Gaming News

Call of Duty: Warzone Season 1 Patch Notes Shake Up the Battle Royale

Activision has published the Call of Duty: Warzone Season 1 patch notes as part of the launch today, December 6, and just like the update for Modern Warfare 3, Warzone’s update makes significant changes. The battle royale gets the new Urzikstan map and a new battle pass as part of the game’s first big update following Modern Warfare 3’s release. Urzikstan is a new large map that contains Warzone’s first controllable mobile point of interest, Urzikstan’s new drivable train, complete with forward and backward engine controls, a horn, and a handbrake in the caboose (rear carriage) for tactical braking. Meanwhile, Ziplines are a brand new traversal mechanic that allow rapid horizontal navigation across Urzikstan. There's a brand new one...

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Day of the Devs Shows New Games From Boyfriend Dungeon, Snipperclips Devs and More

Every year, I end up writing roundups of a lot of indie showcases. But inevitably, Day of the Devs showcases are always my favorites. Originally an annual in-person show in San Francisco run by Double Fine, Day of the Devs has added digital showcases to its lineup in recent years and just this year attached its in-person and digital show to The Game Awards. Day of the Devs consistently shows off some of the most inventive, weird, and exciting upcoming indie games in the industry, and this year is no exception. I can’t pick favorites, so here’s a little tiny rundown of everything we just saw in the show, though I highly recommend watching each trailer yourself too! Militsioner Militsioner, from the game studio TallBoys, is described...

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 Patch Notes Confirm Big Changes

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 launches today, December 6, and with it comes sweeping changes to the first person shooter. Activision released the Season 1 patch notes in a blog post, which reveals a number of balance changes, fixes, and improvements for the game. On the Multiplayer side, highlights include the addition of new maps, new killstreaks, a new perk, and new modes. There are also three brand new weapons, new Aftermarket Parts, new operators, new events, and of course, a new battle pass. There’s plenty new with Zombies, too, including Act 4 and a new story mission, Dark Aether Rifts, and a new Wonder Weapon. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 Patch Notes: NEW MAPS Look for the Meat 24/7 Playlist to debut...

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Tribes 3: Rivals Hands-On – Can This Old-School FPS Reinvent Itself?

There’s something about over-the-top, old-school shooters that you just won’t find in AAA FPSs today, and that’s perhaps best exemplified by the likes of the Tribes series. Sure, they might not achieve the same visual perfection, but when you’re skiing across maps and using a jetpack to capture a rival team’s flag while performing midair drive-bys on anyone who tries to stop you, who really cares how slick the textures look? Hi-Rez Studios’ upcoming Tribes 3: Rivals aims to revive the whimsical and hilarious bloodsport that soaked up countless hours in my youth, but with a tighter focus owing to matches with significantly fewer players. After a couple nights going hands-on with an alpha build, playing a shooter that breaks the mold from...

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Everything You Need To Know About Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin

A gorgeous real-time strategy effort that unfurls within the Warhammer fantasy universe and specifically, the more recent Age of Sigmar setting, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin invites players to take charge of one of four very different factions across a series of varied campaign and multiplayer modes. Essentially, if you’ve been looking forward […] The post Everything You Need To Know About Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin appeared first on Green Man Gaming Blog. Continue reading...

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Tales of Arise Before The Dawn – A Story Recap

With superb JRPG Tales of Arise now boasting a chunky campaign expansion in the form of Before the Dawn, which releases more than two years after the base game launched in September 2021, it would be totally understandable if you’ve forgotten exactly what transpired prior. For those folks and for others like me with the […] The post Tales of Arise Before The Dawn – A Story Recap appeared first on Green Man Gaming Blog. Continue reading...

