The Super Mario Bros. movie was one of the biggest releases in 2023, and we know the filmmakers are going to broaden the scope for the sequel. While we're still just shy of a year out from its release on April 3 next year, the Super Mario Bros. sequel still doesn't have a confirmed name--or does it? The film was mentioned in a press release with the title, but was quickly edited.

However, fans quickly were able to screencap and archive the article with the title, as part of NBCUniversal's media plan for the next year: Super Mario World.

"An exciting range of films from Universal Pictures, Focus Features, DreamWorks Animation and Illumination were presented, including Megan 2.0, Nobody 2, Bad Guys 2, How to Train Your Dragon, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, Black Phone 2, HIM, The Phoenician Scheme, Super Mario World, Shrek, and Minions."

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Sorry, Expeditioners, but any Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 plushies you may have noticed online are unofficial knock-offs.

Developer Sandfall Interactive took to the game's Bluesky account to share the unfortunate news that these third-party websites are selling unofficial plushies of fan-favorite traveling companion, Esquie. Even worse, many have been created using AI-generated artwork.

"We’ve noticed a number of suspicious websites popping up, claiming to sell Esquie plushies," the post begins. "Any third-party websites selling Esquie plushies are NOT officially licensed. Many of them are using AI-generated artwork to advertise, and we strongly recommend against purchasing from these sources."

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The first reports about a G.I. Joe spin-off video game centered on Snake Eyes were revealed nearly three years ago. Atomic Arcade--one of Hasbro's in-house video game developers--has been working on the title since that time. Now, Atomic Arcade has shared the first look at Snake Eyes from the upcoming game.

In a post on X, Atomic Arcade wrote "We are hard at work on our game centered on Snake Eyes, the legendary ninja/commando from G.I. Joe, and we wanted to share a glimpse of the awesome work our team is doing."

The developer also included two pictures of Snake Eyes' character model, which were rendered in-engine.

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Godzilla Minus One (Paperback)

$16 | Releases September 2

Preorder at Amazon

Godzilla Minus One is one of the overgrown atomic lizard's best movies, and it might also be one of the better Godzilla stories to read as well--and soon fans can get their hands on the official English translation of the Godzilla Minus One novelization written by the film's director, Takashi Yamazaki. Like other film novelizations, this new English paperback edition will offer a deeper dive into the feelings and motivations of the main cast, plus extended scenes and new material that the movie didn't include. The English edition of the Godzilla Minus One novelization launches September 2 for $16, and preorders are available now at Amazon.

Godzilla Minus One (Paperback) $16 | Releases September 2

Just like the movie it's based on, Godzilla Minus One is set in post-World War II Japan. The films follows Koichi Shikishima, burdened by survivor’s guilt from a failed Kamikaze mission, who attempts to heal himself and his destroyed home town. However, Godzilla soon appears and threatens to destroy Japan, and it's up to Shikishima and other survivors from the war to find a way to destroy the unstoppable creature.

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The film version of Godzilla Minus One was a smash hit when it stomped into theaters back in 2023, and even won the Oscar for best special effects at the 2024 Academy Awards. Compared to Legendary's Monsterverse take on Godzilla, this version of the Kaiju king was presented as an almost unstoppable force of nature, calling to mind the original 1954 film. If you want to see it for yourself, you can grab the film on 4K Blu-ray for $24.56 at Amazon or the standard Blu-ray version for $18.

Godzilla Minus One Blu-rays

• Godzilla Minus One (4K) -- $24.56
• Godzilla Minus One (Standard Blu-ray) -- $18

For the US version of Godzilla, you can grab several Monsterverse Blu-rays on sale right now. All five films are available individually, but you can also grab them all in a single collection with the Godzilla x Kong MonsterVerse Five-Film Bundle for $70 (was $100). The bundle includes all five movies from this new cinematic universe released so far, and they come packaged in a cool slipcase cover. You'll also get digital streaming codes in this collection, and there are quite a few special features included as well. If you prefer to buy them individually, you can snag Godzilla 2014, Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire all on 4K Blu-ray.

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Kingdom Hearts fans eagerly awaiting more information on Sora's next adventure were placing hope in a new mobile game, Missing Link, to ease the wait until they find out more about Kingdom Hearts 4. Today, those aspirations went up in digital smoke, as Square Enix has announced that Missing Link will no longer be released.

Official Kingdom Hearts Missing Link social media accounts announced the cancellation of the game, which was first announced in 2022 as a "GPS-based action RPG for iOS and Android." The official statement also offered "heartfelt apologies to everyone who has been looking forward to the release."

