Gaming News

Xbox Game Pass in October 2022: Scorn, A Plague Tale: Requiem, and More

Xbox has officially announced its next round of Xbox Game Pass entries for 2022. Game Pass is set for another strong month this October, after September saw the introduction of Deathloop, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Grounded 1.0, and Shipbreaker to the service. This month, we'll be getting some even more big hitters, such as Scorn, Persona 5: Royal, A Plague Tale: Requiem, The Walking Dead Season 1 and 2 on PC, Chivalry 2, and a whole lot more (see everything else below). But remember, Xbox has so far only announced the first wave of Xbox games at the moment, so you can expect another round of entries to get revealed near the middle of October. For now, here's everything coming to Xbox Game Pass in October (for now). When is Scorn on...

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PlayStation Says It's 'Not Unthinkable' That It Could Make Movies or TV With Bloodborne Developer FromSoftware

PlayStation boss Herman Hulst has said working with FromSoftware on a movie or TV show is "not unthinkable", meaning a silver screen adaptation of Elden Ring, Dark Souls, or Bloodborne could be on the cards. Hulst told Reuters that, while game development will always be the priority, Sony's recent investment in FromSoftware may lead to opportunities beyond gaming too, even with its PlayStation Productions movie and TV rm. "You should think of collaborations on the game development side first and foremost," he said about the FromSoftware investment. "But it's also not unthinkable with our PlayStation Productions efforts that we explore opportunities." FromSoftware hasn't been shy when it comes to adaptations either, especially...

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Fort Solis Explained: Gameplay, Story, Characters, and World

Earlier this year Fort Solis, a sci-fi thriller game from new developer Fallen Leaf, was announced at Summer Game Fest. Starring Troy Baker and Roger Clark, it certainly looks like it has the potential to have a dramatic story, but beyond a short trailer almost everything about Fort Solis is shrouded in mystery. Looking to learn much more about this fascinating project, we sat down with Fallen Leaf's studio director, James Tinsdale, who told us much, much more about the game in an exclusive interview, including the gameplay styles we can expect, how we’ll explore its massive space station location, and what it’s A-grade acting talent brings to the story. But first let’s establish the basics. “Fort Solis is a third-person, sci-fi...

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Tinykin Review

My desire for a new Pikmin game is borderline rabid, so I got very excited when I saw that Tinykin’s army of adorable followers might potentially fill the sprout-shaped void in my heart. But while its simple environmental puzzles may not have entirely sated that craving, its joyous world and extremely satisfying platforming unexpectedly fed a different hunger. Tinykin feels more like a modern evolution of the N64-era 3D platformer formula than most other attempts I’ve played, and its laidback exploration and collectible hunting was an absolute delight from start to finish. You control a space explorer named Milodane as you wander your way through a fairly regular two-story home – of course, doing so is made decidedly irregular by the...

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Aussie Deals: Free Sonic Frontiers DLC and Up to 90% off in a Warner Bros. Publisher Sale!

Welcome back to the grind after a long weekend (hopefully) spent gaming. Three days of getting square eyes has likely depleted your Pile o' Shame a bit. Let's stack that sucker up again with cheap loot. Or, alternatively, let's plan for a possible future purchase by signing up to the Sonic Frontiers newsletter. Doing so will earn you a chunk of in-game content (some sick Sonic Adventure 2 kicks) when the blue dude with the 'tude returns on November 8th. If you're keen to lay some money down on said open-world adventure, Amazon AU has great prices on it. Sonic Frontiers is currently 25% off on Switch, PlayStation 5. and Xbox. Probably won't stay at that price forever. So you better go fast. Notable Nintendo Sales Purchase Cheaply...

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Mortal Kombat Nitro Developer Remembers the Faster, Bloodier SNES Version That Never Was

From its debut in 1992 through April 1995, the Mortal Kombat franchise generated over $1 billion in revenue between coin-op machines and cartridges for home systems. That figure accounts for the first two games; their sequels earned billions more. At a moment’s notice, hardcore fans and collectors can scour Amazon, eBay, and Craigslist for any of those versions and browse page after page of listings, giving them plenty of time to find the best deal on MK games and merchandise. Mortal Kombat Nitro will never appear in those listings. Only two copies exist, and their owners have no plans to part with them. Over the winter and spring of 1993, Sculptured Software and Acclaim struggled to meet Nintendo’s stringent demands for a sanitized...

