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How Animal Crossing Is Combating Cheaters

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
Animal Crossing: New Horizons shares the same core gameplay as the rest of the series, but its transition to the Nintendo Switch brings with it a swath of different online components. One of these may effectively eliminate the ability to time travel to holidays, which was one of the more popular ways to cheat in past Animal Crossing games. Nintendo announced seasonal events will now be part of free updates during the big Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct. By keeping events locked to free downloadable updates, you likely won't be able to change your Switch system's time to experience Christmas, and all the cool gifts, while in the middle of (real world) spring. So, in theory, while you might be able to tweak your Switch system clock to time travel to December 25, 2020, the Christmas event won’t be happening until Nintendo releases the update. Nintendo said the first of these updates is available at launch and will add an April event, Bunny Day, to New Horizons. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=6-new-animal-crossing-new-horizons-screenshots&captions=true"] Time travel wasn't necessarily just used for getting cool holiday items early, though. It was also used to help fill out all the museum fish, sea creatures, and bugs, some of which were rare and could only be found under very specific conditions. For instance, in Animal Crossing: New Leaf the Horned Hercules can only be found from July - August from 5 PM to 8 AM. If you don't play regularly in those hours, finding it could have been a huge pain.
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Miranda Sanchez

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PlayStation to Skip Another Major Games Event Over Coronavirus Concerns

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
PlayStation, as well as Facebook Oculus, have both announced they will not attend this year’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California over concerns for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. PlayStation and Facebook will both be pulling out of GDC this year due to concerns over COVID-19. In a statement to IGN, Oculus says that the company will be “removing our booth footprint and are advising all employees to refrain from travel during the show.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=2020-platform-exclusives&captions=true"] In a statement to IGN, PlayStation offered a similar statement to the one it issued after announcing that Sony would be pulling out of PAX East. “We have made the difficult decision to cancel our participation in Game Developers Conference due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19… We felt this was the best option as the situation related to the virus and global travel restrictions are changing daily. We are disappointed to cancel our participation, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern. We look forward to participating in GDC in the future.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/07/next-gen-console-watch-how-powerful-ps5-xbox-series-x-may-be"] GDC will continue as planned without Sony and Oculus, and spokespeople for the event issued the following statement regarding COVID-19 to IGN:
The GDC team is following developments around the Novel Coronavirus closely as we take the health and safety of our game development community very seriously.
Author
Matt Kim

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Fan Response to Biomutant Game Status Statement is Positive

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
Yesterday, Swedish developer Experiment 101 delivered an update to fans telling them that work on the upcoming action RPG Biomutant continues. And despite the recent silence, the devs are committed to delivering Biomutant despite not wanting to disclose a release date at this time. And the fans are pretty okay with that. In its first tweet since September 9, 2019, Experiment 101 informed fans that Biomutant has not been canceled. “We know many of you are wondering if the game is still in development. Let us assure you that we’ve never been working harder and more focused on it than now!” Experiment 101 wrote.
Author
Matt Kim

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How DOOM 64 Influenced DOOM Eternal

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
DOOM Eternal, the highly anticipated sequel to the fantastic 2016 DOOM reboot (and also the IGN First game for February), is heavily influenced by the 1997 Nintendo 64 entry, DOOM 64. In this month's episode of IGN Unfiltered, Ryan McCaffrey sat down with id Software Executive Producer Marty Stratton and DOOM Eternal Director Hugo Martin to talk about DOOM Eternal, how it was inspired by DOOM 64, and what the legacy of DOOM means all these many years later. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/03/the-first-10-minutes-of-doom-eternal-gameplay-4k60fps-ign-first"] Not only is DOOM 64 a primary point of tonal inspiration for DOOM Eternal, but it's also the first game in the series that Martin ever owned, and it's his personal favorite. "I had played DOOM prior to that, in the dorms... on other people's PCs," Martin said, "but I didn't have a PC at that time; I was a Mac user. So, when DOOM 64 came out, that was the first time I had a chance to dive in for several hours at a time, into a DOOM game. "I genuinely think DOOM 64 is my favorite, having played them all... We replay them, all of us, at the beginning of development... always," Martin continued. "I'm constantly revisiting all of them, just to spot-check and play it again... make sure you keep your finger on the pulse of what really makes a good DOOM game. So they're all very familiar to everyone on the team." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="legacyId=503&captions=true"] Martin went on to explain what made DOOM 64 stand out to him. "I just like the atmosphere of DOOM 64, I think. It's a little bit more moody. Obviously, it's a few years later, [so the development team was] able to do a few more things. I think, honestly, the art that went into it is really memorable.
Author
Brian Barnett

