Titanfall 2 is a giant among shooters thanks, in part, to its near-flawless depiction of the ultimate power fantasy: causing untold destruction with a massive, gun-toting mech. But Titanfall 2’s very best moments occur when you’re stripped of your walking tank and must survive its industrial sci-fi universe as a mere squishy human.

Into The Abyss, Titanfall 2’s fourth mission, is one of these moments, and marks a monumental achievement in mission design for developer Respawn Entertainment. Set in a factory suspended above an infinite void, a gauntlet of deadly fabrication machines acts as a thrilling and creative showcase for Titanfall’s ambitious movement systems.

To find out how Into The Abyss was put together, IGN spoke to game designer David Shaver, who co-designed the mission with three other developers at Respawn. With his insight, let’s take a look at how this level defies shooter traditions, teaches and reinforces first-person platforming skills, and builds contrasting experiences around movement abilities, all to create one of the most exhilarating FPS campaign missions of all time.

Bang! This week's IGN UK Podcast is all about shooters. Cardy has Overwatch 2 impressions to share, Mat J has been getting stuck into the Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Beta, and Matt P has been enjoying the Doom-inspired Prodeus. They then share some of their favourite FPS games, as well as some that have been lost to time, but live long in the heart.

Got a game for us to play or some feedback you'd like read out on the show? Why not email us: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.

IGN UK Podcast #664: Our Favourite First-Person Shooters

• IGN UK Podcast #663: Professor Layton and the Sludge-Guts of Doom
• IGN UK Podcast #662: So Many Streams
• IGN UK Podcast #661: House of the Rings of Power
• IGN UK Podcast #660: Bat Family Ties
• IGN UK Podcast #659: Live from a Cologne Roof at Midnight

The year is 2022. EA has returned with their annual gift of regretful déjà vu for Nintendo Switch owners. A dystopian future is (mercifully?) nearer than we think.

I could copy and paste my review like I did two years ago, but unlike some of the folks at EA I don’t take much satisfaction in reusing material. Oops, I think that’s what I said last year, actually. I struggle to care at this point.

For the FOURTH year in a row, EA Sports has released a virtually unchanged edition of FIFA onto the Nintendo Switch.

As stated on the official website, “FIFA 23 Legacy Edition will feature the same gameplay innovation from FIFA 22 without any new development or significant enhancements.”

As a reminder, here’s what was written there for last year’s game: “FIFA 22 Legacy Edition will feature the same gameplay innovation from FIFA 21 without any new development or significant enhancements.”

Oh, and the year before: “FIFA 21 Legacy Edition will feature the same gameplay innovation from FIFA 20 without any new development or significant enhancements.”

And to complete the set: “FIFA 20 Legacy Edition will feature the same gameplay innovation from FIFA 19 without any new development or significant enhancements.”

And let me remind you that FIFA 19 on Switch wasn’t exactly great in the first place…

Combine the dramatic story of Dark Souls (if it had baboons in it), the gameplay of Guitar Hero (if Guitar Hero was drunk, and played with a single button), the card collecting of The Witcher 3 (if the cards were chiefly of dead composers), and you might get a game akin to Trombone Champ. What began as just a single, funny idea from husband-and-wife development team Holy Wow Studios has become 2022’s most hilarious game, created with a simple philosophy: 'If it’s funny, it goes in.'

Trombone Champ is a rhythm game that has players – in its own words – “honk, blow, and toot” their way through more than 20 songs as they attempt to solve the mysteries of the Trombiverse and collect Tromboner Cards as they go. It’s ridiculous, and creator Dan Vecchitto knows it.

“My ethos for this game was: if it's a funny idea, do it,” Vecchitto told IGN. “I didn't let standard rules of game design or common sense inhibit the comedy. I let the game gradually grow into a big sloppy pile of jokes: lots of poop jokes, lots of inexplicable baboon references, and lots of parodies of other games.”

But where did the idea for a trombone-based rhythm game come from? Again, a joke. “I originally imagined Trombone Champ as an arcade game, where the player used a huge, rubber trombone controller and attempted to desperately play along with squiggly note lines,” Vecchitto said, but “at that point, it was nothing more than a funny mental image.”

Among the absolutely massive amount of explorable world and evergreen story content in Genshin Impact, one of the ways the open-world adventure keeps folks busy over time is through limited-time events that often cannot be accessed later if they are missed. But developer MiHoYo may be looking for a way for players to reexperience them after all.

While some events have come back around, such as Windtrace and Lost Riches, others with character development involved are either seemingly gone for good, or if they return, have story content changed between iterations to account for how the story has evolved since.

But in an interview with IGN, a MiHoYo spokesperson acknowledged the community's sadness at missing story events for characters like Albedo and Childe, as well as the desire for at least some sort of story recap option to catch up on critical information players may have missed without having to dive into a wiki.

