August 2023

Cleaning Up an Old Super NES

9 months 2 weeks ago

At some point in my adult life, I came into possession of a Super NES. I don't remember the details of who gave it to me, or why, but I was happy to take it. The Super NES I worked so hard for in the summer of 1991 was long gone, and my life had been sadly bereft of my all-time favorite Nintendo console, so I was more than happy to take it, even with a fine layer of crud attached.

That's one thing about living in a small town and being known as "the guy who likes video games." People would contact me after cleaning out their house, or before they went to the e-waste center, to offer me their junk. "One man's trash is another man's treasure," they say, and it's very rare for me to turn down someone's trash.

"One man's trash is another man's treasure," they say, and it's very rare for me to turn down someone's trash.

Anyway, none of that is important! What's important is I have a Super NES, and up until very recently, it was kind of gross. Not impossibly so, but it could use a good disassembling and cleaning, which is exactly what I did in the video above. I also needed to remove a coin that was trapped inside, placed there at some point by one of my kids. I don't know why they put a coin in it, they'd never even been to an arcade at that point, and it didn't make much sense, but children are unbound by worries such as that, and so a coin found its way inside, and stayed there for years.

It was a quarter by the way. Cha-ching!

Author
Seth G. Macy

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Destiny 2: Where Is Xur Today? Location and Exotic Items for August 4-8

9 months 2 weeks ago

The bargain slurry, Xûr, is now live in Destiny 2 for the weekend until next week's reset. If you're looking to get you some shiny new Exotic armor or weapons for your Guardian, look no further.

Each week, Xûr has a random assortment of Exotic armor, one for each Guardian class, as well as a random Exotic Weapon and an Exotic Engram available for purchase. In addition to his Exotic wares, he's got a random collection of Legendary weapons and armor to deck out your Guardians.

We've rounded up all the info on Xûr for the week including where to find Xûr, which Exotic weapons and armor are available, as well as which Legendary weapons you should pick up, either for PvE or PvP.

Where Is Xûr Today?

Xûr's location today can be found at Watcher's Grave on Nessus on August 4 through August 8. To reach him, travel to the landing point at Watcher's Grave. When you arrive, make for the red moss-covered tree straight ahead. Climb up the roots and you'll find Xûr waiting at the top to sell you exotic items and legendary weapons.

Author
Travis Northup

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Looks Like Lego Animal Crossing Sets Are Coming

9 months 2 weeks ago

Nintendo and Lego are planning to release Animal Crossing Lego sets according to the latest information from reliable Lego leakers online. While this news might be exciting, keep in mind none of this has been confirmed by Lego or Nintendo yet. Still, the idea of a Lego minifig version of Tom Nook is making me very…

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Author
Zack Zwiezen

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Overwatch 2's Great Sojourn Short Is Only Viewable In The Game

9 months 2 weeks ago

I like Sojourn, the latest damage hero to be added to Overwatch 2, and have been eagerly awaiting her animated short, Calling, since it was teased over a year ago. Now that it’s here, I am so infatuated with her dog, Murphy, that I barely processed any of the cool shit that happened in the seven-minute short.

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Author
Kenneth Shepard

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How A Zoom Drinking Party Led To Sonic Superstars

9 months 2 weeks ago

Takashi Iizuka and Naoto Ohshima

In 2017, Sonic Mania brought the series back to its 2D roots in a way not seen in decades. While handheld titles, the poorly received Sonic the Hedgehog 4, and other games like Sonic Generations and Sonic Colors contained 2D gameplay, Sonic Mania felt like the true successor to the beloved titles that appeared on Genesis and Sega CD throughout the 1990s. A sequel felt all but inevitable, but when Sega and Sonic Mania mastermind Christian Whitehead decided to amicably go in creatively different directions (read the full story here), Sonic Team creative officer Takashi Iizuka still wanted to build on the success experienced with Sonic Mania.

"During Sonic Mania's development, I didn't expect this level of fan reaction or success," Iizuka says. "That success created the opportunity to think about the next generation of Classic Sonic and led to Sonic Superstars. Sonic Mania helped us realize that fans still wanted and enjoyed the Classic series."

