Gaming News

Wholesome Direct 2024: 15 Of Our Favorite Games

Showing off over 70 indie games with positivity and compassion at their core, today’s Wholesome Direct had quite a few neat games to keep an eye on, whether today marked their world premiere or just the debut of a brand new trailer. A handful of games even received surprise releases, and there are quite a few more demos out right now! From a cheese-filled decorating simulator for mice to an exploration game where you play as a house on a date (and an impressive number of games with “lands” somewhere in their titles), here are 15 of our favorite games from this year’s Wholesome Direct. Squeakross: Home Squeak Home Receiving a world premiere at today’s Wholesome Direct, Squeakross: Home Squeak Home is an adorably named combination...

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Helldivers 2’s Next Big Patch Makes Over 100 Changes and Fixes, Including Some That Should Significantly Improve the Game

Helldivers 2’s next patch is a big one, as developer Arrowhead has promised it will make over 100 changes and fixes to the game. In a post on the Helldivers Discord, community manager Twinbeard gave fans a tease for what to expect from the update, which all being well should be released next week. As well as the over 100 changes and fixes, the patch will revert patrols and spawn rate after feedback from the community to changes made in previous patches. There’s also the promise of invite-only lobbies, a fix for the unlimited grenade issue, and making super samples available at level six difficulty, which should make them easier to obtain by more players. Currently, super samples are locked to Helldivers 2 difficulties seven to nine...

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Who Is LEGO Horizon Adventures For?

After weeks of internet rumours, Sony’s unusual new game was finally made official at Summer Game Fest 2024: LEGO Horizon Adventures. Built brick-by-brick by main Horizon developer Guerilla in collaboration with Studio Gobo, it looks to be exactly what you’d expect from a LEGO tie-in: bright, charming, goofy, and full of things to smash and studs to collect. That’s been a recipe for success multiple times over for LEGO, but this time around I’m not so sure. Who exactly is LEGO Horizon Adventures for? This isn’t LEGO’s first foray into the Horizon universe. The Danish toy company’s fantastic Tallneck kit, based on Horizon’s giraffe-like walking towers, is an almost 14-inch tall behemoth made of 1,222 pieces. If the brick count didn’t...

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Devolver Direct 2024: Everything Announced

Happy Volvy's birthday, I guess? Devolver Digital just wrapped its annual Devolver Direct which, among plenty of weirdness, included a number of big game announcements. We got two new game reveals, including one from the devs of Hyper Light Drifter, new DLC for games like Cult of the Lamb, and release dates for The Crush House and Anger Foot. A time was certainly had by all, but if you missed the show and don't want to go back and watch a 30-minute video of a lonely man trying to prepare for a birthday party, here's a quick recap of the announcements: Tenjutsu The first of two brand new games announced during the event, Tenjutsu comes from Dead Cells designer Sébastien Benard. It's a "rogue-jutsu" game set in a crumbling city, where...

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Day of the Devs 2024: Everything Announced

Once again, the annual Summer Game Fest showcase has concluded with a coda that should not be skipped: Day of the Devs. Now officially a non-profit, Day of the Devs is responsible for both a number of digital showcases throughout the year as well as physical shows of highly curated indie games, and their picks are impeccable as always. This year, Day of the Devs included a whopping 21 games (last year’s had 15!), many of which were newly announced. They included cozy sims, unsettling horror games, arcade collections, RPGs, and far more. We couldn’t choose our favorites out of the bunch, so here’s the full rundown of everything you missed – but really, you should watch the showcase yourself too. Simpler Times Developed by Stoneskip...

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Black Myth Wukong's Physical Editions Will Not Come With a Disc

Black Myth: Wukong is now up for pre-order, including its planned physical and collector's editions. But it looks like none of the physical editions will actually include a physical edition. It's just a code in a box. Today, alongside a new trailer shown at Summer Game Fest, developer Game Science put Black Myth: Wukong up for preorder and shared some details about how those preorders and physical editions will work. According to the developer, both the physical Deluxe and Collector's Editions will come with digital activation codes for the Digital Deluxe edition of the game, but will not have a disc. In an FAQ, Game Science explained that this was due to limitations on resources, but said it was looking into releasing discs in the...

