New York Game Awards 2022 Winners Announced

The winners of the New York Game Awards 2022 have been announced, with Psychonauts 2 scoring the top honor after triumphing in the Best Game of the Year category.

The 11th annual New York Game Awards took place overnight, with a virtual event that celebrated the best games, actors, journalists, and esports athletes of the past year. Psychonauts 2 emerged as one of the big winners of the night after being named Best Game of the Year while also receiving the Statue of Liberty Award for Best World.

Shedworks' Sable took home two trophies on the night, one for Best Music and the other for Best Indie Game, having been nominated alongside Death's Door, Genesis Noir, and several others. Capcom's Resident Evil franchise was also celebrated at the event, with Maggie Robertson being recognized for her role as Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village.

IGN is also thrilled to announce that investigative reporter Rebekah Valentine became the recipient of the Knickerbocker Award for Best Games Journalism, where she had been nominated amongst a top list of creative people for her distinguished contributions in the field during the most recent awards year.

The full list of winners from the New York Game Awards 2022 follows:

Big Apple Award for Best Game of the Year

  • Psychonauts 2 - WINNER
  • Chicory: A Colorful Tale
  • Deathloop
  • Dorfromantik
  • Halo Infinite
  • Life Is Strange: True Colors
  • Metroid Dread
  • Resident Evil: Village

Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game

  • Sable - WINNER
  • Before I forget
  • Chicory: A Colorful Tale
  • Death's Door
  • ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights
  • Genesis Noir
  • Little Nightmares 2
  • Wildermyth

Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a Game

  • Life Is Strange: True Colors - WINNER
  • Chicken Police – Paint It Red
  • Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Persona 5 Strikers
  • Psychonauts 2
  • Resident Evil: Village
  • Strangeland

Statue of Liberty Award for Best World

  • Psychonauts 2 - WINNER
  • Chicory: A Colorful Tale
  • Chicken Police – Paint it Red
  • Exo One
  • Far Cry 6
  • Monster Hunter Rise
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • Resident Evil: Village

Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game

  • Sable - WINNER
  • Chicory: A Colorful Tale
  • Everhood
  • Far Cry 6 – Pedro Bromfman
  • Genesis Noir
  • Life Is Strange: True Colors
  • NBA 2K 22

Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game

  • Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village - WINNER
  • Erika Mori as Alex Chen in Life Is Strange: True Colors
  • Giancarlo Esposito in Far Cry 6
  • Michael Mando as Vass Montengro in Far Cry 6: Vaas - Insanity
  • Ozioma Akagha as Julianna Blake in Deathloop
  • Sera-Lys McArthur as Thunderbird in Rainbow Six Siege: North Star

Coney Island Dreamland Award for Best AR/VR Game

  • Resident Evil 4 VR - WINNER
  • Floor Plan 2
  • Mare – Quest
  • Ragnarock
  • Star Wars Pinball VR
  • Traffic Jams

Central Park Children's Zoo Award for Best Kids Game

  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart - WINNER
  • Bowser's Fury from Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
  • Chicory: A Colorful Tale
  • Death's Door
  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits
  • Miitopia

A-Train Award for Best Mobile Game

  • NieR Re[in]carnation - WINNER
  • Fantasian
  • Crash on the Run
  • Marvel Future Revolution
  • Pikmin Bloom
  • Queen Rock Tour
  • Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes

Freedom Tower Award for Best Remake

  • Resident Evil 4 VR - WINNER
  • The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
  • Mass Effect Legendary Edition
  • Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
  • Shadow Man Remastered
  • Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

Captain Award for Best Esports Team

  • Natus Vincere a.k.a. Na'Vi (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) - WINNER
  • Atlanta FaZe Clan (Call of Duty League)
  • EDward Gaming (League of Legends)
  • Team Spirit (Dota 2)

