Gaming News

Steam Subreddit Protests Reddit's New API Rules by Posting About Literal Steam

The Steam subreddit is protesting against Reddit's new API changes by posting about... literal, airy, gassy steam. The community forum is normally the place Steam Deck owners and other PC gamers visit to get the latest news about everything related to Steam and its parent company Valve. Today, however, PC Gamer reported that the Steam subreddit is filled to the rim with pictures of steam flowing out of everything that produces it. Posts about steam include (but aren't limited to) steamships, steam tractors, trains, boiling pots, enclosed greenhouses, and barbeque grills. There are even two Steamed Hams memes from The Simpsons: one featuring the original scene, and the other where Principal Skinner presents a platter of steampunk gear...

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Cyberpunk 2077 Patch Fixes a Ton of Bugs Ahead of Phantom Liberty

CD Projekt has released another patch for Cyberpunk 2077 that addresses a ton of bugs on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC. Outlined on the game's website, patch 1.63 addresses several dozen issues still present in the game including bugs that stopped progression, text that appeared the wrong way in mirrors, misbehaving photo mode filters, and more. The Xbox version of Cyberpunk 2077 gets specific changes of its own too. An issue that affected Xbox Series performance after playing for an extended period of time has now been addressed, and CD Projekt has changed the number of available save slots to 20 for manual saves and 10 for Point of No Return saves. The full patch notes can be seen below. These changes come ahead of Cyberpunk...

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Halo Infinite Scraps Seasonal Cutscenes Following 343 Reshuffle

Halo Infinite has scrapped its story-driven seasonal cutscenes. The news comes after significant lay-offs at developer 343 Industries earlier this year. In a tweet, below, community director Brian Jarrard explained 343 made the "trade-off" to make further gameplay improvements instead of new story content for Halo Infinite. "As we've refined our top priorities and shifted resources internally this year, we had to make the decision to forego seasonal narrative cutscenes to make room for the team to continue focusing on highly requested features, content, and improvements for Halo Infinite," he said. "These trade-offs are never easy to make, and we truly appreciate your support as the team works to make Halo Infinite the best...

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Microsoft Announces Next Wave of Xbox Game Pass Games

Microsoft has announced the next wave of Xbox Game Pass games, taking subscribers to the end of June and into the early part of July. Need for Speed Unbound races onto Game Pass on Xbox Series X and S, PC, and the cloud on June 22. Game Pass Ultimate and EA Play members get access to this Criterion-developed racer, which IGN awarded 7/10. Also on June 22, The Bookwalker launches on Game Pass day-one across console and PC. In this narrative adventure you play a writer-turned-thief with the ability to dive into books. Two games hit Game Pass on June 27: the Nordic horror-inspired Bramble: The Mountain King (console, PC, and cloud) and Dieselpunk metroidvania F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch (Xbox Series X and S, PC, and cloud). On...

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Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life Review

I remember happily collecting cows and raising a child in the now two-decade-old Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, but now I realize how tedious it was after playing the 2023 remake. Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is about building a family as much as a farm, but both the farming and socializing fall short in comparison to modern farming sims. This could be a charming adventure with a literal lifetime of activities to do thanks to its aging process and speedy day-to-day gameplay. Developer Marvelous even added same-sex marriage and new bachelors to help spice up the dating pool. However, those additions don’t do enough to cancel out the bland backdrops, forgettable characters, and a few quirks that make it feel more dated than it...

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Power Bank Deal: Perfect for Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally

When it comes to handheld devices like the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally - and phones, laptops, and Switch as well - having enough battery power is incredibly important. And unfortunately, some of these devices don’t have as much as you’d hope. Thankfully, though, you can save on the 737 power bank from Anker right at Amazon. With this portable charger, your favorite devices can be recharged quickly and easily. To save on this power bank, simply click on the $40 coupon available on its main shopping page. You can find a link to the full deal just below. Save On Anker 737 Power Bank at Amazon If you’re getting this to go with your Asus ROG Ally, it’s also worth adding a few more items to your cart to go with it. Right now, you can...

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Score a 69 Buck Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, Cheap PlayStation 5 Consoles, and More!

