There were a ton of new LEGO sets released last week, but some of the most popular ones available aren't meant to be built until the holiday season. A total of six LEGO Advent calendars for 2025 were just released on September 1, but both Amazon and Walmart are already offering pretty nice discounts. If you are looking for a fun alternative to the usual candy-filled Advent calendars you or your kids usually open in December, these LEGO versions are an absolute delight.

Only some of the new Advent calendars are currently getting a significant discount, however. Both the LEGO City and LEGO Friends options are getting pretty big price reductions well ahead of the holidays. These were already the least expensive of the bunch due to not being directly tied to an outside IP, so the price cut just makes them even more affordable. The other calendars are getting slight discounts at Walmart only, so you can save on those as well if you're willing to spend a bit more.

LEGO Advent Calendar Sale at Amazon

Oscar winner Michael Caine, age 92, will come out of retirement to make a sequel to a movie he did with Vin Diesel a decade ago.

According to Variety, The Last Witch Hunter 2 “is being fast-tracked through development at Lionsgate and Diesel’s production banner One Race Films.” Diesel will reprise his role as Kaulder and Caine as the 36th Dolan, although a deal with Caine isn’t final yet.

Caine was last seen on screen in 2023’s The Great Escaper. His storied career has seen him appear in several classics – The Man Who Would Be King, Get Carter, Alfie, Sleuth – and as a regular in the films of Christopher Nolan, including The Dark Knight trilogy and Inception.

Caine retired in 2023, saying at the time, "I keep saying I'm going to retire. Well, I am now. … I've figured, I've had a picture where I've played the lead and it's got incredible reviews. The only parts I’m likely to get now are old men...And I thought, well I might as well leave with all this — what have I got to do to beat this?"

Apparently, for Caine, The Last Witch Hunter 2 beats being retired.

If you're looking for an affordable high-capacity power bank that will fast charge your Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, or Apple iPhone 16, then check out today's deal. Amazon is offering an Iniu 20,000mAh 22.5W Power Bank for just $15.29 after you apply promo code "B642JBPO". Iniu power banks are well reviewed and are less expensive than Anker models.

Iniu 20,000mAh 22.5W USB Power Bank for $15.29

The Conjuring is one of the most popular horror franchises of all time and the latest film appears to be as popular as ever. The Conjuring: Last Rites had a huge opening weekend at the box office, raking in $187 million. The new film, marketed as the final entry in the Conjuring series, once again follows paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren as they take on one last case. For our take on the film, you can check out IGN's review for more details.

If the box office success and reviews aren't enough to coax you into a movie theater, the good news is that you can already preorder a physical copy of the film. Both The Conjuring: Last Rites limited edition steelbook and the standard 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD editions are all now available to buy. According to the Amazon listing, they will all be released on March 18, 2026—but the actual release date will likely be much earlier than that.

The Conjuring: Last Rites - Where to Preorder

Alienware's new mainstream gaming laptop for 2025 is dubbed the "Alienware Aurora" and comes in two 16" models: the 16 and 16X. The 16X is the superior of the two and is on sale right now. Dell is currently offering the Alienware 16X Aurora gaming laptop equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and GeForce RTX 5070 mobile GPU for $1,549.99 after a $350 instant discount. That's the lowest price I've seen so far for the Aurora 16X laptop and RTX 5070 GPU combo.

Alienware 16X Aurora RTX 5070 Gaming Laptop for $1,549.99

Amazon outlet Woot is offering a bunch of video games on sale right now, with some of 2025’s biggest releases on sale.

Arguably, the biggest is Monster Hunter Wilds, which sees more than half of its MSRP sliced off with an Insect Glaive, bringing Capcom’s creature-slaying title down to just $29.99 on Xbox Series X.

This Woot Deal Is Great for 2025 Game Releases

Bambu Lab is widely considered one of the better consumer 3D printer brands on the market. It offers a few different models that cater to a wide audience, from the fledgling first-timer testing out a new hobby to the seasoned professonal looking to produce en masse. One of their most popular models, the Bambu X1C Combo 3D Printer is currently on sale for $999.99 after a $250 off instant discount. Free delivery is included with as fast as next day arrival. This is Bambu's flagship CoreXY 3D printer and even includes the AMS module for multi-filament (multi-color) printing.

Bambu X1C Combo 3D Printer for $999.99

In honor of today, September 8, being Star Trek Day, Paramount has launched two new Star Trek streaming projects and announced a slew of partnerships and content plans to promote the 60th anniversary of the original TV series next year.

The scripted podcast series Star Trek: Khan launched today on all major podcast platforms, as well as on the official Star Trek YouTube channel. New episodes will drop weekly on Mondays through November 3.

IGN previously revealed that Lost’s Naveen Andrews voices the iconic Khan Noonien Singh while For All Mankind’s Wrenn Schmidt voices his wife, Marla McGivers. Star Trek: Voyager’s Tim Russ voices Ensign Tuvok while The Original Series’ George Takei voices Captain Sulu. Sonya Cassidy voices Dr. Rosalind Lear.

The franchise’s first preschool project, Star Trek: Scouts, also premiered today. The original animated YouTube-first series was developed and produced by Nickelodeon Digital Studio in association with CBS Studios. The episodes run 3-4 minutes in length. The trailer can be seen here.

According to the official synopsis, “Star Trek: Scouts follows three 8-year-old friends, JR, Sprocket and Roo, as they train to become future Starfleet Explorers by going on epic, out-of-this-world missions that push them to ‘discover, grow and boldly go!’”

Two episodes are available now on Nickelodeon’s Blaze and the Monster Machines YouTube channel. The remainder of the 20-episode order will continue to roll out into 2026.

In other Star Trek Day news, the Lego Group and Paramount announced their first-ever collaboration via a first look teaser showing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in brick form.

Meanwhile, WEBTOON will publish Star Trek digital comics described as “original stories that touch on universal genres and themes based in the world of Star Trek.”

For more Trekkin’, discover why Star Trek: The Last Starship is the must-read sci-fi comic of 2025, get the skinny on the new VR game Star Trek: Infection, and boldly go find out what we know so far about the new show Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which premieres in early 2026.

The official online hub for Star Trek’s 60th anniversary can be found here.

Aside from a confused, misguided mish-mash of different and poorly executed ideas that take turns setting up rakes for itself to step on, Lost Soul Aside is an enjoyable character action game. I’ve had a blast in battles and boss fights, but too often in between them I had to slog through a repetitive story plagued with unmemorable characters, levels peppered with awkward platforming, and puzzles that would make the shape-matching challenges you’d give to a toddler look like rocket science, all disguised in a deceptively flashy package.

Originality is fleeting in games, a medium where ideas and innovations blur the line between craft, technology, business, and art. That’s especially true in the ever-wider tent of high-budget fantasy action games with flashy combos and light RPG elements. And normally, that’s not an issue; even a competent take on a character action game inspired by the likes of Bayonetta or Devil May Cry is probably going to provide some fluffy, inoffensive fun – and to its credit, Lost Soul Aside is more than competent as an action game. But in clearly borrowing and worsening ideas from multiple recent Final Fantasy games in particular, it’s not attempting an idea of its own that didn’t work out; it’s doing something badly that begs comparison to games that got the same ideas right, some of them nearly a decade ago.

