IGN

Frogwares has announced that it is the sole publisher of The Sinking City on all platforms. This comes after Frogwares’ lengthy legal battle with the game’s original PC publisher, Nacon.

The PC version will be updated on Steam, Epic Games, GOG, and Gamesplanet in the coming weeks. “This latest version will come with all the previous bug fixes and optimizations, as well as a few things to keep in mind for the existing owners of the game on Steam and Epic Games Store,” Frogwares explained.

Old saves won’t be compatible with the latest PC version of the game, although Steam users will have the option to continue playing the old version if they want to finish it. However, the old version will only stay around until February 28. Frogwares will also release new saves for players to download and use.

Folks, we got some big news!

Frogwares is now the sole publisher of The Sinking City on all platforms! We're happy to finally put this whole thing behind us, and we look forward to sharing more news about the future of the franchise very soon.

Please read our full statement pic.twitter.com/IxWblqbYmP

— The Sinking City (@thesinkingcity) January 2, 2024

The Sinking City was pulled from some platforms back in 2020 due to disputes between Frogwares and Nacon. Frogwares alleged that Nacon breached its contract and withheld at least €1 million in royalties, falsely implying ownership of the IP, and more.

Update: Ubisoft reached out to IGN to say that the "late 2024" timing had been updated to a "correct" release window of 2024. The original story is below.

Star Wars Outlaws, the highly anticipated open world game from Ubisoft, will be released in late 2024.

Though Ubisoft and Star Wars owner Disney had previously remained tight lipped about the release date, a Disney Parks blog post quietly announced the release window, which was previously only confirmed to be sometime in 2024.

"Star Wars Outlaws, the open world Star Wars game, is set to release late this year," the post said. "The game lets you explore distinct planets across the galaxy, both iconic and new. You can risk it all as Kay Vess, an emerging scoundrel seeking freedom and the means to start a new life, along with her companion Nix. If you’re willing to take the risk, the galaxy is full of opportunity."

Star Wars Outlaws was revealed at the 2023 Xbox Games Showcase with a gameplay presentation coming soon after, and fans quickly grew obsessed with the cute axolotl-like Nix.

First Contact Entertainment, the developer behind such PlayStation VR titles as Firewall Ultra and Firewall Zero Hour, has announced it will be shutting down at the beginning of 2024.

First Contact took to Facebook to share the news, saying "the lack of support for VR within the industry" is one of the main reasons for this decision.

"After almost 8 years of working with the most amazing team I’ve ever have the pleasure of being part of, I’m sad to announce that we will be closing our company First Contact Entertainment by the end of the year," First Contact Entertainment wrote. "The lack of support for VR within the industry has eventually taken its toll.

"As a AAA VR game developer, we are just not able to justify the expense needed gouging [sic] forward. We are a team of fearless innovators willing to push new technologies to its limits. I am extremely proud of the team and grateful to our investors, our partners and of course our community of dedicated and passionate players. It’s been a wild ride, Thank you!"

Firewall Ultra was released in September 2023 and we enjoyed parts of it, saying, "with two steps forward and two back, this VR sequel feels ultra ambivalent."

"A competent sequel to the multiplayer VR shooter original in most ways, Firewall Ultra's awkward use of eye tracking and lack of content are a shot in the foot rather than the arm," we added in our Firewall Ultra review.

Nearly seven years since its last major content update, Geometry Dash received a massive update just before the holidays. Now, players are using features newly added to the game's level editor to recreate games like Mario Kart, Five Nights at Freddy's, and Yume Nikki, essentially turning the rhythm platformer from 2013 into its own game engine overnight.

Update 2.2, released by developer RobTop on December 19, adds a new game mode, a new main level, and (perhaps most importantly) new features to the game's level editor, including new shader effects, a particle editor, and camera controls. Two weeks later, Geometry Dash players are still taking to social media to share their creations, and they've cooked up some pretty impressive recreations of popular games — including a few that seemingly shouldn't be possible in Geometry Dash.

A few players have pushed Geometry Dash to its limit by recreating 3D games despite the level editor being entirely 2D. As shared by several players across X/Twitter and Reddit, player YaY is currently working on a Geometry Dash recreation of the original Five Nights at Freddy's, and they've already added working doors and cameras.

foxy in fnaf+ in gd 2.2 by yay

yes this is geometry dash pic.twitter.com/ieoQKzfCUu

— Inex (@InexGD) December 30, 2023

Another player has recreated Rainbow Road from the original Super Mario Kart, complete with a seemingly 3D player model of Yoshi.

When I first got my hands on Skull & Bones during its last closed beta in August, I was stunned that this legendarily elusive game actually existed. Now, with a release date in February of next year fast approaching, it would seem any doubt that this seafaring adventure won’t see the light of day is fading. Now I just want to know if it’s going to be good, and after another six hours in the most recent closed beta this past weekend, I find myself more hopeful than ever that this plundering simulator might actually capture the attention of me and my friends. Though the most recent beta included some odd and unexpected changes to the story, my friends and I dove deep into the waters of this ship-based adventure’s RPG mechanics and came away pleasantly surprised.

