Paradox Tectonic has confirmed that early access for its upcoming open-life simulation title, Life By You, has been delayed by approximately six months to March 5, 2024.
Originally planned to release in September 2023, Life By You’s early access was set to give players their first hands-on experience with the game.
The realm of the otome game is a weird and wonderful place. Sometimes, you’ll pursue a variety of pretty, non-threatening suitors after exchanging a series of group texts. Other times, you’ll look to seduce a lovable single father, or a responsible pet owner.
As for Hatoful Boyfriend? You date pigeons. That’s right: YOU. DATE. PIGEONS.
Nintendo has just added two new Game Boy Color games to its library of classic NSO games. This latest update brings the Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and the Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages to Nintendo Switch Online.
Developed by Capcom in 2001, the two are separate games with unique plots, with Oracle of Seasons concentrating on action and Oracle of Ages concentrating on puzzles. After one game is completed, players can play an extended version of the other game with the use of a password. This means that each game is essentially a sequel to the other with the ability to start either one first.
With all signs pointing to Sledgehammer Games developing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (III? A backwards E? Who know what crazy symbol variation of three they’ll use this time) for fall 2023, we thought it’d be enjoyable to take a trip down memory lane and revisit every CoD title they’ve made in the past. Here’s every SHG Call of Duty, ranked.
It’s worth noting that Sledgehammer Games have contributed to a lot of Call of Duty titles over the years, including Modern Warfare 2019 and its sequel, Modern Warfare 2 (2022). For this list, though, we’re only taking into account the games in which they were the lead development studio (or one of them). Games in which they’ve been an assisting studio won’t feature. That means there’s four titles to deal with. They’re all ranked below, from our least favorite to the best they’ve made yet.
A certain clever clogs once said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, and in the grand scheme of things that logic may indeed ring true. However, if you were to apply the same philosophy to gaming, you’d be surprised at how comforting doing the same thing over and over again can be.
Personally, I often like grinding, even in the toughest and most brutal of video games. There’s just something satisfying about consistently improving and upgrading your character in an area you know like the back of your hand. In other words, when it’s done right, grinding can be a good way for players to relax and unwind.
With Bethesda Game Studios’ next big game on the horizon, anticipation for the company’s first new IP in 25 years is reaching a fever pitch. To help shed some light on the many worlds fans will be exploring when Starfield launches on Sept. 6, the studio has released a trio of new animated shorts.
These animated teasers stand in stark contrast with some folks’ concerns leading up to the interstellar space RPG’s launch. Namely: Starfield is going to be an empty, lifeless No Man’s Sky-esque experience.
2023 has marked the arrival of some of the most entertaining, emotional, and intense anime seasons. From slashing Demons in grueling, bloody fights or actively avoiding being hunted for a six-million dollar bounty to adapting to living in a world inhabited by the undead, we’ve rounded up the best contenders to create a list of the best must-binge series of the year so far.
Few consoles possess the sheer resonance and overwhelming mindshare of the Xbox 360. Not only did it help usher in the huge industry shift to online multiplayer culture we see today, but it was also a fertile hotbed for independently-developed classics like Limbo, Braid, Castle Crashers, Super Meat Boy, and many more.
From 2005 to 2016, Microsoft’s sophomore console was home to a ton of acclaimed games, and even though it’s a reasonably young system in the grand scheme of things, there are still some rare titles that’ll yield some surprisingly decent results money-wise.
Like many Simmers, I’ve been around the block with the franchise’s many expansion packs, offering new ways to experience the game. While some DLCs provide a unique world filled with a ton of activities, others feel more like an add-on for items and not an extension of gameplay. The Horse Ranch pack falls in between this spectrum, where it has a ton of opportunities for animal lovers but fewer options for its overall playability.
If you are a horse enthusiast, the latest expansion pack is perfect for you, given its customization features and numerous wholesome moments. The bond you share with your stallion is where the add-on shines as you develop multiple companionships throughout your Sim’s life. The Mini Goats and Mini Sheep are also excellent family members that will cause you to say, “Aww! How cute!” frequently.
While we’re still waiting for the next great new MMORPG to take the world by storm like World of Warcraft did years ago, there are still plenty of great active ones to choose from. These are the 10 most popular MMORPGs on PC in 2023, ranked specifically by their peak concurrent players.