An important announcement regarding KINGDOM HEARTS Missing-Link. pic.twitter.com/pXL2ULBV8k

— Official KINGDOM HEARTS Missing-Link (@KHMLink_NA) May 14, 2025

"Although we worked hard on developing and adjusting the game in the hope that it would be enjoyed by lots of players," the statement reads, "we determined that it would be difficult for us to offer a service that players would find satisfactory over a long period of time, leading us to the decision to cancel development."

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Square Enix plans to emphasize "quality over quantity" for its games business, and it has come up with a new strategy to help it realize these goals. The company has now revealed more details on its "Square Enix Reboots and Awakens" medium-term plan that will unfold over the next three years.

According to Square Enix, it plans to adopt a multiplatform approach for its games, leading to "major" titles being released on a consistent basis starting March 2027. All of its game titles will be placed "under the management of the same studio," and this will allow all of its in-house knowledge to be "consolidated, accumulated, and shared," Square Enix added. This new approach has also resulted in several in-development games being canceled, as Square Enix decided to focus its resources on funding other projects instead.

A closer look at Square Enix's medium-term business plan.

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Death Stranding 2: On the Beach writer-director Hideo Kojima is full of game ideas. Speaking on his podcast (via IGN), Kojima said he's intrigued by the idea of a "forgetting game" where the player would have to get through a game quickly to make the most of it.

The character would forget important information and lose certain abilities if people stopped playing for a long enough time. For example, if you didn't play this game every day, the character would forget things like "how to fire their gun or what their job is," and with enough time away, the player would forget how to even move.

Whether or not Kojima has explored this concept in any real way beyond discussing it is unknown, however. For now, it seems to be just that--a concept that he may or may not ever explore.

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He's stolen the Declaration of Independence, traded faces with John Travolta, and soon will portray one of the most famous faces in video games--and NFL football. Amazon MGM Studios has revealed the first photo of Nicolas Cage as John Madden on X, appearing beside fellow Oscar winner Christian Bale as former Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis.

The social media post adds that Madden is in production right now, which makes sense considering the promotional photo. The movie has come together relatively quickly, as Cage joined the biopic in August. The cast also includes John Mulaney as EA founder Trip Hawkins; Agatha All Along star Kathryn Hahn as Madden's wife, Virginia; and Sienna Miller as the wife of All Davis, Carol Davis. Meanwhile, Hawkins doesn't sound too keen on the movie.

Your first-look at Nicolas Cage as John Madden and Christian Bale as Al Davis on set of the upcoming film, Madden. Production is currently underway.
The film follows Madden’s remarkable journey—from his Super Bowl-winning partnership with Al Davis and the Raiders, to creating… pic.twitter.com/jmmF4uy8LR

— Amazon MGM Studios (@AmazonMGMStudio) May 14, 2025

Along with the first-look photo, Amazon MGM provided a synopsis of Madden: "The film follows Madden's remarkable journey--from his Super Bowl-winning partnership with Al Davis and the Raiders, to creating Madden NFL, and becoming one of the most iconic voices in football history."

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When FBC: Firebreak arrives on June 17, it will be the latest game to add to the Remedy Connected Universe. It's inherently a Control spin-off, even being set in the same liminal bureaucratic maze known as the Oldest House, so there's no question whether it would contribute to Remedy's Marvel-like spider web of storytelling, but after speaking to the team, we now know a bit more about how it will contribute to that connected universe.

We know the game is set six years after the events of Control. Like the 13 real-time years between both the fictional events and releases of Alan Wake and Alan Wake 2, the time between 2019's Control and 2025's FBC: Firebreak will mirror the real world. In that span, the Oldest House has remained locked down and the Hiss did not let up.

That's meant anyone outside of the building hasn't been able to get in, apparently. Worse, it means the unfortunate agents who were inside the shapeshifting hub that day have spent more than half a decade stuck inside with the Hiss threat. In gameplay terms, this will see player-characters running low on standard-issue supplies, resulting in them improvising with unique weapons and gear for the three-player co-op game. Still, since the game is without cutscenes or heavy exposition, lore devotees like me might wonder what else the game can teach them about the RCU. Don't worry, game director Mike Kayetta told GameSpot; there's still material there to be investigated.

