Gaming News

'The Technology Is Just Better': Why Counter-Strike Pros Are Loving a New Mouse That Reduces the Time It Takes to Fire Their First Shot by Up to 30ms

Logitech's new X2 Superstrike mouse is said to be "taking over" the PGL Cluj Napoca Counter-Strike 2 tournament, with multiple players on five top teams trading their previous picks for the faster-clicking mouse released this month. In all, 13 players out of the 50 still remaining in tournament contention are wielding the Superstrike, including players on Navi, The Mongolz, Falcons, Furia and G2. That's a surprisingly high number for a mouse that has only been officially available for a few days, especially with how conservative pro players tend to be when it comes to changing to new equipment for fear of a performance drop-off as they adapt. Users in the /r/mousereview subreddit first clocked the trend in the PGL tournament, which is...

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Replaced Release Date Delayed Again, Less Than a Month From Launch

Replaced developer Sad Cat Studios has announced a delay to its 2.5D cyberpunk game, just three weeks shy of its planned launch. Instead of arriving on March 12, the retro-futuristic platformer will now debut on April 14 — a move that Sad Cat said was decided upon following the response to its Steam demo. "As a small team working on our very first title, we've poured everything we have into this project," the studio wrote in a statement shared on X/Twitter. "While the game is technically finished, reaching this final stretch has shown us that we need just a few more weeks to ensure the experience is exactly what you deserve. We want the version of Replaced you play on day one to be polished, stable, and true to the vision we've shared...

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People Are Arguing Over Whether Crimson Desert Is an RPG and It's Not Even Out Yet

Is Crimson Desert an RPG? Does it even matter? What is an RPG anyway? Those are questions sparked by the hotly anticipated “open-world action-adventure” game as it nears release, and it’s fair to say there is a variety of opinion. Let’s start with developer Pearl Abyss’ official description of its own game: Pearl Abyss does not call Crimson Desert an RPG here. Nor does it call the game a ‘soulslike,’ which I’ve seen some wonder about. It’s an “open-world action-adventure” game, and it’s as simple as that. But why are people wondering if it’s an RPG in the first place? X / Twitter user Synth Potato kicked things off by posting about how progression works in Crimson Desert, declaring the game not to be an RPG. That’s because it...

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Bethesda Deploys Patch to Address The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Nintendo Switch 2 Performance Woes

Bethesda has issued a new patch to address issues plaguing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's Nintendo Switch 2 port. Bethesda shadowdropped the The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Anniversary Edition for Switch 2 last December. However, just a day after Bethesda announced and launched The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Nintendo Switch 2, fans reported that the game had arrived with notable performance issues. There were widespread complaints about input lag and the locked 30 frames per second visuals. And there has been criticism, too, of the fact the game hogs 53GB of space on the Switch 2's relatively limited internal memory, compared to just 25GB on PC. Update 1.2 addresses many of the complaints players have raised over the last couple of...

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Konami Quietly Removes Original Versions of Metal Gear Solid 4 and Peace Walker From Sale After Collection Vol. 2 Announcement

Konami has removed two Metal Gear games, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, from digital storefronts. The Japanese company finally revealed Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 at last week's State of Play showcase, promising to re-release Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for PC and consoles this August. While it's exciting that two classic tactical espionage action titles are getting touch-ups, more importantly, it means MGS4 will finally be playable on something other than PS3 when the collection launches August 27, 2026. Shortly after that announcement, however, players noticed that the two games included in the collection had been pulled...

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Here's What's New in Monster Hunter Wilds Patch 1.041

Monster Hunter Wilds patch 1.041 is now live, and it's a big one. Marking the game's anniversary, from now until March 18, there'll be a login bonus plus rotations of past Festivals of Accord. And, as we learned last week, we're also getting the Arch-Tempered Arkveld, 10-star Arc-Tempered monsters, a special collaboration with Monster Hunter Stories 3 — a spin-off series that releases next month — plus an anniversary event where all previous awards and quests will be "re-available." We also learned last week that Monster Hunter Wilds will welcome a "large-scale" expansion later this year. Addressing fans in a video celebrating the open-world adventure game's first anniversary, series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto teased that this expansion...