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Stock Up on Animal Crossing Amiibo Ahead of New Horizons

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
Nintendo has confirmed Animal Crossing: New Horizons will support Amiibo figures and Amiibo cards from the Animal Crossing series. Scan an Amiibo, and you'll invite that character to your island. But since Amiibo and inventory issues tend to go hand-in-hand, you might want to pick up any figures you want sooner rather than later. That way you can get them at regular price instead of inflated third-party prices. Below, you'll find some of the Animal Crossing Amiibo that are available now at Amazon. Also check out our Animal Crossing hands-on preview for details about the game's first 30 minutes.

Don't see the deals below? Click here.

Animal Crossing Series Amiibo

[poilib element="commerceDeal" parameters="slug=animal-crossing-amiibo"] And if you're in the market for an Animal Crossing shirt, check out our new IGN Store to see the designs. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Chris Reed is IGN's shopping and commerce editor. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed. [widget path="ign/modules/recirc" parameters="title=&type=articles%2Cvideos&tags=us-shopping&count=3&columnCount=3&theme=article"]
Author
Chris Reed

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The Best GameCube Games, Ranked

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
The GameCube was discontinued in 2007, but that hasn’t stopped fans from obsessively searching for the best games in the system, whether to warm their sense of nostalgia or find a library to play on emulators. So, here you have it - the best GameCube games of all time, as voted by IGN’s staff. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=top-25-nintendo-gamecube-games&captions=true"] Click through the gallery above or scroll down for the full list!

25. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

Told over the span of over 2000 years, Eternal Darkness features a woman named Alex trying to uncover the truth about her grandfather’s mysterious murder. What follows is a series of flashbacks, that each explores different events that have occurred in the house over the last couple of centuries. It’s incredible to relive these moments and see the house evolve over time; Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem was an inspiration to games like What Remains of Edith Finch.

24. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games!

If you haven't played a WarioWare game before, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games! is a great place to start. The basic premise is that Wario, in his newly-defined role as cheeseball game-making antagonist, has created over 200 "microgames" that you have to learn and master in just a few seconds each. They are thrown at you in quick, randomized succession, and range from cool NES Zelda and Mario-inspired challenges to goofy anime jokes -- and there's a *lot* of nose-picking. Sometimes dismissed as a port of WarioWare from the Game Boy Advance to the GameCube, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games! added one very important element: fun multiplayer. It's the best multiplayer the WarioWare series has to offer to-date, with the Wii version, WarioWare: Smooth Moves, a clear runner up.

23.

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IGN Staff

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Hands-on With Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Charming First 30 Minutes

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
Like all good entrepreneurs, The Nook empire is diversifying in Animal Crossing: New Horizons – by spinning up a new business venture: island getaways. In my time with New Horizons (the first 30 minutes) gameplay doesn’t stray far from what makes Animal Crossing so charmingly addictive a few key updates aim to make it the most customizable entry in the series. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/20/animal-crossing-new-horizons-direct-2202020"] The Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct showed massive potential for the newfound deserted island to grow into a proper village, and I got to see what it’s like from its meager beginnings. Granted, one half-hour isn’t enough time to get a true sense of New Horizons’ day-to-day gameplay, but I did get to see some of its new systems. If you’d like to keep your character’s island arrival a surprise, stop here and instead go check out the wrap-up article of the Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct and our interview with Animal Crossing developers at E3 2019.

Preparing for Island Living

Move over Rover and Kapp’n, Timmy and Tommy Nook are open for business. These two cute twin tanuki set you up for your new adventure by checking your information at an airline counter. Before you’re able to board your flight, Timmy and Tommy check your name, allow you to customize your character through simple menus rather than have it determined by a quiz (hurray!), and choose your island design from one of four layouts.
Author
Miranda Sanchez

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Maneater: Hands-On With the Shark RPG

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN

As someone raised along the stretch of New England coastline where they shot the first two Jaws movies (and, yes, part of the fourth, but we don’t talk about that one), Maneater has been on my radar since it first burst onto the stage at E3 2018 like it was hungry for some Robert Shaw.

