IGN

I visited PAX East in Boston last month and on my checklist of "things to bring along this year" was my New Nintendo 3DS XL. I honestly don't remember the last time it was part of my kit while traveling, but I do remember bringing it with me to a post-Nintendo Switch PAX East and being disappointed by how few StreetPass notifications I picked up. This year I brought it along more as a science experiment than for the fun of it, wanting to see if I could pick up a few new guests for my Plaza during the course of my day.

I've been going to PAX East in Boston every year since 2013. Maybe earlier? It's been a long time. Early on I would scrape together whatever spare cash I had, crash on hotel floors, eat nothing but $9 Con-sausages twice a day, and lose myself in the splendor and spectacle. It's changed so much since I've been going, for the better, and some of my fondest memories during my time on the outside (and now inside) of the gaming industry are tied to PAX East. It's just such a good time! If you haven't gone to one, make it a priority. Trust me!

One of the many reasons indie games are so special to me is that we often get something unique that we usually don’t see from a focus-tested AAA game that’s got to recoup its big budget by selling as many copies as humanly possible. Goodbye Volcano High is one of my most anticipated indie titles for 2023 thanks to its charming art style and creative premise. After being pitched on what the gameplay experience would be like and playing the first 30 minutes, I got a small taste of what this choose-your-own adventure will provide – including several different gameplay elements surrounding personal choices and rhythmic music sequences. I still have many questions on exactly how much depth we’ll see in the player’s options as well as the consequences that will be given depending on the choices throughout this story, but the setup was interesting enough for me to want to see things through.

Goodbye Volcano High stars a cast of dino-humanoid teenagers starting out their last year of high school, figuring out their futures, and dealing with a meteor that will presumably destroy them all. It might be silly to mention, but what speaks to me about this idea is that I was a senior in high school myself in 2012, back when some people thought that the world was going to end. Even though I never believed it myself, there was always this looming aura around not just my senior year, but all of high school that the end of the world may be upon us.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is here and Matt P has finished it and had a bloody lovely time with it, too. He's joined by Cardy and Mat J, as they discuss what makes the sequel to Fallen Order so good before delving into the latest season of The Mandalorian, their favourite Black Mirror episodes, and another reminder of why you should be watching Barry.

What wettest film? What smells do you like? Drop us an email: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.

IGN UK Podcast 694: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is Everything We Wanted Fallen Order to Be

• IGN UK Podcast 693: Ranking the Best Orlando Theme Park Toilets
• IGN UK Podcast 692: Zelda and Final Fantasy Look Good Innit
• IGN UK Podcast 691: The Mario Movie vs Tetris: Which is Better?
• IGN UK Podcast 690: Dunjackets & Dadragons
• IGN UK Podcast 689: The Big Resident Evil 4 Chat

Sony has high hopes for the PS5 in the current financial year as it aims to break PlayStation records by selling 25 million units.

The company briefly mentioned its goals for next year during its latest earnings report, where it revealed the PS5 had now sold more than 38 million units thanks to its best year on the market so far.

The 19.1 million units it sold in financial year 2022-23 weren't enough though. "We aim to continuously accelerate penetration of PS5 and aim for PS5 sell-in units for the current fiscal year to be 25 million units, the highest ever for any [PlayStation] console in history," Sony said.

It would certainly be an impressive figure because, as mentioned, no PlayStation console in history has sold so many units in a single financial year, not even the PS2, which is the best selling console of all time with 159 million units sold.

The PS5 is certainly trending towards an incredibly strong year as its sales figures grew significantly as component shortages that plagued the video game industry waned. Sony recorded 7.1 million and 6.3 million sales in quarters three and four last year, compared to the 2.4 and 3.3 recorded in the two before that.

EA and Respawn Entertainment's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has been slammed with several negative reviews on Steam as users report performance issues.

Survivor, the galaxy-spanning sequel to 2019's Jedi: Fallen Order, currently has a Mostly Negative rating on Steam with only 31% of 1,216 users recommending it.

"Game is extremely fun but performs terribly," said Steam user Doctor TacoChocolate. "I'm using a 3090 FE and 5700x and getting a consistent 30 fps in some areas. Other areas give me a mostly consistent 45. This is at 1440p."

