Polygon

Scott Pilgrim, all his friends, and the many of the creators who have brought his world to life over the years, are all back for a new game set for release in 2026.

As revealed at Summer Game Fest on Friday, Scott Pilgrim EX is a “time-warped brawling adventure” that sends Scott, Ramona Flowers, and five other playable characters battling across a Toronto ravaged by robots and demons. The new title comes from Tribute Games, the retro-minded studio formed by members of the original Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game team, and comic creator Bryan Lee O’Malley, who worked closely on crafting the new story. The chiptune group Anamanaguchi also returns for the soundtrack.

“In a way it’s kind of natural, and the genesis of Tribute, to go back to that IP,” Tribute marketing and publishing manager Eric Lafontaine told Polygon at a press briefing before the SGF stream. “It’s in our DNA in a way, and it’s just coming back through those roots and doing a great different game. It’s just natural.”

Tribute’s “games that play like you remember them” philosophy worked wonders for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, and the studio’s upcoming Marvel Cosmic Invasion, set for later this year, looks just as promising. And while Scott Pilgrim EX shares some creative energy with those games — detailed pixel art, high-impact combat — producer Remi Lavoie says Scott Pilgrim EX is slightly different than those more straightforward brawlers thanks to a non-linear play style.

“This game happens in a really big world of interconnected areas, which you’ll explore at your own pace,” he said. The map, which is fully unlocked when players begin the game, is inspired by the classic NES beat-’em-up River City Ransom, which broke ground with an “open-world” approach to staging. While the quests in Scott Pilgrim EX will have linear progression, players will be able to jump around and get right down to business, as all of their moves and combos will be available from the get go too.

“Scott Pilgrim is really more of an adventure game where you progress through the world and complete quests, [while] Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a bit more similar to the traditional beat-’em-ups with completing stage after stage,” Lavoie said. “So they’re both very different, even in the combat mechanics: [Scott Pilgrim EX] features a lot of weapons, everyday objects that you can pick up and use as weapons.”

Lavoie said the team really leaned in on the chaos of the experience for Scott Pilgrim EX, which also counts Scott Pilgrim Takes Off writer BenDavid Grabinski as a creative partner and is technically set after the events of the anime. “Part of it is embracing that wacky timeline,” he said. “It’s a story written with Bryan and it’s really its own thing, but technically it happens after the events of the animated series.” And the loopy quality of the story is reflected in the art and play; the stages in EX are overflowing with classic game references while the number of objects that can be deployed as weapons should make the game’s four-player co-op (in person or online) a total circus.

Both Lavoie and Lafontaine agreed that there were very few hurdles that Tribute had to clear to make their dream version of Scott Pilgrim EX. The history of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game isn’t just a legacy, but a foundation on how to produce a top-quality installment of this unlikely franchise.

“The fact that the team is so small and we’re so close with Bryan and Universal, it’s such a quick environment for us to be creative, balance ideas, get things approved, make things happen,” Lafontaine said.

Scott Pilgrim EX is currently on track for a 2026 release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation platforms, Windows PC, and Xbox platforms.

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Without an E3 to preview new games and premiere trailers, Geoff Keighley’s annual video game event, Summer Game Fest, returns for 2025 with the usual batch of world premiere-exclusive game reveals, special guest appearances, and other surprises. (Not a surprise, though: Hideo Kojima will be there.)

For every big announcement at Summer Game Fest 2025, including new trailers and major game announcements, check out Polygon’s StoryStream below. You can also watch Summer Game Fest 2025 live right here.

Summer games fest 2025 schedule: All conference dates and timesUbisoft teasing a big Splinter Cell announcement ahead of Summer Game Fest

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Lies of P: Overture is available now, after a new trailer was showcased during the 2025 Summer Game Fest.

The new trailer shows P using new weapons the DLC introduces, like his Wolverine-like claws. We see more new locations as well and the enemies they’ll bring, like a giant crocodile boss P will go up against.

Lies of P: Overture is a prequel that sends protagonist P back in time to before Puppet Frenzy overtook Krat. It includes new weapons, additional enemy types, and 15-20 hours worth of content to the main game.

A patch for all players is on the way as well that adds in new difficulty options, allowing Lies of P to be easier while opening it up to those who were put off by the difficulty of the Soulslike. Also added is a new boss rush mode, Death March, and a mode to replay boss fights, Battle Memories.

Overture is out now across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The original Lies of P was released in fall 2023 and was a hit with fans and critics alike; our review said it “breath[ed] new life into an overcrowded genre by allowing you to fabricate your own truth with the characters you meet, shaping the world with your choices.”

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USA/Syfy’s Resident Alienstarted as a quirky mashup of Northern Exposure and Invader Zim, a fish-out-of-water comedy where Harry Vanderspeigle (Alan Tudyk of Firefly, Rogue One, and Andor), the new doctor in the small town of Patience, Colorado, is actually an alien who wants to take over Earth. Harry’s secret was originally only known to Max Hawthorne (Judah Prehn) — a kid with the rare genetic ability to see through alien disguises, who devotes himself to trying to stop Harry’s plans — and health-clinic worker Asta Twelvetrees (Sara Tomko), who teaches Harry the value of humanity.

Though the series’ protagonist is an alien, the show’s science fiction elements were relatively subtle in the early seasons. Harry spends as much time investigating the murder of the town’s last doctor as he does trying to fix his ship and get his mission back on track. The locals write off his weirdness because they’re dealing with their own challenges: Asta confronting her abusive ex, her best friend D’arcy Bloom (Alice Wetterlund) dealing with opioid addiction, Max’s parents Ben (Levi Fiehler) and Kate (Meredith Garretson) winding up on opposites sides of a debate about bringing a fancy ski resort to Patience.

“I think it was a nice way to be introduced to the sci-fi world for people who don’t normally like [the genre],” Tomko told Polygon in a video interview.

But as the series went on, more characters wound up uncovering the show’s secrets. Deputy Sheriff Liv Baker (Elizabeth Bowen) began looking for unconventional explanations for the odd crimes Patience experienced. Ben and Kate were abducted by aliens who stole their baby. Asta shared Harry’s true identity with D’arcy so she could stop lying about it. Even skeptical Sheriff Mike Thompson (Corey Reynolds) had a close encounter with an extraterrestrial. The science fiction elements are fully on display in season 4, which premieres on June 6.

“What I love about our show is there’s Harry’s world, which is the world of aliens, and there’s people in town who haven’t know about that, and you care about them because the writing is so strong that everyone is really well developed,” Garretson told Polygon in a video interview. “What’s cool about season 4 is that more and more of Harry’s world is bleeding into the town, so I think it’s an opportunity for the characters to become even more three-dimensional. When are people going to find out what’s going on, and then how do they handle that?”

D’arcy was quick to embrace the chance to help Harry, who is now focused on saving humanity from other aliens. She’s gone on several dangerous missions, including sneaking into the home of a human-alien hybrid and infiltrating a gray alien base on the moon, where she rescued the Hawthornes’ daughter. This season, she even travels back in time with Harry to recover alien technology. Wetterlund, who’s also the co-host of the “Treks and the City” Star Trek: The Next Generation podcast, is very enthusiastic about the way Resident Alien has evolved.

“I think that science fiction is a perfect slate on which to examine the human experience, because it removes the historical context that humanity is in and puts it in this imagined world,” she told Polygon in a video interview. “How would these humans in a small town deal with the exploding of their worldview? That is exciting for me. I’ve always wanted to be part of a sci-fi project like this. The more I can run around on spaceships, the better.”

Reynolds said he grew up watching the Aliensfranchise and RoboCop,and he’s excited about the chance to get more involved in Resident Alien’s science fiction elements.

“I’m proudly a nerd, so this fits my wheelhouse perfectly,” he told Polygon.

Acknowledging the existence of aliens has fundamentally shifted the dynamics in Patience’s sheriff’s office, where Mike has often been dismissive of Liv’s ideas. Now they’re working together to uncover a dangerous conspiracy and help an alien tracking cyborg played by Lost’s Peter Bach.

“I think we’ve really stepped into the realm of them being partners, and out of the shadow of the subordinate aspect of things,” Reynolds said. “Mike understands Liv was right. You don’t earn any more credibility in Mike’s world faster than being right. She was right the whole time. That dynamic fused with what they’ve been through personally has created a bond that is everything.”

Scenes involving alien spaceships and time portals cost a lot more than ones set in Patience’s bar or city hall, and showrunner Chris Sheridan has had to get creative as the show’s science fiction elements have expanded — especially since the series had its budget significantly cut going into season 4. One of the main ways the show is saving time and money is by having the gray aliens remove Harry’s ability to transform into his alien form.

“That saves us Alan getting in and out of makeup,” Sheridan told Polygon. “Whenever he walks by a mirror, we see a reflection, and that takes time and money animating him.”

