Gaming News

Paradox Announcement Show 2023: Everything Announced

Cities: Skylines and Crusader Kings publisher Paradox Interactive held a showcase today, showing off updates on previously-announced games and some entirely brand new titles. From the newly-revealed Cities: Skylines II to a new expansion revealed for Crusader Kings III, read on to learn everything announced at today's event. Colossal Order Reveals Cities: Skylines II Cities: Skylines II is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC later this year. The reveal promised the most realistic city simulation ever created, with transportation and economy systems, construction and customization options, and more modding capabilities. This sequel to the 2015 original will let players build any type of city they want, from a tiny village...

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Cities: Skylines 2 Revealed for Current-Gen Consoles, Coming Later This Year

Developer Colossal Order and publisher Paradox Interactive have announced Cities: Skylines II, the sequel to 2015's Cities: Skylines. Revealed as part of today's Paradox Announcement Show 2023, Cities: Skylines II is leaving last-gen consoles behind and heading exclusively to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The city builder sequel is set to launch sometime in 2023. Paradox said Cities: Skylines II will improve and expand upon the robust city building mechanics fans know from the original, including fully-realized transportation and economy systems, tons of construction and customization options, and advanced modding capabilities. Players will be able to build any type of city they want, from a small village to a bustling...

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How Inclusive Design Can Further Our Accessibility Understandings

When it comes to accessibility in games, the first aspect people always look for is an options menu. From customizing controls, adjusting subtitle size, or even activating varying colorblind filters, these settings help to dismantle any inaccessible barriers that could appear. And this constant search for features has become the primary topic when examining a title’s overall accessibility. Disabled players praise or criticize developers on social media platforms, and even content creators and publications will release videos or articles exploring menus to help disabled players make informed purchases. Yet, options alone do not make for an accessible game. Before I explain further, I am not advocating for the removal of accessibility...

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Battlefield 2042's New Map Has a Mirror's Edge Easter Egg

Battlefield 2042 players have found an Easter Egg from EA's Mirror's Edge hidden in the game's new map. As reported by Eurogamer, Battlefield 2042's Season 4 update added the Flashpoint map and with it a throwback to one of developer DICE's previous projects. Most known for its fast-paced parkour around vertigo-inducing environments, the Mirror's Edge reference can naturally be found at the top of a very tall object. By flying to the top of a crane, players can find the sneakers worn by protagonist Faith in the Mirror's Edge games. As mentioned previously, however, this is likely just a fun reference to DICE's older games rather than an indication that more Mirror's Edge content is coming. A series revival was attempted in 2016...

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Crunchyroll Names Cyberpunk Edgerunners Best Anime of 2022 Over Attack on Titan and Demon Slayer

Cyberpunk Edgerunners has been named the best anime of last year at Crunchyroll's 2023 Anime Awards, overcoming the fierce competition of Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, and more. Announced at the awards show in Tokyo over the weekend, the Netflix series from Studio Trigger and CD Projekt Red overcame Attack on Titan's Final Season Part 2, Demon Slayer's Entertainment District Arc, Lycoris Recoil, Ranking of Kings, and Spy x Family. The show's official Twitter account posted a celebratory message (below), saying: "We'd like to thank everyone for their support, votes, and for watching our anime". Cyberpunk Edgerunners premiered in September 2022 to high praise from fans and critics. even sparking in a resurgence in Cyberpunk 2077...

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Resident Evil 4 Teaser Website Is Full of Puzzles, Riddles, and Backstory

Resident Evil 4 has a new ARG that is full of puzzles and riddles for users to solve in an effort to recover the US president's daughter (codenamed Baby Eagle) before it's too late. Those interested in participating can head to the secure agent portal at babyeagleismissing.com. There, they will find an urgent alert from Agent Greene of the Secret Service Northeastern Division requesting assistance with the kidnapping of "Baby Eagle" Ashley Graham. On entering the site, users will be presented with a series of messages from various agents and will have access to top-secret evidence to help with the case. They must analyze and decode the fragmented data to advise agents on the ground on their next moves. One piece of evidence is a...