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Slitterhead Interview: The Creator of Silent Hill Explains Their New Horror Game - Exclusive

In December 2020, Keiichiro Toyama announced the establishment of Bokeh Game Studio, a new development company he founded together with select cohorts from his days at Sony’s now defunct Japan Studio. With Toyama’s resume including beloved titles like the original Silent Hill, Siren and Gravity Rush, many fans had been looking forward to seeing his next creation. Now, four years later, Slitterhead is ready to release this November as Bokeh Game Studio’s debut title. I was fortunate enough to actually play the horror action adventure game, and you can read my impressions in our exclusive preview article. Following my session with the game, I interviewed Toyama as well as producer Kazunobu Sato and game director Junya Okura. Many fans...

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Blumhouse Games Unveils Six New Games, the First Announcements Since Launching Interactive Division - SGF 2024

At Summer Games Fest 2024, Blumhouse Games officially unveiled its first six projects since launching its interactive division last year. They are: Sleep Awake from developer Eyes Out, Fear the Spotlight from Cozy Game Pals, Crisol Theater of Idols from Vermila Studios, The Simulation from Playmestudio, Grave Seasons from Perfect Garbage, and Project C from Sam Barlow and Infinity Pool director Brandon Cronenberg. You can watch the first looks below. Blumhouse founder Jason Blum also took the SGF stage to talk about the slate, and promised that they're working on the Five Nights at Freddy's sequel - although it's likely he's talking about the previously announced film sequel to last year's horror hit. Blumhouse is well-known in...

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Monster Hunter Wilds Crossplay Confirmed Alongside New Trailer

Capcom has confirmed Monster Hunter Wilds does indeed have crossplay across PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. In a post on the game's website accompanying a new trailer released during Summer Game Fest 2024, Capcom said players will be able to match with other players across all available platforms. Meanwhile, crossplay can be enabled/disabled in the in-game options., and players can also become friends with other players across different platforms. However, Monster Hunter Wilds does not support cross-save (cross-progression). Save data (game progress, paid DLC etc.) will be managed separately by each platform, Capcom confirmed. "For this reason, it will not be possible to share save data across the different...

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Palworld Is Getting a Brand New Island, New Pals and More in Major Update

Monster capturing, gun shooting, crafting survival game Palworld made an appearance at Summer Game Fest today with news about an update, and it's a big one. On June 27, Palworld will see the Sakurajima update add a higher level cap, new Pals, a new raid, a new faction and boss, a whole new island, and more. The Sakurajima update sounds like one heck of a doozy. In a new trailer, we got a look at a brand new island being added to Palworld with a distinctly Japanese theme. We see cherry blossoms, something that looks like a bath house, and plenty of architecture and nature pointing toward that theme. The island comes complete with new Pals, new subspecies, new buildings, a new raid, a new stronghold called the Oil Rig, an arena, a new...

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Skate Gets Trailer, Console Playtest Window, and Chaotic Tim Robinson Intro at SGF 2024

As promised, skate. (aka, the game formerly known as Skate 4) turned up at Summer Game Fest today with a few things of note: a new trailer, a window for a console playtest, and... I Think You Should Leave star Tim Robinson? You can watch the trailer below, which announces a console playtest is coming this fall. A full release window, however, was not unveiled, as the team acknowledges they're "still working on it" in tongue-in-cheek fashion. They also warn that the footage is "pre-pre-alpha," and that "things might look a little different than you're expecting." As for Robinson, he plays an M-Corp spokesperson addressing "the ongoing rumors and allegations surrounding M-Corp and the city of San Vansterdam." And yes, it is just as...

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Action Tactics Game Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess Gets Release Date

As part of the Summer Game Fest 2024 presentation, Capcom announced the release date for its action strategy game called Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. It will launch on July 19 this year for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S (and will be on Xbox Game Pass on day one). The trailer showcased a lot of its gameplay which blends third-person action with some tower defense-style tactics mechanics. Capcom describes Kunitsu-Gami saying, "The game takes place on a mountain covered by defilement. During the day, purify the villages and prepare yourself for sundown. During the night, protect the Maiden against the hordes of the Seethe. Repeat the day and night cycle until you cleanse the mountain of defilement and...

