IGN

Set in a pulp adventure 1932 where secret societies seek to use magic to reshape the world, The Lamplighters League combines a strategic campaign layer with real-time stealth and tactical combat to deliver a twist on the tactics genre that's fun, but doesn't do anything too radically new. It took a bit to grow on me, with a really slow start to get through, but once it gets up to speed this sometimes absurd, always entertaining pulp story is a blast that plays through to a memorable finale.

The Lamplighters League will immediately hit home with people who love the kind of pulp adventure exemplified by The Mummy or Indiana Jones. The three enemy houses of the Banished Court, all of whom want to remake the world in their own image, perfectly encapsulate the villain archetypes you'd want from the setting: House Nicastro is your classic cult of squid-worshippers devoted to bringing back their dead god, House Strum is a noble lineage of tyrannical conquerors pillaging ancient Egyptian magic to be immortal and control fiery mummies, and House Marteau is headed by an upstart American industrialist – complete with period-perfect pencil mustache – whose wonderful new contribution to capitalism is enslaving your ghost when you die working the assembly line. Now that's disruption!

Generally speaking FromSoft’s games are synonymous with difficulty, and the “tough but fair” approach to combat has been applauded by gamers looking for a challenge. There’s certainly a masochistic appeal to getting your ass kicked for not pushing the buttons real good, but that’s really just one facet of a larger design philosophy: these games have faith that players will figure out how they work.

Elden Ring in particular makes the delightful assumption that maybe players already know the basics of how to play, and if they don’t… Well, they can go jump in a hole. I mean, they actually put a tutorial at the bottom of a hole. If you already know how blocking and rolling works, you don’t have to go down in the hole, you can just go outside and do Tarnished shit. If you’re new here? Get in the hole, idiot.

Cyberpunk 2077's game-changing Update 2.0 was a big upgrade for most players but did put a pause on mods. Developer CD Projekt Red even turned them off by default, but now the creators of its core mods have updated them to work with the current version and Phantom Liberty expansion.

As reported by PC Gamer, the crucial Cyber Engine Tweaks mod is now compatible with Update 2.0. This isn't the most exciting mod on paper but acts as a framework that gives other mods access to Cyberpunk 2077's internal scripting and players access to the debug console.

Script extender RED4ext has also been updated alongside similarly important script extensions and script extension loaders ArchiveXL, TweakXL, and Codeware. All of these essentially set the groundwork for the numerous wild and wacky mods to be updated to work with the latest version of Cyberpunk 2077.

CD Projekt has disabled Cyberpunk 2077 mods today, September 26, to ensure they don't clash with content added in Phantom Liberty and disrupt the playing experience for PC players.

A message on CD Projekt Red's support account on X informed Steam and Epic Games players that their versions of the game would automatically disable mods. The developer confirmed those who absolutely want to use mods can still reactivate them, but they do so at their own risk.

Valve dropped Counter-Strike 2 on Steam yesterday alongside a stark warning to cheaters: not only will it ban them, but all their friends, too.

“When one or more party members get convicted of cheating and permanently banned, all their associates will be penalized with loss of Profile Rank and CS Rating,” Valve said in the release notes for Counter-Strike 2.

“In Premier, players with a very high established CS Rating are not allowed to party with accounts that do not have an established CS Rating,” Valve added, revealing another anti-cheating tactic specifically for Counter-Strike 2’s hardcore competitive mode.

Valve has battled against Counter-Strike cheaters ever since its hugely popular first-person shooter went on sale. Indeed, Counter-Strike 2 had a cheating problem before it even came out. So it makes sense that Valve would want to lay down a marker now at launch.

Valve announced Counter-Strike 2 in March. Running on Source Engine 2, the same game engine used on other Valve games including Dota 2 and Half-Life: Alyx, Counter-Strike 2 replaces its predecessor on Steam, where it’s already shot through the 1.3 million concurrent players barrier.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Mortal Kombat 1 players have spent the game’s early life experimenting with the new Kameo system, which lets you call in other characters to perform an action. Using Kameo characters, players are working out how to do elaborate combos that involve “juggling” their opponent with multiple hits. But this new combo from evil sorcerer Shang Tsung is perhaps the most ridiculous yet.

Mortal Kombat professional player Jarrad "NinjaKilla212" Gooden, who won the Mortal Kombat 11 tournament at Evo this year, took to Twitter to publish a video showing an 89-hit combo from Shang Tsung, who, in old form, repeatedly juggles poor Baraka with Ground Skulls fireballs, and keeps the fun going by calling in Scorpion for a cheeky Kameo juggle. There's even a fancy side switch. (For more, check out IGN’s Shang Tsung character guide, which includes a move list and Fatalities list.)

Your opponent hits you with this in a tournament, what you doing? pic.twitter.com/mKMwkNOHIr

— DuckKilla_212 (@212Ninjakilla) September 28, 2023

“Your opponent hits you with this in a tournament, what you doing?” asks NinjaKilla212. I don’t know about you, but probably put my controller down and put the kettle on.