Editor’s Note: Hard data for concurrent player counts do not exist for MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft. Therefore, it has been excluded from this list. We are aware that they would undoubtedly be right at the very top of this most popular MMORPGs in 2023 list if we had access to reliable data from which to source.
The Sims 4’s vast horse collection allows many players to craft the steed of their dreams, with over 30 breeds and numerous coat colors. However, fans were quick to notice one type missing from the selection, and that is the mystical unicorns.
Yet, despite the creature’s absence, Simmers analyzed the matter further by looking over the Horse Ranch expansion’s coding, where they discovered a line designated for these unique stallions. It seems as though this horse was previously a part of the family, but it was ultimately removed from the official version.
It may be hard to believe, but 2023 will mark 25 years since the Pokemon anime first premiered in the west. That’s a quarter century of battles, exploration, and boneheaded decisions by Ash Ketchum.
To commemorate this momentous landmark, we’re taking a look back by rewatching the earliest days of Pallet Town and beyond. Join us on this most marvellous trip down memory lane, and remember to stock up on Super Potions for the journey ahead!
Warzone’s DMZ extraction mode, for all the love it continues to receive from the player base, has come in for some criticism of late. Players have highlighted cheating and glitches as serious issues but, as we approach Season 5, a far more serious duplication exploit is causing havoc.
DMZ has encountered duplication glitches in the past, letting players spawn multiple versions of a desirable item or weapon. However, we’re not sure there’s ever been one like this.
The Sims community has come up with countless challenges throughout the years as a way to implement a more advanced objective-based system into the game. Many fans have struggled with the strenuous task of the 100 Baby challenge (even I had difficulties with the Infants update) and other unique concepts, but now it’s been taken up a notch with a new Horse Ranch fan-made objective.
Reddit user INS_Fang developed an idea with the latest expansion pack, where you’ll need to place animals from previous exclusives, like Cottage Living and Cats and Dogs, while maintaining them as best as you can. On top of that, you can throw the needy infants into the mix that’ll make you want to close out the game, just like the player almost did.
When it comes to Metroid, there’s almost no need for an introduction. It’s the franchise that helped to kick-start the Metroidvania genre, and stands among most any of Nintendo’s other properties as one of the best series in gaming. Of the many titles the series has put out though, some are definitely better than others, which is why we’ve compiled our ranking of the best Metroid games of all time.
The adventures of the Van der Linde gang have continued on in The Sims 4: Horse Ranch, bringing in iconic characters, beloved animals, and classic sets.
With the latest cowboy attire, Simmers have created the series’ notable main protagonists, John Marston and Arthur Morgan. But, of course, these two are nothing without the rest of the cast, and you can reunite the entire gang by combining other Create a Sim models, from Charles Smith to Dutch van der Linde himself (just ignore Micah Bell.)
With Call of Duty’s DMZ extraction mode well established within Warzone and incorporating aspects of The Boys in the form of the Temp V Field Upgrade, I wanted to don my developer hat and conceive of five truly ludicrous things Activision could do with the mode in the future.
The inclusion of the aforementioned Temp V has been controversial, with some loving it and treating it as an excellent anti-camper device and others adamant that superpowers do no belong in the mode at all.
Sony Interactive Entertainment has revealed the PlayStation 5 has surpassed 40 million units sold.
Sony launched the PS5 in November 2020, after revealing the console the year prior, and since then, more than 40 million consoles have been purchased by players. In February, the console maker announced it had shipped 32 million units in the PS5’s lifetime, which means in just five months, Sony has sold at least 8 million more consoles.
The Entropy Centre is now available on Switch, and you can pick it up from the Nintendo eShop for 50% off, thanks to a special launch day discount.
If you like a good puzzle game, especially if you’re a fan of Valve’s Portal series, The Entropy Centre is worth your time. It was one of my favorite games of last year, and you can read about why in my review of The Entropy Centre. With today’s launch day discount on the Nintendo eShop, you can purchase The Entropy Centre for $12.49.
