Gaming News

Street Fighter Pro, Fighting Game Community Icon Michael 'BrolyLegs' Begum Dies at 35

Street Fighter pro and legendary fighting game community (FGC) member Michael "BrolyLegs" Begum has died at the age of 35. Begum’s family shared news of his passing with a statement on X/Twitter. They ask fans to share memories and remember the impact he had on the FGC. Begum got his start as a competitive Super Smash Bros. Melee player, but is best known for his work as a Chun-Li player in Capcom’s Street Fighter series. “On behalf of the family of Michael Phillip Begum, ‘Brolylegs', we want to inform friends, and fans around the world that Mike has passed on," reads the family statement. "This sudden loss is devastating to us all. The family needs time to gain more information on his passing and time to grieve through this...

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Everything Announced at State of Unreal 2024: Amy Hennig Reveals Marvel 1043: Rise of Hydra, New Tools Coming to UEFN, and More

At GDC 2024, Epic held its State of Unreal event, unveiling the latest news and developments coming to Unreal Engine — specifically Unreal Engine 5 and Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN). If you missed the event, here's a quick rundown of everything announced during the 2024 State of Unreal presentation. Amy Hennig Reveals Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra at State of Unreal In an unexpected yet pleasant surprise, Amy Henig and Skydance Media started the show by unveiling Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, one of two projects Hennig has spearheaded since joining the studio. Alongside a proper reveal of the game, we also learned that it would use Epic's tech, most notably MetaHuman Animator, to provide more photorealistic facial animations. Last...

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Epic Will Launch a Fortnite Season Developed on UEFN by the End of 2025 - State of Unreal 2024

At the State of Unreal 2024 presentation, Epic Games announced a slew of new product information and details. Among them were the new tools coming to Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) and confirmation that next year, the studio will launch its first season of Fortnite that's developed entirely in UEFN. As part of its UEFN roadmap, Epic Games revealed that "by the end of 2025," it will ship the first season of its widely popular free-to-play Battle Royale, made entirely using the level editor it introduced nearly a year ago. Beyond that surprise, Epic went into more detail about the UEFN roadmap and the new creator tools it will add this year. This includes confirmation that the first-person camera settings will arrive in UEFN...

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Dragon's Dogma 2 Performance Review - PS5 vs Xbox Series X/S vs PC

Capcom really upped its game with their RE-Engine that debuted in 2017’s Resident Evil 7. It has since seen Capcom through 16 games and three console generations, but none were as demanding and out of that design scope as Dragon’s Dogma 2, which is probably why it’s the first to make the versatile engine visibly bulge at the seams. This is a game that relies on physically based materials, photogrammetry textures, and realistic human models and animation, alongside a fantastical and mythical world, but the bumpers come off in places where we see the open-ended, dynamic, and systemic game design with CPU-controlled enemies and teammates, vast, open plains to explore, and dense towns with constant data streaming. This flips the linear...

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Max Payne 1 and 2 Remake Has Same Development Budget as Alan Wake 2

Remedy Entertainment has discussed its hotly anticipated Max Payne 1 and 2 Remake, revealing it has a similar development budget to the recently released Alan Wake 2. Remedy is working with Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption company Rockstar under a new publishing agreement to remake the first two Max Payne games for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. Remedy is handling development while Rockstar is fully financing the project. The Max Payne remakes are developed on Remedy's Northlight game engine, the same engine used to develop Control and Alan Wake 2. The original Max Payne games were also a result of a partnership between Remedy and Rockstar, with Remedy handling development and Rockstar Games publishing. Rockstar...

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Yoko Shimomura Reflects on Lifetime Achievement: 'I Knew I Loved Music, and I Loved Myself Because of That'

At least once a week, I look at what I've written down on my computer for a story, put my head in my hands, sigh deeply, and say something like, "Actually, this is the worst thing anyone has written in the history of writing and I should quit immediately." I haven't met anyone engaged in creative pursuits who hasn't felt this way at least once. And Yoko Shimomura is somehow no exception. Shimomura is the lauded composer of soundtracks for games and franchises such as Kingdom Hearts, Mario & Luigi, Xenoblade Chronicles, Streets of Rage, the Mana series, Super Mario RPG, Live A Live, Radiant Historia, Final Fantasy XV, Parasite Eve, Breath of Fire, the list goes on and on. But despite all this, despite years of accolades including a...