Teardown, the first-person, voxel-based heist game that might fairly be described as the delightfully bizarre lovechild of Burnout 3's Crash Mode, Minecraft, and Thief, is on its way to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on November 15. Check out the release date trailer below, and our all-new exclusive eight-minute PS5 gameplay footage above.

Teardown was initially released for PC in April of last year, and developer Tuxedo Labs has been hard at work on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series version of it ever since. In Teardown, you'll roam an environment, planning out your route both to the loot and then out to the getaway van. But part of that planning involves utilizing the fully destructible voxel-based environment. If you need to blow a few holes in a few walls in order to simplify your route, go for it. Because once you set the heist in motion, you'll have precious few seconds to execute your plan and make it safely to the escape point.

Tuxedo Labs also detailed its content roadmap, telling IGN, "Players will be able to expand their experience even further with four new DLCs available as part of the game’s Ultimate Edition for $49.99, the Season Pass for $29.99, or individually for $7.99 each. This new content will include:

Fortnite V-Bucks will increase in price in the United States and several other countries on October 27, 2023, Epic Games has announced.

Revealed in a Fortnite blog post, the price increase of around 12% to 15% per bundle comes as a result of "economic factors such as inflation and currency fluctuations" and follows similar price increases seen in the UK, Canada, and Mexico.

Countries seeing a price increase now include the U.S., Czech Republic, Denmark, Eurozone countries, Hungary, Japan, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, and all countries where the U.S. dollar is the storefront currency.

The U.S. will see the following price increases: 1,000 V-Bucks rises from $7.99 to $8.99, 2,800 V-Bucks rises from $19.99 to $22.99, 5,000 V-Bucks rises from $31.99 to $36.99, and 13,5000 V-Bucks rises from $79.99 to $89.99.

Epic Games made clear Fortnite Crew subscription pricing is not impacted by the current changes but certain bundles will be adjusted when they return to storefronts. These include the Final Reckoning Pack, Skull Squad Pack, Graveyard Drift Quest Pack, Saint Academy Quest Pack, and Transformers Pack.

When you have the latest and best iPhone, then that means you can play just about any mobile game with ease—thanks to the smartphone’s sheer power and buttery smoothness. The iPhone 15 Pro even supports console and PC games, so soon you can play games like Assassin's Creed Mirage, Resident Evil 4 Remake, and so much more from the palm of your hand. But even if your iPhone is a few years old, you still have a wealth of great games to choose from for gaming on the go.

And while there are millions of them on the Apple App Store and Apple Arcade, there’s a very useful list of the most popular mobile games — divided by the most popular free games and paid games — available for the iPhone (most of these titles are available as iPad games as well).

Jump to:

• Most Popular Free iPhone Games
• Most Popular Paid iPhone Games

From simple match-three games to powerful MMORPGs, we rounded up the top 10 from the top free and top paid games (20 games in total) to help you navigate the App Store easily. There are a lot of winners, below:

Spoiler Warning: The following article includes minor spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion, mainly surrounding a decision in the fourth main mission: Lucretia My Reflection.

Cyberpunk 2077 players can very quickly lock themselves out of the game's one and only expansion, Phantom Liberty, by choosing the wrong dialogue option in-game.

As recorded in IGN's Cyberpunk 2077 Guide, the option to simply walk away from Phantom Liberty's main campaign comes during the mission Lucretia My Reflection as Idris Elba's Solomon Reed asks protagonist V of the mission: "is it worth it?"

"Know what, Reed? You're right," V will reply. "Somethin' real wonky 'bout this. I'm out." The other characters start sweating a little here, giving the player one last chance to select to continue the paid expansion. Even Johnny Silverhand chimes in to tell V this isn't a bluff.

By choosing, "Made my decision", however, V will opt to walk away from Reed's mission and leave Phantom Liberty behind. "Finally showin' me your true face," the character continues. "That the way of things? Hard pass from me then. If I gotta die, I'm not gonna die fightin' someone else's war."

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has paid tribute to outgoing PlayStation boss Jim Ryan, who announced his retirement overnight.

Jim Ryan, who's been president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) since 2019, retires in March 2024. Hiroki Totoki will assume the interim CEO role starting on April 1, 2024.

The Sony Group Corporation president, COO, and CFO will also become chairman of SIE starting next month to "support Ryan in his transition", Sony said.

Totoki will "work closely" with Sony Group Corporation Chairman and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida to navigate PlayStation's future, "including the succession of the SIE CEO role."

In a statement, Ryan cited the difficulty of living in Europe while working in North America as a reason for the decision.

“After 30 years, I have made the decision to retire from SIE in March 2024," Ryan said in the statement. "I’ve relished the opportunity to have a job I love in a very special company, working with great people and incredible partners. But I’ve found it increasingly difficult to reconcile living in Europe and working in North America.

