January 2023

Hogwarts Legacy promises us the opportunity to return to the Wizarding World and explore the iconic school during a previously unseen period of Harry Potter history. Set in the late 1800s, the upcoming open-world action RPG lets us step into the shoes of a fifth-year student, mysteriously gifted with the ability of harnessing ancient magic.

From catching up on classes and combing every nook and cranny in the school grounds, to investigating a goblin rebellion brewing on the horizon, Hogwarts Legacy promises a dangerous term ahead. While we expect to find many more secrets tucked away in Hogwarts’ historic halls when the game launches on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on February 10, here are nine magical details we spotted during our first hands-on session with the game.

Hogwarts’ Headmaster Canceled Quidditch

Quidditch, the brutal yet incredibly popular broomstick-based sport, is not playable in Hogwarts Legacy. However, it is possible to fly around Hogwarts’ familiar Quidditch pitch. While wandering around the castle, we overheard some Ravenclaw students discussing how Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black decided to ban the sport from campus. So, it looks as though we have an explanation of why we won’t be batting off Bludgers in our spare time.

This also gives us an idea of what we can expect from Hogwarts’ headmaster. We’re already aware of Professor Black’s reputation as the least popular head teacher from the Harry Potter books, and the students have certainly noticed how little interest he takes in his job.

Kadabra is reportedly returning to the Pokémon Trading Card Game after a lawsuit saw him banned for more than two decades.

As reported by PokéBeach, the upcoming Pokémon Card 151 set will feature Kadabra for the first time since 2002's Skyridge set. The Pokémon Company stopped printing Kadabra cards (and removed it from the anime) after magician Uri Geller sued it for using his likeness, though he retracted his complaint in 2020.

PokéBeach gained access to the list of cards appearing in the Pokémon Card 151 set, confirming Kadabra's return, and received a statement from Geller expressing his relief that it was being printed again.

"I am pleased Pokémon fans are excited to see Kadabra return to the card game," he said. "I want to thank the Pokémon fans who reached out to me over the last [few] years."

He continued: "It was you and my granddaughters that got me to change my mind. Now we can all see Kadabra reunited with the original Pokémon in the card game this summer. I love you all. And I admit, totally open and honest, I was a fool. It was a devastating mistake for me to sue Pokémon. [Kadabra] was basically a tribute to Uri Geller. But it’s back now. Forgive me."

Kadabra's Japanese name, Yungerer, bares similarities to Uri Geller, and the Pokémon is also known for being able to bend spoons, which is Geller's signature move.

This story contains spoilers for The Bad Batch. If you're not caught up yet, check out our spoiler-free The Bad Batch Season 2 review.

There’s a blast from the past in the latest episode of The Bad Batch Season 2. Diving into the history of the Jedi Order and those that came before, fans are rightly asking who the “Ancients” are and what they could mean for the wider mythos of the galaxy far, far away.

“Entombed” wasted no time making Wanda Sykes’ Phee Genoa the star of the show, with this treasure-hunting pirate filling that Doctor Aphra-shaped hole in our lives. Much like that morally ambiguous archaeologist, Phee gives us some insight into the state of the galaxy in years gone by. Alongside mentions of the Grand Pearl of Novak and Blade of Zakata Par, one of Phee's stories stood out more than the others.

Are The Ancients Connected to the Jedi?

Under the guidance of Phee, the Bad Batch journeys to the uncharted Kaldar Trinary and searches for the mythical Heart of the Mountain in Skara Nal. Skara Nal is eventually revealed as a walker-esque weapon of mass destruction, and although nothing about its creators is confirmed, Phee says the “Ancients” predate the Jedi Order itself.

Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann has said the studio has officially moved on from Uncharted and is now focusing on the next chapter of The Last of Us through the new multiplayer game.

In an interview with Buzzfeed, Druckmann explained that Sony doesn't pressure Naughty Dog into creating a sequel just because a game is successful, and that the publisher has been very supportive in letting the studio follow its own passions.

“That's not the case. For us, Uncharted was insanely successful,” Druckmann said. “Uncharted 4 was one of our best-selling games, and we're able to put our final brushstroke on that story and say that we're done. We're moving on.”

