Gaming News

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CD Projekt has ruled out a PlayStation 5 Pro patch for Cyberpunk 2077. In a tweet responding to a fan calling for an update to take advantage of Sony’s $700 mid-gen console upgrade, CD Projekt delivered the news: “We currently have no plans for PS5 Pro patch.” Some Cyberpunk 2077 fans had hoped to see the four-year-old adventure updated for PS5 Pro given it’s a graphics showcase and has endured high-profile performance issues. But it seems CD Projekt is focused on other things. What other things? It has Witcher 4 (the first game in a new trilogy set in The Witcher universe), the sequel to Cyberpunk, a new multiplayer The Witcher game, and a brand new original IP in the works, on top of supervising a remake of the original The...
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl has enjoyed a big launch on Steam, becoming one of the most-played games on Valve’s platform on release day. Ukrainian developer GSC Game World’s post-apocalyptic horror shooter saw a peak concurrent player count of 113,587 on Steam, a number that was enough to place S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 in the platform’s top 10 most-played games list. That dwarfs the Steam peak concurrent player count of all the other S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, including 2007’s S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 also launched on Xbox Series X and S and straight into Game Pass, so its combined peak concurrent player count will be much larger than what we’ve seen on Steam (Microsoft does not make its player numbers...
Elden Ring, often considered one of the greatest games of all time, is now available for just $19.99 on PS5, PS4, and Xbox as part of the Black Friday sales (or $49.99 for the Shadow of the Erdtree Edition). This offer delivers a massive $40 discount from its original $59.99 price tag, making it one of the standout gaming deals of the season. With this bargain live ahead of Black Friday proper on November 29, it’s an excellent chance to grab the game at a fraction of its launch price. For those looking for the ultimate Elden Ring experience, the Shadow of the Erdtree Edition – which includes the base game and the DLC – is also on sale for $49.99 at Best Buy, a $30 discount from its usual $79.99 price. That's $10 better than Amazon...
Amazon officially kicked off its Black Friday event today, running from November 21 through November 29, with fresh deals dropping daily. Among the standout offers for gamers is Metaphor: ReFantazio, the critically acclaimed RPG that launched to rave reviews in October, and has even got a nod for 'Best Game' at the Game of the Year Awards. For a limited time, you can snag the game for $20 off on PS5 and Xbox platforms, down to just $49.99. Whether you've been holding out for it to go on sale or want the best price when picking it up as a gift, this is likely the lowest we’ll see before Christmas. See on PlayStation 5 for $49.99 See on Xbox for $49.99 See in the UK for £34.99 (Xbox, PS5 OOS) What We Said in Our Review In our 9/10...
Ahead of Black Friday, Amazon is offering the Anker Prime 20,000mAh USB Power Bank for only $77.99 after you clip the 40% off coupon on the product page. This is the best price we've seen for 2024 (the previous lowest price was $89.99 on Amazon Prime Day). The Anker Prime is the successor to the Anker 737 that we deemed the best Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally charger. It boasts a 20,000mAh capacity and 200W of charging, and it's TSA-approved. Anker Prime 20,000mAh Power Bank for $89.99 The Anker Prime is a sizeable power bank, measuring 5"x2"x2" and weighing in at 1.2 pounds. The big digital display provides useful information like remaining battery capacity, power input, and power output from each port. It has two USB Type-C ports and...
Welcome back to yet more savings in the most discount-laden quarter of the year. I've been scouring the stores for nothing but the best games (actually) worth owning. Honestly, you'd best get in quick, because some stock levels are depleting almost quicker than I can find, type, and click "publish article." In retro news, I'm remembering the 21st birthday of Manhunt, an especially notorious Rockstar Games production. Originally rated MA15+, it was soon RC'd (refused classification), and anybody caught selling it faced an $11,000 fine or 12 months in the slammer. Personally, I wasn't stoked with the clunky controls of this stealth-heavy, arena-to-arena murder-fest. But I was struck by its bleak nihilism, low-quality videotape...
Epic Games is making some changes to its Fortnite Battle Pass model that will see its standard pass getting a price increase in just a few weeks. The gaming mega company talked players through its plans in a post on its website today. While the update details various adjustments, such as new inclusions for Fortnite Crew subscribers, the thing that’s likely to affect most battle royale fans is the slight increase in cost for the Battle Pass. Fortnite has long offered its standard pass for 950 V-Bucks, but starting December 1, the price will increase by 50, bringing the total asking number to 1,000 V-Bucks. IGN has reached out to Epic Games for comment. It's a small increase in price but still undeniably notable considering Epic...
