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A gameplay clip from Steam's latest hit Lethal Company has gone viral as players laugh at and praise the game's proximity voice chat.

YouTube user Sej uploaded the clip, titled Time to Go, that's since been shared across social media and video game forum website ResetEra where it's being viewed again and again. One post containing the video on X/Twitter (below) was only posted yesterday, November 21, but already has 1.6 million views.

"This might be one of the greatest game clips of all time," said Kalentan, who shared the video on ResetEra. "Lethal Company does indeed look awesome, with amazing [voice chat] implementation and sound design," read one reply.

I know nothing about Lethal Company except for this video and I've been laughing at it for hours. The reverb is so perfect it is sending me pic.twitter.com/7cKLKAYZ52

— Dreamboum (@Dreamboum) November 21, 2023

Lethal Company is a cooperative sci-fi horror game about scavenging, as players take on the role of a contracted worker for the Company who must collect scrap from abandoned moons to meet its corporate profit quota.

The clip shows a pair of these workers exploring some dark corridors before opening a door and uncovering a giant spider-looking beastie. The two immediately shut the door and sprint back, shouting "it's time to go" to their teammate, who's further back in the corridor.

We're already deep into Black Friday, and the Black Friday PS5 deals this year have been the best we've ever seen. The most popular Black Friday games deals of this year have been, without a doubt, the new PS5 Slim bundles. It costs $499.99, and as previously anticipated, this new PS5 slim bundle will feature Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 or Spider-Man 2 at no additional charge; offering potential buyers savings of $70 compared to purchasing the items separately. For those interested, you can see the new Call of Duty bundle listed at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and other notable retailers.

Black Friday PlayStation Call of Duty Bundle

Rockstar Games has scrapped the Social Club branding for its online membership system ahead of Grand Theft Auto 6's highly anticipated reveal.

As reported by PC Gamer, unofficial Rockstar news account @videotechuk_ on X/Twitter (below) shared a before and after of messages on the former Social Club website, showing the rebrand.

Any reference to "Social Club members" has been changed to "Rockstar Games members" on the website. "You don't have any Social Club friends", now reads: "You don't have any Rockstar Games friends", for example.

It may appear Rockstar Games are gearing up to sunset the Social Club and launch a new platform. Today the new changes to the Rockstar Games websites brought a new change to the naming scheme of the Social Club to the 'Rockstar Games Platform''. pic.twitter.com/XYVhd1xXtc

— Ben (@videotechuk_) November 20, 2023

Rockstar hasn't made any official announcements regarding these changes, and some instances of the Social Club branding remain on its website. It doesn't appear any actual features of the Social Club have been changed either, so actual players of Rockstar games like Grand Theft Auto 5 or Red Dead Redemption 2 shouldn't be affected.

Blizzard Entertainment has made its action role-playing game Diablo 4 free-to-play on Steam for a week.

Steam users can download and trial the game until November 28 at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK. Diablo 4 launched first in June on PC via Blizzard's own Battle.net, where it remains a premium game. It's also on PlayStation and Xbox.

The free-to play period lets users play Diablo 4 up to level 20, which equates to around eight hours of gameplay. Blizzard will likely be hoping those who get there will be tempted by the game's 40% off price-tag in the Steam Autumn Sale, which also ends November 28.

Those sales would only add to the already record-breaking popularity of Diablo 4, which is Blizzard's fastest-selling game of all time with more than 10 million players. However, Diablo 4 has suffered some ups and downs due to controversial updates and aggressive monetisation. Blizzard has pushed on and continues to regularly update Diablo 4 with patches and new content via seasons. Diablo 4's first expansion, called Vessel of Hatred, is due out late 2024.

Even though it's mid-week, Black Friday is in full swing this week at a variety of retailers. While there's an abundance of great deals to look through, one of our favorites is the Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bundle for $299. This is the same Black Friday Nintendo Switch deal as always, but this year Nintendo made it available much earlier and introduced a new, albeit more expensive, Black Friday Nintendo Switch bundle.

This more affordable bundle comes with the Nintendo Switch console, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (in a digital format), and 3 months of Nintendo Switch Online membership. Given its $299 price tag, it's easily the best Nintendo Switch deal going for Black Friday. Click the link below to see this deal in full at Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop.

Best Nintendo Switch Black Friday Console Deal

• See it at Amazon
• See it at Best Buy
• See it at GameStop

New Switch OLED Black Friday Bundle

The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bundle isn't the only one that Nintendo has up its sleeve for Black Friday. They also have a Black Friday Switch OLED bundle that comes with a digital download of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and a three-month subscription to Nintendo Switch Online for $349.99, as well as special-edition Smash Bros. Joy-con controllers.

Bungie's sci-fi shooter Destiny 2 is getting an unusual crossover as CD Projekt Red's The Witcher is coming to the cosmetics store.