Among all the ideas Sheridan had for hiding the budget cuts, that one stuck with him because it fit so well with the show’s themes and plot, where Harry has slowly gained more emotional awareness and attachments as he’s come to appreciate humans.

“What if he’s in this place where he’s just human for a while?” Sheridan asked. “What does that do to the character? There’s a challenge every year to try to mix things up and add something new, so we were looking to bring out something new in Harry.”

Resident Alien season 4 premieres on Syfy and USA at 11 p.m. ET on Friday, June 6. Episodes will be available to stream on Peacock one week later.

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With Mario Kart World as the flagship launch game for Switch 2 this year, it’s an unusual time for Sega to be working on its own kart racer starring its iconic blue blur. But Takashi Iyazuka, head of the Sonic Team at Sega, not only acknowledged the elephant in the room during this year’s Summer Game Fest — he also tried flexing on the Nintendo franchise.

Following a trailer featuring new characters for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Iyazuka took the SGF stage to highlight one major difference between his game and Mario Kart World.

“Unlike the another kart racing game, this game will have online cross-platform matchmaking so you can race against all your friends across all of the platforms,” Iyazuka said amid a roaring cheer. As fans know, Mario Kart is a first-party Nintendo franchise that’s exclusive on the Japanese publisher’s own console, so there’s no way to enjoy it with people who own other modern consoles. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, on the other hand, will be on all major platforms when it releases on September 25 — including, ironically enough, the Nintendo Switch.

In addition to unveiling Sega-owned characters like Persona 5’s Joker, the latest trailer for Sonic Racing also revealed that the game will see none other than Minecraft Steve as a playable racer. That’s a major get for Sega, and also highlights another difference between the two racing games. Where Mario Kart only includes major Nintendo characters, Sonic Racing features some rad crossovers, like Hatsune Miku.

Not Iyazuka reviving the beef between Sega and Nintendo. It’s all in good fun, of course.

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Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s beloved LAN Mode feature is available in Mario Kart World for Nintendo Switch 2, bringing 16-24 player mayhem to one household. Polygon can confirm that players must hold L+R (NOT ZL+ ZR) and then click the left joystick, to transform the wireless play option into LAN Mode.

In this mode, players connect the consoles to the same access point via ethernet connection to get a complete 24-player LAN Party. This option differs from the wireless play’s room max of 8 players. So, if you want to, MKW can easily be used in an awesome LAN tournament.

LAN tournaments/parties were popularized in the late 1990s and went strong into the 2000s. These events saw players bring over their computers or consoles to their homie’s houses (or established venues) to game together. The tournaments and parties required players to wire their consoles together on a shared network, reducing latency in whatever competitive game they were playing, like Halo, for example.

So, who knows, with the LAN Mode returning as a feature, we may see some wacky Mario Kart World local parties with chaotic 24-player Knockout Tour competitions. Ah, the possibilities.

Mario Kart World was released on June 5 alongside the Nintendo Switch 2. Be sure to read more on how to unlock characters and their dope outfits across the site — to get you ready for those hypothetical LAN parties, of course.

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On June 6, A24 launched the promotional website Black Angel Tapes, meant as an artifact from the shared world of Danny and Michael Philippou’s horror movies Talk to Me and Bring Her Back. Both movies feature creepy artifacts that lead characters to communicate with otherworldly spiritual entities, and Black Angel Tapes is meant to be the website where the characters found those items.

In an interview with Polygon, the Philippous confirmed that Bring Her Back and Talk to Me take place in the same universe, and said they’re probably going to set all their horror movies there. (Though they are taking on unconnected projects: their next film is a documentary about deathmatch wrestling, due out later in 2025.)

“It’s a website you can visit where [Bring Her Back character] Laura purchased this tape from,” Danny Philippou told Polygon via video. “It’s sort of like a dark-web-feeling marketplace where they sell all these fucked-up occult items. That’s something we’re working on now, in between press stuff.”

The site is fairly simple — it’s mostly mock sale listings for items like “Trapped Soul,” or videotapes like “SLEEP WATCHING DEMON SLOWLY EATS GIRL,” with grainy images or short video clips. Some of these items have the kinds of comment threads you might see on a sales site, with people discussing the item, asking questions, arguing with each other, bidding, or complaining about scams. One buyer is looking for the possession-inducing plaster hand — supposedly the mummified hand of a medium — at the center of Talk to Me. (A24’s merch shop sells a version of the hand that doubles as a “smoking device.”) The Bring Her Back tapes, detailing a creepy occult ritual that figures into the movie’s plot, are listed as “Tari Resurrection Tapes,” and the listing includes footage seen in the movie.

Notably, you can’t actually buy any of these items through the site. Why? The site FAQ — by far the most detailed part of the website, laced with a straight-faced humor that makes it worth the visit — explains:

Because you’re too early — or exactly on time. The marketplace breathes in phases. Right now, it watches. The “make offer” links are placeholders. Empty doors. They will remain broken until certain signals align. We are not open for commerce. We are open for attention. Browse. Study. Obsess. The items are real. The energy is already leaking. When the system awakens, those who paid attention will be first through the gate. The offer is not yours to make — yet.

If you do visit the site, be sure to check out the listing for “Evil Blood.” Humor doesn’t play a huge part in the Philippous’ dark, grim, extremely gory movies, but the promise of blood from “the world’s worst” convicts —“the bigger the offer the more evil the blood” — is pretty funny. If the Philippous intend to tie their future horror movies together through this website, here’s hoping the evil blood plays a part at some point.

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Following the reveal of Project Century during The Game Awards 2024, Sega and Like A Dragon developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio showed up to Summer Game Fest 2025 with a new trailer, a new era, and a new name: Stranger Than Heaven. Where the initial trailer looked like early-20th century Judgment, where a detective wandered around a rain-soaked, 1914’s Japanese city, Stranger Than Heaven‘s latest trailer is more like RGG Studio’s take on L.A. Noire.

A detective named Mako Daito moodily searches for clues to an unknown mystery in a glitzy city filled with people lost in their pursuit of excess, glamorous nightclubs, rowdy street fights, seedy tenements, and neon-soaked high streets. It looks like RGG Studio is digging more into survival and simulation elements than usual as well. In one brief shot, Mako holds a cigarette as an on-screen tooltip pops up that reads “Draws immense hostility when smoking.” He has hunger and thirst meters, a first for the studio, and makes split-second decisions about what to do in fraught situations, like whether to show a dangerous opponent mercy.

The trailer ends as Mako meets up with an American who’s surprised to find that Mako is Japanese and ends with a dramatic declaration from the detective about how he’s lost sight of himself. The action and setting might be unusual for RGG Studio, but the Yakuza-like melodrama remains the same.

Given the Project Century codename and the fact that the new trailer jumped forward in time by three decades, it seems like a safe bet to assume the story unfolds across, well, the century. RGG had little else to say about Stranger Than Heaven and previously recommended that no one even try to figure out what the game is about.

Stranger Than Heaven is planned for launch in 2026.

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Summer Game Fest kicked off on Friday with a tw0-hour extravaganza, in the old-fashioned E3 style. Host Geoff Keighley brought out tons of game updates, new reveals, and a few surprises — including the long-awaited release date of some of gaming’s white whales. As promised, Summer Game Fest featured games like Mafia: The Old Country, Dying Light: The Beast, and Fortnite — but the surprises were BIG. A new Resident Evil. A new Scott Pilgrim game. And Deadpool VR?

If you couldn’t watch Summer Game Fest 2025 live, here’s a recap of all the game announcements, release dates, trailers, and other highlights from Keighley’s big games showcase.

Resident Evil Requiem

The next mainline Resident Evil game is a BIG shift for the franchise, and it’s coming in 2026. Resident Evil Requiem sends players back to Raccoon City when launches on Feb. 27, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

Stranger Than Heaven

Like A Dragon and Virtua Fighter developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio announced the title of its next game, which was previously teased as Project Century. It’s called Stranger Than Heaven now, and it’s set in the early 20th century.

Scott Pilgrim EX

Scott Pilgrim is back, in video game form, in a new project from Tribute Games, the developer behind beloved beat-’em-up Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Scott Pilgrim EX will be out in 2026.

Mina the Hollower

Shovel Knight developer Yacht Club Games revealed the release date for its next big adventure: Mina the Hollower will be out Oct. 31.

Lego Voyagers

From publisher Annapurna Interactive comes Lego Voyagers, a new 2-player co-op adventure “that’s all about building spaceships, excitement and friendships.”

Onimusha: Way of the Sword

Capcom dropped a new look at next year’s Onimusha sequel, Onimusha: Way of the Sword.

Mafia: The Old Country

Here’s a new look at Mafia: The Old Country, specifically it’s story. Spoiler alert!

Lies of P: Overture

Soulslike Lies of P gets new DLC Overture… today!

Dying Light: The Beast

Check out the first gameplay footage for Dying Light: The Beast, which arrives Aug. 22 on PS5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

Code Vein 2

Bandai Namco has a sequel to Code Vein in the works, and this one looks slightly less vampiric.

