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New Silent Hill f Patch Makes NG+ Runs Less Punishing With Fewer Unskippable Combat Encounters, Faster Stamina Regen, Plus A New Casual Action Difficulty

Konami has introduced a number of big combat changes to Silent Hill f, including a new casual action difficulty and a reduction in the number of unskippable combat encounters.

As part of patch 1.10, which rolls out across all platforms today (November 13), Hinako will also take "slightly less damage" on Hard action difficulty, have her stamina replenish "slightly faster," and you should see fewer enemies "across multiple sections," too.

There will also be an "optional skip feature" for some areas in New Game+, although you should note that any items you miss in skipped sections will not be collected, and you may miss the opportunity to unlock some trophies/achievements.

This will be welcomed news for many horror fans, not least because Silent Hill f requires multiple playthroughs to unlock its numerous endings (including the "true" one). Given the game's reliance on combat — and melee combat, at that — repeated playthroughs can feel a little stale, so easing the difficulty and making combat sequences less punishing should make NG+ runs more enjoyable, particularly in those end-game gauntlets.

The full patch notes are detailed below. Be cautious, though, as there may be a couple of spoiler-y details…

Silent Hill f Update 1.10 patch notes:

New Features

  • Added Action Difficulty: Casual
    • The Casual action difficulty will be playable when starting a game from “New Game” on the main menu or from a New Game+ save file.
    • For players on the Story action difficulty or higher, the Casual action difficulty will be selectable upon reaching the Game Over screen multiple times.
  • Added Optional Skip Feature for Select Sections of New Game+
    • Upon completing the “Go through the door” objective after solving the mural puzzle on New Game+, the game will display the option to skip. The game will resume at the scene where Hinako awakens at the corridor of the Dark Shrine for the second time with the “Proceed” objective if skipped.
    • Items from the skipped sections will not be collected.
    • “Thankful to Be Here,” “Grateful for a Worthy Foe,” and “Clear Skies” do not unlock on a playthrough that uses the skip feature.
    • The skip feature does not impact branching paths or endings.

System Changes

  • Hinako’s stamina replenishes slightly faster
  • Unskippable combat encounters are reduced across multiple sections
  • Fewer enemies are placed across multiple sections
  • Hinako’s line when an enemy is defeated plays at a slightly later time
  • Hinako takes slightly less damage on the Hard action difficulty

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed bug where Shu duplicates in the cutscene that plays when heading from Sennensugi Shrine to Rinko’s house during the “Head to Rinko’s house” objective
  • Fixed bug where interaction icons do not display on the hall leading to the room with the naginata during the “Enter the inner room” objective
  • Fixed bug where the Sakuko-like entity stops moving in combat during the “Defeat the Sakuko-like entity” objective
  • Fixed bug where the Fog Monster stops moving and halts progress during the “Chase after the Fog Monster” objective
  • Fixed bugs across multiple levels where events do not progress despite meeting the required conditions
  • Fixed bugs across multiple levels where specific enemies remain outside of the combat area and cannot be defeated
  • Fixed bugs across multiple levels where clumps of flesh do not spawn
  • Fixed bug where some notes from “Sakuko’s Diary” could not be obtained on New Game+
  • Fixed bug where Hinako may become unresponsive to player input after dodging
  • Fixed bug where Hinako dies upon loading an autosave file if Hinako died during an autosave
  • Fixed bug where the “View Endings” option does not display on the title screen after finishing the first playthrough (may require loading New Game+ data to fix)
  • Fixed bug where Indirect Lighting and Reflections revert to On during cutscenes even when set to Off in the Graphics menu
  • Fixed bug where the cursor moves without player input when playing on the controller
  • Various other minor bugs have been fixed, including bugs related to audio, hitboxes, text errors, loading, and graphics.

To ensure you're playing the latest version, check that the version number in the lower right corner of the main menu is displayed as v1.2.381918.

Silent Hill f takes us not to the titular town but instead to 1960s Japan, where we follow Hinako Shimizu, a teenager struggling under the pressure of expectations from her friends, family, and society. It's out now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S and has sold 1 million copies since its debut at the end of September. Our Silent Hill f review returned a 7/10. We said: "Silent Hill f presents a fresh new setting to explore and a fascinatingly dark story to unravel, but its melee-focussed combat takes a big swing that doesn’t quite land."

Last month, series producer Motoi Okamoto opened up on why Konami revealed three new Silent Hill games at once after a full decade of silence, saying the publisher was keen to stress to old fans and new that it was "serious" about resurrecting the flailing horror series.

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.

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Metal Gear Creator Hideo Kojima Issues Official Statement Distancing Himself From Italian Cartoonist After Now-Deleted Photo Sparked a Backlash

Death Stranding and Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima has issued a statement distancing himself from an Italian cartoonist after deleting a photo of the pair meeting at the Lucca Comics And Games 2025 convention earlier in November.

In the now-deleted image, below, Kojima posed alongside Michele "Zerocalcare" Rech, author of the graphic novels Kobane Calling (2015) and No Sleep Till Shengal (2022), while the legendary developer held up a copy of the former. Both novels document the struggles of war, but sympathize with the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, accused by some humanitarian groups of using child soldiers.

The U.S. does not classify the YPG as a terrorist organization. Instead, the U.S. has partnered with the YPG and the broader Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as an ally in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

However, the U.S. position is in contrast to that of Turkey, a NATO ally, which views the YPG as a terrorist group due to its close ties to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The PKK is designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S., the European Union, and Turkey.

As the image was picked up by Turkish media and fans wondered if it suggested Kojima endorsed Rech's views — views that run contrary to many of the themes explored in the Metal Gear series — Kojima deleted it from his social media.

Now, in a fresh statement, Kojima Productions said:

We would like to clarify the facts regarding the photo featuring Hideo Kojima and Italian cartoonist Zerocalcare as follows:
There is no personal or professional relationship between the two individuals. The photo was taken briefly at the Lucca Comics & Games venue after a short introduction through an acquaintance. Neither Mr. Kojima nor KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS had any prior knowledge or understanding of Mr. Zerocalcare’s works or political positions, and there was no intention to express agreement with, or support for, any particular stance or opinion.
In light of certain misunderstandings that have arisen in some media reports and on social networks, we would like to take this opportunity to accurately convey the facts.

As spotted by Kotaku, Rech released his own video, and told Fatto Quotidiano that it wasn't his idea to share the novel with Kojima, but his publisher's.

"I opened the internet and saw two hundred Turkish sites saying that Kojima had published a post in favor of terrorism," Rech said (machine translated). "Of course, for the Turks, they’re all terrorists, and now they’re harassing poor Kojima."

Kojima had suffered a backlash online from some Turkish nationalists after posting the photo, which ended up with a community note on X / Twitter. Fans were quick to point out that despite deleting his social media post and issuing a statement, Kojima created the iconic Kurdish character Sniper Wolf in Metal Gear Solid.

Photo by Rosdiana Ciaravolo/Getty Images.

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.

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Apple's $230 iPhone Pocket 'Sock' Ridiculed For Looking Like Borat's Mankini

Apple's just-announced iPhone Pocket accessory has been mocked over its $230 price point and threadbare nature — which has been described as simply being a ribbed fabric "sock."

The high-fashion holder is described by Apple as a "beautiful way to wear and carry iPhone," born out of a collaboration with designer Issey Miyake — who previously created some of late Apple leader Steve Jobs' famous turtleneck sweaters.

But the response to iPhone Pocket has not been kind, with the overwhelming amount of feedback online suggesting that the accessory is emblematic of Apple's ability to create products that fans will pay over-the-odds for — even those made out of fabric.

"Crafted in Japan, iPhone Pocket features a singular 3D-knitted construction that is the result of research and development carried out at Issey Miyake," Apple wrote in its product description. "The design drew inspiration from the concept of 'a piece of cloth' and reinterpreted the everyday utility of the brand's iconic pleated clothing."

Apple says the iPhone Pocket is compatible with nearly all iPhone models, which is perhaps unsurprising as it is just a fabric bag you shove your smart device in. However, some Apple fans have sounded alarm that signalling you're carrying a smart device — and can also afford a high-end holder that comes in brightly-colored designs — might only invite those looking to steal a phone.

"No zip, no structure and considering how many thefts of iPhones there are these days... no security?" wrote one social media user in response, as noted by BBC News. And then there's the look of it, which is, well...

The new Apple iPhone Pocket! 😂🤦‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/bZM59K0MAd

— Erik Richter (@ErikJRichter) November 11, 2025

iPhone Pocket is designed as limited-edition release, and available in lemon, mandarin, purple, pink, peacock, sapphire, cinnamon, and black colors. A version with a short strap costs $149.95, or its long strap design costs $229.95.

Select Apple Stores will begin taking orders in the U.S., UK, France, Greater China, Italy, Japan, Singapore and South Korea — should you be interested.

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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Absolute Batman Vol. 1 and More Comics Included in Amazon's Latest Buy 2 Get 1 Free Sale

DC All In's Absolute series is currently some of the best work the comic book giant has released in a long, long time. Featuring an absolutely tanked-out Dark Knight, the Absolute Batman comics are a particular highlight for me, and I can't recommend them enough to anyone remotely interested in the world's greatest detective.

You've probably heard some of the hype already, even if you haven't picked anything up yet. And that brings me to Amazon's latest "Buy 2 Get 1 Free" sale in the run-up to Black Friday. As part of this new promotion, you can score three books/comics for the price of two, and it really is the perfect excuse to start reading DC's Absolute comics.

Volume 1 of Absolute Batman, Absolute Superman, and Absolute Wonder Woman are all included, which makes it a perfect trinity, and the perfect example for what to pick up for yourself, or as a gift for any comic-mad loved ones over the holidays. If you opt for my recommendation, it's $33.54 in total, instead of $50.27.

If you've already dabbled in the Absolute series, there's plenty more to consider in the sale as well, including a whole lot more from DC. There's a massive list of books and comics eligible; all you need to do is place any three in your cart, and the price of the cheapest one will be discounted at checkout.

There's also plenty from the other side of the comic aisle as well, with a healthy selection from Marvel's wonderful Ultimate series, among other classic comics, also included as options.

While it's not in the 3 for 2 sale, you can also preorder Absolute Batman: Vol. 2: Abomination at a slight discount at Amazon right now, down to $18.69, and releasing early next year on February 6, 2026.

If you love Volume 1, The Zoo, just like me, then Volume 2 should definitely be on your radar as well.

Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN's resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.

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'We Killed a Lot of People': FX Confirms Shogun Season 2 Plot Details and New Cast, as Story Leaps Forward 10 Years

FX has detailed its plans for the second season of hit feudal Japan series Shogun, including a list of new cast members and several hints at its plot.

Pre-production on the second season has already begun, with shooting set to take place in Vancouver beginning in January 2026. As yet, there's no word on when the new season will air.

Set a decade after the first season's finale, the next run of episodes will continue the story of returning lead characters Lord Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) and John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) as "two men from different worlds whose fates are inextricably entwined."

Speaking to Variety, co-creator and executive producer Justin Marks said the next season would offer an "entirely unexpected love story" while also being "a story of war and the cost of war" — which all sounds familiar.

