This past weekend, TapTap Presents held its third annual digital mobile showcase and it featured world premiere titles as well as 24 games that are currently available to download and pre-register on the TapTap App. From Genshin Impact to CAPTAIN TSUBASA: ACE, there were a TON of exciting announcements, and we are here to share all the biggest details in this roundup.

Speaking of Genshin Impact, the incredibly popular open-world adventure RPG from HoYoverse revealed a revamped worldview perspective that will be available to play soon.

As for CAPTAIN TSUBASA: ACE, Mario Kart Tour and Pokemon Masters EX’s developer DeNA will be bringing the immersive soccer simulation game based on the anime of the same name to mobile devices. Alongside recreating scenes from the anime, fans will be able to play “high octane matches” wherever they may be.

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (TABS), the battle sim game that took Steam by storm in 2019 and lets players unofficially predict Game of Thrones battles and whether Steam was better than the Epic Games Store, will soon be getting the mobile treatment from developer XD Inc.

XD Inc. had a huge presence at TapTap Presents and came to the showcase with four other world premieres besides TABS Mobile, including a turn-based card RPG set in a metaphysic world called Etheria: Restart, a game development tool that is designed to be as easy to use as possible called Project SCE, a fantasy idle RPG called Go Go! Muffin, and a 3D remake of the exploration game Koi Remake.

Torchlight: Infinite, the latest entry in the dungeon-crawling RPG franchise, got a new gameplay trailer that revealed a new hero named Thea that will be available to players during the official Open Beta in October 2022.

Legendary video game composer Hitoshi Sakimoto, who is responsible for the music in such games as Final Fantasy, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, and 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, stopped by TapTap Presents to share a few details on his upcoming tactical strategy RPG Sword of Convallaria: For This World of Peace.

The open-world adventure narrative title Wuthering Waves from Kuro Game received a new trailer and the 3v3 hero shooter T3 Arena gave fans a tease of its upcoming season ‘Lights On’ and the newest hero YAA that is set to arrive on August 4, 2022.

ANNULUS, the game about breaking the rules of fate to save your world, is now available for pre-registration for those looking for a new turn-based strategy game with diverse gameplay from developer Idrasoft. Neon Abyss: Infinite, the upcoming roguelike that is set to feature unlimited item synergies and a unique dungeon evolution system, also shared the spotlight alongside such other games as NARAKA: BLADEPOINT Mobile, which is now available for pre-registration and is the mobile take on the action-adventure battle royale game developed by 24 Entertainment.

ANNO: MUTATIONEM, Heartopia, and Project Stars rounded out the TapTap Presents show, with ANNO confirming the cyberpunk pixel art action-adventure game that features a cyborg corgi would be getting an Open Beta this winter.

Heartopia made its big debut at TapTap Presents and showcased a new game that will let players build a new home and life in Heartopia alongside doing their best to bring love, relaxation, and healing into your town.

Lastly, Project Stars, which touts a sandbox environment with “infinite freedom” is set in a vast universe waiting to be explored and tasks you to team up with friends to build, fight, and survive together. Details of its next beta test will be released in the near future.

“We are excited to have concluded another successful showcase, introducing remarkable new titles to the TapTap community and gamers around the world,” said Huang Yimeng, Co-Founder and CEO of XD Inc. responsible for the production of TapTap Presents. “We strive to release quality content and generate new games of a higher caliber through the combined efforts of TapTap and XD Inc. It is through the support of our fans that we’re able continue these efforts and grow our audience year after year. It is because of this that we thank all who tuned in to the show and we look forward to seeing you all next year!”

TapTap is a mobile gaming oasis built on the pillars of the community and accessible gamer-to-developer connection. Co-founded in 2016 by XD Inc., TapTap hosts a wide variety of high-quality AAA and indie mobile titles, and aims to bond like-minded gamers through their favorite games. The platform allows players to connect with developers, content creators, and each other creating a united community of passionate individuals.

To learn more about the TapTap community, visit the official TapTap website.