Mortal Shell 2

A sequel to 2020’s action role-playing game Mortal Shell is coming, and it looks metal AF. Mortal Shell 2 is coming in 2026.

Atomic Heart 2

Developer Mundfish revealed a sequel to its sci-fi first-person shooter Atomic Heart. Atomic Heart 2 will feature a “living world rich with possibilities and places a heavy emphasis on story, role-playing elements, and player freedom. The story unfolds in an alternate-history world, with events now expanding to a global scale,” the developer says.“

The Cube

Mundfish ALSO has a separate “MMO RPG shooter” set in the Atomic Heart universe, called The Cube.

ILL

One of the more… intense games to show up at Summer Game Fest was Ill, a story-driven survival horror game that promises “intense body horror, grotesque monsters, [and] relentless fear.” Sure looks like it!

Sonic Racing CrossWorlds

Sonic the Hedgehog’s next kart-racing game is getting some cross-world guests, including Ichiban Kasuga from the Like A Dragon series, Joker from Persona 5, and Steve from Minecraft. Sonic Racing CrossWorlds will have crossplay when it launches on Sept. 25.

Nicktoons and the Dice of Destiny

SpongeBob Squarepants is about to get medieval in Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny, a “universe-spanning mashup that brings iconic Nickelodeon heroes into a world of fantasy-style tropes and real-time RPG action.”

End of Abyss

End of Abyss is a new sci-fi action-RPG from Section 9 Interactive. End of Abyss is set to launch in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion

She-Hulk and Rocket Raccoon join the roster of Tribute Games’ Marvel superhero-themed beat-’em-up, Marvel Cosmic Invasion.

Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiver

To save their home of Shaolin, the Wu-Tang Clan must pass on their fantastical powers to a new generation of warriors, developer Brass Lion Entertainment says of its debut title, Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiver.

Chrono Odyssey

Here’s a new look at Chrono Odyssey, Kakao Games’ action-packed MMORPG.

Felt That Boxing

Muppets-inspired boxing? Hell yes. One of the cooler looking games at Summer Game Fest finally pays off Geoff Keighley’s love of puppets.

Out of Words

Another cool looking game is Out of Words, a co-op platformer adventure “about the doubt and confusion that comes with communicating first-time love,” according to its creators. Out of Words is coming to PS5, Windows PC via the Epic Games Store, and Xbox Series in 2026.

Infinitesimals

In this Grounded-scale adventure, you’ll join Captain Awkney in his search for a new home for his people in Infinitesimals from Cubit Studios. It’s coming to PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC via the Epic Game Store in 2026.

Casino Royale’s LeChiffre comes to Hitman

Mads Mikkelsen reprises his role as James Bond villain LeChiffre as a new elusive target in Hitman: World of Assassination.

Wildgate

Dreamhaven and developer Moonshot Games announced that the crew-based space FPS, Wildgate, will launch on July 22.

ARC Raiders

Embark Studios’ long-awaited ARC Raiders is almost here. It’s coming out Oct. 30.

Deadpool VR

Yep, Deadpool is getting his own virtual reality game, with Neil Patrick Harris taking on the role of Wade Wilson himself.

Killer Inn

Square Enix and Tactic Studios announced a new social deduction game called Killer Inn.

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Capcom revealed the next installment in the Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil Requiem, on Friday at Summer Game Fest as the livestream’s closing announcement, following a swerve by the dev team earlier in the show.

The game follows Grace Ashcroft (related to Alyssa Ashcroft from Resident Evil Outbreak) also as an FBI agent tasked to look into an incident at a hotel where her mother was previously murdered (although Alyssa is mentioned, there’s no telling if she’s Grace’s mom). In the game’s trailer, Grace’s boss says it’s time for her to confront her past before the scene cuts to her bound upside down in a dark room.

From there we see corridors familiar to the Raccoon City mansion before getting ominous words from a shadowy figure in a chair insisting Grace is special, a “chosen one.” We also see the remnants of Raccoon City with the bomb mark that took it out and a destroyed Raccoon City police department. Needless to say, although the franchise will continue its long-running story, this title looks to be very much a return to form for RE’s survival horror origins.

Survival horror fans have been anticipating news on the next Resident Evil for a while now. The most recent new mainline Resident Evil entry was 2021’s Resident Evil Village, a direct sequel to 2017’s Resident Evil 7 biohazard. Shifting further into action, Village emphasized combat against relentless waves of undead creatures. Since then, Capcom has released its ambitious remake of Resident Evil 4.

Similar to the rumor mill reports, Requiem looks to be a reimagining of the series with an evolution of concepts first introduced in the original Resident Evil, with more focus on horror over action. Rumors also suggest it will serve as both a conclusion to current story arcs and a fresh starting point for the franchise’s future, and the teaser certainly enforces this notion.

Resident Evil Requiem is slated for a February 27, 2026 release date, with more info to be revealed the closer we get to the launch date.

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Each week on Polygon, we round up the most notable new releases to streaming and VOD, highlighting the biggest and best new movies for you to watch at home.

This week, you can invite Ryan Coogler’s sexy horror movie Sinners into your home for the first time through VOD demand services. Also available for rent is The Surfer, a psychological thriller where Nicolas Cage loses his mind while trying to surf with his son. Preydirector Dan Trachtenberg continues sending aliens to hunt people across time in the animated film Predator: Killer of Killers, which premieres on Hulu. The streaming service is also launching Steven Soderbergh’s haunted house film Presence, following its January theatrical release.

Here’s everything new that’s available to watch this weekend!

New on Netflix

K.O.

Genre: Martial arts dramaRun time: 1h 26mDirector: Antoine BlossierCast: Ciryl Gane, Maleaume Paquin, Alice Belaïdi

In this brawl-packed French movie, a disgraced MMA fighter who accidentally killed his opponent in a match gets a chance at redemption when the dead man’s widow asks for his help tracking down her missing teenage son. He teams up with a young cop to take on a Marseille gang.

Straw

Genre: ThrillerRun time: 1h 48mDirector: Tyler PerryCast: Taraji P. Henson, Sherri Shepherd, Teyana Taylor

A single mother played by Golden Globe winner Taraji P. Henson (Empire, Hidden Figures) is having a really bad day after being evicted and robbed. She just needs to cash a check to get medicine for her daughter, but winds up being accused of holding up a bank in this thriller written and directed by Tyler Perry, and exploring the impact of social inequity.

New on AMC+

Neighborhood Watch

Genre: Crime thrillerRun time: 1h 32mDirector: Duncan SkilesCast: Jack Quaid, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman

A man (The Boys’ Jack Quaid) with a history of mental illness sees a woman get abducted. When authorities won’t believe him, he turns to his cranky retired security-guard neighbor (Jeffrey Dean Morgan of The Walking Dead) for help investigating. They team up for a fast-paced mystery driven by a strong dynamic between the duo.

New on HBO Max

The Alto Knights

Genre: Crime dramaRun time: 2hDirector: Barry LevinsonCast: Robert De Niro, Debra Messing, Kathrine Narducci

Robert De Niro has played plenty of mob bosses, in films like The Godfather and The Untouchables. Now he’s playing two in the same movie: Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, who are fighting for control of New York. Academy Award winner Barry Levinson (Rain Man, Wag the Dog) directs with a script from Goodfellas and Casino writer Nicholas Pileggi.

Mountainhead

Genre: SatireRun time: 1h 49Director: Jesse ArmstrongCast: Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith

Successioncreator Jesse Armstrong takes another spin at skewering the ultra-rich in Mountainhead, where a group of tech bros played by Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith, and Ramy Youssef have gathered to flaunt their success and go skiing. But when the combination of AI and social media leads to global turmoil, their ulterior motives and long-simmering tensions come to the forefront.

Parthenope

Genre: Coming-of-age dramaRun time: 2h 17mDirector: Paolo SorrentinoCast: Celeste Dalla Porta, Stefania Sandrelli, Gary Oldman

Parthenope (Celeste Dalla Porta) seduces everyone who encounters her, including a writer played by Gary Oldman, in this sultry A24 film from Oscar-winner Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty, The Hand of God). Spread over the decades from Parthenope’s Venus-like birth in the waters of Naples to her work as an anthropologist, the film is filled with sex and luscious scenery.

New on Hulu

Predator: Killer of Killers

Genre: Animated science fictionRun time: 1h 30mDirector: Dan Trachtenberg and Joshua WassungCast: Lindsay LaVanchy, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Rick Gonzalez

Predators hunt a Viking family bent on revenge, a ninja battling his samurai brother, and a World War II pilot in this era-hopping animated film from Prey director Dan Trachtenberg. While the disparate plots aren’t created equal, the animated action is impressive, and the film builds on series lore in a way that might invite a series return for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Trachtenberg presumably plans to further flesh out his lore expansions in Predator: Badlandslater this year.

