Gaming News

Overwatch 2 Dev Admits It Was a 'Mistake' to Talk About Controversial Self-Healing 'Out of Context'

The director of Overwatch 2 has said it was a "mistake" to reveal a controversial new self-healing mechanic coming to all characters in the hero shooter “out of context." Last week, developer Blizzard unveiled seismic changes coming to Overwatch 2 as part of Season 9, none more disruptive than giving both Tank and Damage heroes a “modified, tuned-down version of the Support self-healing passive.” Overwatch game director Aaron Keller explained the decision in a blog post on Blizzard's website: The announcement sparked a vociferous debate within the Overwatch community, with some complaining that it risked devaluing the team play that has defined Overwatch’s competitive multiplayer since day one, and could make Support characters...

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Unannounced Halo Battle Royale reportedly shelved

An unannounced Halo Battle Royale was reportedly cancelled, according to XboxEra co-founder Shpeshal_Nick. Speaking on the XboxEra Podcast, and as reported by Eurogamer, Shpeshal_Nick said the Halo battle royale was no-longer in development. IGN has asked Microsoft for comment. Word of the Halo battle royale has popped up every now and then ever since Halo Infinite came out in 2021. Codenamed Tatanka, the battle royale mode was reportedly in development at support studio Certain Affinity, although neither Microsoft nor Halo developer 343 has ever commented publicly on it. In a September 2022 interview with VentureBeat, Certain Affinity president and COO Paul Sams teased a large Halo project that fit the battle royale bill. “The...

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GTA 5 Actor Ned Luke Calls Out 'Bulls**t' AI Chatbot That Uses His Voice

Grand Theft Auto voice actor Ned Luke, who played Michael De Santa in GTA 5, has called out a "f**king bulls**t" AI chatbot that used his voice. As reported by PCGamesN, Luke responded to a post on X/Twitter from AI company WAME for promoting a chatbot that let users have "a realistic voice conversation with Michael De Santa." WAME quickly removed the chatbot following Luke's post, saying "this incident has highlighted the intricate interplay between the advancement of AI technology and the ethical and legal realms." Luke didn't mince words in his post. "This is f**king bulls**t WAME," he said. "Absolutely nothing cool about ripping people off with some lame computer estimation of my voice. Don't waste your time on this garbage."...

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'Don't Be Mad at Valve Here,' Says Creator of Cancelled Portal 64

The creator of Portal 64 has said disappointed fans should not blame Valve for its recent takedown. Portal 64 sought to revive Valve's 2007 classic on Nintendo 64 hardware. It was shuttered just a week after its developer, Joe Lambert, released a "First Slice" video demonstrating progress after two years of work, and promoted a Patreon he hoped would support the creation of the project as a full-time job. Portal 64 was pulled in the same breath Team Fortress: Source 2, a fan project seeking to port Valve's classic shooter to the Source 2 engine, was following a DMCA takedown demand from Valve that blocked the group's GitHub repositories. Lambert has published a new video explaining what happened, revealing Valve asked him to take...

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Porting All 1,600 Smite Skins to Smite 2 Would Take 246 Person-Years of Work, Dev Says

One of the talking points coming out of the reveal of Smite 2 is developer Hi-Rez Studios’ decision not to port the original game’s skins, many of which players have paid for, to the sequel. Free-to-play third-person multiplayer online battle arena game Smite launched in 2014. The sequel is built using Unreal Engine 5, with an alpha playtest planned for spring 2024 some 10 years after the original came out. Smite was originally designed on Unreal Engine 3 back in the early 2010s and has stayed on that platform. “While it has worked well for us, 10 years is a long time and our work thus far in Unreal Engine 5 has shown us just how exciting the future of Smite can be,” Hi-Rez said. In its keynote to announce Smite 2, Hi-Rez staff...

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Tekken 8 Reveals First Season 1 DLC Character, Eddy

Eddy is Tekken 8’s first DLC character, Bandai Namco has announced. The veteran Tekken character launches at some point this spring, as revealed in a new video showing off Tekken 8’s opening movie. Eddy sports a new high-top dreads hairstyle and a new outfit for Tekken 8, although his capoeira fighting style is present and correct. The video reveals four DLC characters are currently planned for season 1, the first of which is Eddy. Another follows in summer, another in the autumn, then the fourth in the winter. As for the opening movie, it’s more of a character montage rather than a story set-up, with over-the-top expressions from the many characters packed into the clip. We see familiar faces as well as a few newcomers, but the...

