Gaming News

Monster Hunter Wilds Beta Gets Extra 24 Hours After PSN Outage

Capcom has extended the Monster Hunter Wilds beta after the PlayStation Network outage rendered the previous test unplayable for 24 hours. PSN went down at around 3pm PT on Friday, February 7, and didn’t return until around 24 hours later. All Sony has said on the matter by way of explanation is that its network services suffered an “operational issue.” In response, Sony gave all PlayStation Plus members an additional five days of service. Of course, during the downtime PlayStation gamers were unable to play their games online, and even single-player games that required authentication with a server or a constant internet connection ran into trouble. Monster Hunter Wilds’ second, hugely popular beta, was one of the affected games...

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As Civilization 7 Dataminers Discover Reference to the Atomic Age, Firaxis Says 'We're Excited for Where This Is Going'

Civilization 7 dataminers have unearthed evidence to suggest the game is set to receive a fourth, unannounced Age — and developer Firaxis has teased its plans in an interview with IGN. A full campaign in Civilization 7 is one that goes through all three Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Once the Age is completed, all players (and any AI opponents) experience an Age Transition simultaneously. During an Age Transition, three things happen: you select a new civilization from the new Age to represent your empire, you choose which Legacies you want to retain in the new Age, and the game world evolves. The Civilization games have never had such a system. Based on the unit types and victory conditions currently in-game, the Modern...

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AU Deals: A Freebie Zombie Army 4, 170 Bucks off Borderlands, $116 off a Turtle Beach 700, and More!

Welcome to another week stacked with incredible savings on some of the best games and gear across Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5. Whether you're a strategy buff, an RPG addict, or just looking for a killer gaming accessory, there’s something for everyone. Oh, and a decent load of freebies, too! In crusty gamer news, I’m summoning sweary imps to bake a 13-shaped cake for The Darkness II. Though I didn't adore this as much as the non-cel-shaded Starbreeze Studios original at launch, how could I not greedily devour any game starring Jackie Estacado, the best “dark hero” this side of Spawn. Basically, this was a power fantasy of an FPS where akimbo pistoles held as much importance as your heart-eating demon tentacles...

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Daily Deals: Fantasian Neo Dimension, Apple AirPods 4, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, and More

The weekend is officially here, and we've rounded up the best deals you can find! Discover the best deals for Saturday, February 8, below: Fantasian Neo Dimension for $39.99 Fantasian Neo Dimension is on sale for the first time since launch! Both the PS5 and Switch versions are available for $39.99, and this is one of the best turn-based RPGs you can buy right now. With a story by Hironobu Sakaguchi and music by Nobuo Uematsu, this is one experience any RPG fan does not want to miss. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD for $44.99 Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is the latest first party game for Nintendo Switch, and you can already save $15 off at Woot. If you enjoyed Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Returns HD is another excellent...

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Firaxis Makes Surprise Sid Meier's Civilization 7 - VR Announcement

Firaxis has announced a virtual reality version of the recently released Civilization 7. Sid Meier's Civilization 7 - VR is the long-running strategy franchise’s first foray into VR, and launches spring 2025 exclusively on Meta Quest 3 and 3S. Publisher 2K Games said Sid Meier's Civilization 7 - VR is developed by PlaySide Studios, which worked on VR games The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners and Meta Horizon Worlds. Here’s the official blurb: Firaxis’ 4X strategy sequel is currently available on PC and console to those who paid more for advanced access, and they’re certainly letting their voices be known in Steam user reviews, highlighting issues with the user interface, a lack of map variety, and a feeling that Civilization 7 has...

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Polaris Is Pure Destructive Chaos And A Wonderful Playground

Sometimes, all you want from a game is to allow you to cause chaos and in that regard, Polaris is the perfect game. A PvE, third-person shooter, a typical level sees you getting dropped onto a map from the sky, sticking a superhero landing, and then having to shoot a few ships down to earn […] Continue reading...