Check out the Nintendo Switch launch trailer for The Entropy Centre below:
The Switch version of The Entropy Centre arrives less than a year after the PlayStation, Xbox, and PC versions launched last November. In the game, players take on the role of protagonist Aria, who awakens inside a colossal space station just outside of a constantly exploding Earth. It’s up to you to figure out why this space station – The Entropy Centre – has been abandoned, why Earth keeps exploding, and why your day resets afterward. You’ll do all this alongside Astra, a talking gun with a great sense of humor.
When we pet the cats and dogs in Fate/Samurai Remnant, it will offer a tangible benefit beyond interacting with cute animals. Spending time with the animals will also restore playable characters' health. When you find them while exploring, you'll be able to stop and pet them to heal yourself.
Here's the official English teaser trailer going over how taking the time to pet a dog or cat in Fate/Samurai Remnant will heal us as we go about our missions.
You may have seen an important detail in Fate/Samurai Remnant - petting dogs and cats!
What you don't know is by doing this in-game, you regain HP points for doing something so kind, plus both Iori and Saber can pet them.https://t.co/cKQerKH47Y#FateSR #KTfamily pic.twitter.com/n0IihzUlLN
— KOEI TECMO EUROPE (@koeitecmoeurope) July 27, 2023
The two classic The Legend of Zelda games, Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, are now a part of Nintendo Switch Online. Both are part of the general game library for the basic $19.99 membership. So if someone downloads the app for the Game Boy from the eShop, they’ll be immediately available to play with save states and rewind features.
In The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, people go through typical action-RPG adventures. Ages features Link heading to Labrynna to save Nayru from Veran, while using the power of time to solve puzzles and save the day. Seasons is more about action as you use different seasons to rescue Din from Onox. To get the full experience, someone needs to play and beat one, get the password for doing so, then enter it in the other game to trigger the fuller experience and true ending.
Here's the trailer showing the games running on the Switch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBbd_ttqlpA&ab_channel=NintendoofAmerica
Nintendo announced the theme for the Splatoon 3 August 2023 Splatfest. The theme is about motivations, asking players what is most important to them: money, fame or love? The Splatfest will take place between August 11-14, 2023. Start and end times vary depending on your region.
Here is the official reveal:
https://twitter.com/SplatoonNA/status/1684549257930461196
As always, each of the three choices will be represented by a member of Deep Cut. Money is the choice for Shiver, while Frye is seeking Fame. Big Man, the purest of the trio, is fighting for Love.
The August 2023 Splatfest theme is similar to one that’s been held in previous Splatoon titles. A Japanese Splatfest in the first Splatoon asked players to choose between Love or Money, while a similar European event asked if players would prefer to be Fit or Rich. Love vs. Money returned in Splatoon 2 for Japan and North America, but Europeans were instead asked if they wanted pickles on their burgers.
A Nendoroid of Bridget from the Guilty Gear series is set to release via Good Smile Company. Pre-orders for the figure are open now, with the final release set for January 2024. The US release is close to this too, as it is listed as Q1 2024. Bridget will cost ¥7,900 or $52.99, depending on whether you get it from the Japanese or US storefront.
The Bridget Nendoroid is based on her appearance in Guilty Gear: Strive and comes with multiple accessories for different pose opportunities. She comes with three face plates, which feature smiling, joyful and winking expressions. She also comes with her yo-yo and Roger the bear accessories, as well as a “GO!” plate. The store entry also stated the figure comes with additional parts in addition to these, although which are likely additional hands.
[gallery size="full" ids="974776,974777,974778,974779,974780,974781" link="file"]
An unpainted prototype of the Bridget Nendoroid had been previously revealed at WonHobby G 2023. It’s the third Nendoroid based on a Guilty Gear character, following Dizzy and Ramlethal Valentine. They released in September 2021 and December 2022 respectively.
A new live-action movie titled Jigen Daisuke and focused on the sharpshooter character from the Lupin the Third series will release worldwide on October 13, 2023 for Amazon Prime Video. Tetsuji Tamayama reprises his role as Jigen Daisuke, after having played the character in the 2014 live action movie Lupin III. A key visual, as well as a teaser trailer, showed up as well. [Thanks, Dengeki Online!]
The story of the new film sees the character visiting Japan for the first time in years to find the world’s best gunsmith so they can repair his beloved Combat Magnum. Hajime Hashimoto is in charge of directing the new movie, with Yoshimasa Akamatsu writing the screenplay for it.
