Gaming News

The Last of Us Episode 6: TV Show vs Game Comparison

Warning: Full spoilers ahead for episode 6 of HBO's The Last of Us. Episode 6 of HBO's The Last of Us has arrived and, just like in the game, it reunites Joel and Tommy and ends in dramatic fashion at the University. But, how close does the show compare to the game? To help answer this question, we've gathered images from episode 6 of HBO's The Last of Us and put them next to stills from Naughty Dog's The Last of Us to see how faithful the adaptation is, and you can check it out below. Additionally, the video above will let you see the scenes from both the show and the game in action. In our review of episode 6 of The Last of Us, we said it "allows for past demons to be exorcised in order to build a stronger future for its two...

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Aussie Deals: 20 Bucks off XO, PS and Switch Controllers, Historical Low for Hogwarts Legacy and More!

It's such a joy to return from a week-long hiatus to a swathe of deals like today's. Where did I holiday? Inside a PlayStation VR2 with 20+ launch games (see: this heads-on guide). TL;DR: the PS VR2 is amazing. That's why I'm recommending the below bargains on Gran Turismo 7 and a rock solid wheel for apex level VR-ing. Table of Contents Nintendo Switch PC Xbox PlayStation Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Back to top Purchase Cheaply for PC Back to top Exciting Offers for XO/XS Back to top Product Savings for PS4/PS5 Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays at ludicrous difficulties on YouTube. Continue reading...

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IGN Fan Fest 2023: Everything Announced

IGN Fan Fest 2023 is a wrap! Our two-day event brought a ton of exclusive reveals, interviews, announcements, and more. From a new look at John Wick: Chapter 4, to fresh gameplay of the highly-anticipated Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, there was something for every type of fan to enjoy. To mark the end of Fan Fest, we've created this roundup to make sure you don't miss a moment. Read on to learn about everything announced at IGN Fan Fest 2023. Diablo IV Beta Kicks Off in March We finally have a date for the Diablo 4 beta. Fans can look forward to trying out the game next month, where pre-order early access buyers will get to play from March 17 through 19, while the general public will get access from March 24 through 26. We learned this...

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Lies of P, the Twisted Pinocchio Action Game, Will Release This August

The dark, Souls-like twist on the story of Pinocchio, Lies of P, has once again resurfaced, this time with a brand new trailer at IGN Fan Fest this week, which you can watch above. And at the end of the trailer, we've got a narrowed release window at last: it's coming out this August. The bulk of this trailer focused on the unsettling monsters of Lies of P, which in this trailer feature strange combinations of mechanized puppet creatures with weird, slimy-looking, Lovecraftian horrors. There's also a lot of footage of what seems to be the Blue Fairy, a creature who serves as a guide to Pinocchio in the original story but who, given the sinister plot of Lies of P, may not be entirely trustworthy this time. With this, we've now seen...

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Diablo 4 Beta Kicks Off Next Month

It's been a long road, but we're finally just months away from the long-awaited release of Diablo 4. And as revealed today at IGN FanFest, we're getting a taste of gameplay even sooner. Diablo 4 is getting an open beta next month, with pre-order early access buyers getting to play early on March 17 through 19, and the general public getting access March 24 through 26. We learned this at IGN FanFest in an interview with game director Joe Shely, who also showed us the opening cinematic for Diablo 4, which you can watch below. If the central character you're watching in that cinematic doesn't look familiar, surprise, that's because it's a custom character made in the character creator. Custom characters will feature in Diablo 4's...

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Hogwarts Legacy: Developer Confirms There Are No Current Plans for DLC

Hogwarts Legacy developer Avalanche Software has revealed to IGN that the studio has no current plans to release additional content for their Wizarding World RPG. Speaking during IGN Fan Fest, Hogwarts Legacy game director Alan Tew explained that the team was so busy preparing the game for its launch last week that it hasn’t yet planned on releasing any expansions. “We’ve been really heads down bringing [Hogwarts Legacy] to life,” said Tew, “so at the moment there are no current plans for DLC.” That’s not to say Avalanche Software won’t be supporting the game post-launch, of course, as it has already released a patch for the game that includes several performance improvements and other updates. Hogwarts Legacy has also already...

