IGN

You can practically set your watch to it: each year, as Black Friday pokes its head over the horizon, Nintendo releases the same Nintendo Switch bundle. This time it's ready for Prime Day 2, but it will surpass that and still be a great deal all the way through to Black Friday on November 24. It includes an original Switch (not OLED, unfortunately), a digital copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and a three-month individual Nintendo Switch Online subscription. It costs $299, and you can order it now at Amazon.

Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle 2023

• See it at Amazon
• See it at Best Buy
• See it at GameStop

Don't let my apparent lack of enthusiasm spoil this for you, though. If you’re going to buy a standard Switch and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe anyway, this is definitely a good deal. The bundle costs the same price of a Switch alone, so buying the bundle saves you roughly $65 over purchasing the items individually. And if you’re buying your first Switch, you’re definitely going to want to pick up Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, because it rules. An NSO subscription is also pretty great, because it gets you access to a bunch of classic NES and SNES games.

“The tastiest drink in the world is coffee, or nothing!” says Azucena, Tekken’s newest character, when she runs into Lili. “I’ll teach you of the majesty that is tea!” Lili shoots back. It’s a dialogue exchange that only happens when these two characters go head-to-head, and in this case, it’s appropriate. Tekken producer Michael Murray is drinking coffee and playing Azucena. I’m drinking tea and playing Lili. Michael destroys me. I don’t often play Lili, and Michael is, unsurprisingly, a very good Tekken player. But even though I lost that match, I was having an absolute blast. We were laughing, complimenting strong moments in each other’s play, sharing surprise at certain interactions, and generally having a great time.

Naturally, I switched to Azucena the next match. I’ll never give up on tea, but there’s nothing wrong with switching characters, right? Like every other character I played in Tekken 8, she was a lot of fun. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me back up a little.

I was at Bandai Namco’s office in Irvine, California for two days last week, and much of that time was spent playing Tekken 8, talking to Michael Murray about Tekken 8, and playing Tekken 8 while talking to Michael Murray about Tekken 8. We were throwing down in an early version of the Tekken 8 Closed Beta Test that folks can get their hands on from October 20th to 23rd. That dialogue exchange between Lili and Azucena is just one of many examples of the defining quality that seems to run through Tekken 8: attention to detail.

2023's Call of Duty will be in the form of Modern Warfare III, acting as a direct sequel to last year's Modern Warfare II. With a brand new campaign, multiplayer experience, and more. Activision is hosting an Open Beta across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. During the beta, you can experience 5 out of the 16 remastered launch maps from the 2009 Modern Warfare 2. The full game, including the entire map collection, will be released on November 10.

Preorder Modern Warfare 3 for Early Access to the Open Beta

PlayStation users can access the Open Beta no matter their preorder status. Xbox and PC users, you'll be able to get early access to the Open Beta on October 12-13 if you preorder through any retailer. The associated retailer will then email you a code to redeem with Activision. For more info on preorders, be sure to visit our full MW3 preorder guide to find out what's included with each edition.

Remember, you're getting early access to the Open Beta with your preorder, and you don't have to pay anything until the game ships in late October. So you could absolutely preorder, get a beta code, and then cancel your order after the beta finalizes if you don't like the game, at no cost. The Open Beta will truly open up on October 14-16 where everyone will be permitted access no matter their console or preorder status.

Amazon's Prime Big Deal days is coming to a close in mere hours, concluding tonight at 12 AM PDT, so this is your last chance to score some savings on tech, games, and more. There have been quite a few excellent video game deals going on for October Prime Day, but one of the best right now is on Ghost of Tsushima’s Director's Cut for PS5, which is down 56% to $29.99 at Amazon. If you’ve yet to play this game, it’s an absolute must for your video game collection. You can check out the deal in full at the link below.

Pick Up Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut for PS5 for $29.99 at Amazon

The Director’s Cut of Ghost of Tsushima comes with the full main game, Legends online co-op mode, a digital mini art book by Dark Horse, and the Iki Island expansion. Upon release, we gave this expansion an 8/10, explaining in our review that it “provides another compelling story that dives deep into Jin’s past; a new and absolutely gorgeous island to explore that’s full of meaningful collectibles; and a couple of challenging additions to combat in the form of enemies that force you to think on your feet even more than before.”

Microsoft could use board games to revisit dormant franchises owned by Xbox Game Studios, with Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game potentially being the first of many.

Zoo Tycoon was developed by Elite: Dangerous studio Frontier Developments and published by Microsoft Studios (the previous name for Xbox Game Studios), on November 22, 2013 for Xbox One and Xbox 360.

Speaking to Xbox Wire, Xbox Game Studios executive producer Robert Jerauld said this board game adaptation is a "prime illustration" of how Microsoft could expand its franchises that don't have video games in active development.

"It’s crucial to recognize that even if certain franchises aren’t currently undergoing active development, they can still be actively appreciated by their fans," Jerauld said.

"Zoo Tycoon serves as a prime illustration of this. It presents a valuable chance for Microsoft to extend gratitude to the dedicated and ardent Zoo Tycoon fans who have worked tirelessly to sustain the game’s enchantment. We acknowledge your dedication and deeply appreciate you."

While Jerauld didn't say if he had any other dormant franchises in mind, Xbox certainly has a wealth to choose from. These could include Banjo-Kazooie, Viva Piñata, Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Project Gotham Racing, MechAssault and plenty more. There are some bigger names that haven't seen a release in a long time, of course, but many of these currently have sequels in development at Xbox.

