Gaming News

The Best Puzzle Game of 2021

2021's puzzle games brought not only the mind-benders, but they also featured some of the most striking art and design out of games of all genres. From the painterly world of Chicory to the black-and-white art style of TOEM to the visual storytelling of Unpacking, puzzle fans were treated to some great experiences this year. To help celebrate the best of the best, Here are our picks for the top puzzle game of 2021. Chicory: A Colorful Tale Imagine a top-down adventure Zelda-like, but the entire game is a giant canvas where paint is used for both puzzle-solving and plot. That’s the genius of Chicory, where your artist output can grow sprouts into tall plant platforms, light up mushroom-filled caves, burn away obstacles, and guide...

View full article »

The Best Game of the Year 2021

Fancy a drive through beautiful Mexico? Or how about a haunted European adventure? A pair of familiar heroes make their long-awaited return, and a couple of perfectly-planned assassinations were just some of the best games in 2021. Every year we look back and pick our favorite games of the year. In 2021, we got the highly-anticipated sequels to beloved, as well as bold, imaginative new games that make us fall in love with games all over again. These are our picks for IGN's best games of 2021. Deathloop Deathloop is one of the most fascinating video games of not just 2021, but the last few years. It’s a complex and intricate design, fitting together elements of roguelikes, metroidvanias, shooters, and detective games in a...

View full article »

The Best RPG of 2021

The RPG genre can be a vast one, but there are always a few things at the heart of it: the constant growth and progression of your character or party driven by a focus on story – be that a story that is down to earth or entirely fantastical. 2021 was packed full of epic RPGs, some set in warped versions of our own world and others in entirely new fantasy locations. Despite there being exciting options across western RPGs, JRPGs, and beyond, a few have risen above the undoubtedly impressive pack. These are our picks for the best RPGs of 2021. Bravely Default II Bravely Default 2 is a fairly unassuming RPG on the face of it, with more than a few dismissing it for its minimalist story and strange, doll-like protagonists. But upon...

View full article »

Call of Duty: Warzone Devs Stage Protest Following Lay-Offs

Activision Blizzard is currently facing serious ongoing allegations of harassment and mistreatment of marginalized workers. To learn more, please visit our timeline as well as our in-depth report on the subject. Following news over the weekend that Activision Blizzard laid off “at least a dozen” quality assurance contractors at Raven Studios, members of the team still with the company have announced plans to walk out and demand that the laid-off employees return and are offered full-time positions. Members of Raven Software’s QA team — who work on ensuring the quality of Call of Duty: Warzone, one of Activision Blizzard’s biggest hits and financial successes — issued a statement announcing the intent to walk out and context behind...

View full article »

The Best Strategy Games of 2021

If critical thinking and strategic planning to achieve a victory over your opponent is your bag, 2021 had you absolutely covered. Here are our picks for the best strategy games of 2021. Inscryption Inscryption is part card game and part puzzler, so it’s tricky to drop it neatly into a single genre category – but its evolving card-battling mechanics are the brightest aspect of it for a majority of the playtime. The basics of playing creatures, tipping a scale, and proceeding to the next fight rarely change, but the way Inscryption constantly reinvents all of the systems around those fundamentals is truly incredible. It teaches you how to master one iteration of itself in a way that’s challenging but never frustrating, and just as you...

View full article »

The Best Console Exclusive Game of 2021

It's been a monumental year across the board when it comes to console exclusives. Across the five nominees below, IGN reviews gave two of them 10s and the other three 9s, with representatives from Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony standing shoulder to shoulder. As for the actual category, while some of these games are available on PC, all five are considered 2021 console exclusives for their respective platforms – that means you can't play them on another living room system. These are our picks for the best console exclusive games of 2021. Deathloop A first-person, systems-driven game that’s lighter on story is perhaps not the first thing you’d expect of a PlayStation exclusive, but that’s what we got with Deathloop, Arkane’s first and...

