IGN

IGN UK Podcast #591: Resident Evil Village Is Here!

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
Resident Evil Village is finally out and our two local evil residents, Dale and Jesse have played and finished the game a collective 7 times, so they've got a lot to say! Boss man Alex Simmons also makes a triumphant return to the pod to talk about all the - somewhat disappointing - Star Wars announcements coming out of May 4th. We also discuss The Bad Batch, Sound of Metal and how much we'd pay for one of those new realistic looking lightsabers. Plus, the return of a Resident Evil themed Go On Name Them and of course, your feedback. Remember, if you want to get in touch with the podcast, please do: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com. IGN UK Podcast #591: Resident Evil Village Is Here! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ign-uk-podcast-episode-500-photos&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]
Author
Dale Driver

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How to Watch WizKids' Community Paint Night Event This Friday

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
WizKids is hosting a Dungeons & Dragons Paint Night livestream on May 7, 2021 that will allow artists of all levels to paint a Red Slaad mini together, either at your local community game store or from the comfort of your own home. IGN is carrying the stream and, as usual, this watch guide will provide you with everything you need to know to watch the show, including when it starts, a list of places you can watch it with us, and what you'll need to know about registering, purchasing the kit, and participating in the event. maxresdefault

WizKids Dungeons & Dragons Red Slaad Paint Night Kit Livestream Start Time

The WizKids Dungeons & Dragons Red Slaad Paint Night Kit livestream will start on Friday, May 7 at 3pm PT, 6pm ET, 11pm BST. If you’re tuning in from Australia, that translates to Saturday, May 8 at 8am AEST.

Where to Watch the WizKids Dungeons & Dragons Red Slaad Paint Night Kit Livestream

If you’re interested in watching the upcoming WizKids Dungeons & Dragons Red Slaad Paint Night Kit livestream, we’ll be hosting the stream here and across our many channels on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, and more.
Author
Adam Bankhurst

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The Yakuza Series Will Remain a Turn-Based RPG Series Going Forward

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
Ryu ga Gotoku Studios has officially announced Lost Judgment today, a sequel to its action-mystery 2018 title. For fans who miss Ryu ga Gotoku’s action-style, Judgment will be the franchise that carries that torch as Yakuza transitions into a turn-based RPG. In an interview with IGN ahead of today’s reveal Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi and producer Kazuki Hosokawa confirmed that Judgment will be Ryu ga Gotoku’s action series pillar, while Yakuza evolves into a turn-based RPG after the success of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. “That’s right,” the two producers confirmed when asked if Judgment represents a continuation of the classic Yakuza style of gameplay while Yakuza transitions into a turn-based RPG. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/07/lost-judgment-release-date-trailer"] “The Yakuza series has been transformed into a turn-based RPG. On the other hand, over the years, Ryu ga Gotoku Studio has accumulated resources and know-how of making flashy and exhilarating action games that are effortless to enjoy. We decided that we should let our signature action gameplay live on through Lost Judgment.” The Yakuza series for most of its mainline incarnations is a 3D action brawler starring Kazuma Kiryu. When Kiryu’s story ended in Yakuza 6, a new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, stepped up and led the franchise in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Unlike Yakuzas 0 through 6, Like a Dragon was a turn-based RPG that still kept the over-the-top style of Yakuza. This winning combination earned Yakuza: Like a Dragon a nomination in IGN’s 2020 Best RPG category. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=lost-judgment-screenshots&captions=true"] But for fans who still enjoy Ryu ga Gotoku’s action-style, 2019’s Judgment and the upcoming sequel will scratch that itch.
Author
Matt T.M. Kim

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Lost Judgment Officially Announced, Worldwide Release This September

