Gaming News

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Payday 3 director Miodrag Kovačević is stepping down following a disastrous first year for the live service heist shooter. Developer Starbreeze Entertainment posted on X/Twitter to announce the change in management, saying Kovačević will work as a designer on Payday 3 instead. Lead producer Andreas Penninger and global brand director Almir Listo will act as the "creative force" behind the game "in the interim," though the long term future of Payday 3's leadership remains hazy. "Going into year two, [Kovačević] will be stepping away from his role as game director and focusing his efforts as a designer elsewhere in the project," the post said. "In the interim, while researching and planning year two, [Penninger] and [Listo] will be...
Xbox Game Pass Standard, the new basic tier of Microsoft's subscription service which costs $14.99 a month, doesn't include major games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Starfield, Diablo 4, and much more. Microsoft announced the revised Game Pass tiers in July and as of September 12 the changes went into place. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has risen from $16.99 to $19.99 a month and still includes all the typical benefits, but the Xbox Game Pass Standard tier is quite different from its predecessor. It replaces Game Pass for Console (though those already subscribed don't have to upgrade) and includes significantly less benefits. Subscribers no longer gain access to day one titles or access to EA Play, Xbox Cloud Gaming, perks...
If you've somehow not taken the plunge on From's 10/10 masterpiece, now's the time to accessorize with an Elden Ring. Speaking of things to die for/from, I'm also all about some deep discounts for Dragon Ball FighterZ, GTA V, The Crew Motorfest, and Gotham Knights. Experiencing the latter for 15 clams (and preferably a co-op bud) is worth making Bat-time for. In retro news, I’m celebrating the 21st birthday of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. I can recall coming to this straight from a blast through Jedi Outcast and not being enthused with what met me… at all. An olden days setting with no Jedi I know? Meh. Turn-based combat? Blech. And then, I slowly, magically fell completely in love with everything about KOTOR—the world, my...
Space Marine 2 is off to a great start. Yesterday, Saber Interactive announced that its Warhammer 40K action game reached 2 million players, and it has retained consistently high concurrents on Steam. Now Saber Interactive CEO Tim Willits, who served as studio director at id Software until 2019, is claiming that Space Marine 2 is selling many of the games in id's famed franchises. He's backed up by former CEO Todd Hollenshead, who departed id Software in 2013 and currently works with Willits at Saber. "Todd Hollenshead (former CEO of id Software) and I believe that Space Marine 2 is the fastest selling game we’ve ever worked on, including all the Quake, DOOM, Wolfenstein, and RAGE games over the years," Willits claims. IGN has...
I find the word “cozy” to be dreadfully overused when assigning genres to video games these days, but it’s hard to find another adjective that so perfectly captures what I love about Dragon Quest. Straightforward but rewarding turn-based combat paired with a classic hero’s journey told in a picturesque fantasy world result in a wonderfully traditional RPG experience I’ve always found so comforting. So when I was given the choice at a recent preview event to try out Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake on either PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch, the choice to settle in on the couch in the Switch’s handheld mode was an easy one. And rest assured, Switch owners, Dragon Quest 3 looked and ran great on the aging Nintendo system. Square Enix’s...
Sony has revealed the full line-up of PlayStation Plus Games Catalog additions for September 2024, which includes The Plucky Squire, Far Cry 5, and more. Announced on the PlayStation Blog, a total of 13 games are joining the library, nine on the PlayStation Plus Extra tier and four on the PlayStation Plus Premium Tier through the Classic Games Catalog and PSVR2 offerings. They're available September 17. September perhaps doesn't have as many heavy hitters as last month, which included The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Wild Hearts, Ride 5, Watch Dogs 2, Cult of the Lamb, and more. PlayStation Plus Games Catalog Additions for September 2024 The Plucky Squire | PS5 Under the Waves | PS4 + PS5 Night in the Woods | PS4 + PS5 Chernobylite | PS4...
Space Marine 2 has its first patch following its record-breaking launch, but don’t expect big changes — those are coming in a larger update due later in September. Publisher Focus Interactive announced that a small hotfix (hotfix 2.1) is out now for the Saber Interactive-developed Warhammer 40,000 action game across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S (check out the patch notes below). It focuses on crashes and bug fixes, with a PC-only optimization for behavior on high-end CPUs thrown in. The big, hotly anticipated patch that Focus has already confirmed adds the much-needed ultrawide support and private PvE lobbies is due out later this month. We’ve got plenty more Space Marine 2 coverage, including details on its...