When Genshin Impact first launched, it included playable characters for six elements: Pyro (fire), Hydro (water), Anemo (wind), Electro (electricity), Cryo (ice), and Geo (earth). However, anyone paying attention at all to Genshin's lore. some of its monsters, or even its loading screen would have noticed that a seventh element was seemingly missing in action: Dendro, or nature.

For the first two major Genshin Impact chapters, Dendro remained elusive. But with 3.0 and the introduction of dendro-focused continent Sumeru, we're at last getting a taste of greenery. Bow users Collei and Tighnari kicked dendro off alongside the Traveler gaining a Dendro element through the Sumaru storyline — and more are on the way.

But why did it take so long for developer miHoYo to introduce Dendro, especially when all other elements were present from the start? What was it about Dendro that required a little more time in the veggie steamer?

In an interview with IGN, a Genshin Impact spokesperson shed a little bit of light on what, exactly, took Dendro so long to join its elemental brethren, as well as why its character rollout has been a bit slow:

McDonald's is making Happy Meals cool for all ages this October with a new menu item, and yes, the boxed meals come with toys.

The restaurant chain announced a partnership (via NPR) with Cactus Plant Flea Market for a new meal deal for the month of October. Cactus Plant Flea Market is a fashion label that focuses on creating original streetwear.

From October 3 to October 30, you can order the Cactus Plant Flea Market Meal Box, that comes with a meal and one of four toys: the Hamburglar, Birdie, Grimace, and Cactus Buddy.

You may recognize the first three names from Mickey D's classic stable of characters, while Cactus Buddy is the mascot for Cactus Plant Flea Market. The McDonald's characters look a little strange, though, with four eyes a piece. The meal comes packaged in a box designed with CPFM's style in mind.

LEGO first made its jump into video games almost 30 years ago with LEGO Fun to Build on the SEGA Pico. Since then, games framed around the colorful Danish bricks and their iconic minifigures have practically become a genre of their own - and that's in no small part thanks to Traveler’s Tales’ addictive approach to action-platforming and the many pop-culture properties that have since been LEGO-fied.

It wasn’t easy to narrow it down, but we've done our best and are proud to present our Top 10 LEGO games of all time… so far.

10. LEGO Island

What would a best LEGO games list look like without the original 1997 PC adventure, Lego Island? While it may seem rudimentary by today's standards and pretty rough graphically compared to other entries on this list, LEGO Island still holds up as a fun and nostalgic adventure. An escaped convict is hellbent on destroying LEGO Island, brick by brick, and it’s up to you to stop him.

Multiple character classes and a surprisingly ahead-of-its time open-ish world structure make for a good time that’s as comfy as it is engaging. It may be tricky to track down now, but if you can, it's worth taking a trip to LEGO Island - just watch out for the Brickster.

Ori and the Blind Forest is one of the most gorgeous Metroidvanias in recent memory, and you can now preorder a statue of the two iconic characters from the game, Ori and Naru. This statue is available for preorder now in the IGN Store, and is available in two versions: the Day variation and the Night variation. The statue comes from First 4 Figures, a company known for creating high-quality statues of some of the most recognizable video game characters. Naru is holding Ori, resting on a log in the statue, which is inspired by Ori and the Blind Forest's box art.

Originally released in 2015, Ori and the Blind Forest is available on Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch. The game stars Ori, a fallen spirit in the forest of Nibel, who is working to keep Nibel from falling to ruin. In our original review of the game, we called it great, saying "Ori and the Blind Forest is a beautifully realized, brilliantly designed, and at times brutally difficult sylvan Metroidvania-style platformer with enough charm to leave a lasting impression."

The version of Joker from Batman: The Animated Series, voiced by Mark Hamill, might make its way into MultiVersus, Warner Bros’ crossover fighting game. A new datamine reveals voiced lines of the character.

Originally posted by Twitter user Laisul, audio of the Joker’s lines was posted and they sound very similar to Hamill’s portrayal of the character from Batman: The Animated Series. In context, the script also sounds like something you’d hear in a fighting game as well, such as “Points to the blue bozos!” and “That’s a point for the red rejects!” This most likely references MultiVersus’s tag team structure where opposing sides are colored red and blue.

Joker Announcer Pack voicelines#MultiVersus pic.twitter.com/BWH43CRp0l

The latest World of Warcraft expansion, Dragonflight, launches on November 28.

Activision Blizzard announced today that World of Warcraft Dragonflight will be available from 3 pm PT on November 28… and it comes with lots of new content.

“Dragonflight was crafted with our incredible community in mind and with the desire to return to what we all love most dearly: the splendor of Azeroth and its characters, with our players cast as heroes,” said World of Warcraft executive producer Holly Longdale. “We invite everyone into this new adventure where we will bask in the landscape of dragons, become a part of their ancient legacy, and watch the secrets of this land unfold together.”

World of Warcraft Dragonflight will launch with 8 new dungeons as well as four new zones – the Dragon Isles – each themed around the ancient dragon aspects.

“As the Dragon Isles awaken, so too do long-forgotten secrets, and players will traverse land and sky as they explore what the Dragon Isles has to offer,” said the official press release.

