Gaming News

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Zombies Review in Progress

This is our Zombies review for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Check out the single-player review for our thoughts on the campaign or the multiplayer review for our thoughts on PvP. Like a lot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, this year’s Zombies mode has undergone what might be described as a "Warzone-ification," forcing its traditional PvE elements into a larger, more open map. But as popular as the Warzone side of Call of Duty (or in this case, the extraction shooter mode, DMZ) might be, mixing it together with Zombies just dilutes both. This is less a new take on Zombies than it is a DMZ reskin, and with disparate elements cherry picked from both modes mashed against one another. It has had some highlights in the first few hours...

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Mortal Kombat 1’s Thanksgiving Fatality Is One of the Grossest in the Franchise’s Gory History

With the holiday season underway, NetherRealm Studios is joining in on the festivities with some holiday Mortal Kombat 1 Fatalities, including a Thanksgiving-themed one. It, like every other Fatality, is pretty gory, but that might not be what grosses you out about it. It's not out yet officially, but X/Twitter user @thethiny managed to datamine it, and it's already getting pretty visceral reactions. If you've got a strong stomach, you can watch it below. (Warning: It's quite graphic and may leave you feeling nauseous, especially if you're squeamish about vomit). Basically, it's pretty gnarly, as the character is shown getting their pummeled face forcibly stuffed with typical foods you'd consume at a Thanksgiving dinner — turkey...

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GTA 6: Everything We Know - News, Leaks, and Pre-Trailer Intel

After years of yearning from fans, intense speculation, rumors, unthinkably massive data breaches, and even an FBI Investigation, co-founder and President of Rockstar Games Sam Houser posted on the studio blog and Twitter account on December 8th that the “first trailer for the next Grand Theft Auto” will be released in early December. In just a few hours, the tweet had nearly a hundred million views, almost five hundred thousand retweets, and over one million likes. All for an announcement of an announcement. But how did hype for the next entry in the vaunted series reach such a fever pitch? Let’s take a look at everything we know about Grand Theft Auto 6. The Earliest Reports While we didn’t get any concrete details about GTA 6...

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Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Getting Free Update Called The Traitor Curse

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is getting a free, two-part update called The Traitor Curse, developer Fatshark has announced. Part one of the update arrives in November 2023 while part two arrives in December, sometime "before the winter holidays," Fatshark said. Nothing more specific was given, but The Traitor Curse is being released in celebration of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide's first anniversary, which is November 30. Part one includes a new cinematic about the motivations of the Moebian 6th and also introduces players to The Carnival, a new disreputable zone promising transgressive distractions and entertainment. Fans can also get a brief glimpse at this new area in a trailer. The Carnival zone and a new mission naturally comes in...

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The Best Solo Space Games on PC

A sweeping cosmic ocean filled with emergent possibilities, for the longest time space has been just been the ‘final frontier’, but so too has it long enjoyed being an enticing frontier for the imagination. Given the vast creative opportunities that exist within space, there has been no shortage of video games that have taken us […] The post The Best Solo Space Games on PC appeared first on Green Man Gaming Blog. Continue reading...

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Mortal Kombat 1’s Omni-Man Is as Broken as He Is Hilarious

Mortal Kombat 1 now has its first DLC character, Omni-Man from the Invincible series, and players have already discovered he’s equal parts broken and hilarious. It’s early days of course, but already the community has declared Omni-Man an extremely powerful character. So he should be, right? It’s Omni-Man after all. He’s meant to be one of the most powerful beings around! But in a fighting game you want a decent balance across the roster of playable characters, and Omni-Man is perhaps a little overpowered for his own good. A lot of his damage potential comes from using incredible speed to punish his opponent, even from a projectile, and his ability to dodge attacks. The timing can be tight, but in the right hands Omni-Man is clearly...

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The Best Fantasy City Builders To Enjoy Before SteamWorld Build

The best fantasy city builders let you enjoy the wonders of infrastructure and keeping your citizens happy, while also indulging your more fantastical ideas. This subgenre of city builders has not only gained more popularity in recent years, but also gained some incredible new entries as well. We’re expecting SteamWorld Build to be a great […] The post The Best Fantasy City Builders To Enjoy Before SteamWorld Build appeared first on Green Man Gaming Blog. Continue reading...