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The PDP Riffmaster Wireless Guitar Controller for PS5 Just Dropped to Its Lowest Ever Price

Although I love playing my guitar whenever I get the chance, some of my favorite memories with a guitar are actually Rock Band memories. There's something so satisfying about holding a guitar controller and feeling like I'm actually playing songs that I would never dream of playing on a real guitar. While my own Rock Band days ended a long time ago, the music goes on with the likes of Rock Band 4 and Fortnite Festival. And if you want to keep playing those games or get back into them, PDP released a new wireless guitar controller just last year that can help you do that. It's pretty expensive, but Amazon has just dropped the price to a new low with a 20% discount. PDP Riffmaster Wireless Guitar Controller Sale When this controller...

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Monster Hunter Wilds Beta Players Share Love — and Fear — for Its New Flagship Monster Arkveld

The Monster Hunter Wilds beta is back, and it's got a few new fights in tow. Beta players are already grappling with its big challenge, a fearsome new foe called Arkveld, and its eliciting both excitement and dread. Arkveld is the new flagship monster for Monster Hunter Wilds. This means the beast is the cover star for the game, and stands to play a significant role in the course of players' journeys through Wilds. As part of the new beta test, courageous hunters can try to tackle a hunt for the Chained Arkveld, with a 20-minute time limit and five "faint" limit. As ambitious players are discovering, this new monster packs a punch. Arkveld is a massive winged beast, with electric chains stretching out from each of its arms. It can...

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World of Warcraft Takes a Jab at Final Fantasy 14 With Its Housing Plans

Player housing is coming to World of Warcraft, and Blizzard has unveiled its first look at how the MMO will handle it. In a new preview, the WoW team walked through early details, and even threw a quick jab at Final Fantasy XIV's housing in the process. World of Warcraft is adding a sought-after housing feature in its upcoming expansion, World of Warcraft: Midnight. Amid its pillars and goals for housing in the recent dev blog, Blizzard listed "A Home for Everyone" as one of its targets. "As a part of our focus on wide adoption, we wanted to ensure that Housing is available to everyone. If you want a house, you can have a house," Blizzard said. "No exorbitant requirements or high purchase costs, no lotteries, and no onerous upkeep...

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IGN UK Podcast 786: A History of Violence

The IGN UK Podcast is here to guide you on a tour of historical violence (and occasional diplomacy). Jesse and Jen have spent far too long in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Civilization 7 respectively, whereas Cardy has dabbled in both but is mainly here to promote new crisps he's found on adventures to Lidl, before bringing the mood down with mini-reviews of new movies Nickel Boys and September 5. Remember to send us your thoughts about all the new games, TV shows, and films you're enjoying or looking forward to: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com. IGN UK Podcast 786: A History of Violence IGN UK Podcast 785: Our Xbox Games Series Tier Lists IGN UK Podcast 784: Doom, Doom, Doom, Doom, I Want You in My Room IGN UK Podcast 783: The Switch 2 is...

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Marvel Rivals Funko Pops of Magneto, Doctor Doom, and Iron Man Are Now Up for Preorder

A few Marvel Rivals characters are getting the Funko Pop treatment. Magneto, Doctor Doom, and Iron Man are all getting their own figures that are now available to preorder at $12.99 a piece. Their release date isn't too far away either as they're all expected in May, with Magneto dropping on May 13 and Doctor Doom and Iron Man arriving on May 27. If these figures have caught your eye and you're itching to add them to your collectible collection, you can head to the links below to get your preorders in now. Preorder Marvel Rivals Funko Pops If you want to add even more Funko figures to your collection, there are a few more expected in the next couple of months that are worth keeping on your radar. Releasing in April are new Pokémon...

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The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 2 Review

The concept of a multiverse is one that often seems to fit video games very naturally. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and Bioshock Infinite both took good advantage of it to open their stories up to new possibilities, for example, but The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 2 has hopped on the multiverse train with some mixed results. At times, its story doesn’t seem to go anywhere for hours on end, but it has some of the best character development the series has ever seen in exchange for that momentum. Daybreak 2 also introduces meaningful improvements to its hybrid action/turn-based combat, making it more engaging than ever before. The outcome is an RPG with pacing struggles, but still manages to be a good sequel in an already...