Dragonflight also unlocks the Drachtyr race – a draconic race that can switch between humanoid and dragon forms at will. They also come with a unique Evoker class which can specialize in ranged damage-dealing or aiding their allies as a healer by harnessing the mystical gifts of dragonkind.

The Drachtyr will become playable in a pre-expansion patch to those who pre-ordered Dragonflight.

Google has announced it is winding down its Stadia video game streaming service and will shut it down on January 18. 2023.

In a new blog, the search engine company revealed that Stadia "hasn't gained the traction with users that we expected," and as a result, the company has made the "difficult" decision to begin winding down the service. Google will be refunding users who purchased either hardware or games from Google and Stadia.

"We're grateful to the dedicated Stadia players that have been with us from the start. We will be refunding all Stadia hardware purchases made through the Google Store, and all game and add-on content purchases made through the Stadia Store."

Players will still be able to access their game library and play until January 18.

Stadia is Google's cloud gaming service where users are able to stream video games, including AAA titles like Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Cyberpunk 2077, directly through Google cloud service. Meaning there was no need to purchase physical hardware so long as someone had access to Google Chrome. There was a dedicated controller players could purchase, however.

Google says that the underlying technology that powers Stadia has proven to be powerful, and Google has already started offering Stadia as a white-label product, meaning other companies can use the technology without becoming a part of Stadia's ecosystem.

Microsoft has announced October 2022’s Xbox Games With Gold, including Windbound and Bomber Crew Deluxe Edition.

As revealed at Xbox Wire, next month’s lineup is led by the shipwreck survival game, Windbound. Bomber Crew Deluxe Edition rounds out this month’s offerings – a strategic World War II bombing game that puts you in the cockpit.

The two new Games With Gold titles will be available throughout October for anyone with Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Beginning on October 1, Windbound will kick things off with a neat shipwreck survival experience.

Windbound is available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S – a delightfully challenging survival game that sees you play as Kara, shipwrecked on the Forbidden Islands with nothing except what she can scavenge and build.

Windbound is available throughout the month until October 31 and will task players with crafting weapons and tools to survive, as well as building a new boat to explore the Forbidden Islands for yourself.

Bomber Crew Deluxe Edition arrives halfway through the month, on October 16.

A strategic World War II bombing game, it’s available for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S and will see you taking to the skies to head off on strategic bombing runs. But it’s not just about where to drop your payload – you’ll manage fuel, ammo, and hydraulics all while trying to avoid enemy gunners. It’s available on Games With Gold until November 15.

Valkyrie Elysium is an action RPG out now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and coming to PC on November 11. It's the latest game in the Valkyrie Profile line of role-playing games. The series is noted for its somber depiction of Norse mythology, as well as for its unique twists on conventional RPG mechanics.

Valkyrie Profiles' overarching story involves instances of mortals and gods getting tangled up in each others' worlds—and their wars. Valkyrie Elysium centers on Nora, a new Valkyrie who's brought forth to stop Ragnarok, the divine battle that's ripping the world apart.

Nora recruits the souls of destined mortals, called "Einherjar," to aid her in her fights. Nora herself is also endowed with gifts and weapons that make her a fast and deadly opponent on the battlefield.

Nora Must Learn, Grow, and Choose Her Own Path

Nora was created by the ailing All-Father Odin for the sole purpose of saving the world from Ragnarok, a devastating event that was triggered when the god Loki rebelled against Odin. But Nora's task to stop the apocalypse isn't as simple as it initially seems.

As players delve deeper into Valkyrie Profile, Nora uncovers secrets and meets characters who throw light on new paths and different choices. A dark-armored former Valkyrie named Hilde is intent on testing Nora's strength, and Loki herself gives Nora reason to wonder about her mission. She has no memories of who she was before Odin turned her into a Valkyrie; how can she know what's wrong and what's right?

Nora travels her life's path and finds her destiny according to the player's choices. Her fates are revealed through several endings.
Nora Writes Her Destiny with Fast-Paced Action (and a Few Friends)

Surprise! Skyrim Anniversary Edition just landed on Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo has announced that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is available now on the Nintendo eShop – a nice surprise for fans who want to play the classic RPG on the move.

“New quests, foes, weapons, and more await you in Tamriel,” said Nintendo via Twitter. “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is out now on #NintendoSwitch!”

Of course, it’s been on the cards for a while. Skyrim was released on Nintendo Switch back in 2017 and with the arrival of the Anniversary Edition on other platforms, it was only a matter of time. It's a lovely surprise to wake up and find it's already out, however.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is available from today, September 29 as a stand-alone bundle or as an upgrade if you already own the base game on your Switch. The bundle includes the base game and all bonus content for $69.99 USD, whereas the upgrade will set you back $19.99.

Like most major corporations, Nintendo is very protective of its brand as a leader of family friendly entertainment. This protectiveness has sometimes come at the expense of the competitive Super Smash Bros. community, which for years has often gone it alone to organize grassroots tournaments and nurture a passion they all share.

