Gaming News

The Worst Reviewed Games of 2024

Although 2024 was a quieter year for big releases, it still had some fantastic games. But, at the other end of the spectrum, it had its fair share of stinkers too. Of course, reviews are and always have been objective critiques and whatever you might think of a game is your own opinion. You might have even played and enjoyed some of the games on this list – we all have guilty pleasures, right? But honestly, there were some really bad games released in 2024 that we definitely recommend you avoid… Five - Mediocre Looking at IGN’s official review scale, fives are considered ‘Mediocre’ games – the “kind of bland, unremarkable games we’ve mostly forgotten about a day after we finish playing.” They’re far from the worst games on the list...

View full article »

AU Deals: A 90% Off Winter Sale Must-owns Avalanche, 64 Buck Astro Bot, Sub $50 Ragnarok, and More!

Let's cut the festive intro and get right to why we're really here—saving max moolah on the games that matter. Along with the stuff in the headline, I'd score one (or many) of those $59 Xbox official controllers. Why? Because Xbox Game Pass pairs so well with PCs and TV boxes nowadays (and could be your cheapest, console-less way to play Indy: Great Circle). In retro news, I'm celebrating the 25th birthday of SWAT 3, a cop-centric inspiration for the tactical CQC antics of your modern Rainbow: Six Siege. It sure had a strange path to becoming a shooter, however, as it's technically the seventh installment of Sierra's old as the hills (or mountain, as it were) Police Quest graphical adventures. From there, it morphed into an isometric...

View full article »

33 Games Under $10 in the Steam Winter Sale

It's the holiday season, which means festive activities, family time, and, most importantly, the Steam Winter Sale. With discounts on everything from massive open world RPGs to pixel-art platformers, it can be tough to limit yourself to just a few games. While I'm all for splurging on 2024 releases, if you're looking to maximize bang for your buck, you could also pick up a solid bunch of slightly older (but still amazing) PC games. For example, right now you can get over 10 copies of Fallout: New Vegas for the price of one S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. A starting point for Steam sales should always be checking your Wishlist, but if you're looking for something new (or want to make sure you're not missing an obvious deal), I found 33 of the best...

View full article »

Fatal Fury Series Returns with First New Entry in 26 Years

The Fatal Fury series from SNK began back in 1991 as part of the fighting game boom that dominated arcades across the world, and its popularity led to the series releasing several games throughout the ’90s. In the years since, those classic games have been ported to consoles, but there hasn’t been a new entry in the series since 1999. Until now, that is. The series is returning with Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves in 2025, ending a drought of 26 years without a new title. It will feature the return of characters from past games, most notably series star Terry Bogard and his protege Rock Howard. Other fan favorites, like Mai Shiranui and Billy Kane, will also be included and get updated designs. City of the Wolves will act as a...

View full article »

Sonic the Hedgehog Film Writers Reveal the Big the Cat Cameo That Almost Was

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 zipped into theatres this past weekend, and so far we're having a pretty good time with it. Amid the delight of learning there would be a fourth Sonic the Hedgehog film and finding out that the film's ending teases yet another new Sonic character for that film, there's still one major question on everyone's minds: where is Big the Cat? Okay, sure, it's maybe not the most pressing question ever, but we did have a chance to sit down with Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller to ask where everyone's favorite fisherman kitty has been all this time. And it turns out, they actually did write a cameo for Big the Cat into the second Sonic the Hedgehog film... only for it to be a bit too grim to make...

View full article »

Space Marine 2 Modders Put the Axe From Secret Level’s Warhammer 40,000 Episode Into the Game

Space Marine 2 modders have once again answered players’ prayers by putting the axe from Secret Level’s Warhammer 40,000 episode into the game. The Secret Level Warhammer 40,000 episode, called And They Shall Know No Fear, is a sequel to Space Marine 2 and stars protagonist Titus as he battles alongside his brothers to defeat the forces of Tzeentch. But while Titus appears in the animation as he looks in Space Marine 2, the episode also features a weapon players have yet to see in-game. It sounds innocuous, but the action scene in which this mystery Power Axe is used steals the show. We see it wielded with brutal efficiency to tear apart cultists and Tzaangors. There’s even a super cool moment in which a Space Marine bashes the helm...

