Gaming News

IGN UK Podcast 711: The Best of gamescom 2023

It's gamescom week, which means we've been getting a brand new look at some of the most exciting upcoming games. Cardy, Matt, and Alex are here to talk about some of the best things they've seen and played so far in Cologne, including Starfield, Black Myth: Wukong, Alan Wake 2, Stalker 2, Space Marine 2, and much, much more. Which game coming out in the rest of 2023 are you most excited for? Had any good snacks recently? Drop us an email: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com. IGN UK Podcast 711: The Best of gamescom 2023 IGN UK Podcast 710: Goodbye Xbox 360 IGN UK Podcast 709: More Baldur's Gate 3 Because Why Not IGN UK Podcast 708: Baldur's Great IGN UK Podcast 707: Barbie is Sublime IGN UK Podcast 706: Oppenheimer and Every Christopher Nolan...

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Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden - The First Preview | gamescom 2023

At a glance, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden owes a lot to Sony’s recent God of War outings. Its close third-person camera perspective, linear-but-open level design, and mix of environmental puzzles and hard-hitting melee combat are all present. But there’s more than meets the eye here. After playing a whole quest I’ve discovered that beneath that surface lies a soul just as connected to the Life is Strange series developer Don't Nod is famed for as it is to Sony’s godly behemoth. You play as Red, a Scotsman in 1695 North America, who’s taken up the profession of Banisher – a sort of exorcist Witcher who hunts ghosts rather than monsters. But he also has a greater, more personal purpose. Red’s romantic partner, Antea, recently met a...

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Baldur's Gate 3 Patch #1 Now Live, Includes More Than 1,000 Improvements

Larian Studios' first major update for Baldur's Gate 3, aptly titled Patch #1, is now live and includes more than 1,000 improvements to the game. Announced on Steam (with full notes on its own website because they exceeded the character limit), Patch #1 addresses "over 1,000 bugs, balancing, flow issues, and much, much more", Larian said. While the full patch notes are incredibly long, the developer highlighted some bigger fixes to things like NPCs spotting the player that shouldn't be able to, floating items like mugs and newspapers, and the conclusion to Shadowheart's romance not triggering for some players. We've included this condensed list below, with spoilers omitted. As well as bug fixes and similar improvements, Larian said...

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Forza Motorsport is Car Porn at its Best | gamescom 2023

When I saw Forza Motorsport at Summer of Gaming a couple of months ago, I came away a little disappointed. Forza’s pedigree of having some of the most gorgeous visuals of any racing game is well known, and while the latest iteration of Motorsport undoubtedly looked good, it lacked polish at the time. So as a long-time Forza fan I’m pleased to say that Turn 10 has done a lot of work and after a behind-closed-doors demo at gamescom showing the game on the Xbox Series X, I walked away happy. Forza is definitely on track. Importantly, it also looks like a promising return for Forza Motorsport after a six year hiatus, with its brattish sibling Horizon hogging the limelight for the past few years. And while Forza Horizon does outrageous...

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Tractor Beam a Starfield Bargain, Insane Savings on LEGO Switch Games, and More!

Thank your own personal deity — possibly Liu Kang, Eternal God of Franchise Reboots — it's Friday! After a 10-year hiatus, Armored Core launches with a new entry today. Word is it's fire (of Rubicon). Not into 8/10 giant robot games? Slap a preorder down on Spidey 2, Starfield, or CoD Modern Warfare III. All of 'em are looking like pretty solid bets to me. This Day in Gaming Aussie birthdays for notable games and hardware - Quake (PC) 1996. - Shank (PS3,X360) 2010. - Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PC,PS3,X360) 2011. - Gears of War: Ultimate Ed. (XO) 2015. Table of Contents Nintendo Switch PC Xbox PlayStation Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch Expiring Deals From Yesterday Hardware Watch How much to make the switch to Switch...

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Like a Dragon Series Producer Says Devs Always Intended for Kiryu to Return | gamescom 2023

Since the reveal of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, many veteran fans of the series have been perplexed by the decision to bring back long-time series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu as a dual protagonist. However, Like a Dragon series producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto claims that Kiryu's return has been in the cards for a long, long time. First, some context. Be warned: below the video, we've included spoilers for the ending of Yakuza 6: Song of Life, and the late-game of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. At the end of Yakuza 6: Song of Life, Kiryu fakes his own death to protect those closest to him, effectively ending his career as a member and/or pawn of the yakuza. However, he made a brief return in Yakuza: Like a Dragon in a dramatic segment where he...