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
Sega and Ryu ga Gotoku Studio has officially announced Lost Judgment during today’s “Judgment Day” livestream event. Lost Judgment is a direct sequel to RGG Studio’s 2018 action-mystery game starring lawyer-turned-private eye Takayuki Yagami. During a livestream featuring Judgment and Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi and producer Kazuki Hosokawa, the developers of the Yakuza franchise revealed their next game, Lost Judgment. Once again, lawyer and detective Takayuki Yagami, along with ex-Yakuza partner Masaharu Kaito investigate a seemingly impossible crime where the prime suspect in a murder has an alibi. A trailer revealing Lost Judgment begins with a man standing trial for a groping incident on a train. The court finds the man guilty and sentences him to six months in prison. Once the verdict is handed down, however, the man reveals the existence of a corpse in Tokyo. And though he is the prime suspect, the corpse's death is the same time as when the suspect was caught on camera for the crime he was just convicted for. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/07/lost-judgment-release-date-trailer"] Fans of the Yakuza series will be right at home with Lost Judgment’s action combat system with stylish takedowns and different fighting styles to switch between. As a detective, you’ll also investigate crime scenes using an arsenal of gadgets, stealth, and deductive reasoning. Just like in Yakuza, Lost Judgment will feature a sandbox environment to explore the downtown of Tokyo and Yokohama. Yagami can crisscross around town and this time he’s a bit more nimble and able to jump across platforms, climb buildings and ledges, and more. Lost Judgment will be released worldwide on September 24, 2021, for both new-gen and last-gen systems. This means it will be available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.
Author
Matt T.M. Kim

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Apple vs Epic Games was Always the Internet's Trial

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN

We knew that Epic vs Apple, the ongoing battle for rights to in-app purchases, would be revealing. But we didn't expect it to be this entertaining.

Part of it has to do with where the trial is playing out. From speedy chatbars on YouTube to live commentary on Twitch, and all the tweets along the way, Epic vs Apple became the internet’s trial. The gaming industry is particularly protective, so hearing executives like Tim Sweeney air dirty laundry about the behind-the-scenes conversations and deals with executives at Microsoft, Sony, and Apple feels even juicier.

Epic vs Apple isn’t just a case with revealing testimonies and spilled secrets, though. Following Epic vs Apple on Twitch and YouTube works particularly well because it’s a trial that feels like it belongs to the internet. It may seem like this trial comes down to one multi-million dollar corporation wanting more of a cut from the other multi-million dollar corporation. But, removing that surface level fight, it also leaves players with iPhones without access to a beloved game (whether you agree that it should be beloved or not).

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/03/16/fortnite-on-ios-with-an-iphone-x-gameplay-livestream-ign-plays-live"]

At the heart of this lawsuit, one that pits Goliath against Goliath, is a growing malaise, a surging discontent, from Davids around the world: players.

Author
Julia Alexander

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Mass Effect: Dark Horse Direct to Rerelease Sold-Out Normandy Statue

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
Back in November 2020, Dark Horse Direct celebrated N7 Day by revealing several new collectibles inspired by the characters and worlds of the Mass Effect games. One of those, a scale-model replica of the iconic Alliance Normandy SR-1, sold out months before its release. But there's good news, because Dark Horse is rereleasing that statue in a new form. IGN can exclusively reveal this new version, which is again designed by Gentle Giant Ltd. This time around, the Normandy boasts a metallic silver paint job, almost as if it were sculpted from pewter. It's not, thankfully, as that would cost a lot more money. ME_ALLIANCE_NORMANDY_SR1_SHIP_REPLICA_SILVER_DSP_2 Like the original piece, this Normandy replica is cast in polyresin and measures 14 inches long and 5.6 inches wide. It also carries the same price tag as the original at $249.99. The one key difference (apart from the new paint scheme) is that it's limited to just 250 units, or half the edition size of the original.
Author
Jesse Schedeen

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Outriders Inventory Wipe Fix Is Being Deployed

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
People Can Fly and Square Enix have announced that it has begun deploying the fix for Outriders’ notorious inventory wipe glitch. As detailed in a post from Square on the Outriders subreddit, players affected by the glitch that occurred during Outrider’s rocky launch will have their inventory restored over the next day or so. Up to 20 legendary items will be restored to player inventories, provided they lost a legendary item between launch and April 20. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/27/outriders-10-tips-tricks"] Players have been split into three categories; A, B, and C. Players in Group A have already had their inventories restored, and that includes all items - regardless of rarity - that were equipped at the time of the inventory wipe. Those identified by People Can Fly as Group B will have legendaries restored to them over the next few days. However, People Can Fly’s system cannot conclusively distinguish Group B and Group C players, the latter being players who did not experience inventory wipes. Because of this, even if you didn’t lose a legendary item, this restoration may add up to 20 legendaries to your inventory. To discover how to gain some legendaries of your own in-game, check out our Outriders legendary gear guide. And with this fix, Outriders’ rocky days may be behind it.
Author
Matt Purslow

