again with Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Nintendo Wii, this time being developed by Metroid Prime creator Retro Studios. Returns was less of a total overhaul for the series and more of a return to form but it still managed to bring along a ton of new features and some seriously brilliant level design.
Returns featured a totally new and distinct art direction for the series which also allowed the characters and world to be much more expressive and fun. Equally inventive were the stages and locales which were teeming with life and personality and more importantly, challenging and rewarding platforming, chaotic autoscrolling levels, and more. Donkey Kong Country Returns sold over 6.5 million copies on the Nintendo Wii and has been ported to every Nintendo handheld and console since. It’s a master class in how to bring a once dormant series back, a thing that Donkey Kong seems to have a habit of doing.
3. Donkey Kong ‘94
Similar to the original arcade game, you don’t actually play as Donkey Kong in the Game Boy’s incredible Donkey Kong ‘94 even though his name is in the title. But that’s not the only thing those games share in common. Like his first game, Donkey Kong has once again captured Pauline, leaving Mario to jump and hammer his way to her rescue. But after a clever revisit of the Donkey Kong arcade four levels, Donkey Kong ‘94 opens up ninety seven more stages full of platform puzzle challenges.
Outside of how much fun Mario is to control, one of the best parts of Donkey Kong ‘94 is how expressive and charismatic Donkey Kong is here. He’s big and hulking and tough but also funny and goofy and seeing so much personality shine through the tiny and blurry original Game Boy screen was revelatory. The game saw a ton of spiritual successors in the Mario vs Donkey Kong series and spinoffs, although none were ever quite as good as Donkey Kong ‘94. Here’s hoping it gets a remake someday, but for now it’s totally accessible through the Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy app and it absolutely still feels great to play.
2. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Like Diddy’s Kong Quest, Tropical Freeze once again took all of the solid foundation laid down in the game before it and built an even bigger and better sequel, making it the best 2D Donkey Kong game ever made. Donkey Kong’s once peaceful world has been taken over by snow themed bad guys, and as the title suggests, that means a beautiful mix of palm trees and ice everywhere, leading to some truly genius (and very tough) platforming sequences.
But if you find things a bit too tough, just try out Funky Mode, an optional difficulty decrease that allows players to play as everyone’s favorite monkey that owns an airport. Speaking of which, Tropical Freeze features more playable Kongs than any Donkey Kong game before it including Donkey, Diddy, Dixie, and at long last, Cranky Kong who just couldn’t stay retired. Tropical Freeze is the culmination of all of the best things from the best Donkey Kong Country games mixed up in one perfect frozen cocktail. Once Retro gets Metroid Prime 4 in the rear view it would be amazing to see them return to this series one more time. But luckily for us, there’s another Donkey Kong game to hold us over.
1. Donkey Kong Bananza
As it turns out, the latest Donkey Kong game is his greatest. Developed by the team behind the incredible Super Mario Odyssey, Donkey Kong Bananza gives DK a whole new bag of toys to play with and a whole new world to destroy. De-emphasizing the tight platforming that the Country series was known for, Bananza opts instead to celebrate Donkey Kong’s brute force and heavy fists, allowing him to punch holes in the earth in search of collectibles, rip out huge rocks to ride around and throw, and so much more. It also reunites him with Pauline, this time as friends and collaborators.
Bananza is also Donkey Kong’s biggest game yet. It’s absolutely packed with secret areas, unlockable costumes, and optional challenge rooms and it can easily take players dozens of hours to find it all. It’s a loving celebration of this iconic and legendary Nintendo character, hopefully paving the way for more Donkey Kong games like it for years to come. For a character that has been reinvented a ton of times since 1981, it’s amazing to see Donkey Kong return for his first 3D game since 1999 and to do so with a game that feels both totally fresh and quintessentially Nintendo.
And there you have it, the ten best Donkey Kong games of all time. Did any of the games on this list kongfuse you? Were there any other DK games we should have kongsidered? Well, go bananas and let me know in the kongments below.
Kevin Feige has discussed Marvel's decision to replace Kang as the main villain of Avengers: Doomsday, and said talks with MCU legend Robert Downey Jr. to play Doctor Doom had begun before the departure of Jonathan Majors.
Speaking during a roundtable interview attended by The Hollywood Reporter, Feige said Marvel's pivot away from Kang had started before "what had happened to the actor happened" — referencing Majors' legal troubles that ultimately saw him convicted of assault in December 2023, and dropped by Marvel.
Without referencing Majors by name, Feige said that the "actor"'s departure had not been the sole catalyst for the series' creative changes. Instead, conversations to bring back Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom had begun before the public release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania — a disappointing entry in the franchise that was largely Kang-focused.
"We had started even before what had happened to the actor happened," Feige said. "We had started to realize that Kang wasn't big enough, wasn't Thanos, and that there was only one character that could be that, because he was that in the comics for decades and decades.