Bungie released an image, below, showing fans what to expect from the upcoming collaboration. The Geralt of Rivia armour, due out November 28, includes armour ornaments, a Ghost shell, ship, Sparrow, emote, and finisher.

The centre set, worn by the Titan, is most reminiscent of The Witcher and protagonist Geralt in particular. It's based on the Kaer Morhen armour available in The Witcher 3, the same set that features on most key art including the box cover.

Believe it or not, Black Friday deals are already in full swing at several of the big retailers. If video game Black Friday deals are what you’re after, you’ve come to the right place. While we’ve already broken them out by platform in other articles, you can find all of the deals gathered together below. That might be handy if you own multiple a PS5 and a Nintendo Switch, for instance.

Shortcuts

• PS5 Deals
• Switch Deals
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PS5 Deals

There are plenty of PS5 Black Friday deals available at all the major retailers.

PS5 Console Deals

This is the new slim PS5 model, and it comes with a free game, either Spider-Man 2 or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

PS5 Game Deals

PS5 Controller Deals

We asked Ridley Scott to pick one favorite shot from each of his movies, as well as one from any other film. The director of Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, Napoleon, and many, many others breaks down each shot for us and explains what makes each so special to him.

Alien (1979)

“I like the shots prowling around the corridors. I was the operator, so we designed the set just wide enough to get a dolly down or it was all handheld. We built the lights into the set, so the side lights would be attached to a board on the side of the set where you can actually dim them, lower them, and bring in light.

So, in a funny kind of way, that was a fairly new way of doing it. But we built the lights into the set and because I knew everything was going to be more or less handheld, that was the shot. So moving along there through then seeing the corridor, seeing the empty ship was kind of beautiful. It's a haunted house. Alien, to me, was kind of really a B-movie, done in an A-plus way.”

Blade Runner (1982)

“The opening shot. That's the stunner and that is almost entirely Doug Trumbull and his team. I’d drawn the impossible, a dilapidated city and a ruined future. That's what we're doing, because of where we'd been heading for a while now. I think we're trying to do a U-turn, I hope we're not too late.

Black Friday deals are officially here, with sales available at all online retailers. This includes Amazon, who has a huge sale on Nintendo Switch accessories. The Nintendo Switch has a wide variety of different add-ons and accessories available due to its hybrid nature. With the console portable, you run into the area of screen protectors and cases. On the flip side, when docked, you have accessories available, such as controllers or chargers. While this sale unfortunately does not have any first-party controllers or accessories, there are plenty of high-quality third-party options available to choose from.

Nintendo Switch Controller Black Friday Deals

Black Friday Nintendo Switch controller deals include plenty of PowerA and HORI options. Both of these third-party manufacturers offer quality products that don't break the bank. Additionally, a few 8BitDo retro-style controllers have a nice discount. With this Black Friday sale, most of the Switch controllers are in the $10-20 range.

Nintendo Switch Case Deals

You can't bring your Nintendo Switch around without protection! There are plenty of different Switch case options to choose from for this Black Friday Switch sale. If you'd like to get a case that stands out, there are plenty of vibrant options with iconic Nintendo characters. However, multiple minimal options are available as well. When looking for a case, you'll want to make sure it's rigid and will protect your system in the event of a fall or drop.

For the first time since its 2017 debut, the consistently well-selling Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is no longer one of the top 20 best selling games in the United States for a given month.

Okay, that's a bit of a word salad - but it's a notable dethroning. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe first released in April of 2017, when it naturally topped The NPD Group's (now Circana's) list of the best-selling games in the US for that month. Ever since that month, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has appeared in the top 20 best selling games in the US, which Circana tracks by dollar sales.

But as GamesIndustry.biz noticed today, for the month of October, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was gone. Its reign in the top 20 lasted a whopping 78 consecutive months, which feels like it must be some kind of record. We reached out to Circana for comment, and analyst Mat Piscatella confirmed GamesIndustry's discovery. While he couldn't confirm it was an all-time record for longest consecutive run in the top 20 (he'd have to look all the way back to 1995 to be absolutely sure), Piscatella said "technically it likely is". But he also noted that if Grand Theft Auto 5 sales were still included in the chart "it may be a different story." Take-Two stopped reporting digital sales to the NPD group in 2020, causing GTA 5 and multiple annual sports franchises to disappear from its charts.

As part of Microsoft's new Black Friday sale, Xbox Series X consoles have received a reasonable $50 discount. But, if you're a Best Buy Plus/Total member, you can currently save even more on the powerful gaming console -- and even get a $50 Best Buy Gift Card alongside. At $399.99, this is probably the best Xbox Series X deal available at the moment, albeit with the membership caveat.

Yes, we can hear your excitement already drifting away, but this is a very good deal for anyone who already has a Best Buy Plus/Total Tech membership, and a reasonably good deal for everyone else checking out the Black Friday sale. For those without a Best Buy membership, the console is $449.99 but still includes the $50 Best Buy gift card. You'll need to have a free account with the retailer, but that's the only catch for securing the standard deal.