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At Least We Know What the Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Remake Main Menu Looks Like

Konami has revealed the Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater remake main menu as part of a new video series fronted by Solid Snake voice actor David Hayter. The Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater remake, officially titled Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater (the Δ is pronounced 'delta'), is set to bring “unprecedented new graphics” to Hideo Kojima's 2004 sequel. The main menu screen, below, doesn’t reveal much, save a look at Snake Eater’s famous jungle environment. We also hear the classic Metal Gear Solid gun sound with a press of the start button. Konami has revealed little of the Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater remake save the announcement trailer and Unreal Engine 5-powered footage, and it has yet to announce a release date. However, in...

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Obsidian’s Spy RPG Alpha Protocol Revived 5 Years After Delisting

Obsidian’s secret agent RPG Alpha Protocol is back from the dead courtesy of GOG five years after it was delisted. Alpha Protocol, first released in 2010, was pulled from Steam in 2019 due to the expiry of music rights. At the time publisher Sega, which still owns the Alpha Protocol IP, failed to go into further detail, but the delisting was said to have to do with scenes such as a boss fight that includes Turn Up The Radio by Autograph. Now, five years later, GOG has worked to bring Alpha Protocol back with all its original music. It said Alpha Protocol is available DRM-free and includes a number of additional features, such as the freshly licensed soundtrack. Here’s the list: ● A licensed soundtrack ● Achievements support ●...

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Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero! Gets New Gameplay Showcase and Characters, But No Release Date

Bandai Namco has provided another look at Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, the next installment in its Budokai Tenkaichi series. Although there's no release date, today's showcase provided an in-depth overview of the features and mechanics we can expect in Sparking! Zero. The gameplay showcase, which you can check out below, shows a fight between longtime rivals Goku and Vegeta. We spend a few minutes watching both characters duke it out, with both transforming into Super Saiyan God before an energy wave battle towards the end of the battle. As with previous installments in the Budokai Tenkaichi games, Sparking! Zero has a behind-the-back third-person camera system with the dynamic and action-packed gameplay that has become the...

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How Long is Dragon's Dogma 2?

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is yet another huge open-world RPG greeting us at the beginning of 2024. But just how long is it? Here we’ll let you know exactly how many hours it took different members of the IGN team to finish the story – as well as others who are only part of the way through their journey – and what they prioritised doing with their time. Simon Cardy - Senior Editorial Producer It took me just under 24 hours to reach the final credits of Dragon’s Dogma 2’s story, including the game’s optional true ending. By the time I reached the end of my journey with my loyal pawn Ham at my side, I was a level 41 Mystic Spearhand with all my vocational skills unlocked. I started my adventure by taking my time, spending quite a few hours...

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Dragon’s Dogma 2 Review

In a way, Dragon’s Dogma 2 reminds me of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead 2, which was more of a remake of his first cult-classic comedy-horror movie than a sequel. The much bigger budget allowed Raimi to really dial in his true vision for Ash’s bad night with the bad book. Like Evil Dead 2, Dragon’s Dogma 2 doesn’t stray too far from the blueprint that turned it into a cult-classic action-RPG in its own right over the past decade, keeping its second-to-none action design and vague but robust and alluring world as its centerpieces. Like the 2012 original, it is unforgiving out of the gate thanks to brutal enemies and chaotic encounters that are not designed to gradually ease you in. It is also high levels of janky; all of its systems seem...

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Capcom Is 'Aware' of Dragon's Dogma 2 Frame Rate Issues on PC, Looking Into Fixes

Folks teeming with excitement to finally dive into Capcom's hotly anticipated fantasy action role-playing sequel Dragon's Dogma 2 on March 12 may experience some inconsistent frame rate performance issues on PC. Responding to a query about frame rate problems from IGN, Capcom said in a statement that performance issues on PC may be linked to the heavy amount of CPU demanded from NPCs in the game. "In Dragon's Dogma 2, a large amount of CPU usage is allocated to each character and dynamically calculates the impact of their physical presence in various environments. In certain situations where numerous characters appear simultaneously, the CPU usage can be very high and may affect the frame rate," a Capcom representative told IGN. "We...