Presence

Genre: Supernatural horrorRun time: 1h 25mDirector: Steven SoderberghCast: Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, Chris Sullivan

Ocean’s Eleven and Contagion director Steven Soderbergh plays with the found-footage horror genre with a tale of a fractured family who become convinced something is lurking in their new suburban home. It’s a far sleeker experience than The Blair Witch Project, eschewing shaky camera footage while providing the feeling of an alien perspective intruding on the family’s most intimate moments.

From our review:

Soderbergh’s approach taps into the found-footage horror idea of a story being experienced by whoever’s behind the camera, except in this case, the question of who’s behind the camera is part of the horror. From the start, Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp (who also wrote Soderbergh’s simple, efficient 2022 action-thriller Kimi) imply that the presence is a ghost — but until the action fully plays out, the audience is left to wonder whether it’s something else entirely, along with what it wants and how and whether it will eventually make its needs known. The filmmakers inevitably build in a few small jump scares, but for the most part, Presence is about low-key, slow-burn curiosity rather than lurking terror.

New on MUBI

Magic Farm

Genre: Absurdist comedyRun time: 1h 33mDirector: Amalia UlmanCast: Chloë Sevigny, Alex Wolff, Joe Apollonio

The crew of a documentary show looking to profile a musician winds up in the wrong country in South America in Magic Farm, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Trying to make the best of the situation, the team — including Golden Globe winner Chloë Sevigny (Boys Don’t Cry, Big Love) — tries to find new subjects in rural Argentina while grappling with the exploitative nature of their work.

New on Peacock

The Ballad of Wallis Island

Genre: Comedy-dramaRun time: 1h 39mDirector: James GriffithsCast: Tom Basden, Tim Key, Carey Mulligan

A widower who won the lottery twice hatches a plan to reunite his favorite folk duo by hiring them for a concert on his private island, where he turns out to be the only audience. The scheme pushes the musicians, played by Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan (An Education, Promising Young Woman), and Tom Basden, to confront their shared professional and romantic history and decide how to move forward.

New on Prime

The Accountant 2

Genre: Crime thrillerRun time: 2h 4mDirector: Gavin O’ConnorCast: Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson

The sequel to Gavin O’Connor’s 2016 action movie The Accountant, which became a cult classic in spite of its unimpressive box office performance, sees Ben Affleck’s brilliant criminal bookkeeper teaming up with his estranged assassin brother, played by The Punisher’s Jon Bernthal. A third film in the series involving lots of gunfights and financial crimes is already in the works.

New to rent

Hurry Up Tomorrow

Genre: Psychological thrillerRun time: 1h 56mDirector: Trey Edward ShultsCast: Abel Tesfaye, Jenna Ortega, Barry Keoghan

A companion piece to Abel “the Weeknd” Tesfaye’s 2025 album of the same name, the thriller written and directed by Trey Edwards Shults (It Comes at Night, Waves) follows a fictional version of Tesfaye as he struggles with insomnia and depression. Things get increasingly surreal when he encounters an obsessive fan played by Wednesdayand Beetlejuice Beetlejuice star Jen Ortega.

Sinners

Genre: Supernatural horrorRun time: 2h 18mDirector: Ryan CooglerCast: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton

Black Pantherand Creed director Ryan Coogler reunites with Michael B. Jordan, who plays identical twin gangsters Smoke and Stack. Set in 1932, the movie follows the brothers as they return home to Mississippi with the goal of using their ill-gotten money and booze to open a juke joint. But more is waiting for them than old flames and the Ku Klux Klan. Their blues music attracts the attention of dark creatures, and the partygoers have to fight to survive until dawn.

From our review:

Coogler’s last three films have been part of major franchises — after the indie biopic Fruitvale Station, he directed the seventh Rocky movie, Creed, and the two Black Panthers. Here, though, he pivots toward a wholly original piece of pop-horror, with B-movie influences befitting of grindhouse cinemas (and with one particularly amusing nod to John Carpenter’s The Thing). It’s a spiritual splatter film, with intimate dilemmas concerning greed and temptation giving way to spurts of practical, orange-brown blood, the kind you’d likely find in a George Romero film. Sinners is a vampire movie, but it’s practically structured like a zombie feature, with a compact cast of characters trying to survive the night as ghouls overtly embodying deep societal malaise creep toward them.

The Surfer

Genre: Psychological thrillerRun time: 1h 39mDirector: Lorcan FinneganCast: Nicolas Cage, Julian McMahon, Finn LittleYet another film where Nicolas Cage portrays a character whose grasp on sanity is tenuous at best, The Surfer sees the Face/Off  and Longlegsstar playing a man who returns to his childhood home in Australia and finds his simple desire to go surfing with his son stymied by a group of locals who consider him an interloper. Unwilling to accept defeat, the surfer refuses to leave and loses almost everything.

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From Polygon via this RSS feed

Dan Trachtenberg and Joshua Wassung’s animated movie Predator: Killer of Killers introduces many new elements to the decades-old science fiction franchise, just like Trachtenberg’s Prey did back in 2022. There are dramatic new Predator designs and places Predator-vs.-human fights in eras where we’ve never seen them before. Most startlingly, it brings in some inspiration from Christopher Guest’s dog-pageant comedy Best In Show.

But for Predator fans, the real revelation comes right at the end of the story, with a final reveal that opens up all kinds of Predator sequel possibilities. For one, it suggests a perfect return path for Dutch, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character from the 1987 movie that kicked off the entire series.

Obviously, we had to ask Trachtenberg whether he’s planning a Killer of Killers sequel, whether he wants to see Dutch back in action, and more questions about that big reveal. Just as obviously, we had to put his answers after a spoiler break.

[Ed. note: Spoilers ahead about one small detail from the end of Predator: Killer of Killers.]

In the movie, three humans from far-flung eras — a Viking raider, a Japanese ninja, and a World War II pilot — each face a Predator… and survive. All three are then captured and cryogenically preserved by other Predators, who eventually thaw them out, dump them in an arena with explosive collars around their necks, and order them to fight to the death. The survivor is expected to face a massive leader credited as “Warlord Predator.”

The end of the film spends a few short moments traveling through a facility where other captives are being kept on ice. including Naru, Amber Midthunder’s protagonist from Prey. The implication is that anyone who kills a Predator is collected for further battles — a huge change to existing Predator lore, and also a major opportunity for Trachtenberg, Wassung, and anyone else playing around in this canon to bring back any Predator-movie survivor, including Dutch.

“So the movie was made under the code name Warehouse, as that end moment was in the original idea pitch to the studio, and it felt like the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Trachtenberg told Polygon in a video interview. “Certainly Arnold, like many others, was a survivor of his story, and one could easily imagine him up there in cryo, along with any other Earth champion or champion from other planets.”

Sure, one could imagine that, just as one could imagine the 77-year-old Schwarzenegger voicing an animated version of Dutch who’s fresh from the fight in the 1987 movie, instead of getting called back into battle as a septuagenarian. The animation medium and the cryo-storage facility both seem like a perfect way to bring back old characters without considering the actors’ ages, or their ability to perform the kinds of acrobatic, dramatic action sequences seen throughout Killer of Killers.

But the actual question is whether Trachtenberg himself is actively planning a sequel. His response? “Yeah, certainly. The cool [part] of this movie is that it opens up the door to tell these kinds of stories in different eras, in different places, in different planets — but also, the further adventures of these heroes that we bonded with in a very unique way.”

But he wouldn’t confirm or deny whether he or 20th Century Studios have reached out to Schwarzenegger about the possibility. For one thing, the actor has repeatedly turned down chances to return to the role of Dutch. According to Den of Geek, talks to feature him in 1990’s Predator 2 fell apart over money, with the added factor that James Cameron wanted to preserve Schwarzenegger’s sequel mystique for Terminator 2. The actor turned down a cameo in 2010’s Predators because he was serving as governor of California at the time, and rejected a cameo in 2018’s The Predator because he didn’t like the script or the minor role. So his possible involvement in a Killer of Killers sequel might depend on a lot of factors besides Trachtenberg’s interest, or fans’ fantasies about seeing Dutch in action again.

For the moment, Trachtenberg says it’s true that his Predator projects — including the live-action movie Predator: Badlands, coming to theaters in November — may suggest the possibility of sequel stories, even before any follow-up projects have been green-lit. He points to the closing credits of Prey, where a single animated frame foreshadows a battle to come, as a group of Predator ships emerge from the clouds above Naru’s village.

When Prey came out, that shot felt like a promise that Prey 2 was on the way. Now, it looks like a teaser for Killer of Killers, with the understanding that those ships were arriving to abduct Naru. In the same way, that final shot of her in Killer of Killers could tease a future animated or live-action animated story with her. But Trachtenberg says he can’t plan around sequel projects just yet.

“Certainly [each of my movies] are being made as if this was my only shot,” Trachtenberg told Polygon. “Everything was thrown into it. Should we be able to do more… Certainly Killer of Killers seizes something, and Badlands [does too]. Hopefully there will be something more, but they don’t rely on the something more. Hopefully they are both cool within their own merits.”