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Bungie Devs Say Atmosphere Is ‘Soul-Crushing’ Amid Layoffs, Cuts, and Fear of Total Sony Takeover

One month after a major round of layoffs impacted roughly 100 Bungie employees of 1,200, those remaining at the Destiny developer say the cuts, as well as other cost-cutting measures, came alongside an apparent scramble by studio leadership to avoid a total Sony takeover. As it currently stands, Bungie is (on paper) a fully independent subsidiary of Sony. But its board of directors has been divided since the takeover in July of 2022. Among its current members are PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst, Sony senior VP Eric Lempel, Bungie co-founder Jason Jones, Bungie CTO Luis Villegas, and Bungie CEO Pete Parsons. The board as a whole is split between Sony and Bungie representatives, with Parsons serving as a tiebreaker vote. But...

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Netflix's Kingdom: The Blood Game Is a Simplistic Action-RPG

I’ve never seen Kingdom, the Netflix K-drama that zombie-filled action-RPG Kingdom: The Blood is based on, so I can’t speak to how accurately the game adapts its characters and settings. But based on my limited-time hands-on preview, I can confidently say that as a melee-focused brawler, the high potential for customization and personalization in combat and quick pick-up-and-playability makes a strong first impression. However, with bothersome mobile game design galore and a real lack of challenge in the single-player campaign, it’s hard to know how much of a bite you could really take out of the experience. After a tutorial fight and some account-creation digital paperwork, I was dropped into what would be an all-too-familiar layout...

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Indie Game Roundup – December 2023

The best indie games in December don’t even have anything to do with presents, jolly men in red suits, or awkward dinners with family members you’d rather not see. Instead, they involve epic battles, complex stories, and building up a town or two. New games can sometimes chill out a bit at the end of […] The post Indie Game Roundup – December 2023 appeared first on Green Man Gaming Blog. Continue reading...

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Cyberpunk 2077 Players Are Obviously Obsessed With Update 2.1's Romantic Hangouts

CD Projekt Red has added romantic partner hangouts to Cyberpunk 2077 with Update 2.1 and players, obviously, are obsessed. A scroll down Cyberpunk 2077's subreddit will reveal several celebrations of the new feature, which lets the player invite their romantic partner over to their apartment for a date featuring dancing, chilling on the sofa, and so on. IGN's Cyberpunk 2077 Guide features a full explanation of how these quests can be initiated, with players able to invite Panam, Judy, River, or Kerry over to their apartment depending on who has been romanced throughout the course of the game. "Just vibing with Panam," wrote latrickster2 on Reddit, alongside a screenshot of her lying on the couch with protagonist V. "I'm in awe of...

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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Drops to Just $33 After Black Friday

Star Wars Jedi Survivor, which is currently just $32.99 at Best Buy in its deal of the day. This puts Jedi Survivor at over 50% off, which is one of the best post-Black Friday deals we've seen so far in December. If you haven't had the chance to pick up Cal's latest adventure, this is a great opportunity to do so. But, this deal will also expire after today; so there's a limited time frame left to secure this latest offer. Best Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Deal: $32.99 For a Limited Time Best Buy has both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S copies are eligible for the discount. So, you will be able to score this deal regardless of platform. The game is only available on current generation consoles, so you won't be able to purchase a copy...

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Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Review in Progress

Sitting at right around 65 hours into developer Owlcat's impressively deep and expansive Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, there are a few things I can proclaim with confidence: One is that this game is absolutely huge – I might only be crossing the halfway mark, based on where I am in its intricate but not too difficult-to-follow story. Another is that this is a glorious glimpse into the 40K universe, highlighting elements of it that often go underexplored and showcasing some of my personal favorite races and organizations. It's not without faults, and I have a lot more to see before I slap a final score on it, but Rogue Trader is already easily becoming my favorite of this studio's ambitious CRPGs so far. Unfortunately, it’s also...

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Cyberpunk 2077 Now Features the Sad Keanu Reeves Meme

CD Projekt Red has added the infamous sad Keanu Reeves meme to Cyberpunk 2077 with Update 2.1's new metro system. Reddit users including aks31 posted images of the reference, which throws back to the 2010 photo in which Reeves was photographed by paparazzi while eating a sandwich alone on a bench, looking down at a bird. Cyberpunk 2077 recreates the scene exactly with Johnny Silverhand, famously played by Reeves, during a scene players can occasionally encounter while riding the metro system. As long as players don't use the metro to fast travel but instead sit and wait for added immersion, there's a chance the scene will materialise. In it, Johnny sits on the opposite side of the metro carriage while holding a hot dog in his...

