Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier Closed Beta Begins In June

2 years 10 months ago

In February, Square Enix announced two mobile games set in the Final Fantasy VII universe: Ever Crisis and The First Soldier. The latter of those is a battle royale game that turned heads for being, well, a Final Fantasy VII battle royale game. If you’re unsure of whether or not this intriguing multiplayer experiment is for you, Square announced during a recent livestream that it's holding a closed beta for the game this June.

The beta begins June 1 and concludes June 7. It’ll be available for both iOS and Android and, since it’s closed, you’ll need to register to participate, which you can do at the game’s official website. Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier pits players in a giant battle to be the last Soldier standing. You can choose between three classes, Warrior, Monk, and Sorcerer, to take on other players using melee and magic attacks as well as traditional summons (Espers in this case). You can check out the original announcement trailer below to see the game in action. 

Author
Marcus Stewart

'ThAnk YoU FOr YouR PuRcHAse!' (Please Stop This, Sony)

2 years 10 months ago

A few days ago I grabbed the free PS Plus games on my PS5, like I usually do. And just like always, later that day I checked my phone and saw a series of emails from Sony confirming supposed purchases, which prompted a mild freakout before remembering they were just Sony confirming I “bought” games that were free.…

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Zack Zwiezen

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[UPDATE] Marvel Strike Force Back Online After Entire Evening Of Emergency Maintenance

2 years 10 months ago

Marvel Strike Force

Update: As of May 6 at 11:32 p.m. Pacific / May 7 at 2:32 a.m. Eastern, Marvel Strike Force is back online. The servers were rolled back to a pre-server-reset state, removing all the added resources players mistakenly received, plus any progress that players made in the game within the 40 minutes leading up to the downtime. In addition, the compensation that seemingly caused the problems has been removed temporarily. Developer Boundless Entertainment delivered the following in-game message to players shortly after the servers came back online:

"We recently experienced unexpected technical difficulties due to an erroneous inbox message and had to undergo emergency maintenance. In order to correct the issue, we reverted the game back to a timed backup taken before the issue occurred. This means that all progress made between approximately 4:50PM (PDT) and 5:30PM (PDT) on May 6 has been lost. We understand that this is a huge inconvenience and apologize for the lost progression. We'll be sending compensation for this in the near future.

Players who made purchases during this time will be sent all purchased good. However, it will take some time and players should expect to gradually receive the purchased content, as well as additional compensation, over the next few days.

We apologize for the inconvenience."

Original Story – May 6 at 10:50 p.m. Central

Author
Brian Shea

Mass Effect Fans Can Get A Limited-Edition Silver Variant Of The Sold-Out Normandy SR-1 Replica

2 years 10 months ago

With the Mass Effect Legendary Edition just seven days away, BioWare isn't done revealing different ways returning fans can celebrate boarding the Normandy once more. How about with an actual Normandy? Last year, there was a sleek 14" Alliance Normandy SR-1 replica that was available, but it quickly sold out. Now there is a limited-edition silver variant, but it's going soon because there are only 250 available! 

BioWare took to Twitter to reveal the latest replica in tandem with Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse has offered a wide variety of Mass Effect memorabilia through the years, and this silver variant looks stunning! I purchased the normal version when it first came out and it was absolutely gorgeous! I may or may not have also purchased this one too. Maybe. 

Author
Liana Ruppert

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade Exclusive to PS5 for Six Months Minimum

2 years 10 months ago
In a new trailer released today, Square Enix has confirmed that Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade will be exclusive to PlayStation 5 for at least six months. A graphic at the end of the “Final Trailer” for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade reveals that the game will remain exclusive to Sony’s console for at least the first six months after it releases. The trailer also showcases more of the new expanded story of the game, focusing particularly on the new Yuffie chapter and revealing some new boss fights, such as a new encounters against Scarlett in a combat-ready new Shinra mech suit. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/07/final-fantasy-7-remake-intergrade-final-trailer"] The exclusivity window is not entirely surprising given that the original release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake was exclusive to PS4, and also had a timed exclusivity deal in place. This approach seems to follow the trend of Sony striking exclusivity deals for Square Enix’s big titles, with Final Fantasy XVI and Forspoken also planning to launch first on PS5. It has not yet been revealed whether FF7 Remake Intergrade will be ported to Xbox or PC after the six month exclusivity window.
Author
Liam Wiseman

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IGN UK Podcast #591: Resident Evil Village Is Here!