"Because of the Fox acquisition, we finally had it, and it was Dr. Doom. So we had started talking about Dr. Doom even before we officially pivoted from Kang," Feige continued.
"And in fact, I had started talking with Robert [Downey Jr.] about this audacious idea before Ant-Man 3 even came out. It was a long plan that we had, to take one of our greatest characters and utilize one of our greatest actors."
It's worth taking a moment to consider the timeline being discussed here. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania launched in February 2023, a month before Majors was arrested for assault and harassment charges. At this point, the next Avengers film was still titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and Quantumania was being billed as a key appearance of Marvel's next Thanos-level Big Bad, in the run-up to it.
What Feige's saying, then, is that Kang's status was already being questioned behind the scenes prior to Majors' arrest, and before audiences saw the character's biggest appearance yet in Quantumania. Indeed, Feige states that the idea to bring in Doctor Doom was far enough along by this point that he was already talking to Downey Jr. — although what's less clear is exactly when Doom was being lined up to replace Kang. Would it have still happened as quickly — and would Marvel have still retitled the next Avengers as Doomsday — without Majors' Marvel career coming to such an abrupt end?
Over the course of 2023, as Majors awaited trial, several reports emerged suggesting Marvel was now eyeing Doctor Doom as its next Endgame-style villain, with Majors' role downgraded — though not totally eradicated — following Quantumania's poor box office performance.
It wasn't until July 2024, at San Diego Comic-Con, that Marvel publicly announced its new plans, with Kang Dynasty retitled Avengers: Doomsday, Downey Jr. revealed as Doctor Doom, and the Russo brothers confirmed as directing both Doomsday and the subsequent Avengers: Secret Wars.
It's still unclear how Kang's absence in the MCU will be addressed going forward — if at all. The character was last seen in the finale of Disney+ series Loki, in an appearance that brought some closure to one incarnation of the character, while leaving the threat of many other multiversal Kangs (as seen in Quantumania) something of a loose thread. Perhaps Avengers: Doomsday will begin with Doctor Doom standing over a room of fallen Kang variants, immediately asseting his superiority? Or perhaps Kang will simply never be mentioned again.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has chalked up Star Wars Outlaws' lackluster performance to the "choppy waters" of the sci-fi saga's fandom.
Addressing shareholders at a recent Q&A, Guillemot didn't reflect on the game's own performance issues, bugs, or complaints about repetitive gameplay, instead saying: "Outlaws was released at a time when the brand that it belonged to was in a bit of choppy waters."
I's true that the Star Wars brand has taken a bit of a battering of late, with a middling reception to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and lower-than-hoped viewership of various Disney+ spin-offs like Book of Boba Fett and The Acolyte. But attributing Outlaws' mixed reception to broader issues with the fandom has raised a few eyebrows among fans for feeling slightly reductive.
Guillemot did not make note of the game's own technical problems on arrival, for example. IGN's own Star Wars Outlaws review — in which we awarded the sci-fi game a "Good" 7/10 — highlighted repetitive combat and "a few too many bugs at launch."
Star Wars Outlaws got its first story expansion in May with the release of the A Pirate’s Fortune DLC on PlayStation, Xbox and PC. A Pirate's Fortune gives players the chance to join forces with Hondo Ohnaka, head of the Ohnaka Gang. Hondo will be a name familiar to Star Wars: The Clone Wars fans and readers of the 2017 comic book series Star Wars: Darth Maul, and has even done time as one of the animatronic characters at the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction. This time around he'll be Kay's ally as she takes on Stinger Tash and her gang, the Rokana Raiders, checks out a mysterious tomb and does some smuggling for the Miyuki Trade League.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Spider-Man filmmaker Sony has told Marvel not to introduce a live-action Miles Morales into the MCU.
That's according to Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige, who has been asked when a version of the popular young Spidey hero might pop up in live-action, after previously appearing in Sony's stylishly-animated Spider-Verse movies.
For now, though, it sounds like we'll have to wait. In a roundtable press interview attended by Variety, Feige said that Marvel's own plans for a live-action Miles Morales were currently "nowhere", per Sony's wishes.
"We've been told to stay away," Feige continued, suggesting this request will sit in place at least through the conclusion of Sony's Spider-Verse trilogy. The delayed final part of that — Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse — is currently set to release on June 25, 2027.
In the meantime, don't expect the MCU to continue setting up its own Miles Morales — something that some fans had speculated could be a part of Tom Holland's upcoming fourth Spidey film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, following several previous hints.
Spider-Man: Homecoming, Holland's first full Spidey film, features Aaron Davis/Prowler, played by Donald Glover. Davis is Miles Morales' uncle — and indeed, at one point, Davis references a "nephew" who lives in New York, seemingly confirming Miles exists in the MCU.
