Gaming News

Assassin's Creed Mirage 1.0.6 Update Adds New Game Plus, Parkour Improvements, and More

Ubisoft has just released Update 1.0.6 for Assassin's Creed Mirage, which introduces many improvements and new additions to the game, including a New Game Plus mode. Noted in the patch notes, installing Update 1.0.6 will allow players who have already completed Assassin's Creed Mirage to start a New Game Plus save. Aside from the added benefits of New Game Plus, such as keeping all the skills and gear you accrued in your first playthrough, those who start the mode in Mirage can skip the prologue and head straight to Baghdad. More interestingly, Ubisoft revealed that players starting a New Game Plus playthrough will unlock Bayek's Medjay outfit. Assassin's Creed fans will recall Bayek being the protagonist of 2017's Assassin's Creed...

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Disney Insists Bethesda's Indiana Jones Game Going PC and Xbox Exclusive Isn't 'Overly Exclusionary'

Microsoft’s high-profile legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over the fate of its $69 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard unearthed a number of explosive revelations, among them the fact Microsoft renegotiated ZeniMax's deal with Disney to make Bethesda's upcoming Indiana Jones game exclusive to Xbox and PC, thus ditching the PlayStation 5 version. During the trial, Bethesda's Pete Hines revealed that Disney had an agreement with Bethesda owner ZeniMax for a multiplatform AAA Indiana Jones game, but after Microsoft bought the company, the agreement with Disney was amended to transition the Indiana Jones game to an Xbox and PC exclusive. At the time, Hines said the game was set to hit Game Pass on day one. Several...

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Starfield City Maps and ‘New Ways of Traveling’ Teased by Bethesda

Bethesda Game Studios is working on some quality-of-life improvements for Starfield, including city maps, new ways to traverse in space, and more. In a new post on the Starfield subreddit, Bethesda published a statement to the community revealing that it was "hard at work" to address various issues that have been brought to the development team's attention. Specifically, Bethesda acknowledged that early next year, there will be a big update that will include a lot of "in-progress quest fixes." The developer is also planning to add several new quality-of-life improvements to Starfield that the community has heavily requested, including official mod support, city maps, and new ways to travel. "These will be rolling out with a regular...

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The Best Soulslike of 2023

It’s rare that a whole new genre emerges. It’s even rarer when a new genre breaks out of its niche and becomes a significant part of the medium as a whole. But that’s exactly what has happened with Soulslikes. There’s a whole movement of games inspired by Dark Souls, and with the likes of Lords of the Fallen, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, and Lies of P arriving over the past 12 months, 2023 was the ultimate proof of that. No longer just clones riding the coattails of FromSoftware, these games have built on the Souls ruleset and bloomed into a scene all of their own. Hence, there seemed no better time than now to give Soulslike its own category for this year’s IGN awards. For this new category we wanted to celebrate the growth and evolution...

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The Best Horror Game of 2023

With both Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 launching within the first quarter, it was clear that 2023 was going to be a strong year for horror remakes. But what we perhaps wouldn’t have counted on as the year began was that this was going to be a stellar 12 months for the horror genre as a whole. It’s been such a good year for it, in fact, that we had to give it its own award category. There have been so many great horror games this year, spanning numerous different sub-genres and studio sizes. As previously mentioned, it’s been a fantastic year for remakes, proving the classics can be as relevant today in their revitalised forms as they were when they first arrived in the 2000s. But it’s also been a period of wonderfully experimental...

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Sonic Dream Team Review

Hot on the heels of a new full-sized Sonic game in Sonic Superstars, the Apple Arcade exclusive Sonic Dream Team might not look like it has much to offer at first. It only has a dozen levels, and all you get control-wise are a D-pad and two buttons. For some, the fact that it’s only available on Apple devices (at least for the time being) is a non-starter all its own. But despite all that, Sonic Dream Team more than manages to justify its existence – in fact, its superb level design and bite-sized missions make it one of the most fun, creative, and enjoyable 3D platformers I’ve played in a long time. Sonic Dream Team’s story kicks off when Dr. Eggman finds a device that brings his dreams into reality. This is obviously bad news for...

