Everything

At first glance, you might expect Laika: Aged Through Blood to maybe have a bit more chill than it does. That is, until just minutes into it, when you find out its beautifully apocalyptic environments, somber soundtrack, and adorably anthropomorphic cast are actually just a backdrop for an adventure that’s filled with shockingly gratuitous violence, strong language, and a harrowing story of loss and grief. It’s kinda like that one episode of South Park where you find out that all the innocent looking Christmas critters worship Satan – and I mean that in the best possible way. It’s difficult to explain how the woodland cast blends so seamlessly with absolutely horrifying brutality, but at least in the opening chunk of content available in the demo, Laika manages to thread that needle with alarming ease – using a dirtbike. Playing as a mother coyote who races to the scene of an adolescent dog’s brutal crucifixion, Laika: Aged Through Blood lived up to its name before the opening credi...

Square Enix Promises to Bring Games to Xbox 'Whenever Possible' Following Final Fantasy 14 Announcement

Today, Square Enix announced that its successful MMORPG, Final Fantasy XIV, is on its way to Xbox consoles after years of being a PlayStation console exclusive. And to hear the CEO of Square Enix tell it, it sounds like Xbox has successfully ensured that even more Square Enix games will end up on its consoles in the coming years. During the Final Fantasy Fan Fest 2023, Final Fantasy XIV game director Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P) welcomed Xbox head Phil Spencer onto the stage alongside Square Enix CEO Takashi Kiryu to celebrate the Xbox release announcement . While onstage, Kiryu made the following statement: "And one more thing: as CEO of Square Enix, we want to continue to deliver fabulous games to fans across the world. And of course, we want to welcome the Xbox community as well. And starting with today's announcement of Final Fantasy XIV coming in spring 2024, and whenever possible, we are planning to bring our games to Xbox for players around the world to enjoy. We're ...

Yoshida Shuts Down Final Fantasy 14 Fans Begging for Blitzball in New Dawntrail Expansion

With the announcement of a brand new Final Fantasy 14 expansion that's giving everyone massive Final Fantasy X vibes, fans are clamoring for the addition of Final Fantasy's favorite sport: Blitzball. Unfortunately, game director Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P) has a message to everyone begging for the weird, underwater soccer game: "No Blitzball!" That's what Yoshi-P told fans during today's Final Fantasy Fan Fest 2023, when while discussing updates to the Golden Saucer in upcoming patches, fans began to eagerly shout "Blitzball" from the audience. Nope, sorry! No Blitzball! The audience in Las Vegas wasn't alone in wanting Blitzball, either. Online, the Final Fantasy 14 community has reacted dramatically to Yoshi-P's dismissal of their sport of choice: THE STATE OF BLITZBALL WANTERS pic.twitter.com/jsAAF1pEmN — Ray @ Deryk fanclub (@ONTHEBIGBRIDGE) July 28, 2023 One fans referred to Blitzball's somewhat checkered reputation, which has s...

This Deal Has Returned: Save 10% Off the Xbox Series X Gaming Console

This deal has returned! As part of its Black Friday in July sale, Dell is offering the Xbox Series X gaming console for only $449.99. That's 10% off the normal $500 cost. This was the best Xbox Series X deal we saw during Amazon Prime Day. It had expired earlier on Tuesday, but it appears to be back for one last hurrah. 10% Off Xbox Series X The Xbox Series X is a current generation system able to drive 4K games at up to a glorious 120fps. It is technically a more powerful system than the PS5 and games that are compatible with both consoles usually perform better on the Xbox console. Compared to the $300 Xbox Series S, the X features more powerful hardware to enable it to run games in 4K (the Xbox Series S runs games at 1440p). The Xbox Series X also has a disc drive that can play 4K Blu-ray movies and physical game media. The Series S doesn't. Find more Dell Black Friday in July deals here . source https://www.ign.com/articles/better-than-amazon-prime-day-xbox-ser...

