IGN

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is coming to PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC on October 28, 2022. It comes with a campaign, a co-op special ops mode, and online multiplayer, as well as plenty of free online content scheduled for post-launch.

Modern Warfare II is up for preorder now. Below, you’ll find the full rundown about what comes in each edition, how much it costs, where it’s available, preorder bonuses, and more.

Preorder Modern Warfare 2

PS5

• Get it at Amazon - $69.99
• Get it at Best Buy - $69.99
• Get it at GameStop - $69.99
• Get it at Walmart - $69.99
• Get it at Target - $69.99

PS4/PS5

• Get it at Amazon - $69.99
• Get it at GameStop - $69.99
• Get it at Walmart - $69.99
• Get it at Target - $69.99
• Get it at PS Store (digital) - $69.99

Xbox

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is trending on Twitter today — but not for the right reasons. The next JRPG from Monolith Soft launches on Nintendo Switch next month, and today was the day hardcore Xenoblade fans were set to lock in their pre-orders for the game's special edition. Nintendo of America chose to make the premium version of the game — which comes with a SteelBook, art book, and special edition box — exclusive to the My Nintendo Store on Nintendo's official website, which has led to headaches for potential buyers.

Yesterday, Nintendo announced that preorders for the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Special Edition would go live on June 8. No specific time window for the preorders was given, as fans were told to "keep an eye out for an update" one preorders went live.

Today, at 8:32 a.m. PT, Nintendo of America posted again, announcing that the pre-purchase period had begun. Just 25 minutes later, Nintendo posted an update, saying, "We apologize for any inconvenience that you may be experiencing while attempting to pre-order the #XenobladeChronicles3 Special Edition. The My Nintendo Store is experiencing a high volume of traffic and we appreciate your patience while we look into the issue."

The farming and socializing simulator Stardew Valley has proved very popular, selling over 20 million copies across a variety of platforms since its release in 2016. With its mix of resource generation and strategic building, it’s a shoo-in for a cooperative board game adaptation and now we’ve got one, courtesy of the same publisher as the video game, ConcernedApe.

Cramming the sheer variety of a video game into a cardboard box is no easy task, let alone trying to replicate the chill feel of farming in the valley. So it’s a brave step for a video game developer to try their hand at board game design for the first time. But at the same time, it’s hard to imagine there’s anyone better to capture the spirit of the original, at least.

What’s in the Box

At the top of the box is the rulebook with a nice welcome letter on the cover, reminiscent of the opening of the video game. Underneath that is sheet after sheet of punch-out cardboard tiles. Tiles for fish, tiles for minerals, tiles for crops, tiles for scavenging and even tiles for ancient artefacts. There are so many tiles that the game even includes a special tray to sort and store those that don’t belong in the supplied draw bags.

The fold-out board showing a map of Stardew Valley as well as lots of bookkeeping spaces, plus some decks of cards, dice and pawns round out the contents. The game uses standard gaming pawns rather than miniatures or standees and the dice are custom printed.

Alex Kipman, Microsoft’s lead for and inventor of both Kinect and the AR headset HoloLens, has resigned from the company, according to Insider. This comes following Insider’s initial report detailing allegations of abuse against female employees.

Despite his resignation, he is planning on staying with the company through the transition period as executive VP of the cloud and AI group Scott Gurthrie plans a “reorganization”.

After the allegations were made public, Guthrie sent out an email saying Kipman would be leaving to "pursue other opportunities." No mention of the allegations were mentioned.

According to Insider, the email also mentioned Kipman’s commitment “to helping the teams with the transition process over the next two months and ensuring success before pursuing what is next for him.”

The allegations against him come from both current and former employees, and include watching “a lewd VR video in the office in front of employees,” as well as other inappropriate behavior toward women. Managers reportedly even went so far as to warn that women should not be alone with him.

Like many of developer Supermassive’s previous games, The Quarry is clearly made both by and for people who love horror movies. From the start, it slowly builds tension and atmosphere, getting you invested by constantly asking you to make small decisions that will guide its teenage cast of potential murder victims. By the time the blood started flying, every choice felt like one more step in a rolling disaster, and that made it nearly impossible to put down. When I went back to replay it again, however, it was impossible to ignore just how non-interactive much of The Quarry actually is. As a spiritual sequel to Until Dawn, it's a better movie, but a worse game.

You follow the story of nine camp counselors who get stuck in the woods for one more night at the end of the summer, with nothing to do but throw one last party before they go back to their lives. There's something stalking them from the treeline (because of course there is) and your choices determine which, if any, of the counselors will be able to survive the night. This setup layers three fairly textbook horror plots on top of each other as you progress, but you can tell that Supermassive Games had a lot of fun figuring out how to connect them together. When you play, you may think you're in one type of horror movie, but you're often in another.

Spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 4 and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order ahead!

After appearing in Star Wars comics and video games, Purge Troopers just made their live-action debut in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Appearing in 'Part IV' of the Star Wars TV series on Disney+, the Purge Troopers from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order are no longer just part of the popular Star Wars video game, or the Darth Vader comic book they made their first appearance in.