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Exclusive: More The Casting of Frank Stone Details and Brand-New Screenshots

Dark mist, bloody meat hooks, and one, lonely killer — these are the sinister ingredients for Dead by Daylight, Behaviour Interactive's asymmetrical survival horror game. Since releasing in 2016, the popular multiplayer has repeatedly elaborated on this basic formula by mixing in great horror IP, like by recently adding '80s murder doll Chucky to its killer roster and Alien's unshakeable Ellen Ripley to its bank of survivors. It pushed open the doors to its dreadful universe by creating a half-joking dating sim and comic book series, but it's never expanded its mythology as ambitiously as it plans to with Until Dawn developer Supermassive Games. After teasing a collaboration earlier this year, Behaviour announced plans at The Game...

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The Finals Review in Progress

If there’s one genre that lends itself to boom or bust, it's the online shooter. For every success like Call of Duty, Halo, or Apex Legends, it seems like there are at least a dozen other games that have come and gone with barely a spark before they fizzle. With so many good competitive shooters in play, what makes one stand out? What makes it worth diverting your time to in versus another? After my first night of matches in The Finals, I think I’m starting to get a picture for how it answers those questions. If The Running Man were about 3v3v3 gun battles, it would’ve resembled The Finals. The vibrant color palette combines with a pair of live sports-style play-by-play announcers to give it that over-the-top, American Gladiators...

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IGN Awards Celebrates the Best Games, Movies and More

From Nintendo’s triumphant follow-up to Breath of the Wild to the hot pink perfection of Barbie and so much more, 2023 has been a landmark year for games and entertainment. Indeed, IGN has labeled 16 games, movies and TV shows a masterpiece over the past 12 months, with countless more worthy of your time and money. Admittedly, it’s also been a year of polar opposites, and Skull Island: Rise of Kong wasn’t the only stinker to receive a bad score (I’m looking at you, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey). The games industry suffered a huge number of lay-offs too, and Hollywood strikes put release calendars on hold as screenwriters and actors fought for better working conditions. So while 2023 had its low points, we wanted to shine a...

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Call of Duty Devs Are a Little Peeved at Christopher Judge's Dig During The Game Awards

Call of Duty developers past and present have taken to social media to express their frustration with a comment made by God of War voice actor Christopher Judge at The Game Awards. During a speech delivered by Judge at The Game Awards on December 7, ahead of him presenting the Best Performance award to Baldur's Gate 3's Neil Newbon, the actor made fun of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's campaign. "I’m not going to stand up here, making long speeches. I’m going to stick to the script. No eight-minute speech like last year," Judge said, referencing the 2022 award ceremony when he won Best Performance for his role as Kratos in God of War Ragnarok. "But fun fact, my speech was actually longer than this year’s Call of Duty campaign," he...

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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Is Getting an Offline Mode After Release, Rocksteady Confirms

If you were put off by the idea that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is an always-online game, I have some good news: Rocksteady Studios confirmed that it will make the story mode available offline, but only after the game releases. In the official Discord server for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, a Rocksteady employee confirmed in the announcements channel that the developer plans to add an offline story mode. As you can see from the screenshot below, the offline story mode won't be available at release, but Rocksteady is "aiming to add this update in 2024." During a February State of Play held this year, Rocksteady confirmed that not only would Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League require an online connection...

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Fortnite Rocket Racing Takes the Best From Rocket League and Puts It on a Racetrack

Fortnite’s Rocket Racing is a brand-new arcade racer that tests your driving skills with gravity defying mechanics. Developed by Psyonix, creators of Rocket League, Rocket Racing captures the same competitive feel, just on a racetrack. Here’s how Rocket Racing plays as a competitive racing game and what to expect from content and cosmetics in the future. Movement Mechanics Rocket Racing isn’t your typical car racing game where you just have to optimize your turns and drifts. Along with classic race mechanics, you have to pay attention to your surroundings so you can break some rules and find new alternative paths to cross the finish line first. Picture more Mario Kart-esque and less Forza Motorsport. Using the Air Dodge move, you...