Still, Marks was keen to make clear how large an undertaking the new production would be — suggesting it would be impressive, though also take some time to make. "There are battle sequences that we're putting together now in part two," he teased. "I don't think you've ever seen anything like this kind of scale, this kind of tragedy and this kind of humanity.

"This show is going to take us a little while to produce," Marks continued, explaining that this had informed the decision to move its narrative forward in time. "It's not coming out one year later, and there’s this thing that drives me crazy when you watch a show that ended three years ago, and you get into season two and it's like five minutes later. We're trying to use this jump as a way to come back to our characters again for the very first time, to see them, to see what's changed in their lives over the course of the last 10 years, and to rediscover them."

Alongside Sanada and Jarvis, other returning actors from season 1 include Fumi Nikaidô (Ochiba), Shinnosuke Abe (Buntaro), Hiroto Kanai (Omi), Yoriko Dôguchi (Kiri), Tommy Bastow (Alvito), Yuko Miyamoto (Gin), Eita Okuno (Saeki) and Yuka Kouri (Kiku).

New cast members include Asami Mizukawa (Aya), Masataka Kubota (Hyūga), Sho Kaneta (Hidenobu), Takaaki Enoki (Lord Ito) and Jun Kunimura (Gōda).

"We killed a lot of people," in the first season, Marks continued. "We have some really exciting characters this season, characters that I want to tell you everything about, but cannot. These faces really popped for us, so we're just so excited to bring our own family together with these new faces and watch them become part of this world."

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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Phil Spencer Welcomes Steam Machine Announcement in Congratulatory Message to Valve, With Next-Gen Xbox Waiting in the Wings

Microsoft gaming boss Phil Spencer has welcomed Valve’s next-gen Steam machine in a congratulatory message to Valve.

Yesterday, Valve unveiled its next-gen hardware plans by announcing a new Steam Machine, a new Steam Controller, and its Steam Frame virtual reality headset.

The Steam Machine is a gaming-focused PC designed to be more accessible than a standard desktop PC, with a sleek, cube-like design and SteamOS on-board. It’s a clear play for the PC in the living room space, and comes ahead of Microsoft’s own reported next-gen console ambitions.

“Gaming moves forward when players and developers have more ways to play and create, especially across open platforms,” Spencer tweeted. “Expanding access across PC, console, and handheld devices reflects a future built on choice, core values that have guided Xbox's vision from the start. As one of the largest publishers on Steam, we welcome new options for players to access games everywhere. Congrats on today's announce.”

A recent report claimed the next Xbox is a console / PC hybrid that will play PlayStation games released on PC via Steam. That means the likes of Sony Santa Monica’s God of War, Insomniac’s Spider-Man, and Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima and pretty much all other PC games will all be playable on the next-gen Xbox in an industry first.

Windows Central reported that while users of the next-gen Xbox can remain inside the Xbox ecosystem if they want, they can exit to Windows, where the console acts like a traditional Windows PC. That means having access to PlayStation games on Steam, and mouse and keyboard games from Blizzard's launcher, Battle.net (World of Warcraft), and Riot's launcher (League of Legends).

Following that report, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella dropped yet another hint that the next-gen Xbox is basically a PC. In an interview with TBPN, Microsoft boss Satya Nadella responded to questions about the evolution of the company’s gaming business, and in doing so dropped a clear hint at where the company is going.

“Remember, the biggest gaming business is the Windows business,” Nadella began. “To us, gaming on Windows… and of course, Steam has built a massive marketplace on top of it, and they’ve done a very successful job. Now, we’re the largest publisher after the Activision [deal]. Therefore we want to be a fantastic publisher. Similar approach to what we did with Office. We want to be everywhere, in every platform. So we want to make sure, whether it’s consoles, whether it’s the PC, whether it’s mobile, whether it’s cloud gaming, or the TV, we just want to make sure the games are being enjoyed by gamers everywhere.

“Second, we also wanted to do innovative work in the system side on the console and on the PC. It’s kind of funny that people think about the console-PC as two different things. We built the console because we wanted to build a better PC which could then perform for gaming. I kind of want to revisit some of that conventional wisdom.

“But at the end of the day, console has an experience that is unparalleled. It delivers performance that is unparalleled, that pushes I think the system forward. So I’m really looking forward to the next console, the next PC gaming.”

Fast forward to this week, and Valve appears to have gazumped Microsoft by returning to the Steam Machine. In an interview with IGN ahead of the reveal, we asked Valve software engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais and hardware engineer Yazan Aldehayyat whether they saw gaming PCs being the natural evolution of the console, given both Microsoft and Valve’s efforts here.

Here’s how they responded:

Pierre-Loup Griffais: When we think about what to work on next and working on things like Steam Machine and stuff, we're typically not looking at consoles or other products in that direction. Everything we do is informed by what's happening on the PC gaming side of things. Of course there ends up being quite a bit of overlap because we’re doing a bunch of stuff that helps PC gaming work better in the living room and that's traditionally where consoles have been. But really I would say that most of our thinking is not informed by what's happening on the console side, and so I don't know if we have many theories as to where that might be headed. But in general it seems like people seem to be recognizing that there's quite a bit of value in a more PC-like experience and the customizability and all that, and so we're happy to see more of these elements being embraced by platforms in general.

Yazan Aldehayyat: As far as we're concerned the Steam Machine is a PC, so that delineation is not there. In our view, the Steam Machine is just one option in the ecosystem of gaming PCs out there. If you're already happy with your PC gaming experience, that's great. We love that. We are a PC gaming company. We're just trying to give you more options. And that's how we view it. It's just something that we think is a really great addition to a living room or a desktop, but it's just one other option that people can have available to them to play their Steam games basically.

So, Valve is downplaying the idea that Steam Machine is set to compete with the next-gen Xbox, but it’s hard to see Microsoft being particularly thrilled by the idea of Valve’s device coming out first and with a similar proposition. But there’s much we don’t know about either company’s plans. For a start, we don’t know when exactly the Steam Machine will come out, beyond a vague 2026 release window, and we don’t know how much it will cost (Aldehayyat told us the Steam Machine “is going to be a really competitive price to that and provide really good value to it”).

The replies to Spencer’s tweet are, predictably, packed with memes, most of which riff on Microsoft’s often derided ‘This Is an Xbox’ marketing campaign. Some are wondering when Game Pass will eventually launch on Steam.

Was bound to happen pic.twitter.com/PHnUSOh0RX

— Adrian Apolonio (@adrian_apolonio) November 12, 2025

Behind the scenes, this is Phil. pic.twitter.com/x9bSgMJVlx

— AP on 𝕏 (@AntiPar2ival) November 12, 2025

pic.twitter.com/Cigw4ijHmq

— Nook Browser (@browsewithnook) November 12, 2025

So, what else do we know about the next-gen Xbox? Xbox president Sarah Bond has called out the recently released — and pricy — ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X handhelds as pointing in the direction Microsoft is taking with its upcoming console. In an interview with Mashable, Bond talked in vague terms about what Microsoft is going for, but did strongly suggest it will be an expensive device.

"The next-gen console is going to be a very premium, very high-end curated experience," Bond said. "You're starting to see some of the thinking we have in this handheld [ROG Xbox Ally], but I don't want to give it all away."

Prior comments from Bond have backed the console / PC hybrid suggestion up, too. "This is all about building you a gaming platform that's always with you, so you can play the games you want across devices anywhere you want, delivering you an Xbox experience not locked to a single store or tied to one device," Bond said.

"That's why we're working closely with the Windows team, to ensure that Windows is the number one platform for gaming."

Xbox is set to go up against PlayStation once again, with both Microsoft and Sony reportedly set to release their next-gen consoles in 2027. The next-gen Xbox is taking a different route this time, but the expectation is the PS6 will be a more traditional console, offering genuinely exclusive games — as the PS5 does now. Perhaps now we need to throw Steam Machine into the mix.

We’ve got plenty more on all Valve’s hardware announcements, and have a handy roundup so you don’t miss a thing. We went hands-on with Steam Machine and Steam Controller, and if you’re wondering about Steam Deck 2, we asked Valve about that as well.

Photo by Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

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

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Netflix’s The Beast in Me Review

Full Spoilers follow for all episodes of Netflix’s The Beast in Me. All eight episodes of the series debut November 13.

There’s a scene in the premiere episode of Netflix’s The Beast in Me in which raw sewage erupts through the pipes of the protagonist’s home plumbing. Gross? Yes. But apt. The show, a new mystery/thriller starring Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys, is all about keeping repulsive secrets hidden away and what, if any, consequences arise when those secrets see the light of day.

Danes, reteaming here with Homeland co-creator Howard Gordon (who serves as showrunner and executive producer along with fellow EPs Gabe Rotter, Jodie Foster and Conan O’Brien) stars as Agatha (Aggie) Wiggs, a once-successful writer who’s been stuck in a spiral of grief and unproductivity since the death of her young son. Aggie spends her days in a stately, run-down home on Long Island, pretending to be excited about completing her next book, an uninspired tome about the friendship between Supreme Court justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Aggie’s personal life is a mess, her work has stalled, and she’s generally struggling to make it through each day.

Enter: Nile Jarvis (Matthew Rhys), an uber-rich real estate developer who may or may not have killed his wife. Attempting to escape the media glare that followed his wife’s disappearance, Nile moves in next door to Aggie and the two strike up a slow-burning not-quite-friends but not-quite-enemies relationship. Aggie convinces Nile to be the subject of her next book, a story she’s truly excited about, and Nile eventually agrees. From there, the series accelerates into a hodgepodge game of cat-and-mouse with both jaw-dropping thrills and eye-rolling story choices that are frequently frustrating.

The Beast in Me is nothing if not compellingly watchable. Creepy rich guy who may or may not have killed his wife? Check. Grieving writer takes on said creep as the subject for her latest novel? Check. Broodingly gothic locales and plot twists galore? Well, you get the picture.

The acting here is superb. From the moment Danes shows up on screen, she brings the heat in every scene she’s in. Aggie’s grief is palpable throughout the season thanks to Danes’s ability to portray seemingly dozens of conflicting emotions all at once. Anyone who’s lost a loved one, been stuck in a dead-end job, or endured a failed relationship knows how grueling any one of those circumstances can be. As Aggie, Danes is constantly dealing with all three at once. From the emotions on her face to the nervous sense of dread she carries throughout the series, Danes imbues Aggie with a tragic sense of longing that colors nearly every scene of the show.

The rest of the cast is top-notch as well. Brittany Snow is a standout as the icy new wife of Rhys’s character, who may or may not know more than she lets on. Natalie Morales plays Aggie’s ex-wife Shelley, and an underused Jonathan Banks plays Nile’s father Martin.

Rhys, for his part, plays the perfect foil to Danes. For the first half of the series, you suspect that Nile Jarvis PROBABLY killed Madison, his first wife, but Rhys plays him just charming and slippery enough that you’re not 100% convinced. That is until the show reveals 3/4 of the way into the season that Nile is 100%, without a doubt, a stone-cold killer.

