Fan Expo Canada 2024 had a great variety of cosplayers, activations, shopping, panels and guests throughout the convention weekend.

This year was star-studded and packed with so many great guests! Fan Expo Canada 2024 kicked off with many attendees flocking to the Toronto Metro Convention Centre. CGMagazine was able to capture the most important part of the show: the fans! The fans brought a great assortment of cosplay clothing, offering both sophisticated looks and zany ones. Many of them ranged from some of the hottest anime series, TV/film, comics, video games and more.

Fan Expo Canada 2024 comes back back swinging harder than ever post-pandemic, even bringing back the Xbox exhibit! There are many new and returning celebrities and special guests too, such as Barbie and Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings star Simu Liu, Emily Swallow, Giancarlo Esposito and Temuera Morrison from The Mandalorian/The Book of Boba Fett, and so much more. On top of that many installations and fun prizes are to be won throughout the con. This collection captures the general minutiae of the whole convention across the whole weekend.

Fan Expo Canada 2024 Thursday Kick-Off

Fan Expo Canada 2024 Friday Rush

Fan Expo Canada 2024 Saturday Bonanza

Star Wars Outlaws is the latest game that takes place in the Star Wars universe right in between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The story follows a scoundrel named Kay Vess as she makes a name for herself as an outlaw—and her loveable pet, Nix. For the first time, players will be diving into an open-world Star Wars game with Star Wars Outlaws, and they’ll be doing it as a woman.

CGM got to sit down with two women taking the lead with Star Wars Outlaws, Humberly González and Nikky Foy. González, known for her roles in Ginny & Georgia on Netflix and more recently, Tarot, is the voice of Kay and handles all the motion capture for the role. Foy is the Lead Scriptwriter for Star Wars Outlaws at Ubisoft Toronto, which means not only do we have a woman as the face of the game, but we have one narrating it, too.

We talked with Foy and González about what it means to work on such a beloved property, how being women and having women take the lead has influenced Star Wars Outlaws, and what that means to them. Seeing women as the faces and storytellers behind these epic tales is something every girl needs growing up, and that knowledge was not lost on the pair while working on Star Wars Outlaws for the last several years.

I read you both worked on Far Cry 6. Did your paths cross while working on it, or did you recently meet on Star Wars Outlaws?  

Nikki Foy: Well, recently is…

Humberly González: The last couple of years, yes!

Nikki Foy: For Far Cry 6, we didn’t really work together. I was mostly doing the villain DLC stuff. 

Humberly González: Right. And I played Jonrón, which wasn’t a part of that. We don’t often get to interact with everybody. Sometimes, you’re a part of a project, and there are so many humans attached. 

And non-humans in the case of Star Wars Outlaws [Nix].

Humberly González: And then non-humans! It’s kind of cool that we both come from the same projects and now we actually get to interact so often. 

Nikki Foy: Yeah, I think, too, as a writer, you see more of the actors than they see of you, right? So, on Far Cry 6, I definitely knew who Humberly was and all her work and stuff. When we were casting this, that was all in there for sure.

So our nerdy fandoms, especially things like Star Wars, present very male-dominated, whether that’s the creative team or the fans. What’s it like to lead the charge on this both as the creative team and as the voice and the body of Star Wars Outlaws? To lead this male-dominated universe and have it be women first right now.

Nikki Foy: It’s a really great opportunity, I think, for not just individuals but for the brand as a whole. I was just talking about how I was at Galaxy’s Edge for the first time in my life and just cried the whole time because I couldn’t believe it. And I was building a lightsaber in that experience, which was so cool. But next to me, there were two sisters, and they were probably six and eight, building one next to me. And I just felt so…

And now I’m crying. I have kids that age.

Nikki Foy: I just cried very hard the whole time because it was just like this brand meant so much to me, and I didn’t have someone like Kay to really see myself in. I loved Princess Leia, but I wanted to be Han, right? And I think getting to bring that to life is so special. And our whole team, really, that’s been the goal from the beginning. It’s been really special.

Humberly González: Yes, to be a leading woman not just in a Star Wars story but in the video game industry, which also tends to have a lot of limitations and misogyny and kind of in-and-out politics of who can be a part of it and who you want to play as. I am incredibly proud of the team having chosen someone like me, but also only me, that there isn’t a male counterpart to the story of Star Wars Outlaws that we are focusing on a female point of view of a scoundrel story because we’ve only really ever seen males in a scoundrel position.

So the representation is incredible for me as an immigrant Latina in Canada to bring, to even get to speak about my country, about Venezuela, about what it means to me as an artist that I followed this dream not having any of my family here, not having a lot of mentors in my family or anyone to look up to or content to look up to. Even in Star Wars, you know, there aren’t a lot of Latinas in this space. And so, for me, I knew that this was going to mean a lot, not just to me and my community and my family, but to everybody else who’s watching it too and playing it. 

“Seeing women as the faces and storytellers behind these epic tales is something every girl needs growing up, and that knowledge was not lost on the pair while working on Star Wars Outlaws for the last several years.”

When they go, “Oh, this is a cool character, I wonder where they’re from?” and then they do the research, I just want people to feel seen and if I can be in any of those categories as a woman, a woman of colour, as an immigrant, as a Latina, any of those are so meaningful for someone who enters a franchise as big as Star Wars. 

So for the next generation, for those little girls in Galaxy’s Edge, for the little girls watching, for anyone back home, for me, if they just simply get to see someone like them on screen, it means something to them. Feel inspired, feel strong, feel seen, feel represented. That, to me, is the goal. It’s incredible because it really is beyond just me. 

Nikki Foy: Yeah, and  I think, too, there’s an empathy element to it that I really love to think about. When I was a kid, I think there’s been a lot of research about this, and people who are talking about it talk about it. But I think, too, it’s easy for young girls to empathize with male characters. It’s something that we’ve always been taught. And I think having this female character who everyone can love and see parts of themselves in is so exciting and fun, too.

It’s made me emotional. I have a five-year-old daughter and then a nine-year-old son, so seeing him see her, see that it is possible in Star Wars Outlaws.

Nikki Foy: Yeah, that’s incredible.

Leaning into that, a lot of the time, people will say being a woman is a weakness. We’re emotional. We’re not tough. We’re not as strong as the male heroes. So, did you need to find a balance with Kay in Star Wars Outlaws, both in writing and acting, in terms of her femininity and her strength? Or do you think that her femininity is her strength?

Nikki Foy: Yeah, I don’t know if we’ve thought about it in terms of that. I remember early on writing this huge document about the way in which female protagonists are different from male protagonists. And not in the way of worse or better, but to me, that point of view really infuses the how of things. Often, the why is the same for characters. 