View full article »

The Best Reviewed Games of 2024

2024 was another banner year for video games thanks to a slate of big releases, strong remakes, and surprising hits. But despite plenty of games that made a splash, IGN awarded only one new game a perfect score of 10, and some argue that it’s not even a ‘proper’ game. Which is it? You’ll have to read on to find out. Every year we go through our archive of reviews to look back at the highest reviewed games at IGN. This year, 27 games received a score of 9 or 10, and of that only one new game received a 10 (the other 10 was given to a re-review of a very popular game). This is a marked downturn from 2023 where 36 games received our highest review scores, including five games that received a 10. That certainly doesn’t mean 2024 was a...

View full article »

Following Stalker 2’s Success, Developer GSC Game World Contends With ‘This New Reality’

Stalker 2 is a hit. Officially, it’s sold one million copies across PC and Xbox Series X and S, with many more playing on Game Pass. Reports coming out of Ukraine, where developer GSC Game World was originally based before Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in 2022, indicate Stalker 2 is already profitable. There’s even talk of a Netflix series. But what does this success mean for GSC Game World itself and the future of Stalker 2? IGN interviewed GSC CEO Ievgen Grygorovych and creative director Maria Grygorovych at BAFTA in Piccadilly, London following a screening of War Game: The Making of Stalker 2, to ask if Stalker 2’s big sales were a game-changer for the developer. Discussing the impact of Stalker 2’s release in...

View full article »

Dedicated Baldur's Gate 3 Fan Digs Through Thousands of Lines of Dialogue to Discover Which Characters Agree and Disagree the Most With Each Other

A dedicated Baldur's Gate 3 fan has searched through thousands of lines of dialogue to discover which characters agree, and disagree, the most with each other. As reported by The Gamer, Reddit user Tarrasque-Named-John datamined the beloved Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game to calculate which characters — like Astarion, Karlach, Shadowheart, and the entire Baldur's Gate 3 party — have the most aligning morals. The fan used the Approving and Disapproving mechanic of Baldur's Gate 3 to do so. When the player character makes certain decisions, messages such as "Gale Approves" or "Halsin Disapproves" pop up, and Tarrasque-Named-John looked to see which characters approved and disapproved the same decisions the most. Minsc and Karlach...

View full article »

Following Black Myth: Wukong's Success, Nintendo Fans Laugh as Switch Gets Wukong Sun: Black Legend

Black Myth: Wukong arrived in 2024 to incredible success and has seemingly spawned some copycats as a result, with Nintendo Switch fans laughing as Wukong Sun: Black Legend hits the platform this week. Gamers online have called out the $7.99 Wukong Sun: Black Legend as a fairly blatant rip-off of Black Myth: Wukong, which isn't on Nintendo Switch itself. Not only is the name incredibly similar, but the promotional image could easily be mistaken for that of the actual game. The similarities practically end there, however, as Wukong Sun: Black Legend is a side-scrolling platformer as opposed to Black Myth: Wukong's third-person action. It also requires a meagre 338 megabytes of storage space according to the Nintendo eShop page. It's...

View full article »

Fairy Tail 2 Interview With Original Creator and Producer of the Sequel

Fairy Tail 2, the PlayStation 5／PlayStation 4／Nintendo Switch／Steam title which allows players to relive the climax of the highly popular magical battle fantasy series Fairy Tail, was released on December 13, 2024 (December 12 in Japan and Asia). To commemorate the release, we conducted a special interview with Hiro Mashima, the creator of the original Fairy Tail series, and Hiroshi Kataoka, the producer of the game Fairy Tail 2! IGN: Thank you both for taking time out of your busy schedules to join us today! As Fairy Tail 2 was released on the 12th (in Japan and Asia), to begin with, could you tell us about how this title began – how it was proposed (by Koei Tecmo) to Mashima-sensei? Kataoka: Four years ago in 2020 we released the...

View full article »

EA Rejected Recent Dead Space 4 Pitch, Original Creators Say

The original creators of much-loved sci-fi horror video game Dead Space say they pitched EA on Dead Space 4 this year, only for the publisher to say it wasn’t interested. In an interview with Dan Allen Gaming, Glen Schofield, Christopher Stone, and Bret Robbins, three of the leading creatives at the now shuttered original Dead Space developer EA Redwood Shores / Visceral Games, revealed they all joined together to pitch EA on Dead Space 4. “We tried, actually, the three of us,” Schofield revealed. “Dead Space 4. We’re talking this year.” Unfortunately for Dead Space fans, EA said it wasn’t interested, with Schofield suggesting projections for how many copies Dead Space 4 would have to sell to make the venture worthwhile were perhaps...