This is going to be a bit of a work-in-progress deals article this morning. For now, you're getting Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 sections delivered, thanks to blink-and-they'll-go bargains on Zelda TotK and PlayStation 5 digital consoles. Xbox and PC deals will be along in a short spell. This Day in Gaming Aussie birthdays for notable games and consoles. - F-Zero Maximum Velocity (GBA) 2001. - Donkey Kong Country (GBA) 2003. Sequel - Sonic Adventure DX (GC) 2003. -11% - Brute Force (XB) 2003. - The Darkness (PS3) 2007. Sequel 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? Back to top...

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Aliens: Dark Descent Review

Even with all the wild genre mashups I've seen over the last several years, I don't think I could have ever predicted a survival horror RTS. And that's basically what Aliens: Dark Descent boils down to, adding stealth elements and tense resource management to its isometric, squad-based tactical action. When it's fully locked and loaded, it captures the essence of the 1986 film Aliens better than any game in ages. But slimy, fun-bursting technical issues show their creepy heads too often for Dark Descent to be a smooth ride. Blending up a bit of XCOM, a bit of Darkest Dungeon, and a bit of Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, I can't deny that Dark Descent is a very unique game with lots of interesting ideas. While plenty of games...

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Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s Map Is a Similar Size to Unity’s Paris

Assassin's Creed Mirage's map size won't be anywhere near as big as Valhalla's or Odyssey's, instead coming in closer to Unity's Paris or Revelations' Constantinople. Speaking to Easy Allies, a Ubisoft spokesperson explained that this year's Assassin's Creed will not just be revisiting its stealth origins, but also returning to the series' roots in terms of map size. Mirage's Baghdad will be a far cry from the sprawling worlds available in recent entries. "They compared it specifically to Constantinople in Assassin's Creed Revelations and Paris in Assassin's Creed Unity," said Easy Allies' Michael Huber. For those unfamiliar, Assassin's Creed switched to a more RPG-esque model in 2017's Origins that continued into Odyssey and...

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Super Cheap Spider-Man 2, Spidey Remastered, Miles Morales, FFVII Rebirth and More Bargains!

Let's start our week with some slightly depressing truths. Cost of living isn't the best. For many of us, times are getting tougher. Perhaps not as tough as the 1930s — which was like economic Dark Souls — but still, a little difficult. The good news: I've got your back, friend. I'm here to save you a bundle on cheap entertainment solutions. Nothing but sweet, sweet escapism that won't deprive you of an arm or a leg. Depending on the gore level of the game you're buying... This Day in Gaming Aussie birthdays for notable games. - NBA Street (PS2) 2001. - Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (PSV) 2013. Get - Jak and Daxter Collection (PSV) 2013. Get - Outlast (XO) 2014. -20% Table of Contents Nintendo Switch PC Xbox PlayStation Nice...

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How to Play the Wolfenstein Games in Chronological Order

Whether it’s id Software’s iconic rendition of Castle Wolfenstein or MachineGames' modern reinvention of the series, the Wolfenstein franchise has long been one of gaming’s most influential shooters. The series has cemented itself a defining action staple that helped forge the FPS genre as we know it today. Its world and story have evolved dramatically over the years too. From battling “Mecha-Hitler” in the dungeons of Wolfenstein 3D to holding off hordes of zombified mutants in Return to Castle Wolfenstein, the franchise has strayed far from its humble beginnings as a World War 2 stealth-action game, veering into high-concept sci-fi and even the occult. For those wondering how each entry in the series fits together, we’ve got you...

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Diablo 4 Endgame Guide: What to Do After Beating the Story

Diablo 4 introduces players to an expansive world comprised of several regions, and a larger story told in several Acts that spans the open world. Whether you blast through the story first, or take your time and delve into optional Dungeons and Side Quests before confronting Lilith and completing the main story, there's much more waiting for you in the Post Game -- but it may not be obvious where all the new features and challenges are hiding. No matter where or when you begin these new adventures, we have all the important info you'll need to start the grind towards level 100 and becoming the strongest adventurer in the land. Below you'll find the most important new features that become available to you after beating the main story...

