Gaming News

Aussie Deals: Three Free Tomb Raiders, 45% Off Spideys, Half Off a GOTY, and More!

Welcome to the first deals wrap up for '22! I trust you're all well, rested and ready to score three free Tomb Raider titles from the reboot trilogy. And hey—if you're not into the harrowing, ultra-violent origin story of a gravelifter, grab that free Garfield Kart instead. The only things that get brutally murdered in it are lasagne and John's self-esteem. Probably. Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Purchase Cheaply for PC Exciting Offers for XO/XS Product Savings for PS4/PS5 Adam's an Aussie deals guy who just finished replaying GoldenEye on 007 agent. Bring on your mysterious re-release. Continue reading...

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Mortal Kombat 11 and Final Fantasy 12 Lead January 2022's PlayStation Now Games

PlayStation has announced six new games for PlayStation Now, including Mortal Kombat 11 and Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age. The games will join PS Now's library tomorrow, January 4, and the full list of additions is as follows: Mortal Kombat 11 Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Fury Unleashed Unturned Super Time Force Ultra Kerbal Space Program: Enhanced Edition Mortal Kombat 11 released back in 2019, and we called it amazing in our Mortal Kombat 11 review, saying, "It’s a rare fighting game that hits just about every note as strongly as Mortal Kombat 11 does." Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is a well-received entry in Square Enix's long-running RPG juggernaut franchise. This title is known for its gambit system, that allows...

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Best Mid Tower PC Case 2022

The mid-tower ATX case is one of those PC parts that has been around forever dutifully holding our gear, and yet rarely gets the respect it deserves. Sure it's not as flamboyant as a massive full tower, or as charming as a small Mini-ITX case, but that's why we like it. The best gaming PC chassis doesn't take up a lot of space, can be as unassuming as you wish, and yet can hold a ton of hardware while allowing for semi-radical cooling and high-end builds. And since mid towers accept full-sized ATX motherboards, the world is your oyster when shopping for parts. With this in mind, we have rounded up a few of the best mid-tower ATX cases for you to consider for your next build. These selections are based on our many years of PC building...

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Halo Infinite Lead Narrative Designer Leaves 343 Industries and Joins Riot Games

In what might be one of the most amusing "I got a new job" posts ever, Halo Infinite lead narrative designer Aaron Linde has announced that he's leaving 343 Industries and joining Riot Games. Linde announced the news via Twitter, in a tongue-in-cheek video riffing on the "on the next episode" bookends of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Check it out below. "Bittersweet news to report: I'm departing 343 Industries to pursue a new opportunity in 2022," Linde said in subsequent tweets. "It was a terrifically difficult decision; Halo Infinite will remain one of the proudest achievements of my career for the rest of my life. I'm so grateful to have been a part of it. I want to thank my dear colleagues at 343 for making the best game I've ever...

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BioShock Creator Ken Levine's Next Game Is Reportedly in 'Development Hell'

Ken Levine, the acclaimed video game developer behind the BioShock series, began work on his next project with his studio Ghost Story Games around eight years ago. Since then, according to reports from Bloomberg, the game has allegedly entered "development hell" and has seen multiple reboots and changes in direction. Levine's current project at Ghost Story, which has yet to be officially announced or given a firm release date, has taken much longer than his previous works, including the year-and-a-half it took to develop System Shock 2 and the roughly five years it took to finish BioShock. Obviously, video game development is immensely challenging and each project comes with its own unique challenges, but 15 current and former...

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Former Rockstar Developers Share Details on the Development of the Cancelled Bully 2

While Rockstar Games is known best for the Grand Theft Auto series, Bully - its game about a juvenile delinquent student named James "Jimmy" Hopkins rising through the ranks of Bullworth Academy - is just as highly regarded by some. Many had hoped a sequel would be on its way, and although it has yet to happen, former Rockstar developers have revealed the details of the time they tried to make that dream come true. Game Informer spoke to five of these former employees from Rockstar's New England studio - the team that was actually working on Bully 2 in the late 2000s - and they shared why this game never... well... graduated and made its way into the world. Rockstar Vancouver was the team behind the original Bully, but Rockstar New...