View full article »

Palworld Closes Out Tumultuous 2024 With Huge Feybreak Update

Palworld has closed out what has been a remarkably eventful year with its huge Feybreak update. The update, which brings Palworld up to v0.4.11, adds new areas, new pals, new buildings, a hardcore mode, expeditions, research and a lot more. Check out the patch notes, below, for more. Feybreak arrives as developer Pocketpair works to defend itself in a high-profile patent lawsuit filed by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. After Palworld’s huge launch earlier this year on PC and Xbox, comparisons were made between Palworld’s Pals and Pokémon, with some accusing Pocketpair of "ripping off" Pokémon designs. But rather than file a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company went down the patent route. They want 5...

View full article »

AU Deals: Super Early Boxing Day Game Savings, Winter Sale Deep Discounts, and More!

Time groweth short if you're not planning on not being a Grinch this holiday season. Bargain-priced presents (which I suspect are early Boxing Day deals leaked early) can still be yours, particularly if you have the Super Fast Delivery perk unlocked via an Amazon Prime membership. I'll still be on board over these holiday periods because I'm right there with your mentality—I cannot resist discounts and kick myself if I've missed them. In retro news, I'm celebrating the Aussie birthday of a rare and expensive bird, the SNK Neo Geo CD. Released in limited numbers in Oz around the $600 ballpark ($1,299 in '24 bux), this bad boy delivered near-perfect arcade-quality games, though it was a "budget" alternative to the hilari-expensive...

View full article »

Gym Star Simulator Update Lifts Spirits With New Christmas Battle Pass and Holiday Activities

Roblox weightlifting experience Gym Star Simulator is bulking up for the holidays with its Christmas Update, which includes a new battle pass, a secret event set to kick off on Christmas day, and more. The update from developer Gym Simulator Club is out now with a handful of substantial changes to help celebrate the season. Patch notes for the update tease bigger additions, such as the previously mentioned battle pass and Christmas Event, with more in store for those who log in sometime through the next few weeks. Also included is an entirely new winter location to visit, with players then able to test their strength against NPC bullies and Buff Snowmen. “It’s time to get into the Christmas spirit with our upcoming Holiday Event,” an...

View full article »

Ballerina Team “Not Setting Out to Do a Female John Wick”

When From the World of John Wick: Ballerina hits theaters in June, it will mark the first film entry in the ever-expanding franchise not led by Keanu Reeves’s titular assassin. Instead Reeves passes the baton (or should we say Glock) to Ana de Armas and her character Eve Macarro, who the team insists is complex and nuanced in her own right and not just a female John Wick clone. De Armas leads a cast of newcomers featuring Norman Reedus and Gabriel Byrne along with returning faces Reeves, Ian McShane, Anjelica Houston, and the late Lance Reddick. On the heels of a wild panel at CCXP last week in São Paulo, Brazil, much of the cast along with director Len Wiseman sat down with IGN to talk about building on the franchise’s mythology, if...

View full article »

2024 Was a Slow Year for Our Fastest Genre

Around this time last year I criticised The Game Awards for continually forcing racing games to share a common category with sports games, to compete for recognition at what’s described (by The Game Awards) as “gaming’s biggest night.” Up until this year it was an award no traditional sports game had ever actually won. The category had been totally dominated by racing games, with the exception of 2015 (Rocket League, which still has cars in it) and 2020 (Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, which is still… on wheels). This year FC 25 got the gong. Just a single racing game made the shortlist: F1 24. A great racing game, no doubt, but one that’s hard to argue was an immediately essential upgrade for those who already owned F1 23, or F1 22, or...

View full article »

The Team Fortress 2 Comic Has Released Its Long-Awaited Final Issue

The Team Fortress 2 comic has just released its newest update, seven years since the last issue and seemingly the finale to this long journey. Team Fortress 2 Issue 7 "The Days Have Worn Away" is the first update to the online digital comic series since January 10, 2017, and it looks like it might just be the comic's finale based on this tweet from Valve writer Erik Wolpaw. "Did you know the construction of the Leaning Tower of Pisa was one hundred and ninety nine years late? Literally everyone alive when construction started was dead by the time it finished," The Team Fortress 2 team writes in a blog post announcing the new issue. A perhaps more extreme example of something taking a long time to complete than this comic, but an apt...