Druckmann didn't elaborate on whether he was referred to Nathan Drake's story, which ended with Uncharted 4, or the franchise as a whole. Its last release was 2022's Legacy of Thieves Collection, with the most recent mainline entries being 2016's Uncharted 4 and the 2017 side-story Lost Legacy.

Sony Pictures also released a film adaptation starring Tom Holland that was met with mixed reviews, but was ultimately able to gross $401 million in the international box office.

Naughty Dog weighs in on The Last of Us Part 3

When asked about a potential The Last of Us Part 3, Druckmann noted that it’s up to Naughty Dog itself to decide if it wants to expand the stories of Ellie and company, but it's currently focused on creating a brand new story for the multiplayer game.

Today's daily deals include the Pokemon TCG Sword & Shield Charizard Collection, a magnificent Apple Studio Display, the gargantuan 85" Sony X85K TV bundled with an Atmos ready soundbar, a powerful Dell G15 laptop with an RTX 3070 TI GPU, and more below.

Pokemon TCG Sword & Shield Ultra-Premium Collection Charizard for $99.99

The set includes three etched foil promo cards: Charizard V, Charizard VMAX, and Charizard VSTAR, sixteen Pokemon TCG booster packs from the Sword & Shield series, a playmat, 65 card sleeves, metal coin, six metal damage-counter dice, 2 metal condition markers, an acrylic VSTAR marker, a player's guide to the entire Sword & Shield series, and a code card for Pokemon TCG Live.

Dell G15 15" QHD Intel Core i9 RTX 3070 Ti Gaming Laptop for Only $1367.09

Dell has been going all out with their gaming deals lately. Right now you can get a Dell G15 gaming laptop equipped with a 15" QHD (2560x1440) display, 12th gen Intel Core i9-12900H 14-core Alder Lake CPU, and a powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPU for a mere $1367.09 after $300 in instant savings and stackable coupon codes "AWSMITE09" and "ARMMPPS". Pair that with 16GB of DDR5-4800MHz RAM and a 1TB SSD and you have yourself a lean, mean gaming machine out of the box at a really good price.

The Day Before developer Fntastic has said it was planning a delay even before a trademark dispute pushed the game back eight months.

Speaking to IGN, Fntastic co-founders Eduard and Aisen Gotovtsev decried any allegations of scamming after several The Day Before community members grew concerned that the game was delayed for so long just a few weeks ahead of its planned launch date on March 1.

Fntastic released a statement on January 25 (below) claiming that a trademark dispute had forced the delay of both the game and its first major gameplay trailer in over a year.

"We planned to move the game's release before and plan to announce it with [publisher] Mytona in a 10-minute gameplay video," Fntastic told IGN. "And then you all know what happened. So to be on the safe side, to ensure there are no more transfers, we, along with the publisher, chose November 10. That is a safe date, given the trademark dispute."

Despite having now been delayed twice (with the first caused by a switch to Unreal Engine 5), Fntastic is still confident it will have its trademark dispute solved by the new release date, and plans to use the extra time for improving the game in the meantime.

"We’re very confident that this issue will be resolved since we have strong legal partners," it said. "The extra time will allow us to better prepare for the release and make the overall improvements for the game. It will become even more polished, optimized, and content-filled."

Elden Ring, God of War: Ragnarok, Stray, and Pentiment are leading the finalists for 2023's Game Developers Choice Awards, the video game awards voted for by developers.

All four of these games feature in the Game of the Year category, alongside Sam Barlow's Immortality and Tunic. Elden Ring and Stray have a total of six nominations each while God of War: Ragnarok has five.

The results of the awards will be announced at 2023's Game Developers Conference on March 22, held alongside the Independent Games Festival Awards - the nominations for which were announced yesterday.