Since then, we've been given a pretty good idea of what to expect from Tripwire's open-world Shark RPG. There's a large open world ocean to explore, ranging from brackish backwater bayous to polluted lakes, ponds and coastlines (even what looks like a Sea Wolrd-esque amusement park), plenty of sea life - and any humans unfortunate enough to get too close to the water - to devour, and an evolution system that drives your progress through the game forward, all tied together (successfully, based on what I've seen) a reality TV series narrated by veteran voice actor Chris Parnell. Recently, I got a chance to swim through the opening hour or so of Maneater, and even though it wasn't all smooth sailing, I'm eager to get back in the water for more.

Okay, those are all the ocean puns I've got, I promise.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/20/maneater-15-minutes-of-story-gameplay"]

Author
Jon Ryan

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Everything We Learned In the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Direct

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
The Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct is now live, and host Tom Nook is here to show us plenty of new things about the upcoming island adventure. He’s split the information into two informational sections, and the Direct finishes off his with an FAQ, all presented by our favorite entrepreneurial tanuki. All of it is covered here, just in case you'd rather not listen to his chirps. If you’re looking for more information on what we’ve learned about New Horizons already, be sure to visit the IGN Animal Crossing: New Horizons wiki for more information on NookPhone Apps, all confirmed villagers (prior to the Direct), and more. We also recently learned more about how saves will work on the Switch. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/20/animal-crossing-new-horizons-direct-2202020"]

Seasons

The Direct kicks off with a very important part of Animal Crossing: seasons. For the first time, Animal Crossing: New Horizons allows you to choose either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere so that your season matches your local season. This was revealed back during Nintendo Treehouse’s E3 Live event, but rather than just being a comment in a stream, we got a nice preview of what we’ll see in New Horizons’ seasons. As always, there will be seasonal events and activities, like collecting seeds, leaves, and mushrooms. The furniture placed outdoors seems coordinated with each season too.

Island Services

The features tour continues with details on spots we’ve seen previously.
Author
Miranda Sanchez

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HTC Announces New Entry-Level and High-End VR Headsets

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
HTC promised its Vive Cosmos would be an extensible, modular virtual reality headset and now the company is finally making good on its promise with some new add-ons and variants. First up the new Vive Cosmos Elite is a more, well…elite version of HTC’s latest VR headset that adds a pair of SteamVR base stations for even more accurate inside-out. This precision tracking focused headset also comes with a preinstalled External Tracking Faceplate as well as a pair of Vive controllers for $899, which puts it a $200 premium over the $699 Vive Cosmos, when it releases Q1 (or roughly between now and April). HTC Vive Cosmos Elite Aside from the new face plate and Lighthouse tracking base stations, this is still the same exact Vive Cosmos headset HTC put out earlier last year. From the 1,700-by-1,440-pixel resolution per eye to the halo-style headband, this Elite version of the Vive Cosmos hasn’t upgraded anything else. That’s exactly why and how HTC also plans to release the External Tracking Faceplate as a standalone upgrade for $200.
Author
Kevin Lee

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Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 Is Top Secret, Battle Pass features Deadpool

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN

Fortnite Chapter 2, Season 2 has been revealed, and it’s Top Secret. No, not top secret as in we can’t tell you, but as in it’s all themed around spies and spec-ops missions.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/20/fortnite-chapter-2-season-2-top-secret-launch-trailer"]

The season introduces several key elements based on two new cover operative factions - Ghost and Shadow - which have taken over the battle royale island. Their arrival coincides with a set of new locations that can be discovered across the map, including hideouts.

Limited Time Operations will further the spy theme, with tasks including infiltrating enemy bases, dispatching henchmen guards, and defeating evil masterminds, all of which will reward powerful and unique weapons.

The spy theme wouldn’t be complete without a variety of 007-style gadgets, so expect to find decoy grenades, proximity mines, and disguises that allow you to sabotage rival agents. There are also secret passages that tunnel into enemy hideouts, security cameras to sneak past, and auto-turrets to destroy.

Akin to Apex Legends’ vaults that were introduced with its new map last season, Fortnite is adding its own vault system in Top Secret. Finding keycards will grant you access, but it’s  currently unknown what enemies you need to eliminate to pick them up.

Stealth mechanics have also been introduced to the game. A Hitman-like disguise system is part of this season, as well as being able to sneak around in a ‘Creepin’ Cardboard’, which sounds as if it may be a homage to MGS’s carboard box. Stealthy getaways are also promised, but the official notes have redacted the finer details.

