Gaming News

EA Sports FC 25 Title Update 2 Tackles the Horribly Unresponsive Menus

EA Sports has released Title Update 2 for FC 25, which makes a relatively small number of changes to the game a week after launch. Perhaps the highlight here is a fix for button inputs sometimes not being registered when performing actions in the menus. Sluggish, unresponsive menus have been a problem with EA Sports’ FIFA series for years, but this year’s FC 25 seems to have it particularly bad. As the patch notes below reveal, sometimes button inputs wouldn’t even work in the menus, so perhaps that’s part of the reason. Elsewhere, EA Sports is taking a leaf out of Nintendo’s update book with a raft of vague stability improvements. EA Sports FC 25 Title Update 2 patch notes: General, Audio, and Visual Addressed the following...

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Tekken 8 Chief Katsuhiro Harada Says He’s Going to Rethink His Role Following DLC Stage Backlash

Tekken 8 boss Katsuhiro Harada has stepped into the ongoing row over the sale of a premium DLC stage after fans accused publisher Bandai Namco of “corporate greed.” This week, alongside the release of DLC character Heihachi Mishima and the accompanying free story mode expansion, Bandai Namco sold the Genmaji Temple stage for $4.99, sparking a backlash from fans who had expected the stage to be made available for free — as the stage that accompanied the release of prior DLC character Lidia Sobieska was. Part of the frustration comes from mismanaged expectations and the Tekken 8 community’s feeling that Bandai Namco is overreaching here given the game itself and its DLC character pass comes with a premium price tag. Currently, paying...

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Jason Schreier on Unearthing the Secrets of Blizzard's Long History in His Eye-Opening New Book

If various news events in recent years have ever caused you to wonder, “What the heck has been going on at Blizzard Entertainment?” Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier’s new book has an answer for you. Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment is Schreier’s third book on the games industry, following Blood, Sweat, and Pixels (2017) and Press Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry (2021). While both of Schreier’s previous books canvas multiple studios along a particular theme, Play Nice turns a focused lens on one of the most interesting and tumultuous studios in video games. Play Nice covers three decades of Blizzard history, bookended by the foundation of the company by Allen Adham and Mike...

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Hi-Rez Studios Suffers Layoffs as Smite 2 Struggles in Early Access

Smite 2 developer Hi-Rez Studios has laid off an undisclosed number of employees as the MOBA sequel struggles throughout its early access period. Hi-Rez Studios CEO Stewart Chisam announced the layoffs on X/Twitter alongside a shift in strategy for Smite 2, which launched in early access on August 27 and is planned for a full, free-to-play launch in 2025. "We’re making some difficult but necessary changes to ensure Hi-Rez's long-term success, with a specific focus on positioning Smite 2 for a long and sustainable future," Chisam said. We’re making some difficult but necessary changes to ensure Hi-Rez's long-term success. "As part of this internal reorganization and reprioritization, we are laying off some team members across...

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Hi-Fi Rush 2 Dev Wants It to Offer ‘A More Open World Type of Experience,’ New Owner Says

Hi-Fi Rush 2 looks like a certainty following PUBG company Krafton’s acquisition of Tango Gameworks. Microsoft shocked the video game world when it closed Japanese studio Tango Gameworks earlier this year as part of devastating cuts that saw 1,900 staff let go from its gaming business. Three months later Krafton announced its intention to buy Tango Gameworks. Only the Hi-Fi Rush intellectual property was brought over as part of the studio transfer from Microsoft-owned Zenimax Media to Krafton, leaving the likes of The Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo behind. In a new interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Krafton’s head of corporate development Maria Park was asked about the company’s plan for the Hi-Fi Rush franchise following the...

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Fortnite Will Now Let Parents Set Time Limits Complete With In-Game Pop-Ups Warning It's Time to Logoff

Epic is adding new time limit controls to Fortnite and the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), giving parents another tool in keeping their kids from playing the popular battle royale every waking moment of the day. In an official blog, Epic revealed the new additions to its parental controls, which also includes time reports. The tool will allow parents to decide when and how long kids can play Fortnite, with the tool offering the ability to set specific time windows of availability. If the time limit controls are active, kids will start seeing in-game notifications when they have 30 minutes left. Once it expires, kids won't be able to play again until the next window of availability, meaning they will have to find another way to...