And that’s where The Beast in Me (kind of) lost me. Look, I know that not every series can be a perfectly constructed murder mystery where all the cards are revealed in the very last episode and you think to yourself “A-ha! They really got me there!” But I can’t help but feel that The Beast in Me loses most of its momentum the moment that Nile is revealed not to just be a murderer, but maybe kind of a serial killer.

After Aggie admits to Nile that she’s met several times with an FBI agent (played by David Lyons), Nile’s guard is up. So when the agent confronts him while trying to glean information about a possible corrupt deal between City Hall and Nile’s real estate company, Nile bludgeons the agent to death in a fit of rage. Later, we discover that the drunk driver responsible for the death of Aggie’s son was kidnapped and eventually murdered by Nile as well, who in turn (in one of the most surprising and effective moments of the entire series) attempts to frame Aggie. In the penultimate episode, a flashback outlining the events surrounding Madison’s disappearance, we see Nile – you guessed it – bludgeon his wife to death, thus resolving the central mystery of the entire show.

The Beast in Me pulls off a frustrating feat of getting the audience to care about the central mystery but fumbling its execution: A convenient macguffin in the form of an unearthed diary proves to Aggie that Nile is a killer; frequently clunky dialogue (“All he had left to kill was time”); a too-neat ending in which Nile gets his just desserts in the form of a knife to the gullet in the prison common area after Snow’s character rats him out; and so on. All seemingly innocuous peccadillos that congeal to prevent the show from being the elevated mystery it desperately wants to be.

Still, there’s much to love about The Beast in Me. Brilliant performances, some of the most heart-pounding psychological thriller scenes this side of Silence of the Lambs, and some truly beautiful cinematography (there’s a scene in Episode 7 lit entirely by Christmas lights that I’ll probably never forget) make the show a worthwhile binge.

If you are looking for a mystery that’s so twisty and creative as to leave your jaw on the floor for days after you finish, this show probably isn’t for you. But if you want to see Claire Danes, Matthew Rhys, and a talented ensemble act the hell out of some pretty gripping material, The Beast in Me is worth a watch.

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Horizon Steel Frontiers: How the New Mobile MMORPG Changes Machine Combat

A brand new Horizon game has been announced, but it’s not the sequel to Forbidden West that you may have been expecting. It’s not a single-player game, nor is it even a PlayStation game. Horizon Steel Frontiers is a MMORPG developed by NCSoft for mobile and PC. Confused? Don’t worry, we’re here to break down everything revealed in the debut trailer.

If the idea of an online multiplayer Horizon game sounds familiar, then you’ve likely been paying attention to the rumours that began as far back as 2022. At first glance, it’s clear that this is very much a Horizon game you can play with a team of co-op buddies. The world looks very similar to what we’ve explored before, however this time we’ll be headed to the Deadlands, a brand new region inspired by Arizona and New Mexico. Within that location are plenty of recognisable elements, from destroyed remains of humanity’s past, to the real stars of Horizon: its giant mechanical beasts.

But let's start with something less familiar. It’s clear that Steel Frontiers has a different approach to combat compared to its predecessors. Where the single-player games largely focus on ranged combat, using weapons like bows to shoot enemy weakpoints, this new take on the universe seems to be predominantly focused on melee. The trailer’s focal character uses a huge sword, while other characters can be seen using dual blades to slice and dice their way through machine armour. That’s not to say archery has been eliminated – a bow still features throughout the trailer – but blade combat appears to be front and center.

There seems to not just be a change in distance between you and your foe, but a dramatic re-think of combat fundamentals. The trailer demonstrates a charged blade ability that can be used to deflect an incoming attack, a type of defensive strategy that’s brand new to Horizon. When it comes to the offensive, you can now, after destroying a specific part of a machine, use the Pullcaster grapple hook to climb onto your target and place a status-inflicting trap on the damaged part. NCSoft has said that elements like this are part of a new approach that tailors Horizon’s existing ideas to suit an MMORPG.

It’s clear that lots of Horizon’s combat DNA still remains – we can see machine parts detach in every fight, such as when the main character shoots off a Blaze canister in the trailer’s opening battle. And later, we can see that destroyed machines leave behind resources to pick up. But from what’s shown in this trailer, it seems like Steel Frontiers may feel more like Monster Hunter than traditional Horizon. Executive producer Sung-Gu Lee explains that at the core of the experience is “cooperation and strategy”, and that “players must take on their roles,” ideas that form the basis of Monster Hunter’s multiplayer expeditions. Furthermore, we even see some characters cooking a meal in a cutscene that resembles the chef montages from Monster Hunter’s own meal prep system. Perhaps all this shouldn’t come as a surprise, though: there’s certainly more than a little of Capcom’s series in Horizon already.

Other combat additions we can see in the trailer include some kind of sticky bomb that can be used to deal massive damage to machines – perhaps this is one of those aforementioned traps? You also now have the ability to pack machine weapons on your mount, allowing you to transport heavy artillery from one battle to another.

Talking of mounts, we see almost all of the tameable machines from Forbidden West being used in this trailer. It opens with a Bristleback being Overridden and claimed as a mount, and later we see characters riding Sunwings and Chargers. We also see confirmation of a brand new mount: the trailer’s protagonist rides on the back of a Stalker, the stealth camo-equipped, Panther-like machine. Considering Forbidden West expanded the number of mounts available, and MMORPGs are typically known for their range of mounts, it seems likely that even more machines will be available for taming. With any luck, this is the game where we can finally pilot a Thunderjaw.

We don’t actually see Horizon’s iconic, metallic T-Rex in this trailer, but there are over a dozen other machines on display here, from the tiny all the way up to the gigantic. The most impressive fight sees a group take on a Slaughterspine, which uses many of the abilities it did in Forbidden West, including its rain of munitions. Other examples of “Oh god please don’t kill me” machines include the fearsome Fireclaw, a napalm-spewing robo-bear, and a huge snake-like machine that looks like a Slitherfang crossed with a Rockbreaker, which is very likely our first glimpse of a new variety of metal monster.

The biggest creature, though, is the Tallneck, and we can see a group of machine hunters attempting to bring one down in the desert. Once again, these look like they’ll be large climbing puzzles, judged on the way the characters climb its neck.

On the smaller side, we can spot a Watcher, some Grazers, a Plowhorn, a Trampler, a Ravager, and a Shellwalker… whose shell is whisked away into the sky by a Glinthawk. It seems like NCSoft understands the mission when it comes to enemy variety.

As previously mentioned, the world looks suitably like Horizon’s signature vision of the future. Lush green foliage has overtaken the ruins of human skyscrapers, people live in villages that take inspiration from Native American tribes, and below the ground lie giant vaults filled with advanced technology . These “Cauldrons” return from the single-player Horizon games, but can now be explored with a team of allied players. It seems sensible to guess that these Cauldrons may be Steel Frontiers’ equivalent to the classic MMORPG dungeon.

So far, a great deal of what we’ve seen looks very close to what we’d expect of a Horizon game. Steel Frontiers has been developed in collaboration with original developer Guerrilla, and so no doubt many efforts have been made to keep the visual style and many gameplay ideas consistent. However, with the Korean-based NCSoft being the lead developer, you can also see some more Eastern elements finding their place in this universe. All the characters have an anime-like aesthetic, looking more like folks from Final Fantasy or NCSoft’s own Lineage games, rather than the characters from the original Horizon series. There’s even a bit of a cutesy thing going on with a character’s wearing metal cat ears – something we’d never see the serious Aloy wear in a thousand years.

Of course, if you're a Horizon purist, you may be able to create a character that’s more in-line with the original games’ aesthetic in the character creator. This being an MMORPG, you won’t be playing as Aloy or any other pre-written protagonist, but a character of your own design. The character creator seems reasonably in-depth, and also allows you to choose which tribe you’ll join: the Nora, Tenakth, Utaru, or Oseram – all groups previously established in Horizon lore. The trailer’s narration hints at competitive PvP as well as co-op machine hunting, so it may be that your tribe also acts as your “team” in such scenarios.

While Steel Frontiers looks to contain much of what we’d expect from Horizon, from RPG dialogue sequences to giant metal monster fights, this is certainly set to be a new and different take on the universe we’ve come to love over the last couple of PlayStation generations. Not to mention, it’s a Horizon game we’ll be playing on our phones, not our PS5s. But did you spot anything new and interesting in the trailer that we missed? Let us know your sharp observations in the comments below, as well as what you think of this new MMO direction.

Matt Purslow is IGN's Executive Editor of Features.

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Sony and NCSoft Announce Horizon Steel Frontiers, a New Mobile-First MMORPG Set in Guerrilla's Horizon Universe — Check Out the Debut Trailer

NCSoft and Sony have announced Horizon Steel Frontiers, a new MMORPG set in Guerrilla’s Horizon universe designed specifically for mobile.

South Korean video game company NCSoft, best known for MMOs such as Guild Wars and Lineage, has finally confirmed its long-rumored partnership with Sony and Guerrilla to build a Horizon MMO, and revealed the game via a 10-minute development diary and gameplay video, below.

Horizon Steel Frontiers is a massively multiplayer take on Horizon, complete with character customization, social features, and raid-style boss fights. It looks like it has taken inspiration from Capcom’s Monster Hunter in terms of the PvE gameplay, although with Horizon’s trademark robot dinosaur enemies.

You play a machine hunter in the Deadlands and work with and against other players to defeat enemies and compete for resources. It’s not clear yet where Horizon Steel Frontiers takes place in the overarching Horizon timeline, if at all, nor is there clarity on whether we’ll see any familiar faces in the game, such as series protagonist Aloy.

There’s no release date either, but we do know Horizon Steel Frontiers is primarily built for mobile devices (Guerrilla Games studio head Jan-Bart van Beek says as much in the video). It will also be playable on PC via Purple, NCSoft’s proprietary game platform. There’s no mention of a PlayStation release or a wider console launch. Check out IGN’s Horizon Steel Frontiers trailer breakdown to find out what we could gather from the video.

The announcement of Horizon Steel Frontiers comes as Guerrilla is reportedly working on a multiplayer live service Horizon game of its own, although this is expected to launch on PlayStation 5 and, perhaps, PC. Guerrilla confirmed the existence of this long-rumored multiplayer game in December 2022, revealing through a job listing that it would feature a brand new cast of characters and a new art style.

Meanwhile, a full-blown sequel to 2022’s Horizon: Forbidden West is also said to be in development at the studio, as "Aloy's next adventure" was mentioned in April 2023. This will eventually join the first two games alongside PlayStation VR2 spin-off Horizon: Call of the Mountain as mainline entries in the franchise.

Horizon is one of the biggest PlayStation franchises around, with 32.7 million units sold across all titles as of April 16, 2023. Sony announced the live-action Horizon movie back in January during Sony's CES 2025 press conference. Last month, it was reported that Sony hoped to start filming in 2026 with a release at some point in 2027.

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

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The Compact Yet Powerful Sofirn SP36 Pro 8,000-Lumen LED Flashlight Drops Below $30 for Black Friday

It's smart to have a light source on hand for emergencies, especially since everyday carry flashlights can be had for a throwaway price. As part of its early Black Friday Sale, Aliexpress is offering an outstanding deal on the powerful yet compact Sofirn SP36 Pro 8,000-Lumen Rechargeable LED Flashlight, now just $28.99 after you apply $6 off coupon code "AEUS06". This exact flashlight sells for $70 on Amazon.

