LEGO has officially announced the LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), a replica of the 1985 classic console that also includes a buildable 1980's retro TV that features an 8-bit Mario on a scrolling screen recreation of a Super Mario Bros. level. This 2,646-piece LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System will be released on August 1, 2020, for $229.99 USD and also includes a controller with a connecting cable and plug, and even an opening slot for the Super Mario Bros. cartridge that has a locking feature to keep it in place in the LEGO console. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/14/lego-nintendo-entertainment-system-official-trailer"] The TV has a crank that can be used to scroll the screen to move the 8-bit Mario through the level. Furthermore, if the LEGO Mario from the LEGO Super Mario Starter Course is used on the TV, the iconic sounds and music will play as the on-screen Mario interacts with enemies, obstacles, and power-ups. “Super Mario has been a cherished figure in the gaming world for over thirty years now,” said Maarten Simons, Creative Lead on LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System™, the LEGO Group. “Many adults still fondly remember that first time they saw Mario leap across the small screen, even if the graphics were a lot simpler than they are today. With the LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System, we’re letting them truly indulge in that nostalgia, recreating one of the most-loved consoles of all time so they can see the Super Mario from their childhoods once again – and even to share the experience of gaming in the 1980s with their own children.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=lego-nintendo-entertainment-system-nes-images&captions=true"] For more on the LEGO Super Mario sets, be sure to check out our first impressions of these new sets that are great "once it clicks." [poilib element="accentDivider"] 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.

LEGO has officially announced the LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), a replica of the 1985 classic console that also includes a buildable 1980's retro TV that features an 8-bit Mario on a scrolling screen recreation of a Super Mario Bros. level. This 2,646-piece LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System will be released on August 1, 2020, for $229.99 USD and also includes a controller with a connecting cable and plug, and even an opening slot for the Super Mario Bros. cartridge that has a locking feature to keep it in place in the LEGO console. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/14/lego-nintendo-entertainment-system-official-trailer"] The TV has a crank that can be used to scroll the screen to move the 8-bit Mario through the level. Furthermore, if the LEGO Mario from the LEGO Super Mario Starter Course is used on the TV, the iconic sounds and music will play as the on-screen Mario interacts with enemies, obstacles, and power-ups. “Super Mario has been a cherished figure in the gaming world for over thirty years now,” said Maarten Simons, Creative Lead on LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System™, the LEGO Group. “Many adults still fondly remember that first time they saw Mario leap across the small screen, even if the graphics were a lot simpler than they are today. With the LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System, we’re letting them truly indulge in that nostalgia, recreating one of the most-loved consoles of all time so they can see the Super Mario from their childhoods once again – and even to share the experience of gaming in the 1980s with their own children.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=lego-nintendo-entertainment-system-nes-images&captions=true"] For more on the LEGO Super Mario sets, be sure to check out our first impressions of these new sets that are great "once it clicks." [poilib element="accentDivider"] 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.

Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated producer Tony Cervone has confirmed that Velma Dinkley is a lesbian while James Gunn has revealed that the character was supposed to be "explicitly gay" in the 2002 live-action/computer-animated movie. In a Pride-themed Instagram post of Velma pictured with Marcie "Hot Dog Water" Fleach, Cervone jumped into the comment section to clarify that the bespectacled detective was written as a gay character in the classic cartoon series. All of the comments have since been deleted from the post. [caption id="attachment_237945" align="alignnone" width="1860"] Image credit: Instagram/tonycervone[/caption] "I've said this before, but Velma in Mystery Incorporated is not bi. She's gay. We always planned on Velma acting a little off and out of character while she was dating Shaggy because that relationship was wrong for her and she had unspoken difficulty with the why," he wrote, per BuzzFeed. "If you follow the entire Marcie arc it seems as clear as we could make it 10 years ago. I don't think Marcie and Velma had to act on their feelings during the main timeline, but post reset, they are a couple. You can not like it, but this was our intention," he concluded in response to a fan. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/16/scoob-cast-respond-to-ign-comments"] Shortly after, James Gunn, who wrote the script for the 2002 film and its sequel, added to the conversation about the character, explaining that Velma was supposed to be "explicitly gay" in the live-action adaptation of the Hanna-Barbera animation, but "the studio just kept watering it down." "In 2001 Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script. But the studio just kept watering it down and watering it down, becoming ambiguous (the version shot), then nothing (the released version) and finally having a boyfriend (the sequel)," Gunn revealed during a Twitter Q&A. [caption id="attachment_237946" align="alignnone" width="1180"] Image credit: Twitter/JamesGunn[/caption] Scooby and the gang have starred in numerous films and TV shows over the years. Most recently, the iconic Hanna-Barbera characters were given a contemporary update for the CG-animated feature film Scoob!, which premiered on premium VOD and digital ownership on May 15. In our review of Scoob!, we suggested that the latest Scooby-Doo movie serves as "a springboard for a possible Hanna-Barbera shared movie universe," as the story gets "a lot of heartfelt mileage out of its exploration of the relationship between man and his four-legged best friend, even if its messaging is simplistic and superficial." So grab some Scooby Snacks and find out where you can watch and rent Scoob! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=scoob-images&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated producer Tony Cervone has confirmed that Velma Dinkley is a lesbian while James Gunn has revealed that the character was supposed to be "explicitly gay" in the 2002 live-action/computer-animated movie. In a Pride-themed Instagram post of Velma pictured with Marcie "Hot Dog Water" Fleach, Cervone jumped into the comment section to clarify that the bespectacled detective was written as a gay character in the classic cartoon series. All of the comments have since been deleted from the post. [caption id="attachment_237945" align="alignnone" width="1860"] Image credit: Instagram/tonycervone[/caption] "I've said this before, but Velma in Mystery Incorporated is not bi. She's gay. We always planned on Velma acting a little off and out of character while she was dating Shaggy because that relationship was wrong for her and she had unspoken difficulty with the why," he wrote, per BuzzFeed. "If you follow the entire Marcie arc it seems as clear as we could make it 10 years ago. I don't think Marcie and Velma had to act on their feelings during the main timeline, but post reset, they are a couple. You can not like it, but this was our intention," he concluded in response to a fan. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/16/scoob-cast-respond-to-ign-comments"] Shortly after, James Gunn, who wrote the script for the 2002 film and its sequel, added to the conversation about the character, explaining that Velma was supposed to be "explicitly gay" in the live-action adaptation of the Hanna-Barbera animation, but "the studio just kept watering it down." "In 2001 Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script. But the studio just kept watering it down and watering it down, becoming ambiguous (the version shot), then nothing (the released version) and finally having a boyfriend (the sequel)," Gunn revealed during a Twitter Q&A. [caption id="attachment_237946" align="alignnone" width="1180"] Image credit: Twitter/JamesGunn[/caption] Scooby and the gang have starred in numerous films and TV shows over the years. Most recently, the iconic Hanna-Barbera characters were given a contemporary update for the CG-animated feature film Scoob!, which premiered on premium VOD and digital ownership on May 15. In our review of Scoob!, we suggested that the latest Scooby-Doo movie serves as "a springboard for a possible Hanna-Barbera shared movie universe," as the story gets "a lot of heartfelt mileage out of its exploration of the relationship between man and his four-legged best friend, even if its messaging is simplistic and superficial." So grab some Scooby Snacks and find out where you can watch and rent Scoob! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=scoob-images&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

A report suggests that Ubisoft is rebooting its pirate IP Skull & Bones, which will now follow a "live" game model with ongoing storytelling inspired by Fortnite. Development sources told VGC that the game "had been struggling to carve itself a unique position among Ubisoft's existing portfolio of open-world games", leading the team to apparently reboot Skull & Bones last year, shifting away from "the premium box model" used by most of Ubisoft's AAA franchises like Assassin's Creed and The Division. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/06/20/23-minutes-of-skull-and-bones-gameplay-in-4k-e3-2018"] According to the report, the rebooted Skull & Bones will feature "a persistent game world with quests, characters and storylines that will drastically evolve and change over time based on the collective actions of the community." The team behind Skull & Bones, which is also now reportedly being led by XIII writer/director Elisabeth Pellen, have been heavily inspired by Fortnite's success with "live storytelling." Skull & Bones was revealed during E3 2017 but was delayed until "2019-20" in early 2018, then delayed again in 2019, with no planned release date as of writing. In early 2019, Ubisoft unveiled a collaboration with Atlas Entertainment to create a TV show based on the game, a "female-driven drama set in the lawless frontier of the Indian Ocean at the end of the golden age of piracy in the 1700s.” [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