Amazon's Big Deals Days sale is still live at the moment, but we're now into the final day of the event. You can still find some big discounts on a wide array of items, including Switch games, console bundles, and accessories. We've sifted through all the deals to bring you the absolute best ones in this sale. Just remember that you'll need to be a Prime member to access most of these deals for the rest of the day - you can get a 30-day free trial here.

TL;DR - Best Switch Prime Day 2 Deals

Prime Day: Best Nintendo Switch Game Deals

Prime Day 2 has served up a whole platter of awesome Switch game deals, including Bayonetta 3 for $36.99, Metroid Dread for $39.99, and a lot more to get stuck into. Check out the rest of the deals just below.

Prime Day: Nintendo Switch Console Deals

If you're in the market for a Switch console, you'll be pleased to know that Nintendo's standard Black Friday bundle is back for October Prime Day. You get a standard Switch, plus a digital copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, plus three months of Nintendo Switch Online. The other latest model of Switch is the Mario Red OLED. It's not exactly on sale, but it's new and it looks fantastic.

Prime Day 2 (or October Prime Day) has moved into its final day. There are still some stellar deals to check out for Xbox fans over the course of the day today. Whether you're after a deal on expandable storage, consoles, or more, we've got you covered.

We've collected only the absolute best deals for you to check out as Xbox fans over Prime Day, and this is a great opportunity to secure an incredible deal prior to the Black Friday sales fast approaching in November. Just remember that you'll need to be a Prime member to access most of these deals today - if you move fast, you can get a 30-day free trial here.

TL;DR - Best Xbox Deals for Prime Day 2

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 3-Month for $40.49

By securing 3-months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $40.49, you can actually avoid the Game Pass price hike. We recommend securing your current subscription for as long as possible. You can stack up to a maximum of 36 months of Game Pass, meaning you have the option to accumulate 3-month subscriptions up to 12 times.

Overwatch 2 developer Blizzard has come under fire for locking eye-catching Diablo 4 skins behind a $40 bundle.

Launched yesterday, the Lilith skin for Moira and the Inarius skin for Pharah are both part of the $39.99 Ultimate Battle Pass Bundle for Season 7.

Lilith and Inarius are main characters from Blizzard’s action role-playing game Diablo 4 — Lilith the demonic mother of Sanctuary and antagonist of the game, Inarius a fallen angel who ostensibly defends humanity.

Both these Diablo 4 skins, which Blizzard leaned on to promote the recently launched Season 7, Rise of Darkness, are exclusively sold through the $39.99 Ultimate Battle Pass Bundle for Season 7. There is no other way to get the skins than forking out real-world money.

It’s worth noting the bundle includes nine items. Here are the contents of the Ultimate Battle Pass Bundle for Season 7:

We've come to the second (and final) day of Amazon's October Prime Day, or as they're calling it, Big Deal Days. Whatever you call it, it's another big sale exclusively for Prime members, dropping prices on all sorts of items. Among those items are video games, consoles, and accessories. So if you’re looking to save some money on all things PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch, we have you covered below. We’ve hand-selected all the best gaming-related deals in the sale.

As this is a Prime-exclusive sale, you’ll need a Prime membership to get most of the discounts. And as luck would have it, you can sign up for a one-week membership for just $1.99 right now. That grants you full access to the sale. Now onto the deals.

Valve has discontinued support for Counter-Strike 2 on Mac after forcing an upgrade from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive that broke the game on the platform.

Counter-Strike 2 replaced CS:GO when it launched last month with an update for all players, including those on Mac. However, this update made the original game as well as CS2 unplayable on Mac because of a lack of support from Valve.

Now, Valve has announced that it has no plans for a Mac version of Counter-Strike 2, ending years of support for Counter-Strike on the platform.

Defending the decision in a post on Steam, Valve said Counter-Strike 2 “represents the largest technical leap in CS history, and our goal is to continue to develop Counter-Strike for years to come”. Valve is ending support for older hardware, including DirectX 9 and 32-bit operating systems, as well as Mac. The company said that combined, these represented less than one percent of active CS: GO players. Moving forward, Counter-Strike 2 will exclusively support 64-bit Windows and Linux, Valve confirmed.

As a make-good, Valve is making a “legacy” version of CS:GO available to those who cannot launch CS2 with their current hardware. But support for this version of CS:GO ends January 1, 2024. Valve is also offering Prime Status Upgrade refunds to those affected. Valve will offer refunds until December 1, 2023.

Paradox Interactive has called The Lamplighters League a "big disappointment" as the company has been forced to record a $22 million write-down.

Revealed on the company's website, the write-down of 248 million Swedish Krona, or roughly $22.7 million, is essentially Paradox admitting it won't make its money back on The Lamplighters League.

"The Lamplighters League is a fun game with many strengths. Even though we see cautiously positive player numbers in subscription services, the commercial reception has been too weak, which is frankly a big disappointment," said Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester.

"Game projects are by their nature always risky, but at the end of the day we haven’t performed at the level we should. It is painful but makes us more eager to roll up our sleeves and do better."

