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Spoilers for a side quest in God of War Ragnarok are ahead! God of War Ragnarok has a sidequest that is a beautiful tribute to Jake Snipes, a gameplay programmer at Santa Monica Studio that passed away in 2020. The side quest in question is called Across the Realms, and its significance was shared on Twitter by Sam Handrick, a senior gameplay programmer at Santa Monica Studio who was also Snipes' partner. There's something in God of War Ragnarok which is the most special to me. I got to pitch it and the team made it into everything I could have hoped. I had hoped to wait for some time to talk about it but want to share it now, just in case. It's the Ballad of Jari and Somr. pic.twitter.com/S9itiutGbq — Sam Handrick (@MDSVeritas) November 18, 2022 "There's something in God of War Ragnarok which is the most special to me," Handrick wrote. "I got to pitch it and the team made it into everything I could have hoped. I had hoped to wait for som

In case you’ve not already heard, God of War Ragnarok is a bit of a masterpiece . It’s a tremendous advancement on its predecessor in many aspects, building on themes, characters, and mechanics in fascinating ways. But while its story and script will always be the shining star in this new narrative-focused era for the series, I’ve found Ragnarok continues to add layers to what I believe is God of War’s secret weapon: its knotty, puzzle-packed level design. It’s a world that takes mathematical problems and asks you not to pull out your calculator, but instead hurl a deadly weapon at high speed and ricochet it around impossible angles. It turns puzzles into power fantasies, and through that makes the quest for its Platinum trophy all the more alluring. There’s rarely a wasted square inch of map in God of War, particularly in its labyrinthine realms. Their routes, which climb and descend and twist around all manner of beautiful landscapes and architecture, are littered with challenges

With Black Friday just around the corner, we're already seeing some Xbox deals rolling in. Retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart and GameStop will be repping Black Friday pretty hard, and with Xbox coming in second place for October 2022 sales , there are more and more Xbox consoles in peoples' homes than ever before. The full force of Black Friday is already starting to be felt, with $60 off the Xbox Series S , $20 off Xbox controllers , alongside plenty of video game Black Friday 2022 deals already, and even a few brilliant PS5 and PlayStation deals if you like to fraternize with the enemy as well (I'm joking, play games in peace). See below for all the very best early Black Friday Xbox deals, and make sure you're following @IGNDeals on Twitter for more updates. TL;DR - Best Xbox Black Friday Deals Best Xbox Black Friday Console Deals This is probably the best deal we're going to see when it comes to the 'new-gen' consoles this coming Black F

Several Call of Duty: Warzone 2 players have been locked out of the game after a glitch demands they first buy Modern Warfare 2, even if they already own it. As reported by PC Gamer , the glitch seemingly arrived as developer Infinity Ward administered a hotfix for another issue with the free-to-play game, as even players who've logged hours of play-time have been locked out. There is currently no known solution for the issue and neither Infinity Ward or publisher Activision Blizzard have acknowledged it. Purchasing Modern Warfare 2 doesn't work either, as players who've owned the game since its launch in October are also locked out. While the two games use the same launcher, Warzone 2 is its own, standalone experience that shouldn't require any other purchases to play fully. "I played probably around six Warzone 2 matches with no problem (finished my last match a few minutes ago)," said Reddit user Unf0cused . "Now when I try to play it, when

Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator Yuji Naka has reportedly been arrested for suspected insider trading for an investment made while working at Square Enix. As reported by Japanese outlet FNN and translated by GI.biz , Naka was arrested by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office alongside two other former Square Enix employees. Naka allegedly bought 10,000 shares in developer Aiming, at a value of around $20,000, ahead of it announcing the Dragon Quest Tact mobile game in partnership with Square Enix. The other employees arrested, Taisuke Sasaki and Fumiaki Suzuki, allegedly purchased a combined total of 162,000 shares at a value of around $337,250. Insider trading is the buying and selling of stocks with confidential or non-public information, usually with the intention to make money, and is illegal in Japan. The trio are therefore reportedly suspected of investing in Aiming before the Dragon Quest game was announced, expecting the collaboration with Square Enix to drive up