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Modern Warfare Is Still the King of Call of Duty Campaigns

With its sandbox-like “Open Combat” missions and the return of fan-favourite villain Makarov, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this year’s Call of Duty campaign might be a fun step forward for the series. Sadly, it’s a disaster. Modern Warfare 3 is the worst single-player outing for COD in its lifetime; a duct-taped mess of missions, many of which are quite literally ripped from Warzone, that frequently plays like DMZ multiplayer with bots. It’s almost certain to be remembered as Call of Duty’s lowest point when it comes to single-player design. I’ll leave it to our review to analyse MW3’s worst mistakes. Instead, let’s remember Call of Duty’s finest hour and the game that laid the foundations for the shooter’s contemporary image...

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Larian Studios Reveals Impressive Optimization Efforts for Xbox Series S Port of Baldur's Gate 3

They say a picture is worth a thousand worths. And there are plenty of positive things to say about two recent images posted by Larian Studios, showing the strides the developer has made to optimize the Xbox Series S port of Baldur's Gate 3. Larian Studios CEO and founder Swen Vincke posted screenshots showcasing how the team has substantially reduced the RAM and VRAM loads for Baldur's Gate 3 on Xbox Series S. Both graphs reveal the progress Larian made between September through early November, showing the drastic decreases with the current numbers around 2.3GB for VRAM and 4.7GB of RAM usage, down from the 3.5GB and 5.2GB both were hitting in early September. Though Vincke did not specify what Larian had done to achieve such a...

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IGN UK Podcast 722: Modern Warfare 3's Cam-Painful

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has arrived and Cardy, Matt, and Jesse are here to discuss what may well make it the worst-ever COD campaign. On the brighter side, Thirsty Suitors is a fun Persona/Tony Hawk mashup wrapped in a Scott Pilgrim story that you may want to check out. There's also time for some quick reactions and wild speculation about what we might see from GTA 6 and the newly announced Legend of Zelda live-action movie. Have any thoughts about The Endless Search theme? Got any good demo disc stories? Get in touch at ign_ukfeedback@ign.com IGN UK Podcast 722: Modern Warfare 3's Cam-Painful IGN UK Podcast 721: Sourdough and Soup Season IGN UK Podcast 720: Don't Sleep on Alan Wake 2 IGN UK Podcast 719: That's So Kraven IGN...

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Yakuza Dev Gets Its Games Mixed Up as Judgement References Appear in Like a Dragon Gaiden

The Yakuza series is known for its confusing naming conventions but it seems even the developer gets mixed up, as Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name features a tutorial screen from the Judgement games. Spotted by Reddit user InfernusXS and verified by IGN, a tutorial card telling players how Like a Dragon Gaiden's alcohol system works is seemingly the one from Lost Judgement. Both series are made by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, take place in the same universe, and even feature the same locations and mechanics, but this Judgement reference in Like a Dragon Gaiden definitely appears to be a mistake and not just a reference. This is evident by the tutorial mentioning a map that doesn't actually feature in Like a Dragon Gaiden...

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Hogwarts Legacy Nintendo Switch Trailer Gives First Official Look at the Game in Action

Warner Bros. Games and Avalanche Software have finally shared a first official look at Hogwarts Legacy running on Nintendo Switch just a few days ahead of launch. The Magic Awaits trailer, which you can watch below, shows just over two minutes of the hit Harry Potter game running on Switch ahead of its November 14 launch. Somewhat bizarrely, neither the publisher nor developer had shared a single glimpse of gameplay until this trailer, even with it already being available on other platforms. A handful of cutscenes show the player character beginning their journey as a witch or wizard, by getting a wand at Ollivanders, taking part in their first magic lessons, and so on. The trailer also features some of Hogwarts Legacy's baddies and...