Editor's Note: This review takes a fresh look at Fortnite in 2024, replacing our previous review from 2018. You can read more about our review policies and philosophy here. It’s wild to think about how much of gaming culture over the last decade has been defined, at least in part, by Fortnite. This is a game that began humbly before expanding wildly into a juggernaut of an online sandbox, where somehow Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender can crash a sports car into a Stormtrooper outpost before popping out and shooting Family Guy’s Peter Griffin with a neon assault rifle and then gliding away on a Cacodemon from Doom. But despite the absurdity of that sentence, Fortnite isn’t just a collection of branded cardboard cutouts scattered...
Last month I went hands-on with Crimson Desert to try out some of its brutal boss battles. I left the demonstration impressed by its fast combat system and spectacular monster designs, but curious as to what the wider world and gameplay of Crimson Desert looks like. What happens between those epic clashes? Now, thanks to a 53 minute gameplay video from developer Pearl Abyss that’s available to watch here on IGN exclusively, I have a much clearer picture. If Crimson Desert’s combat is a mix of God of War and Dragon’s Dogma, then its wider gameplay is more reminiscent of modern Assassin’s Creed and other quest-driven open world adventures. The gameplay video introduces us to Kliff, Crimson Desert’s protagonist who sports a gruff...
Space Marine 2 has broken free from the shackles of its Warhammer 40,000 setting and made inroads into the gaming mainstream, and that means there are plenty of players new to its grim dark far future. For them Space Marine 2 is a somewhat bewildering experience, as it leans on much of the lore that Warhammer 40,000 owner Games Workshop has built over decades, with hundreds of novels, rule books, and magazine articles fleshing out the background fans know intimately. Warhammer 40,000 fans have enjoyed seeing newcomers react in shock at just how grim and dark Space Marine 2 is. And it’s not just the extreme gore, mass death, and terrifying alien enemies that appear in the game either. Perhaps the most disturbing element of Space...
Warning! The following article features spoilers for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. A modder has restored content cut from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ending where Ciri becomes a witcher herself. NexusMods user merigoldmaribor got the scenes running again with working dialogue, showing a sliver of additional content after The Witcher 3 usually cuts to credits. After Ciri receives her sword from Geralt and moves to leave, the scene keeps going to reveal the pair's next steps. "Yen awaits in Ellander," Geralt says (Ellander is a duchy of Temeria that sits east of Vizima). This is the Temerian capital where players visit Emhyr var Emreis in The Witcher 3 and is also the main city of the original Witcher game and its upcoming remake. "We can...
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s huge launch saw two million people play the game, publisher Focus Interactive has announced. Saber Interactive’s explosive action game had already enjoyed big Steam concurrent player numbers after its global release date on September 9, indicating a successful launch. But now we have a clear idea of just how popular Space Marine 2 is across PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S in addition to PC. That two million players figure will no doubt include early access players (Space Marine 2’s effective release date was September 5 for those who pre-ordered any of the special editions), but it’s certainly enough to make Space Marine 2 the most-played Warhammer 40,000 or Warhammer video game at launch of...
Elden Ring developer FromSoftware has released a patch that makes a number of significant balance changes to the base game as well as DLC expansion Shadow of the Erdtree. Update 1.14, out now for Elden Ring across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Steam, brings bug fixes and a long list of balance adjustments, including changes to the rock hard final fight in Shadow of the Erdtree that make it easier. Elsewhere, there are PvP-exclusive balance adjustments, general balance adjustments, and various fixes, including for unstable performance. Check out the patch notes below, courtesy of publisher Bandai Namco. Elden Ring is one of the biggest video games of recent years, selling an incredible 25...
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is set for an update for all platforms in addition to the recently confirmed PS5 Pro Enhanced patch. Last night, Sony announced the $700 PS5 Pro alongside a list of first and third-party games that will have what are called PS5 Pro Enhanced updates when the console comes out on November 7, 2024. Sony has indicated up to 50 PS5 Pro Enhanced games will be available for launch. Capcom’s action RPG Dragon’s Dogma 2 is among them. Like Sony’s announcement of the PS5 Pro, Dragon’s Dogma 2’s PS5 Pro Enhanced patch is light on details. All Capcom has said so far is that it will offer “a gaming experience that takes advantage of PS5 Pro's features.” The hope is that Dragon’s Dogma 2 will run at 60 frames per second and 4K...
Welcome to the dawn of a new day of deals and, apparently, a mid-gen console refresh for Sony. I am of course talking about the recently unveiled PlayStation 5 Pro, a $1,199.95 (AUD) proposition that's due on November 7 (preorders start Sep 26). If that eyewatering RRP doesn't faze you, or you just love great games, you'll want some of the "PS5 Pro Enhanced" titles to showcase this beast. For today, my PS bargains list is nothing but those. Enjoy! In retro news, I'm belting a slime-shaped pinata with a ‘16’ on it for Dragon Quest IV: The Chapters of the Chosen. For many Aussies, said Nintendo DS port was our gateway into this legendary RPG series (due to non-existent local releases of the first three NES titles). It worked out kinda...