Like survival, for example, right? Female characters often are shown surviving in a different way. Maybe a cool, charming female character, she’s going to use her feminine wiles to get something done, or she can pretend to be weak, and whatever. And I made this list of things that I was like, “I don’t want Kay to ever do any of these. I don’t want her to ever pretend to be weak. I don’t want her to ever pretend to be weak. I don’t want her to ever use her femaleness to get something.” 

So that was always on our mind. But in terms of, “Oh, how does she treat this?” Or “How does she approach the situation as a female character?” Once we got who Kay was, it was very much like, “How does Kay approach this?” And once we created this character and cast Humberly and got this great vulnerability and real humanity to it, it became so easy to just make choices based on that.

Humberly González: I mean, to step into a character that was made, and then I had to literally give her a soul, and a heart, and a conscience. So knowing that I’m like, “Oh, okay, here’s the character, now bring her to life, quite literally breathe life into her.” I can’t help but bring my heart. I can’t help but bring my vulnerability. 

So, if I think of Kay as a mirror to me, and what femininity means to me, and what my strengths are, I do believe that my vulnerability is a strength. I think that women are resilient. We are troubleshooters and protectors, and there’s this nurturing, and I think you get to see some of those traits with Kay and Nix, you know, Nix is her family, and you see her go above and beyond for him and for a partnership, what loyalty means, what it means. 

There are a lot of themes in there. I think she’s a scoundrel with a bit of a chip because she is vulnerable and she is flawed. In the end, that’s also what brings her ahead. You always say this line, it’s like failing forward. She isn’t afraid to make mistakes and learn from them. There’s no relying on this ego or overly confident like I got it all figured out.

I wasn’t afraid to bring those aspects to her that may seem weak, but really, in a way, it’s her just navigating her growth. It’s her navigating right from wrong, and what she wants to do, and being autonomous in her own choices in this vast galaxy full of danger. She is naive and a rookie, but those could be her strengths too because, at the end of the day, sometimes not knowing takes you further because she’s not relying on fear and not thinking that she can’t do something. She really believes in herself. 

That’s something I have a lot as a person, as Humberley. I believe in my dreams, and I believe in myself. I know my worth. I infused Kay with that. So, you know, if that is something that makes me female or whatever, then great. I want to be that person anyway. 

Absolutely. You’re talking about breathing life into this character in Star Wars Outlaws, and doing that in a video game is one thing. Doing that through MoCap is another, but you’ve also been on stage, live-action, and just regular voice acting. Do you feel like you’re breathing life into characters the same way or in those other mediums, you are the character?

Humberly González: I have to say, ever since doing motion capture—and I’ve worked with Ubisoft for years and years since, like 2016—I believe my first video game was Starlink, which was a video game from the ground up with Ubisoft. I feel like I have a lot more room and depth to bring into the other mediums of the industry that aren’t motion capture because there’s so much detail that comes with only being a voiceover actor. I think it is actually quite vulnerable to be a voice actor. You are not relying on your face or your mannerisms. 

Even right now, I’m talking with my hands but it’s just my voice. How do I convey the real meaning of what I mean if I can’t use everything else? These are all tools that I possess in my being. Motion capture has allowed me to have more awareness of my body. Therefore it infuses my other work. I’m really grateful for this this part of my job. I really love it.

Now, obviously, Star Wars, wow!

Humberly González: That’s it. Wow.

What kind of preparation went into Star Wars Outlaws, and what level of excitement, fear, and nervousness goes into prepping from the ground up and stepping into this role? Especially knowing that there are so many sections of Star Wars and that you are creating your own little pocket.

Nikki Foy: Yeah, I think it’s so weird to have a job where the thing that you should do is consume Star Wars media.

Humberly González: Gotta do it for the job!

Nikki Foy: I remember when I got hired or when I got told, “Yeah, you’re gonna work on this [Star Wars Outlaws].” I didn’t know what to do. So I just, because I was so overwhelmed, I just opened the Clone Wars show on my iPad and had it next to me while I was cooking dinner in a haze and I was like, “I’m working right now. This is part of my job now. I just get to be inspired by all this media that I already love.” So that was what, really, I spent a lot of time-consuming media that I’d already seen, but just with this lens of like, “Oh, okay, Outlaws, scoundrel, underworld.”

 Does that change the way you look at it, though? Once it goes from “This is my love” to “This is my job.”

Nikki Foy: Absolutely! It does, but not in a way that turns it into work. It was more like I was paying attention to things that I wasn’t paying attention to before. I remember even in that example when I was cooking dinner, there was a scene where Ahsoka was in a nightclub in Clone Wars, And I was like, “Oh cool, Kay could be in a nightclub!” I was watching it a lot more actively, I think.

From then, with that going on, I really tried to just catch myself thinking. If I’m walking somewhere and my brain is just off, I’ll try to focus on thinking about Kay. Thinking about her relationships. Thinking about the people in her life. I’m listening to a song. It’s like, “Oh, think about how Kay would feel if this and this and this happen,” you know? So I think that combination is really how I approached starting to write this stuff.

Humberly González: Yeah, I mean, honouring what someone has created, and not just this team, but the franchise itself, knowing that it was between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. I think one of the first things I did was that I’m going to watch the movies and imagine myself in this world and the tone of it, you know? What people are scared of, what’s out there? 

And at the end of the day, it’s also a new story. We have not seen a story where this character isn’t a part of the big rebellion and a Sith or any of this. She is from Canto Bight. She is a young girl who is a thief who’s resilient. She’s surviving. So, there weren’t a lot of examples for me to draw from.

I had to really rely on instinct, asking the writers, asking the directors, like, “Hey is this somewhere where she would be? Is this a thought she would have?” And I think, for me, the work started when I actually got to know more of the story. I think that before, it was just exciting. Anytime I saw anything Star Wars or listened to the theme song or anything, I would just get goosebumps and be like, “Oh, I’m in this! I’m in this!” It just has a different meaning now that I’m forever immortalized in this franchise. 

But growing with Kay, it’s like knowing her backstory and why she says the things she does and why she acts the way that she does, that has been the most joyous part of my job because I love backstory. I mean, for an actor, it’s like, “What’s my motivation here? What am I doing?” And knowing that it has been created specifically for her and therefore me, it was just such a special thing that I’m like, “No one has ever said these words. No one has stepped into…” I am literally walking in her shoes! And so it’s really special to really step into something that’s never been done.

I want to know, in one word, your favourite thing about Kay Vess in Star Wars Outlaws. What is her trait that we should pay attention to? Sorry, I was wondering if

Humberly González: What is a word for not quitting? 

Resilient?

Nikki Foy: Yeah, resilient is really good. 

Humberly González: She does not give up, man. That girl will try and try and try and try in every single way, and she’ll get it. She gets it!

