Gaming News

Hollow Knight: Silksong Got an Xbox Store Page on April Fools Day and Fans Don't Know How to Feel

It's hard to overstate how eagerly Hollow Knight fans have been awaiting its sequel, Silksong, five years after it was initially announced. And now, they got a little bit of hope, in the form of an Xbox Store page. Today, with little fanfare, Hollow Knight: Silksong got an official listing on Microsoft's website. There's no release date, no trailer, no pre-orders, or anything of that sort outside of wishlisting, but it's something, right? Right? Oh, and one more catch: it just so happens to be April Fools Day, which has some fans treating the mysterious listing with a healthy amount of skepticism. "Today I will not be fooled by SilkSong release dates. I will not be fooled by SilkSong announcements of any kind," wrote Twitch...

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Blizzard Says World of Warcraft Isn't Using Generative AI to Make Content

Artificial intelligence and its uses in games remained a hot topic in the industry during the Game Developers Conference in March. And while some studios were touting AI-generated NPCs or AI-driven level creation, Warcraft franchise director John Hight was a bit more conservative. We spoke with Hight following his GDC talk on the last 30 years of Warcraft, and he’s the one who brought it up. We asked him what he thought the most exciting thing going on in the industry outside of Blizzard was right now, and AI was his answer. But specifically, the kind of AI game developers have already been using for years, and which is gradually getting better and more effective at freeing up developers for creative work. “We have used machine...

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Save 63% Off the Pandemic Board Game With This Walmart Deal

Walmart is currently offering the classic Pandemic board game on clearance for only $16.63, a hefty 63% off the original $45 MSRP. Get free shipping for Walmart+ members or on orders $35 or more (otherwise you have to pay a $6.99 shipping fee). This is the lowest price we've seen for a long, long time. Pandemic Board Game for $16.63 For those new players seeking a cooperative experience rather than a competitive one, there are few games that offer it quite as well as Pandemic. Each player will be assigned one of six potential jobs, such as the Dispatcher, which can move other players around the map, or the Medic, which can remove extra diseases from their location; you and the other players will need to work together to cure and...

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Blizzard Is Open to More Warcraft Movies, But Doesn't Want to be a Filmmaker

Warcraft franchise director John Hight says he loves the 2016 film Warcraft. It’d be silly of him to tell me he doesn’t, given his job. But in a world where it seems like every major gaming IP is going ham on multimedia, Hight differs notably from his fellows in one major way: he doesn’t want to be a filmmaker. Speaking to IGN at the Game Developers’ Conference in March, we asked Hight about the potential for future Warcraft movies. Though he admitted the idea would “certainly be interesting,” he added that he didn’t think Blizzard should explicitly get into the filmmaking business. “We make games and I think that games will always be our core, and so Warcraft will be centered around that,” he said. And more than just Blizzard, Hight...

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Helldivers 2 Players Liberate Malevelon Creek in Hours to Redeem One of Their Biggest Major Order Failures

Developer Arrowhead Studios delivered a new Major Order to Helldivers 2 players, giving them a 24-hour window to finally take back Malevelon Creek. The planet was liberated in only about five hours. The game-wide mission was sent across the galaxy today, and it didn’t take fans long to suit up and drop in. It’s an order that presented an opportunity to turn the tide of war against one of Super Earth’s greatest enemies, but it also gave fans a chance to reclaim their pride. “Several weeks ago, our citizens watched in horror as Malevelon Creek fell to the Automatons,” the Major Order commanded. “Millions of valiant heroes perished attempting to defend it. For too long, the bots have maintained their illegal occupation, desecrating the...

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CD Projekt Red Rules Out Microtransactions for Its Single-Player Games

CD Projekt Red, the studio behind The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077, apparently has no intentions of implementing microtransactions in its single-player games. In an interview with Stockwatch.pl (spotted by PCGamer), CD Projekt Red Chief Financial Officer Piotr Nielubowicz responded to a question about whether the studio would implement microtransactions in future projects. "We do not see a place for microtransactions in the case of single-player games," Nielubowicz explained (via Google Translate). "ut we do not rule out that we will use this solution in the future in the case of multiplayer projects." While CD Projekt Red is known for its single-player games, the studio is planning to, at the very least, incorporate some multiplayer...