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Elden Ring Director Hidetaka Miyazaki Reveals Why He Hasn't Played Bluepoint's Demon's Souls Remake Yet

Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki has revealed why he has yet to play Bluepoint's remake of Demon's Souls and how the team at FromSoftware was so impressed by the game's visuals that they felt extra pressure when developing Elden Ring for PS5. As reported by VGC, Miyazaki was interviewed by Edge magazine and shared that the Demon's Souls remake's focus on graphical fidelity was not something FromSoftware puts as a top priority on, and that's why his team - specifically the graphics creation staff - felt this extra pressure after the remake was released. However, that doesn't mean they aren't up for the challenge and Miyzaki has all the faith in the world in his team. "And not just with Elden Ring, but with all the games we...

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Harry Potter MMO Was Cancelled by EA in the Early 2000s Because It Thought the IP Wouldn't Last

Before the Harry Potter franchise became the global phenomenon it is today, Electronic Arts was in the process of making a MMO based on its world. However, it appears it was cancelled in the early 2000s because the company didn't believe "that the IP would have a shelf life longer than a year or two." As reported by Polygon, EA's former director of product marketing Kim Salzer discussed this Harry Potter MMO that was in development between 2000 and 2003 (before the release of the series' sixth book - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released!) on a Twitch stream that her current firm - Orignal Gamer Life - hosted. “Sometimes, I just don’t know where to start,” said Salzer, when she was asked about which cancelled game she...

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Chicory: A Colorful Tale Creator Greg Lobanov Teases the Studio’s Next Project With a GIF

Chicory: A Colorful Tale creator Greg Lobanov has teased that he and his team are officially working on a new game with a GIF of an adorable, hopping two-legged fox creature that I'd like to be my new best friend. Lobanov shared the news on Twitter just one minute before 2021 became 2022, saying this announcement was a long time coming. "Been waiting a long time to let everyone know: I'm working on something new with the chicory team =)," Lobanov wrote. "I can't wait to talk more about it!!!!! hope to share details in 2022." The accompanying GIF of the aforementioned fox creature - which may or may not be part of the new game - is also featured on a job page for a Creature Concept Artist for this new project. The job description...

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The Tomb Raider Reboot Trilogy Is Currently Free on PC via the Epic Games Store

As 2021 and the holiday season come to a close, the Epic Games Store has one more treat up its sleeve. Until January 6, Tomb Raider: Game of the Year Edition, Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition will all available for free to anyone with an Epic Games account. The Epic Games Store giving out free games is nothing new as it does so every week, but this final gift in 2021 is something special as it offers the complete Tomb Raider reboot trilogy to anyone with an Epic Games Account. No strings attached. By looking at the current prices listed on the Epic Games Store for these games, you are looking at a savings of $90 by adding these to your collection this way. The offer...

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Nintendo Reveals the Best-Selling Indie Games on Switch in 2021

The Nintendo Switch has been a wonderful home for Indie Games of all shapes and sizes, and 2021 was no different. In celebration of the year that was, Nintendo has shared which of these creative and special indie games were the best-selling on its latest console. Nintendo shared this list of best-selling Indie Games as part of its latest Indie World video presentation, and there are some truly wonderful choices, including Spelunky 2, Unpacking, Axiom Verge 2, Cyber Shadow, Tetris Effect: Connected, and many more. The games themselves are not ranked, so we don't know which of the 15 indie games sold the best, but it does give players around the world a glimpse as to what resonated the most with Switch owners in 2022. The full list...

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Valorant Game Director Joe Ziegler Leaves His Role to Start a New, Secret Project at Riot Games

Joe Ziegler, who was part of the Valorant team for eight years and served as game director, has left his role to work on a new, secret project at Riot Games. Ziegler shared the announcement on Valorant's website, saying that, "it is with a heart full of gratitude and a deep excitement that I come to you today with news." "After 8 years of working on VALORANT, building it from the ground up with a team of dedicated and passionate developers who’ve worked tirelessly to serve you all with the respect and admiration that you deserve, I am giving up the mantle of game director of the VALORANT tac-shooter to my good friend, Andy Ho," Ziegler said. Ho had the position of Senior Director, Game Direction since June 2017 and Ziegler promises...