First off, if you haven’t seen our preview from a few months ago, you should go and check that out, because the vast majority of my praise and cautious optimism still applies. Having a chance to develop my sea legs a few months ago, me and two of my fellow skallywags spent a good chunk of the weekend tinkering with our boats and exploring as much of the map as we could before running into horrifyingly overpowered enemy crafts that turned us into driftwood in one second flat.

Today, the ABK Workers Alliance published a statement opposing a recent return-to-office mandate that is impacting hundreds of Activision quality assurance (QA) workers. While the company has been allowing hybrid work situations up to this point, the group says that on November 30, QA workers in Minneapolis, Austin, and El Segundo working primarily on Call of Duty were told they must fully return to office five days per week beginning in late January. Activision is offering severance to those who depart from the company as a result of this mandate.

On November 30th, Activision QA employees in Minneapolis, Austin, and El Segundo received an email announcing that hybrid work will be ended in January for QA employees.

Below is our statement regarding this decision. pic.twitter.com/UKyRH2BggH

— ABetterABK 💙 ABK Workers Alliance (@ABetterABK) December 18, 2023

IGN has viewed the text of an email sent to impacted IGN QA workers about the change, which says the move to full-time office work came after Activision "found that our Central QA team is much more effective on in-office workdays than on remote workdays. Much of this is attributable to commercial broadband speeds, in-person team engagement leading to faster alignment, and better access to hardware in the office."

You can't keep a good deal down. Walmart and Amazon both have the Xbox Series X down to $349. That's $150 off the MSRP of a phenomenal current-gen video game console complete with a 4K Blu-ray compatible disc drive. This is a better deal than what we saw during Black Friday or Cyber Monday. It even arrives before Christmas, and this would make an amazing Christmas gift.

Amazon is currently showing in stock and delivery by Christmas. For Walmart, note that this Xbox is in stock in select areas. If you see it for $349, then it's in stock and ready for delivery in your zip code. However, if you see the price at $399.99, then it's out of stock and likely sold by a Walmart marketplace vendor.

Best Xbox Series X Deal: $349

For the record, this is a far better deal than the $439 price we saw during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Sometimes it pays to wait, apparently, even during the biggest sale event of the year. But it probably doesn't pay to wait right now, as stock will likely be limited, and the price could go up any time.

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 and 1TB of internal storage.

Tarisland reminds me of a distilled version of some of my favorite MMOs, filled with visually striking environments that are largely satisfying to poke around in. Classes are distinct and focused on a small number of abilities that play into a central mechanic or theme, with two specializations for each class to switch between.

But although it did recreate some of the same warm feelings and fun gameplay experiences I used to get from other games, the change of direction with microtransactions and the inconsistent quality of the story, voice acting, and writing all leave me concerned.

Tarisland is a hybrid PC / mobile massively-multiplayer online role-playing game from Locojoy and Level Infinite. It’s available on Windows (as a standalone app) as well as from the Apple or Google Play store, and progression and multiplayer is shared between both versions. I played on PC and Android during my preview, but I spent more time on PC both because I enjoy mouse and keyboard and because there is no current controller support in the mobile version.

The developer of hit indie horror Iron Lung, which mega YouTuber Markiplier is turning into a film, has told those who don’t agree with the game’s recent $2 price rise to “go pirate it or something”.

David Szymanski tweeted to respond to the backlash caused by Iron Lung’s price increase from $6 to $8, insisting the hike was entirely justified.

“Since people keep trying to gotcha me over this... once again, Iron Lung's price went up because the game is worth $8 so I want to charge $8, because I want to earn more money. If you don't agree with this price, I don't want your money. Go pirate it or something. I don't care.”

Then, responding to those who have said he’s “only doing this for the money", Szymanski tweeted: “Yes, no f**king s**t. I make games for a living. If I didn't want to earn money from them I wouldn't charge money for them.”

“I like the business model of ‘I want money so I make something that I think is worth money, and you pay me that money and you get the thing, and we're all happy’,” Szymanski continued. “That's it. There's nothing complicated or hidden here.

“If you don't think the things I make are worth the money I charge, that's completely okay. Don't buy them, or wait for a deep sale, or go the sneaky route and get them for free or whatever, and please tell me that so I can adjust the prices for whatever I release next.

Max Payne actor James McCaffrey has died aged 65, according to a report by TMZ.

TMZ published a statement from a rep revealing McCaffrey passed away Sunday, December 17, surrounded by friends and family after a battle with bone marrow cancer.

"One of Dick Wolf's proteges, McCaffrey went on to a successful 35-year career in television and film. Trained at the Actor's Studio, he never lost his love for creating characters; however, his good looks often pushed him toward leading man roles," said McCaffery's representative to TMZ.

Kevin Dillon, who played Johnny "Drama" Chase in HBO comedy series Entourage, was first to report McCaffrey’s death in a post on Instagram, saying: "we were lucky to have known you. My best friend you will be missed."