Joltin' Joe Award for Best Esports Player of the Year

  • Genki "Gen" Kumisaka (Tekken 7 for Donuts USG) - WINNER
  • Chris "Simp" Lehr (Call of Duty for Atlanta FaZe)
  • Lee "Scout" Ye-chan (League of Legends for EDward Gaming)
  • Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for Natus Vincere)
  • Tyson "TenZ" Ngo (Valorant for Sentinels)
  • Xin "Leave" Huang (Overwatch League for Chengdu Hunters)

Knickerbocker Award for Best Games Journalism

  • Rebekah Valentine – Investigative reporting - WINNER
  • People Make Games – Video Series
  • Megan Farokhmanesh – Investigative reporting
  • Zoya Street – Essay
  • Renata Price – Reviews
  • Kirsten Grind, Ben Fritz, and Sarah E. Needleman – Activision/Kotick Investigations

In addition to this round-up of winners, Double Fine founder Tim Schafer was the recipient of the Andrew Yoon Legend Award at this year's New York Game Awards. Each year, this accolade is bestowed upon an individual who has exhibited "a significant, sustained body of work that shows exceptional achievement and innovation."

If you'd like to find out more about the New York Game Awards' Game of the Year, check out IGN's review of Psychonauts 2, which commends Double Fine for expanding the universe toward both "grander and more intimate without losing the joyous childhood adventure vibes of the original," with a "weird and wonderfully written story" full of "interesting, nuanced characters."

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

PS5 Outsold Wii U’s Lifetime Numbers in a Year

Sony's PlayStation 5 has already outsold Nintendo's Wii U, despite only being available for just over a year.

Announced in the company's most recent earnings releases, Sony revealed that over 17.3 million PS5s were sold as of December 31. 2021. The Wii U reached just 13.56 million sales in its lifetime.

The PS5 had a stellar year financially, outselling the PS4 in its first fiscal year, breaking the Nintendo Switch's 33-month streak at the top of US hardware sales, and being the fastest-selling console in U.S. history in both unit and dollar sales.

Its sales have also been restricted by the ongoing chip shortage that will remain very tight until at least September. Both Sony and Microsoft have suffered from a lack of chips that are found in graphics cards, gaming consoles, and more.

The PS5 still has a ways to go before it enters the best-selling consoles of all time list, of course. The PS4 has sold 116.9 million units (which will continue to rise), the Game Boy and Game Boy Color sold 118.69 million, the Nintendo DS reached 154.02 million units and the PlayStation 2 remains in first place with 159 million units sold.

While the Wii U has been left behind, the current Nintendo Switch console will certainly put up more of a fight when it comes to sales records. The Switch has sold over 92 million units since it was launched in 2017, contributing to Nintendo's most profitable year on record in 2021 with operating profit up 81% year-on-year.

Of course, many people will be interested in how Xbox Series X and S stack up in sales figures against PS5. Sadly, Microsoft doesn't release official sales numbers for its consoles, making it a little difficult to judge where they're at. However, we think the console race might be closer than you'd think.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

PS5 Outsold Wii U’s Lifetime Numbers in a Year

Sony's PlayStation 5 has already outsold Nintendo's Wii U, despite only being available for just over a year.

Announced in the company's most recent earnings releases, Sony revealed that over 17.3 million PS5s were sold as of December 31. 2021. The Wii U reached just 13.56 million sales in its lifetime.

The PS5 had a stellar year financially, outselling the PS4 in its first fiscal year, breaking the Nintendo Switch's 33-month streak at the top of US hardware sales, and being the fastest-selling console in U.S. history in both unit and dollar sales.

Its sales have also been restricted by the ongoing chip shortage that will remain very tight until at least September. Both Sony and Microsoft have suffered from a lack of chips that are found in graphics cards, gaming consoles, and more.

The PS5 still has a ways to go before it enters the best-selling consoles of all time list, of course. The PS4 has sold 116.9 million units (which will continue to rise), the Game Boy and Game Boy Color sold 118.69 million, the Nintendo DS reached 154.02 million units and the PlayStation 2 remains in first place with 159 million units sold.