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Elden Ring Streamer Beats Malenia Using a Dance Mat at Level 1

An Elden Ring streamer has managed to defeat the game's toughest boss, Malenia, Blade of Miquella, using a dance mat... at level one. Twitch user MissMikkaa captured the feat on stream (and shared it on Twitter, below), showing off the incredibly impressive accomplishment that took exactly 553 tries across more than 15 hours. Using her feet to control everything from the direction of movement to sword swinging and the use of items, MissMikkaa was also only hit a handful of times on the final attempt, pointing out that she only used four healing flasks during the fight. Malenia has emerged as the toughest boss in Elden Ring, with all sorts of storylines emerging from the fight. Developer FromSoftware didn't help the situation by...

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Vampire Survivors Gets Full Release With Major Update Later This Month

Vampire Survivors is leaving Early Access, with a major update on October 20 that marks the game's official launch. Announced on its Steam page, version 1.0 will include a handful of new achievements, balance changes, new language support, and a wealth of surprises that developer Poncle said will "offer a little something for everyone". It's unclear exactly what these surprises are, but hints will be shared over the two weeks before Vampire Survivors' official launch, with Poncle teasing something new each day starting October 7. As for balance, only one weapon will receive a slight nerf: the Santa Water and its evolution La Borra. According to Poncle, "they tend to surpass almost everything else by an order of magnitude with...

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Crystal Dynamics Is Asking Fans If They'd Like a New Legacy of Kain Game

Crystal Dynamics has released a survey asking fans if they'd like to see a return to the Legacy of Kain franchise. As reported by Eurogamer, the survey poses several questions that show the Tomb Raider and Deus Ex developer is at least thinking about a potential return for the beloved, long dormant series. The survey asks users what consoles they play on, if they've heard of or have played a Legacy of Kain game before, or if they've watched someone play the games on YouTube or Twitch. Speaking quite explicitly, it also asks how fans would feel if a new Legacy of Kain was announced, and if they'd prefer to see a remake, remaster, reboot, or sequel, and what specific features they'd like a new game to include. Testing the waters...

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Horizon Zero Dawn PS5 Remaster Reportedly In the Works Alongside a Multiplayer Game

A remaster of 2017's Horizon Zero Dawn is reportedly in the works for PS5 alongside a brand-new multiplayer game for PS5 and PC. As reported by VGC and MP1ST, The Last of Us Part 1 Remake, in which we previously asked if that was worth its $70 price tag just nine years after its release, looks to be soon joined by an updated version Aloy's first adventure on PS4. It isn't 100% clear if this would be a full remake like The Last of Us Part 1 or just a remaster, but some of the details make it seem like it is trending more towards the latter. The reports claim this new version will add "accessibility features, graphics modes, and quality of life improvements to the gameplay itself." In a sense, it appears to improving the original to...

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Key Members of Disco Elysium Developer ZA/UM Have Left the Company In an 'Involuntary' Manner

According to Martin Luiga, an editor on ZA/UM's Disco Elysium, key members of the company, including lead writer and designer Robert Kurvitz, writer Helen Hindpere, and lead of art and design Aleksander Rostov, have left the company in an "involuntary" manner. Luiga shared the update on Medium.com, saying that he, a "founding member and Secretary of the ZA/UM cultural association, as well as the assembler of most of the core team, am hereby dissolving the ZA/UM cultural association." Luiga also notes that these three core members had not been working at ZA/UM "since the end of last year and their leaving the company was involuntary." Furthermore, he says this would "seem like bad news for the loving fans that are waiting for the Disco...

