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Age of Empires 4 is holding a Technical Stress Test starting today, and it will be open to everyone through Steam and the Xbox Insider Hub in Microsoft Store. The test will go from Friday, September 17 at 10 a.m. PT through Monday, September 20 at 10 a.m. PT, according to a news post on the Age of Empires website.

The four civilizations available in the beta are the English, the Chinese, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Abbasid Dynasty. Five different maps will be available with the developers stressing this test is "focused on the multiplayer experience." Single-player options available in the test include playing against AI in the Multiplayer Custom Lobby and playing the game's tutorial, Mission Zero.

A closed beta was held for Age of Empires 4 earlier this year. The developers made some changes since then including an increased camera distance option, "balance work" with the English and Chinese civilizations, and various bug fixes.

Age of Empires 4 is set to launch on October 28. It will be available on PC through Steam and Windows Store. Xbox Game Pass for PC members will be able to access the game on launch day.

It was recently found out that an hour of medieval history documentary material is included in Age of Empires 4.

The 32nd page of an exhaustive PDF document called "Operation Red Tape'' is christened with the headline, "Discussing throwing 'leads' about Jeanue to an IGN journalist." It was uploaded by the team behind the website SaveTitanfall.com on August 6 as the definitive conclusion on one of the strangest stories in video games. Who was killing Titanfall? Who is Jeanue? Why hasn't Respawn done anything to stop it? I had been trying to answer those questions for months. Now, it appeared that all of my work had been capsized.

"Should throw him the original leads about jean," read the screenshot of a Discord transcript, just below that brutal headline. I felt a twinge in the bottom of my stomach. The "him" here apparently referred to me. Had I really been hoodwinked this badly? Was I trusting the wrong people?

"Would be nice at the very least to get the people who still think that's his real identity to shut up kek," reads the screenshot.

I closed my laptop, delirious, confused, and wounded. The story had been blown to smithereens, and if the report was to be believed, multiple sources were taking me for a ride. All that was left was a slew of exasperating unknowables, but after spending my summer in the strange waters of Titanfall fandom, none of that was a surprise.

Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator Yuji Naka has taken a move towards the realm of indie games following this year's disappointing release of Balan Wonderworld.

As translated by VGC, Naka, who turns 56 today (September 17), tweeted thanking fans for their birthday wishes before going on to announce that he's working on a small indie mobile game developed using Unity.

“I’ve recently started learning how to program again, and I’m working on a simple game for smartphones with Unity," said Naka. "I’m making it by myself, so it’s not much, but I’m enjoying programming it. I hope you’ll be able to play with the app when it’s available.”

In April this year, Naka left his position at Square Enix shortly after the studio's dissatisfying release of Balan Wonderworld. The game, which Naka himself worked as the director on, received an overwhelmingly negative response from critics and fans. Naka had previously told IGN that the game was his "one chance" to make a platformer for the publisher.

Upon the title's release, IGN reviewed Balan Wonderworld upon its release and granted it a lowly 4/10. In our verdict for the game, we said that its "half-baked platforming and ill-advised one-button design" unfortunately led to it "being a complete bore".

Cardy, Matt and Emma are here to talk about the delight that is Deathloop. We also have impressions of the Call of Duty Vanguard beta which Emma has been playing, a lovely photo puzzle game called TOEM which Cardy enjoyed, and Matt's journey through the psychedelic rock coming of age tale, The Artful Escape.

Want to submit your own Endless Search, food opinion, or a bit of other nonsense? Feel free to get in touch with the podcast at: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.

IGN UK Podcast #610: Deathloops and Toffee Hoops

• IGN UK Podcast #609: Too Much Happened This Week
• IGN UK Podcast #608: A Far Cry from The Forgotten City
• IGN UK Podcast #607: DokeV's Llama Would Batter a Xenomorph
• IGN UK Podcast #606: Lucy's Unfortunate Train Ride and Other Stories
• IGN UK Podcast #605: Darth Maul + Rio Ferdinand = Darth Merkin'

1047 Games says that its popular first-person portal-based shooter Splitgate will incorporate a take on Forge mode before Halo Infinite.

In response to a tweet from @KFCGaming asking its community to "trigger an entire gaming fanbase with one sentence," the official Splitgate account responded by announcing, "Splitgate will have a forge mode before Halo Infinite."

Splitgate will have forge mode before Halo Infinite.

(Sorry in advance Halo fans, we love you but we had to)

— Splitgate - Season 0 (@Splitgate) September 15, 2021

Originally released in Halo 3, Forge is a mode designed by Bungie that allows players to edit, customize and share maps within the Halo community. Due to its popularity, Forge has become a regular addition to Halo games with the mode being added to subsequent releases within the franchise in Halo Reach, Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians, and 343 Industries' upcoming installment: Halo Infinite.

Last month, 343 announced that it was delaying the launch of campaign co-op and Forge within Halo Infinite until after launch as it continued to focus on getting the single-player campaign and multiplayer done in time for its launch date. Forge is currently expected to release in Halo Infinite during its third season. With each season set to ship in three-month windows, 1047 Games' own announcement would likely mean that a mode for Splitgate would debut sometime before mid-2022.