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World of Warcraft Now Has a Zillow for Player Housing

Blizzard has partnered with real estate website Zillow to create Zillow for Warcraft, a goofy Zillow-like website intended to promote the game's new player housing feature with humor, information, and a free in-game item. The website, accessible at zillowforwarcraft.com or zillow.com/warcraft, is, to be clear, a goof. At the moment, it doesn't seem to be showing off actual houses built by real players. It instead has a curated selection of both Horde and Alliance homes that seem to be intended more to offer inspiration to players working on their own homes than anything. Besides, it's not like you can actually buy someone else's fully built and decorated house in the game, anyway. The website is cute, though. It's got a handful of...

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Tencent Was Quietly Backing Highguard Studio, According to Report

Highguard, the free-to-play PvP "raid shooter" announced at The Game Awards last year and released to preemptive criticism and mockery only for most of its developers to be laid off just weeks after launch, was apparently financially backed by Tencent, according to a report. This comes from Game File, which reports that the Chinese gaming mogul was the primary financial backer behind developer Wildlight Entertainment, an arrangement that was not publicly shared by either company. Prior to this report, it was unclear who was funding Wildlight, despite Highguard seemingly being in development for a number of years prior to its announcement at The Game Awards in December. Its official LinkedIn page has long included the line that...

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WWE 2K26: Here’s What Comes in Each Edition

WWE 2K26 is set to release for PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on March 13 — unless you order one of the more expensive editions, which come out March 6. This year’s standard edition features CM Punk on the cover, but three pricier editions are available as well, all of which come with extra stuff. One of them features Triple H on the cover. All are available to preorder now (see it at Target), so let’s dive into what comes in each edition, how much they cost, where they’re available, and more. WWE 2K26 Standard Edition - $69.99 Target - PS5 | Switch 2 | Xbox Best Buy - PS5 | Switch 2 | Xbox Walmart - PS5 | Switch 2 | Xbox GameStop - PS5 | Switch 2 | Xbox | PC Digital Copy - PS5 | Switch 2 | Xbox | PC The standard...

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Arc Raiders Dev Says Players Who Used 'Recent Exploits' Will Face Warnings and Suspensions Starting This Week

Embark Studios is keeping its promise to take action against players who took advantage of duplication exploits and other glitches in Arc Raiders by issuing warnings and suspensions. The developer behind the popular survival shooter offered an update for its ongoing cheater crackdown with a blog post on its website. While its efforts to stamp out nefarious Raiders began last month, the message arrives as a sign that it shows no signs of slowing anytime soon. Embark promised to subject those who utilized exploits to “further review and possible penalties” with the launch of last week’s 1.15.0 update. Today’s message follows up on that promise, offering a detailed explanation as to why it’s taken the team some time to issue a response...

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As Early Copies of Resident Evil Requiem Appear in the Wild, Fans Warn That Now is the Time to Log Off in Order to Avoid Leaks

Early copies of Resident Evil Requiem have been glimpsed in the wild — meaning it is now time to take action to avoid spoilers, fans have warned, such as the ultimate fate of Leon S. Kennedy in Capcom's hugely anticipated game. Requiem has been pitched by Capcom as a special title in the series — one that returns to the franchise's origins to wrap up long-standing plotlines and feature fan-favorite characters — such as Leon, of course, but also what appears to be Sherry — as part of a much-anticipated return to Raccoon City. As the franchise celebrates its 30th anniversary, Resident Evil Requiem is believed by some fans to likely be the final time we see or play as some of these characters, as Capcom moves its franchise forward...

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Screamer Final Preview: Turning Every Race Into a Street Fight

Screamer doesn't ease you in. Within seconds of the first race, a car zoomed past me and detonated — parts scattering across a rain-slicked tunnel — because an opponent activated Strike mode and clipped the wall at full speed. That's the tone of this anime-inspired combat racer, which is kind of like Wipeout meets Mario Kart, but instead of picking up shells to shoot at the competition, every vehicle is equipped with a powerful device called the Echo, which gradually converts defensive energy into offensive firepower. Here, you have to weigh your decisions carefully instead of hoping to drive over a particular item. The satisfyingly complex resource management system underneath gives Screamer a tactical backbone that neither of those...

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Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss Still Needs More Danger in its Undersea Horror | IGN Preview

Seeing Cthulhu in the title of a game will, fairly or not, stack a pile of expectations on top of it as tall as the walls of R'lyeh. The Cosmic Abyss does meet some of them, focusing heavily on not just the physical danger involved in immersing oneself in the mysteries of lost and cursed history, but the mental toll as well. It exceeds some too, placing the well worn fictional mythos in a setting it doesn’t often get fit into. But the limited time I had with the first couple of chapters was soaked with the sinking fear that even though its puzzles and atmosphere were brain tickling, there weren't enough moments where the consequences of playing with this eldritch fire felt real or dangerous. Cthul-clue In the Lord’s Year of 2026...