Author
Brian Shea

Square Enix Latest 2023 Report Sees Sales Increase, Profits Decline

9 months 2 weeks ago

Square Enix 2023 profits

Square Enix Holdings released their Consolidated Financial Results for the first quarter (April-June) of the 2023 financial year. The release of Final Fantasy XVI on June 22, 2023 increased sales for Square Enix, but profits decreased due to the burden of recovering development costs, and the weakness of existing titles. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

According to the financial results, sales for Q1 2023 reached ¥85,669 million yen, resulting in a 14.4% increase compared to Q1 2022. Meanwhile, Operating and Ordinary income saw a drastic decrease. Operating Income turned ¥3,097 million yen, a decrease of 78.5% year-over-year, while Ordinary Income saw a decrease of 65.0% year-over-year, with ¥9,178 million yen earned.

Looking at different segments, the Digital Entertainment business reported higher sales but lower profits, while sale of HD games increased due to the release of Final Fantasy XVI, and the console release of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster games. Revenue for MMOs, smartphone, and PC browser content also decreased, with mobile game Dragon Quest Champions failing to make up for existing titles.

Author
Daniel Bueno

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Chinese Authorities Arrest MMD Animator, Shirakami_san

9 months 2 weeks ago

shirakami_san

Authorities in China have arrested a well-known fan artist and MMD animator, Shirakami_san. He produces NSFW content and gets money for it via Patreon. Authorities cracked down on him not only for making NSFW content of copyrighted IPs, but also making money off of it. He can face up to ten years in prison for this. [Thanks, Yahoo!]

Shirakami_san is a 3D artist who produces NSFW animations. He has a Twitter, as well as a Patreon. Shirakami_san has created content for NieR Automata, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Genshin Impact. Some netizens believe it was the Genshin Impact content in particular that earned someone’s ire. As mentioned earlier, his Patreon appears to be the main issue for both the government and IP owners.

According to Dajiang News, Shirakami_san received over $1,830,000 CNY (approximately $255,195) via Patreon. The site reports that he “unlawfully” got this money. It also states that Shirakami_san was very remorseful. He states that in the future, he will never make anything no matter how much money he gets. Yahoo reports that several other Chinese fans have deleted their content from the net following this news.

Author
Stephanie Liu

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Genshin Impact 4.0 Artifacts Boost Normal, Elemental Attacks

9 months 2 weeks ago

genshin impact 4.0 artifacts

Ahead of an official announcement on its global social media platforms, HoYoVerse uploaded a sneak peek at what Artifacts there will be in Fontaine once Genshin Impact Version 4.0 launches on its Weibo page. We still do not know their official English names. However, we do know that there will be two, and the Artifacts will focus on general usage.

[gallery columns="1" ids="976442" link="file"]

The first Artifact Set that will debut in Genshin Impact Version 4.0 has a name that can very loosely translate to Shadow Hunter. The 2-piece effect increases Normal and Charged Attack by 15%. The 4-piece effect will increase Crit Rate by 12% whenever the user’s HP increases or decreases. This effect can last for 5 seconds and can stack 3 times. The 4-piece effect is actually very similar to the Longevous Disciple Planar Ornament Set in Honkai: Star Rail, which recently debuted in Version 1.2.

As for the second Artifact Set, its name can loosely translate to Golden Theater Troupe. The 2-piece effect increases Elemental Skill DMG by 20%. The 4-pc effect increases Elemental Skill DMG by 25%. As well, it will increase the Elemental Skill DMG by a further 25% when the user is inactive. This effect only lasts for two seconds.

Author
Stephanie Liu

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Review: Arcadian Atlas Is Adequate

9 months 2 weeks ago

arcadian atlas review

It’s always interesting to see what happens when a Kickstarter project finally appears. Arcadian Atlas appeared on the crowdfunding site back in 2016, and it’s finally shown up seven years later in 2023. While it’s fine and has some great spritework, it also feels quite unbalanced and often a little too easy.