Remnant 2 Developer Promises to Improve Game’s Performance Following Huge Launch

The developer of Remnant 2 has promised to improve the game’s performance following its huge launch. The well-received looter-shooter soulslike is currently the second best-selling game on Steam, up 14 places since last week. Remnant 2 has enjoyed a significant launch on Valve’s platform, with close to double the amount of concurrent players than Remnant: From the Ashes had at launch . At the time of publication, Remnant 2 was the 12th most-played game on Steam with 53,848 concurrent players and a peak today of 82,872. Developer Gunfire Games said it was “humbled” and “grateful” for the overwhelmingly positive response from the community, while acknowledging a “small portion” of players have encountered some bugs. “We know that encountering bugs and glitches can be frustrating and can hinder your excitement for the game,” development director Ben Gabbard said in a blog post. “We take these issues incredibly seriously, and our team is working to identify and address these issues a...

Tekken 8 Fans Use Cheat Engine to Uncover Potential Unannounced Playable Characters

Tekken 8 fans used Cheat Engine to dig into the game’s files, uncovering a list of potentially unannounced playable characters. Players scraped the build used for the recent PlayStation 5 Tekken 8 closed network test, which ran from July 21 to 24, and took to Discord to report their findings . An image showing a list of character files that includes those already announced also mentions unannounced characters such as Shaheen (Tekken 7), Raven (Tekken 5), Zafina (Tekken 6), Yoshimitsu (Tekken), Steve (Tekken 4), and Alisa (Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion). Fans currently believe this leaked is incomplete because it does not include series mainstays such as Kuma. But it’s a solid indication of what to expect from the fighting game upon launch. For reference, here’s a list of all the currently announced characters for Tekken 8: Jin Kazama Devil Jin Kazuya Mishima Devil Kazuya Jun Kazama Paul Phoenix Marshall Law Jack-8 King Lars Alexandersson Ling Xiaoyu Nina Williams Ler...

Where to Preorder Spider-Man 2 PS5 Console Bundle and DualSense Controller

Spider-Man 2 PS5 bundle and accessories are now live at PS Direct in the UK , France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Portugal. Both the PS5 console covers and DualSense controllers have already sold out at PS Direct UK , while the console bundle for £569.99 is still available. We're awaiting more news on other retailer listings. Stand by for new UK developments or follow @IGNUKDeals for instant updates. In the US, it is officially confirmed that preorders will start at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET, and Best Buy currently has listings that aren't live yet. You can follow @IGNDeals for US updates or stay tuned for further info when preorders go live. See below for our tips and tricks on how to secure your preorder today. Our Tips for Securing Your Preorder Today Trust us, we've gone through this kind of thing before. With stock being limited, you're going to want to be prepared as possible going into this preorder. For starters, mak...

PS5 Consoles Get Their First-Ever Standalone Discount

Hold the front page, PS5 consoles are officially on sale right now. Not only that, but it's a proper standalone discount as well, not a bundle deal like we've seen before . As part of PlayStation's Summer Sale, PlayStation 5 consoles have seen an impressive discount of up to £80 in the UK. The PlayStation has been a massive success for Sony, selling over 40 million units as of July 16, 2023, putting it only slightly behind the sales pace of PS4 (likely due to the previous semiconductor shortage). But this shortage is absolutely over, and with the console well stocked it's also now on sale. In the UK, The console can now be bought for £404.99 from Amazon or John Lewis, and £399 from retailers like Argos , Currys, and ShopTo. There is currently no word on a discount in the US, but we're anticipating this will happen sooner or later so keep an eye on this page or @IGNDeals for further updates. Spider-Man 2 PS5 bundle and its accessory preorders are also live ...

Nicki Minaj Is Coming to Call of Duty Season 5 in its Most Unlikely Crossover Yet

Call of Duty is known to have unique and unexpected skins. From the recent The Boys crossover event, to a feline Operator cosmetic set , Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0 lobbies are filled with outlandish characters. And now, players can expect to see Nicki Minaj and Snoop Dogg enter the fray. The official Call of Duty Twitter account shared images of both artists. Minaj can be seen holding a bright pink gun, while Snoop Dogg is holding a blue and gold rifle. Information regarding the cost of the skins is currently unavailable, but they are set to release with the Season 5 update launching on August 2. Nicki Minaj is coming to Call of Duty 🩷 pic.twitter.com/CFYwhjWfUL — Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) July 27, 2023 According to the official account, the two musicians are part of a 50-year celebration of Hip Hop. Alongside the skins, players can expect to hear “…free War Tracks spanning three decades of a culture that transcends music and gaming.” The website for Season 5 also inc...

