Gaming News

After playing the first few hours of Skull & Bones in a couple different iterations last year, I was understandably eager to skip over the humble origins of my pirate captain getting washed ashore in rags and get with the plundering. As luck would have it, Ubisoft answered my prayers by letting me go hands-on with their upcoming ship-based piracy RPG for over four hours to take their endgame and seasonal content for a spin. And while the unfinished product I played wasn’t always the most intuitive or polished experience, it’s clear the developers have put a lot of thought and effort into providing lots of ways for players to keep growing their pirate legend far beyond rolling credits, from battles with giant sea creatures to an...

Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition for PC finally has a release date, with the third-person action game set to release in March.In a new PlayStation Blog post, Nixxes Software Online Community Specialist Julian Huijbregts revealed that Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition arrives on PC on March 21. Some features in the PC version include ultra-wide support, with support for 21:9, 32:9, and 48:9 ultra-wide resolutions, and compatibility with PC gaming stations with a triple-monitor setup.In addition to mouse and keyboard support, Horizon Forbidden West's PC version will have extensive support for controllers. Those using a DualSense controller can do things such as allowing users to feel the tension in the string of their...

Palworld is pretty much the hottest game in the world, with an incredible eight million copies sold just six days after going on sale on Steam and Xbox. But it is also one of the most controversial video games of recent times — and that’s because quite a lot of the internet reckons its Pals look a lot like Pokemon.Developments are fast-moving and dramatic. Developer Pocketpair has said its staff have received death threats amid these Pokémon "rip-off" claims, which it has denied. Nintendo has moved quickly to remove an eye-catching Pokémon mod too.Then, this week, The Pokemon Company issued a statement, saying: "We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights...

The Grand Theft Auto series is well known for its roster of famous voices. From the cream of movie talent to global chart toppers, there have been many major celebrities who’ve graced the streets and radio stations of Rockstar’s open worlds.GTA’s journey to big-name actors began in 1999’s Grand Theft Auto 2, which included a live-action short film for the game’s introductory sequence. In it, a criminal named Claude Speed carries out jobs for various crime syndicates before he is taken out. Relatively unknown English actor Scott Maslen, star of UK soaps The Bill and Eastenders, played Claude in this short.Every Celebrity in GTA 3 Every Celebrity in GTA: Vice City Every Celebrity in GTA: San Andreas Every Celebrity in GTA 4 Every...

Shapez 2 is like if you stripped down the moment-to-moment joys of a game like Satisfactory or Factorio to their most primal elements and left all the rest behind. As I extract, rotate, chop, and stack polygons to dump into a giant vortex, there is no greater narrative or survival context to what I'm doing. It's logistics for the sake of logistics, almost Tetris-like in its pure mechanical focus. And there is a certain zen satisfaction to that.The demo level for Shapez 2 starts you on a platform out in space with a simple goal of building a system of conveyor belts to deliver fresh rectangles and circles, straight from the earth, to a swirling anomaly in the center. It's a slick-looking game with a very effective UI, and I found the...

I forged ahead into Islands of Insight's opening hours, braving the floating terrain and diving into some devious puzzles that had me digging deep to uncover the solutions. As a blend between The Witness' sprawling first-person puzzle box and some Breath of the Wild-style exploration, Islands of Insight is filled to the brim with challenges and intrigue, presenting a puzzle game with some compelling ideas for building a strange and intriguing setting where you and other players can solve puzzles together. So far, Islands of Insight has the makings of a game that could build an ambitious new path for puzzle adventures.Taking on the role of a Seeker, you're given new life in a world that defies time and space, built up from the...

Helskate answers a question that I don’t think anyone asked: “What if you could kill demons in between long trick combos in Tony Hawk Pro Skater?” The answer, it turns out, is: “It would be pretty rad.” Its energetic art and soundtrack call back to those 2000’s-era skate games triumphantly, and really nails the simple inputs and focus on big moves versus minute technicalities. That said, things get hellacious, and sometimes unwieldy, when you attempt to meaningfully combine the combat and the rogue-lite elements with all the grinds and grabs.You embody the partially feathered frame of Anton Falcon, notorious troublemaker and talented skater, who just wants to tear up some half pipes in peace. And by “in peace,” he means traveling...

Palworld developer Pocketpair has released a new update for the Steam version of the ‘Pokemon with guns’ crafting and survival game, with a patch for the Xbox version to come.Palworld Steam update 0.1.3.0 fixes a number of bugs and attempts to tackle cheating, which as IGN has reported is ramping up. Pocketpair said it’s currently prioritizing fixing critical issues with the game before moving on to adding new in-game features, such as PvP.Palworld Steam Update 0.1.3.0 Patch Notes:Main changes・Fixed a bug where the loading screen did not end when logging into the world・Fixed a bug where the world date was not displayed correctly and appeared to reset.・Corrected various incorrect text・Countermeasures against various cheats...

