Gaming News

James Bond Owner Didn't Want Another Video Game Until Hitman Developer Pitched Project 007

The James Bond rights holders weren't interested in making another video game until Hitman developer IO Interactive pitched Project 007. As reported by GamesRadar, IO Interactive co-owners Hakan Abrak and Christian Elverdam told Edge Magazine they had a hard time convincing the James Bond owners to let them make a game in that universe, with poorly received recent releases perhaps putting them off. "Our impression was clearly that [at the time] they were not looking for a game," said Abrak. "And I think it's fair that they might not have been super happy with some of the later games." There hasn't been a James Bond release in a while, but the latest two were 2010's 007: Blood Stone (which IGN said was mediocre) and 2012's 007...

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Bethesda Initially Cast Deus Ex Voice Actor as Male Lead, Before Settling on a Silent Protagonist

Deus Ex voice actor Elias Toufexis was initially cast to voice the male protagonist in Bethesda's latest sci-fi RPG Starfield, before the developer decided to follow in the footsteps of previous title like The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim to go with a silent protagonist. “Yeah it’s true,” said Toufexis in a post on X. "@cissyspeaks [Cissy Jones] and I were originally the player voices in Starfield. We worked for months. When they decided the player should be voiceless they gave Cissy and me Andreja and Sam Coe.” The voice actor went on to praise the developer for keeping keeping himself and Jones on to voice prominent companions after making the decision to go with a voiceless protagonist. “Games NEVER do this,” said Toufexis. "Once...

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Dead by Daylight's Newest Killer Is Child's Play's Chucky

Dead by Daylight's latest chapter update brings Chucky, the doll-turned-serial-killer star of the Child's Play slasher-movie franchise, into the world of the popular asymmetrical multiplayer game as a Killer. He will be available on November 28. Developer Behaviour Interactive notes that Chucky’s original voice actor, Brad Dourif, reprises his role. They also add: "Players can further customize the new Killer with the Good Gal outfit, inspired by Tiffany Valentine (aka the Bride of Chucky), which is voiced by Jennifer Tilly." Check out the announcement trailer above and the first screenshots of Chucky in Dead by Daylight (along with a render of Bride of Chucky) in the image gallery below. As you'd expect, Chucky is adept at sneaking...

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Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Full Game Release Times Confirmed

Activision has confirmed the global release times for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3’s full game launch, following campaign early access last week. The shooter launches proper on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Battle.net and Steam with Multiplayer and Zombies from November 9, with the full game console launch rolling out on a regional basis throughout that day and into November 10. The PC launch has a fixed time, however. Here are the launch times per timezone: U.S. West Coast: Console - 3am to 10pm PT November 9 U.S. West Coast: PC - 9pm PT November 9 U.S. East Coast: Console - regional rollout November 9-10 U.S. East Coast: PC - midnight EST November 9 UK: Console - regional rollout...

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IGN Plus: Claim a Steam Key for Talos Principle While Supplies Last!

If you enjoy puzzle games, I have an exceptional one for you. To celebrate the launch of The Talos Principle II, you can grab a key for the original Talos Principle, a first (or third) person puzzle game, on Steam right now as part of IGN Plus. Already an IGN Plus member? Get your key here! (Keys are limited, so once the card says, "Closed," all keys have been claimed) Not an IGN Plus member yet? Join here. IGN Plus Monthly Game: The Talos Principle The Talos Principle (check out the review) is a fantastically written, well-crafted puzzle game with a healthy side of philosophy. They are like nothing else and, if you ask me (and our reviewer), the sequel is even better. If you want to jump in and simply enjoy it as a puzzle game...

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Mass Effect N7 Day Teaser Has Fans Theorizing About Andromeda Ties and Who That Is in the Trailer

Earlier today, BioWare revealed a new 30 second trailer for Mass Effect 5 on the occasion of N7 Day, leading fans to once again don their detective hats as they comb the new footage for fresh info. The biggest revelation is that the long-awaited sequel will indeed tie into Mass Effect: Andromeda in some way. There had been questions about whether BioWare would quietly drop any references to its ill-fated spin-off, but it seems like it's still fully part of the canon. Fan speculation that Mass Effect 5 would incorporate Andromeda somehow was seemingly confirmed by the following code. The subsequent reveal of the OCULON-2819-DEFIANCE code appears to be another nod to Andromeda, and implies that Mass Effect 5 will be set long...