That’s what drove me up the wall during my playthrough. I feel like I’ve been playing the product of boardroom meetings held a week after Final Fantasy XV or VII Remake came out where the discussion was on how to capitalize on their success, rather than a passion project made by a team paying homage to those games. From a we-have-Noctis-at-home main character (named Kaser), to the story’s setup feeling awfully familiar, to the structure and scale of each level resembling a pared-down Final Fantasy VII Remake, with all of it peppered with uninteresting extra puzzles and platforming challenges, I found something new to sigh at around every corner – and trust me, that’s not because I was swooning over the bad-boy protagonist.

Set in a sci-fi/fantasy world where a mysterious alien energy has been harnessed to fuel an all-powerful empire, Lost Soul Aside opens with a premonition that humanity is soon to face its darkest days and that a savior will rise to the occasion. Then, you’re thrust into an opening segment where you’re introduced to an underground resistance organization run from a poor neighborhood in the capital city as they carry out an open act of defiance against the empire – sound familiar? If it doesn’t you should play Final Fantasy 7 instead, because it’s done better there and this retelling doesn’t do anything interesting or original with it.

Doled out through occasionally dazzling, action-packed cutscenes but mostly in significantly less impressive, awkward dialogue sequences, the story is highly repetitive. Every opportunity for a twist or tonal shift is squandered in favor of a straightforward, black-and-white tale that doesn’t feel like it’s about anything other than wanting to be like other RPGs. Lost Soul Aside doesn’t use its roughly 16-hour runtime efficiently enough for any characters to grow. Instead, it flings proper noun after proper noun at you, hoping that one of its many side characters will make an impression. But this story’s rhythm moves too quickly for anybody to exist beyond cartoonish caricature at best. Being generous, maybe their memorable characteristics were lost in the English translation, but maybe they were never there to begin with.

Its individual story moments come in a similarly offbeat meter, with awkward animations and mostly flat voice acting filling in its hours’ worth of basic, over-the-shoulder dialogue segments. All of it is delivered by characters who often fall into unflattering RPG cliches (like a scantily clad woman who looks and acts like a teenager but is actually hundreds of years old or a gruff, emo protagonist who’d fit in with a boyband and has a mysterious backstory and a penchant for kicking ass) without playing with or evolving these ideas in any discernible way.

With a better localization, more lively voice direction, or a stronger commitment to the bit, Lost Soul Aside could perhaps have nailed the same B-movie-like campy charm worn so well by the action games that so clearly inspired its better parts. Instead, it’s somehow both half-hearted and overserious. Kaser and his dragon-like sidekick Lord Arena eventually share a few moments that bent the edges of my lips into a smirk, but it takes so long for the pair to hit their stride that I was mostly checked out from the story and there only for the action by the time their dynamic clicked.

Combat in Lost Soul Aside acts as a palette cleanser for the uninteresting story. Kaser hacks and slashes through enemies with stylish flair, using the genre-standard light and heavy attack buttons. Mixing the two together with different timing and order will open up new combos, and you can unlock even more using skill points to fill out branches on a skill tree. With a choice between four different weapons – sword, greatsword, poleblade, and scythe – each has its own skill path and playstyle. And switching them on the fly mid-combo opens up an expressive, varied tree of attacks catered to a range of playstyles. The polearm, for example, works well at long range, where the greatsword is best for dealing satisfying, heavy blows. My favorite was the standard sword, though; an all-around, quick, agile weapon with solid ranged and melee attacks, it’s remained my go-to for cutting up legions of invading Voidrax beings during the duration of my playthrough.

Supplemented by additional mechanics like the combo-extending Burst Pursuit that allows you to throw out big finishers after a combo or the Witch Time-like perfect dodge that nets you a different, powerful attack for each weapon, requisite – though cleverly restrained – parry, and the Arena powers that let you throw out big, area-of-effect attacks that work well for resetting the battlefield, Lost Soul Aside’s combat system is the star of the show. Even against largely unmemorable enemies, I’m really enjoying experimenting with new combinations and powers as Kaser and Arena’s flashy animations dazzled during longer sequences.

The boss fights that cap off parts of each level make for even more stylish encounters. While bigger opponents play with scale, throwing out massive, arena-sweeping attacks, others are more nimble duels to the finish against human-sized opponents. Nearly every fight culminates in an exciting finale. Dosed with just the right amount of toothy challenge, each battle provided the right kind of brain-tickling, thrilling showdown as I dodged and weaved between attacks before wailing on their stagger meter to deal a special Sync Finisher on my dazed opponent.

I did find an odd pain point in some of these fights, though: There’s not enough feedback when Kaser takes damage from some smaller swings. So as I’m wailing away at a bad guy seemingly doing well, I’ll glance down at my health bar and it’s significantly lower than I thought it would be because I didn’t know that I’d taken any damage in the first place. Thankfully, Kaser and Arena are talky enough that you'll hear about it once your health is really low, and those barks stand out against the otherwise-repetitive battle chatter.

Unfortunately, Lost Soul Aside isn’t a pure boss-rush combat gauntlet, and the rest of the gameplay between each fight isn’t nearly as compelling. Most of the levels are made up of a linear, boring series of corridors with occasional “open” areas that add an extra platforming “challenge” or two to the mix. Sure, there might be a basic puzzle or treasure chest around a corner (though I used almost none of the crafting materials accumulated during my playthrough because the rewards didn’t improve my stats enough to bother with), but nothing I’ve seen so far has really come close to justifying its existence beyond drab padding between battles. Its high-fidelity, visually detailed spaces mask simple, homogenous non-combat challenges and empty chambers that toss a few unrewarding pickups your way, seemingly just to break things up.

That makes sense, considering most of the level progression and exploration is marked by boring and simple paths where you mostly just walk forward until the next fight, broken up with a simple puzzle here or there. It was nothing offensive.... until the platforming reared its ugly head. At multiple points during Lost Soul Aside I found myself jumping through platforming segments that could make even the Plinko and Chuckster levels that make up the dregs of Super Mario Sunshine look like a blast. Plagued with imprecise running and walking, floaty jumps with laggy-feeling animations, poor feedback, a claustrophobic field of view, and a barely visible shadow, I am truly shocked at the low-quality platforming I endured to get from fight to fight. Some of it was optional, but I still had to do a lot to complete any given level. Thankfully, I could find ways to cheese certain annoying segments, but don’t expect to see anyone at GDQ showing off Lost Soul Aside speedrunning techniques; these are tourniquets used to slow fatal bleeding, not expressive tools indicative of a mechanically deep platformer.

It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since Marvel published the original Planet Hulk storyline. This hugely influential tale saw Hulk dragged across space to battle for his life on the wartorn world of Sakaar, eventually rising from gladiator to king. That journey has had a profound influence on Marvel's comic book line, including paving the way for 2007's World War Hulk crossover, and its influence can be felt in the MCU even now.

To celebrate Planet Hulk's 20th birthday, Marvel has reassembled some of the original creative team - including writer Greg Pak, artist Carlo Pagulayan, and editor Mark Paniccia - to craft a new adventure set on Sakaar. Return to Planet Hulk #1 is a one-shot special that takes place during the original storyline. It promises to add even greater depth to a modern Marvel classic.

To learn more about how this special connects to the original run, IGN spoke with Pak via email. Check out an exclusive preview of Return to Planet Hulk #1 in the slideshow gallery below, then read on to learn more:

20 years ago, Pak couldn't have known just how big an impact Planet Hulk would have on the Marvel Universe. We asked him why he thinks Planet Hulk has resonated so strongly over the years.