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Punch Club 2: Fast Forward Finally Gets Its First Trailer

Lazy Bear Games has officially released an announcement trailer for a sequel to its 2016 RPG Punch Club in Punch Club 2: Fast Forward. Revealed as part of IGN Fan Fest, Lazy Bear Games didn’t share a release date for the game but did reveal that it’s coming to PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. That trailer showed off some story elements and gameplay from Punch Club 2. Seemingly as full of pop culture references as the last game, the trailer (and game) opens with a Matrix-esque sequence in which the protagonist is told to wake up from the ominous Corporation. A montage then takes place as the protagonist trains in an empty garage, dances with robots in a club, fights baddies in factories, talks to a head in a jar...

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Wild Hearts Developer Addresses PC Performance Issues, Fix Coming Soon

Omega Force is working on fixing the performance issues for Wild Hearts on PC, and a patch is slated to come next week for the game. “Omega Force are working continuously to improve performance and optimize the game for a wide variety of hardware specs across future updates,” Omega Force said in a statement on Reddit. “We have a patch coming next week that addresses a CPU bottleneck problem the team discovered; this should improve performance across mid-high-end CPUs. The team is also actively working on DLSS and FSR support which will arrive in a future patch.” On Steam, many users have pointed out the game’s performance issues such as inconsistent and low framerates, as well as audio bugs. Users have also poked fun at the PC...

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Destiny 2: Where Is Xur Today? Location and Exotic Items for February 17-21

The gun genie, 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 Tower...

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Octopath Traveler 2 Review

When I reviewed the original Octopath Traveler almost five years ago, I absolutely loved it. I was completely smitten with its art style, its spiritual and artistic connections to the 16-bit JRPGs I grew up with, and its amazing battle system. Playing Octopath Traveler 2, I was excited to see everything I loved about the original return. What’s surprising, however, is how little it's advanced in the last half-decade. In fact, outside of the specific stories being told, Octopath Traveler 2 is almost indistinguishable from its predecessor. That means it’s just as great in many ways, but that lack of novelty also makes it a bit less magical the second time around. Because Octopath Traveler 2 is so similar to its excellent predecessor...

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backfirewall_ IGN Plus Game of The Month: Developer Interview

Backfirewall_ is the latest game to join IGN Plus as Game of the Month, and this bizarre "tragicomic" adventure game dives down into the phone, anthropomorphizing every function to add depth and humor to everyday events, like updating your operating system. Get Backfirewall_ here on IGN Plus! In Backfirewall_, the Operating System and specific apps function is members of a community, each with their own personalities, and the developers at Naraven Games sat down to explain just how each one fits into this highly unusual adventure. Introducing the Characters of Backfirewall_ "Hello and welcome, IGN Plus community! We’re Naraven Games, a female-led team from Switzerland, and we’re thrilled to introduce you all to our second game...

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Like a Dragon: Ishin! Review

I had been under the impression that bringing a gun to a knife fight was strictly the Chicago way, but apparently it was the way of the samurai too – at least if the mix of gunslinging and sword-swinging in Like a Dragon: Ishin! is any indication. This 2023 remake of a 2014 Yakuza series spin-off that was previously only available to Japanese audiences transposes the tried and tested street fighting formula from modern Tokyo onto the final days of Japan’s Edo period, replacing the weaponised traffic cones and potted plants with katanas and primitive pistols. It suffers somewhat as far as its substories and side activities go, with both not quite up to the standard set by subsequent releases, but a card-augmented combat system keeps the...