At last, Game Freak has done it. As of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet there are now more than 1000 Pokémon. Pokémon Sword and Shield, along with their DLC, brought the total up to 905, and Scarlet and Violet's additions cap the number at a whopping 1008. For those tracking, that's not counting regional variants such as Wooper's new variant in the Paldea region, though it does count new regional evolutions, assuming they have different names than their counterparts elsewhere. So who, then, is Pokémon number 1000? Turns out, Game Freak seems to have been very aware they were designing a monster with the distinguished honor of being number 1000, so they leaned into that a bit. Warning: We're going to spoil Pokémon number 1000 for you below this video. Don't scroll further if you don't want to know. Who's that 1000th Pokémon? It's...Gholdengo! Okay yes, he looks like a cereal mascot. But hear us out. Gholdengo is a fascinating little dude, and a fun

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's review embargo has lifted, and as it ticks over to November 18 around the world, folks are beginning to get access to them. Which means everyone is now able to see an extremely unfortunate, glaring issue with the games: they run very, very poorly. We covered this in our review in progress, and there's a lot more to the game that we discuss in there, but here's a quick excerpt summarizing the issues we specifically ran into: The framerate is all over the place, dipping agonizingly low even when only a few effects such as flowing water or weather are on screen. Character models only a few feet away pop in and out, sometimes rapidly, or chug along at stop motion animation speeds. Everything has a weird, shimmery blur to it, and shadows frequently disappear and reappear suddenly and illogically. Pokémon clip in and out of walls or floors at odd angles, or get stuck in them entirely – I spent an entire Gym Battle with one Pokémon halfway buried

Microsoft has officially dropped the price of the Xbox Series S for the holidays . This is a part of its Xbox Black Friday promotion sale , where you can also find up to 67% off digital games, up to $25 off Xbox Controllers, and plenty more as well. This is probably the best deal we're going to see when it comes to the 'new-gen' consoles this coming Black Friday. For a limited time only, you can get $50 off the smallest Xbox ever , the Xbox Series S, and set yourself up for one of the best years Xbox has ever had in 2023. At the moment this deal is available at just Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Microsoft, but we're expecting it at most other online retailers soon as well. While you're here, several retailers have also got Xbox Controllers down to just $39.99 right now for Black Friday , which is another superb deal. Don't miss our full best Xbox Black Fridays deals roundup, and make sure you're following @IGNDeals for the very latest Black Friday upda

Overwatch 2 fans aren’t entirely happy with the game’s rewards and cosmetics, especially considering their high cost. And Blizzard isn’t satisfied, either. During a lengthy blog post , new Overwatch 2 executive producer Jared Neuss revealed that Blizzard is planning some big changes to how its season passes will work. “In Season 2, we’ve changed up our rewards a bit so that each event has a skin you can earn by playing, in addition to the other cosmetic rewards we already offer,” he explained. Notably, the game’s recent Halloween Terror event rewarded little beyond voice lines, some titles, and XP. “We’re also going to continue our Twitch drops programs so that you can earn skins and in-game goodies by supporting your favorite creators,” he added. “While we're working on the long-term plans, we want upcoming seasons to feel more rewarding than Season 1.” Improvements to battle pass rewards will go a long way, especially if this includes additional free skins… but there’s mo

Deep Silver has once again delayed Dead Island 2 and the game will now be released on April 28 next year. Announced on the Dead Island Twitter (below), the delay from February 3 at least only marks a 12 week delay compared to the several years it's been since Dead Island 2's initial release window of spring 2015. No specific reason for the delay was given so it appears developer Dambuster Studios simply needed more time, though it said it understands the irony in delaying Dead Island 2 again. The delay is just 12 short weeks and development is on the final straight now. The new release date for Dead Island 2 will be April 28th 2023. #DeadIsland #SeeYouInHELLA pic.twitter.com/Vf1NARTECo — Dead Island (@deadislandgame) November 17, 2022 "The irony of delaying Dead Island 2 is not lost on us and we are as disappointed as you undoubtedly are," it said in a joint statement with publisher Deep Silver. "The delay is just 12 short weeks and development is on

Before I started Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, I didn’t quite believe they would actually let me wander off in any old direction like developer Game Freak claimed I could. Even with the increasingly open nature of recent Pokémon games like Sword, Shield, and Arceus , this has still been a very linear RPG series, with a set path of challenges and plot points lined up in a neat order. But then I picked up my Fuecoco and ventured out into the Paldea region only to have that disbelief completely shattered. After a few years of experimentation on the Switch, Game Freak has finally stumbled upon an open world formula that successfully reinvents how Pokémon is played, while remaining true to the nostalgic childhood vision of exploration, adventure, and cute monster collecting. It is, in almost every way, the transformation I’ve been waiting for – but the grievously poor performance that has come along with it significantly mars this otherwise exciting design evolution. After a fairly beefy