Nikki Foy: Kay’s quality that I love the most is—it is resilient adjacent—but it’s like this whatever effect of “That’s fine.” 

Humberly González: Surrender. 

Nikki Foy: It’s more active than that. If anything happens, it’s like water off a duck’s back. No matter what’s going on, the worst situation that could happen. 

Humberly González: She doesn’t sweat it. 

Nikki Foy: She’s just like, “Okay.” And when she is upset, it’s for such a fair reason. And it usually comes from a place of hurt and history and stuff. But otherwise, she’s just rolling with the punches, and I love that. I want to be more like that.

Star Wars Outlaws will be released on August 30, 2024, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay up to date with everything Star Wars Outlaws here.

isney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte wrapped up its first season with a decidedly open-ended finale. So, does this mean the The Acolyte is getting a Season 2?

Related: The Acolyte: Is Darth Plagueis in Season 1?

Is The Acolyte Season 2 Happening?

No, The Acolyte Season 2 isn’t happening. Per Deadline, Lucasfilm cancelled the Star Wars series on Aug. 19, 2024. The outlet’s sources didn’t supply a reason for The Acolyte‘s cancellation, although its lacklustre viewership figures were likely a contributing factor. As noted by Deadline, The Acolyte lost its spot on Nielsen’s Top 10 originals chart from Episode 4 to 7. To its credit, The Acolyte eventually landed back on the chart with its eighth and final episode. But even then, its total number of minutes viewed was reportedly the lowest of any Star Wars series.

Related: Is Yoda in Star Wars: The Acolyte?

Lucasfilm axing The Acolyte will no doubt come as a blow to showrunner Leslye Headland, who was ready to hit the ground running on Season 2. In March 2024 Collider interview, Headland revealed that The Acolyte was always conceived as a story that spanned more than one season. “I would say that when I pitched it, I definitely pitched it as a multi-season show,” she said. “There are a lot of things at the end of this season that I think are narrative threads that are not tied up, for sure.”

What Was Planned for The Acolyte Season 2’s Story?

So, what did Leslye Headland have planned for The Acolyte Season 2, if it had happened? More Darth Plagueis, for one thing! Plagueis briefly cameos in Season 1’s finale, which Headland confirmed in an Inverse interview was set-up for Season 2. She also reiterated the importance of Osha and the Stranger’s newly-forged partnership to the second season’s unrealized narrative.

Related: Does The Acolyte Season 1 Have a Post-Credits Scene?

“[Darth Plagueis is] definitely a signifier of things to come if we end up moving forward,” Headland said. “Osha and the Stranger are aligned. Literally the last shot of the show is the two of them holding the same lightsaber. It’s the last shot of Fight Club – these are two people that are looking out under the horizon and believing that their power is intense, and strong, and shared, and passionate.”

All eight episodes of The Acolyte Season 1 are currently streaming on Disney+.

 The above article was updated on 8/20/2024 by the original author to include information about The Acolyte’s cancellation.

Enlarge / We have doubts that any amount of Force powers will bring the show back. (credit: YouTube/Disney+)

In news that will delight some and disappoint others, Disney has canceled Star Wars series The Acolyte after just one season, Deadline Hollywood reports. The eight-episode series got off to a fairly strong start, with mostly positive reviews and solid ratings, albeit lower than prior Star Wars series. But it couldn't maintain and build upon that early momentum, and given the production costs, it's not especially surprising that Disney pulled the plug.

The Acolyte arguably wrapped up its major narrative arc pretty neatly in the season finale, but it also took pains to set the stage for a possible sophomore season. In this streaming age, no series is ever guaranteed renewal. Still, it would have been nice to see what showrunner Leslye Headland had planned; when given the chance, many shows hit their stride on those second-season outings.

(Spoilers for the series below. We'll give you another heads-up when we get to major spoilers.)

Read 9 remaining paragraphs | Comments

The Acolyte wasn’t perfect, but it did break new narrative ground in Star Wars, a franchise often haunted by Force ghosts and endlessly recurring characters. Led by Leslye Headland, the Disney+ series dared to reevaluate decades-old tropes, unpack the flaws of the Jedi Order, and play with the space sandbox setting in…

Read more...

Star Wars: The Acolyte was a divisive, uneven, and daring stab at a different type of Jedi story. But decent reviews and an average viewership apparently wasn’t enough to convince Disney to invest in its future. The streaming platform is canceling Acolyte after just one season.

Read more...

We’re in the thick of summer right now, and while many of us are already looking forward to the cooler days and changing colors of fall, we shouldn’t miss the chance to snag some great games on the cheap as various platforms run their big summer sales. We’ll clue you in on some of the biggest deals on some of the best…

Read more...

This is a big one, folks: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR). It’s one of the most well-regarded Star Wars video games of all time. I was a young, barely-millennial at the time of its release. As such, this behemoth RPG was overshadowed by flashier titles like Podracer and Jedi Academy.

However, in light of the highly anticipated remake/remaster coming… hopefully at some point… This felt like the perfect time to finally dive into the golden child of Star Wars games. After twenty years (don’t remind me), does the game still shine?

For years, fans of the galaxy far, far away have been begging for the story and lore established in KOTOR to become part of the larger canon. Nearly all hope was lost when Disney seemingly tossed decades of content into the trash. But in the darkest night (that night being The Rise of Skywalker), hope was rekindled. A giant, albeit blurry, statue in the background of Exegol looked like Darth Nihilus, a villain from the KOTOR sequel. The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary confirmed Revan as canon. So, KOTOR is indeed canon again, even if only partially.

With this ‘Legends’ game back in the conversation, the major standout is the story of KOTOR. Not only does it hold up, it remains one of the most captivating in all of Star Wars. Getting to truly experience it for the first time after all these years was a joy in and of itself. The story, though, is arguably the absolute highlight of the game. It’s enough in this case, but that’s not always the best for video games.

A long time ago…

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic takes place nearly four thousand years before the events of the Skywalker Saga. This era, like the entire history of this fictional galaxy, is rife with war and hardship. The war between the Republic and the Mandalorians has just ended. Taking advantage of the chaos, hundreds of Jedi turn to the dark side and join the Sith. Led by Darth Revan and his apprentice, Darth Malak, the Sith hope to extinguish the Jedi and the Republic. This is where your adventure begins.

After choosing your basic appearance and base class, you wake up on a starship with no memories. Your class choice arguably makes the most difference in this early section as it’s part of your backstory. Other than that, your starting class isn’t a make-or-break choice. You can tailor your team’s skills around any weak points you develop. I went with the Soldier class to give me an edge with basic attacks.