Spoiler Warning: This article contains potential spoilers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Ahead of the release of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, new Spider-Verse toys have been appearing on the shelves of Target stores. While most of the toys relate to characters that have already been revealed, a few toys in particular seem to confirm the return of Spider-Punk, a Spider-Man variant from the comics.

As many fans took to Twitter to point out, one of the toys is titled "Spider-Punk Web Blast" and depicts the guitar of none other than Spider-Punk. Fans also noticed a Spider-Punk mask, which shows the character’s iconic horn mohawk.

The toys were also shown in a Youtube video posted yesterday.

Spider-Punk is finally going to get more recognition after all these years pic.twitter.com/i7N6BTerqZ

— malachi (@MCUMarvels) July 27, 2022

If these toys really do confirm the return of Spider-Punk, Across the Spider-Verse will mark the character’s first appearance in a movie. Spider-Punk, who is from Earth-138, was known for using both his electric guitar and his web powers as weapons in the comics.

Earlier this year, fans were given a first look at Across the Spider-Verse, the first 15 minutes of which gave glimpses into the lives of characters like Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, and Spider-Man 2099.

While not much else is known about which other Spider-variants might appear in the upcoming film, it’s clear that a lot of work has gone into the production process. Earlier this year, Sony revealed that it’ll have 40 characters, six universes, and the largest crew ever for an animated film.

After facing a delay, the movie will now be out on June 2, 2023.

Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN who loves all things indie and Nintendo. Outside of IGN, they've contributed to sites like Polygon and Rock Paper Shotgun. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.

Some strange things are happening behind the scenes with Stranger Things. In a tweet today from the official account for writers of the hugely popular Netflix show, they went on record to say that “no scenes from previous seasons have ever been cut or re-edited. And they never will be.”

This despite suggestions from showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer that they would be "George Lucas-ing" the show to fix older continuity errors.

PSA: no scenes from previous seasons have ever been cut or re-edited. And they never will be. pic.twitter.com/H0j8JwidLs

— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) July 26, 2022

The statement from the Stranger Things writers follows rumors that a scene in which Jonathan Byers spies on Nancy was cut — rumors that have since been debunked. They arose from earlier hints by the Duffer Brothers that they had already "George Lucas'd" or digitally edited scenes without fans realizing it.

"We have George Lucas’d things also that people don’t know about," Matt Duffer told Variety back in June.

Fans have since confirmed that the scene is still there, and it's unclear what Duffer is referring to when he says that scenes have been "George Lucas'd."

The Duffer Brothers first suggested they would be making changes to Stranger Things in a separate interview. In it, the duo acknowledged a Season 4 flub where several characters appeared to completely miss Will Byers’ birthday when in fact it was just an oversight on the creators, saying the error was because Will’s birthday had been written six years prior and they simply forgot.

In the interview, Ross Duffer said that in order to fix it, they would “go and George Lucas” the scene from season 2 and change it to “May” since that can fit into Winona Ryder’s mouth as she speaks. It is unconfirmed whether those changes actually took place.

Whatever happens, fans are already looking ahead to Stranger Things Season 5, which will pick up several threads left dangling in season 4. Itwill be the show’s last, but don’t expect it to have quite as long of a run time as Season 4, which was split up into two parts.

In our review, we gave Season 4 Part 2 a 9/10 and said it features “as many thrills as you could hope for, but also quite a few lovely, tender moments between characters we’ve come to care so much about.”

Casey is a freelance writer for IGN. You can usually find him talking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.

Today, you can save on a spare controller for your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S. Plus, the Xbox Series X is in stock at Walmart today for those of you looking to upgrade. And, he Meta Quest 2 is getting a surprise price hike starting next week, so now is the time to pick up the VR headset if you are interested. And, if you want the image quality of an LG OLED TV packaged in a dedicated PC gaming monitor, your wish has been answered. Today Amazon is offering $200 off the newly releaesd LG UltraGear 48" OLED gaming monitor with anti-glare low-reflective screen and DisplayPort. Pair it with the top-of-the-line ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 3080 12GB GPU, which has now dropped to only $799.