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Microsoft Announces Xbox Game Pass February 2026 Wave 2 Lineup, Including Witcher 3 and Kingdom Come Deliverance 2

Microsoft has announced the Xbox Game Pass February 2026 Wave 2 lineup, which includes big hitters such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (and in its Complete Edition, no less) plus Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. As detailed in a post on Xbox Wire, available today, February 17, are Aerial_Knight’s DropShot (Cloud, Xbox Series X/S, Handheld, and PC) and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (Cloud, Xbox Series X/S, Handheld, and PC) for PC and Ultimate subscribers. Premium members also gain access to Avowed (Cloud, Xbox Series X/S, and PC) — as detailed in the first wave of February Xbox Game Pass titles announced several weeks ago. Coming later this week on February 19 is Death Howl (Cloud, Xbox Series X/S, Handheld, and PC), as well as EA Sports...

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The Rogue Prince of Persia Outlines 2026 Roadmap, Includes New Elements, Difficulties, Weapon Affixes, Tools, Parkour, And Arenas

While the promise of a Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake disappeared along with several other games earlier this year, Prince of Persia fans still have spin-off The Rogue Prince of Persia — and now its team has unveiled a sizable 2026 spring roadmap. Via Steam, developer Evil Empire wished its community a happy 2026, and confirmed the addition of a Flaming Horses tool as a nod to lunar new Year of the Horse. This tool unleashes a herd of flaming horses that "charge forward, leaving a burning trail behind them." "We’ve always wanted a burning tool that works like Altan’s Bracelets, and the year of the fire horse provided the perfect creative spark," the team teased. "Plus, when you talk about Persian culture, you have to talk...

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Valve Admits Steam Deck Is Experiencing Delays and Stock Issues Due to AI-Driven Memory Shortages

Valve has updated its website to acknowledge that customers in some regions are struggling to buy a Steam Deck "due to memory and storage shortages." Memory is in high demand because companies like Nvidia and Google require so much of it for their AI chips, with a recent CNBC report pointing out that these companies "are the first ones in line for the components." This has already pushed up RAM prices for consumer electronics, and has had a knock-on impact on both console retail prices and availability. Now, acknowledging a parts shortage that is delaying the build and shipment of its Steam Deck handhelds, Valve has confirmed earlier rumors of a supply issue, admitting the handheld may be "intermittently" out of stock in some...

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Almost a Year On, Assassin's Creed Shadows Post-Launch Support Continues With the Addition of a Jump Button

It's been almost a year since Assassin's Creed Shadows released, and Ubisoft is not done updating its feudal Japan-set stabathon. This month brings the addition of a manual jump option, alongside two other fan-requested changes. As part of the 1.1.8 update going live today, February 17, Ubisoft will add a manual jump option to the game (if you've toggled on your Advanced Parkour setting), which returns from previous titles in the series. Two other small additions are also set to become available: a detailed stat page so you can analyze your build in granular detail, and some visual improvements to when you make a critical hit. All of these changes had been requested by fans, so are likely to be positively received. That said, this...

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AU Deals: From Bananza to Wukong, These Discounts Actually Deserve Your Time and Moolah

There's a difference between a series of discounts and a bunch of price correction mistakes. Most of today's deals feel like the latter. A handful of these games are finally priced where their risk to reward ratio makes complete sense. I say get amongst them before they're goneski. Contents Retro Nintendo Xbox PlayStation PC LEGO This Day in Gaming 🎂 In retro news and with some serious overkill, I’m using a lightsaber to light 20 candles for Star Wars: Empire at War. This bad boy is an all-timer RTS and one of the best Star Wars tie-ins one could get in a sea of ordinary to bad ones. I remember being held in a Force Choke-esque thrall by its dual-layer strategy system: a galactic map for turn-based empire management and real-time...