You wake up on the Endar Spire, in the middle of a devastating attack by Sith forces. Before long, Carth Onasi, the renowned Republic soldier and pilot, saves you. You narrowly escape with him, and crash land on planet Taris, a crime-ridden, anti-alien world. The crash landing triggers a vision of Jedi Bastila Shan. She is presumed captured somewhere on the planet.

Follow your own path

Taris is a hellish introduction to the play style. You’ll spend a lot of time deep underground and in sewers, fighting gangs and all manner of creepy creatures. Your first major mission is to save Bastila from the Vulkar Gang. As it turns out though, she doesn’t exactly need your help. Bastila immediately notices something strange about you, though. It seems you two share a mysterious connection.

After seeking guidance from the Jedi Council on Dantooine, you can officially begin your free-roaming journey as a force-sensitive fighter. Acknowledging your connection to Bastila, the council instructs the two of you to track down pieces of a Star Map. The combined maps reveal the location of a secret base called the Star Forge. You must find the Star Forge, before the Sith use it to conquer the galaxy. There’s actually a lot more to it than that, but the story has a beautiful way of unfolding as you go.

There’s a section of the game that always occurs after leaving your second planet, whichever that may be. After Taris and Dantooine, my order of travel was Tatooine, Kashyyyk, Manaan, then Korriban. This accelerated my story with Bastila, but you can go in any order you choose. Many choose Kashyyk, then Tatooine.

From a certain point of view

Other than the story itself, KOTOR’s crowning achievement is its freedom of choice. Beyond choosing the path of your story, the game has a rigorous morality engine. Nearly every quest has the potential to gain you light side (good) points or dark side (evil) points.

What’s truly brilliant about this mechanic is that choosing the light side usually makes things harder for you. It’s a great reflection of real life. Of course it’s easier to threaten shop owners than to pay prices you can’t afford! And it’s definitely harder to de-escalate a feud than to blast everyone. That’s a wonderful lesson to teach younger players, and is in line with the philosophy of the Force.

The main events of the plot unfold as you choose which planets to visit first. There’s so much to do, and many ways to do nearly everything. From swoop racing to playing Pazaak, there are tons of side quests with multiple endings. There are even quests that, if you plan to be purely light side, you can’t (or shouldn’t) do! For example, The Genoharadan bounties are essentially a dark-side-only questline.

Your choices also change little things, like the way your companions talk to you. You accumulate a team of nine companions, including a Wookie, a Mandalorian, and three Jedi, including Bastila. Dipping more into the dark side changes the way Bastila relates to you most of all.

If you take the dark path, she’ll express her worry and outrage over your choices. Dark side choices even make her question her own choices, and whether she could defy the Jedi code. How you respond to Bastila (or Carth if you play as a woman) even determines whether a romance option becomes available. The romances are quite spicy, and frankly, a little devastating.

I have a bad feeling about this

The gameplay itself, at times, doesn’t quite hold up. Setting aside the fact that the graphics haven’t aged extremely well, there are more than a few portions of the map that are essentially just very long walks. Perhaps beautiful at the time, it feels a little monotonous in 2023.

The only version of quick travel is the ability to return immediately to your ship and then back to your last location. This action heals you automatically, which is great, but it did cause the game to crash more than once for me. Save often!

The fighting style is, from a certain point of view, rather genius. It’s a turn-based combat system with a wide variety of moves and bonuses. It allows you to strategize attacks and coordinate between team members smoothly. However, it feels stuck between styles. There’s more traditional turn-based combat systems like Fire Emblem, and there’s the real-time fights like in The Force Unleashed.

In KOTOR, having to stack moves or change strategies on the fly makes the combat feel delayed and a bit clunky. The satisfaction of a lightsaber strike is diminished when it takes up to 10 seconds for a strike to land.

With so much to do and such belabored lore, the sheer amount of alien dialogue can start to feel a little maddening. Overall, though, these issues are generally small potatoes. There are hundreds of opportunities for varying levels of combat. With a forgiving attitude, the scenery is often quite gorgeous. If you’re a Star Wars nerd, there’s hours of fun characters and history to discover. There’s a reason so many people love Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

Black mirror

*MAJOR SPOILERS IN THIS SECTION!*

I have to mention one of the most surprising and horrifying side-quests of any game I’ve ever played. On Dantooine, a woman informs you that her droid, the last memento of her dead husband, has been stolen. She tasks you with finding him and bringing him back. However, upon asking her a few questions, it becomes evident that this droid broke out of her house. The plot thickens…

You find her droid being attacked by Kath hounds. He tells you that his master, the woman, is addicted to him and treats him as her husband. Even at night… in bed… the droid is implied to be a sex slave! In a T-rated Star Wars game!

To earn light side points for this mission, you must grant the droid’s request to be taken out of his misery. You have to mercy kill him and condemn the woman for her actions. It’s randomly one of the darkest moments in the game. But she finds new love, so it all works out? We need justice for droids in Star Wars.

In the realm of spoilers, it’s worth noting that the big twist in this game (you are Darth Revan) has a detrimental effect on a romance with Bastila. You can choose to forgive her for manipulating and essentially re-creating you (not a great basis for a healthy relationship). If you try to profess your love after rescuing her, though, she basically blames your love on her fall to the dark side. Yeesh. At least it’s a great example of why the Jedi discourage romance. “Bastila, you’re breaking my heart.“

Final thoughts on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, after 20 years, mostly lives up to its stellar reputation. It’s an incredible story with engaging twists and turns. The combat is varied and well-animated for its time. While there were some bugs, glitches, and a couple of crashes, I was playing on the Switch. It could be that the Aspyr port has trouble with a smaller capacity system.

It’s clear that KOTOR has had massive ripple effects across the Star Wars fandom and the world of gaming itself. While the remake is still far from release, we all wait with anticipation. In the meantime, give in to your hatred nostalgia and play this vintage, timeless gem.

The post RETRO REVIEW: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic [Switch] appeared first on Mega Visions.

Everybody has several games that mean quite a lot to them. For me, one of these games is Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. I not only grew up with this game, but I also have a lot of memories of this game. Outside of that, I also met some amazing friends through the community behind this game. I even did several speedruns of this game, and I’m an active member of the community. Now, color me surprised that 25 years after the release of this game, we got new fan-made content for this game. Not just fan made content in the style of fan patches to solve bugs with the game, a whole new level and promises of a level editor to create even more new custom content. This blew me off my socks and in today’s article I want to talk about it. So strap in and let’s get ready to play new content for one of the best Indiana Jones games ever made.

The new level – SED

There is a speedrunning discord server for this game. Well, it was a speedrunning discord server but for a few years now, this server has grown into a server of people who appreciate this game. If you want to join this discord, here is an invite link. When the server started to grow, several modders joined our server. One of these modders is going under the name of Urgon (currently) and what we didn’t know is that he was decompiling the whole game. Not only that, he was creating a level editor based upon an existing level editor.