View full article »

Anime Defenders Adds Holiday Tower Defense Goodies With New Christmas Update

Anime-inspired tower defense Roblox experience Anime Defenders just got its Christmas Update, and with it comes holiday maps, a new battle pass, units, and more. Developer Small World Games published the latest patch for its popular take on tower dense strategy for fans across all devices to help celebrate the season. Although December is quickly coming to a close, the update adds more than enough winter-themed distractions to keep players preoccupied for weeks to come. Highlights include various Christmas decorations and maps, hidden presents to find, a new Gold Shop, and Leaderboard Season 5. Those hopping into Anime Defenders after the Christmas Update will first notice the snow, presents, and trees that now pollute the lobby...

View full article »

IGN Community Awards 2024

2024 has been a year of ups and downs, and while that can be said for every year, this one exemplified the "it's over and we're so back" meme -- from the fantastic year of platformers in the form of Astro Bot, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Sonic X Shadow Generations, to wonderful movies like Wicked, Alien Romulus and Longlegs. But like I've said before, the year also had its lows where even established franchises like Dune, Like a Dragon, Mario and plenty of others had a hard time sticking the landing between their multiple releases this year. And like the content we consume, we as humans are also subject to ups and downs throughout the year, and we know everyone has their good and bad days. But it's time to recognize the most...

View full article »

Tower Defense Simulator Frost Invasion Update Rolls Out New Battle Pass and Sandbox Mode

Tower Defense Simulator is sending in a wave of winter presents for Roblox players with its gargantuan 1.46.0 patch a.k.a. the Frost Invasion update, including the new Outpost 32 map, two new event towers, a new battle pass, and so much more. Developer Paradoxum Games has spent the last week teasing a massive update, and patch notes for today’s update suggest Frost Invasion may have been worth the hype. There are plenty of rewards for both free and premium players in the event’s chilly battle pass, with some highlights for the latter including a Double Chunk Chocolate Cookie emote, the Dark Frost Electroshocker, and a Frost Legion Mercenary Base. Tower Defense Simulator update 1.46.0 also comes with the long-awaited Sandbox Mode for...

View full article »

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – Everything You Need to Know | IGN First

We're only weeks away from the February 4 release of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and you may still find yourself a bit lost as to what all the fuss is about. All month long, we've been covering different aspects of this medieval action RPG in detail as part of IGN First. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves. This digital treatise is here to cover all the basics, and tell you where you can go next to find out more about any given topic. What is Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? To put it as simply as possible, it's a first-person, open-world action RPG based on real medieval history, and the very direct sequel to 2018's Kingdom Come: Deliverance, which I gave an 8/10. You play as Henry, a young villager who lost his home and his...

View full article »

Don’t Expect the Creator of Garry’s Mod to Sue Over Skibidi Toilet in Fortnite

Yes, Skibidi Toilet in Fortnite. This most internet of crossovers has sparked as much confusion as it has delight. But what does Garry Newman, creator of Garry’s Mod, think about it all? First, some background. Why would people care what Newman thinks about Skibidi Toilet? Well, Skibidi Toilet is a series of web shorts created by Alxey Gerasimov using Source Filmmaker, Valve’s 3D computer graphics software. Some assets used in the series are taken from video games such as Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike: Source, which form the basis of Garry's Mod's physics sandbox. Some had wondered whether Newman himself might have taken issue with Fortnite’s Skibidi Toilet bundle. But Newman made his stance on the issue crystal clear: he really...

View full article »

The Best Game of 2024

In 2024, we saw games where soldiers dove headfirst into alien planets to defend Earth, Princess Zelda led her very own legend, a little robot overcame impossible odds to rescue PlayStation’s greatest characters, and a game of poker played out unlike anything else. There can be arguments for why any number of our Best Game of 2024 nominees could take home the crown, a stark contrast from last year where Baldur’s Gate 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom were locked-in favorites. The breadth of games on display, from Black Myth: Wukong to Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, means picking this year’s winner was harder than usual, but ultimately there was one clear winner. Here’s IGN’s Best Game of 2024. Honorable Mentions Before we...