Users have also taken to Reddit to voice their complaints, with Delicious_Pea_3706 saying "the concerning comments on performance for PC are true". Running Survivor on an RTX 4090 and AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D saw it crash not only itself but the entire PC, they said.

"Running a 4090 with Epic Settings and Ray Tracing was getting me around 90 FPS, which is pretty good, but the frame stutters were way too frequent. I don’t want to imagine how bad it must be for mid range hardware."

Other users reported crashes too, alongside graphical issues, and an "unexpected error" that saw the player bypass story elements without seeing them, forcing them to either continue in a broken game state or load a previous save and hope it worked the second time.

Sony's PlayStation 5 has just wrapped its best year on the market so far and has crossed 38 million units sold as a result.

Revealed in Sony's latest financial earnings report, the PlayStation 5 sold 6.3 million units in the fourth quarter (Q4) of financial year 2022-23. This was more than three times stronger than its sales in Q4 the previous year, where it sold just two million units.

Having sold 32.1 million units as of the end of Q3, the PS5 has now reached 38.4 million units sold. Sony also sold nearly as many units in financial year 2022-23 as it had prior to that point, rounding out the year with 19.1 million PS5 consoles sold compared to the 19.3 million sold beforehand.

The 6.3 million fourth quarter wasn't its strongest, however, as 7.1 million PS5 consoles were sold in Q3. This is a fairly regular trend, however, as Q3 includes the holiday period which usually leads to significant sales boosts for video game hardware.

The increase in sales overall is likely connected to the fact that PS5 consoles are now readily available as Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan said in January that the stock shortage is essentially over.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has a complicated day one update situation that might mean users have to download a hefty patch whether you're on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, or PC.

EA announced on Twitter (below) that it's releasing a day one patch for Survivor that addresses some performance issues, but some PC players are reporting colossal file sizes. Even some players who pre-loaded the game on Steam are reporting a launch day update of up to 128 GB.

EA also released patches throughout the week before launch, meaning that, depending on when users pre-loaded, there might be some updates that were missed. IGN's day one update on PC came in at 46.5 GB, for example, and while this is a lot less than some PC users' experience, it's still a hefty addition for those looking to enjoy the game on launch day.

Cal’s newest journey in a galaxy far, far away has begun and we’re excited for you to experience it!

Our first patch will arrive on launch day across all platforms. In the weeks ahead, we’ll deploy patches that will:

- Fix bugs
- Improve performance
- Add more accessibility… pic.twitter.com/pUtyoGopP5

— EA Star Wars (@EAStarWars) April 26, 2023

Those who have pre-loaded the game on PS5 and Xbox Series should have the smoothest experience, as the day one patches here are only a few GB each (though there may also be a mid-week patch to download too that adds a few GB).

More details have come to light about the decision to halt Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard from from the recent UK Competition and Market Authority (CMA) report. Along with the extensive examination of Microsoft's current business practices and plans, including its advantage in cloud computing, the CMA also raised concerns about how an increased library of video game content could potentially open the door for Microsoft to make things more costly for consumers.

Detailed in the 400-page report, which gave an extensive and highly detailed overview of Microsoft's current business plans and how it would affect competitors, the CMA committee highlighted its belief that the Xbox Game Pass service would see its value heightened following potential additions from the Activision Blizzard library -- which would give Microsoft an incentive to raise the price.

In the report, the CMA detailed that adding new games into the Microsoft library wasn't the issue, but rather how having Activision's games specifically - such as Call of Duty - would influence the catalog.

Throughout its 16-year history, the Assassin’s Creed has explored numerous regions, historical periods, protagonists, mythologies, and even genres. It’s this expansiveness, built on a foundation of highly detailed worlds, engaging stories, and evolving gameplay, that’s led Assassin’s Creed to become Ubisoft’s most successful franchise, and what makes for such a wide variety of AC fans.

There’s a lot to enjoy in Assassin’s Creed games, and many of their best attributes can be found in the games we’ve compiled below. As we await the release of Assassin’s Creed Mirage later this year, these are 9 games we recommend for Assassin’s Creed fans, whether you come to the series for its rich open worlds, historical fiction, mythological exploration, or old-school stealth-action gameplay.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

For fans of Assassin’s Creed’s combat, RPG mechanics, and open-world design.

In evolving Assassin’s Creed’s core mechanics from stealth-action to action-RPG, Ubisoft cited Skyrim, Fallout, and The Witcher 3 among its inspirations, though none is more apparent than CD Projekt’s 2015 RPG epic.