Predator: Killer of Killers is on Hulu now.

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From Polygon via this RSS feed

Microsoft’s annual Xbox Games Showcase is a double header this year: It’s directly followed by the Outer Worlds 2 Direct, a livestream focused on Obsidian Entertainment’s forthcoming space-faring RPG.

Here’s everything we know about the two events, including where to watch Xbox Games Showcase 2025 (and the Outer Worlds 2 Direct), what time the shows start, and what to expect from the streams.

Xbox Showcase 2025 and Outer Worlds 2 Direct start times

As announced on Xbox Wire, the show will begin on June 8 at 1 p.m. ET. Translated to different time zones, here’s when the livestream starts:

10 a.m. PDT for the West Coast of North America1 p.m. EDT for the East Coast of North America6 p.m. BST for the U.K.7 p.m. CEST for western mainland Europe2 a.m. JST in Japan (June 9)

Where to watch Xbox Games Showcase 2025

You can watch the Xbox Showcase livestream on the official Xbox YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook channels, or via the YouTube embed at the top of this post. Note that the Xbox Showcase is immediately followed by an Outer Worlds 2 showcase, so if you’re fond of outer space adventures, you might want to stay tuned for that one.

A countdown timer will likely start shortly before the show. No worries if you miss it though; you can always watch the archived stream after the event, or catch up with all of the biggest announcements on Polygon after the show.

What to expect from Xbox Games Showcase 2025

The Xbox Games Showcase, befitting the name, will largely focus on with previews of upcoming games from Xbox Game Studios.

It’s hard to predict which games you will see, but since they’re set to release in the upcoming months, it’s a good bet Ninja Gaiden 4 and Gears of War: Reloaded will appear in some capacity. It would also make sense to get another update on Perfect Dark, which got a gameplay reveal in 2024’s Xbox Games Showcase and is now scheduled for a 2026 release. Fable, which was recently delayed to 2026, could also get a showing.

Many of you will undoubtedly hope for an update on The Elder Scrolls 6 too — given the renewed focus on the series in light of April 2025’s surprise release of the Oblivion Remake — but besides “it’s been a while,” we don’t have any evidence that points to an Xbox Showcase appearance this year.

The one thing that has been confirmed is a deep dive into The Outer Worlds 2, the sequel to Obsidian’s sci-fi RPG The Outer Worlds.

For more big events, here’s the full Summer Game Fest 2025 and not-E3 schedule!

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From Polygon via this RSS feed

If you picked up Mario Kart World alongside a Nintendo Switch 2, then you may be wondering where to even start. The game is massive and more chaotic than ever with more racers in each round and the super-fun Knockout Mode, which treats the game like a battle royale.

Below, you’ll find a list of tips and tricks that will help you get started in Mario Kart World. Whether this is your first Mario Kart game or if you’re just a veteran who hasn’t played in a while, you’re bound to find something helpful.

1. Check your kart stats before choosing a main. Karts with low acceleration take longer to reach their max speed, and low handling means you’ll have to slow down more when you turn. You don’t want to learn which stats your kart struggles with in the middle of a race.

2. Tricks matter more than ever in Mario Kart World. Courses are built with the expectation that you’ll take as many opportunities for drifts, rail grinds, jumps, and other special moves as much as possible, so make sure you’re getting those boosts!

3. Mario Kart World has dozens of character costumes to unlock, but don’t stress yourself out too much with unlocking them all at once. Most will unlock from naturally playing the game, anyway.

4. Speaking of costumes, don’t go too out of your way to grab food during a race unless the drive-thru is empty. It’s easier to unlock costumes in Free Roam mode, so don’t throw a race just to get an outfit.

5. Be aware of your surroundings! Mario Kart World has so many shortcuts, spots for jump boosts and rail grinding, or ways to mess up your opponents (like detonating bomb cars). It’s easy to miss them if you aren’t looking around.

6. Some cars even drop coins and food, so definitely keep your eyes peeled.

7. Practice makes perfect. Take your time learning the tracks. Each track has its own secrets and it’s going to take a while to learn them all, so don’t be surprised if after a dozen runs you’re still finding new ways to get around.

8. Don’t hold on to items for too long. Spend the ones you have so you can keep getting more. More shells and coins are better than just quietly holding on to one!

9. Drafting is back in Mario Kart World, so if you’re lagging behind an opponent, stay directly behind them for a few seconds to get a little speed boost.

10. Drift boosting has several levels. The final, strongest one happens after you hold the second-stage blue drift for a few seconds, so hold out as long as you can before boosting.

11. Those mushrooms are valuable, as you will need a speed boosting item (mushrooms or takeout food) to get through some of those secret paths around the courses.

12. Turn that smart steering off! It’s on by default, but you won’t want to keep it on for long, as it’ll prevent you from exploring the courses.

13. Yes, take the time to explore Free Roam for unlockables. Some of the stickers can only be unlocked via Free Roam, so if you want to catch them all, you’ll need to explore the whole map.

14. Speaking of, you can open the map in Free Roam to both fast travel and have the game tell you how many costumes you’re missing.

15. You can also hover over locations to see how many question mark tiles you’re missing in that area!

16. Those P-Switch missions aren’t just easy-peasy “drive through rings.” Some of them are tough and working on them will help improve your skills when it comes from jumping from obstacle to obstacle and aiming.

17. Don’t forget that you can rewind! Rewind your position by pressing Down on the d-pad if you made a mistake, though know that if you do this in a race, the people will continue passing you by. This is super useful for grabbing those collectables you just miss in Free Roam.

18. Remember there are other game modes! While Knockout Mode and Free Roam are heavily featured, you can play traditional three-lap races if you choose the VS Mode.

Did you just get a Nintendo Switch 2? Are you trying to unlock every character and outfit in Mario Kart World? Or maybe you’re trying out The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the first time and you need a walkthrough for those pesky stoplights in the Forsaken Fortress? Either way, we have your back when it comes to helping you sort stuff out.

We have guides explaining how to set up your console (moving data from your original Switch to your Switch 2) as well as guides for things like getting external storage sorted out.

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From Polygon via this RSS feed

On top of being the upgraded version of the Nintendo Switch, the Switch 2 might be the best way to experience some of the previous generation’s most critically acclaimed titles.

Both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom already stole our hearts with their scale, presentation, and gameplay when they were released in 2017 and 2023, respectively. Whether it’s your first time playing or your 50th, the Switch 2 editions of these titles are an absolute dream experience. Nintendo’s modern masterpieces didn’t suffer despite relatively low resolution and frame rates and slow loading times — one of the most common gripes with the games when they were released. But the Switch 2 Edition of each game feels like the upgrade the titles deserve, especially when it comes to reduced loading times. And I mean significantly reduced.

During our testing, we ran five different test cases five times, then calculated an average for each of the five trials. For the original versions of the games, we used a Switch OLED. For the Switch 2 editions of the games, we used a Switch 2.

We tested the time it takes to boot up the game from the Switch 2 home screen, a load a save file from the title screen, reload a save file, fast travel across the map, and enter a shrine. I picked these test cases because they are actions you repeat many times in a given play session, and those load times add up.

Here are the results:

TestBoTW SwitchBoTW Switch 2 EditionToTK SwitchToTK Switch 2 EditionBooting up the game13.15s7.26s18.26s8.51sLoading a save file from the title screen23.40s14.14s11.04s8.19sReloading a save file14.78s9.11s16.31s9.49sFast travel22.62s14.47s12.04s5.08sEntering a shrine9.21s6.87s8.58s4.68s

To no one’s surprise, the Switch 2 dominates the performance of the Nintendo Switch. The Switch 2 takes the load times of both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom and cuts them roughly in half. In some cases, the load time has been reduced by more than half, specifically in Tears of the Kingdom. Overall, Tears of the Kingdom saw bigger performance increases on average compared to Breath of the Wild, probably because the game is just better optimized.

The Nintendo Switch 2, paired with the Switch 2 Edition of each title, offers a significant improvement to the modern Zelda experience. You can also play the original versions on Switch 2, in theory, though we have yet to test those load times.

Nonetheless, the Switch 2 editions feel more fluid and responsive. If you have yet to lose yourself in the most recent iteration of Hyrule Kingdom, there’s no better time than now — that is, if you’re willing to pay the extra $10 per game, or for a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion membership, to upgrade to the Switch 2 Edition, which is only available on Switch 2.

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From Polygon via this RSS feed

There are a few ways you can play with friends in Mario Kart World for the Nintendo Switch 2, but the main thing you may be asking is “Can I play Free Roam mode with my friends?” The answer to that is a little complex, but we get into it below.

Below we explain how Mario Kart World multiplayer works based on our experiences.

Is there multiplayer Free Roam in Mario Kart World?