View full article »

The Best Video Game Art of 2021

Game graphics have come a long, long way in the last decade, but graphics alone don't make a beautiful game. Style, mood, and emotion can all be conveyed through a game's art direction, and can be seen in everything from its characters and environments to level design.. and even menus. These are our picks for the best video game art of 2021: The Artful Escape The Artful Escape features an incredibly life-like yet simplistic, paper-feeling environment, fully punched up with remarkable color. It's the kind of art style that supports itself and the story perfectly, yet entirely unexpectedly. Quirkiness hidden in the ordinary is a common theme, and you instantly feel like you are part of a Wes Anderson-Tim Burton mash-up film from the...

View full article »

The Best Video Game Music of 2021

2021's video game releases offered a host of incredible scores that have been the soundtracks not just to our experiences in-game, but have stuck with us long after visiting this year's crop of incredible worlds. We took into account both original soundtracks, as well as the inclusion and implementation of licensed music (which means even if a game had a bunch of indelible pop hits, it still had to integrate those in with the play experience, and its original score, to a satisfactory level). These are our picks for the best video game soundtrack or score of 2021. The Artful Escape Less an "adventure game with great music" and more of "a great music game with a fun adventure," The Artful Escape provides a continuous interstellar...

View full article »

The Best Ongoing Game of 2021

Despite the ton of new games that debuted this year, there were plenty of already existing ones that just got better and better in 2021. Here are our picks for the best ongoing game of 2021. Animal Crossing: New Horizons Animal Crossing: New Horizons was justifiably criticized for its lack of support through most of 2021, sapping some of its momentum after a remarkable 2020. That changed with two massive content releases: the 2.0 release that introduced Brewster along with a huge amount of free content, and the new Happy Home Paradise DLC expansion, which is like a self-contained game in itself, allowing you to design a custom vacation island for your villagers while steadily acquiring new items and other unlockables. Taken together...

View full article »

The Best Shooter of 2021

2021's slate of gaming shooters has offered blasts from the past and bold new takes on first-person gunplay. Not only did we finally get the return of Master Chief in Halo Infinite following a year-long delay, but we also got the spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead in Back 4 Blood, the next entry in the beloved Far Cry series in Far Cry 6 - starring Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito nonetheless - and Arkane Studios' Deathloop. To celebrate the genre's variety this year, we chose the ones that made gunplay a focus and provided players with a ton of fun tools to take on the impossible odds presented to them. To further explain why we choose these four outstanding games, read on below to hear why we think these are the best shooters of...

View full article »

The Best Action Game of 2021

Whether based on an existing property or set in an all-new world, these games provided some of the most fresh, fun, and challenging gameplay experiences of the year. These are our picks for the best action game of 2021. Death's Door Death's Door expertly blends classic dungeon puzzle solving with fast-paced combat encounters to create one heck of a memorable experience that cements itself as one of the top action games of 2021. It’s moody world packed full of secrets and mysteries would have made for a compelling adventure on its own, but the gauntlet of enemies you’ll have to reap souls from in the process is just as enticing. Its decisive combat will have you dodge-rolling between melee attackers, sniping exploding pot...

View full article »

The Best Video Game Story of 2021

The best video game stories in 2021 took us far and wide, whether it was to a sleepy Colorado town, outer space, the past, or the inside of some truly messed-up minds. These are our picks for the best video game story of 2021. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy manages to achieve something quite difficult - successfully reimagine an already beloved group of characters and arguably elevate them to new heights. Eidos Montreal took the humour synonymous with the ragtag team and injected a surprisingly healthy amount of heart into a story that delicately manages to balance a universe-ending event with the personal demons haunting each member. It’s a confidently told linear tale that feels like a playable...

View full article »

Noteworthy Advancement in Accessibility for 2021

As the games industry becomes increasingly aware of and concerned with ensuring games are accessible to as many people as possible, we've seen a number of exciting new advancements as to what exactly that looks like. This year was no exception. We assembled a group of accessibility experts to weigh in on what 2021 games deserve to be celebrated in particular for the attention and care they devoted to all kinds of accessibility. From controller remapping to visual options, from games that let you skip certain kinds of content to games with inputs simple enough to be played with one hand, here are our nominations for noteworthy advancement in accessibility for 2021: Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Pokémon Brilliant...