The flashlight is sold through Sofirn's official AliExpress store and ships (free) from a local US warehouse, which means no hidden tariffs or obnoxious shipping times.

Sofirn SP36 Pro 8,000-Lumen LED Flashlight for $28.99

The Sofirn SP36 Pro is a compact EDC style flashlight, measuring just 5" in length and weighing about 10 ounces without the battery. It features a ruggest aluminum shell and has an IPX8 rating, which means it can be submerged in water up to 1 meter deep. The flashlight requires three 18650 Li-on batteries and fortunately they are included. These are more powerful than standard AAA batteries, which is why the SP36 Pro has such a high light output for its size. It recharges via USB Type-C cable, so no specialized charger is necessary.

The light array is comprised of four Luminus SST-40 LEDs each with is own individual reflector. They combine for a maximum output of 8,000 lumens and a beam distance of up to 450 meters, which means that this little flashlight can illuminate an entire football field. You can adjust the brightness if you don't need so much light at once, and the lowest setting can run up to 9 hours on a single charge.

The Sofirn SP36 Pro is popular and well-rated among the flashlight community for its powerful output at such a low price. Most people buy it for around $50-$60, so getting it for under $30 is practically a steal. And besides, there's no such thing as having plenty of light sources available on hand for emergencies.

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

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Corsair Novablade Pro Fighting Game Controller Review – Tournament Ready

Corsair is the latest company to enter the fighting game controller space and they have certainly come out of the gate strong with the Novablade Pro. This is one of most feature packed leverless controllers on the market, complete with wireless functionality right out of the box, and eight customizable buttons (three on the surface of the controller and five on the side). It’s also a looker with a bunch of really cool lighting modes to play around with, and an easily removable and customizable faceplate to round out the highlights. At a very competitive and reasonable price of $250, it makes the question of the best leverless controller a bit more difficult to answer.

Let’s start with how the controller actually feels – in terms of size and weight, it's most immediately comparable to the Victrix Pro KO with the exact same size at 13.35” x 9.23” x 0.80”, but it is about double the weight at around 4.0 lbs. Of course, it’s not a huge difference, and even if it is the heaviest leverless controller I’ve used, it still felt super convenient to carry around in my backpack as I walked over to my local tournament and carried it around as I waited to play.

There are a total of 15 buttons on the face of the controller, which is three more than a standard leverless controller, giving you three buttons on the face to map however you see fit. You might want to put the L3 button above the left, down, and right buttons to give you a quick reset or record button in training mode; or maybe map L2 to one of the buttons next to your either of your thumbs and give yourself an easily reachable button for parries in Street Fighter 6, just as a few examples. It’s easy to map them to whatever you need in case, like me, you find yourself accidentally hitting them in a pinch.

The buttons have a really nice feel to them as well – they sound quieter than standard arcade buttons, but still loud enough to be able to hear the rhythm of a combo as you tap it out. If you really want to get into the weeds, the Novablade Pro also lets you customize the actuation points of the buttons as well. So if you want a move to come out the instant you come in contact with a button, you can set it to a 0.1 mm actuation point. Or if you find that too sensitive, you can set it higher, all the way up to the full 4.0mm, which will make it less likely to accidentally press a button if your finger lightly brushes against one.

The Novablade Pro is among the best around.

Along with that, there’s a rapid fire switch that resets a button’s input to neutral as soon as it starts traveling upwards, allowing for even faster presses of a button than what would normally be possible. If I’m being completely honest, these features weren’t super noticeable for me in games like Street Fighter 6 or Tekken 8, but for other games that reward you with extra damage the more you mash on a button, I could see it giving a bit of an advantage.

One of the cooler features of the Novablade Pro is that it allows you to very quickly customize how the controller handles simultaneous opposite cardinal direction button presses, otherwise known as SOCD. Being able to press and hold up and down or left and right at the same time is a unique feature of a leverless controller, and there are a number of different ways those inputs can be sent to the game you’re playing. The Novablade Pro allows you to easily cycle through all of those options; from the default method of having no input sent when SOCD buttons are pressed. Inputs like “giving up” the priority so you can hold down and back to block low but also press up to leap backwards if there’s an opening in your opponents pressure; giving the first button pressed the priority; giving the last button pressed the priority; or just sending both inputs and let the game’s own programming decide what to do with the two simultaneous button inputs – these are the unique advantages afforded by this type of controller.

There are use cases for all of these, and the option to be able to easily switch between them depending on what game you’re playing is pretty sweet. Some of these, however, are genuine cheats in competitive play and will get you disqualified in an actual tournament if you’re caught using them. Fortunately there is a Game Mode toggle that immediately sets the controller to a default tournament-legal setting.

All of these features are very easily navigated thanks to the five buttons on the right side of the controller, which themselves are mappable as well. It can be easy to accidentally hit these buttons when picking up or passing the controller along, thus inadvertently messing up your settings, but the convenience of being able to easily adjust these functions is certainly worth the occasional and easily fixable button press.

The Novablade also has some of the best lighting effects of any leverless controller I’ve played. There are six onboard lighting effects to toggle between, with my favorite being the one that lights up both the individual button and the color ring around the controller whenever you press a button.

The big competitive advantage of the Novablade Pro though is its wireless functionality, something that most of its competitors lack. By popping off the aluminum faceplate, you can set the controller to bluetooth mode for PCs, or you can set it to low latency wireless mode and connect the included dongle to either a PS4, PS5, or PC.

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Save $130 Off the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Noise Canceling Headphones Ahead of Black Friday

Looking for an excellent deal on Bose's flagship noise canceling headphones ahead of Black Friday? Amazon has already dropped the price of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Noise Canceling Wireless Headphones from $429 all the way down to $299. Only two colorways are available at this price: Lunar Blue and Deep Plum. The QuietComfort Ultra is Bose's latest and greatest noise cancelling headphone and goes toe-to-toe with Sony's $450 WH-1000XM6 headphones.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones for $299

The QuietComfort Ultra is Bose's newest noise-cancelling headphone, released in late 2023. It is a significant upgrade over the standard QuietComfort headphones in audio and noise-cancelling performance and is easily comparable to other current heavyweights like the Sony WH-1000XM5/XM6 and the AirPods Max. The Ultra features redesigned ear cushions that are both more comfortable and provide a more secure seal, resulting in better passive noise isolation. It also supports spatial audio for better immersion, and it's updated with the new Bluetooth 5.3 protocol. Android users can rejoice in the fact that the Ultra supports Snapdragon Sound, a feature that offers optimized sound quality, connection stability, and latency for your streaming audio when the headphone is connected to an Android device.

Other features include an "Aware" mode that picks up ambient noises and amplifies them so that you can listen in on the outside world without having to take off your headphones, a respectable 24 hours of battery life on a single charge, an updated USB Type-C port, Bluetooth multipoint for simultaneous pairing with up to two devices, and a dual-hinge design that enables the headphones to fold up and flat for easier portability.

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

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The Lord of the Rings Deluxe Illustrated Editions Are Buy 2, Get 1 Free Before Black Friday

I'll be the first to admit that I own too many books. My shelves are full and I have absolutely no room for anything else. And yet whenever Amazon has one of its buy 2, get 1 free book sales, I can't help but browse the full selection. With the latest sale including all of the deluxe illustrated Lord of the Rings books, I find myself looking to clear some space.

There are actually quite a few different illustrated versions of Tolkien's works, but the ones I'm referring to are the deluxe versions that look like the kind of hefty tomes you'd need to blow dust off of before reading. Amazon usually includes one or two of these in these types of promotions, but this is the first time I've seen all three of them available at once. It's a great time to pick up the full collection for a pretty substantial discount.

Lord of the Rings Deluxe Illustrated Editions Sale

For those who haven't partaken in Amazon's "3 for 2" sales before, I'll give you a quick rundown of how it works. All you need to do is add all three of the items to your cart and the price of the least expensive one will be removed at checkout. So in the case of these illustrated editions, you'd end up saving $107.35 by purchasing them all together as The Hobbit would be what gets the discount. If you don't want to buy all three of these books, you can also choose to mix and match with other items within the sale, but I'd recommend looking for things at a similar price point so you can maximize your savings.

What comes with the deluxe edition

The biggest (and most expensive) special edition of the bunch is The Lord of the Rings: Deluxe Illustrated Edition. This is a single-volume hardbound book that includes all three of The Lord of the Rings books (Fellowship, Two Towers, Return of the King) and comes in a single eye-catching, intricately etched slipcase. It features a striking red-and-black design that’s meant to evoke the novel's first edition. The book itself is 1,248 pages and includes the entire fantasy epic and appendices. The text is “corrected and reset,” and printed in red and black ink. Interspersed throughout this massive tome are 30 illustrations hand-drawn by Tolkien himself. These include maps, color illustrations, and sketches. Also included in the package are two fold-out maps of Middle-earth drawn by Christopher Tolkien.

The Hobbit and Silmarillion Deluxe Illustrated editions aren't nearly as massive, but they too include illustrations and notes from Tolkien himself. They also include the same etched slipcases to match the design of the big red tome.

Should You Wait for Amazon's Black Friday Sale?

It's worth noting that the Amazon Black Friday sale will be kicking off next week and one or more of these deluxe editions will likely get a steeper price cut. Amazon has stated that print books will be up to 65% off during its sale and I have actually seen a bigger discount on The Lord of the Rings Illustrated Edition in the past. However, it's unclear if Amazon will continue its buy 2, get 1 free book sale into Black Friday.

So with that in mind, I'd suggest taking advantage of this deal if you're looking to buy the full collection and waiting for Black Friday if you only want to buy a single volume. I'm guessing the big Lord of the Rings Deluxe Illustrated Edition will drop below $100 during Black Friday sales, which is a much better deal if you're only buying that one.

Jacob Kienlen is a Senior SEO Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor's degree in communication and over 8 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different topics -- from TV series to indie games and popular book series.

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What TV Deals to Shop for During Black Friday Sales in 2025

There are always good TV deals throughout the year if you look hard enough, but everyone knows that the absolute best time of year to upgrade your TV is around Black Friday. There will be so many TV deals crawling out of the woodwork during the latter half of November that you won't need to do any heavy lifting to find the deal you want. This year I expect the status quo to remain the same. The landscape is a bit different - 65" is the new 55" and OLED is actually affordable - but make no mistake that there will be some excellent price drops worth jumping on in the next few weeks.

Size Matters, Get the Biggest TV You Can Afford

This year, shoppers are trending towards bigger TVs. Everyone who's purchased a 55" TV in the past is probably now looking to upgrade to a 65" TV, and even 77" TVs are becoming increasingly more common. Manufacturers are aware of this trend and I expect the biggest price drops to happen in the 60" to 77" size range.