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Like a Dragon Gaiden Interview: Kiryu's New Identity, the Coliseum, and More | gamescom 2023

We're just a few short months away from the next installment in the Like a Dragon series, entitled Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. While technically a spinoff game, it stars long-time series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu in a new adventure bridging the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Naturally, we have a lot of unanswered questions about this. What's Kiryu doing here? Why is he back and starring in a game again? Will we see more of orange-headed mascot Ono Michio? We sat down with Like a Dragon series producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto at gamescom 2023 to get some answers to our questions on Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, including new details about the game's setting...

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TennoCon 2023: How to Watch Live and What to Expect

Wake up, Tenno! Coinciding with Gamescom, Digital Extremes’ latest celebration of all things Warframe will take place August 26. TennoCon 2023 will be a celebration of 10 years of Warframe, and as such will feature incredible panels, reveals, giveaways, in-game rewards, and tons more. TennoCon 2023 Start Time This year's TennoCon showcase kicks off on August 26 at 9:30 AM PT, 12:30 PM ET, or 5:30 PM BST! Along the way, you’ll get to take a look at some of the amazing care put into the game over the last 10 years, from art and sound development insight from the devs to cosplay from the community! It will all end with TennoLive, which will feature the biggest reveals so don’t miss it! TennoLive will start on August 26 at 1:30 PM PT...

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Baldur's Gate 3 Developer Wants to Do More Content, But 'We Don't Know What Yet'

Baldur's Gate 3 DLC when? It's a question fans have been asking over and over, even as the base game itself is stuffed with enough content to suck up hundreds and hundreds of hours of our lives. But even as the game's success continues to grow, Larian Studios isn't quite ready to commit to anything yet, even subtly. Speaking to IGN at gamescom 2023, senior product manager at Larian Studios Tom Butler responded to a question about potential future expansion content by explaining that the team is currently focused on the upcoming PS5 launch of the game. Following that, Larian will be working on patching issues with the game on all platforms. So no expansion content in the immediate future. But what about after? "We'll carry on...

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Steam Deck vs. Playstation Portal: Comparing the Gaming Handhelds

Now that we finally know more about the Playstation Portal, which was revealed back we thought it would be the perfect time to take a look at how it compares to the extremely popular Steam Deck. In short, the two devices serve completely different purposes. While you can stream games from your gaming PC to the Steam Deck, the Steam Deck also allows you to install and run games natively, which is something the Playstation Portal can't do. That's the biggest difference between the two devices. There are plenty of people who use the Steam Deck as their primary way to play games via Steam. That literally cannot be the case for the Playstation Portal. As such, the Playstation Portal is quite a bit cheaper, should probably have longer...

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Project Mugen Gamescom Reveal Is Cyberpunk Meets Genshin Impact

After teasing the game a few days prior, NetEase Games and Naked Rain have announced Project Mugen, a free-to-play urban open-world RPG that looks like a fusion of Cyberpunk and Genshin Impact. An announcement trailer showed an anime-inspired art style and several playable characters traversing the in-game world with movements and exploration bearing resemblance to the Insomniac-developed Spider-Man games. Project Mugen does not have a release date, but NetEase and Naked Rain did announce it has open pre-registration for those interested in playing and that it's coming to PlayStation, PC, and mobile devices. The cyberpunk-inspired influences are first notable in the trailer when you see a character riding a futuristic motorcycle...

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GSC Game World's CEO Answers All of Our Questions About STALKER 2 | gamescom 2023

It's been a long time coming, but it looks like STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl will finally be coming out early next year, with developer GSC World hitting gamescom to talk all about their highly anticipated sequel. And GSC has quite the story to tell: after being announced and then canceled in 2011, revived in 2018, and then delayed amid Russia's unvasion of Ukraine. But now, we've finally got more to see of STALKER 2. Game director and CEO at GSC Game World Evgeniy Grygorovych made the time to stop by IGN's gamescom studio to answer our questions about how the team is doing, the importance of creating a realistic recreation of Chornobyl, what audiences can expect after more than 10 years after the original, and more. IGN: I've put a...

