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Game Updates

The cast of Borderlands 4 prepares to grind.

Borderlands 4 Reveals Pearls Are Coming Back In Jam-Packed Roadmap

by admin August 30, 2025

Just a couple weeks before launch, Borderlands 4 has announced its post-launch roadmap for free updates and paid DLC throughout the next six months and it’s a lot. But one of the smaller details fans were surprised to see is the return of Pearlescent weapons and shields from Borderlands 2.

The rundown of Borderlands 4‘s end-game arrived alongside a developer panel at PAX West walking fans through how the XP-based loot grind will work this time around. The game’s first paid bounty pack arrives in the fall with new missions, a new boss fight, and a slew of Legendary gear and fresh cosmetics. There will also be Vault Cards that let players grind to unlock extra rewards, including gear that can keep being re-rolled until players find the version that fits their build.

Gearbox Entertainment

But the big update is Borderlands 4’s first paid Story Pack coming in early 2026. It’ll feature a new Vault Hunter, a mini-story campaign, new area to explore, and another trove of collectibles. It’s a cosmic-horror-themed expansion based around Mad Ellie, a Pandoran mechanic who happens to be Moxxi’s daughter. Some other past characters will be returning as well, with a second Story Pack following later in the year.

Borderlands 2‘s Pearlescent drops are back

There are plenty of free updates sprinkled in between each DLC, but the biggest will arrive alongside Bounty Pack 2 in early 2026. It adds the Pearlescent rarity to the game, something fans have been begging to be brought back from Borderlands 2 after it was dropped for Borderlands 3.

These drops are essentially like ultra-rare drops with unique gimmicks. When they arrived in Borderlands 2 they didn’t make or break builds. There were more like Shinies from Pokémon than Diablo’s Uniques, sought after as prizes rather than the deadliest tools in the game. Borderlands 4 might change that this time around, however. “Pearlescent gear drops will be incredibly difficult to find, but their power level will match their coveted rarity,” writes Gearbox.

Where are Borderlands 3‘s Takedowns?

A returning feature the studio hasn’t mentioned yet are Takedowns. These free updates for Borderlands 3 were raid boss-adjacent end-game modes that were designed to push squads of players to the breaking point with their difficulty. Gearbox hasn’t mentioned them by name yet, thought it has mentioned Invincible Bosses coming in a future free update for Borderlands 4.

“Think of them as bosses on steroids: new unique mechanics, massive health pools (not literally invincible, but close to it), extremely lethal attack damage, and other new modifiers that can make quick work of any unprepared Vault Hunters,” the new announcement reads. The first of these will drop before the end of 2025. Weekly big encore boss fights, wildcard missions, and Maurice’s Black Market Machine are all coming after launch as well.

If Borderlands 4‘s base campaign can deliver a better story than Borderlands 3 and the promised variety, variability, and build-crafting depth of the new Vault Hunters, the post-launch roadmap definitely looks like it will be showering players with all of the content they’ll want in the end-game. Those are two big ifs. But with Destiny 2 currently spiraling and Diablo 4 still awaiting its next big expansion, I’m as primed for some fresh, smooth-brained loot chasing as I’ll ever be.

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August 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Many Battlefield 6 Fans Played Beta Using Minimum Specs, Says EA

by admin August 30, 2025

According to EA, the Battlefield 6 play test is the biggest beta in Battlefield’s history in terms of players. Research firm Oppenheimer estimated that the beta reached more than 20 million people. However, a “substantial number” of those fans may have been playing Battlefield 6 with the minimum recommended specs.

Battlefield 6 technical director Christian Buhl made that assertion during an interview with Eurogamer. Buhl also noted that EA and DICE planned from the beginning to ensure that players using lower-end hardware would still receive a comparable experience to those on high-end machines.

“Min spec is certainly one of our most important specs … it’s super important from both a commercial and business perspective,” said Buhl. “We want as many people as possible playing the game … We did a lot of analysis, we did tests on the game on a wide range of hardware above and below our minimum and recommended specs. We figured out what we can hit, what we need to hit from a business perspective, and that was to capture a wide audience on PC. It’s been super critical.”