F1 Manager 2023 Review

F1 Manager 2023 takes all the excitement of a race weekend and shifts the focus to behind the pit wall. If you’re a fan of the Codemasters F1 games, you know how stressful the tight turns on some of these street circuits are. I can't tell you how many times a qualifying lap has been ruined by a "light touch" of the wall at Monaco. In F1 Manager, that's not my problem; my only job is to tell the driver to watch their tires, fuel consumption, and about a dozen other metrics – on not just one F1 car, but two. F1 Manager 2023 fixes minor mistakes from the series debut last year and adds new ways to play, and it remains a compelling motorsports management simulation that’s committed to helping you grow both your knowledge and love of the sport. Juggling multiple metrics and managing a pair of the most elite race cars on the planet may sound overwhelming on paper but, in practice, everything feels like an opportunity to learn. And to help you learn, F1 Manager 2023 adds ...

Remnant 2 Dev Still Working to Address PS5 Friend Invite Issue

Gunfire Games has said it is still working to address a PlayStation 5 friend invite issue that has blighted Remnant 2’s launch on the console. Remnant 2 is meant to let players invite friends from within the Friends menu under the System tab, but for some reason this screen was absent from the PS5 version of the game. In a tweet , Gunfire said it had identified the issue and planned to release a fix for it soon. The first step is the addition of a friend’s list players cannot currently interact with. Gunfire said it’s working on making it so players can invite friends from that list. “Sorry for the trouble!” Gunfire said. PS5 players: We've identified the PS5 friend invite issue and plan to have a fix out for it very soon! You may notice there's a friend's list that you can't interact with -- it's the first step in fixing the issue and we're working on making it so you can invite friends from… — Remnant 2 (@Remnant_Game) July 25, 2023 The well-receive...

Blizzard Issues Stark Warning to Diablo 4 Players: Stop Using Game-Modifying Software or Risk a Permanent Ban

Blizzard has told Diablo 4 players to stop using game-modifying software or risk their account suffering a permanent ban. In a message posted to the Blizzard forums , Diablo community chief Adam Fletcher made clear the developer’s position on unauthorised modifications, many of which it said are used to cheat. Fletcher even called out one piece of software, called TurboHUD4, which has proved a popular option among the community, especially hardcore players pushing against the outer edges of Diablo 4’s endgame. Here’s Blizzard’s statement in full: “We are committed to keeping the world of Sanctuary a safe and fair place for all players, and our Game Security team constantly monitors for cheats and unauthorized modifications. “All Diablo 4 players agree to the Blizzard EULA as a condition of playing the game. The Blizzard EULA explicitly prohibits cheating, bots, hacks, and any other unauthorized software which automates, modifies, or otherwise interferes with the game. This is imp...

Nintendo Switch Online Adds Two Classic The Legend of Zelda Games

Nintendo Switch Online has added The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons. The Game Boy Color Classics are now playable for everyone with a Nintendo Switch Online membership as part of the Game Boy – Nintendo Switch Online library. Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages are two action-adventure The Legend of Zelda spin-offs developed by Flagship, a subsidiary of Capcom, and released in 2001 for the Game Boy Color handheld and re-released on the Virtual Console for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013. This release marks both games’ debut on Nintendo Switch. In Oracle of Ages, Link battles to prevent Veran, Sorceress of Shadows, from plunging the Land of Labrynna into an endless night. In the game, Link can bend time (if a river blocks Link’s path in the present, he can travel to the past and move a stone, redirecting the flow of water). He can even plant a seed in the past and, in the present, see full-grown trees and vines. Impa and the giant Maku Tree ma...