Let Me Solo Her, the Elden Ring player who beat Malenia hundreds of times for those who couldn't best the game's hardest boss, has proven once again that Malenia should be afraid of him. He recently completed Elden Ring with a mod that turns every enemy into her.

But despite all the hardships he faced, Let Me Solo Her was able to complete the challenge in roughly 10 hours. In a Twitter post, he explained how fun the Malenia run was and how he died more times than he would like to admit.

Took about 10 hours and probably more deaths than I'd like to admit but I finally finished the Everything is Malenia Run! It was as fun as it was painful... No leveling vigor was a mistake ;-; #ELDENRING pic.twitter.com/VKUI5wb4au

In a surprise decision yesterday, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority made the decision to block Microsoft’s planned $69 billion acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, citing concerns over Microsoft’s ability to dominate the emerging cloud gaming market with exclusives like Call of Duty.

While the deal has seen challenges in numerous other regions including the US and the EU, many expected the CMA to approve it, especially after its March statement that Call of Duty console exclusivity was no longer a concern. Thus with further legal challenges looming globally and Microsoft set to appeal the CMA’s decision, many are now wondering what’s next for Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard both in the UK and abroad.

The answer is of course complicated, dependent on multiple regulatory bodies, time consuming, and above all, expensive. We spoke to lawyers and analysts to help unpack the rocky road Microsoft has ahead of it if it wants to pursue Activision-Blizzard, what possible outcomes remain, and why we’re likely going to be hearing about this deal for months and potentially years to come.

What Happened and Why?

After a lengthy review, the CMA has moved to prevent Microsoft from acquiring Activision-Blizzard, but not for the reason many expected. While much of the public debate has centered around the possibility of Call of Duty console exclusivity to Xbox, the CMA determined back in February that this was not actually a serious concern. In the end, what convinced the CMA to fire back was not Call of Duty, but cloud gaming.

Kirby and Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai presented the original design documents for Kirby and other secrets of Kirby's Dream Land for the Game Boy in his 100th episode of "Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games" on YouTube.

The documents aren't new per se, as Sakurai said he presented them at Kirby's 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert in Japan in 2017. However, he decided to give the same secret dev presentation in a way that is new to Kirby fans outside of Japan.

In the video, Sakurai said he came up with the concept for Kirby's Dream Land around May 1990 at the age of 19 — he's 52 now — making the game simple enough to invite people who are new to video games and showing them how fun they can be. It was so simple that it was 20 minutes short. All Kirby did in the original game was hover, swallow and spit out enemies because he didn't possess any Copy Abilities until Kirby's Adventure.

Kirby's Dream Land was developed in under a year using the trackball HAL Laboratory made and hooked up to the Twin Famicom. Sakurai demonstrated how multipurpose the Twin Famicom was, as it allowed him and his fellow developers to draw the pixel art, combine the art to create the characters, conducted animation tests for them, and even create the backgrounds and title screen.

Sony has revealed that the PlayStation VR2 will soon be heading to a retailer near you. The company made the announcement on Twitter today, but it hasn't given an exact date as to when major brick-and-mortar stores will have the headsets in stock.

Currently, you can still order the PS VR2 from PlayStation Direct, where it was exclusively sold in the two months since it was released. If you're desperate to know when you'll see it in stores, ShopTo says that it will show up in UK stores on May 12. Whether the headset will be stocked up in retailers on the same day in the US is unknown, but you may want to check the stores in your area for availability.

PlayStation VR2 will soon be in stock at local retailers, in addition to https://t.co/y9oEB5aBse. Check your local retailer for availability.

More on PS VR2: https://t.co/TiSFxroszM pic.twitter.com/79g8PsDCye

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) April 27, 2023

The PS VR2 on its own costs $549.99, but when you get the Horizon Call of the Mountain bundle it's $599.99. Either way, it's pricier than the PS5, which is $50 cheaper if you buy the original disc player version. With wider availability in physical and online retailers, however, the headset may see some discounts at some point in the future.

The stakes have never been higher for Cameron Monaghan's Cal Kestis in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, as shown in a new trailer from Respawn, with him working closely with Jedi Master Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) to learn a few new tricks.