Welcoooome to Nintendo Voice Chat! This week, Super Ninfriendo Seth Macy takes a spin in the hosting chair, and he's joined by Brian Altano, Rebekah Valentine, and Kat Bailey to chat all things Nintendo. After four and a half long years, Bluetooth support is finally on Switch. But is it any good? Plus, the GameCube just turned 20 years old, and the panel discusses their favorite memories with Nintendo's little purple box.

NVC is available on your preferred platforms!

• Spotify
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You can also Download NVC 578 Directly Here

You can listen to NVC on your preferred platform every Thursday at 3pm PT/6pm ET. Have a question for Question Block? Write to us at nvc@ign.com and we may pick your question! Also, make sure to join the Nintendo Voice Chat Podcast Forums on Facebook. We're all pretty active there and often pull Question Block questions and comments straight from the community.

Logan Plant is the Production Assistant for NVC. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.

Tales of Arise has already hit an impressive sales milestone less than a week after release. Bandai Namco announced today that in just "a few days after release," the latest release in the long-running Tales series, Tales of Arise, surpassed 1 million units sold worldwide. This makes it the fastest-selling title in the franchise.

Tales of Arise's 1 million units sold brings the total series' units sold up to a very respectable 25 million.

"We are very proud and humbled to see fans and newcomers reception playing Tales of Arise," producer Yusuke Tomizawa said. "Our goal with this title was to open the franchise to as many players as possible while maintaining the Tales of DNA and uniqueness that has allowed the franchise to stay strong for more than 25 years. We would like to thank players for their support."

Opening up the franchise to as many players as possible came by way of essentially a Tales reboot. In an interview with IGN, Tomizawa said Tales of Arise is "both a reboot in a sense that we want former Tales fans to come back to this game, as well as attract new players with these stunning new graphics, visuals, the aesthetics, and all that good stuff."

Hello Games, the creators of No Man's Sky, has revealed that The Last Campfire is coming to Steam next month.

More specifically, the cozy puzzle game will hit Steam on October 7. If you're unsure if The Last Campfire is for you, Hello Games is releasing a playable demo for the game on October 1 as part of the Steam Next Fest.

"The Last Campfire was a labour of love for a small team at the studio," a press release about the announcement reads. "We've been lucky to have really lovely reviews across the board, and a bunch of awards and nominations. It seems to have struck an emotional chord with people as well. Now, we're finally bringing it to Steam."

The Last Campfire is already available on Switch, Apple Arcade, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Epic Games Store and it's been available on those platforms since last year. With it having been released on the Epic Games Store last year, this Steam release isn't the first time PC players will get a chance to play the game.

It is the first chance for those who prefer to use Steam when playing PC games, however. The Last Campfire is better than it's ever been, too, thanks to a new update in April that brought a ton of new things with it. For starters, it added 20% more puzzles to the game as well as the ability to replay any puzzle at any time.

The original Ticket to Ride famously helped usher in the board game renaissance of the early 2000s -- a glorious and fruitful period that's still going strong. (Trust me, kids, there was a time when board game options were limited to ancient standbys like Monopoly and Life; those years were boring).

Ticket to Ride: Europe was an early followup that shifted the setting overseas and introduced a few smart tweaks to the gameplay. Now that this standalone offshoot is turning 15 years old, publisher Days of Wonder has released Ticket to Ride: Europe 15th Anniversary Edition, a complete, oversized, and utterly gorgeous new version of the game. And you know what? Turns out this strategy game is still as fun and satisfying as it ever was.

While there's nothing new here in terms of content, Ticket to Ride: Europe 15th Anniversary Edition represents the definitive version of this game. It includes everything that came with the original, plus all of the expansions. But each physical piece -- the board, cards, train pieces, etc. -- has gotten a thoughtful, high-quality upgrade. This edition is a sight to behold.

The board itself is huge -- it's basically the size of a bath towel. It measures 38 by 25.5 inches, and it takes up the lion's share of my kitchen table. It looks phenomenal. While the routes remain the same as the original version, the art is all new, with vibrant colors and much more topographical detail. The board itself is made of thick, high-quality material. I have no worries about accidentally ripping as I fold or unfold it.

There's a new model of the PlayStation 5 in production, but reports say the revised model doesn't have better performance than the launch version.

According to Digital Foundry, who has had a chance to test the machine, the new CFI-1100 model has no meaningful differences with the CFI-1000, which was the launch edition.

Sony made some changes to the cooling system in the new PS5, which had some people concerned that the new system might overheat. But in Digital Foundry's tests, the new system leads to cooler temperatures in some cases, and hotter in others, but it's always only a few degrees different. And, in all of the tests running software on the two versions of the PS5, the systems performed basically identically.

From a hardware perspective, the system is about 300 grams lighter than the launch model, with the same dimensions. It also makes a small improvement to the stand, making it easier to attach by hand without the need for a screwdriver or coin to screw it in.