With Arcadian Atlas, players get to see the affects of royal decisions and wars on the people in power and those around them. When a king dies, his wife Queen Venezia succeeds him and declares her stepdaughters illegitimate to get them out of the way. However, that doesn’t mean they disappear. Lucretia begins to fight to reclaim her birthright, with the warrior Vashti on her side. Vashti’s lover Desmond remains in Venezia’s employ. Meanwhile, Lucretia’s sister Annalise is finding her own potential sense of power and recourse. Throughout the story, we see different sides of the conflict and, as you might expect, become pivotal players in the fate of the world. Especially since at some specific moments, we get a chance to make decisions that can shift the course of the story.

Author
Jenni Lada

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Granblue Fantasy Rising Versus Gets Rollback Netcode, Cross-play, Grimnir

9 months 2 weeks ago

Granblue Fantasy Rising Versus Gets Rollback Netcode, Cross-play, Grimnir

Cygames and Arc System Works brought up new details about Granblue Fantasy Rising Versus, with rollback netcode, cross-play, and Grimnir as a playable character confirmed. The whole Evo 2023 panel brought up details about how the fighting game will be improved and changed. We’ll also see costumes for characters, Partners who will talk to players at certain points, Versus ranks, a new Training Mode, and a Grand Bruise party game mode.

With regards to Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising rollback netcode and cross-play, there was actually an official comment on Twitter. They noted that the team had been working on it since the original Granblue Fantasy Versus released in 2020.

Author
Jenni Lada

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FFXIV Japanese Voice Actors Cooked Food from the Game

9 months 2 weeks ago

FFXIV voice actors cook food from the game

Square Enix is collaborating with Delish Kitchen to release a new series of videos where some of the FFXIV Japanese voice actors cook food that appears in the game. Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Itaru Yamamoto, Shinnosuke Tachibana, and KENN are the actors appearing in it. The first in the four-video series will premiere on the official Delish Kitchen YouTube channel on August 5, 2023.

The remaining three videos will release weekly each Saturday. Yoshitsugu Matsuoka and Itaru Yamamoto team up for the first two. Shinnosuke Tachibana and KENN are featured in the third and fourth videos. For this series, the FFXIV voice actors will try their hand at cooking various food associated with their characters, using special recipes crafted by the members of Delish Kitchen.

Yoshitsugu Matsuoka voices Fandaniel in Final Fantasy XIV, while KENN voices Urianger. Shinnosuke Tachibana lends his voice to Alphinaud Leveilleur. Meanwhile, Itaru Yamamoto voices a variety of minor characters in the game, including Runar, Grynewaht, Glynard, and Bunchin.

In other FFXIV news, the Moonfire Faire will appear in the game on August 10, 2023. Players can earn the Phoenix Riser armor during the course of the event.

Author
Daniel Bueno

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Remnant 2's first major patch targets performance, stability, and more

9 months 2 weeks ago

Developer Gunfire Games' procedurally generated fantasy shooter Remnant 2 has been a hit, garnering positive reviews and selling over 1m copies in the space of the week. And amid all that excitement (not to mention some cheeky sneakery) Gunfire has been preparing its first major patch for Remnant 2, targeting performance, stability, and various quality of life improvements. It's out now on PC and the developer says a console release should follow "very soon", once the update has cleared Sony and Microsoft's approval process.

Introducing Remnant 2's new update on its website, Gunfire explains, "We've made our initial pass on stability, and performance on all platforms, focused on progression blockers, bugs, and addressed some Quality of Life requests from the community."

As per Gunfire's Remnant 2 patch notes, today's update features "initial optimisations to improve overall performance", as well as updates to improve hitching and potential crashes, plus fixes to various reported crash bugs. The developer also notes it's now moved high detail shadows to a separate option on PC, which can be activated if required.

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Author
Matt Wales

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Former President Barack Obama Is a Captain Falcon Main in Smash Bros.

9 months 2 weeks ago

We've known for years that former United States president Barack Obama is the closest thing we've had thus far to a gamer in the White House. But recently, we got a critical piece of information about his gamer profile: Obama is a Captain Falcon main in Super Smash Bros.