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Warner Bros. Responds to Mortal Kombat 1 $10 Fatality Backlash With Two 'Free' Fatalities

Warner Bros. is giving Mortal Kombat 1 players who bought the controversial $10 Halloween Fatality two “free” Fatalities amid a vociferous backlash over the fighting game’s aggressive monetisation. Mortal Kombat 1 publisher Warner Bros. Games and developer NetherRealm were heavily criticised in October 2023 for selling a Halloween Fatality for 1,200 Dragon Krystals (1,250 of which can be bought in a bundle for $10). Check out how it looks in the video below: Now, as Mortal Kombat 1’s first DLC character, Omni-Man, goes live, we have word that a Seasonal Fatalities bundle will be sold from next week. This includes the aforementioned Halloween Fatality, as well as a Thanksgiving Fatality and an upcoming Winter Fatality. Warner Bros...

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Yakuza Fans Divided Over Kiryu's New Voice Actor, Especially His Karaoke Performance

Yakuza fans are once again debating the performance of longtime protagonist Kiryu Kazuma's new voice actor Yong Yea after Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth clips were shared online. While Yong Yea himself posted a clip of his English voice acting performance alongside the original Japanese version, it was a karaoke clip that really blew up in the Yakuza community. Many fans have shared their less than enthusiastic response to the performance while others have rushed to defend Yong Yea, and some have even called out developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio for not bringing in professional singers. The song on blast is one of the most popular Yakuza karaoke tunes, Judgement. The voice actor and YouTuber is replacing Darryl Kurylo in Infinite Wealth...

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Why Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Needed To Be First-Person

In Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, developer Massive Entertainment will transport us to the incredible world of James Cameron’s sci-fi blockbusters. But, unlike the studio’s previous Division games, Frontiers of Pandora is played in first-person. This is something that… well, a lot of you have issues with. With such striking protagonists as the blue, cat-like Na’vi it’s understandable why many people would like to play in third-person. So why is Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora in first-person? “Because we want you to feel immersed, we want you to feel immersed and feel like you're really on Pandora,” says Ditte Deenfeldt, game director on Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. “So it was never really a big discussion for us.” “This was something...

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Activision Is Already Pulling Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Maps Because of Terrible Spawns

Modern Warfare 3 is out today, November 10, and already Activision has had to pull various multiplayer maps out of the game because of spawn points that were causing absolute carnage. One map in particular, Quarry, when played on the Hardpoint game mode was found to spawn players in the same spot over and over again, letting the opposing team gun them down for fun. But Activision hasn’t just pulled Quarry from Hardpoint playlists for “unfavourable spawns”. It’s also pulled Rundown and Scrapyard for the same reason. Then, Activision removed Karachi from the Cutthroat playlist “while we work to resolve an issue causing a player to spawn alongside enemies”. It’s not a great start for Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer, which had a...

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Activision Warns Warzone Cheaters It May Cut Their Parachutes ‘Randomly, and for Fun’

Activision has issued a fresh warning to Warzone cheaters: it may cut their parachutes so they “splat” on the ground. In a blog post responding to concern about cheating in Call of Duty amid the launch of Modern Warfare 3, Activision explained this new trick it has in store for cheaters in the free-to-download battle royale. “With Splat, if a cheater is discovered, we may randomly, and for fun, disable their parachute sending them careening into the ground after they deploy,” Activision said. “But what if we catch them after they’ve deployed? Well, Splat can also adjust player velocity, which transforms a bunny hop into a 10,000-foot drop taking them out instantly. This is one of many new tricks we’ve developed – and we’ll talk...

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This New PS5 Slim Bundle Includes Modern Warfare 3 for Free: Save $70 on Your Purchase

The mid-gen refresh PS5 -- unofficially dubbed the 'slim' model -- is now available to purchase in select markets. It costs $499.99, and as previously anticipated, this new PS5 slim bundle will feature Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 or Spider-Man 2 at no additional charge; offering potential buyers savings of $70 compared to purchasing the items separately. For those interested, you can see the new Call of Duty bundle listed at Best Buy, GameStop, or Target. Or, for those of you who would prefer to play as Spidey instead, Amazon also currently has the new slim PS5 Spider-Man 2 bundle for only $499.99. You can also consider the 2020 model PS5 bundle instead if that's your preference. Heads up, as well, the slim model's new optional...

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Wallet Friendly Flash Sales, Highly-Rated Freebies, Hot Holiday Gift Ideas, and More!