View full article »

Baldur’s Gate 3 Dev Larian Wants Your Help Testing Patch 8 and the Long-Awaited Crossplay Before Its Release in 2025

Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian has opened registrations to stress test Patch 8 ahead of its release in 2025. Patch 8 adds the long-awaited crossplay feature, photo mode, and 12 new subclasses. Larian has said Patch 8 is Baldur’s Gate 3’s last major update, with the developer moving on to brand new games away from the Dungeons & Dragons universe. The Patch 8 stress test build is set to go live in January, Larian said in a post on Steam. It will be available to players on PC via Steam, and on console via Xbox and PlayStation. GOG and Mac players do not have access. The form for registering interest is live now. Larian said it wants to "rigorously" test Patch 8 for instability or gameplay issues before it comes out. “With your help...

View full article »

Star Citizen Has Finally Released Alpha 4.0 ‘After a Much Longer Than Anticipated Development Process’

Star Citizen has finally hit alpha 4.0 after what its chief developer, Chris Roberts, admitted was “a much longer than anticipated development process.” Cloud Imperium Games’ space sim is considered one of the most controversial projects in all video games. Over the 12 years since its crowdfunding drive began, Star Citizen has been called many things including a scam by those who wonder whether it will ever properly launch. Its virtual space ships, some of which cost hundreds of dollars, are often the focus of criticism. Indeed, Star Citizen has now raised an eye-watering $767 million, according to figures from CIG. The developer makes revenue publicly available on its website. CIG calls this money “funds raised.” In March this...

View full article »

Our Guide To The Most Anticipated Games of 2025

Even though 2024 was hardly lacking in Game of the Year candidates, it looks set to pale in comparison to the mammoth selection of seemingly certified bangers that 2025 is tipped to bring. From the looter shooter-flavoured, jet-black comedy of Borderlands 4 to the all-encompassing sensation that Grand Theft Auto 6 will surely become, here […] Continue reading...

View full article »

Assassin's Creed Shadows' Protagonist Can Naruto Run

Ubisoft has revealed a game-changing feature coming to the Feudal Japan-set Assassin's Creed Shadows: protagonist Naoe can Naruto run. Creative director Jonathon Dumont told Entertainment Weekly of the flamboyant means of traversal, in which someone leans over so their face is just a few feet from the ground, throws their arms straight back, and sprints at top speed. "Naoe’s the fastest Assassin we ever made," Dumont said. "She runs super fast, she has a lot of gadgets to keep her stealth so that she doesn't have to fight often. We wanted to satisfy that for players that come in for that ninja-Assassin game." He then teased the Naruto run. "We do have a run on top of buildings that has a little bit of a wink-wink to it," Dumont...

View full article »

AU Deals: A Campside Chat with Ryozo Tsujimoto on Monster Hunter Wilds, the Cheapest Prices Available, and More!

In 2004 I caught excited whispers and game mag glimpses of a waking giant on the horizon. The fuzzy intel received: Capcom would be releasing a Japanese-only PS2 game where one tracked and killed kaiju in epic battles of attrition. An impulse import purchase was made, and, about a hundred hours later, I managed to overcome a Fatalis-sized language barrier (and fangs and claws) to achieve victory in my first Monster Hunter of many. Fast forward 20 years, and I'm somehow sitting down for a chat with one of the key persons responsible for my younger self's torment and triumphs, Series Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto. When I whip out my original PS2 copy and explain the origins of how I became hooked on his franchise, despite such a hostile...

View full article »

The True Horror of Fortnite's Skibidi Toilet Crossover Is Finally Revealed

The dreaded and feared Skibidi Toilet has reared its truly ugly head in Fortnite at last. The rumored update officially dropped in the game last night, and so far it's prompting reactions of skepticism, confusion, and delight from the Fortnite community. First off, let's talk about the crossover itself. We first learned about it earlier this week via leakers, followed up by a confirmation from the official Fortnite X account of a toilet, plunger, and camera emoji in succession and a date: December 18, 2024. The actual update went live last night, and includes a Skibidi Toilet bundle on the item shop (discounted to 2,200 V-bucks at the time this piece was written) consisting of plunger pickaxes, a Plungerhead character skin, and two...

View full article »