Once the trailer starts, you can see shots of Monaghan training in a motion capture suit, with Hamill telling him how to stay in character. As the video goes on, we're given glimpses of how Hamill is training him in unconventional Jedi ways. By the end of the trailer, Monaghan is giving Hamill advice on how to play the upcoming game.

#ad The Force is strong with us @MarkHamill! #StarWarsJediSurvivor pic.twitter.com/fbQtOglCaf

— cameron monaghan (@cameronmonaghan) April 27, 2023

In addition to the new trailer, yesterday, April 26, EA revealed the accessibility options for Jedi Survivor. Some of these include a variety of difficulty options, the ability to remap your controls, a new feature that slows down the movement of the game, and more.

As the UK Competition and Markets Authority blocked Microsoft and Activision Blizzard’s merger yesterday, it also asserted that Nintendo’s consoles aren’t technically capable of running Call of Duty.

“Nintendo does not currently offer CoD, and we have seen no evidence to suggest that its consoles would be technically capable of running a version of CoD that is similar to those in Xbox and PlayStation in terms of quality of gameplay and content,” the CMA explains in a final report.

The entity believes that Xbox and PlayStation consoles compete more closely with each other in terms of content, target audience, and technology. On the other hand, Nintendo competes less closely with both Xbox and PlayStation because its consoles have different technical specifications and more child-friendly titles.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will ship with an arachnophobia mode that completely removes spider-like enemies from the game.

Many arachnophobic gamers lamented the presence of giant spider-like enemies known as Wyyyschokk in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which haunted the lush forested Wookie homeworld of Kashyyyk and enjoyed ambushing protagonist Cal Kestis at the least convenient moment.

Unfortunately for some, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is also set to feature at least one enemy of an arachnid disposition. However, this time around Respawn Entertainment has taken mercy on us by including a handy option that will allow players to eradicate the arachnid threat from the game altogether with the press of a menu toggle.

As highlighted by the Twitter account Daily Jedi Survivor, and independently verified by IGN, Respawn Entertainment has included an arachnophobia option, which will allow you to remove spider-like enemies from the game entirely.

Naughty Dog has released a 25GB patch for The Last of Us Part 1 on PC — its seventh update since the port was released just one month ago.

The Last of Us Part I v1.0.4.0 targets framerate issues by further optimizing GPU and CPU performance and adding a new option to adjust the texture streaming rate, according to the patch notes.

Also among the 22 bug fixes and improvements are texture and resolution enhancements for those playing on low or medium settings, as well as fixes for several instances that may lead to crashing.

Naughty Dog says it and PC port developer Iron Galaxy are "actively optimizing, working on game stability, and implementing additional fixes which will all be included in regularly released future updates." Specifically, the companies say those updates will improve framerate, texture fidelity, and CPU optimization.

The Last of Us Part 1 for PC was released with numerous technical issues that led to poor performance and excessive crashing. Two days after it was released, it held a "mostly negative" rating on Steam with over 9,000 reviews. Now, one month and seven patches later, its Steam rating has been elevated to "mixed" with nearly 18,000 user reviews.

Here's Naughty Dog's full list of patch notes for The Last of Us v1.0.4.0:

Respawn Entertainment's CEO Vince Zampella has said he would love to make another Titanfall game but it's not on the cards yet.

Speaking to Barron's, Zampella spoke about the possibility of developing Titanfall 3 but he said there aren't any plans for the studio to do so at the moment.

He said he doesn't get fans' hopes up because if he says yes, they'll get disappointed when it doesn't come. However, if Titanfall 3 does come to be, it would have to be the right project and at the right time.

"It has to be the right thing," Zampella said. "It's such a beloved franchise for the fans and also for us. If it is not the right moment in time, the right idea, then it just doesn't make sense."

This reiteration comes nearly three months after EA cancelled a secret single-player Titanfall game codenamed Titanfall Legends, which is set in the same universe as Titanfall and Apex Legends. This cancellation came after the mobile versions of Apex Legends and Battlefield were shut down.

In September 2021, Titanfall's community coordinator Jason Garza said it was unlikely that Respawn would develop Titanfall 3, as it was focusing on improving Titanfall 2 and Apex Legends, the latter of which had quickly grown in popularity ever since it shadow-dropped two years prior. The former game fell short of its projected sales, but still managed to gain a cult following.