Hasbro has announced that, following the success of Baldur's Gate 3, yet another Dungeons & Dragons game is in production. CEO Chris Cocks told Bloomberg that a fifth D&D game is in development but didn't share what it's about, its genre, or the studio making it. It does appear to be in active production, however, as Cocks noted in the same interview that its G.I. Joe game is currently in pre-production. While D&D has long spawned video game adaptations, the mainstream success captured by Larian Studios' Baldur's Gate 3 has seemingly set Hasbro and direct owner Wizards of the Coast into overdrive. Alongside this mysterious game mentioned by Cocks, Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance developer Invoke Studios is also working on a...
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 developer Saber Interactive has confirmed its commitment to the game’s modding scene, but will block mods from being used in public servers. Space Marine 2 has a thriving modding scene that makes a significant number of improvements and changes to the record-breaking third-person melee / shooter hybrid. IGN has reported on Space Marine 2’s modding scene already, shining a light on everything from customization to a fix for one of the game’s biggest problems. Remarkably, the changes Space Marine 2 mods make to the Space Marines themselves, whether they’re a purely aesthetic customization not normally possible or certain classes using weapons and equipment they’re not supposed to, can be seen online by...
Valve is reportedly working on a sequel to its original Steam Controller, according to an insider report. Per YouTuber Brad Lynch, a Steam Controller 2 codenamed "Ibex" is in the works, and en route to mass production. We don't have too many details on controller specifics, but Lynch did say in replies on X/Twitter that it will look like a standard gamepad. The biggest change is reportedly the shape and size of the trackpads "to get into that gamepad-y form." It will also allegedly have symmetrical sticks. Additionally, Lynch said Valve seems to be working on a new VR controller also for mass production, codenamed "Roy." Roy is apparently referenced in Valve's SteamVR code, and would supposedly be a wand-shaped companion to the...
Silent Hill 2 remake developer Bloober Team is working on a fix for the shimmering issue that has plagued the PlayStation 5 Pro version of the beloved horror game. Fans who paid $699.99 for the PS5 Pro, a souped-up console that promised to bring improved graphics and performance to all PS5 titles, were disappointed to see many games, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and more, looked worse rather than better. Silent Hill 2 is perhaps most affected by the PS5 Pro patch, as fans were met with a slight shimmering effect over many parts of the game. Bloober Team has finally responded to one fan on X/Twitter asking if they were aware of the issue, though, saying simply: "We're working on it." No release date...
Amazon's big Black Friday sale event may not start up until tomorrow, but the retailer is already offering quite a few early deals for shoppers to dig into. When it comes to games, there are several on sale there already that have caught our eye, including a little discount on Dragon Age: The Veilguard for PS5. It's currently down to $62.99, just 10% off its list price of $69.99. It's a small discount but welcome nonetheless if you're stocking up on games for yourself or trying to hunt down some gaming gifts for loved ones during the big Black Friday sale event. Dragon Age: The Veilguard (PS5) Drops to $62.99 at Amazon If you're in need of some convincing before jumping into this Dragon Age: The Veilguard deal, look no further than...
A certain kind of friction can go a long way in creating a challenging and punishing game that’s also gripping. When developers leave you to figure things out for yourself amid dangerous enemies that can kill you on a moment’s notice, rarely giving you an easy way out of a mess, it becomes clear that the survival instincts embedded in the STALKER series are very much alive in the long-awaited STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Then there’s the type of friction that prevents you from engaging with it in earnest, like poor technical performance, bugs that are sometimes hilarious but at others game-breaking, or nonsensical enemy behavior. STALKER 2 has both kinds of friction in equal measure. It just can’t stop getting in its own way, but for...
As Palworld developer Pocketpair’s patent battle with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company rumbles on, one patent expert has suggested the key to the cause may be found in an old GTA 5 mod. Earlier this month, Pocketpair confirmed the three Japan-based patents, which revolve around catching Pokémon in a virtual field, that it's being sued for allegedly infringing. 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 have gone down the patent route. They want 5 million yen (approx $32,846) each plus late payment damages...
If you chose patience with Star Wars Outlaws, then here is your reward. The new Star Wars game has been discounted in the Black Friday sales, now down to $49.99 on PS5 and Xbox. That's $20 off the original list price and potentially a much better offering for anyone unsure of the game when it launched back in late August. The deal also features Amazon's exclusive limited edition content pack, which includes Rogue Infiltrator cosmetics for Kay and Nix. It's likely the best deal we're getting on the game before Christmas, so snap it up if you've been waiting for a sale, or want to gift it to someone over the holidays. This could be a good time to jump on the game since it's not been long since Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment...