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Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 Gets a Patch of Its Own... Signalling Progress Towards a Full Release

Larian Studios has released a patch for the Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 stress test, signalling progress is being made towards a full release of the final major update to the beloved Dungeons & Dragons based role-playing game. Stress Test Update 1 is now available across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC, and includes mostly bug fixes focusing on things like Gale getting greedy for magical items again and radial menus showing their descriptions as intended. Larian has also made "some fixes" for crossplay but is still investigating how to get it working properly. Photo mode has also been updated to include additional features and quality-of-life changes, alongside regular big fixes too. The full patch notes are available below...

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Rocksteady Reportedly Working on Single-Player Batman Game, Monolith Productions’ Wonder Woman in Trouble

A new report has shed light on the turmoil at Warner Bros. Games, while providing an update on the various projects in the works at its developers. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported on concern about the upcoming slate of games from Warner Bros. Games following the exit of chief David Haddad. The company has had a troubled 12 months, first with the catastrophic release of Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, then the disappointing release of Smash Bros.-style brawler MultiVersus. Warner Bros. Discovery has said Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s failure contributed to a $200 million hit to its business, and MultiVersus added another $100 million on top. Warner Bros. Games' only other recent release was Harry...

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Dragon Age Co-Creator Offers EA Some Advice: Follow Baldur’s Gate 3 Developer Larian’s Lead

Former BioWare developers have offered their thoughts on Dragon Age: The Veilguard and recent comments from the CEO of EA about its relative failure. During a financial call, EA boss Andrew Wilson said Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed to "resonate with a broad enough audience." Last week, EA restructured Dragon Age developer BioWare to focus on Mass Effect 5 only, meaning some who worked on The Veilguard were moved to projects at other EA studios, while other staff were laid off. The decision followed EA’s announcement that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had underperformed on its expectations for the long-awaited action RPG. EA said Dragon Age "engaged" 1.5 million players during its recent financial quarter, which was down nearly 50%...

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Take-Two Boss Says 'Legacy' Civilization Audience Will Eventually Come Around on Civilization 7 Amid 'Mixed' Steam User Reviews

Civilization 7 is out, and while the game has launched to a ‘mixed’ user review rating on Steam, the boss of parent company Take-Two believes hardcore fans of the series will eventually come to love it. Firaxis’ 4X strategy sequel is currently available to those who pay more for advanced access, typically more hardcore fans of Civilization. And they’re certainly letting their voices be known in Steam user reviews, highlighting issues with the user interface, a lack of map variety, and a feeling that the game has launched without a number of features fans have come to expect. Firaxis has responded to this feedback, promising improvements to the UI, the addition of teams to multiplayer games so people can play co-operatively, and a...

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Tokyo Xtreme Racer Early Access Review

Tokyo Xtreme Racer is a PlayStation 2 game. Now, years of YouTube comments from cynical types who were likely still jostling around inside an ovary at the dawn of the millennium may have taught you that ‘PS2’ is a pejorative – a one-size-fits-all put-down wielded against anything that doesn’t melt the multiprocessors off a graphics card. But it doesn't have to be. The PS2 was an incredible console, brimming with great, approachable games that achieved exactly what they set out to do, were hopelessly addictive, and completely unburdened by microtransactions and live-service malarkey. This succinctly describes Genki’s 2025 Tokyo Xtreme Racer reboot, which recently arrived in early access on Steam: a fantastically moreish blast from the...

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Football Manager 25 Canceled, Dev Apologizes for Letting Fans Down

Sega and Sports Interactive have canceled Football Manager 25 across all platforms after what has been a difficult development. It’s the first time the long-running sports sim series has skipped a year entirely since it began in 2004. UK-based developer Sports Interactive had called FM25 "the biggest technical and visual advancement for the series in a generation." But it has struggled moving to the Unity game engine, with the player experience and interface in particular causing problems. The announcement came as part of Sega Sammy Holdings’ latest financial results, which include a writedown of costs associated with the game. The decision was made after “extensive internal discussion and careful consideration” with parent company...

