November 2023

Level Infinite’s Goddess of Victory: Nikke celebrated its first birthday with a livestream on October 27. The stream revealed big celebration plans for this free-to-play shooter's incredibly successful first year. There's an all-new storyline, new characters, and can look forward to some top-tier fanservice. If you're already a Nikke player, you've hit the jackpot. And if you're a newcomer, there's never been a better time to join the ranks.

Nikke drew in 25 million downloads in its first year alone thanks in part to its beautiful art, animations, and collaborations with popular properties like Chainsaw Man and Nier: Automata. Its development team also built up confidence over the past year by paying close attention to fan feedback from around the world when it's optimizing the game or designing new content. Nikke was voted Best App at the Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2022 in Japan, and it's on track to keep getting better.

Nikke players love their fanservice, so it goes without saying that its anniversary celebration had plenty to offer. A new major story event called "Red Ash" was one hinted reveal, an expansion with fully voiced story content and animated cutscenes seeded throughout.

If you've been playing World of Warcraft for long enough, you've probably heard stories about datamined and cut content over the years - much of which has been repurposed eventually. Take the Dragon Isles, for instance, which were a zone originally cut from the game way back in the original game's alpha, but which are now the elaborate setting for the most recent Dragonflight expansion. And now, Blizzard may have just teased the canonization of one of its most notorious, creepy pieces of cut content: the Karazhan Crypts.

The Karazhan Crypts were a badly-kept secret from way back in original WoW. It was a massive, hidden area behind the Karazhan tower that, while gated off, could be easily accessed by players back in the day who were savvy enough to clip their way in. The crypt included areas with creepy names like the Well of the Forgotten and the Pit of Criminals, and was full of piles of bones and dreary scenery. The area was most notorious for a massive water-filled cavern known as the Upside-Down Sinners, which featured dozens of dead bodies chained by their feet to the floor and floating, upside down, in the pool.

There's a lot to unpack from the deluge of new World of Warcraft content we were treated to today during BlizzCon 2023. The Worldsoul Saga, three teased expansions, Classic getting the Cataclysm expansion, and so much more. But excited as everyone is for all this, some people are arguably even more excited about, uh, a very, very specific kind of content update to a very, very specific character.

I'm talking about Anduin Wrynn's glow-up. He's hot now. And the WoW community is thrilled.

Anduin es un personaje al que hemos visto crecer desde que era un niño. En un videojuego. Es algo increíble. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/jtISJ7oYLF

— Navineko 🎄✨ (@minekopls) November 3, 2023

First, some context. Anduin Wrynn has been a staple character in World of Warcraft for a long time now. He's the son of the former king of Stormwind and High King of the Alliance Varian Wrynn, and in the earlier days of WoW was seen as a child and then a teenager hanging out in Stormwind. As WoW expansions passed, he grew older, eventually showing up as a main character in Mists of Pandaria and becoming pals with the Black Prince Wrathion.

As the king of the monsters celebrates its 69th birthday, we take a look at every time Godzilla ever made an appearance in a game, from humble beginnings on the Commodore C64 in the early Eighties to the pinnacle of monster mayhem, Destroy All Monsters Melee on the Nintendo 64. How many do you remember?

Godzilla

C64, 1983

Completely unrelated to Toho, Godzilla on Commodore 64 is a well thought-out strategy game where Godzilla is attacking from the ocean, and you have to stop him before he destroys Tokyo. Use a nuke to destroy him, but not when he’s too close to the city.

Godzilla & the Martians

ZX Spectrum, 1984

Beyond the title, this game doesn’t seem to have any relation to Godzilla. The instruction manual says, “The Martians have invaded, destroying the molecular structure of Earth's atmosphere to make it compatible with their own planet. “The girl of your dreams” is trapped at the top of a building site but for the moment protected from the evil invaders by a friendly dinosaur!” Sounds like a Mario clone!

With World of Warcraft: Classic beginning to wind down its Wrath of the Lich King expansion, many players have been wondering where the game would go from here. The answer is...not going to shock anyone, as Classic will be adding the next expansion in line, Cataclysm.