What We Want From EA’s New Black Panther Game – Unlocked 605

EA has announced a new studio that's working on a new single-player Black Panther game, so we discuss what we'd like to see out of this long-overdue crack at one of the world's most popular superheroes. Plus: Ubisoft reportedly cancels a sequel to Immortals: Fenyx Rising and leaves us hoping they're not going to become the Assassin's Creed And Nothing Else publisher, alleged details leak about NEXT year's Call of Duty game, and more! Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our YouTube channel , or grab an MP3 of this week's episode . For more awesome content, check out my recent interview with Todd Howard, who discussed the realization of his vision for Starfield after eight years, how Red Dead Redemption 2 was something of an inspiration, what his future holds, and more! For more next-gen coverage, make sure to check out our Xbox Series X review , our Xbox Series S review , and our PS5 review . Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor...

Glorbo Fever Spreads to Destiny 2, Fooling Another AI Website in the Process

Congratulations to the Destiny 2 game community, which after several days of hard work and enthusiasm has managed to make Glorbo happen . If that above sentence made absolutely no sense to you, don't worry: it's (mostly) not supposed to. You see, Glorbo isn't real. But it's quickly turning into a real trend that MMO community members are using to trick AI websites into writing about fake trends in their beloved games, effectively exposing websites that are using AI to scrub communities and generate nonsensical headlines. The return of Glorbo The whole thing started last week with World of Warcraft , when a community member came up with the genius idea to trick AI websites into writing about a fake topic by making a Reddit post expressing enthusiasm for "glorbo" being added to the game. The community all got in on the joke, posting reply after reply expressing various feelings about the non-existent game feature, some of which were eventually aggregated i...

Activision Sues Viral Tiktok Meme Creator After Using Their Content in Crash Bandicoot Ad

Activision is suing TikTok creator Anthony Fantano (aka "Needletok" or "The Needle Drop") in an effort to stymy the video maker's recent legal threats over Activision's use of his content in a Crash Bandicoot video. Per the official complaint filing, Activision's lawsuit pertains to a TikTok of Fantano's from 2021 dubbed the "Slices Video," which went viral at the time. In the following years, Activision claims "hundreds of thousands" of TikTok users have incorporated audio from said video into their own TikTok (generally the "It's enough slices!" meme), something that Fantano is claimed to have celebrated and even boasted about in a subsequent video. However, Activision goes on to claim that when the company attempted to use Fantano's audio in its own TikTok about Crash Bandicoot sneakers, Fantano claimed it constituted a "false endorsement" of the sneakers and could mislead viewers into thinking h...

Patapon Creator Shares New Details on 'Spiritual Successor' Ratatan

Recently at BitSummit, the annual indie game festival in Kyoto, Japan, Patapon creator Hiroyuki Kotani announced an upcoming Kickstarter campaign beginning on July 31 to fund a new music game that will be a spiritual successor to the long-dormant Patapon series. Originally made public last spring when Tokyo Virtual Theory announced Project Jabberwocky, a rhythm action game with Kotani in the director's chair, the newly-christened Ratatan bears an uncanny likeness to Patapon. IGN Japan was livestreaming on site at BitSummit over the weekend, and spoke with Kotani and TVT CEO Toshiyuki Yasui about their plans for the game. According to Kotani, Japanese artist Nelnal will handle the character design, and according to their Twitter account , visual design as well. "I follow Nelnal on Twitter and I'm a big fan, so I've wanted to reach out to them and build a game using their characters for a long time now," said Kotani. He contrasted the new look of Ratatan to ...

How to Use a VPN to Connect to Diablo 4

Blizzard tech support has recently suggested players utilize a VPN if they're ever experiencing issues while connecting to Battle.net or Diablo 4 servers. This comes after Blizzard spent considerable time fighting a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack that recently rendered Diablo 4 unplayable for hours . If you're interested in using a VPN with Diablo 4, then we're here to guide you through the relevant steps as well. Then, in the future, you could be well-prepared enough to tackle any server issues or potential DDoS attacks that may arise during your gaming sessions, ensuring uninterrupted gameplay as much as possible. Quick Navigation: How to Connect to Diablo 4 With a VPN Is Diablo 4 Down? - Current Server Status How To Fix Diablo 4 Connection Problems IGN's Top VPN Pick For Gaming Diablo 4 stands out from other action role-playing games (ARPGs) with its unique approach to server selection. Unlike some other ARPGs, Diablo 4 doesn't restrict pl...

The Witcher and Cyberpunk Developer CD Projekt to Lay Off 9% of Its Workforce