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YouTuber Says the Pokémon Company Copyright Struck Their 7-Year-Old Video Featuring Pokémon Modded Into COD Zombies

A hugely popular Call of Duty YouTuber has said their seven-year-old video featuring Pokémon modded into COD Zombies was hauled offline after The Pokémon Company issued a removal request. NoahJ456, who has 5.21 million subscribers on YouTube, tweeted a warning to other content creators, advising that if their videos feature any sort of modded Pokémon content, “I would delete/unlist it ASAP.” Tweeting a picture of the notice from YouTube, NoahJ456 said: “Just got a manual strike for a video I made seven years ago featuring Pokémon modded into COD Zombies. Two more strikes and my channel gets deleted.” Replying to a user, NoahJ456 added: “They are technically within their rights to take this down, so unless they have a change of...

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Respawn Deploys Apex Legends Security Update After Pro Accounts Were Hacked Mid-Match

EA has deployed what it called the first in a “layered series” of Apex Legends security updates amid growing concern about the safety of the battle royale. Over the weekend, a number of professional Apex Legends players were hacked mid-match during the game’s Global Series, putting a stop to the tournament and sparking concern about the security of some EA games. During the North American finals of the Apex Legends Global Series, Noyan "Genburten" Ozkose was surprised to discover the ability to see through walls, an incident you can see in the video below from X/Twitter user @Apryze_: It didn’t stop there. Phillip "ImperialHal" Dosen was then somehow given an aimbot. Footage shows chat taken over by the words "Apex hacking global...

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Surprise Red Dead Redemption 2 Patch Doesn’t Add the Update Everyone Really Wants

Rockstar has issued a surprise title update for Red Dead Redemption 2 — its first for nearly two years — which makes a number of improvements and fixes for the game, but it does not add the update the community desperately wants. Red Dead Redemption 2 Title Update 1.32, out now for the game across PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, includes improvements for FSR (now updated to FSR 2.2), support for HDR10, and a fix for an infamous Red Dead Online glitch that caused the game to freeze when entering stables. However, the title update does not add 60 frames per second to Red Dead Redemption 2 on consoles, perhaps the most-wanted update in all of video games. In September, the explosive FTC vs Xbox leak sent shockwaves throughout the Red...

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Helldivers 2 Patch 1.000.103 Nerfs Planet Hazards, Patrols Spawning on Players, and More

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has released another patch for the PC and PlayStation 5 co-op shooter, this time nerfing the recently added planet hazards. Patch 1.000.103 adjusts the spawn rates for the various planet hazards in the game, including tremors, meteor showers, volcanic activity, fire tornados, and ion storms. The upshot is hazards should now spawn less frequently during missions. Elsewhere, Arrowhead said the patch reduces incidents of patrols spawning on players, which should make the game a tad easier. The new patch does not, however, address Helldivers 2’s troublesome friend request issue. In a post on the Helldivers Discord, community manager Twinbeard said this is “one of our top issues at the moment.” However...

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Every Far Cry Game: A Full History of Releases in Order

Far Cry really has done it all: a two-decade-long span of sequels set across the world, a wide range of spin-offs, and a movie adaptation. The franchise even dove into the realm of anime last year, with Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix bringing the neon-tinged, tongue-in-cheek world of Far Cry: Blood Dragon to Netflix. As shown in the trailer video above, we can now celebrate 20 years of Far Cry, revisiting the journey from Far Cry 1 in 2004 to Far Cry 6 in 2021. The Far Cry series has become a fixture of Ubisoft’s lineup, quickly accumulating a long lineage of games for players to dig through. Below, we’ll carve through this lengthy history, listing every game in release order and offering newcomers a recommendation of the...

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What Millennia Brings To The 4X Strategy Genre

A cursory look at the landscape of the 4X strategy genre on PC will inform you that tactically-minded gamers have never had it better. The latest entry in what appears to be a genre in danger of overcrowding, Millennia from publisher Paradox Interactive and developer C Prompt Games nonetheless looks set to carve its niche […] Continue reading...