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Civilization 7 Officially Announced by Firaxis

Firaxis Games has officially announced that Civilization 7 is in development at the studio. Revealed alongside the announcement that former COO Heather Hazen will be the new studio head, Firaxis confirmed that the next Civilization game is in development. "I'm thrilled to have this opportunity to carry on the studio's storied legacy, beginning with the announcement that Firaxis is in development on the next iteration of the legendary Civilization franchise," said Hazen. "I’m lucky to be working with some of the best developers in our industry, and we have plans to take the Civilization franchise to exciting new heights for our millions of players around the world. In addition, we will continue to support Marvel’s Midnight Suns with...

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February IGN Community Update

Hey everyone, hope you are having a great day and are ready for the upcoming weekend. I know I am. I am here to update you on our current initiatives, community updates, new features, and more that are happening now, or coming up in the near future. Right now, I’m working on more ways for you, the community, to suggest topics for me to address in the future and potentially offer suggestions for content that you would like to see more of on IGN. That said, here are some updates about things happening right now or very soon at IGN. Fan Fest 2023!!! Fan Fest 2023 is almost here, and we have a fun weekend of previews, interviews, and more. It will be a great chance to get advanced looks at Street Fighter 6, Diablo IV, Star Wars Jedi...

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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - Combat Stances Explained | IGN First

I don’t think anyone would argue the idea that a Jedi makes for a pretty badass playable video game protagonist. They’ve got a lightsaber, force powers, they’re quick, and can jump really high. All great innate attributes for an action game set in the Star Wars universe. But one challenge about having a Jedi main character is that they’re only really known to use lightsabers. That presents a bit of an issue, as most good action game heroes have multiple weapons to help keep combat fresh over the course of the game. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order found a solution to this problem by giving Cal two different lightsaber stances, each with their own combat focus and moveset, and with the sequel, Jedi: Survivor, Respawn is looking to up the...

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Ubisoft Confirms It Will Be at E3 'If E3 Happens'

While Sony, Xbox, and Nintendo may not be a part of E3 2023, Ubisoft said it will be at the show if it happens. On Ubisoft's Q3 2022-23 investors call, CEO Yves Guillemot responded to an investor asking if the company planned to "attend the event in person this year" to show its games. "If E3 happens, we will be there and we will have a lot of things to show," Guillemot said. IGN reported last month that the big three won't have a presence on the Los Angeles Convention Center showfloor, leaving the significance of this year's E3 event in doubt. While Ubisoft hasn't formally announced its plans yet, it seems the company will have some sort of in-person presence based on Guillemot's comment. Ubisoft's lineup has a lot of question...

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Xbox Version of Valheim Targeting March 2023 Release Date

According to Embracer Group, Valheim's long-awaited Xbox version will be released in March 2023 and it will be on Xbox Game Pass on day one. The news comes by Embracer Group's Q3 FY 22/23 earnings report, in which it says, "Valheim, developed by Iron Gate and published by Coffee Stain, is planned for release on Xbox Game Pass in March." While we don't have an exact date, fans won't have too long to wait until they can jump into the Norse mythology survival game on a new platform. Oh, and it will feature full cross-play with the Microsoft Store and Steam versions of Valheim. Valheim was announced to be coming to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Xbox Game Pass during June 2022's Xbox Showcase Extended presentation, where it was also...

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Ubisoft Says Delays, Cancellations Were Because It Was Making Too Many Games at Once

Ubisoft's really been going through it lately, coming off of multiple years with game delay after game delay, and only just last month holding an emergency investor call following the news that it was canceling three unannounced projects...on top of the four it had just cancelled the previous year. But during today's quarterly earnings call, CEO Yves Guillemot reassured investors that all the cancellations were necessary to make room for the games that remained. "We cancelled a few games because we needed to make space for other games that are in devleopment in the company, and that's really helping all the other games that are progressing well," Guillemot said. "Now we feel we have the right number of games, knowing that we will...