“I will leave having been privileged to work on products that have touched millions of lives across the world; PlayStation will always be part of my life, and I feel more optimistic than ever about the future of SIE. I want to thank Yoshida-san for placing so much trust in me and being an incredibly sensitive and supportive leader.”

Spencer tweeted to call Ryan “a great contributor to our industry and a fierce leader for PlayStation” He continued: “I wish him the best in what he does next. Thank you for all you’ve done for the community over the last 30 years, Jim.”

Sega has cancelled Hyenas, the multiplayer extraction shooter in development at UK studio Creative Assembly.

Issuing a warning to investors that it will record a loss for the financial year, Sega said "profitability has been lowered mainly in European bases". As a result, it has implemented "structural reforms aimed at increasing efficiency", and reviewed in-development games. "We have made the difficult decision to cancel some titles under the development as well as to reduce the fixed expenses," Sega said.

"In response to the lower profitability of the European region, we have reviewed the title portfolio of each development base in Europe and the resulting action will be to cancel Hyenas and some unannounced titles under development," Sega continued. "Accordingly, we will implement a write-down of work-in-progress for titles under development."

A source close to Creative Assembly told IGN the entire Hyenas studio now faces redundancy, but staff expect massive cuts across the company. Staff were told the news this morning, September 28, at the same time Sega issued its statement. The cancellation of Hyenas so close to release came as a surprise to staff, IGN was told, although internally there was concern that the game would fail to do well.

"We will implement reduction of various fixed expenses at several group companies in relevant region, centered on the Creative Assembly Ltd," Sega said. "We expect to incur one-time expenses related to reduction of fixed expenses.

"We will continue to consider measures to improve profitability in European bases apart from above. We will announce the specific details and impact from them as soon as we make decision."

We open this week's busy episode of Unlocked by discussing two big new games we just played a bunch of: Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty and Alan Wake 2. After that we discuss Phil Spencer's wish to bring back MechAssault and have a fantasy draft for which Xbox developer should make it -- along with our own picks (complete with preferred developers) for other dormant Xbox franchises we'd like to see return. Plus: we get lost wondering how the heck we're going to play all of the games in this historically busy stretch of major game releases that we're in right now, 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 my Alan Wake 2 preview mentioned in this episode!

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.

Valve surprised everyone when it announced earlier this year that it was making a Counter-Strike 2 - and after months of limited testing, it's now available for PC players via Steam.

The company announced the news with a new trailer today, which you can watch below.

Counter-Strike 2 was announced back in March. Running on Source Engine 2, the same game engine used on other Valve games, including Dota 2 and Half-Life: Alyx, Counter-Strike 2 is not a separate sequel to the original game but rather a major free update to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

As we have previously seen, Counter-Strike provides a graphical facelift to the popular first-person shooter while adding upgrades and redesigns to the game's maps. More importantly, Counter-Strike 2 introduces the ability for players to refund their weapons if they accidentally purchased the wrong item.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was originally released in 2012, and despite being over a decade old, it remains one of the most popular PC games on Valve's digital distribution platform, Steam. Being a good game aside, CS: GO's staying power among the most popular games on Steam is also helped by the fact that the game went free-to-play in late 2018.

Xbox announced another September update for its consoles: the option for players to automatically have their screenshots and captured game footage uploaded to OneDrive.

In a new Xbox Wire blog post, players will be able to set up OneDrive to automatically receive captures by clicking the Xbox home button and heading to "My Games & Apps," "See All," Apps," and "Captures." In the "Captures" section, a prompt reads "Tell Me More". It will allow them to set up their future captures to go automatically to OneDrive instead of manually adding their content to the file hosting service.

Netflix's Castlevania showrunner Adi Shankar is officially developing a new anime series for Netflix based on Devil May Cry.

Announced during Netflix's DROP 01 virtual event, the Devil May Cry anime was also given a short teaser that shows a smiling Dante flipping while shooting his guns (which may be Ebony & Ivory!) and dodging attacks from an off-screen enemy.

We don't know exactly when this new series will arrive on Netflix, but the streamer provided a description of the anime that will undoubtedly get fans excited for what's to come.

BIG NEWS!!! DEVIL MAY CRY, the anime series from Capcom, Studio Mir, and Adi Shankar is coming soon to Netflix. #NetflixDrop01 pic.twitter.com/tcOjYQbJv8

— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) September 27, 2023

"In this animated adaptation of the popular Capcom game, sinister forces are at play to open the portal between the human and demon realms," the official description reads. "In the middle of it all is Dante, an orphaned demon-hunter-for-hire, unaware that the fate of both worlds hangs around his neck."

Blizzard has suffered a round of layoffs at its Hearthstone development team.

In a statement issued to IGN, Activision Blizzard confirmed the layoffs, without specifying the number of staff affected.

"Organizational changes were made to the Hearthstone team; as a result a small number of roles have become redundant. We want to thank these employees for their many contributions."

Kotaku reporter Ethan Gach tweeted to say 10 members of staff, all within the Hearthstone team, were affected.