The Lamplighters League launched October 3 as a mix of stealth gameplay and XCOM-style combat in a ritzy 1930's aesthetic. The "cautiously positive player numbers in subscription services" mentioned by Wester could be referring to the game's presence on Xbox Game Pass, where it arrived on its launch day.

In our 7/10 review, IGN said: "The Lamplighters League starts slow, but its mix of squad tactics, stealth, and pulp adventure soon builds momentum thanks to excellent design of both heroes and enemies."

The Rocket League community is up in arms over a controversial decision to remove item trading.

Publisher Epic Games and developer Psyonix announced their intention to remove player-to-player trading from the popular car football game on December 5 at 4pm Pacific / 7pm Eastern / 12midnight UK, insisting the decision had to do with bringing Rocket League in-line with its wider policy around item shops.

“We’re making this change to align with Epic’s overall approach to game cosmetics and item shop policies, where items aren’t tradable, transferrable, or sellable,” a statement from the ‘Psyonix Team’ read.

“This opens up future plans for some Rocket League vehicles to come to other Epic games over time, supporting cross-game ownership.”

Psyonix said the trade-in system for core items, tournament items, and blueprints will let players continue trading duplicate or unwanted items to receive a random new item of higher rarity, and players will not lose any previously traded items when player-to-player trading is removed.

In the same announcement, Psyonix issued a warning to those who may consider using “fraudulent” third-party trading websites or servers. “After December 5, there will be no way to trade items with any player or between accounts,” Psyonix said. “Websites or servers advertising such services are fraudulent and have no connection to Psyonix or Epic Games.”

What if you lent someone an item? “These actions are not supported by Psyonix and all trades are considered final,” Psyonix said. “Our support team cannot help reverse trades.”

October Prime Day has now entered its second and final day of proceedings. This will be your last chance to secure any of these deals until they inevitably reappear during the Black Friday sales. There are plenty of incredible deals to check out at Amazon before the end of the day, and PlayStation has been particularly lucky with several great headline deals to check out.

There are fantastic deals available for both first-party and third-party PlayStation games, as well as some amazing discounts on PS5-compatible SSDs at the moment. We've gathered all the top deals right here, so there's no need to worry about missing out on any exceptional offers. Just keep in mind that most of these deals are exclusive to Prime members - you can get a 30-day free trial here.

TL;DR - Best PS5 Prime Day 2 Deals

$100 PlayStation Digital Voucher + $10 Amazon Gift Card

If you're looking to replenish your PlayStation account balance and plan to make purchases on Amazon today, this deal is a perfect pairing. Simply apply the code PSN100 at checkout, and you'll receive a $10 credit to your Amazon account after your purchase is completed. It's a straightforward way to save $10 on a PS5 game, SSD, or other items during the October Prime Day sales.

The world had Pokémon Go fever back in 2017, and that included two Los Angeles police officers who opted to ignore a robbery so they could continue their hunt for Snorlax and Togetic.

The story of Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell first emerged last year, but now we have the actual dashcam footage of their collective misadventures, and it's indeed a wild ride. In the abridged footage obtained by 404 Media, Mitchell and Lozano are heard saying they hope Togetic doesn't run away as they drive the wrong way down a one-way street and perform illegal u-turns.

New from 404 Media: we finally got the dash cam footage of the two LAPD cops who ignored a robbery in progress to play Pokemon Go. Shows they sped through residential areas, drove wrong way down one way street to chase Pokemon

"Got him!" one shoutshttps://t.co/rWI89guX5c pic.twitter.com/EMbl06vMGj

— Joseph Cox (@josephfcox) October 10, 2023

The pair actively ignored an in-progress happening at a local mall during their hunt, opting instead to head to a 7-11 after finally snagging their trophy. They were subsequently investigated by the LAPD's internal affairs department, charged with multiple counts of on-duty misconduct, and fired.

With Diablo IV Season 2 just around the corner, Blizzard's developers have once again gotten together for a campfire chat to detail some of the major planned changes coming to Season of Blood. They are part of what Blizzard is calling its "five-point strategy" to "focus on addressing player feedback and making systemic improvements." You can find the full patch notes here.

Designers Adam Jackson and Charles Dunn joined community lead Adam Fletcher to discuss the changes coming to Patch 1.2.0, including updates to the elemental resistances, damage buckets, and elemental resistances. Blizzard also says it will also seek to address feedback around unique items, which have been controversial since Diablo IV released earlier this year.

In particular, Blizzard hopes to make unique items "more exciting and impactful" with completely new stats, updated unique effects, and other improvements. The changes are intended to address what Blizzard considers to be an issue with the items generally not being exciting enough, which is at odds with their extreme rarity.

"Can’t wait to see this whole new crop of uniques. Some classes really needed it," one user responded on Reddit.

In a reassuring nod to gamers' storage needs, Sony has officially confirmed that its PS5 Slim console will maintain its expandable storage capabilities, ensuring players will still have the option to add extra storage to their console if they desire.

A PlayStation spokesperson told IGN via email that the PS5 Slim that "there are no changes with the new model," meaning the process of removing the back cover panel of the console and manually installing an additional SSD.

Either way, the PS5 Slim will include more memory than the launch version, sporting 1TB of internal SSD storage instead of the 825GB found on the launch model (which only 667GB was useable). Nevertheless, the PS5 Slim's continued support of expandable storage figures to be a big plus for those looking to buy the redesign.