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Valorant Console Release Confirmed for Xbox and PS5, Beta Starts Next Week - SGF 2024

After years of rumors and speculation, Valorant is finally coming to console. Riot Games announced that its free-to-play hero shooter will be releasing on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S during Summer Game Fest, with a limited beta set to begin next week. According to a press release sent after the announcement, Valorant's PS5 and Xbox versions will feature "custom-built gameplay" designed to meet the needs of its core, competitive gameplay. With that in mind, Valorant will not feature cross-play between PC and console. Instead, Valorant will offer a "connected, shared inventory" and cross-progression between accounts. Riot also promises simultaneous platform releases for all live patch balances, new agents, maps, premium content, and other...

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Summer Game Fest 2024: Everything Announced

The 2024 Summer Game Fest showcase has come to a close after bringing out a steaming plate of game reveals, trailers, and surprises. It was a presentation jam-packed with nearly every kind of video game from across the industry. The show put the spotlight on games of every shape and size throughout its two-hour runtime, with some highlights bringing first looks at new titles like Lego Horizon Adventures, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, and everything Blumhouse Games is cooking up. We’ve gathered everything you need to know about here. Lego Horizon Adventures is coming to PlayStation 5 The long-rumored Lego Horizon Adventures game kicked off Summer Game Fest, revealing brick versions of Aloy and the robot dinosaurs fans have come...

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Amazon MMO New World: Aeternum Confirmed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S

Amazon has announced New World: Aeternum following a leak via the PlayStation Store. Revealed with a trailer at Summer Game Fest, New World: Aeternum is the new version of Amazon’s MMO coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC on October 15, 2024. It’s described as an “enhanced experience” that includes all the content from New World on PC, including the full base game and all past updates such as the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion, as well as new content. New features include New World’s first-ever large-scale player vs. player zone, a challenging 10-player raid, end-game solo trials, an upgraded leveling experience, new character archetypes, and a revamped dialogue system. Amazon said players can now experience...

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Alan Wake 2 Night Springs Expansion Announced, Releasing Tomorrow - SGF 2024

We've at last gotten a proper look at Alan Wake 2's first major DLC. At Summer Game Fest, Remedy made an appearance to show off Night Springs. Even better, it releases tomorrow. Night Springs is technically about Alan Wake himself, following him as he writes the scripts for the in-universe TV show, Night Springs...and deals with their impact on both his reality in the Dark Place, and the real world. But you're not playing as Alan this time: you'll be playing as a number of different characters across three different episodes, all of whom you should recognize...sort of. Though the people you're playing as may look familiar, you're actually playing Night Springs versions of them, which might present a new twist on people you thought you...

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Among Us Dev Innersloth Announces Indie Fund Side Project, Outersloth

The developer of smash hit indie game Among Us has announced plans to become an indie publisher. On-stage at Summer Game Fest, Innersloth's Victoria Tran and Forest Willard announced Outersloth, a new indie publishing label helping to bring a raft of indie games to life. The lineup of games includes Mars First Logistics, Battle Suit Aces, Mossfield Archives, One Btn Bosses, Rogue Eclipse, and Project Dosa from Outerloop Games. Developing… Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me. Continue reading...

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The First Descendant Release Date Revealed, Unreal Engine 5 Looter Shooter Out in July - SGF 2024

The First Descendant, the upcoming Unreal Engine 5 looter shooter coming to PC and console, officially has a release date. Nexon confirmed during Summer Game Fest that The First Descendant will be out July 2 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The announcement was accompanied by a new trailer shown during SGF that highlighted some of the cooperative gameplay. The trailer was created using the recently-updated Unreal Engine 5. In the official press release, Nexon said it would soon be sharing more details, including "launch elements and events." Nexon held a cross play open beta last September. First revealed back in 2022, The First Descendant is a co-op looter shooter with strong RPG elements. Our...