Hearthstone is Blizzard’s free-to-play digital card game set within the Warcraft universe. It launched on PC and Mac in March 2014, with a mobile version launching later that year. For a time Hearthstone was one of the most popular video games in the world, but now, nearly a decade after launch, the likes of Overwatch 2, World of Warcraft, and Diablo 4 are considered Blizzard’s focus.

The PC version of Hearthstone remains exclusive to Blizzard's Battle.net platform, but it may eventually launch on Steam after Blizzard recently said it intends to release a handful of its games on Valve's platform, starting with Overwatch 2.

Activision Blizzard is the subject of an imminent $69 billion aquisition by Microsoft, following approval from the UK.

Elden Ring fans have quite the treat available to preorder right now in the IGN Store: a Nendoroid of Iron Fist Alexander. This adorable figure stands about 3.9 inches high and can be posed in several different ways, making him an excellent addition to your collectible collection. With an estimated release date of July 2024, you can preorder this figure at the link below for $50.99.

Iron Fist Alexander Nendoroid is Up For Preorder at the IGN Store

This figure is the latest Elden Ring collectible available on the IGN Store, joining figures of Melina, Vargram the Raging Wolf in his Raging Wolf armor, and a Festering Fingerprint Vyke figure from S.H.Figuarts. These figures are available to purchase right now as well and are still in stock, so you can add them right away to your collectible collection.

Elden Ring Displate Metal Posters

Displate has a phenomenal selection of Elden Ring metal posters you can buy for starting at $49. They really look terrific, so check them out if you're interested in wall art based on the game.

Purchase Elden Ring’s Art Books

If you’ve been looking to pick up both volumes of Elden Ring’s beautiful art books, you can actually get them at a slight discount right now on Amazon! I recently got both volumes and can confirm that they’re incredible investments. Beautiful covers with even more gorgeous artwork on the inside. It'll make you want to jump back into the game for a replay immediately.

In time-honoured Bethesda game tradition, Starfield players are using objects found in the game world to play Dominoes.

YouTube channel Holy Moe uploaded a video showing an early effort at in-game Dominoes, which uses books, space food and other junk items to have fun with Bethesda’s physics playground. Footballs are also used to add extra complexity to the run. You can see the video in the tweet below.

Dominoes Effect in Starfield

The physics in Starfield are definitely it’s most impressive technical feat by far pic.twitter.com/fOUTC3a215

— Synth Potato (Ameer) 🥔 (@SynthPotato) September 26, 2023

“It’s just a concept right now using books as Dominoes,” Holy Moe explained. “Perhaps I will make something more advanced next time. The Bethesda physics are spectacular!”

Holy Moe’s video is a starting point for Starfield Dominoes, and already other players are creating more complex runs. The attempt below adds sandwiches to the mix.

💀 pic.twitter.com/peLEj9Lf2A

A major Xbox leak has revealed the existence of a mid-gen refresh for Microsoft’s newest console and this probably means Sony at least has a design document for a new PlayStation 5 refresh lying around its offices somewhere.

Despite seeming like the latest generation of gaming just arrived thanks to the time-warping effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and unprecedented console shortages, we’re already three years into the life of the PS5. Think back to the PlayStation 4 where the base model was released in 2013 and, three years later, both a PS4 Slim and a PS4 Pro were announced in 2016. This means we’re about due for some new PlayStations.

Rumor on the street is that Sony is indeed readying some kind of PS5 Slim model, one with a detachable disc drive that could retail separately. And so far there are no real credible reports for what a PS5 Pro could entail. That said, here’s what I’d like to see for a mid-cycle PS5.

Bring On Modular Consoles

The one big rumor around the PS5 Slim, or whatever it ends up being called, is that the disc drive will not be included with the system. Instead, it will be sold separately and connected if needed.

Recently I was lucky enough to go hands-on with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Although my play time was largely dominated by combat encounters, this small slice left a lasting impression on me in regards to how events in the final game will play out. It, alongside the latest trailer, has all but confirmed suspicions that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is not going to go how we all might expect.

A fascinating change in events during my demo, coupled with clues and patterns from Final Fantasy 7 Remake, leads me to believe we could be in for a shocking twist of fate for everyone’s favourite flower girl. Here’s seven reasons why we think you’ll be able to save Aerith in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

Before we dive into Rebirth, let’s first set the scene for what happened in Remake. The first chapter in this trilogy initially presented itself as a retelling, but by the end had veered onto its own extremely meta path.

Throughout Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Cloud and his friends frequently encounter the ‘Whispers’; hooded spectres that Red XIII describes as “Arbiters of Fate”. Their sole purpose is to ensure that destiny plays out according to plan, effectively keeping the events of the original Final Fantasy 7 timeline on track. That would see villain Sephiroth defeated, but not before he takes out Aerith in the process.

Remedy Entertainment has confirmed Alan Wake 2 will get Performance mode on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

The news comes by way of Remedy’s communications director Thomas Puha, who announced on in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the developer will add a Performance mode to the game after programming it to run at 30fps to begin with. He said it was done to place emphasis on graphics and the game’s macabre environment.