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FBC: Firebreak is Remedy's first multiplayer game, and it's jumping into the well-occupied space of co-op PvE shooters. That means it has the benefit of looking to predecessors in the genre to understand what works, what doesn't, and in what ways Firebreak can stand out from the pack. I always love learning about which games developers looked to when making theirs, so I recently asked Remedy's Mike Kayetta, game director on FBC: Firebreak, to talk about the games the team looked at to help guide the scope and style of Remedy's upcoming shooter.

Helldivers 2 was a big help, which makes sense given its popularity. Remedy observed how the team at Arrowhead was able to navigate the ups and downs of the ludicrous third-person shooter to somewhat inform best practices for a game like FBC: Firebreak. Kayetta told me that it helped when Remedy asked, "What's working for them, what's not working for them?". But it was far from the only such game the team looked at. Kayetta name-dropped several games that the team would play together for "analysis" in the studio. Many of them make perfect sense as soon as you learn them.

"If it's a session-based co-op shooter, we've played it into the ground," he said, listing off a parade of recent co-op games including Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Deep Rock Galactic, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, Vermintide, and Darktide. Like Helldivers 2, none of those were all that surprising, but one immediately stuck out the moment Kayetta said it. "We had some interesting additional reference points, too. We looked at Overcooked quite a bit, because we wanted to see--like, that is such a fun type of chaos, where things get out of hand, but you still feel like you have meaningful agency despite things feeling out of hand."

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I was several missions into my hands-on session with FBC: Firebreak when I consciously tried to pinpoint why I was enjoying it so much. The hordes of Hiss overwhelmed me and my group like an exciting round of Left 4 Dead, one of my favorite games ever made; that certainly helped. The objectives were varied, and the outcomes chaotic--the primary healing method is scrambling into a shower big enough to hold your whole team of three, but getting there is often like swimming upstream in a river of monsters. There's, of course, the tried-and-true adage that says most games are better in co-op anyway, so that worked to its advantage, too. But it wasn't until I spoke with Remedy after the session that it became clear how its punk-rock ethos is the glue that holds the project together.

Punk engineering

"One of the terms that we used to describe the aesthetics at some point was 'punk engineering,'" lead level designer Teemu Huhtiniemi told GameSpot. As the game's setup goes, the Oldest House's agents have been locked away inside the liminal maze for six years following the events of Control, which has led to equipment steadily decreasing both in quality and quantity. As a result, agents have resorted to do-it-yourself (DIY) methods to stay armed in the face of the Hiss threat.

Continued Huhtiniemi, "They started building their own tools and modifying their body armor and everything." Thus, despite being a multiplayer spin-off of Control, the game takes on a markedly different style of its own, with bright colors decorating their non-standard-issue welding masks, and spray paints plastering the once-sacred space with irreverent displays of cartoon ducks.

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Sony is bracing itself for a $680 million impact from US tariffs, and to compensate for those potential losses, the PlayStation manufacturer might pass the increasing costs to its customers. During the company's earnings call, Sony CFO Lin Tao told investors that price increases on its hardware are being considered, although the PS5 console was not mentioned specifically.

CEO Hiroki Totoki did mention that some PS5 console manufacturing could be moved to the US--most of its consoles are produced in China and are subject to a 30% tariff for now--as this would be "an efficient strategy" to avoid being caught in the crossfire of US President Donald Trump's tariffs.

"This hardware can be produced locally," Totoki said during the earnings call via a translator. "I think that would be an efficient strategy. PS5s are being manufactured in many areas. Whether it's going to be manufactured in the US or not, it needs to be considered going forward."

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A new leak from the ongoing Battlefield Labs playtest has revealed that the landing roll first introduced in Battlefield 5 will most likely be returning for the next game. As of now, however, the animation being used for the playtest looks rougher and clunkier than BF5's roll, and players were quick to criticize it.

A video showing the landing roll from the Battlefield Labs playtest was posted to the BattlehubYT X account, via Insider Gaming, and while that version of the video was taken down by a copyright claim, the video has since been re-uploaded by other accounts.

The video shows a roll similar to Battlefield 5's landing roll, which could be used to reduce fall damage when dropping from a height--however the playtest version is slower, clunkier, and overall more disorienting. With the first-person perspective shown in the video, the current animation feels likely to cause motion sickness in players if used too often.

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The SAG-AFTRA voice actors strike is now in its 10th month, and prominent voice actors are asking fans to speak up for the people behind their beloved game characters. In a recent interview, Master Chief voice actor Steve Downes spoke on the issue of AI voice acting that has fueled the ongoing strike, appealing to fans to support the actors' fight.