View full article »

The Best Action-Adventure Game of 2021

Action-adventure remains one of gaming’s most popular and celebrated genres, blending fine-tuned moment-to-moment gameplay with strong exploration, puzzle-solving, and narrative. There were several worthy additions to the genre's vast library this year, yet five games stood above the rest. These are our picks for the best action-adventure games of 2021. Hitman 3 In a lot of ways, Hitman 3 is more of the same, but considering the incredibly high bar set by the first two entries in IO interactive's World of Assasination trilogy, that's by no means a bad thing. Couple that with the fact that early 2021 absolutely sucked for travel of any kind, and getting to look over Agent 47's shoulder as he explored exotic new locales was...

View full article »

Halo Infinite Multiplayer Has Some Hidden Modes on PC

Halo Infinite's multiplayer mode has some hidden modes on PC, which seem only to be accessible if you boot up the game in offline mode. As spotted by Reddit user u/WickedSoldier991, Halo Infinite appears to include 14 additional multiplayer game modes as yet unavailable in the main online game, including unreleased Arena, Fiesta, Ranked and Tactical mode. Players aren't typically able to access the hidden modes unless they launch the game in offline mode. However, as WickedSoldier991 points out that, once discovered, each of the modes can then be saved so that you can access them yourself when online at a later point. As standard, Infinite's multiplayer mode currently has 17 different playable modes including the likes of Slayer...

View full article »

Xbox Game Pass in December 2021: Halo Infinite, Among Us, and More

December is shaping up to be another incredible month for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, and is even still running on the steam from November's incredible lineup of Game Pass games like Forza Horizon 5, It Takes Two, and GTA San Andreas. But now, this is the big one. Halo Infinite will launch on December 8, and will be available day one of release on Xbox Game Pass for PC, consoles, and cloud users. However, that's not all for this month, you can also expect Among Us coming to consoles on December 14, alongside Final Fantasy XIII-2, now available for console and PC users, alongside plenty of other games. Halo Infinite Will Launch Day One on Xbox Game Pass Halo Infinite's campaign is launching on December 8 for Xbox, PC, and cloud...

View full article »

Final Fantasy 14 Director Apologises for Endwalker Login Problems, Offers Free Play Time

Final Fantasy 14 producer and director Naoki Yoshida has apologized to players regarding login problems that have featured in the game since the early access launch of Endwalker. As compensation, paying players will receive 7 days of free play time. In a post published on the FF14 website, Yoshida delved further into the issues that have contributed to players' frustrations over the weekend. "Currently, all Worlds across all regions have been hitting the login cap for extremely long periods of time, and the progression of login queues is being slowed dramatically," explained Yoshida in the post. "Across the FFXIV service as a whole, the number of simultaneous logins has reached the hardware limit, and as a result, logging in has...

View full article »

Halo Infinite Single-Player Campaign Review

Halo Infinite’s single-player campaign, like a new generation of Master Chief’s MJOLNIR armor, powers up a 20-year-old series, by both returning to its roots and blazing new trails to build off of. By shifting to an open-world map while retaining the classic gameplay both on foot and in its iconic vehicles, it offers a level of freedom in combat not seen in any prior Halo game. There’s a lot to do in this expansive playground, and completing its never-dull-or-overwhelming list of activities earns more combat options and, ultimately, more fun. It doesn’t quite recapture the environmental variety or memorable story of the original trilogy, but it’s still a thrilling return to form for one of gaming’s most beloved series, and for Master...

View full article »

Aussie Deals: Half Off FIFA 22 and Mass Effect, 78% Off a Tomb Raider Triple, plus More!