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Mass Effect Legendary Edition Will Let You Use Original Mako Handling

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
Mass Effect Legendary Edition players will be able to use the original Mako handling if they really want to. In an interview with PC Gamer, Legendary Edition Environment Director, Kevin Meek, said the option to use the original handling for Mass Effect 1's vehicle was included "for those people out there who do like pain." BioWare has implemented a number of changes to the Mako's handling for the remaster, improving turning physics, camera controls and adding thrusters to give the vehicle a speed boost. You can see everything that has been tweaked in our article covering the Legendary Edition changes. Meek told PC Gamer that the Mako experience is "night and day" compared to the 2007 original. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/02/mass-effect-legendary-edition-our-first-impressions"] However, as our feature from February revealed, some Mass Effect fans are just really keen to keep the Mako the way it was. "You'll never get consensus - whether some people love it or some people hate it," Legendary Edition Project Director Mac Walters told PC Gamer. "We're making a big point of it often in marketing, but it's a lighter touch than I think some people might think. And the optional control scheme is optional, so you can drop back and forth." So whether you're a Mako apologist or not, Mass Effect Legendary Edition will let you choose the control scheme that suits your level of nostalgia when it launches on May 14 for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Author
Jordan Oloman

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YouTube TV Arrives On PS5

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
YouTube TV, which lets users watch live television without cables, has arrived on PS5. As reported by AndroidPolice, the app was recently found in the "Streaming media players, smart TVs & game consoles" section of the YouTube TV Supported Devices webpage. The app is also available on PS4 if you haven't managed to pick up a PS5 just yet. While it has taken some time to get YouTube TV on PS5, the app has been available on the Xbox Series X and S from launch, as well as Microsoft's last-gen consoles. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/27/ps5-console-unboxing"] The service costs $64.99 a month and offers "unlimited cloud DVR storage," with 3 separate streams available in one household. At present, it's only available in the US, and features channels like CBS, NBC, AMC and Comedy Central. The news arrives as Google and Roku butt heads over the app, with Google removing YouTube TV from Roku devices at the end of last month after Roku alleged anticompetitive behaviour from Google. This means the cross-section of YouTube TV subscribers on Roku devices who also own a PS5 can still use the service instead of being locked out. PlayStation 5 stock is still limited due to high demand, the impact of the global pandemic and the ongoing semiconductor shortage.
Author
Jordan Oloman

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Resident Evil Village DLC Reveals a Fan Favourite Character Was Cut

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
This story contains information about a character that is not in Resident Evil Village. While not a spoiler, some may want to play the game without this knowledge. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Resident Evil Village’s Trauma Pack DLC, which comes packaged with the Collector’s, Deluxe, and Complete versions of the game, has some behind the scenes artwork that reveals a fan favourite character was originally planned to be part of Village but was ultimately cut. In ‘The Tragedy of Ethan Winters Artwork’, a artwork gallery that is provided as part of the Trauma Pack DLC, there is a set of artwork showing concept designs for Ada Wong. Rather than her classic red dress, Ada is wearing a gothic plague doctor-inspired outfit that looks closer to a Bloodborne hunter than anything in Resident Evil. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=resident-evil-village-ada-wong-concept-art&captions=true"] “Early plans had a mysterious masked person that saves Ethan,” explains the concept art’s caption. “This was going to be Ada Wong investigating the village, but this was cut due to a number of conflicting scenarios.” A further piece of art shows a storyboard that depicts the masked Ada bursting into a courtroom and rescuing player character Ethan Winters from his captors. “An early plot point was to have Ada, disguising herself with a mask, help Ethan escape from his trial,” explains the caption. With multiple villains operating underneath Village’s big bad, it’s understandable that Ada was considered a plot thread too much for an already beefy Resident Evil game. However, it’s hard not to feel a little sad considering the fantastic design for Ada’s new appearance.
Author
Matt Purslow

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Nintendo's Record Breaking Year: Could Switch Become the Best Selling Console, Ever? - NVC 559

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
Welcoooome to Nintendo Voice Chat! Nintendo just had its most profitable year ever, which has the NVC crew wondering if the Switch could become the best-selling console of all time. Join guest host Seth Macy and his panel of Ninfriendos for a discussion about the Big N's record-breaking year. Plus, Nintendo just announced a new game, Game Builder Garage, which looks like Super Mario Maker meets Dreams. And, stick around to hear some tidbits of Nintendo news that's coming out of the trial between Epic and Apple. It's a packed week here on NVC!