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Mortal Kombat 1 Fan Unearths Animations for Omni-Man's Bizarre Moustache Brutality

An intrepid Mortal Kombat 1 fan has revealed what looks like a discarded Brutality that sees DLC character Omni-Man kill his opponent with his moustache. Mortal Kombat modder and reverse engineer thethiny revealed evidence of an Omni-Man moustache Brutality last month, but without an input command, the community couldn’t work out how to trigger it in-game. Now, Mortal Kombat dataminer Interloko has revealed animations for this moustache Brutality, which is certainly one of the more bizarre moves found within Mortal Kombat 1 so far. In Interloko’s video we see animations for Omni-Man pushing his opponent away before ripping off his moustache, which flies through the air to attack and kill. We also see animations for Omni-Man’s...

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Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Physical Version Requires One-Time Internet Connection

Ubisoft has confirmed that the single-player adventure game Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora requires a one-time internet connection to play, even for physical copies. In an FAQ, Ubisoft said Avatar’s day-one patch is mandatory to start playing, therefore the one-time internet connection is required across all versions of the game. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC on December 7. “After that, you will be able to play the game offline and enjoy the Western Frontier without an internet connection,” the company said. “If you want to team up in co-op, an internet connection is required.” Cross-platform two-player co-op is available only after you’ve finished the quest The Aranahe Clan...

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2K Reveals Civilization Mobile Game, Moves to Calm Concern It May Impact Civilization 7

2K has announced Civilization: Eras & Allies, a standalone free-to-play mobile 4X social strategy game. Civilization: Eras & Allies is actually the new name for a mobile game called Conquests and Alliances - 4X Empire Builder, which 2K had been testing in soft-launch form in several countries for the past few months. 2K is in the process of updated the game to a new name, Civilization: Eras & Allies, and said it planned to continue the testing and development process in soft-launch. Here's the existing blurb on Conquests and Alliances - 4X Empire Builder: In a bid to calm community concern that this new mobile game may impact or delay development on the next mainline Civilization title, a 2K spokesperson told IGN developer...

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Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Review

Short of somehow growing a Na’vi neural braid and jamming it directly into the base of James Cameron’s skull, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is pretty much your best option for taking a virtual tour of the stunning alien moon of Pandora. This open-world shooter serves up a mind bogglingly large slice of the fantastic fictional universe to explore, from staggeringly dense forest areas to picturesque open plains and properly intimidating mountain ranges both on land and suspended impossibly in the skies above. However, hidden amongst all that beauty is a disappointing amount of bloat, with copy-pasted enemy outposts and facilities that made venturing off the main story path far less rewarding than it has been in recent landmark adventures...

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Like a Dragon Gaiden's English Dub Will Be Arriving This Month as a Free Update

Yakuza series developer RGG Studio has confirmed that the Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name's English dub will arrive sometime this month as a free update. The announcement post, which arrived on X/Twitter does not share a specific release date for the audio update. However, RGG does tell fans to “stay tuned for more details,” and with the month already well underway, it shouldn’t be long before we hear more. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name launched for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X | S on November 8, 2023. English-speaking fans have primarily enjoyed Japanese audio with subtitles thus far. When the English dub releases, it will notably feature YouTuber and voice...

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Baldur's Gate 3 Stats Reveal Who the Most-Romanced Character Is and More

Four months after the official release of Baldur's Gate 3, Larian Studios has released another handful of fun stats that shed some light on players' habits - including who they're picking as their romance option. But perhaps most notably, Larian revealed that 1.3 million players have finished the game so far, which is a pretty sizable feat considering how vast Baldur's Gate 3 is (our sister site HowLongToBeat estimates that it takes about 103 hours to complete the main objectives and side quests). Funny enough, that's around the same amount of players who've been turned into a sentient wheel of cheese at one certain point in Act 3. But let's talk romance: while Baldur's Gate 3 has a number of intriguing romance paths, Shadowheart's...