While the Wii U has been left behind, the current Nintendo Switch console will certainly put up more of a fight when it comes to sales records. The Switch has sold over 92 million units since it was launched in 2017, contributing to Nintendo's most profitable year on record in 2021 with operating profit up 81% year-on-year.

Of course, many people will be interested in how Xbox Series X and S stack up in sales figures against PS5. Sadly, Microsoft doesn't release official sales numbers for its consoles, making it a little difficult to judge where they're at. However, we think the console race might be closer than you'd think.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

Nintendo Has Removed Thousands of Music Tracks From YouTube in Recent Weeks

Nintendo has suddenly removed thousands of videos from a YouTube channel that uploads soundtracks from franchises like Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, and Kirby.

YouTuber GilvaSunner, who has over 469,000 subscribers, tweeted that they will be deleting the channel on February 4 after Nintendo removed 3,500 videos from the channel, as reported by Nintendo Life.

It is not permitted to upload copyrighted music to YouTube even if a credit is supplied but GilvaSunner has been posting Nintendo tracks for over a decade and does not monetize the videos. There is currently no way to legally listen to much Nintendo music outside of occasionally released original game soundtracks.

In the Twitter post, GilvaSunner said: "After thinking about this a lot over the past few days, I've decided that at this point it's not really worth it to keep the channel up any longer, and will therefore delete the GlivaSunner YouTube channel (or what's left of it) this coming Friday.

"There are many different opinions over what is happening and that's fine! I can understand pretty much all the sides. I know this is disappointing to read for a lot of you, but I hope you can respect my decision to want to move on."

1,300 videos were removed last week and a further 2,200 were taken down on February 1, and GilvaSunner said they expected more to follow. It's unclear what's spurred Nintendo into action on this recently – we've contacted the company for comment.

The YouTube channel received strikes back in 2019 and again in 2020. "I'm not angry or surprised that Nintendo is doing this, but I do think it's a bit disappointing there is hardly an alternative," GilvaSunner tweeted. "If Nintendo thinks this is what needs to be done (to set an example), I will let them take down the channel. It is their content after all."

This isn't the first time Nintendo has reared its head regarding copyright. In June last year the company won a multi-million dollar lawsuit against ROM hosting website RomUniverse, and in March 2020 Sony reportedly removed Mario from Dreams after Nintendo complained.

IGN has reached out to Nintendo for comment but has not yet received a response.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

Nintendo Has Removed Thousands of Music Tracks From YouTube in Recent Weeks

Nintendo has suddenly removed thousands of videos from a YouTube channel that uploads soundtracks from franchises like Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, and Kirby.

YouTuber GilvaSunner, who has over 469,000 subscribers, tweeted that they will be deleting the channel on February 4 after Nintendo removed 3,500 videos from the channel, as reported by Nintendo Life.

It is not permitted to upload copyrighted music to YouTube even if a credit is supplied but GilvaSunner has been posting Nintendo tracks for over a decade and does not monetize the videos. There is currently no way to legally listen to much Nintendo music outside of occasionally released original game soundtracks.

In the Twitter post, GilvaSunner said: "After thinking about this a lot over the past few days, I've decided that at this point it's not really worth it to keep the channel up any longer, and will therefore delete the GlivaSunner YouTube channel (or what's left of it) this coming Friday.

"There are many different opinions over what is happening and that's fine! I can understand pretty much all the sides. I know this is disappointing to read for a lot of you, but I hope you can respect my decision to want to move on."

1,300 videos were removed last week and a further 2,200 were taken down on February 1, and GilvaSunner said they expected more to follow. It's unclear what's spurred Nintendo into action on this recently – we've contacted the company for comment.