McCaffrey played Max Payne across Remedy’s three-game series, as well as roles in other Remedy games, such as Alan Wake and Control. Most recently, McCaffrey was the voice of Alan Wake 2's Alex Casey, a character with a physical appearance based on Remedy’s Sam Lake.

Remedy issued its own statement in a post on X/Twitter: "We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of our beloved friend and collaborator James McCaffrey, the iconic voice of Max Payne and Alex Casey. His remarkable talent gave life to our characters and left an enduring impact on our community. Our hearts go out to his family."

FromSoftware has announced a significant patch for action game Armored Core 6 that adds a number of new features to the game.

Patch 1.05, due out December 19 across all platforms, lets players battle each other in ranked online matchmaking, which comes with a new ranked leaderboard. Elsewhere, new parts can be used to enhance your AC loadout, there are new PVP maps, and you can personalise your nameplate. FromSoftware has yet to release patch notes.

Per publisher Bandai Namco, the major updates in the 1.05 patch are:

• Ranked Match – NEST is getting an upgrade! Pilots will now be able to choose Ranked Match in order to compete with other foes and rivals as they clash, fight, and blast their way to the top of the leaderboards, one pile of scrap metal after the other. Fight all the way up to S-Rank in 1-on-1 and 3-on-3 matches.
• Customizable Nameplates – In Custom and Ranked Matches, players will be able to customize a nameplate, which will display their emblem and other information about their ranked skill. New nameplates can be earned with Nest Points, which are received from participating in Ranked Matches, or depending on the results of the Ranked Matches.

Armored Core 6 came out in August and was met with critical acclaim. FromSoftware, meanwhile, is working on a DLC expansion for smash hit Elden Ring, dubbed Shadow of the Erdtree.

Significant Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League story spoilers are now online following apparent leaks stemming from a recent closed alpha test.

The oft-delayed Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is an open world co-op action title that lets up to four players to play as Harley Quinn, King Shark, Deadshot, and Captain Boomerang.

Audio from a key story cutscene is now online showing the fate of one important character, as well as video and images confirming the return of characters from developer Rocksteady’s Batman Arkham series of games.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League spoilers follow.

X/Twitter user BossBigBoss revealed assets that show what looks like a child-like Poison Ivy. This villain’s appearance in Suicide Squad comes as some surprise because she died at the end of 2015’s Arkham Knight. The suggestion here is that some part of Ivy survived and, like Guardians of the Galaxy character Groot, has revived as a child.

Even more surprising is what looks like a very different Joker than the one in the Arkham games (Joker died at the end of 2011’s Arkham City, although the villain returned in Arkham Knight via flashback/visions). Some sort of alternate version of Joker from another dimension perhaps? A vision? A flashback? It’s unclear.

When it comes to picking up new games, hardware, or accessories for your Xbox, it feels good when you can find those items at a discounted price. Here, we'll keep you updated on all of the latest deals for Xbox. Below, you can find a wide range of items on sale. Not only does this include games, but also items like controllers and headsets.

TL;DR - Our Favorite Xbox Deals

Navigate to:

• Xbox Console Bundle Deals
• Best Xbox Accessory Deals
• Best Xbox Game Pass Deals
• Best Xbox Video Game Deals
• When Should I Buy an Xbox?

Xbox Console Bundle Deals

The holidays are fast approaching, and Xbox is here to celebrate the season with a few console bundle deals. Even though Black Friday and Cyber Monday have passed, you can still save on bundles for both the Xbox Series S and X, which we've listed out below. In particular, you can get the Diablo IV Xbox Series X bundle for $436.90 at Walmart. Grab it quick before the price goes back up!

Enjoy Discounts On Select Xbox Controllers

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been crowned IGN's Best Game of 2023, narrowly beating the much-celebrated role-playing game Baldur's Gate 3. Despite missing out on the main honor, Larian's RPG still walked away with three awards, namely Best PC Game, Beyond's Best PlayStation Game and, unsurprisingly, Best RPG. It equalled the number of awards picked up by Tears of the Kingdom, which was crowned Best Open-World Game and NVC's Best Nintendo Game in addition to Best Game of the year.

Other big winners include Barbie, which picked up both Best Movie and Best Character in Ryan Gosling's Ken, and Alan Wake 2, which also won two awards - Best Horror Game and Unlocked's Best Xbox Game. Succession was named Best TV Series and narrowly missed out Biggest Holy F**k Moment of 2023 – a new award for this year, which was won at the last minute by the trailer for GTA 6.

The IGN Awards were voted for by the content team responsible for making everything you read and watch on the site, and rolled out over the last week. You can see a complete list of winners below, or by flicking through this slideshow.

Additionally, we’re proud to announcing here the winners of our final categories including Best Fighting Game, Animated TV series, and Comic Book Adaptation. With so much greatness to celebrate, let’s jump right in with the first of our final winners.