Here us out on this one, however, as if you do decide you opt for the $449.99 deal, in all honestly you might as well sign up for Best Buy Plus at $49.99/year, buy the console at $399.99, and then you're set with Best Buy membership for the next 12-months and a $50 gift card to boot. This includes a whole range of benefits that you're basically getting for free in the specific circumstance that you originally decided to buy the offer at $450.

More Xbox Console Deals for Black Friday

Kingdom Hearts’ 21st anniversary in the U.S. has passed, and Kingdom Hearts 4 still won’t be out until next year at the earliest. You could play every Kingdom Hearts game to hold you over, but here we’re exploring six recommendations for games outside of the franchise that share gameplay and/or thematic elements with Kingdom Hearts.

Kingdom Hearts thrives on action-based combat, with each game employing different gameplay techniques than the last. Likewise, these games outside of the series, whether they’re published by Square Enix or not, have wild combat mechanics for players to experiment with and themes such as the power of friendship, the nature of memories, self-determination, emotional health, self-acceptance, and partaking in a cause greater than oneself — themes that are similar to the Disney-Square Enix franchise, no matter what circumstances the characters are facing. Here are six games that may be of interest to fans of the Kingdom Hearts series.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Modern Warfare III’s launch had “historically low crash rates” for a Call of Duty game, Sledgehammer developers say. They also hinted at changes that might be coming to Modern Warfare III in the future, and dropped some information on the upcoming Season 1 during an hour-long interview with content creator Repullze.

Sledgehammer’s Adam Iscove, Senior Development Director, and Greg Reisdorf, Multiplayer Creative Director on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, claimed the controversial sequel was “historically stable at launch,” but that they’re aware of ongoing server issues like packet bursts and will continue to work on and optimize them.

Perhaps more important for the Call of Duty community, however, was Iscove and Reisdorf’s willingness to talk openly about the state of Modern Warfare III, the feedback Sledgehammer is receiving from the community, and changes that will be coming to the game in the future.

One of the most substantial topics they touched on was how movement has changed from Modern Warfare III’s beta. In the beta, stamina started to regenerate while you were sliding. Now, stamina regeneration pauses while you’re sliding and only restarts once the slide has completed. Iscove and Reisdorf said that a stamina bar would be added to the HUD in the near future to help players manage it more accurately. They also said they’re looking to bring back bunny hopping “in some form” in Modern Warfare III, which is something the community has been asking for.

Updated: Shortly after a leak confirmed its existence, Naughty Dog officially revealed The Last of Us Part II Remastered for PS5 on Friday evening, confirming the release date as well: Jan. 19.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered comes to PS5 on January 19, featuring:

💥 No Return roguelike mode
🎙 Lost Levels with dev commentary
🎸 Guitar Free Play
👀 Graphical enhancements
🎮 DualSense integration
⭐ And more

Learn more here: https://t.co/iy6A0jwmYI pic.twitter.com/dREbFbQ674

— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) November 18, 2023

Notably, those who already own The Last of Us Part II on PS4 will be able to upgrade to a digital version of The Last of Us Part II Remastered on PS5 for $10 USD. Save files will also be able to be imported into Part II Remastered.

However, Naughty Dog clarified that upgrades for disc copies of the PS4 version are only available if you have a PS5 with a disc drive. "Owners of PS4 disc copies must insert them into the PS5 every time they want to download or play the PS5 digital version," Naughty Dog's blog post explains.

There's no mention of a PC version of the remaster. You can watch the trailer below.

Update: This story has been updated with comment from Warner Bros.

A Monolith Productions job listing suggests the upcoming Wonder Woman game will have live service elements, but Warner Bros. is saying that its focus will be squarely on single-player.

As reported by Wccftech, Monolith, of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor fame, is currently looking for a lead software engineer of gameplay on Wonder Woman and wants the candidate to have experience in "helping maintain a live software product or game".

Live service games are supported long after launch with seasonal expansions and often have microtransactions for other elements like cosmetics and weapons. Popular examples like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone 2 are multiplayer focused, but others like Destiny 2 also incorporate story campaigns.

This comes despite Wonder Woman being announced as a single player, open-world action game featuring an original story, with neither developer Monolith or publisher Warner Bros. Games mentioning live service elements previously.

Warner Bros. responded with a statement to IGN denying that it will be a service game. "Wonder Woman is a single-player action-adventure game set in a dynamic open-world. This third person experience will allow players to become Diana of Themyscira and introduce an original story set in the DC Universe, while also featuring the Nemesis System. Wonder Woman is not being designed as a live service," a Warner Bros. spokesperson said.