This existing level editor is for Star Wars Jedi Knight & Mysteries of the Sith. Those games used an engine that formed the basis for the Jones3D engine. While he was developing that editor, he tested his skills by creating a new level. So, basically, parts of this new level are tests of the new level editor and what you can do with it.

Now, information about this new level and the download link can be found at this GitHub repository. If you want to download the actual level, you have to go to this page and click the green button named “Code”. In that dropdown, you can choose “download zip”. You’ll need that later if you want to install/play this custom level. Now, if you read the pre-mod or the installation instructions for this level, you might feel overwhelmed if you aren’t very technically inclined. That’s why two community members wrote two special tools to aid you in preparing your game.

You might ask yourself, like Klamath did in at the end of our stream of this custom level, why are there two tools for basically the same? Well, let me tell you the history about it. When I wanted to play the custom level, I had a bit of trouble myself while figuring out the tutorial. I also found that the required steps were quite a lot to do. So, I decided to start writing a PowerShell script that did all the steps. I announced that in the Indy3D discord that I was writing this. When I almost completed my tool, the_Kovic dropped his version of the tool.

Personally, I didn’t want to throw my work out the window and continued finishing my GUI version. When I finished, I didn’t convert my tool to an EXE and left it just as a script file you could run using a command line or a code editor. The next day, Kovic released a GUI version of his tool and I gave some feedback on his tool. In the days after that, I created an EXE version of my tool and we both kept adding features in our tool. He wrote his tool in C#, which is a bit friendlier to create an EXE. If I didn’t release my first version as a script only and converted it to an EXE, I think it might have been less overwhelming for people.

That said, Kovic thanked me for creating my tool since like he said on our stream: “It put my butt into gear to create a tool and write a GUI, which I normally don’t write“. On top of that, our tools aren’t meant to compete with each other. I can’t write C# and Kovic can’t write PowerShell. And it would be a shame to just delete work because somebody else was quicker or made their tool more user-friendly first. The result now is that we both have two very strong tools with a very similar, maybe even completely the same, feature set.

Outside a different choice of coding language, the biggest differences between both our tools are under the hood. In Kovic’s tool, you get more files than in my tool when you download the tool. And that’s because to prepare your game for custom levels, you need to extract several files in the resource folder. The tool used for extraction has a bug where instead of extracting the folders of the archive into the resource folder, it extracts them into separate folders, like if you would extract a zip file. Kovic packs a modified version of this extraction tool so that part of the process goes a bit faster. In my version, the tool just downloads the latest official versions of the tool and prepare the game that way.

In the end, both our tools give you the same end result. They prepare your game to install custom levels and play them. If you want to try out the_kovic’s tool, you can find the latest version on this releases page. If you want to try our my tool, you can find it on this releases page. Feedback to our tools is always welcome! If you find an issue or if you have an idea, feel free to hit us up, and we will look into it.

Earlier I talked about a stream of the level we did. Klamath, the_Kovic and me did a live stream where we played through this level. Now, I have to emphasize that release of this level is an impressive technical achievement. Creating a level for a 3D game isn’t easy and requires a lot of work. It’s even more impressive when you know that not everything is documented about the engine, and you have to decompile a lot of it. In the next part of this article, I’m going to talk about the level itself and critique it.

If you don’t want spoilers, I’d advise you to skip that section for now and come back later. Now, I want to say that I start reviewing the level in a moment, but this feedback is mostly meant for people who want to make new custom content. What did this new level do right and wrong if you look at it as a player who doesn’t know the technical background of this level? This isn’t meant to break down the amazing work the modders did to make this work.

Reviewing the new level

Editorial note: this review will spoil quite a lot. If you don’t want to get spoiled, you have to skip this section of the article. This isn’t a walkthrough of the level either. Some sections are skipped, I’m only going to talk about the sections I want to talk about.

The new level takes place 25 years after the ending of the original game. Indy returns to his Canyonlands dig site. You are set loose at the tent where Sophia picked Indy up with a helicopter to start the Infernal Machine adventure.

In terms of new content, there isn’t a lot new to see. Some ladders are missing and some parts of the level are blocked off. Also, all treasures are missing that you would usually find in the level.

Before I continue, I want to mention that some parts of this level are made quite difficult on purpose. The developer wanted to give us the feeling we were young kids again, playing this game for the first time, and have us figure out the new puzzles by ourselves. Yet, finding a correct balance between difficulty and unfair is a very fine line to thread. Personally, I think that in some sections, the developer crossed the line into unfair level design.

When running on the top section, you notice that there are some new voice lines. These voice lines are made possible with a voice cloning AI tool that was trained on lines from Doug Lee, the original voice actor for this game. The new voice lines sound amazing, and if you didn’t know better, you’d think that Doug Lee came back to record the new lines. In most cases, these voice lines really fit Indy’s personality and fit right into the game.

We come to our first snag when we want to go to the new content. I can understand not seeing the shovel and being confused, since it’s hanging at the jeep on top. And you know what’s even more confusing, the other side of the jeep model has a shovel in its texture! Anyhow, when you pick up the shovel and dig up the Infernal Machine part, it’s clear that you need to break a wall. Here comes one of the worst parts of this level. The location of this cracked wall is insanely well hidden. It’s in one of the last places you’d look, and several of the first players ran around for hours upon hours in Canyonlands before it was found. And when it was found, it made us annoyed.

It’s a clear example of how players who are used to the level, overlooking the obvious. The wall you need to break has an actual cracked wall texture, but it’s behind something you can’t see through. I think it would have been fine if the location, where it is at, had a bigger ledge so you’d notice it somewhat instead of just having to go on a wild goose chase.

Now, we enter the new area. We come to a big open space where the next set of puzzles are. The first puzzle is actually a jumping puzzle. Now, I highly advise you to not play this level if you haven’t played through most of Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. Not that there are spoilers, but because some of the jumps in this level are straight up difficult and not what you really expect from this game. Kovic calls it “Kaizo Jones” for a good reason.

There are some small platforms and not having the look key working is going to be a pain in this section. Since, there are some moments where you need to be able to free look and not being able to see beneath or above you will make things a lot more tricky. After you finished these jumps, you might start to notice that the developer of this custom level added some details. Like, the rope bridges are gently moving in the wind. This is something that isn’t present in the original game. It’s a new “COG” script that makes that possible.

These cog scripts are a blessing for custom content. Since, this game isn’t hardcoded at all, so if you learn how to write these cog scripts, you can basically write new mechanics as well. It’s insane what possibilities there are going to be in the future for this game. I hope there is going to be good documentation so that custom level creaters know what’s possible and what’s impossible with the level editor.