If you haven’t heard, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a really, really good game. Just, so good. When the semi-regular cast of Beyond was asked to decide our best PlayStation game of 2023, several of us immediately blurted out Baldur’s Gate 3, and no one else had any objections. So, there are plenty of write-ups on IGN and elsewhere about why it’s so great, but I wanted to reflect a little on how it seemingly came out of nowhere. Make no mistake, this game is 100% Game of the Year material. It almost was IGN’s overall pick, losing to Zelda by a handful of votes. That said, it seems like a miracle that such a dense, unabashedly technical entry in a 23-years-dormant franchise would have such widespread appeal.

When the first two Baldur’s Gate games were released, I was a prepubescent middle schooler who was way more interested in the slick, stylized JRPGs on PlayStation about guys with cool hair than I was in a text-heavy isometric PC game about subject matter that would be at home airbrushed on the side of a van in the late 70s. A few decades later, the third Baldur’s Gate was revealed with a slick launch trailer as part of some Stadia presentation. A handful of Elder Nerds around the IGN office were ecstatic, but despite having dabbled in analog Dungeons & Dragon, it didn’t really move the needle for me.

Godus and Godus Wars developer 22cans has withdrawn both games from Steam, ending a sorry saga for Peter Molyneux’s controversial project.

22cans launched god game Godus on Steam in early access form 10 years ago and was soon hit with a backlash over broken promises and a lack of updates. Godus has since gone down as one of the most disastrous crowdfunded games of all time, with Populous creator and Lionhead co-founder Molyneux retreating to background coding after receiving criticism from fans.

Now, a decade after launch and nearly eight years since its last update, Godus exits Steam with a ‘mostly negative’ user review rating and having never left Early Access.

“22cans would like to share important news regarding our games, Godus and Godus Wars,” reads a statement. “Regrettably, due to an upcoming technical change to Amazon Web Services, affecting our ability to serve necessary game files to new users, these titles are to be withdrawn from the Steam store. Please be assured that existing players can continue to enjoy these games without interruption.

“We sincerely appreciate the incredible support from our players over the past decade and extend our heartfelt thanks to you all.”

As you’d expect, Steam users are taking this announcement as an opportunity to have their say on Godus in recent reviews, with the collective sentiment one of abandonment.

The Persona 5 subseries has sold more than 10 million units following the launch of Persona 5 Tactica in November 2023.

Publisher Atlus revealed the milestone on X/Twitter alongside a celebratory illustration from series artist Shigenori Soejima featuring Persona 5 protagonist Joker and his cat companion Morgana.

"The worldwide sales of the Persona 5 series have surpassed 10 million units," Atlus said. "To celebrate, check out this special thank-you illustration from Shigenori Soejima. Thank you so much to our players for your continued support."

The worldwide sales of the Persona 5 series have surpassed 10 million units! 🎉

To celebrate, check out this special thank-you illustration from Shigenori Soejima! Thank you so much to our players for your continued support.#P5D #P5R #P5S #P5T pic.twitter.com/uTdN85VgsS

With the record-breaking GTA 6 trailer analysed to within an inch of its burgeoning life, fans have now turned their attention to official art for the game and reckon they’ve spotted something pretty revelatory.

Redditor InevitableLibrary387 pointed to what they think is a tease for the GTA 6 map hidden within the only piece of official art developer Rockstar has released for the hotly anticipated sequel (assembled from Rockstar's website by redditor TheTechPoTaToCHIP).

“Please tell me I'm not the only one who sees it, Vice beach on the right, a city in the middle, and scattered islands around it,” InevitableLibrary387 said.

As we eagerly anticipate IGN’s Best Game of 2023 announcement, we as the Podcast Unlocked panel thought we’d tell you what we think is the best Xbox game of this year. After all, we talk about Xbox every single week, we use our Xbox’s constantly, and we’re fully immersed in the Xbox ecosystem. And so our group gathered, discussed, and debated. We’ll get to the winner in a bit, but first, here are the five games we settled on as nominees, listed in alphabetical order.

Alan Wake 2

The Finnish wizards at Remedy Entertainment have been making outstanding video games for over 20 years now, but somehow they’ve just made their best one ever. Alan Wake 2 is a triumph of unique and compelling narrative storytelling, survival horror gameplay, and a beautiful visual aesthetic – all delivered by a cast of talented live-action and motion-captured performers. It’s delightfully weird, and it’s built so smartly that playing Alan Wake 1 was not required homework. In fact, Remedy knew that the overwhelming majority of players will have not played the original, and so FBI agent Saga Anderson effectively becomes the player’s avatar as the strangeness of Bright Falls envelops everyone in the town. Alan Wake 2 looks gorgeous, it sounds amazing, its story is full of surprises, and mechanically it’s a damn good survival horror game – itself an unexpected change of genre pace from the original action-adventure romp. It is truly special.

Now that Free Radical Design has shut down, former staff have published artwork from what looks like the seemingly cancelled TimeSplitters reboot.

In 2021, then publisher Deep Silver finally announced the return of TimeSplitters, developed by a number of key original members of Free Radical Design, including founders Steve Ellis and David Doak, at a new studio set up in Nottingham, UK.