Xbox Series X In Stock at Walmart

The Xbox Series X is becoming more and more common, but it's still not always available. If you want to jump in on Xbox's next-gen console, it's in stock today at Walmart. With a Game Pass subscription, you can play games like Tunic, Halo Infinite, and Forza Horizon 5 at no extra cost. Plus, there's plenty coming to Xbox Game Pass in the next year, including the highly-anticipated Starfield.

Xbox Wireless Controller for $10 Off

If you do have an Xbox Series X or S, you could always use an extra controller. and you can grab one on sale today for $49.49. The controller supports up to 40 hours of gameplay on a pair of Double A batteries, and it has a USB-C port for direct plug-and-play to either Xbox or PC. You can also seamlessly capture and share content with the Share button on the Xbox controller.

Surface Pro X for $300 Off at the Microsoft Store

Microsoft's Surface Pro X is one of the best tablet-laptop hybrids for creatives, and you can save a few hundred bucks on one today at the Microsoft Store. The kickstand adjusts to nearly 180 degrees to suit your needs, and the lightweight form factor makes it easy to toss in your backpack and take on the go. It also has up to 15 hours of battery life, with fast charging as well.

Grab a Meta Quest VR Headset Before the Price Hike

We just learned that the Meta Quest 2 is getting a pretty hefty price increase starting in August. So, if you've been on the fence about picking up the most popular VR headset on the market, this week is the best time to strike. Right now, both the 128 and 256 GB models are in stock at Best Buy for $299 and $399, respectively. Starting on August 1, those prices will increase to $399.99 and $499.99. Act now if you don't want to spend an extra $100 later down the line.

Hisense 75" LED 4K UHD Smart TV Is 52% Off

If you want a massive 4K TV for your entertainment room, you won't find a better deal than this 75-inch option from Hisense. Usually selling for $1,299.99, you can grab this today for $619.99. The TV comes with all the smart features you need, as well as a Game Mode Plus that includes a low latency mode to give you the optimum gaming experience.

New Release: 48" LG UltraGear 48GP900-B 4K HDR OLED Gaming Monitor for $1298.87

For those of you who love LG OLED TVs (for good reason) but don't like the idea of using a TV for a computer monitor, there's now an answer. LG has released its first UltraGear OLED gaming monitor. At first glance, the 48GP900 with its 48" LG WOLED 10-bit color HDR display seems very similar to the 48" LG C1 OLED TV. The panel is very similar, but there are some key differences. Instead of the semi glossy coating found on the OLED TV, the 48GP900 features an anti-glare low reflective coating that is undoubtedly a better fit for close up monitor usage. It also has DisplayPort connectivity and lacks the built-in Smart TV interface. It does carry over the HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K @ 120Hz compatiblity for PS5 and Xbox Series X owners, as well as VRR and G-SYNC support, but the 120Hz refresh rate can be overclocked to 138Hz when used as a PC monitor. Last and certainly least important of all, there is subtle RGB backlighting on the rear of the monitor that isn't present on the OLED TVs. This is one of the best gaming monitors you'll find on the market right now.

The Best of the Best: ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 3080 OC 12GB GPU for $799

The GeForce RTX 3080 GPU really doesn't need any introduction. This is the de facto card to get if you plan to run current generation games at 4K, since it's up to 50% faster than the previous generation RTX 2080 SUPER and doesn't command the exorbitant price of the RTX 3080 Ti or RTX 3090 (both of which are a mere 3%-5% faster in real world performance). It has an HDMI 2.1 port for passing through 4K @ 120Hz, which it has the power to drive even in resource hungry games like Elden Ring, Battlefield 2042 or Cyberpunk 2077.