Black Friday deals are upon us, with dozens of 2023 games already discounted. One of these titles is Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which is currently $34.99 at Best Buy and Walmart. This puts Jedi: Survivor at 50% off, which is one of the best early deals we've seen so far. If you haven't had the chance to pick up Cal's latest adventure, this is a great opportunity to do so.

Get Star Wars Jedi: Survivor for Only $34.99

• Also at Walmart

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor takes place five years after the events of Jedi: Fall Order. Cal is still on the run from the empire, and he is running out of places to hide. The sequel revamped the combat system, offering you new skills and attack stances to utilize. Additionally, there are multiple new planets to explore, offering new traversal methods and a fast travel feature. Performance issues did occur around then but have since been ironed out.

Across Best Buy and Walmart, both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S copies are eligible for the discount. So, you will be able to score this deal regardless of platform. The game is only available on current generation consoles, so you won't be able to purchase a copy for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, or Xbox One. If you can wait to purchase Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, a better deal is coming next week. Starting November 22, Walmart will have Jedi: Survivor for only $30. This is another $4.99 worth of savings, so unless you plan to play the game as soon as possible, consider waiting.

As part of its Dell Black Friday Sale event, Dell has the Sony PlayStation VR2 Horizon Call of the Mountain bundle for $499.99. That's $100 off retail price and the only vendor who has the PSVR2 discounted at the moment. In fact, at this price, it's even cheaper than buying the PSVR2 by itself without any game included. We saw a similar deal earlier in the month where Dell included a $100 promotional gift card, but quite honestly, a straight up $100 discount is way, way better.

$100 Off the Sony PSVR2 Horizon Call of the Mountain Bundle

You'll need to own either the PS5 Digital or Disc Edition console in order to use the PSVR2, but you'll be in for a treat. The PSVR2 is easily one of the most advanced headsets available right now and a huge upgrade from the original PSVR headset. Like its predecessor, the PSVR2 features a halo-style strap that fits comfortably on your head and doesn't press against your temples or squeeze your head like the Quest 3.

The optics have been upgraded with two 2000x2040 OLED panels with 120Hz refresh rate, 110-degree FOV, and eye tracking with foveated rendering. There's even a motor built into the visor to mimic rumble effects in the headset itself. The controllers are a huge update over its successor as well. Not only have they been redesigned for comfort and precision, they feature haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, precision tracking and finger touch detection. The PSVR2 is tethered, but you'll just need a single USB connection to make it work.

Like the four Ultimate Ninja Storm games before it, Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections is a comprehensive ode to the world and characters created by Masashi Kishimoto. Its immense cast of playable characters, each with exceptionally well-animated movesets, and a heaping handful of maps ripped straight from the anime with loving detail look better than ever before. But no level of source material accuracy can save this absolute mammoth of a game from hollow single-player content and a stale combat system that hasn’t meaningfully changed in fifteen years.

As far as Naruto fans go, I’m a bit of a weirdo. I was actually first introduced to the series ten years ago through Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, and I still vividly remember marveling at that entry’s shockingly big roster compared to most fighting games. That spurred me to get caught up with the show, and then I found myself further hooked thanks to the story mode’s faithful recreation of that fictional world. But while I stayed a Naruto fan, my friends and I eventually moved on to games with more depth, like Super Smash Bros. That’s because in order to support a roster that’s aptly described as a literal storm of ninjas, the combat has to stay pretty simple. This makes it approachable and easy to master, but there’s also no pot of gold to chase at the end of this learning curve like there is in better fighting games.

There’s no escaping that Call of Duty is currently in a bit of a rut. Although there are bright spots in Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer and Zombies mode, it ultimately feels all too familiar. And the campaign? Our reviewer Simon Cardy said it was “perhaps the worst Call of Duty single-player campaign I’ve played.” It currently has a disappointing Metacritic rating of 56 and, unsurprisingly, Modern Warfare 3 didn’t make into IGN’s top 10 Call of Duty games (spoilers: it came bottom of the pile).

Thankfully, Call of Duty has been exceptional at times and, years on, many of its greatest moments still stand the test of time. So we’re looking back to decide which Call of Duty games are our absolute favorites, and we’re talking about the full package - campaign, multiplayer, zombies, everything. IGN staff voted on all the games, and you can read all about why we picked what we picked below. After, be sure to let us know how we did and share your favorites in the comments below!

Prepare to feel old: Half-Life turns 25 on Sunday. And to celebrate, Valve has gone all out on commemorating the milestone, including making Half-Life free to own on Steam for a limited time and releasing a big anniversary update, which includes Steam Deck verification, updated graphic settings, new multiplayer maps, and more.

In a blog post, Valve rolled out a massive 25th-anniversary update for Half-Life, with the company deeming "this anniversary version of Half-Life to be the definitive way" to experience this late '90s classic. A few highlights in the new update include Half-Life finally getting verification for Steam Deck, updating the in-game menu's design to look more like the one found in the 1998 original, and UI scaling to allow for higher resolutions.