More recently, Daredevil Born Again briefly references an "Officer Morales", which fans suspect is a nod to Jeff Morales, Miles' father, who serves as a police officer.
With Holland beginning a second trilogy of Spider-Man movies and having previously suggested he wouldn't want to play the character forever, fans had speculated about the introduction of Miles Morales, with Peter Parker acting as a mentor, ahead of him potentially passing the Spidey baton over.
That could still happen in the future, of course, but not before at least 2027 — and therefore not in Brand New Day, which launches July 31, 2026.
In the meantime, fans at least have the combined Spidey superhero antics of Insomniac's Spider-Man series to play, where the two incarnations of the character both appear.
If your pile of shame isn’t already toppling over, this Monday's digital sales are about to give it a cheeky nudge. Some cracking deals have landed across all the major platforms, and I’ve taken the liberty of digging through the rubble to highlight the stuff I’d personally vouch for. From genre juggernauts to indie oddballs, there’s a bit of everything on offer.
This Day in Gaming 🎂
In retro news, I’m using a wizard’s fireball to light 25 candles on a cake baked for Gauntlet Legends on Dreamcast, a four-player dungeon crawler where button-mash and food theft reigned supreme. Released in 2000, this home version of the arcade classic turned my lounge room into a battleground, complete with booming voiceovers and enemies that respawned faster than you could shout, “Red Warrior is about to die!”
I cut my teeth on the OG Amiga original, so I relished the crap out of clocking this remake with mates in 4P co-op. We crowded around a chunky CRT, hogged health pickups, and sprinted for keys like seagulls chasing chips. It wasn’t the flashiest-looking game going, but it delivered what mattered: fast action, chunky spells, and the kind of chaotic fun that wasn't really surpassed until Diablo III arrived 12 years later on PS3.
On Nintendo Switch, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is one of the most joyful platformers I’ve played in yonks. It also happens to be the pink puffball’s first crack at full 3D adventuring. And if you’ve got a mate handy, It Takes Two is co-op brilliance with genre-hopping puzzles and the world’s most annoying love guru. Trust me, it’s unforgettable.
Xbox Series X owners should snap up RoboCop: Rogue City, which somehow nails the feel of a slow-moving tank with a badge. The fact that Peter Weller came back to voice the role just seals the deal. Red Dead Redemption 2 also hits the sweet spot at under 25 bucks. I still stumble across stuff I’ve never seen in that game, years later.
On PS5, Elden Ring remains a masterclass in world-building. George R. R. Martin helped write the backstory, and you can absolutely feel the lore oozing from every ruin. Tales of Arise is a sleeper hit with slick combat and one of the better anime plots that doesn’t spiral into nonsense.
What's worth purchasing on PC? Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora runs like a dream on my ultra-wide and has surprisingly chill gliding mechanics. But Alba: A Wildlife Adventure quietly stole my heart. You take photos, clean beaches, and campaign to save a nature reserve. Perfect for winding down between boss fights.
The Chinese Room, the acclaimed British indie studio behind last year's oil rig horror game Still Wakes the Deep, has now officially cut ties with its former parent company Sumo Digital.
The studio, which also developed indie darlings Dear Esther and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, has now completed a management buyout, a spokesperson for The Chinese Room has confirmed to IGN.
Today's news follows an uncertain few months for the Brighton-based studio, after Sumo's previous announcement it would be refocusing its efforts "exclusively on development services for partners", rather than continuing its work on original franchises.
In a message to press today, The Chinese Room said it had looked "increasingly likely" the company would be sold off by Sumo Digital, likely to a private equity firm or another overseas buyer — Sumo itself having been acquired by Chinese giant Tencent in 2018.
Instead, The Chinese Room will now be run as an indepedent entity headed up by studio director Ed Daly, following a deal facilitated by venture capital firm Hiro Capital.
"This management buyout allows us to scratch the creative itch of continuing to work on new, original intellectual property, but also to partner with other studios on other projects when they fit in with our vision," Daly said. "This is what we are doing and we want to carry on doing it, so we're happy to carry on in this vein."
Following the launch of Still Wakes the Deep and last month's DLC pack Siren's Rest, The Chinese Room now has two new IPs in the works, it was revealed today.
Next to launch, however, will be the long-gestating Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, set to be published by Paradox Interactive this coming October.
"The Chinese Room is a huge British success story that has rightly been recognised as a unique creative force capable of competing on the world stage," said Spike Laurie, a partner at Hiro Capital. "From hiring British people to making games set in the UK, they've been one of our foremost creative studios and now they are once again in charge of their own destiny while remaining British.
"We are at risk of overlooking these creative gems and letting them be sold to overseas corporations," Laurie continued. "That is a travesty for the $5.5 billion British gaming industry which has a world-renowned reputation. We need to nurture this talent and support it through difficult times, because it is one of our leading creative exports."
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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