Thank your own personal deity—possibly the God of War and Tsushima—it's Friday! Speaking of that samurai epic, it arrived on PC last night, and I have been hilt deep in it since 2 o'clock in the AM. Runs well and looks phenomenal so far. Given Nixxes spectacular and recent craftsmanship with Horizon Forbidden West, my finely-tuned instincts already tell me this is worth the yen.
In retro news, I'm lighting some sparklers for the 22nd birthday of the Nintendo GameCube. Fondly remembered as the console with the needless but appreciated handle, I recall day-one scoring this boxy beast at $399 for Luigi's Mansion, Wave Race: Blue Storm, and Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II. Granted, the Cube wasn't the strongest contender in the sixth...
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The LEGO Minecraft builds are both attractive and simple, and although most of the builds depict pre-conceived designs, there are also sets that enable the sort of free play that both LEGO and Minecraft are famous for.
Minecraft's retro, pixelated appearance lends itself to brick form, especially with how alternating color patterns create the impression of shadow, texture, and three-dimensionality. Below we've gather the 10 best LEGO Minecraft LEGO sets that you can purchase in 2024. You can also check out our picks of the best LEGO sets overall.
The Nether Portal Ambush
Set: #21255
Age Range: 8+
Piece Count: 352
Dimensions: 4 in. (11 cm) high, 8.5 in. (22 cm) wide, 5.5 in. (14 cm) deep
A battle scene on the border between the...
Developer Player First Games has published a video that walks players through the new MultiVersus PvE Rift Mode ahead of its relaunch in a few weeks.
The developer detailed the mode in a highlight video hosted by Scooby Doo’s Velma and Adventure Time’s Finn and Jake. While MultiVersus is known for its PvP modes that pit Warner Bros. icons against one another, Rifts offers players the chance to sharpen their skills with single-player and online co-op activities.
Rifts launch players into gameplay scenarios with twists to keep you on your toes. Each Rift has Nodes that range from a standard battle to a mini-game challenge. One example of the many shown in the trailer sees Bugs Bunny attacking targets while collecting stars. Nodes also...
2K Games is planning to reveal the "next iteration in one of its biggest and most beloved franchises" at Summer Game Fest, which is set to take place on Friday, June 7.
The tease instantly got fans speculating on the possibilities, with many wondering whether BioShock 4 will finally be revealed after a five year wait. Other suggested that it might be Mafia 4 or Borderlands 4.
As of right now the most likely candidate is Borderlands 4, which was confirmed to be in development earlier this year. It would match up neatly with the release of the Borderlands movie, which will be out on August 9. Borderlands 4 was previously confirmed to be in development and has been heavily teased by Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford.
"Look, we haven't even...
It’s safe to say that Gray Zone Warfare isn’t trying to be an accessible extraction shooter like Call of Duty Warzone’s DMZ mode, but rather one for the hardcore realism set who want to feel the thrill of high-stakes victory and the agony of bleeding out after getting shot in the leg as you try to limp toward the chopper. Not everyone wants to fuss with deciding between 7.32 parabellum vs full metal jacket rounds, or dealing with the fact that 5.56x59mm rounds don’t fit in a magazine for 5.56x72mm. But for those who do, it serves that audience fairly well in its early access state – at least, when it isn’t crashing, failing to register clear hits, or making you and your friends wait in line for your ride home.
You and your...
Earlier this month, Take-Two announced a cost reduction plan that included project cancellations, the layoffs of 5% of its workforce, and other spending cuts. Amid this announcement came reports based on internal documentation that seemed to confirm Take-Two was closing OlliOlli World developer Roll7 and Kerbal Space Program 2 developer Intercept Games.
But when I asked Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick in a call today why these closures happened, he told me, "We didn't shutter those studios":
The reports, which came both from a WARN Act notice pointed out by Game Developer and internal documentation by Bloomberg, seemed pretty definitive, so this was a surprising response. I followed up by asking Zelnick if he was denying the reports...
Grand Theft Auto 5, an 11-year-old game that's been released on three generations of consoles and which continues to sell roughly five million copies every three months, has at last surpassed a big milestone: over 200 million copies sold in its lifetime.
This news comes from Take-Two's earnings report today. For years now, we've been reporting, like clockwork, that GTA 5 has sold another 5 million copies every quarter. It has simply never slowed down! The success of GTA Online has been a huge part of this, but GTA 5 on its own is a beloved hit that's released across the last three console generations and netted a coveted 10/10 when we reviewed it back in the day.
Elsewhere in the earnings, Take-Two also notes that the 6-year-old Red...
Since Hades II launched in Early Access just over a week ago, developer Supergiant Games has been collecting feedback from players. Now, some of that feedback has been put to use in the game's first patch, and there are still more adjustments on their way.