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AU Deals: New AAA Freebies and Weekend Binge Bargains on Hogwarts, Helldivers, NBA 2K25, and More!

Thank your own personal deity—possibly Dracula—it’s Friday! First up, on the Switch, we’ve got the magical Hogwarts Legacy—a spellbinding, open-world journey that lets you wander the hallowed halls of the weirdest fortress this side of Drac’s digs in Castlevania. I’m also all about PC freebies that are capstoned by BioShock Infinite C.E. (and Battlefield V almost qualifies at 95% off, too). Meanwhile, in Good Lord You’ve Aged news, I’m using NOS exhaust flames to light a 17th bday cake for Burnout Paradise. Full confession out of the way early: this series was perfected with Burnout 3, but Paradise was a highly brilliant open-world extension of. In addition to cleverly dividing cars and events into class disciplines (road rage, stunt...

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Magic: The Gathering Cinematic Universe Announced

Hasbro has announced it will work to bring Magic: The Gathering to screens everywhere. The Hollywood Reporter says Hasbro is working with Legendary Entertainment to create a shared Magic: The Gathering universe that will include both movies and TV shows, with the movie the first priority. “We pride ourselves on being thoughtful caretakers of singular, beloved IP, and no property better fits that description than Magic: The Gathering,” says Legendary’s chairman of worldwide production. The studio is behind such films as Dune and the western Godzilla movies like Godzilla vs Kong, and Detective Pikachu. While it’s not totally clear, based on the report it sounds like the movie and TV adaptations at Legendary are going to be unrelated...

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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Is Proof 'You Don't Need AI to Steal My Soul,' Harrison Ford Says

Indiana Jones actor Harrison Ford has said Troy Baker playing the beloved character in video game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is proof "you don't need artificial intelligence to steal my soul." Ford discussed alleviating control of Indy with The Wall Street Journal Magazine, saying he was very happy with the performance of The Last of Us actor Baker. "You don’t need artificial intelligence to steal my soul," Ford said. "You can already do it for nickels and dimes with good ideas and talent. He did a brilliant job, and it didn’t take AI to do it." The Great Circle arrived in December as an "authentic" but maybe not canonical entry in the long running series, which received its first new film in a long time in 2023 with Indiana...

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Assassin's Creed Shadows Getting Prequel Manga

Assassin's Creed Shadows is getting a prequel manga but not until after the game comes out, Ubisoft has announced. The company revealed on X/Twitter that, while the prequel manga will arrive in Japan on the game's release date of March 20, it won't arrive elsewhere until "later." "Discover the official prequel of the game," Ubisoft said. "Follow the story a young Assassin apprentice as she fights against the growing presence of the Templars order in Japan." This assassin is seemingly not protagonist Naoe, however, as she's depicted in the opening of Assassin's Creed Shadows as not being aware of the era spanning battle between Assassins and Templars. It could therefore be her mother or a teacher or someone else entirely. It will...

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Like a Dragon Series Ranked: Every Game From Best To Least-Best

If you’re searching for a series filled with genuine heart and wonder, Like a Dragon has you covered. Created by the renowned Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio – and originally marketed under the Yakuza name – the series has been a staple for many gamers since its debut in 2005. In recent years, its popularity has […] Continue reading...

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Speed Demons 2 Announced for PC

Radiangames has announced Speed Demons 2, the side-scrolling highway racer with a visual aesthetic – not to mention high-speed gameplay – that might remind you a bit of the beloved arcade racing series Burnout. It's in development for PC after the original was a mobile game, and the sequel is due out later this year. The developer says, "The controls are focused on movement, not steering. You'll still have gas, brake, and turbo (or ability) buttons, but you move the analog stick (or mouse) up and down to control your vehicle's direction." The team adds, "It sounds unusual, but it's immediately intuitive once you start playing." Speed Demons 2 has ten game modes, including the very Burnout Road Rage mode-sounding Pursuit, Takedown...