Xbox’s accessible innovations and developments have benefited disabled players for years. The 2018 release of the Xbox Adaptive Controller, feature tags on store pages, award-winning accessibility in titles like Forza Horizon 5, and even an annual showcase highlighting the varying ways in which Xbox and its studios are incorporating accessibility into their projects have put the disabled community at the forefront of Xbox conversations.

The newest entry in the Forza Motorsport series (simply called Forza Motorsport) has already been revealed to include numerous accessibility options commonly found in most modern games like control remapping, subtitles, and varying colorblind modes and filters. And now, blind/low vision players can experience a brand-new feature set – called Blind Driving Assists – a series of audio cues that provide track and vehicle information allowing blind/low vision players to complete races.

Speaking with IGN, Turn 10 Studios developers, an accessibility consultant, and Xbox head Phil Spencer discuss the development process behind Blind Driving Assists, the importance of community involvement, and Xbox’s desire to create an inclusive and accessible industry.

Microsoft has announced that the Xbox Games with Gold line-up for May 2023 includes Star Wars Episode I: Racer and Hoa.

As detailed on Xbox Wire, the two Games with Gold offerings for May will be available to anyone with Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, with Star Wars Episode I: Racer coming up first from May 1 to May 31 and Hoa up for grabs between May 16 to June 15.

Based on the iconic podracing scene from The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Episode I: Racer sees players climb aboard their favorite podracers and take charge of the controls as young Anakin Skywalker, Sebulba, and a whole host of other characters from the galaxy far, far away.

After taking an adrenaline-fuelled ride through Tatooine, you might want to soothe your mind with a trip through the beautiful world of Hoa. This puzzle platformer is one to get lost in, as it features breathtaking hand-painted art, lovely music, and a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere.

Issue 2 of IGN's Hidden Treasures column explored Hoa and how the Ghibli-inspired platformer was born from its creators' kindness toward nature and one another while trying to evoke the feeling of being a child again, experiencing the world with curiosity and fresh eyes.

A month ago, leaked images began appearing online that seemed to show upcoming changes and content for Bungie’s looter shooter: Destiny 2.

The leaks themselves came as no surprise to many of those in the Destiny community. This kind of thing has happened before. So many times, in fact, that many Destiny players have had an idea about what upcoming content would include for a very long time, with a trail of mostly accurate leaks stretching back years. But this time, something was different.

Previously, leaked information on upcoming content appeared to come from within Bungie’s own ranks, in at least one case where current employees were apparently fired for leaking and another where a self-described disgruntled, fired employee leaked a year’s worth of content out of spite (only a small amount of which has proven true so far).

But with this latest round of leaks, Bungie pointed the finger in an unexpected direction: its own community of influencers.

Bungie Identifies A Leaker

Bungie first broke the news via a series of tweets from an employee-managed account:

Breaches of this trust could result in our inability to hold more summits. We take these breaches extremely seriously and are taking actions to reinforce our policies with those invited to these internal meetings.

With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom releasing very, very soon, you’re going to want to have plenty of space available on your Nintendo Switch. Thankfully, Amazon has plenty of microSD cards to pick up so you can do just that. More importantly, you can preorder a 1TB Legend of Zelda-themed microSD card to have ready to go on release day.

This card is discounted 12% from $169.99 to $149.99 and is set to release on May 12, the day Tears of the Kingdom releases. It’s a 1TB card as well, so it’ll provide you with plenty of extra storage space. You can see the deal in full at the link below.

The Legend of Zelda SanDisk 1TB MicroSDXC Card on Amazon

This card isn’t the only themed card out there, either. Below, you can see a variety of microSD cards for Switch that feature designs from Animal Crossing to Mario. And, if you want to see some of the best cards, in general, to pick up for the Switch, make sure to visit our guide to the Best Nintendo Switch Memory Cards.

In the lead-up to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s release, there are actually several Zelda-themed items worth preordering. Right now, you can preorder the gorgeous Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED, brand new Link amiibo, and so much more that can all be found in our Ultimate Buyer’s Guide for Tears of the Kingdom.

From Software’s next game isn’t an Elden Ring or Dark Souls sequel. It’s a sequel to an older series that existed long before those action-RPGs took over the gaming landscape. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is the developer’s next game, and it’s set to release August 25 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. The standard edition is up for preorder now at all the usual retailers (see it at Amazon), but the Bandai Namco Store also has premium and collector's editions. Read on to see what comes with the game, plus what to expect from this blast from the past.