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Best Games Like Outpost: Infinity Siege

The best games like Outpost: Infinity Siege should let you live out all your FPS, tower defence, and base-building dreams but there’s one small problem, Outpost: Infinity Siege is a game that’s fairly unique in its approach to things. That’s because it spans several genres in a very unique way and so you have to […] Continue reading...

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Stardew Valley's Big 1.6 Update Boosts Its Steam Player Count to Record-Shattering Levels

Stardew Valley Update 1.6 is out now on PC, and it’s already breaking player records on Steam. Developer Eric "Concerned Ape" Barone launched the content drop today, bringing loads of new additions and tweaks to the beloved farming sim after months of waiting. It’s proving to be a bit of a moment for fans, too, as according to SteamDB, Stardew Valley’s player numbers are soaring to new heights. At the time of this story’s publication, there are more than 136,000 players currently logged on Steam alone. That number is climbing rapidly, too, burying the previous record of 94,879 in January 2021. It’s also worth noting that Stardew Valley 1.6 is available on GOG, and Barone says that the update will soon make its way to Game Pass, too...

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Bungie's Classic Marathon Trilogy Is Coming to Steam, Thanks to a Fan Revival

One of Bungie’s defining first-person shooter projects is coming to Steam in the form of Classic Marathon. It’s an unexpected revival that exists thanks to the community-driven development team at Aleph One Developers. The Steam port is said to bring the sci-fi FPS to players without tarnishing its original look and feel while still providing new features like optional widescreen HUD support, 3D filtering/perspective, positional audio, and 60+ fps interpolation. Bungie took to X/Twitter to formally reveal the new Classic Marathon Steam page. “Alien forces have boarded the colony ship UESC Marathon in the Tau Ceti system, in orbit around humanity’s first interstellar colony,” the Classic Marathon Steam description says. “The...

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Starfield Update 1.10.31 Finally Removes Annoying Penalty in Lockpicking Minigame

After a few weeks in Steam beta, Bethesda Game Studios has released the next update for Starfield across all platforms, with one change addressing the Security minigame. As detailed in a new blog post, everything in the beta update remains the same in the full version. While we previously pointed out the changes to photo mode and one particular quest missing a key NPC, causing some not to finish the mission, one big change in Update 1.10.31 addresses a tweak in the Security minigame. Starfield has a lockpicking minigame where you must fit several pieces together to fill holes. These locks can be found throughout the game, notably in safes or computer terminals. Often, this minigame includes valuable loot, such as weapons and...

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Everything You Need to Know Before Starting Dragon's Dogma 2

The original Dragon's Dogma was Capcom's first crack at creating a grand adventure role-playing game that married elements of its high-octane action games, like Devil May Cry, within a western-style high-fantasy setting. In the years since its debut, Dragon's Dogma went from a cult favorite to an essential RPG thanks to its unique take on exploring a large fantasy world with a squad of adventurers as they engage with the many foes and emergent systems in the game. With the upcoming sequel Dragon's Dogma 2 on the way, it's simultaneously a long-awaited follow-up to the original for longtime fans, and a great jumping-on point for newcomers. Considering how dense and bizarre the lore of Capcom's grand RPG is, we're taking a look back at...

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Bungie Replaces Marathon Director Amid Leadership Shakeup, Fears of Layoffs

Amid ongoing anxiety within Bungie following layoffs last year, the studio is now preparing for another shakeup, this time on Marathon — its upcoming service game intended as its next step beyond Destiny. According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, Bungie is in the midst of shifting around its creative leadership on Marathon, including removing long-time Bungie designer Christopher Barrett from the game director role. IGN learned he is being replaced by former Valorant game director Joe Ziegler, who left Riot Games for Bungie in 2022. IGN has reached out to Bungie for comment on whether or not Barrett will remain with the company. Bungie has not yet responded to IGN's request for comment, but shortly after we reached out...