And if you have yet to play or own Half-Life, the Steam version is free to obtain. The game was available free of charge briefly yesterday, but the promotion is back up on Steam, with users having until Nov. 20 to claim a copy for their digital library.

Beyond a big update, Valve has also published a documentary where the original development team shares their memories of the creation of Half-Life.

Half-Life turns 25 this weekend, and we're pushing a big update to bring back some of that 1998 feeling with restored original launch day content, brand new multiplayer maps, a look behind the scenes with the original development team, and more: https://t.co/ceV4oePUyP pic.twitter.com/1eOtLiHXbE

In a blog post today, Call of Duty maker Activision gave us a detailed look at the first season for Modern Warfare 3 (2023), which will include new multiplayer maps, a returning game mode, and some updates to the Zombies mode.

Season 1 will bring three new maps to the 6v6 multiplayer rotation. "Meat" takes place in a snug East Bay butcher shop, "Greece" is a idyllic-looking coastal town, and "Rio" will let you shoot your friends in a trendy Brazillian shopping center.

If you and your bestie are looking for some 2v2 action, then you're in luck, as the Gunfight game mode will be returning with Modern Warfare 3's first season as well. It seems for now you'll have to make due with a single map though, an military training facility that's designed for the four-player mode.

The next chapter of Modern Warfare Zombies will be kicking off as well, with Enter the Rift, which will send our undead slayers toa mysterious gateway called a Dark Aether Rift, alongside a new weapon that turns enemies into allies with some bullet-shaped encouragement and some new gear that will "test the player's skill to unlock," according to the post.

We're a week out from the official day, but Black Friday 2023 sales are very much live right now. If it's Xbox deals you're after, you can already save some serious cash on Xbox Series X and S bundles. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is also on sale for a steep discount. And as the official Black Friday sales start, you can absolutely count on saving even more. Microsoft has a reputation for offering substantial discounts on its first-party games and hardware during the holiday season, making this Black Friday a treat for all Xbox fans.

Black Friday is the golden moment of the year when Xbox lovers can dive headfirst into a world of incredible deals. From first-party titles to accessories and even console discounts, the holiday season is brimming with opportunities to snag your favorite Xbox products at a fraction of their regular price. We'll be getting even more Xbox deals on Friday (November 17), which Microsoft has confirmed when the Xbox Black Friday deals will begin. This is also when Amazon and rival console PlayStation's Black Friday deals are officially starting.

Shortcuts

• Xbox Console Deals
• Xbox Game Pass Deals
• Xbox Accessory Deals
• Where to Find Xbox Deals on Black Friday
• Black Friday Shopping Tips

Xbox Series X and Series S Black Friday Bundle Deals

The words impossible port, punching above its weight, and even black magic are thrown around often when it comes to games on diminutive hardware. With Hogwarts Legacy, now launching on the Nintendo’s Switch, it could be another time to wheel out those tropes… but not quite. Hogwarts Legacy is not a miracle port, despite squeezing onto the Switch (quite literally, with a 7.4GB install size compared to 22.1GB on the Xbox One version). It manages to be better than feared, yet in places still rough as expected.

Hexed Objects

Hogwarts Legacy on Switch offers only a single performance mode, with few options to choose from. This is a step down from the Xbox One version, which has motion blur, film grain and even an unlocked frame-rate toggle. To be clear, this is a last generation game through-and-through, as we discussed in our original performance review. This already reduces the pressure on this Switch port, but further reductions are required in order to mitigate the drastic reduction in CPU and GPU power, as well as lower memory size and bandwidth. On Switch, we have similar levels of performance to the Xbox One version, though some areas are worse. These mostly seem to be memory and/or CPU-bound sections of data streaming, keeping the world fed with data and cleaning up behind as it goes. The result is a game that can run pretty well at 30fps in non-stressful areas outside of battles and loading sectors. But during these moments it is often closer to the 50ms frame time, meaning we see frame rate around 24-25 fps for prolonged periods. That’s not great, and the sluggishness can be felt without a frame analysis.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, essentially Yakuza 8, features a classic role-playing game job system that lets players become a samurai, surfer, housekeeper, and more.

As reported by Gematsu, the Japanese Infinite Wealth website was updated to include information on new jobs that will become available to players throughout the game's story. Classic RPGs like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy made the job system a mainstay, but while those ones stuck more to fantasy tropes with mages, knights, and so on, the Yakuza series likes to get a little weird with it.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which was the first Yakuza RPG, featured plenty of wacky jobs itself such as Fortuneteller, Night Queen (basically a dominatrix), Homeless Guy, and more, but Infinite Wealth is looking to expand that wild roster.