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Power Rangers Co-op Beat 'Em Up Game Revealed, Rita's Rewind Coming This Year

One of the surprises coming out of the Summer Game Fest 2024 was the announcement of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind. The reveal trailer showed gameplay and it's a retro-inspired cooperative action beat 'em up mixed with some arcade-style shooter levels. It rocks some colorful pixel art to harken back to the 16-bit era. It's being developed and published by Digital Eclipse. Digital Eclipse says the game has "an original storyline that both respects and remixes Power Rangers lore with scenarios and gameplay that will be both familiar and new to [Power Rangers] fans. Players will brawl, blast, fight, and drive through a constantly shifting mix of classic game genres and fan-favorite moments from the series." The longtime...

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MECHA Break Will Have an August Beta Test - SGF 2024

Multiplayer mech battler MECHA Break got a new trailer at Summer Game Fest today, alongside an announcement of an upcoming beta test in August for PC players to try the game out ahead of release. In addition to the trailer, we also learned that notable mecha artists Takayuki Yanase (Metal Gear, Gundam, Armored Core, Death Stranding) and Junya Ishigaki (Xenogears, Gundam, Macross) were a part of the design team for some of the mechs in MECHA Break. We got a taste of the closed alpha for MECHA Break back in January, where we learned that contrary to the look of its initial reveal, MECHA Break is a multiplayer-only game, with three different game modes planned and the stylings of a mech anime: there's a 3v3 Arena mode, a 6v6...

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Street Fighter 6 Season 2 Roster Revealed With Four New Characters

During the Summer Game Fest 2024 presentation, Capcom revealed its roster of new characters for the second year of Street Fighter 6. The four characters are M. Bison, Terry Bogard, Mai Shiranui, and Elena. M. Bison is the longtime Street Fighter antagonist and will join the roster sometime this Summer. Terry is the face of Fatal Fury and will be available in Fall 2024, while Mai who's also from Fatal Fury will arrive in Spring 2025. Elena is a series character who first appeared in Street Figher III: New Generation and will be available in Winter 2025. Street Figher 6 was one of the best games of 2023 and is available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox platforms, and PC. If you have yet to jump in, be sure to check out our Street Fighter...

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Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO Finally Has a Released Date - Summer Games Fest 2024

Over a year after a new entry in the Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi series was confirmed to be in development, Bandai Namco has finally provided a release date for Dragon Ball Sparking Zero. At Summer Games Fest 2024, Bandai Namco provided a new gameplay trailer confirming that Dragon Ball Sparking Zero will be released on October 11, 2024, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Alongside a release date, the new trailer also provided another glimpse at gameplay and recreated several iconic scenes from the Dragon Ball Z anime, such as Goku sacrificing himself to kill Raditz. This release date is ten days after what was initially claimed to be the release date as X/Twitter user and content creator SrgioM3, who reported a few weeks ago that...

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Civilization 7 Unveiled at Summer Game Fest, Releasing in 2025

It's somehow been eight years since 2K and Firaxis released Civilization 6, and the lauded 4X developer has kept the wheels greased the entire time with a steady stream of updates. But the updates can't go on forever: it's time for a new Civ. During today's Summer Game Fest, we got our first look at Civilization 7. It'll arrive in 2025 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, Mac and Linux via Steam, with a gameplay showcase this August. You can watch the first look below. "As the seventh mainline title in the franchise, Civilization VII is a 4X strategy game developed by the legendary team at Firaxis Games," reads the game's official synopsis. "Players establish their civilization...

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Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions Officially Announced - Summer Games Fest 2024

A new game set in the Wizarding World is in development as WB Games and Unbroken Studios officially announced Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions. At Summer Games Fest, a full premiere for the game was shown off, providing a fast-paced, albeit cinematic, trailer of the upcoming game. Alongside a trailer, we got confirmation that the game will be released on September 3 for PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. More interestingly, the press release notes that PlayStation Plus members will have access to the game "at no extra charge" from September 3 until September 30. Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions will allow players to play the magical sport found in both the Harry Potter films and books. Players can...