Palworld is barely a week old but cheating is already proving to be a problem.Developer Pocketpair issued an update on Steam to say it had confirmed cheating on the official Palworld server, and that it would apply a patch as soon as it’s ready.Indeed, a Palworld patch (v0.1.3.0) has just been released that adds “countermeasures against various cheats and exploits”. However, Pocketpair stressed “it is currently difficult to completely prevent all cheating immediately”.“We will continue to focus even more on security and aim to create an environment where everyone can play with peace of mind,” Pocketpair said. “We sincerely apologize to all players who have been affected by this incident. Thank you for your continued support of...

This week’s PlayStation 5 firmware update appears to have blocked the Cronus Zen device, which lets gamers use macros and modify their controllers.It is a controversial product, which some say gives players an unfair advantage. While the Zen is used in many competitive multiplayer games, it’s perhaps most prominent in Call of Duty, which has crossplay across PC and console. According to its website, Zen is used by over half a million people.Call of Duty players have used unauthorised third-party hardware such as XIM and Cronus Zen to benefit from the likes of aim assist and reduced recoil while using mouse and keyboard for years. Activision said in 2023 its anti-cheat tech, Ricochet, would detect their use and bans would follow for...

The Pokemon Company has finally made an official statement regarding Palworld, saying, "We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon."While The Pokemon Company doesn't specifically mention Palworld by name, it is very clear this statement is in response to the incredible success the survival game is experiencing (8 million copies sold in less than six days!) and the claims that many of Palworld's Pals are way too close to existing Pokemon."We have received many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024," The Pokemon Company wrote. "We have not granted any permission for the use of Pokémon intellectual...

Hot dawg! If you're doing things right, you've got a three-day weekend on your hands thanks to that extra public holiday. This means a figurative forecast of hours upon hours of gaming in your future and, highly likely, a literal forecast of heatwave conditions on your horizon. Clearly, our time will be best spent indoors, smashing out some of the hottest titles at the lowest prices. I've got plenty of that below...This Day in GamingAussie birthdays for notable games.- Earthworm Jim 2 (SNES) 1996. Get- WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Wii) 2007.- Celeste (NS,PC,PS4) 2018. GetTable of ContentsNintendo Switch PC Xbox PlayStationNice Savings for Nintendo SwitchExpiring Recent DealsHardware WatchHow much to make the...

In March, Capcom will release Dragon’s Dogma 2, the long-awaited sequel to its inventive 2012 action RPG. It’ll be the first mainline release in the open-world fantasy series in 12 years, and fans are eager to see what Capcom will bring to the table after a decade-plus of advancement in technical innovation and open-world game design.With its release just a couple of months away and a trove of new details revealed as part of January’s IGN First coverage, we’ve put together this breakdown of everything you need to know about Dragon’s Dogma 2.Jump to:Release Date Story Gameplay DevelopmentDragon’s Dogma 2 Release DateBarring a delay, Dragon’s Dogma 2 will be released on March 22, 2024.Dragon’s Dogma 2 Platforms and Price...

Palworld may have just come out recently, but its popularity is growing daily as the open-world survival game's US daily players briefly surpassed Fortnite on Xbox.Spotted by NPD's Mat Piscatella, according to the Circana's Player Engagement Tracker, on Monday, January 22, US Xbox players playing Palworld surpassed Fortnite on the same platform. Piscatella also notes that US-based Palworld players played the game for "more than 200 minutes on average," reiterating that this record only happened for one day, "and it was close."It's no surprise, considering Palworld has already sold 7 million copies five days after it was released in Early Access. Fortnite is not the only game it surpassed in terms of player count. Yesterday, it was...

Baldur's Gate 3 has taken home Game of the Year at this year's New York Video Game Critics Circle 2024 New York Game Awards, as well as an award for Best Writing.The remainder of the awards were fairly evenly spread, with Chants of Sennar winning Best Indie Game, Alan Wake 2 winning Best World, Hi-Fi Rush winning for best music, and Melanie Liburd winning Best Acting for her work as Saga Anderson in Alan Wake 2. As previously announced, Neil Druckmann received the Andrew Yoon Legend Award for his contributions to the industry.All award winners are listed below:Big Apple Award for Best Game of the Year: Baldur’s Gate 3 Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game: Chants of Sennar Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a Game...