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Fortnite: Cobra Kai Outfits Arrive in Time for Season 4

Just in time for the release of the series' fourth season on Netflix, The Cobra Kai Set is now available in Fortnite. The set adds 10 new outfits, each of which can be altered to represent the dojo of your choosing: Cobra Kai, Eagle Fang, or Miyagi-Do. The five male and five female outfits are available in two separate bundles for 2,000 V-Bucks ($20 USD) each. Alternatively, individual outfits can be purchased for 800 V-Bucks ($8 USD). Also available in the set are a number of new accessories — Teachings of Miyagi Back Bling, Cobra Coin Back Bling, Dojo Logo Pickaxe, and Cobra’s Curse Pickaxe — as well as the Karate Kid's signature Crane Kick emote. All the new gear can be purchased as a bundle for 1,500 V-Bucks ($15 USD), while...

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The Top 100 Video Games of All Time

IGN’s Top 100 games list encompasses the best of the best throughout history, spanning generations of consoles, PCs, handhelds, and more. Our list last saw a major update back in 2019, and since then, there have been several games released that deserved to be added. Just as importantly, we looked at the totality of the top 100 as it stood and asked ourselves a few key questions. This lead to some beloved games dropping off, and other games we previously missed being added. Games in our top 100 have to measure up to a few key metrics: how great a game it was when it launched, how fun it is to still play today, and how much the game reflects the best in its class. While past versions of this list have put a big emphasis on a game’s...

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IGN UK Podcast #625: The Big 2022 Preview Show

On the eve of a new year, it's time to look ahead. Join Cardy, Alex, and Jesse as they go through all of the big games, films, and TV shows coming in 2022. There's a lot to be excited about so settle in. Why not let us know what you're looking forward to the most? Feel free to sling us an email at ign_ukfeedback@ign.com. IGN UK Podcast #625: The Big 2022 Preview IGN UK Podcast #624: Alternative Movie and TV Awards 2021 IGN UK Podcast #623: Alternative Game Awards 2021 IGN UK Podcast #622: Sucking on Chocolate is Wonderful IGN UK Podcast #621: West Side Story of Bungalow Bill IGN UK Podcast #620: Resident Evil - Welcome to the Sinnoh Region Continue reading...

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Masahiro Sakurai Quips About Playing It Takes Two by Himself

Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai is known for sometimes playing two characters in Smash Bros. simultaneously, against himself. He's done this multiple times before, including in a Nintendo Direct to show off Banjo and Kazooie. But while this is an admittedly goofy way to play Smash, Sakurai hinted recently that he might also play other games like this, too. Like It Takes Two, for example. When It Takes Two won Game of the Year at The Game Awards, Sakurai posted on his Twitter, suggesting it might be possible to play It Takes Two by oneself, with two controllers. The co-op game has some pretty tricky coordinated puzzling and boss fights, but given how complex Smash can be (especially when you're, you know, the creator of the...

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Steam Reveals Its Best-Selling and Most Played Games of 2021

Steam has released its Best of 2021 lists and, while it doesn't rank the top games in each category, they do reveal which games were the most played, sold the best, and much more. Steam's Best of 2021 lists include Top Sellers, New Releases, Most Played, Early Access Grads, Best of VR, and Controller Friendly; and games like Valheim, New World, Halo Infinite, Battlefield 2042, PUBG, Counter-Strike and Grand Theft Auto V appear in multiple categories. The Top Sellers category features the top 100 games as measured by gross revenue and places each one into the Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze tier; but it does not detail how much a game has to earn for it to qualify for a new level. The Platinum Top Sellers, in alphabetical order...

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The Biggest Games Coming in 2022

Due in part to the sheer number of games delayed out of 2021, 2022 has inherited one of the most promising video game lineups in recent memory. Over 100 games are already scheduled for 2022, and with the new year fast approaching, we’re highlighting the most promising projects on the horizon, from tentpole first-party titles like Breath of the Wild 2, God of War Ragnarok, and Starfield to much-anticipated multiplatform releases such as Elden Ring, Hogwarts Legacy, and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. There’s a lot to look forward to in the year ahead, so let’s dive in. These are the 48 biggest games coming in 2022, listed chronologically by release date. Only games with officially announced 2022 release dates/windows were...