The YouTube channel received strikes back in 2019 and again in 2020. "I'm not angry or surprised that Nintendo is doing this, but I do think it's a bit disappointing there is hardly an alternative," GilvaSunner tweeted. "If Nintendo thinks this is what needs to be done (to set an example), I will let them take down the channel. It is their content after all."

This isn't the first time Nintendo has reared its head regarding copyright. In June last year the company won a multi-million dollar lawsuit against ROM hosting website RomUniverse, and in March 2020 Sony reportedly removed Mario from Dreams after Nintendo complained.

IGN has reached out to Nintendo for comment but has not yet received a response.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

Starfleet Academy Is Reportedly A New Star Trek Series Focused on the Cadets

A new Star Trek series is reportedly in the works for Paramount+ called Starfleet Academy, and it looks to be "set among the college of cadets mentored for leadership roles in the United Federation of Planets space force."

As reported by Deadline, this show is in development at CBS Studios and Alex Kurtzman's Secret Hideout and it actually shares the name of a PC game from 1997 called Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

Absentia's co-creator Gaia Violo is said to be working on the project and Starfleet Academy will likely follow Section 31 - a Star Trek spinoff series that see Michelle Yeoh reprise her role as Philippa Georgiou, the former emperor from the Mirror Universe in Star Trek: Discovery.

Kurtzman, at the Star Trek: Strange New World panel at Paramount+'s TCA event, discussed that there was "another one" in development besides Section 31, but he wasn't willing to reveal anything more. Kurtzman also shared a bit of the team's philosophy in building out Star Trek's future.

"We have to think several years out,” Kurtzman said. “We’re thinking about knowing we’ll want new shows on the air two or three years from now so we have to start planning those now. There’s a bunch of things in development now that are starting to take shape and we’re super excited about it.”

Speaking of Strange New Worlds, this series will premiere on Paramount+ on May 5 and will follow the journey of the U.S.S. Enterprise years before Captain Kirk was in command. It will also star Celia Rose Gooding as a younger version of Cadet Nyota Uhura from the original series.

It was also confirmed that Christina Chong's La'an Noonien-Singh does in fact have a connection to Ricardo Montalban's Khan, but the show won't put a huge spotlight on it.

"We don't want to bring folks into the show to be splashy," showrunner Akiva Goldsman said. "We want to dig deeply into characters that are part of our ensemble."

For more Star Trek, check out all the other recently revealed Star Trek release dates and windows, including Star Trek: Picard's second season beginning on March 3, Lower Decks returning in Summer, and Star Trek: Prodigy's first season starting later in 2022.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Starfleet Academy Is Reportedly A New Star Trek Series Focused on the Cadets

A new Star Trek series is reportedly in the works for Paramount+ called Starfleet Academy, and it looks to be "set among the college of cadets mentored for leadership roles in the United Federation of Planets space force."

As reported by Deadline, this show is in development at CBS Studios and Alex Kurtzman's Secret Hideout and it actually shares the name of a PC game from 1997 called Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

Absentia's co-creator Gaia Violo is said to be working on the project and Starfleet Academy will likely follow Section 31 - a Star Trek spinoff series that see Michelle Yeoh reprise her role as Philippa Georgiou, the former emperor from the Mirror Universe in Star Trek: Discovery.

Kurtzman, at the Star Trek: Strange New World panel at Paramount+'s TCA event, discussed that there was "another one" in development besides Section 31, but he wasn't willing to reveal anything more. Kurtzman also shared a bit of the team's philosophy in building out Star Trek's future.

"We have to think several years out,” Kurtzman said. “We’re thinking about knowing we’ll want new shows on the air two or three years from now so we have to start planning those now. There’s a bunch of things in development now that are starting to take shape and we’re super excited about it.”

Speaking of Strange New Worlds, this series will premiere on Paramount+ on May 5 and will follow the journey of the U.S.S. Enterprise years before Captain Kirk was in command. It will also star Celia Rose Gooding as a younger version of Cadet Nyota Uhura from the original series.