Kind of? Once you lobby up with your friends online, you’ll be placed in a simplified Free Roam lobby, effectively. In this Free Roam lobby, you can still find golden tiles and Peach coins, but you cannot complete P-Switch challenges. So it is kind of multiplayer Free Roam with some restrictions, but it’s not an actual choice on the menu.

There is also no actual local multiplayer Free Roam, but if you make an online lobby, you can activate the pseudo-Free Roam mode mentioned above with a second local player.

The only reason why I’m using the phrase “pseudo” is because if you are playing with a second local player, you can’t actually freely roam too much. Once you and your local friend get too far away from each other, the game will relocate you back together, so you have to stay somewhat close to your second player. You can still play together, but there’s definitely a proximity limit.

You also cannot take screenshots when you have a local second player in the online Free Roam lobby with you.

How local multiplayer works in Mario Kart World

Using local split screen, you can play any of the single-player game modes with your friends, except Free Roam. This means you can take part in any Grand Prix cup, play Knockout Tour mode, race in regular VS Races, and knock heads in Battles.

All of these modes have the same functionality as the single-player versions, so there’s nothing too special or fancy here. This is just the run-of-the-mill co-op that you probably did with your friends and siblings, after fighting about who gets to use the good controller.

How online multiplayer works in Mario Kart World

First and foremost, you will need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to use these features.

You can also play online with one local buddy, if you want. (The screen will just split in half, as it would if you did two-player local multiplayer.)

From there, you can opt to do the usual modes, just against random players online: regular races, a Knockout Tour, or Battles. Once you select the respective game mode, it’ll thrust you into a pseudo-Free Roam lobby while folks load in. Each of these modes also gives you a player score, which will go up as you win and down as you lose. As you race, you’ll be matched with people of similar score to you to try to keep things balanced.

You can also opt to play with friends from your Nintendo Switch friends list as well by selecting that option from the menu. One friend will need to make a lobby that others can then join.

The friend should appear on the page at the top, allowing you to join them by just selecting their tag, but if that doesn’t show up, you can join via the Room ID. You can get your room ID by pressing the Plus button and selecting “View Room Info,” which will put a code on your screen that your buds can input to join.

From here, you’ll again be placed into a pseudo-Free Roam with your buddies in the lobby.

Did you just get a Nintendo Switch 2? Are you trying to unlock every character and outfit in Mario Kart World? Or maybe you’re trying out The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the first time and you need a walkthrough for those pesky stoplights in the Forsaken Fortress? Either way, we have your back when it comes to helping you sort stuff out.

We have guides explaining how to set up your console (moving data from your original Switch to your Switch 2) as well as guides for things like getting external storage sorted out.

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From Polygon via this RSS feed

Mario Kart World‘s smart steering feature is one of the Switch 2 game’s many unexplained features, but it’s one you’ll likely want to turn off after a short while. Smart Steering has its uses when you’re learning how to play Mario Kart World, but beyond that, it actively prevents you from exploring and finding secrets in each course.

Below, we explain what Smart Steering is in Mario Kart World, how to turn it on or off, and when you might benefit from it.

Mario Kart World’s Smart Steering explained

Smart Steering is a feature that keeps you from going off the road during a race. When you approach the edge of a track, Smart Steering automatically redirects your trajectory and pushes you away from the edge so you’re not in danger of dragging your kart along the wall. Smart Steering doesn’t care if you want to go off-track or if there’s a rail you want to do sick tricks on. You have to stay on the course when the feature is enabled.

How to turn off Smart Steering

You can enable or disable Smart Steering during any single-player race or free-roam drive by pausing the game and pressing the “X” button, then toggling the Smart Steering setting on or off. You can also change it on the kart selection screen before a race by pressing “X” and toggling the setting.

Should you use Smart Steering in Mario Kart World?

If you’re new to racing games, want to learn the basics in a low-pressure way, or are struggling to stay on the track during some of a course’s more demanding turns, Smart Steering is an excellent way to acclimate to Mario Kart World.

However, once you feel comfortable handling turns, you should disable Smart Steering. Almost all of Mario Kart World‘s shortcuts are off the main course, and Smart Steering’s sensitivity means it frequently won’t let you use grind rails that are placed on the track’s edge. That’s most grind rails except for a few courses that have railroad or mine tracks down the middle of the road, which means you’re missing out not just on essential speed-boosting methods, but on alternate routes through a course as well.

Did you just get a Nintendo Switch 2? Are you trying to unlock every character and outfit in Mario Kart World? Or maybe you’re trying out The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the first time and you need a walkthrough for those pesky stoplights in the Forsaken Fortress? Either way, we have your back when it comes to helping you sort stuff out.

We have guides explaining how to set up your console (moving data from your original Switch to your Switch 2) as well as guides for things like getting external storage sorted out.

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From Polygon via this RSS feed

The anime summer season is close — and there will be lots of big names for us to look forward to. In such a packed season, Gachiakuta is one of the most anticipated and Crunchyroll just dropped a new trailer for the show which is airing next month July 6, 2025, alongside some details on the voice actors we are going to see giving life to important characters.

The show is an adaptation of the manga written by Kei Urana and it has been published by Kodansha in their Weekly Shonen Magazine since 2022. Gachiakuta is Urana’s first series after her two one-shots – Nokase (2018) and Shikido (2019) – and this year the show is receiving the anime treatment by the hands of studio Bones Films, the one responsible for Vigilante: Boku no Hero Academia ILLEGALS.

In this new trailer, we learn more about the world of Gachiakuta, which we have only seen some flashes of in the announcement trailer. This second trailer gives us an idea of why Rudo, the show’s protagonist, ends up in the Pit. Other key concepts of the manga are introduced as well, such as Gachiakuta’s power system that works around people called Givers who draw out power from objects they give life.

While the trailer brings the energy you expect to see in a show like Gachiakuta – a few intense action scenes with the show’s opening song “HUGs” by Japanese band Paledusk –, it doesn’t fail to make it clear that Gachiakuta has a central social commentary on how society segregates people, throwing them away like garbage.

Alongside the trailer, Crunchyroll also shared with us the names of two voice actors that will be in the Gachiakuta. Regot, the man who raises Rudo in the show, is voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa, present in other important recent shows such as Ranma ½. Morikawa was also the Japanese voice of Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth. Yuki Shin is the other name and he is coming to Gachiakuta to voice Jabber. The artist has voiced secondary characters in shows like Attack on Titan, Given, and My Hero Academia.

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From Polygon via this RSS feed

Netflix’s live-action One Piece and Lego collaboration is finally available for pre-order, and it features four classic settings from season 1 and the East Blue saga alongside a treasure trove of Easter eggs. These locations include the Straw Hat’s Going Merry ship, Buggy the Clown’s Circus Tent, a hut from Luffy’s hometown, Windmill Village, the Baratie Floating Restaurant, where Luffy meets Sanji, and Arlong Park, where the season reached its climax.

The Going Merry contains 1,376 pieces, including four wanted posters, as the set consists of several interior locations like the crew’s cabin, kitchen, storage, and an accessory workshop. But it also contains the five members of the Straw Hat Pirates, like Luffy sitting on the sheep figurehead in front of the ship; followed by Zoro training on the deck; Nami controlling the rudder at the rear near her tangerines; Usopp keeping watch from the crow’s nest; and Sanji headed downstairs to the kitchen.

Buggy’s Circus Tent comes with minifigures of Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Captain Buggy himself, alongside two wanted posters. The tent flips open into a larger play area with Buggy’s throne, three escape contraptions (a water tank, hanging cage, and spinning table), and buildable mini Buggy pieces hidden in barrels.

The roof and walls of Windmill Village’s hut can be removed to reveal accessories made for the store and its customers. Upstairs are four treasure chests, and on the walls are places to hang wanted posters from other sets. There’s a countertop inside, a palm tree and surfboard on the sides of the hut, and outside, there’s a pirate boat toy attached to the jetty by a chain. The set includes minifigures of Luffy (and the Gum Gum Fruit), Shanks, and Makino.

The Baratie is a massive ship with 3,402 pieces and many accessible rooms inside, like a kitchen, dining areas, Zeff’s quarters, and a treasure room. Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Zeff, Garp, Helmeppo, Koby, and Mihawk minifigures are included alongside five wanted posters and several accessories like food, drinks, a transponder snail, and Mihawk’s ominous boat.

Arlong Park includes minifigures of Luffy (with stretch arm parts), Usopp, Arlong, and Chu. The model collapses to recreate Luffy’s final blow and features a shooting gallery with stud shooters, a shack, a forest area, and a throne room. It also comes with three wanted posters and accessories like Usopp’s ketchup bottle.

Although his looks were just announced for the upcoming season, we can’t wait to see minifigures of Tony Tony Chopper in the future.

Straw Hat’s Going Merry sells for $139.99. Buggy the Clown’s Circus Tent costs $54.99. Windmill Village is $29.99. The Baratie Floating Restaurant is priced at $329.99. And Arlong Park is priced at $79.99.

