Gaming News

Street Fighter 6 Closed Beta 2 Announced for December

Capcom has announced that Street Fighter 6's Closed Beta Test 2 will take place from December 16 to 19. Announced in a blog post, applications for entry into the second testing period are now open, though Capcom is being a lot more strict as a result of people selling their codes for Beta Test 1 online. Players must now have their Capcom ID and platform account linked before applying for entry, and once submitted, will have a chance to be selected via a random lottery. Those who participated in the first test will gain automatic entry into the second. A total of eight characters will be playable - Luke, Jamie, Ryu, Chun-Li, Guile, Kimberly, Juri, and Ken - though character creation will also be available alongside other Battle Hub...

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Marvel's Midnight Suns: How The Combat Works

There’s a tricky, but boundlessly creative combat system powering Marvel’s Midnight Suns, a tactics game from XCOM developer Firaxis. It relies on drawing and playing Marvel character cards, making it different enough from the studio’s traditional team tactics formula, but not as close to Marvel Snap’s turn-based deck-building as it may initially sound. It’s a new twist on familiar concepts, combining to create something truly unique, but it does take a little getting used to. In order for you to make the most of its intricate systems, discover some crafty combos, and pick your perfect team, here’s a brief guide to how combat works in Marvel’s Midnight Suns. In the Mission Each mission requires you to bring in three different...

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Aussie Deals: Clearances on Sub $10 Sports Titles, an 8 Buck Game of All Time and More!

Today's a top day for stocking stuffer sportsballin'. If you're not into that, why not grab a PlayStation Hit—in particular, a "Game of All-Time" going for $8. Lastly, there's the matter of my Throwback Thursday deal. Two things strike me as insane about this pick. Firstly, that Metal Gear Solid V is somehow seven years old. And two: the Definitive Edition of it is going for under a fiver. Kojima's masterpiece still holds up phenomenally well. You'd be mad to miss it. 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 Back to top Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals...

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Marvel’s Midnight Suns Director Interview – Unlocked 572

Marvel's Midnight Suns creative director Jake Solomon joins us to discuss Firaxis' new superhero strategy-RPG – including a couple of Easter eggs that big Marvel fans should look out for. Plus: Todd Howard gives a vague hint about what to expect from MachineGames' Indiana Jones game, we've got ideas for how to reinvigorate Xbox Games With Gold, and 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 X review, our Xbox Series S review, and our PS5...

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Cyber Week Deal: All Harry Potter Illustrated Edtiion Hardcover Books on Sale, Including Order of the Phoenix

For Cyber Week, Amazon is offering the best prices we've seen on every Harry Potter Illustrated Edition Hardcover book, thanks to a combination of instant discounts and a clippable $5 coupon right on the product page. This includes the newest Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix that was released last month. You can get all 5 books for under $100! This deal wasn't around on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. It's definitely going to be a popular seller for Christmas gift shoppers, so jump on thesnow before they sell out. The Harry Potter Illustrated Edition Hardcover books are the nicest and most coveted physical Harry Potter books you can get your hands on. These aren't just "regular' hardcovers with only a few sparing pages of art...

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The Best PlayStation Character: Our Face-Off Winner Revealed

Since its first console was originally released in Japan in 1994, PlayStation has captured the hearts and minds of millions of gamers around the world. Alongside world-class gameplay and cutting-edge graphics, the stories and the characters that inhabit them have been paramount to its success. However, there have been a lot of characters over the years, and it can be tough to know who is the best of the best. So this is exactly why we asked for your help to decide this matter once and for all. After thousands and thousands of battles with matchups like Cloud Strife vs. Solid Snake and Nathan Drake vs. Aloy, the greatest PlayStation character, according to you, has been decided. Who took the top spot? Drumroll please... BOY... what a...