But in November 2021, Nintendo announced it was partnering with Panda Global on the first officially licensed Super Smash Bros. Circuit. A series of tournaments throughout 2022 will all lead up to the Panda Cup Finale from December 16 to 18. The Los Angeles event will offer a $100k prize pool for 32 of the best Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Super Smash Bros. Melee players across the country.

Nintendo Embraces the Grassroots

The Panda Circuit could finally bring Nintendo together with the powerful grassroots community that has grown alongside the popularity of Super Smash Bros. IGN spoke with Nintendo’s Bill Trinen and Panda Global’s Dr. Alan Bunney about what the Panda Circuit means for Super Smash Bros. and its competitive future.

“For [Nintendo], Panda Cup was really an important kind of step for us and finding a way to partner with the community, finding a way that we can partner with a company like Panda who’s been in the community, knows the history of the community, and is really familiar with all of the grassroots efforts that have gone into it,” Trinen says.

A leak has confirmed PlayStation exclusive Sackboy: A Big Adventure is coming to PC on October 27, 2023.

According to an official trailer (which seems to have been published early by Sony’s Latin America YouTube account), the recent Sackboy game will be heading to PC next month after previously only being available on PS4 and PS5.

The trailer also confirms that the PC version of Sackboy: A Big Adventure will support 4K, 120FPS, 21:9 ultrawide monitors, Nvidia DLSS, and VRR. An official announcement is likely to be on its way soon.

Scorn, the upcoming H.R. Giger-inspired puzzle adventure, is coming out earlier than expected. The game will now be released on October 14 instead of October 21.

Coming to Xbox Series X/S and PC, no reason has been given for the move in date – but given how many delays we've had this year, it's a welcome bit of news.

Scorn promises to take players "into an isolated, strange, dream-like world. Left unguided to fend for themselves, players must explore Scorn’s interconnected bio-labyrinth, learning its rules and mastering grotesque puzzles along the way as they come to understand their own predicament."

We went hands-on with the first hour of the game recently, saying, "At its best, Scorn already feels like a deeply odd, deeply thoughtful approach to more open puzzling, perhaps most easily comparable to The Witness. Personally, that’s what I hope to see more of – but if you’re looking for a dose of real unpleasantness, it seems to have you covered there too."

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Sony's PlayStation Stars loyalty programme is offering better customer support to those at a higher reward tier.

As reported by VGC, those using the service after its launch in Japan today, September 29, have complained that those on the service's fourth tier get improved customer support. Users can move up tiers by buying games from the PlayStation store and earning trophies, effectively meaning that those with more money will receive better support from Sony.

"When contacting PlayStation Customer Support, you will be given priority in the chat order," the reward list reads, and getting there requires users to first buy four games from the PlayStation Store and earn 128 rare trophies.

【ニュース】PS4/PS5向け特典プログラムPlayStation Stars国内でスタート。ポイントがもらえ、レベルを上げればカスタマーサポートも優先順位上がるhttps://t.co/R5hjUYK0oW pic.twitter.com/HnecYI4Ur1

— AUTOMATON（オートマトン） (@AUTOMATONJapan) September 29, 2022

Those who've done so will therefore be able to speak with PlayStation's customer support ahead of those who've spent less money, something that has some users upset.

It's not guaranteed that this PlayStation Stars reward will arrive with the North American, European, and other versions of the service, but Sony hasn't indicated that anything will be different between regions.

Footage of Returnal on PC appeared to leak earlier today, seemingly confirming that Housemarque's roguelite will be joining Sony's other first-party releases on the platform.

The leaked footage first appeared on Icon-Era after being uploaded to Youtube, showing off the options and customization of the PC version including ray-traced shadows, reflections, DLSS, and FSR. The footage was pulled by Sony not long after.

Assuming the footage is real, it shows that Returnal will receive significant enhancements over the PS5 release, which favored frame-rate over pure visual fidelity.

First released in 2021, Returnal was lauded for its originality and its actions. In our review we wrote that "the moment-to-moment gameplay of Returnal is sublime," and that it never drops the ball on the story, but that runs have a tendency to last too long. Housemarque has since released a number of improvements, including multiplayer co-op and the ability to save in the middle of runs.

Sony has yet to officially announce a PC version of Returnal, but it seems very likely given the recent pipeline that includes Spider-Man, God of War, and Horizon: Zero Dawn. It would be another showcase release for the Steam Deck, which we recently covered in a wide-ranging interview with Valve.

For now, Returnal's PC release date remains unknown, but if the footage is real, an announcement appears imminent.

Disney Dreamlight Valley’s upcoming patch is coming in about three weeks.

The update, which also adds The Lion King character, Scar, will be coming this fall, but Disney is yet to pin down an actual release date.

“The next bug fixes will be released as part of the first content update featuring Scar, this fall,” they confirmed via Twitter. “While we can't share exact timing yet, we are targeting a release in around 3 weeks.”