In the same interview, Buhl addressed the game’s unpopular secure boot requirement, which he says is critical to fighting cheaters.

“The fact is I wish we didn’t have to do things like Secure Boot,” said Buhl. “It does prevent some players from playing the game. Some people’s PCs can’t handle it and they can’t play: that really sucks. I wish everyone could play the game with low friction and not have to do these sorts of things … Unfortunately these are some of the strongest tools in our toolbox to stop cheating.”

EA has shared the PC specs for Battlefield 6, as well as some upcoming changes to based on player feedback from the beta. Battlefield 6 launches on October 10 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

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August 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Over 450 Diablo developers vote to unionise, because “passion can’t protect us from job instability”

by admin August 30, 2025

A group of more than 450 Diablo developers have voted to form a union at Blizzard, under the banner of the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

According to a CWA press release, the new union is made up of game developers, artists, designers, engineers, and support staff across the Diablo series, and has already been formally recognised by Blizzard parent company Microsoft. These workers join the over 500 World of Warcraft and almost 200 Overwatch devs who each formed their own unions earlier this year.

As you’d imagine, Microsoft’s recent mass layoffs were a big factor in these Diablo staffers opting to union up now, with other concerns including the avoidance of crunch and a “passion tax” that centres around the idea you might feel obligated to accept less for a dream job.

“With every subsequent round of mass layoffs, I’ve witnessed the dread in my coworkers grow stronger because it feels like no amount of hard work is enough to protect us,” said Kelly Yeo, a Diablo game producer and member of the organising committee member. “I am overjoyed that we have formed a union—this is just the first step for us joining a movement spreading across an industry that is tired of living in fear. We are ready to begin fighting for real change alongside our Diablo colleagues.”

Ryan Littleton, another Diablo game designer and committee member, added:

The day after the third round of mass layoffs, I walked into the office, and when I tried to open the door to the cafeteria, my badge was denied. For a moment, I wondered if getting breakfast was how I’d find out I was part of that round. While luckily it was just a technical issue, none of us should have to live with that constant worry that we might be let go at the drop of a hat. A union allows us to organize across the industry to make great games and protect the developers who create them from the constant pressures of layoffs, passion tax, and crunch.

Teams at Blizzard aren’t the only folks at Microsoft who’ve moved to unionise recently. Staff at the likes of Call of Duty developer Raven Software, Fallout and Elder Scrolls studio Bethesda, and Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax have also opted to seek protections. In the case of unionised ZeniMax staff, their union claimed it was fighting for the jobs of workers left in limbo by the abrupt cancellation of an unannounced MMO as part of Microsoft’s July mass layoffs.

Solidarity to these freshly-unionised Diablo devs.

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August 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Mortal Kombat 2 movie release slips to 2026

by admin August 30, 2025

The Mortal Kombat 2 movie was set to hit cinemas on October 24th, but it has now been delayed by several months to May 15th, 2026.

According to Deadline, test screenings have been “strong”, but a busy October schedule is likely behind the decision to push back the release date to a more favourable mid-year position.

Mortal Kombat 2 – Red Band trailer.Watch on YouTube

A follow-up to 2021’s live-action Mortal Kombat movie was announced back in January 2021, with Jeremy Slater – head writer on Disney+’s Moon Knight series – confirmed to be handling the script. Simon McQuoid remains on directing duties after helming the first movie. To date, New Line’s three Mortal Kombat-flavoured movies have generated $257.8m (£190.9m) collectively, with its Red Band trailer – embedded above – racking up a record-breaking 106.8m views in just 24 hours.

Mortal Kombat 2 stars the likes of The Boys star Karl Urban, who’s stepping into the high-kicking boots of series icon Johnny Cage. This time around, it’s Cage who’s sucked through a portal and into the world of Mortal Kombat (Lewis Tan’s Cole Young, who had a similar experience in the first movie, is back too).

It also stars Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson “Jax” Briggs, CJ Bloomfield as Baraka, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion, and Max Huang as Kung Lao.