The full list of nominees can be seen below:

Best Audio

• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Metal: Hellsinger
• Stray

Best Debut

• Neon White
• Norco
• Stray
• Tunic
• Vampire Survivors

Best Design

• Elden Ring
• Marvel Snap
• Neon White
• Stray
• Tunic

Innovation Award

• Elden Ring
• Immortality
• Neon White
• Pentiment
• Stray

Best Narrative

• God of War Ragnarok
• I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
• Immortality
• Pentiment
• Return to Monkey Island

Social Impact Award

Imagine Fire Emblem went through kind of a moody, emo phase and started reading a lot of dark fantasy novels and you'll have some idea what to expect from Redemption Reapers. This turn-based tactical RPG, from the developers of the excellent and unsung side-scrolling 2021 Soulslike Ender Lilies, puts you in command of the moody Ashen Hawk Brigade. Your task is to fight back against the Mort, an army of mysterious and murderous humanoid fiends who seem to care for nothing but the constant slaughter of innocent people. So, you know, you should probably do something about that.

Admittedly, I didn't get too much of a sense for the shape of the world or what the larger arc of the story is going to be after playing through the first seven chapters. We still don't know where the Mort came from or if there is any greater purpose to their terrifying rampage. That served as an interesting question that pushed me to seek answers, but it can also lead to the plot feeling a bit aimless. My band of beleaguered fighters was simply traveling from village to village trying to solve smaller problems in the wake of a seemingly all-consuming invasion, which left me asking if we were really making a difference at all. And maybe that's intentional. But I longed for some clearer, long-term goals.

The characters mostly come across like anime archetypes who rarely showed any hidden facets or surprised me by playing against their surface-level traits. Lugh is an edgy spear-wielder who enjoys the thrill of battle and bloodshed. Urs is a beefy barbarian type with a stony demeanor. We do get a few hints that our protagonist, Sarah, blames herself for some past failure in the war against the Mort that still haunts her. But in this small slice, it's merely alluded to.

The Class System is back in Battlefield after Battlefield 2042 launched without the classic system in place. With Battlefield’s 3.2 update launching next week, the 2042 Specialists will be organized into four classes and the equipment they’re able to use are being redistributed and adjusted.

Battlefield’s four returning classes are Assault, Recon, Support, and Engineer. Unlikeat launch where you could play any Specialist and use any equipment you liked, the classes will now assign you gear to use in these specific classes. You can still use any weapon you like but each class has a different proficiency in weapon types.

Assault

• Specialists: Mackay, Dozer, Sundance, Zain
• Weapon Proficiency: Assault Rifles with three extra magazines
• Gadget: Smoke Grenade Launcher, IBA Armor Plate, C5 Explosive, M18 Claymore
• Equipment: Med Pen (self-administered emergency medical booster)

Engineer

• Specialists: Boris, Crawford, Lis
• Weapon Proficiency: LMG with improved accuracy while crouched or prone
• Gadget: Anti-Tank Mine, Recoilless M5, FXM-33 AA Missile, C5 Explosive, FGM-148 Javelin, EOD Bot
• Equipment: Repair Tool (Utility welder that repairs most vehicle damage)

Support

Never mind the numerous necromorphs, the tortured torsos sprouting out of walls, or the terrifyingly towering space sphincter – the thing I was most scared of going into the Dead Space remake is that it wouldn't live up to my fond memories of the fantastically horrific 2008 original. After just over 12 hours spent stalking through the revitalized USG Ishimura I’m happy to report that of the many things to legitimately fear about this haunted space hulk, that was not one of them. This new Dead Space enhances the original in almost every way, using a Plasma Cutter to drop its ugliest appendages on the cutting room floor while preserving the essence of what made its distinctly dismemberment-heavy shooting so special, and grafting on welcome new character details in order to present its creepy sci-fi horror story in its very best light – and its most intimidating shadows.

It’s official: Redfall is set to release for Xbox Series X|S and PC on May 2. It’s a vampire-themed first-person shooter made by Arkane Austin, the same team that made Prey and the Dishonored games. Redfall is available to preorder now (see it at Amazon).

The rollout is a little strange, with “collector’s edition”-style extras like a steelbook and additional digital content being made available as a separate physical purchase. Alternately, the standard edition of Redfall will be available on Xbox Game Pass. We have all the details below, so let’s dive in.