“I’m glad to say that Alan Wake 2 will have a Performance mode on PS5 and Xbox Series X,” Puha said. “The game has been built from the beginning as a 30fps experience focusing on visuals and ambiance, but somehow we have managed to include a solid Performance mode. We’ll talk details later.”

Fans on X pointed out that Puha specified that Performance mode will come to the Xbox Series X version of Alan Wake 2, but not Xbox Series S. IGN reached out for comment on whether the feature will be added to the latter console.

In a reply to Puha’s post, a fan asked: “When you say performance, do you mean unlocked with a 60fps target or a true 60fps lock majority of the time?” Puha replied that Remedy is “still tweaking that”.

Part of me was worried that Alan Wake 2 would be disappointing. The pessimistic side of my brain feared that it would be a situation where, sure, the sequel we've waited over a decade for was finally getting made – yay! – but what if it didn't live up to the cult-classic legend of the 2010 original? After all, anticipation – particularly so many years' worth of it – has a way of overpowering the reality of the thing you've been waiting for.

Though Alan Wake himself is rewriting reality as he seeks escape from the Dark Place in Alan Wake 2, the reality of the game in front of me needed no rewriting. I played a few hours of it across two different missions and what I’ve experienced is fantastic, simultaneously feeling almost nothing like the original from a gameplay perspective but also 100% Alan Wake.

We've written a lot about and shown plenty of Alan Wake 2 during this month's exclusive IGN First coverage, so I want to focus solely on my personal thoughts on Remedy's long-awaited sequel on both a macro and micro level after finally getting to play it. I've enjoyed almost everything Remedy's ever made, but Alan Wake 2 feels like I'm watching an already decorated developer level-up before my eyes.

Before I get into the specifics of the two missions I played, I want to talk about the visuals. To my eyes, Alan Wake 2 is one of the most next-gen-looking games I've seen yet. Remedy's in-house Northlight tech shines here, with lighting, texture detail, and especially character faces combining to craft a strikingly beautiful game.

2019’s Wargroove turned out to be one of the best tactics games of recent years, thanks in no small part to its great strategy gameplay clearly inspired by Nintendo’s Advance Wars series. Four years and a proper Advance Wars remake later, Wargroove 2 has arrived with much more of everything that made the first game so impressive, even adding an all-new game mode and improved map creation tools. It breaks very little new ground when it comes to its story or the actual tactical combat options, but that’s forgivable since what’s there is just as much fun the second time around. After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Wargroove 2’s single-player campaign takes place a few years after its predecessor and introduces a new faction of feisty fighting rodents called the Faahri, who have come to Aurania to dig up some more magic weapons that should better stay hidden. You’re essentially playing the bad guys this time around, and while there is a little more to it than that, don’t expect the story to be any deeper than it was in the original.

I will never forget the 2023 Pokémon World Championships. I’ve attended the event several times before, but since its inception, it’s always been held in North America, save for last year's in London. This year, they kept the competition international and, for the first time, it was hosted in Japan, the birthplace of Pokémon, making it quite the momentous occasion. I’d never been to Japan before, but The Pokémon Company International offered me a trip to cover the championships, and nothing could have prepared me for what happened next.

What you’re about to read is a travelog covering everything that happened on this once-in-a-lifetime trip, pulling back the curtain and detailing what it was like to be a member of the press being taken around on a Pokémon tour of Japan. Our week-long itinerary was packed with an insane number of activities from sunrise to sunset – and little did I know, the sun rises at 5:00 am in Japan.

I’ll be covering the full, eight-day trip in eight chapters, so you might want to get comfy. Curl up on the couch, grab a snack, and put on those Snorlax slippers that you got last year for Christmas. If you read my mini-travelogue about my Pokémon Sleep-over, then you know it’s about to get overly personal and real weird up in here. If not, may Arceus help you. Here we go.

UPDATE: Microsoft has told IGN Octopath Traveller 2 coming to Game Pass was listed in error on its Xbox Wire post, which has now been updated. An editor's note reads: "We’ve removed the mention of Octopath Traveler 2 coming to Xbox Game Pass which was included in error. Octopath Traveler 2 will arrive on Xbox platforms in 2024."

ORIGINAL STORY: At Tokyo Game Show 2023, Microsoft announced Octopath Traveler 2 is finally coming to Xbox. Now, in a new interview, Microsoft has confirmed it has signed a deal with Square Enix to bring the role-playing game to Game Pass.

In an interview with Sarah Bond, Corporate Vice President at Xbox, published on Xbox Wire, Octopath Traveler 2 is mentioned alongside Sega’s Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name as coming soon to Xbox Game Pass.

Octopath Traveler 2 launched on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam in February this year. IGN’s Octopath Traveler 2 review returned a 7/10. We called it “a very enjoyable JRPG sequel that feels a little too safe and familiar”.

Dark Souls and Bloodborne inspired Lies of P's latest patch has made the game easier and a lot of fans are actually pretty happy about it.