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$235 Off an Awesome Humble Bundle, 85% Off Far Cry and NetherRealm Double Packs, and More!

It's business as usual today, bargain hunters—nothing but the cheapest prices on the stuff actually worth caring about. Personally, I'd steer you most strongly towards that Awesome Humble Bundle as there are some cracking titles within. Not many of them are below 9/10 goodness. In retro news, I'm celebrating the twin 36-year-old birthdays of some NES greats. The original Metroid needs very little introduction, as it's a franchise that continues to kick goals and acquire new fans today. Conversely, the bodaciousness of Rad Racer might be lost on many of you. It was basically one of the best racers on the system and featured prominently in Nintendo's 1h 40m advertisement / movie called The Wizard (1989). This Day in Gaming Aussie...

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How to Play the BioShock Games in Chronological Order

Players were enamored by the BioShock series from the moment they escaped a crashed aircraft, entered a mysterious lighthouse, and embarked on their undersea voyage to the crumbling city of Rapture. Often referenced and paid tribute to, many consider Irrational Games’ immersive action-horror classic a masterpiece, and in the years following its debut, it blossomed into a long-running franchise. But in classic BioShock fashion, its sequels were the furthest thing from traditional. As expected for a series that hinges on otherworldly scientific discoveries and reality-tearing experiments, BioShock's story frequently switches between alternate universes, leaving its games out of chronological order. So, for those looking for a linear...

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Daily Deals: Anker Power Bank, Elgato HD60 X, JLab Talk Pro

2024 is off to an exciting start, and there are some exciting deals that have gone live now that the holiday season has long passed. From video games to PC accessories, there is no shortage of deals you don't want to miss out on. The best deals for Saturday, January 13, include a 1TB Gen 4 NVME SSD, Anker 60,000mAh Power Bank, Street Fighter 6 Collector's Edition, Elgato HD60 X, Persona 5 Tactica, and more! Anker 60,000mAh 192Wh Power Bank for $114.99 This massive Anker power bank is a solid option if you need some extra juice on your next road trip or getaway. With a 60,000mAh capacity, you can charge an iPhone 14 Pro Max up to 7.4 times or a MacBook Air 2.9 times. This power bank is made for activities like camping, as it has a...

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Xbox Developer_Direct January 2024: How to Watch and What to Expect

For the first time since January 2023, Xbox is bringing back its Developer_Direct show that promises to give fans a glimpse at such upcoming titles as MachineGames' Indiana Jones, Obsidian's Avowed, Oxide Games' Ara: History Untold, and Ninja Theory's Senua's Saga: Hellblade II. The Developer_Direct will kick off on January 18 and this watch guide will provide you with everything you need to know to watch the show, including start times, a list of places you can watch it with us, and what you can expect from the event. Xbox Developer_Direct January 2024 Start Time January 2024's Xbox Developer_Direct will take place on Thursday, January 18 at 12pm PT/3pm ET/8pm GMT. As if that wasn't enough, ZeniMax Online Studios will be hosting...

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CoD: Warzone's Controversial Covert Exfil Feature Delayed After Community Backlash

Activision and Raven Software are altering their plans to include the new Covert Exfil feature in Call of Duty: Warzone Season 1 Reloaded. Raven made the announcement on X (formerly Twitter), promising to rework the Warzone gameplay tweak after announcing it only a few days ago. The team says the decision arrived after seeing fan feedback about Covert Exfil’s inclusion. However, Raven still feels strongly about the potential the addition could add and isn’t ready to give up on it yet. “We believe that Covert Exfil and the gameplay loop it provides, paired with the Weapons Case, will make for an exciting addition to #Warzone,” the post explains. “That said, we'll instead launch both of these features in an upcoming dedicated mode.”...

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Seth MacFarlane Claims Epic 'Didn't Have the Budget' to Create Peter Griffin's Actual Body in Fortnite

Seth MacFarlane has revealed why Epic Games included Family Guy’s Peter Griffin in Fortnite with a more muscular body than fans are used to. The comedy creator spoke about why the strange but hilarious change was made during a conversation with IGN at the premiere of Peacock's new Ted series. Although the details are a bit fuzzy, it does clear the air at least a little bit. “He’s very muscular in there, right?” MacFarlane said. “I was told that they didn’t have the budget to create his actual body…” The Ted creator went on, comparing Peter Griffin’s ripped new Fortnite physique to a ‘90s TV Guide cover. “So, it was like that TV Guide cover from the ‘90s, where they put Oprah’s head on Ann-Margret’s body. Anybody remember that?”...