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The Ultra-Slim Baseus Blade 20,000mAh 100W Power Bank Drops to $39.99 for Presidents Day

Looking for a high-capacity, high-output power bank with a slim footprint? For Presidents Day, Amazon has dropped the price of the Baseus Blade 20,000mAh 100W power bank to just $39.99 shipped after you apply coupon code "YBKEIAQE". Unlike previous iterations of this deal, you do NOT have to be an Amazon Prime member. Unlike most high-capacity power banks that are shaped like a chunky bar, the Baseus Blade is slimmer. It's powerful enough to charge any gaming handheld PC at its fastest rate. This is one of the most popular power banks on IGN. Baseus Blade 20,000mAh 100W Slim Power Bank for $39.99 The Baseus Blade measures only 0.7 inches thick. Most high-capacity power banks are well over 1" in thickness. The Blade achieves this slim...

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Star Wars: Galactic Racer Includes 'A Good Mix of Familiar Faces and New Characters,' Developer Says, Following Sebulba and Ben Quadinaros Reveals

Star Wars: Galactic Racer developer Fuse Games has said its racing adventure will feature a "good mix" of new faces and classic characters from a galaxy far, far away, following the reveal of Phantom Menace returnee Ben Quadinaros. Speaking to IGN as part of a wide-ranging interview on Star Wars: Galactic Racer's track-based design, story mode and innovative boost gameplay, creative director Kieran Crimmins teased that fans will be able to look forward to more characters from previous Star Wars movies and games joining the fray. "There's going to be a good mix of familiar faces and new characters," Crimmins said. "Obviously we want to get that mix right, so no matter what kind of Star Wars media you've engaged with, whether it be a...

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Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Is Back to Its Lowest Price So Far at Amazon

For PlayStation users, Amazon's been an excellent place to scoop up some new video games recently thanks to its big selection of discounted PS5 titles. At the moment, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is among the many options on sale right now at the retailer, but it's not just its PS5 version that's dropped in price. Both the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions are on sale at Amazon for $29.99 (50% off) and $29.60 (51% off), respectively. If this RPG - which we even awarded as a runner-up nominee in our awards list of the best RPGs of 2025 - has been on your wishlist, now is your chance to grab it at a great low price. Save on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 This is a low price worth taking advantage of while it's still live, too. According to...

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'This Is a Premium Experience. That Is the Transaction. Full Stop' — Crimson Desert Dev Rules Out Microtransactions or a Cosmetic Cash Shop

The developer of Crimson Desert has confirmed that the upcoming open world action adventure game does not have a cosmetic cash shop or microtransactions of any kind. Crimson Desert, due out March 19 priced $69.99, is set in a huge and seamless open world packed with enemies, NPCs, and all sorts of things to do. But one thing players won’t have to contend with is a cosmetic cash shop. “I can say that definitively: there is not a cosmetic cash shop,” Will Powers, director of marketing at Pearl Abyss America, told weekly talk show Dropped Frames (via @Okami13_). “This is made to be a premium experience that you buy and you enjoy the world, and not something for microtransactions. “It’s a monetization model. If you do free-to-play then...

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The Big Star Wars: Galactic Racer Interview — Why It's Not Open World, How Its Story Mode Works, and When It's Set

Following last week's Star Wars: Galactic Racer gameplay trailer reveal, I sat down with the game's makers for an in-depth chat revealing its new systems and story mode, and a proper discussion on why this marks the triumphant return of track-based racing, after so many open world games. Galactic Racer is the first project from British studio Fuse Games, which was founded in 2023 by a core of former colleagues from Criterion, the beloved band behind Burnout and later Need for Speed titles, before it got gobbled up to become part of Battlefield Studios. Now, as Fuse Games' team races towards a galaxy far, far away, I caught up with its CEO and founder Matt Webster, plus creative director Kieran Crimmins, for an intriguing chat on...

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Get an Exclusive Sneak Peek of The Art of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is widely regarded as another masterpiece from Kojima Productions, with all the sweeping scope, drama, and weirdness fans have come to expect. Now those fans can delve even deeper into this unique world with the release of Titan Books' The Art of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. IGN can exclusively reveal a new preview of The Art of Death Stranding 2 ahead of the book's release. Check it out in the slideshow gallery below: The Art of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a 240-page hardcover book featuring concept art from the game. The book offers a closer look at character designs, equipment, locations, and creatures from the game, with plenty of pieces from acclaimed artist Yoji Shinkawa. Here's the...