You can check out the new teaser trailer for the upcoming Jigen Daisuke movie in more detail here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOIGXVSUyvc
And here is the key visual for the film:
[caption id="attachment_974755" align="alignnone" width="1200"]
Image via Amazon Prime Video[/caption]
Sony has sold in excess of 40m PlayStation 5 consoles.
Figures last released in April stated the company had sold 38m PlayStation 5 consoles.
"With the support of PlayStation fans, we have reached a milestone of 40m PS5 consoles sold through to gamers since launch," Sony's Jim Ryan said. "Thank you so much to our community of gamers - without you this would have been an impossible task."
PC and Xbox Series X/S players will be able to try Payday 3 ahead of its September launch date next week, from Wednesday 2nd to Monday 7th August.
The upcoming co-op heist threequel will be available to try as part of a "technical closed beta", with a classic heist from the series and the original gang available to play.
So, that means removing cash from a bank in the No Rest For The Wicked mission, while playing as one of Payday's major masked foursome: Dallas, Hoxton, Chains and Wolf.
There's a lot of parenting in Tren. This is surprising in some ways, because Tren is ostensibly a virtual train set that comes with a suite of ingenious puzzles and race challenges attached to it. But pull back a little and it starts to make more sense. With Tren, John Beech, the game's design lead, and Media Molecule's newly minted creative director, asked himself if he could make a "triple-A" game inside Dreams, on his own, while simultaneously renovating a house and becoming a parent. The answer, in true Media Molecule style, is that he achieved all of that except for the "on his own" bit, but we'll get to that. For now, welcome to Tren. There's a lot of parenting in it.
And it crops up in a lot of places. Tren drops you into a world of toys and living room floors, and the main attraction is a simple toddler's train set. It's the kind with carved wooden track and chunky vehicles to ride on it, vehicles which all clip together with magnets on the buffers. Even to say these words is to feel the particular weight of these objects in your hands, their pleasant triviality, their painted, planed away smoothness. All great, and Tren delivers on this as you might expect. But my absolute favourite thing about Tren, I reckon, is the moment at which you can attach additional cargo trucks to your train. You maneuver it under a set of plastic cranes, and the arms of the cranes grab the cargo, and then? Then they sort of hover, anxiously, raising and lowering the cargo as they wait for you to get safely into position.
Life by You, the upcoming open-world, real-language take on The Sims, has seen its early access PC release delayed.
Publisher Paradox Interactive has said the game will now arrive on 5th March 2024. It was initially slated to launch in early access this September.
Explaining this delay, Paradox said the additional development time will allow the team to improve areas such as the game's UI and visuals. This will ultimately allow for a "more well-rounded experience" on the game's release next year.
The Payday 3 closed beta is available on PC via Steam and Xbox Series X and S via the Xbox Insider Hub App only, publisher Deep Silver and developer Starbreeze have announced.
The co-op heist first-person shooter runs its closed beta from August 2 to 7. Microsoft said space is available and offered on a first-come first-served basis. "We plan to open more space through the beta weekend so if you are unable to join, please check back later to join," Microsoft added.
There’s no word of a closed beta on PlayStation 5. Payday 3 launches day-and-date on Game Pass.
In the closed beta you can play as Payday’s four original clown-masked characters (Dallas, Hoxton, Chains, and Wolf), in the heist No Rest for the Wicked. Deep Silver said this is representative of classic Payday heists, and tasks players with stealing from a small bank.
All difficulties will be playable, the level cap is Infamy Level 22, and Weapon Level Progression is maxed at eight.
Payday 3 itself launches on September 21 for PC via PC Game Pass, on Steam, and the Epic Games Store, as well as Xbox Series X and S Game Pass, and PlayStation 5. Check out IGN’s Payday 3 hands-on preview for more.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Microsoft has announced the Games with Gold lineup for August 2023, the final set of games to launch under the Games With Gold banner before the promotion comes to an end in September.
Little-known 2021 3D action platformer Blue Fire and 2020 arcade racer Inertial Drift are available to download on Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S by those who have an Xbox Live Gold or Game Pass Ultimate subscription from August 1 to 31.