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Streets of Rage Composer is Making a Brand-New Game... for the Sega Genesis

For the first time in nearly three decades, video game composer and designer Yuzo Koshiro is working on a new game for the Sega Genesis. Koshiro is best known for contributing music to classic game series like Streets of Rage, The Revenge of Shinobi, Actraiser, Ys, and more. Now, the developer is working on a brand new shoot 'em up game designed for the original Genesis/Mega Drive hardware. As revealed on Twitter, Koshiro posted a couple of images of the game that depict a spaceship flying through what appears to be an alien planet. Koshiro wrote, "It looks like an old shoot 'em up but is a new game we're developing, harkening back to famous franchises in the 80s. We will release it for MD/Genesis. I'm making the soundtrack and...

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Sonic Frontiers 2023 Roadmap Revealed, Adds New Playable Characters and Story

Sega has revealed the 2023 content roadmap for Sonic Frontiers. The game will receive 3 updates throughout the year, including a new playable character and story. In a roadmap, Sega revealed the first update will include a Juke Box feature which could potentially allow players to choose the music they hear in the game. There will also be a Photo Mode and new Challenge Modes for players to tackle. The second update will celebrate Sonic’s birthday in some sort of fashion. The franchise's birthday is in June, so that could be a hint as to when the update could potentially arrive. It’ll add more Open Zone Challenges to play and Koko to collect. The third and final update is the biggest one, which will include more playable characters...

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PlayStation Plus Games for December 2022 Announced

Sony has announced that the PlayStation Plus games for December 2022 are Mass Effect: Legendary Edition (PS4), Biomutant (PS4 and PS5), and Divine Knockout: Founder's Edition (PS4 and PS5). As revealed on the PlayStation Blog, all three games will be made available at no extra cost to all PlayStation Plus subscribers on December 6. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition turns the three-game line-up into a heftier five as it contains remastered versions of all three original Mass Effect games. Widely considered some of the best RPGs of all time, these modern sci-fi classics follow the story of Commander Shepard as they embark on several galaxy ending missions. In our 9/10 review of what we called the best of the bunch, IGN said: "Mass...

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Overwatch 2: Sojourn the Main Target of Nerfs in Season 2 Update

Blizzard Entertainment has revealed what we can expect from Season 2 of Overwatch 2, including balancing updates, limited-time events, skins, and more ahead of its December 6 launch date. Alongside the introduction of the new Omnic revolutionary tank hero Ramattra and the winding Shambali Monastery Escort map, Season 2 is also bringing some important balancing changes, according to Blizzard Entertainment’s official blog post. Most significantly, Blizzard Entertainment has moved to nerf the damage hero Sojourn, who according to a blog post on the company’s website has been dominating the high-skill competitive scene in recent weeks, while “remaining a challenge for players without the same mechanical skills”. To address the issue...

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Marvel's Midnight Suns Review

One of my favorite things about watching superheroes duke it out is when someone gets smacked so hard they fly backwards and crash through solid walls, explode tanker trucks, or slam into their friends. It’s an awesome demonstration of just how strong these godlike characters are supposed to be, and it’s always a disappointment when a superhero game doesn’t quite capture that feeling. With Marvel’s Midnight Suns, however, Firaxis has built a deep and innovative turn-based tactical combat system around the joy of having Iron Man, Dr. Strange, Blade, and more knock enemies around like toys they're trying to break – and that hasn’t gotten old in the roughly 75 hours of its surprisingly expansive RPG campaign. A lot of that time isn’t spent...

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Bethesda Is Working On Another Mobile Game

Starfield developer Bethesda is currently working on a new mobile game, though it's unclear which of its famous franchises it's based on. Speaking to Lex Fridman on the latest episode of his podcast, Bethesda executive producer and Starfield director Todd Howard revealed that the Elder Scrolls and Fallout developer has another mobile game in the works. Talking about the conceptual differences between designing a console game versus one for mobile, Howard said plainly: "Well we've done a few things, and we have a new mobile game that we're working on that we haven't announced yet that I am in love with." He didn't give anything else away regarding its genre, release date, and so on, but did allude that it would be a more in depth...

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Aussie Deals: Cheapest Prices on Callisto Protocol, NFS Unbound, 50% off FIFA 23, NBA 2K23 and More!