Alongside Stormtroopers and Imperial officers, we find an instantly recognizable Purge Trooper in the thick of the Fortress Inquisitorius – the ominous, underwater base of the Inquisitors. They appear in multiple scenes, clearly a part of the daily life of the Fortress. Purge Troopers are designated Jedi hunting stormtroopers, equipped with lightsaber-resistant armor, and it's only designated commanders who wear the red pauldrons we see both in-game and in the show.

It's rare that a game gets a release date before it gets its first trailer, but at last Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has both. We got our first, brief look at gameplay just this morning.

The trailer itself was light on actual details, but we can glean more from the game's Steam listing, which dropped alongside the trailer. This should be exciting news for Steam fans, as Call of Duty has been skipping the PC storefront since Black Ops 4, preferring to stick to Activision Blizzard's own launcher.

Per official details, Modern Warfare 2 will feature the return of Task Force 141 as they head out on missions across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, which include offshore sieges with underwater combat, air assaults, and stealth missions. It also is said to include a Special Ops tactical co-op mode, and a multiplayer mode that Activision promises will boast a "massive amount of free post-launch content" including new maps, modes, and events.

As for Activision's multi-game-spanning battle royale, Warzone, that's planned to be upgraded to 2.0 soon after Modern Warfare 2's launch to take the new gameplay, features, and tech into account in the free-to-play experience, as well as add its content, systems, and more. However, Warzone will remain a separate experience and continue existing player progression as it has before.

The campaign for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, as I learned in a recent visit to Infinity Ward to get a first look at the sequel to the successful 2019 reboot, brings back some characters from the last game, but also brings back some familiar characters from Modern Warfare’s past. We’ll see Captain John Price, Sergeant Kyle “Gaz” Garrick, Lieutenant Simon “Ghost” Riley, Sergeant John “Soap” Mctavish, CIA Station Chief Kate Laswell return. And Modern Warfare 2 is bringing back a faction called Shadow Company that’s been reworked for this modern title. Commander Phillip Graves owns Shadow Company and it operates as a private military contractor. A newcomer to Modern Warfare 2’s story is Alejandra Vargas, a member of the Mexican special forces. The campaign revolves around a US airstrike killing a hostile foreign general, and revenge is enacted and Taskforce 141 and the Mexican Special Forces must work together to defeat the enemy.

From what was presented in the campaign showcase (don't miss my first impressions of multiplayer as well), the story brings back the conflict to take down a major baddie, Hasan. The first mission, Nightwar, takes you through a night vision adventure that showcases vast air fights and strikes in the sky. and it sets up the tension. You’re sent in as a part of Laswell’s marines to locate Hasan, the High Value Target, and extract him from the surrounding Al-Watala group from the previous game.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer seems to be bringing back the core makeup of Call of Duty games. Modern Warfare 2 is bringing back the best parts of the 2019 remake and adding more to that. Here are my impressions on Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer from my preview time at Infinity Ward (you can also read my first impressions of the single-player campaign).

Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer seems just as good as the remake from 2019. This brings back all the core basics that were great about 2019’s and makes them better from that iteration. Gunsmith has been slightly reworked to be more grounded in modern military elements so now players can unlock “Platforms” that progress a gun’s evolution. So for example, the M4 Platform could lead to unlocking the M16 or the .45 SOCOM. So really, the platforms are a “family” of guns that span the different categories, like the Assault Rifles, SMGs, LMGs, and so on.

Like in Modern Warfare 2’s campaign, multiplayer will feature the new and updated water physics and tech in the new maps. There are hybrid vehicles that will operate on land and water and you can swim around in the water through the maps. You can use pistols and knives while underwater, but if you fire a pistol, the projectile speed on the bullets will be slower so there’ll be less impact meaning it’ll take more bullets to kill someone when shooting from underwater.

343 Industries has revealed that Halo Infinite will receive a campaign co-op test in July, granting select players an opportunity to get a feel for how the mode functions before its public release later this year.

In a tweet on Tuesday, the official Halo account unveiled that a campaign co-op "flight" (343's fancy way of saying "playtest") will become available exclusively to Halo Insiders, the developer's community program for early testing and feedback. The tweet points out that you'll need an up-to-date profile for a chance to participate in the test.

With #HaloInfinite campaign network co-op arriving later this year, we're planning to flight it to Halo Insiders in July. Register and make sure your Halo Insider profile is up to date for a chance to participate!

✈: https://t.co/3a5Xr1hUIc pic.twitter.com/fKIn44umRU

— Halo (@Halo) June 7, 2022

The long-awaited Halo Infinite co-op campaign was last mentioned when 343 shared the game's roadmap in May, which showed that the feature would be available for online players in August. Meanwhile, split-screen campaign co-op is expected to launch before the end of the year.

I was enamored with Stray from the moment I joined a recent hands-off preview of over 30 minutes of BlueTwelve’s upcoming cat adventure. Idling on screen before the demo began, Stray’s pro-cat-onist sat waiting for the player, pawing at something in the air, stretching out to get comfy, and, well, generally behaving like a cat.