The end of December is fast approaching and this means two things for many of us. Firstly, it's the season to buy discounted holiday gifts for folks. It's also time to load up the 'You Better Watch Out...' mission in Hitman: Blood Money, don a Santa suit, put every NPC on your naughty list and then get sleighing. No? Could just be a me tradition. Anyway, today's bargains await you below... Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Purchase Cheaply for PC Exciting Offers for XO/XS Product Savings for PS4/PS5 Adam's an Aussie deals wrangler who is hanging for more Hitman 3 content. He's @Grizwords. Continue reading...

View full article »

Activision Blizzard Lays Off 'At Least a Dozen' Raven Software Quality Assurance Contractors

Activision Blizzard is currently facing serious ongoing allegations of harassment and mistreatment of marginalized workers. To learn more, please visit our timeline as well as our in-depth report on the subject. Activision Blizzard has laid off "at least a dozen" quality assurance contractors from the Call of Duty studio Raven Software as part of a restructuring effort at the studio. As reported by The Washington Post, current employees confirmed that even more contractors "will be informed over the next few days if they have been laid off too." Raven Software worked with Infinity Ward on Call of Duty: Warzone and developed Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War alongside Treyarch. According to Raven employees, the studio will be meeting...

View full article »

Fortnite Chapter 2 Finale Event Ends With World Changing Results and The Rock's Reveal

Fortnite Chapter 2, Season 8 has come to a close with “The End”, a finale Season 8 event that rocked the island to its core. The Cube Queen’s overwhelming forces dominated the players -all hope was lost. Thankfully, the island was seemingly saved by members of The Seven and The Foundation, who was revealed to be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Fortnite’s “The End” event started out calm enough. Players had fun bouncing around while a large timer counted down, our pending doom juxtaposed by dancing Narutos. All of that changed at the 9-minute mark as Cube Monsters started bleeding into our reality. Armed with legendary weapons and mounted turrets, we easily tore through the first wave of enemies.Then the clock struck zero and all...

View full article »

Geoff Keighley: Beyond Its Nominations, Activision Blizzard Will Not Be Part of The Game Awards

Activision Blizzard is currently facing serious ongoing allegations of harassment and mistreatment of marginalized workers. To learn more, please visit our timeline as well as our in-depth report on the subject. Amidst all the allegations of discrimination and sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard, The Game Awards creator and host Geoff Keighley has confirmed that, beyond its nominations, the company behind such games as Call of Duty, Diablo, and World of Warcraft will not be part of this year's show. Keighley shared the news on Twitter while also condemning harassment of any kind in the workplace or otherwise. "#TheGameAwards is a time of celebration for the industry, the biggest form of entertainment in the world," Keighley...

View full article »

How Halo Infinite’s Equipment Reshapes Its Golden Triangle

Six long years after Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Infinite is ready to pick up the mantle of Xbox’s flagship franchise. This time, the man in green gets an open-world playground of his own, Zeta Halo. And with a new playground comes new tools to even the odds against the Banished. What isn’t new is equipment that can be carried and deployed to change the momentum of any game. Equipment was first introduced in Halo 3, and is now a vital part of Halo’s ecosystem. Why is equipment a big deal? Equipment disrupts Halo’s golden triangle of damage dealing: melee, grenades, and guns. The golden triangle lies at the heart of every Halo game, though the term grew in popularity after being mentioned in a Halo 3 documentary. And while Halo’s approach...

View full article »

Spookware is WarioWare With Skeletons, a Plot, and Movie Tropes

What do you get when you cross WarioWare with skeletons? Spookware, obviously. But Spookware is more than just a WarioWare reskin. It’s a set of clever, film-themed micro games framed by a clever storytelling device of three skeleton bros who decide to leave their basement movie cave and go on an adventure in the world, solving problems and creating new ones as they go. Developers Adam Pype, Viktor Kraus, and Tibau Van den Broeck didn’t start out trying to recreate themselves and their film-watching habits in the form of micro games. Instead, Spookware came from Pype’s participation in Game a Month, a challenge that (true to its name) asks developers to make one game per month over a set period. Pype and Kraus had worked together...