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The Finals Hits 200,000 Steam Concurrents Within 12 Hours

Embark Studios' hit shooter The Finals has already hit 200,000 concurrent players on Steam, just 12 hours after it was released. Data from player tracking website SteamDB shows The Finals currently has 200,213 concurrent players, a number that's been slowly but surely climbing since it first released during The Game Awards on December 7. It's therefore unlikely this number is its peak for the day, but it will likely rise even more and is set to explode over the weekend. The Finals is a free-to-play shooter with a game show theme. "Contestants plug in to a virtual world and join teams in escalating tournaments," its synopsis reads. "Fight alongside your teammates in virtual arenas that you can alter, exploit, and even destroy." It's...

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Alan Wake 2 New Game Plus Arrives Next Week

Alan Wake 2 is getting a New Game Plus mode called The Final Draft on December 11, 2023, developer Remedy Entertainment has announced. Revealed in a blog post, Remedy made clear The Final Draft isn't just an opportunity to play through Alan Wake 2 again, but actually includes a whole new ending to the game. "The Final Draft unveils a new ending to the layered story of Alan Wake, sure to spark speculation and theories among our dedicated fans," the post read. "Additionally, there is new lore to be found in the form of a few new videos and manuscript pages that have been added to New Game Plus experience, along with other subtle additions. Players will keep all weapons, Charms, and character upgrades from their first playthrough, and...

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GTFO – Introducing Rundown 8.0 Duality

GTFO’s final Rundown has arrived. Titled Rundown 8.0 Duality, this Final Chapter brings the story of GTFO to a close, giving players an endpoint to their delves into The Complex. It’s out right now – here’s what you can expect to find should you be bold enough to face its myriad challenges. Rundown 8.0 Duality […] The post GTFO – Introducing Rundown 8.0 Duality appeared first on Green Man Gaming Blog. Continue reading...

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Top 5 Games That Make the Best Use of NVIDIA’s RTX Technologies

During Gamescom 2018 in Cologne, Germany, NVIDIA announced that ray tracing–a graphics technique capable of rendering special effects on par with motion pictures–was finally coming to video games. The event also marked the introduction of the concept of AI for gaming with the introduction of Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS). And right now, there are over 500 games and applications that take advantage of any combination of these features! NVIDIA is kicking off an RTX 500 celebration for reaching this milestone. Celebrate this benchmark with NVIDIA by following the GeForce social channels on X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, YouTube TikTok, or Reddit, Discord and other social media platforms. We have our own list...

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Final Fantasy 16 Echoes of the Fallen DLC Out Now, Rising Tide Out Spring 2024 | Game Awards 2023

Final Fantasy 16 is getting two story DLC content packs, and the first one, titled Echoes of the Fallen, is out right now. Square Enix and Sony revealed the bonus content as part of The Game Awards 2023, showing off plenty of new gameplay for the add-ons before shadowdropping the first chapter soon after. The second DLC, The Rising Tide, isn’t far off, with the trailer promising a release window of spring 2024. The video reveals new chapters to play through that take place just before the base game’s final battle. When it comes to Echoes of the Fallen, it looks like Clive and company will be faced with new threats and giant bosses in some of the darkest locations Final Fantasy 16 has to offer. The Rising Tide, meanwhile, livens...

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Baldur's Gate 3 Is Now Available on Xbox Series X/S

In a surprise shadow-game after tonight's The Game Awards, Baldur's Gate 3 is now available on Xbox Series X/S. While Game of the Year winners Larian Studios didn't announce the news on stage, they did share it on X/Twitter after the ceremony. It's available on the Microsoft Store. We've known the game was on track for a December release for a while now thanks to Xbox's teasing, but this wasn't always the case. Baldur's Gate 3 was originally released just on PC and PS5, with Xbox versions getting delayed due to issues with the Xbox Series S specifically struggling to perform splitscreen co-op. In the past, Xbox has committed to parity between Xbox Series S and X for all games, but it ultimately made an exception for Baldur's Gate 3...