So, in the most basic of terms, if you're worried the new PS5 has already made your launch model obsolete, or you're concerned the changes to the heatsink make the new PS5 worse, there appears to be no need to worry. The biggest concern with PS5 hardware is still managing to get your hands on it at all.

Elsewhere, the PS5 just got a major software update, allowing users to finally expand their console's internal storage.

Gran Turismo series creator, Kazunori Yamauchi, has detailed why Gran Turismo 7 will require an always-online connection. While this has fans riled up, Yamauchi says the connection is necessary for save data and livery data.

In a new interview with Eurogamer, Yamauchi was asked about PlayStation's recent announcement that GT Cafe will always require an online connection.

Yamauchi explained that the online requirement isn't specific to just GT Cafe, but every aspect of the game except for its Arcade mode. He also touched on why such a requirement is even necessary in the first place.

"The requirement for the online connection isn't specific to the Cafe per se — it's just to prevent cheating overall from people trying to modify the save data, so that's the reason for the online connection," Yamauchi said. "The only part of the game that doesn't require an online connection is the Arcade mode, because that has no effect on the save data, so that's possible."

He continued and said if a part of the game deals with save data, it will require an always-online connection.

In a separate interview with gtplanet, Yamauchi further touched on the always-online debacle, adding that "another aspect is for the liveries."

Sony Santa Monica Studio's Cory Barlog, director of 2018's God of War, has opened up on why there will only be two games in the series' Norse mythology saga, stating that he wanted to avoid delaying the story's conclusion to a decade after it started.

In an interview with Kaptain Kuba on YouTube, Barlog spoke about why he decided that the story of Kratos and Atreus would be told over just two games, rather than a trilogy or anything longer. "I think one of the most important reasons is the first game took five years. The second game, I don't know how long it's going to take but I'm just going to throw out that it's going to take a close to a similar time," said Barlog.

"Then if you think a third one in that same [timeframe], we're talking a span of close to fifteen years of a single story and I feel like that's just too stretched out. I feel like we're asking too much to say the actual completion of that story taking that long... it just feels too long. Given where the team was at and where Eric was at with what he wanted to do, I was like 'Look I think we can actually do this in the second story because most of what we were trying to do from the beginning was to tell something about Kratos and Atreus that the core of the story's engine is really the relationship between these two characters'."

Former Bungie composer Marty O'Donnell, known for his work on the Halo series and Destiny, has been found in contempt of court over his use of Destiny music assets that broke the terms of a 2015 lawsuit between him and Bungie. O'Donnell now faces tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

As revealed by Eurogamer, Bungie served the Halo-famed composer with contempt of court papers back in April after it surfaced that Destiny videos breaking the terms of a previous 2015 lawsuit between the pair had been published to O'Donnell's YouTube channel and other platforms.

On July 12 this year, after reviewing the evidence presented, Judge Regina Cahan of the Superior Court of Washington King County ruled in the studio's favour. As part of the ruling, O'Donnell has reportedly been made to remove all relevant Destiny material from the internet. To ensure that a similar situation doesn't arise in the future, O'Donnell has also been made to submit a range of his electronic devices for forensic examination in order to ensure that any assets relating to the case in his possession are deleted.

The composer has also been told pay Bungie any money that he has received from the sale of music uploaded to Bandcamp as well as the studio's legal fees. While these fees are apparently still in dispute, they include both Bungie's legal fees and the costs associated with the third-party forensic examination of his devices - a figure that Bungie reportedly argues is close to $100,000.

Polyphony Digital’s wonderfully nostalgic new trailer for Gran Turismo 7, which Sony aired during its 2021 PlayStation Showcase last week, communicates a very clear message: this is a series with a long history that players look back upon with firm fondness.

Filled with sequences inspired by the unforgettable intro movies from several classic Gran Turismo games stretching all the way back to the series’ debut on the original PlayStation, this latest look at GT7 knew exactly which buttons to push to get fans ready for the much-anticipated return of the complete Gran Turismo experience.

Gran Turismo creator and Polyphony Digital CEO Kazunori Yamauchi confirms the call-backs were something he wanted to do to help tie the history of the series to the next chapter.

“I felt that was the kind of thing the audience was really looking for now,” Yamauchi tells IGN. “When the development of GT Sport ended I had mentioned in interviews that I wanted GT7 to be a title that connects the past to the present and to the future, and that’s exactly what GT7 is about.”

Of course, there are a variety of hurdles that accompany the task of building a game for an audience as broad as that of Gran Turismo, which ranges from fans who loved the original nearly 25 years ago to kids who perhaps weren’t even born when the likes of GT5 and GT6 arrived within the last decade or so.

The Yakuza series and its spin-offs are renowned for juxtaposing simmering crime drama plots alongside quirkier complementary diversions, but Lost Judgment is the first time that the side dishes have turned out to be more satisfying than the main course. An intriguing murder case at its center doesn’t quite go the distance thanks to a lack of late-game twists and turns and puddle-deep detective gameplay, but a surprisingly absorbing series of optional investigations that place returning star Takayuki Yagami undercover at a Yokohama high school go a long way towards redeeming the overall adventure.