NVC is available on your preferred platform!

You can also Download NVC 559 Directly Here

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

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

Author
Logan Plant

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Opinion: Returnal Isn't Too Hard, It's Just Too Long

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN

Last night I made it further than I've ever been able to progress in Returnal. With the help of an Astronaut Figure and some key health consumables, I was able to penetrate deep into the desert biome, fending off waves of difficult enemies in the process. I finally succumbed to the attacks of a teleporting alien, sending me all the way back to my ship while wiping away 90 minutes of progress.

As I watched the flaming wreck of the Helios dive through the atmosphere for the hundredth time to crash on the planet below, I took a deep sigh and put away my PS5 controller. At that moment I wondered if I would have the time and energy to finish Returnal. It's not that it's really hard, per se. I can deal with difficulty. Nor is it a bad game, as our positive review can attest. It’s more that, in my opinion, the expectations surrounding blockbuster games are an awkward fit for the traditionally lean, fast-paced roguelite genre. Or to put it more simply, I think runs in Returnal take too long to complete.

Returnal is being touted by some observers as one of the first ‘triple-A roguelites’ — a big budget version of the successful indie genre. It features many of the elements that have proven successful in Hades, Dead Cells and other games, particularly in the way that it makes dying over and over again into a storytelling conceit. Considering  how popular roguelites have been over the past several years, it was inevitable that some major developer would eventually tackle the genre that has so effectively popularized challenge runs and permadeath.

Author
Kat Bailey

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World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic Release Date Announced

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
Blizzard Entertainment has announced that World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic will officially be released on June 1, 2021. As detailed by Blizzard, Burning Crusade Classic will launch in the Americas, Europe, Taiwan, Korea, and Australia/New Zealand on June 1 at 3pm ET/6pm PT/11pm BST and on June 2 at 7am CST/8am KST/10am AEDT. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/19/world-of-warcraft-burning-crusade-classic-trailer"] To access Burning Crusade Classic, all players will need is a Battle.net account and a World of Warcraft subscription. No additional purchase is required. On May 18, the Burning Crusade Classic Pre-expansion Patch will be released and "each character must choose whether to advance onward to Burning Crusade, move to a Classic Era realm, or use the Character Clone service to play in both games." You can read more about that process here. Burning Crusade was originally released in 2007, and the addition of its classic version will add two new races to World of Warcraft Classic's playable roster - the Alliance Draenei and the Horde Blood Elves.
Author
Adam Bankhurst

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Ubisoft Announces Free-to-Play The Division: Heartland

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
Ubisoft has announced The Division: Heartland, a free-to-play game set in the Tom Clancy Division universe. Developed by the original Tom Clancy studio, Red Storm Entertainment, The Division: Heartland will be standalone from the main The Division series. It's planned for release on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC in the 2021-2022 window. Division HeartlandNo details have been offered beside those, so it's currently very unclear as to what kind of game The Division: Heartland will be, beyond its free-to-play nature. Ubisoft does say that it will be an "all new perspective on the universe in a new setting", though. Those interested can sign up to get involved in early hands-on opportunities. It is, however, just one component of a "transmedia" expansion of The Division, across games, movies, and novels. The previously announced The Division Netflix movie, starring Jessica Chastain and Jake Gyllenhaal, will be joined by a new original novel set after the events of The Division 2. New content is also coming to The Division 2 later this year.
Author
Matt Purslow

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Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX Aims to Recapture the Platforming Magic of 1986