Embracing the new Hawaii setting, the surfer job, officially the Aquanaut, uses water based attacks like summoning a magical surfboard or marine creatures to damage enemies. The Geodancer job finds similar inspiration as it sees the character use hula dancing to unleash powerful elemental techniques.

The Samurai job looks straight out of historical spin-off Like a Dragon: Ishin and grants the character proficiency in using swords and bows, especially with consecutive and wide-ranging attacks. The housekeeper, on the other hand, comes equipped with brooms, mops, vacuum cleaners, and other tools of the trade to clean up the competition.

Today, the first phase of Dragonheir: Silent Gods' collaboration with Dungeons & Dragons, the classic fantasy tabletop game, was officially launched.

Iconic Dungeons & Dragons' characters, Drizzt Do'Urden and his comrade Guenhwyvar, as well as their nemesis Errtu the Balor, have now joined Dragonheir's game world for a limited time.

Dragonheir：An Open-World Adventure High-Fantasy Strategy RPG

Dragonheir: Silent Gods, hereinafter referred to as Dragonheir, is an open-world strategy RPG with a fantasy theme, which integrates the classic TRPG gameplay, such as dice rolls, character customization and other features. In order to defeat their opponents, players must engage with strategic combat, combining their adventurer party’s strengths and synergies to unleash powerful magic and merciless steel on monsters of all kinds and sizes.

It's the season of savings with Black Friday right around the corner, but even though the sale event doesn't officially start up until next week, you can still find some great deals on Amazon. Right now, in the world of game deals, you can pick up The Last of Us Part 1 for PS5 for just $39.99. That's 43% off its usual price of $69.99, so there's no better time to pick it up!

You can check out this excellent deal at the link below.

Pick Up The Last of Us Part 1 for $39.99

Amazon usually has a great amount of discounted games available during Black Friday, and we'll make sure to keep you updated on all of the best deals as they roll out. For now, though, you can check out our rundown of what to expect at Amazon during Black Friday to have a little peek at early deals and what's still to come. We also have breakdowns for Walmart, Best Buy, and Costco's Black Friday deals so you can cover all your shopping bases.

Aspyr has shed some light on the canceled DLC for the Switch port of Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, pointing the blame at an objection from an unknown third party.

Spotted first by Axios, Aspyr's co-CEO Ted Saloch noted in a court filing that "Aspyr believed it would be able to release the content, but a third party objected, and Aspyr was unable to do so." However, the document failed to specify who the third party in question is. An Aspyr spokesperson told IGN in an email that the company "has no further comment to provide."

The document is part of a lawsuit in which plaintiff Malachi Mickelonis took legal action against Aspyr, alleging it had falsely represented that consumers who purchased KOTOR II would also get access to the "Restored Content DLC," and refused to give those who purchased the game a refund, instead opting to provide a complimentary code for another Star Wars game.

PlayStation has revealed some new details of its India Hero Project – the company’s big push into the exploding India game market. First announced in May 2023 as a followup to the successful China Hero Project, the new initiative aims to support game developers in India to bring their games to PlayStation 5.

The gaming market in India is currently worth an estimated $868 million in 2023 according to analyst firm Niko Partners, which is expected to nearly double by 2027. Recent advances in affordable high-spec smartphones coupled with the Indian government’s investments in affordable high-speed mobile internet has made mobile platforms more easily accessible to gamers in India. And while console and PC platforms are currently a tiny slice of the pie, they are growing, with both PlayStation and Xbox building support programs to help local developers to bring their games to both domestic and global audiences.

Speaking ahead of the India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) held in Hyderabad at the beginning of November, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s third-party business lead Hector Fernandez and India Hero Project program manager Sujith Sukumaran gave IGN Japan an update on PlayStation’s plans.

While Disney Lorcana has several different kind of card rarities, there is one that is a cut above the rest: Enchanted rares. These full-art holographic cards see the character rendered in striking new artwork that fills the entire card. There are only twelve Enchanted rares per set, two of each ink color, and as you'd expect they are incredibly rare, often going for hundreds of dollars on the secondary market. IGN is excited to offer your exclusive first look at the Enchanted rare for Beast - Relentless from the upcoming set, Rise of the Floodborn.

Technology and e-commerce giant Amazon has laid off 180 workers from its video game division.

First reported by Aftermath and independently confirmed by IGN, layoffs included Game Growth and the Crown Channel, an original program on Twitch that launched in 2020. Amazon Games VP Christoph Hartman addressed the layoffs in a memo to employees on Monday.

"It never feels good to say goodbye to colleagues. This isn't a decision the leadership team came to quickly; it was the result of extensive considerations and road mapping for our future," he wrote. "We are proud of the work the teams have been doing, pushing into new areas with weekly content on Crown Channel and finding more ways to help publishers reach new audiences with Game Growth. But after further evaluation of our businesses, it became clear that we need focus our resources and efforts to deliver great games to players now and in the future."

You can read the full memo below.