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The Last of Us Episode 8: TV Show vs Game Comparison

Warning: Full spoilers ahead for episode 8 of HBO's The Last of Us. HBO's The Last of Us episode 8 has arrived and this time we see Ellie tangling with David and Joel stepping up his torturing game. But how close does the show compare to the game? To help answer this question, we've gathered images from episode 8 of HBO's The Last of Us and put them next to stills from Naughty Dog's The Last of Us game to see how faithful the adaptation is. Check out the slideshow, or watch the video above to see the scenes from both the show and the game in action. In our The Last of Us episode 8 review, we said "As Ellie reaches her most desperate moment, darkness comes knocking in an outstanding episode of HBO’s The Last of Us. A chapter that...

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Counter-Strike 2 Rumors Are Picking Up Steam

While its important to take all this with a grain of salt and wait for official confirmation, there have been some rumors circulating that Counter-Strike 2 may be on the way very soon. Richard Lewis, a notable journalist and caster within the Counter-Strike community, claims to have received evidence from sources that Valve is getting ready to release a new version of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in the near future and that a beta may arrive as early as this month or in April. This project is said to have a working title of Counter-Strike 2 and to have been in development "for some time." Lewis mentions that Counter-Strike 2 has been a priority for Valve and is one of the reasons why the current version of CS:GO has been...

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Aussie Deals: Save $440 off an Assassin's Collection, 70% off Fallen Order, Far Cry 6 and RDR2 Ultimate!

Welcome to another week of wonderful prices. I'm going to keep this intro short for two very good reasons. One, because the bargains speak for themselves. And two, the $790 Steam Deck I ordered from Kogan just arrived (via VChain, specifically). I figured somebody ought to be the canary in the mine on these. I did it all for you. (But also very much for me.) Quite happy with my personal experience so far. Postage to NSW was prompt. This Day in Gaming - Persona 3 (PS2) launch, 2008. Remaster - South Park: TSoT (PC, PS3, X360) launch, 2014. Get - Castlevania: LoS 2 (PC, PS3, X360) launch, 2014. Get Table of Contents Nintendo Switch PC Xbox PlayStation Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Expiring Recent Deals Back to top Purchase...

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Valorant Episode 6 Act II: New Agent Gekko All Abilities Explained

VALORANT Episode 6 Act III features a new Agent entering the fray. Hailing from Los Angeles, Gekko and his adorable creature friends will be joining the roster. Here’s what you need to know about the latest VALORANT Agent. Gekko’s Abilities Gekko’s kit is fairly unique with the way his abilities are named after each of his creature buddies. He’s able to retrieve most of his abilities as well after deploying them and collecting their orbs where his abilities expired. Dizzy (E): Dizzy is an almost turtle-like creature that Gekko can fire into the air. Dizzy charges then unleashes blinding plasma blasts at any enemies in her line of sight. Gekko is able to retrieve Dizzy when she’s finished her charge as an interactable globule and...

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Can F1 23 Hope to Match the Drama of the Real Thing?

Formula 1 is back for another year but, while pundits fruitlessly flail with trying to parse meaning from pre-season testing times ahead of the Bahrain GP, let’s consider what Codemasters has been doing with this year’s inevitable F1 23. Back in 2021, amid the continuing gloom of a global pandemic, Codemasters introduced a fully-fledged story mode – dubbed Braking Point – into its long-running Formula 1 series for the first time. Threading an original story through the real sport, Braking Point told the story of a fictional rookie’s rise through the ranks via a series of curated racing challenges. This fresh-faced driver was Aiden Jackson, a talented Brit who lacked experience on the big stage. Jackson was initially placed at odds...

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EA Sports PGA Tour Delayed to Masters Tournament Week

EA Sports PGA Tour has been delayed a couple of weeks from its March 24 release date and will now launch during the week of the Masters Tournament on April 7, 2023. EA shared the news in a blog, confirming that this "small shift in release date allows us to add a few final touches to the game that we are very excited to deliver to all of you, including updates to some favorite courses to reflect 2023 designs." While the worldwide launch is set for Friday, April 7, early access for the title will begin on Tuesday, April 4, for those that purchase the deluxe edition or choose to try it out on EA Play Pro. EA Sports PGA Tour will be EA's first new golf game since 2015's Rory McIlroy PGA Tour. In our review, we said it was "solid...