I find the best cure for a Black Friday/Cyber Monday hangover is hair of the dog—more bargains! Admittedly, today's list is shorter, but the discounts are still potent. You just need to know exactly where to look. For me, that 'where' is dozens of online stores and bargain hiding bolt-holes. For you, well, it just means scrolling downwards. Couldn't be easier. 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 Back to top Legit LEGO Bargains Back to top Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays at ludicrous difficulties on YouTube. Continue reading...

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Major Marvel Snap Update Fixes the Pool 3 Climb, Adds Multiple New Cards

A new Marvel Snap update has added a bunch of new cards plus a new way to earn them. The update, called The Power Cosmic, will add a number of new cards including Thanos, She-Hulk, and Galactus… and perhaps most importantly, introduces Collector’s Tokens. “We're planning to patch at 3 PM Pacific today!” said Marvel Snap creator Ben Brode. “Once you log into the new patch the game will look at your Collection Level and grant your Collector's Tokens. Have fun! Can't wait to see what new decks everyone will build!” Collector’s Tokens are a brand-new mechanic which should make acquiring those last finishing touches to your latest deck a little bit easier. The idea is simple – players are awarded Collector’s Tokens by increasing their...

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Elden Ring Developers Compare Working at FromSoftware to Playing Dark Souls

Elden Ring is one of the biggest video game success stories of 2022, but now its developer, FromSoftware, is making headlines due to rumors of crunch and low pay at its development studio. FromSoftware's latest title earned widespread critical acclaim, and its quality has been reflected in the sales charts as well. The game broke into the mainstream in a big way, having one of the biggest game launches on YouTube ever. Unfortunately, like so many wildly successful AAA video game titles, it didn't take long for conversations of crunch, long overtime hours, and low salaries to surround developer FromSoftware. The discourse began in March, shortly after Elden Ring's release. First spotted by The Gamer, it turns out that a handful of...

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Xbox Games With Gold for December 2022 Revealed

Microsoft has announced the Xbox Games with Gold line-up for December 2022 includes Colt Canyon and Bladed Fury. Revealed on the Xbox Wire, the two Games with Gold offerings will be available to anyone with Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, with Colt Canyon available first from December 1 to 31 and Bladed Fury available from December 16 to January 15. Originally launching in 2020, Colt Canyon is a 2D pixel art shooter where players take on the role of a cowboy on a mission to save his kidnapped partner from ruthless bandits. Exploring the Colt Canyon will reward players with hidden treasures and weapons, but naturally also features various dangers and more than enough TNT. Bladed Fury was released in 2018 as a 2D fantasy...

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Red Dead Redemption 2 Is More Popular Than Ever on PC

Red Dead Redemption 2 has surpassed its previous record for the highest number of concurrent players on PC since its launch three years ago. As reported by Eurogamer, SteamDB shows Red Dead Redemption 2 racked up 66,492 concurrent players on November 24. This was significantly higher than its previous record of 55,271 that was recorded on December 26 2019, soon after the title’s November 5 PC Release. The recent upsurge in players was likely spurred on by Steam’s seasonal Autumn sale which saw the game reduced by 67%. Publisher Take-Two interactive revealed earlier this year that Red Dead Redemption 2 has sold over 45 million copies to date since its release. Despite its undeniable success, developer Rockstar Games announced in...

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Nvidia Announces December Release Date For Portal RTX

Nvidia has announced that its graphically enhanced upgrade Portal RTX is arriving on December 8. Revealed in a blog post, the December release date marks a small delay from the company's original November launch plan but fans still only have another week or so to wait. The free DLC for Portal upgrades the 2007 puzzle game with ray tracing and remade high resolution textures. DLSS2 allows for full ray tracing while Nvidia's latest DLSS 3 technology improves the frame rate 2.8 times over for those who own an RTX 40-series graphics card. Portal RTX was announced during Nvidia's GTC keynote in September alongside RTX Remix, the tool used to remaster the game with ray tracing. Nvidia said the tool would also be made available so...