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Ubisoft Announces Playtests for a New Co-Op Shooter, Project U

Ubisoft has just announced a new co-op shooter, Project U. Almost nothing is known about the upcoming game, which was announced today, but Ubisoft has already opened registration for its upcoming playtests. “Codename ‘Project U’ explores a new concept of session-based co-op shooter, where many players unite to prevail against an overwhelming threat!” says the game’s official announcement. The game is currently in early development, with the first PC-only closed playtest taking place in western Europe. Although the game will be entirely in English, the company is encouraging players from across Europe to get involved and will be available in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, the...

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Activision Blizzard Chief Compliance Officer Frances Townsend Has Stepped Down

Activision Blizzard chief compliance officer Frances Townsend, who was previously criticized for her actions following the news of the company's sexual harassment lawsuit, has stepped down from her role at the company and will now serve as an adviser to the board and to CEO Bobby Kotick. As reported by Bloomberg, Townsend has chosen to step down prior to the $68.7 billion deal that, if it goes through, will see Microsoft acquire Activision Blizzard and its many iconic franchises, including Call of Duty, Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, and more. As previously mentioned, Townsend was criticized by Activision Blizzard employees and others for her actions following the public announcement of the lawsuit filed against Activision Blizzard...

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Vampire Survivors Is Once Again the Most-Played Steam Deck Game in September 2022

For the second month in a row, Vampire Survivors has risen above the likes of Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, and Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered to become the most-played Steam Deck game in September 2022. Valve shared the news on Twitter, confirming that Vampire Survivors, which is set to get its v1.0 update on October 20, was the most-played game in terms of total hours played. While we weren't given an exact number, we do know that it held off the behemoth that is Elden Ring to take the top spot. Behind those two games, in order, were Stardew Valley, Cyberpunk 2077, Hades, No Man's Sky, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered, Cult of the Lamb, and Disney Dreamlight Valley. When compared to...

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FIFA 23 Review

FIFA is dead; long live FIFA. EA’s football simulation behemoth has returned for one last hurrah after a nasty public divorce with its licensor, calling itself ‘The World’s Game’ ahead of a painful name change to EA Sports FC, coming next year. But the tagline transcends its bittersweet pomp because, for all intents and purposes, FIFA 23 fittingly does feel like the same game the world has been playing for the past few years, with its reliable end-to-end gameplay and familiar frustrations. Even at the end of an era, FIFA 23 marks another year of careful attrition from EA, as several tactical and aesthetic revisions supplement its sturdy gameplay blueprint. Yet it’s also an entry that feels both propped up and consumed by its Ragnarok...

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The Callisto Protocol's Latest Trailer Reveals The Boys' Karen Fukuhara

The latest trailer for The Callisto Protocol, dubbed “The Truth of Back Iron,” features Japanese-American actress Karen Fukuhara as Dani Nakamura. Fukukhara’s most notable roles include Kimiko in The Boys and Katana in Suicide Squad. In the new trailer, protagonist Jacob Lee explores the Black Iron Prison on Jupiter’s moon, Calisto. He finds it crawling with disgusting creatures that can evolve and mutate as their limbs are cut off. One of the characters, Dani, is seen accompanying Jacob as they make their way through the maximum security facility. Towards the end of the trailer, Dani exclaims to Jacob that just finding a way out of Black Iron Prison isn’t enough—they need to find answers to what happened to all of the prisoners and...

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Destiny 2: Where Is Xur Today? Location and Exotic Items for September 30-October 3

The pile of mysteries, 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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Company of Heroes 3: Modding Details Revealed – IGN First

With two full single-player campaigns alongside skirmish and multiplayer, there's already a lot to do in Company of Heroes 3. But some of us would rather make our own fun. And we're in luck, since this third installment will be launching with mod tools and Steam workshop support on day one. Mods have been a huge part of the RTS scene going back to the ‘90s, with entire genres like the now wildly popular MOBA spawning out of user-generated maps. Relic is fully aware of this, and that's why they made a point of shipping the new Essence Editor at release. "It has always been a priority from the beginning to have mod tools as part of our story. We've gone back and forth on what that could look like in terms of timing. But as we've seen...