A report suggests that Ubisoft is rebooting its pirate IP Skull & Bones, which will now follow a "live" game model with ongoing storytelling inspired by Fortnite. Development sources told VGC that the game "had been struggling to carve itself a unique position among Ubisoft's existing portfolio of open-world games", leading the team to apparently reboot Skull & Bones last year, shifting away from "the premium box model" used by most of Ubisoft's AAA franchises like Assassin's Creed and The Division. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/06/20/23-minutes-of-skull-and-bones-gameplay-in-4k-e3-2018"] According to the report, the rebooted Skull & Bones will feature "a persistent game world with quests, characters and storylines that will drastically evolve and change over time based on the collective actions of the community." The team behind Skull & Bones, which is also now reportedly being led by XIII writer/director Elisabeth Pellen, have been heavily inspired by Fortnite's success with "live storytelling." Skull & Bones was revealed during E3 2017 but was delayed until "2019-20" in early 2018, then delayed again in 2019, with no planned release date as of writing. In early 2019, Ubisoft unveiled a collaboration with Atlas Entertainment to create a TV show based on the game, a "female-driven drama set in the lawless frontier of the Indian Ocean at the end of the golden age of piracy in the 1700s.” [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Former MythBusters and White Rabbit Project host Grant Imahara has died, aged 49. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Imahara died suddenly after a brain aneurysm. Former Mythbusters co-host Adam Savage has expressed via Twitter he’s at a loss over the news. “I’ve been part of two big families with Grant Imahara over the last 22 years,” wrote Savage. “Grant was a truly brilliant engineer, artist and performer, but also just such a generous, easygoing, and gentle person. Working with Grant was so much fun. I’ll miss my friend.”

I’m at a loss. No words. I’ve been part of two big families with Grant Imahara over the last 22 years. Grant was a truly brilliant engineer, artist and performer, but also just such a generous, easygoing, and gentle PERSON. Working with Grant was so much fun. I’ll miss my friend.

— Adam Savage (@donttrythis) July 14, 2020

Imahara’s Mythbusters and White Rabbit Project co-host Kari Byron has also responded, posting a picture of herself alongside Imahara and fellow Mythbusters alum Tory Belleci.

Somedays I wish I had a time machine. ⁦@ToryBelleci⁩ ⁦@grantimahara⁩ pic.twitter.com/o9FRE2l16W

— Kari Byron (@KariByron) July 13, 2020

Imahara was best-known for his work on MythBusters, which he joined in 2005 and appeared in over 200 episodes. Imahara left the show in 2014 alongside his on-screen “Build Team” partners Byron and Belleci and the trio went on to host the shortlived Netflix Original Series White Rabbit Project in 2016. Prior to his work on MythBusters Imahara spent nearly a decade working in visual effects for Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light and Magic division. Imahara worked as a model maker on a host of high-profile films, including The Lost World, Terminator 3, Galaxy Quest, and all three films in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office.

Former MythBusters and White Rabbit Project host Grant Imahara has died, aged 49. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Imahara died suddenly after a brain aneurysm. Former Mythbusters co-host Adam Savage has expressed via Twitter he’s at a loss over the news. “I’ve been part of two big families with Grant Imahara over the last 22 years,” wrote Savage. “Grant was a truly brilliant engineer, artist and performer, but also just such a generous, easygoing, and gentle person. Working with Grant was so much fun. I’ll miss my friend.”