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Suicide Squad Planning 'Hundreds' of Possible Build Combinations Along With Major Post-Launch Support

Rocksteady Studios is teasing major post-launch support for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League while explaining how its RPG gameplay works in greater detail. Information on the game’s core elements comes from Game Director Axel Rydby, who clarified the project’s features and offerings in a post in its Discord server. When one fan asked about build possibilities for Task Force X team members like Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, and King Shark, Rocksteady teased “hundreds” of possible build combinations. “Well, first of all, when we designed the game, player choice and player freedom was one of our core design philosophies," Rydby said. "We really want you to feel like you can make each character your own, and build it...

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Major New Starfield Update Will Improve Graphics, Fix Multiple Quests, and More

Starfield’s biggest update yet is on the way, with Bethesda promising to bring more than 100 tweaks in the coming weeks. The RPG developer teased the allegedly gargantuan update on X/Twitter, explaining that Steam Beta players will be able to dive in come January 17. A full rollout for other players will then arrive two weeks later. The thread announcing the “biggest Starfield update yet” only provides a few teases regarding what to expect. Fixes for some well-known quest bugs are on the way, for example, as the team promises to address issues with Eye of the Storm and Into the Unknown. Stability and graphics improvements are on the way, too, with Bethesda including a before-and-after post that shows enhanced textures, lighting, and...

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Capcom Quickly Rolls Back Resident Evil Revelations DRM Update After Steam Review Bombing

Capcom has quickly rolled back a Resident Evil Revelations update which added digital rights management (DRM) after it was review bombed on Steam. As reported by Eurogamer, the addition of DRM — which essentially looks to stop piracy but allegedly causes performance issues and mod malfunctions too — arrived on January 10 and slammed by Steam users who brought Revelations' rating down to "mostly negative". It didn't take long for Capcom to hear the outcry and revert Revelations to its former state, though it did say DRM would return once the associated issues were resolved "Due to an issue observed with the latest update released, we have reverted the corresponding update," Capcom said in a Steam update. "We apologise for the...

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Smite 2 Announced, Alpha Playtest Coming Spring 2024

The third-person multiplayer online battle arena Smite is getting a shiny new standalone sequel: Smite 2 has been officially announced at the 2024 Smite World Championship. The sequel will retain the same core gameplay Smite players are familiar with, but the game itself is being rebuilt from the ground up for the next generation. Check out the announcement trailer above and our first-look preview video below. In case you’re unfamiliar, Smite is a MOBA like League of Legends or Dota 2 - two teams of five players battle for control of a three-lane map, each team growing stronger throughout the match until one is able to destroy their enemy’s base. Unlike other MOBAs, though, Smite is played from a third-person perspective, so you’re...

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Final Fantasy 16 Producer Naoki Yoshida Says It May Be Time for the Younger Generation to Handle Final Fantasy 17

Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida has said it might be time for a younger generation to lead the franchise and helm Final Fantasy 17. Speaking to the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences as part of an interview with Sony's Shuhei Yoshida, Naoki 'Yoshi-P' Yoshida made clear publisher Square Enix hasn't made any decisions regarding the next mainline game's director, but did imply it won't be him. "For the moment, I'll just say that nothing has been decided yet," Yoshida said. "That said, if I had to say something about that... I've had the chance to work on two of these - Final Fantasy 14 and Final Fantasy 16 - so maybe it's time for someone new, you know. Instead of having the same old guys handle the next one. Maybe it's...

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IGN UK Podcast 731: The Big 2024 Preview

It's time to look ahead and get excited about all of the new games, films, and TV shows coming in 2024. Cardy, Matt, and Dale are here to go through an extensive list of the things we're scheduled to watch and play over the next 12 months. From Star Wars Outlaws and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to Dune: Part Two and True Detective: Night Country, there's plenty to delve into. What are you most excited about watching or playing in 2024? Get in touch at ign_ukfeedback@ign.com. IGN UK Podcast 731: The Big 2024 Preview IGN UK Podcast 730: Flo Rida's Christmas Catch-Up IGN UK Podcast 729: The 2023 Alternative TV Awards IGN UK Podcast 728: The 2023 Alternative Game Awards IGN UK Podcast 727: The 2024 Alternative Movie Awards IGN UK Podcast...