With many blockbuster games launching on Sony's ninth-generation home console featuring hefty file sizes, the option to throw in an M.2 SSD to expand the storage on the system is a nice feature, especially when you consider that last month a software update rolled out, allowing support for up to 8TB of additional SSD storage.

Sony has officially announced that slimmer versions of the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition will be arriving just in time for the holidays, and we're here to see not only how they compare to the launch PS5s, but also to the Xbox Series X/S.

Using the disc drive and controller as a reference, IGN's Armando Torres mocked up a rough size comparison between the two consoles, which you can see above.

Sony says the "new PS5 has been reduced in volume by more than 30%, and weight by 18% and 24% compared to previous models." The original PS5 was 390 mm x 260 mm x 104 mm (15.4 in x 10.2 in x 4.1 in), and the new model will be approximately 358 mm x 96 mm x 216 mm (14.0 in x 3.7 in x 8.5 in).

Meanwhile, the PS5 Digital Edition launch model is 390 mm x 260 mm x 92 mm (15.3 in x 10.2 in x 3.6 in), while the new PS5 Digital Edition will be 358 mm x 80 mm x 216 mm (14.0 in x 3.1 in x 8.5 in).

The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are obviously very different from the old and new PS5s, but we thought we'd compare them so you can see how they'll all stack up in your home. The Xbox Series X is 152.4 mm x 304.8 mm x 152.4 (6.0 in x 12.0 in x 6.0 in) and the Xbox Series S is 279 mm x 149.8 mm x 66.0 mm (11.0 in x 5.9 in x 2.6 in).

For an accurate idea of how all the consoles compare, we used the site CompareSizes to generate a rough picture of all them all together.

Nearly three years after releasing its next generation of PlayStation home console hardware, Sony announced today that it is phasing out the original design and launching a redesigned PS5 console next month.

Model redesign aside, the new console (also known as the PS5 Slim) reduces the weight of Sony's ninth-generation console by 18-24%, depending on which model you get. The redesigned PS5 includes more storage, 1TB instead of 825GB, and an increased price for the Digital Edition.

With the announcement of new gaming hardware, users on X (formerly known as Twitter) have turned to the platform to share their thoughts. Some are excited (especially if they did not already buy a PS5), while others are not mincing words on how they feel about the reveal, including poking fun at the fact that the design of the remodel looks a lot similar to its predecessor.

Sony designers putting in that work on concepts for the PS5 slim 😂🤣 https://t.co/kZG5JJEzuk pic.twitter.com/AMKppyM4CE

— Eric J. (@ecjaxson) October 10, 2023

The disc drive edition of the PS5 Slim looks like it's got Binding of Isaac powerups. Thing is wretched lmao. pic.twitter.com/wv7lgG1aSB

Sony has confirmed the heavily rumoured PlayStation 5 slim, which is due out for this holiday season.

The smaller PS5 design comes with 1TB storage for the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition, up from 825GB in the original versions of the console, and the new model provides the option to add an Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive to PS5 Digital Edition.

In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Sid Shuman, Senior Director, SIE Content Communications, said Sony created this new PS5 "to address the evolving needs of players".

"Our engineering and design teams collaborated on a new form factor that provides greater choice and flexibility," Shuman said. "The same technology features that make PS5 the best to play are packed into a smaller form factor, along with an attachable Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive and a 1TB SSD for more internal storage."

The new PS5 has been reduced in volume by more than 30%, and weight by 18% and 24% compared to the previous models, Sony said. There are four separate cover panels, with the top portion in a glossy look, while the bottom remains in matte. If you buy the PS5 Digital Edition, you can add the Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive for PS5 later, as it will also be sold separately for $79.99 | €119.99 | £99.99 | 11,980 JPY.

The new PS5 model will be available starting this November in the U.S. at select local retailers and direct.playstation.com where available, Sony added. It will continue to roll out globally in the months that follow. Once inventory of the current PS5 model has sold out, the new PS5 will become the only model available.

The Last of Us franchise has become one of the most beloved franchises in gaming history, spanning two incredible games and a TV show starring the daddy of the internet himself, Pedro Pascal. If you've never played the games before, then now is a great chance to play a recently optimized for PS5 version of TLOU Part I.

As part of October Prime Day, this game is down to just $45.99. For reference, if you grab it after Prime Day finishes, you'll be looking at just about $70 for it. We've moved into the last day of the sales event now, though, so if you've been eyeing up this deal for the last 24 hours, now is the time to take the plunge and grab a copy.

Even More PS5 Video Game Deals for Prime Day

The Last of Us Part I isn't the only PS5 game on sale right now though. There's also been a bunch of other discounts you absolutely need to check out right now. Take a look through some of these great deals below and see if there's anything that takes your fancy. Remember to grab the games you want today, because once the countdown reaches zero, Prime Day 2 will officially be over.

One Assassin's Creed Mirage Easter egg is a little on the nose, literally, as Ubisoft actually added an Assassin's Creed branded cat into the game.

As reported by Eurogamer, Reddit user suckashelfboi101 posted a screenshot of protagonist Basim holding a big fluffy cat with markings resembling the pointy Assassin's Creed logo on its nose.

"Is this cat's face supposed to looks like the Assassin emblem or what because it’s all I can see," they said. "Maybe something the developers put in for fun?"

A ton of cats appear around Assassin's Creed Mirages' map, but these special ones with the symbol on their noses give players items when petted.