As reported by Rock Paper Shotgun, developer Neowiz has reduced the health of several enemies and bosses including Fallen Archbishop Andreus, King of Puppets, and Simon Manus, Arm of God. The full patch notes (below) were shared on Steam.

Basic health reductions aren't the only things making what is, like its FromSoftware inspirations, a notoriously difficult game. Neowiz has also increased the chance of breaking some monsters' stance and the frequency of stagger and increased the staggerable window time. One boss (that we won't mention for the sake of spoilers but can be seen below) has also has its damage reduced.

Those starting after the patch will now receive eight Gold Coin Fruits instead of five, and all players can now carry more weight for each point spent on Capacity alongside other buffs.

While the difficulty of Soulslike games is a major part of the appeal for some players, many in the Lies of P community are relieved by the changes.

"Good update. The most annoying thing that will come of it will be people saying they beat the game before the nerfs," said Kiftiyur on Reddit. "I’m just glad they buffed capacity. I can finally carry two weapons and have decent defence parts on," added BellaWasFramed.

Sony has finally announced Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition after a series of leaks. It launches on PlayStation 5 on October 6.

The PC version, however, launches early 2024 via Steam and the Epic Games Store. The PC version of Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition is developed by PC port specialist Nixxes Software, which Sony acquired in 2021.

The Complete Edition includes the Horizon Forbidden West and Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC, and costs $69.99 / €59.99 / ¥7,980 on PS5. Here’s the complete list of contents for Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition on PS5:

• Horizon Forbidden West for PS5
• Burning Shores DLC for PS5
• Digital soundtrack
• Digital art book
• Horizon Zero Dawn Vol. 1: The Sunhawk digital comic book
• In-game items:
  • Extras in Photo Mode (special pose and face paint)
• In-game items unlocked via story progression:
  • Carja Behemoth Elite outfit ·Carja Behemoth Short Bow
  • Nora Thunder Elite outfit
  • Nora Thunder Sling
  • Apex Clawstrider Machine Strike piece
  • Resources pack

The Steam page for Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition includes a number of screenshots, offering a first look at the PC version. System requirements are yet to be announced.

Some within the Starfield community were surprised to learn that rain only ever falls on the player this week after a Reddit post revealing the normally unseen trick saw nearly 30,000 upvotes.

“In Starfield, rain only exists in a small area around the player,” redditor thelastfastbender wrote alongside a screenshot showing the effect in photo mode.

The Reddit post then made its way onto social media where the video game community helped explain what’s going on. It turns out pretty much all video games handle rain like this, although usually in a slightly different way.

Thomas Francis, lead visual effects artist at Darkest Dungeon 2 developer Red Hook Studios, posted to say rain is normally attached to the camera rather than the player character, which is why the effect is visible in Starfield’s photo mode. This is done “because it is less performance intensive than simulating particles everywhere. Why spawn particles across the world when a few hundred particles in front of your camera does the job just as well,” Francis said.

Gamers have discovered our secret lol.. Could have been avoided if you parented the rain to the camera Bethesda pic.twitter.com/U0sTNgGQwH

Spoiler Warning: The following article features minor spoilers for some characters and dialogue appearing within the first five missions of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, up to and including The Damned.

Cyberpunk 2077 players are able to find Idris Elba's Solomon Reed working his deep undercover day job ahead of the events of Phantom Liberty.

Reed works as a sleeper agent for the New United States of America but has been undercover for seven years as a bouncer at the start of the Phantom Liberty expansion.

As recorded in IGN's Cyberpunk 2077 Guide on Easter Eggs and References, players who frequent Night City's bars can actually see Reed before they meet him officially in Phantom Liberty, working at the Corpo Plaza club wearing an inconspicuous hat and shades.

Reed mentions his day-job during the mission Lucretia My Reflection as his manager phones to ask for an extra shift. "I work the door at a club; selection, y'know, bouncing," Reed explains when asked by protagonist V if that's his cover. "It pays the bills and nets me a little disposable."

He's not the only agent working undercover either, as Alena Xenakis, better known as Alex, also mentions to V in The Damned mission that she works in a bar — but we've not found her yet.

Some fighting game fans have a favourite side to play on, whether it's the left of the screen on the Player 1 side or the right of the screen as Player 2. While there is normally no gameplay advantage that comes from starting on either side, some players find input commands easier from the left or right. But when it comes to Mortal Kombat 1, it turns out there's a very good reason to pick Player 1.

YouTuber mrAPchem published a video demonstrating how Player 1 can perform some combos Player 2 cannot. mrAPchem showed this issue affecting chilly Mortal Kombat veteran Sub-Zero, but it turns out it affects every character in the game across all modes and in all versions. In short: Player 2 cannot connect some combos.

It’s a significant bug, one that has sparked shock within the Mortal Kombat 1 community, especially those into the competitive multiplayer side of the game. Thankfully, “Player 1 advantage” is now listed on publisher Warner Bros. Games’ Mortal Kombat 1 bug tracking website under the “in progress” section, which suggests developer NetherRealm is on the case.