Today, Supergiant Games released the first Early Access patch for Hades II, which includes substantial changes to player movement, encounters, and level design as well as a handful of bug fixes. The patch notes are available on Steam.
"Here's our first patch in Early Access!! We're very grateful for all the feedback so far, which inspired this first set of targeted improvements and fixes." the patch notes read.
Most notably, the patch makes sprinting faster, dashing out of attack...
Assassin's Creed Shadows players won't have access to all of the game's day-one missions due to Ubisoft locking one behind the Season Pass and another behind a preorder bonus.
As is standard for the publisher, Shadows will launch in a handful of different versions — the Standard Edition at $69.99, the Gold Edition at $109.99, the Ultimate Edition at $129.99, and the Collector's Edition at $279.99 — but only those who preorder the Gold Edition or higher get access to both additional missions on launch day.
Preordering the game doesn't come at any extra cost (just the commitment to buy), meaning one of these missions is on the easier side to get, but the Season Pass is currently only available in the more expensive versions of the...
Devolver has been going strong for 15 years now and has established a reputation for publishing high-quality indie games from around the world across a wide range of genres. From the early days of Serious Sam and Hotline Miami, to more recent hits like Cult of the Lamb and Inscryption, the publisher has a track record of allowing small, creative teams to flourish.
To celebrate their 15th birthday, Devolver is hosting a huge sale on their entire catalog of games from May 16–23 on Steam. Since they’re turning 15, we figured it only made sense to showcase 15 lesser-known gems from their roster that you can get for super cheap during the sale:
Ronin
On sale for: $2.59 (80% off)
Released in 2015, Ronin is a turn-based action-stealth...
IGN can exclusively report that Horror, Inc. is expanding the Friday the 13th franchise into a new era with the launch of Jason Universe.
New Friday the 13th activations will span a wide range of platforms from entertainment, games, immersive experiences, merchandise and more to be announced throughout 2024 via @JasonUniverse13 on social media or by visiting the official Jason Universe website.
“For decades, Jason shocked and thrilled audiences who kept coming back for more. We’re excited to work with Victor Miller and Marc Toberoff on new projects we’ll announce in the coming months,” said Robert Barsamian, President of Horror, Inc., in a statement provided to IGN.
Victor Miller was the screenwriter of the original Friday the 13th...
Activision has announced the formation of Elsewhere Entertainment, a new studio it says will focus on developing a "narrative-based and genre-defining AAA franchise."
Elsewhere Entertainment, which is based in Warsaw, is Activision's second Polish studio after the Krakow-based Infinity Ward Poland. The studio has been working behind the scenes up until now, and this is its first public unveiling.
According to the blog post revealing the new studio, Elsewhere Entertainment's team includes "storytelling experts" who have previously worked on franchises including The Last of Us, Uncharted, The Witcher, Cyberpunk, Destiny, The Division, and Far Cry. It is currently recruiting developers in hopes of creating a "state-of-the-art and...
Medieval city builder Manor Lords is a smash hit, selling two million copies in just three weeks.
Slavic Magic’s debut game launched on Steam priced $39.99 and straight into PC Game Pass in Early Access form on April 26. On Steam, the game is particularly well-received, with a ‘very positive’ user review rating. IGN’s Manor Lords Early Access review returned a 7/10. We said: “Manor Lords is a gorgeous medieval city-builder that kept me occupied for hours building my perfect, cozy hamlets, but it definitely feels very early in its Early Access development.”
Publisher Hooded Horse said on Manor Lords’ opening weekend, the concurrent player count peaked at over 173,000 on Steam alone (the highest ever concurrent player count for a city...
The Japan-set Assassin's Creed Shadows requires an internet connection to install but not to play after, Ubisoft has confirmed.
In a post on X/Twitter, the publisher confirmed Shadows will follow a recent trend for bigger games where even the disc version requires an internet connection before play is possible. Shadows doesn't require an always-online connection, but does require the internet to essentially download part of the game upon install.
"We wanted to share some early information on the upcoming launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows, following some questions we've noticed in the community," Ubisoft said, addressing concerns raised after the PlayStation Store listed Shadows as an "online play required" game.
"Assassin's Creed...
Duelists of Eden is an incredible follow-up to one of the coolest deck builder hybrids ever made: One Step From Eden. In One Step From Eden, you fight through loads of awesome enemies and bosses, discover game-changing artefacts, and build a powerful deck as you go. Fights take place in real-time on a grid and […]
Continue reading...
Sony and LEGO are reportedly collaborating on a new PlayStation video game called LEGO Horizon Adventures.
Insider Gaming reports the unannounced video game is “essentially Horizon Forbidden West but Lego”, with “realistic graphics.” IGN has asked Sony for comment.