"It's always a little presumptuous for a writer to talk about what makes their own work popular, ha ha!" Pak tells IGN. "But, of course, we wouldn't be anywhere without the incredible art, coloring, and lettering of Carlo Pagulayan, Aaron Lopresti, Ladronn, Chris Sotomayor, Randy Gentile, Joe Caramagna, and everyone else who worked on the book."

Pak continues, "I think there's also always juice in a story in which the strongest hero is somehow the biggest outcast and underdog. And there's a tremendous feeling when a character thought of as a monster has the chance to step up for others and become a true hero. So Planet Hulk delivers on all that vicarious glory. But it's also a Hulk story, which means it's about the price of anger, no matter how righteous that anger is. So it's also a tragedy, and I think that's honestly a huge part of its attraction. It's emotionally raw and honest and I think folks have appreciated that. I'm also enormously grateful to all the Hulk writers and artists who preceded us and laid the groundwork for this kind of story and all the readers who embraced it so wholeheartedly. You never really know how a book will be received, and when everything really hits, and it's overwhelming in the best of ways to know how much the story has meant to so many people. THANK YOU!"

Pak reveals that he was the catalyst behind Return to Planet Hulk, as he reached out to Marvel after realizing the 20th anniversary was approaching and developing the nugget of an idea for a way to revisit the original book.

"The world of Planet Hulk is always kicking around somewhere in the back of my head," Pak says. "So when I realized that the 20th anniversary was coming up, I shot a note off to Marvel and after a while Mark Paniccia, the brilliant editor of the original Planet Hulk run, reached out and said they had this one-shot approved. The big challenge was figuring out a spot in the storyline where an untold story could actually work. The original story is very tight, and we didn't want to add something that didn't provide additional resonance."

Pak continues, "Eventually we realized there was a sweet spot shortly after the end of issue #95, the fourth chapter in the saga, where the Hulk has freed the enslaved gladiators but hasn't quite settled into his role as an actual leader. This felt like a great place to explore the Hulk's conflicted ideas -- the possibility that he might refuse this call to adventure, this demand to be a hero -- in the deepest wasteland of the Twisted Wood. It's pretty darn great -- dontcha dare miss it!"

Select Asus Prime RTX 50 series graphics cards have dropped back down to original launch pricing on Amazon. In fact, one of the models - the RTX 5070 - is actually discounted below MSRP. If you have an RTX 30 series card or even older, now would be a good time to upgrade. We don't know whether or not inventory or pricing will stay stable forever, especially with tariffs raising prices on everything else. Also, older RTX 40 series cards are not as readily available nor are they cheap, so trying to save money on a prior generation card isn't as viable an alternative as it used to be.

The Asus Prime is Asus' budget lineup of GPUs. It's easily the best bang for your buck because it offers the same performance of higher end models but without flashy RGB LED effects, oversized space-constraining heatsinks, or negligible overclocks. The 2.5-slot design is slimmer than your average triple-fan cooler (so it can fit in small form factor PCs), but it's still superior to the dual-fan designs on budget models from other brands. A triple-fan cooler doesn't have to work as hard as a dual-fan cooler to keep temps down, and so they can run at a slower and quieter fan speed.

Asus Prime GeForce RTX 5070 GPU for $523.79

With streaming prices going up and movies and TV shows hopping from one service to another without warning, it's a good time to own your favorites on physical media. Whether it's to ensure you can always watch them regardless of what streaming services you subscribe to, or you just enjoy the act of collecting, it's good to know when the newest releases are coming out on 4K UHD and Blu-ray. You know, as long as you have a good way to play them (see our list of the best Blu-ray players for help on that front). Below, you'll find a full rundown of release dates and buy links for all the upcoming home releases you're likely to care about.

Biggest New and Upcoming 4K UHD and Blu-ray Releases

If you want a TL;DR of the biggest upcoming home movie and TV show releases, look no further than the list above. We keep it updated and change out the featured items regularly. Below, you'll find all the notable upcoming release sorted by release date.

September 2025 4K and Blu-ray Releases

September 9

• Ballerina: From the World of John Wick - Standard | Steelbook
• Elio - Buy It
• The Girl Who Leapt Through Time - Buy It
• Jurassic World Rebirth - Steelbook | Standard
• Kung Fu Panda 2 (4K) - Buy It
• Little House on the Prairie: Complete Series - Buy It
• Materialists - Buy It
• Ouija: Limited Edition 4K Steelbook - Buy It
• Uzumaki Limited Edition - Buy It
• Elio - Steelbook (or watch it on digital)

September 16

• Cinderella Man (4K) - Buy It
• Halloween: Limited-Edition Steelbook (4K) - Buy It
• Halloween II: Limited-Edition Steelbook (4K) - Buy It
• Hotel Rwanda - Buy It
• Krull (4K) - Buy It
• This Is Spinal Tap (Criterion) - Buy It
• Tron - Steelbook (4K) - Buy It
• Tron: Legacy - Steelbook (4K) - Buy It

September 23

• 007 - Diamonds are Forever (4K) - Buy It
• 007 - Dr. No (4K) - Buy It
• 007 - From Russia With Love (4K) - Buy It
• 007 - Goldfinger (4K) - Buy It
• 007 - Thunderball (4K) - Buy It
• 007 - You Only Live Twice (4K) - Buy It
• 28 Years Later - Steelbook | Standard
• Airplane II: The Sequel 4K (4K) - Buy It
• Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires - Buy It
• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - Buy It
• Chucky: The Complete Series - Buy It
• Corpse Bride: Limited-Edition Steelbook (4K) - Buy It
• Flow (Criterion) - Buy It
• The Last of Us: Complete Second Season - Steelbook | Standard
• Megan 2.0 - Steelbook | Standard
• Megan 2-Movie Collection - Buy It
• Night of the Living Dead (1990) - Steelbook - Buy It
• Superman (2025) - Buy It (see preorder guide)

September 30

• American Pie (4K) - Standard | Steelbook
• Becoming Led Zeppelin - Steelbook (4K) - Buy It
• Bride of Frankenstein (4K) - Buy It
• Castlevania: Complete Series - Buy It (see preorder guide)
• Dracula: Complete Legacy Collection (4K) - Buy It
• The French Dispatch - Criterion - Buy It
• Isle of Dogs - Criterion - Buy It
• The Life of Chuck - Buy It
• A Nightmare on Elm Street: 7-Film Collection (4K) - Steelbook | Standard
• The Wes Anderson Archive: 10 Films, 25 Years (Criterion, 4K) - Buy It

October 2025 4K and Blu-ray Releases

October 7

• Aeon Flux - Steelbook (4K) - Buy It
• The Bad Guys 2 - Buy It
• Child's Play (1988): Limited Edition Steelbook (4K) - Buy It
• Clue - Steelbook (4K) - Buy It
• The Dark Crystal - Steelbook (4K) - Buy It
• End Of Days: 25th Anniversary Edition (4K) - Buy It
• Five Nights at Freddy's – Ultimate Collector's Edition SteelBook (4K) - Buy It
• I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) - Steelbook
• Labyrinth - Steelbook (4K) - Buy It
• Mortal Kombat - Buy It
• Nobody 2 - Buy It
• Peanuts: 75th Anniversary Ultimate TV Specials Collection - Buy It
• The Quick and the Dead (4K) - Buy It
• Rocky Horror Picture Show - Steelbook (4K) - Buy It
• Scarface – Ultimate Collector's Edition SteelBook (4K) - Buy It
• Spawn (4K) - Buy It
• Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (Criterion) - Buy It