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August 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Every Mega Evolution Revealed So Far

by admin August 30, 2025

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is shaking up the series’ formula in more ways than one when it launches in October. It’s got real-time combat, it all takes place in one city rather than an entire region, and it has a new take on multiplayer to take advantage of that new battle system. Even with all this newness, perhaps the most exciting thing Game Freak is adding is more of something old: Mega Evolutions. These superpowered temporary transformations have long been one of Pokémon fans’ favorite battle gimmicks from over the years, and since we’re heading back to Kalos, their region of origin, what better time than now to add a wave of new Mega Evolutions? A list of possible new forms leaked earlier this year, and so far it seems to be accurate. Here are all the Mega Evolutions we know of so far.

Mega Dragonite

Mega Dragonite was the first new form revealed for Legends: Z-A. It emphasizes traits from its pre-evolution, Dragonair, by including a jewel on its tail and adding wings to the sides of its head. It maintains its Dragon/Flying typing, but becomes exceptionally faster and stronger in this form. Mega Dragonite views taking out an enemy quickly as an act of kindness, and has a jolly big smile when it uses powerful attacks because it knows all this violence will be over soon. It’s basically Superman.

Mega Victreebel

Pokémon used a spooky found footage video to reveal Mega Victreebel, but if you take it out of that environment, it is one of the goofier looking Mega Evolutions in the series. The pitcher plant Pokémon’s body has become so engorged with acid that it ties one of its own vines around its throat in order to contain all of it within its bulbous stomach. Now it hops around on its belly as it stalks its prey and loosens the grip around its neck when it needs to projectile vomit its acid onto an enemy.

Mega Hawlucha

Hawlucha’s new Mega form is probably the most straightforward one we’ve seen thus far. It gets buff like it’s been downing creatine, dons a new mask and cape combo, and its feathers form a belt around its waist. Mega Hawlucha also gets a signature move called Flying Press that it used on Machamp in its reveal cinematic.

That’s all the Mega Evolutions we know of so far. Game Freak will no doubt reveal more between now and when Pokémon Legends: Z-A comes to Switch and Switch 2 on October 16. Will Mega Raichu be among them, or will I be made to suffer another slight for my favorite electric rodent? We all know the answer. I don’t need you to rub it in.

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August 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Hollow Knight Is Still Breaking Records As Silksong Nears

by admin August 30, 2025

The announcement that Hollow Knight: Silksong would release on September 4 was such a surprise that even the most tuned-in Hollow Knight fans were in shock at the news. And now, just days before Silksong releases, Hollow Knight is seeing a renaissance with gamers, passing its Steam concurrents records over and over again, hitting a new peak of 56,192 players on August 29, according to SteamDB.

For years, Hollow Knight’s biggest day was in May of 2022 when the game had over 20,000 concurrent players. Since the announcement of Silksong’s impending release date, though, each consecutive day has seen that concurrent peak rising, having hit 21,000 on August 22, just a day after the announcement, and hit 56,192 today. For a seven-year-old indie game, this is pretty big.

Of course, it’s important to note that SteamDB is not the be-all-end-all of game stats. Steam is a dominant platform for sure, but Hollow Knight is available on all last and current-generation consoles, including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox, with Switch being a particularly popular platform for the game. Even so, it’s indicative that the legend of Hollow Knight continues to grow.

We got a sneak peek last week, and signs are looking good. “Hollow Knight: Silksong appears to be exactly what we all should have expected: a strong, well-designed, visually lovely game that carries forward the aesthetic and design philosophies of the original with thoughtful, if not earth-shattering, updates,” GameSpot’s Steve Watts wrote after going hands-on with Silksong at Gamescom.

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August 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Battlefield 6 is getting persistent servers, and two vehicle-heavy maps are coming in the next Labs playtest

by admin August 30, 2025

Battlefield 6’s open beta may be over, Battlefield 2042 might also have been transformed into Battlefield 6, but there must be more battles in the fields of six, so sign-ups for another round of Labs testing are now open. Two fresh maps with plenty of room for vehicle-based fisticuffs will be on offer, as well as a chance to check out the server browser that may well be chock full of 24/7 scraps once the final game launches.