As you head out on your adventures across the Palpagos Islands, the in-game map will gradually unfog and reveal itself - but the only things marked are the fast-travel waypoints and Alpha Pal spawn locations you’ve come across.Palworld Interactive MapWhether you’re scouting out dungeon locations, looking for egg spawns, or you’re simply curious about what else is out there, IGN's Palworld Interactive Map allows you to locate and track every collectible, NPC, item spawn, and more. You can filter the map by the following categories:Collectibles, to help you find Memo pages and Lifmunk Effigies. NPCs, such as Merchants and Black Market Dealers. Item Spawns, for Egg spawn locations, Skill Fruit trees, and Treasure Chests. Enemy...

Alone in the Dark, the highly-anticipated reimagining of the classic '90s horror game, is officially up for preorder with a release date of March 20. You can choose between a Standard Edition of the game, which will set you back $59.99, or a Collector's Edition, which comes to $199 but is strictly limited to 5,000 units, so is selling out fast. Below, you can find additional details on each of these editions along with information on the game itself.Preorder Alone in the Dark (Standard Edition) - Releases March 20Get it at Amazon (Xbox Series X) - $59.99 Get it at Best Buy (PS5/Xbox Series X) - $59.99 Get it at Target (PS5/Xbox Series X) - $59.99 Get it at GameStop (PS5/Xbox Series X) - $59.99Preorder Alone in the Dark...

After teasing it last month, Backbone has officially announced today that it has collaborated with Kojima Productions to create a new, limited edition controller inspired by Death Stranding: Director's Cut.In a press release, Backbone revealed that the new controller will be available to purchase on January 30th at 9am PT / 12pm ET the same day that Death Stranding: Director's Cut releases on Apple devices. To make this even more of a collector's item, Backbone revealed that those who order this controller will also receive an iOS copy of Death Stranding: Director's Cut. As 505 Games confirmed yesterday, this version of Death Stranding is a universal purchase, meaning it will also work on iPads and Macs powered by an M-series chip...

Nexus Mods will not host Pokemon mods for Palworld out of a fear of legal action from Nintendo.Speaking to PCGamesN, Nexus Mods community lead Mathew Elliott said the platform is “not comfortable” hosting Pokemon mods for the phenomenally successful Palworld, but will allow other mods for the game.Nexus Mods’ stance stems from a fear of potential legal action from Nintendo, Elliott said. “As you may know, Nintendo (who jointly own the Pokemon franchise) has a consistent record of mercilessly submitting legal challenges, DMCAs, and takedowns against fan-made content,” Elliott pointed out.“Given Palworld’s similarity to the Pokemon franchise as a base game, hosting content that adds copyrighted characters or assets into the game...

A Cyberpunk 2077 player has discovered an Easter egg more than three years after the game launched, denoting a very on-brand theme of the game hidden within a secret message written in Latin.Reddit user CommercialLeg2439 spotted the secret message in Pacifica, specifically on the Grand Imperial Mall. As the sun sets in Night City, the lights of the mall flicker, and only a select few in its name actually light up.Instead of Grand Imperial Mall, the sign instead reads "gra d imperi l mali". Fans have debated a little how this translates exactly, but "gra imperi mali" means "thanks to the evil government". Another possible solution keeps the first "d" in, translating to "degree of evil government". One user even suggested the random...

An unannounced upcoming Five Nights at Freddy’s game has been revealed early, although Scott Cawthon, creator of the indie horror hit franchise, has addressed the leak and given his blessing to discussion around it.The trailer for a FNAF game based on the Fazbear Frights story Into the Pit leaked this week. It shows a new type of FNAF game in the 16-bit style, with side-scrolling gameplay set in Jeff's Pizza. We see Oswald and his dad, who appears to meet an unfortunate end in a ball pit.Cawthon took to the FNAF subreddit to address the leak. "No need to keep it all hush-hush,” he wrote. “It's okay! Yes, I was trying to keep it a secret for a bit longer, but now that it's out, that's fine. This game has been in development for a...

Like Solid Snake stealthily escaping Shadow Moses, Epic snuck out Metal Gear’s famous sidekick Raiden as part of the V28.10 update.The Raiden currently available to buy in Fortnite is the version of the character from Metal Gear Solid 2, not, as some had wondered (hoped?), from the more recent and eternally memed Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.You can catch Fortnite's Raiden working with Snake in the video below:And while you can choose to play as Raiden with his helmet on or off, Fortnite does not include a naked Raiden skin, unfortunately. Still, that hasn’t dampened some of the... enthusiastic reaction to Raiden’s Fortnite incarnation, with fans pointing out he looks ever so slightly different in the waist and, ahem, bulge...