When a body is found decomposing in an abandoned warehouse, the prime suspect has an airtight alibi: getting caught committing an entirely different crime at the exact same time the warehouse murder is believed to have taken place. It’s a provocative jumping off point to be reunited with private investigator Yagami and his likeable crime-solving cohorts, and it kept me enthralled in its opening hours as a series of contradictions were picked apart and modern concepts like deepfake technology were posited that made me feel like I was leading man in an episode of CSI: Shinjuku.

This initial intrigue doesn’t last, though, since all of the major parts and players in Lost Judgment’s main case have been identified and unmasked roughly by the start of the third act, which means any sense of mystery evaporates from there on out as the characters talk in circles and at length while re-examining the same pieces of evidence without revealing any new details. I kept waiting for a rug-pulling plot twist that never arrived, and despite the customary escalating boss fights in Lost Judgment’s closing chapters, I couldn’t help but feel like it was just going through the motions.

Startup developer Clockwork Labs has announced BitCraft, a "new kind of MMORPG" that emphasizes player cooperation and allows players to have a large amount of agency over the game world.

The PC MMO, which you can sign up to play the pre-alpha build at on the official BitCraft website, features a mix of crafting, building, hunting, farming, trading, and exploration. It's also got a unique art style, which you can see for yourself in the trailer above and the screenshot gallery below.

“BitCraft is an MMO community sandbox game which takes place in an enormous, fully editable, procedurally generated landscape all hosted in a single unsharded world, providing players with an unparalleled level of creativity and depth,” said Clockwork Labs cofounder Tyler Cloutier.

The developers promise "unparalleled freedom and long-term character progression which enables players to create their own stories and write the new history of this world." Stay tuned for more on BitCraft as development progresses.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Following in the footsteps of games like Super Mario Run, wipEout Rush brings a fan-favorite gaming franchise in a way uniquely suited to the mobile platform. It will be released for both iOS and Android devices in early 2022. Check out the announcement trailer above and a gallery of screenshots below.

Publisher Rogue Games is aware that many fans still want to see a return on its original PlayStation platform. “If I want that visceral, immersive, intense racing experience, I’ll find it waiting on PlayStation," said Rogue CEO Matt Casamassina. "But at the same time, we’re delighted that we could rethink wipEout for mobile with some fun new play mechanics and gorgeous visuals.

“We hope fans will come to it with an open mind because—although different—we’re proud to bring the wipEout franchise back into focus with a fresh take on the formula," he continued. "And we’ve poured a lot of love into the presentation, which includes loads of iconic ships and tracks, a new comic book-inspired narrative, a fitting electronica soundtrack, and gorgeous visuals that run at 60 frames per second on modern hardware.”

wipEout Rush includes 60 ships from the original games as well as a single-player campaign featuring 12 championship cup races across five distinct environments. That campaign also includes comic book-influenced storytelling that will give more personality to the racers. And in one more nod to the originals, wipEout Rush features an original electronica soundtrack from veteran Sony musician Alastair Lyndsay.

Aside from showcasing the latest triple-A heavyweights to grace the world of video games, the Steam store is also no stranger to the occasional out-of-the-blue indie success story. The store's latest surprise hit comes in the form of Gas Station Simulator, a game that does exactly what the title suggests: run a gas station.

Currently ranked third on Steam's Top Sellers list, DRAGO Entertainment's Gas Station Simulator is topped only by new releases Deathloop and Timberborn.

In Gas Station Simulator, players find themselves at the forefront of a brand new business opportunity. After purchasing their very own abandoned gas station - The Dust Bowl - budding entrepreneurs are then tasked with restoring it to its former glory. Throughout the game, players will need to expand upon their station's services as they attempt to keep up with the pace of its customers' demands.

Gas Station Simulator incorporates all the best elements from your multiple memorable times at gas stations. From refuelling cars at the pump to tending to customers at the checkout, and even changing tires in the workshop, the game looks to draw upon the best tasks of station life.

Sony recently announced a brand new entry into the PS5 accessories family, the Midnight Black Pulse 3D Headset, to go alongside the standard white PS5 Headset. It will release on October 29, 2021, and costs £89.99 in the UK. Preorders are now live at Amazon.

Pulse 3D Headset in Midnight Black Now Available to Preorder

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

343 Industries has once again stated that Halo 5 won't be heading to PC anytime soon, despite a recent datamine leak suggesting otherwise.

343's stance on the matter comes after the recent Nvidia GeForce Now leak which seemed to point to a number of potential PC announcements for various games including Sony's God of War, Gears of War 6, and Halo 5: Guardians.

As fans once again built up hope for a PC port of the 2015 Halo game, Community Director at 343 Industries, Brian Jarrard, was quick to clarify the 343i's stance. He addressed fans on Twitter, explaining that while the studio will never say never, it currently has no plans to bring the game over to PC.

"Maybe this was for H5:Forge," Jarrard said. "But I can confirm there are no plans to bring H5 to PC. We know there's some demand for it, but as we've stated before, not in the cards as the studio is fully focused on Infinite and MCC. Will never say never, but nothing [is] underway currently."