According to fan account Scholars of the Creed on Twitter, the inclusion wasn't just coincidence or a bit of fun but instead a tribute to one Assassin's Creed fan's cat. A comment from one Facebook user shared an image of what was allegedly a friend's cat who shared the same markings. Whether the developers at Ubisoft saw this or not is unclear, but it's certainly a big coincidence if not.

Tears of the Kingdom director Hidemaro Fujibayashi has revealed Nintendo's reasoning behind the dissappearance of Sheikah technology in the latest entry in the Legend of Zelda franchise, and hinted at why NPCs haven't bothered to investigate the vanishing.

While the setting in Tears of the Kingdom is the same as that of Breath of the Wild, the Hyrule experienced by players exploring Tears of the Kingdom is radically altered when compared to that seen in 2017's Breath of the Wild. For one, the sky is quite literally falling, and vast chasms have opened leading to a new hidden realm below. Amid the confusion, the Sheikah technology and shrines that once dotted the landscape have disappeared, as have the guardians and the four divine beasts that watched over it, leaving many fans to wonder why.

“They disappeared after the Calamity was defeated (sealed),” revealed Tears of the Kingdom director Hidemaro Fujibayashi in a new Telegraph interview. “All of the people of Hyrule also witnessed this, but there is no one who knows the mechanism or reason why they disappeared, and it is considered a mystery. It is believed that since the Calamity disappeared, they also disappeared as their role had been fulfilled.”

Epic Games' latest update for battle royale Fortnite adds a number of Halloween-themed outfits including an eye-catching Alan Wake skin.

Alan Wake, who’s set to star in Remedy’s aptly named Alan Wake 2 later in October, will be available in Fortnite’s Item Shop during the Fortnitemares 2023 event, Epic said in a blog post.

The image below shows the the Alan Wake outfit, plus more Waking Nightmare set items that’ll be in the Shop.

The most impressive part of Total War: Pharaoh isn't the beautifully-detailed map of the Nile Valley, the exciting Late Bronze Age setting, or the striking interface that looks like it was copied straight off of a tomb wall in the Valley of Kings. It's the fact that Creative Assembly Sophia has pulled me right back into a fairly traditional, historical Total War and made it feel like a fresh experience, even when I've been playing this series for over 20 years now. It has some rough edges, especially the further you get from the heart of Egypt. But that little bit of sand in my sandals is easy to endure when Pharaoh is at its best.

Egypt itself is really the star of Total War: Pharaoh, and whether you're on the campaign or the battle map, it makes its personality known with wonderful art, effective lighting, and challenging geography. It would be easy to imagine dozens of repetitive battles fought on bumpy sand, but there are many riffs on the general themes of sunbaked flood plains and rocky desert peaks that lend a sense of place and new tactical possibilities. I particularly came to enjoy hiding my troops just behind the sharp crest of a soaring sand dune when facing an army with elite archers, only springing the trap when they were close enough that their ranged advantage was meaningless.

LEGO has shared a first look at its upcoming Animal Crossing collaboration with Nintendo.

Revealed in a tweet from LEGO (below), a short trailer showed off the previously rumoured five sets alongside confirmation they'll launch in March 2024. An update to the LEGO website also confirmed details surrounding each set, including its name, price, and contents.

A handful of Animal Crossing's most-popular characters were revealed as the stars of each set, including Tom Nook, Kapp'n, Rosie, Isabelle, Bunnie, and Julian. They feature in the different sets, which overall recreate some of the houses, items, and events featured in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Julian's Birthday Party will have 170 pieces for $14.99, Bunnir's Outdoor Activities will have 164 pieces at $19.99, Kapp'n Island Boat Tour will have 233 pieces at $29.99, Isabelle's House Visit will have 389 pieces at $39.99, and Nook's Cranny and Rosie's House will have 535 pieces at $74.99.

LEGO and Nintendo aren't strangers, of course, as several collaborations between the two have come already. A brick-based version of the Nintendo Entertainment System console was one of the larger sets, though a Super Mario Bros. range has also proved popular.

Prime Day is always mayhem (in a good way) over here and that hasn't changed now that we're fully into the second day of Amazon's sale event. But, this is the last day to get your hands on all the deals you've been waiting for. The countdown is fully on, so if you want to grab Cyberpunk 2077 for a slashed price, then you've gotta do it today.

One of the most talked about games in recent years, Cyberpunk 2077, is available for just under £15 on both Playstation and Xbox this October Prime Day. Now is the perfect time to get your hands on a copy, with the Phantom Liberty expansion coming out just a few weeks ago.

October Prime Day: Grab Cyberpunk 2077 for a Steal

If you've been waiting for Cyberpunk to be on sale to grab it, well, you've let quite a lot of sales pass you by. But that's okay, because there's always another excellent sale on the horizon, and October Prime Day is that sale.

If you were too slow to snap up this deal for Playstation yesterday, you've unfortunately missed out as speedier customers managed to snap up all the copies and it's now out of stock on Amazon. Xbox gamers, you've still got some time to grab this deal.

If you're also looking to play Phantom Liberty, then you might as well make sure that you're getting the base game at an absolute steal. You may have been waiting a while to buy this game, but now is the time!