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The Finals Out Now | Game Awards 2023

We already knew that Embark, the new studio created by former Battlefield developers, was working on a new competitive shooter called The Finals. And today, at The Game Awards, the studio announced its debut project is finally available on PC, Xbox Series X and S, and PlayStation 5 with the launch of Season 1. Announced in August 2022 at Gamescom Opening Night Live, The Finals has previously been described as "a shooter wrapped in a game show format" where players will compete for fame, money, and the opportunity to get sponsorships as they compete on this fictional combat-centric game show. “We started Embark to re-imagine how games are made and what they can become. The Finals is our first game to release, and a great embodiment of...

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Monster Hunter Wilds Announced for PS5, Xbox, and PC Alongside First Trailer | The Game Awards 2023

It's time for more monster hunting, this time in the desert. Capcom revealed Monster Hunter Wilds during The Game Awards 2023, confirming that the latest entry in its popular action RPG series is headed to Xbox, PS5, and PC via Steam in 2025. The first-ever trailer showed off the player riding a new bird-like mount across a desert while chased by a dust storm, get caught by the storm and dodge lightning before escaping to a panormaic view of the wilds. All, of course, while surrounded by herds of monsters, including what may be a new variation on Arzuros. The whole thing looks gorgeous, but we'll have to wait for more information on Monster Hunter Wilds until the summer of next year. Monster Hunter Wilds picks up from Monster Hunter...

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As Dusk Falls Coming to PS4 and PS5 | Game Awards 2023

As Dusk Falls, the narrative-focused interactive drama by Interior Night, is finally making its way onto PlayStation consoles. Announced at the 2023 Game Awards, As Dusk Falls arrives on PS4 and PS5 on March 7th, 2024. The PS5 version includes new exclusive features including haptic feedback and touchpad controls, with an audio description accessibility feature available on all versions. “Since its launch on Xbox and Steam last year, we’ve been immensely proud of how our debut game has been received by players and critics alike. We are now especially excited to bring ‘As Dusk Falls’ to PlayStation and its fantastic community that deeply enjoys cinematic narrative experiences.” said Caroline Marchal, CEO and Creative Director of...

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No Man's Sky Developer Announces Next Game, Light No Fire | Game Awards 2023

Hello Games, the studio behind No Man's Sky and The Last Campfire, has announced its next game: Light No Fire. The developer also showed off a brief glimpse at the title at tonight's The Game Awards, showing off some open-world exploration. Per its official description, it's "a game about adventure, building, survival and exploration together. Set on a fantasy planet the size of Earth, it brings the depth of a role playing game to the freedom of a survival sandbox." A release date and platforms were not announced. It immediately looks quite similar to No Man's Sky, but whereas that title had players exploring the vastness of space, Light No Fire will take inspiration from "classic fantasy." The reveal trailer, all captured in...

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Chris Metzen Helped Create the Stormgate Universe Before Returning to Blizzard | Game Awards 2023

Frost Giant Studios has debuted a new Stormgate story and gameplay trailer at The Game Awards featuring Simu Liu, the actor best-known for playing Shang-Chi in the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Stormgate is a StarCraft-style real-time strategy (RTS) game made by former StarCraft developers at Blizzard Entertainment. Its Kickstarter smashed through its $100,000 goal, with over $1.1 million currently pledged from 11,673 backers. Simu stars as Warz, an Infernal leader and one of the central playable characters in Stormgate. Simu, a die-hard RTS fan, introduced the trailer on-stage during the awards. Stormgate’s story was written by Frost Giant in collaboration with NYT bestselling...

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Sharkmob Reveals Exoborne, A Post-Apocalyptic Shooter With Extreme Weather | The Game Awards 2023

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt's Sharkmob has announced Exoborne, an open world extraction shooter set in a post-apocalyptic United States beset by extreme weather. Exoborne was revealed at The Game Awards 2023 and is currently in development for both PC and consoles but has no release date or window. What we did learn, however, is that Exoborne will not be free-to-play and will instead be a premium game with a story, live-service elements, and content updates. Exoborne is primarily an open-world PvP game with PvE elements and a goal of collecting as much gear as you can before extracting. This is not a game that is focused on eliminating the other players to win, however, as the main goal is to survive long enough against the...