Cataclysm was...a rather controversial expansion in its time. It consisted of a massive revamp to the world of Azeroth, transforming entire existing regions and making old questlines and stories unplayable while adding brand new ones. The giant dragon Deathwing soared across the map, spewing fire on regions and frying players where they stood. Worgen and goblins were added as playable races, Archaelology was added as a profession (and eventually discontinued).

While many of the changes it brought to the game were instrumental in shaping its future, one of the reasons World of Warcraft: Classic exists in the first place was because players wanted to experience the "old world" of Warcraft, the one that existed before this transformation. So it will be interesting to see how Blizzard handles this transition. We do know that some small changes are being implemented such as streamlined leveling,the continuation of the Titan Rune dungeon system from Wrath Classic, and an expanded collections UI.

Today at BlizzCon, Blizzard announced that the upcoming tenth, eleventh, and twelfth expansions to its ongoing popular MMORPG World of Warcraft, all three of which will be contained in a larger narrative called World of Warcraft: The Worldsoul Saga. The first of these will be entitled World of Warcraft: The War Within, and it's coming next year.

During the keynote, Blizzard brought out WoW legend Chris Metzen, who recently returned as executive creative director of the Warcraft franchise, to announce the update. He called the expansion "the culmination of the first 20 years of our storytelling" that will "vector us into the next 20 years of adventure." And boy, did what he announce sound massive, with Metzen unveiling an almost MCU-like setup for the coming years of World of Warcraft.

The tenth expansion and the first in the Worldsoul Saga, The War Within, will send adventurers inside Azeroth, to subterranean kingdoms, where Nerubians and an Allied race called the Earthen Dwarves await. We got the most details on The War Within, such as the promised return of former talking knife Xal'atath, new zones like Azj-kahet, Isle of Dorn, The Ringing Deeps, and Hallowfall, a new treasure hunting adventure activity called Delves, an account-unifying feature called War Bands, and new dungeons and raids.

Hearthstone took the stage at BlizzCon 2023 today with a major announcement: Hearthstone: Showdown in the Badlands is the game's next big expansion, and it takes place in Azeroth's wild west.

Blizzard shared the expansion's reveal trailer, detailing Hearthstone's classic card battling gameplay with a western spin. Showdown in the Badlands will serve as an origin story for Hearthstone's Reno Jackson and Elise Starseeker, where they'll work together to save the Badlands from a nefarious mining operation. The expansion will feature Hearthstone's first-ever neutral hero card. The expansion is coming on November 14, 2023.

We also learned about Catch-Up Packs, a new type of pack where players can get up to 50 cards from a single pack to help grow their collection faster. The cards in Catch-Up Packs are all from the last two years of Hearthstone. Players will see Catch-Up Packs when they log in to Hearthstone. Catch-Up Packs will be included in pre-purchase bundles for Showdown in the Badlands.

For more on BlizzCon 2023, check out details on Diablo 4's first major expansion, Phil Spencer's surprise appearance at the show, Overwatch 2's next hero, and how to watch the rest of BlizzCon 2023.

While it's not technically Black Friday 2023 yet, lots of Nintendo Switch games, accessories, and console bundles are already available at their Black Friday prices. Major game series like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Kirby have already seen price drops of $30 or more -- and more discounts are coming online all the time. Also, one of the Nintendo Switch Black Friday console bundles is already available to purchase.

If you’re wondering what kinds of Black Friday deals you you can get now, or will be able to find on Nintendo Switch games, accessories, and hardware once the official sales begin, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s take a look.

Jump to a Section:

• Black Friday Nintendo Switch Console Deals
• Black Friday Nintendo Switch Game Deals
• The Super Mario Bros Movie Deal
• Black Friday Nintendo Switch Online and eShop Credit Deals
• Where to Find Nintendo Deals on Black Friday
• Black Friday Shopping Tips

Nintendo Switch Super Smash Bros. OLED Black Friday Bundle

Today at Blizzcon, Blizzard teased an upcoming expansion to Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, which will include a brand new, never-seen-before in Diablo class. It's coming in late 2024.

We didn't get too many details about Vessel of Hatred beyond that, though we did learn it will take place in a region called Nahantu, and will concern the fate of Mephisto and his plans for Sanctuary.

We might be able to glean just a little more from some recent datamines, which suggested an expansion called "Lord of Hatred" rather than Vessel of Hatred, but did center Mephisto. The datamine suggests new questlines, new gear, and new endgame activities, as well as a new class called "Spiritborn" and a mercenary system for NPC companions to fight alongside the player.