Maybe this was for "H5:Forge" but I can confirm there are no plans to bring H5 to PC. We know there's some demand for it, but as we've stated before, not in the cards as the studio is fully focused on Infinite and MCC. Will never say never, but nothing underway currently

One-part tiny Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and one-part Micro Machines, Skatebird is a little bit like a Photoshop Friday pun parody brought to life; it’s extremely small birds riding Tech Decks on small-scale stunt ramps scattered around a messy bedroom, plus various locations around an office. Beneath the joke is an ambitious attempt at a 3D arcade skateboarding game, and it’s heavily inspired by the early Neversoft Tony Hawk games. The result is cute, earnest, and undeniably eye-catching, but it’s also pretty unrefined, light on content, and regularly irritating to play.

The general vibe is as though someone brought up the legendary aforementioned Birdman and someone else sprang up from their empty pint glass and exclaimed, “Birds, man!” – only instead of cobbling together a crude JPEG of a pigeon doing a 900 they spent several years building a bona fide video game based on a loose gag. Developer Glass Bottom Games has obviously injected a boatload of bird-themed touches throughout, but the studio sticks largely to the Tony template: big air, wild tricks, and an assortment of maps sprinkled with tasks to complete and letters and tapes to collect.

Deltarune: Chapter 2, which is the second entry in the follow-up to Undertale, will be released on both PC and Mac on September 17, 2021, at 5pm PT/8pm ET/1am BST (9/18).

A short video of Deltarune: Chapter 2 was released on Twitter alongside the announcement from Undertale's 6th-anniversary celebration event, and Deltarune.com has been updated with a few more details regarding save transfers and more.

See you soon. https://t.co/Z19tzGlRmW pic.twitter.com/hKU0st0LCb

— UNDERTALE / DELTARUNE (@UnderTale) September 16, 2021

To ensure your Deltarune: Chapter 1 save file is transferred to Deltarune: Chapter 2, players will need to see the credits of the first game. Chapter 1's "completion data" will be created when you "go to sleep in your bed at the end of the game."

If you happen to be on a different computer than the one you played Deltarune: Chapter 1 on, the FAQ also reassures that, "as long as you generally remember what happened story-wise, you'll be fine."

The much-anticipated release date annoucement came after Undertale creator Toby Fox was part of a playthrough of Deltarune: Chapter 1, and the extended glimpse of Chapter 2 includes a tease of what fans can expect in this game that is arriving around three years after the original.

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Lucy O'Brien, and Matt Purslow to discuss all the latest PS5 updates, PS5 games, and more.

First, we discuss the release of the newest PS5 console exclusive, Deathloop, as we jump into Matt's Deathloop review and his overall thoughts about Deathloop's gameplay, world, and unique multiplayer. Jonathon, Lucy, and Brian also offer their Deathloop impressions, taking a look at what we've enjoyed about our early hours of the gameplay so far, and how it sits alongside other Arkane games.

Plus, we jump into the news around the new PS5 update, and what this PlayStation 5 firmware means for both the UI and PS5 SSD expansion. We dissect a bit of how this opens the door to new PS5 hard drives from third-parties, the changes to how PS5 trophies are displayed, and our hopes for what other updates we might see to the PS5 UI.

We also briefly touch on some updated news on Insomniac's Marvel's Wolverine, the new Marvel game from the Spider-Man developers, its mature tone, and what our early expectations are for it. Plus, we discuss some of the other PS5 games we've been playing, Matt shares a wonderful Memory Card story, and more.

Last month, we got a long look at DokeV, the open-world action-adventure game from the studio behind Black Desert Online that's full of monster catching, goofy minigames, and exploration of what sounds like quite a sizable open world.

Speaking to IGN, lead producer Sangyoung Kim gave a rough idea of the full scope of the world in comparison to its trailer from Gamescom Opening Night Live.

"Including White Whale Town, there are two towns shown in the video," he said. "I’m not sure how to express the island’s magnitude, but you can think of it like this: the parts of town you’ve seen in the trailer are less than 10% of the actual island. The map is large enough to keep you entertained just by walking around and exploring the open world.

"We actually rode the skateboard, drifted, and boosted around the island in the game engine, but it took quite a while to do a full trip around it."

The skateboards Kim is referring to are shown in the trailer alongside a number of other interesting traversal methods, such as jet skis, rideable alpacas, umbrellas (used like gliders), bicycles, cars, skateboards, and plenty more. And Kim added that those methods aren't the only ways you can travel — there are plenty more that haven't been shown yet, which players will be able to use to "explore freely."

Plus, Kim said that the world will incorporate day and night cycles, seasons, and weather as well — though he noted that it's still in development and that's subject to change.

DokeV dazzled at Gamescom Opening Night Live, where for four colorful minutes it demonstrated a large open world full of goofy monsters, like a bear with boxing gloves and rideable alpacas. But while it seems these monsters are in some fashion capturable and able to stand by the player's side in battle, that's not the sole focus on DokeV.