2 years 10 months ago
Resident Evil Village is finally out and our two local evil residents, Dale and Jesse have played and finished the game a collective 7 times, so they've got a lot to say! Boss man Alex Simmons also makes a triumphant return to the pod to talk about all the - somewhat disappointing - Star Wars announcements coming out of May 4th. We also discuss The Bad Batch, Sound of Metal and how much we'd pay for one of those new realistic looking lightsabers. Plus, the return of a Resident Evil themed Go On Name Them and of course, your feedback. Remember, if you want to get in touch with the podcast, please do: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com. IGN UK Podcast #591: Resident Evil Village Is Here! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ign-uk-podcast-episode-500-photos&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]
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Dale Driver

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CDPR in talks to use The Witcher 3 mods in official next-gen version

2 years 10 months ago

A next-gen upgrade for The Witcher 3 is due to arrive sometime later this year, complete with ray-tracing, faster load times and more. But rather unexpectedly, it seems some of these improvements are coming from the community, as CDPR has confirmed that it is in talks with those who made mods for the 2015 game.

Kotaku spotted that mod creator Halk Hogan, responsible for The Witcher 3 HD Reworked project, had announced he'd received an "official message from CDPR about cooperation", and that "it's very likely HDRP will be included in the official next generation update". CDPR then confirmed to Kotaku that "in addition to our own development efforts on the upcoming next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC, we are also in talks with creators of various mods for the 2015 release of the game."

CDPR noted that it currently does "not have any binding agreements with any such party", so these plans are not yet finalised. I'd like to hope the modders do receive some sort of compensation if their work is used in the end product.

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Get a prebuilt RTX 3060 / Ryzen 5600X gaming PC for £949

2 years 10 months ago

Building your own PC is normally a great experience - you get to learn about how computers come together, you can choose just the components you want and save some money in the process. Right now though, the situation's flipped: in-demand parts like graphics cards and power supplies are only available at massively inflated prices, while prebuilt desktop PCs can offer considerably better value. So it is with this £949 RTX 3060 and Ryzen 5600X desktop made by UK system builders AWD-IT, which offers the very latest components at a lower price than building your own.

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Author
Will Judd

The best noise-cancelling headphones 2021

2 years 10 months ago

Distractions are everywhere, and whether you're in the middle of a Zoom call or a multiplayer match in Call of Duty: Warzone, you don't want the sounds of your external surroundings clawing away at your attention, especially if you're already wearing headphones.

Noise-cancelling headphones put a stop to that by using active noise cancellation to detect low-frequency noises and neutralise background noise, allowing you to remain fully immersed in whatever it is you're doing. They provide an audio experience that's unmatched by most standard headphones - as long as you're using a decent pair, that is.

And herein lies the problem. There are loads of noise-cancelling headphones to choose from, and not all of them live up to their promise of cancelling out background noise effectively. Finding the right pair can be difficult and there are lots of things to consider, from the different types of tech powering the active noise-cancelling, the variety of additional EQ settings on offer, the supported frequency ranges or simply the durability and comfort of the headphones.

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Masochists can choose to keep the Mako's rubbish handling in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

2 years 10 months ago

Which Mass Effect has the best control scheme can be a pretty dividing topic. Now I don't want to shame anyone who enjoyed how Mass Effect 1 controlled, but to be clear, I do think you're all masochists. I was delighted to find out that BioWare would be bringing the first game more in-line with the sequels with the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. As well as tweaking the combat, the devs are making some much-needed changes to the Mako. However, if for some reason you want to experience the infamously unwieldy vehicle just like old times, you can.