October 14

• Alfred Hitchcock: The Ultimate Collection - Buy It
• Back to the Future Trilogy (4K) - Buy It
• Back to the Future - Steelbook - Buy It
• Back to the Future II - Steelbook - Buy It
• Back to the Future III - Steelbook - Buy It
• The Bone Collector (4K) - Buy It
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Steelbook) - Buy It
• Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning - Standard | Steelbook
• Weapons - Buy It

October 21

• Altered States - Criterion Collection - Buy It
• EVANGELION: 1.11 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE - Buy It
• EVANGELION: 2.22 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE - Buy It
• The Place Beyond the Pines (4K) - Buy It
• Savages (4K) - Buy It
• Superman 5-Film Collection (4K) - Buy It

October 28

• Arcane League Of Legends: Season 2 - Steelbook - Buy It
• Catch-22 - Buy It
• Halloween III: Season of the Witch - Steelbook (4K) - Buy It
• Hush - Steelbook (4K) - Buy It
• Mega Man: The Complete Series - Buy It
• Nightmare Alley - Criterion (4K) - Buy It
• Shin Godzilla (4K) - Standard | Steelbook
• Smurfs - Buy It
• Trick R Treat - Steelbook (4K) - Buy It

November 2025 4K and Blu-ray Releases

November 4

• The Breakfast Club - Criterion Collection (4K) - Buy It
• Hard Boiled (4K) - Buy It
• John Carpenter's Vampires Steelbook (4K) - Buy It
• Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (4K) - Buy It

November 11

• Burden of Dreams - Criterion Collection (4K) - Buy It
• Creepshow: Complete Series - Buy It
• Goodbye, Columbus - Buy It
• House Party - Criterion Collection (4K) - Buy It
• The Mask - Limited Edition (4K) - Buy It
• The Naked Gun (2025) - Buy It
• Renfield (4K) Steelbook - Buy It
• Rick and Morty: Season Eight - Buy It
• Snowden (4K) - Buy It
• Spotlight (4K) - Buy It
• Together - Buy It

November 18

• A Better Tomorrow Trilogy (4K) - Buy It
• Red Planet (4K) - Buy It
• Yellowstone: The Complete Series - Buy It

November 25

• Attack on Titan - Final Season Complete - Steelbook - Buy It
• The Beastmaster - Collector's Edition (4K) - Buy It
• Eyes Wide Shut - Criterion Collection (4K) - Buy It

December 2025 4K and Blu-ray Releases

December 16

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy - Limited Edition (4K) - Buy It

TBA 4K and Blu-Ray Releases

• Caught Stealing - Buy It
• The Conjuring: Last Rites - Standard | Steelbook
• The Toxic Avenger - Standard | Steelbook

Want more release dates? Check out our mega-post of all the biggest video game release dates to see what's coming to consoles and PC this year and beyond.

What's the Difference Between 4K and Blu-ray?

The distinction between 4K and Blu-ray is mostly about resolution. A standard Blu-ray disc will usually offer 1080p resolution whereas a 4K disc will offer 2160p resolution. And while all Blu-ray players will be able to play those 1080p discs, not every machine is equipped for 4K.

Best 4K TVs

If you're looking to buy a new TV that will make your 4K movies shine, you'll definitely want to take a look at our favorites. Our tech editors have selected the best 4K TVs for gaming, which will also work great for movie-watching. And since both the PS5 and Xbox Series X have 4K Blu-ray play-back built in, you'll probably be doing plenty of gaming on them as well.

LG C5 OLED Smart Gaming TV

It’s another week, and that means it’s time to take a look at the Magic: The Gathering Crashers and Climbers as we close in on the release of Spider-Man less than two months since Edge of Eternities.

This time around, our climbers are a nice eclectic mix of cards from sets from 2024 and 2025, as well as a rapidly climbing space dragon. Intrigued? You should be. Let’s go!

Climbing

Let’s start with the space dragon, then, with Nova Hellkite available for just a few cents the other day and now reaching almost $3 in market value in climbing.

Finally, for our climbers this week, Seize the Spotlight is seeing what could be described as a meteoric rise.

The sorcery, which can allow you to take control of opponents’ cards or draw and create treasure, was $4 not long ago but is now around $9 and could climb further.

Crashing

As we approach the end of Edge of Eternities, cards from this year’s sets are starting to drop in value.

I have some good news and some bad news for retro gamers. The good news is that LEGO has released an awesome set that re-creates the classic SEGA Genesis controller (see it at LEGO Store). It even houses an incredibly cool Sonic the Hedgehog easter egg. That’s the good news. The bad news is, it’s only available between now and September 17, and to get this set, you have to spend $130+ at the LEGO Store.

That’s because the LEGO SEGA Genesis Controller set is a Gift With Purchase. GWP sets are generally smaller sets that are not available to purchase separately. They’re only available by buying a particular set or reaching a certain price threshold at the LEGO Store. The threshold here is $130, but I tested it and thankfully a $129.99 set also works. However, it doesn’t apply to preorders, only to in-stock sets. It’s also worth highlighting that this set is also only available while supplies last. I’ve seen many GWP sets sell out well before their end date.

Here are some set ideas to rack up your LEGO Store total:

The LEGO SEGA Genesis Controller set (say that five times fast) is comprised of 260 pieces and aimed at the 18+ age category, making it a LEGO set for adults. It’s meant for display rather than play (hence the 18+ age designation). It comes with a buildable stand and looks pretty much just like the controller you remember playing Genesis on.

On the back of the controller is a microscale scene from Sonic the Hedgehog. It’s a cleverly designed 2D view of Sonic rolling through a loop in the Green Hill Zone. It also comes with regional stickers to decorate the face of the controller.

To get this Genesis GWP, you can spend $130 on a single set, or on multiple sets that add up to that amount. Above, I’ve gone ahead and highlighted some sets you may be interested in if you’re a SEGA Genesis fan. If you want more options, feel free to peruse the LEGO Store’s full catalog here.

Some of the best retro gaming sets are based on Nintendo. There’s an awesome Mairo & Yoshi set that I put together for a We Build article that costs $129.99, exactly enough to get you the free GWP. It’s my favorite LEGO set that I own, and I have it sitting right here on my desk.

There are also some cool Sonic-themed sets you can pick up to get the controller. For instance, buying the Shadow the Hedgehog bust, plus the Sonic Command Truck, puts you over the $130 mark.

Unfortunately, preorders don't count toward the $130, so the LEGO Game Boy is a no-go for it. Neither is the LEGO Willy Wonka set, which comes out the day after the Genesis controller GWP goes away. However, if the controller stays in stock, you will be able to get it with LEGO Jack Sparrow's Pirate Ship, if that's a set you've had an eye (patch) on. Basically, as with all things, do whatever makes sense for you.

Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards are dropping back down in price, and fortunately that means prebuilt gaming PCs are becoming more affordable as well. Currently, Walmart is offering the Acer Nitro 60 gaming PC, featuring an Intel Core i7 CPU and GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU, for just $1,799.99 with free delivery. This is one of the lowest prices I've seen for a well-equipped 5070 Ti prebuilt with a generous amount of RAM and SSD storage out of the box.