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Why Xbox's Third-Party Accessories Ban Is Sparking a Backlash in the Disabled Community

After failing to disclose accessibility information and provide suitable accessible features and design practices in one of this year’s biggest games, Xbox’s positive messaging surrounding their commitment to accessibility is once again being questioned by disabled players. Xbox recently announced that third-party accessories and controllers will no longer be compatible with systems after an upcoming update. For many disabled Xbox gamers, this decision will ultimately impact their capability to play. According to a story first reported by Windows Central, Microsoft is banning the use of select third-party devices on all Xbox consoles beginning November 12. After sharing a list of approved pieces of tech on their website, many disabled...

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Lords of the Fallen Getting More Free Content, Roadmap Revealed

Lords of the Fallen is getting more free content as developer Hexworks and publisher CI Games have revealed a roadmap of incoming updates. Following the success of its Halloween-themed Season of the Bleak event, Hexworks confirmed it will release two similar updates containing fresh content by the end of 2023. It didn't offer a release window for these events, nor what they would be centred around, but as the previous one was Halloween-focused, the follow-ups will perhaps be themed around another holiday like Christmas. The roadmap, which can be seen below, shows fairly clearly what the other content drops will be. Players can expect multiple new questlines to be added by the end of 2023, alongside unique armour sets and weapons, 12...

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Ubisoft Lays Off 124 Employees to 'Enhance Collective Efficiency'

Ubisoft has laid off 124 individuals today in an effort "to streamline our operations and enhance our collective efficiency," according to the company. In a release this morning, Ubisoft confirmed that it was reorganizing its Canadian studios in a move that was impacting a total of 124 positions total, 98 of which were based in Canada - roughly 2% of its Canadian workforce. Per Ubisoft, those laid off came from the business administrative services and IT teams, both across the Hybride VFX studio in Montreal and the global IT team. "These are not decisions taken lightly and we are providing comprehensive support for our colleagues who will be leaving Ubisoft during this transition," the company said. "We also want to share our utmost...

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Silent Hill: The Short Message Plot Leaks Despite No Official Announcement

Content Warning: The following article contains mentions of themes some readers may find distressing, including those of self-harm and suicide. Konami's unannounced but all-but-confirmed Silent Hill game, The Short Message, has leaked once again after the Australian ratings board revealed a synopsis. As reported by Eurogamer, the Australian Classification Board's annual report reveals some of the central themes and story details of The Short Message despite Konami not having revealed it yet. The game was initially leaked by South Korea's ratings board in September 2022. The Short Message is "an exploration-based psychological horror game in which players control characters in an apartment building called The Villa in modern-day...

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Resident Evil 4 Remake iPhone 15 Pro Release Date Confirmed

Apple fans who enjoy Resident Evil will be happy to know that Resident Evil 4 Remake arrives on Apple devices next month. Capcom confirmed that Resident Evil 4 Remake will be available on iPhone 15 Pro, in addition to iPads and Mac computers that feature Apple Silicon, such as the M3 chip. As previously confirmed, Resident Evil 4 Remake on Apple devices costs $60. While $60 might seem steep, particularly if you are buying Resident Evil 4 Remake to play exclusively on your iPhone 15 Pro, Capcom previously confirmed that Resident Evil 4 Remake supports universal purchase. This means that if you buy the game for the iPhone 15 Pro but also own an Apple Silicon-equipped iPad and/or Mac, you can play across all three of those devices...

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Assassin's Creed Mirage Update 1.0.5. Finally Lets Players Toggle Off Chromatic Aberration

Ubisoft has rolled out update 1.0.5 for Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which aims to increase stability across platforms, while finally granting players the ability to toggle off the game’s controversial chromatic aberration graphical feature. Patch 1.0.5 is set to drop on November 7 at 7am ET, and will have a file size ranging between 3.5GB to 5.8GB depending on the platform, with the largest update file targeting the PlayStation 4 version of the game. One of the biggest changes coming with the update is the ability to turn off chromatic aberration, a graphical option that adds distortion to a scene in order to simulate the real-world effect you get when shooting with a slightly out of focus camera lens. Last month, Ubisoft announced it...