Thankfully, the demo showed me more than just a snoozing cat, though I did see more of that later, too, and I’m quite intrigued by the impressive world on display, and the many surprising ways BlueTwelve has made playing as a cat look so fun. More importantly, it showcased a beautifully designed world and some inventive ways to incorporate a cat’s behavior into gameplay. The developers are keeping silent on much of the story players can expect, but the many slices of life I saw promised a potentially cat-tacularly good time.

Stray starts from a relatively simple premise, but finds ingenuity in how strange it actually is the moment you start exploring it. It’s an adventure game through a cyberpunk world where you play as an unnamed cat, having fallen into this unfamiliar cybercity full of robot citizens. As the unnamed cat protagonist, you’ll explore the world, try to understand and find your way through it to reunite with family, and perhaps help some robots along the way.

Exploration is a big part of what you’ll be doing in Stray, whether it’s through more authored locations, pushing you along the main path or forcing you to outrun trouble, or via wider hubs that will slow down the pace a bit to really let you immerse yourself in the world.

A new Ghostbusters animated series is being developed at Netflix in partnership with Sony Pictures Animation and Ghostbusters: Afterlife duo Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan.

Reitman and Kenan of Ghost Corps, Inc. will executive produce the Ghostbusters animated series, having recently collaborated on the script for last year's live-action feature Ghostbusters: Afterlife, for which Reitman also served as director. However, plot details for the new animated series are being kept securely locked away in the Ghost Trap for now.

A brand new GHOSTBUSTERS animated series is on the way! @JasonReitman and @gilkenan, the minds behind Ghostbusters: Afterlife, will be leading the project which will debut on Netflix, in partnership with Sony Pictures Animation. #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/g4LkWu314z

— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) June 8, 2022

News of the Ghostbusters animated series arrives on June 8, otherwise known as Ghostbusters Day, an annual event that celebrates the anniversary of the release date of the original film in 1984. The announcement also kicks off Day 3 of Netflix's Geeked Week, which is shining a spotlight on the streaming service's growing roster of animated projects.

Look, I enjoy the realism and attention to detail of a FIFA game as much as the next person, but sometimes you just want to swallow the soccer ball, pop it out as an egg, and then bounce that egg downfield until it hatches and wizzes past the goalie. That’s just one of the incredibly silly moments that only the Mario Strikers series can provide, and Mario Strikers: Battle League is no exception. Trying to outmaneuver your friends and score a goal while engaging in a distressing amount of cartoon violence with no referee in sight had me howling with laughter one second and snarling in anger the next, and you can’t ask for much more than that. Although it’s been 15 years since Nintendo gave us the last Mario Strikers and shockingly little has been changed since then, that over-the-top mayhem and competitive intensity is a formula that holds up remarkably well.

Mario's twisted version of soccer has two teams of four compete to kick, throw, headbutt, or butt-stomp a soccer ball into the rival team’s net in a highly chaotic fashion that only bears the faintest resemblance to the real-world sport that inspired it. The premise is simple to pick up and learn in a matter of seconds, but what’s impressive is how complex it can get as your skill and desire to win grows. Perfecting your power shots, learning to time your dodges, and figuring out how to best make use of on-field item pickups are all ways to make you a master out on the pitch. After a few hours of practice, it begins to feel similar to a well-tuned fighting game, where every action has a natural counter to it and each match becomes a test of your reflexes and ability to read your opponents’ intentions. That level of balance and depth is pleasantly surprising for what looks like a minigame you might find in Mario Party at first glance.

It's Xbox Hype week! With the Xbox Showcase just days away, we look ahead to Xbox's big event. Both of them, now that we know that an Extended Showcase is happening on Tuesday, June 14. We make more predictions for what we want to see and think we'll see. Plus: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake's rough road, the survival-horror smorgasbord of Callisto Protocol, Dead Space Remake, and Resident Evil 4 Remake this winter, and more!

Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 download of this week's episode. For more awesome content, check out our latest IGN Unfiltered interview, where Joseph Staten – one of Halo's original creators and now the head of creative on Halo Infinite – discusses his fascinating career:

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

Days Gone developer Bend Studio officially has a new logo, and to celebrate, the PlayStation Studios developer offered a few more tidbits about its next project.

The new logo is split into a graphic and a workmark, and is intended to reflect a "new identity" as the studio moves forward on its next project. Associate art director Shay Casey went in-depth on the new logo in a post on the PlayStation Blog.

Despite 1-2 Switch's lukewarm reviews, Nintendo reportedly began development on a sequel, and the process apparently hasn’t exactly gone as the company expected.

According to a report by Fanbyte, the sequel is rumored to be titled Everybody’s 1-2 Switch and features more simple party games similar to its predecessor: bingo, musical chairs, and a family-friendly version of spin the bottle where players compliment each other.\

Everybody’s 1-2 Switch, however, reportedly makes these minigames accessible to a larger number of players by implementing smartphones in a way similar to the Jackbox Games series. The use of smartphones allows up to 100 players to play at a time, a stark departure from the original title’s mostly two-player minigames.