After weeks of speculation and rumor that the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) would ultimately approve the $69 billion acquisition of Activision-Blizzard by Microsoft, this morning’s ruling against the deal came as a surprise to many. But what may have been even more surprising was the object of the CMA’s ire: not Call of Duty, as many expected, but cloud gaming.

Call of Duty, and the possibility that Microsoft might make it Xbox-exclusive upon a successful acquisition, has been at the center of the merger discussion since the deal was first announced last year. But what many may not have noticed is that, at least for the UK regulator, cloud gaming has from the beginning been an equally major concern. And while the gaming giant has repeatedly promised Call of Duty to its console and PC platform rivals enough to assuage the CMA’s console market concerns, fears about Xbox’s domination of the emerging cloud market have continued simmering in the background.

With an appeal on the way that will certainly focus on Xbox’s position in cloud gaming and what that might mean for video games as we know them, let’s take a look at why the CMA is so concerned in the first place, and what might Xbox might do to satisfy its worries and get the UK’s stamp of approval on the most expensive merger in gaming history.

Gord, the upcoming dark fantasy strategy game inspired by Slavic folklore, will now also be coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S as well as PC (via Steam). It is planned for release on all three of those platforms this summer. Check out the console announcement trailer above, which shows the first footage of the console version in action.

Gord was revealed exclusively on IGN in 2021. Its creators have worked on both The Witcher 3 and Frostpunk. The development team at Covenant.dev describes Gord's gameplay as such: "[Players] will need to oversee their citizens’ hunger, disease, and trauma, nurture their faith and train them for battle, while also expanding their settlements – the titular ‘gords’ – and embarking on a variety of life-threatening quests."

Gord's survival/strategy gameplay promises to include building, a sanity system in which your townsfolk can totally lose it if you don't take care of them, handcrafted quests alongside procedurally generated levels that aim to keep your experience fresh, and more.

Check out our 2022 interview with Gord's director if you're curious to learn more.

In most 4X games, the achievements of your past civilizations only live on in animated discussions with friends over drinks later. Your Gandhi from a previous Civilization 6 campaign isn't going to come through a portal to save the day in a later one, with the scars of a nuclear war against Alexander the Great still marking his slender frame. That would be rad though. And it's a big part of why I've been coming back to Age of Wonders 4, as the rulers I led to victory actually do ascend to a mighty pantheon and become a recurring cast for future adventures. That's only the icing on top of a well-crafted fantasy strategy game with varied tactical battles and a near-perfect pace.

Rather than telling the story of many alternate earths or distant galaxies, starting over on a fresh map is baked into the story of Age of Wonders 4, where powerful Sorcerer Kings teleport between many different realms in their quest for power and glory. And the way this encouraged me to think about a given run as a more digestible, if not exactly bite-sized, six- to twelve-hour sprint helps to build the sense of lasting investment in the progress of my pantheon. It's a great way to do account-level progression that doesn't feel forced, artificial, or over-monetized. At least in the review build, I didn't spot any sneaky microtransactions. The tendency lately to add them right after launch has put just about everyone on notice for me, but so far so good.

In a surprise plot twist, Microsoft's Activision-Blizzard acquisition has been BLOCKED by the UK's CMA regulatory authority. We spend most of the show discussing the ramifications of this as well as what Microsoft might do next. Plus: we kick off the show with some quick impressions of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor!

Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 of this week's episode. For more awesome content, check out our interview with Todd Howard, who answered all of our Starfield questions after the big reveal at the Xbox Showcase:

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

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

What you lack in lucky five-star gacha pulls, Honkai: Star Rail may make up for in trash.

Well, perhaps not quite that good, but the new HoYoverse RPG has treasures lurking even in the dump. As Star Rail officially went live less than 24 hours ago, fans have already found themselves fascinated by investigating every trash can they encounter.

Rewards range from resources like Ancient Coins to an actual trash can avatar for your profile.

What happens when you repeatedly interact with the trash can in Honkai Star Rail?#honkaistarrail pic.twitter.com/g4IHDVOKPT

— Jiu Jiu subs (@qwertdwlrma) April 26, 2023

Dialogue exchanges with the assortment of junk vary, too.