Although the developers didn’t give a definite date, they did confirm that this will be separate from the current Star Path end date. They also gave an update on what they consider to be priority issues in the game:

“Expect updates on the following in the coming weeks as we get closer to locking fixes: Preventing progress loss, Missing Founder's Pack rewards, Console crashes.”

As well as these priority issues, the patch will also include over 40 bug foxes, such as PS4 optimizations, Lightning VFX, two quest fixes, Switch audio distortion, and an issue where rain doesn't water crops.

Additionally, the patch will also add an improved photo mode and more avatar poses.

“We know it can be frustrating to run into bugs or issues, so we appreciate your patience,” they stated. “There are a ton of fixes coming and many are thanks to your helpful issue reports! Stay tuned for more status updates in the coming weeks and thanks again.”

It's a potpourri of Xbox topics on this week's episode! Stella gives her impressions of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer, Grounded gets a well-earned 9 out of 10 review score from IGN, we discuss who should make the next Ninja Gaiden game if Team Ninja is too busy, Ryan and Destin argue about Splinter Cell, and more!

Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 of this week's episode. For more awesome content, check out our recent interview with Todd Howard, who answered all of our Starfield questions after the big reveal at the Xbox Showcase:

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

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.

It’s easy to draw lines between The DioField Chronicle’s sweeping story of war, magic, and shady politics and those of Game of Thrones or Fire Emblem. I'd have to write off the whole fantasy genre if borrowing were a deal-breaker, but they still have to figure out how to assemble those parts into something that stands alone. In this case, it ends up feeling like, at best, a generic version of its inspirations. And while its real-time combat system is an exciting twist, it's often difficult to work with the controls as you fight through its quick, engaging battles. Even the characters who end up having unexpected or interesting roles to play in the unfolding tale end up coming across a bit dull, though that's no fault of the veteran voice cast.

The world of DioField feels like anyone's first try making up a whole new setting for a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, complete with an evil empire trying to conquer everything and characters earnestly named things like "Fredret Lester." You have corrupt nobles scheming, a fanatical church, beast men – it's all well within the Big Book of Fantasy Tropes, but it's not entirely without charm. There is something homey about it all, even if it feels fairly predictable.

Terraria just got a surprise update adding a whole bunch of new content despite claiming in 2020 that updates for the popular sim would end.

The Labor of Love update brings with it upside-down worlds, a melee overhaul, the ability to transform into a wolf, and plenty of new items among other cool additions to the game.

“This update is a love letter to all our fans,” reads the official patch notes. “Labor of Love contains many fan suggestions, while also tackling a lot of little things that we think everyone can relate to and will enjoy. As is tradition, we have left a few surprises behind for you to discover yourselves. Topping it off, we were able to get this out to everyone at the same time… for the first time, Terrarians everywhere can celebrate a brand new update together!”

Terraria’s Labor of Love update was released on September 28 and brings an extensive update to the game. Most notably, a new world seed brings upside-down worlds to the game.

“An idea first discussed during the release of Journey's End, Don't Dig Up turns the world of Terraria upside down - literally!” the patch notes reveal. “The player will begin their adventure in the depths of the underworld, complete with all new flora to help provide early resources.”

Ascending into “The Up” changes things up, however, with threats magnifying exponentially until players reach the Surface – a horrifying and inhospitable place that will test the mettle of even the most seasoned Terrarian.

Fantasy writers teaming up with game studios is seemingly on the rise – just ask Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, who famously partnered with From Software on Elden Ring. But writer Brandon Sanderson is doing things a bit differently than Martin and From when it comes to his partnership with Unknown Worlds on the upcoming Moonbreaker.

In an interview with IGN, we asked Sanderson, author of Mistborn and the Cosmere fictional universe, how he got involved with the creators of Subnautica on the digital miniatures game, and he said his collaboration with the team was more extensive than you might think.

According to Sanderson, Unknown Worlds approached him with the offer to help build an "optimistic" science-fantasy world for a game they had prototyped mechanically entirely with placeholder art from the studio's past games. Sanderson came back with two pitches, both of which he already developed on his own separately but didn't think were suitable for his existing Cosmere universe. Unknown Worlds chose the more ambitious of the two pitches, Moonbreaker, and a new partnership was born.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla has added all sorts of fascinating new details to this long-running franchise, even as it offers a very detailed look at 9th Century Viking culture. All of that is fueling Dark Horse's latest companion book, The World of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Journey to the North — Logs and Files of a Hidden One.

This 208-page art book is presented as an in-universe journal written from the point of view of Hytham, a character introduced in Assassin's Creed Valhalla as a tutor to the main character, Eivor. The book chronicles the lore and stories driving the plot of the game, serving as both an expansion of Valhalla's story and a look at the real history that inspired the game.

Here's dark Horse's official summary for the book:

This full-color, oversized hardcover is presented as a journal kept by Hytham himself, which allows readers to experience Assassin’s Creed Valhalla as they never have before. This tome chronicles Viking culture, history, lore, and mythology amid the action and drama of the hit video game.