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How to Play the God of War Games in Chronological Order

God of War’s duology of Norse-set masterpieces has cemented it as one of PlayStation’s most iconic franchises. Born during the PS2 era, God of War made a name for itself with excellent action gameplay, an intriguing tale of divine revenge, and a memorable lead in the Spartan demigod Kratos. 18 years later, God of War has grown into gaming’s seminal action-adventure series, blending that increasingly fine-tuned action with deeper lore and a stronger narrative hook, anchored by an older, more empathic Kratos. With God of War Ragnarok having earned its place in the pantheon of all-time greats, we’ve created this chronology of the series for those interested in playing (or replaying) it from the start. Jump to: How to play...

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Destiny 2: Lightfall Review in Progress

On the chitin-covered heels of the impressive Witch Queen expansion and a relatively strong year of live-service support overall, it seemed like Destiny 2 was finally gaining momentum as it headed toward the conclusion of its epic saga. Sadly, my optimism for a game I’ve spent thousands of hours playing has come crashing down like a Cabal drop pod after just a couple dozen with Destiny’s latest expansion, Lightfall. The story is so shockingly incoherent that even someone who has spent countless hours reading Destiny’ lore like I have couldn’t understand its nonsense, the new destination on Neptune feels as lifeless as the real planet, and the endgame/seasonal activities have so few surprises to offer (at least so far) that they give me...

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Dredge Is an Absorbing Blend of Fishing Simulator and Survival Horror

Just a couple of hours into Dredge, Black Salt Game's fishing-sim-meets-survival horror RPG adventure, I've fallen into a comfortably familiar routine. Thanks to the intriguing genre mashup's fantastic pacing, engaging progression systems, and fun, intuitive mini-games, I've settled nicely into the quaint maritime town of Greater Marrow and its surrounding islands. My angling business is thriving, as evidenced by the plentiful coin the local fishmonger pays for my daily bounties. I'm doing so well, in fact, I've been able to invest in a new rod – capable of plundering both shallow and coastal waters – as well as a faster outboard engine for my customizable craft. The future looks bright too, as I've also earned enough research parts...

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Destiny 2: Lightfall's Launch Has Fans Polarized Amid Negative Reviews

This week’s release of Destiny 2: Lightfall saw a massive influx of players on Steam and console to check out Bungie’s next expansion for its online shooter. As the penultimate story for its Light and Darkness saga, paving the way for The Final Shape in 2024, Lightfall shifts the larger plot towards the concluding chapters of its 10 year story while revising its gameplay systems. However, the overall reception from the community seems to tell a different kind of story.Following the February 28 launch, players on social media, the Destiny 2 reddit, and on YouTube have been actively voicing concerns with the current state of the expansion. While the Destiny community has not been shy about sharing opinions, there have been a wave of...

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Destiny 2: Where Is Xur Today? Location and Exotic Items for March 3-7

The animate bowl of squid ink pasta, 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 Located Today? Xûr's...

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Every FromSoftware SoulsBorne DLC Ranked

FromSoftware has finally announced the first DLC expansion for Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree. While we only know that the new expansion is officially being developed, FromSoftware has a history of releasing substantial expansions that are rich with both new areas and bosses as well as new story content. They are often essentially mini sequels to the base game that usually finish the game’s story and hide the true ending. With this in mind, we ranked all the past FromSoftware DLC for Dark Souls and Bloodborne and revisited the expansions from a studio that has arguably done DLC better than anyone else. Check below for our ranked list of FromSoftware DLC. 7-6.) Dark Souls 2: Crown of the Old Iron King and Dark Souls 2: Crown of...

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IGN UK Podcast 686: Sons of the Final Fantasy

Matt P has played some of Final Fantasy 16 and is loving it so far, and Jesse and Dale are equally in love with Sons of the Forest. We also chat about the first episode of Mandalorian season 3 and spend the last section of the podcast diving into a spoiler-filled chat about Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Got a game for us to play, or just want to tell us the weirdest thing you've eaten for breakfast? Drop us an email: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com. IGN UK Podcast 686: Sons of the Final Fantasy IGN UK Podcast 685: You Kang Make Me Whole Again IGN UK Podcast 684: Horizon Call of the Weetabix IGN UK Podcast 683: Magical Castles and Talking Cats IGN UK Podcast 682: Creating the Next Best Video Game TV Show IGN UK Podcast 681: Shadow...