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Resident Evil Re: Verse Shutting Down as Capcom Reaches "New Turning Point" With Franchise

Resident Evil Re:Verse, the multiplayer spin-off of the beloved horror franchise, is shutting down this June after less than three years on the market. Capcom announced the shutdown in a blog post despite also saying the game had "exceeded expectation," saying it has served its "celebratory purpose admirably" but is no longer needed as it has "reached a new turning point for the series." Resident Evil Re:Verse and all its downloadable content will be removed from sale on March 3 but those with the game already downloaded will be able to access it until June 29. "You will no longer be able to play Resident Evil Re: Verse once service has officially ended," Capcom said. The game will go down on all platforms, meaning PlayStation 4 and...

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Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Arrives in August According to PlayStation Store

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, the remake of the original Metal Gear Solid 3, will release on August 28, 2025, according to what appears to be a PlayStation Store leak. Konami’s remake of the PlayStation 2 stealth-action title has finally been updated from an obviously defunct 2024 release window, seemingly out of nowhere, with even a new trailer having leaked via the PlayStation App version of the store. An Ape Escape collaboration has also been teased, which was followed by a message that reads “And More” which seemingly alludes to further crossovers coming to the game. This first one looks like a reference to the original Metal Gear Solid 3, which featured a monkey minigame in which Snake would attempt to neutralize the...

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Obsidian RPG Avowed Can Hit 60FPS on Xbox Series X

Obsidian Entertainment's upcoming role-playing game Avowed can hit 60 frames per second on Xbox Series X. Though she offered no further insight, game director Carrie Patel told MinnMax that "you can get up to [60fps]" on Microsoft's more powerful console, though the Xbox Series S version will be limited to the 30fps as previously confirmed. It's still unclear if Avowed will include a performance mode and graphics mode as has become standard, the former of which generally means 60fps with lower visuals while the latter generally means 30fps with improved visuals, or if the default setting hits 60fps on Xbox Series X naturally. Avowed arrives February 13 for those willing to spend at least $89.99, though fans only willing to spend...

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Monster Hunter Wilds Gets PC Benchmark and New System Requirements

Monster Hunter Wilds is just a few weeks away, and Capcom has released a PC benchmark for players to see if their system is up to snuff. Alongside that, the PC system requirements have been officially lowered. As announced during yesterday's Capcom Spotlight, the PC benchmark for Monster Hunter Wilds is live on Steam right now. The tool will need to compile some shaders once it's loaded up, but otherwise it's fairly easy to run and see where your computer lands. It's a good idea to check, especially if you're curious about how the updated system requirements might affect your performance. Previously, the system requirements for hitting 1080p and 60 frames per second (with Frame Generation enabled) called for an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070...

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WWE 2K25 Hands-On Preview

Ever since its successful 2022 reinvention, 2K’s popular WWE series has continually made a host of iterative improvements in an attempt to not only build upon its winning formula but also justify its annual releases. WWE 2K25 certainly promises a new batch of iterations, including a brand new, online interactive world called The Island, a revamp of its story, general manager and Universe mode, a new hardcore match type called Bloodline Rules, and several more. However, I can’t say if all these new additions will elevate 2K25 above its predecessor because, unfortunately, I didn’t get to sample any of them at a recent preview event. Instead of sampling this year’s most significant alterations, my time with 2K25 was largely focused on...

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Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition and Age of Mythology: Retold are Coming to PS5

Microsoft is continuing its string of PlayStation ports by bringing Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition and Age of Mythology: Retold to PS5 players in only a few months. Series developer World’s Edge revealed PlayStation versions of its strategy hits in a blog post on its website, laying out plans to enter new territory with release date information. It means console ports for the classic Xbox Game Studios titles, which will feature content parity and crossplay across all platforms, are just around the corner. “Playing across all platforms is a game-changer for our franchise, and it’s all about bringing our community together,” World’s Edge explained in its post. “This isn’t just about convenience — it’s about growing and...

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