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Author
Imogen Beckhelling

Mass Effect Legendary Edition will let those who 'like pain' swap to older Mako controls

2 years 10 months ago

The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is due out next week, with a host of improvements specifically targeting the first game. Some of those include the lovably clunky Mako, which could certainly use a tune-up; but if you're eager to re-experience the Mako in its original glory, well, it sounds like there's a setting for that.

In an interview with PC Gamer, environment director Kevin Meek said that for "those people out there who do like pain, we've left the option to leave it back kind of closer to the original controls as well if you want."

Project director Mac Walters told PC Gamer that while it's been made a big point in marketing, the Mako tuning is a "lighter touch" than some might think. He also notes that the "optional control scheme is optional," so you can go back and forth on it.

This seems to strike the balance between the two, keeping the original archived in the Legendary Edition but allowing some modern touch-ups. That said, as one of the certified sickos who loves the clunky catastrophe? Yes, I'm very pleased that I can still get up to my usual Mako hijinks.

Author
Eric Van Allen

I'm slowly becoming obsessed with video game book shelves

2 years 10 months ago

As someone who likes to read a lot when they're not playing games, I'm always intrigued by what video game characters have on their bookshelves. Usually, it's a pretty fruitless endeavour. Occasionally there'll be individual books we can pore over as in-game items, but more often than not, any actual bookshelves in games tend to just be awash with a mass of wordless spines with colourful decorations on them, as artists, understandably, probably don't have time to come up with an entire library of unique book titles. But I always take a look regardless, because you never know when someone might surprise you - and a couple of games I've played recently have really good ones.

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Author
Katharine Castle

Lost Judgment leaks on PlayStation Store ahead of official reveal

2 years 10 months ago

UPDATE: Sega has officially announced Lost Judgment, the Judgment sequel due out globally 24th September 2021 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S.

Developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio said in addition to Kamurocho, fans will be able to adventure to the scenic port city of Yokohama. One of the most important new locations is a high school, with a "highly detailed" interior. The trailer is below:

The developers have leaned heavily on the fast-paced action portion of the original game. The acrobatic Crane style and lightning-fast Tiger style make their return, along with a brand new strategic Snake style.

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How to Watch WizKids' Community Paint Night Event This Friday

2 years 10 months ago
WizKids is hosting a Dungeons & Dragons Paint Night livestream on May 7, 2021 that will allow artists of all levels to paint a Red Slaad mini together, either at your local community game store or from the comfort of your own home. IGN is carrying the stream and, as usual, this watch guide will provide you with everything you need to know to watch the show, including when it starts, a list of places you can watch it with us, and what you'll need to know about registering, purchasing the kit, and participating in the event. maxresdefault

WizKids Dungeons & Dragons Red Slaad Paint Night Kit Livestream Start Time

The WizKids Dungeons & Dragons Red Slaad Paint Night Kit livestream will start on Friday, May 7 at 3pm PT, 6pm ET, 11pm BST. If you’re tuning in from Australia, that translates to Saturday, May 8 at 8am AEST.

Where to Watch the WizKids Dungeons & Dragons Red Slaad Paint Night Kit Livestream

If you’re interested in watching the upcoming WizKids Dungeons & Dragons Red Slaad Paint Night Kit livestream, we’ll be hosting the stream here and across our many channels on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, and more.
Author
Adam Bankhurst

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The Yakuza Series Will Remain a Turn-Based RPG Series Going Forward