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Meet Your Maker Preview: Torture Your Friends for Fun and Leisure

Last year, I got a sampling of Meet Your Maker, Behaviour Interactive’s quirky follow up to Dead By Daylight. But thanks to Steam’s Next Fest, I got to sink back into some dusty post-apocalyptic bunkers full of sweet, sweet GenMat. And even though this demo wasn’t much different than the previous one, I did get to spend more time with the outpost construction, fiddling with the specifics of how to get a dirty little kill factory up and running and maintaining and upgrading it over a short amo unt of time. I only got a few days out of it, but this game is shaping up to be a truly unique entry in a genre that's just waiting for its next big thing. Base-b uilding can be confusing at first, with all the resources and parameters sort of...

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Best of Game Pass: February 2023

Let's talk Game Pass. There's news about Game Pass cannibalizing sales (though is anyone surprised by that?), but I'm more interested in using this space to share some neat games you can play on Game Pass now that may go overlooked. With a whopping 379 console games and 448 on PC as of this writing, there's a lot to check out. I try my best to play games outside of my comfort zone and, generally, grab ones that just look cool. Unfortunately, some of my favorite gems on Game Pass have been removed, but with those large aforementioned numbers, there's no shortage of games to check out. The following games are all on Game Pass and are scheduled to stay through at least the month of February. A Quick Mental Scrub With as heavy as...

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GTA Online Adds Long-Requested 50 Car Garage

Grand Theft Auto Online’s latest update has added the long-requested 50 car garage for players to show off all the wonderful, wild, and wacky vehicles they’ve collected over the years. Located on Los Santos’ Eclipse Boulevard, the 50 car garage is spread across five floors and is available at no extra cost for subscribers to Rockstar’s $5.99 a month GTA+ membership. Each floor of the garage has its own hangout space equipped with seating, drinks, TVs, and surveillance of the outside world, and players can customise the aesthetics of each individual level as well. The update also adds a lightweight French sports car called the New Toundra Panthere, more Drug Wars activities, and new daily Stash Houses to be robbed and Dead Drops to...

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Dark Horse Books Reveals The Making of Assassin's Creed: 15th Anniversary Ultimate Edition

Dark Horse Books is launching a new line of collector-focused hardcover editions, and what better franchise to kick things off than Assassin's Creed? This new series is appropriately titled the Dark Horse Ultimate Line. The Ultimate books are limited edition, oversized hardcovers with slipcases and various other collectibles. Basically, picture Dark Horse's answer to high-end graphic novels like DC's Absolute Editions or IDW's Artist Editions. First up for the Ultimate Edition treatment is the recently released The Making of Assassin's Creed: 15th Anniversary. That book is being given a very lavish makeover, making it a real statement piece for hardcore Assassin's Creed fans. Get a closer look at the set in the slideshow gallery...

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Xbox Game Pass: Good for Gamers, Bad for Game Sales? – Unlocked 582

Microsoft admits in a court filing as part of the proposed Activision-Blizzard acquisition that game sales suffer when games get added to Xbox Game Pass. We discuss why it doesn't really matter, why Game Pass matters for games both big and small, and more! Plus: why Kotick has to go if the acquisition is approved, Dead Island 2's release date changes AGAIN (but for the better this time!), and plenty more! 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 our interview with Todd Howard, who answered all of our Starfield questions after the big reveal at the Xbox Showcase: For more next-gen coverage, make sure to check out our Xbox Series...

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MultiVersus Peak Player Count Plummets to Below 1000 Amid Content Drought

MultiVersus had a strong debut in the summer of 2022, quickly climbing up the most-played charts on Steam and consoles. However, with content drops and seasonal updates sporadic, it's become apparent that interest in MultiVersus has subsided considerably. Per a report from Video Games Chronicle, player activity in the PC release of MultiVersus has dropped close to 99% from its strong debut. This current activity is a far cry from the game's impressive start in July 2022, which saw player activity peaking at 153,000 online users during its launch week. These numbers come from the SteamDB online database, which tracks Steam games' activity and how many active users are engaged. Currently, MultiVersus on PC is charting at less than 1000...