Acer Nitro 60 RTX 5070 Ti Gaming PC for $1,800

The Nintendo Switch 2 is here! If you've grabbed one, keep in mind that it only has 256GB of storage built-in. If you want to load up on games without having to deal with uninstalling and reinstalling over and over, you’re going to want to expand that storage. Unlike the original Nintendo Switch, the new console requires a MicroSD Express card – which are faster, but more expensive than other UHS-based SD cards.

The Best MicroSD Express Cards for Switch 2 Right Now

MicroSD Express cards have been around for a while, but there are only a few on the market right now as creative professionals haven’t really found much of a use for them. However, with the Switch 2 launch, there's been a deluge of Express cards to fill that gap.

My colleagues and I are in the process of testing these cards – including that super cheap Walmart-brand one, which is fine – but if we were to recommend any based on experience, these are the MicroSD Express cards (an essential Switch 2 accessory!) we'd say to buy right now. These come from reputable manufacturers that have a track record of making excellent storage expansion cards. We'll be updating this as we play around with the Switch 2 and SD cards.

Why MicroSD Express?

Unlike many devices, the Nintendo Switch 2 is mandating a MicroSD Express card for storage expansion. Nintendo hasn’t really explained its reasoning behind the decision, but it’s not hard to see why it might want to require faster storage.

For one, the flash storage built into the system is the same kind of UFS flash that powers most smartphones. This storage is much faster than the eMMC drive in the original Switch, and it’s likely Nintendo wanted its developers to be able to count on that kind of storage speed, no matter if the game is being stored internally or on an expansion card.

The only thing you can use a regular old MicroSD card for is loading screenshots and videos you took on your first-gen Switch. That means unlike something like the PS5, which allows you to store last-generation games on slower external drives, Nintendo isn’t allowing for any wiggle room here. If you want to expand the Nintendo Switch 2 storage, you’re going to need a MicroSD Express card.

1. Lexar Play Pro

The Best MicroSD Express Card

2. SanDisk MicroSD Express

Best 256GB MicroSD Express Card

3. Samsung MicroSD Express for Switch 2

The Best (and Only) Official MicroSD Express Card

4. Onn MicroSD Express Card

Best Budget MicroSD Express Card

Marvel fans are discussing whether Chris Evans will appear in Avengers: Doomsday after seeing the actor's physique in new photos, which have prompted speculation he's set to return once again as Captain America.

Evans hung up his shield in the finale of 2019's Avengers: Endgame to live a quiet life in the 1950s with his sweetheart Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell. But set reports have potentially pointed to Evans and Atwell returning in Avengers: Doomsday, with the couple's happy ever after coming under threat.

Now, fans have taken to analysing Evans' body in photos taken this weekend at the 2025 Toronto Film Festival, where the actor attended the premiere of his action adventure comedy film Sacrifice that also stars Anya Taylor-Joy, fellow MCU star Salma Hayek and almost-MCU-star John Malkovich.

It’s Emmys season once again — and before the big night comes the Creative Arts Emmys, which celebrate the artisans of the industry and much of their behind-the-scenes brilliance, as well as the expertise of other smaller categories that may have otherwise been relegated to the main ceremony’s commercial break.

The top winning shows are, in a word, stacked. The new Apple TV+ show The Studio racked up the most wins at the ceremony with a whopping nine accolades, while HBO’s drama The Penguin secured the second most honors with a solid eight awards. Rounding out the top three shows was Saturday Night Live’s 50th Anniversary Special with seven awards — but if you take reality and variety programming out of the equation, the beloved drama Severance pulls up in the No. 3 spot with six incredible accolades.

Us superhero diehards will be pleased to know that The Penguin ended up snagging many of the awards fans hoped it would win, including Best Prosthetic Makeup, Best Contemporary Makeup, and Best Contemporary Hairstyling — undoubtedly for the show’s awe-inspiring physical transformation of its lead, Colin Farrell, who plays the titular Penguin himself.

But The Penguin and the other top earners weren’t the only noteworthy programs taking home awards this year. Netflix’s animated hit Arcane took home the coveted title for Best Outstanding Animated Series for its second and final season in a year absolutely brimming with competition. Amazon Prime’s hilarious satire The Boys also went home with some cool recognition. The show was awarded Best Music and Lyrics for the song “Let’s Put the Christ Back in Christmas.”

You can check out the full list of winners from the 77th Creative Arts Emmy Awards below.

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

• Jon Bernthal (The Bear)
• Bryan Cranston (The Studio) — WINNER
• Dave Franco (The Studio) Ron Howard (The Studio)
• Anthony Mackie (The Studio)
• Martin Scorsese (The Studio)

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

• Olivia Colman (The Bear)
• Jamie Lee Curtis (The Bear)
• Cynthia Erivo (Poker Face)
• Robby Hoffman (Hacks)
• Zoë Kravitz (The Studio)
• Julianne Nicholson (Hacks) — WINNER

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

• Giancarlo Esposito (The Boys)
• Scott Glenn (The White Lotus)
• Shawn Hatosy (The Pitt) — WINNER
• Joe Pantoliano (The Last of Us)
• Forest Whitaker (Andor)
• Jeffrey Wright (The Last of Us)

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

• Jane Alexander (Severance)
• Gwendoline Christie (Severance)
• Kaitlyn Dever (The Last of Us)
• Cherry Jones (The Handmaid’s Tale)
• Catherine O’Hara (The Last of Us)
• Merritt Wever (Severance) — WINNER

OUTSTANDING CHARACTER VOICEOVER PERFORMANCE

• Julie Andrews (Bridgerton) — WINNER
• Hank Azaria (The Simpsons)
• Maya Rudolph (Big Mouth)
• Alan Tudyk (Andor)
• Jeffrey Wright (What If…?)
• Steven Yeun (Invincible)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMER IN A SHORT FORM COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES

• Nathalie Emmanuel (Die Hart: Hart to Kill)
• Kevin Hart (Die Hart: Hart to Kill)
• Desi Lydic (The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains) — WINNER
• Tom Segura (Bad Thoughts)
• J. K. Simmons (Die Hart: Hart to Kill)

OUTSTANDING HOST FOR A REALITY OR REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM

• RuPaul Charles (RuPaul’s Drag Race)
• Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Kevin O’Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, and Daniel Lubetzky (Shark Tank)
• Alan Cumming (The Traitors) — WINNER
• Kristen Kish (Top Chef)
• Jeff Probst (Survivor)

OUTSTANDING GAME SHOW HOST

• Elizabeth Banks (Press Your Luck)
• Steve Harvey (Celebrity Family Feud)
• Ken Jennings (Jeopardy!)
• Colin Jost (Pop Culture Jeopardy!)
• Jimmy Kimmel (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire) — WINNER

OUTSTANDING NARRATOR

• Sir David Attenborough (Planet Earth: Asia)
• Idris Elba (Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color)
• Tom Hanks (The Americas)
• Barack Obama (Our Oceans) — WINNER
• Phoebe Waller Bridge (Octopus!)