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
If you’ve played the remastered Halo games in recent years, then you know the joy of being able to instantaneously swap between the original creation and the modern recreation with the push of a button. But where Halo 1 and 2 Anniversary were given this treatment only a decade later, the developers at Merge Games aim to do the same with Alex Kidd in Miracle World: a game that’s a whopping 35 years old. So far the result is a stunning overhaul that’s beautiful and modern, yet still immediately recognizable. As I toggled back and forth between old and new, I was continuously blown away by the night-and-day difference in everything from the once-pixelated levels, now made into beautiful, detailed landscapes, to the bizarre bosses that have been transformed into cartoonish masters of roshambo. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=alex-kidd-in-miracle-world-dx-screenshots&captions=true"] What was once a barren blue background with a few clouds here and there now has mountains, trees, a colorful sky, and even a sun that casts light and shadow over the level. An enemy that was once a very plain-looking frog has been transformed into a bug-eyed, cross-eyed leaping weirdo. And yet each area and every enemy is unmistakably the Miracle World I remember playing on my grandfather’s Master System. During my playthrough, I stopped as often as possible to switch between the old and new versions to appreciate the differences and marvel at how far we’ve come in 35 years. The most jarring difference, though, wasn’t in what I saw but what I heard. Miracle World’s audio overhaul is staggering, and the beeps and boops of the original retro soundtrack have been completely recreated with instrumentals or just reimagined altogether. The soundtrack has quite a few bangers that had me humming as I jumped, punched, and helicoptered my way through each stage.
Author
Travis Northup

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First Tribeca Games Official Selection Line-up Revealed

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
The 2021 Tribeca Festival has announced the Tribeca Games Official Selection; a line-up of eight games joining the festival. This will be the first time multiple video games will be up for consideration for an award at Tribeca in a film festival format. The official 2021 Tribeca Festival games selection, competing for the inaugural Tribeca Games Award, are:
  • Harold Halibut (Slow Bros.)
  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)
  • Lost in Random (Zoink Games / Electronic Arts)
  • NORCO (Geography of Robots / Raw Fury)
  • Sable (Shedworks / Raw Fury)
  • Signalis (rose-engine / Humble Games)
  • The Big Con (Mighty Yell)
  • Twelve Minutes (Luis Antonio / Annapurna Interactive)
The Tribeca Games Award “honors an unreleased game for its potential for excellence in art and storytelling through design, artistic mastery and highly immersive worlds.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/06/harold-halibut-story-trailer"] While this is a “first-of-its-kind” opportunity for multiple games, Tribeca has been featuring games as part of the festival for ten years. In 2011, L.A. Noire became the first video game ever to be honored as an Official Selection at Tribeca. In celebration of Rockstar starting Tribeca’s interest in games, a live outdoor performance from Red Dead Redemption 2 Original Soundtrack producer, Daniel Lanois, and his band will be held at the 2021 festival. While the Red Dead Redemption 2 concert will be an in-person event, those interested can get involved from home with the Tribeca At Home virtual offerings, which will provide hands-on digital demos. Sessions can be reserved from May 24 at the Tribeca website.
Author
Matt Purslow

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Sony Facing Lawsuit Over PlayStation Store Digital Sales Exclusivity

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
Sony is facing a lawsuit that claims it is operating an unlawful monopoly by restricting purchases of PlayStation games to the PlayStation Store. As detailed by a Bloomberg report, the class-action lawsuit, filed by consumers, notes that by restricting digital purchases to the official PlayStation Store, Sony Interactive Entertainment are able to charge up to 175% higher than physical games sold by retailers both online and in-store. With modern games like Returnal commanding $70, you can see why people are trying to find the best deals on their games. Those who want to remain digital, however, are restricted to what Sony charges on the PlayStation Store. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/29/returnal-review"] “Sony’s monopoly allows it to charge supracompetitive prices for digital PlayStation games, which are significantly higher than their physical counterparts sold in a competitive retail market, and significantly higher than they would be in a competitive retail market for digital games,” explains the lawsuit. Sony stopped allowing third party retailers, such as Amazon, from selling digital download codes for PlayStation games back in 2019. Nintendo has also done a similar thing, suspending European retailers from selling first-party digital game codes. While Sony brought an end to digital download codes being sold by other retailers, those companies are allowed to sell PSN credit. However, this still requires a user to pay Sony’s asking price for a game, rather than being able to pay the often cheaper prices retailers offer for disc-based versions of the same game. While Sony may be facing legal action, it’s not the big case of the moment.
Author
Matt Purslow

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Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance Re-Issued for New Consoles

