I lay out the case for why I think this is FINALLY the year we get a new mainline 3D Mario game from Nintendo (after EIGHT YEARS!) in my new opinion column. Check it out if you're interested! www.ign.com/articles/sup...

The first Next-Gen Console Watch episode of 2026 is looking at the 12 games we think will be the most visually spectacular this year. To my pleasant surprise, for as ubiquitous as Unreal Engine 5 seems (to me anyway), only 3 on our list are UE5. Enjoy! www.youtube.com/watch?v=94TO...

I was randomly looking at my review of Super Mario Odyssey today. I was really proud of it at the time and I think it holds up as one of the best reviews I've ever done. I think I succeeded in conveying the incredible JOY that game brought me while playing it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgR9...

Wow, Metroid Prime 4 catching strays...from Nintendo itself, LOL. www.ign.com/articles/nin...

The new Unlocked is here. We'll get back to the usual fun next week, but we dedicated this hour to remembering longtime Xbox hardware guy Albert Penello & industry legend Vince Zampella. Thank you @aarongreenberg.bsky.social & @vicious696.bsky.social for joining us www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci4f...

I got to visit King Art Games and talk about Dawn of War 4 pretty extensively. I also played a fair bit of the campaign. Keep an eye out this month for lots of Dawn of War stuff!

I'm thrilled that Wolfenstein 3 appears to be happening, but I can't help but wonder: does this mean that another Indiana Jones game ISN'T happening? www.ign.com/articles/wol...

Our month of exclusive IGN First coverage of Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4 is underway! Warhammer games always seem to get great cinematic/CGI trailers. Here's an awesome one showing off the Ork faction: www.ign.com/articles/war...

Tomorrow! 👀

Some good stuff in the January wave of Xbox Game Pass announcements. Star Wars Outlaws (much improved after a number of updates) and Resident Evil Village to get you in the mood for Requiem! Full list here: www.ign.com/articles/mic...

So are all these legacy Marvel characters going to be in Doomsday for like 5 minutes each? Or is this going to be a four-hour movie? The answer is both, isn't it? 😜

If Control Resonant is Remedy's big release for 2026, hopefully that means we get the Max Payne 1 + 2 remakes in (presumably Fall) 2027. Which would make sense because Rockstar is publishing them; they've already got a little something due out in Q4 this year. 😜

Soulslike fans: we've got a new hands-on preview of Code Vein 2 from our in-house soulslike guru @jurassicrabbit.bsky.social if you're interested. Take a look: www.ign.com/articles/cod...

I'm devastated to hear about the passing of longtime Xbox exec Albert Penello from cancer. He was an incredibly sweet, enthusiastic guy who loved games and loved building consoles at Xbox. Here's an old Unlocked episode with him on the origins of the Xbox One X: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMKq...

We pre-recorded this week's episode of Unlocked way in advance, so I'll do a tribute to Vince Zampella when we get back in the new year, but for now, here's a super lighthearted last Unlocked of 2025, where we rank the four Xbox day-one launch lineups: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLjf...

I needed to play some games yesterday to get my mind off of the shock of losing Vince. I played through Terminator 2D: No Fate. Bravo to the devs! It's such a faithful recreation of an early-'90s arcade game. Great use of music too! I also resumed Ninja Gaiden 4. SUBLIME COMBAT FTW.

I knew Vince Zampella well. Not "we text each other" well, but he & I would always talk about games, cars, & life when we saw each other and got time to talk, just us. He truly, genuinely changed the games industry with his work. RIP. This hurt to write: www.ign.com/articles/cal...

Oh my god no. This is tragic. Vince Zampella has been killed in a car accident. www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/v...

Oh man as if I need ANOTHER killer game to add to my must-play list: www.ign.com/articles/oct...

The talented folks at Sandfall Interactive need to make some space in their (growing) trophy case, as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been named IGN's Best Game of 2025. Congrats to everyone who worked on it! www.ign.com/articles/the...

We're talking about the most "next-gen" games of 2025 on this week's new episode (and the last one of the year) of Next-Gen Console Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kCp...

In 1 hour of playing High on Life 2, I: -Got drunk with a new alien gun named Travis -Circumcised a giant alien phallus with a laser -Stole the fedora from the 1996 movie Dunston Checks In -Attempted to solve a murder mystery game My new preview on IGN: www.ign.com/articles/hig...

If you need an Esquie plush from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in your life, we've got you covered: store.ign.com/products/exp...

Gee, after two price INCREASES this year on a half-decade-old console, who could've POSSIBLY seen this coming? /s www.ign.com/articles/xbo...

Forza Motorsport had a heck of a run. Twenty years! 2005-2025 FM 4 was probably the peak for me, personally, but they were ALL fantastic sim racers. RIP. www.ign.com/articles/for...