The technical director of Yakuza / Like a Dragon developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has said he wants to make a new Dragon Engine after eight years and 10 games in the current one. Yutaka Ito told Automaton he'd like to build a new game engine focusing on "high-spec" consoles, but made clear this wasn't an official decision by RGG Studio just yet. "The Like a Dragon series has evolved technologically with each title, but at the core of the series is the Dragon Engine that was developed for Yakuza 6," Ito said. "In this sense, personally, I’d like to try to make a new Dragon Engine specialized for high-spec consoles, and with it, to develop a new action-adventure game. This is just what I personally feel, so it has nothing to do with the...
The hotly anticipated Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has endured a rough launch, with players reporting ridiculously long initial loading screens lasting in some cases for hours on end. Things are so bad that Asobo Studio’s full price flight sim, which Microsoft Game Studios published across PC and Xbox and straight into Game Pass yesterday, November 19, is now on an ‘overwhelmingly negative’ Steam user review rating. Even those who do manage to load into the game are having problems, with players reporting missing content. In a video message to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s disgruntled community, Jorg Neumann, Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator, and Sebastian Wloch, Asobo CEO and co-founder, explained why the launch had gone so...
Kadokawa Corporation has confirmed it has received a buyout offer from Sony, but insists it has yet to make a decision on whether to sell up. Earlier this week, Reuters reported that Sony was in talks to buy Kadokawa, whose subsidiary FromSoftware is behind smash hit Elden Ring, the Dark Souls and Armored Core games, and PlayStation exclusive Bloodborne. Kadokawa has now confirmed the report, with a note from CEO Takeshi Natsuno issued after shares in the company skyrocketed on the news. “There are some articles on the acquisition of Kadokawa Corporation (hereinafter ‘the Company’) by Sony Group Inc,” Natsuno said. “However, this information is not announced by the Company. The Company has received an initial letter of intent to...
Bethesda’s Starfield has seen 15 million players since launching in September 2023. Starfield hit six million players on its day of release to become the biggest launch in Bethesda Game Studios history, surpassing the likes of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and Fallout 4. Those player numbers were boosted, of course, by Starfield’s day one launch into Game Pass. "We're thrilled that so many of you have embarked on this journey with us, and we appreciate your feedback,” Bethesda said in a post on its website. “We are always looking for ways to improve your experience playing the game.” To that end, Bethesda has released a new update that makes a number of important changes and additions. Creations by Verified Creators now have the...
The Callisto Protocol has joined the growing list of games playable in 8K resolution on the PlayStation 5 Pro. Striking Distance Studios’ The Callisto Protocol launched in December 2022 as a triple-A Dead Space spiritual successor, but it met with mixed reviews, performance problems, reports of studio crunch, and issues with crediting staff who worked on the game. The Callisto Protocol initially failed to meet parent company Krafton's sales expectations, with Glen Schofield, who co-created Dead Space and directed The Callisto Protocol, leaving Striking Distance Studios after significant layoffs. Now, The Callisto Protocol has received an update enabling 8K at 30 frames per second on Sony’s mid-gen console upgrade. Alternatively, you...
Ghostface is out now in Mortal Kombat 1, and players can finally see exactly who is under that most famous of horror masks. Warning! Spoilers for Ghostface’s true identity in Mortal Kombat 1 are below. Developer NetherRealm had confirmed Mortal Kombat 1’s Ghostface is none other than Billy Loomis, the main antagonist of the 1996 Scream film and the original Ghostface killer played by Skeet Ulrich. But now Ghostface is out Mortal Kombat 1 players can see the actual face behind the mask when they perform a Fatality or Fatal Blow against him. Here’s how Billy looks in Mortal Kombat 1: While this clears things up on one Ghostface, what about the others? If you pick a Ghostface mirror match, dialogue between the two reveals one is...
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl developer GSC Game World has confirmed the global release times for its hotly anticipated post-apocalyptic shooter. In a tweet, GSC said the November 20 release date for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl kicks off at 8am PT / 11am ET, and is consistent across both PC and Xbox Series X and S. It also launches straight into Xbox Game Pass as part of Wave 2 of November 2024’s lineup. GSC has also confirmed S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s final PC system requirements. The game provides four graphics presets: low; medium; high; and epic, as well as a target resolution and FPS for each. The high graphics preset is what GSC calls 'recommended,' and provides 60fps gameplay at 1440p. For that high graphics preset...