According to lead producer Sangyoung Kim, DokeV's monsters, called Dokebi, which are "spirit-like beings" in Korean folklore. Kim told us that actual Dokebi myths are at the heart of many monster designs we've already seen.

"We thought of a lot of different ideas with the Dokebi folklore at the center," he said. "You may have seen the Anteater-like Dokebi in the video, but it’s not actually an anteater. This Dokebi represents an imaginary animal called Bulgasari that takes on the form of a bear (kind of), and it eats iron. Another Dokebi in the video is in the form of a bird wearing a traditional Korean hat; this was drawn from a dark spirit called Eoduksinii in ancient folklore.

"But not all designs take these kinds of things into consideration. There are a lot of other ones that we design freely with whatever comes to mind. Sometimes we cannot apply those to the game. So we put that into the murals in the game. I liked that this sort of inspiration helped create a very rich display of the environment."

EA has announced that Battlefield 2042 will be delayed until November 19, 2021, pushing the release date by almost a month after its original October 22 release date.

In a press release, DICE GM Oskar Gabrielson cites ongoing complications with the COVID-19 pandemic. “Given the scale and scope of the game, we had hoped our teams would be back in our studios together as we move towards launch. With the ongoing conditions not allowing that to happen safely, and with all the hard work the teams are doing from home, we feel it is important to take the extra time to deliver on the vision of Battlefield 2042 for our players.”

Battlefield 2042 is EA and DICE’s first Battlefield game since 2018’s Battlefield 5, and it is the latest game to be hit by a delay in 2021.

Unlike some other major releases originally planned for 2021, Battlefield 2042 will still launch this year and won’t impact EA’s financial forecast for the fiscal year 2022.

EA also says an update on the Open Beta for Battlefield 2042 will be announced later this month.

Battlefield 2042 will be set in the near future and will include hallmarks of the series such as large-scale battles and huge open maps. In addition, Battlefield 2042 is set during an environmental disaster so players will contend with natural disasters like tornadoes appearing on the map as well.

When DokeV got its latest new trailer at the recent Gamescom Opening Night Live event, some people (including us!) were initially confused. The game had originally been marketed as an MMORPG, but now all its messaging called it an "open-world action-adventure." No massive multiplayer online elements in sight.

What happened?

According to Pearl Abyss director of animation and motion capture and DokeV lead producer Sangyoung Kim, it was a simple matter of vision. At one point in its development, an MMORPG like Pearl Abyss' previous title Black Desert Online made the most sense. Now, it doesn't.

"We’ve had a lot of discussions about the game’s direction while working on DokeV and as the result, we concluded that making it an open-world action-adventure game allows us to best express our vision for the game," he said. "Now we are going in the direction of enjoying the diverse gameplay in the vast open world."

All that said, though, that doesn't mean the multiplayer components are gone from DokeV. The monster-filled adventure will include both a single-player experience in its main storyline, Kim told IGN, as well as "collaborative multiplayer elements to work on with other players," such as fighting boss monsters together as a group.

"Of course, there will be a PvP element in the game," he added. "For those competitive elements, we are developing it with the idea of friendly competition that encourages good sportsmanship. We will come back with more information on this in the future."

Update 09/16: Stuttering issues experienced in Deathloop's PC version are apparently due to issues tied to framerates and mouse input controls, rather than performance problems caused by the game's Denuvo anti-piracy solution.

Digital Foundary's Alexander Battaglia, who is testing the PC version of the game, has said on Twitter that "There is no direct evidence at the moment in all my testing that there is microstuttering/that denuvo is at fault for anything." Instead of an actual frame rate issue, Battaglia notes there is a problem with "something that looks like stutters".

There is no direct evidence at the moment in all my testing that there is microstuttering/that denuvo is at fault for anything. There is an issue though with something that looks like stutters though, but is not actually performance related. I think it is best to report on that. https://t.co/8vCU0w7I0U

— Alexander Battaglia (@Dachsjaeger) September 15, 2021

PC specialist website DarkSideOfGaming has conducted its own testing, and its findings conclude that "the stutters of Deathloop are somehow tied to the framerate. Framerates between 60-90fps have a stuttery feeling/movement. At 120fps, things are way smoother. These issues have nothing to do with Framerate Limiters or Refresh Rates."

A great co-op game leaves you with a memorable shared experience, something you can reminisce with a friend about months or even years later. They can forge friendships, maybe test the limits of others, or even just bring people closer together. We love co-op games at IGN, which is why we wanted to take some time to put together this list of the top 10 cooperative games of all time.

Before we start though, a few caveats as we define what “co-op” means for this list. First, we wanted to focus on games that were truly built around that cooperative experience. This is a list of the top 10 cooperative games, not the 10 best games that happen to be playable cooperatively, which is why you’ll see a lot of games, or separate modes, that can only be played with two players. There are going to be a few that can be played solo, but these experiences are really defined by their cooperative versions. To make room for those games, we had to make some tough cuts, including Halo and Borderlands.