Konami has confirmed that Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 is in the works, but getting it on store shelves will be easier said than done. Metal Gear series promotions director Jiro Oishi and production producer Noriaki Okamura touched on plans for its tactical espionage action franchise in a recent Production Hotline episode posted by Konami. During a Q&A segment, Okamura acknowledged the fans eagerly waiting to learn which games will be included in Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2. However, bringing some of the newer titles to modern audiences comes with a unique set of issues, including a desire to dodge the problems Vol. 1 faced at launch. While Okamura assures that an additional entry in the Master...
After weeks for speculation and leaks, Sony has officially revealed the PS5 Pro during a nine-minute presentation that touched on some of the enhancements the console will offer. Boasting better GPU performance, advanced ray-tracing, and AI-powered upscaling, the PS5 Pro aims to eliminate the choices many of us currently have to make between performance and fidelity modes. In short, it aims to give us both of those modes running at the same time, and as part of the reveal we saw glimpses of games that will be enhanced for PlayStation 5 Pro by offering up higher-resolution visuals that run at a smoother 60-frames-per-second. Although specific enhancements were mostly kept to first-party Sony games, we did get a broader look at what...
When Dragon Age: The Veilguard releases in October, it will include a first for the series — a fully-featured photo mode that will let fans capture personalized moments within Thedas. Photo modes have become a common sight in big-budget games in the years since the release of Dragon Age: Inqusition, but it nevertheless marks an important milestone for BioWare's fantasy series. Happily, Dragon Age: The Veilguard's version of the popular mode has plenty of toys for fans who want to indulge their dreams of being a fantasy photographer. Here's some of what The Veilguard's photo mode has to offer. Free-roaming camera, tilt, focal length, and lens distortion Depth of Field Auto Focus Distance F-Stop, which lets you control the lighting...
This has been a hard review to write. Not because I don't know what to say, but because every time I dip back into Satisfactory to look up an item name or confirm some detail, I find myself checking in on the state of my workshop, just for a moment, and then several hours have suddenly flown by. That’s the magic of this seemingly benign, inexplicably alluring factory simulator. Whether I’m pulling my hair out trying to troubleshoot a problem on the factory floor or running away from very disrespectful fireball-spitting aliens, every moment spent in this beautifully complex simulator has been worthwhile. Combining the creativity and exploration of Minecraft with the spreadsheet-inducing planning and optimization of Factorio, Satisfactory...
One player of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has used real life step tracking technology and an inclined treadmill to simulate walking The 7,000 Steps up the Throat of the World to the Greybeards of High Hrothgar. YouTuber ShakeMistake uploads videos which combine fitness and gaming and through the Stepl app and, after already walking three hours from Riften to Solitude, decided to tackle Skyrim's famous 7,000 steps. Video game technology of 2011 limited the number of steps actually on the mountain path, however, and in reality there's only 700 to 800 steps to be climbed. ShakeMistake therefore had to make some changes before he could authentically simulate the route. Unable to make the game world larger to add more steps...
Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead is lifting the lid on the game’s hotly anticipated 01.001.007 update with an early look at the patch notes. The explosive shooter broke records when it launched earlier this year, becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game of all time. But Arrowhead has suffered a torrid time of late as it struggles to satisfy Helldivers 2’s fanbase, with recent months in particular resulting in a ‘mostly negative’ recent user review rating on Steam. It's now up to 'mixed,' and Helldivers 2's overall Steam user review rating remains 'mostly positive.' Most of the negativity revolves around a feeling that Arrowhead has been heavy handed in nerfing Helldivers 2’s various weapons and stratagems as it balances...
Star Wars Outlaws has its first major patch. Title update 1.1.2 weighs in at 1.92GB on PlayStation 5, 2.25GB on Xbox Series X and S, and 1.89GB on PC. The patch notes, published to Ubisoft’s website, begins by thanking fans “for the amazing positivity and support following the launch of Star Wars Outlaws! Your passion, love for Kay, Nix, our open world and all your amazing creations through our Photo mode has been a real inspiration for the whole team.” The patch focuses on early feedback to address various issues and PC performance, as well as overall stability, Ubisoft said. Additionally, cross progression and saves through Ubisoft Connect are now available. But the highlight is an improvement to what Ubisoft called “some...
I Am Your Beast is a first-person shooter focussed solely on fast-paced slaughter. Sure, you can sluggishly flail around with no clear plan like an Australian breakdancer at the Olympics and potentially still scrape your way through to each bite-sized level’s exit intact, but nailing the best completion time possible requires repeat runs to gradually carve out the most efficient killing paths. What ensues is a brisk, three-hour-long burst of cel-shaded bullets and blood spray that’s backed up by silky smooth controls and an addictive, skull-rattling soundtrack, with the only real downside being that its insatiable need for speed leaves little room for much in the way of interesting plot amidst the relentless volley of violent headshots...