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM

• Arcane — WINNER
• Bob’s Burgers
• Common Side Effects
• Love, Death & Robots
• The Simpsons

OUTSTANDING STRUCTURED REALITY PROGRAM

• Antiques Roadshow
• Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
• Love Is Blind
• Queer Eye — WINNER
• Shark Tank

OUTSTANDING UNSTRUCTURED REALITY PROGRAM

• America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
• Love on the Spectrum — WINNER
• RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked
• The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
• Welcome to Wrexham

OUTSTANDING GAME SHOW

• Celebrity Family Feud
• Jeopardy! — WINNER
• The Price is Right
• Wheel of Fortune
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

OUTSTANDING TV MOVIE

• Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
• The Gorge
• Mountainhead
• Nonnas
• Rebel Ridge — WINNER

OUTSTANDING VARIETY SPECIAL (PRE-RECORDED)

• Adam Sandler: Love You
• Ali Wong: Single LadyBill Burr: Drop Dead Years
• Conan O’Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor — WINNER
• Sarah Silverman: PostMortem
• Your Friend, Nate Bargatze

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY OR NON-FICTION SERIES

• Chef’s Table
• 100 Foot Wave — WINNER
• Simone Biles Rising
• SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night
• Social Studies

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY OR NONFICTION SPECIAL

• Deaf President Now!Martha
• Pee-wee as Himself — WINNER
• Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)
• Will & Harper

OUTSTANDING HOSTED NONFICTION SERIES OR SPECIAL

• Conan O’Brien Must Go — WINNER
• The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: MAGA: The Next Generation
• Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.
• My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman
• Tucci in Italy

EXCEPTIONAL MERIT IN DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING

• I Am: Celine Dion
• Patrice: The Movie — WINNER
• The Remarkable Life of Ibelin

OUTSTANDING SHORT FORM COMEDY, DRAMA OR VARIETY SERIES

• The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains — WINNER
• Late Night with Seth Meyers: Corrections
• The Rabbit Hole with Jimmy Kimmel
• The Tonight Show: During Commercial Break

OUTSTANDING SHORT FORM NONFICTION OR REALITY SERIES

• Adolescence: The Making of Adolescence — WINNER
• Hacks: Bit by Bit Making of The Last of Us
• Only Murders in the Building: Unlocking the Mystery
• The White Lotus: Unpacking the Episode

OUTSTANDING EMERGING MEDIA PROGRAM

• Impulse: Playing with Reality
• Shawn Mendes: Red Rocks Live in VR
• SNL 50th: The Anniversary Special: Immersive Experience — WINNER

Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More)
Severance — WINNER

Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More)
Andor — WINNER

Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour)
The Studio — WINNER

Outstanding Production Design for a Variety or Reality Series
Saturday Night Live — WINNER

Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special
The 97th Academy Awards — WINNER

Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series
The Studio — WINNER

Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series
The Pitt — WINNER

Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Adolescence — WINNER

Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program
Love on the Spectrum — WINNER

Outstanding Choreography for Variety or Reality Programming
The 67th Annual Grammy Awards — WINNER

Outstanding Choreography for Scripted Programming
Etoile — WINNER

Outstanding Cinematography for a Series (Half-Hour)
The Studio — WINNER

Outstanding Cinematography for a Series (One Hour)
Severance — WINNER

Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Adolescence — WINNER

Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program
100 Foot Wave — WINNER

Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program
The Traitors — WINNER

Outstanding Commercial
“Brian Cox Goes To College” — WINNER

Outstanding Period Costumes
Bridgerton — WINNER

Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes
Andor — WINNER

Outstanding Contemporary Costumes for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
The Penguin — WINNER

Outstanding Contemporary Costumes for a Series
The Studio — WINNER

Outstanding Costumes for Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Programming
Beyoncé Bowl — WINNER

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — WINNER

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special
SNL 50: The Anniversary Special — WINNER

Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program
Pee-wee as Himself — WINNER

Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program
The Traitors — WINNER

Outstanding Contemporary Hairstyling
The Penguin — WINNER

Outstanding Period or Fantasy/Sci-Fi Hairstyling
Bridgerton — WINNER

Outstanding Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program
SNL 50: The Anniversary Special — WINNER

Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Series
Saturday Night Live — WINNER

Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Special
67th Grammy Awards — WINNER

Outstanding Title Design
Severance — WINNER

Outstanding Motion Design
Octopus! — WINNER

Outstanding Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic)
The Penguin — WINNER

Outstanding Period or Fantasy/Sci-Fi Makeup (Non-Prosthetic)
House of the Dragon — WINNER

Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program
SNL 50: The Anniversary Special — WINNER

Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup
The Penguin — WINNER

Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)
Severance — WINNER

Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score)
The Penguin — WINNER

Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score)
Chef’s Table — WINNER

Outstanding Music Direction
The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar — WINNER

Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics
The Boys — WINNER

Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
The White Lotus — WINNER

Outstanding Music Supervision
The Studio — WINNER

Outstanding Picture Editing for a Drama Series
Andor — WINNER

Outstanding Picture Editing for a Multi-Camera Comedy Series
Frasier — WINNER

Outstanding Picture Editing for a Single-Camera Comedy Series
The Studio — WINNER

Outstanding Picture Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story — WINNER

Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming
Cunk on Life — WINNER

Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming (Segment)
SNL 50: The Anniversary Special — WINNER

Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program
Pee-wee as Himself — WINNER

Outstanding Picture Editing for a Structured Reality or Competition Program
The Traitors — WINNER

Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program
Welcome to Wrexham — WINNER

Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour)
The Last of Us — WINNER

Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour)
The Studio — WINNER

Outstanding Sound Editing for an Animated Program
Arcane — WINNER

Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special
The Penguin — WINNER

Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program
Music by John Williams — WINNER

Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour)
Severance — WINNER

Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
The Penguin — WINNER

Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation
The Studio — WINNER

Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special
SNL 50: The Anniversary Special — WINNER

Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program
Beatles ’64 — WINNER

Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Reality Program
Welcome to Wrexham — WINNER

Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Season or a Movie
Andor — WINNER

Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Single Episode
The Penguin — WINNER

Outstanding Stunt Coordination for Comedy Programming
The Righteous Gemstones — WINNER

Outstanding Stunt Coordination for Drama Programming
The Boys — WINNER

Outstanding Stunt Performance
The Boys — WINNER

Outstanding Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Series
Saturday Night Live — WINNER

Outstanding Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Special
SNL 50: The Anniversary Special — WINNER

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special
SNL 50: The Anniversary Special — WINNER

Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program
The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers The Pulse — WINNER

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

Life is hard enough for preteen girls without adding an ADHD diagnosis into the mix. That's the struggle at the heart of Absolutely Everything, a heartfelt new graphic novel from writer/artist Damian Alexander and publisher Graphic Universe.

With Absolutely Everything hitting stores on Tuesday, September 9, IGN can exclusively debut a new preview of the book. Check it out in the slideshow gallery below:

Here's the official description for Absolutely Everything:

Lately, life feels like a lot for Marcella. Sixth grade seems complicated on purpose. Marcella keeps forgetting her homework or getting distracted while she’s doing it. Plus, her bestie has new friends, and her parents even want to move apartments. She’s trying to keep track of the changes—but absolutely everything is stressing her out! Does Marcella just need to force herself to “be better”—or is there another way for her to create a path to the life she wants?

"Marcella’s favorite teacher tasks her class with writing their first long-form personal essays featuring a topic of their choosing," Alexander says of the excerpt above. "Marcella enjoyed journaling in this class all year and loves to write… but her anxieties get her brain tangled up in choices. What if she picks the wrong topic? What if her essay is bad and she lets her teacher down? Is she even able to write an essay that long? As the rest of her class excitedly chats about their first chance to brainstorm a topic of their choosing, Marcella begins to spiral."