Also, to keep this from stepping on the toes of other genres, we’re omitting MMOs, MOBAs, and any games that are solely focused around competitive cooperative play. Rainbow Six Siege and the Battlefield games are amazing cooperative experiences for those on the same team, no doubt, but for this list, we want to highlight the games that bring people together to work towards a common goal that’s not simply “beat the other team.”.

With that said, here are the 10 best cooperative games of all time.

Ninjas and the stealth genre are like PB&J sandwiches: even with stale bread, it's usually a mix powerful enough that it can overwhelm any unpleasant flavors — though Aragami 2 is the exception that proves that rule. This sleuthy third-person adventure is an utter delight when you're exploring its brilliant serpentine levels or disposing of evil-doers by way of some creative supernatural powers, both of which are even more fun while hip-tossing your way through the campaign in co-op with a buddy. Even so, a lackluster story, painfully repetitive missions, and one too many bugs keep Aragami 2 from being a tale worthy of legend.

Set in an entrancing, war-torn feudal fantasy land known as Rashomon, Aragami 2 puts you into a stoic hero's spiffy tabi boots as they try to save the Kurotsuba clan from a miasma of death and disease. It seems a rival clan known as the Akatsuchi wants to wipe any competition from existence, no matter how war-crimey things get. Despite Aragami 2 sewing compelling seeds involving themes of spiritualism, the story never blooms into anything meaningful in the 15-hour long campaign. It's all just shallow set dressing to justify why you're throat-punching armored guys around the countryside. At least, as a silver lining, you don't need to know what happened in the first game to enjoy this one.

Sony has revealed a new Midnight Black edition of the PS5 Pulse 3D Wireless Headset, and it will be released in October.

The latest PlayStation Blog post noted that the new color option will match the same color scheme as the Midnight Black DualSense controller Sony released in June. The controller will begin rolling out globally at participating retailers next month. While the blog post did not specify pricing or release date, Sony's official website already has the headset up for preorder for $99.99 (the same as the white model) with a release date slated for October 22.

IGN reviewed the Pulse 3D Wireless headset, which received a 9/10 on our rating scale. We noted the headset goes beyond making PS5 games sound great; it makes the games feel more alive.

The announcement of a new color variant for the Pulse 3D headset comes the same day as the second major PS5 update rolls out, introducing a slew of new features to Sony's ninth-generation console, including a new equalizer control feature for the Pulse 3D headset and the option to expand the internal storage in your console.

Star Wars: Hunters, the free-to-play mobile game coming to Nintendo Switch and mobile devices, has released a new cinematic trailer that shows off a number of the game's playable characters, including a very unlikely duo.

Star Wars: Hunters has remained further off-radar than even the Dagobah system since its initial announcement as part of the February 2021 Nintendo Direct. With very few details shared at the Nintendo event aside from a short teaser trailer and the game's logo, fans' first real look at the title came during the release of its recent cinematic trailer, which can be seen below and shows off a number of characters in the game.

While the trailer predominantly depicts a close-fought encounter between the Sith warrior Rieve and her Mandalorian counterpart Aran Tal, it was the inclusion of another of the title's characters that really caught our eye. Stood one on top of another and dressed in a full-length trench coat, the real stars of the Star Wars: Hunters trailer are a pair of ungainly balanced Jawas known together as uTooni. Although the duo gets little screen time, the Outer Rim tag-team can be seen clumsily readying a grenade before the scene cuts away. With little else shown of the pair, fans will have to wait to see how the Tattooine scavengers adapt to arena combat.

Update: Alongside the standard hardcover edition of The Art of Halo Infinite, Dark Horse Books will also be releasing a Deluxe Edition version. The Deluxe Edition features an exclusive cover by Halo Infinite art director Sparth and a slipcase inspired by Master Chief's Mjolnir armor. The set also comes with a portfolio of several art prints showcasing the wide vistas of the Halo station.

Check out The Art of Halo Infinite Deluxe Edition below:

I Am Fish is without a doubt the weirdest game I’ve played this year and appears to have been made by insane people. In other words, I really enjoyed it. It’s an intentionally frustrating physics-based platformer and a literal fish-out-of-water story that challenges you to overcome ridiculous obstacles. Escaping captivity is not always as fair or forgiving as I’d hoped and sometimes can be downright infuriating, but overcoming its preposterous challenges is frequently a thing of beauty. As a glutton for punishment, I found I Am Fish to be a challenging, entertaining ride that had me laughing, cursing at seagulls, and occasionally sobbing uncontrollably on the carpet as I had to restart a section yet again.

This is a bizarre, over-the-top tale of a quartet of fish who eat sentient bread (which you might remember from I Am Bread) which awakens human-like sentience and intelligence in them. Naturally, they use this to wreak havoc on their human overlords and absolutely destroy entire towns, like a nihilistic retelling of Finding Nemo. It’s truly one of the weirdest premises I’ve ever beheld and it kept me laughing and shaking my head in disbelief the whole way through – around 10 hours.

The Nintendo Switch can now be paired with a Bluetooth audio device following the latest firmware update.