It was also confirmed that Christina Chong's La'an Noonien-Singh does in fact have a connection to Ricardo Montalban's Khan, but the show won't put a huge spotlight on it.

"We don't want to bring folks into the show to be splashy," showrunner Akiva Goldsman said. "We want to dig deeply into characters that are part of our ensemble."

For more Star Trek, check out all the other recently revealed Star Trek release dates and windows, including Star Trek: Picard's second season beginning on March 3, Lower Decks returning in Summer, and Star Trek: Prodigy's first season starting later in 2022.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Magic: The Gathering – See Four New Cards From Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty

The newest Magic set, Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty is coming out soon, and it's certainly an exciting concept. It takes 2004's Kamigawa setting, which was inspired by feudal Japan, and hurtles it 1200 years into the future, into a world of neon cities and advanced technology, but one that also remains in touch with spirits and traditions.

In this set of 302 cards, a number of classic Kamigawa gameplay designs - such as Ninjutsu, Channel and double-faced cards - return, alongside the new mechanic Reconfigure, which allows creatures to equip themselves to other creatures. Similarly, the new cyber ninja Planeswalker Kaito Shizuki is joined by returning Planeswalkers Tamiyo and The Wanderer.

Today, IGN has four new cards to reveal from Neon Dynasty. The first is a Legendary Creature and Rat Ninja - Nashi, Moon Sage's Scion:

We asked the team at Wizards of the Coast a little more about both this card specifically and the Nezumi (Kamigawa's anthropomorphic rats), as well as the theme as a whole.

"We met Nashi when he first appeared in a short story before the events of Kaladesh main set," says Daniel Holt, Senior UX Designer. "This is canonically a few years prior to the current day.

"In this older story, we learn that Nashi was born in a nezumi swamp village in rural Kamigawa, but his home was burned down and his parents slain by a malicious planeswalker named Tezzeret who believed the nezumi had a valuable artifact. Tamiyo, the Moon Sage, eventually adopts the young rat and treats him like her own child. Nashi’s fur has since grown back but has turned white where his burns used to be, giving him a unique pattern among the nezumi. Although his new family is loving and supportive, he still deals with feelings of being small and an outsider. However, he has learned how to cope with the grief and even make new friends through his interest in technology. He also finds great comfort in the stories his mother has collected around the Multiverse and would like nothing more than to see it for himself one day."

Nashi's adoptive mother Tamiyo, meanwhile, "is a pivotal main character in the Neon Dynasty story at assisting in battling the baddies with her scroll magic. Tamiyo also aids in transporting the coveted artifact around the plane to keep it safe from those that wish to use it for nefarious purposes.

"Unfortunately, the story doesn’t go well for Tamiyo, as she is eventually captured by Jin-Gitaxias and turned into a Phyrexian Planeswalker who involuntarily pledges loyalty to the other side of the fight."

In terms of the Nezumi, who once lived in Takenuma swamp, a lot has changed. "Almost every area of the plane had to be rebuilt following the Kami War and the proceeding 1200 years of habitancy," Holt explains. "Takenuma Swamp has become mostly abandoned aside from a few secluded outliers and those that venture there for one purpose or another. Jukai Forest has become a sanctuary for mostly spirit inhabitants that disagree with the expanding civilization. Other areas like Eiganjo, Otawara, and the new and largest city of Towashi, have thrived in the reconstruction.

"Nezumi in general have integrated into society more so than in the past days, but mostly exist in the reckoner gangs and other undercity areas of Towashi."