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Star Wars' Ahsoka Tano Is Coming to Fortnite

Star Wars legend Ahsoka Tano looks set to join the ever growing cast of Fortnite, after making a brief appearance in the cinematic trailer for Chapter 4, Season 4 of the battle royale shooter, titled Last Resort, ahead of its Aug. 25 launch. Despite being a big enough name to warrant her own Disney+ series, Ahsoka Tano made but the briefest of appearances in the closing seconds of the latest Fortnite trailer, lurking at the back of a lineup showing what appear to be the latest skins included in the Season 4 Battle Pass. Past seasons have seen Fortnite incorporate a dizzying array of characters from a diverse range of popular franchises. We’ve seen everyone from John Wick to Thanos, and even the demogorgon from Stranger Things drop...

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Baldur’s Gate 3 Wins Big Concession Allowing it to Launch on Xbox in 2023

Larian Studios has announced that it's found a way to bring Baldur’s Gate 3 to Xbox Series X|S players and that the game will still be able to make it onto the platform this year. “Super happy to confirm that after meeting [Phil Spencer] yesterday, we’ve found a solution that allows us to bring Baldur’s Gate 3 to Xbox players this year still, something we’ve been working towards for quite some time,” explained Larian founder Swen Vincke. He went on to explain the solution: Xbox Series X consoles will have the split-screen feature while it won’t be available on Xbox Series S. However, all of the hotfixes and improvements implemented so far will be in the Xbox version. Additionally, there'll be cross-save progression between the Steam...

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Palia Is Getting its First Limited-Time Event, and It'll Have You Chasing Groundhogs in Hats

Starting next week, players of developer Singularity 6's Palia will be able to dive into the cozy MMO's first limited-time event called Maji Market. In a hands-off demo with IGN, Singularity 6 shared the first details about Palia's first live-service event, which will add a small new region to the map centered around a night market. Available in-game starting on August 29th and running until September 26th, Maji Market will take place at night (which occurs once per hour given Palia's one-hour days) in the Kilima Village Fairgrounds. Attendees will be able to partcipate in various festivities, like completing new quests, trying night market delicacies, collecting themed furniture, fishing, and more. The biggest new activity...

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NBA 2K24 Features Kobe Bryant Version of Jordan Challenges: Mamba Moments

NBA 2K23 will feature a version of the famous Jordan Challenges focusing instead on cover star Kobe Bryant and his greatest basketball accomplishments. As reported by Bleacher Report, the Mamba Moments mode will let players take on the role of Bryant during his 20-year career's most iconic games. These include his then-record breaking 12 three-pointers game against the Seattle SuperSonics in 2003, the Game 7 victory over the Boston Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals, and the 65-point performance against the Portland Trail Blazers in 2007. Players can also recreate Bryant's 17 point fourth quarter in 2008, 48-point and 16 rebound game in 2001, 62-point three quarter performance in 2005, and legendary showdown with Jordan. The Mamba...

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GuliKit Announces All-in-One Dock for Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and More

GuliKit, the company best known for making Hall Effect joysticks for the Nintendo Switch, announced some new products at gamescom 2023. Most notably, a new docking station that works with the Nintendo Switch and handheld PCs like the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally. A tweet from GuliKi (below) shared a few photos of the new device. Visually, it looks a lot like a Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and the top of the device slides open to show where your handheld device can be docked. GuliKit's photos do not reveal where the USB-C port is located. The rear of the docking station features an assortment of ports, such as an Ethernet, 1 HDMI (4K 60HZ video output), three USB 3.0 ports, and an AC adapter. GuliKit has not revealed an...

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Dark and Darker Is Getting a Mobile Adaptation

PUBG: Battlegrounds publisher Krafton has announced a partnership with Ironmace to develop a mobile version of Dark and Darker. No release window or specifics about this version of the first-person dungeon escape game were shared given Krafton only today announced the partnership between it and original developer Ironmace. "We’ve been watching Dark and Darker's potential and distinct creativity with great interest," said Krafton's senior head of publishing Rafael Lim. "From the genre to the setting of the overall IP, Dark and Darker tapped into something compelling with its existing PC release. Here at Krafton, we can’t wait to share these exciting dungeon runs with a whole new community of fans on mobile." Darker and Darker has...