"To finally be able to confirm that the studio has been formed and that we have a plan for the next TimeSplitters game is incredible," Ellis said at the time. "While we cannot tell you anything more at the moment, we look forward to sharing information in the future."

However, in December 2023, Free Radical shut down amid the devastating and ongoing restructure at embattled games company Embracer. Embracer-owned publisher Plaion confirmed the closure in a statement that failed to mention the future of the unreleased TimeSplitters reboot.

In the wake of the studio’s closure, senior artist Alfred Turner was among a number of former Free Radical developers who published assets for what looks like the TimeSplitters game the studio had worked on. It reveals characters in the classic TimeSplitters hyper-stylised design, with a splash of Fortnite thrown in.

A couple of days ago we saw Microsoft make the decision to slash the price of the Xbox Series X in the US, and we thought that it was just going to be a case of the US getting a good deal and the UK missing out. But then, to our surprise, Microsoft decided to bring the fantastic Xbox deals to us. They've brought the price down on a handful of models and bundles, but the thing we're getting excited about is the fact that you can get a Series S plus 3 months of Xbox Game Pass ultimate for just £195. This is a seriously good deal so order it now to snap it up in time for Christmas.

The Series S bundle isn't the only deal worth mentioning though. If you want a Series X instead, then head over to Amazon where you can pick up an Xbox Series X for just £343. If you want to bundle it up and get an Xbox Series X Plus Diablo 4 then you can do so for just £376. Crazy savings.

Free-to-play games have risen in prominence in recent years, flooding the market with titles that you can sink dozens if not hundreds of hours into without spending a thing. With so many games and so much variety, it can be daunting to sift through the catalogue and pick one to play. If you’re playing on PS5, we’ve collated some of the best choices for free-to-play games in 2023.

Each of the PS5 games below are free to start playing, but some of the aspects of these games may cost money. Things that aren't part of the base free game often include expansions and cosmetic upgrades.

See our guide to the best PS5 deals for discounts on new games and more ahead of PS5 Black Friday deals.

Fortnite

An unsurprising entry for the list, Fortnite is a mega hit that continues to take the world by storm. This stylized battle royale game has a variety of game modes to participate in to test your skills, an ever evolving map to explore, live event spectacles, a robust creative community, and hundreds of original and licensed IP crossover cosmetics. There are plenty of other games like Fortnite worth playing, but the original is still worth diving into.

We're only a week and a half out from December 25, meaning that time is running out to take advantage of deals this holiday season. From games to tech, there are dozens of great deals that won't be available for much longer. This is one of the last opportunities to get great deals in time before things start to sell out or arrive after the holidays. Here are the best deals available for Sunday, December 17.

HP OMEN 16 - 16" 165Hz Full HD Gaming Laptop for $1199.99

An amazing deal on an HP OMEN laptop is available at Best Buy. This laptop comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen 9-7940HS, 16GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, and a 512GB SSD. That's a huge amount of power that should be able to fill any need you might have. Recent releases like Starfield or Lies of P will run with ease on a system like this. This deal ends today, so act fast if you're keen on picking up a gaming laptop.

Xbox Series X for $349

The Xbox Series X is still on sale after Black Friday and Cyber Monday! For a limited time, you can score a new console for only $349. That's $150 off MSRP, which is a steal this holiday season and even better than Cyber Monday deals. Depending on your location, you might see the Xbox Series X listed for $399. That's still $100 off, but it's worth keeping in mind if you can't seem to find the $349 deal in your area.

We're only a week and a half out from December 25, meaning that time is running out to take advantage of deals this holiday season. From games to tech, there are dozens of great deals that won't be available for much longer. This is one of the last opportunities to get great deals in time before things start to sell out or arrive after the holidays. Here are the best deals available for Saturday, December 16.

HP OMEN 16 - 16" 165Hz Full HD Gaming Laptop for $1199.99

An amazing deal on an HP OMEN laptop is available at Best Buy. This laptop comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen 9-7940HS, 16GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, and a 512GB SSD. That's a huge amount of power that should be able to fill any need you might have. Recent releases like Starfield or Lies of P will run with ease on a system like this. This deal ends tomorrow, so act fast if you're keen on picking up a gaming laptop.

Xbox Series X for $349

The Xbox Series X is still on sale after Black Friday and Cyber Monday! For a limited time, you can score a new console for only $349. That's $150 off MSRP, which is a steal this holiday season and even better than Cyber Monday deals. Depending on your location, you might see the Xbox Series X listed for $399. That's still $100 off, but it's worth keeping in mind if you can't seem to find the $349 deal in your area.

Save $50 on Meta Quest 2 and Get $50 Credit

A YouTube video with VHS footage from Nintendo's Japanese Space World show from 1995 has seemingly given us our first-ever look at the multiplayer mode with Luigi that never saw the light of day in Super Mario 64.