Spoiler warning: The following article contains spoilers for the original 1997 Final Fantasy 7 and potential spoilers for the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

The ESRB has rated the highly anticipated Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, revealing its deep cleavage, pools of blood, and a potential clue to Aerith's fate.

As reported by MP1st, the ESRB rated the sequel to Final Fantasy 7 Remake as T for Teen, but also unveiled some interesting elements fans will encounter when it launches February 29, 2024.

"This is an action role-playing game in which players follow the story of a mercenary (Cloud Strife) on a quest to save the planet from evil," it said, which is all standard so far. "Players explore fantasy landscapes, perform missions, and battle monsters and soldiers in frenetic melee combat. Characters use swords, staffs, guns, and magic spells to fight monsters and human soldiers; combat is highlighted by impact sounds, cries of pain, and explosions."

Nominees for The Game Awards 2023 have been revealed, with Alan Wake 2 and Baldur's Gate 3 leading the way with eight nominations each.

Alan Wake 2's nominations include Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Sound Design, Best Performance (from Melanie Liburd), and Best Action/Adventure Game.

Baldur's Gate 3 saw a number of similar nominations including Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Score and Music, Best Performance (from Neil Newbon), Best Community Support, Best RPG, and Best Multiplayer.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 received seven nominations, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom received five alongside Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and Starfield received one.

The full list of categories and nominations for The Game Awards 2022 are as follows.

Game of the Year

Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.

• Alan Wake 2
• Baldur's Gate 3
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Resident Evil 4 Remake
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Game Direction

Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.

• Alan Wake 2
• Baldur's Gate 3
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Narrative

For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

Sony has officially confirmed we will be getting even more PlayStation Black Friday deals this week. From November 17 to 27 PlayStation fans can expect to see discounts on even more hardware, games, accessories, and up to 30% PS Plus memberships for new and current subscribers.

This announcement comes after we saw already several deals go live for PlayStation, including $60 off the new PS5 slim bundles that include either Spider-Man 2 or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 at no extra cost. We've also already seen DualSense Controllers drop to just $49 at all major retailers, up to $25 off the MSRP -- including on the new color variants Volcanic Red and Cobalt Blue which only just released for $75 at the end of October.

Back to the upcoming deals, and fans will be able to secure 30% off 12-months of PS Plus Essential, Extra, or Premium if they're just now joining the service. Don't fret, current subscribers, as you aren't being left out this time. You can get 25% off upgrades to Extra, or 30% off upgrades to Premium. These discounts will go live from November 17 and will last until after Cyber Monday on November 27.

DualSense Controllers have once again dropped to its sale price of $49 (see here), a reasonable $20-$25 discount depending on which color variant you choose. This is available at most major retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, and PS Direct. Just below you can find all the information you need about the DualSense offer and reasons why you should consider taking advantage of an early Black Friday PlayStation deal. Remember to also check in with us at @IGNDeals on Twitter/X where we will be providing play-by-play updates for Black Friday throughout the whole of November.

DualSense Controllers Are Down to $49 (Save Up to $25)

Opting for controllers like the Volcanic Red, Cobalt Blue, Galactic Purple or Gray Camo is your best bet as these are some of the most popular, tend to sell out during sale events, and cost the most at $74.99 MSRP -- so buying at this at the $49 Black Friday offer will maximize your savings.

$49-$50 is the standard discount price we've been seeing for the PlayStation gamepad, and well worth considering over the holiday season, or as a potential gift for the PlayStation fan in your life.

As part of Dell's Early Black Friday Sale, Dell is currently offering an Xbox Series X gaming console for only $449.99. That's already $50 off the $500 MSRP, but that's not all. You'll also get a bonus $75 Dell promotional egift card. That's the best deal so far for an Xbox Series X console and as good as, if not better than, any Xbox deal we'll see on Black Friday. This is a brand new console with full 1-year Microsoft warranty.

You will receive the gift card via email within 20 days after the Xbox ships and it will expire 90 days thereafter. Use the gift card to buy almost anything at Dell including gaming PCs, gaming monitors, gaming consoles, and even Xbox games and accessories.

$50 Off Xbox Series X and Get a Bonus $75 Dell eGift Card

The Xbox Series X is a current generation system able to drive 4K games at up to a glorious 120fps. It is technically a more powerful system than the PS5 and games that are compatible with both consoles usually perform better on the Xbox console. Compared to the $300 Xbox Series S, the X features more powerful hardware to enable it to run games in 4K (the Xbox Series S runs games at 1440p). The Xbox Series X also has a disc drive that can play 4K Blu-ray movies and physical game media. It is also equipped with a 1TB SSD. The capacity can be increased with either the Seagate or WD expansion cards.

As Black Friday 2023 deals start to kick off, PlayStation fans should gearing up to seize some incredible savings during this holiday sales season. But, it's also worth noting that we've already started to see some of the best deals sell out. There's no telling how long the rest of the deals will last as they have gone live incredibly early compared to previous years.