Thank your own personal deity—possibly The Outsider—it's Friday! I recommend you stock up for the weekend by using Fanatical's continuing flash sales and some console AAA price drops on Amazon. Personally, I'll be looking into a purchase of that reduced third-party PS5 charger stand. Those things are always handy when USB ports are at a premium. In milestone news, it's now the third birthday of the Xbox Series S/X consoles. Speaking as a proud owner of both, they've been damn fine additions to the gaming landscape, especially when you're rocking a $1 GamePass trial for a metric crap ton of games. This Day in Gaming Aussie birthdays for notable games and hardware - Rise of the Tomb Raider (XO,X360) 2015. Get - Xbox Series X/S...

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New Report Reveals that Modern Warfare 3 Development Time Was Half That of a Normal Call of Duty

Sledgehammer Games reportedly pitched Call of Duty Advanced Warfare 2, its follow-up to 2014's Advanced Warfare, only for it to be shelved in order to create Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. This reportedly led to heavy development crunch within the studio. According to Bloomberg, Sledgehammer Games had to make Modern Warfare 3 in a year-and-a-half rather than the typical three-year development cycle. The development of Modern Warfare 3 was reportedly rushed because of another Call of Duty that was delayed out of the 2023 release window. Previous reports revealed that Modern Warfare 3 was originally conceived as an expansion to Modern Warfare 2, but that Activision decided to make it into a full sequel. It initially was supposed to...

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My Time at Sandrock Review

I wish I lived in Sandrock. It's a place where a cat can be a celebrated member of the town guard and every street gets fully decked out for the holidays. It's where newcomers are enthusiastically welcomed, contrary to other Western stories where folks "not from around these parts" are met with suspicion. It's got plenty of Western staples though; a ranch managed by a salt-of-the-earth family (even if the husband is a little unhinged), a cute main street with a saloon and general store, plenty of lovely Western accents, and of course, a touch of danger. My Time at Sandrock is an excellent entry in an ever-growing list of cozy games, consistently fun while managing to stand apart from the crowd thanks to its theme of optimism grown out...

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For the King 2 Review

Things can never go perfectly in a fairytale fantasy world - only in the past, or after the ending, do things get normal and good. So, naturally, in For the King 2 the brave queen Rosomon of the first game has fallen to the evils of chaos, and over a series of five adventures your team of erstwhile heroes strike out to explore their hexagonal world, get stronger, and for a resistance to the queen by scouring little linear dungeons or defeating notable foes. The sometimes-whimsical, often challenging quests take you across a variety of terrain and turn-based combat scenarios, smoothly aided by very functional, simple game mechanics, but the whole thing is hindered by a user interface that fails to communicate even very simple information...

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Now Steam Deck OLED Is Announced, What About Steam Deck 2?

With Steam Deck OLED a reality, thoughts inevitably turn to the possibility of Steam Deck 2. So what does Valve have to say about a fully-fledged follow-up to its portable console? IGN spoke with Steam Deck designer Jay Shaw to find out, asking how far off a potential Steam Deck 2 would be. Here’s Shaw’s response: “I don't know. It'll be a while. I think it'll be quite a while. We don't have any kind of set date. I think we're going to wait for the technology to present itself in a way that we find interesting and for the team to really want to make that leap. We're very, very, very proud of this version of Steam Deck and this is it. This is the one that we're the most happy with and we think customers will be too. “So we're...

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Valve Shares Update on Steam Deck Dual-Boot Support SteamOS and Windows

With Steam Deck OLED now in the spotlight, Valve reassures gamers that dual-boot support and SteamOS improvements are still "very high on the list," and the development team will make some significant changes to the operating system in the next year. Steam Deck designer Lawrence Yang told IGN in an email that the development team has not forgotten dual-boot support, but work on it was delayed since all the SteamOS developers have been working on getting Steam Deck OLED out. “Dual-boot support (and SteamOS general install) is very high on the list for folks working on SteamOS.” Yang wrote. “It also happens that all of those OS folks have been working on getting Steam Deck OLED out the door. That said, we’re planning to make meaningful...