Author
Matt Purslow

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Witcher 3 Switch Developer Acquired in Deal Worth Up to Half a Billion

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
The Embracer Group, formerly known at THQ Nordic AB, has acquired World War Z and The Witcher 3 Switch developer Saber Interactive for a deal potentially worth over a half a billion dollars. “Saber has been on our radar for a very long time because of their deep history of consistently high-quality work,” said Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors in a statement. Saber is best known as a support studio but also for high-quality ports including the impressive Witcher 3 port for the Nintendo Switch. Saber also branched into original projects and self-publishing including developing World War Z in 2019. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-witcher-3-on-switch-screenshots&captions=true"] “Over the course of 19 years as an independent developer, Saber has had its share of suitors. With Embracer Group, we’ve at last found the perfect partner,” said Saber co-founder and CEO Matthew Karch. The deal involves Embracer paying $150 million dollars upfront for Saber, plus up to $375 million over the next three years based on performance. This means the deal could potentially reach $525 million. For context, Sony bought Insomniac for $229 million, though business acquisitions are rarely a one-to-one comparison and there could be many factors for Saber’s valuation. THQ Nordic AB, the parent of companies like THQ Nordic and Deep Silver, renamed itself Embracer Group in August 2019.
Author
Matt Kim

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How PS5's Price May Be Impacted by Its Production

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
BEYOND! On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano....and just Brian as the rest of the cast was away to break down all the latest PS5 info and rumors. Brian and Jonathon discuss the PS5 price speculation that its production could be causing Sony trouble in keeping its price down, while also jumping into recent Sony AI patent news, and much more. Plus, Jonathon is joined by Damoun "Shabs" from the Firewall Zero Hour developer team at First Contact to discuss Firewall's availability on PlayStation Plus, its new season of content, and the community around the game. Have a question, comment, Memory Card story, or That One Thing submission? Write in to beyond@ign.com! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=big-ps4-ps5-games-coming-in-2020&captions=true"] Download or listen to the show on these platforms:
Author
Jonathon Dornbush

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Bleeding Edge Review in Progress

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN

Awash in a neon cyberpunk aesthetic and built around flexible third-person brawling, Bleeding Edge oozes style from the seams. This 4v4 objective-based action game wears its heart on its sleeve and isn't shy about comparisons to Overwatch, but it tips its cap to Street Fighter just as much. After sinking 10 hours into the closed beta this past weekend, I'm sold on its ferocious close-quarters battles and diverse lineup of characters, though Bleeding Edge still needs to work on nailing the camera and ranged combat, and encouraging good team composition.

Author
Kyle Campbell

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Burnout Spiritual Successor Dangerous Driving Getting a Sequel in 2020

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
Not even a year after the Burnout spiritual successor, Dangerous Driving, was released, Three Fields Entertainment has announced the sequel Dangerous Driving 2 will release on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch sometime during 2020's holiday season. It boasts an open world where players can choose between racing against AI's in preset races or by just driving around and seeing what kind of mayhem they can get into. Dangerous Driving 2 will also let players go it alone in solo mode, or play with others with both split-screen and online multiplayer. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/08/dangerous-driving-review"] In a statement from Alex Ward, Founder and Creative Director of Three Fields Entertainment. he said the team was "...addressing the areas we weren’t happy with in the last game,” which we thought did a good job of reviving Burnout. Anyone attending PAX East can go hands on with the game and get a first look at it running on the Switch. For the rest of us, we'll have to wait to find out the full rating and release date. [poilib element="accentDivider"]Hope Corrigan is an Australian freelance writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
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Hope Corrigan

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Ninja's 'It's Just a Game' Comment Sparks Heated Debate

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, one of the most prominent Fortnite streamers and professional eSports players, made comments on social media about the competitive nature of professional gaming. His opinions quickly sparked heated debates across the Internet on how seriously games should be taken. Ninja tweeted yesterday afternoon, saying that having an "it’s just a game" mindset towards competitive gaming is weak and that players shouldn't settle for underperforming. Screen Shot 2020-02-19 at 8.32.12 AMThese comments follow a notable outburst from Ninja towards his squadmates earlier this month after he fell victim to four stream snipers. Once he saw a comment suggesting he shouldn't get upset when it's "just a game," Ninja had this to say: “If anyone ever uses the excuse 'it’s just a game' I’m gonna lose my mind! Imagine telling Lebron James, Tom Brady, that when they're pissed off after losing a game that it’s just a game. Are you kidding me? You're so stupid. It's the competitive nature, bro. It’s about respect bro, it's about pride. It’s so much bigger than a f*cking video game. And anyone that ever uses the excuse 'it's just a game' is a horrible human being, and is lazy. You're a lazy human being.”
Author
Colin Stevens