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Todd Howard Confirms Starfield Has New Game Plus

Starfield is just a few weeks away and ahead of its release, Bethesda's Todd Howard has confirmed that Starfield will have a New Game+ mode. In an interview with GQ, Howard confirmed that New Game+ does exist in Starfield, noting it was another way to incentivize repeat playthroughs for players. "Starfield delivers [Bethesda Game Studios'] most immersive role-playing since 2006's Oblivion," Howard told GQ. "It gives you the flexibility and options to carve out a unique identity, and even adds a unique and exciting twist on New Game+ to incentivize continued and repeat play." Howard did not go into detail as to what exactly will carry over (like weapons and in-game currency) should you complete Starfield once and pursue a New Game+...

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No Man’s Sky Echoes Update Adds a New Robotic Race, Among Other Things

Hello Games has unveiled Echoes, the latest update for its seven year-old space exploration game No Man’s Sky. Echoes, which launches today, August 24, adds a new robotic race — the first race introduced to No Man’s Sky since its launch back in 2016. Hello Games has also overhauled space combat, introducing freighter-to-freighter battles for the first time. Players will discover a never-before-seen, long-hidden race of robots. You get to take on robot assignments and rituals to earn mechanical parts to create your own robotic avatar. You’ll also need to defend fleets from pirates in huge space battles and get to fly through enemy trenches to sabotage their shields before blowing the pirate freighters up. Elsewhere, you can assemble...

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RoboCop: Rogue City Promises Big Ideas, But Can it Deliver? | Gamescom 2023

There’s a moment in RoboCop: Rogue City where the future of law enforcement gets to show a little of the man behind the mask. He corners a reporter he’s been tracking, who reveals she has intel that could indict OCP, the evil megacorp who made RoboCop in the first place. She broke into OCP HQ to get that info, so technically she broke the law. But she had to do it to get what she needed. So RoboCop has a choice to make: he can detain her, an act that will ensure that the OCP-run cops will seize the evidence and destroy it, covering up the company’s crimes. Or he can show his human side and let the journalist go, allowing her to continue gathering evidence. It’s a tough call. According to the developer, decisions like these – whether...

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Warhammer 40K: Darktide Comes to Xbox in October

Developer Fatshark has revealed the co-op grim dark shooter Warhammer 40,000: Darktide will finally be coming to Xbox Series X|S consoles on October 4, almost a year after its 2022 PC release. As reported by PC Gamer, the Xbox console release will differ significantly from the heavily criticised PC launch version of the game, benefitting from a fleshed out skill tree along with a raft of other improvements. The game was met with a wave of criticism from fans following its November 30 PC launch, with many complaining about the shooter’s unstable framerates, and seemingly incomplete gameplay mechanics. The outcry prompted Fatshark’s CEO and co-founder Martin Wahlund to publish an open letter to fans apologising for the state of the...

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The Zack and Deborah Snyder gamescom Interview: Details on Rebel Moon's Plot, Video Game, and More

gamescom may be a giant celebration of, well, games, but Zack Snyder and wife and co-producer Deborah Snyder crashed the party to talk about their big upcoming sci-fi film, Rebel Moon. Zack Snyder took the Opening Night Live stage last night to show off the latest trailer for Rebel Moon, as well as unveil the release date for Part 2: April 19, 2024. As previously announced, the first part will debut on Netflix on Dec. 22. The Snyders also found the time to drop by IGN’s gamescom studio to go into more details on their big new sci-fi world, the upcoming video game that’s being developed within it, which video games he’d like to adapt for the big screen, and a whole lot more. Check out our full chat below. IGN: Last night, Opening...

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GTA 6 Leak: Teenagers Found to Be Involved in Lapsus$ Hack Against Rockstar

Two teenagers were part of the hacking group Lapsus$ that targeted Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games and leaked footage of the upcoming GTA 6. As reported by the BBC, 18-year-old Arion Kurtaj from Oxford and a 17-year-old who cannot be named because of his age were part of the court-described group of "digital bandits" that also hacked Nvidia and Uber. Both teenagers will be sentenced at a later date. Kurtaj was placed in a hotel by police after hacking Nvidia and having his identity and location being outed by rival hackers, and it was from this hotel room (and under bail) that he targeted Rockstar. The court heard Kurtaj was "caught red handed" in "flagrant disregard of his bail conditions" when City of London Police...