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Legendary Final Fantasy Artist Reveals His Take on Cuphead

Cuphead's iconic art style takes inspiration from the golden age of cartoons. But thanks to legendary Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano, we're now getting a look at a very different take on the Cuphead characters, and it's pretty awesome. Revealed on Cuphead developer Studio MDHR's Twitter, the studio collaborated with Amano to create art for the upcoming Cuphead physical release. Amano created an amazing collage of Cuphead characters in a Final Fantasy-esque style for Cuphead's Japanese physical edition. Check out the awesome art for yourself below. The art gives a more human-like appearance to Cuphead, Mugman, and Ms. Chalice, with the trio holding weapons that would be right at home in a Final Fantasy game. The liquid that's...

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First Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0 Season 3 Details Revealed

Activision has teased some of what's to come in Season 3 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0. Released as part of Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone's latest patch notes, Call of Duty confirmed that Season 3 is on the way. We also learned a few details about the upcoming season, including Gunfight's return to multiplayer with new maps each season, Plunder's return to Warzone, and confirmation of Warzone Ranked. Gunfight was introduced to Call of Duty in 2019's Modern Warfare reboot. It's a 2v2 mode where players have only 40 seconds to take out the enemy team. If time runs out, the Overtime Flag will appear for ten seconds, and each team has a chance to capture it to win the round. In Warzone's Plunder, teams work to be the...

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How to Watch Fan Fest 2023

IGN Fan Fest is back for another special celebration of exclusives across your favorite games, comics and entertainment! Full IGN Fan Fest 2023 Schedule is now live! What is IGN Fan Fest? Fan Fest is an event where fans from all over the world come together to celebrate their most anticipated movies, TV shows, and games. IGN Fan Fest returns following the success of last year's show, which included special announcements and previews from Spider-Man: No Way Home, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the Halo TV series and so much more. What to Expect at 2023 Fan Fest From Redfall to John Wick: Chapter 4, we’re excited to bring you exclusive new looks, sneak peeks, and interviews from the games, movies, and shows you love. We’ll showcase exclusive...

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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - Meet the Gen’Dai | IGN First

When the reveal trailer for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor hit, internet speculation was ablaze about one very particular element of it. Specifically, a short bit at around the 44 second mark, in which a very large and imposing alien in a suit or armor looks Cal up and down with a bemused smirk on his face, before ordering his henchman to remind Cal of why the Jedi are supposed to be dead. Fans were quick to point out that this could be a Gen’dai, a race of intergalactic nomads that are nearly indestructible and live for thousands of years. Those who watched the 2003 Genndy Tartakovsky Clone Wars series may be familiar with a character named Durge, who is probably the most famous representative of the Gen’dai race currently in Star Wars...

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Our Love-Hate Relationship With Licensed Games

These days video games have gotten so complex, expensive, and time-consuming to develop that it’s apparently not worth the trouble of churning them out to coincide with every major movie release or hit TV show. While fully-fledged video game adaptations used to be commonplace for every major genre blockbuster, you’re now more likely to see some cosmetic DLC in an existing game like Fortnite. Meanwhile, few savvy licensors have taken a wildly groundbreaking approach with games based on their intellectual property: quality over quantity. Controversy aside, Hogwarts Legacy is the latest game to transcend “licensed game,” instead being received as a Very Good Video Game (...that just happens to be based on a licensed property.) That...

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PSVR 2 Will Live or Die on One Thing: Games

We are a week away from Sony releasing its second-generation VR headset, the PlayStation VR2, which promises a dramatic leap in performance and interactivity, as well as features we haven’t even seen in other consumer VR headsets such as eye tracking, higher resolution, haptic feedback, and adaptive triggers. While PSVR 2 has a lot of advantages over rival headsets on paper, there is a distinct disadvantage of being a tethered headset in a market that has tilted more in the direction of headsets with their own processor and OS, which don't require additional hardware to function (e.g., Meta Quest 2). But despite this, the PSVR 2 is setting itself up for success... just not in the way you think. PSVR 2’s Path to Victory The true...

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