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The Anker Prime 27600mAh Power Bank Can Fast Charge Two Steam Decks and a Nintendo Switch Simultaneously

Today, Amazon is offering the powerful and high capacity Anker Prime 27,650mAh USB Power Bank for only $124.99, a hefty 31% price drop from its original $180 MSRP. This is the successor to the Anker 737 that we deemed the best Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally charger. It boasts an absolutely massive 250W of USB power delivery to charge all of your mobile devices simultaneously. Anker Prime 27,600mAh Power Bank for $125 with 250W of USB Type-C Power Delivery The Anker Prime is a hefy power bank, measuring 6.4"x2"x2.2" and weighing in at 1.5 pounds. It can be used like any other power bank; it does a fine job of charging any of your standard mobile electronics. However, its main purpose is to charge more power hungry devices like laptops...

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Exclusive: Connie Booth, One of the Chief Architects of PlayStation's First-Party Studio System, Is Joining EA

Former PlayStation executive Connie Booth, one of the chief architects of PlayStation's first-party strategy before her unexpected departure in 2023, is joining EA to help lead its studios amid its ongoing restructure. Booth's title will be Group General Manager, Action RPG, with a portfolio that will include EA Motive (Iron Man), Cliffhanger (Black Panther), and BioWare (Dragon Age, Mass Effect). She will report directly to EA Entertainment head Laura Miele. "Connie spent more than 30 years helping to build Sony Interactive Entertainment’s internal studios and is responsible for guiding the development of some of their biggest franchises, including Marvel’s Spider-Man 1 & 2, The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, Uncharted, Ratchet and...

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Overwatch 2 Season 10 Will Unlock All Heroes and Change How Mythic Skins are Earned

When Overwatch 2 Season 10 releases next month, players won't have to wait to play its newest hero, Venture. Rather than make its 40th hero available through the Battle Pass, Blizzard is planning to make Venture immediately available along with every other hero to date. The update is one of several changes that Blizzard has planned for Season 10, which is expected to launch in mid-April, including changes to Mythic skins, earning coins, and core gameplay. In particular, it seeks to streamline how players gain access to Overwatch 2's content, with heroes being one of the key areas of focus. Once Season 10 starts, the main barrier to entry will be the tutorial in which players unlock various Overwatch characters. After the original...

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Final Fantasy 14 on Xbox Has Unique Currency That Must Be Bought From the Microsoft Store Before Spending In-Game

The Xbox Series X and S version of Final Fantasy 14 has a unique virtual currency that must be bought from the Microsoft Store before being spent in-game. In a blog post, Square Enix revealed the currency, called 'FFXIV Coins', and issued a warning to Xbox players who plan to jump into the long-running MMO when it finally launches on their consoles on Thursday, March 21. Here’s the info from Square Enix: FFXIV Coins are not used with the PC and PlayStation versions of Final Fantasy 14, which has sparked something of a backlash from the Xbox community. Clearly, the addition of FFXIV Coins complicates matters for Xbox players, but there's additional confusion around how Xbox players will buy a Final Fantasy 14 subscription. Square...

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Xbox Game Pass March 2024 Wave 2 Lineup Announced

Microsoft has confirmed the second wave of games coming to Xbox Game Pass during March 2024. Out today, March 19, is open-world farming adventure Lightyear Frontier (Game Preview) (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) as a day-one release. IGN’s Lightyear Frontier Early Access Review returned a 7/10. We said: “Cute and chill, homesteading in your giant mech on Lightyear Frontier’s alien world is already some good and simple fun, even if it currently stops a bit short.” Also out today is MLB The Show 24 (Cloud and Console) as another day-one Game Pass launch. Coming soon, on March 20, is Supermassive’s The Quarry (Cloud and Console). IGN’s The Quarry Review returned a 7/10. We said: “The Quarry is a fun, bloody thrill ride on your first...

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Alone in the Dark Review

Long before the Evil became Resident, the Hill fell Silent, and the Space turned Dead, there was another seminal survival horror classic that established a lot of the fright-heavy fundamentals that would stalk the shadowy hallways of the genre for decades to come. That game was 1992’s Alone in the Dark, which featured 3D graphics that were groundbreaking at the time, as well as a genre-defining emphasis on puzzle-solving, inventory management, and combat that involved just as much flight as fight. Now developer Pieces Interactive has reimagined the aging original in the form of a new Alone in the Dark – but although it features some surprising environments to explore and a fairly compelling supernatural mystery to unravel, its shallow...

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