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
Interplay and Wizards of the Coast have announced that the PS2/original-Xbox-era action-RPG classic Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is being re-released for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on May 7, 2021 – meaning tomorrow. It will be available on digital storefronts only for $29.99. Check out the announcement/launch trailer above. This is a re-release and not a remaster or remake, so outside of 4K support for Xbox One X, PS4 Pro, and their backwards compatibility versions on Xbox Series X and PS5, there aren't a lot of new features. Two-player local cooperative play returns, of course. PC and mobile versions will be released later this year. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=baldurs-gate-dark-alliance-re-release-screenshots&captions=true"] Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance was originally released on December 2, 2001, for PS2 and Xbox. It was later ported to GameCube as well. IGN loved it at the time, giving it a 9.4 out of 10 in our review. The developer of Dark Alliance, Snowblind, went on to make an excellent Dark Alliance sequel as well as a fantastic PS2-exclusive EverQuest spinoff in the same vein called Champions of Norrath. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.
Author
Ryan McCaffrey

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Switch Sales Near 85m in Nintendo’s Most Profitable Year Ever

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
Nintendo has reported that it has experienced its most profitable financial year on record, with operating profit up 81% year-on-year. Additionally, the company is approaching 85 million sales of its Nintendo Switch console. As revealed in Nintendo’s financial results for the year ending March 31, 2021, operating profit has risen 81.8% year-on-year, up to 640 billion yen ($5.9 billion). Ordinary profit is recorded at an 88.4% increase, sitting at 679 billion yen ($6.2 billion). This surpasses the company’s previous gross profit record of 501 billion yen, recorded in March 2019. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/26/nintendo-switch-lite-review"] It’s not quite a record year for net sales revenue, but it’s close; at 1.76 billion yen ($16.1 billion), it is the second-highest year on record, just behind 2009’s 1.83 billion yen ($16.8 billion). Lifetime sales of the Nintendo Switch are now at 84.59 million units, with 28.8 million of those being sold last year. That’s over both standard and Lite versions of those consoles; 14.7 million of those units are Switch Lites. The year saw Nintendo sell 230.9 million games, meaning 587.12 million games have been sold for the console to date. A huge contributor to the year’s sales was Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which sold 20.85 million units. As for Mario, the leader of the pack remains Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which sold an additional 10.62 million copies this year, bringing its total to 35.4 million. Super Mario 3D All-Stars sold 9 million copies, but further growth has now been throttled due to it being taken off sale.
Author
Matt Purslow

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How Diablo 2 Is Changing on Its Path to Resurrection... While Staying True to Its Roots

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN

Playing the recent Diablo II: Resurrected technical alpha was like a glimpse of a different time and place, filtered through a modern lens. The action-RPG classic still feels great to play, but it’s interesting to return to such a measured pace of combat, and to feel the weight of choices in inventory management and character progression once again. It’s very much the same game, but at the same time, the team is modernising it. The game’s impressive visual and aural makeover is perhaps the most obvious, but beyond that are some carefully evaluated quality of life changes to reduce friction while maintaining the core gameplay.

Author
Kosta Andreadis

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Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart Looks Like a PS5 Showcase

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Lucy O'Brien, and Colin Stevens to jump into the latest PS5 and PS4 news and games. The cast first takes a deep dive into the latest Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart PS5 State of Play, including what we thought of the PS5 game's visuals, how it looks to advance the franchise forward, and why it all comes together to look like an absolute PS5 showcase. Plus, we dive into the renewal of a trademark for Insomniac's Sunset Overdrive, touch briefly on Returnal's launch, and more. And while none of us have played Resident Evil Village yet,  we reminisce on the franchise, our love for it, its highs and lows, and more ahead of Village's launch this week. Watch the new episode above! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps5-games&captions=true"]
Author
Jonathon Dornbush

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Nintendo 's Game Builder Garage Looks Like Labo Meets Dreams