The ASUS ROG STRIX model is considered by many to be the very best RTX 3080 variant on the market. It's usually hundreds of dollars more than the 3080 FE price. That's in large part because of the incredible cooling potential of the massive 3-slot heatsink combined with the quietest triple fan cooling you'll find on any RTX 3080. Despite the low noise levels, the ROG STRIX offers a significantly OC'ed 1890MHz boost clock compared o the stock 1710MHz boost on the 3080 FE. This model also comes with 12GB of GDDR6X VRAM instead of the 10GB of VRAM that comes standard and most other RTX 3080 GPUs.

Netflix's The Witcher Ciri Season 2 Figure at the IGN Store

ASUS 14.0" Laptop Is 60% Off

Check out this budget laptop from ASUS today, which is on sale for under $100 at Best Buy today. It comes with 4 GB pr RAM and 64 GB of storage, meaning it can't handle the most intense programs, but it'll be great for word processing, web surfing, or video streaming.

GameStop Buy More Save More Sale: Get Four $9.99 or Less Pre-Owned Games for $20

GameStop is offering an excellent deal on its huge selection of preowned games. If you buy four preowned games that each cost $9.99 or less, you only pay $20 total, or $5 per game. That's up to 50% off some already heavily discounted PS4, PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch titles like Death Stranding, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, The Last of Us Remastered, Marvel's Avengers, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and much more.

Newest Apple TV 4K for $129.99

This isn't exactly as cheap as Amazon Prime Day of $109, but it's still $50 cheaper than MSRP and the best price you'll probably see for a while. The newest Apple TV features two major upgrades. It boasts an A12 Bionic processor that boosts graphics performance, video decoding, and audio processing and delivers high frame rate HDR with Dolby Vision. It also includes a new Apple TV remote. The overall build quality is better than before, but the biggest enhancements are a 5-way clickpad, mute button, and dedicated power button that works for your TV, receiver, and Apple TV.

Razer Anzu Smart Glasses

These Razer smart glasses retail for a ridiculous $199.99. Fortunately, they're on sale today for a much more reasonable price of $48.96. The Razer Anzu glasses comes with two types of interchangeable lenses; blue-light filtering lenses for PC use and polarized lenses for outdoor use. They also feature a built-in mic and bluetooth speaker for hands-free calling.

Get Super Mario Odyssey for $37.99

Five years later, Super Mario Odyssey is still one of the best games on Nintendo Switch, and you can grab it at a great discount today. If you have't played this kingdom-hopping adventure yet, what are you waiting for? With no new Mario game in sight at the moment, Odyssey is the best way to satisfy your 3D platforming itch on Switch.

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16" Intel Core i7-12700H Alder Lake RTX 3070 Gaming Laptop for $1599

Walmart is offering an outstanding deal on the new Lenovo Legion 5 Pro laptop that is also equipped with the 12th generation Intel Core i7 Alder Lake CPU and RTX 3070 GPU. The RTX 3070 GPU in this gaming laptop also has a TGP rating of 140W, and it performs as well as the MSI Crosshair on paper. In real world benchmarks, the Legion 5 Pro is one of the best performing gaming laptops on the market. It also looks more like a standard laptop, so you might want to pick this over the Crosshair if you're not into the gamer aesthetic.

XPG S70 1TB M.2 SSD with Heatsink for $109.99

The XPG Gammix S70 Blade is the least expensive 1TB PS5 compatible SSD available right now. Just because it's the cheapest doesn't mean it's the slowest. In fact, the S70 is actually one of the fastest SSDs available with transfer rates up to 7,400 MB/s. It's on par with the likes of the WD Black SN850, the Samsung 980 Pro, or the Seagate Firecude 530. This is a PCIe Gen4 SSD that was pretty much released specifically for PS5 gamers in order to double or triple the storage capacity of their PS5 without limiting the speed. To make this deal even sweeter, it already comes with a very low-profile heatsink.

ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1660 Ti Gaming PC

Walmart is offering this AMD Ryzen 5 3600X GTX 1660 Ti equipped gaming PC for only $799. The GTX 1660 Ti is still a very capable video card that can handle just about any game at 1080p resolution. You certainly won't find a more powerful video card for this price.