As part of its Cyber Week Savings Event, Dell is offering a bonus $100 Dell eGift Card when you purchase the PS5 Disc Edition gaming console for $499.99. That's the best PS5 console deal available, especially since we don't expect to see a good PS5 console deal from Amazon during its October Prime Day Sale.

PS5 Disc Edition Console with $100 Dell eGift Card for $499.99

Dell is offering a $75 Dell promotional egift card when you purchase the PS5 disc edition console. You will receive the gift card via email within 20 days after the PS5 ships and it will expire 90 days thereafter. Use the gift card to buy almost anything at Dell including gaming PCs, gaming monitors, gaming consoles, and even PS5 accessories like a DualSense controller or Pulse 3D gaming headset.

The PS5 is, in my opinion, the better console to get over the Xbox Series X. The biggest reason is that the PlayStation console(s) have better exclusives, like Spider-Man 2, God of War: Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7 Final Fantasy 16 (timed exclusive), Final Fantasy 7 Remake (and the upcoming Rebirth), Ratchet & Clank, Astro's Playroom, and more. The disc edition has a built-in drive so you can play games off physical disc media and watch movies off DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Blu-ray discs.

See our larger list of the best Prime Day PS5 deals for more discounts.

Square Enix has once again taken to Twitter to share some bizarre insights into Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, this time explaining the logic behind its box art.

Starring protagonist Cloud, antagonist Sephiroth, and the mysterious Zack, the artwork "represents the three worlds that form the axis" of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's story, Square Enix explained.

Created by Creative Director, Tetsuya Nomura, this artwork represents the three worlds that form the axis of the story in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Sephiroth is in the center, as he represents the instigator of the events of the past. #FF7R [1/2] pic.twitter.com/gmAW12vNum

— FINAL FANTASY VII (@finalfantasyvii) October 8, 2023

"Created by creative director Tetsuya Nomura, this artwork represents the three worlds that form the axis of the story in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth," the tweet reads. "Sephiroth is at the centre, as he represents the instigator of the events of the past.

"Cloud and Zack are on the side as they represent their destinies being torn apart by Sephiroth. The image of blood, fire, and red that evokes Sephiroth stains the sky and spreads over the world. The subtle red shade in the logo is also inspired by the same imagery."

The long-running debate about Skill-Based Matchmaking (SBMM) has once again sparked into life after the recent PlayStation-exclusive Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 beta.

SBMM is a system designed to put players in lobbies made up of similarly-skilled players. “SBMM” usually trends across social media when a new Call of duty game comes out, with players on either side of the debate offering their take on why it’ll either kill that year’s Call of Duty or why it’s good for online play.

Disgruntled players sometimes try to combat SBMM by deliberately losing in a bid to matchmake against lower-skilled players in subsequent lobbies. It's a tactic called 'reverse boosting', and it seems some people who played the Modern Warfare 3 beta over the weekend were doing just that.

When it comes to COD, some players say SBMM has no right being in casual playlists. Ranked play, these critics say, is where SBMM should be used. Of course, not everyone is against the idea of SBMM, with some pointing out it is hypocritical for high-skill players to demand the right to play lower-skilled players instead of those at their own level.

Ubisoft has delayed XDefiant indefinitely after a series of playtests unearthed issues the development team wants to work to improve before launch. Ubisoft had hoped to release the game in October.

A recent Public Test Session (PTS) revealed “inconsistencies” in the game experience that need to be addressed prior to the release of XDefiant’s preseason, a statement published to Twitter read.

An update on XDefiant- pic.twitter.com/3orSnspmp6

— XDefiant (@PlayXDefiant) October 9, 2023

XDefiant is Ubisoft’s answer to Call of Duty, and taps into nostalgia for the classic Call of Duty feel. It focuses on fast-paced gunplay and objective-driven modes, and has features such as a classic mini-map and lobbies that stay together after a match.

XDefiant is in the works at Ubisoft San Francisco, with Mark Rubin as director and executive producer. Rubin was executive producer at Infinity Ward until 2015, working on a long list of Call of Duty games including the Modern Warfare series.

In a statement published to Twitter, Rubin went into more detail on how feedback to the PTS is improving the game. Apparently movement was “feeling off” for some people, with the slide feeling “nerfed or clunkier”. The developers the slide was being interrupted by frame spikes.

If you're an Xbox enthusiast looking to snag an Elite controller, you're in luck because the Elite Series 2 Core controller is currently available for just $88 at Walmart during its Prime Day 2 counter sale. This deal offers a significant discount from the regular $129.99 MSRP, making it a fantastic opportunity to upgrade to an elite gamepad. While the Elite Series 2 Core doesn't come with all the extra accessories of the original Elite Series 2, it's still an outstanding controller, especially if you don't want to shell out over $180 for all the additional features.

The Elite Series 2 Core controller boasts a range of impressive features, including adjustable-tension thumbsticks, a comfortable wrap-around rubberized grip, shorter hair trigger locks, and a remarkable 40 hours of rechargeable battery life. Plus, it's not only fully compatible with Xbox Series X|S but also works seamlessly with Xbox One and various Windows 10/11 devices.

If you're planning to order the Xbox Elite Series 2 controller, I recommend doing so as soon as possible. This deal is set to expire after October 11 once Prime Big Deal Days ends. Otherwise, we suggest just checking our relevant articles listed below, and staying plugged into our deals coverage on Twitter/X or Deals Discord.