All five Lego sets are now available for pre-order and are set to ship on Aug. 1.

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From Polygon via this RSS feed

Nintendo Switch 2‘s external storage options are rather limited at launch, as the hardware is only compatible with a specific kind of microSD card. You won’t lose any data from your original Switch if you complete the Switch 2 system transfer, but you might not be able to fit all your games on the new console without getting the right storage.

Below, we explain your external storage options for Switch 2, along with how to install it.

How to add an SD card to Switch 2

The only external storage you can use with the Switch 2 is a microSD Express card. These are not the same as standard microSD cards, and your Switch 2 will not recognize the microSD card you used for your original Switch.

That said, the Switch 2’s storage capacity is a little less than 256GB, so you can fit a few games on there without having to rely on external storage if you want to wait until microSD Express prices come down.

Once you have your compatible card, pull the Switch 2’s kickstand out. On the left is a small slot for microSD Express cards. Insert it so the text on the top of the card is facing out. The first time you add a card, the Switch 2 will prompt you to update the system and then restart itself. After that, you’re good to go.

Can you use an external hard drive or SSD with Switch 2?

As of the console’s launch, the Switch 2 won’t recognize any external storage device that isn’t a microSD Express card. You can plug one into one of the Switch 2’s USB-C slots, if the device has a USB-C connector, but the Switch 2 just acts like it isn’t there.

Some folks on Reddit have speculated that Nintendo may add external hard drive support in the future, as it did with the Wii U. However, the Wii U had limited on-board storage space and was only compatible with SD cards of up to 32GB capacity. The Switch 2 has much more built-in storage and supports microSD Express cards of up to 1TB capacity, so the need for additional external storage isn’t the same as it was with the Wii U.

Did you just get a Nintendo Switch 2? Are you trying to unlock every character and outfit in Mario Kart World? Or maybe you’re trying out The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the first time and you need a walkthrough for those pesky stoplights in the Forsaken Fortress? Either way, we have your back when it comes to helping you sort stuff out.

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From Polygon via this RSS feed

Nintendo Switch 2 is here! And with it comes many new features for existing Switch titles, such as Zelda Notes for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild.

The companion app was first announced in April, breathing new life into the Zelda open-world wilds. At the time, there was confusion regarding the app’s use across both Switch and Switch 2 systems. But now, Polygon can confirm after going hands-on with the console that players with a Nintendo Switch Online membership, a Nintendo Switch 2, and the Switch 2 Edition of Tears of the Kingdom can use the Zelda Notes app.

So, how is the app?

At first glance, the mobile feature appeared underwhelming and pointless to me; the app seemed to be a glorified Prima strategy guide, helping players navigate a vast Hyrule setting with various tools, tips, tricks, ideas, and maps. However, after playing Tears of the Kingdom with the Zelda Notes as my guide, I unlocked a new perspective and experience. I checked out the nine different features of the companion app during my time with the game — here’s what I found prancing around Hyrule for a couple of hours.

Ed. note: To follow along, you need to do a couple of things. First, ensure your system is connected to the app by opening the app and selecting the Switch 2 icon at the top right-hand corner of your phone screen. Then, click on settings in your game and make sure the “ZELDA NOTES enabled” prompt is turned on.

Okay, now we can get started.

Voice memories

The voice memories function is a brand new collectible players can scrounge up during their travels and can be tracked using the app. Think of the voice memories as a real-time tour guide of calamity-stricken Hyrule narrated by various TOTK characters, including Princess Zelda in all her pseudo-British glory.

To start things, you will need to open the voice memory feature in the app, select the voice memory you want to locate, and then use the navigation feature to direct you to the destination.

Upon arriving at the destination, players will be greeted by narration from that memory’s owner, recalling a bit of history and lore about the area and/or artifact. This feature uses a chiming noise to indicate whether the player is close to the designated area, so be sure to turn your phone’s volume up! It took me a while to locate a couple of the memories, scaling mountains and falling to my untimely demise along the way. But discovering these memories after seemingly fighting Hyrule’s geography was so worth it.

Daily bonuses

This feature is all based on luck. Daily Bonuses grant the player, well, daily bonuses, through a randomized wheel littered with rewards that boost stamina, energy cells, attack and defense power, shield repairs, and more. The randomized effect wheel is reset and replaced with new bonuses daily at 8 p.m., so check back to see what new rewards await you.

Using your mobile device, players will need to touch the screen to start the roulette wheel, and then it will stop on a random effect. The bonus effect will then be placed in your Key Items menu, where players have 24 hours to use it before it disappears.

I snagged a Rapid Meal bonus, which grants a swim-speed boost for five minutes. I couldn’t claim the reward during the game’s early Temple of Time portion. However, once I completed the tutorial area, the bonus appeared in my Key Item menu.

Play Data

This feature enables an achievement-like system in your TOTK or BOTW adventure, allowing players to earn medals for various tasks based on gameplay stats. In my short time playing the game, I was able to earn the Citizen of Hyrule medal, which is awarded to players for increasing “your time spent in Hyrule” by 20 hours (bronze), 60 hours (silver), 100 hours (gold), and 200 hours (master). Players can also use this feature to check out their stats and even change their Zelda Notes profile picture using pictures snapped in-game and uploaded to the Photo Studio function.

Additionally, users can select the Global Play Data feature to compare their stats, such as Shrines of Light cleared, locations visited, treasure chests opened, enemies defeated, and more, with other players worldwide.

Item and Autobuild Sharing

These features create a shared ecosystem between TOTK players, allowing users to exchange items and designs. Item sharing, which is found in the Key Items menu, can also transfer items from your game storage to your Zelda Notes item box. I placed items that I didn’t want or need in the ZN item box, giving other players using the app the chance to transform my trash into their potential treasure — which was kind of cool.

Autobuild sharing arrives later for players, as users have to unlock Link’s Ultrahand ability first by completing the A Mystery in the Depths quest line — which I haven’t gotten to yet! But after you’ve done that, you can share your creations in the app via a QR code for other players to scan and obtain in their own games.

I was delightfully surprised by how the Zelda Notes app elevated my TOTK adventure with new ways to play the game and a vast array of stats, achievements, and more to keep track of during my journey. The companion guide made the adventure way less lonely than my previous playthrough.

Is the Zelda Notes app required to get the whole TOTK experience? Not really. But it does reward players with a different and new experience. And with the Switch 2 running Tears of the Kingdom at a smooth 60 fps in 4K, different and new is exactly what I’m looking for.

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From Polygon via this RSS feed

Game Science has announced that its 2024 GOTY contender, Black Myth: Wukong, is coming to Xbox Series X this summer. It’ll drop on Aug. 20, exactly one year to the day after it launched on PlayStation 5 and Windows PC last year.

The Journey to the West-inspired action-adventure game was a hit at launch, quickly breaking Steam records on its way to 20 million sales in its first month. Black Myth: Wukong racked up several end-of-year award nominations and wins, even though its review scores rated lower-than-average. Polygon’s review called it “an astounding triumph, one that blends a story celebrating Chinese and other East Asian cultures with an original retelling that has resonant themes, all complemented by spectacular design and exhilarating combat.”

Black Myth: Wukong’s Xbox release again raises the question of whether it was secretly a PlayStation 5 timed-exclusive or not. Coming out on Xbox exactly one year after its PS5 launch is a bit coincidental, no? However, Game Science has a history of releasing trailers for Black Myth on Aug. 20, and the game was revealed on Aug. 20, 2020, so that date clearly holds significance to Game Science.

According to Game Science CEO Yongar Feng-Ji, optimizing the Xbox Series S version of the game proved to be a challenge and was the cause for the delay, not an exclusivity deal with PlayStation. This situation is not dissimilar to 2023’s Baldur’s Gate 3, in which developing a feature-complete Series S version proved a challenge.

Xbox players can preorder starting on June 18. Until July 11, Black Myth: Wukong will receive a 20% discount via the Microsoft Store for both the Standard Edition and Deluxe Edition, as well as the Deluxe Edition Upgrade. It’ll also be discounted on PS5 from June 18 to July 3, and on PC from June 20 to July 11.

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From Polygon via this RSS feed

Hoyoverse just wrapped up the Genshin Impact version 5.7 preview livestream, showing off all sorts of details about the upcoming patch. Most importantly, there were several codes that award Primogems and other rewards shown during the stream. Our Genshin Impact 5.7 livestream code list provides you with the three stream codes for rewards and explains how to redeem them.

This patch will have Skirk and Dahlia, two highly-anticipated characters. Skirk is a five-star Cryo sword-user and Dahlia is a four-star Hydro sword-user. Dainsleif is back for this patch’s story, no doubt to drop a major story bomb that will have lore-heads pacing back and forth for a while.

Genshin Impact version 5.7 livestream codes

The codes are as follows:

MasterSkirk0618YourSpaceTimeVoidStar0618

You’ll want to redeem these codes quickly, as they expire on June 9 at 12 a.m. EDT.