Despite Nintendo’s apparently high hopes for the game, playtesters’ feedback was reportedly poor — some players were said to have referred to the gameplay as “tedious” and didn’t even want to finish playing rounds of the game.

After receiving unexpectedly negative feedback, Nintendo is now said to be unsure of what’s in store for the future of Everybody’s 1-2 Switch. While Nintendo reportedly prepared cover art and placed it in empty boxes, it’s unclear if the game will ever reach shelves or will be scrapped entirely.

The group of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf Quality Assurance Workers who filed a unionisation request in April have now officially voted to unionize. As reported by Eurogamer, all 16 of the QA workers agreed to form a union in a unanimous result and bargaining between them and their employer Keywords Studios will now begin.

Though they work directly with developer BioWare on Dreadwolf, the workers are employed by supporting company Keywords Studios and filed to unionize over poor pay, a return to work mandate, and more.

"Keywords Studios accept the vote of the 16 Edmonton staff who have chosen to unionize," the company said in a statement. "We value our people and will continue to constantly strive to be a good employer.

"As an organization we want to ensure an engaging experience for all of our employees, and we take any concerns that our staff have seriously. We will continue to have an ongoing dialogue with all individuals in the Edmonton team, as we move forward together, always learning and improving."

Battlefield 2042's Season One: Zero Hour finally launches this week with one new map, one new Specialist, and a Battle Pass.

Announced in a two-minute trailer on the game's YouTube channel, EA Dice revealed that Season 1 will be available on June 9, with a preparatory update arriving today, June 7.

Like most Battle Passes, Battlefield's will include a free and premium tier that costs around $10, though users who own the Year 1 Season Pass will gain access to this automatically.

While EA was hazy on the details. The new Specialist, Ewelina Lis, and map, Exposure, will seemingly be available for free for all players, regardless of Season or Battle Pass ownership.

Lis is an anti-vehicle Specialist who comes equipped with a special remote-controlled rocket launcher. Her other passive ability lets her see damaged vehicles highlighted in red, meaning players can instantly detect which tanks and helicopters are ready to be taken down.

Exposure is located within the Canadian Rockies and different ridges, platforms, and bases throughout the mountains allow for multiple entry points into the battlefield as players glide between each one.

Finally, the Battle Pass arriving in Season 1 comes with 100 tiers, with the premium version only offering aesthetic unlocks. The regular, free Battle Pass comes with the new vehicles, weapons, and, of course, the new Specialist Lis.

Sonic Frontiers, the new "open zone" Sonic game, will be receiving an animated short ahead of release.

Revealed during Sega's Sonic Central stream, we saw very little of Sonic Frontiers: Prologue, but the shot we saw was a moody one, featuring Knuckles stood in front of a Chaos Emerald amid a thunderstorm. No release date or platform was announced.

Sonic Frontiers is a new open-zone action game, taking the series in a new direction from the 2D and 3D games of the past. Our hands-on preview called it "an exciting new step forward for the Sonic series into uncharted territory, and based on my time with it, Sonic Team seems to have hit upon a winning formula." We've also shown off exclusive exploration and combat gameplay footage.

Sega’s second-ever annual celebration of the blue blur, Sonic Central, took place today, and brought with it a selection of trailers and announcements for games, shows, and even energy drinks. From teases for Sonic Frontiers to the first (very brief) look at Netflix’s Sonic Prime, here’s the full roundup of everything Sonic Central 2022 had to offer.

Sonic Frontiers Prologue Teased

A new animated prologue for Sonic Frontiers, featuring Knuckles, was teased but not shown. Sega promises the prologue will be fully revealed ahead of Sonic Frontiers' release. Sega also offered a little extra gameplay from Frontiers, but pointed to our own IGN First to see much more. So, to actually see the game in action for longer than 15 seconds, check out our Sonic Frontiers combat gameplay and exploration gameplay videos.

Sonic Prime Shadow Clip Revealed

The first footage from Sonic Prime, the 3D animated show coming to Netflix, was revealed. A very, very short clip of Shadow rolling into action was seen, but nothing more than that. No release date has been announced, but Netflix and Sega did promise it is "coming soon".

South Korean game developer NCSoft has announced its new game, Project M, with the debut trailer showing off incredible visuals made with Unreal Engine 5.

According to a blog on NCSoft's website, Project M follows a story about a man getting revenge on a lover's death. With NCSoft's own internal technology such as 3D scanning, motion capture, and visual effects, the game is rendered with photo-realistic graphics.

South Korean game developer NCSoft has announced Project M, an interactive narrative game that is shaped by player choices.

The game is developed on Unreal Engine 5 and will release on console platforms. It's aiming for ultra-realistic graphics and is set in Korea. pic.twitter.com/WvdJeAA4oA

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) June 7, 2022

With the unveiling of Project M's trailer, NCSoft wants to pursue a culture of openness within research and development, dubbed "NCing". Principal development management officer Choi Moon-young says, "'Ncing' contains the will to disclose the development process of NCsoft's games and communicate with users to create them. We plan to actively disclose the production process in various forms such as webtoons."