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Fortnite Players Are Peeved About Solid Snake's Flat Ass

Solid Snake, the recurring protagonist of the Metal Gear franchise, is making his Fortnite debut as a bonus skin offered in the Chapter 5, Season 1 Battle Pass. But rather than being greeted with excitement, Kotaku reports the hunky assassin is a sore subject among players who noticed the absence of his once-thick booty. Staring at a fictional character's rear-end sounds creepy. Actually, it is creepy. But to be fair, Snake's skin-tight body suit makes it fairly easy to spot the difference in his character design across games. Plus, we're not going to deny that he's ruggedly handsome — ass and all. One fan took to X to express disapproval of the character's new look: "this is awful where is his ass? solid snake does not breathe thru...

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Baldur's Gate 3 Mod That Made Fan-Favorite Lesbian Romance Heterosexual Removed After Backlash

NexusMods has removed a mod that aimed to make one of Baldur's Gate 3's most popular queer romances heterosexual in the wake of a backlash from fans. The mod, which turned Dame Aylin into "Ser Aylin," used AI voices and other tricks to reimagine her as a man. The mod met with swift backlash, with one post on Reddit urging fans not to support the mod earning more than 17,000 upvotes. The post notes that the mod is included in a collection that, among other things, seeks to remove people of color from Larian's popular RPG. In a post explaining the ban, NexusMods said that the mod violated the site's community rules by "appearing to reduce diversity in Baldur's Gate 3 by taking a same-sex couple and swapping the gender of one of the...

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Skyrim: Special Edition Gets Mod and Paid Content Revamp

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has received a mod revamp on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X and S, and PC, as Bethesda doubles down on paid mod content in the Special Edition. A blog post from the developer revealed a new feature called Bethesda Game Studios Creations, which will replace Creation Club in Skyrim: Special Edition. Players with mods installed already shouldn't notice too much of a difference, though the upgrade encourages users to create more paid content. Mod creators can release mods as before, or apply to the Bethesda Game Studios Verified Creator Program to set prices for their creations. "In continuing to evolve with the Skyrim community, we are excited to announce Bethesda Game Studios Creations, an...

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Arthur Morgan Actor 'Certain' Rockstar Will Make Red Dead Redemption 3 Eventually

Amid the fuss over Grand Theft Auto 6, the actor who plays the star of Rockstar’s other massive game franchise has said he believes the developer will eventually get to making a sequel. Roger Clark played Arthur Morgan, the main playable protagonist of 2018’s Red Dead Redemption 2. Clark took to X/Twitter to talk about the GTA 6 trailer, like just about everyone else, and said he believes GTA 6’s version of GTA Online won’t replace GTA 5’s still hugely popular GTA Online. “It just dawned on me that there’s no reason whatsoever for GTA 5 online to slow down,” Clark said. “Graphics still hold up, it’s a completely different city. GTA 6 won’t replace it, they’ll both be around for us all to enjoy. Rockstar is going to head further into...

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Arizona Sunshine 2 Review

There’s something about watching a mobile mosh pit worth of undead targets lurch toward you as if they’re actually there that really gets the blood flowing. That’s why zombie games work so well in VR: at first there’s the overconfident thought that this is no big deal. They’re slow, and you have guns! But as you start to whittle away at the crowd the picture becomes much less rosy: they’re a lot closer, and you have a lot less ammo now. Panic sets in and mistakes happen as you fumble to reload your weapons with ghouls looming in your face. Arizona Sunshine 2 does a great job of putting you in that position and making you struggle to survive. And while it doesn’t do a whole lot other than that, which becomes a tad repetitive, it does...