Spoiler Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and its Blood and WIne expansion.The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is getting a direct sequel in the form of a Dark Horse comic book called The Witcher: Corvo Bianco.Revealed on Dark Horse's website, the Corvo Bianco name will be familiar to those who played the Blood and Wine expansion, which took players to Toussaint and rewarded protagonist Geralt of Rivia with his own vineyard.That vineyard was called Corvo Bianco, and while Geralt retired there with his beloved Yennefer (or Triss), the comic will see that lush life uprooted as he must return to the rugged life of a witcher once more."For a witcher, the simple life can be hard to come by, and even...

The Finals developer Embark Studios has released update 1.5.5, which makes a number of significant balance changes.The balance changes for weapons and gadgets include a decrease in the length of invulnerability after revival, Embark said in a post on Steam. The full notes can be seen below.Elsewhere, there are crash fixes and an adjustment to tournament matchmaking “that will lead to tighter player skill-gap in tournaments”. There’s also a fix to the crossplay settings “so it can be turned off successfully”. There’s some new content in the store, too.Embark added that it now recognises that the Recon Senses ability for the Medium build needs an overhaul. The developers are working on that right now, and changes should be made in...

Fntastic, the allegedly shut down developer of The Day Before, has claimed its controversial and catastrophic game suffered from a hate campaign in a bizarre statement published online.Fntastic, which supposedly closed its doors just a few days after The Day Before launched on December 7, 2023, took to X/Twitter to address "misinformation" published online surrounding the game's development.Answering its own question of, "Why do they say that the released game is not the same as that in the trailers, and why was the game closed?", Fntastic claimed it "implemented everything shown in the trailers" before admitting it didn't include some "minor features" like parkour.It then likened The Day Before to "the experiment where you're...

Palworld is getting PvP, raid bosses, and new islands in future updates, developer Pocketpair has said.Pocketpair unveiled Palworld’s roadmap of future updates, confirming plans to target critical issues before moving on to improvements.Palworld’s huge launch has seen seven million sales in just five days. In a post on the Palworld Discord, community manager Bucky said those sales “have far exceeded the development team's expectations, and we are currently experiencing many problems due to excessive access congestion, among other challenges.”Pocketpair said it will prioritise these issues first before moving on to adding new in-game features during the early access period. Speaking of new in-game features, Palworld will get PvP...

Palworld’s explosive launch shows no sign of slowing down, with the ‘Pokémon with guns’ crafting and survival game selling another million copies in a day.According to developer Pocketpair, Palworld has now sold over seven million copies in just five days.“Thank you very much!!” a tweet from the developer read. “We continue to be hard at work addressing the issues and bugs some users are experiencing.“Thanks for your support!”The Game Awards boss Geoff Keighley tweeted to say he had confirmed with Pocketpair that the seven million sold figure is for Steam sales only, and so does not include Xbox and Windows PC sales. It’s worth noting Palworld launched day-and-date on Game Pass, too.“That translates into approximately $189...

You never quite know what you're going to find on the other side when you step through the stargate, and when it came to Stargate: Timekeepers, I certainly wasn't expecting a very competent stealth tactics game. All the same, slinking across varied alien worlds and setting up well-timed tactical ambushes ended up feeling like a natural fit for the types of budget-constrained capers SG-1 got up to in earlier seasons of the show. The story isn't anything to report back to command about, but the vibes and presentation hit the spot.Timekeepers definitely takes its cues from the Stargate: SG-1 television show – though it focuses on a completely new team of quippy characters. The slightly campy tone is pleasantly reminiscent of an era...

Netflix Games is doing better than ever, says Netflix. But that may not be saying much, given past data on the streaming service's gaming offering.Today, Netflix reported its full-year earnings for fiscal 2023, during which it reported that gaming engagement "tripled" last year. This was in part due to the release of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy on the service near the end of the year. Netflix calls the GTA Trilogy its "most successful launch to date in terms of installs and engagement, with some consumers clearly signing up simply to play these games."But while that's all well and good for Netflix, don't expect to see the streaming service competing with Sony and Xbox anytime soon. CNBC reported data from Apptopia back in October...

The world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 might seem strangely familiar, even if you never played the original. A lush, forested terrain speckled with hidden caves and cobblestone ruins; inhabited by beasts and creatures you could probably name on sight. That’s because director Hideaki Isuno intended to create a high-fantasy world that looks and feels like one that everyone would imagine a real-life fantasy world to look like.This intention has carried over from the original Dragon’s Dogma, and is why they focused on creating a European and northern English feel, down to the vegetation and structures. The creature design has also remained grounded – as grounded as a fantasy creature can be.“Our approach to design is to think about what a...