Project M is billed as an interactive movie, similar to games that Quantic Dream makes such as Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human, or Supermassive's Until Dawn and Dark Pictures Anthology.

iOS 16, the next major iPhone operating system update, will be adding native support for the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons and Switch Pro Controller.

Spotted by iOS developer Riley Testut, who shared on his Twitter account that iOS 16 is confirmed to support both the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller and Joy-Cons. Testut even confirmed in a separate tweet that you could also connect a single Joy-Con to a phone with iOS 16 installed if you wanted to. Testut noted that the Pro Controller, in particular, worked "perfectly" when he tested it.

Additionally, Nat Brown, an engineering manager at Apple, also confirmed the support for both controllers. More interestingly, Brown shared information on how to switch between single and dual Joy-Cons on iOS 16, and all you would need to do is hold the screenshot and home buttons for several seconds to make the swap.

9to5Mac confirmed that iOS 16's internal code allows for the next major iPhone update to support multiple game controllers, with the outlet saying it tested controllers such as the Logitech F710 Gamepad. It further notes that third-party controller support on iOS is based on "mobile assets," which 9to5Mac says would make it easier for Apple to support more controllers without releasing a new update of the iPhone operating system.

Sonic’s done a lot in 30 years. He’s been a pioneer of the high-speed 2D platformer, an Olympic athlete, a respectable kart racing enthusiast, a fighter, a TV star, and a Hollywood blockbuster movie star as well. But he’s never done open world, and Sonic Frontiers fixes to change that. I was fortunate enough to be one of the first people outside of Sonic Team to go hands-on with Sonic Frontiers, and let me just say, if you’re worried about how the blue blur will fare in this unfamiliar genre, I think Crush 40 put it best:: “Open your heart, it’s gonna be alright.”

The first thing that struck me about Sonic Frontiers was how uniquely somber and serene it was right from the outset. After flying into a wormhole with Tails and Amy, Sonic finds himself separated from his friends and all alone on an isolated island, with nothing but an AI voice guiding him to collect the Chaos Emeralds. There’s no one for Sonic to bounce quips off of, no energetic Crush 40 soundtrack, just wide-open fields as far as the eye can see. There’s an air of mystery in Sonic Frontiers, and it’s a vibe that’s driven home even further by the beautiful yet minimalist piano melodies that accompany Sonic as he explores the island.

All of this is a very intentional choice. I asked Sonic Team Head Takashi Iizuka to describe how the tone of Sonic Frontiers differs from previous Sonic games, and he said, “Past games in the Sonic series have taken different tones depending on their story and themes. This time, these mysterious islands are the game's major setting. That's why our artists have worked hard to create a mysterious mood.”

Fortnite has long been known for its third-person perspective, which allows players to see their surroundings and structures made with the building mechanic. However, according to a new datamine, the game just might be joining the world of first-person shooters through a new camera mode.

According to a Tweet by Fortnite news source HYPEX, which has reliably leaked other early news about the game in the past, Epic Games has started developing a first-person camera mode during the recently released Chapter 3 Season 3.

FIRST PERSON CAMERA IN FORTNITE 🔥

This update Epic began working on some stuff about first person camera mode but there's no other info about it at the moment as it looks like it's still in early development. Would work REALLY well for the Zero Build Modes 👀 pic.twitter.com/PIRRmdLyp0

— HYPEX (@HYPEX) June 7, 2022

As mentioned by HYPEX, a first-person camera mode would be especially fitting for Fortnite’s newly introduced Zero Build Mode since players wouldn’t have to see their structures. Some fans, however, were worried about the mode’s lack of avatar visibility diminishing the value of in-game cosmetics.

HYPEX was careful to confirm that Epic hasn’t officially announced this mode as it’s still seemingly in early development.

Battlefield 2042 is bringing in its first major season update on June 9. It’s called Zero Hour and it includes a new map, new Specialist, weapons, and Battle Pass. Here’s everything you need to know about Battlefield 2042’s big season 1 content drop.

The new map in season one is called Exposure, and it’s located in the Canadian Rockies. There are multiple points of elevation and caves and multiple ridges for different angles and entry points. It almost reminds me of older Battlefield maps where you run up mountain sides to get from one point to another. Exposure has a lot of varying zone environments that set it aside from the other maps in 2042 and encourage equal ground and air warfare.

Meanwhile, Ewelina Lis is the new specialist dropping in Season 1 and she has a special rocket launcher that is player controlled. There is no auto targeting with this rocket launcher, so once you aim in a direction and fire, you can manually guide the missile to your target. There is a distance limit on it since the missile only has a set amount of fuel so it can’t go long in the air, but it is a very useful weapon and especially deadly since you control the projectile. Lis also has a passive ability that allows her to see damaged vehicles highlighted in red, which works perfectly with her rocket launcher since she can then finish off the damaged vehicles. Her rocket launcher isn’t too powerful where it destroys vehicles in one hit, but it packs a good punch – especially to those already damaged vehicles.