They not only reward Primogems, but they also give Mora and Adventurer’s EXP to level up your characters.

How to redeem Genshin Impact gift codes

To redeem codes, you can log in and input them on the code redemption website. You can also input them in-game through the settings menu, but copy and pasting them in a browser is much easier. You can also click the links above, if you’re logged in on whatever device you’re seeing this post on.

Once you redeem the codes, you’ll get the rewards via in-game mail shortly after that.

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From Polygon via this RSS feed

Whether you’re mourning Capcom’s absence or thrilled that Arc System Works is taking the reins of a major franchise, the reveal of Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls made waves across the gaming world. Its connection to Marvel vs. Capcom is unmistakable, not just because of the Marvel branding, but due to its fast-paced, multi-character tag team 2D fighting style that Capcom helped pioneer. While Capcom broke new ground by blending Marvel’s comic book flair with innovative storytelling, Arc System Works is set to do the same, this time by infusing heroes like Iron Man and Captain America with bold, anime-inspired re-imaginings. It’s a stylistic shift that signals the end of Capcom’s comic-inspired Marvel era and the beginning of Marvel’s bold new chapter in anime.

In the 1990s, Capcom was already reigning as the king of 2D fighters with multiple iterations of Street Fighter 2 and pushing deeper into anime aesthetics with the Street Fighter Alpha series. Capcom’s partnership with Marvel was groundbreaking, and it led to standout titles like X-Men: Children of the Atom and Marvel Super Heroes. That partnership also led to X-Men vs. Street Fighter, the first crossover between Capcom’s fighters and Marvel’s heroes, which hit arcades in ’96 and gave Capcom a sharp Western appeal. Superhero comics were the epitome of cool in the ’90s, and Capcom took full advantage of that by creating a comic book-esque narrative complete with speech bubbles, aesthetics like comic book paneling, and Easter eggs only fans of the genre would understand.

Although comic book influences began to fade by the time the partnership peaked with Marvel vs. Capcom 2, it was that early charm that first captured fans’ hearts, carried through in titles like Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter. Even by the time Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 launched in 2011, those comic book roots were still present. The game’s character select screen and versus portraits echoed bold splash-page layouts, while victory quotes and dialogue pulled from classic Marvel lore. With its vibrant color palette, flashy special moves, dramatic hyper combos, and an over-the-top announcer, the game still felt like a living, breathing Marvel comic in motion. Plus, Deadpool and his fourth wall breaks would always be a constant reminder of the world the game was living in.

This time, Arc System Works aims to do for Marvel what Marvel once did for Capcom, by immersing Marvel’s characters in Japanese culture, particularly anime and manga, which have largely overtaken Western comic books in terms of sales and popularity. Due to the MCU and titles like Marvel Rivals, Marvel characters’ brand recognition is on fire and has far outgrown the comic panels that made them famous. Anime is one of the few forces truly rivaling Marvel in global popularity, thanks to the success of several key franchises. Anime has become so popular that even corporations and Japan itself are turning to AI and cybersecurity to combat the millions lost to piracy. But the tangled web of anime and manga licensing is a whole other story.

In Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, Kamala Khan has googly anime eyes, Captain America is spouting Shonen one-liners about freedom, and Iron Man has Gundam eyebrows for heaven’s sake! Even the trailer uses the Japanese dub (although SAG-AFTRA shenanigans may be the culprit). The material for this crossover was all there from the start, it just took a dev team steeped in Japanese culture to bring it forth. Arc System Works has long since overtaken Capcom in the tag-team 2D fighter subgenre, especially after the misfire that was Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, the franchise’s prolonged absence afterward, and MvC2’s eventual replacement at EVO by ArcSys’s own Dragon Ball FighterZ in 2020.

Capcom’s partnership with Marvel once opened doors to Western audiences, but now Arc System Works, the new leader in 2D fighters, is the one reaping the rewards with the power of Marvel and anime on its side. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

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From Polygon via this RSS feed

If you have ever asked yourself why there is a “3” in the title of one of the most popular video games in recent years, Baldur’s Gate 3, this is your chance to find out. The predecessors to Larian’s 2023 Game of the Year have landed on the Xbox Game Pass, and whether you have played the Nine Hells out of BG3 or not, you should absolutely check out these two RPG masterpieces from a bygone era.

At first glance, you may struggle to connect Baldur’s Gate 1 and Baldur’s Gate 2 with the most recent iteration of the franchise. After all, the first game came out in 1998, which, I’m sorry to remind those who were alive at the time, was 27 years ago. Baldur’s Gate 2 followed in 2000, making it a nice quarter of the century since one of the most popular sagas in RPG history ended, apparently for good. But all things come to those who wait, so sayeth the wise Alaundo. (Probably… he said a lot of things.)

BioWare, the developer you may know from Mass Effect and Dragon Age, had its first real hit with Baldur’s Gate, before moving on to author the Neverwinter Nights series, still set in the world of the Forgotten Realms but which used a different graphics engine — now fully 3D — and the most recent, at the time, set of rules for Dungeons & Dragons, the 3rd edition. It was truly a new age, one made of polygonal models and an ascending Armor Class system (more on that later), but somehow, the Baldur’s Gate games remained unparalleled in the hearts and minds of fans.

Was it just the nostalgia pull of a time when things seemed simpler and better? Maybe, but the games kept getting love and new players over the years, including a popular Enhanced Edition series published by Beamdog, which made them accessible to a whole new generation of players. They were so popular, in fact, that Larian pitched to Wizards of the Coast a sequel in 2014, while they were still working on Divinity: Original Sin 2. The reason is simple: the first two Baldur’s Gate games aren’t just popular, they’re actually really good.

Why you should play Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 on Game Pass

To modern players, these games will surely look far from today’s graphical standards. BioWare’s Infinity Engine was a 2D tool for games with an isometric perspective that created the illusion of 3D, far from BG3’s minutely rendered environments. The biggest obstacle, however, will probably be the gameplay. Apologies, fans of BG3, but you got it easy. The first two games were based on the rules for Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition, just as Baldur’s Gate 3 uses a version of the 5th edition rules. D&D’s 2nd edition, however, was notorious for being overcomplicated. Just figuring out if your Fighter is going to hit with his sword requires complex math, and a familiarity with the THAC0 system.

The class system is also a lot more rigid. Forget about the free mix-and-mash that BG3 allows (and don’t even think about respecs). To begin with, only certain races are allowed to multiclass, and you have to progress both classes evenly, taking a big XP hit. Also, contrary to modern-day rules, class limitations apply to multiclass too. For example, your Druid may be allowed to wear heavy armor if you multiclass with Fighter, but you will lose the latter’s ability to use any weapon or to specialize in them.

The biggest difference, however, is the combat system. Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 are not turn-based. They use a pausable real-time gameplay, meaning you can forget about Larian’s trademark tactics-heavy turn-based battles, planning every inch of movement or action for all your party. In BG1 and 2, every action, from attacks to spellcasting, requires a certain amount of in-game time, and that’s it. You can pause at any time to think or give instructions to your party, of course, but the feeling is very different: like in a real fight, anything can go wrong, and quickly.

Why should you play these games with antiquated graphics and complex rules, you might ask? For the same reasons why so many people love playing Baldur’s Gate 3: a rich, intriguing world, a compelling story, and an unforgettable cast of characters, each with their motivations and personal paths to follow, enhanced by a top-notch cast of voice actors. If you love Astarion, Edwin will drive you nuts. If you have a savior complex for Shadowheart, then you will reload as many times as it takes to get the Viconia romance right (yes, you can romance Shadowheart’s teacher in BG 2).

To me, despite hours and hours of potential gameplay, Baldur’s Gate 3’s story felt rushed at times. Some paths to take or dialogue choices were either forced or cliché, and some of the characters felt a little one-dimensional to me. There is no risk of this happening with BG1 and 2. The path of the Bhaalspawn, from humble beginnings running chores in Candlekeep to battling divine beings in the Throne of Bhaal expansion, ultimately boils down to one question: Are we just the pawns of destiny, pulled inevitably by our nature, or is free will what defines us?

To be fair, the gameplay is also pretty good, once you get over the initial barrier. Parsing through the ancient wikis and walkthroughs to understand some mechanics or find the best builds is a beautiful exercise in internet archeology that also rewards the effort. Oh, also, spells go up to level 9 in Baldur’s Gate 2 (BG3’s level cap means you can only get to 5), so you can literally stop time. While the turn-based system may be more tactical, the absurd number of spells in BG1 and BG2, along with the crazy effects some of them have, make battles very complex and entertaining.

Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 aren’t for everyone. But if you have Xbox Game Pass, you should definitely give them a chance. These games are so well-made, their worlds so detailed and complex, that people still have fun playing (or re-playing from the 20th time, in my case) them, and occasionally finding out new things too. If you played Baldur’s Gate 3, these games will give you the familiar feeling of a character-driven story where the choices you make impact your companions and the world around you.

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