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The Callisto Protocol Announces DLC That Will Serve as Story's 'Final Chapter'

The Callisto Protocol will receive a new piece of DLC called Final Transmission. It will launch as a timed exclusive on PlayStation for 48 hours on June 27, and then be released on all other platforms on June 29. Striking Distance Studios posted a short teaser trailer showing protagonist Jacob Lee waking up and coming across a big robot that makes its way towards him. The studio calls it a “heart-pounding final chapter,” indicating that this could be the game’s only story DLC. However, it’s possible more non-story DLC could be added in the future. The Callisto Protocol received plenty of updates since its release last December. In February, the game got an official hardcore mode and some Outer Way skins. In March, a Permadeath mode...

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Diablo 4 Devs Promise 'Longer Term' Fix for Inventory-Cluttering Gems

In a panel "Campfire Chat" discussion via Twitch and YouTube, Diablo 4 devs addressed one of the game's more annoying issues: inventory clutter. Many Diablo 4 players have discovered that endgame looting requires numerous visits back to town to sell and store one's goods, due to a high level of clutter. Chief among the list of things that quickly fill up a player's limited inventory space is gems. "There are many colors of Gems, there are many qualities of Gems, and this can have the effect of taking up lots of inventory space," explained Game Director Joe Shely. Thankfully, Blizzard has plans to address this issue in a future patch, which would remove those upgrade materials from your inventory altogether. "The idea is to change...

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Diablo 4 Devs Discuss Server Disconnect Issues, First 'Real Patch' Coming Soon

In an extensive Diablo 4 "Campfire Chat" on Twitch and YouTube, Blizzard discussed, among other things, the community concerns around server disconnects, and their plans for the first "real patch" due before the launch of the game's first season. It's not been uncommon for players to get disconnected from Diablo 4's servers in the few short weeks since they began exploring Sanctuary, and while only a minor inconvenience to most, it's been a real problem for the game's most hardcore players who play on the aptly named "Hardcore" mode. In this mode, a single character death results in that character's permanent deletion, and Hardcore players have reported losing those characters due to disconnects from the server resulting in their...

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Destiny 2: Where Is Xur Today? Location and Exotic Items for June 16-June 20

The sack o' mystery, Xûr, is now live in Destiny 2 for the weekend until next week's reset. If you're looking to get your some shiny new Exotic armor or weapons for your Guardian, look no further. Each week, Xûr has a random assortment of Exotic armor, one for each Guardian class, as well as a random Exotic Weapon and an Exotic Engram available for purchase. In addition to his Exotic wares, he's got a random collection of Legendary weapons and armor to deck out your Guardians. We've rounded up all the info on Xûr for the week including where to find Xûr, which Exotic weapons and armor are available, as well as which Legendary weapons you should pick up, either for PvE or PvP. Where Is Xûr Today? Xûr's location can be found at The...

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Mortal Kombat 1 Interview: Ed Boon Answers All of Our Questions After Summer Game Fest

Following Summer Game Fest, we were able to sit down with Mortal Kombat 1 director and NetherRealm studio head Ed Boon to discuss the exciting gameplay reveal of the latest entry in the legendary Mortal Kombat franchise. During the interview, we touched on a ton of topics, including how it felt to keep Mortal Kombat 1 secret for so long, why NetherRealm chose to leave PS4 and Xbox One behind, whether we'll ever see Injustice again, how the team keeps Fatalities from going too far, and so much more. Mortal Kombat 1 is set to be released on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC on September 19, 2023, and it serves as the start of a new Mortal Kombat Universe that was created by the Fire God Liu Kang. It also features assist characters...

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North American eSports a Failing Business According to Streamer Who Spent $1 Million on a Team

The North American eSports business is in a sorry state according to a streamer who's spending $1 million on a team. As reported by PC Gamer, streamer Jeremy Wang (better known as Disguised Toast) released a video outlining why "the eSports industry is one of the worst things you can get into". Wang founded a Valorant team called DSG in January and later added a League of Legends squad to the roster. Five months in and Wang was told he was set to lose $1 million within the first year, twice what he initially expected to spend. "If you look at any eSports org in North America, all of them are either broke or going broke. And I do mean all of them." There's little hope of making any money from the team, Wang said. "[My accountant]...

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CD Projekt Adding Legendary Witcher Sword to Cyberpunk 2077

CD Projekt is adding a legendary Witcher-themed sword to Cyberpunk 2077 through its upcoming Phantom Liberty expansion. Announced on GOG,com, anyone who preorders Phantom Liberty and has their GOG account (CD Projekt's version of Steam) connected will be rewarded with a series of goodies depending on which other games they've played. Those who own The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt get a red and brown leather hoodie for V to dress up in that looks sort of like a 2077 version of the School of the Cat armour. These players will also be awarded the Gwynbleidd sword, which is reminiscent of Aerondight from the original Witcher and the third game's Blood and Wine expansion. Gwynbleidd is also Geralt's nickname in Elder Speech, which translates to...

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IGN UK Podcast 701: Starfield, RoboCop & Friar Tuck

Join Cardy, Emma, and Jesse as they discuss their thoughts on Starfield, Star Wars: Outlaws, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Alan Wake 2, and more following a week of exciting gaming news. Emma and Jesse fill us in on what RoboCop: Rogue City is all about, and Emma’s also seen the new Transformers movie! Stick around to listen to our interview with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts director, Steven Caple Jr., but beware of major spoilers! Want to let us know which games you’re most excited for later this year, or just want to tell us the weirdest thing you've had as a pizza topping? Drop us an email: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com. IGN UK Podcast 701: Starfield, RoboCop & Friar Tuck IGN UK Podcast 700: Geoff's Big Night IGN UK Podcast 699...

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30 Years Later, Street Fighter 6 Finally Gives Sheng Long the Canon Appearance He Deserves

He began life as a mistake that sparked one of the greatest hoaxes in all video games. Now, 30 years later, he’s finally in a video game. Sheng Long is the once mythical Street Fighter secret boss who was mentioned in Ryu’s victory quote from the original Street Fighter 2: "You must defeat Sheng Long to stand a chance.” Fans vociferously speculated about the identity of the mysterious Sheng Long. Who was he? Where was he in the game? Is he Ryu and Ken’s master? Could he be unlocked somehow? In the pre-internet era, Sheng Long was the subject of heated debate in playgrounds across the world. Little did players know, the name was simply the result of a mistranslation of “Shōryūken”, Street Fighter’s famous Dragon Punch. Capitalising...

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Dog Actor Who Played Cain in Red Dead Redemption 2 Has Passed Away

The dog actor Einstein, whose motion capture performance was responsible for bringing to life companion Cain from Rockstar Studios' Red Dead Redemption 2, has passed away. “Einstein was truly one of a kind. From the moment we met, we formed a deep bond, and it was clear that we were destined for countless adventures together,” wrote Einstein’s owner Jason Barnes in a touching Instagram tribute announcing his friend’s passing. “You possessed an uncanny intelligence, earning you the name Einstein; even if, at times, the name felt like a joke.” Players are introduced to Cain in Red Dead Redemption 2 soon after the Van der Linde gang sets up camp at Clemens Point, at which point the former stray wanders his way into the motly gathering...

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Diablo 4 Streamer Rages After 172-Hour Hardcore Character Dies During Loading Screen

A Diablo 4 player flew into a rage after his 172-hour, level 91 Hardcore character died during a loading screen. New Zealand-based streamer Quin69 uploaded a video to YouTube of the moment he saw the dreaded Hall of Fallen Heroes on-screen message after Diablo 4 appeared to crash while teleporting his character to the town of Kyovashad following the completion of a dungeon. The only option open to Quin69 is to click "acknowledge." “I finished the f**king keystone and portaled to town,” Quin69 said as realisation set in. “In the loading screen of me porting to town my character has died.” What appears to have happened is Quin69’s character, which was standing inside a protection bubble during the portal to town, somehow died to an...

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High on Life's Spooky DLC Has 52 New Characters and Gabourey Sidibe

When Squanch Games announced yesterday High on Life’s first DLC, it revealed a venture into one of comedy’s most popular subgenres: the classic horror-comedy. The new paid DLC, High on Knife, which will be available sometime this October, marks a spookier tone for the game, and the teaser showcased just 40 seconds of darkness and body horror. But, perhaps unsurprisingly, that turn to spook started as, well, kind of a joke. “We joked a lot about it while we were working on High on Life like, ‘Wouldn't it be funny if we made it a horror game?’ “ Squanch’s Chief Creative Officer Mikey Spano tells IGN. “And we were all like, ‘We should really just do it. We should do it.’ And so when a DLC came up we were like, ‘This is a perfect...