A core part of Nashi's identity is his ninjutsu ability, and this mechanic returns from the original Kamigawa block. We asked Game Design Architect Dave Humpherys how well he thinks ninjutsu will fit into modern Magic. "Ninjutsu is still very well poised to add an element of surprise into games of Magic," he says. "The mechanic can fit well into a variety of aggressive decks. It’s centered in colors where there’s an abundance of evasion and good removal or bounce to facilitate the mechanic. The odds of a deck based entirely around the mechanic is less likely to have a huge impact than certain ninjutsu cards filling into key slots into some decks. Its mere presence in a format carries strength as a threat. It makes it easy to set up scary attacks especially against a tapped-out opponent."

"Nashi... works both as a solo threat that you try to clear a path with removal for. He also fits into more aggressive builds trying to take advantage of ninjutsu." - Dave Humpherys

And for Nashi's ability specifically, "Nashi is a versatile card," Humpherys explains. "He works both as a solo threat that you try to clear a path with removal for. He also fits into more aggressive builds trying to take advantage of ninjutsu."

And for this set in general, black sounds like it will have a lot of options. "There are many [black] cards pointing at some of the set themes," says Humpherys, "which means for this set you’ll see more focus on artifacts, enchantments, sacrifice effects, and effects setting up ninjutsu for success."

And speaking of all those things, that leads neatly into the three other cards we have to reveal:

You can see all the cards that have currently been revealed here, but it won't be long until you can play with them yourself. Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty releases on Magic: The Gathering Arena on February 11 and for tabletop on February 18. You can find out more about it here, and be sure to also read IGN's in-depth feature on how Magic is evolving and its fans are responding.

Cam Shea has worked at IGN since the before times, and has played more Breath of the Wild than just about any other game. He doesn't post on Twitter, but does like sharing whatever music he's currently obsessed with.

Magic: The Gathering – See Four New Cards From Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty

The newest Magic set, Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty is coming out soon, and it's certainly an exciting concept. It takes 2004's Kamigawa setting, which was inspired by feudal Japan, and hurtles it 1200 years into the future, into a world of neon cities and advanced technology, but one that also remains in touch with spirits and traditions.

In this set of 302 cards, a number of classic Kamigawa gameplay designs - such as Ninjutsu, Channel and double-faced cards - return, alongside the new mechanic Reconfigure, which allows creatures to equip themselves to other creatures. Similarly, the new cyber ninja Planeswalker Kaito Shizuki is joined by returning Planeswalkers Tamiyo and The Wanderer.

Today, IGN has four new cards to reveal from Neon Dynasty. The first is a Legendary Creature and Rat Ninja - Nashi, Moon Sage's Scion:

We asked the team at Wizards of the Coast a little more about both this card specifically and the Nezumi (Kamigawa's anthropomorphic rats), as well as the theme as a whole.

"We met Nashi when he first appeared in a short story before the events of Kaladesh main set," says Daniel Holt, Senior UX Designer. "This is canonically a few years prior to the current day.

"In this older story, we learn that Nashi was born in a nezumi swamp village in rural Kamigawa, but his home was burned down and his parents slain by a malicious planeswalker named Tezzeret who believed the nezumi had a valuable artifact. Tamiyo, the Moon Sage, eventually adopts the young rat and treats him like her own child. Nashi’s fur has since grown back but has turned white where his burns used to be, giving him a unique pattern among the nezumi. Although his new family is loving and supportive, he still deals with feelings of being small and an outsider. However, he has learned how to cope with the grief and even make new friends through his interest in technology. He also finds great comfort in the stories his mother has collected around the Multiverse and would like nothing more than to see it for himself one day."

Nashi's adoptive mother Tamiyo, meanwhile, "is a pivotal main character in the Neon Dynasty story at assisting in battling the baddies with her scroll magic. Tamiyo also aids in transporting the coveted artifact around the plane to keep it safe from those that wish to use it for nefarious purposes.

"Unfortunately, the story doesn’t go well for Tamiyo, as she is eventually captured by Jin-Gitaxias and turned into a Phyrexian Planeswalker who involuntarily pledges loyalty to the other side of the fight."