If you're looking to upgrade, my advice is to get the biggest TV that can still fit in your intended space and is within your budget. One of the main reasons why people choose to upgrade is to get a bigger TV, and a larger TV will be more future-proof down the road. TV technology moves at a relatively slow pace and chances are if you're happy with the image quality of your TV right now, you'll probably also be fine with it for the long haul. But size is a different matter.

If You're Looking for a High-end TV, Go With OLED

Without a doubt OLED technology offers the best image quality you can find in a consumer TV. Compared to any other type of TV, OLED TVs boast superior image quality thanks to their near-infinite black levels, near-infinite contrast ratio, and near-instantaneous response times. This is easily the best type of TV for streaming 4K HDR content in its intended glory. OLED TVs have also been our favorite TVs for console gaming because nearly all of them feature a native 120Hz refresh rate and HDMI 2.1 inputs for running PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X games in 4K at up to 120fps.

OLED TV prices have dropped significantly in 2025 and I expect to see the lowest prices of the year during Black Friday. That means brand-name OLED TVs from LG, Samsung, and Sony will probably drop to as low as $1,199.99 (or less) for a 65" model and $1,799.99 (or less) for a 77" model. Higher end models with advanced features like LG's Evo or Samsung's quantum dot technology will very likely be heavily discounted as well.

If You're on a Budget, Consider Hisense or TCL

If you're looking for a 65" or 77" TV priced under $1,000, I would strongly recommend looking at more value-conscious brands like Hisense and TCL. Within the budget to mid-range lineups, Hisense and TCL TVs are every bit as good as - and in many cases better - than a similarly priced Samsung, Sony, or LG TV. During Black Friday, a 65" Hisense or TCL 4K TV with a quantum dot mini-LED panel and 120Hz refresh rate (perfect for 4K HDR streaming or playing PlayStation 5 games) might drop to as low as $499.99. A 75" variant could drop to $699.99. Prices we haven't seen earlier this year.

Gamers Should Look for TVs With These Features

If you have a current generation console like a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, you'll want to make sure that your new TV has both a native 120Hz refresh rate and HDMI 2.1 inputs. These are necessary to run games in 4K at up to 120fps. Even in 2025, there are quite a few budget TVs that don't have these features, so make sure you do your due research. If you're a gamer, it is definitely worth it to splurge a little more on a TV that can run your games to their fullest potential.

Despite being a current generation console, the Nintendo Switch 2 has lax TV requirements compared to the PS5 or Xbox Series X. When the Switch is connected to its dock and a television, it is only capable of outputting a 4K resolution signal at up to 60 frames per second. It can go up to 120fps if the resolution drops to 1080p, but the data rate required for both these options is pretty much the same, and you would much rather play any game in 4K.

Manufacturers Will be Hosting Their Own Black Friday Sales

Common sense would dictate that the first sites you would check for Black Friday TV deals would be Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target. That hasn't changed, however you should also check in on Black Friday deals hosted on manufacturer sites like LG.com and Samsung.com. For the past few years, these storefronts have been offering the same deals as the reseller sites, but with extra incentives such as a free soundbar or wall mount with purchase, free white glove delivery, and bonus coupon codes (often simply by leaving your items in your shopping cart for a little while). The deal gets even better if you are eligible for an EPP (employer) or EDU (teacher/student) discount, which is usually exclusive to the manufacturer's storefront. In the end, these deals might actually be much, much better than the "standard" Black Friday deals you might find anywhere else.

Scams Will Be Running Rampant

Black Friday is the one time of year where a deal that might normally be too good to be true actually isn't. Scammers are aware of this and there will be plenty of traps you'll need to avoid. To be safe, make sure you always buy from an authorized reseller for that particular brand of TV. "Buying from Amazon" simply isn't good enough; there are plenty of marketplace resellers that aren't trustworthy. You'll want to confirm that the item is either "sold and shipped by Amazon" or from a third party reseller that you recognize. The same is true for other sites like Walmart, Best Buy, and especially eBay. Some common authorized resellers that you might run into are Buydig, Electronic Express, Walt's TVs, B&H Photo, Beach Camera, and more. These are reputable storefronts with established histories and I would recommend them.

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

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Amazon's Massive Buy 2, Get 1 Free Book Sale Is Back Ahead of Black Friday

Amazon recently announced that its Black Friday sale will be kicking off on November 20 this year, but if you're looking to save on some books you can start shopping right now. Amazon's popular "3 for 2" sale on books and box sets has returned and it's one of the best versions of this sale we've seen all year. If you're looking to buy some actual physical books for yourself or as a gift for the reader in your life, this sale is a great way to save.

If you're not familiar with Amazon's "3 for 2" promotion, it's essentially just a buy 2, get 1 free sale. There's a massive list of books eligible for the sale and all you need to do is place any three in your cart and the price of the cheapest one will be discounted at checkout. To make the most of the sale, you'll want to buy three things that are all similar in price. You can also buy multiples and still receive the discount.

Amazon Buy 2, Get 1 Free Book Sale

Amazon has offered this promotion for pretty much every major sale this year, but this is the most robust list of books I've seen since Prime Day back in July. There's a little bit of everything included here, from classics to coffee table books and new releases. If there's a specific book you're looking for, just use the search bar to see if it's included. Some of the most popular books and box sets included in this sale are buried so far down the list that you'll only be able to locate them by searching by name. And with that in mind, I've gone ahead and pulled out some of the best books I could find from the sale below.

New releases

Some of the most popular new book releases of 2025 are included in this sale. For fans of the Hunger Game series, you can grab the latest sequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, which is also pretty heavily discounted. There's also The Secret of Secrets, Dan Brown's latest Robert Langdon Novel that came out back in September. Onyx Storm is included alongside all of the other Fourthwing books in the Empyrean series, which is a great option for any romantasy fans out there. And finally, the recently released dark romance book, Alchemised, is also eligible for this discount.

Box sets

Arguably the best discounts in this promotion are the box sets. These are higher-priced items that already have discounts, so buying three of them at once could get you a full book collection for relatively cheap. This sale has pretty much all of the major box sets included within it. There are multiple Wheel of Time books sets, the Game of Thrones books, The Witcher books, Frank Herbert's Dune books, and a few different Harry Potter book collections. For young adults there's also popular options like the Percy Jackson series and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Illustrated editions

If you're specifically looking for books to give as gifts, I highly recommend looking into illustrated editions. These are collector's editions that include beautiful art alongside a story and are usually pretty pricey compared to standard hardcovers. There are multiple versions of the illustrated Lord of the Rings books currently included this sale, both of which include illustrations from J.R.R Tolkien himself. There's also the interactive illustrated Harry Potter books (all of which are included) that include a mix of art, story, and papercraft. And while it's more of a coffee table book than an illustrated edition, the Hyrule Historia is also a great option for anyone interested in The Legend of Zelda books.

Book Deals to Expect During Amazon Black Friday

While this promotion is likely better than any individual book sale Amazon will offer during Black Friday, it is worth noting that the retailer has offered up a sneak peek of what book discounts you can expect this year. The biggest price drops will be on Kindle books, which Amazon has stated will be discounted up to 80% during the sale. Print books are also expected to receive discounts of up to 65%, but we don't yet know which books will be getting those discounts. It's possible Amazon will decide to end the buy 2, get 1 free promotion before it kicks off its official sale next week, so it's worth taking advantage of the promotion while it lasts. These types of promotions are really the best time to buy books for cheap.

For more information about the upcoming discounts, you can check out our guide to Amazon's Black Friday sale or dive into our larger Black Friday guide for 2025.

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

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Chadwick Boseman to Receive Hollywood Walk of Fame Star This Month

Chadwick Boseman, the multi-award-winning actor best known for portraying T'Challa in the MCU, will receive a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 20, according to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

This news comes via Variety, which reports that the unveiling will take place at 11:30am PT that day. Previously, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce had announced that Boseman would receive a star as part of 2024's class of honorees.

Boseman tragically passed away in 2020 at the age of 43 from colon cancer, which he battled privately while continuing to perform. He is best known as T'Challa in Black Panther and several other MCU films, a portrayal he continued before his death in the MCU series What If...?, earning a posthumous Primetime Emmy Award for his performance.

He also starred in numerous other productions over his 27-year career, including playing Jackie Robinson in 42 and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall. His final film role was as Levee Green in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, for which he received a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for best actor, as well as an Oscar nomination.

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.

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Every LEGO Game on the Nintendo Switch in 2025

The collaborative relationship between LEGO and Nintendo, two world leaders in family-friendly entertainment that operate in the adjacent realms of toys and games, began with the 1999 release of LEGO Racers on N64. At least one LEGO game has been released on a Nintendo platform nearly every year since, and multiple Nintendo-themed LEGO sets have been released each year since they debuted in 2020.

The LEGO-Nintendo synergy has persisted through the Switch era, and with the Switch 2 now out in the wild, we’re looking back on the legacy of LEGO on the Switch.

How Many LEGO Games Are There on Nintendo Switch?

As of November 2025, 19 LEGO games have been released on Switch, from LEGO Undercover City in 2017 to the most recent LEGO Party! game in 2025. Of the 19 games, nine are LEGO originals and 10 are licensed collaborations with other intellectual properties.

Every LEGO Game on Switch (Ordered by Release Date)

LEGO City Undercover (2017)

In April 2017, one month after the console’s launch, the series’ first game to hit the Switch was LEGO City Undercover, which is an original LEGO game originally released for Wii U in 2013. It’s based on the LEGO City series of themed building sets and tells the tale of an undercover police officer tracking an escaped prisoner.

LEGO Worlds (2017)

LEGO Worlds is another original game released on the Switch in 2017. Worlds is the most authentically LEGO game available on Switch; it steps out of the series’ usual action-adventure genre into the world of sandbox games (think Minecraft), allowing you to build structures and environments brick by brick.

The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game (2017)

The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game is, as its name makes clear, an adaptation of The LEGO Ninjago Movie. The game and movie, both based on LEGO’s own Ninjago line, were released in the U.S. on September 22, 2017. The action-adventure game features eight locations and several playable characters from the movie.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 (2017)

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes draws characters and locations from Marvel movies and comics alike, with a massive roster of characters that (probably) includes every Marvel hero and villain you can think of. It’s a direct sequel to LEGO Marvel Super Heroes that ultimately pits you against the time-travelling villain Kang the Conqueror.

The first game is also available on the Switch, though you’ll find it further down this list – it wasn’t ported until 2021.

LEGO The Incredibles (2018)

Another LEGO-Disney collaboration, LEGO The Incredibles combines story beats from both movies, the 2004 original and 2018 sequel. The game was released alongside The Incredibles 2 in June 2018. It features over 100 playable characters, including all five members of the Parr family. This game is one of many Disney games currently available on the Switch in 2025.

LEGO DC Super-Villains (2018)

LEGO DC Super-Villains is a LEGO Batman spinoff focused on a collection of villains from the deep history of DC Comics, including The Joker and Lex Luthor. The villains must navigate the internal threat of personality conflict while pursuing the mysterious Justice Syndicate. It’s notably the first LEGO game to center its story around a player-created character.

LEGO Harry Potter Collection (2018)

The LEGO Harry Potter Collection is a compilation of two games: LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4 and LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7. The collection includes the complete LEGO Harry Potter experience, pulling characters, stories, and activities from all seven books and eight movies. This collaboration goes hand-in-hand with the many LEGO Harry Potter sets that have released over the last few years.

The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame (2019)

The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame is a movie tie-in that was largely knocked for its lack of originality and innovation. The game blends elements of traditional action-adventure LEGO games with the building elements introduced in LEGO Worlds.

LEGO Jurassic World (2019)

Originally released alongside the movie in 2015, LEGO Jurassic World came to Switch four years later in 2019. It features a 20-level campaign with five levels from each movie that had been released up until that point in time (Jurassic Park 1-3 and Jurassic World). In addition to characters from the Jurassic World movies, you can unlock playable versions of the franchise’s primary directors, Steven Spielberg and Colin Trevorrow.

LEGO Builder’s Journey (2021)

LEGO Builder’s Journey came to Switch in 2021 after debuting on Apple Arcade in 2019. While most LEGO games incorporate puzzle-solving, Builder’s Journey is all puzzles, all the time. It’s a beautifully designed game that tells its father-son story one geometric puzzle at a time.

LEGO Marvel Superheroes (2021)

First released in 2013, LEGO Marvel Superheroes didn’t come to Switch until 2021. It tells an original story with several of Marvel’s most recognizable heroes – Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Wolverine, Captain America, and others – teaming up to foil the apocalyptic plans of Doctor Doom and Loki.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (2022)

The definitive LEGO Star Wars experience, The Skywalker Saga features reimagined scenes from all nine Skywalker movies: the original trilogy, prequel trilogy, and sequel trilogy. Within this sprawling collection are over 300 playable characters, 23 planets, and 100 vehicles. Compared to past LEGO games, The Skywalker Saga moves you closer to the action by shifting the camera from a zoomed-out third-person perspective to a tighter over-the-shoulder view. Considering the sheer amount of Star Wars LEGO sets out there, it's no surprise this made for one of the best Star Wars games of all time.

LEGO Brawls (2022)

LEGO Brawls is the worst-reviewed game on this list, based on Metascore (46). It’s an accessible, Smash Bros.-inspired fighting game originally released for Apple Arcade in 2019. Brawls features well over 100 minifigures/fighters from over 10 LEGO sets, including Ninjago and Jurassic World.

LEGO Bricktales (2022)

LEGO Bricktales is an original, puzzle-based adventure similar to LEGO Builder’s Journey, though on a larger scale. The game takes you to dioramas set in jungles, deserts, cities, medieval castles, and tropical islands. Bricktales was made by ClockStone Studio, the developer best known for its Bridge Constructor series.

LEGO 2K Drive (2023)

LEGO 2K Drive, from prolific sports game developer Visual Concepts, is a racing game set in the open world of Bricklandia. 2K Drive is a robust racing game that features street, off-road, and water races; story, single race, tournament, minigame, and free-roam modes; and a custom car-builder that our review called “excellent.”

LEGO Fortnite (2023)

LEGO Fortnite is a collection of LEGO-themed games housed within Fortnite. Epic Games and the LEGO Group have created several LEGO Fornite experiences since the collaboration was launched in late 2023. Among the current ways to play are a survival-crafting game called Odyssey, an online social RPG called Brick Life, and a level designer called LEGO Islands.

LEGO Horizon Adventures (2024)

The franchise’s latest game is LEGO Horizon Adventures, a collaboration between PlayStation’s Guerrilla Games and English support studio Studio Gobo. It’s a retelling of Horizon Zero Dawn, simplified and sanitized for a wider audience, that leans into the combat and platforming mechanics of LEGO action games before it.

LEGO Voyagers (2025)

The latest LEGO game is a two-player co-op adventure that is short and sweet. In our 8 out of 10 review, IGN praised its meorable puzzle games and fantasticly presented world. It doesn't have the same level of depth as co-op games like Split Fiction, or It Takes Two, but it's a fun game you can play together with someone.

LEGO Party (2025)

The second LEGO game we got in 2025, LEGO Party is, as you might guess, a party game along the lines of Mario Party. IGN's 8/10 review describes it as "Creative, colourful, and a consistent crack up... purpose-built to turn any boring old night into a block party filled with belly laughs." It feaures 60 minigames across LEGO sets from the Ninjago, Pirates, and Space themes. You can also customize your own minifigure and tackle Challenge Zones with up to three friends.

Upcoming LEGO Games on Switch 2

The Switch 2 has officially arrived, but plenty of games are still making their way to the original system. If you're looking ahead all the way to 2026, a new Batman game was announced called LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight that will be released next year. It will supposedly feature a an open-world Gotham City.

While you wait for new LEGO games, you can check out all of our Switch 2 coverage or let us know which Nintendo franchise deserves a LEGO set most in 2025.

Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.

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Get a 1,000W Electric Bike for Adults for as Low as $276 During the AliExpress Black Friday Sale

Not long you you wouldn't be able to find an electric bike for under $1,000. Although there are still plenty of "premium" brands that still sell ebikes for well above this threshold, it's no longer an accurate blanket statement. As part of its early Black Friday Sale, AliExpress is offering some outstanding deals on three popular entry level electric bikes. The three deals below stand out for the following reasons: (1) they're a lot less expensive than buying the exact same bike off Amazon, (2) they're all shipped from a local US warehouse so you don't need to worry about tariffs or shipping delays, and (3) they're sold by reputable vendors with plenty of reviews and sales to back them up.

For a limited time, Retailmenot is offering 15% cash back on all AliExpress purchases ($50 max rewards).

Amyet V9-G60 1000W Electric Bike for $420

AliExpress via Amyet's official seller account is offering the Amyet V9-G60 Electric Bike for just $417.71 after you apply $100 off coupon code "USCD35" during checkout. The same bike is priced at $485 plus $165 shipping on Amazon. I've posted this deal before and it has so far been the best selling ebike here at IGN. Of the three bikes in this roundup, this has the most powerful motor and the biggest battery.

The Amyet V9-G60 boasts a 1,000W (1,500W peak) brushless motor that can push the bike at speeds up to 32mph. The 48V 20AH (960Whr) battery can last up to 70 miles on a single charge (the actual distance is dependent on other factors like your speed, terrain, elevation, etc). Other features include a lightweight aluminum frame, Shimano components for its 7-speed transmission, dual suspension, and 20" wheels with 4" fat tires for a more comfortable ride. The bike comes 90% preassembled and includes a 1 year warranty. It's also pretty mod friendly in case you wanted to do your own upgrades (like swapping to hydraulic brakes).

Luckeep X1 Lite 750W Electric Bike for $435

The Luckeep X1 Lite is a better choice if you're looking for an e-bike that you can fold up and store away where space is limited, like in the trunk of your car or SUV. It's also a little bit lighter than the Amyet V9-G60. AliExpress has it on sale for $470.77 after $65 off coupon code "USCD65". The same bike is priced at $620 plus $99 shipping on Amazon.

The X1 Lite's 750W (1,500W peak) brushless motor can hit a top speed of about 28mph. The 48V 15AH (720Whr) battery can last up to 50 miles on a single charge. Like the Amyet V9-G60, it also features a lightweight aluminum frame, Shimano 7-speed transmission, and 20" wheels with 4" fat tires, and is covered by a 12 month warranty. The feature that sets this bike apart from the other two in the roundup is that it can be folded in half with the wheels stacked next to each other. This design makes it much easier to fit in a smaller space. A little engineering magic is needed to make sure that the frame maintains its rigidity and so this feature isn't commonly found in entry level bikes.

UrLife E20 Lite 750W Electric Bike for $276

The UrLife E20 Lite is the least expensive ebike in this roundup, and really just about the cheapest electric bike you can get anywhere. Where else can you get a brand new, pre-assembled ebike for just $319 (after you apply a $64 off coupon code "USCD35"). The same bike sells for $420 plus $90 shipping on Amazon.

UrLife E20 Lite is also the lightest bike in this roundup. Whereas the Luckeep X1 Lite weighs 70 pounds and the Amyet V9-G60 tops the chart at 77 pounds, the E20 Lite comes in at a modest 60 pounds. It's also equipped with a tamer 750W brushless motor with a peak rating of 1,000W, so the top speed is limited to a still respectable 20mph. The 48V 13AH (624Whr) battery, while being the smallest capacity battery in the roundup, has the best range at up to 80 miles, most likely because of the lighter weight and less power hungry motor.

This is an excellent entry level electric bike for an adult, or even a responsible teen who's never ridden an ebike before. The ebikes are not toys and you don't want to play with fire by getting something that is beyond your comfort zone. At this price, there's less damage to your wallet (and your dignity) if and when you put some dings and dents into it.

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

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Every Legend of Zelda Game on the Nintendo Switch in 2025

The Legend of Zelda is one of the most iconic video game series of all time. Starting on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986, The Legend of Zelda follows various incarnations of Princess Zelda and Link as they fight to save Hyrule from the evil that is Ganon. While the series has always been popular, the Nintendo Switch has catapulted Zelda into one of Nintendo's best-selling properties with landmark titles in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

Echoes of Wisdom released toward the end of the original Nintendo Switch's life cycle, but Nintendo has already revealed quite a bit about the next generation of adventures in Hyrule. Here's every Legend of Zelda game on the Nintendo Switch as well as new Zelda games coming to the Switch 2.

How Many Zelda Games Are There on Nintendo Switch?

In total, five Zelda games, three Hyrule Warriors games, and one spin-off game have been released specifically for the Nintendo Switch. This includes both mainline entries and spinoff games that were released from 2017 to 2025. All of these Zelda games are playable on the Switch 2.

All Zelda Switch Games in Order of Release Date

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the first Zelda title released for Nintendo Switch. Launching alongside the system, this title marked a turning point in the Zelda series, bringing a style of open world gameplay that we'd never seen before. You can traverse to anywhere you can see in the world. Link awakes after a 100 year slumber, where he is tasked by the spirit of Hyrule's former King to save Princess Zelda from Calamity Ganon - a primal evil trapped inside Hyrule Castle.

Read our original review of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or see what we thought of the Switch 2 version.

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition - 2018

Hyrule Warriors is an action hack and slash title developed by Omega Force and originally released for the Wii U. Characters from all kinds of Zelda games make an appearance, whether as playable characters or villains. The game was brought over to Nintendo Switch in 2018 in the form of Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, and includes all characters, stages, and modes from the original game in addition to Breath of the Wild inspired costumes for Link and Zelda.

Read our review of Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition.

Cadence of Hyrule - 2019

Cadence of Hyrule is an extremely unqiue collaboration between Brace Yourself Games and Nintendo. The game combines the roguelike rhythm gameplay of Crypt of the NecroDancer with the world of The Legend of Zelda and its characters. This spinoff offers an incredible soundtrack and beautiful pixelated graphics. Up against Octavo, a musical villain, Zelda and Link team up with Cadence to thwart his plans and save the Hyrule.