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Throne & Liberty Lets You Transform Into Wild Beasts to Accomplish Your Goals

I'm a sucker for a good sword-swinging adventure, and Throne & Liberty looks like something that I might find myself getting sucked into. Not only is it absolutely gorgeous, but it has a few hooks I enjoyed, like the ability to transform into different creatures to achieve different goals. The trailer promises the ability to even take on the form of defeated bosses, something I didn't get to experience first-hand in my demo, but definitely a concept I found pretty intriguing. Stepping Out Throne & Liberty's Days of Play demo started off with an opening cinematic before taking me into the character creator. As someone who can easily lose 30 minutes tweaking settings, I was pretty satisfied with the level of options available, although...

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Rockstar Games Co-Founder Dan Houser Announces New Studio, Absurd Ventures

Rockstar Games co-founder and Grand Theft Autio writer Dan Houser has officially announced Absurd Ventures. As spotted by Geoff Keighley, Houser's new studio is "building narrative worlds, creating characters, and writing stories for a diverse variety of genres, without regard to medium, to be produced for live-action and animation; video games and other interactive content; books, graphic novels, and scripted podcasts." Based on the quote, Absurd Games will dabble in other forms of media beyond video games. Since 2021, it had been strongly implied that Houser started a new studio after Absurd Ventures in Games had been registered in the United Kingdom, with the business listing mentioning that Dan Houser was a director at the...

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The Xbox Showcase + Starfield Direct Could Be the Start of a Long Xbox Winning Streak

Oh, how I’ve missed Confident Microsoft. You remember: it’s the version of the tech company that brashly broke into the console industry over 20 years ago, and then muscled its way to a near-draw with the PlayStation 3 thanks to the Xbox 360, aka the perfect console at the perfect time. Thanks to the well-documented and repeated mistakes of the Xbox One era, Microsoft has spent most of the past decade in a defensive stance, back on its heels and frequently apologizing to its customers for screwing up yet again. Even the start of the Xbox Series generation was fraught with supply chain nightmares and a 2022 that sapped every last bit of momentum that a promising 2021 built. And then there was Redfall, but let’s not pick at that scab...

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Lies of P Modders Immediately Turn Demo Into Bloodborne on PC

FromSoftware fans are officially done waiting for Bloodborne on PC and as a result have made their own version out of the recently released Lies of P demo. Anyone familiar with the likes of Elden Ring and Dark Souls will immediately notice similarities between Lies of P and FromSoftware's library of RPGs, Bloodborne in particular. From its gothic architecture to its animations to its simple red health bars, Lies of P is reminiscent of the beloved PlayStation 4 game, and PC modders clearly took notice by turning the demo into the long requested Bloodborne on PC. As reported by PCGamesN, modder Garden of Eyes released gameplay of the demo altered to include Bloodborne's Hunter character model replacing its own Pinocchio. Beyond that...

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Layers of Fear Review

Not since 2016’s Suicide Squad was followed up by The Suicide Squad in 2021 has there been such a flagrant attempt to make something as needlessly difficult to Google as the new Layers of Fear. This 2023 psychological horror game is neither a sequel nor a total remake of the 2016 original of the same name. Instead it bolts together the first installment, its 2019 follow-up, previously released downloadable content, and a couple of new playable stories to form a Frankenstein’s monster of manipulated hallway horrors freshly reimagined in Unreal Engine 5. Yet while there’s no question that this Layers of Fear is the best-looking and most extensive version of these disturbing stories to date, it’s a package that fails to add up to anything...

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7 Cute Cozy Queer Video Games You Can Play Right Now

While we love spending our time losing ourselves in epic games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, sometimes we just want to chill out and play something a little less intense and a little more cozy. Luckily there have been a spate of brilliant cozy games for us to enjoy lately and in even better news a ton of them are perfect to pick up during Pride month. From grim reaper adventures surrounded by queer love to witchy life sims that allow you to date whoever you want, there is a game for everyone here. Heck you can even run an 8-Bit coffee shop or explore an alien planet over a decade of your life. What a joy! Spiritfarer This melancholy yet beautiful game takes you on a journey through the...

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