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Castlevania Veteran Koji Igarashi Vows to Finish Making Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement to Honor Deceased Director Shutaro Ida's Vision

Shutaro Ida has passed away aged 52 after a one-and-a-half year battle against pancreatic cancer. The news was announced by his family via a statement on Ida’s official X account on February 15. Longtime colleague Koji Igarashi has vowed to finish the designer and director’s upcoming metroidvania Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement, the sequel to 2019’s Castlevania-infused Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Shutaro Ida (sometimes romanized as Shutaro Iida) worked at Konami from 1996 to 2015, mainly as a programmer. His biggest contribution was to the Castlevania series. Starting with the GBA title Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and PS2 game Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, Ida played a key role in bringing the gothic action games into...

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'Let Us All Send This Poor Girl Positive Vibes' — Arthur Morgan Actor Roger Clark Reveals Cameo Apology Request From Man Who Deleted Fiancé's Red Dead

Arthur Morgan actor Roger Clark has revealed a Cameo apology request from a man who deleted his fiancé's Red Dead Redemption 2 save file. Clark said that while he really enjoys sending messages to fans on Cameo, he sometimes encounters particularly special ones. Posting a screenshot of one such recent request to X / Twitter, Clark wrote: "I really am blown away by the support you guys show me on Cameo. Thank you for liking my shoutouts. I enjoy them all, but it's ones like these below that I live for. Let us all send this poor girl positive vibes. At least her man knows what he did." For the 'occasion,' the Cameo requester wrote: "apology for deleting Red Dead saved game." In the instructions for Roger Clark, they added: "I just...

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Will Sony's Spider-Man Games Come to Xbox? 'Not Likely,' Insomniac Says

Could an Xbox version of Insomniac’s Spider-Man games eventually be released, given parent company Sony’s recent softening on multiplatform not just on PC, but with the likes of Helldivers 2 and Marathon coming to Microsoft’s console? Based on a comment from Insomniac itself, Xbox owners shouldn’t hold their breath. A fan replied to a tweet from Insomniac celebrating Valentine’s Day to ask about the possibility of Spider-Man swinging onto Xbox, and the developer’s response was pretty clear: “Not likely.” Now, you might say that’s obvious. But, as the replies have pointed out, once upon a time Insomniac ruled out Marvel's Spider-Man ever coming to PC, and it ended up making the jump from PlayStation exclusivity to personal computers...

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It Sounds Like Stellar Blade May Launch on Xbox and Nintendo Switch 2 This Year

The developer of Stellar Blade is looking to expand the game to more platforms, signalling a potential release on Xbox and Nintendo Switch 2. Korean studio Shift Up mentioned the move in the Q&A section of its most recent financial report. It said Stellar Blade had established itself as "a steady, long-tail IP, supported by sustained sales momentum and strong user reception since launch," and that the team was "reviewing platform expansion beyond PS5 and PC to broaden audience reach." "This approach is expected to both introduce the title to new players and gradually build anticipation for the next chapter in the series," Shift Up continued. That "next chapter" is, of course, sequel Stellar Blade 2, which is now in development. "We...

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AU Deals: Console Blockbusters And PC Classics For Loose Change

Some weeks feel curated. This one feels dangerous for anyone pretending they are done buying games for a while. I have played most of these, paid full freight for a few, and seeing them at these prices stings in the best way. Contents Retro Nintendo Xbox PlayStation PC LEGO This Day in Gaming 🎂 In retro news, I'm using a brazier-lit stick to light a 24-candle cake baked for Shadow of the Colossus. One of the most critically acclaimed and adored games of all time, SotC was an early games-as-art milestone, thanks to its minimalist landscape designs and the emotional weight of Wander's journey. Core memories for me: marvelling at the PS2-era "fur shell" tech and clocking the game 4 times to get into that Secret Garden. Aussie...

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Here's Why Rainbow Six Siege Didn't Add Metal Gear Solid's Cardboard Box as Well as Solid Snake

Rainbow Six Siege is getting Snake from Metal Gear Solid as a new Operator next month — but the game also nearly had a cardboard box item to hide in, too. Speaking to IGN, Rainbow Six Siege creative director Josh Mills confirmed that the idea had been discussed internally, but ultimately was dismissed pretty quick — and for good reason. Simply put, Siege fans know the game's maps too well. While hiding from enemies in a cardboard box might work against NPCs, Siege fans simply remember the game's levels too intricately to be tricked by a random package lying around. "Our players already know every inch of every map, and among the team we have a saying, Operator's eyes don’t lie," Mills told IGN. "So, if there were suddenly a box in...

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