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Steam Deck OLED Is More Repair-Friendly Than Launch Model

DIY repair enthusiasts and gamers alike have reason to celebrate as Valve touts the just-announced Steam Deck OLED, which is much more repair-friendly than the original model. As part of the product reveal, Valve makes note of the Steam Deck OLED's repairability. Promising those who buy the model will have fewer steps to follow if they need to make a common repair on the device. While Valve did not go into the specifics on what constitutes a common repair to them, a few likely examples include issues with the action button or replacing the thumbsticks. According to Valve, bumper buttons are now located on the joystick board, making it easier to repair than before and improving bumper shock reliability. Changes to the screws have...

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Valve Announces Steam Deck OLED: All the Details on the Price, Improved Battery Life, and More

Over a year after making portable gaming PCs a mainstream gadget, Valve has announced the next iteration of the Steam Deck. With a release date set for November 16, the Steam Deck OLED will feature an enhanced OLED display, better audio, and a handful of quality-of-life improvements. It will also feature what looks to be a big boost in battery life, with Valve claiming an estimated 30 percent to 50 percent improvement over the launch version. Steam Deck OLED model will be available in two storage configurations: 512GB and 1TB, which will cost $549 and $649, respectively. And just like its predecessor, Steam Deck OLED includes a microSD card slot. Pre-orders open next week. Those who choose to upgrade will find a unit that ditches...

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Steam Deck OLED Review

A lot has changed in the nearly two years since the Steam Deck launched. Literally hundreds of software updates, an ever-expanding catalog of Deck-verified games, and a bevy of useful accessories have helped Valve’s handheld, Linux-powered PC solidify itself as more than just a flash in the pan. Now we can add hardware revisions to that list, too – and in the 2023 OLED version, which replaces the LCD original without increasing the price, Valve has addressed virtually every criticism leveled in our 2022 review with surgical precision. The new Steam Deck OLED is an upgrade across the board, but let’s make one thing clear right off the bat: This is not “Steam Deck 2.” Valve has been very clear that, while it does plan to make a...

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Steam Deck OLED vs. Steam Deck LCD vs. Switch OLED: How They All Stack Up

Over a year after first announcing its first handheld gaming PC, Valve has revealed the Steam Deck OLED – a new iteration with an improved display, better audio, and greater battery life, to name a few of the big changes. While it is not the Steam Deck 2 everyone has been hoping for, plenty of significant changes warrant this upgrade one year into the handheld’s lifespan. To see how the Steam Deck OLED stacks up with the competition, we are going to take a look at the specs and features and go over some standout differences between the Steam Deck OLED, the launch model, and the Nintendo Switch OLED: Display and Resolution Let’s get the big one out of the way: Steam Deck OLED ditches the LCD on the original model in favor of an OLED...

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Steam Deck OLED Interview: Valve Reveals How the OLED Model Came Together

Valve has officially announced the Steam Deck OLED, a new iteration of the popular handheld device featuring an OLED screen, improved battery life, and more. Ahead of the announcement, IGN sat down with Jeremy Selan and Jay Shaw, two designers who worked on the newly announced OLED model. We asked both designers about making the Steam Deck OLED, including the decision to keep the performance the same as the launch model, and why Valve decided to make an OLED model instead of a true successor to the Steam Deck. Read on for our full Steam Deck OLED interview with Valve below. If you want to learn more about the Steam Deck OLED, check out our Steam Deck OLED review, as our article on how the Steam Deck OLED stacks up against the Steam...

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Australia’s Answer to Fallout Delayed Just Days Before Launch — and While It Was Being Reviewed

The developer of a promising cRPG dubbed Australia's answer to old-school Fallout has delayed the game just days before it was due out. Australian indie studio Drop Bear Bytes had set Broken Roads’ release date for November 13 but announced a delay to early 2024 “to allow for additional polish time”. The delay was so last-minute that at the time of publication, Broken Roads’ Steam page still carried the original release date. Broken Roads is a traditional isometric RPG in which players make their way across a desolate future Australia. It’s due out for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox. Drop Bear Bytes said the game is “content complete”, but it is now “coming in longer than we originally anticipated at around 30 hours of...

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