Discover the history and culture of the Raven Clan Vikings as they struggle against the Order of the Ancients. Get an in-depth view of the setting of the game with descriptions and depictions of in-game characters and locals as the Vikings move from Norway to England, Ireland, and Francia. What best-kept secrets will you uncover at Hytham’s side?

Cyberpunk 2077 has hit a huge sales milestone, as CD Projekt revealed the game has surpassed 20 million copies sold. The game originally launched in December 2020, meaning it took under two years for the game to reach the 20 millon mark.

Over 20 million cyberpunks have been roaming the streets of Night City – partying with Jackie and getting to know Johnny, driving around with Panam and diving with Judy, hanging out with River and listening to Kerry’s songs.

Thank you and we hope to see you all in the Afterlife! pic.twitter.com/ifFLhg6npO

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) September 28, 2022

We last got a Cyberpunk 2077 sales update in April, where we learned the game had sold 18 million copies. The game has sold 2 million additional copies since then, most likely thanks to a combination of the Cyberpunk Edgerunners Netflix anime and the announcement of Phantom Liberty, the game's first and only major DLC expansion.

Dead Space developers used diehard fans to help keep them on track. During a new blog post, creative director Roman Campos-Oriola revealed that the Dead Space remake devs consulted with their very own community council every six weeks.

“Really, really early in development, we started discussions with some members of the community who were identified by our team as diehard fans,” he revealed. “We met with them every six weeks, roughly, and we gave them full access to what we were doing.”

Why did they consult the fans? Well, it seems they wanted to get opinions on a variety of “polarizing” topics.

“Because we have our opinions, but that doesn’t mean we’re right!” said senior producer Philippe Ducharme. “There were a number of polarizing topics we wanted to get a gut-check on, so we gathered feedback from these groups to make informed decisions. A focus on community is one of the key pillars of this project, so we also took feedback from our livestreams, read through user reviews and Twitch comments—there was a lot of intake of information. It was all to understand who we’re addressing with this game, and what made Dead Space spectacular for them.”

The upcoming remake will re-tell the story of systems engineer Isaac Clarke – an unlucky spacefarer who ends up aboard the USG Ishimura, a ship overrun by deadly necromorphs before crew members managed to activate its distress beacon.

Skull & Bones, Ubisoft's pirate battler that's been in development limbo for years now, has been delayed yet again. This is the fifth time.

In a press release today, Ubisoft has given a new release date of March 9, 2023, allowing Skull & Bones to sneak in just ahead of the end of its financial year. The publisher explained in the release that while "game development is finished at this stage," the extra four months will be used to "further polish and balance the experience" following technical tests and Insider Program feedback from prior closed betas.

Skull & Bones' development has been a tumultuous ride. It was first revealed back at E3 2017, appearing at the time to be a riff off of the naval combat in Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. At the time, it was set to come out in fall of 2018, and focused on prior-gen consoles.

Over the past decade, developer Yacht Club Games has created an empire under their Shovel Knight brand making them arguably the face of the indie game space. But with Mina the Hollower, the studio is aiming to bring something completely new to the table, and after my first-look demo, I am eager to see more.

Inspired by the Game Boy Color era and more specifically, The Legend of Zelda franchise, Mina the Hollower wants to bring the best in old and new game design while introducing its own mechanics into the mix. After playing a full level of the game, I was met with fair, but challenging obstacles to overcome alongside fresh, but also familiar gameplay. The result was something that felt completely its own.

At first glance, Mina the Hollower plays as your go-to 2D action-adventure with a top down perspective, but it also reminds me of what I would find in a platformer without traditionally being one. Instead of jumping, your protagonist Mina burrows underground. You can ascend from the ground whenever you want, but you can’t stay burrowed forever. If she is near the ledge of a gap she will leap across, giving you control on where she can land. Throughout my demo I was approached by multiple skill challenges where I had to master the timing of my burrows and jumps to progress through a section of the level. Burrowing will also allow Mina to pick up rocks and pots that can be thrown at enemies.

Have you ever considered what Diglett might look like if it were a worm? Well, even if you haven't, tough luck because Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will introduce Wiglett.

Wiglett was revealed during the World Pokémon Ecological Society Webinar (via Serebii). “I’ve never seen a Pokémon quite like that one,” says the voiceover. “Could it be a Diglett? It resembles Diglett but its coloring is different. Could it be a regional form unique to Paldea?”

The new Pokémon looks a lot like Red and Blue's Diglett, but now in more elongated form. It's actually based on the common garden eel rather than a worm but, you know, it is called Wiglett.

Serebii Video: Footage of the new Pokémon, Wiglett, from the World Pokémon Ecological Society Webinar https://t.co/FlR3KE4POehttps://t.co/gDbXkHT3ar pic.twitter.com/RfhjVEqNgD

— Serebii.net (@SerebiiNet) September 28, 2022

“They must be an evolved form of Diglett,” says a second voiceover. “Instead of evolving into triplets like Dugtrio, they adapt to a marine environment with another form.”