This news comes thanks to Smash Bros. community organizer Cody Daniels, who met Obama in 2015 through the Make-a-Wish foundation. The two played some friendly rounds of Super Smash Bros. 64, Daniels' game of choice, and Obama signed a Smash Bros. 64 cartridge for him and took a photo.

Author
Rebekah Valentine

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Baldur's Gate 3 Is Patching Out That Annoying Version Number, But Only in Cutscenes

9 months 2 weeks ago

Larian Studios has released its first post-launch hotfix for Baldur's Gate 3, which addresses several issues, including one that is supposed to fix the problems some players have encountered while saving their game. It removes the pesky version number that takes up a large amount of screen real estate, but not entirely.

As detailed in a new Steam post, Baldur's Gate Hotfix #1 turns off the cross-save feature in Baldur's Gate 3. Larian Studios' explains that it decided to temporarily turn off cross-saves for now as it tries to solve Baldur's Gate 3's saving issues. Given PC is the only platform to play at the moment, disabling cross-saves is not entirely concerning in the short-term. It's important to note that Steam cross-saves remain unaffected.

Following its release out of Early Access, Baldur's Gate 3 players began reporting a bug preventing players from saving, with many frustrated at losing hours of progress due to the bug.

Author
Taylor Lyles

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'90s Video Game Face-Off: The Winner Revealed

9 months 2 weeks ago

Earlier this week, as part of '90s week at IGN, we asked for your help in choosing the greatest video game from that wonderful decade, whether it be Final Fantasy VII, Super Mario 64, Sonic the Hedgehog, or something completely different. Now, after nearly 2 million votes and countless heart-wrenching 1v1 battles with such behemoths as Goldeneye 007 vs. Metal Gear Solid and Super Metroid vs. Resident Evil 2, the ultimate '90s video game has been chosen.

So, which game from the '90s claimed the top spot and rose above the other 162 games that competed in this face-off? Drumroll please...

While it may not be a surprising outcome, it's a welcome one nonetheless as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has been crowned our winner. Tears of the Kingdom may now be our choice for the best Zelda game of all time, but there is no denying the importance of Ocarina of Time and that it reigns supreme in this battle of '90s video games.

"Not only did it redefine action/adventure games, but it completely changed the way the industry thought about 3D combat and exploration," we said of Ocarina of Time in our list of the top 100 games of all time. "An epic tale that introduced new characters, new lore, and an ever-expanding timeline theory, this version of Zelda took what was great about its predecessors and expanded on those themes and ideas exponentially."

Author
Adam Bankhurst

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Project L, Riot's Fighting Game Based on League of Legends, Reveals Yasuo as Its Fourth Character

9 months 2 weeks ago

Riot Games revealed Yasuo as Project L's fourth playable fighter ahead of the upcoming fighting game's playable demo at EVO 2023.

Late last month, Riot broke the news that Project L would be receiving a demo at EVO this year with four playable characters. The Los Angeles-based studio behind League of Legends and Valorant also announced that its next eSports venture would feature tag-team mechanics, allowing for up to four people to play in a single match in the same video.

At the time, only three playable characters — also all originally from League of Legends — were announced: Ahri, Darius, and Ekko. Riot promised fans that this fourth character would be revealed in time for the demo, but provided no further information on the topic until his reveal this morning.

The reveal video debuts the character with a flashy new trailer, teasing some of the things the swordsman is capable of before getting into an overview of the four-champion roster that breaks down some more nitty-gritty details about each character, including Yasuo.

Author
Charlie Wacholz

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Embracer Group Is Starting to Close Studios After Losing Out on Deal Worth Billions

9 months 2 weeks ago

Embracer Group has shut down Campfire Cabal as the company begins closing down some of its development studios after announcing a few months back that a deal worth $2 billion fell through.

The news was first made on LinkedIn (spotted by X user @bogorad222) by Bruno-Christian Belibou, who, according to his LinkedIn account, was an Executive Producer at the studio before its closure.

Embracer Group did not immediately respond to IGN's request for comment.

Campfire Cabal opened its doors last September and was founded and led by Jonas Wæver, who also served as the studio’s creative director. Wæver was previously at Logic Artists, where he created the tactical RPG series Expeditions. According to THQ Nordic, the studio would focus on “high-quality, narrative-driven RPGs.”