EA have wheeled out all of this info in two separate blog posts, which follow neatly on from them running down all of their learnings from the open beta.

First of all, the two maps. Operation Firestorm and Mirak Valley are set to debut, and if you were among the many miffed at the open beta largely sticking to smaller maps, you’ll be glad to hear that they facilitate larger scraps with “a diverse range of vehicles, from quad bikes to tanks and aircraft”.

As you might expect, their inclusion’s part of EA working to ensure “balancing occurs across different-sized environments” following the open beta. “Improvements to weapons, large-scale vehicular combat, gadget balancing, and more” are all on the publisher’s radar to monitor and tweak. This round of testing’ll also be used to lock in “the official setting for Hardcore mode”, so put on your best killing pants.

If you hop into this latest Labs test, you’ll also get your first chance to muck around with a work-in-progress version of Battlefield 6’s server browser. Its features will be “intentionally limited” so EA can focus on making sure it’s stable and useable at a basic level. Basically, making sure folks can set up a server via a shortcode, fill out its description and tags, then host away trouble-free as other players join and leave.

Those who’ve grown up jumping into 24/7 servers that serve you one map on repeat and don’t disappear when everyone goes to bed at the end of the first day will be glad to know EA have confirmed custom servers will be persistent. It won’t cost you any extra over the base price of the FPS either, which is a nice bit of non-money-grabbing from EA, and should mean Battlefield 6 has less trouble establishing a strong sense of community out of the gate.

If you’ve not taken part in any Battlefield 6 Labs tests to this point, you can head here to sign up. Though, there’s no guarantee you’ll be granted access either right away or at all, as the spots are much more limted than the open beta.

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August 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Battlefield 6 dev says “a significant number” of users played the game below the minimum recommended specs, as EA points to the importance of weaker hardware

by admin August 30, 2025

A “substantial number” of Battlefield 6 open beta players were playing on or around the minimum recommended specs, according to technical director Christian Buhl.

In an interview with Eurogamer, Bulh broke down some user data for the initial wave of PC players who hopped into the game earlier this month, stating that of the “millions of players” who were jumping in, a sizable portion of them were doing so on lower-end hardware.

Speaking about some of the lengths Battlefield Studios and EA went to to ensure the game was playable by those on older setups, Buhl stated: “We built maps, and had to go to our artists and tech artists to adjust these maps so they were more performant. We’ve put in a lot of effort across the board to make sure these performance targets were set, and whether you’re on min spec or ultra spec you’re going to get the experience we’re targeting.”

Here’s the Battlefield 6 PC trailer.Watch on YouTube

When asked how important it is to serve minimum spec players at a time when PC hardware is getting more expensive, due to bloated prices or general economic challenges right now, Buhl responded by saying: “Min spec is certainly one of our most important specs […] it’s super important from both a commercial and business perspective – we want as many people as possible playing the game.”

Buhl continued with an anecdote from earlier in the game’s development: “We did a lot of analysis, we did tests on the game on a wide range of hardware above and below our minimum and recommended specs. We figured out what we can hit, what we need to hit from a business perspective, and that was to capture a wide audience on PC. It’s been super critical.”

When asked what percentage of players were playing at or around that min spec, Buhl could not recall the exact number, dubbing it a “meaningful percentage”. He also noted a number of players below the minimum spec, emphasizing the existence of this group.

In a follow up email after the interview, EA PR would not provide the exact number, pointing to Buhl’s prior statement that it was a “substantial number” of players

The current state of affordable computing in the USA, Battlefield 6’s primary market, is one of turmoil. Not only has a cost-of-living crisis made the price tag on high end hardware unpalatable for a sizable number of gaming enthusiasts, ongoing political policy has had a drastic impact on international trade.

Buhl also spoke to Eurogamer about the anti-cheat used in Battlefield 6, it’s ability to curb a sizable portion of cheaters during the betas, and the reality that some players weren’t able to play due to Secure Boot requirements. Nonetheless, this beta proved exceptionally popular, taking the title as most popular Battlefield beta of all time.