Datamines frequently include outdated or even inaccurate information, so it's possible all of the above is changed or not relevant by the time the actual Vessel of Hatred expansion rolls around. But it could be a useful clue to Diablo fans hungrily gobbling up details of what the Prime Evils of Hell are cooking up.

BlizzCon 2023 has officially kicked off and its opening ceremony was filled with big announcements, including Diablo 4's first expansion called Vessel of Hatred, three new expansions for World of Warcraft in The Worldsoul Saga, a new Overwatch 2 hero named Mauga, and much more.

To ensure you don't miss any of the big news from BlizzCon, this article will gather all the biggest announcements, reveals, and trailers from throughout the weekend, and we will continue to update it throughout the show!

Diablo 4's First Expansion Will Be Called Vessel of Hatred

Diablo 4's first expansion will be called Vessel of Hatred, and it will include a brand-new, never-before-seen class. We didn't learn too much, but it was confirmed it will take place in Diablo 2 region Nahantu and will concern the fate of Mephisto and his plans for Sanctuary.

Blizzard Announces Next Three Expansions in World of Warcraft: The Worldsoul Saga

Blizzard has announced The Worldsoul Saga, a larger narrative that will contain the next three expansions for World of Warcraft. The first of these expansions will be called The War Within and will be released in 2024.

Whether it’s games, movies, music, or even food, the best art is usually the result of someone transitioning from loving fan to passionate creator. This couldn’t be truer about the game developer known as Locojoy. Their project with Level Infinite is proof of that fact. In 2023, they set out to create a fair (read: free from pay-to-win), raid-focused MMORPG with gamers like themselves in mind. The team’s influences over the years include classic MMOs like Ever Quest and Ultima Online, so it’s no wonder that an immersive experience, social enjoyment, and challenging events that require team strategy are crucial elements they would focus on for their project: Tarisland: Mystery of the Hollows. As they transition from players to game developers, we’re here with all the updates on why you should check out their new project.

A World at War

Tarisland: Mystery of the Hollows for PC and mobile promises to deliver a unique and immersive gameplay experience with classic MMORPG gameplay, deep character customization, and challenging dungeons and raids. The game developer’s commitment to fair and balanced gameplay, no game-altering pay-to-play items, and cross-platform accessibility seek to make Tarisland stand out from other modern MMORPGs. Intending to create a game accessible and enjoyable for every player, Locojoy seeks a level playing field where everyone has an equal chance to become powerful and achieve greatness.

Modern Warfare 3 has perhaps the worst Call of Duty single-player campaign I’ve played. It’s shallow, dull, and plays less like the greatest hits and more like underbaked cover versions of missions past. It’s too busy looking back at former glories rather than focusing on making any new moments worth remembering, wrapped up in a borderline incoherent story with nothing to say. The only part we haven’t seen in a campaign before falls flat, bizarrely cobbling together pieces of the Warzone mode into actively bad sandbox missions, abandoning all of what made Call of Duty so great at its peak and instead delivering a dull string of missions that amount to a thoroughly disappointing handful of hours.

As part of its early Black Friday Sale event, Walmart is offering the Xbox Series X Diablo 4 console bundle bundled with a second Xbox Core Wireless Controller in Shock Blue for only $519.00. The bundle by itself without the controller normally retails for $559, so you're saving an extra $40 and getting a free controller.

Xbox Series X Diablo 4 Bundle with 2nd Controller for $519

The Xbox Series X is a current generation system able to drive 4K games at up to a glorious 120fps. It is technically a more powerful system than the PS5 and games that are compatible with both consoles usually perform better on the Xbox console. Compared to the $300 Xbox Series S, the X features more powerful hardware to enable it to run games in 4K (the Xbox Series S runs games at 1440p). The Xbox Series X also has a disc drive that can play 4K Blu-ray movies and physical game media. The Series S doesn't.

This is a great time to get started on Diablo 4 because Season 2, Season of Blood, launched in mid October. After you hit your level cap and max out your gear, expect a host of new additions like the Battle Pass to keep you occupied for hours and hours to come. This bundle does come with a DLC freebie in the guise of horse armor. It's just a cosmetic item, but hey it's free. Diablo 4 itself as an incredible game. IGN gave it a pretty glowing review and I fully agree with the score.