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Grand Theft Auto Was Once Voted Least Likely to Succeed by Its Own Studio

Grand Theft Auto V was a historic launch for Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games, but some GTA series creators weren't always too optimistic regarding its future — once regarding it as "most likely not to succeed." In an interview with BBC 5, GTA 2 producer Colin Macdonald described the early years of working at DMA Design, now Rockstar North, and how GTA's first game back in 1997 didn't have the most favorable outlook. At the time, Macdonald said they were working on seven projects, and a DMA staff survey showed which games the studio felt would be the most and least successful. "The one voted most likely not to succeed was Grand Theft Auto," said Macdonald. "That's because, mid-development, the direction of the game wasn't...

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Arma 3 Developers are Fighting Against In-Game Footage Being Used as War Propaganda

Arma 3 developer Bohemia Interactive is speaking out against the use of in-game footage to spread false information, specifically about the war in Ukraine. In a public statement, Bohemia Interactive is speaking out against the use of Arma 3 mods intentionally being made to look like real-life war footage and passed off as genuine. “These user-made videos have the potential to go viral, and are massively shared by social media users; sometimes even by various mainstream media or official government institutions worldwide,” Bohemia Interactive says in its statement. Arma 3 is set in a futuristic conflict set in the year 2035, but Arma 3 is also incredibly popular thanks to its robust modding and customization options. Users have...

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Troy Baker's Perspective on The Last of Us Ending Changed After Having a Child

Troy Baker has revealed how the birth of his son helped him understand Joel’s controversial decision at the climax of The Last of Us Part 1, and talked about his ongoing wish to play Daredevil during an at times emotional appearance at the Milan Games Week in Italy. In a recording of the interview, Baker — who voiced protagonist Joel Miller in The Last of Us Part 1 - explained that he was at a “disadvantage” to the game’s writer and creative director Neil Druckmann when it came to relating to Joel’s decisions. Warning: This section contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part 1 Upon being asked if Baker would have made the same decisions as Joel, the actor replied that, “When we were making part one I was at a disadvantage to Neil...

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The Witcher Remake Will Be Open World, CD Projekt Red Confirms

CD Projekt Red has confirmed that its Unreal Engine 5 remake of 2007's The Witcher will be fully open world. Revealed during its third quarter financial results, CD Projekt Red briefly mentioned its announcement of The Witcher Remake, saying that it will be a "story-driven, single player open world RPG". The studio had previously only confirmed that it would be another "full-fledged" Witcher game, but as the original is not open world, there was still speculation whether or not the remake would resemble the 2007 version or something closer to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. CD Projekt Red didn't say anything else about the new game, reiterating its point made in October that "it's gonna be a while until we can share more details." "The...

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Just Cause Studio Employees Call for Change Amid Year-Long Battle Over Controversial Hire

After months of back and forth between employees and management, Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios – not to be confused with Hogwarts Legacy developer Avalanche Software – has published a public apology to its employees for its mishandling of a controversial hire. The full statement can be read here under the section titled "Our Journey", and includes the following: While Avalanche didn't go into the specific reasons for adding this apology to its website, IGN has spoken to a number of sources familiar with the situation at the company over the last few weeks, and who have shared more details on how Avalanche got here. According to their accounts, Avalanche's apology comes more than a year after the company hired a...

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DC Will Make Games Connected to Its Film Universe, James Gunn Confirms

DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has confirmed that the new DC film universe will be linked to future video games that exist in the same canon. As reported by Eurogamer, Gunn was asked on Twitter if the DCEU (which now seems to be rebranded as just the DCU) will incorporate more forms of entertainment down the line, to which he replied, "yes, most definitely. "The DCU will be connected across film and TV (and animation)," he added. When another fan asked if there are plans for games to be connected to the DCU too, Gunn replied plainly: "Yes." Nothing else was said, but it does confirm a trend away from Marvel's strategy of building a shared universe across its films and a separate one across its games. We do know that Gunn and co-CEO...

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Starship Troopers: Extermination Announced

Developer Offworld Industries has announced Starship Troopers: Extermination, an upcoming 12-player PvE first-person shooter for PC that's inspired by the cult-classic 1997 sci-fi film. It's due to launch into Early Access sometime in 2023. Take a look at the announcement trailer above and the first screenshots in the gallery below. Starship Troopers: Extermination promises squad-based, large-scale battles against the bugs you remember from the movie. You'll play as a trooper in the elite Deep Space Vanguard as one of three playable classes: Assault, Support, and Defense. New perks and gear will unlock as you progress in the persistent class progression system. More details: Extermination will have a Titanfall-like ping system for...