Blue Fire and Inertial Drift will go down as the last ever Games with Gold titles, as the long-running promotion ends September 1. Meanwhile, Xbox Live Gold ends September 14, over 20 years after it first launched, to be replaced by Game Pass Core.
Core includes access to online console multiplayer and gives subscribers a collection of over 25 games to play on Xbox Series X and S and Xbox One for $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year. At launch on September 14, Xbox Live Gold members automatically become Game Pass Core members.
Xbox Live launched first on the original Xbox on November 15, 2002, and was popularised by the online multiplayer portion Halo 2. The Xbox 360, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S all used the platform.
The Games with Gold promotion launched for Xbox 360 in July 2013. This gave Xbox Live Gold subscribers a handful of games each month - a once hugely popular bonus that has become the subject of ridicule due to the low profile of the free titles.
The extraction shooter is blowing up, and upcoming release Hawked might be the most approachable shot at the PvPvE genre yet. Where other games focus on an aggressively tight and hardcore experience, Hawked is importing some game design from the more approachable battle royales in order to get you into rounds of treasure-hunting mayhem with much less commitment.
The setup is simple. You and a team of friends pop up on an island overrun with lizard monsters to recover valuable seemingly-magical artifacts from the ancient ruins there before the lizards—or the other treasure hunters—can do the same. Taking out camps of lizards lets you loot new weapons and gear for this trip out, while going around solving puzzles gets you the key pieces of info you need to open up the treasure vault at the core of each round. Get the artifact inside, get out, and you win that round—unlocking or upgrading that artifact as a piece of gear for future runs.
Of course, that's not the only treasure around. The dang lizards have also already bogarted a piece, and hunting down their treasure-carrying dinosaur will let you nab a second artifact in each round. The problem with that route is that everyone else knows exactly where the dino loot is, so trying to nab that artifact is much more likely to put you in conflict with enemy teams—and there are ten teams of three out there gunning for the same two pieces of loot.
So you’ve taken the fight all the way to Ultima after liberating Bearers and smashing crystals to shiny smithereens (on your own terms, no less). Now you’re in search of a fitting follow-up experience. But with so many fantasy RPGs out there, it can be tough to know which may make a worthy successor to the saga of…
Disneyland Park’s popular Fantasmic! special effects show is delayed until 2024 following an April incident where its Maleficent dragon animatronic caught on fire. The Snow White animatronic will not return when the show resumes next spring, though Fantasmic! will continue to prominently feature a battle between…
Disney Illusion Island isn’t technically a Mickey Mouse solo adventure, as it features Goofy, Donald Duck, and Minnie Mouse, too. But after nearly a decade without a proper Mickey Mouse platformer in the vein of popular games like Castle of Illusion or Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion, we’ve finally received the next…
From the outside, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons looks like everything I’d want from a retro revival of the classic arcade beat-em up series. It’s a 2D side-scroller that remixes the linear progression with roguelite elements and packages the whole thing with an appealing pixel art presentation. Too bad it…
On Thursday, Netflix unveiled a brand-spanking-new trailer for its upcoming Castlevania spin-off series, Castlevania: Nocturne.
SpongeBob SquarePants, Garfield, and April O’Neil are ready to fight each other and other famous cartoon characters once more in the newly announced sequel, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2. It launches in late 2023.
Anime Expo 2023 is the largest anime convention in North America, which means you can always expect some top-tier cosplay to come out of that weekend. This year’s Anime Expo took place from July 1 to July 4, and there was an impressive collection of looks strutting around the Los Angeles Convention Center. Sure, this…
Elden Ring developer FromSoftware issued an update for the open-world role-playing game on July 27, making a few important adjustments to its PvP meta, along with some more general balance changes. On Twitter, FromSoftware noted that players should “apply this patch to continue playing Elden Ring online.”
Summer In Mara was a pleasant crafting, farming, exploring mash-up, but its follow-up is steering the ship in a slightly different direction. Koa And The Five Pirates Of Mara isn’t the snappiest name, but the trailer below might get stuck in your noggin if you’re a sucker for: high-speed collectathoning, tropical summer settings, 3D platforming classics from the noughties, or any combination of those three things. And the game’s happily out right now.