I admit that I initially found the idea of an asymmetrical, Dead By Daylight-inspired multiplayer game based on the Dragon Ball universe to be a bit absurd. I had so many questions as to how it would work, what it would look like, and if it could stand out as its own experience that isn’t carried by its very famous name.

After learning more about the ins and outs of Dragon Ball: The Breakers’ minute to minute gameplay while playing it for myself, the answer to that is complicated. While there are plenty of different strategic options to try and win with when you’re a survivor, there is a lot more required than general gameplay at face value to secure a victory.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers is a 1vs7 multiplayer game where seven civilians are trying to survive a “raider” who is trying to destroy the entire map. The raiders that you can play as are well-known villains from the Dragon Ball universe like Frieza and Cell. The raiders’ objective is simple—kill all the survivors. Each raider begins in their base form with the ability to evolve into stronger ones after meeting specific requirements. Once evolved, the raider can destroy a section of the map, thus giving survivors less freedom to explore. Each raider has abilities that their characters are known for from the universe including the Special Beam Cannon and Perfect Kamehameha

With the 25th anniversary of Age of Empires fast approaching, Xbox Game Studios and Relic Entertainment have announced a special anniversary stream timed to roughly coincide with the big day.

Set for October 25 at 10am PT, the anniversary broadcast will feature announcements, interviews, and "some surprises." It will be hosted on Twitch along with the main Age of Empires and Xbox YouTube channels.

In addition, Xbox has announced a special Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition for Steam and the Microsoft Store. The new release will feature all of the previous updates along with the new Anniversary Update, which will include the Ottoman and Malian civilizations.

First released last year, Age of Empires IV is a major revival for the venerable RTS series. While it "plays it safe a bit too often" according to our review, it "really excels when it wanders outside of its very traditional comfort zone." The original series, meanwhile, got its start way back in 1997.

The stream will celebrate all of Age of Empire's long history while potentially including a few announcements. As for Age of Empires IV Anniversary Edition, it will also release on October 25 on Steam, Windows, and PC Game Pass.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

EA and Koei Tecmo have revealed that Wild Hearts, the Monster Hunter-like action game from the Dynasty Warriors developer, will arrive on February 17, 2023.

In a new trailer, we got our first real glimpse at the game coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC (with an extended gameplay reveal set for October 5). Set in Azuma – effectively a fantasy feudal Japan – teams of up to three players will take on "giant nature-infused beasts called Kemono", using a mixture of action combat and crafting to create outlandish contraptions.

We learned much more about those contraptions, the Monster Hunter comparisons, and why Koei teamed up with EA for Wild Hearts in our exclusive interview with Koei Tecmo directors Kotaro Hirata and Takuto Edagawa.

Wild Hearts can be played solo or in co-op, with crossplay across all platforms. Your player-character will be almost taken down by a winter wolf called Death Stalker, before being given access to "a life-sustaining technology and... compelled to restore balance across the region."

While the game will look immediately familiar to Monster Hunter fans (or fans of Omega Force's previous Monster Hunter-like series, Toukiden), its core innovation appears to be in the form of Karakuri, magically constructed structures that can aid your hunt.

The trailer shows the player constructuing Karakuri that act as platforms to leap on monsters from, building a giant hammer and bombs, and even spawning a handheld helicopter to glide. Multiple players can use Karakuri too, with one shot revealing players constructuing harpoons that hook a monster in place.

Wild Hearts is EA and Koei Tecmo's answer to Monster Hunter, a familiar mixture of fantasy combat and gigantic boss beasts – with some less familiar magical building and trap-setting thrown in.

Out as soon as February 17, it's been a bit of a surprise for fans of both Omega Force and Monster Hunter-like games, and there's a lot still to learn, even after we got a look at the first trailer. Thankfully, we got an exclusive interview with two of Koei Tecmo's directors, Kotaro Hirata and Takuto Edagawa.

We asked why the Dynasty Warriors developer is making a new monster hunting game (again), whether it's an open world, if that building system is meant to resemble Fortnite, and much more.

IGN: Omega Force is best known for its Musou/Warriors games, but this looks like a big departure from that approach. What was the spark of an idea for Wild Hearts?

Kotaro Hirata: This project began as an attempt to create a Japanese-style hunting game that a new generation of players around the world could have fun with. It was informed by our experience developing hunting games, specifically the Toukiden series.

Dead Island 2 will feature breakable weapons, so you might want to stock up.

During an interview with VG247, developer Adam Duckett defended the game’s durability system.

“Ranged weapons have ammo, so melee weapons have degradation,” he stated. “We’re generous with it; we want players to explore the full arsenal of weapons – so we have so many great mods, and so many perks, and so many other things in this game that we want players to cycle through. It also helps that players can keep a wide variety of tools in their arsenal, so they’re never going to be without something they can use.”

Dead Island 2 is set to debut on February 3, 2023, and follows the highly successful Dead Island, this time seeing players fighting off a zombie apocalypse in the middle of Los Angeles. Whether you like it or not, durability is going to be a big factor.