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Halo Infinite's MA40 Gets NERFed, Literally

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
Considering how many video games involve launching brightly-colored projectiles out of cool-looking futuristic devices, there's been a surprising lack of officially licensed NERF Blasters based on iconic in-game arsenals. In the last couple years, that's begun to change thanks to Hasbro's Fortnite and Overwatch-inspired NERF and Super Soaker toys. And now, thankfully, Halo is getting the same treatment, just in time for Halo Infinite. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=nerf-halo-blasters-revealed&captions=true"] The motorized NERF Halo MA40 is directly inspired by the one in Halo Infinite, and features a removable 10-dart clip (darts included) which will require 4 "C" batteries (not included) to launch at your younger siblings and/or annoying co-workers, who are hopefully wearing protective eyewear (also not included) - it also features a rail riser allowing tactical customization using other compatible NERF components. Best of all, it comes with a code to unlock the NERF MA40's color scheme in-game so your friends online know that you're a gigantic 10-year-old. Or possible a literal, actual 10-year-old, since the NERF Halo line is for ages 8 and up. The NERF Halo MA40 has an MSRP of $49.99, and if that's out of your price range, worry not! Hasbro also revealed a pair of NERF Microshot blasters based on the Needler and SPNKR, both of which come with two NERF Elite dart and an MSRP of $9.99. While we've got your attention, Hasbro also revealed some gorgeous new retro-styled NERF Super Soakers, which is great news for '90s kids who haven't outgrown spraying each other with pressurized liquids (by which we mean water, and nothing else.
Author
Max Scoville

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Sony Patent Suggests a New PSVR Controller May Be in Development

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
Sony Interactive Entertainment has filed a patent that may point to a new PSVR controller. The patent, titled "Controller Device," details a new design for a remote-like VR controller that shares some similarities with the current PlayStation Move controllers, but it also has its fair share of upgrades. Like the PlayStation Move controller, which has been around since the PlayStation 3 era, the patent shows a controller with a wand-like shape, four small face buttons, a trigger on the back, and a larger center button. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=sony-vr-controller-patent&captions=true"] The giant light ball is gone, and the patent describes finger-sensing technology that can detect contact from the user's fingers. PC VR rigs have had similar technology for some time, but the original PS Move controllers currently used for PSVR lack this functionality. The patent also shows a wrist strap, and some are speculating that the strap may be used to simulate grabbing objects in VR, which is a function seen in Valve's Index VR controllers. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/18/the-biggest-ps4-and-ps5-games-of-2020"] It remains to be seen if this patent will become a real product in the future.
Author
Logan Plant

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Sony Won't Be at PAX East Anymore

4 years 2 months ago
Link
IGN
Sony has announced that it is canceling its participation in the upcoming PAX East due to concerns over COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus. The company announced the news as an update to its PlayStation Blog post detailing its PAX East plans. "Today, Sony Interactive Entertainment made the decision to cancel its participation at PAX in Boston this year due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19 (also known as "novel coronavirus")[,]" Sony wrote in an update to its February 13 blog post. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=all-the-big-games-coming-in-2020&captions=true"] Sony was originally scheduled to present the first playable public demo for The Last of Us Part 2 at PAX East. Other games in Sony's PAX East lineup included Marvel's Iron Man VR, Nioh 2, Doom Eternal, Spelunky 2, and more. It is unclear if the demo will still be available since Sony has decided to pull out of the event. IGN has reached out to Sony for more details, including whether The Last of Us Part 2 will still be available as a demo at the show.
Author
Matt Kim

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Everything You Need To Know About Pokemon HOME

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
Pokemon HOME has officially launched which means you can finally transfer your Pokemon between games and Pokemon Bank, access the Global Trading System (GTS), earn rewards, bring some old favorites into Sword and Shield, and much more. Here’s everything you need to know about how to use Pokemon HOME.

What is Pokemon Home?