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Ark: Survival Ascended Shocks Players by Admitting ‘The Servers Are Ass’ During Charity Stream

It’s not often you hear developers admit the technology upon which their games are built isn’t up to the job, but that’s exactly what Jeremy Stieglitz, co-founder of Ark maker Studio Wildcard did during a recent livestream. Speaking during Studio Wildcard's Extra Life Charity Stream on Twitch, Stieglitz addressed the elephant in the room: the awful performance of the recently released Ark: Survival Ascended. “The servers are ass. They run like ass. And their stability is ass. We need to improve it. It’s going to be improved,” he said. Twitch chat reacted with a mix of shock and admiration. “Wow truth,” one viewer said. “Facts,” said another. “Finally someone that gets it,” said a Twitch user. “The guy knows it lol,” said another...

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How to Vote for Your Favorite Game in the “2023 Video Game Bracket”

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur’s Gate 3, Final Fantasy 16, Resident Evil 4 Remake, and so many more – 2023 has been a defining year for video games. We want to know how you think these games stack up in the pantheon of the greatest games of all time. Across the year, our audience declared what they think are the most iconic games of the year as part of the IGN Icon Awards. This December, we’re tallying our followers’ votes through IGN’s Instagram to see which game from 2023 you think is worthy of the coveted title. This is where great starts happen—in partnership with the USAF, we’ve selected 32 of the highest-rated games of 2023 and have placed them into a March Madness-style tournament bracket. The games were...

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Dead Space Has Dropped to Just $8 for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Members

The 2023 Dead Space remake is widely regarded as one of the top games of the year, and it's now available for just $7.99 for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members (and £7.99 for those in the UK as well). That's a colossal discount for, in my opinion, one of the best games ever made. So, just to recap and ensure you're following; this is the full Dead Space Digital Deluxe Edition, not just an upgrade, but the full game + digital extras as well, for $7.99. That's 90% off the MSRP and $72 in overall savings. Wow. You likely already know that Dead Space is available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate via EA Play, but in all honestly, it's hard to deny how good of a deal this is. This is especially true as it's a game to add to your digital library...

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The Last of Us Part 2: Remastered's No Return Roguelike Mode Gets First Look Trailer

Naughty Dog and PlayStation have released a first look trailer for The Last of Us Part 2: Remastered's No Return roguelike mode, which arrives alongside the PlayStation 5 re-release on January 19, 2024. The trailer, below, offers a look at the roguelike gameplay players can experience in the mode, which essentially revolves around the player getting as far as they can in a level while acquiring upgrades, eventually dying, and then restarting the run with those upgrades from the beginning. The gameplay loop continues as such, with players getting stronger and further the more runs they do. The mode is naturally single-player only, and just to be clear, non-canon to The Last of Us main story. Players can therefore enjoy some creative...

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Assassin's Creed Mirage Is Currently Cheaper Than it Was on Black Friday

Would you believe me if I told you Assassin's Creed Mirage is already down to $35? Okay, fair enough, it's not the biggest shock in the world. But, it does indicate that there's a virtue to waiting out select game releases in order to get the best price possible. What's more shocking about this deal is that Mirage has already had a reasonable discount, quite recently in fact. It was $10 off and down to $40 during the Black Friday sales -- which means Black Friday is a lie and a sham (tell me something I don't know). But let's not get too hasty, as there were still some reasonable discounts during Black Friday... if you were fast enough to snag them while they were still in stock. However, in this instance, those Assassin's Creed fans...

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How Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora's Ikran Flight Quest Was Made - Concept to Controller

Ubisoft’s Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora offers us all the chance to visit the lush, forested homeworld of the Na’vi. And, at the very top of a floating mountain, you’ll be able to live out your own version of an iconic Avatar scene: taming and flying a Banshee (or ‘Ikran’ in the native Na’vi language.) But just as important as the flight is the journey to the mountain’s summit; a climb full of incredible views, plants with strange abilities, and puzzles to solve. That climb is the centrepiece of Take Flight, one of Frontiers of Pandora’s milestone quests. It’s the work of dozens of developers, and we’ve spoken to several of them to find out how they made it. Our latest episode of Concept to Controller puts the spotlight on six roles...

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