Absolutely Everything will be released on September 9. You can preorder a copy on Amazon.

In other comic book news, we break down which DC Compact Comics are essential to read, and find out what Star Wars: Legacy of Vader reveals about the enigmatic Knights of Ren.

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

Andor creator Tony Gilroy has said that he and the show's creative team have been driven "crazy" seeing the positive response to the Star Wars prequel series being used to create "controversy" with the franchise's other Disney+ series.

Across its two seasons, Andor has been warmly received by both TV critics and hardcore Star Wars fans alike, with particular praise for its complex characters and political themes.

Now, Gilroy has addressed some of the debate surrounding Lucasfilm's other output set in a galaxy far, far away — some of which, it has to be said, has not had as warm a welcome — which simultaneously suggesting that other Star Wars series would be wrong to try and simply clone Andor's success.

"It's driven us crazy on the show, every time people, the clickbait, trying to draw controversy between us and the other shows," Gilroy told podcast The Ringer-Verse, via GamesRadar. "By the same token, it would be very wrong to come in and try to slavishly reproduce [Andor]. There has to be a hook, a reason why you want to bring your game there."

Many fans have criticised Lucasfilm's continued reliance on the Skywalker Saga for the series' storytelling, with only one Disney+ project, The Acolyte, set outside of its timespan.

"There's how many billions of beings in that galaxy? How many corners of it are unexplored?" Gilroy continued. "There's some things that [Lucasfilm] is building that are really unusual I think, and I think that lesson is being taken to heart.

"Let your freak flag fly," he added, encouraging other creators to come up with their own unique Star Wars pitches, "and do what you do best."

For the moment, Lucasfilm looks to be playing it safe with a big-screen outing for popular Disney+ duo The Mandalorian & Grogu, due in theaters next year. Beyond that, Ryan Gosling will appear in Star Wars: Starfighter, about which we know remarkably little. Back on Disney+, we do know Lucasfilm is working on a second season of Ahsoka — though beyond that, Star Wars' TV future feels rather unclear.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Drop into Eggspedition's unknown planets and try to successfully extract with the valuable eggs you seek in this first-person co-op shooter – but don't think for a second that the dinosaurs these eggs belong to won't come looking for you.

Eggspedition puts you into the boots of a member of Vector Unit 9, a second-to-none task force pushing the boundaries of space and taking on mysterious missions. Your latest mission drops you onto – you guessed it – a dinosaur planet, but there's no turning back now. The only rule is "No egg, no evac."

You'll explore a variety of planets, face everything from velociraptors to T-rexes, use your earned-in-game credits to upgrade your weapons and gear from match to match, and, as developer Wildflame Studio notes, "Before you even step out of the drop pod, all you see is the difficulty level. The rest? A complete unknown. One mission might have you extracting rare minerals from an active crater, another — tracking down a lost egg, or securing a zone crawling with predators."

Wishlist Eggspedition on Steam if you're interested.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Fans of the Pokémon Trading Card Game once again have a new reason to keep an eye on Amazon and Walmart, with it being the best place to score packs of White Flare and Black Bolt.

The Booster Bundles have been trending slightly downward in price, likely with attention being turned to the upcoming Mega Evolution set & the recently announced Phantasml Flames, offering collectors and players an opportunity to pick them up for less than at most other retailers.

Hot on the heels of former Bethesda executive Pete Hines questioning Xbox Game Pass as a business strategy, a former Microsoft executive has backed the comments, insisting Microsoft’s subscription service creates “weird inner tensions.”

Last week, Bethesda Softworks’ former senior vice president of global marketing and communications, Pete Hines, said gaming subscription services like Xbox Game Pass are “worth jack s***” if the game developers who create content for them are not properly supported.

“Subscriptions have become the new four letter word, right? You can't buy a product anymore,” Hines said. “When you talk about a subscription that relies on content, if you don't figure out how to balance the needs of the service and the people running the service with the people who are providing the content – without which your subscription is worth jack s*** – then you have a real problem.”

Over on LinkedIn, former PlayStation exec Shawn Layden expressed support for Hines’ comment, saying it “hits this nail right on the head.”

“The question is not, ‘Is the service profitable for the platform,’ Layden, a vocal critic of video game subscription services, added. “‘Is it healthy and helpful for the developer’ is what we need to ask.”

Layden’s comment prompted a comment from former Xbox Game Studios VP Shannon Loftis (spotted by TweakTown), who provided some insight that benefits from coming from a former Microsoft employee.

Loftis, who retired from Microsoft in 2022 after 29 years at the company, served as a manager on several Xbox projects, including Fable, Viva Piñata, Banjo-Kazooie, and Age of Empires.

“As a longtime first-party Xbox developer, I can attest that Pete is correct,” Loftis said. “While GP can claim a few victories with games that otherwise would have sunk beneath the waves (Human Fall Flat, e.g.), the majority of game adoption on [Game Pass] comes at the expense of retail revenue, unless the game is engineered from the ground up for post-release monetization. I could (and may someday) write pages on the weird inner tensions this creates.”

The suggestion Game Pass comes at the expense of retail revenue is a long-standing criticism of the subscription service, one Microsoft was forced to admit in 2023. There has been much debate recently over the profitability of Xbox Game Pass, which Microsoft itself has said makes money even when factoring in the development cost of the games that launch within it, and the lost sales of first-party games which people no longer need to pay individually for.

Regardless, Xbox Game Pass remains a huge profit driver for Microsoft, which said in June that the subscription service had reached a new annual record of nearly $5 billion in revenue for the first time, following the launches of The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion: Remastered, Doom: The Dark Ages, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

In July, hot on the heels of layoffs that swept through Xbox, the founder of Microsoft-owned Arkane Studios hit out at Game Pass, whose subscription model he called “unsustainable.” Raphael Colantonio, who founded the Dishonored and Prey developer and served as its president before leaving in 2017 to start Weird West maker WolfEye Studios, took to social media to ask: “Why is no-one talking about the elephant in the room? Cough cough (Gamepass).”

When asked to expand on his thoughts on Game Pass, which Weird West launched straight into as a day one title in March 2022, Colantonio said: “I think Gamepass is an unsustainable model that has been increasingly damaging the industry for a decade, subsidized by MS’s ‘infinite money,’ but at some point reality has to hit. I don’t think GP can co-exist with other models, they’ll either kill everyone else, or give up.”

During the great Xbox FTC trial to decide the fate of Microsoft's $69 billion aquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard, then PlayStation boss Jim Ryan claimed that he had talked to "all the publishers" and that, unanimously, they all hated Game Pass "because it is value destructive." He also said Microsoft "appears to be losing a lot of money on it."

Back in 2021, Xbox boss Phil Spencer countered Game Pass doomsayers, saying: "I know there's a lot of people that like to write [that] we're burning cash right now for some future pot of gold at the end. No. Game Pass is very, very sustainable right now as it sits. And it continues to grow."

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.