While you are exploring this area, you notice that it’s huge. This also explains why it takes quite a while to load this level. Currently, modders are looking into why it’s running so slow. Since, we don’t really know if it’s the level size or something else slowing down the loading of this level.

So, after jumping around the central column, you’ll arive at the shed. Here you notice you can actually enter the shed from the top. Kovic explains it quite well during the stream. If you want to hear some technical explanations on how this level works, I’d advice you to watch our stream. Since there is a lot of interesting development talk in there. Later, Kovic and myself had a contest in trying to quote voice lines from the main game. We got close to 200. Kovic won that because I said a line he already said.

After you picked up everything from this shed and climbed outside, you experience another new mechanic of this game. It’s a mechanic that gets backported from Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb. The fact you can use your whip to go over a zipline.

After you returned and struggled with getting across the other bridge, you will encounter other parts of this level. Here you’ll encounter two voice lines that straight up lie to you. The first voice line is that you need more force, explosives to break a rock that’s blocking your way forwards. Here is the issue with that, you get an explosive barrel later. You need to find an extremely hidden swim tunnel in the water. It’s not the only hidden thing in the water, so investigate behind and underneath rocks quite well. Since, these puzzles in this water border in the unfair territory. What makes that explosive voice line even more evil is that there is a box of TNT in the shed earlier. But what’s the second voice line that lies to you?

Well, that is after you made your way past said boulder. You find a minecart and interacting with it, Indy says that it will run with gasoline. And there is still gasoline left in the shed. Sadly, you can’t pick it up anymore. Now, this is a red haring, you don’t need this minecart at all.

By now, you have learned that this level likes to break the rules of how the main game is designed. You’ll have to think outside of the box sometimes to beat this level. But, for some jumps, you need to use your knowledge of what’s possible and impossible to progress. This makes it quite tricky sometimes to progress. And this brings me to a conclusion we also said on stream. I think that the issue is that people expected a more tame level than what we actually got and that might turn some people off. But, I’m so glad that the quick save system exists in this game. So, abuse the quick save system and make multiple saves since you’ll need them if you aren’t a veteran player of this game.

Anyhow, let’s get back into the flow of the level. After we completed the lever puzzle, we go back towards to the huge open area and take the lift to a new location. What follows is a totally new area where it’s a good thing if you saved up on health packs and you have a great sense of direction.

So, the short minecart ridge comes to an end. It doesn’t take long before you find yourself into a watermaze. This watermaze is unfair in my honest opinion. Klamath had a tricky time solving it and he had to use almost every health pack to get through it. Without Kovic pointing out the right tunnel, I think it would have made the stream quite a bit longer. There was supposed to be a minecart section instead of this swimming maze, but the developer had a hard time making the minecart section to work and he gave up and made this swimming maze.

Now, I’m all fine with this swimming maze, but the map glitches out at certain parts. I have a mediocre sense of direction and I wanted to rely on the map. The map doesn’t always render the tunnels correctly. You sometimes swim off the map or “in nothingness”. Sadly, I have to draw my own map. I wish I still had it, since it would make for a nice screenshot here… But I threw it out but me and my clumsiness… I knocked over my waterbottle over it.

After the swimming maze, we get a new section of “Kaizo Jones”. Where we get some extremely tricky platforming. Here is where you need to use the look key again and be sure you are playing in 4:3. If you are playing in another resolution like 16:9 or 16:10, this will also be one of the moments where you don’t see all the information.

The block puzzle that follows, feels right out of Tomb Raider. The initial reviews of this game called out this game as a Tomb Raider clone. While, this game does the formula a whole lot differently. We even talked about that during the stream. In terms of theming, Infernal Machine is a lot better. Tomb Raider feels like obstacle courses. But that’s thanks to a different engine and control style. If you want to hear the whole discussion, you can watch the stream from this point. Excuse Kovic’s internet being spotty while he was replying.

After the block puzzle, a new path opens in the swim maze. Then, some platforming comes. Something I love is how there is even a troll hidden inside the platforming. It caught me off guard and made me smile. This platforming section was also love to do. It felt like a real test on how well I know the game. This platforming section feels a lot better put together and feel less cryptic on where you need to go next. You really start to notice that the developer was getting more used to the level editor and made better puzzles. The moment of having to use the whip to swing over the gap while the platform underneath you was breaking was amazing.

After that, we get into the finale of this level. We jump into a portal and we land in a playable area which is shown at the end of Shambala, the 4th level in the original game. That area that’s shown to you after you have beaten the Ice Guardian. The path that takes you to Palawan Lagoon. It was possible to explore that using cheats and modified saves, but now it’s in a level for real. Exploring the little house at the end brings us to something you totally don’t expect this custom level to do. You’ll find a parchment inside with a riddle and at the end you notice something in red saying: “MAT -> ZIP”.

There is some meta gaming now going on. You’ll need to make a hard save and exit your game. You’ll need to go to your resource folder & then open the MAT folder. In there you’ll need to rename “SED.MAT” to “SED.ZIP”. You’ll also need to enter the password for the zip, since you get a new cog script to continue the level, which you need to place in your cog folder. In there, there is another surprise. But, that’s something I’m not going to spoil. But, be sure that Kovic is playing with that surprise and maybe I’m going to dig into it. PS, the next paragraph is in white with the right spelling of the password:

Marcus

The way the level ends is bittersweet. If you solve the final puzzle, something special happens and you can beat the level. You could argue that the ending of this level is “lazy” or “creative”… But, it’s an amazing way to wrap up the story in one level with a nice bow.

At the start of the custom level, I felt that it was quite rough around the edges and it had some moments that felt badly designed. In terms of game design that is. If you look at it visually and level flow wise, I personally think that this level would fit right into the original game as a final challenge. But, the further you go into the level, the more you start to notice that the developer of this level is getting used to the tools and the editor and more polished puzzles and area’s are coming through. You notice the journey of the developer and see it becoming better and better.

I want to give a big congrats to everybody who was involved in releasing this custom level. It’s a blast to play and I can’t wait to see more custom levels. The stream I did with this level was one of the best streams ever and it was also quite a lot of fun to write the tool to help people play this custom level. I’m curious what you think about this custom level and/or the content of this article. Feel free to drop something in the comment section down below.

And with that, I have said everything I wanted to say about this for now. I want to thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to welcome you back in another article but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.

California Extreme 2024 brought together retro gamers along with fans of the arcade for a nostalgic weekend.

The post The Games We Replayed at California Extreme 2024 appeared first on 8Bit/Digi.

Oyster Wars is a challenging non-linear pixel art platformer where an angry fisherman uses a hook-shot as he seeks revenge on a greedy CEO.