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Classic Konami Games Like Felix the Cat and Rocket Knight Being Re-Released

Classic Konami collections of games including Felix the Cat and Rocket Knight Adventures will be re-released in 2024, both physically and digitally. As reported by Polygon, the Felix the Cat collection will include both the NES game and the Game Boy game, while what's dubbed Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked will include Rocket Knight Adventures, Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2, and Sparkster. No release dates for either game were announced, though they'll come to PlayStation 4 and 5 plus Nintendo Switch. Physical editions will be released through Limited Run Games. Standard and Classic editions of Felix the Cat will be available (priced at $34.99 and $64.99 respectively), with the latter including a CD soundtrack...

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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Dev Rocksteady Lifts NDA 'Now There Is More News Out on the Game'

After a round of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League previews from media went live this week, developer Rocksteady has lifted its non-disclosure agreement (NDA) on the recently held closed alpha, allowing players to talk freely about their time with the game. IGN was among a number of publications that published impressions of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League earlier this week. “Rocksteady's first large-scale game in almost nine years is not clicking with us yet,” we said. Warner Bros.-owned Rocksteady has now lifted a portion of the NDA on the closed alpha, letting players talk about the game but not publish assets like videos and screenshots. “Now that there is more news out on the game and players are asking, we’re no...

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Sand Land, the Video Game Based on Dragon Ball Creator Akira Toriyama's Manga, Has a Release Date

Sand Land launches on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and S, and PC on April 26, 2024, publisher Bandai Namco has announced. Announced in 2023, Bandai Namco's Sand Land looks to translate a cult Japanese comic into an open-world adventure. Sand Land debuted in 2000 as a short-lived tale of a demon prince exploring a desolate wilderness. Created by Akira Toriyama, a manga artist of major renown for his Dragonball series as well as his contributions to many games such as Dragon Quest, Sand Land remained a print-only phenomenon until 2023. A feature-length film debuted last summer, with this game serving as the next multimedia tie-in. "Joining Beelzebub, the Fiend Prince, his chaperone, Thief, and Sheriff Rao, prepare to...

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Cheapest Prices for Prince of Persia The Lost Crown, A 79% Off Disney Sale, and More!

Thank your own personal deity—possibly The King of All Cosmos—it's Friday! In case you haven't heard the word, the review embargo for the new Prince of Persia is up, and it's quite good. I had my limits tested in a playthrough on Immortal Difficulty and would heartily recommend it to anybody out for a (2.5D) Soulslike challenge. In retro news, we're celebrating the birthdays of two underloved gems. Capcom's Lost Planet turns 17 today and is still a blast in four-player co-op via Xbox Live. It's also the big eight for Assassin's Creed Chronicles India, the midpoint entry in a 2.5D sub-series trilogy that plays not unlike Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. This Day in Gaming Aussie birthdays for notable games. - Lost Planet (X360)...

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Solium Infernum Hands-On Preview: If Civilization Was Set in Hell...

They say it's better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven. Well, "they," in this case, happens to be a guy who literally calls himself the Prince of Lies, so we may want to take that with a grain of salt. But from the time I've spent with Solium Infernum so far, I think he may be right. As a refreshed and reimagined update to a 2009 4X cult classic, it's sort of like Civilization set in the bowels of Hades – but with a greater emphasis on politics and, of course, betrayal. Where Civ puts us in the boots of figures like Teddy Roosevelt or Montezuma, Solium Infernum features a devilishly-rendered cast of archfiends, from the straightforwardly malevolent warlord Astaroth to a nightmarish Beelzebub monstrosity. Each of the models shows...

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Overwatch 2 Is Basically Introducing a Turbo Mode for One Weekend Only

Quick Play is Overwatch 2's most standard, basic mode — where players log in if they just want to hop into a few matches without worrying about their rank or an unwelcome ruleset. But for one weekend, Blizzard's team-based shooter is shaking Quick Play up. For a few days, Quick Play will be "hacked" by Sombra, who is turning it into something called Quick Play: Hacked – Quicker Play. As the name suggests, everything will be faster. By changing things like capture times, Blizzard is hoping that players will experience more team fights and potentially new strategies. Here are the patch notes detailing the changes: Respawning times are now 75% of their original time. Payloads in Escort and Hybrid maps will move 60% faster. Taking...