Sometimes you sit down at a game with no idea what to expect. That was how I felt when I got my first hands-on time with Digimon Story: Time Stranger at Summer Game Fest. I’m a lapsed Digimon fan, someone who liked the franchise a lot as a kid and then just fell off as I got older. But when I played Time Stranger, I quickly realized I had to pay attention. This was a JRPG with some good ideas. So when I got the shot at an even longer preview (about four hours) at PAX West, I took it, because I wanted to see if that initial impression held water. And I’m happy to say that I think it does. Digimon Story: Time Stranger seems to get the Digimon series, but there’s also the foundation of a really good JRPG here, too. I mean the kind that you could spend a long time digging into. One that might be able to appeal to Digimon oldheads while creating new fans. If licensed games have a holy grail, it’s that. And Time Stranger might be able to find it.

Let’s get this out of the way before I go any farther: Digimon isn’t a <ahem> stranger to good licensed games. The last Digimon Story game, Cyber Sleuth, was pretty good, and Time Stranger is built on that foundation. After picking between a dude with anime hair and goggles and a woman with a very small hat, you step into the role of an ADAMAS agent. Whoever you don’t choose becomes your operator. You can call them Operator. Your job? Investigate anomalous phenomena in the city. Basically, you look into strange stuff that the public doesn’t even know about.

And man, there’s some strange stuff going on in this city. Things are shut down, and nobody can go anywhere. And what’s all this about being prepared for tremors? After taking my lady and her very small hat for a walk and chatting with some folks about what’s going down, I showed up at the Wall of Hope, which was built after there was an explosion in Nishi-Shinjuku eight years prior, which has been the site of many anomalies. After I snuck inside, I ran into my first Digimon, and it was time to choose my partner. I picked Gomamon – my other options were Patamon and DemiDevimon – and got to work clearing out the local Digimon.

Time Stranger is, at its core, a turn-based RPG, a DVD Menu Game’s DVD Menu Game (complimentary). That means your Digimon come in three types – Data, Virus, and Vaccine. Virus beats Data, Vaccine beats Virus, and Data beats Vaccine. But Digimon also have elemental strengths and weaknesses, too, so you have to pick the right moves and Digimon for the fight, and manage your turn order, which is shown on the right side of the screen. If you hit another Digimon with an attack, you’ll be able to check whether that Digimon was weak against it (or resisted it) in the future. You can also check on everything you’ve learned about a Digimon at any time. And if you land a pre-emptive strike from the field, you start combat with a massive advantage or sometimes win the fight outright before it starts.

The most interesting in-battle choice Time Stranger makes is allowing you to use items or switch your Digimon on the fly without having it take a turn. While this also makes it easier to get the right Digimon in position and use In Case of Emergency, Break Glass items when you need one, it also means enemies can be a little meaner to you, which is cool. And if you lose a Digimon, you can pull in a replacement from your reserve team. Once you run out, though, that’s it. The battles I played in my time with Time Stranger generally weren’t hard unless I was fighting something I clearly shouldn’t have been, but they were engaging.

As you battle Digimon, you earn what’s called Scan Rate. Once it reaches 100%, you can convert that Digimon and make them a member of your team. Wait until you get to 200%, though, and you’ll get a stronger Digimon. It’s one of those “If you wait five minutes, you can have two marshmallows” things, but it’s an enticing incentive. In addition, you can also equip Digimon with Attachment Skills, providing access to moves they wouldn’t normally get. And of course, you can Digivolve (and De-Digivolve) your Digimon once you meet certain requirements. The coolest thing here, though, are personalities. Depending on how you interact with your Digimon, their personalities will change, which will change how their stats level. There’s quite a bit to it, but I like how much freedom to play around with it you have, and how easy it is to build the Digimon you want.

Of course, it’s not all battles here. There is a story, and I was intrigued by Time Stranger’s plot. I met up with a girl that seemed to know my character, but who neither I nor my operator recognized; befriended some Digimon; got chased by a really large Digimon, and mostly tried to figure out what was going on. We know Time Stranger is a time-travel story, but I didn’t get to see that during my playtime. I did, however, get to jump ahead a bit, and that’s where I really got to play with Time Stranger’s systems.

After my jump, I found myself in the Digital World with a much higher level team. I was in a village of Digimon that had recently been attacked by a group called the Titans. I started off by helping Shellmon, the local healer, gather some materials to make medicine. Along the way, I found Digimon hanging out, listening to a concert, and just enjoying some time alone. It really made the world feel lived in, and like it existed outside of me, which is what you want in a game like this. After a jaunt around the village – where I discovered Digimon trading cards, something producer Ryosuke Hara told me was an homage to the original Digimon (if you know, you know) – only to discover Shellmon had been treating Divermon, who worked for the Titans and was wounded during the battle. After the village is attacked again, Divermon decides to try to get the Titans to stop. After all, anyone willing to help an enemy can’t be so bad.

Before I finished up that storyline, though, I took some time to explore what else there was to see. One of the coolest things was the In-Between Theater, a sort of pocket universe situated between the real world and the Digital World. Here, I could visit the Digifarm, where I could place Digimon on the farm to train them up, increase their Bond with me, or change their personality. There was a Digifarm in Cyber Sleuth, but the one in Time Stranger is much more customizable, allowing you to place more Digimon and customize the various tiles in the farm. Hara told me that they wanted a better Digifarm, but they also wanted it to be like an aquarium you could customize and where you could see your Digimon interact and mingle with one another.

That sense of “this thing is yours” also speaks to why your character isn’t voiced and why they aren’t assigned a partner Digimon, like many of the other members of the cast are. This is your story, and you’re meant to put yourself in the shoes of your agent rather than playing a character that comes pre-built for you. Makes sense, right? About this time I also discovered I could change my outfit. And man, much as I loved my girl’s tiny hat, it was nice to be able to have her rock a t-shirt.

After goofing off a bit, I found Shellmon’s friend Whalemon, who took me to the bottom of the sea to face off with the Titans. We tried diplomacy, for the record. It just didn’t work. So we threw down with Sharkmon and his boys. He was tough; I had to swap my team, use my items, and like every fight in my time with Time Stranger, I had a lot of fun going toe to toe (toe to fin?) with him; he just wasn’t a match for Aegiomon. Once he was little more than Sharkmon fin soup, my demo ended.

When my time with Digimon Story: Time Stranger wrapped, I was exhausted. When you get up after a four-hour demo, you feel it, especially at an event like PAX. But I was also impressed by how fast the time went by, how every little thing in Time Stranger fit together, and how thoughtful so many of its quality of life choices were. If you get enough Scan Rate to Convert a new Digimon, you’re notified and you can jump to that menu with the press of a button. The same is true of when a Digimon completes its training on the Digifarm. You can even speed up the battles if you want to move things along.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger understands its genre, something Hara made clear to me when I sat down with him. A JRPG can’t just be about a great story and characters or a great battle system. It has to nail the little things, too, and that means investing in both quality of life choices that make life easier for the player while giving them enough depth to keep them interesting for the long haul.

Based on what I played at PAX, Digimon Story: Time Stranger is looking like it could pull that balancing act off. Like I said, I’m a lapsed Digimon fan, but if what I played is any indication, you kind of don’t have to be one to like what Time Stranger has to offer. You just have to want to play a cool JRPG with time travel in it. I’m still working out how that fits in here (we only got glimpses), but at this point, that just seems like a cherry on top of a beautiful cocktail. You’re here for the mixology, and Digimon Story: Time Stranger looks like a delicious concoction. Let’s hope the sips we’ve been provided are an accurate taste of the whole drink.