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
Nintendo has announced Game Builder Garage, a new game that will let you "learn to make games from the minds at Nintendo." Its guided lessons and cute characters are designed to help you create a multitude of gaming experiences. On the face of it, the new game looks a lot like Dreams, which was released on PlayStation 4 in early 2020. It also seems to be in the spirit of Labo, which encouraged kids to craft unique items using cardboard. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/05/game-builder-garage-announcement-trailer"] Game Builder Garage is designed to teach visual game programming by connecting creatures called "Nodon." There are dozens of Nodon in Game Builder Garage, each with its own unique function. Lessons will be available to teach you the basics of designing games, with Free Programming mode available for those who want to go wild. The experiences touted in the trailer include platformers, shoot 'em ups, and something called "Tuna Cube Factory 2." It will also be possible to exchange and download games over the internet or via local wireless, which you can then examine via Free Programming mode to learn their inner workings. To aid in development, Game Builder Garage will support a compatible mouse, which can be plugged into the USB port on the Switch dock. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=screens-game-builder-garage&captions=true"] The announcement comes ahead of Nintendo's earnings release, which is expected tomorrow. Game Builder Garage will release June 11 on Nintendo Switch. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN. 
Author
Kat Bailey

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EA Buys Super Mega Baseball Developer Metalhead Software

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN

EA has purchased Super Mega Baseball developer Metalhead Software. The two companies will combine to grow Metalhead’s Super Mega Baseball franchise, marking EA’s first venture back into the realm of Major League Baseball since losing the rights to 2K in 2005. EA last published MVP 07: NCAA Baseball in 2007.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/12/super-mega-baseball-3-review"]

Terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed, so it remains to be seen how much money EA spent on the acquisition.

The Super Mega Baseball franchise began with 2014’s first game, garnering high praise for its easy to learn controls and difficulty options. Super Mega Baseball 3, released in May 2020, similarly features an unlicensed take on baseball that isn’t as deep as MLB The Show, but is nonetheless fun and interesting to play. Despite the cartoonish avatars of baseball players, the series is less NFL Blitz and more accessible simulation, but doesn't feature any actual licensed MLB teams or products.

EA has been busy acquiring multiple studios known for their work in sports games. EA acquired Dirt series developer Codemasters for $1.2 billion in early 2021, acknowledging plans to release a new racing game every year. Codemasters also owns the Project cars and GRID franchises. EA Sports previously announced its return to developing officially licensed NCAA football games for the first time since 2013.

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Joseph Knoop

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Returnal Patch 1.3.3 Taken Down After Critical Save File Error Discovered

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
Update 05/06 - Housemarque has set patch 1.3.4 live, which reverts the game to version 1.3.1, the last known stable build. This addresses a known Trophies issue and fixes the keyboard exploit. "All save games are safe to be played now" with patch 1.3.4, the developer said. Details on patch 1.3.5 will be provided in "the near future". Update (5/05/21 2:25 pm PT) Following the update there are reports of a critical save file error occurring, preventing players from progressing on their run. Developer Housemarque says it is aware of this error and has announced it is rolling back Patch 1.3.3 back to version 1.3.1.
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Adam Bankhurst

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Mass Effect Legendary Edition Confirms 120fps on Xbox Series X and 60fps on PS5

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
With just over a week left to go before the launch of Mass Effect Legendary Edition, EA has confirmed that the Xbox Series X can run the game at 120fps, while the PlayStation 5 will run the game at 60fps. Up until now, it was unknown how the classic trilogy of games would run on the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Legendary Edition director, Mac Walters, told IGN in an interview earlier this year that the team has "some targeted unleashing of the game so that it will leverage a little bit more power of the next-gen series beyond just the faster load times you'd expect from the SSD." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/02/mass-effect-legendary-edition-our-first-impressions"] Now we know exactly how the Legendary Edition will run on next-gen consoles, both in the game's "Favor Quality" mode and the "Favor Framerate" mode thanks to an update posted today by EA.
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Wesley LeBlanc

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Xbox Has Never Turned a Profit On Any Of Its Devices

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
Xbox vice president Lori Wright has been called to testify in the Epic vs. Apple court case as a third-party witness and give insight into the gaming market as a console partner. Her testimony has shed light on some of Xbox's internal workings including how Xbox has never made a profit off of hardware through any of the Xbox iterations. During an examination, Epic's lawyer Wes Earnhardt began a line of questioning on the profitability of console hardware. Earnhardt asks Wright, "How much margin does Microsoft earn on the sale on the Xbox consoles?" To which Wright responds, "We don't. We sell the consoles at a loss." "Just to be clear, does Microsoft ever earn a profit on the sale of an Xbox console?" Wright follows-up. "No," Wright says. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true"] Wright explains that Microsoft keeps selling consoles at a loss because its business model is set up to deliver "an end-to-end gaming experience," and that hardware is "critical to us delivering that gaming experience." These experiences include services like games, Xbox Live Gold, and Xbox Game Pass. As noted by Protocol, Epic's questions regarding hardware profitability were in order to show that while video game console makers have a justification for its 30% revenue share as it is a primary revenue source for them, smartphone makers like Apple don't have as strong reasoning for their revenue share models. Video game hardware has always typically been sold at a loss, save for a couple of instances.
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Matt T.M. Kim