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Google Reportedly Passed on a Stadia-Exclusive Follow-Up to Death Stranding

Hideo Kojima was reportedly working on a follow-up to Death Stranding that was meant to be an exclusive title for Google Stadia. However, it was apparently canceled due to its single-player nature. According to a report by 9to5Google, the next Death Stranding (there's no word on whether it was a sequel prequel, or spin-off) would not have had the first game’s collaborative and asynchronous multiplayer features, such as building bridges in your world that could show up in other players’. This was reportedly the basis for Google’s decision to cancel the game, as the company believed that a solo experience wouldn’t sell very well. The game was reportedly in early development as Google greenlit the project, but when the company was...

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How Titanfall 2 Made Movement the Star of the Show - Art of the Level

Titanfall 2 is a giant among shooters thanks, in part, to its near-flawless depiction of the ultimate power fantasy: causing untold destruction with a massive, gun-toting mech. But Titanfall 2’s very best moments occur when you’re stripped of your walking tank and must survive its industrial sci-fi universe as a mere squishy human. Into The Abyss, Titanfall 2’s fourth mission, is one of these moments, and marks a monumental achievement in mission design for developer Respawn Entertainment. Set in a factory suspended above an infinite void, a gauntlet of deadly fabrication machines acts as a thrilling and creative showcase for Titanfall’s ambitious movement systems. To find out how Into The Abyss was put together, IGN spoke to game...

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IGN UK Podcast #664: Our Favourite First-Person Shooters

Bang! This week's IGN UK Podcast is all about shooters. Cardy has Overwatch 2 impressions to share, Mat J has been getting stuck into the Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Beta, and Matt P has been enjoying the Doom-inspired Prodeus. They then share some of their favourite FPS games, as well as some that have been lost to time, but live long in the heart. 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 #664: Our Favourite First-Person Shooters IGN UK Podcast #663: Professor Layton and the Sludge-Guts of Doom IGN UK Podcast #662: So Many Streams IGN UK Podcast #661: House of the Rings of Power IGN UK Podcast #660: Bat Family Ties IGN UK Podcast #659...

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How Trombone Champ Evolved from an Inside Joke to a Viral Success

Combine the dramatic story of Dark Souls (if it had baboons in it), the gameplay of Guitar Hero (if Guitar Hero was drunk, and played with a single button), the card collecting of The Witcher 3 (if the cards were chiefly of dead composers), and you might get a game akin to Trombone Champ. What began as just a single, funny idea from husband-and-wife development team Holy Wow Studios has become 2022’s most hilarious game, created with a simple philosophy: 'If it’s funny, it goes in.' Trombone Champ is a rhythm game that has players – in its own words – “honk, blow, and toot” their way through more than 20 songs as they attempt to solve the mysteries of the Trombiverse and collect Tromboner Cards as they go. It’s ridiculous, and creator...

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Aussie Deals Sort Your Weekend With the Hottest School Holiday and Franchise/Publisher Sales!

Thank your own personal deity—possibly The Golden Goddesses—it's Friday! I'm dealing in two things today: weekend boredom-busting bargains and preorders for the savvy spender. The former include ludicrously low-priced, instantly delivered digital goods. The latter is stuff like Sonic Frontiers and God of War Ragnarok. Whatever your poison, stay safe, save often, and see you Monday, my friends. Update: It seems a FIFA 23 + PS5 Console Bundle has appeared in the wild. Get it here. Table of Contents Nintendo Switch PC Xbox PlayStation Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Great Deals From Yesterday Purchase Cheaply for PC Great Deals From Yesterday Exciting Offers for XO/XS Great Deals From Yesterday Product Savings for...

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Genshin Impact Developer Is Considering How to Make Limited-Time Events Replayable in the Future

Among the absolutely massive amount of explorable world and evergreen story content in Genshin Impact, one of the ways the open-world adventure keeps folks busy over time is through limited-time events that often cannot be accessed later if they are missed. But developer MiHoYo may be looking for a way for players to reexperience them after all. While some events have come back around, such as Windtrace and Lost Riches, others with character development involved are either seemingly gone for good, or if they return, have story content changed between iterations to account for how the story has evolved since. But in an interview with IGN, a MiHoYo spokesperson acknowledged the community's sadness at missing story events for characters...