After announcing its plans last September, lawmakers in the European Union announced today that they had reached a provisional agreement on legislation that will mandate phones sold in the EU must include a USB-C port by fall 2024.

A new press release from the European Parliament notes that USB-C will become the EU's "common charger," meaning that electronics such as smartphones, tablets, cameras, and handheld gaming consoles sold in the EU will require a USB-C port for wired charging. "The charging speed is also harmonised for devices that support fast charging," the press release notes, "allowing users to charge their devices at the same speed with any compatible charger."

The move has been made to lower electronic waste and make life easier for EU-based consumers, who will only need one cable type to charge all small and medium-sized devices. Laptops will also need to adopt the standard, but manufacturers have much longer to make changes, with 40 months added to the fall 2024 deadline.

The legislation will impact Apple in particular. Apple does have products that use USB-C ports, such as the iPad Air (Gen 4 and Gen 5) but, since 2012, iPhones have been using the tech giant's proprietary Lightning cable to charge through a wired connection. Apple is the only major smartphone maker to still use a proprietary port instead of USB-C.

The Days of Play sale is coming to an end on June 8. so this is your last chance to pick up the absolute best PS5 game, accessory, or controller deal this summer. As always, my favourite deal right now is on DualSense Controllers, with both white and midnight black versions of the controller still down to £46.99 (dropping from £64.99).

Other deals today include the LG OLED C1, with the 55" now down to just £899 at Amazon (was £1699). This is the best price we've ever seen on the perfect PS5 and Xbox TV, so this is the perfect time to snap one up. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are also now available to preorder for £49.99 from Amazon right now, releasing November 18. Remember, when you preorder with Amazon you're not paying anything until the game actually ships, so you've got time to change your mind as well.

TL;DR - Our Favourite UK Deals Right Now

Last Chance: DualSense Controllers for £46.99 (was £64.99)

Street Fighter 6 is introducing its own form of emotes, and though flossing may be a step too far, Capcom has settled for pulling faces at your opponent before the match.

The developer released the first gameplay for Street Fighter 6 just a few days ago at PlayStation's State of Play, seemingly opening the floodgates for other tidbits of information about the latest entry in its iconic fighting game series.

One of these came through the official Street Fighter Twitter account (below), which revealed that pressing the directional buttons during the versus screen will cause the character to pull different faces. Players can therefore make Ryu and friends (and enemies) scowl at each other, act super smug, or emulate pre-fight jitters by speeding through a number of emotions in rapid fire succession.

Show your attitude with the Game Face Feature in #StreetFighter6 by pressing directional buttons during the versus screen.

Scowl at your opponent, act all smug, or confuse them with a mixture of rapid emotions!

🎭 https://t.co/TeNl2pTAbd pic.twitter.com/n15Dj50vlZ

Capcom has confirmed its Capcom Showcase will take place on Monday, June 13 and that it will feature updates and new details on previously announced games.

Capcom shared the news in a blog, announcing that this upcoming stream will last for roughly 35 minutes and that it will take place on June 13 at 3pm PT/6pm ET/11pm BST. If you are in Australia, that translates to 8am AEST.

While no games were specifically mentioned, we very well may learn more about Street Fighter 6, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Resident Evil Village VR or DLC, Resident Evil Re:Verse, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, and more.

For comparison, Capcom held a showcase at E3 2021 and the show confirmed Resident Evil Village DLC was in development, that Resident Evil Re:Verse would launch in July 2021 (it was delayed), post-launch content for Monster Hunter Rise and Monster Hunter Stories 2, and more.

The Resident Evil franchise is being adapted into live-action once again. But whereas the previous theatrical films were very loose adaptations of the source material, Netflix’s new series seeks to build on the established Resident Evil game continuity. And this time, the series’ most fascinating yet convoluted villain - Albert Wesker - is the star of the show.

How exactly does Wesker fit into this new series, and how does it all tie back to his confusing history of deaths and resurrections? Let’s break down what we know so far.

Albert Wesker: S.T.A.R.S. Captain or Umbrella Agent?

Like series mainstays Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, Albert Wesker made his debut way back in the original Resident Evil in 1996. The game introduces Wesker as the captain of the Special Tactics and Rescue Squad (or S.T.A.R.S.), a special ops force called upon to investigate a series of mysterious killings on the outskirts of Raccoon City. But while Wesker initially comes across as a helpful ally as the player explores the zombie-infested halls of Spencer Mansion, he’s eventually revealed to have a sinister agenda all his own.

Wesker betrays his own team in the game’s climax, revealing himself to be a double agent working for the Umbrella Corporation. The zombie outbreak was caused by exposure to Umbrella’s experimental T-virus bioweapon, and Wesker’s job is to observe the zombies and report back on their military effectiveness. Wesker is seemingly killed in a lab deep beneath the mansion, but not before he frees Umbrella’s deadliest creation - the Tyrant.