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Aussie Deals: Fallen Prices on Wo Long Dynasty, Plus the Best Bargains on Resi 4, Diablo IV and More!

Thank your own personal deity — possibly Leishi, Thunder God of Wo Long fame — it's Friday. Speaking of segues, I have indeed found you the cheapest price for said Action RPG that earned an 8/10. Apparently, it's of a decent difficulty and may very well break some of you. What a great way to spend the weekend — yelling at your TV (in triumph, because you can do this). Stay safe, save often, and see you Monday. This Day in Gaming - Halo Wars (X360) US launch, 2009. Sequel - Nintendo Switch WW launch, 2017. Get it - Zelda: Breath of the Wild (NS) launch, 2017. Get it Table of Contents Nintendo Switch PC Xbox PlayStation Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Expiring Recent Deals Back to top Purchase Cheaply for PC Expiring...

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Minecraft 1.20 Update Titled Trails and Tales, Gives Us Camels

Minecraft has revealed new details about its upcoming 1.20 update, which is now titled Trails and Tales. The new version is set to introduce a handful of fresh features, including a new biome, a new friendly mob, and more. The developers said this expansion is "all about self-expression through representation, storytelling, and worldbuilding." Arguably the biggest addition is the Cherry Blossom Biome, a new biome bringing a matching colored wood set and leaves along with it. Pigs, sheep and bees will inhabit the Cherry Blossom areas. Beyond that, Trails and Tales will introduce a new friendly mob in the form of camels. Players will be able to ride camels and use their Dash ability to cover ground quickly. Plus, two players can ride...

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Why Genshin Impact's Newest Character Has the Community Up in Arms

Since her announcement in January, fans of HoyoVerse's open world RPG Genshin Impact have eagerly awaited Dehya, the game's latest playable character. Unfortunately, though, she hasn't quite lived up to players' expectations. Yesterday, Dehya made her debut as a playable character with the release of Genshin's Version 3.5, and players were quick to notice her seemingly underpowered skillset. Despite her 5-star status, Pyro Claymore wielder Dehya has some of the lowest attack stats in the game (even lower than many of her 4-star counterparts), and requires a pretty specific build and team composition to succeed. At the end of the game's current version, Dehya will also become obtainable at all times (unlike most of the game's 5-star...

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Resident Evil 4 Devs Reveal the Hurdles Facing the Chainsaw Controller

While horror classic Resident Evil 4 is getting a big makeover this month, don't expect the same treatment for the game's iconic Chainsaw Controller. The Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Controller came at a time when many gaming companies were experimenting with different types of weird controllers and peripherals. A product of the early 2000s, the gore-covered gamepad was designed for 2005's original Resident Evil 4 on Nintendo GameCube. The design is unforgettable from the moment you lay eyes on it. The bright yellow, bloodstained base is fitted with all the buttons you'd expect from a GameCube controller, and it's connected to the chainsaw's giant, bloody, purely cosmetic blade. With the Resident Evil 4 remake set to come out this month...

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Elden Ring Finally Gets Some Cool Toys of Melina, Raging Wolf and Vyke

Bandai Namco sent us some of the first Elden Ring action figures, the S.H. Figuarts Festering Fingerprint Vyke and super-deformed Figuarts Minis of Melina and Raging Wolf. Vyke will run you around $75, while the Minis are both $30. A variety of toy and collectible sites have had them up for pre-order for a while, and will likely start shipping soon. Vyke, who appears as an NPC invader in-game and whose armor is being worn by the Tarnished on Elden Ring’s box art, includes his war spear, a fire effect to recreate the frenzyflame thrust attack, and four interchangeable pairs of hands (one pair of first, one pair open, and two pairs for holding the spear at different angles.) Data-miners have dug up unused assets that suggest Vyke...