Where to Preorder Redfall

Xbox Series X|S

• Get it at Amazon - $69.99
• Get it on Xbox Store (digital) - $69.99

PC

• Get it at Amazon - $69.99
• Get it at GMG (DRM: Steam) - $57.39 with code JAN18
• Get it at Steam - $69.99

Preorder the standard edition of Redfall, and you’ll get the game itself, plus the preorder bonus (detailed below).

Redfall Bite Back Upgrade (Physical Version)

Xbox Series X|S

If you somehow thought the Like a Dragon (formerly Yakuza) series wasn’t over-the-top enough already, a new addition to the upcoming remake of Like a Dragon: Ishin! might just turn the tables…or flip them. Developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has revealed that wrestler Kenny Omega will be making a cameo appearance in Ishin as a summonable character to aid in battle, complete with a wondrous crossover of a move: One-Winged Angel. He’ll be joined by Midnight Mass star Rahul Kohli.

Omega and Kohli’s appearances will take the form of a “Trooper Card,” effectively a summon similar to the Poundmates used in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Trooper Cards are a feature new to the remake that allows players to summon other characters to aid them in battle with special abilities, attacks, or temporary stat boosts, and will include both celebrity cameos as well as visits from other characters across the Like a Dragon series.

Kohli’s Trooper Card is titled “Essence of Firestorm” and its in-game description reads as follows: “A chivalrous man who's traveled through space, time, and reality to serve the Shinsengumi. Draws upon his experience in law enforcement to keep the peace.”

Meanwhile, Omega’s Trooper Card is called “Essence of the One-Winged Angel” and bears the description: “A strapping fighter who's traveled through space, time, and reality to serve the Shinsengumi. It’s said that his elite skills can summon the stars themselves.” It’s a reference both to Final Fantasy 7 as well as Omega’s in-ring wrestling finisher, One-Winged Angel.

I went at Microsoft pretty hard for the company’s baffling no-show at December’s massive Game Awards event. As such, it’s only fair I give them credit where credit is due: its first-ever Developer_Direct – aka Xbox Direct for those of us who don’t have the patience to type that damn underscore every single time – was a success. The 40-minute broadcast wisely mimicked the hostless format that Nintendo pioneered and Sony smartly stole, and as a result we saw five games, got four release dates, and perhaps most of all, took away some optimism for the months to come.

Microsoft managed to pleasantly surprise everyone by dropping a new Tango Gameworks rhythm-action game on us called Hi-Fi Rush. It immediately looked like a delightful mashup of Sunset Overdrive, Ninja Gaiden, and Guitar Hero. Even better, Tango released it right after the Direct ended, making this one of the first same-day announcement+release combos in quite some time. It’s not a stretch to say that such a surprise would not have been possible without Xbox Game Pass, where word-of-mouth can build up over time, and a game’s success is not as heavily dependent on a pre-order campaign and months of marketing hype.

We recorded Unlocked immediately after Microsoft's Xbox Developer Direct presentation this week, so these are our in-the-moment reactions to the excellent presentation, from the deep-dive on Redfall (including a May 2 release date to look forward to) to another look at the gorgeous Forza Motorsport (though it came without any release date attached) to the surprise new game from Tango Gameworks, Hi-Fi Rush, that's available right now! And in our final segment, we spent some time discussing the current uncertain state of Halo in the wake of the layoffs at 343 Industries.

Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 of this week's episode. For more awesome content, check out our interview with Todd Howard, who answered all of our Starfield questions after the big reveal at the Xbox Showcase:

For more next-gen coverage, make sure to check out our Xbox Series X review, our Xbox Series S review, and our PS5 review.

What do you get when you cross Alice in Wonderland with Iron Man? Square Enix’s latest action-RPG Forspoken aims to answer that question, with a fish out of water plot as the protagonist Frey is thrown into a world of dragons and sorcery. Built on the same Luminous Engine that powered the team's last game, Final Fantasy XV, it has a similar open world design, with animation, art, creature design and more that will feel familiar.