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Dragon’s Dogma 2’s Sphinx Is Unlike Anything the Series Has Seen Before – IGN First

One of the most striking shots in the Dragon’s Dogma 2 release date trailer is a shot of a giant, eerily grinning feathered monster with fiery red eyes, ominously approaching the Arisen. To me, it stuck out as a uniquely non-confrontational encounter with a giant and imposing monster, which is not something you see very often in the world of Dragon’s Dogma. Turns out, this monster is Capcom’s take on the legendary Sphinx, a monster that didn’t appear in the first game, but does in fact make an appearance in Dragon’s Dogma Online, a game that never made it to Western shores. But even if you did face off against the Sphinx in Dragon’s Dogma Online, don’t expect the encounter to go exactly the same way, because the Sphinx has a very...

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Preorder Cyberpunk 2077's Radio Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 Vinyls

Soon you'll be able to play the latest and greatest hits from Night City's top radio stations at home with the Cyberpunk 2077 Radio Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 vinyls, which are officially up for preorder. These bright yellow vinyls are set to release on April 26 of this year and will set you back $29.98 each. They're well worth the investment as well given the artists included on them. Check out the links below to preorder a copy for yourself today. Preorder Cyberpunk 2077's Radio Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 Vinyls If you've yet to jump into Night City and explore the world of Cyberpunk 2077 for yourself, there's no better time than now to do so. Cyberpunk 2077's Ultimate Edition released back in early December and features the game in its fresh 2.0...

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Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Will Have a Character Voiced by Text-to-Speech at Launch

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown launches next week. While we really dug the game (you can check out our review for more on that), there's one odd detail that stuck out we can't help but give its own article: one of the game's minor NPCs will be voiced by a text-to-speech program at launch, seemingly because someone — seemingly Ubisoft — forgot to record and add a human being's voice for the role. While in discussions with fellow early reviewers during the review period for The Lost Crown, it was pointed out to us that the voice of a tree spirit character, Kalux, sounded remarkably like either an AI or text-to-speech (TTS) program. Specifically, a TTS program that's available online for free for use by streamers. You can compare some...

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Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Review

I fell in love with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time way back in 2003, when it helped redefine 3D action-adventure games with its clever rewind ability enhancing its environmental puzzles and fast, acrobatic combat. But while the aughts saw a bunch of sequels with similar elements, none ever quite hit the same heights as The Sands of Time – and the 2010s were a parched desert for the series. But like an oasis, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown finally nails what I loved about those classic Prince of Persia games, and it does so by placing the series' best ideas within a 2D Metroidvania framework that calls back to the roots of the 1989 original. The Lost Crown excels in both the elements that make for a great Prince of Persia...

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Granblue Fantasy: Relink Demo Announced for PS4 and PS5

A demo for upcoming role-playing game Granblue Fantasy: Relink launches on PlayStation 4 and 5 at midnight tonight, January 11, publisher Cygames has announced. Three modes will be available in the demo — Tutorial, Story, and Quest — with players able to earn rewards for the full version of Granblue Fantasy: Relink in each one. Story mode won't be a prequel or separate part of the game but instead just offer "a small slice" of Granblue Fantasy: Relink's main story. Quest mode gives players an additional three quests to work through, playable either solo or with up to three others via online co-op. 11 characters are available in this mode: Gran, Katalina, Rackam, Io, Charlotta, Ghandagoza, Narmaya, Lancelot, Siegfried, Yodarha, and...

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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Patch 8 Makes Accessibility Focused Improvements

Star Wars Jedi Survivor has a new update that makes accessibility focused improvements. Patch 8, out today, January 11 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, introduces two new features and several improvements to slow motion in order to make the game more accessible, developer Respawn said. The patch adds a new high-contrast mode that lets players desaturate the environment and use colors specifically for narrative and gameplay elements, making them stand out more. Elsewhere, a new audio ping functionality lets players both passively and actively ping the environment, giving the ability to echolocate objects and interactable elements nearby. As for slow motion, the update adds more presets that let players toggle...

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