The Pokemon HOME app is a cloud-based Pokemon storage service. You can link the same Nintendo account to both the Nintendo Switch version and the mobile version of Pokemon Home and access the same Pokemon Boxes on both versions.
Author
Casey DeFreitas

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Grand Theft Auto 4 Returning To Steam, But Without Multiplayer

4 years 2 months ago
Link
IGN
After being delisted on Steam, Grand Theft Auto 4 will return to Valve’s platform as Grand Theft Auto 4: Complete Edition. However, despite the name, this version is missing something: the game’s multiplayer mode. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2013/05/08/igns-top-10-grand-theft-auto-4-mods"] From March 19, Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition will be added to Steam and any other digital distribution platform where GTA 4 is sold. This version will replace Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, effectively combining them into a single package. Existing owners will have their version replaced with this one, which means those who only own GTA 4 will actually be upgraded to the Complete Edition. The Rockstar official support page also confirmed that while old save files will be compatible with Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition, but Steam Achievements will not be available until the new version launches in March. This change is a result of Microsoft dropping support for Games for Windows Live, which was integrated into the PC version of GTA 4. The lack of support has forced Rockstar to make some adjustments to the game, which unfortunately has meant the removal of multiplayer and leaderboards. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-rockstar-game-review-ever&captions=true"] The new version will also lack three radio stations - RamJam FM, Self-Actualization FM, and Vice City FM - although Rockstar’s statement on the GTA 4 Steam page claims that this is a temporary situation. Steam users will find that the automatic update will do the heavy lifting for them, but those with Windows Store or physical media copies will need to do some extra work.
Author
Matt Purslow

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DOOM's Long Road Back to Greatness

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
Welcome to the IGN Unfiltered, our monthly interview series where we sit down with the best, brightest, and most fascinating minds in the video game industry. (Catch up on the other 40-something episodes here.) Our guests this month are two of the leaders behind the 2016 reboot of DOOM and the upcoming sequel DOOM Eternal, Hugo Martin and Marty Stratton. In this interview, Martin and Stratton discuss everything from the failed DOOM 4 prototype to why they think DOOM's revival succeeded where Star Wars didn't, and much more! Check out the episode in the video above, but if you'd prefer to listen to the full, unedited episode, here's an audio-only podcast download link.
Author
Ryan McCaffrey

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New World: Hands-on With Amazon's New MMORPG

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
Finding success as a new massively multiplayer online game in a crowded market is no small task. The genre has suffered from over-saturation for years and many companies have tried and failed to launch a new breakout success. Toppling World of Warcraft isn’t even the goal usually, it’s just about scratching out enough real estate to survive. Games like The Elder Scrolls Online and Final Fantasy XIV have done it, but not many others. Amazon Games hopes to add New World to the small list of truly successful big-budget MMO gambles. Unlike many of the popular shared-world shooters like Destiny and online action RPGs like Monster Hunter coming out lately, New World is a real, bonafide MMORPG. Servers are large holding over 1,000 players concurrently and it’s got a robust progression system, persistent world, and large-scale conflicts for territory and power. It’s much more than a match-based online game. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/13/new-world-game-awards-trailer"] In New World you take on the role of an intrepid adventurer that lands on the shores of a strange, foreign land known as Aeternum. This new continent is overflowing with a magical substance called Azoth, which has the potential of unleashing immense power in anything it contacts. Sometimes that manifests as good energy, other times evil. A twisted force known as The Corruption begins to take hold of the Azoth and starts to spread across Aeternum, thrusting you and every other player into the heart of the conflict. My preview session was held at Amazon Game Studios’ Irvine, CA office. I was joined by a handful of other journalists from around the world to try out the MMO ahead of its beta period and get a taste for both the new player experience and the end-game content. Predictably, my adventure in New World started at the character creator. Admittedly, it felt a bit barren.
Author
David Jagneaux

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No Man’s Sky Update Lets You Hatch a Spaceship From an Egg

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
Hello Games has announced that it is releasing the 9th major free update for No Man’s Sky this week: the Living Ship update. Living Ship adds, as the name suggests, a race of biological spaceships to the game. These organic space-faring craft can be nurtured from eggs and grown into huge, pilotable ships. With an entirely different look, cockpit, and movement design to any other ship in the game, they will make quite the unique addition to a fleet. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/19/no-mans-sky-living-ship-official-trailer"] While the organic spaceships are the headline feature of the update, Living Ship also adds more variety to exploration in the form of space points of interests, which can be discovered during traversal of No Man’s Sky’s solar systems. NPC ships can also now be encountered in space. Hello Games also promises a variety of quality of life improvements. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=no-mans-sky-living-ship-update&captions=true"] Living Ship is part of a new approach Hello Games is taking with No Man’s Sky’s update cadence. Where previous updates like Next and Beyond took many months - almost a year - to release, the studio has recently adopted the idea of delivering smaller but much more frequent updates.
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Matt Purslow