Starting today, Switch owners who update their Switch to the latest software can pair a wireless Bluetooth device to the Switch. Something the Switch was apparently able to do this entire time given the right software patch.

To do so Switch owners must download the latest firmware patch. From there, they can find a Bluetooth Audio option within the System Settings page. Once you select “Pair” the Switch will search for an available Bluetooth audio device and connect to one when found.

The Switch can only be synced to one audio device at a time but can save up to 10 devices on the system.

The latest #NintendoSwitch update is now available, including the ability to pair Bluetooth devices for audio output.

For more information, including restrictions on some features while using Bluetooth Audio, please visit the support page: https://t.co/vzAB6lZTDu pic.twitter.com/6J5xcDl5kU

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 15, 2021

The latest firmware update also includes the ability to update the software on the Switch dock, but only the new docks with a LAN port included with the Switch OLED model.

​​The full Tokyo Game Show 2021 schedule was revealed last week and in it, we learned that Xbox would make a virtual appearance by way of a showcase. Now Microsoft has revealed when that showcase will air.

In a new blog post made today on Xbox Wire, the company announced that its Tokyo Game Show virtual stream will air on Thursday, September 30, at 6 p.m. JST, which is 5 a.m. EST/2 a.m. PST on September 29.

The company revealed a few details about what to expect during the stream too.

"As games close the distance between people, we invite our players to celebrate the joy and community of gaming with us," the blog post reads. "Similar to last year, this will be a show curated for our players in Japan and across Asia. Expect a celebration with our Asia community and local relevant updates, though no new global debuts should be expected."

Xbox also says to expect the "latest regionally relevant updates on previously announced games coming later this year." Basically, you probably won't be hearing "World Premiere" during the showcase.

Beloved original Xbox classic Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (aka KOTOR) is back as...a timed PlayStation 5 exclusive? We discuss the strange circumstances of this long-awaited revival, from the exclusivity deal to the developer behind it and more. Plus: we get psyched for Halo Infinite's next multiplayer test flight, Grand Theft Auto 5's next-gen edition gets delayed, and more!

Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our new YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 download of this week's episode. For more awesome content, check out our Halo Infinite Flight performance preview, which does a deep-dive tech analysis on the still-in-development slice of Halo Infinite multiplayer:

Oh, and you can be featured on Unlocked by tweeting us a video Loot Box question! Tweet your question and tag Ryan at @DMC_Ryan!

For more next-gen coverage, make sure to check out our Xbox Series X review, our Xbox Series S review, and our PS5 review.

With the Nintendo Switch OLED just around the corner, Nintendo recently saw fit to drop the Switch's price to £259.99 in the UK and €299.99 in Europe. It does not seem that a Switch price drop will be following suit in the U.S., at least not any time soon.

In a new statement, Nintendo told Axios reporter Stephen Totilo that there are "no plans" for a price drop in the U.S. It will remain at $299, at least for the time being.

Nintendo tells me yesterday's Switch price drop was just for Europe (and the UK):

“The trade price adjustment is for the European region only. There are no plans to change the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price for any Nintendo Switch model in the U.S.”

— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) September 14, 2021

"The trade price adjustment is for the European region only. There are no plans to change the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price for any Nintendo Switch model in the U.S," a Nintendo spokesperson said.

Earlier today, the NPD Group revealed that the Nintendo Switch was once again the best-selling console for the month of August, and remains the best-selling console of 2021. However, the PlayStation 5 currently has the Switch beat in terms of dollar sales.

With sales continuing to be strong, Nintendo clearly sees no reason to cut the price of the base model, even with the upgraded Switch OLED less than a month away.

A recent “leak” that occurred Monday seemed to indicate that a lot of unannounced titles and anticipated sequels were on the way and also coming to PC.

It featured word of PC ports for previously console-exclusive titles and more, too. As first spotted on Reddit, software developer Ighor July performed a datamine of Nvidia’s GeForce Now database and in doing so, discovered listings for a lot of unannounced games, sequels, ports, and more.

Imagine stepping into an original D&D setting that’s been lovingly written and DM’d by Tim Burton or Shel Silverstein. Instead of elves and dwarves, you have a giant card shop that’s also a person, a decadent duke, and a scary-looking upside-down guy who only dreams of being able to rhyme – just to give a few examples. That’s the wildly creative premise of Lost in Random, a wholly original action-adventure game that thinks outside the box. Its combat wears thin, but exploring its worlds never does.

You play as Even – one of two twin sisters, Even and Odd – who are fated to roll the Queen’s mystical six-sided dice at age 12. The resulting roll determines which of the six worlds in the kingdom of Random they’ll spend the rest of their lives in. Long story short: Odd is sent off to the Queen’s world but Even isn’t willing to let her go without a chase.

The world-spanning adventure that ensues after you manage to escape the dreary starting zone of Onecroft, takes plenty of nods toward films like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Coraline, and other similarly gothic-inspired stop-motion films. Despite the entirety of Random being drenched in dark hues of black and green and gray, each world still offers completely unique and decadently layered settings.