Take a look at our list of the best Xbox Series X controllers for more options like this one.

Between the launches of Major League Cricket in the United States and the Women’s Premier League in India, and Ben Stokes’ Bazballing Brits putting bums on seats in the Test arena, the past couple of years has been an exciting period of expansion and evolution for the sport of cricket in all of its forms – well, except for one. Cricket 24, the latest video game version of the most beer-friendly of summer sports from developer Big Ant Studios, finds itself stuck in the past like a handlebar moustache on an Aussie fast bowler – offering a brand of bat-on-ball gameplay that’s almost indistinguishable from the now two-year-old Cricket 22. A sprinkling of new and only partially implemented player licences, slight visual improvements, and the addition of Adam Gilchrist to the perennially misfiring commentary team don’t really combine to provide a compelling enough reason to bring returning fans back through Cricket 24’s turnstiles.

To be fair, you might assume that adding licensed Indian Premier League teams, the Pakistan Super League competition, and a handful of new national teams would be a boon for Cricket 24 of, well, David Boon proportions. Sadly, most of these additions come with compromises. Only eight out of the 10 IPL teams are actually featured, with Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore noticeably absent, and the actual IPL tournament itself isn’t available to play unless you want to cobble together a rough approximation of it yourself using a combination of the competition editing tools and the community-created squads. It makes for a slightly less ideal way to experience one of the crowning jewels on the cricketing calendar.

Since 2016, Mojang has been hosting an annual mob vote that lets players choose the next creature it adds to Minecraft. In recent years, though, players have grown increasingly unhappy with the tradition, and this year they've taken to "unionizing" to express their disappointment.

Last Thursday, the team behind Minecraft revealed 2023's mob vote and its three options: a crab that drops claws that can boost a player's reach when placing blocks, an armadillo that drops scutes which can be crafted into wolf armor, and a penguin that boosts the speed of nearby boats. However, quite a few players have become disillusioned with what they perceive to be lost content.

Now, fans on TikTok are creating and spreading war propaganda-inspired posters to encourage other players to "unionize" and boycott the mob vote. Many of these posters have adopted communist terminology, with some players calling others "comrades," while others have praised modders for bringing Mojang's "scrapped" mobs into the game.

currently obsessed with minecraft union propaganda on tik tok as people unionize to end the mob vote pic.twitter.com/aQz3iowf2I

Activision Blizzard has given the first glimpse of their plans for Xbox Game Pass once the Microsoft deal has closed, saying they expect to start bringing their games to the service next year.

Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is expected to close this Friday. Even still, in a statement on X/Twitter today, the company said not to expect titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Diablo IV to hit Game Pass this year.

It’s awesome to see anticipation building for Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III. As we continue to work toward regulatory approval of the Microsoft deal, we’ve been getting some questions whether our upcoming and recently launched games will be available via Game Pass.

While we…

— Activision Blizzard (@ATVI_AB) October 9, 2023

"As we continue to work toward regulatory approval of the Microsoft deal, we’ve been getting some questions whether our upcoming and recently launched games will be available via Game Pass," says the statement. "While we do not have plans to put Modern Warfare III or Diablo IV into Game Pass this year, once the deal closes, we expect to start working with Xbox to bring our titles to more players around the world. And we anticipate that we would begin adding games into Game Pass sometime in the course of next year."

Halo Infinite Season 5 is arriving just in time for the multiplayer's second anniversary and it's bringing a whole lot of new content and quality-of-life updates for players to sink their teeth into.

The new season, Reckoning, is bringing new maps, modes, and a new battle pass with Flood-themed cosmetics when it launches on Oct. 18.

Reckoning's biggest adds are its two Arena Maps, which are both completely new. Forbidden is a straight-forward, symmetrical map that prioritizes short and mid-range combat while Prism is set in the same mines where the Covenant harvests crystals for The Needler, one of the Halo franchise's most iconic weapons. It's also strewn with environmental hazards and old mining equipment and seems well-suited for sniping and ranged combat. IGN's Stella Chung breaks it all down in the video below.

The new mode may be more familiar to fans of previous Halo games. Extraction from Halo 4 is returning as a new PvP option. Both of Season 5's new maps are compatible with the mode, though it's unclear if Extraction will work on all Arena Maps, or only Forbidden and Prism. Firefight: King of the Hill is also coming to Season 5, though it sounds like this new PvE option isn't going to be included when the new season launches.

Releasing as Spooky Season hits a fever pitch, the cosmetics in Reckoning's battle pass are all inspired by Halo's zombie-like alien hivemind, The Flood. Dedicated players can also earn Master Chief's armor from Halo Infinite's campaign mode: The Infinite Mark VI Armor alongside some exclusive coatings.

ASTRA: Knights of Veda is a brand new 2D action RPG that was just announced by publisher HYBE IM and developer FLINT will participate in this year’s Steam Next Fest from October 9-16. The story-driven title was introduced at gamescom 2023 to over 2,000 players for limited playtesting, but now a full demo will be featured for all to try during Steam’s event. While you may not have heard of HYBE and its subsidiary HYBE IM before, the company is best known as a global entertainment lifestyle company. This is their first venture into game publishing.