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Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Trailer Debuts a Brand New Theme Song | Game Awards 2023

Today during The Game Awards, Square Enix made a surprise appearance with a new trailer for Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth showing off a brand new theme song, and even more anticipated moments from the next chapter in the story. Frankly, this feels like an abundance of riches given that we've already seen quite a lot of Rebirth. A Red XIII-narrated trailer in November gave us tons of new details, and we got a hands-on preview of the game back in the fall. In fact, at this point, we're just ready for the game to be out already. Still, the new trailer did a good job of juxtaposing the concern at the heart of Rebirth: will the future actually change? Square Enix has been toying with us on this point for a while, by reintroducing Crisis Core...

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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Release Date Announced | Game Awards 2023

After a significant delay to the second half of 2024, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 finally has a firm release date: September 9, 2024. Space Marine 2 is the explosive third-person shooter / melee hybrid set within Games Workshop's famous grimdark Warhammer 40,000 universe. It’s in development at Saber Interactive, maker of the World War Z video game. In Space Marine 2 you play Lieutenant Titus of the Ultramarines and battle to fend off a Tyranid invasion, with Thousand Sons Chaos Marines thrown in for good measure. Saber revealed more Space Marine 2 gameplay in August, promising a gritty third-person action experience that lets players rip through oceans of Tyranids. It’s set to be another entry in the expansive Warhammer 40,000...

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Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Is The Next Game From Don't Nod | Game Awards 2023

Don't Nod, the developer behind games including Jusant, Twin Mirror, Tell Me Why, and most notably, the creator of Life is Strange, announced its next game: Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, which is coming late next year on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Don't Nod notes that Lost & Bloom's story focuses on a group of friends who reunite after over two decades of no contact to "confront a long-buried secret that made them promise to never speak again." Only a little is known about the game besides being a choose-your-own-adventure and a brief tease of the plot. But the first trailer did provide us a first look at the four main characters of the story: Swann, Nora, Autumn, and Kat. Much like some of the other games it has developed, Lost...

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EA Originals' Next Game, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, Revealed | Game Awards 2023

The next game from EA Originals, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, got a gorgeous first look at today's Game Awards, along with a release date: April 23, 2024. It'll be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The magical-looking side-scroller hails from Sergent Studios, and founder and CEO Abubakar Salim took The Game Awards stage to introduce the new game, alluding that it'll tackle the grieving process. In an emotional speech, Salim opened up about his father, who got him into video games. "He passed away awhile back and I'll tell you what, I'm still figuring it out," Salim, who also voices Bayek in Assassin’s Creed Origins, said. "But four years ago, I decided to try and process my grief in a way that felt...

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Skull and Bones Release Date Finally Revealed, Again | Game Awards 2023

Skull and Bones, Ubisoft's repeatedly-delayed multiplayer pirate game, finally has a release date. Again. After being delayed six times. The release date is now set for February 13, 2024 for Ubisoft+ subscribers and February 16 for everyone else. We also learned that a new closed beta will take place between December 15 and December 18. The game is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC. Skull and Bones has had a fraught development to say the least. It was first revealed at E3 2017, and at the time was planned to release on the last generation of consoles in fall of 2018. Then, in 2018, it got delayed to "2019-20"... and then never came out. Later, reports suggested that it had been quietly rebooted, before being delayed again...

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Black Myth Wukong Has a Release Date, But Still No Reply to Reports of Sexism | Game Awards 2023

Today at The Game Awards, Black Myth Wukong developer Game Science showed off a new trailer for their epic fantasy adventure based on Journey to the West, including a new release date. But despite its unveiling of a bombastic new trailer, the studio is maintaining its silence on numerous allegations of sexist behavior from the studio's members over the last decade. There's a lot to be impressed by in the trailer itself, which shows off numerous new characters, enemies, and areas. The creatures Game Science has designed are stunning and strange, and the visuals - apparently a mix of gameplay and in-game cinematics - are impressive to behold. We're also introduced to some of Black Myth's main themes, with the trailer backed by...

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