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How D&D is Going Full 'Zombie Apocalypse' Mode in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
Zombies aren't exactly a new concept in Dungeons & Dragons — odds are if you've ever played D&D you've had a couple of zombies pop out of a coffin while delving into some long-buried tomb. They might not function exactly the same as you're used to seeing them in movies — for example, in the current rules as written Zombies don't even have a bite attack — but the classic undead monsters are about to shamble into the spotlight with the upcoming sourcebook, Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, in one of the biggest departures from the source material for the fan-favorite setting.
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Jon Ryan

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Sumo Digital Working on Major Game Based On a Well-Known and Beloved Fantasy Series

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
A narrative designer at Sumo Digital has revealed that she's working on one of the "world's best known and best-loved fantasy franchises." This news comes, oddly enough, by way of MCV/Develop's 2021 30 Under 30 list, which is comprised of 30 people considered "the best young talent in the industry." One of those 30 is Sarah Longthorne of Sumo Digital. She's a narrative designer at the developer's Nottingham studio, which is one of Sumo's eight UK studios, and her 30 Under 30 bio reveals that she's worked the past year as a narrative designer on a fantasy franchise, as pointed out by Luke_wal on Resetera.
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Wesley LeBlanc

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Xbox Expected Breath of the Wild 2 to Launch Last Year

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
For all its monetary success with the Switch and Animal Crossing and even with the global pandemic, some fans were frustrated when yet another holiday season went by in 2020 with no whisper of Breath of the Wild 2, Metroid Prime 4, or Bayonetta 3. And it turns out, Microsoft may have been a bit perplexed as well. As part of the ongoing Epic v. Apple trial, a new document was published as evidence that included a rough outline of both "high-profile" Xbox One releases for the third and fourth calendar quarters of 2020, as well as the company's understanding of its competition's biggest upcoming releases. The presentation, which is from August 2020, reveals that at the time Xbox believed Nintendo's slate for October through December 2020 included The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, Bayonetta 3, Metroid Prime 4, and Shin Megami Tensei 5 — none of which ended up coming out during that window. It also mentions a few other titles we know got pushed but that did end up launching in 2021, such as No More Heroes 3 and Bravely Default 2. And it has a big ol' redacted bar under a footnote about launch titles for the PS5, possibly indicating that Microsoft knew about an additional game originally planned for the PS5 launch which hasn't yet been shown. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/13/nintendo-needs-to-hop-on-the-fortnite-battle-bus"] Also interesting is Xbox's own strategy. Under their own release plan, Xbox has a total of three games redacted from its documents: one planned for the third calendar quarter of last year, and two from the first quarter.
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Rebekah Valentine

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Here's What Xbox Thought of The Last of Us Part 2

2 years 11 months ago
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IGN
The latest internal documents revealed in the Epic vs Apple court case appear to be from Xbox, including an internal analysis Xbox conducted of The Last of Us Part 2, one of the biggest video game releases from its console rival, PlayStation. This analysis reads like a review and is the closest you'll get to see what Xbox thinks of PlayStation's major release. Companies often gather extensive data on their products, the video game industry is no different. While companies sometimes hold mock reviews of their own games, Xbox's documents show that it also analyzes rival games as well. So what did Xbox think of The Last of Us 2? For the most part, their analysis was overwhelmingly positive. Spoilers for The Last of Us Part 2 below [poilib element="accentDivider"] [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-naughty-dog-game-review&captions=true"] "The last of Us Part 2 is the exceedingly rare video game where what it accomplishes in moving forward the art of narrative storytelling in video games as a medium ultimately outweighs whether or not everyone 'likes' it or even if everyone has 'fun' playing it," Xbox writes in an internal analysis acquired by IGN from the Epic vs.
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Matt T.M. Kim

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