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PlayStation Plus Game Catalog Additions for October 2024 Available Now

Sony has released the PlayStation Plus Essential Tier games for October 2024, meaning subscribers can now download Dead Space (PS5), WWE 2K24 (PS4 and PS5), and Doki Doki Literature Club Plus (PS4 and PS5). First revealed on during Sony's 2024 State of Play, all three games are available at no extra cost to PlayStation Plus subscribers until November 4. Dead Space is perhaps the biggest game in October's line-up. It arrived in 2023 as a remake of the survival horror classic that puts players aboard a desolate space station with very little to protect them from the invading hoards of aliens. "Dead Space is a superb remake and undoubtedly the definitive way to experience one of the best survival horror shooters that Capcom never...

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Games Workshop Is So Protective of Warhammer 40,000, It Told the Space Marine 2 Dev They Got the Ankle Armor Wrong

Games Workshop is famously protective of the Warhammer 40,000 intellectual property, so much so that it carefully controls adaptations of its grimdark tabletop game to make sure everything is as lore accurate as possible. That protective work went on during the development of Space Marine 2, now the most-played Warhammer video game of all time on Steam. Developer Saber Interactive worked closely with Games Workshop over Space Marine 2’s four-year development to ensure it was as authentic as possible, right down to the nuts and bolts of a Space Marine’s armor. Speaking to IGN, Saber Interactive Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits discussed its working relationship with Games Workshop, and some of the challenges it faced ensuring Space...

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Baldur's Gate 3 Characters Including Karlach and Astarion Get Official Dungeons & Dragons Minis From WizKids

The main party members of Baldur's Gate 3 — including characters such as Karlach, Astarion, and Shadowheart — are getting official Dungeons & Dragons miniatures from WizKids. The D&D Icons of the Realms: Baldur's Gate 3 box set is now available to preorder on the WizKids website for $49.99 and comes with seven minis in total. Alongside Karlach the tiefling barbarian, Astarion the elf rogue, and half elf cleric Shadowheart, the box set also includes Gale the human wizard, Lae'zel the githyanki fighter, Wyll the human warlock, and Withers, the wise zombie man who revives fallen allies and summons companions in Baldur's Gate 3. "Transport your favorite characters from the screen to the tabletop with the new D&D Icons of the Realms...

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Square Enix Wants to Release Final Fantasy 16 on Xbox, but Can’t Share a Release Date Yet

Square Enix has provided an update on the potential for an Xbox port of Final Fantasy 16, saying it wants to release the game on Microsoft’s console but can’t share a release date yet. Speaking to Video Games, Square Enix’s Naoki ‘Yoshi-P’ Yoshida, producer of both Final Fantasy 14 and Final Fantasy 16, strongly suggested Final Fantasy 16 will eventually come out on Xbox by telling fans not to give up hope. "Of course we did announce the PC version of the game, so looking towards the Xbox version, we do want to release it on Xbox,” Yoshida said. “But when it comes to the specifics such as when the game would be available and such, we are not in a position to be able to share anything. But of course, I want to say that it’s not as if...

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Liam Hemsworth Hadn't Seen The Witcher Show or Read the Books Before Netflix Cast Him as Geralt, But He Did Love The Witcher 3

Liam Hemsworth may not have watched The Witcher show or read the original book series before being cast by Netflix as Geralt of Rivia, but he was a big fan of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The actor, who'll portray Geralt in Season 4 and the final Season 5 after Cavill stepped down, said on Live With Killy and Mark that he played The Witcher 3 at launch and was otherwise a big gamer. "I hadn't seen the TV show and I hadn't read the books but I played the video game like ten years ago or something," Hemsworth said. "It's still, to this day, one of the best video games of all time, and Netflix came to me almost two years ago now and said that they wanted me to step in and take over, and I was really excited by taking on that character...

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Amazon Restock on PS5 Pros, A Build Your Own Resi Bundle, and a Chainsworded Space Marine 2 RRP!

If you're lucky, you've got a bunch of free days going on right now, and they need to be filled with games. I've therefore sniffed through every online store in a search for the best gaming bargains of the day. They're new, they're old, but most importantly, they're quite a bit cheaper than their original asking price. So stop reading and get scrolling / saving! In retro news, I'm celebrating the 37th birthday of the mighty Sega Master System. I somehow pleaded my way into one of these when this oversized oblong started to be bundled with two controllers, a light phaser, and two games (Hang On and Safari Hunt). Boasting newer, improved hardware compared to its worthy NES rival, Sega's 8-bit beast seized a significant market share lead...