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Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Review

It’s nothing short of a miracle that a sequel as well-made as Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 managed to arrive just two years after the original. Developer Fair Play Labs’ second attempt at a Nickelodeon-based platform fighter is a massive leap forward from the first, with a more polished feel, more vibrant characters, and the coup de grace: its envelope-pushing Slime meter. It took me a minute to get comfortable with its slightly buffered movement and wildly expressive Slime mechanics, but after a handful of late nights with friends – both online and off – I couldn’t put it down. While comparisons to the Super Smash Bros. series can cast an obnoxious shadow over this genre, it’s not an exaggeration to say that the only other...

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Angry Call of Duty Fans Are Review-Bombing the Wrong Modern Warfare 3

Poor Modern Warfare 3. No, not the new one. The original one, from 2011. It’s getting review-bombed by angry Call of Duty fans who seem a bit confused about which Call of Duty is which. The backlash mostly stems from the early access launch of the new Modern Warfare 3’s single-player campaign, which has received a largely negative reaction online. IGN’s review scored it 4/10: “Underbaked, rehashed, and cobbled together from multiplayer parts, Modern Warfare 3’s single-player campaign is everything a Call of Duty story mode shouldn’t be.” It doesn't help that Activision has decided to launch Modern Warfare 3 as a game tied to Call of Duty HQ, a new hub that appears to have replaced last year's Modern Warfare 2. This has resulted in...

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Christmas Massacre Developer Says Game Is 'Too Crazy' for Switch and Xbox but Coming to PlayStation

PS1-style stealth slasher Christmas Massacre won't appear on Xbox or Nintendo Switch despite already being available on Steam and coming to PlayStation 5, its developer has said. Developer Puppet Combo said in a series of posts on X/Twitter that "only PlayStation will allow it", and followed up by saying Christmas Massacre is "too crazy" for both Switch and Xbox. Christmas Massacre is "an 80's inspired stealth slasher game with low-poly, PS1-style graphics," per its synopsis. "Sneak, stalk and murder your prey without being caught. You must kill without being seen to complete each level." It bears resemblance to the controversial PlayStation 2 title Manhunt from Rockstar Games. A gameplay clip appears to show the player murdering a...

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The Epic Games Store Still Isn’t Profitable Nearly Five Years After Launch

Epic’s expensive war with Valve over PC gamers’ cash still hasn’t paid off, the company has admitted. The Epic Games Store launched nearly five years ago with eye-catching PC exclusives that cost the company behind Fortnite an arm and a leg to secure. Since then, Epic has thrown bucketloads of cash at securing PC exclusives (Alan Wake 2 being the latest) and weekly free game giveaways in a bid to carve out a piece of the PC gaming pie. It’s even launched aggressive revenue terms for publishers and developers to try and attract more games to its platform. Despite all this, the Epic Games Store is yet to turn a profit for Epic, and remains a loss leader as it approaches its fifth birthday in December. Confirmation comes from Epic...

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EA Sports WRC Review

In 1998, my family got a PlayStation. We were allowed one game each. My siblings chose Crash Bandicoot and Tomb Raider. I chose Colin McRae Rally from Codemasters. I subsequently cheated and also picked Gran Turismo for my dad, but my point is that Colin McRae Rally is one of the most formative racers I’ve ever played. EA Sports WRC is the latest chapter in that long-running off-road odyssey. With the lasting legacy of the Colin McRae and Dirt Rally series at its core and a juicy injection of official WRC content – plus the strength of the cracking F1 games as a sister series – how could WRC go wrong? Easily, it turns out, as a range of performance problems and disappointing features have combined here to jam a banana in the tailpipe of...

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Save Bucks on Hogwarts Deluxe, Flash Sales on Certified Bangers, and Bullet Heavenly Discounts!

The biggest deals continue to be PC-based today, thanks to a bunch of Fanatical flash sales. That said, some old gold AAA console stuff is inching down, too. Take aim at a must-own and buy in low—that's my motto. Otherwise, November 7th is quite an auspicious day in historical terms. The birthday list includes the inaugural King of Iron Fist Tournament, a brilliant GameCube Star War, and a timeless party king with plastic instruments. Also, one of the top three ever Call of Duty games deserves pointed props. How far we've fallen from it in 16 years... This Day in Gaming Aussie birthdays for notable games and hardware - Tekken (PS) 1994. Sequel - Top Spin (XB) 2003. - Call of Duty (PC) 2003. - Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike...