2024 has seen a string of unlikely events. Eternally in-fighting Britpop band Oasis reformed and set its sights on a world tour, human-sized Cheeto Donald Trump secured a second term in the White House, and Valve announced that it was finally releasing the Steam Deck into the Australian market, delighting Aussie gamers and likely putting the noses of grey importers firmly out of joint. As of earlier this week those Aussie Steam Decks have started shipping out directly from Valve’s local warehouse complete with an Aussie power supply and sold at a price point that substantially undercuts the inflated charges of every grey importer we checked at the time of writing. So, if you were planning on getting a Steam Deck then buying one directly...
Final Fantasy XIV is the latest online multiplayer game to head to mobile, joining Diablo and Monster Hunter among others. It is being developed by Tencent subsidiary LightSpeed Studios, which is responsible for PUBG Mobile and recently added Dragon's Dogma director Hideaki Itsuno to its ranks as part of its newly-established Japan Studio. The official release calls it an "exciting extension of the beloved franchise" and says it will capture the "immersive experience of the original title in a fresh, mobile-friendly format." It's unconfirmed whether the new mobile title will include cross-progression or any of the expansions, but LightSpeed Studios does plan to retain lifestyle content including fishing, Triple Triad, and chocobo...
Welcome to a hump day of humdinger discounts. As you would've no doubt seen already, I'm tracking some very early Black Friday Sales in a gigantor article. That being said, I also wanted to do a smaller daily deals round-up that affords me the space to talk about crusty old games (my favourite thing). Speaking of which... In retro news, I'm busting out a 26-shaped cake (and The Robot) for Bust A Groove on PS One. One of those Damn, I Wish They Remastered That games of yore, this 1v1 dance fighter was a rhythm genre pioneer with a catchy-as-hell soundtrack. I first became entranced by it via a one-level demo of this Heat Stage on an Official PlayStation Magazine disc. I bought the full game and was soon cuttin' some rug with a wider...
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is officially out today, and fans are eagerly hopping into their virtual cockpits to take to the skies once again. Or at least, they're trying. Players are taking to social media to report initial loading screens that are lasting for two hours or more. Its propensity for hanging at around 97 percent has led to memes about "Microsoft Flight Simulator 97" and other jokes. Some fans aren't even that lucky, getting stuck at around six percent. In a post on X/Twitter, Microsoft said that it's aware of the problems and working on a solution. "We are aware of user reports of long initial loading times into Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. With so many users initializing the sim concurrently, we have a large...
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has a new update that returns XP tokens to players after a backlash sparked by their removal following the launch of Season 1. Patch notes published today, November 19, confirm “legacy” XP tokens (aka XP tokens you've been hoarding since Modern Warfare 2) are now back in players’ hands. Their surprise availability with the launch of Season 1 was welcomed by players deep into the Call of Duty grind, but their equally surprising removal caused an outcry. At the time, developer Treyarch said it patched the legacy XP tokens out of Black Ops 6 because their accidental introduction, which it blamed on a UI bug, "introduced some potential risk to game stability." Elsewhere, today’s update improves the hitmarker...
For free-to-play hero battle games, regardless of the specific gameplay and platform, the topic of skins and outfits are integral. Skins give players a way to make their characters stand out from those of others, and of course they serve as a good monetization opportunity for developers. As long as the price, quantity, and acquisition method are reasonable, most players are willing to celebrate them. As a super hero team-based PvP shooter in the Marvel universe, adding a skin system to Marvel Rivals may be one of the most no-brainer things to do. These heroes, who were created years if not decades ago, have seen many evolutions and transformations since their debuts in their original comics, with some even having completely...
Remedy has provided a rare insight into the business of making video games, even going as far as to reveal exactly how many copies its future games need to sell in order to break even. The video game industry is typically secretive when it comes to its commercial realities, and rarely does it provide development or marketing budgets or sales projections. But Remedy, developer of Alan Wake 2, has done just that in an investment-focused meeting, discussing the upcoming Control 2 PvE shooter FBC Firebreak. It’s worth prefacing this by saying Remedy is talking about the sales needed to make a 100% return on investment (ROI) on these games, and that’s expected over a period of three to five years after. The game budgets, Remedy said, were...
Minecraft theme parks are coming to the U.S. and UK from Merlin Entertainments, the company behind Legoland, Alton Towers, and Madame Tussauds. The Mincraft theme parks will be built in existing Merlin locations in 2026 or 2027 with further locations across the globe coming later. It's unclear which locations will see the Minecraft attractions built as of yet, but Merlin did say it will be investing in excess of £85 million ($110 million) in the first two. Merlin is looking to "bring Minecraft adventures to life," the company said. "This will include the development of first-of-its-kind concepts for Minecraft-themed guest accommodation, retail, and food and beverage, alongside exciting experiences including a Minecraft-themed ride at...