In terms of the Nezumi, who once lived in Takenuma swamp, a lot has changed. "Almost every area of the plane had to be rebuilt following the Kami War and the proceeding 1200 years of habitancy," Holt explains. "Takenuma Swamp has become mostly abandoned aside from a few secluded outliers and those that venture there for one purpose or another. Jukai Forest has become a sanctuary for mostly spirit inhabitants that disagree with the expanding civilization. Other areas like Eiganjo, Otawara, and the new and largest city of Towashi, have thrived in the reconstruction.

"Nezumi in general have integrated into society more so than in the past days, but mostly exist in the reckoner gangs and other undercity areas of Towashi."

A core part of Nashi's identity is his ninjutsu ability, and this mechanic returns from the original Kamigawa block. We asked Game Design Architect Dave Humpherys how well he thinks ninjutsu will fit into modern Magic. "Ninjutsu is still very well poised to add an element of surprise into games of Magic," he says. "The mechanic can fit well into a variety of aggressive decks. It’s centered in colors where there’s an abundance of evasion and good removal or bounce to facilitate the mechanic. The odds of a deck based entirely around the mechanic is less likely to have a huge impact than certain ninjutsu cards filling into key slots into some decks. Its mere presence in a format carries strength as a threat. It makes it easy to set up scary attacks especially against a tapped-out opponent."

"Nashi... works both as a solo threat that you try to clear a path with removal for. He also fits into more aggressive builds trying to take advantage of ninjutsu." - Dave Humpherys

And for Nashi's ability specifically, "Nashi is a versatile card," Humpherys explains. "He works both as a solo threat that you try to clear a path with removal for. He also fits into more aggressive builds trying to take advantage of ninjutsu."

And for this set in general, black sounds like it will have a lot of options. "There are many [black] cards pointing at some of the set themes," says Humpherys, "which means for this set you’ll see more focus on artifacts, enchantments, sacrifice effects, and effects setting up ninjutsu for success."

And speaking of all those things, that leads neatly into the three other cards we have to reveal:

You can see all the cards that have currently been revealed here, but it won't be long until you can play with them yourself. Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty releases on Magic: The Gathering Arena on February 11 and for tabletop on February 18. You can find out more about it here, and be sure to also read IGN's in-depth feature on how Magic is evolving and its fans are responding.

Cam Shea has worked at IGN since the before times, and has played more Breath of the Wild than just about any other game. He doesn't post on Twitter, but does like sharing whatever music he's currently obsessed with.

Steam Deck Games Could Get an Automatic FPS or Resolution Boost Thanks to AMD

Steam Deck games could eventually look a lot better thanks to its support for FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) — AMD's DLSS competitor that has the ability to enhance framerates and resolution.

Steam Deck's FSR support is detailed in the platform's partner FAQ, which contains info on inputs, graphics, and other questions relevant to developers. In a section titled "AMD," Valve talks about Steam Deck's support for FSR at launch, and what it could mean going forward.

"FSR is already available for some applications that support it. Games that already include FSR will work as is, but also FSR support will be included as part of an OS future release," Valve's FAQ says. "Once that happens, games could potentially make use of FSR even if the games themselves don't natively support it."

In short, a future patch could mean better framerates and resolution — even for games that don't already support AMD's technology.

First released last year, FSR is similar to DLSS in its ability to upscale games, but it includes a few key differences. Among them, FSR is open source, meaning that it can work on a variety of graphics cards, including older Nvidia cards and Intel's upcoming GPUs. Unlike DLSS, FSR doesn't use machine learning. Finally, it includes four different image upscaling modes: Ultra Quality, Quality, Balanced, and Performance.

FSR should help to alleviate some concerns about long-term game performance on the Steam Deck. Elsewhere, a fan-curated list confirmed that more than 100 games are playable on the device.

The first wave of Steam Decks are set to release on February 25. While you wait, check out our extensive Steam Deck preview.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN