Saving the world over and over again is nice, but when are we going to eat? In one of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker’s more intimate scenes, our hero of light and her friends share a scholarly fast food feast, and catboy G’raha Tia is delighted to learn that yes, he can has cheeseburger.
Update: 12/7/21, 12:06 p.m. ET: Now in its second day, Activision Blizzard workers involved in the Raven walkout say QA from other studios have joined in from offices in Texas, Minnesota, and California, including at Blizzard’s Irvine campus.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe finally has a Daredevil and fans of the character will likely recognize the actor behind the mask.
That’s because the performer is Charlie Cox, who portrayed the hero across three seasons of Netflix’s Daredevil series, which is technically canon to the MCU. Marvel boss Kevin Feige finally announced the news, long-rumored to be in the works, in an interview with CinemaBlend and in it, he revealed that while Cox’s casting has been announced, where we’ll first see him remains a secret.
“If you were to see Daredevil in upcoming things, Charlie Cox, yes, would be the actor playing Daredevil,” Feige said. “Where we see that, how we see that, when we see that, remains to be seen.”
Fans have long speculated that Cox would be returning to the role in the MCU, with some hoping he makes a more lawyer-related appearance in Marvel and Sony’s upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home (Peter Parker is in need of a lawyer, after all, considering he’s been accused of killing Quentin Beck aka Mysterio). Perhaps that’s what Feige is alluding to – it’s also possible that the MCU hasn’t quite figured out Daredevil’s first outing, meaning Feige wouldn’t have much to say on Cox’s role in the universe just yet.
Xbox head Phil Spencer has revealed that he believes today’s Microsoft could have kept Bungie around.
This news comes by way of Axios, which reports that Spencer understands why Bungie left Microsoft to become independent in a new interview. He also said that in today’s Xbox ecosystem, Bungie might have stayed with Microsoft.
“Could we [keep Bungie around] today? I think we could,” Spencer told Axios when asked if Bungie’s departure was inevitable.
Spencer said that since Bungie’s departure, Xbox has learned a lot but understands why the studio left.
“At the time, they had big ambitions,” Spencer said. “They had sold their business for a certain amount of money. They saw what Halo turned into. And it’s like, ‘Okay, Microsoft benefited more than Bungie did from the success of Halo.’ There’s no other story that can be written there.”
Spencer continued and said he understands the appeal of becoming independent, citing that Bungie probably felt like it had another Halo-like franchise in them.
“If you’re saying, ‘Hey, I think I’ve got another one of those in me. I want to really take another chance,’ I can understand the allure of doing that as an independent company,” the Xbox head said.
There's a new twist in the long-running saga of Nintendo's Switch eShop cancellation policy - which has for years been frowned upon by European consumer rights groups.
A German court has overturned a previous judgement made in Nintendo's favour, and ruled instead on the side of the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (VZBV).
UPDATE 07/12/21: The walkout by employees at Raven Software has continued today, in solidarity with members of the QA team who were fired last week.
As reported by the Washington Post, over 60 workers walked out - virtually or otherwise - on Monday. The protest continues today with no set end date. Workers are using the hashtag #WeAreRaven as part of the protest.
Motorsport is drama. It's inherent within the sport's DNA, and sort of inevitable when you get a bunch of highly charged people in charge of millions of pounds worth of precision-engineered equipment and let them have at each other. And so you get rivalries, tensions and sometimes just straight-up dastardly behaviour like we saw last night in Jeddah, and it's no wonder F1's recently expanded success comes off the back of Netflix series Drive to Survive - a show that puts that drama front and centre.
It's the show that has helped F1 finally break the US - pre-sale tickets to next year's Miami event sold out in 40 minutes, even though the cheapest on offer was some £500 - so it's no surprise it's an approach Codemasters is hoping will help push its Grid series in front of a wider audience. With FMV interludes and a fresh emphasis on the rivalries and tensions that have been in the series ever since its TOCA days, Grid Legends is all about the drama.
In case you weren't aware just yet, Gran Turismo 7 is all about delivering more of a classical Gran Turismo experience, after the more experimental multiplayer-focussed Gran Turismo Sport. Which probably explains why our best look at the game in action to date comes via the reveal of classic circuit Deep Forest, which PlayStation just served up a full in-game onboard playthrough.
The fictional Deep Forest circuit made its debut alongside the Gran Turismo series way back in 1997, and has been a fan favourite ever since. Its appearance in Gran Turismo 7 is, perhaps unsurprisingly, its most impressive yet, and the lap onboard a GT Lamborghini shows a track that's at once visually outstanding while also being remarkably faithful to the PS1 original.
Today third-party developers had plenty of news to share about upcoming add-ons for Microsoft Flight Simulator, mostly focusing on aircraft.
We start with SC Designs & Just Flight, which announced a firm release date for its F-16 Fighting Falcon.
The aircraft will be available on the Just Flight Store for €29.95 on December 8.
Here’s what you can expect and a trailer.
Cockpit
For those who haven’t experienced Marvel’s Spider-Man or its critically acclaimed standalone expansion, Miles Morales, the Ultimate Edition should pique your interest, and it’s now available over on PS5’s digital store. Featuring the original game, Miles Morales, and all three DLC expansions, the Ultimate Edition compiles the entire saga into one package for $70.
The Ultimate Edition was originally launched as a physical copy toward the end of 2020, but it’s now available via digital storefronts as well.
Today, a new trailer showcases some of what to expect, which you can check out below.
Here’s an overview of the PS5 enhancements and features included in the remaster:
• Stunning Visuals: Travel to a snowy Marvel’s New York in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, realized in beautiful 4K and HDR.* Experience reflections on buildings with ray tracing, and improved lighting, shadow, and character detail. An optional 60fps performance mode brings the Spider-Man universe to life.
• Fast Loading: Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales takes advantage of fast loading, using ultra-high speed SSD. Zip across Marvel’s New York in no time and reload almost instantly.
Today Atlus released a gallery of screenshots of the upcoming Nintendo Switch version of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, alongside new details.
Specifically, we get to see the 26 new weapons and equipment parts added to the Battle mode of the game. You’ll be able to choose one of two for each of the protagonists.
Juro Kurabe will get an Armor-Piercing Cannon and a High-Powered Plasma Arc Cutter.
Megumi Yakushiji will receive a High Pulse Laser and Piercing Multi-Lock Missiles.
Ei Sekigahara will be able to use the Hurricane Rush and a Multi-Launcher Surface-to-Ground Missiles.
Iori Fuyusaka will receive a Multi-Rocket Launcher and a Plasma Smasher.
Keitaro Miura will be able to equip an EMP Long-Range Missile and Carpet Bombing.
Natsuno Minami will get a High-precision Machine Cannon and a Wide-range Railgun.
Shu Amiguchi will equip a Point-Lock Missile or an Enhanced Generator.
Yuki Takamiya will receive Quad Leg Spikes or an Active Cooler.
Takatoshi Hijiyama will get an Anti-air Demolishing Blade or Reinforced Actuators.
Tomi Kisaragi will be able to equip Ultra-long Range Missiles or the High-Performance Charger.
Nenji Ogata will also be able to use the High-Performance Charger or Wide-Range Suppression Rockets.
Ryoko Shinonome will get a Hacking Missile or a Random Shot.
Last, but not least, Renya Gouto will be able to take advantage of an EMP Spike or a Teleport Field.
You can see all the screenshots below.
Developer Guerilla is back again with another dev blog to outline key aspects of Aloy’s upcoming adventure. This blog post focuses on the combat in Horizon Forbidden West, and how players will be able to get creative when trying to outsmart the new enemy AI.
Guerilla Combat Designer, Charles Perain, had this to say about how the combat has changed from the first game:
“Our changes to combat design stayed true to Aloy’s identity. First, we wanted to add additional depth to gameplay and increase the skill cap for players, through skills like melee combos and Valor Surges. Players who spend some time perfecting their combat skills will find some efficient and stylish ways to dispose of their enemies. “
Perain explains that there is a focus on personalized tactics this time around, with workbenches, skill trees, and new weapons that can be used in a variety of ways to take on the new enemies.
And when talking about AI, specifically, Lead AI Programmer, Arjen Beij, said the following:
“We wanted enemies to feel more authentic by improving the fluidity and continuity of motion, like making enemies (and companions) more capable of traversing rugged terrain. The AI in Horizon Zero Dawn already supported some dynamic terrain changes, but we wanted to take this further by adding jumping and climbing as a systemic part of their behavior. As you are playing the game, the AI will be searching for opportunities to take shortcuts, where it previously was a cumbersome detour.”
As part of the December 2021 update, PlayStation Now subscribers will be able to download and play FFX and FFX-2 HD Remaster.
The post FFX and FFX-2 are the Next Final Fantasy PlayStation Now Releases appeared first on Siliconera.
Pokemon Unite passed the 50 million download mark on both the Switch and mobile devices, and there'll be free items for players to celebrate.
The post Pokemon Unite 50 million Download Milestone Hit appeared first on Siliconera.
Melodies emerge from the Mist
The post Sony Releases Ico Perfect Music Files for Its 20th Anniversary appeared first on Siliconera.
In time for the Christmas and holiday season, FFVII The First Soldier is getting an event with festive cosmetic and costumes available.
The post FFVII The First Soldier Holiday Event Announced appeared first on Siliconera.
I cannot believe I am praising a video game because I can see it, but hear me out. Somewhere along the line, maybe in the last decade and some change, shooters have become a visual mess. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to squint hard in games like Battlefield to try and determine if I’m looking at an enemy…
Today, Unreal Engine released an extremely short teaser trailer for its own “boundary-pushing cinematic and real-time tech demo,” The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience. The teaser featured an existential Keanu Reeves looking into the camera and asking a real stumper of a question: “How do we know what is…
You can do a whole lot in Halo Infinite. You can get completely lost in forests on a derelict alien space station. You can mow down hordes of religious aliens with a kit of futuristic weapons and gadgets. You can also, apparently, fly halfway across the map, thanks to a newly discovered exploit that oozes Breath of…
A senior executive at Sony was fired after being caught in an alleged pedophile sting video posted online.
George Cacioppo was a senior vice president of engineering for Sony for over eight years, having worked on products such as the PlayStation Store and more. Over the weekend, the amateur pedophile-busting YouTube channel People v. Preds posted a video online that accused him of trying to meet with a 15-year-old boy. After the video began to pick up steam, Sony told CNET that Cacioppo had been fired.
George Cacioppo
“We are aware of the situation and the employee in question has been terminated from employment,” Sony told CNET in a statement on Sunday.
CNET attempted to contact Cacioppo via his LinkedIn profile but did not receive a comment. At the time of this writing, the former vice president of engineering has not publicly commented on the video or his subsequent termination from Sony.
Spider-Man: No Way Home premieres in theaters this month. If you’ve kept up with any marketing or merchandise, you already know that Peter Parker will rock a pair of new suits in the film. And when new Spidey costumes swing in, Insomniac is right there to put them into its game, Marvel’s Spider-Man, as quickly as possible.
On December 10, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered is getting the "Black & Gold" suit (yes, that’s its official name, according to Marvel) and the Iron Spider-like “Integrated Suit” that seemingly has ties to Doctor Strange. Once again, these suits are only coming to the Remastered edition, the PlayStation 5 version of the 2018 game that is only available as part of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition. You can catch some quick looks at the suits in the trailer below.
Click here to watch embedded media 
Update, 12/7/2021:
Nick Offerman has been cast as Bill in HBO's upcoming The Last of Us TV series, which is an adaptation of the PlayStation-exclusive game of the same name.
Previously, it was revealed that Con O'Neill had been cast as Bill, leading to widespread circulation yesterday as for who Offerman might be playing (many thought he'd make a good Bill but the role was already cast). However, a new report from Variety reveals that Offerman will, in fact, play Bill in HBO's series after O'Neill had to drop out from the show due to a scheduling conflict.
[Source: Variety]
The original story follows...
Original Story, 12/6/2021:
An actor from HBO’s upcoming TV adaptation of The Last of Us has revealed that Nick Offerman of Parks and Recreation fame has a role in the series.
What does it mean to hold gaming's biggest annual awards show in the metaverse?
That's a question Geoff Keighley has been puzzling over since 2019 when he partnered with JJ Abrams to tease a new Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker clip at The Game Awards. This clip then debuted within Fortnite just two days after.
Keighley says it was "really powerful" to go from The Game Awards backstage to the Fortnite live event with millions of people gathered online in-game to watch the clip. He recalls a moment before the clip went live when the event was delayed for a moment to give more people a chance to join in. While they were waiting, someone on the Fortnite side suggested he speak to everyone.
"I talked into this mic and suddenly ten million people around the world were listening to me," Keighley says. "I had friends texting me, 'I just heard you in Fortnite, it was so insane!'
"It was such a powerful moment for me. It made me realize that the future of a lot of the stuff I do is going to be inside these game worlds and game environments. I always say that The Game Awards, even though it's a massive show, it's still just a TV show that gets streamed over the internet. That was really innovative eight years ago, but...to me the next generation of what I want to do is build programming within these game worlds using game technology to gather the community and make something more interactive."
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.
Update 12/6 11:12 am PT: Workers on the walkout have provided an update saying over 60 Raven employees have joined the walkout in support of the QA team. However, they have called leadership's response to the walkout "disappointing" saying, "Leadership have repeatedly said that these are not 'layoffs', but a termination of contract."
Despite announcing an intent to promote 500 contractors, walkout employees say it will "not stand for a core part of the studio being the source for most, if not all, terminations."
Original Story: 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.
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.
IGN's winner for best puzzle game of 2021 is...
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 paint-hungry worms, all while making the world of Picnic steadily more and more colorful. Its clever puzzles are never frustrating, and better yet are frequently thematically tied to Chicory’s emotional story about imposter syndrome, mental health struggles, and what it means to be a creator. Backed by the beautiful music of Lena Raine, full of cute characters and hidden secrets, and at all times mindful, grounded, and empathic, Chicory’s interactive coloring book of a world is a joy to explore. - Rebekah Valentine
For more, check out IGN's Chicory: A Colorful Tale review.
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. IGN's winner for best RPG of 2021 is...
The Tales of series has been comfort food JRPG goodness for years, and Arise keeps that warm familiarity while making a number of overdue changes to the Tales of formula. It amps up the formerly linear motion battle system to almost full-blown character action RPG intensity, all while retaining the jubilant anime franticness of everyone yelling attack names at once. Its story tackles hefty topics like the horrors of war, slavery, colonization, and the challenges of rebuilding after all that, and mostly manages to handle the difficult intricacies with care. But it also is still a Tales story, peppered with humor and light-hearted interactions between its complex and fascinating cast of heroes. With them at the helm of an adventure across a beautiful, intriguing new world, Arise comes together to give the Tales of series a much-needed reinvigoration while still feeling, thankfully, like a Tales game. - Rebekah Valentine
For more, check out IGN's Tales of Arise review.
A good story can make or break a game, and quality performances are essential to turning those words on the page into scenes that carry weight and emotion. And while 2021 was filled with memorable performances of existing characters, new protagonists (and antagonists), and indelible characters, one performance rose above the rest again... and again... and again.
IGN's best gaming performance of 2021 winner is...
The amnesiac protagonist is a well-worn trope, but Deathloop puts a wonderful spin on it with Colt Vahn, voiced pitch-perfectly by Jason E. Kelley. Much of Colt’s appeal comes from his bewildered, colourful language as he attempts to find out who he is and what he must do. Kelley adds a brilliantly funny edge to each and every F-bomb that litters so many of Deathloop’s conversations, which makes for a game bursting with attitude-led personality. But beneath all his sweary monologues, Kelley conveys Colt’s hurt. Amnesia is often used to make game characters a blank slate for players to project themselves on, but Deathloop’s dialogue ensures that’s never the case. Colt is a complete person, and Kelley truly brings him to life. - Matt Purslow
These are the rest of our incredible nominations for best gaming performance of 2021.
2021 was one of the best years for racing games in recent memory. Two long-running series put out two of their best entries yet, while two unconventional racers surprised us with their frenetic fun.
These are our nominations for the best racing games of 2021. Stay tuned for the winner.
It’s a fascinating fluke that Codemasters’ first true attempt at infusing its annual F1 franchise with a full story mode coincided with the most dramatic real-life F1 season in years, but F1 2021’s new ‘Braking Point’ saga ushered in a brand new way to play what’s still the strongest simulation package of a single motorsport on the market. The series debut on current-gen consoles, F1 2021 is also the best the series has ever looked – and the ability to adjust individual elements of the core career experience to help speed things up after all these years was very, very welcome. – Luke Reilly
For more, check out IGN's F1 2021 review.
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.
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 especially welcome. In a year of social distancing, virtually attending a packed Berlin rave, wine tasting in Argentina, and schmoozing atop a Dubai skyscraper was a nice consolation price for being stuck on the couch - and obviously, y'know, doing slapstick murders and whatnot was fun too. Better still, Hitman 3 would've made an impressive showcase of next-gen consoles on its own, but IO went above and beyond and overhauled the first two Hitman games so they looked and played with the same fidelity. It's bittersweet to see this trilogy come to an end, but it certainly went out with a bang, possibly caused by an exploding rubber duck. – Max Scoville
For more, check out IGN's Hitman 3 review.
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, there were several great games we nominated this year, but our winner for noteworthy advancement in accessibility for 2021 is...
Forza Horizon 5 presented players with a seldom seen level of customization with options and presets allowing players abled and disabled alike to craft an experience exactly suited to their needs. Playground Games went all in with its avatar creation, allowing players to choose prosthetic limbs and their choice of pronouns. For some disabled players, Forza Horizon 5 is the first time they experienced the joy of getting behind the wheel of a super car and racing with their friends. Forza Horizon 5 is the embodiment of Microsoft’s belief in “Gaming for Everyone.”
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.
But one action experience, which brought together some of the best flarkin' heroes in the galaxy, took home our top prize in this category. Our winner for Best Action Game of 2021 is...
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is oozing with nostalgia: not just for the music and fashion of the 1980’s, but also for the games of yesteryear, before everything had to be an open world riddled with microtransactions and battle passes. Guardians of the Galaxy takes bvits of Mass Effect's character interactions and other third-person action game's easy-to-learn battle mechanics that keep things focused, which simplifies the chaotic frenzy of the fights, which can get pretty cinematic. But everything works to serve the story, which has the polish and shine of a tentpole MCU movie, and at times can be very heartfelt (try not to shed a tear when you’re diving into Drax’s backstory). If you’re looking for a fun, bombastic, and heartflet ride that doesn't nickel-and-dime you, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is it. – Jobert Atienza
For more, check out IGN's Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy review.
These are our incredible nominees for the best action game 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 2021.
Back 4 Blood may have the same nomenclature as Left 4 Dead, but Turtle Rock’s own four-player co-op zombie shooter is much more than just a retreading of old ground. Back 4 Blood’s unique deck-building progression provides that much-needed incentive to keep coming back to its campaign in order to earn more supply points, buy new cards, craft better decks, and tackle the aptly named harder difficulties, which are no joke. Back 4 Blood demands cooperation between your party, which leads to not only some of the most intense gunfights we’ve experienced throughout all of video games in 2021, but also some of the most rewarding. Especially once you’re able to assemble a group of like-minded friends that are able to synergize and work together as a cohesive unit. - Mitchell Saltzman
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.
IGN's winner for best ongoing game of 2021 is...
Following its miraculous rise from the ashes nearly a decade ago, Final Fantasy XIV has proven time and time again that it delivers the best of what both JRPGs and MMOs have to offer. Director/Producer Naoki Yoshida and team have successfully crafted a fantasy world filled to the brim with wonder, with stories to find and tell around every corner. Whether it’s in the epic main storyline, the incredibly welcoming community, or the fiercely active endgame scene, it is exceptionally difficult for one to not be able to find something of worth in the living, breathing world of Eorzea. The game is constantly updating and expanding, with each successive version significantly better than the one before, and we doubt that the upcoming Endwalker expansion will be any different. And with an unlimited free trial that extends all the way to level 60 with access to the critically-acclaimed expansion Heavensward, getting into this wonderful game has never been easier. - Jay Park
For more, check out IGN's Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers review.