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August 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Steam Now Requiring Users To Verify Age In The UK

by admin August 30, 2025

Valve’s extremely popular PC gaming store Steam is now requiring users in the United Kingdom to verify their age using a credit card. This is a direct result of the UK’s controversial Online Safety Act.

As of August 29, as spotted by Eurogamer, it looks like Valve is now requiring that all users in the United Kingdom verify how old they are before they will be able to access mature video games. Valve has also updated its official Steam Support website with new information about age verification, telling UK users that “in order to access Steam store pages for mature content games,” they’ll need to go through an “opt-in process” that requires age verification via credit card. Going through this process will “trigger a £0 authorization” on the card to check if it’s active and real.

Valve says that as long as the credit card stored on the Steam account is valid, the account is considered “age verified.” So you should only have to do this once. Hopefully.

According to the updated Steam Support website, Valve “reviewed” all age verification methods and determined that using a credit card preserved “the maximum degree of user privacy” compared to some other sites and services that use AI-powered facial scanning tech.

“The data processed in the verification process is identical to that of the millions of other Steam users who make purchases or store their payment details for convenience,” explained Valve on the website. “The verification process therefore provides no information about a user’s content preferences to payment providers or other third parties. Valve handles the verification process using its own internal payment processing system, which is independently certified under the PCI-DSS standard.”

Also on the site, when explaining why this new verification process is being forced upon users, Valve directly and politely lays the blame on the UK’s new online safety laws and Ofcom, the nation’s independent regulator for online safety.

Valve isn’t the first video game company to run into issues with the UK’s Online Safety Act, which has placed large, controversial restrictions and regulations on how people under 18 can access the internet. In July, Xbox began rolling out its own age verification process in the United Kingdom. Sony is “rolling out” an age verification process in the UK, too.

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August 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Game Boy Lego Set Restocked At Walmart And Lego Store, Sold Out At Amazon

by admin August 30, 2025

In the latest sign that Lego may not be able to keep up with demand for its 421-piece Game Boy building set, preorders have sold out at Amazon. Up until now, Amazon was the only retailer to offer uninterrupted preorders throughout August. Other major retailers and the Lego Store have sold out multiple times since preorders opened in late July. The good news? The Lego Game Boy is back in stock at Walmart and the Lego Store for $60. The highly anticipated Game Boy Lego set launches October 1, just in time for the holiday shopping season.

If you’re interested in the Lego Game Boy for yourself or as a holiday gift, reserving one would be a smart move. Retailers rarely sell out of Lego preorders, but when they do–the Game Boy is always sold out at a couple of retailers–it can be challenging to find one at launch. It’s unknown if Amazon will reopen preorders, but it’s worth noting that preorders at Target sold out in July and never returned, so this could happen at other stores, too.

Lego Game Boy (72046)

The brick-built Game Boy is almost exactly the same size as the handheld that quickly became a worldwide sensation when it hit store shelves in Japan and North America in 1989. This looks like an awesome display piece, and retro Nintendo fans are sure to appreciate the nostalgic interactive elements.

Part of Lego’s display model series geared toward adult builders and collectors, the Game Boy building kit was teased in January and fully unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con in July. The Game Boy is tied with the Super Mario Piranha Plant as the most affordable display model in the Lego Nintendo lineup. It will be the eighth Nintendo-themed kit designed for adults since the pair kicked off their partnership with a replica of the Nintendo Entertainment System.

$60 | 421 Pieces | Releases October 1

Lego’s Game Boy looks like an authentic homage to the Game Boy DMG, all the way down to the font of “Dot Matrix with Stereo Sound” on the screen lens and the colors of the A/B buttons, D-pad, and Start/Select buttons. The switches and dials on the top and sides of handheld are located right where you’d expect them: power switch on the top left, contrast wheel on the left side next to the battery indicator light, volume dial across from it on the right, and the 3.5mm audio jack on the bottom.