X/Twitter user @Kurakasis had previously flagged the collaboration, and Insider Gaming suggests this was the result of a recently discovered trademark filing.
That’s pretty much all we have right now. We don’t know which studio is behind the game, or the platforms it will launch on. But Sony is rumored to be set to hold a PlayStation showcase this month. Perhaps we’ll learn more there.
While a LEGO Horizon video game may sound like an odd choice, the two brands have...
The Helldivers 2 community has been through a lot lately, with everything from failed Major Orders to Sony’s aborted attempt to force PC players to link their accounts to PSN to contend with. Now, the community’s attention has shifted onto a player who has unwittingly become the focus of an altogether more wholesome story.
The story starts with a seemingly innocuous player interaction that went viral. A Helldiver called Dremskiy joined a group only to face being kicked from it.
“Sorry… I have to kick you,” Dremskiy was told by another Helldiver who said they were playing with friends only.
“im frend,” was Dremskiy’s heartbreaking reply.
“Don’t make this more difficult…” the player said.
Like a Helldiver ragdoll butting heads with...
The next mainline Call of Duty game looks set to be called Call of Duty Black Ops 6, not Black Ops 5 as previously thought, after developer Treyarch acknowledged the recent discovery of the Sally pistols in Warzone.
The Sally is a variant of the Akimbo version of the 9mm Daemon Pistol, and rekindles memories of 2010 Black Ops’ iconic cover art.
To unlock the gun in-game you must first find the Sally as ground loot in battle royale Warzone and get just one kill with it. This unlocks the Sally for use in Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone.
Treyarch responded to the discovery of the Sally pistols, which feature six scratched tally marks, in a series of tweets.
Fans have speculated about the name of the next Call of Duty for years now...
Shadow of the Erdtree, Elden Ring's 'first and last' DLC expansion, is a little over a month away. Whether you're jumping back into the base game before release or starting from scratch altogether, the hype is slowly building. Shadow of the Erdtree will release on June 21 and is set to cost $39.99 -- but if you're on PC, there's already a tantalizing saving on offer to you.
Fanatical, a trusted PC and Steam code seller, currently has the Elden Ring: Shadow of The Erdtree expansion listed for $35.19 / £30.79 in the UK, alongside the 'Premium Bundle' for $43.99 (down from $49.99). That's at least $4.81 savings and 12% off one of the most anticipated DLCs ever. This feels like a no-brainer.
If playing Shadow of the Erdtree already...
Skull and Bones Season 2 is on the way after what Ubisoft called a “tremendous response” from the game’s community.
Skull and Bones launched in February on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, anbd PC (but not on Steam) after years of delays and was thought to have suffered from low player numbers. IGN’s Skull and Bones review returned a 7/10. We said: “Skull and Bones is a maritime RPG with a strong foundation, even if it feels like a live-service first draft.”
Season 1 soon followed, and now Ubisoft has confirmed what to expect from Season 2. “Let us begin by saying how amazing it has been for all of us working on Skull and Bones to witness the tremendous response from our entire community since the launch of our game,” Ubisoft said...
Helldivers 2’s ongoing meta-narrative took another twist this week after players failed the last Major Order and thus failed to unlock a promised new Stratagem.
The explosive PC and PlayStation 5 co-op shooter had set the community a stiff challenge: kill 2 billion Automatons in five days and the Anti-Tank Mines Stratagem would unlock.
But despite players’ best efforts, Helldivers came 78% towards the stated goal, and in an in-universe Galactic War update from Super Earth High Command posted to the Helldivers Discord, Arrowhead signaled it would hold the the Anti-Tank Mines Stratagem back — for now.
“After five days of intense decommissioning of Automatons into scrap metal for use in advanced anti-tank mines, the Helldivers came...
Welcome to a day of samurai, wanton assassination, and savings. Obviously, I'm more talking about a discount on the imminently releasing Ghost of Tsushima as opposed to the just revealed Assassin's Creed Shadows. Preorders are indeed open for that, but I'm the type to at least wait for some actual gameplay video before getting too excited. Because, let's be honest, Sucker Punch—and to a lesser extent, Team Ninja—have left some pretty big sandals to fill.
In retro news, I'm celebrating the 11th birthday of Deadly Premonition, a so-bad-it's-great cult hit. Basically, this was an incredibly low budget Japanese Twin Peaks with ropey visuals, controls, script, voice acting—you name it, they SMSed it in. All that being said, you really do...
It looks like Toys for Bob is beginning its next chapter, and it’s starting with a mysterious purple tiki mask.
The Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time and Spyro Reignited Trilogy developer published the strange picture in a new update on its website. Those who head to the site will notice that an image of a purple, teeth-clenching tiki head is now the only accessible page.