While the studio did not have a chance to ship out its first game before its closure, it was tasked with taking over any future entries in the Expeditions series. Though the studio did not officially reveal what its next project was.

Author
Taylor Lyles

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Hideki Kamiya Weighs in on the Controversy Around 'JRPG'

9 months 2 weeks ago

PlatinumGames’ Hideki Kamiya said that he wants people to use the term “J-Action” to describe Japanese roleplaying games and that he’s also proud of the term “JRPG,” which has recently been criticized for being a discriminatory label.

Speaking with VGC, Kamiya used the original God of War and Bayonetta as examples. God of War was in a genre that was becoming increasingly popular, and the franchise’s protagonist, Kratos was muscular and bald. Creating a character like Kratos was difficult and wasn’t unique to Japanese culture. So Bayonetta was born out of Japanese sensibilities.

“When you look at Bayonetta as a character, she doesn’t look strong like Kratos, she doesn’t look like she could take on these massive demons,” Kamiya explained. “But she was very unique in the way she was created, in the way we view action game heroes, from a unique Japanese viewpoint.

Hideki%20Kamiya%20is%20Platinum%26%2339%3Bs%20co-founder.%20Image%20source%3A%20IGN.

Kamiya also touched upon the term “JRPG” and said that as a Japanese creator, he’s very proud of the label. He suggested that people use the term “J-Action” to describe real-time action games like Bayonetta instead.

Author
George Yang

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The Witcher Book Series Is Getting A New Addition 10 Years Later

9 months 2 weeks ago

The author of The Witcher books, which inspired both the CD Projekt Red game series and the Netflix show of the same name, confirmed that he’s working on a new addition to the novels that tell the story of Geralt of Rivia, Cirilla of Cintria, and Yennefer of Vengerberg. It’ll be the first new Witcher book in 10…

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Author
Alyssa Mercante

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Baldur's Gate 3's first post-launch patch brings a fix for that pesky save bug

9 months 2 weeks ago

Baldur's Gate 3 is already off to a spectacular start, having now sailed passed the half a million concurrent players mark on Steam after a huge first day, but developer Larian isn't resting on its laurians; the studio has just released its first hotfix for the wildly ambitious RPG which, among other things, takes aim at that nasty save-preventing bug.

Larian acknowledged the save issue and offered some preliminary solutions earlier today, but its first hot fix update aims to tackle things head on. As the developer explains in its accompanying patch notes, after some investigation, it's now found that cross-saves are to blame.

"Bearing in mind this will only be a useful feature come 6th September when the PlayStation 5 version launches (and beyond)," Larian explains, "we've decided to disable it for now to allow us to solve the issue in the interim. You shouldn't notice anything in-game and Steam Cloud saves are unaffected by this change."

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Author
Matt Wales

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What We Want From Nintendo's Next Console | All Things Nintendo

9 months 2 weeks ago

Following a big report that claims to reveal the first known details about the next Nintendo console, we focus this week's episode of All Things Nintendo on that very topic. Brian, Marcus, and Kyle go over the important details found in the report before transitioning to a community-driven segment discussing what people want in the next Nintendo console.

If you'd like to follow Brian on social media, you can do so on his Instagram/Threads @BrianPShea or Twitter @BrianPShea. You can follow Marcus on Twitter: @MarcusStewart7. You can follow Kyle on Twitter: @KyleMHilliard.

The All Things Nintendo podcast is a weekly show where we celebrate, discuss, and break down all the latest games, news, and announcements from the industry's most recognizable name. Each week, Brian is joined by different guests to talk about what's happening in the world of Nintendo. Along the way, they'll share personal stories, uncover hidden gems in the eShop, and even look back on the classics we all grew up with. A new episode hits every Friday!