The brick-built Lego Game Boy measures 5.5 x 3.5 x 1 inches, which is very close to the dimensions of the real Game Boy DMG (5.8 x 3.5 x 1.3 inches). Lego’s Game Boy can be displayed at an upright angle by connecting it to the buildable black stand shown above.

Load Super Mario Land or Link’s Awakening into the Game Pak slot.

Along with the Game Boy itself and a buildable stand, the set includes replica Game Paks (cartridges) of two timeless classics: Super Mario Land (1989) and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (1993). The cartridges can be loaded into the Game Pak slot just like a real Game Boy. You can display the other cartridge on a second buildable stand.

The Game Boy doesn’t have any electronics, so it won’t interact with Lego Super Mario figures, but it does have a cool trick that makes it appear like a functioning Game Boy. The set comes with three swappable lenticular screens: the boot screen that greets you each time you flip the power switch, a still from World 1-1 of Super Mario Land, and the cutscene in Link’s Awakening where you sit next to Marin on a log and have a pretty strange (one-sided) conversation. Tilting the Game Boy creates the illusion of movement, so the the Nintendo logo slides down the screen just like the real boot sequence; Mario moves across the side-scrolling level; and the memorable Link’s Awakening cutscene (briefly) comes to life.

The Lego Game Boy’s interactive features such as loading carts and displaying scenes from actual games is reminiscent of the Lego Nintendo Entertainment System. Released back in August 2020 to launch Lego’s partnership with Nintendo, the 2,646-piece set included the console with a functional top loader, a Super Mario Bros. cartridge, a wired NES controller, and a CRT TV with a stand. There’s a crank on the side of the TV that moves Mario through a side-scrolling level. Even five years later, the NES is arguably the coolest gaming-related Lego set.

Unfortunately, the Lego NES was officially retired late last year, and it’s sold out at every major retailer. A couple months back we noticed Amazon restocked the discontinued set but with an extra $60 added to the price. When Lego Game Boy preorders opened, we wrote here that we wouldn’t be surprised if Amazon sold out of the Lego NES at the inflated $330 price. And that happened within days. At the moment, the Lego NES is only available via resellers, and some of the prices make $330 look like a deal.

Lego Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi launched last October.

Speaking of deals, Lego Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi is on sale for the first time at Amazon and Walmart. Released last October, the 1,215-piece build features pixel art versions of Mario and Yoshi based on their 16-bit sprites. Yoshi walks when you turn the crank on the side, and twisting the dial on the back recreates the animation of Yoshi sticking out his tongue.

The most recent addition to the Lego Nintendo “for adults” lineup is the 1,972-piece Mario Kart set with a large buildable Mario and his famous red kart. It launched in May on the Lego Store for $170 and arrived at major retailers in July. Check out our Mario & Standard Kart review for more details on this charming display piece.

While you wait for the Lego Game Boy to arrive, you could warm-up by building the 540-piece Piranha Plant from Super Mario Bros. The Piranha Plant and Super Mario World models are the only Lego Nintendo sets for adults on sale right now.

Lego Retro Gaming Hardware

Lego Arcade Machine (40805)

Lego has created a few other display model sets based on retro gaming hardware. The other big one is Lego Icons: Atari 2600, a wonderful 2,532-piece build that authentically captures Atari’s legendary home console. Unfortunately, Lego discontinued the Atari 2600 last year. Amazon restocked it recently for normal price, but it disappeared just like the NES.

The Lego Icons: Pac-Man Arcade is still available at major retailers for $270. This impressive 2,651-piece set has a bunch of cool interactive features that make it a stellar collectible for Pac-Man fans. But if you’re looking for a cheaper set in the vein of the Game Boy, check out the adorable 468-piece Lego Arcade Machine. As you can see in the picture above, this isn’t based on a real arcade machine, but it still looks awesome. Plus, the Lego Arcade Machine only costs $40 and includes a gamer-themed minifigure.

It’s not Lego, but there’s also an official brick-built Xbox 360. Part of Mega Bloks’ Collector Series for adults, the 1,342-piece Xbox 360 building set is only available at Target for $150.

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August 30, 2025 0 comments