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Where Winds Meet Is a Huge RPG With Weird and Wild Ambitions | gamescom 2023

We last saw When Winds Meet exactly a year ago. Back then, its expansive debut trailer had us believing it could be Chinese developer Everstone Studio’s answer to Ghost of Tsushima; a sword-swinging martial arts odyssey through 10th century China. A year later, I’ve found that comparison is somewhat true. But Where Winds Meet is much, much bigger than that. Its open world appears to be a cocktail of modern Zelda and The Witcher, and it’s all powered by an RPG system with a frankly baffling array of stats, abilities, and skills. Where Winds Meet appears to be more ambitious than just an open world swashbuckler, but I’m not entirely sure yet if that’s a wholly good thing. At gamescom 2023 I was able to play around 45 minutes of Where...

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Where to Score Armored Core and COD Modern Warfare 3 For Cheap, and More!

Welcome to a day of bargains and Armored Core VI embargo lifts. Mitch gave it an 8 here. Personally, I've played the hell out of it and have some thoughts as well. The TL;DR: without logging into the multi mode, you'll be hard pressed to milk the 50-60 hour estimate that's been getting around. That said, the combat feels great, and you can construct any svelte mech your heart desires. Be it an EVA unit knock-off. A Gundam. Or The Crushinator... In historical news, it's the 16th birthday of an absolute all-timer, 2K Boston's BioShock. Still ranked as one of the best written thinking-person's shooters ever devised. Go play it if you never have, would you kindly. This Day in Gaming Aussie birthdays for notable games and hardware -...

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Mortal Kombat 1: Ed Boon Promises Homelander and Omni-Man Won't Just be Clones of One Another

The news that Homelander and Omni-Man would both be in Mortal Kombat 1 sparked a lot of excitement from fans. There's just one problem... they're both kind of similar, right? Both characters take after Superman in that they have superhuman strength, flight, and absurd durability. Homelander has heat vision; Omni-Man doesn't. But they definitely fit into a particular archetype, down to the fact that both wear caps. Their similarities raise questions as to just how similar their combat styles will be in Mortal Kombat 1. Speaking with IGN, though, Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon brushed aside concerns from the fans. "Obviously we could do anything with the characters, but I don't think we're going to have both Homelander and Omni-Man...

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15 Best Student Discounts You Can Still Get Before Back-to-School

If you are a student, the time to prepare for school is fast approaching. While it is easy to feel overwhelmed with the returning responsibility, there are some massive benefits to being a student including some of the best subscription service deals around. Luckily for you, we gathered the best student deals you can get right now including the hottest discounts you'll actually want to take advantage of. For the Well-Rounded Student Amazon Prime Student As a student, you'll need lots of things. From backpacks and pencils to textbooks, organizers, and everything else, Amazon Prime Student lets you get complimentary delivery as part of a subscription that is half the regular rate. You can also get discounts on Whole Foods Market, Amazon...

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STALKER 2 to Debut in Early 2024, According to Developer's Fact Sheet

After plenty of speculation, we may have just learned when STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is finally coming thanks to the developer’s own fact sheet: Q1 of 2024. Per the official document from developer GSC Game World, that’s now the release window for the first-person survival horror game on PC and Xbox Series X/S. As the fact sheet notes, it’s available for pre-order on its official website – which, it should be pointed out, still has 2023 listed as the release year. Most recently, there were some rumors that STALKER 2 will debut in December of this year, with distributor Plaion giving it a Dec. 1, 2023 release date on its official German store (though that could’ve always been a placeholder). Last summer, Xbox’s official Twitter...

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Gamescom Opening Night Live: The Good, Bad, and Ugly – Unlocked 609

Gamescom is underway, and this week's episode is dedicated to a recap and analysis of everything from the Opening Night Live showcase -- from the beauty of Alan Wake 2, Black Myth: Wukong, and Lords of the Fallen to our disgust at the knucklehead stage-crashers who are going to ruin access these events for fans. Plus: We can tell you that we're playing Starfield, and though we can't share any opinions on it yet, we let you know when you can read IGN's review. Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 of this week's episode. For more awesome content, check out my recent interview with Todd Howard, who discussed the realization of his vision for Starfield after eight years, how Red Dead...

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