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ARK: Survival Ascended Set to Add a Free Desert Map and DLC Starring Karl Urban’s Bob

ARK: Survival Ascended, the action-adventure game with added domesticated battle dinosaurs, first appeared in Early Access in October 2023, and has been introducing new and returning players to the remade world of ARK: Survival Evolved ever since. Building on the original's mix of action, crafting, and combat, ARK: Survival Ascended uses the power of Unreal Engine 5, the variety of modding and the utility of cross-platform play to offer an upgraded way to experience the open-world exploration experience. Now Snail Games is bringing more to the ARK: Survival Experience with the Scorched Earth Expansion Map and Bob’s Tall Tales DLC. Fans who have checked out the ARK: Animated Series on Paramount+ can also enjoy special in-game content...

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Not April Fools: Newly Announced Bugsnax Card Game Is Real, We Promise

YoungHorses has just announced a Kickstarter for Bugsnax: The Card Game - and no, it's not an April Fools joke. Bugsnax was released back in 2020 and sent players to an island that was home to adorable and delicious kinda bug, kinda snack creatures known as Bugsnax. Now, these Bugsnax are jumping off the screen and onto a card game. You can check out the Kickstarter right here, which has an initial goal of $15,000, and learn more about the game below. "Based on the hit video game, Bugsnax: The Card Game is a bite-sized race to eat your fill! Take on the role of your favorite Grumpus and use their unique ability cards, along with your tricky traps, to outwit the other players and overcome the Bugsnax defenses. Be the first to chow...

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Tekken 8 Director Responds to the Many Fans Asking for a Waffle House Level

In response to a wave of fans lobbying for a Waffle House-themed stage in Tekken 8, the game's director Katsuhiro Harada finally broke the silence and addressed the high demand for this unique stage. Over the weekend, Harada responded to a request one fan made in his replies about adding a stage based on Waffle House to the latest installment in Bandai Namco's fighting game series. In a rare instance, Harada responded and asked why so many people keep asking him to add this seemingly unrelated breakfast restaurant to the game. Many fans flocked to the replies to explain why they would love to see a Waffle House stage in Tekken 8. For those unfamiliar with Waffle House, it's a chain of Southern diners with nearly 2,000 locations in...

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The Next Like a Dragon Will Not Be Yakuza Kiwami 3, Casting Auditions to Begin Soon

Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (RGG Studio) are gearing up for a new installment in the Like a Dragon series, revealing today that the next installment will begin its cast auditions soon and and that it won't be Yakuza Kiwami 3. In a new episode of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio TV (spotted by Gematsu), Like a Dragon series director Masayoshi Yokoyama announced that it would be holding cast auditions for the next game and though it does not have a title yet, Yokoyama did reveal that the next game would not be Yakuza Kiwami 3. "It's interesting, new work. It's strange for me to say that, but it's probably better to deny it properly since it's been written so much, but it's not 'Kiwami 3'," Yokoyama explained as transcribed by GamesTalk. "I'll...

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Duckside Announced; Think 'DayZ Meets Rust But You Play as a Duck'

Publisher tinybuild has announced Duckside, a new persistent-world survival game for PC where you play as a duck. And no, this is not a joke despite it being April 1. Check out the announcement trailer above and the first screenshots in the gallery below. Duckside has crafting, base-building, PvP, PvE, and, since you're a duck, it has flying too. Precision flight controls allow you to maneuver through the air both in combat and just to scout, while you'll also upgrade your weapons (read: guns) along with your bases to defend against enemy raids on servers that support up to 50 fowl players. As the developers put it with tongue firmly in cheek, "Duckside isn't just about surviving; it’s about getting into the mind of a duck. Being a...

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The Best Tenkeyless Mechanical Gaming Keyboard in 2024

The best gaming keyboards don’t always need to be full-size. Tenkeyless (TKL) options can be just as great if not better, especially for those tight on gaming desk space or who want to take their keyboard on the go to a LAN party or tournament. So, if you’re okay with losing that number pad, consider a TKL mechanical gaming keyboard, like our favorite the Higround Basecamp 65. Even if that’s not for you, we’ve found three others; one is bound to fit your needs. TL;DR – These are the Best Tenkeyless Mechanical Gaming Keyboards: Higround Basecamp 65 Razer BlackWidow V4 75% HyperX Alloy Origins Core SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL TKL mechanical gaming keyboards offer all the features you expect, only they have a smaller footprint. You...