Fortnite has seen a huge surge in players with the launch of its OG update that brings back the original battle royale map.

According to unofficial but reliable stat website Fortnite.GG, Fortnite has a 24 hour peak of 3.9 million concurrent players, compared to the roughly two million concurrent players it held for most of September and October.

Its previous highest peak arrived alongside Chapter 4 Season 4 in August, but this spike only saw concurrent player numbers rise to 2.8 million.

The OG update arrived November 2 and let players return to the beloved Fortnite map that revolutionised battle royale games and perhaps video games as a whole. This means players can once again visit locations such as Tilted Towers, Paradise Palms, Salty Springs, and more. The movement evolutions Fortnite has made since Chapter 1, like sprinting and mantling, remain.

Publisher Epic Games returning to Fortnite's roots, when the game was at its peak of popularity, perhaps isn't surprising given the company's recent financial struggles that forced it to lay off 830 employees.

CEO Tim Sweeney even admitted in an internal memo that, "while Fortnite is starting to grow again, the growth is driven primarily by creator content with significant revenue sharing, and this is a lower margin business than we had when Fortnite Battle Royale took off and began funding our expansion."

Blizzard Entertainment, Glass Cannon Unplugged, and Genuine Entertainment have announced a tabletop role-playing game adaptation of Diablo.

Described as a "long-term tabletop gaming programme", the TTRPG was announced at BlizzCon 2023 with a core book launching fall 2024. The Diablo TTRPG will launch via a pre-order campaign on Kickstarter.

"We’ve spent the past year living the dream with Blizzard," Glass Cannon Unplugged CEO Jakub Wiśniewski said. "Collaborating with game directors, producers, and loremasters, testing our demon-fighting skills, reading endless tomes. We couldn’t have asked for more access, enthusiasm, and support."

Glass Cannon Unplugged, in partnership with Blizzard Entertainment, proudly presents Diablo®: The RPG & Board Game. Immerse yourself in the Diablo® universe like never before in 2024. #Diablo #DiabloRPG #DiabloBoardGame

🔥 Subscribe for updates: https://t.co/fRuKh7iRiX pic.twitter.com/Ocz0SubHBN

Cyberpunk 2077's development is now, for the most part, complete, marking the end of an incredible rollercoaster for CD Projekt that saw the studio go from being one of the most beloved developers in the industry to one of the most criticised, before slowly climbing back up to new heights with the release of Phantom Liberty.

At its lowest, CD Projekt was slammed for the launch state of Cyberpunk 2077 on consoles (that was so poor the PlayStation Store removed it from sale) as well as for crunch culture ahead of the game's release, though for the recently released expansion Phantom Liberty, staff say improvements were made. Lay-offs at the developer have also cast doubt over future projects, of which there are many including a live-action Cyberpunk 2077 project.

IGN spoke with Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty's art director Paweł Mielniczuk about this journey, discussing the lessons CD Projekt learned as a result of Cyberpunk 2077's turbulent launch, why it wanted to rebuild the game instead of just moving on, and what influences will carry forward into future projects like Cyberpunk 2077's sequel, codenamed Orion.

You can read about all that and more in the full interview below.

Counter-Strike 2 has received a much-needed update with the arrival of custom maps.

“The Maps workshop is now open for business,” developer Valve declared in a post on the Counter-Strike website.

“Community map makers can start uploading their maps to the workshop, and community servers can host those maps,” Valve added. “If you'd like to try some workshop maps offline, subscribe to them on the workshop and head to the Play menu.

“There are a bunch of other workshop tool updates today, along with a host of other fixes and adjustments to CS2. Check out the notes, play some matches, and keep that feedback coming!”

Fans have welcomed the news for a number of reasons, chief among them because custom maps are great for training. CS2's predecessor, CS:GO, had a few useful maps for aim training and learning how to pre-fire, learn smokes, and spots to peek on certain maps, but those maps were inaccessible when CS2 replaced CS:GO in September. And already community map makers have worked their magic, with an aim training custom map going live less than 24 hours after the update launched.

Here are the Counter-Strike 2 November 2 patch notes in full:

[ WORKSHOP ]