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Monster Hunter Wilds’ Newest Revealed Returning Monster Is a Farting Pink Ape

We learned a lot of new information about Monster Hunter Wilds at Tokyo Game Show 2024 during the Capcom Online Program and extended Scarlet Forest gameplay stream, including the reveal of the foul Congala and fowl Yian Kut-ku. Both monsters are returning to the series after a long absence. Here’s a quick breakdown of everything we’ve learned with comments from the developers. The Fanged Beast Congalala, a Farting Pink Ape Technically, we could’ve made an educated guess that Congalala would be returning to the series thanks to the distinctly pink armor the hunter was wearing in the official Dual Blades showcase. But it was finally officially confirmed during the Scarlet Forest gameplay stream, where the developers said fans have...

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Wizards of the Coast Is Stepping in After Magic's Most Popular Format Is Rocked by Controversial Card Bans

It's been a wild few days for Magic: The Gathering fans. Last week, the Commander Rules Committee announced that it was banning several major cards, throwing Magic's most popular format into disarray. Now Wizards of the Coast is stepping in. Acknowledging in an official statement that it's been a "tumultuous" week for Commander fans, Wizards of the Coast said it plans to run the format in-house going forward after previously leaving it in the care of part-time volunteers. It's a huge shakeup — one that figures to have far-reaching implications for the future of the game. "This week has also demonstrated the truly monumental task that faced the Commander Rules Committee. The Commander RC is made up of five talented, caring...

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Monster Hunter Wilds: Here’s What Comes in Each Edition

The next mainline installment in the Monster Hunter series is coming soon. Monster Hunter Wilds is set to release for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on February 28. It brings a gorgeous open-world setting like Monster Hunter World and introduces some of the fast traversal of Monster Hunter Rise to create what should be the best of both worlds. Monster Hunter Wilds is now available to preorder in a variety of editions (see it at Amazon). Below, we break down what comes in each one, how much they cost, and more. Let’s dive in. Monster Hunter Wilds (Steelbook Edition) PS5 Get it at Amazon - $74.99 Get it at Best Buy - $74.99 Get it at GameStop - $74.99 Xbox Series X|S Get it at Amazon - $74.99 Get it at Best Buy - $74.99 Get it at...

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Yoshi-P Thinks a Final Fantasy 9 Remake Would Take More Than One Game

Rumors of a Final Fantasy IX remake have been echoing around RPG circles for at least year now, with series fans hopeful that they may soon get to revisit one of the most beloved entries in the series. But if a Final Fantasy IX remake does materialize, it may face some big challenges. Speaking with the website Video Games, Final Fantasy XIV producer Naoki Yoshida talked a bit about what a remake might look like. He warns that it may not all fit in one game. "Of course, I do know there are requests for Final Fantasy IX to be made, but when you think about Final Fantasy IX, it’s a game with huge volume," Yoshida says. "When you think about all of that volume, I wonder if it’s possible to remake that as a single title. It’s a difficult...

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Save Over 50% Off This 15" USB Portable Monitor

Amazon is offering an excellent deal on this Arzopa 15" 1080p USB Type-C portable monitor. It's normally $129.99, but right now you can get it for only $59.98 shipped. That's the best price we've ever seen for this particular model, and a much lower price compared to 15" USB Type-C monitors from major brands like LG or Samsung. This is a great portable display for your Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, or Asus ROG Ally gaming handheld. Arzopa S1 15" 1080p USB-C Portable Monitor for $59.98 This 15" 1080p monitor works as a secondary display for your laptop, tablet, phone, gaming console, or pretty much any device that has either a USB or HDMI output. The S1 has one HDMI and two USB Type-C ports. If your device has a USB Type-C output with...