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Daily Deals: Resident Evil 4, SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro, Persona 3 Reload

Happy weekend, everyone! Sunday is here, which means the weekend is set to come to a close once more. But before it does, it's time for you to kick back and check out the best deals available this weekend. Whether you're searching for new games, technology, or accessories, we've got you covered. The best deals for Sunday, March 31, include Persona 3 Reload, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Resident Evil 4, Super Mario RPG, NHL 24, Horizon Forbidden West, and more. Resident Evil 4 for $29.99 2023's Resident Evil 4 is one of the best titles Capcom has ever released. With its revamped action and gorgeous environments, each minute of Resident Evil 4 (2023) is captivating like never before. For $29.99, this is a must-play title if you're a...

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One Man’s Quest To Become The Greatest Gamer In The World

As it says in the Bible, “I want to be the very best, like no one ever was.” Could there be a more true passage? I don’t know; I didn’t look. But if you’re here reading this site of tips, tricks, and reviews, you’ve probably felt the urge in your soul to become a champion. There may be billions of people playing video games around the world, but haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like if you - yes, you! - were the best at a game? I’m not talking about getting a high score at a laundromat that resets its Ms. Pac-Man machine every night. I’m talking about being the best in the entire world. The greatest gamer on all of Super Earth. When other players get cute and think they’re putting up numbers, they see your score and weep...

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Daily Deals: Persona 3 Reload, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Resident Evil 4

Happy weekend, everyone! It's finally Saturday, which means it's time for you to kick back and check out the best deals available this weekend. Whether you're searching for new games, technology, or accessories, we've got you covered. The best deals for Saturday, March 30, include Persona 3 Reload, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Resident Evil 4, Horizon Forbidden West, and more. Persona 3 Reload for $39.99 Persona 3 Reload is already one of the biggest 2024 releases so far. The remake brings in new gameplay features, new voice actors, and an impressive slew of technology, including ray tracing. It's on sale right now at Amazon for $39.99, which marks a new all time low for the title. If you've never experienced the story of Persona...

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XDefiant Gets Delayed Once More, Aims to 'Lock' a Release Date After Upcoming 'Short Test'

XDefiant has been delayed again as it was previously scheduled to be released by the end of March 2024. Now, Ubisoft is aiming to "lock" down a release date after a short test period. In an update from Ubisoft San Francisco, the studio said that there are still some improvements that need to be tested before XDefiant can launch. The team is also preparing for a 12-hour server test session that is going to be on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The goal for the test is to see how much stress the servers can handle. Ubisoft San Francisco expects to be able to decide on a launch date soon after the test concludes. According to Ubisoft’s latest financial report, XDefiant fits into Ubisoft’s catalog as another free-to-play game as it...

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Our 16 Favorite Games from PAX East 2024

PAX East is always a treat. A smaller, more intimate show than PAX West, PAX East is a good way to take the industry’s temperature and see a ton of exciting new games from both major publishers and small indies that are doing exciting new work you may not have heard of before. I spent four days at PAX East this year, seeing a ton of cool games both on the show floor and behind closed doors. Some I unfortunately can’t talk about, but let me be clear: I saw a lot of cool stuff. This roundup will cover the best of the best. Lucid | Developer: The Matte Black Studio | Publisher: Apogee Entertainment | Release Date: TBA Sometimes, even during a show as great as this year’s PAX East, there’s one game that seems to suck up all the oxygen in...

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Tekken 8: Eddy Gordo Release Date and Gameplay Trailer Revealed Alongside New Patch Notes

Tekken 8’s post-launch content is rolling on with its first new character, Eddy Gordo, who will become available to those with the Playable Character Year 1 Pass on April 1 and as a standalone purchase for all on April 5. Furthermore, a laundry list of patch notes for the April 1 update were revealed that include balance changes and the Tekken Fight Pass. Alongside the reveal of Eddy’s release dates is a trailer that shows off his unique move set. Mostly, players who pick up the DLC character will find themselves doing handstands to fight off opponents with furious kicks. The video is a great demonstration of how the Tekken team has brought his capoeira technique to Tekken 8, and you can see it for yourself in the video below. Eddy...