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Fortnite Is Down As Epic Games Works Towards a Solution to Stability Issues

Fortnite is currently down and Epic has confirmed it is investigating a solution to stability issues that led to the game servers being taken offline. The Fortnite team shared the unfortunate news on its @FortniteStatus account on Twitter and promised to update players "as soon as more info is available." Earlier today, Fortnite players began experiencing login, matchmaking, and other issues when trying to play the battle royale game, and the issues quickly became severe enough for Epic to step in and shut down the game as they worked towards a solution. Server downtime is not uncommon during the holiday season, but it is yet unclear if this particular issue stemmed from an influx of players or something else entirely. On...

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Genshin Impact's Subreddit Was Reddit's Most-Viewed Community in 2021

Reddit's 2021 recap is out, and based on its data report it looks like Redditors really loved Genshin Impact, Final Fantasy 14, League of Legends, and Grand Theft Auto role-play in 2021. The most-viewed community for the year was r/genshin_impact, followed by r/leagueoflegends, and then the general gaming hub r/gaming. In fourth place was r/rpclipsgta, a subreddit dedicated to "everything GTA [role-play] related," followed by r/ffxiv, which likely thrived thanks to the anticipation and ultimate release of the Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker expansion in December. Related to GTA role-playing, Reddit's roundup notes that r/NoPixel -- a subreddit dedicated to a specific GTA RP server -- saw a 267% increase in views year over year. Other...

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Best Cheap Gaming Laptops 2021

The best gaming laptops keep improving with more advanced features, better designs, stronger internals, and even improved battery lives. And, right alongside those premium gaming laptops, cheap gaming laptops are reaping the benefits. You can now find budget gaming laptops that easily handle the latest PC games thanks to Nvidia's GTX 30-Series graphics and AMD's Ryzen 5000-series mobile CPUs. Even some higher-end Nvidia RTX GPUs have made their way into cheap gaming laptops for a portable ray tracing experience. So, if you're looking for an affordable machine to help you PC from anywhere, we've picked out the best machines for you – and click here to find them in the UK. TL; DR – These are the Best Cheap Gaming Laptops: HP OMEN 16...

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PlayStation Plus Games for January 2022 Announced

Sony has announced that Persona 5 Strikers, Dirt 5, and Deep Rock Galactic are the PlayStation Plus games for January 2022. Announced on PlayStation.Blog, these three games will all be available on Tuesday, January 4 until Tuesday, February 1, and are the first PlayStation Plus games for the new year. PS4's Persona 5 Strikers is a spin-off that stars Persona 5's Phantom Thieves and picks up just a few months after the end of the original game (sorry Persona 5 Royal fans!). Instead of featuring turn-based combat, the action in Persona 5 Strikers is focused on combo-driven hacking and slashing that is somewhat similar to a musou game, but not quite. In our Persona 5 Strikers review, we said that its "main story is every bit the...

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What to Expect from Xbox in 2022

With the one-year anniversary of the Xbox Series X and S consoles, 20th birthday of the Xbox brand, release of the best-in-class Forza Horizon 5, AND the launch of the ridiculously fun Halo Infinite, Microsoft has had a lot to celebrate towards the end of 2021. Phil Spencer and friends won’t be keen to take the balloons down and end the party just yet though, and with a jam-packed 2022 ahead it’s easy to see why they’d want to keep the celebration going. Here’s what to expect from Microsoft and its host of Xbox Game Studios over the next 12 months. Xbox Has Games One way to keep momentum going is to focus on what gave Microsoft such a strong ending to 2021 - great games. And one element of the 2022 slate will be continuing support...

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The 13 Best Horror Movies of 2021

This list contains spoilers for various entries. In a year where horror finally returned to multiplex screens, streamers proved they’re still here to share some screams. A Quiet Place II may have welcomed moviegoers back indoors with familiar sensations of thumping theater audio and the underfoot stickiness of dried soda soaked into ratty carpets. However, terror remained prominent across platforms from Netflix to Shudder. Horror’s always been about supporting both mainstream and independent avenues — that was easier to forget before lockdown delays. Hopefully we don’t forget about foreign or lower-budget slashers while bickering online about Halloween Kills as if the slasher subgenre hangs in the balance (for example). So many of...