2 years 10 months ago
Ryu ga Gotoku Studios has officially announced Lost Judgment today, a sequel to its action-mystery 2018 title. For fans who miss Ryu ga Gotoku’s action-style, Judgment will be the franchise that carries that torch as Yakuza transitions into a turn-based RPG. In an interview with IGN ahead of today’s reveal Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi and producer Kazuki Hosokawa confirmed that Judgment will be Ryu ga Gotoku’s action series pillar, while Yakuza evolves into a turn-based RPG after the success of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. “That’s right,” the two producers confirmed when asked if Judgment represents a continuation of the classic Yakuza style of gameplay while Yakuza transitions into a turn-based RPG. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/07/lost-judgment-release-date-trailer"] “The Yakuza series has been transformed into a turn-based RPG. On the other hand, over the years, Ryu ga Gotoku Studio has accumulated resources and know-how of making flashy and exhilarating action games that are effortless to enjoy. We decided that we should let our signature action gameplay live on through Lost Judgment.” The Yakuza series for most of its mainline incarnations is a 3D action brawler starring Kazuma Kiryu. When Kiryu’s story ended in Yakuza 6, a new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, stepped up and led the franchise in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Unlike Yakuzas 0 through 6, Like a Dragon was a turn-based RPG that still kept the over-the-top style of Yakuza. This winning combination earned Yakuza: Like a Dragon a nomination in IGN’s 2020 Best RPG category. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=lost-judgment-screenshots&captions=true"] But for fans who still enjoy Ryu ga Gotoku’s action-style, 2019’s Judgment and the upcoming sequel will scratch that itch.
Author
Matt T.M. Kim

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Lost Judgment Officially Announced, Worldwide Release This September

2 years 10 months ago
Sega and Ryu ga Gotoku Studio has officially announced Lost Judgment during today’s “Judgment Day” livestream event. Lost Judgment is a direct sequel to RGG Studio’s 2018 action-mystery game starring lawyer-turned-private eye Takayuki Yagami. During a livestream featuring Judgment and Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi and producer Kazuki Hosokawa, the developers of the Yakuza franchise revealed their next game, Lost Judgment. Once again, lawyer and detective Takayuki Yagami, along with ex-Yakuza partner Masaharu Kaito investigate a seemingly impossible crime where the prime suspect in a murder has an alibi. A trailer revealing Lost Judgment begins with a man standing trial for a groping incident on a train. The court finds the man guilty and sentences him to six months in prison. Once the verdict is handed down, however, the man reveals the existence of a corpse in Tokyo. And though he is the prime suspect, the corpse's death is the same time as when the suspect was caught on camera for the crime he was just convicted for. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/07/lost-judgment-release-date-trailer"] Fans of the Yakuza series will be right at home with Lost Judgment’s action combat system with stylish takedowns and different fighting styles to switch between. As a detective, you’ll also investigate crime scenes using an arsenal of gadgets, stealth, and deductive reasoning. Just like in Yakuza, Lost Judgment will feature a sandbox environment to explore the downtown of Tokyo and Yokohama. Yagami can crisscross around town and this time he’s a bit more nimble and able to jump across platforms, climb buildings and ledges, and more. Lost Judgment will be released worldwide on September 24, 2021, for both new-gen and last-gen systems. This means it will be available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.
Author
Matt T.M. Kim

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Valheim modders are fleshing out the game's unused biomes

2 years 10 months ago

So you've finished all the biomes and bosses currently available in Valheim - what now? Well, you could wait for the next official update from Iron Gate: but the next biome is quite a few updates away, so you may be waiting a while to explore the Mistlands in all their glory.

Alternatively, you can just install a bunch of mods. Here's a video of me exploring a rejuvenated Ashlands, and running away performing a tactical retreat when I realised that the enemies are actually quite difficult. Thank goodness I had a cheat sword handy.

Over on Nexus Mods, it seems several modders have taken it upon themselves to populate the game's currently-unused biomes. Areas like the Ashlands and Deep North are currently explorable in-game, but there's little for intrepid Vikings to find there (as these biomes are still in development - Valheim is still an early access game, after all). To solve this problem, modders have introduced new enemies and environments to keep you on your toes.

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Apple vs Epic Games was Always the Internet's Trial

2 years 10 months ago

We knew that Epic vs Apple, the ongoing battle for rights to in-app purchases, would be revealing. But we didn't expect it to be this entertaining.

Part of it has to do with where the trial is playing out. From speedy chatbars on YouTube to live commentary on Twitch, and all the tweets along the way, Epic vs Apple became the internet’s trial. The gaming industry is particularly protective, so hearing executives like Tim Sweeney air dirty laundry about the behind-the-scenes conversations and deals with executives at Microsoft, Sony, and Apple feels even juicier.