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. And while we'll be recounting all of these stories for years to come, one took us across the galaxy and captured our hearts (and Spotify playlists).
IGN's best video game story of 2021 winner is...
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 six-issue comic book run and turns out just as fun and colorful as that sounds. Oh, and there's a talking dog. That always makes a story better. - Simon Cardy
For more, check out IGN's Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy review.
These are the rest of our nominations for the best video game story 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 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 moment it begins. But The Artful Escape's brilliant use of vivid color and design isn't the entire wow factor – it's also in the details. Dust particles you see floating in a quiet room. A top-down shot of a record playing. The culmination of the art styles with the storytelling and music, makes The Artful Escape stand out as Best Art Design in a game for 2021. - Jessie Wade
For more, check out IGN's Artful Escape review.
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.
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 last collaboration with Sony. Deathloop’s emphasis on chaotic, superpowered shootouts is a perfect match for the PS5, though, with the DualSense’s features getting a healthy workout with each pull of the adaptive trigger. These fights, combined with a clever approach to how a time loop can be used to power a gameplay cycle, make Deathloop the fascinating next step in the lineage of games like Deus Ex and Dishonored. It’s a genuinely unique experience, not just among the PS5 library, but among games across all platforms. - Matt Purslow
For more, check out IGN's Deathloop review.
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 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 get comfortable it will change its art style, its resource system, and even the genre of the metagame around it to start fresh. It’s unrivaled at intentionally keeping you off balance, but it never stops being rewarding either. - Tom Marks
For more, check out IGN's Inscryption review.
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.
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 jam session across its relatively short sci-fi story. The Simon-esque call-and-response interludes that serve as "boss battles" are as satisfying to pull off as the power chords and modulations they trigger are to listen to, and the inclusion of a dedicated "Shred" button that lets you add hair-raising guitar riffs to its pulsing electro-synth score during any platforming segment is a great touch. That said, this star-studded galactic rock opera is at its best when players are able to improvise their own melodies on top of relatively simple background chord progressions, hammering home the game's themes of artistic self-discovery with our own custom rock anthems that lets all of us become a (mostly) worthy successor to the likes of Ziggy Stardust or the Hero of 2112. - Jon Ryan
Today, indie developer Thunder Lotus Games announced that its acclaimed resource management sim, Spiritfarer, will be getting a brand new update on Dec. 13 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Stadia. The best part? It’ll be absolutely free for existing owners of the game.
The upcoming Autumn update is allegedly the “largest” one yet, and boasts the addition of two new spirits. Go ahead and check out the new ‘Jackie and Daria’ trailer below:
For those unaware, Spiritfarer is a unique management experience that puts you in the shoes of a ferrymaster who is tasked with transporting numerous souls to the afterlife. Essentially, players must help these souls “pass over” to the other side by helping them come to terms with specific regrets from their past. Pretty deep, no?
Halo Infinite’s open-world is one of the most exciting new design features being added to its campaign experience, and as we’ve discussed in our glowing review earlier today, it delivers a vast sandbox to explore on a scale never before seen in the franchise. Just days ahead of its launch, though, and one content creator with an early access copy has already discovered a hilarious way to traverse it in lightning speed.
Using the grappling hook –another of the game’s best new features–, a warthog, and a rocket launcher, Mint Blitz was able to propel himself a 3KM across the map. Check it out:
This Changes EVERYTHING pic.twitter.com/j3fIGw4oxA
— Mint Blitz (@MintBlitz) December 6, 2021
A reply from Ricky Ricardo explains that he seems to have “launched the warthog and then grappled it and then canceled the grapple by switching to thruster and proceeded to use it to keep his momentum more forward rather than have it climb up too fast and die to a soft kill barrier.”
In any case, I’m pretty sure that’s not something developer 343 Industries intended the grappling hook to be able to achieve. But hey, it looks damn fun, and if it doesn’t patch out of the game before we can play it later this week then you can be sure it’s the first thing I’m trying when I got hold of that gear.