#PS5Share, #MortalKombat1 Player 2 Can not freeze with clone. pic.twitter.com/fQbdveV5fI

Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis is coming to PC via Steam, Square Enix has announced.

As reported by DSOGaming, the previously mobile-only release that launched earlier in September tells the story of a young Sephiroth as part of a chapter-based narrative that covers the full events of Final Fantasy 7, though no release date for the PC version was shared.

"We are actively developing the Steam version so that you can enjoy Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis on PC," Square Enix said in a statement. "You will also be able to share the data you play on the mobile version with the Steam version."

Ever Crisis is a gatcha game, meaning players generally must play a routine of missions daily to unlock new characters and progress steadily through ever-unlocking story content, or spend some real-world money to speed things up.

In our preview of the game, IGN said: "Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis so far checks all the boxes you would expect from a premium gatcha game, but there are definitely some updates that could make the menu interface go a lot smoother."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

EA Sports has delisted FIFA 23 from online storefronts ahead of the release of FC 24 this week.

X user MauroNL noticed that FIFA 23, which is just a year old, was pulled from the PlayStation Store, the Microsoft Store, the Nintendo eShop, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. EA’s own website is now littered with dead links pointing to pulled listings. However, FIFA 23 is still currently available via a subscription to EA Play.

EA's annual football game, now called EA FC, no longer sports the FIFA name in its title. All prior entries in the series have been delisted from all major storefronts.

Every FIFA title from 14 up to 23 can't be purchased anymore. FIFA 22 & 23 can still be played via EA Play. pic.twitter.com/VupU3Off44

— MauroNL (@MauroNL3) September 26, 2023

EA Sports delisted FIFA 23 without warning. A note on the Steam page for FIFA 23 reads: “At the request of the publisher, EA Sports FIFA 23 is unlisted on the Steam store and will not appear in search.” EA Sports declined to comment when contacted by IGN.

It is likely the delisting is the result of the expiry of EA’s FIFA licence. Last year, EA announced it was parting ways with FIFA in what was a bitter end to an almost three-decade partnership. This year’s game, EA Sports FC 24, marks a full rebrand for the football franchise free from the shackles of the FIFA licence deal, which reportedly cost EA $150 million a year.

The PC version of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 launched as an Epic Games Store exclusive in September 2020. Now, three years later, it’s ready to hit Steam on October 3.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 is the remastered collection of Activision-published PS1 classics Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater & Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2. It was seen as a successful turnaround for the series following the disastrous release of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 in 2015. “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 proves that going backwards has been the best step forward for the series in 15 years,” reads IGN’s Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 review.

The Steam page for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 lists Vicarious Visions and PC port specialist Iron Galaxy as developers of the game. After releasing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, Vicarious Visions became part of Diablo developer Blizzard Entertainment and was renamed Blizzard Albany, dampening prospects of a new Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater game. Indeed, Activision has yet to suggest it has plans to return to the franchise.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

After Project Mugen's announcement trailer hit last month at Gamescom, many were quick to draw parallels between the high-flying movements of its main characters and that of Marvel's Spider-Man. However, when I made the comparison to Project Mugen lead producer Ash Qi at Tokyo Game Show last week, he revealed that the inspiration actually came from another source.

"When I was maybe 10 or 12, I played Prototype and Prototype 2," explaned Qi, referring to the 2009 and 2012 open world games developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Activision. "Those are the games that inspired me to make Project Mugen. [Prototype] reminded me of the Venom character from Spider-Man, and it was so cool. And I loved the city."

Prototype and GTA were apparently big inspirations for the design of Project Mugen, but self-described "crazy movie fan" Qi and his team are also taking cues from plenty of action and sci-fi films in the design of their stylish-looking free to play adventure. My full interview with Qi from Tokyo Game Show can be found below.

IGN: How has the response been to the first two Project Mugen trailers?

Ash Qi: Well actually, the response has been surprisingly good. Yeah, in particular from overseas gamers. So this makes us very excited. It feels like a dream come true, and it makes us want to make this game better.

What’s in a name? When EA announced it would change the title of its premiere soccer series from FIFA to EA Sports FC24, we all wondered: is this also the year it finally takes a real step forward, out of the microtransaction-focused darkness and into the light of its full potential? Well, the answer is a resounding… kind of. There are breadcrumbs of greatness in EA Sports FC 24, with many new mechanics like Evolutions and Tactical Visions showing the series can evolve into something better. Yet, for every exciting improvement added in, there's still far too many of the same things, like poor AI, that have frustrated me for years.

For the first few hours of EA Sports FC 24, everything feels familiar gameplay-wise, for better and for worse. HyperMotion V and the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller feedback return make matches realistic, with precise ball and player physics, noticeable field wear and tear, and goal post-shaking haptics. It's hard to deny that there's a lot of attention to detail going into recreating a realistic soccer atmosphere.