New Unlocked! Yes, on Tuesday! We shot two yesterday: one for this week & one for next. In this first one, we react to the Xbox's no-show at The Game Awards but talk about the VERY good news: the Xbox Developer Direct will be here soon & it should ROCK: www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Pp...

Anyone who believes The Elder Scrolls 6 is coming out before 2028 at the absolute earliest is fooling themselves: www.ign.com/articles/the...

We filmed two Unlockeds today: one current-events one (in this case, reacting to The Game Awards + the Xbox Developer Direct news) and one evergreen one. The first one should get posted for you tomorrow (Tuesday). The second one will go up early next week, then a holiday break.

I interviewed Blizzard president @johburg.bsky.social literally RIGHT before #TheGameAwards last Thursday, and when I suggested that the inevitable Diablo 6 be called Diablo 666, she made an even more diabolical counterproposal: www.ign.com/videos/blizz...

IGN's Best Xbox Game of 2025 award winner has been announced! I'll give you one guess as to which game won. 😜 www.ign.com/articles/the...

Gate Guard Simulator is exactly what you think it is – and yes it's set in medieval times. 😂This trailer is really well-edited and won me over when the developers pitched it to me. Check it out: youtu.be/0zD01XIIekg?...

The producer of the Street Fighter movie needs to take a deep breath and relax. The Mortal Kombat joke was made by a professional stand-up comedian (who happens to be in the movie). It played great in the room. It's just a joke. Good lord. www.ign.com/articles/i-d...

Well, based on Matt's quote, we're definitely getting Fable and/or Forza Horizon 6 in January's now-confirmed Xbox Developer Direct. I'd have to imagine that Gears of War: E-Day will probably be in there as well: www.ign.com/articles/aft...

I interviewed a couple of the creative leads on High on Life 2 about, among other things, the art of making a comedy video game sequel when the history of comedy movie sequels is...pretty grim. This is kind of a mini-Unfiltered if you're interested: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiwm...

New Unlocked is here! The big topics: -Will the Xbox Next/PC hybrid console hit next year for the 25th anniversary of Xbox? -The KOTOR remake is still alive, with bonus KOTOR 2 remake news -Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake is VERY alive And more! www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8zR...

Sometimes random lines from my favorite movies just pop into my head. Example: "YOU CAN'T TRIPLE STAMP A DOUBLE STAMP!"

Man, Black Ops 7 must've REALLY shit the bed sales-wise if Activision is coming out just a month after its release and straight up saying, point-blank, "We aren't going to ship two Black Ops or Modern Warfare entries back-to-back anymore." www.ign.com/articles/cal...

Looks like the mysterious creepy monolith in the desert has been figured out ahead of the Game Awards: www.ign.com/articles/we-...

Next-gen Xbox announcement next year for the 25th anniversary confirmed? That's my interpretation of Jason Ronald's quote here. And it would make perfect sense for them to want to make a huge announcement around the 25th anniversary.

KOTOR remake still happening with a new developer? Hmm, OK, let's see how this goes... KOTOR 2 remake ALSO happening, and it will include the ending that Obsidian originally intended? OK NOW WE'RE TALKING. www.ign.com/articles/sta...

Here are IGN's nominees for Game of the Year (and other categories as well) for 2025: www.ign.com/articles/ign...

Our new Next-Gen Console Watch episode today grades the Nintendo Switch 2 now that its launch window is over. youtu.be/Vm4QFhCDCDw?...

Please let me see The Batman Part 2 in a theater. cc: @mattreevesla.bsky.social

Oooh, the new Fullbright game looks interesting. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRVY...

The Boomers may be clinging to political power, but at least my generation controls entertainment now. 😁 That's how we get cool stuff like THIS: a self-transforming, voice-controlled, walking Gen1 Soundwave THAT DOUBLES AS A BLUETOOTH SPEAKER. 👀🤘 www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-9U...

New Unlocked! The big topics this week: -Signs of life for a new Splinter Cell game -GTA 6's weird mini-leak -IO Interactive's full plate apparently includes Hitman 4 -CDPR's literally unbelievable timeline for The Witcher 4, 5, and 6 And more! Enjoy: www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8hW...

We’ve finally got a release date for Replaced, an Xbox exclusive I absolutely CANNOT wait for, all wrapped inside this killer new trailer. You gotta check this out! youtu.be/C3bbZ_I8Ehg?...

We've got exclusive new High on Life 2 gameplay from early in the campaign on IGN today. Check it out if you're interested! I loved the first game and can't wait to play the sequel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vpw...

Finally, a positive sign of life for the beleaguered Splinter Cell Remake project. I've heard some not-great whispers about this over the past year. Rehiring the original director – who was a designer on Blacklist – seems like a good sign to me. More: www.ign.com/articles/spl...

I loved the first High on Life, so I'm thrilled to be personally handling this IGN First coverage of the sequel. The party starts with new gameplay tomorrow. Cheers!