As reported by VGC, we get the briefest look in a video uploaded by Now In Game Channel of what appears to be Luigi doing a spin jump next to Mario in Super Mario 64. This is obviously of note as Luigi was never part of the final version of N64's Super Mario 64. He did appear in the DS version alongside Mario, Yoshi, and Wario, however.

Among the many surprises at The Game Awards 2023, we got our first glimpse of Bethesda’s upcoming Blade game. Developed by Arkane Studios Lyon, this third-person action game puts players in the shoes of Marvel’s most iconic vampire hunter. It’s such a natural fit that we can only question why it’s been 20 years since the last Blade game.

The Blade game and the upcoming Blade movie reboot are both coming at a critical time for Marvel, as the company moves forward after a rough 2023 and embraces this iconic vampire hunter as a key part of its future. Is Blade the cure to what ails Marvel these days? It wouldn’t be the first time.

Blade’s Mainstream Popularity Explosion

The original Blade movie came along at a particularly dark time for Marvel. The comic book industry had recently suffered a major crash, as speculators and collectors fled the hobby and numerous comic shops went out of business. Marvel itself filed for bankruptcy in late 1996. The company had certainly faced lean times before, whether it was the anti-comic backlash of the 1950s or the industry-wide contraction of the 1970s, but there was a period in the ‘90s where it looked like Marvel’s days were well and truly numbered.

Years ago, when Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver first let any Pokemon follow the player anywhere, fans went bananas at the idea of seeing their beloved companions walking around the world with them. But in the new Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC: The Indigo Disk, Pokemon has gone one step further: not only can your Pokemon follow you, you can become a Pokemon.

In The Indigo Disk, fairly early on, you'll be able to track down a character named Synclaire within the Terarium who, after you finish a quest for her, will teach you to use a Synchro Machine. This allows you to essentially "become" your Pokemon and run around the map controlling them and using them to autobattle. Practically, it's a fairly useless feature - the best thing about it is the ability to control your Pokemon while they autobattle instead of having to resummon them over and over when they get out of range.

But for Pokemon lovers, Syncing is goofy in the absolute best way. And most of this can be chalked up to just how lovable and silly the Pokemon themselves can be. For instance, you can play as Tinkaton and bap everything you see with a giant hammer:

tinkatons awakening is game of the year pic.twitter.com/Uw9qx5JRAL

— santapotion (@sxperpotion) December 15, 2023

You could play as Toedscool and plap plap plap your way around the Terarium:

One of the most revered and celebrated sci-fi films of the last 10 years, Interstellar is a visually striking Christopher Nolan masterpiece of incredible magnitude. While audiences argue about which Nolan film is his best (see also Inception, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, Oppenheimer), Interstellar remains his most pure sci-fi film. With the help of renowned, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Kip Thorne, Nolan created mathematically sound visuals of black holes and wormholes five years ahead of the first actual photos. While some of the scientific accuracy — theory of relativity, ‘time slippage,’ power of gravity, power of love — is lost in favor of cinematic dramatization, the scientific theories established in the film are air-tight in consistency and highly intriguing. These are some of the things that make Interstellar such an incredible experience to behold, even with its near-three-hour runtime.

While Interstellar is a one-of-a-kind film, other films out there share many similarities and qualities that make them worth the watch. Here’s a compiled list of movies like Interstellar.

If there’s one genre that lends itself to boom or bust, it's the online shooter. For every success like Call of Duty, Halo, or Apex Legends, it seems like there are at least a dozen other games that have come and gone with barely a spark before they fizzle. With so many good competitive shooters in play, what makes one stand out? After dozens of hours I’m beginning to see how The Finals answers those questions: with an excellent gameshow-infused style and a brilliantly destructible playground.

If the 1987 movie The Running Man were about 3v3v3 gun battles, it would’ve resembled The Finals. You and two teammates face off against other three-person squads in a virtual gameshow, vying to see who can be the first to score enough cash before time runs out. The vibrant color palette combines with a pair of live sports-style play-by-play announcers to give it that over-the-top, American Gladiators feel that people in the ‘80s thought was going to be the future of sports. That strikes a great balance of not taking itself too seriously without making it a total joke or becoming obnoxious.

A lot of RPGs assume you're just some nobody with a sword trying to make their way in a strange and hostile universe. And there are few universes as large and hostile as Warhammer 40K. That's why I was so delighted that Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader puts you into the shiny, step-on-me boots of a titular Rogue Trader, the heir to the von Valancius dynasty and a very powerful member of the high nobility in the Imperium. Getting to roleplay someone of such status and wealth across more than 130 hours of gritty, tactical combat and superb quest writing is a fresh power fantasy for this setting and this genre. I just wish it wasn't plagued by more annoying bugs than there are daemons in the Warp.

Rogue Trader is an absolutely colossal, somewhat lumbering CRPG. And like my grandiose, gothic voidship the Fortunatrix, it's not exactly polished to a mirror sheen. On the bright side, like Baldur's Gate 3 before it, almost none among the huge catalog of side quests and optional activities feel like filler. Developer Owlcat's previous games, Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Wrath of the Righteous, had a lot of trash fights that honestly seemed like they were there to waste my time, but every encounter in Rogue Trader’s epic-length campaign presents tactical challenges that are made interesting through new ways of thinking about its enemies and use of space and cover. And Rogue Trader has a lot of surprises in store for 40K fans in terms of the kinds of foes we get to fight.