It’s unclear what it could mean, but there is a good chance the mask is simply Toys for Bob’s new logo. Opening the image reveals that it’s named “TFB_LogoVector_TikiMask-purple.” It’s also been pointed out that the Toys for Bob offices have been tiki-themed in the past. Still, that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating that the image may be tied to a new game.
In...
Sony has revealed the full line-up of PlayStation Plus Games Catalog additions for May 2024, which includes Red Dead Redemption 2, Cat Quest, Watch Dogs, and more.
Announced on the PlayStation Blog, a total of 13 games are joining the library: 10 in the Games Catalog available to Extra and Premium members and three in the Classic Games Catalog only available to Premium members.
While perhaps a thinner line-up compared to recent months, the addition of Red Dead Redemption 2 will carry May's line-up a long way. It's worth noting this is actually a return to the service for Rockstar's open-world cowboy adventure, however, as it was one of the first games announced for the Games Catalog two years prior. All games hit the service on May...
Assassin’s Creed Shadow is set to release for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on November 15. It's available to preorder now (see it at Best Buy, where you'll get a free lithograph with purchase). In it, you play as both a shinobi assassin and a samurai warrior in feudal Japan, with the ability to switch between the two characters seamlessly. Fans of the series have been requesting this historical setting for a long time, and Ubisoft is finally delivering it. And unlike last year’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage, this is a full-priced game, starting at $69.99 -- so you can expect it to be a full-sized open-world game. Other editions cost more, so let’s break it all down below.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Standard Edition)
PS5
Get it at Best Buy...
Ubisoft has canceled its upcoming free-to-play shooter, Tom Clancy's The Division Heartland, amid larger plans to focus resources on "bigger opportunities."
This news was revealed as a part of Ubisoft's earnings release this morning, with the company saying it has "redeployed resources to bigger opportunities such as XDefiant and Rainbow Six." The move is part of a larger, longer process Ubisoft has been undergoing in recent quarters to restructure its teams, cut costs, and concentrate its resources into fewer, bigger games.
Ubisoft offered the following statement on the cancellation:
The Division Heartland was first announced back in 2021, and was being developed by North Carolina-based Red Storm Entertainment. It was quietly...
Greedfall is one of those underrated games that punched well above its weight with some extremely unique worldbuilding that really made it stand apart. After going hands-on with Greedfall 2: The Dying World, I’m really eager to jump back into the bizarre and magical island of Teer Fradee, which seems like it’ll be retaining all of its wonderful weirdness, while also making a major pivot in the gameplay department. Playing as a supernaturally gifted native belonging to the Yecht Fradi tribe, I got the chance to meet some interesting characters, explore the labyrinthine woods I called home, make some extremely questionable story decisions, and most importantly, take the all-new combat system for a spin. Even in this extremely early state...
Enotria: The Last Song, a sun-kissed soulslike that we previewed last Fall, has been pushed back a month, from August 21 to September 19. That's the bad news. The good news is that an eight-hour-long playable demo will be released for PS5 and PC very soon, on May 22. The full version of Enotria will be released for Xbox Series X|S as well as PS5 and PC.
We've got a new, exclusive 15-minute developer-narrated gameplay showcase you can watch above, along with the latest batch of screenshots in the gallery below.
According to developer Jyamma Games, "the demo will have 4 distinct weapon classes, each with a variety of unique weapons and 6 unique masks to discover that bring with them devastating new playstyles and distinctive passive...
Hi-Fi Rush is set for its final patch later today, May 15, amid the closure of its developer Tango Gameworks.
Earlier this month, Microsoft shocked the gaming world when it announced the closure of Tango Gameworks, also known for The Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo, as well as Redfall and Prey developer Arkane Austin as part of deep cuts at Bethesda.
The critically acclaimed rhythm action game Hi-Fi Rush was deemed a success upon its 2023 launch. It shadow-dropped straight into Game Pass on Xbox and PC, and was sold outside the subscription service priced $30. IGN’s Hi-Fi Rush review returned a 9/10. We said: “Hi-Fi Rush marches to the beat of its own drum with stunning animation, loveable characters, and stylish rhythmic action...
Ubisoft has said its Call of Duty rival XDefiant does not feature skill-based matchmaking in its casual playlist.
For years, skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) has been the hottest of topics within the Call of Duty community, with some proclaiming it ruins the experience, others saying quite the opposite. High-skilled Call of Duty players often bemoan SBMM for chucking them into what they call “sweaty” lobbies full of similarly high-skilled players. Activision has defended its use, insisting skill in matchmaking means all players (regardless of skill level) are more likely to experience wins and losses more proportionately. “We use player performance to ensure that the disparity between the most skilled player in the lobby and the least...