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What to Expect From PlayStation in 2022

The first full year of the PS5 was a busy one, with exclusives, firmware updates, and studio acquisitions, and sustained support for the PS4 through new, cross-gen releases. While it was a busy year for PlayStation, 2022 is looking to be even busier, as delays pushed some of Sony’s biggest exclusives - as well as major third-party releases - into the new year. There’s also a question of when PlayStation’s next-gen PSVR will be announced, and how Sony will approach events in a continually evolving and changing pandemic world. So with 2021 largely behind us, let’s look ahead to what’s in store for PlayStation in 2022. Exclusive Games in 2022 PlayStation is synonymous with marquee exclusives, both from its suite of internal studios...

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LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone Set Release Date Announced

The LEGO Group has not only officially unveiled the LEGO Ideas Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone Set, but it has also announced that it will be available for purchase on January 1, 2022, for $69.99 USD. Green Hill Zone, which has become one of the most iconic levels in gaming since its debut in the original Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991 for SEGA Genesis, is getting the LEGO treatment thanks to the 24-year-old Viv Grannell. Grannell conceived this concept through the LEGO Ideas platform and, after it reached the required 10,000 votes from the community, the LEGO team chose to make this dream a reality. The LEGO Ideas Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone Set is a 1,125-piece set and it includes five minifigures, including Sonic...

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Remedy Entertainment and Tencent Partner to Develop a Co-Op Multiplayer Game Codenamed Vanguard

Remedy Entertainment, the company behind Control and Alan Wake, has signed a global development, license, and distribution agreement with Tencent for a new co-operative multiplayer game that is currently codenamed Vanguard. Announced by Remedy, Vanguard - which should obviously not be confused for Call of Duty: Vanguard - will be a "free-to-play, co-operative PvE shooter that combines Remedy's narrative expertise and action gameplay into an immersive multiplayer experience." The game will be developed with the Unreal Engine for both PC and consoles and, while Remedy will develop and publish the game for most of the world, Tencent will localize Vanguard for "the selected Asian markets" and it will cover any related localization...

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Riot Games to Pay $100 Million After Reaching a Settlement Over Gender Discrimination Lawsuit

Riot Games, the company behind such games as League of Legends and Valorant, will pay out a total of $100 million — including an $80 million settlement, plus an additional $20 million in fees and expenses — after reaching a global settlement agreement with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE), and several private Plaintiffs to resolve its gender discrimination lawsuit from 2018. As per the agreement, Riot will pay $80 million to all current and former full-time employees and temporary agency contractors in California who identify as women and worked at the company from November 2014 to the present day. The other $20 million will go towards...

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Best Gaming PCs 2021: Prebuilt Desktop PCs Made to Game

While gaming desktops might be a bit more complicated than the Xbox Series X and the PS5, buying a pre-built desktop computer isn't too different from buying a new console especially with us to help guide you. Whether you're looking for a low-power rig for DoTA or the most powerful machine on the market, there's a PC out there for you. If you're not ready for the time commitment and frustration that comes with building a rig yourself, plus the headache of build components coming in and out of stock, buying a pre-built can give you a great starting point. There's always the option to further upgrade with a new processor, memory, or storage. If you want the best possible looking games, there are still reasons to buy a gaming PC. The...

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Halo Infinite Players Are Obsessed With the New Spartan Cat Ear Helmet Attachment

While Halo Infinite's campaign may be a story about Master Chief saving the galaxy from a threat greater than any it has ever known, its multiplayer is now home to Meowster Chief as a Spartan cat ear helmet attachment is now available for purchase in the game's store. Halo Infinite players who jump into the in-game store will be greeted by the "Cat Lovers" bundle for 1,000 Credits ($8.99 USD) that includes the Faded Blush Epic Armor Coating, the Tabby Rare Charm, the Kat Epic Charm, and the pièce de résistance - the Purrfect Audio Epic Helmet Attachment. This attachment adds adorable cat ears on the top of any helmet under the Mark VII Armor Core and the internet has, rightfully so, quickly fallen in love with it. @its_kiingah even...

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