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Dragon’s Dogma 2 Title Update 1.050 Adds ‘Start New game’, Max 30fps Option, More

Capcom has released the first title update for Dragon’s Dogma 2, adding some crucial features to the game. Update 1.050, out now on PC via Steam and PlayStation 5, and on Xbox Series X and S “in the next few days”, adds the option to start a new game when save data already exists. Inexplicably, Dragon’s Dogma 2 launched without this option, although modders soon brute-forced it into the PC version. Elsewhere, Capcom has boosted the number of Art of Metamorphosis items available at Pawn Guilds to 99. Art of Metamorphosis lets you edit your character, and is one of many day-one microtransactions Capcom is currently selling for real-world money. Meanwhile, Dragon’s Dogma 2 on console gets various graphics and performance options...

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IGN UK Podcast 742: Solid Snake Smoking Meats

Cardy, Matt, and Mat are here to talk about a right ol' mixture of stuff this week. We've got new games like Princess Peach: Showtime and old ones like the original Metal Gear Solid trilogy. Then there are brand-new films such as Civil War and Drive-Away Dolls, and a bunch of thrillers from between 1975 and 1981. Oh, and a new X-Men TV show that is kind of an old X-Men TV show. Tell us what your favourite sauce is. Get in touch at ign_ukfeedback@ign.com. IGN UK Podcast 742: Solid Snake Smoking Meats IGN UK Podcast 741: Dragon's Dogma 2 Has the Sauce IGN UK Podcast 740: Rise of Ricky Stanicky IGN UK Podcast 739: We Draft Our Favourite 2014 Games, Films, TV Shows, and Memes IGN UK Podcast 738: Shoguns, Unicorn Overlords and...

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Indie Game Round-Up – April 2024

The best April indie games include some serious heavy-hitters, so if you’ve been waiting for a good time to get stuck into some new games, it seems like you’d be a fool to miss April’s offerings. There are action games, story games, an incredibly cool VR title, and also a game about crabs. It’s worth […] Continue reading...

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Certain Affinity, Halo: Infinite Co-Developer, Says It's Struggling to Find New Work, Announces Layoffs

Halo and Call of Duty co-developer Certain Affinity has been hit with a wave of layoffs, CEO Max Hoberman announced. The studio head wrote about the decision in a lengthy post on the developer’s website, saying that the layoffs affect 25 US-based staff members and “has the most impact on the teams running our business operations.” The Certain Affinity website says the company currently has more than 250 full-time employees, meaning today’s move affects somewhere around 10% of its staff. The decision marks the first time Certain Affinity has laid off team members since it was established in 2006. “There are multiple factors underlying this decision to do a layoff for the first time in our 17+ year history,” Hoberman wrote. “Most...

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Why Visions of Mana is Going to Matter, Hands On Thoughts, Best Deals, and More!

While it's no secret that Mana has been spun-off a ton, it's shocking to realise that it's taken 15 years for someone to envision another mainline entry. For those of you unfamiliar with the era of parachute pants and 1993's Secret of Mana, it is fondly remembered as a legendary must-own for the SNES—an impressive feat given that system was teeming with JRPG GOATs. Obviously, a modernisation of the franchise is a huge deal, and wild pikuls couldn't have held me back from my world's first chance to go hands-on with Visions of Mana. I'm going to dive into those impressions in a sec. For now, though, I should probably list some purchasing options for you “mind’s already made-up” diehards who have pined for too long. If that's not you...

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CD Projekt Says 2023 Was Second Best Year in Its History While Posting $120 Million in Net Profits

CD Projekt chief financial officer Piotr Nielubowicz called 2023 the second best year in the company's history as the studio posted net profits of more than $120 million in its full year earnings. Nielubowicz credited the release of Phantom Liberty, which he says was purchased by around a quarter of Cyberpunk 2077 owners, as well as ongoing interest in The Witcher, for CD Projekt's success. "[Phantom Liberty's success] resulted in strong sales," Nielubowicz said in a video statement as part of the earnings. "By the end of 2023 Phantom Liberty had been purchased over 5 million times." Nielubowicz called Phantom Liberty's sales "an excellent result," especially given that it's been more than three years since the release of the...