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Starfield Update 1.14.70 Is Out to Coincide With Release of Shattered Space

The Shattered Space expansion for Starfield is now available and Bethesda has released update 1.14.70 to get its space role-playing game ready. The patch notes were shared on X/Twitter and cover the main Starfield and not just its expansion. While some points are fairly standard, covering the likes of "general performance and stability improvements," others are more fun. "Autumn Macmillan no longer repeats herself when asking about her sister," for example. Myriad quest bugs have also been addressed, in missions such as Brownout, Due In Full, Eye Witness, Hostile Intelligence, In Memoriam, and many more. Bethesda has also applied many changes to specific areas of the game by enhancing textures and more. The Shattered Space...

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How BioWare Finally Got Dragon Age to the Finish Line After a Tumultuous Decade

Anticipation was running high within BioWare when Andrew Wilson and Laura Miele, two of EA’s top executives, visited the studio in 2023. They were there to see the latest Dragon Age, which had been in development in one form or another for nearly a decade. It was a chance to show that after struggling through the releases of Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem, BioWare was finally back on the right track. The story of their visit came up more than once in our visit to BioWare for September’s IGN First. Director Corinne Busche, who was conducting the demo, remembers rehearsing for “hours and hours” to make sure she got everything right. “I knew the content like the back of my hand and everything was going so well. But of course we get...

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Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Features Ichiban Actor in Bizarre Role

The actor behind Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth protagonist Ichiban Kasuga is returning in the next game, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, in a bizarre role. Developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio revealed on X/Twitter that Nakaya Kazuhiro — who also played Nishikiyama Akira in Yakuza, Yakuza 0, and Yakuza Kiwami — is playing the role of a tiger cub in the new game. The tiger is called Goro, presumably (or perhaps coincidentally) named after Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii protagonist Majima Goro. It's owned by Noah, the child who finds Majima washed up on the beach with no memory in the beginning of the Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag meets Like a Dragon looking entry. It is, dare we say, a less important role than Nakaya's previous ones in...

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Hell is Us: The First Preview

Let’s get this one out of the way: Hell is Us isn’t a soulslike. Nor is it an open-world game. Instead, it aims to separate itself from other action adventures by emphasising investigation and discovery, ushering you to get lost in its weirdness. That’s exactly what happened to me during my two-hour hands-on with developer Rogue Factor’s latest, an arresting mixture of medieval and sci-fi aesthetics set against a 90s European civil war backdrop. I enjoyed its approach to tense melee combat encounters and information-gathering puzzles, but what excites me the most is what I don’t know – where its intriguing story will lead me next. Hell is Us is one of the bleaker games I’ve played in a while. Upon entering a village surrounded by...

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Tekken Boss Katsuhiro Harada Actually Tried to Get Colonel Sanders as a Guest Character — But KFC Turned Him Down

Tekken development chief Katsuhiro Harada revealed he tried and failed to have Colonel Sanders added to the fighting game as a guest character. "A long time ago, I wanted to have Colonel Sanders from Kentucky Fried Chicken fight," Harada told The Gamer. "So, I asked to use Colonel Sanders and go to the head office in Japan." Unfortunately, Harada’s pitch was turned down with a "bad look.” Since then, Colonel Sanders actually did appear in a video game: I Love You, Colonel Sanders! A Finger Lickin' Good Dating Simulator, a dating sim commissioned by KFC and released for free on Steam on September 24, 2019 as a bizarre promo for the fast food chain. "[Harada] went to Kentucky Fried Chicken and tried to get Colonel Sanders," game...

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Blizzard Reportedly Had StarCraft, Overwatch, and Diablo Adaptations in Development, but Then It Sued Netflix

Blizzard fans reportedly missed out on various StarCraft, Overwatch, and Diablo adaptations because it sued Netflix. In a Reddit AMA to promote his new book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier revealed that all three Blizzard franchises were due the Netflix adaptation treatment, but then Blizzard sued Netflix for poaching the company’s then Chief Financial Officer. In early 2019, former Blizzard CFO Spencer Neumann was fired after breaching his contract to become CFO of Netflix. It seems this dispute was at the heart of the end of those Netflix adaptations. Blizzard fans are now expressing their disappointment at what might have been, particularly for Overwatch, which...

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PS5 Homescreen Now Replaces Unique Video Game Art With Annoying Ads You Can’t Turn Off

The PlayStation 5 now has an advert system built into the dashboard user interface you can’t disable without disconnecting from the internet. Users noticed how hovering over a video game icon on the homepage now forces an advert to replace the unique art — as close to a theme as the PS5 gets. What appears to be happening is the PS5 is pulling in the latest news for each game, whether it be a YouTube video, patch notes, or even the announcement of a different game entirely. However, some users have critisized the move for replacing main video game images on the homepage with what are in some cases outdated adverts. IGN’s testing shows the latest promotional Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 video released by publisher Focus...