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New Final Fantasy 7 Remake Footage Shows Off DLC Summons

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
A trio of videos posted on the official Final Fantasy 7 Remake Twitter account has revealed the animations and abilities for three summons: Chocobo Chick, Carbuncle, and Cactuar. First up is Chocobo Chick, who's definitely not just a tiny version of the classic ChocoMog summon. Instead, the tiny bird flies around Cloud and casts magic spells at its target. It's a cute little addition, but certainly doesn't seem to be the tide-turner that many summons are. Carbuncle is undoubtedly the cutest of the trio, and - as is tradition for the summon - casts Reflect on the whole party in order to protect characters from magical damage.
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Matt Purslow

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Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct Coming This Week

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
Nintendo has announced that an Animal Crossing: New Horizons Direct is coming this Thursday, February 20. On Twitter, Nintendo of America said the Direct will air on February 20 at 6am Pacific / 9 am Eastern / 2pm UK (that's 1am February 21 in Sydney). It will be "a roughly 25-minute livestreamed Animal Crossing: New Horizons Direct, featuring an in-depth look at Nook Inc.'s Deserted Island Getaway Package!" You can watch Thursday's presentation on Nintendo's YouTube channel. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/02/animal-crossing-new-horizons-deserted-island-getaway-package-primer-trailer"] This is the first Nintendo Direct since the Pokemon Direct in January, where we got our first look at the Pokemon Sword and Shield DLC. An Animal Crossing-themed Nintendo Switch is launching one week ahead of the game on March 13. Even though the coronavirus has caused some production delays, Nintendo said it doesn't expect that the outbreak will have a "significant impact" on global shipments. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=animal-crossing-new-horizons-limited-edition-nintendo-switch&captions=true"] Recently, we learned that Animal Crossing: New Horizons does not support cloud saves except in the event of console failure, loss, or theft.
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Logan Plant

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Fortnite Fans Discover Chapter 2, Season 2 Locations In New Tease

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
Fortnite Chapter 2 season 2 is almost here and Epic Games released its best, but still cryptic, look at the upcoming content in the first new season of Chapter 2. Last night, Epic Games posted a teaser for its upcoming second season of Fortnite Chapter 2. It will be dropping on February 20, 2020, based on the date in the picture. But there are several hints for the upcoming season hiding within the image.
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Matt Kim

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Nintendo Reveals New Coral Switch Lite

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
Nintendo announced Tuesday a new color, Coral, will join the lineup of the current Switch Lite consoles. It will first release in Japan on March 20, according to a press release from Nintendo. Following shortly afterward, the console will launch in North America on April 3. This version will be available at the same $199.99 / 19,980 yen price as the other three colors: yellow, gray, and turquoise – bringing the palette of color choices up to four, not including special editions like the Pokemon Zacian and Zamazenta or the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Horizons edition. Nintendo Switch Lite Coral 01 Nintendo of America revealed the news of the coral colorway coming to North America in a tweet following the news of the Japanese release.
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Jeffrey Lerman

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Free-To-Play First-Person Shooter Warface Available Now on Nintendo Switch

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
Warface, the free-to-play first-person shooter built on the CryEngine by Crytek, is available now on the Nintendo Switch, and we have exclusive footage of the game in action. Warface originally launched on PC in 2013 and has made its way to Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and now Nintendo Switch. IGN spoke to Warface's franchise lead at My.Games, Ivan Pabiarzhyn, and Alexandr Shimov, project manager on Warface's console versions, about what Nintendo fans can expect from this new title on Switch. We first asked how Warface utilizes Switch's unique features, like HD Rumble and motion controls. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/18/warface-exclusive-nintendo-switch-gameplay"] "While we had some basic rumble support already in the Warface Xbox One and PS4 versions, we had to adapt it for the Switch Joy-Cons," Shimov said. "The tactile feedback from shooting and receiving damage feels completely different. We also implemented motion controls support, since they’re very useful for making precise shots. And we made them customizable through the menu options, so players can finetune them to their taste." Pabiarzhyn also confirmed that, while it isn't currently available for the console version, crossplay is important to the team and including the Switch version in that is "part of our roadmap." In October 2019, Warface's Facebook page said they are planning on having the feature ready "starting from Q2 [2020]," at least on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. "Launching crossplay between consoles is one of our priorities and we are already working on that," Pabiarzhyn confirmed.
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Adam Bankhurst