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LEGO Horizon Adventures Is Official, and Out This Holiday - SGF 2024

Sony and LEGO have officially announced their LEGO rendition of Horizon: Zero Dawn, entitled LEGO Horizon Adventures, at Summer of Gaming today. It's coming to Nintendo Switch, PC, and PlayStation 5 at launch this holiday. LEGO Horizon Adventures is an action adventure game inspired by the world of Horizon, and designed for two-player, couch co-op play. It appears to be a comedic take on Horizon co-developed by Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo, with Aloy as the star and very loosely following the story of Zero Dawn. Aloy still fights cool robot dinosaurs (there's a very shiny looking Thunderjaw fight in the trailer), but it's all a little silly - very LEGO. There also appear to be plenty of unlockable costumes for both Aloy and her...

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Nobody Wants to Die Seems Like a Stylish Future-Noir Detective Adventure

With The Wolf Among Us 2 from Zombie Telltale (as I like to call them) nowhere in sight, I need a good detective noir game fix. Fortunately, Nobody Wants to Die came out of nowhere a few months ago and blew up on IGN’s YouTube channel – to the tune of 2 million views for a completely unknown project. It’s easy to see why: it looks awesome! It’s set in New York in the year 2329, where immortality is par for the course thanks to memory banks that can store your consciousness or straight-up transferring said consciousness into another body. I got a look at a 20-minute gameplay demo ahead of its just-announced July 17 release date and came away pretty impressed with the futuristic twist on classic noir-detective gameplay. You play...

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The Thing: Remastered Is the Next Revival From Nightdive Studios | IGN Live 2024

Remember The Thing? Not the cult classic John Carpenter horror movie from 1982, but the video game continuation from 2002? Well, it’s coming back, courtesy of remaster specialist Nightdive Studios. Announced today at IGN Live, Nightdive, whose revivals of Star Wars: Dark Forces and System Shock have won plaudits from retro video game fans, is now making The Thing: Remastered for PC and consoles in collaboration with Universal Products & Experiences. It’s due out digitally on PC via Steam, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch later in 2024. The Thing video game is a third-person survival horror shooter game that continues the story of the Kurt Russell film. Here’s the official blurb: The remaster...

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Destiny 2: The Final Shape Review In Progress

Regularly playing Destiny for the past decade, through all its unforgettable highs and painful lows, has been a tremendous leap of faith for me and my fellow Guardians. This uneven saga hasn’t always felt like it was leading somewhere worth following, but with Destiny 2: The Final Shape, it seems our faith has been rewarded at last. After some extremely rocky launch day server troubles, followed by two days of nonstop playing, what I’ve seen so far has been overwhelmingly awesome. The campaign (absent a proper finale right now) is one of the best in series history, the new Prismatic subclasses are exactly the badass shock to the system its sandbox needed, the fresh set of weapons have been a literal blast to mess around with, and the...

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Wuthering Waves Interactive Map is Now Available

IGN's Wuthering Waves map is here! Our interactive map tracks every collectible across the world of Solaris-3, including Sonance Caskets, chests, and Resonance Beacons for those who want to farm Astrite. It also displays the locations of Ascension Materials and World Bosses so you know where to go to build your Resonators. As Wuthering Waves receives updates - with 1.1 arriving on June 28, 2024 - we'll be adding new content to our WuWa interactive map. Until then, though, make sure you use our map to get yourself caught up and ready for Wuthering Waves Resonators such as Jinhsi and Changli. Wuthering Waves Interactive Map You can click on the map filters on the left-hand side to filter specific markers, such as loot or...

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Delta Force: Hawk Ops Aims to Be 3 Tactical Military Shooters in One

There was a lot that came out of my hands-on time with Delta Force: Hawk Ops that I didn’t expect. I didn’t know it was a top-to-bottom reboot of the 1999 series of military shooters, re-imagined meticulously in Unreal Engine 5. I would have never guessed it was attempting to strike out at not one, not two, but three different current shooter sub-genres all at once. And I would have never imagined that my short time with it would leave me anxious to play more of its heavy tactics-focused running and gunning. Developer Team Jade’s Head of Studio Leo Yao answered my most obvious question first: “How did a Chinese studio get their hands on such an American franchise?” Long story short, THQ Nordic acquired the assets from the original...

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