Read our review of Cadence of Hyrule.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - 2019

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a remake of 1993 Game Boy title developed by Grezzo. This charming platformer sees Link castaway at Koholint Island, where he must solve the mystery of the Wind Fish, a legendary being said to be on the island. Unlike some of the more modern Zelda titles, Link's Awakening takes you across many different dungeons and areas to collect the Instruments of the Sirens. If you never got the chance to play the original Link's Awakening, this is the definitive way to experience one of the Zelda series' most unique titles.

Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - 2020

The second Switch entry in the Hyrule Warriors series, Age of Calamity is set 100 years before the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Here, you can experience firsthand the events that occured in the fight against Calamity Ganon. All of your favorite Breath of the Wild cahracters are here and playable, including Link, Zelda, the Champions, and so many more. Omega Force created a fun and expansive title, with two waves of DLC you can check out after completing the main story.

Read our review of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD - 2021

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is the long-awaited remaster of the classic Wii game. Set at the beginning of the Zelda timeline, Skyward Sword takes Link to the skies as he traverses across the world to save his childhood friend Zelda. You'll uncover the Master Sword was created as part of this journey, among other things. The remaster includes the iconic motion controls you can operate with the Joy-Con and a new button-only gameplay style for those looking to play without motion.

Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - 2023

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom hit the market in 2023, selling over 10 million copies in just three days as well as quite a few special edition Switch consoles. Set a few years after the events of Breath of the Wild, Link is tasked once again with finding Princess Zelda after Ganondorf is resurrected. Tears of the Kingdom takes to both the skies of Hyrule and the depths below the land. This creates one of the largest maps you'll find in any game, leaving for hundreds of hours of exploration to be had. All in all, it's the best Zelda game of all time and a hard one to follow.

Read our original review of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or see what we thought about the Switch 2 version.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom - 2024

But, of course, Tears of the Kingdom was not the end of this beloved Nintendo franchise on the original Switch. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was announced during the June 2024 Nintendo Direct before launching on the Switch in the fall later that year. While Echoes has the titular Princess take the story's reigns, and features a more 2D art style à la Link's Awakening, it should not be mistaken as a spin-off or side project. This is a full-blown, magical Zelda game, that lets you unlock your creativity to try and save Link and the rest of Hyrule in entirely new ways.

Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment - 2025

The latest Zelda-adjacent release is a new entry in the Hyrule Warriors series. Nintendo has heavily emphasized that the story is canon, giving us a deeper look at the Imprisoning War in what is essentially a prequel to Tears of the Kingdom. You get to play as a spread of different characters, including Princess Zelda, who has been sent into Hyrule's past and must work with new allies in the fight against Ganandorf.

Read our review of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

Available Zelda Games With Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack

If you're interested in checking out some of the older Zelda titles, the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service has loads of Zelda titles from Nintendo's older consoles. Here is every Zelda game currently available on the service:

  • The Legend of Zelda
  • Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Four Swords
  • The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
  • The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
  • The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
  • The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
  • The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
  • The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
  • The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker*

*On the GameCube library exclusive to the Switch 2

What's Next for Zelda on Switch 2?

There has been no news of upcoming mainline Legend of Zelda games. We'll be sure to let you know as soon as it's announced, because it's almost certainly in Nintendo's pipeline. In the meantime, Nintendo has announced other plans with the franchise.

LEGO The Legend of Zelda

First up, Nintendo has officially teased a new LEGO The Legend of Zelda set as a follow-up to the LEGO Great Deku Tree. The next set seems to be inspired specifically by Ocarina of Time and will be released at some point in 2026, when we're also expecting the first LEGO x Pokemon collab.

Upcoming Zelda Movie

In addition to the games themselves, Nintendo has also announced they will be bringing Hyrule to the big screen with a live-action Legend of Zelda movie. In terms of details, the movie's director, Wes Ball (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), has expressed his desire to make a more "grounded" Zelda adaptation that feels like live-action Miyazaki. The Zelda movie will be releasing in theaters on March 26, 2027 and Nintendo has officially confirmed the actors playing both Link and Zelda.

See the full list of upcoming Switch games for everything coming to the system in 2025.

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.

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A New Ratchet & Clank Game Was Just Announced...for Mobile

A brand new Rachet & Clank game just got announced, but sorry folks, it's not a new PS5 adventure. It's called Rachet & Clank: Ranger Rumble, and it's coming to mobile sometime soon.

Ranger Rumble is described as "a fast-paced multiplayer platformer arena shooter", and is developed by French mobile studio Oh BiBi. Based on a new trailer shown today, you can play as various Rachet & Clank characters including Ratchet himself in a number of different game modes, including a traditional arena shooter mode called Total Rumble, a soccer-like Blast Ball and something called Bolt Rush that involves collecting bolts.

The game takes place in a simulation set up by Captain Qwark, and apparently includes heroes from "across the galaxy and time" competing against one another on teams, and you can join random groups solo or partner up online with friends. So far, there aren't that many other details as to what this game will entail.

This news might be a bit of a let-down for Ratchet & Clank fans hoping for something a bit bigger and bolder from the franchise after Rift Apart, which came out in 2021 and which we gave a 9/10 for being "a fantastic PS5 exclusive showpiece for the console’s power, and a delightful adventure in its own right." The series has been quiet since then, and it's getting to be about that time where we might expect the announcement of another major release, but it looks like fans will have to keep waiting.

In the meantime, there's Ranger Rumble, which will be out...sometime. Pre-registrations are open now on the official website.

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.

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New York Videogame Critics Circle's Annual Legend Award Won't Go to a Person This Year; It's Going to Pokémon

The New York Videogame Critics Circle has unveiled the winner of its annual Andrew Yoon Legend Award ahead of the New York Game Awards in January. And unlike past years, it's not going to an individual luminary from the video game industry. It's going to...the Pokémon franchise.

This is a first in the award's ten-year history, with past winners including Sam Lake, Neil Druckmann, Phil Spencer, Tim Schafer, and Reggie Fils-Aimé. That's not to say the award hasn't been flexible in its definition before, though. In its first year, 2016, the award was given to a studio: Rockstar Games. And in 2021, the award was given to four people: Jerry Lawson, Hideo Kojima, Brenda Romero, and John Romeo.

But it's still unusual to see the Legend award go to a franchise. On its website and in past years, the NYVGCC has described the award as going to "a game changer in the video games industry" and "those who have propelled the gaming world forward, celebrating their profound impact on an industry that continues to captivate and connect people worldwide." This year, the press release describes the award's purpose as to "recognize industry icons and organizations that exhibited a significant, sustained body of work demonstrating exceptional artistic achievement and innovation."

Per the NYVGCC, Pokémon was chosen as "an iconic staple of global popular culture, breaking through to video game and mainstream audiences in the mid-to-late 90s with a unique combination of collectibility, strong and approachable RPG gameplay and unparalleled character design." The release cites its $12 billion in global retail sales in 2024, over 489 million game copies sold since 1996, and the fact that it's one of the highest-grossing media franchises. We gave the most recent Pokemon game, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, an 8/10, saying it "finally feels like Game Freak hitting its stride in Pokémon's 3D era, with a fun setting to explore, a well-written story, and a total battle system overhaul that works surprisingly well."

“How do you articulate the impact of a cultural phenomenon like Pokémon? ‘Legend’ is the only word that comes to mind,” said Harold Goldberg, the president and founder of NYVGCC. “For 30 years, the franchise has grown to become the most recognizable game series in the world and is beloved for its unique monster designs that have compelled players young and old to catch ‘em all. It is a tremendous honor to present the company with the Andrew Yoon Legend Award at our 15th celebration of the New York Game Awards.”

The award will be accepted by The Pokémon Company at the awards ceremony on January 18, and The Pokémon Company will be in attendance with "two fan-favorite Pokémon" characters available for fan photo opportunities.

IGN reached out to NYVGCC for comment on the decision to honor a franchise this year and received the following official statement:

"The Pokémon Company’s Legend Award heralds the second time the New York Game Awards has decided to honor an overall team over a single individual creator. The first was Rockstar Games in 2016. With their influence across entertainment, console and tabletop gaming for 30 years, we felt that the many people who work with The Pokémon Company deserve to share the prestigious Andrew Yoon Legend Award for our 15th anniversary."

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.

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Every Pokémon Game on the Nintendo Switch in 2025

Often cited as one of the world's most valuable media franchises, Pokémon is a household name that's been a Nintendo staple since the Game Boy. The beloved series is home to hundreds of amazing creatures you can catch in-game or collect as trading cards, with each new generation bringing loads more to discover. Every console released by Nintendo has had plenty of Pokémon games released for it, and the Nintendo Switch is no exception.

Pokémon Day brought tons of new announcements about what's next for the franchise. Below, we've compiled every Pokémon game that has been released on Nintendo Switch and the information we have on a number of upcoming Pokémon games releasing on the Switch 2.

How Many Pokémon Games Are There on Nintendo Switch?

In total, 13 Pokémon games have been released for the Nintendo Switch. This includes the mainline games for the 8th and 9th Pokémon generations as well as plenty of spinoffs. For the sake of this list, we've counted mainline entries with two versions as a single release. We also don't include the Pokémon games offered through Nintendo Switch Online, but you can check out that list below.

All Pokémon Games on Nintendo Switch (in Release Order)

Pokkén Tournament DX (2017)

Pokkén Tournament was originally released for the Wii U in 2016. A year later, Nintendo and Bandai Namco prepared a deluxe version of the game for Nintendo Switch, adding new characters and updated visuals to take advantage of better hardware. This three-on-three battle system is a blast to play with friends both in person and online.

Pokémon Quest (2018)

Pokémon Quest turns all your favorite Pokémon into miniature cube form. This free-to-play Switch game features a fun and simple combat system where you send Pokémon on expeditions. Equip different abilities to your Pokémon to handle all types of encounters.

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! & Let's Go, Eevee! (2018)

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! & Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! are remakes of the beloved 1998 Pokémon Yellow. These titles were the first mainline Pokémon games ever to release on a home console, since none made it to the Wii U. Set in the Kanto region, all 151 original Pokémon appear with varying forms from previous mainline installments. With heavy accessibility features, these remakes were a great first step for the series on Nintendo Switch for newcomers and veterans of the series.

Pokémon Sword & Shield (2019)

Pokémon Sword & Shield marked the first installment in the series to feature aspects of an open world. Dubbed the Wild Areas, these regions allowed for free traversal and battles with wild Pokémon. Gyms also made a return for the first time since X & Y. Additionally, Sword & Shield introduced the eigth generation of Pokémon, which included Dynamax and Gigantamax forms of previous Pokémon.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX (2020)

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is a remake of the 2005 titles Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team & Blue Rescue Team. Surprisingly, this is the first Pokémon spinoff remake ever, with development handled by Spike Chunsoft. The gameplay consists of completing jobs in different dungeons and unlocking new Pokémon along the way.

Pokémon Café ReMix (2020)

The other Pokémon release of 2020 was Pokémon Café ReMix featuring similar gameplay to other puzzle games like Disney Tsum Tsum, which requires you to connect Pokémon together to solve puzzles. In Pokémon Café ReMix, you and Eevee own a café and must serve the Pokémon who come for food or a little drink. This charming service game is free-to-play via the Nintendo eShop.