“I think [weapon durability] helps fit with our tone a little bit, too,” added art director Adam Olson. “Because this is a game that just keeps going, this is a game that’s over-the-top – but we want to be grounded in reality. Having one foot in reality – and having weapons that break – helps us push other parts of the game into that over-the-top mentality.”

It’s often argued that controversial weapon durability systems add a level of realism to games. You can find these systems in the likes of Breath of the Wild, Yakuza, Far Cry, and even Minecraft. But many players are simply irritated by the constant need to attend to their weapons.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will balance that footstep audio before its official launch.

According to a post-beta statement from developer Infinity Ward, the upcoming Modern Warfare sequel will be getting a few tweaks before it launches.

“While sentiment around footstep audio was more positive in Beta Weekend Two, we have seen your continued feedback on the volume of footsteps and will continue to balance enemy/friendly footstep audio ahead of launch,” it confirmed.

Additionally, it looks as though enemy visibility will be balanced, too.

“Enemy visibility is something that came up throughout both weekends of our Beta,” said Infinity Ward. “While many of you remarked on the improvement in Weekend Two, we’ll look to tweak increased enemy visibility to allow for better visual tracking of opponents that is not solely the traditional nameplate.”

Quite what this means for the final game remains to be seen. But footstep audio and enemy visibility aren’t the only issues being addressed before the game debuts on October 28, 2022.

“Disbanding lobbies are another topic we addressed during Beta,” it said. “We feel this is an important feature and are actively looking for potential solutions for launch.”

Infinity Ward also stated that it's “very happy” with the results of weapon tuning during the first open beta weekend, but further changes are still coming.

New Overwatch 2 players won’t be able to use classic Overwatch heroes straight away.

A new blog post over at the Overwatch website has revealed that new players will need to grind out around 100 matches to unlock the complete roster of original Overwatch 1 characters.

“New players begin with access to a limited set of game modes, heroes, and some other restrictions to onboard them more gradually,” they revealed. “The first phase of our new [First Time User Experience] rapidly unlocks all the game modes and the ability to chat in-game, and the second phase unlocks all the original Overwatch heroes over the course of approximately 100 matches.”

The idea behind the move is to prevent overwhelming new players with too much to learn. Considering each hero has a unique set of abilities and counters, this is certainly an understandable and structured way to get into the game.

“This focused experience eases new players into the world of Overwatch by teaching them about different modes, rules, and other high-level aspects of the game in an approachable way.,” they said.

Importantly, these restrictions won’t be in place if you’re in a group, so new players can still team up with their friends and try out heroes (and game modes) they don’t have yet. “Competitive is the exception to this rule because new players must complete a specific challenge to access this game mode.”

While this move could be seen as controversial, it looks as though the Overwatch community is pretty pleased with the change.

FIFA 23 lets you turn off commentary criticizing your play, so you don’t have to hear how you're letting the side down.

According to Eurogamer, this new feature is live right now after FIFA 23 early access launched a day early on EA Play.

Just hop into the settings and check the box marked “Disable Critical Commentary” to make sure you only get the nicest pep talks from the likes of Derek Rae, Stewart Robson, and Alex Scott. Get in!

Checking this box means you won’t get any commentary that’s critical of how you play, so no more comments about your shoddy defense, for starters. However, you will still get the regular comments they say throughout a match.

It’s likely that this feature made it into the game simply to make for a more positive experience for some players. But it’s also pretty useful if your children play the game, too. After all, it can be a bit daunting when you pick up the pad for the first time, and that could be made even worse if Stewart Robson is giving you a grilling over your sub-par performance.

But the feature may still need some work… During tests, Eurogamer found that disabling critical commentary during a FIFA Ultimate Team Division Rivals match did absolutely nothing. “Robson still tore into my finishing and had some choice words for poor Mason Mount,” said Eurogamer.

Still, it sounds like a useful edition for the more sensitive players when it works.

Warning: Session is a hard game and will test your patience. Those aren’t my words; they’re the words of the developer, Creā-ture Studios itself, splashed verbatim on each of Session’s trick list menus. That’s a belated caveat for the presumably bewildered people mining the menus for shreds of advice on how to actually do anything in this diabolically difficult skateboarding sim. With a two-stick control system that flies in the face of generations of muscle memory, Session is a complex but very grounded simulation of street skating that can appear wonderfully authentic when executed well. However, despite the fact that it’s just emerged from several years of early access, it doesn’t quite appear fully ready for release: physics bugs, shonky trick detection, and unfriendly mission design are regular frustrations.

Since its debut demo back in late 2017, Session has been previously pegged by some as a spiritual successor to EA’s Skate series. To be honest, it’s not really a great comparison. Session’s stick-based trick controls may sound akin to Skate’s on paper, but the reality is Session’s two-stick system is far more complicated. In fact, the single-stick Skate-like “Legacy” controls Session introduced into its Early Access build back in 2020 have actually been entirely removed in the 1.0 version. Adapting to Session’s two-stick controls is now compulsory.