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Baldur's Gate 3's Japan Release to Censor Nudity, Some Torture

The Japanese version of Baldur’s Gate 3 will have less steamy content than its overseas counterpart when it releases there on Dec. 21. Spike Chunsoft, which is publishing the Japanese version, announced they're cutting explicit sexual content from the Japanese version of Baldur’s Gate 3 so that it is in compliance with CERO’s Code of Ethics standards regarding “banned expressions.” This means that Japanese players won’t be able to enable explicit content in the options menu, including “display of genitals,” “display of nudity in cutscenes,” and “view sex scenes.” To be clear, nudity can currently be toggled off in other versions of the game - the Japanese release will just be fixed in the "off" position. Spike Chunsoft's announcement...

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Baldur's Gate 3 Achievement Hints at New Difficulty Mode That Could Be Absolutely Horrifying

Baldur's Gate 3 players who are looking for a more punishing difficulty level might be in for a treat, as a new unobtainable achievement hints at something even harder than Tactician. As spotted by Redditor Scornz on the Baldur's Gate 3 subreddit, some fans noticed a currently unobtainable achievement on the GOG PC storefront. The achievement, titled "Foehammer," requires a Baldur's Gate 3 player to complete the game in Honour Mode. Baldur's Gate 3 has three difficulty levels: Explorer, Balance, and Tactician, with Tactician as its hardest mode. While Larian has yet to announce a new difficulty mode (IGN has reached out for comment), it should be noted that it previously included an Honour Mode into Divinity: Original Sin 2. If...

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At BlizzCon 2023, the Developers Lay Out Their Own Marvel Cinematic Universe

Sitting in the press room, watching the BlizzCon 2023 opening ceremony this year as returning Warcraft Executive Creative Director Chris Metzen take the stage to reveal the next three World of Warcraft expansions, I was reminded of Marvel’s Kevin Feige announcing entire new slates of movies coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe at Comic-Con. This level of transparency is rare in the video game world, and it wasn’t just Metzen’s Warcraft team embracing it, either. For Overwatch 2, director Aaron Keller announced not only one new hero, Magua, but also the next hero, Venture, and even the concept for the hero after that, codenamed “Space Ranger.” During the Diablo 4 segment the team teased the first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, just...

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Fortnite OG Was Weirdly Predicted by Avengers: Endgame in 2019

Fortnite returning to its classic map in the OG Update was weirdly predicted by Marvel in 2019's Avengers: Endgame. A scene showing Kronan warrior (rock man) Korg playing Fortnite on a PlayStation 4 was long considered a slight mistake but has now, somehow, fixed itself. While Avengers: Endgame was released in 2019 (and therefore filmed even earlier), the movie was set in our current year of 2023. Thanks to Fortnite being an evolving game, however, its map and overall look has changed drastically in the four years since it featured in Avengers. The more, dare we say, pedantic fans therefore picked up that the classic Fortnite being played by Korg would no longer be available in 2023, creating a slight innacuracy in the Marvel...

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Cities: Skylines 2 Boss ‘Surprised’ by Tone of Debate After Patching Out ‘Offensive’ Radio Advert

Last week, Cities: Skylines 2 developer Colossal Order patched out an in-game radio advert it had deemed offensive. Now, the boss of the developer has called into question some of the reaction from the community. Colossal Order used a hotfix to remove the ‘Spasm Electronics’ advertisement from the in-game radio stations after members of the community took issue with its sound effects, which they argued were similar to the sound a person makes when experiencing a seizure. It’s fair to say that fans of the recently released city-builder had opinions about the decision, but for CEO of Colossal Order Mariina Hallikainen some of the reaction went a bit too far. In a post on Steam, Hallikainen called on players to stop attacking other...

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Always in Mind Announced

Startup developer Inevitable Studios has announced Always in Mind, which the development team describes as a "narrative-based action platformer in which players must escape their own mind using extraordinary powers gained from living out family stories from the past." It's in the works for PC, and a Kickstarter will be launching soon. In Always in Mind, you play as Teddy, a 12-year-old boy who suffers an accident that leaves him in a coma. His only way out is "Proxy," a long-dormant AI implant that will help him explore his own mind, discover advice and stories from his mother that he never knew, and implement her lessons through the interactive simulations constructed by Proxy in Teddy's mind. Check out the first trailer above and...