New Pokémon Snap (2021)

After more than 20 years, the Nintendo Switch is the console that finally received a sequel to Pokémon Snap. Developed by Bandai Namco, you traverse around different biomes and areas with an on-rails camera to capture pictures Pokémon in the wild. You can unlock new courses by taking good pictures in New Pokémon Snap, leaving for a sizeable amount of content to unlock and discover. You never know what you might find during each session!

Pokémon Unite (2021)

This free-to-play game marked Pokémon's first entry into the MOBA genre. You command and control a team of five Pokémon in head-to-head battles against other players online. There's a solid amount of Pokémon to choose from, so you can adjust your team to best fit your needs. Pokémon Unite went on to be featured in different esports tournaments, with multiple championships held for the game.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (2021)

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Pokémon Shining Pearl are remakes of Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, which originally released in 2006 for the Nintendo DS. As the fourth generation of Pokémon, Diamond & Pearl feature a wide variety of Pokémon to battle against and discover. The remakes feature a new chibi art style that was created to stay faithful to the original titles while still remaining fresh.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus (2022)

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is often praised as one of the best Pokémon games available on the Switch. This original title takes place far in the past, somewhere in the Hisui region. With a focus on exploration, you can freely walk all around the map to capture Pokémon, explore different environments, and so much more. Pokémon can be spotted wandering around all over the map, which requires you to be strategic if you're looking to avoid battle.

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet (2022)

The latest mainline Pokémon games officially kicked off Generation 9, bringing along an entire new approach to gameplay and world design. In Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, an open world awaits with freedom to explore wherever your heart takes you. The DLC pass, titled The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero, is now wrapped up, making it a perfect time to check out Scarlet & Violet.

Detective Pikachu Returns (2023)

One game and one movie later, the sequel to Detective Pikachu is finally available on Nintendo Switch. Tim's father is missing, and it's up to Detective Pikachu to solve the case! This sequel features new puzzles and investigations, where you can investigate scenes and use your notebook to get to the bottom of the mystery. If you're a fan of both Pokémon and mystery games, this is a great game to consider.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A (2025)

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the most recent release in the series, launching on both Switch systems on October 16. Rebekah Valentine's review for IGN marks a significant shift from the downfalls of the previous generation, describing that "what elevates Lumiose City far above the much larger overworld of Scarlet and Violet is that it’s dense with interesting landmarks, items, obstacle courses, stores, Wild Zones, shops, and people."

The game takes place in the French-inspired Lumiose City, with familiar starters in Tepig, Chikorita, and Totodile, all of which get new Mega Evolutions. A big change in this game is the combat system, which introduces more real-time action.

Available Pokémon Games With Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack

The Nintendo Switch Online subscription service has additional Pokémon titles if you're looking for more after completing the Nintendo Switch library. Here are the five Pokémon games you can play with a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership:

  • Pokémon Trading Card Game
  • Pokémon Snap
  • Pokémon Puzzle League
  • Pokémon Stadium
  • Pokémon Stadium 2

Upcoming Pokémon Games on Nintendo Switch

A spread of leaks have supposedly pointed to the future of Pokémon for the next several years. Take those with a grain of salt. In the meantime, here's what Pokémon has officially announced:

Pokémon Pokopia

While we may not be getting a new Animal Crossing game (yet, though we are getting a Switch 2 edition of New Horizons), Nintendo just announced a new Pokémon spin-off game that looks pretty darn similar. Pokémon Pokopia makes you a Ditto with a human appearance, who must work and learn from local Pokémon to build a new community on a small island. The game is set to launch on Switch 2 on March 5, 2026.

Pokémon Champions

Yep, there's more. Game Freak and The Pokémon Company have also announced Pokémon Champions, a new battle game in the spirit of Pokemon Showdown. Coming to mobile devices and Switch, you'll be able to battle with Pokémon you've trained in other games through the Pokémon Home app.

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.

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The Secretlab Early Black Friday Sale Starts Now, Time to Upgrade to a Premium Gaming Chair

The Secretlab Early Black Friday Sale has officially commenced starting today. Save up to $100 off Secretlab's popular gaming chairs including its flagship Titan Evo Nanogen chair, up to $249 off its gaming desks, and up to 37% off accessories like the Titan Evo recliner add-on. In addition to the instant discounts, you can get extra tiered savings by hitting a certain order amount for each type of purchase. These should be stackable with the instant discounts.

  • Extra $40 off Chair orders of $850 or more
  • Extra $50 off Desk orders of $1,489 or more
  • $100 off all orders of $1,999 or more

It's no secret that we love our Secretlab gaming chairs. Three of the eight chairs in our best gaming chair roundup are Secretlab models. Of all the gaming chairs we covered in our "Budget to Best" roundup video earlier this year, my colleague Akeem Lawanson considered the Secretlab Titan Evo to be the most comfortable. No good chair comes cheap and Secretlab chairs definitely cost a premium, but we think the craftsmanship, materials, and customizability are worth it.

TL;DR - The Best Secretlab Black Friday Deals

You can quickly browse through all of the listed products on sale above. For more information on each product and why they are worth your consideration, read through below.

Secretlab Titan Evo Nanogen Edition

The Titan Evo Nanogen Edition is on sale for the first time ever. It normally sells for $799 at Secretlab direct, but there's a $50 off discount during the Black Friday Sale. If your budget can accomodate it, this is the best gaming chair. In our recent Titan Evo Nanogen Edition review, Chris Coke wrote that "the Secretlab Titan Evo Nanogen Edition deserves every bit of the overwhelming praise I’ve given. Granted, at $799 it’s significantly more expensive than the original and not far off from an entry-level Herman-Miller. But the return it offers in comfortable, supportive gaming is well worth the extra cost thanks to dramatically improved materials in both the fabric and multi-layered padding. The Titan Evo Nanogen Edition is class-leading, and is hands-down the most comfortable gaming chair I’ve ever used."

Secretlab Titan Evo

The Titan Evo starts at $499 during the sale. This is Secretlab's flagship chair and it's available in small, medium, and large sizes. Upholstery options include Neo Hybrid leatherette, SoftWeave Plus fabric, or premium Napa leather. The chair features cold-cure foam upholstery for the seat, a supportive four-way lumbar system, full length backrest with 165 degrees of recline, full metal 4D armrests with magnetically attached PU cushions, and a memory foam headrest pillow.

Aside from the build quality, the Titan Evo also stands out thanks to the sheer number of officially licensed designs from popular video games, TV shows, and more. Some of the more popular examples include Star Wars, The Witcher, Overwatch, Attack on Titan, League of Legends, World of Warcraft, and Game of Thrones. They generally cost more than the standard colors, but they're worth it if you're looking for that extra personal touch.

In our Secretlab Titan Evo review, Chris Coke wrote that "after two years of daily use, the Secretlab Titan Evo has proven that it can stand the test of time and still be one of the best gaming chairs you can buy. Meaningful ergonomics paired with Secretlab’s wide selection of designs, it remains a fantastic option, especially for fans of bright colors or designs."

Secretlab Titan Evo Lite

The Titan Evo Lite gaming chair is an excellent value with its starting price tag of $419, which is $80 less than the base model Titan Evo. It's built upon the same frame as the Titan Evo and has the same core features like the cold-cure foam cushioning, lumbar, 165 degrees of recline, and 4D armrests. What it compromises on is customization, with "only" two upholstery options, two sizes, and five colors, a non-adjustable lumbar system, simpler arm rests, and no included head rest. If none of these tradeoffs bother you, then you'll be saving quite a bit of money.

Secretlab Titan Recliner Add-On

Also on sale for the first time, Secretlab's new recliner add-on is $30 off for Black Friday. This is a nice upgrade for anyone who already owns the Titan Evo chair. In our recliner add-on review, Chris Coke wrote that "while both comfort and value are subjective things, the recliner is able to take the Titan Evo and transform it from one of the best racing style gaming chairs to standing head and shoulders above the competition at its price point. It’s novel enough that I wouldn’t be surprised to see other brands following suit in the near future. If you don’t mind paying for it, it’s an absolutely killer upgrade for your gaming chair."

Secretlab Magnus and Magnus Pro

The Magnus and Magnus Pro are also on sale for July 4. The Magnus is a traditional fixed-frame gaming desk while the Magnus Pro ups the ante with a custom designed electric standing desk frame for an additional $250. Both desks feature an all-metal desktop surface, solid steel legs and cleverly thought out areas for cable management, but the Magnus Pro has some really unique features including a power cable that runs internally inside one of the telescoping legs and an in-line control panel that you won't bump into.

In our Secretlab Magnus Pro review. Mark Knapp writes that "the Secretlab Magnus Pro is a fantastic desk, bringing the brilliant cable management solutions of the original Magnus to a fast, quiet, and wide-ranging motorized standing desk. The desk is built well and proves an excellent platform for work and play alike. It’s an expensive desk though, and for the money, it would have been nice to see a smarter safety mechanism for the motors and the desk mat included. Still, the overall quality you get is a big step up from cheaper standing desks, and the optional accessories truly enhance the experience. Anyone who’s not committed to a standing desk should save their money and go for the standard Magnus if everything else about this model sounds good, but for gamers who love a tidy desk and want the flexibility of a standing desk, the Magnus Pro should be the first they consider."

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

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Marvel and DC Join Forces Again for The Flash/Fantastic Four and Thor/SHAZAM! Crossovers

2025 will definitely go down in history as the year Marvel and DC started to play nice again. The two publishers recently collaborated on Deadpool/Batman #1, with Batman/Deadpool #1 to follow later this month. We also recently learned that the two are developing a pair of Superman/Spider-Man crossovers for release in 2026. But that's not all.

Today, Marvel and DC each released a new crossover comic on their respective digital comics platforms. Marvel Unlimited subscribers can now read Thor/SHAZAM! by writer Al Ewing, artist Jethro Morales, and cover artist Martín Cóccolo. Meanwhile, DC Universe Infinite subscribers can read The Flash/Fantastic Four by writer Jeremy Adams and artist Adrián Gutiérrez. Both stories are also notable for being presented in a vertical scroll format.

Marvel's official description of Thor/SHAZAM! teases, "The might of Thor! The power of Shazam! Marvel and DC bring the thunder to Infinity Comics in a never-before-seen adventure! When a familiar face threatens to usurp the magic of the Marvel and DC universes, will Donald Blake and Billy Batson recover their powers in time to stop them?"

DC's official description of The Flash/Fantastic Four teases, "In The Flash/Fantastic Four, available now, exclusively from DC on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE, Barry Allen and the Fantastic Four tear through the Speed Force, encountering heroes and villains across time in a bid to stop Gorilla Grodd’s quest for mental domination. Written by Jeremy Adams, with art by Adrián Gutiérrez and colors by Romulo Fajardo Jr., this DC GO! webcomic is a high-speed, high-stakes DC/Marvel crossover adventure."

Thor/SHAZAM! is available to read now on Marvel Unlimited, while The Flash/Fantastic Four is available on DC Universe Infinite. Current subscribers of each platform will be emailed exclusive codes for 30-day free trials of the other platform.

Be sure to check out IGN's picks for the Marvel/DC crossovers that need to happen next.

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

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