The mainline Pokemon games make up one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time. From Pokemon Red and Blue to the latest entries in the series, these games have amassed a huge audience that just keeps coming back for more. If you haven't played all of the Pokemon video games in the series, however, you may find yourself in a bit of a dilemma trying to figure out where to start. Most of the major titles in the series are excellent standalone games to dive into, but if you want to start from the beginning, there are two different ways to play in order: Chronologically or by release date. Jump to : How to Play in Chronological Order How to Play by Release Order Which Pokemon Games Should You Actually Play First? Choosing where to start boils down to what Nintendo console you currently have. If you only have a Nintendo Switch, you can start with Let's Go Pikachu or Let's Go Eevee , which are kind of like remakes of the original Yellow version from 199

Feelings of glee and wonder not unlike walking into an arcade full of classic games befell me as I booted up Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, gawking at its wide and varied wonders. This collection offers a completely new, very fun way to explore several decades of Atari arcade machines, consoles, handhelds, and PCs. With no musty old, red museum ropes to restrain me ( only five of the 103 games require unlocking ), I found myself not just absorbing, but exploring the past – like that chunky pixel in Adventure for the Atari 2600 gliding through rainbow-colored castles. Experiencing history in Atari 50 is like nothing else I’ve ever seen in any collection before, let alone a documentary, book, or a classroom. It’s all of those things in one, and a lot more fun! If you’ve played a recent game collection, you know what they are about: A list of emulated games, sometimes presented with new save options, control schemes, and other adaptations – and often a sampling of digitized ex

A fan-made Fallout 76 live-action concept trailer has left Bethesda impressed. The video’s director, Brian Curtin managed to fit much of the Fallout franchise’s iconography into the two-and-a-half-minute trailer. The official Fallout Twitter account posted Curtin’s video and praised it, saying that it had left the team “speechless.” There are many references to Fallout 76 in the trailer, such as the Power Armor and Pip-Boy items. Throughout the video, many dialogue lines from the game can be heard. This fan-created video capturing #Fallout76 in live-action left us SPEECHLESS! 🤯 Brian Curtin (@infectious_designer on IG and YouTube) did an incredible job directing this! https://t.co/m8VofkMHzw — Fallout (@Fallout) November 14, 2022 Roger Maxon, founder of the Brotherhood of Steel says, “I know most of you love America, but America failed. It’s not because of its citizens, no, its leaders failed us. Their failure almost destroyed all mankind...” Fallout 76’s DJ, Julie, can b

I don’t know if I’ve ever played something as gobsmackingly unhinged as Goat Simulator 3. Developer Coffee Stain North’s doggedly rebellious attitude is apparent in everything from the incoherent “story” to gameplay so over-the-top that half the time it’s hard to tell what’s happening – even the title refuses to play by the rules, skipping Goat Simulator 2 and going straight to three for no particular reason. Throw in four-player co-op that multiplies the madness to even greater extremes as you run rampant through a large open-world map filled with things to lick, headbutt, and blow up, and you’ve got yourself a game so absurd it’s hard to imagine being bored for even a second. This deranged sequel is bigger, packed with silly jokes and pop culture references, and one of stupidest things I have ever beheld. It was love at first bleat. Like the original, Goat Simulator 3 is an open-world sandbox game that doesn’t even bother with things like a tutorial or having any kind of direction

Sony's Santa Monica Studio may have just shipped God of War: Ragnarok but it seemingly has no plans to slow down thanks to multiple projects in the works. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times , Santa Monica's creative director Cory Barlog said the studio is currently "spread out on a lot of different things," presumably including the project he moved to after leaving God of Wa r . It's unclear exactly what these projects are, however, as Barlog refused to give anything away. Santa Monica also has an external development team that publishes third party games (like Hohokum and Twisted Metal) so these could also be included in the projects mentioned.. That being said, Santa Monica has over 200 employees, and though the majority of these were likely working on Ragnarok, the long-awaited sequel was completed around a month ahead of its launch on November 9. Given this was only last week, Santa Monica is yet to announce what it's working on next, but it's l