Look, I don’t need to tell you how great Resident Evil 4 is. You’ve either already played the original 15 times by now in any number of its various re-releases over the years, or were delighted to experience it for the first time with the phenomenal remake earlier this year (which IGN awarded our highest recommendation). There was even a VR port of the original that came out just two years ago. But now, on top of it all, there’s a PlayStation VR 2-exclusive VR mode for Resident Evil 4 Remake, raising the question of whether it’s worth going back for yet another run through this horror classic from a different perspective. The answer may not at all surprise you! Yes, as it turns out: if you take an amazing horror game and give it a similar VR treatment to that of fellow residences of evil Biohazard and Village, it’s still amazing (and often even more chilling) in true first-person. But it’s also an imperfect port, with some finicky controls and tons of jarring cuts into third-person since, equally unsurprisingly, a remake of a game that first came out 17 years ago pretty clearly wasn’t designed with virtual reality in mind.

Compiling a list of the best board games to play at any given time is more challenging than it might appear. What do we mean when we talk about an “all time” great in any medium? It’s got to be something that’s stood the test of time, like all our picks for the best classic board games. But at the same time we need to steer away from games that have become diminished by over familiarity and shift into new and exciting territory. We also want to include things that have been acclaimed as top of their particular tree at one time or another, to give some historical perspective.

That’s the thinking we’ve brought to the list below, a mixture of board games once seen as the best ever, together with some close pretenders that have earned their spot through novelty or popularity. They’re all great in one way or another, so whatever you pick you can’t go wrong. Here are the best board games to play in 2023.

When I reviewed Granblue Fantasy Versus back in February of 2020, I said it stood out as a great fundamentals-driven and uniquely approachable anime fighter that was held back by just a few key issues: An overly convoluted and dull RPG mode, only 11 playable characters, and dated delay-based netcode. I don’t know if the developers used that as a checklist for things to improve in Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising, but they may as well have because I’m thrilled to see that they’ve corrected all of those issues, and then some.

Let’s run down the new stuff and improvements: The newly renamed Story Mode is now a much brisker version of the base game’s campaign that trims all of the fat and while also adding a new chapter; the fighting system has been completely overhauled for the better, adding several exciting new mechanics; there’s better learning tools; rollback netcode; and even a Granblue-themed Fall Guys-esque mode included in the online lobby. It all amounts to one of the most feature-packed “definitive edition”-style updates to a fighting game I’ve ever seen, and is a fantastic re-entry point into the grand world of Granblue Fantasy Versus.

I’m not going to go in depth on every single mechanical change made to the core fighting of Rising – because there are quite a lot – but the biggest ones are the removal of universal techniques added after launch like Overdrive and Tactical Move, a brand-new variation of special moves called Ultimate Skills, a resource called Bravery Points, and then a handful of powerful abilities that use those Bravery Points.

You have to hand it to Cherry – she is tough. From the moment you meet, and she's dragging what's left of her beaten, broken android body across the ground in vengeful pursuit of the guy who ran off with her girl, everything about who Cherry is – strong, sassy, principled, and gloriously self-aware – becomes instantly clear. Not only does it nicely set the stage for one of 2023's more unforgettable video game heroes, it leaves you with no doubt what metroidvania Cookie Cutter is all about.

It's about violence. The gorier and the bloodier the better.

Unlike other recent games pressed from the same mold, though, Cookie Cutter isn't about innovating the metroidvania template or incorporating ideas inspired by other genres, such as Hollow Knight's soulslike influences. As old-school a metroidvania as it comes, Cookie Cutter blends a memorable cast with a sprawling, interconnected world and striking hand-drawn graphics. And although it does occasionally frustrate as much as it entertains, it's nonetheless one of the more approachable entries to the genre. If you like blood, of course. Lots and lots of blood.

Embracer Group has once again conducted a round of layoffs, with Duke Nukem creator 3D Realms and Ghostrunner co-developer Slipgate Ironworks being hit, per posts on social media by former employees.

Employees at both studios took to X/Twitter to reveal that they had been laid off from their jobs, including Michael Markie, a lead composer at both studios, and Patrick Hewitt, a 3D artist. Scott Miller, the founder of 3D Realms, said in a post that he had "several sources" tell him that layoffs were happening, particularly at the 3D Realms headquarters in Denmark.

"This one hits me hard because I worked with the new 3DR from 2014 up until when they were bought out by Embracer 2.5 yrs ago," Miller wrote.

It's currently unclear how many people were affected, but Miller wrote that he heard "half the company" had been laid off.