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Why Genshin Impact's Dendro Element Took So Long to Arrive

When Genshin Impact first launched, it included playable characters for six elements: Pyro (fire), Hydro (water), Anemo (wind), Electro (electricity), Cryo (ice), and Geo (earth). However, anyone paying attention at all to Genshin's lore. some of its monsters, or even its loading screen would have noticed that a seventh element was seemingly missing in action: Dendro, or nature. For the first two major Genshin Impact chapters, Dendro remained elusive. But with 3.0 and the introduction of dendro-focused continent Sumeru, we're at last getting a taste of greenery. Bow users Collei and Tighnari kicked dendro off alongside the Traveler gaining a Dendro element through the Sumaru storyline — and more are on the way. But why did it take...

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Ori and the Blind Forest Statues Available for Preorder Now at the IGN Store

Ori and the Blind Forest is one of the most gorgeous Metroidvanias in recent memory, and you can now preorder a statue of the two iconic characters from the game, Ori and Naru. This statue is available for preorder now in the IGN Store, and is available in two versions: the Day variation and the Night variation. The statue comes from First 4 Figures, a company known for creating high-quality statues of some of the most recognizable video game characters. Naru is holding Ori, resting on a log in the statue, which is inspired by Ori and the Blind Forest's box art. Originally released in 2015, Ori and the Blind Forest is available on Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch. The game stars Ori, a fallen spirit in the forest of Nibel, who is...

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The 10 Best LEGO Games of All Time

LEGO first made its jump into video games almost 30 years ago with LEGO Fun to Build on the SEGA Pico. Since then, games framed around the colorful Danish bricks and their iconic minifigures have practically become a genre of their own - and that's in no small part thanks to Traveler’s Tales’ addictive approach to action-platforming and the many pop-culture properties that have since been LEGO-fied. It wasn’t easy to narrow it down, but we've done our best and are proud to present our Top 10 LEGO games of all time… so far. 10. LEGO Island What would a best LEGO games list look like without the original 1997 PC adventure, Lego Island? While it may seem rudimentary by today's standards and pretty rough graphically compared to other...

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MultiVersus Leak Possibly Reveals Mark Hamill as Joker

The version of Joker from Batman: The Animated Series, voiced by Mark Hamill, might make its way into MultiVersus, Warner Bros’ crossover fighting game. A new datamine reveals voiced lines of the character. Originally posted by Twitter user Laisul, audio of the Joker’s lines was posted and they sound very similar to Hamill’s portrayal of the character from Batman: The Animated Series. In context, the script also sounds like something you’d hear in a fighting game as well, such as “Points to the blue bozos!” and “That’s a point for the red rejects!” This most likely references MultiVersus’s tag team structure where opposing sides are colored red and blue. Back in March, there was a datamine that revealed some of the potential...

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World of Warcraft Dragonflight Launches This November

The latest World of Warcraft expansion, Dragonflight, launches on November 28. Activision Blizzard announced today that World of Warcraft Dragonflight will be available from 3 pm PT on November 28… and it comes with lots of new content. “Dragonflight was crafted with our incredible community in mind and with the desire to return to what we all love most dearly: the splendor of Azeroth and its characters, with our players cast as heroes,” said World of Warcraft executive producer Holly Longdale. “We invite everyone into this new adventure where we will bask in the landscape of dragons, become a part of their ancient legacy, and watch the secrets of this land unfold together.” World of Warcraft Dragonflight will launch with 8 new...

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Rewrite Destiny in Valkyrie Elysium

Valkyrie Elysium is an action RPG out now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and coming to PC on November 11. It's the latest game in the Valkyrie Profile line of role-playing games. The series is noted for its somber depiction of Norse mythology, as well as for its unique twists on conventional RPG mechanics. Valkyrie Profiles' overarching story involves instances of mortals and gods getting tangled up in each others' worlds—and their wars. Valkyrie Elysium centers on Nora, a new Valkyrie who's brought forth to stop Ragnarok, the divine battle that's ripping the world apart. Nora recruits the souls of destined mortals, called "Einherjar," to aid her in her fights. Nora herself is also endowed with gifts and weapons that make her a...

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