Speaking to Rebs Gaming in a clip posted to X, Downes explained that the "single issue" of the strike is now the use of AI, and ensuring that voice actors have a say over how--or if--their voices are used for AI replicas.

"We haven't been able to make any progress with that at all so far," Downes says of the strike that started last July. "So we're really asking the people who consume this game, who made Halo what it is, to voice their opinion about this and show support."

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While you can craft Minecraft string in one limited case, the easiest way to get it is to harvest it from enemies. If you want to hunt down this valuable resource in bulk, you're going to need to come face-to-face with some Minecraft mobs. In this guide, we'll detail where to find string, what it can be used for, and some of the most useful crafting recipes that require string.

Table of Contents [hide]

• How to find string in Minecraft

Spiders drop string when killedHow to find string in Minecraft

Killing spiders is the easiest way to get your hands on a lot of string quickly. They're noisy, so you'll know their location easily, although we've found that they spawn most often in dark caves and under trees in dense forests. They're also pretty big, so hitting them is easy, and taking them down isn't strenuous at all.

While killing spiders is the easiest way to get your hands on plenty of string, there are other methods. You can also break cobwebs, fish, and loot it from jungle temples, desert pyramids, and dungeons. If you have some tamed cats around your base, it might also bring you some string as a gift from time to time. Although we've heard that cats only bring "gifts" when they think you're incapable of looking after yourself--so take from that what you will.

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Minecraft candles can be used for a variety of decorative purposes. Whether you want a lower light level than placing torches everywhere, or whether you're looking for a spooky haunted house aesthetic to turn the survival game into a horror game, candles can fit anywhere. They come in a range of colors, and you can dye plain candles to get the look you want. You can even use them to light up a cake, turning it into a birthday cake. Here's how to craft candles, how to dye them, and how to light them.

Table of Contents [hide]

• Minecraft candle crafting recipe
• Minecraft candle dying

Minecraft candle crafting recipe

To craft a candle in Minecraft, you'll need one honeycomb and one string. Place the honeycomb in the center crafting square, with the string directly above it. You'll want to browse our Minecraft bees guide if you're wondering how to get more honeycomb, as it isn't the easiest material to obtain. String is most easily found by killing spiders and taking down cobwebs.

Candles can be dyed a variety of colorsMinecraft candle dying

To dye a candle in Minecraft, first use the above recipe to craft as many candles as you'd like to create. Then, use our helpful Minecraft dyes guide to get the color you'd like your candles to be. Place the candle in the upper-right corner of the crafting table with the dye directly beneath it, and you'll get a dyed candle. You can dye a candle any of the following colors:

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Minecraft now has so many animals, enemies, and entities that it can be hard to keep track of. If you're looking to build a wildlife sanctuary or just seeking some of the rarer mobs, you may want to know all of the animals, monsters, and other mobs in the game. Some of these can be tamed, bred, or even ridden, while others drop valuable loot when killed. Most mobs are also affected by the game's mechanics in the same way that you are--meaning they can be killed, drowned, or even catch fire. Here's the full list of the survival game's mobs.

Table of Contents [show]

• All Minecraft passive mobs
  • Allay
  All Minecraft passive mobsMinecraft AllayAllay

  The Minecraft Allay was added during The Wild Update and resembles a small, blue, fairy-like creature. You can find the Allay in Pillager Outpost cages or Woodland Mansion cages. Break the cage to set the Allay free, and it will become loyal as a thank-you for saving it from imprisonment. Give it an item to carry, and it will follow you, meaning leading it back to your base is simple. It'll also go and seek more of the same item, bringing it back to you.

  After an Ally becomes loyal to you, you cannot harm them even accidentally, but they can lose health if it's attacked by another mob. If that happens, it can regenerate its own health. Breeding an Allay is different from most other mobs in the game, too, as they can self-duplicate without the need for a partner. To do this, use an amethyst shard on an Allay while it's dancing to jukebox music.

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Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game physical edition

$40 | Releases July 29

Preorder on Switch Preorder on PS5

Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game is launching on PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on July 29. While the charming life-sim game will be available digitally on all platforms, those who want a physical release will be able to pick up a boxed copy on PS5 or Nintendo Switch on launch day. The Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game physical edition will cost $40, and preorders are available now ahead of launch. No preorder bonuses have been announced, but it does come with a fold-out map of Bywater village and a download code for a digital soundtrack, so it's probably worth securing your copy ahead of time.

Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game physical edition $40 | Releases July 29

As mentioned above, the Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game physical edition includes the base game on Switch or PS5, a 20-inch by 16-inch fold-out map, and a digital soundtrack, all for just $40.