New Apple AirPods Pro for $179.99

The current generation Apple AirPods Pro is one of the best sounding "truly wireless" earbuds you'll find, especially at this price point. "Truly wireless" earbuds have no wires whatsoever; even the earbuds aren't hardwired to each other. In addition to the excellent sound quality, the AirPods Pro is the only AirPods with active noise cancelling technology. That, combined with the inherent nature of in-ear earbuds, means that the AirPods Pro will provide better noise isolation than over-ear headphones like the Bose QuietComfort or the Sony WH1000XM5. If you're thinking of getting a pair of new AirPods, we highly recommend jumping on this particular model.

Dell S2721DGF 27" 1440p GSYNC Gaming Monitor

This excellent monitor has hit a new price low for Black Friday. It's one of the best 27" gaming monitors you can buy for under $500. The S2721DGF boasts a high quality IPS panel (better than the VA panel found on the popular S3220DGF model). It features wide viewing angles and excellent color rendition including 98% DCI-P3 color coverage, a super fast 1ms response time and up to 165Hz refresh rate through the DisplayPort. It's also FreeSync Premium Pro and G-SYNC compatible.

Few companies have the wealth of recognizable and exciting characters required to create a platform fighter that could rival the likes of Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. series. With the help of developer Player First Games, Warner Bros. is trying to use the seemingly endless list of movie and TV studios it owns to do just that, bringing together an eclectic roster of fan-favorite characters that somehow includes Harley Quinn, Bugs Bunny, and Shaggy all at once. While the result makes for some gleeful multiplayer chaos, MultiVersus is ambitious in its laser focus on competitive multiplayer too. That’s left some of the more casual aspects undercooked, but its prioritization of 2v2 online matches still makes for a fresh take on an increasingly crowded genre.

Unlike last year’s competent yet underwhelming Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, MultiVersus clearly has significant support from the Warner Bros. family and, more importantly, the budget to follow through on Player First’s vision. Not only are iconic faces like the DC superhero trinity of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman available to pilot, but so are characters from Steven Universe, The Iron Giant, and even Game of Thrones. The open beta’s initial roster of 17 is a tad small for my taste, but I’m not worried about it in the long term as the cast is already set to expand in the coming months – basketball and Space Jam superstar LeBron James was just added, and Rick and Morty are supposed to join him in August.

While compact, the roster is diverse and brimming with personality thanks to its impressively faithful voice cast. Having actors like John DiMaggio (Jake the Dog), Kevin Conroy (Batman), Matthew Lillard (Shaggy), and Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) reprise their roles goes a long way toward making these characters feel authentic. It’s great to hear the voices I remember from cartoons and movies I grew up on bantering with characters they’ve never had the chance to meet before. Beyond the recognizable, I dig additions like Reindog, too, an original creation that opens up the possibility for more new faces to join the fray down the line.

Puncha Some Buns

Matches in MultiVersus play out as either 1v1, 2v2, or four-player free-for-all battles in places like a spooky Scooby Doo-inspired mansion or the gadget-ridden cavern of the Bat Cave. Unfortunately, the sparse selection of stages are bland and lack identity beyond those two standouts. The other three locations look like they could take place anywhere despite supposedly being based on memorable sites like the Adventure Time treehouse. Thankfully the music does help make up for this, and I look for any opportunity to brawl in the Sky Palace just to hear its wonderful instrumental cover of the Steven Universe theme.

Like in Smash Bros., your goal is to build up damage on your opponent in order to make it easier to send them flying off into the void at the edge of the screen for a kill. Characters have two attack buttons to work with, representing normal hits and flashier special attacks, with different moves performed by pointing the analog stick up, down, or to the side while unleashing an attack. It’s recognizable, but a well-executed system, and controlling your character is as quick and fluid as I’d hope the chaotic gameplay of a platform fighter would be.