For instance, PS5 slim model stock is still quite unreliable at the moment, but we have had some good news with the Spider-Man 2 and Call of Duty bundles coming in stock at Amazon and Best Buy. These cost $499.99, so you're getting a free game, but are also very popular so we recommend securing one ASAP if you're interested. Plus, we're going to be getting additional PlayStation deals this week as Sony has confirmed their official Black Friday sale will commence on November 17. This will feature deals on consoles, accessories, and there's also going to be up to 30% off PS Plus memberships for new and current users.

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Remedy Entertainment has issued an update on one of its four in-development games, confirming it has ditched the free-to-play model in the process.

Codename Vanguard was set to be a free-to-play co-op game, but it’s now described as “a premium game with a strong cooperative multiplayer component”. This “reboot” has resulted in a new codename: Kestrel.

Remedy signed a publishing deal with Tencent back in December 2021 to develop Vanguard but both companies have now agreed to the change in direction.

“Due to uncertainties in creating a successful game to the rapidly changing free-to-play market and associated risks, the parties have discussed a new direction for the game project, which will be given the new codename, Kestrel,” Remedy explained.

The reboot comes as the project reached the end of its proof-of-concept phase and after a re-evaluation from Remedy and Tencent. As a result, it will return to a concept phase. Part of the former Vanguard development team will move to work on Remedy’s other projects, while the core leadership and select members of the Kestrel development team will focus on the project’s new direction from the concept stage onwards. Remedy did not announce any associated layoffs.

Kestrel “will lean more into Remedy’s core strengths and be built on many of the features, assets and themes already designed for Vanguard,” the developer said.

Call of Duty’s latest operator is a decorated Navy SEAL veteran and the cousin of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

Johnson’s cousin, Benjamin F., is a 16-year Navy SEAL veteran with multiple Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart. In Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, Ben’s operator handle is Koa King. Koa means warrior in Samoan.

Koa King is available as part of the Call of Duty Endowment (C.O.D.E.) Warrior Pack, which raises money to help place unemployed and underemployed veterans in the U.S. and UK into high-quality jobs.

The eldest of eight, Benjamin F. was born in American Samoa. Over his 16 years of service, he deployed to Europe, Africa, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and received two Bronze Stars, both with Valor; the Purple Heart; the Navy Commendation Medal; and the Navy Achievement Medal. He retired as a Chief Petty Officer.

In a post on X/Twitter (below), Johnson said he considers Ben “my brother”, and called his appearance in Call of Duty “incredible”.

“He served our great nation and now he serves the veteran community as the inspiration behind the Call of Duty Endowment (C.O.D.E.) Warrior Pack, which incorporates his military service and our Samoan heritage,” Johnson continued.

“This whole thing is very cool and badass. Love you ‘giggles’. You’re an inspiration brother. This is a phenomenal partnership.”

Magic: The Gathering's video game crossovers just keep on rolling, and this time we've got the exclusive first look at a seven-card Secret Lair for the Tomb Raider series – including a brand new, mechanically unique card for Lara Croft herself.

Flip through the slideshow below or watch the video above to see all the cards, and read on to hear a bit about the drop from Wizards of the Coast.

Next year Magic has both commander decks for Fallout and a full crossover set for Final Fantasy coming, but next week's Secret Lair Secretversary Superdrop will add Lara Croft to the game's quickly expanding recognizable roster with a smaller video game crossover. This drop will include five reprinted cards with new Tomb Raider art, a unique treasure token, and a brand new Lara Croft card.

While Secret Lairs have done plenty of video game crossovers in the past, they've generally either been all mechanically unique cards like the Street Fighter drop or all reprints with new art like the Fortnite drop. This one has both, and Wizards of the Coast Senior Product Designer Daniel Nguyen says that every Secret Lair drop is different thanks to a whole bunch of different factors.

The Baldur’s Gate 3 sex speedrunning community has turned its attention to the game’s infamous horny bear after a previous tactic was patched out.

Developer Larian’s sprawling Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game has spawned a vociferous Sex% speedrun category in which players try to bed a companion in the quickest time possible. The current world record, set by speedrunner Mae, comes in at under two minutes and uses the previously established strategy of gaining enough early approval with Githyanki fighter Lae'zel that she agrees to spend the night.

Lae'zel was the perfect companion for this strategy because she was relatively easy to impress right at the start of the game by bullying a Tiefling in Silvanus' Grove, an area players could leapfrog huge swathes of Baldur's Gate 3's opening section to get to in just a minute (check out our Lae'zel romance guide for more).

But Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 4 changed all that by making Lae'zel harder to charm: “For Lae'zel to decide to romance you, you no longer only need to gain high enough approval from her. You must also have proven yourself worthy through your actions,” the patch notes said.