View full article »

If the Chrono Cross Remaster Is Real, Please Let it Look Like This

We don't know if the reported Chrono Cross Remake is real or not, but if it is, we sure hope it looks like the cinematic trailer for the Chrono Cross and Another Eden crossover event, Complex Dream. Set to the nostalgic opening theme Time Scar, the trailer shows off Serge, Kit, Harle, and Lynx alongside various Another Eden characters in a tribute to Chrono Cross' original intro movie. It's full of references, including the iconic moment when the camera zooms in on Kid's eye (with Feinne from Another Eden standing in here) and Harle's shot against a full moon. And dang, they all look good. Chrono Cross' intro is the kind of video game opening that still impresses even in 2021, but these shiny, high-quality renditions of Serge and...

View full article »

Inside the Surprise Chrono Cross-over Event That Has Fans Buzzing About a Remake

Following reports that beloved PlayStation RPG Chrono Cross might have a remaster in the works, another unrelated piece of official news is helping fuel the Chrono nostalgia even more. Chrono Cross is getting its first-ever crossover event by making an appearance in mobile JRPG Another Eden, beginning on December 9. Of all the games in the world for Chrono Cross to show up in, Another Eden is probably the most appropriate choice. Officially titled Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space, the free-to-play adventure is a collaboration between Masato Kato and Yasunori Mitsuda, both of whom worked on Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross. If you’ve played Another Eden at all, you’ve likely noticed a number of parallels with the Chrono...

View full article »

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - Aiko's Choice Review

Aiko's Choice is a punchy, compact standalone expansion for 2016's exceptional tactical stealth adventure Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, and that's all I really needed it to be. Across three beefy, brilliant new levels and three smaller interludes, this side story returns us to Japan's Edo period to sneak, slash, and stalk our way through expertly crafted outposts and fortresses. And these missions pick up where the already difficult original game left off in ramping up the challenge, so expect a good fight. All five of Blades of the Shogun's memorable party members are back, using their unique ability sets in tandem to chip away at devilishly clever clusters of diverse enemies. The basic routine hasn't really changed from the...

View full article »

Fights in Tight Spaces Review

If you both play action games and have seen the movie Kingsman: The Secret Service, it's a scientific fact that you’ve fantasized about playing a game where you systematically dispatch gaggles of enemies in stylish fashion. Then again, the game in your head probably didn’t look like Fights in Tight Spaces. Yet despite its deck-building and turn-based mechanics, you may have a hard time finding a better game that captures the moment-to-moment threat assessment and problem-solving aspects that make the best cinematic fight scenes so thrilling. As Agent 11, top dirt-doer for a high stakes espionage firm, you're tasked with infiltrating and eliminating international gangs by any means necessary. You’ll do this by moving from one end of a...

View full article »

Halo Infinite to Add Three More PvP Modes Before the End of the Year

343 Industries is planning to release more playlists and PvP modes for Halo Infinite by the end of this year. These modes include Fiesta, Tactical Slayer (SWAT), and Free-For-All. However, they won't arrive in time for Halo Infinite's official campaign launch date of December 8. 343 community director John Junyszek announced the developer's plans on Twitter. He also mentions that a Social Slayer playlist with multiple variations of the mode is being worked on as it was the most requested game type. "Our goal for Events is to try new modes prior to adding to playlists," explains Junyszek. "We'll monitor playlist health after the 3 additions above and adjust our offering if needed, but we're excited to make these updates before the...

View full article »

Game Scoop! 653: Let Go of Your Backlog

Welcome back to IGN Game Scoop!, the ONLY video game podcast! This week your Omega Cops -- Daemon Hatfield, Tina Amini, Sam Claiborn, and Justin Davis -- are discussing backlog management, Christmas gaming memories, flipping through the December 2003 issue of Nintendo Power, and more. And, of course, they play Video Game 20 Questions. Watch the video above or hit the link below to your favorite podcast service. Listen on: Apple Podcasts YouTube Spotify Stitcher Find previous episodes here! Continue reading...

View full article »