Several sources have told me this bad news... Sorry to hear about another drop of the axe by Embracer Group, this time landing on Danish 3D Realms. A lot of people, including core devs, will be looking for work asap. Hopefully they land jobs soon. This one hits me hard because I…

Why are so many people finding satisfaction in simulation games about manual labor? Farming, building, power washing - there’s some deep psychological study to be done on creating the illusion of productivity, but I couldn’t care less. All I know is that if I can’t make sure this garage extension has perfect ebony paneling, I will have brought shame to the good name of my ancestors. House Flipper 2 has reawakened my dormant obsession with wallpaper and trash collection, building on the success of the first cult game with a new coat of paint and some noticeable gameplay improvements.

Like in the original House Flipper, you spend your time in House Flipper 2 renovating houses, which involves everything from cleaning to demolition to picking out new furniture. There are requests from characters that you can fulfill and houses you can buy, fix up, and sell for a profit. The changes to the meat and potatoes of House Flipper are minimal – a quality-of-life addition here, and an extra mode like Sandbox there – which feels like the right balance for fans of a slice-of-life sim like this. If you’re someone who spent hours perfecting their tiling techniques or real estate profit strategies, the last thing you want is to grab a sequel and find yourself in unfamiliar territory. Just the same way you don’t want to buy the new Sims game and find out you have to solve a sudoku puzzle when you want them to woohoo and you have to do their taxes now.

The votes are in, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the winner of IGN's 2023 Game of the Year award. Link's latest adventure across the lands, skies, and depths of Hyrule was clearly one of 2023's biggest standouts, but in a year full of amazing games, the vote here at IGN was extremely close.

So, we turned to IGN Playlist — our tool for rating games, tracking your backlog, making fun lists, and discovering what to play — to give IGN staff members a chance to share their personal picks for the Top 10 Games of 2023.

Read on to discover lists from 32 different staff members to see what we picked as our favorites for this year. And, make sure to sign into IGN Playlist to make a Top 10 Games of 2023 list for yourself — we may feature it on IGN in the coming days!

With the second set of the Disney Lorcana TCG, Rise of the Floodborn, now in players’ hands, the Lorcana metagame has been shaken up by new Legendaries, Lore-generating Items, and a certain Disney mouse (but not the one you’re thinking). We’re still in the early days of Set 2 and players are continuing to innovate with creative new decks (looking at you, Mufasa Roulette), but what does all this look like from the other side? IGN spoke to Game Design Manager and Disney Lorcana TCG Co-Designer Steve Warner over email to hear about his reaction to initial fan-favorite decks, the relationship between card power and card rarity, the unexpectedly powerful Hiram Flaversham–Toymaker, and how Mufasa's brutal death scene in The Lion King inspired a fun new mechanic for the game.

Read on to hear what Warner had to say, but if you’re new to Lorcana and don’t yet know the difference between Lore, Ink, and Songs, check out our primer on the fun new game we enjoy so much.

Reflecting on The First Chapter

IGN: Before we get into Rise of the Floodborn, I'd like to take a quick moment to have you reflect on The First Chapter. The metagame quickly formed around Ruby/Amethyst Control and Steel/Amber Steelsong, and those two decks dominated the format. Was that about what you expected or did it come as a surprise?

When it comes to game night, it's always a great idea to have a variety of board games around for people to choose from. Unfortunately, building that collection of games can oftentimes cost you more than you'd expect. Have no fear, though, as we're here to help you out with a variety of deals on board games that are worth picking up.

TL;DR - The Best Board Game Deals

This doesn't just cater to events like Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday, either. We try to find deals on the best board games all throughout the year, so you can buy your favorites without breaking the bank. Below, you can find a selection of the best board game deals at the moment.

The Best Board Game Deals

Board Games: Budget to Best

For when board games aren't on sale, it's nice to know you still have options that don't cost you tons of money. Here, we'll point you in the direction of more affordable board games that are still worth the investment for your next game night.

When Is the Best Time to Find Board Game Deals?

Board games go on sale at sites like Amazon, Target, Walmart, and even GameStop fairly regularly -- you can generally find special discounts every month or two. In addition, they absolutely get big discounts during major sale events like Amazon's Prime Day and Black Friday.

Yesterday, mobile versions of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition were made available on iOS and Android, with Netflix subscribers accessing these versions at no additional cost. And many quickly praised the ports for fixing several issues found on the console versions.

Specifically, users on X/Twitter have been quick to rejoice in the quality of these Grand Theft Auto Vice City, 3, and San Andreas mobile ports. The common things people point out are the lighting, shadows, reflections, and draw distance, which look stunning. This starkly contrasts the quality seen in the console and PC versions when those were released roughly two years ago.

GTA: San Andreas Definitive Edition on Mobile is the most amazing thing I have ever seen.

I don’t know what sorcery Netflix did here but they managed to keep the same feel of GTA: San Andreas while also giving us amazing lighting, shadows and reflections.

This Looks good! pic.twitter.com/NgRk21Iphx

— NikTek (@NikTekOfficial) December 14, 2023

Some screenshots from GTA San Andreas The Definitive Edition Netflix.

This Game is stunningly good-looking pic.twitter.com/SXeotb1VoI