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Aussie Deals: New Cyber Monday Savings and Last Minute Black Friday Bargains!

Black Friday has split, but there are still insane deals to be found. We're moving towards post-Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, deals now, so you can expect a ton of laptop and console accessories savings. That being said, I've combed through my ludicrously sized Black Friday list and have noted that a good 80% of the discounts are still running. So consider this your last chance! Table of Contents Nintendo PlayStation Xbox PC/Laptops Headsets LEGO Smart Home TV / Audio Wireless Earbuds Monitors Micro SDs SSDs / HDDs Random Deals Cyber Monday Nintendo Switch Deals Accessories Back to top Cyber Monday PlayStation Deals Accessories Back to top Cyber Monday Xbox Deals Accessories Back to top Cyber Monday PC Deals...

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IGN UK Podcast 672: Atomic Heart is a Real Game

The year is 2022. The Bounty debate also continues to rage as a schism threatens to develop on the IGN UK Podcast. Before that though, Cardy, Matt, and Emma are arriving in your ears to talk all about why you should be excited for Atomic Heart, should check out Warzone 2.0, and should watch the new show from the creators of Dark, 1899. If you're into it, get tickets for our live show in London on December 2nd here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ign-uks-the-podcast-before-christmas-tickets-445286492887 Got a game for us to play or some feedback you'd like read out on the show? Why not email us: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com. IGN UK Podcast 672: Atomic Heart is a Real Game IGN UK Podcast 671: Black Panther: Mars Bars Forever IGN UK...

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One of the Coolest NERF Blasters Is on Sale for Black Friday: 30% Off the Halo Needler

The NERF LMTD Halo Needler Dart-Firing Blaster was released earlier this month for $99.99. For Black Friday, Amazon is offering an incredible Black Friday NERF deal that drops it to only $69.49, a savings of just over 30%. You better jump on this quickly because we don't know how long it will last. It was a hit when it was first released, even at its retail price. Black Friday Deal: 30% Off NERF LMTD Halo Needler This Halo Needler is one of the coolest looking guns in NERF's LMTD lineup, which is a collection of fan-service weapons that are designed after iconic weapons from popular movies and video games. The Needler is a common Convenant infantry weapon in the Halo universe and Hasbro did an excellent job of faithfully creating its...

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Vampire Survivors 1.1 Patch Includes New Character, Stage, And More

Indie hit Vampire Survivors is getting an update that adds a new character and stage. After leaving Early Access with its recent 1.0 update, Vampire Survivors brings even more monster-themed mayhem with its 1.1 “Tiny” update. The new patch launches today and adds a new stage, the Tiny Bridge, which sees your favorite survivors fighting for survival atop, well, a bridge. “Two bloodthirsty factions battle atop a bridge, and our heroes find themselves caught in the middle,” reads the announcement. The stage is a lot more cramped than your usual Vampire Survivors stages, so watch out for those choke points. Vampire Survivors is also adding a new secret character called Scorej-Oni. An ancient creature that sounds like it’s based on the...

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The Elden Ring Player Who Beat Every Single Boss Without Taking a Single Hit Reveals Their Secrets

In Elden Ring, death comes for us all. The inevitability of the booming "YOU DIED" game over screen is a core part of the Souls genre, as you wait to reawaken at the last checkpoint to bang your head against whatever brick wall you're fighting all over again. Even "Let Me Solo Her", the Elden Ring player that helped hundreds of players beat the game's toughest boss, died over 200 times attempting to take Malenia down for the first time. So what if I told you there's an Elden Ring player that not only managed to cheat death, but avoid taking a single hit from any of The Lands Between's 165 bosses? That's exactly what GinoMachino did last week, when the Twitch streamer completed Elden Ring's first-ever all bosses, no-hit run. Not only...

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