Author
Brian Shea

Baldur’s Gate 3 Let Me Dress Like an 80s Fantasy Novel Cover and I Love That

9 months 2 weeks ago

Baldur's Gate was an intrinsic part of my childhood, being one of the first games I ever played (and one that helped me learn and navigate the English language). Too young to purchase games of my own, as I was only six years old when the original Baldur's Gate came out, it was part of my father's extensive collection of Dungeons & Dragons PC games. Despite its rating, my parents were kind enough to let me play the first game in the Bhaalspawn Saga. Once my father spotted my interest in what The Forgotten Realms had to offer, he gave me three books that I would quickly learn were prequels to the games. Their covers were well worn and covered in illustrations typical for the era they released in — men in deep cut tunics with their arms bared and women scantily clad in robes — and I was super excited to see that Baldur's Gate 3 had some clothing sets reminiscent of what I can only describe as 80s fantasy novel cover chic.

Author
Kazuma Hashimoto

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Hades Diehard Accomplishes Run Most Considered To Be Impossible

9 months 2 weeks ago

Nearly three years since Hades was released, crowned IGN’s own Game of the Year in 2020, and after thousands of hours played by individual members of its hardcore community, no one had beaten the toughest challenge the game had to offer: a "Max Heat Run."

Many Hades players are unlikely to ever interact with its Pact of Punishment system at all, which only becomes available after the player’s first successful run. It allows players to self-impose additional difficulty to an already challenging roguelite by selecting things like giving all enemies more health and removing reward choices found at the end of most encounters. And by electing to turn up the system's "Heat Gauge" in specific ways, additional rewards can be unlocked, extending the longevity for those who are looking for excuses to continue hanging out with Zagreus and friends.

A "Max Heat Run," with the Heat Gauge turned up as high as it will go, was quite literally never designed to be beaten, and considered unthinkable by even the most seasoned veterans. Unthinkable, that is, until this week, when expert Hades player and content creator AngeL1C decided to give it a try and had unfathomably good luck (combined with some truly unbelievable skills).

“Is It Reasonable? Absolutely Not”

AngeL1C, who’s largely considered one of the best Hades players in the world, explained to IGN exactly why her feat seemed so far fetched until just recently:

Author
Rebekah Valentine

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Plankton Revealed as Next Nick All-Stars Brawl 2 Character With a Full Breakdown by Smash Pro

9 months 2 weeks ago

Plankton from SpongeBob Squarepants has been revealed as Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2's newest fighter.

Plankton joins the likes of Squidward Tentacles and Jimmy Neutron as new fighters alongside a slew of characters returning from the 2021 original, including SpongeBob Squarepants, April O'Neil from the Ninja Turtles, and Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Plankton's reveal trailer features Mr. Krabs' rival piloting a mech suit before putting a beating on his opponents using ketchup-based attacks, his wife Karen (who also happens to be a computer), and lasers. You can still see — and hear — the aquatic microorganism as he barks threats and steers his mech using its antennae. Plankton's inclusion in the game lends further cadence to a supposed leak that predicted his inclusion in the game as one of its new combatants.

Set to release sometime later this year, this sequel promises to fix some of the original's biggest issues, like the game's lack of voice acting and relatively shallow mechanics compared to other titans of the genre like Super Smash Bros., Rivals of Aether, and Multiversus.

Author
Charlie Wacholz

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Overwatch 2 Recruits John Cena to Promote Invasion's PvE Campaign, But He Won't be in the Game

9 months 2 weeks ago

For the last week or so, a mysterious figure has been "hacking" into Overwatch 2 games and streams.

Fans quickly realized that the "hacks" were a promotion for Overwatch 2: Invasion — the shooter's new event featuring the rollout of the first wave of player-versus-environment [PvE] missions. Based on clues within the "hacking attacks," fans also deduced that popular wrestler and actor John Cena would have some role to play in the upcoming content.

It turns out that Cena is indeed the mysterious "Enigma," but it seems as if he might have less of a role to play than one might expect given his prominent placement. In a new video released alongside a trailer for the new PvE storyline, Cena was unmasked as The Enigma while calling for new heroes to join in on the fight against Null Sector.

But will Cena actually be in Overwatch 2? It doesn't look it.

"This is a purely out of game promotion," an Overwatch 2 representative told IGN. "[John Cena] will not appear in Overwatch 2 itself."

Author
Kat Bailey

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What are we all playing this weekend?