Epic vs Apple isn’t just a case with revealing testimonies and spilled secrets, though. Following Epic vs Apple on Twitch and YouTube works particularly well because it’s a trial that feels like it belongs to the internet. It may seem like this trial comes down to one multi-million dollar corporation wanting more of a cut from the other multi-million dollar corporation. But, removing that surface level fight, it also leaves players with iPhones without access to a beloved game (whether you agree that it should be beloved or not).

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/03/16/fortnite-on-ios-with-an-iphone-x-gameplay-livestream-ign-plays-live"]

At the heart of this lawsuit, one that pits Goliath against Goliath, is a growing malaise, a surging discontent, from Davids around the world: players.

Author
Julia Alexander

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The 8 creepiest villages in PC games

2 years 10 months ago

The dark gods of survival horror smile on you this day, child. Resident Evil Village is out now, beckoning you into its township like a big church bell. But wait, before you go tip-toeing through the disturbing cabbage patches of these zombievamp wolfpeople, or whatever they are, please come this way. I have a map for you. An itinerary of other small settlements. Here are the 8 creepiest villages in PC games.

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Author
Brendan Caldwell

Pokémon Go is finally holding a Gible Community Day

2 years 10 months ago

Gible, one of Pokémon Go's most popular and sought-after creatures, will flood the game for six hours on 6th June's Community Day.

The much-requested event is a big announcement for the game, and by far the best Community Day candidate offered to players for several years.

Pokémon Go players have recently criticised the calibre of creatures spotlighted in the game's Community Days. The monthly event, which began in January 2018, started by offering powerful or rare creatures such as Dratini, Larvitar and Beldum, or by giving meta-relevant PVE moves via evolution to Pokémon like Charizard and Venusaur.

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Mass Effect Legendary Edition Will Let You Use Original Mako Controls For Those Who Like To Hurt

2 years 10 months ago

Do you like pain? Then we've got the vehicle for you. While some loved the original Mako controls in the trilogy, it's fair to say that those people are unabashedly wrong. Yes, I'm mostly kidding, but we do have good news for those tied to the vanilla handling of the notorious vehicle. The Mass Effect Legendary Edition will offer the original controls as an option for those that don't want to experience the much smoother handling implemented with the remaster. 

"For those people out there who do like pain, we've left the option to leave it back kind of closer to the original controls as well if you want," environment director Kevin Meek said to PC Gamer. "Playing the Mako today versus playing the Mako back in the original, especially on PC, it's like night and day," Meek added. "I don't want to thrash my keyboard and mouse after every encounter with the thresher maw or trying to climb a mountain."

Author
Liana Ruppert

Tetsuya Nomura Offers Small Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 Update, "Different Atmosphere"

2 years 10 months ago

Click here to watch embedded media

During the most recent livestream event for Final Fantasy, we received a brand new trailer for Intergrade that shows off new fights, more new faces, and the return of Fort Candor. However, we also got a small glimpse into Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 from director Tetsuya Nomura and it looks like the team might be prepping for a full reveal sooner than we thought. 

It was during the tail-end of the live stream that Nomura mentioned wanting to announce "something" about the second part of the remake but was advised to wait due to that not being approved by the other departments at the studio. But that doesn't mean we were left with nothing. Nomura did mention that development on the second part is going very well and gave a small teaser that Cloud can be seen walking through a "huge nature environment." He also added that Part 2 will have a very different atmosphere from what we saw in the Remake's first half, giving fans a tiny glimmer of excitement to cling to before we learn more. 

Author
Liana Ruppert

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade exclusive to PS5 for at least six months

2 years 10 months ago

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is exclusive to PlayStation 5 for at least six months, a new trailer for the game has confirmed.

The trailer, below, includes over three minutes of footage of Intergrade, the visually enhanced edition of the original featuring a brand new Yuffie episode.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade comes out on 10th June, so the earliest we'd see this version of the game on other platforms - PC and Xbox, for example - would be 10th December. Or perhaps Intergrade is also coming to PlayStation 4.

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