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Sons of the Forest Early Access Review

I'll never forget my first confusing, terrifying encounter with a cannibal in 2018's The Forest, when an intelligent creature out of a nightmare decided simply to watch me rather than try to kill me. And while its sequel, Sons of the Forest, can't truly replicate the creepy novelty of that first time, it does build upon the gameplay, story, and atmosphere of one of the best ever survival crafting games in some very satisfying ways. It occasionally reminded me of its Early Access status with seemingly unfinished cutscenes and inconsistent performance, but not nearly as often as a lot of other recent games that use that label. Set several years after The Forest, Sons of the Forest challenges you to survive and uncover new mysteries on a...

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Age of Wonders 4: The First Preview of This Wild 4X Game

I've spent thousands of hours of my life exploring, exploiting, expanding, and exterminating my way through 4X games like Age of Wonders 4. But typically, even at the end of the most epic campaigns stretching across the ages, it all disappears when I'm done. Win or lose. Like tears in rain. In Triumph Studios' latest fantasy civilization builder, though, the end is only the beginning. My beloved ruler can ascend to godhood and join a pantheon that persists from one world to the next, continuing to have an impact on the bigger picture and unlocking new empire options. And while I haven't seen it play out over dozens of campaigns yet, it's a very exciting prospect. This was actually my first foray into Age of Wonders proper, as I was...

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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Is a Litmus Test for Live-Service Games

Rocksteady Studios is an insanely talented game developer. If they didn’t single-handedly prove that you could make an amazing AAA superhero video game, they sure as hell get the lion’s share of the credit thanks to the deservedly beloved Batman: Arkham trilogy. But they left Batman behind after 2015’s Arkham Knight, and…we haven’t heard from them since (hat tip to the fun little 90-minute Batman: Arkham VR experience that launched alongside the PSVR1 in 2016). Eventually, we got the official word as to what the studio was doing next: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, a four-player co-op live-service third-person shooter. Individually, none of those descriptors make my skin crawl, but together? Yikes. And unfortunately, after...

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Dead by Daylight Is Getting a Movie Adaptation

Multiplayer survival horror game Dead by Daylight is getting a film adaptation from Atomic Monster and Blumhouse. As reported by Variety, the two horror movie powerhouses are teaming up with developer Behaviour Interactive to create the film, though haven't shared any details outside of it being an expansion of the Dead by Daylight universe. The film is also likely still a few years away, as Atomic Monster's James Wan and Blumhouse's Jason Blum have only just started searching for a director and screenwriter. Wan, Blum and Behaviour's executive vice president Stephen Mulrooney will act as producers. "We couldn’t be more thrilled to work with Jason Blum and James Wan, two giants of the horror film industry, to further expand the...

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The Simpsons Hit and Run Designer Wants to See a Remake

The Simpsons: Hit & Run lead game designer Joe McGinn has thrown support behind the idea of remaking the beloved "GTA for kids." "I would love to see it," McGinn told GamesRadar about a potential remake of the open-world sandbox game. He certainly isn't alone in his thinking as he told the outlet that Hit & Run is "still the highest-rated Simpsons game ever made, according to Metacritic." The 2003 video game was a critical and commercial success, with players praising the game for its "brilliant use" of the license and its parodical take on Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto franchise. (According to McGinn, the game was pitched to the publisher as "GTA for kids.") Hit & Run was unique as it featured a fully-realized digital Springfield...

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Marvel Snap Publisher Nuverse’s Next Project? Fantasy RPG Adventure Dragonheir: Silent Gods

Fresh off of winning “Best Mobile Game of the Year” at the 2022 Game Awards, publisher Nuverse is ready to share their next project, Dragonheir: Silent Gods. Not looking to slow down, Nuverse continues to work with leading developer teams dedicated to making fun and immersive games for us all to get lost in. This time, instead of superheroes and villains battling it out in a strategic card game, we’ll head to a rich fantasy world in need of adventurers like you. The latest title is developed by SGRA Studio, a newly-formed team of industry veterans inviting us into the world of Adenthia, an enchanting land filled with dwarves, orcs, death knights, dark elves, sorcerers, and more. Dragonheir: Silent Gods is an online fantasy multiplayer...

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