Wesker manages to survive his brush with death, however. That would become something of a running theme with the character.

EA Sports has the unenviable task of reintroducing Madden to gamers every year. The broad strokes never change — Madden 23 is a football game that prioritizes simulation and it immediately brings to mind Madden 22, Madden 21, and really, every game in the franchise since the Super Nintendo era. But after a couple matches in the closed beta over the weekend, it's clear that EA is slowly but surely ironing out some of the rough patches that have dogged the series since the 90s. Madden 23 isn't likely to convert any nonbelievers, but it should give longtime fans a bevy of new ideas to chew on.

The closed beta only offered the standard quick play mode, which means I didn't get the chance to dive into what the studio has cooked up for Ultimate Team, Franchise, Superstar KO, and so on. But I did get to take a look at some of the legitimately inventive ways EA is shaking up Madden's core fundamentals. The thing you'll notice first? Passing has become incredibly more intuitive. Madden quarterbacks were previously saddled with a fairly limited set of arm motions; we could dart a throw with white-hot speed, or lob the ball in the sky on deep routes. Now, all of those mechanics are on something of a gradient. The pace on your throws are determined by the exact amount of time you hold down the button, and you're given much more agency over where you locate the ball for your receivers. You know how Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams seemed to improvise routes on the fly? It's kind of like that.

Today, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl received a significant update that adds voice acting and items to the game.

The new update is free for all players across PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. It'll come to the Nintendo Switch version of the game soon. The voice actor roster comprises both returning talent from the original shows, as well as some new voices.

Here's the complete list.

Returning talent:

• Jim Cummings - Shredder/Catdog (Cat)
• Tom Kenny - SpongeBob/CatDog (Dog)
• Bill Fagerbakke - Patrick
• Carolyn Lawrence - Sandy
• Richard Horvitz - Zim
• Fred Tatasciore - Reptar (Paramount+ reboot)
• Bentley Griffin - Lincoln Loud
• Jessica DiCicco - Lucy Loud
• Janet Varney - Korra
• Francesca Marie Smith - Helga
• Townsend Coleman - Michelangelo
• Cam Clarke - Leonardo
• Frank Welker - Garfield
• Billy West - Ren & Stimpy
• David Kaufman - Danny Phantom
• Janice Kawaye - Jenny

New talent:

• Alex Cazares - Oblina
• Jim Meskimen - Nigel Thornberry
• Vivian Vencer - Toph
• Dustin Sardella - Aang
• Abby Trott - April O'Neil
• David Kaye - Powdered Toast Man

Diablo: Immortal players are upset over the prevalence of microtransactions in Blizzard's latest action-RPG.

The free-to-play game launched on June 2 and brings a relatively complete Diablo experience to mobile (and now PC in Early Access), albeit with a few simplified systems. As is common in free-to-play games, however, there are many optional in-game purchases, and Diablo: Immortal's best loot is seemingly pretty hard to get without spending a lot of money – and even then it isn't guaranteed.

Players have taken to Reddit and Twitter to raise their concerns, and Legendary Gems are at the centre of the microtransaction controversy. These are essentially powerful upgrades, ranked from one to five stars, that players unlock by completing Elder Rift dungeons with added Legendary Crest modifiers. The best rated Legendary Gems can only be found by cracking open Legendary Crests.

The problem is, only three Legendary Crests are available each month unless players spend money, and they essentially act like randomised loot boxes. According to Forbes, players only have a 0.05% chance of getting a five star Gem for each Legendary Crest used.

There’s a better-than-average chance you’ve played a Disney-themed kart racer over the years, whether its Mickey's Speedway USA from GoldenEye 007 and Diddy Kong Racing maestros Rare, or Toy Story Racer from LEGO specialists Traveller’s Tales. There’s even the largely-forgotten Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour – a whimsical little racer from Crystal Dynamics helmed by the creator of… horror classic Dead Space. At any rate, Disney is going back to the enchanted well in 2022, courtesy of the crew behind Gameloft’s long-running Asphalt series. Does it have the bare necessities, or is Gameloft taking the mickey? IGN was given an early glimpse at the game in action ahead of this week’s closed beta.

Pitched as a hero-based combat racer, Disney Speedstorm appears to be a typically intuitive and accessible arcade racing game. While IGN is yet is have hands-on time with the game itself, the team has described the handling as easy to grasp, tricky to master, and certainly informed by the experience gleaned from the Asphalt series – particularly Asphalt 8: Airborne, Asphalt 9: Legends, and Asphalt Xtreme.

Of course, approachable driving dynamics are the minimum entry requirement when it comes to competing in the karting space against incumbents like the impeccable Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and the successful Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (and even non-karting racers like Hot Wheels Unleashed, one of the best arcade racers of the last decade). Disney Speedstorm’s trump card here is the admittedly unparalleled treasure chest of characters, worlds, and even music it gets to draw inspiration from.

Microsoft has announced that there will be a second Xbox Games Showcase, airing just two days after the main showcase taking place on June 12.