I almost always feel in complete control, which can be attributed to the tight mobility options available to most of the roster. You can use double jumps and dodges to navigate the airspace, escape danger, avoid projectiles, or line up a devastating assault of your own. A change from the norm is a lack of ledge grabbing, which is why Player First has opted to enable wall jumps that make for exciting, daring saves by sticking to the side of the main platform and leaping to safety instead of falling to your doom.

Another big departure is that the 2v2 mode is meant to be the main way to play, making MultiVersus refreshing and setting it apart from its peers. These team battles are a lot of fun, with each character assigned a class that promotes a specific playstyle to help compliment a partner. Whether that’s the frontline tanks, the hard-hitting bruisers, the agile and deadly assassins, or the trickier ranged mages and support classes; everyone has a role to play in a fight, and your team composition can be vital to succeeding against experienced challengers. It’s great fun discovering how Bugs Bunny and his toon gimmicks pair with the protection and crowd control provided by Wonder Woman’s moves. While I naturally gravitated towards tanks like Superman and The Iron Giant, I’ve also been having a blast learning the intricacies of playing support as Steven Universe and learning about each character to be a better teammate.

You can equip up to four different perks before every match, adding a level of customization to enhance your playstyle, support your partner, or even try to counter your opponents’ team. Three of those can be perks that affect attributes like movement speed or damage dealt, which is amplified in power if your teammate equips the same one. Signature perks fill the fourth slot, modifying specific character attacks and abilities, such as leaving flame walls in the wake of Iron Giant’s jet boosters or Taz hacking up an anvil if he eats an enemy projectile. Perks add a meaningful layer of strategy to each match that I appreciate in every mode, but especially when I’m playing alongside someone I can build a gameplan with.

The unfortunate side effect of that focus on competitive 2v2 is the absence of meaningful local multiplayer options. Currently, you can play with up to four people on one device in team battles and free-for-alls, just like online, but there isn’t enough here to keep my interest with friends if I want to have a chaotic anything-goes party experience. Items occasionally populate in the FFA game type, but none of the rocks, dynamite, and ice weapons are remotely entertaining to use or add surprising moments to the mayhem that’s already playing out. Local multiplayer also means the lack of stages is more glaring, making MultiVersus a disappointing game for casual fun overall.

A Caboodle of Collectables

Characters and perks have to be unlocked, but thankfully MultiVersus takes a big step in the right direction when it comes to free-to-play fighting game monetization. While the free-to-play model comes with a lot of negative connotations and possible pitfalls, it also has the potential to be a boon for fighting games by allowing more people to casually try a game without having to drop a dime on it if they don’t want to. And crucially, Player First has ensured everything that affects gameplay is accessible simply by playing, avoiding any pay-to-win concerns.

Perks are only unlocked either by leveling up characters or by spending the free gold currency that’s earned from playing matches and completing various daily missions and reward tracks. Characters, on the other hand, can be bought with gold, the real-money premium currency called Gleamium, or Character Tickets which are available to those who buy the optional founders packs. Only four characters are unlocked from the start, but I’ve found playing just a couple of hours will earn enough gold to unlock someone new. There’s a nice pace to learning a character or two and then moving on to a new one when you have enough gold.

Gleamium is also used to unlock multiple cosmetic items like character variant costumes, emotes, profile icons, ringout animations, and more. These cosmetics are fun, especially the skins that change the entire aesthetic of a character down to the voice lines, like the Cake the Cat costume for Jake. However, some of the pricing on these items don’t align well with the bundles of Gleamium that can be purchased, which forces you to buy more than needed – that’s not a new business practice, but it’s still a lame one. If you want to invest in Luau Velma or a Batman: The Animated Series skin, it’ll cost you. They’re by no means necessary to purchase, but if the right skin comes around, such as Black Lantern Superman, I’ll definitely be tempted to swag out my main fighter if the price is right. Not every cosmetic costs Gleamium, and there are other ways to snag some of these items in the free and premium season pass rewards and by leveling up each character. I love that these reasons to keep playing and engaging exist even if I’m not throwing down money.