Capcom president Harushiro Tsujimoto claims that the retail price of video games is currently too low.

According to a report from Nikkei (per a translation from Kotaku), during Tokyo Game Show 2023, Tsujimoto said that development costs for video games have become too high. “Development costs are about 100 times higher than during the Famicom era, but software prices have not gone up that much,” he explained.

Additionally, he claimed that there needs to be pay raises, saying, “considering the fact that wages are rising in the industry as a whole, I think raising unit prices is a healthy option for business.”

Tsujimoto also went on to claim that a slow economy wouldn’t have a big impact on video game prices either: “Just because there’s a recession doesn’t mean you won’t go to the movie theater or go to your favorite artist’s concert. High-quality games will continue to sell,” he said.

For those who want to take another stab at High on Life, its first DLC, High on Knife, just got an official release date – and just in time for spooky season.

High on Knife will launch next week, on Oct. 3, on PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 4 and 5 (High on Life’s Xbox console exclusivity ended when it surprise-launched on PS4 and PS5 in July). A horror-inspired expansion that leans into body horror, as Squanch told IGN at San Diego Comic-Con over the summer, it also got an appropriately spooky new claymation trailer, which you can watch below.

The DLC will be a paid one, although we’re still not sure how much it will cost. Still, in an interview back when High on Knife was first announced, Chief Creative Officer Mikey Spano and Design Director Erich Meyr told me that there would be plenty of new content, with 52 new characters in addition to Knifey, Gene, and the three guns from the base game.

It’ll also get two new talking guns in the form of Harper, “an ex-military pistol who’s trying to come to terms with her traumatic past” voiced by Sarah Sherman, and B.A.L.L., “a pinball-inspired gun operated by a coordinated group of little guys who are doing their best.” Oscar-nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe will serve as the voice as a mysterious new villain named Mux.

The biggest leak in gaming history took over the internet last week. Much of the information — revealed from the FTC and Microsoft’s own court submissions — detailed Xbox’s plans for 2024 and beyond, including a new console planned to launch next year. However, this may not be the console many expected.

As detailed in the leaks, Xbox’s next console is focused on what Microsoft calls an ‘All Digital Future’ and the refreshed, discless, Xbox Series X — code-named ‘Brooklin’ — is not a Pro console like the Xbox One X mid-gen refresh. Instead, it’s more like the previous slim re-designs we have seen in prior generations – think Xbox 360 Slim, not PS4 Pro. It makes sense though, as it better aligns with the Game Pass and a cloud-based future Microsoft has long been steering us towards.

Adorably Digital Dimensions

One thing the new console is definitely not is a slim version of the X, at least from the visuals shown so far anyway. It’s not significantly smaller than the current ‘Tower of Power’ Series X, although it is less ‘edgy’ – not in a ’90s attitude kinda way, but rather its cylindrical shape and the same external vents at the top.

Three years after Xbox and CD Projekt Red partnered to release a limited edition, Cyberpunk 2077-themed Xbox One X console, many of those who bought it are beginning to regret the purchase. Why? Because they're still waiting, years later, for any information at all regarding a refund for the recent Cyberpunk 2077 DLC release: Phantom Liberty, which was originally supposed to be in the bundle.

Back in 2020, CD Projekt Red and Xbox partnered to offer a limited edition, Cyberpunk 2077-themed Xbox One X console for sale. The $400, 1TB console came with a Cyberpunk-themed controller, a digital copy of Cyberpunk 2077, a one-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate trial, and was promised to also include the "future first expansion release" per a Best Buy listing. Supposedly only 45,000 were manufactured; it was the last limited edition Xbox One X version to be released.

However, in 2022, CD Projekt announced that it was concluding development on the Xbox One and PS4 versions of Cyberpunk 2077, and that Phantom Liberty would not be released on those platforms. In a blog post, the studio promised that those who had purchased the limited edition console would be reimbursed with Microsoft store credits for a portion of their purchase to make up for the missing DLC. However, one year later and with the DLC out in the world, these console owners are still wondering where the reimbursement is.

Blizzard Entertainment has announced today that Chris Metzen, former creative lead on multiple World of Warcraft expansions, is moving into a full time position as executive creative director on the Warcraft franchise once again.

pic.twitter.com/Nemf5s6NDM

— World of Warcraft (@Warcraft) September 26, 2023

"We are excited to share that Chris Metzen has taken on a full-time role as executive creative director of the Warcraft universe," the statement reads. "Right now, his main focus is supporting our World of Warcraft leadership in crafting the next generation of adventures."

Metzen has played a key role in the Warcraft franchise since its very beginning on WarCraft 1, going on to work on all three WarCraft games and serving as creative director on the original World of Warcraft and its subsequent expansions, including the celebrated Wrath of the Lich King, through Mists of Pandaria. He took on a smaller role in Legion while also working as creative director on Overwatch in 2016 before departing the company entirely to start a tabletop gaming venture. He returned to Blizzard late last year in a "creative advisor" role.