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Dragon's Dogma 2 Is Polarizing Its Community, And It's Not Just the Microtransactions

Plenty of big, AAA releases have problems at launch. Overwatch 2, Payday 3, and Redfall all launched to criticism from both reviewers and fans. It's far rarer to see a AAA game's community genuinely divided over whether or not a game is fantastic and groundbreaking, or an utter disaster at launch. But weirdly, that's what's happening with Dragon's Dogma 2. At the forefront of the "this is terrible" argument are criticisms of the game's performance, which seems to be pretty awful across PC and consoles. Alongside that are complaints about the game's 21 separate microtransactions, almost all of which are specifically designed to ease Dragon's Dogma 2's built-in player antagonism. Lots of players are furious about their inclusion, even...

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Pepper Grinder Review

To describe a game as being a non-stop grind from start to finish would be considered a negative in almost any other context, but not in the case of Pepper Grinder. This energetic platforming adventure straps a high-powered drill to your hand and throttles you forward through a series of terrain-churning 2D paths littered with enemies to pummel and challenging platform sections to navigate at speed. It’s lively, fluid, and frequently frantic, and folds in some fun diversions that help each stage stand out, even though a surprisingly short list of levels means that Pepper Grinder is here for a good time rather than a long time. The setup is simple: a young girl named Pepper washes ashore on a mysterious island crawling with...

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Empire of the Ants Preview: Explore a Weird (and Photorealistic) Insect Kingdom

Empire of the Ants is really effective at making you feel like a very tiny being within a much larger world. As a new strategy adventure game set in the insect kingdom, you command an army of ants to explore, expand, and extract resources in a large, near-photorealistic world that looks like it could be in someone's backyard. I got an early preview of the upcoming strategy adventure game starring tons and tons of ants, and I saw how exploring a seemingly mundane world looks far grander and more treacherous from the perspective of a lone ant. Empire of the Ants is based on the novels by Bernard Werber and puts you in the role of an ordinary ant who must navigate the insect hierarchy of an ant colony nestled in the woods, all while...

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Helldivers 2 Gets Two New Stratagems That Should Help Take Down Those Annoying Automatons

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has released two new Stratagems to help players in the fight against the Automatons and Terminids. First up is the MG-101 Heavy Machine Gun, which costs 6,000 requisition. This Stratagem is described as “a very powerful but difficult-to-wield machine gun with intense recoil.” It’s got a three second call-in time, a 480 cooldown, and unlimited uses. And finally, the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon Stratagem is now in the game. This weapon charges up to fire a powerful, explosive energy burst, with a long cooldown period after firing. The Quasar costs 7,500 requisition, has a three second call-in time,480 second cooldown time, and unlimited use. The Heavy Machine Gun and the Quasar Cannon are the first new...

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Visions of Mana: The First Hands-On Preview

It is no secret that Square Enix's Mana series has impacted the JRPG genre immensely since it debuted in 1991. It's a franchise rich with deep stories and memorable combat that has stood the test of time. Despite the last mainline game releasing 18 years ago, fanfare has yet to die down, as seen with the success of the 2020 remake of Trials of Mana. The question is, can a brand new Mana game replicate the same success as a remake? If this two-hour hands-on preview is any indication of the rest of the game, then Visions of Mana's fresh take on battle and class systems not only gives it the potential to meet the success of the originals but possibly even the chance to surpass them. From the outset, it is clear that Visions of Mana is a...

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Joe Lieberman, Longtime Senator and Anti-Video Game Crusader, Dies at 82

Joe Lieberman, the former Democratic Senator from Connecticut and a key figure behind the '90s moral panic surrounding games including Mortal Kombat, has died after after complications from a fall, his family said in a statement. He was 82. A former vice presidential candidate known for his centrist politics and hawkish foreign policy, Lieberman is best-known to gamers for his outspoken criticism of the video game industry in the 1990s alongside Wisconsin Democrat Herb Kohl. Among other things, Lieberman expressed outrage over games like Mortal Kombat, saying that he really wished he could "ban them constitutionally" and that they made people more violent. Lieberman and Kohl helped lead the Senate hearings on video games in 1993 and...

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