Preorder on Switch Preorder on PS5

Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game is a life sim set in The Shire--y'know, the idyllic corner of Middle-earth where Hobbits like Frodo, Bilbo, and Sam call home. The game will cast you as a Hobbit and give you your own plot of land in The Shire to cultivate and tend. There will also be plenty of side quests and activities to engage in, like fishing, foraging, and trading with or cooking meals for other Hobbits in Bywater village.

Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game is one of several games getting "small batch" physical runs this year from companies like iam8bit, Limited Run Games, and more. We've put together a list of some other notable upcoming titles like Tetris Forever, Shin Chan: Shiro and the CoalTown, and Metal Slug Tactics that are launching over the summer and are available to preorder now. Check the list below for more.

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Snow White may have earned mixed reviews from viewers and wasn’t quite as successful at the box office as anticipated, but it still managed to become one of the year’s biggest films. The live-action adaptation of Disney’s iconic animated movie makes a few significant tweaks to the story, offering a unique retelling that’s not afraid to buck tradition. If you’re interested in adding the controversial film to your home theater, multiple Blu-ray versions are planned to launch on June 24, including a $45 Snow White 4K Steelbook Limited Edition that's available to preorder at Amazon and Walmart. Preorders are also available for the standard Blu-ray and DVD editions.

Snow White Limited Edition Steelbook (4K Blu-ray) $45 | Releases June 24

Along with a 4K version of the film with support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, this version comes with a gorgeous steelbook. Depicting Snow White on one side and the seven dwarfs on the other, it should look great in most collections. You’ll also get a standard Blu-ray and digital copy of the movie. The steelbook is packed with bonus features, too, which we've listed below.

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Walmart Snow White Blu-ray Edition $40 | Releases June 24

If you don't want the steelbook edition, standard Blu-ray and DVD editions of Snow White are also available to preorder. The Blu-ray version is listed for $40 while the DVD edition is $35. The special features for the Blu-ray version appear to be the same as those in the 4K Steelbook Edition.

Preorder Blu-ray at Amazon Preorder DVD at Amazon Snow White 4K Steelbook EditionSnow White Blu-ray Bonus Features

The Snow White Limited Edition Steelbook and Snow White (Blu-ray) are packed with bonus features. Disney notes that some of these features may vary between the two, but here’s a look at what you can expect to find on your Blu-ray:

• Fearless, Fair, Brave, and True: Making Snow White documentary
• Merry Tunes: A look at the creation of the movie’s songs
• Fairy Tale Fashion: An in-depth look at the fashion of Snow White
• Sing alongs
• Deleted scenes
• Bloopers

Snow White joins a growing list of Disney steelbook releases. This includes the Moana 2 Limited Edition Steelbook for $43 (was $66), the Mufasa: The Lion King Limited Edition Steelbook for $45, and the Lilo and Stitch Limited Edition Steelbook for $32 (was $41).

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Sometimes being a millennial has its payoffs. Sure, a lot of us will probably never own a home and are riddled with student-loan debt, but anyone born between the early 1980s and mid-1990s was blessed to witness and experience the incredible evolution of both video games and skateboarding.

I remember the first time I played Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games. It was Christmas 2001 when I got Pro Skater 3 for GameCube, along with my first skateboard ever, a World Industries Flame Boy deck. I got obsessed with playing Pro Skater 2 on N64 with my fellow gaming buddies and had to finally snag a copy of my own. Not only did Pro Skater inspire me to explore the world of skateboarding more, leading to binge-watching X Games and convincing my parents to take me to Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam, but it also got me to explore more of the Southern California punk scene, which basically became my main playlist for the next 20 something years of my life. Those years were crucial to developing my personality, and although I stopped playing the series after Pro Skater 4 and Underground, I often bring up how much those early THPS games shaped the 35-year-old dorky punk I am today.

Fast-forward many years, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 remakes were released and became a huge success that essentially turned the series around after the failed Pro Skater 5. When I heard that a combined Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 remake was finally happening with a new studio, Iron Galaxy, who previously worked with Activision and Vicarious Visions on the 1 + 2 remakes, I was ecstatic to see how it would turn out. Will my muscle memory come back, or will it feel like learning a brand-new game? Will it keep the same silliness and passion as the originals, or fall off the rails--no pun intended? After having the opportunity to explore a few hours of the remake, I've just got to say: The sassy, skating 12-year-old me could not be happier.

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