9 months 2 weeks ago

I'm going to be up front with you, readers: this week's What Are We All Playing is going to make for some monotonous reading. I haven't read any of the submissions this week, but I predict this to be the case because a) a lot of people have snuck in some holiday this week and b) everyone who is here is likely to be playing the same thing. You can guess what it is before the jump...

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Author
Alice Bell

Are you still playing Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?

9 months 2 weeks ago

I love Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's new Hyrule Field theme, with the warmth of its full chords and then that gorgeous single synth note that always feels like it's just emerging, like the first rays of morning but sustained. It's not exactly a melody, but a held note that colours your gameplay with something lovely and almost lyrical, without leaving you stranded in lonely super-silence between piano notes.

I first heard it in a small clip before release and Had A Good Feeling. It's the kind of small thing that's enough to change the whole key of a game - maybe I could properly love this Zelda?

And how! Turns out this game is chords and fullness all the way down (and then all the way back up again). It's so lovingly, lavishly full fat and replete - yet also so snacky and moreish - that I've somehow played (and please don't tell the exam I was revising for in June) more than 200 hours.

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Author
Omar Hafeez-Bore

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Tekken 8 content creators making videos about a roster leak are receiving copyright strikes from Bandai Namco

9 months 2 weeks ago

Last week, players using Cheat Engine in Tekken 8's network test leaked part of Tekken 8's roster. And this week, Bandai Namco is banning people from making videos about it.

Right now, it's unclear if Bandai Namco is issuing strikes to suppress inaccurate data or because the details are correct, but whatever the reason, the publisher is seemingly issuing copyright strikes against YouTubers discussing the leaked roster.

Tekken 8's now closed network test allowed players to sample five stages and 16 playable characters, including Asuka Kazama, Bryan Fury, Claudio Serafino, Hwoarang, Jin Kazama, Jun Kazama, Leroy Smith, Nina Williams, and Paul Phoenix, amongst others.

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Author
Vikki Blake

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Gran Turismo movie's David Harbour says filming with real cars and not green screens "heightened his performance"

9 months 2 weeks ago

Gran Turismo movie star David Harbour has revealed that by filming "real" racing sequences rather than relying on "green screen boxes" in the upcoming movie has enhanced his performance.

Talking to Sky News, Harbour – who plays Jack Salter in the movie – said that whilst it may be tempting and "cynical" to believe that most viewers wouldn't know the difference between CGI and real racing scenes, by having real cars racing at 150mph, it "heightened his performance because the stakes are real".

"This movie could've shot in green screen boxes – we could have done all this stuff – but there was something about putting together this team of people who are able to organise all these cars going at the same moment, stopping at the same moment, warming up the tires, all the technical elements," Harbour said, as transcribed by Eurogamer. "It feels like, as an actor, you're part of this big production.

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Author
Vikki Blake

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Game Scoop's Game of the Year '90s Edition

9 months 2 weeks ago

As some of you may know, IGN was founded in 1996 and we began handing out our Game of the Year awards in 2001, leaving years of top games uncrowned. We decided to remedy this as part of ’90s Week, and this week’s Game Scoop decided to go year-by-year through the decade to crown a Game of the Year for each year, starting with 1990.

Since IGN wasn’t around at the beginning of the 1990s, we had to be a bit freeform with the science behind our judgment. Some games were awarded based on their historical importance, while others were simply our favorite games to come out that year. Some games, as you’ll see later on, qualified because of both. And while Game Scoop won’t pretend to speak for the entire IGN team, here are our picks for GOTY 90s edition.

1990 – TIE – Final Fantasy and Secret of Monkey Island

The year saw the beginnings of one of the most beloved and important RPG franchises of all time, but also one of the crowning achievements of the narrative-based, point-and-click genre. As such, we gave our Game of the Year in 1990 to both the first Final Fantasy and LucasArts’ Secret of Monkey Island.