In Oyster Wars you take on the role of Wade – a disgruntled fisherman who sets out to take down the greedy corporation that fired him. Traversing the game’s large non-linear world is tricky but you have a nifty hook-shot that … Read More

Source

Star Wars Outlaws is a modern AAA video game launching in 2024 which means that, of course, Ubisoft has released a road map filled with upcoming content for the open-world action game, despite it not even being out yet.

Read more...

It’s been a helluva week for video games, with mass layoffs at Destiny 2 studio Bungie, and a few hands-ons for upcoming high-profile releases like Marvel Rivals and Star Wars Outlaws. As usual, we weighed in on the goings-on of the week, so click through to read all of our big opinions and spicy takes.

Read more...

San Diego Comic-Con is always one of the best events when it comes to cosplay, with the vicinity to Hollywood giving us impressively detailed builds, stunning craftsmanship, and, quite frankly, gorgeous people. SDCC 2024 was no exception, with the three-day event that ran the last weekend in July at the San Diego…

Read more...

The free games for paid PS Plus subscribers in August have been revealed, and it’s another varied batch that potentially has something for everyone. While Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the big one, I’m most looking forward to more players getting their hands on an often overlooked 2D action-RPG from several…

Read more...

Ubisoft says Star Wars Outlaws is the first open-world video game based on the popular sci-fi franchise. But it also offers another first: In a new trailer for Outlaws that debuted at Ubisoft Forward 2024, we see our first canonical example of an in-universe video game in Star Wars.

Read more...

On June 10, Ubisoft held its annual Ubisoft Forward event as the final big event of Summer Game Fest 2024. The show was a bit subdued compared to past years, but we did get a huge look at Star Wars Outlaws, which is set to launch on August 30, 2024 on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.

Read more...

Today’s Xbox Games Showcase was a nice, healthy dose of what’s on the horizon for Team Green (and maybe a few other platforms?). In the midst of it all Starfield, Bethesda’s enormous space RPG with over 1,000 planets, got a nice trailer for its upcoming expansion, Shattered Space and from the looks of it, it’s clear…

Read more...

Sony has announced next month's PlayStation Plus games.

From 4th June, all PS Plus members will be able to get their hands on the following three games:

Then on 11th June, those on the Premium tier will also be able to get their hands on the following PS2 games, as part of the Classics Catalogue:

Read more

Not one to rest on its laurels, the makers of Oreo cookies are following up the Sour Patch Kids Oreos with Star Wars Oreos. They actually look really cool.

Available in two unique packs made with classic OREO chocolate wafer cookies, each pack has either dark side cookies with red creme or light side cookies with blue creme.

— Read the rest

The post Star Wars Oreos contain "Kyber" crystals appeared first on Boing Boing.

V roce 2598 se svět změnil k nepoznání. Katastrofy a války zničily staré civilizace, zanechávající za sebou trosky, v nichž se zrodily nové mocnosti. Kultové, představující zbytky kdysi mocných organizací, nyní ovládají společnost a kulturu pomocí své neotřesitelné dominance. Naproti tomu Klany, suroví a divocí bojovníci, byli vytlačeni na okraj existence, ale nyní se vracejí s jediným cílem – zničit své prastaré nepřátele a získat zpět, co jim bylo ukradeno. Tento nemilosrdný boj o přežití a nadvládu určuje osud celé zničené Evropy.

Společnost CMON nedávno zahájila crowdfundingovou kampaň na Gamefoundu pro svou novou deskovou hru Degenesis: Clan Wars. Tato hra je zasazena do temného postapokalyptického světa Evropy v roce 2598, kde se odehrává dramatický konflikt mezi dvěma hlavními frakcemi: Kulty a Klany. Kultové, představující 13 různých skupin, drží monopol na společnost a kulturu, zatímco Klany jsou divocí bojovníci, kteří byli vytlačeni na okraj civilizace a nyní se vrací, aby se pomstili a zničili své nepřátele.

Degenesis: Clan Wars je asymetrická taktická hra pro 2-5 hráčů s hrací dobou kolem 90 minut. Hráči se mohou buď přidat k Operativcům, kteří chrání Protektorát, nebo se stát Hostilem, velitelem nepřátelských Klanů. Hra je vypadá, že hráče se bude snažit nejen příběhovým pozadím, ale nabízí i kombinaci kooperativních a kompetitivních prvků, což zajišťuje vysokou znovuhratelnost a intenzivní zážitky při každé hře.

Kampaň na Gamefoundu nabízí různé úrovně podpory a několik exkluzivních bonusů pro backery. Podpora této kampaně zahrnuje nejen základní hru, ale také rozšíření a další herní prvky, které obohacují zážitek z hraní. Pro mě osobně je tak jen otázkou, zda se spojení CMON a ADC Blackfire „přetaví“ do českého vydání této zajímavě vypadající hry.

Článek Degenesis: Clan Wars – Válka frakcí v temném světě budoucnosti se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.

Added a new code!

Lords Mobile: Kingdom Wars is a real-time strategy mobile game developed by IGG. It is one of the most popular online multiplayer games in which the players build their base and army to attack enemy bases and capture them. To go about it better, players can earn boosts, gold, shields, or buy premium items like the incinerator or braveheart using diamonds. However, if you don’t have enough items or diamonds to buy them, you can use the promo codes listed below to claim some of them for free.

Lords Mobile: Kingdom Wars promo codes can be found via the official social media handles or through influencers, but remember that some promo codes are account-specific and might not necessarily work for everyone. Also, try to redeem them as soon as possible, as they expire after a certain amount of time has passed.