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Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Review

Packed with enough gadgets to cover a belt for Batman’s trousers, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name returns to the classic, combo-based street fighting that featured in earlier Yakuza games but enhances it with a fresh technological twist. This time the sharp side of the katana blades aren’t the only things that are on the cutting edge, as returning hero Kazuma Kiryu can employ a suite of state-of-the-art tools for taking out his tormentors as though he’s bypassed the weapons locker in favour of a trip to the Apple store. However, outside of the revitalised combat, almost everything in Gaiden’s toybox feels like a hand-me-down from an older sibling in the series, meaning once the fighting stops it quickly starts to feel...

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The Finals Open Beta Comes to an End After 7.5 Million Players

The Finals open beta was a huge hit, with an impressive 7.5 million people playing. In a tweet, The Finals developer Embark Studios called the open beta “an unforgettable week for us”, and said now was the time to “hunker down” and work on fixes and improvements. No release window was offered. Created by ex-DICE developers who worked on the Battlefield series, the free-to-download, destruction-based competitive first-person shooter was so popular it even hit its player capacity within a few days. The open beta was massive on Steam in particular, with a peak concurrent players figure of 267,874. That was enough to put The Finals in the top five most-played games on Steam. In our preview of the game, IGN said: "The Finals is a...

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Adele Makes Rust Halloween Costume For Her Son

Iconic British singer Adele made a homemade Rust costume for her son for Halloween. Appearing on stage during her Las Vegas residency, Adele opened up about her attempt to make a Rust costume for her son — but it wasn’t exactly easy. “He wanted to go as a Rust character trick-or-treating,” she said as reported by VGC. “Now, that game hasn’t been franchised, you can’t even buy party decorations from Rust so I had to make a f**king outfit from scratch.” Facepunch Studios' survival game Rust is a monster Steam hit, but hasn’t seen any tie-in merchandising other than a collaboration with gaming chair company Secret Labs and some YouTooz action figures. Put simply – you can’t just get a Rust costume off the shelf. “Luckily I’m a wizard...

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Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Devs Say Miles Morales Is the 'Main' Spider-Man From Now On

The developers of hit PlayStation 5 exclusive Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 have said Miles Morales is the "main" Spider-Man from now on, which has caused some fans to speculate about what Insomniac may do with the inevitable Spider-Man 3. Spider-Man 2 spoilers follow. Gizmodo asked Insomniac narrative director Ben Arfmann and advanced writer Brittney Morris about the ending of Spider-Man 2, which is a clear passing of the torch from Peter Parker to Miles. Here’s how the conversation goes in-game: In the interview, Gizmodo asks Arfmann and Morris: “You said earlier you basically knew right away that you wanted playable Venom. Does that also apply to ending this game with Miles as the ‘main’ Spider-Man from now on?” Morris replies: “It...

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Elden Ring Modder Puts Malenia Inside FromSoftware's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

An Elden Ring modder has taken the game's hardest boss, Malenia, Blade of Miquella, and put her inside fellow FromSoftware title Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. As reported by PC Gamer, Gūyǐng Zhòng's Land of Reeds: Emptiness mod on NexusMods adds the infamous Elden Ring boss to Sekiro alongside Dark Souls' Artorias the Abysswalker and Dark Souls 3's Slave Knight Gael. YouTube user Ongbal showcases the mod in action, and while it's seemingly a little tricky to get running properly and still has some issues in-game, it does have Malenia working for the most part in Sekiro's unique combat style. This means the boss battle features a posture bar alongside her standard health bar, which can be built up by deflecting Malenia's various...

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Silent Hill 2 Remake Includes Pyramid Head Origin Story According to Best Buy Listing

Silent Hill 2 Remake includes a playable origin story for the series' most famous baddie Pyramid Head according to a Best Buy listing. Spotted by @bobvids on X/Twitter, the preorder listing for Silent Hill 2 Remake on Best Buy Canada promises the return of Pyramid Head "along with a special origin story for fans to play through". Konami hasn't confirmed this previously but the information presented by Best Buy will likely come from official sources, though IGN has asked the publisher for comment. Developer Bloober Team, who are remaking the beloved horror game for Konami, has previously said it will "faithfully" stick to the original game's story, leading to some confusion over what this origin story could be. Discussing the Best...

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