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Co-op Aliens Game Cancelled After Disney-Fox Merger

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN
A co-op Aliens game in pre-production was cancelled after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox. 3D Realms vice president Frederik Schreiber (via VG247) posted about the game on Twitter in response to a tweet from Cliff Bleszinski where he also revealed his former studio Boss Key Productions was potentially going to make an Aliens game.
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Hope Corrigan

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Persona 5 Royal Will Change Homophobic Scenes For Western Release

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN

Atlus has confirmed that certain scenes in Persona 5, which were considered homophobic and offensive by many fans, will be updated and altered in the Western release of Persona 5 Royal.

Speaking to IGN during a Persona 5 Royal preview event, Atlus Communications Manager Ari Advincula explained that dialogue in certain scenes – specifically ones involving Ryuji and two effeminate male characters – would be changed so that those men were no longer shown in a “negative light.”

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/03/persona-5-royal-us-release-date-trailer"]

“We actually were able to go through some of the lines that players may not have received as well, look at that feedback, and then [update it] for the current generation,” Advincula said, explaining that they’ve changed both the first scene in which you meet these characters as well as the notorious beach scene they are featured in later on.

The dialogue in these scenes has been widely criticized since Persona 5’s Western launch for a variety of reasons. Many fans consider the depiction of these characters to be offensively stereotypical, presenting the most prominent homosexual characters in Persona 5 as extremely sexually aggressive (toward a minor, no less) and intentionally ridiculous with intent of making their “weirdness” the joke – made worse by the fact that your protagonist provides similarly insensitive responses to their actions.

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While Atlus didn’t share exactly how these scenes would be updated in response to these complaints, Advincula said asking if they would be addressed was one of the first things she did when joining the team. “That's really important to me, and I think it's really important to the community as well.”

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Tom Marks

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‘Keep Fighting’ For Persona 5 on Switch, Atlus Says

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN

Persona 5 still hasn’t been announced for the Nintendo Switch, but publisher Atlus says it doesn’t want fans to give up hope just yet.

Rumors have swirled around a potential Persona 5 Switch port for a long time, with a bogus Best Buy listing even popping up in 2019, but that momentum has slowed considerably. So IGN asked Atlus Communications Manager Ari Advincula if it was finally time for fans to give up on hope for a potential port during a Persona 5 Royal preview event earlier this month, to which she responded “I am a strong believer in ‘never ever give up on hope’.”

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/17/thieves-den-and-tycoon-gameplay-persona-5-royal-4k"]

The fervor for a port was spurred on by protagonist Joker coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate early last year, but ended up being squelched somewhat when the teased P5S turned out to be Persona 5 Scramble, an entirely new game (and essentially a full-on sequel) coming to Switch. But Advincula says fans making their voices heard is the only way it’ll happen.

“You want what you want,” she explained, “and if you don't let us know it we’re never going to be able to make it.” Advincula said Atlus is listening and does see the desire for Persona 5 on Switch, saying “it’s important to always voice your opinion.”

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Tom Marks

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Overwatch Cartoon and Diablo Anime Seem to Be on the Way

4 years 2 months ago
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IGN

It seems that both an Overwatch cartoon and Diablo anime are in the works. Neither have been confirmed by Activision Blizzard yet but new evidence from a high-ranking employee makes it pretty likely they are in production.

Nick van Dyck, who is the president of the film and TV division of Activision Blizzard, says he has worked on both of these unannounced projects in his LinkedIn profile.

Overwatch cartoon Diablo anime

His profile lists him as being the executive producer of a TV adaptation of Diablo that is "rendered in anime style." Apparently it's in pre-production and will be distributed worldwide through Netflix. This isn't the first time we've heard about a possible Diablo animated series for Netflix.

If it really is coming, then it will probably look to follow in the very successful footsteps of the Netflix Castlevania animated series. Season 3, of which, is due out on March 5 and recently got a bloody, monster-filled trailer.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/01/diablo-4-reveal-trailer"]

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Chris Priestman

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