Resolution Modes

The game has three resolution modes, Quality, Ray Tracing, and Performance, each of which also has a 120Hz mode. Quality targets 3840x2160p with dynamic resolution scaling (DRS) engaged, which can scale by 75% in total down to a low of 1920x1080. Ray Tracing mode reduces the ceiling to 2880x1620p and scales to a low of 1440x810. Both these modes use FSR2 reconstruction to get back to a 4K output when not at that level, which is always the case in the Ray Tracing mode and often in Quality. Finally, Performance targets 2560x1440p both in ceiling and FSR2 reconstruction, and can dip down 75% also to a low of 1280x720. This mode boosts performance to 60fps over the previous two, which are capped at 30fps.

2023 and 2024 have shown that 2TB PS5 SSD upgrades are actually worth the price. In 2022, prices for 1TB PS5 SSDs averaged around $150, whereas 2TB SSDs hovered closer to $300. Now, we're seeing 1TB SSDs trickle below the $70 price point and 2TB SSDs can drop to around $100 or sometimes even lower if there's a good sale. It's worth noting, though, that you can't use any old SSD and expect it to perform well on the PS5 console. You'll want to pick up a PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 solid-state drive with at least a 5,500MB/s read speed to match the PS5's internal drive.

TL;DR - The Best PS5 SSD Deals Right Now

Note that Sony recommends a heatsink attached to your SSD and not all SSDs listed here have pre-installed heatsinks. For the ones that do, we'll be sure to mention it. For the ones that don't, all you have to do is purchase your own heatsink (like this one for $9) and install it yourself. For our top recommended picks for 2024, check out our full breakdown for the Best PS5 SSDs.

Seagate Game Drive 1TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe 1.4 SSD with Heatsink for PS5 for $104

This is an excellent deal for getting 1TB of storage, saving you $20 off its MSRP of $124.99. This Seagate SSD is officially licensed and built with the PS5 in mind. It even has a built-in heatsink so you don't need to worry about spending extra cash on one. On top of all that, it features 7300MB/s read speeds and 6000MB/s write speeds.

If you tuned into Xbox's Developer Direct on January 25, you'll already know about Hi-Fi Rush shadow-dropping on Xbox Game Pass after the presentation ended. But, that's not all, as Xbox has also now confirmed every game hitting the service before the end of the month, and a few more for the start of February as well including Hot Wheels Unleashed, GoldenEye 007, Age of Empires 2, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R, Grid Legends, and more.

Games to already hit Game Pass this month include Persona 3 and 4, alongside Monster Hunter Rise and Stranded Deep. For now, here's everything coming to Xbox Game Pass in January 2023.

Hi-Fi Rush is Available on Xbox Game Pass Right Now

Tango Gameworks' next game is Hi-Fi Rush, a rhythm adventure game under development exclusively for the Xbox Series X|S, and it's coming out tonight. Announced during the Xbox Developer_Direct showcase, the trailer revealed a bombastic comic-like art style, original tunes and rhythm-based movement and combat. Tango Gameworks has already released the game, including on Xbox Game Pass, and you can install it right now if you want to.

Every once in a while a board game comes along that, while designed by and for enthusiasts, breaks the mold and reaches a wider audience. Wingspan is one of the most phenomenal success stories of this elite brigade. Created by first-time designer and bird enthusiast Elizabeth Hargrave, this game about building wildlife reserves has gone on to sell well over a million copies across multiple printings, making it one of the most successful and best board games of recent years.

What’s in the Box

Wingspan is crammed full of stuff, most of which is delightfully designed to evoke its ornithological theme. There are a lot of cards, most of which represent species of birds, embellished with luminous art and educational factoids alongside their pertinent game information. All the cards can be put away in the supplied plastic storage tray with an embossed bird on the lid.

Food items like grain and mice are printed on wooden dice which, in turn, are rolled and kept in a wonderful dice tower and tray that looks like a birdhouse. There are also matching food tokens for you to keep until spent when you take a die. The game includes four plastic trays in which you can keep these tokens and the huge array of three-dimensional pastel-colored bird eggs.