I’m at a loss. No words. I’ve been part of two big families with Grant Imahara over the last 22 years. Grant was a truly brilliant engineer, artist and performer, but also just such a generous, easygoing, and gentle PERSON. Working with Grant was so much fun. I’ll miss my friend.

— Adam Savage (@donttrythis) July 14, 2020

Imahara’s Mythbusters and White Rabbit Project co-host Kari Byron has also responded, posting a picture of herself alongside Imahara and fellow Mythbusters alum Tory Belleci.

Somedays I wish I had a time machine. ⁦@ToryBelleci⁩ ⁦@grantimahara⁩ pic.twitter.com/o9FRE2l16W

— Kari Byron (@KariByron) July 13, 2020

Imahara was best-known for his work on MythBusters, which he joined in 2005 and appeared in over 200 episodes. Imahara left the show in 2014 alongside his on-screen “Build Team” partners Byron and Belleci and the trio went on to host the shortlived Netflix Original Series White Rabbit Project in 2016. Prior to his work on MythBusters Imahara spent nearly a decade working in visual effects for Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light and Magic division. Imahara worked as a model maker on a host of high-profile films, including The Lost World, Terminator 3, Galaxy Quest, and all three films in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office.

One of the big announcements reveals for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla from the Ubisoft Forward event is how players can change the protagonist Eivor’s gender at any point during the campaign. But when it comes to romance, a Ubisoft representative confirmed that Eivor’s gender will not limit or change any of the available romance options that will be present in the final game. Speaking to IGN during today’s episode of IGN News Live, Ubisoft's Youssef Maguid confirmed that “there are multiple people you can romance in the game, and you can romance all of them as either gender.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=assassins-creed-valhalla-ubisoft-forward-screenshots&captions=true"] The choice-based romance was introduced in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and like Valhalla, romance options weren’t restricted by the player’s gender. One difference between Odyssey and Valhalla, however, is that in Odyssey Alexios and Kassandra are two different characters. Whereas in Valhalla there is only one Eivor, who can either be played as a man or woman. In Odyssey, the separation of characters by gender did leave some narrative hurdles including romance. In one of the DLC, either Alexios or Kassandra was forced by the story to have a child with Darius’ son or daughter to carry on the Spartan bloodline. In our preview and interview with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla narrative director Darby McDevitt, the developer confirmed that the Animus will have new powers in this game. “To explain why would spoil a long-running secret, but I will say that the whole reason for why you can switch [Eivor’s gender] back and forth fully embraces the often-overlooked science fiction nature of our series,” McDevitt said. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/12/assassins-creed-valhalla-hands-on"] For more, check out IGN’s hands-on preview with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and our round-up of everything announced at Ubisoft Forward. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

One of the big announcements reveals for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla from the Ubisoft Forward event is how players can change the protagonist Eivor’s gender at any point during the campaign. But when it comes to romance, a Ubisoft representative confirmed that Eivor’s gender will not limit or change any of the available romance options that will be present in the final game. Speaking to IGN during today’s episode of IGN News Live, Ubisoft's Youssef Maguid confirmed that “there are multiple people you can romance in the game, and you can romance all of them as either gender.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=assassins-creed-valhalla-ubisoft-forward-screenshots&captions=true"] The choice-based romance was introduced in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and like Valhalla, romance options weren’t restricted by the player’s gender. One difference between Odyssey and Valhalla, however, is that in Odyssey Alexios and Kassandra are two different characters. Whereas in Valhalla there is only one Eivor, who can either be played as a man or woman. In Odyssey, the separation of characters by gender did leave some narrative hurdles including romance. In one of the DLC, either Alexios or Kassandra was forced by the story to have a child with Darius’ son or daughter to carry on the Spartan bloodline. In our preview and interview with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla narrative director Darby McDevitt, the developer confirmed that the Animus will have new powers in this game. “To explain why would spoil a long-running secret, but I will say that the whole reason for why you can switch [Eivor’s gender] back and forth fully embraces the often-overlooked science fiction nature of our series,” McDevitt said. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/12/assassins-creed-valhalla-hands-on"] For more, check out IGN’s hands-on preview with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and our round-up of everything announced at Ubisoft Forward. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.