Much like the source novel Journey to the West, where the Monkey King Sun Wukong must overcome 81 trials to complete his adventure, the Destined Hero in Black Myth: Wukong must conquer over 80 boss fights to fulfil his destiny . With so many boss fights to tackle – all of which you can learn the best strategies to beat in IGN’s Black Myth: Wukong guide – we figured it was time to rank the hardest boss fights in the game. With so many to choose from it was hard to whittle down the list of 25, but ultimately these are the bosses that pushed us to nearly break our controllers. 25. Mad Tiger Okay, Mad Tiger is one of the easiest bosses on this list, but he’s still no cake walk if you’re not a ninja monkey ready kick ass. There’s no...
Team Fortress 2 players have gotten creative in the fight against the shooter's rampant bot problem by turning a 340,000 signature strong petition into an actual book and delivering it to Valve headquarters. PC Gamer reported on the post from @thewhat89 on X/Twitter, which unveiled the hardback book in a fancy promotional video. "340,000 plus names all compiled into one book," the post said. "This is a symbol of the astounding amount of people that love TF2 and want to see it flourish. This book has now reached its destination at Valve HQ. The future is looking bright for TF2. Thanks for taking part, everyone." Team Fortress 2, which arrived way back in 2007, is one of the most popular and beloved multiplayer games of all time. But...
A minority investor in Ubisoft has called on the company to go private amid a shares slump following the release of Star Wars Outlaws. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Slovakia-based AJ Investments issued a strongly worded open letter to Ubisoft’s board of directors, including its CEO Yves Guillemot, as well as fellow investor Tencent, that expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of the company and its current share price. Last week, Ubisoft’s share price plunged following the launch of Massive Entertainment’s Star Wars Outlaws, which some analysts predicted will come in below expectations. IGN's Star Wars Outlaws review returned a 7/10. We said: "Star Wars Outlaws is a fun intergalactic heist adventure with great...
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will not offer campaign early access, Activision has confirmed. In a statement given to CharlieIntel, Activision said the many Call of Duty developers working on the game are focused on its October 25, 2024 launch. Activision has released campaign early access for those who pre-ordered recent Call of Duty games, including last year's poorly received Modern Warfare 3 campaign. The early access periods generally began a week before the full launch, offering fans the chance to play through the story so they can hit Multiplayer and Zombies right off the bat. But for Black Ops 6, Activision has gone in a different direction. Here's the statement: It’s worth noting that Black Ops 6 is the first mainline Call of...
Space Marine 2 launched proper yesterday, September 9 after four days of early access, and soon shot to record-breaking success for a Warhammer 40,000 game. Saber Interactive’s action game sees Titus of the Ultramarines go up against the Tyranid horde as well as Chaos Marines in a sequel that arrives 13 years after its predecessor. It includes a campaign that can be played co-op, co-op focused Operations, and a PvP mode. Space Marine 2 saw a huge 24-hour peak concurrent player count of 225,690 on Steam, the highest peak ever seen for a Warhammer 40,000 game on Valve’s platform, alongside a ‘very positive’ user review rating. Indeed, Space Marine 2 is now the most-played Warhammer 40,000 or Warhammer game ever on Steam. To put the...
Finally, I'm starting to see some decent chops on the title which begs the question: Can a DLC be given a GOTY Award? I think I'll let the more vocal corners of the Internet hash that one out. For now, let me just shower you with the hottest video game and peripherals bargains available today. Honestly, it's what I love to do best, all week long. In retro news, I'm relishing the one day of the year when I'm allowed to gush about Burnout 3: Takedown, the now 20-year-old king of arcade racers. For me, this was all about the Road Rage events, which veered this hemmed-in street racer into becoming a vehicular fighting game where driving crazy earned you the NOS needed to go even faster. Instead of punches, you'd shunt your foes at the...
Summer is in the rear view, which means it's once again Call of Duty beta time. This year Treyarch is in the driver's seat with a follow-up to Black Ops Cold War set in the early 1990s – and friends, I am all-in on the setting. After spending the weekend grinding multiplayer matches to hit the beta’s level cap, I'm cautiously optimistic that this year's entry could recapture everything I loved about 2020's Cold War. First off, some context: I have about 200 hours of multiplayer time in last year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and found myself enjoying it quite a bit more than our reviewer (which is fine, reviews are opinions, and opinions differ). However, a lot of that has to do with the social aspect of it. I have a core group of...