Active Lords Mobile Codes

• LMKOFXV2024—Redeem code for Coins and Materials (New)
• EGGCELLENT—Redeem code for Coins and Materials
• LMGK2024—Redeem code for Coins and Materials
• LMINLOVE2024—Redeem code for Coins and Materials
• CELEBREIGHT—Redeem code for Coins and Materials
• LMPAGANI2024—Redeem code for Coins and Materials
• HAPPY2024—Redeem code for Coins and Materials
• LETITSNOW—Redeem code for Coins and Materials
• LMSHREK2023—Redeem code for Coins and Materials
• THXLORDS2023—Redeem code for Coins and Materials
• SPOOKY2023—Redeem code for Coins and Materials
• GUILDMATES—Redeem code 3k Linked Gems
• LMACW2023—Redeem code for Coins and Materials
• VIETNAM777—Video Code
• BARRY777—Video Code
• IGG17TH—Redeem code for Coins and Materials
• LM2023HTTYD—Redeem code for Coins and Materials
• LM2023EASTER—Redeem code for 1 Artifact Coin, 2k Energy, 60 minutes Speed up Research, Random Relocator, 500k Food, 150k Stone, 150k Timber, 150k Ore, and 50k Gold
• EMBRACEEQUITY—Redeem code for 1 Artifact Coin, 2k Energy, 60 minutes Speed up Research, Random Relocator, 500k Food, 150k Stone, 150k Timber, 150k Ore, and 50k Gold
• LM7YEARS—Redeem code for 25% Ore Boost x10, 25% Player EXP Boost, 1K Energy x10, Speed Up Research x10 (10 Min), 25% Stone Boost x10, x10 Speed Up Training (10 Min), 25% Food Boost x10, 25% Timber Boost x10, 25% Gold Boost x10
• LM2023—Redeem code for Night Raven Medals x10, 25% Ore Boost x10, 25% Player EXP Boost, 1K Energy x10, Speed Up Research x10 (10 Min), 25% Stone Boost x10, x10 Speed Up Training (10 Min), 25% Food Boost x10, 25% Timber Boost x10, 25% Gold Boost x10
• LM001—Redeem code for Speed Up (10 Min) x10, Speed Up Research (10 Min) x10, Incinerator Medals x10, Braveheart x1, 100 VIP Points x3, 150K Food x10, 50K Stone x10, 50K Ore x10, 50K Timber x10, and 50K Gold x10 (New players only)

Expired Codes

• LMINLOVE2023
• LM7YEARS
• CHRISTMAS2022
• 2022LORDSPARTY
• ADVENTURELOG
• BLUESTACKLM
• LM001
• LM2022

Where to find Lords Mobile: Kingdom Wars codes?

There are a few different options to find new Promo Codes when released. The quickest way to get your hands on new codes is to follow the different Lords Mobile: Kingdom Wars social media accounts, such as their Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. On the other hand, you can keep checking back to our guide and find all of the available codes regularly updated for your convenience.

How to redeem Lords Mobile: Kingdom Wars Promo Codes

1. First, you need to note your IGG ID or in-game name of Lords Mobile: Kingdom Wars.
2. Now, go to Lords Mobile: Kingdom Wars Exchange Center.
3. Enter your IGG ID or your in-game name and the Promo Code in their own respective boxes.
4. Click on the ‘Claim’ button and then open Lords Mobile: Kingdom Wars to collect your free reward from the in-game inbox.

There are countless LEGO sets available to purchase and, if you’re trying to keep to a certain budget, things can get a little complicated. With sets costing hundreds of dollars, it’s not always easy to find an affordable LEGO set to gift or hoard. 

However, as a collector with a child who is also turning into something of a LEGO fan, I’ve had to get thrifty, and I’ve become pretty good at finding LEGO sets on the cheaper side. On this list, I’ve included something for all tastes and the best part? None of these sets sell for more than $50 USD.

Bonsai Tree

Price: $49.99 USD

The Bonsai Tree LEGO set allows you to create not just one tree, but two. Well, almost. You can build one trunk and then have the choice between greenery or Cherry Blossoms to complete the look. I love this set and have it in my bedroom, changing the leaves depending on the season.

Venomized Groot (Marvel)

Price: $49.99 USD

I can’t be the only person whose favorite character from the Marvel universe is Groot, and this set combines him with another favorite - Venom. You can build this set to be either half-venomized or completely venomized, allowing for some customization and variety if you decide to deconstruct and build the set again. 

Dobby the House Elf (Harry Potter)

Price: $34.99 USD

One for the Harry Potter fans, Dobby the House Elf doesn’t come alone. You also get a LEGO version of Tom Riddle’s Diary from The Chamber of Secrets, complete with soggy sock, and the cake which results in bars being put on Harry’s window. Dobby’s giant green eyes and happy smile are just too cute.

Everyone is Awesome

Price: $34.99 USD

The Everyone is Awesome set is definitely a display piece, with its rainbow backing and solid color minifigs. Designed by Matthew Aston, it’s a celebration of inclusivity, positivity and kindness. Even if it’s not designed to be played with, this one’s still a pretty cool set to have. Bonus points if you can avoid getting the song stuck in your head.

Dinosaur Fossils: T. Rex Skull (Jurassic World)

Price: $39.99 USD

Even if you’re not that much of a fan of the Jurassic World franchise (though I’m unsure how you couldn’t be, at least when it comes to the original movie), this set looks really nice sitting on a shelf. You get both the T. Rex footprint and fossilized skull to display, as well as a small plaque relaying details about real-life T. Rex. 

Isabelle’s House Visit (Animal Crossing)

Price: $39.99 USD

Part of the fairly recent inclusion of Animal Crossing as a LEGO collection, Isabelle’s House Visit includes not only the house and surrounding greenery, but also a floating present and two minifigs - Isabelle and Fauna - which complete the scene. The set has only 389 pieces, so it's one children can help with and enjoy dismantling just to put it back together again.

Orchid

Price: $49.99 USD

My fiancé purchased the Orchid set for me as a gift and we built it together, so I may be a little biased here, but I cannot overstate how good value this set is. It’s actually pretty big, standing at 15 inches tall, so it’s replaced the real plant on my dining table. I can attest that, as someone who is terrible at keeping houseplants alive, LEGO flowers are an excellent alternative!

Escape from the Lost Tomb (Indiana Jones)

Price: $39.99 USD

If you’re a fan of the Indiana Jones franchise, or Egyptian iconology, or just LEGO in general and hankering to build something, the Escape from the Lost Tomb set is good value for money. It has 600 pieces and, when built, has interactive parts which make it good for both kids and adults. 

Spider Tank (Star Wars)

Price: $49.99 USD

This mechanical spider from the Mandalorian comes with three minifigs: The Mandalorian himself, Grogu, and Bo-Katan Kryze. The Spider Tank itself has a shooting function, designed to fling tiny bits of LEGO across the living room for you to find hours later once the kids are in bed, so I’d argue that this one should be kept out of small kids, lest your feet feel the force of the LEGO step.

The Sword Outpost (Minecraft)

Price: $44.99 USD

I have to admit, my first thought when the Minecraft collection of LEGO was announced was, “What took them so long?”. I mean, it’s a world built entirely from blocks so it just makes sense to make things from the game out of LEGO. Well, this is one of the sets now available from the Minecraft LEGO collection, including an oversized version of a Diamond Sword and multiple minifigs, like the adorably blocky pig.

The post 10 most affordable LEGO sets that won’t break the bank appeared first on Destructoid.

It looks like PS2 game Star Wars: The Clone Wars will join PS Plus next month.

As spotted by PlayStation Store price tracker PS Deals (thanks Gematsu), the game will release on 11th June and will likely be part of the next wave of classics available to Premium subscribers.

This version of the game will include new modern features, including up-rendering, rewind and quick save functions, and custom video filters.

Read more