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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Datamine Reveals Unannounced Armor Pieces — Including the Beaky Helmet

Following the release of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s game-changing patch 3.0 last week, dataminers have dug into the files and unearthed what looks like upcoming armor customization pieces — including one fans had hoped would be added to the game. Images of the Mark 6 Corvus and Mark 7 Aquila Astartes helmets were posted to reddit, showing that developer Saber Interactive likely plans to expand the game’s Space Marine customization beyond variations of the latest Mark 10 Tacticus power armor. Space Marine 2, which is set in Warhammer 40,000’s current and ongoing Indomitus Era, features Primaris (bigger, stronger, better) marines and thus focuses on the latest armor sets in the tabletop. However, this datamine suggests old...

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Preorders Get a Massive Discount Just a Month Before Release in the UK

Thinking about grabbing the new Call of Duty this year? We've got the best deal in the UK right here. You don't need to pay the full £70 for the highly anticipated return to the Black Ops series. Right now, you can secure Black Ops 6 for just £53.99 with the code GHOST10 at Currys, available on PS5, PS4, and Xbox. See for PS5 - £53.99 See for PS4 - £53.99 See for Xbox - £53.99 The new installment brings the sub-series up to the early 1990s, with in-game representations of world leaders like George H. W. Bush, Saddam Husseine, and Margaret Thatcher. As usual, it will include a single-player campaign, multiplayer, and zombies. Call of Duty Black Ops 6 - What We Said in Our Review IGN reviewer Seth Macy said in our Multiplayer Review...

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Live Service Game Horizon Online Reportedly Guerrilla’s Next Project, Horizon 3 ‘Might Be a Ways Off’

Horizon developer Guerrilla Games’ next project is the live service Horizon Online project, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier has said. Schreier told Spawn Wave’s Spawncast the promised Horizon 3 "might be a ways off," however. “Guerrilla is an interesting place, because they’re working on this Horizon online game that... I’m not sure how many people want that,” Schreier said, raising questions about Guerrilla’s strategy. “They’ve got this [Horizon Zero Dawn] remaster coming and the Lego game [Lego Horizon Adventures] coming. What happens if neither of those hit, and it turns out there isn't a ton of interest in Horizon anymore? Are they still gonna be doing the online game? There are a lot of questions around their strategy and...

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Blade Star and Country Music Legend Kris Kristofferson Dies Aged 88

Country music legend and Hollywood star Kris Kristofferson has died aged 88, his family has announced. Kristofferson, a Grammy Award-winning country music legend and star of films such as Blade and Planet of the Apes, died at his home in Maui on Saturday, September 28, surrounded by his family. “It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 28 at home,” a statement on behalf of Kristofferson’s wife, Lisa; his eight children, Tracy, Kris Jr., Casey, Jesse, Jody, John, Kelly and Blake; and seven grandchildren, read on Kristofferson’s official Facebook page. “We’re all so blessed for our time with him. Thank you for loving him all these many...

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Indie Game Round-Up – October 2024

The best indie games in October have a surprising lack of general Halloween vibes. That’s not a complaint, it’s just an observation, but you never know, maybe we will get jumpscared by a few shadow drops as the month progresses. In the meantime though, we’ve made a little list of some of the cool indie […] Continue reading...

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Legendary Zelda Drops, $410 off a Jurassic World Haul, 75 Bucks for FC 25, and More!

Welcome back to another week of the finest savings on the video games that matter. Today's all about sticking the boot into FC 25's RRP, and scoring a PlayStation 5 Slim console for the cheapest price I've seen in a while. If nothing else, that offer certainly surpasses the exorbitant eBay scalper prices for a 30th Anniversary edition one. Still pretty annoyed that I missed out on that... In retro news, I'm celebrating the 23rd birthday of Pokémon Crystal, an 'upper' version of Pokémon Gold and Silver that got slapped into the coolest sparkly-see-through cartridge Game Boy Color ever got. I played the connector pins off of this at launch and appreciated a bunch of new features, like greater avatar customisation, refreshed Pokemon...

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