Author
Alex Simmons

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The First Pikmin Game Is Filled With Nostalgia on the Switch

9 months 2 weeks ago

Pikmin 1 Playtest

When I first played Pikmin in 2001, it ended up becoming the surprise hit from the Nintendo GameCube launch window for my family. As a 13-year-old, admittedly, I didn't actually know a lot about the real-time strategy game when I brought it home alongside Luigi's Mansion and Wave Race: Blue Storm. However, it only took me an hour of diving into Shigeru Miyamoto's new puzzle adventure before I immediately became hooked. Whether you are a nostalgic fan or a newcomer who has always wanted to play the popular GameCube series' origins, Nintendo has given us the chance to experience the classic once again with the HD Switch re-release of Pikmin in 2023.

The Nintendo Switch port gives the space adventure a fresh coat of paint with high-definition resolution visuals and a new wide-screen aspect ratio. Unfortunately, Pikmin is outshined by Nintendo's recent Switch re-release outings, such as The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and the Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes.

Pikmin offers no extra frills and is as straightforward as a port can be in comparison. Making its shortcomings even more noticeable is the recent release of the excellent Pikmin 4, which saw the franchise reach new heights with massively improved gameplay and features. Because of this, new players who started with Pikmin 3 or Pikmin 4 may experience whiplash when jumping into the HD re-release. Despite the missed opportunity to do more with the beloved GameCube title, though, Pikmin still holds up today.

Author
Brent Koepp

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Street Fighter 6 Costumes Put Juri in Pajamas and Marisa in a Wedding Dress

9 months 2 weeks ago

Street Fighter 3 Costumes Put Juri in Pajamas and Marisa in a Wedding Dress

At Evo 2023, Capcom teased the upcoming Street Fighter 6 Outfit 3 costumes for Dee Jay, Guile, Juri, and Marisa. Concept art for all four appeared. Each one looks very different than their normal attire. For example, Juri is wearing a one-piece pajama in hers, while Marisa is wearing a wedding dress. There's no release date for any of them yet, however.

First, here's Dee Jay's Outfit 3. It's a shiny gold suit that he wears with no shirt. He also has matching sunglasses and a smartwatch that is playing his own music.

[caption id="attachment_976588" align="alignnone" width="1200"]Image via Capcom Image via Capcom[/caption]

Next, here's Guile's Street Fighter 6 Outfit 3 costume. While it is more casual, there's still an American flag on his left and right shoulders and a plane on the back of his vest and belt buckle, signifying his ties to the Air Force.

Author
Jenni Lada

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Diablo 4 players are getting banned for using that "seasonal exploit bug"

9 months 2 weeks ago

Blizzard is banning players who use the "seasonal exploit" in Diablo 4.

That's according to players on the game's subreddit, who report that players tempted to disconnect and transfer non-seasonal items to a seasonal character are finding out the hard way that Blizzard has a zero-tolerance policy for the exploit.

"My friend got banned today," wrote u/SaintCharlie in a thread entitled "PSA - Blizzard IS INDEED banning people for the seasonal exploit bug".

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Author
Vikki Blake

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Final Fantasy 14’s 10-Year Journey to Xbox

9 months 2 weeks ago

In 2013 I had the opportunity to fly to Japan and talk to Final Fantasy 14 Game Director Yoshi-P. There was one question I wanted to know – when would Final Fantasy 14 come to the Xbox? It’s a question that I, and every Final Fantasy 14 fan, wouldn’t know the answer to for another decade.

Final Fantasy 14 coming to Xbox marks the end that a long-lingering question. In 2013 Yoshi-P answered saying a Microsoft cross-play policy – that meant Xbox users would require their own server and therefore couldn’t play with the wider community – ended the hopes of Xbox players enjoying the game. "Community is very important for an MMO, and as Xbox Live is a closed network it means those playing on Xbox 360 or Xbox One can't play with others on different platforms,” “I don't think this is ideal for an MMO, and that's the biggest reason we haven't brought the game to Xbox platforms."

Years later, Xbox fans like myself will soon be able to experience the game on their preferred console for ths first time. Xbox Wire clarifies it’ll bring Final Fantasy 14 to the console with an expanded free trial allowing you to play the first three expansions (A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, and Stormblood) up to level 70 with no restrictions on playtime. That’s at least 100+ hours of content to sink your teeth into as a new player. It’ll be amazing to see it come to one more platform.

Author
Alex Simmons

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