ASTRA: Knights of Veda is a 2D side-scroll type game with modern elements that promises engaging, real-time tactical combat against gargantuan beasts and relentless undead as well as 200 cutscenes and over 1800 gritty illustrations. The game takes place in the land of Planis where the hero king Magnus, who once saved the land from evil, has begun executing those who oppose him, plunging the Kingdom of Neejeram into chaos and destruction. To put an end to Magnus and his tyranny, his son Edward and the liberation army succeeded in their attack on Gigantfall, the capital of Neejeram. But, encroached by an unknown otherworldly power, Magnus was reborn as a gigantic Tree of Death and covered Neejeram, stealing numerous lives on the continent, including the 5th Liberation Army. To save the world from its cursed fate, The goddess Veda has chosen you as her knight. Together with other Knights of Veda, the journey across the continent begins.

To reflect these story beats, the game’s unique art style that encompasses the intricate detail with a terror-infused twist.

When I reviewed Star Wars Jedi: Survivor back in April, I gave it a 9 after playing through its campaign on PlayStation 5 without major issues… only to wake up the next day to hear horror stories of the PC version performing terribly. (This gave me flashbacks to when the same thing happened with Batman: Arkham Knight in 2015). The same month, Luke Reilly had to hit Redfall hard in his review with a score of 4 after numerous bugs drained the lifeblood out of what was already not a great time. At a glance, this certainly could give the appearance of reviewers being inconsistent: why does one game with a reputation for bugs get raked over the coals while another “gets a pass?” Like so many other things it’s not nearly that simple, and to a large extent there is no one-size-fits-all solution for game critics to employ when it comes to something as notoriously slippery as bugs – but we do our best anyway.

There’s never been a game that doesn’t have bugs of some sort, but they’ve become an even hotter topic of discussion in the extraordinary gaming year of 2023. We’ve seen troubled launches of the likes of Redfall, Jedi: Survivor, and Baldur’s Gate 3, which – underneath the near-universal praise – has sparked a conversation about how many bugs are acceptable in highly ambitious games.

Bethesda has released a fresh update for Starfield, which brings the game up to version 1.7.36. It's the third update since Starfield came out at the beginning of September.

The update includes changes to Settings that allow for players to adjust their FOV (field of view) as well as some other performance and stability improvements. There’s not much else to the update, which makes modest changes to the space role-playing game.

Here are the Starfield update 1.7.36 patch notes in full:

GENERAL

• FOV: Sliders are now available in Settings that allow players using first person or third person to adjust their FOV.

PERFORMANCE AND STABILITY

• [PC ONLY] Improved stability for Intel Arc GPUs.
• Various additional stability and performance improvements.

QUEST

• Echoes of the Past: Addressed an issue where tunneling creatures could pick a location that would prevent progression.

“Thank you so much for your continued feedback and support of Starfield and we look forward to a future with you on this journey,” Bethesda said in a blog post.

A fresh report on The Lord of the Rings: Gollum developer Daedalic Entertainment has made a number of disturbing allegations about the company, including reportedly enforcing uncompensated overtime, allegedly trying to pay staff below minimum wage, and a toxic work environment cultivated by an alleged abusive leadership.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is one of the biggest video game flops of 2023. IGN’s review, which returned a 4/10, said it was “filled with dull stealth, bad platforming, and a pointless story, and does little to justify why anyone should take the time to play it”.

Following Gollum's disastrous release, during which it was panned by critics and players and met with low sales, Daedalic Entertainment shut down its internal development arm and cancelled a follow-up The Lord of the Rings game, codenamed "It's Magic". This resulted in layoffs totalling 25 staff.

Now, a 40-minute video from German publication Game Two, titled Why Gollum Had to Fail, alleges significant failings at both Daedalic and publisher Nacon, having spoken with 32 people who worked on the game. “There was an atmosphere of fear,” one anonymous source said. IGN has contacted both Daedalic and Nacon for comment, although it's worth noting denial statements were issued to Game Two and shown in the video.

Game Two reveals the production budget for Gollum was around 15 million euros, or $15.9 million. This was an incredibly low amount for a supposed triple-A The Lord of the Rings video game, and factored into many of its failings.

I’m a huge fan of Super Mario Odyssey and I’ve long been disappointed that Nintendo still hasn’t expanded on its winning formula. Despite Breath of the Wild, which arrived in the same year, getting not only DLC but also a fully-fledged sequel, Mario Odyssey’s unique approach seems like it has largely been left by the wayside. Super Mario Bros. Wonder, though, feels positioned to fill this void. And everything I’ve played and seen so far scratches the innovative itch that I’ve come to expect from my favourite platforming plumber.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a traditional 2D, side-scrolling Mario adventure, more inline with the original trilogy and Super Mario World than its more experimental 3D relatives. But unlike its 2D seniors, Wonder has a new, renewed emphasis on the stage, bringing its worlds to life with ridiculous levels of charm and, yes, I’m going to say it, wonder. Key to this are the Wonder Flowers, collectibles that alter the landscape and massively affect how you progress through the levels. During my hour of hands-on time, I’ve so far seen stage-destroying bull charges, sentient and rideable warp pipes, and a torrential downpour of super stars.

But it’s not just the environment that Wonder Flowers can alter, with the character’s bodies and the player's control scheme up for grabs, too. Stands outs from my play session included desperately trying to control the direction of an inflated Toadette by furious flapping my arms, and having adorably limited jump capabilities after being morphed into a stealthy, spike-walking Goomba. My taste of these changes was small, but the implications of variety was clear.