Xbox Games Showcase Extended will take place on June 14, starting at 10am PT. A new post on the Xbox Wire blog promises new trailers, deeper looks at the news revealed as part of the main Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase, and interviews with developers. The show will clock in at 90 minutes, and so there's another hour and a half to add to your not-E3 calendar.

As ever, IGN will be covering it all, so expect full details right here for both the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase 2022 and the newly-announced extended show. This will be the second year in a row that Xbox has done an extended showcase; last year, just days after the main showcase, Xbox showed more from Hellblade 2, Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, and many more. If this year's extended showcase is just as packed, then we could have some exciting extra news on our hands.

A GoldenEye 007 remaster on Xbox appears more and more likely, as Microsoft now has the game's achievements listed on its official website.

As spotted by Video Games Chronicle, industry insider @Wario64 on Twitter shared the achievements (below) and a link to their listing online, with the webpage still functioning as normal as of the time of writing.

Both single and multiplayer objectives are listed for the beloved game – which was originally released on the Nintendo 64 in 1997 – with GoldenEye 007 granting players 1,000 Gamerscore in total, as is the norm for fully-fledged games.

GoldenEye 007 achievements viewable on Xbox's website https://t.co/46FWj70BjZ pic.twitter.com/GZrlVjTM3J

For the third time, a War Thunder player has leaked classified military intel on the game's forums in response to, in this case, ammo for Chinese tanks not being accurate enough.

As reported by UK Defense Journal (via PC Gamer), a user uploaded an image of the DTC10-125 tungsten penetrator and a technical doc containing its specifications because they were angry about some small inaccuracies.

The part in question is a "high-velocity, non-explosive 125mm sabot round fired by the Chinese Type 96 and Type 99 MBTs" and is considered "one of the [People's Liberation Army's] main tank killing rounds."

This leak, which very well could be considered treason, follows similar leaks on War Thunder's forums that revealed classified information on the British Challenger 2 and French Leclerc main battle tanks. What sets this apart, however, is that it appears to have been entirely unnecessary.

Nobleman Swerve on ResetERA said this crime was for naught as the assets used in-game of the round in question are not representative of the final product.

It’s a great time to be a Diablo fan. Diablo II’s recent resurrection gave the classic title a fresh coat of paint, Diablo IV’s development continues to roll along, and now, as of June 2, Diablo Immortal has arrived Android, iOS, and PC - the series’ first original release in years.

I caught up with Blizzard’s Rod Fergusson, Diablo Franchise General Manager, and Joe Grubb, Principal Game Designer on Diablo Immortal just before the game’s launch to discuss how the series has been reinvigorated, and what Blizzard are hoping to achieve with Immortal.

“There's a consistent through-line to what makes a Diablo game a Diablo game,” Rod Fergusson explains. “But, I definitely believe there's room for these games to exist together as unique and different experiences. Immortal not only brings that authentic Diablo experience, building on the past and having that homage to what came before with the six iconic classes, but it has all these innovations on top. The Cycle of Strife endgame PVP, Helliquary Raids, social systems, things that have been added by becoming an MMO that really separate it and make it stand apart.”

Even so, at its core, the team have set out to create an “authentic Diablo experience,” says Jeff Grubb, adapted for mobile and with an MMO backbone. With its traditional hack-and-slash setup and isometric perspective, Diablo Immortal very much looks the part, and also has a story to tell, through a linear structure that takes players through an array of diverse locations, growing in power as they slay the countless demons of Hell to find loot and legendary gear.

Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 3: Vibin' has officially arrived and it brings with it a Battle Pass featuring Darth Vader and Indiana Jones, rideable wolves and boars, the return of Ballers, and much more.

Vibin' follows Chapter 3 Season 2's "Collision" event and has made Fortnite's Island "one giant party." This party also comes with some map changes, led by a new location called Reality Falls.

This new area is home to the Reality Tree and is filled with bouncy mushrooms, purple trees, waterfalls, caves filled with loot, and much more. The Reality Tree is also sending out Reality Seed Pods, and when players plant the seeds from those pods, a Reality Sapling will grow. This sapling will grow in the same place from match to match and will bear better and better loot each time you weed it until it provides Mythic loot.

The Baller - the hampster wheel-esque vehicle with a grappler on the front - is back in this new season and now has more health, can float on water, and is charged by a battery that will eventually run out. There will also be a Screwballer "high-flying amusement park ride" that will take the party to an even higher level.

If hampster wheels aren't your style, you can hop on a wolf or a bear to ride around the Island, and you don't even have to dismount in battle as you can shoot and throw weapons while riding.

Welcome back to IGN Game Scoop!, the ONLY video game podcast! This week your Omega Cops -- Daemon Hatfield, Tina Amini, Sam Claiborn, and Justin Davis -- are discussing Sony's recent State of Play presentation. That means Resident Evil 4 Remake, Final Fantasy 16, Callisto Protocol, Street Fighter 6, and more. And, of course, they play Video Game 20 Questions.

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