In the video above, the boring bin looks about as ordinary as can be minus the whole video-game-inspect-this-thing shine. After a few bizarre interactions and judgmental expressions from March 7th and Dang Heng, the Trailblazer scores an Ancient Coin.

I think my favorite thing about honkai star rail is that all the trash cans have something unique to them, literally spent like an hour just talking to every trash can i see pic.twitter.com/F8qscodMTy

Diablo IV will let you skip its campaign with a press of a button, but don't think you can just bypass the forces of Hell — you'll need to finish the campaign first.

In the latest Diablo IV video titled, Inside the Game: Your Class Your Way, a brief shot shows characters being able to skip the campaign. That way, players don’t have to redo all of the story content again with future characters they create. Diablo global community development director Adam Fletcher clarified that players will have to beat the game at least once in order to skip future campaign reruns.

Lead quest designer Don Adams also noted that players can skip the campaign at any time, including at the character creation screen or after. Furthermore, he says that there are other uses as well. Players can explore different classes with alternative accounts before settling on a favorite, replay their favorite parts of the story, or grab a specific quest reward before skipping to endgame content.

As @PezRadar mentioned, this becomes available for your account after beating the #DiabloIV campaign once.

Each character can then skip at creation or any time after...🧵 https://t.co/yPph2CueUi

Sony has revealed the PlayStation Plus game lineup for May 2023 including Chivalry 2 (PS4 and PS5), GRID Legends (PS4 and PS5), and Descenders (PS4).

The three games revealed on the official PlayStation blog will be downloadable by all PlayStation Plus subscribers at no added cost from May 2 up until June 6.

Grid Legends

GRID Legends is a 2022 racing title from Codemasters, which features the documentary-style live action story mode Driven to Glory, alongside new race modes, a 22 player multiplayer offering, and a main career mode. In IGN’s 7/10 review we described the game as “a sure step up” from its predecessors that flexes the franchise’s 20 plus year history.

Chivalry 2

Chivalry 2 meanwhile takes a multiplayer first approach to medieval combat, immersing players in large-scale 64-player brawls as they compete over a range of objectives accross sprawling maps. Players can choose from a selection of 12 classes, each of which have their own distinct strengths, weaknesses, and gameplay styles. The PS5 version of the game also benefits from running in 4K at 60 fps.

We've finally got an update on the upcoming Alien film, which was shared on the official Alien Twitter account earlier today.

In a post for Alien Day — an online event from 20th Century Films sharing reveals and news about the franchise — we got a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the new Alien film from director Fede Alvarez, who previously directed 2013's Evil Dead and Don't Breath. In the picture, we see our first look at one of the sets of the film, along with the return of the infamous Facehugger creature, which lays eggs inside their unsuspecting victims to create new xenomorphs.

Happy #alienday everybody!

(via: @fedalvar) pic.twitter.com/uS2kH8TmcQ

— Alien (@AlienAnthology) April 26, 2023

Details on the film are being kept light as of now. However, it will be a stand-alone film unrelated to the previous entries. According to a report from THR from early March, the next Alien film will focus on a younger group of space colonists trapped on a remote station with a xenomorph infestation. The current cast of the film includes Cailee Spaeny (Devs, Bad Times at the El Royale), David Jonsson (Industry, Rye Lane), Spike Fearn (Aftersun, Tell Me Everything), Alieen Wu (Closing Doors), and Archie Renaux (Morbius, Voyagers).

The Tears of the Kingdom previews are live and holy moly does it look like it's going to be one incredible gaming experience. Basically it lets you call the shots, forging your own path through experimentation and your own wits. There's no "right" way to achieve your objectives. If you want to get to the top of a high place you could climb it or you could construct some manner of crazy contraption using Link's new powers and just fly up there. Or not! It looks absolutely bonkers and I cannot wait to see more, and most of all get my hands on it.

If you're interested in preordering Tears of the Kingdom, there's no shortage of places to do so. You can even save $10 by following the link below and using the convenient IGNZLDA code. On top of a discount, some retailers are tossing in cute little extras to entice you to plop down your money with them. For example, Best Buy gives you a free art print (a $9.99 value!) while GameStop is offering a wooden plaque. I guess they're hoping freebies will take a little away from the sting of a $70 Nintendo Switch game, the first-ever at that price point.

I was curious what Humanity would feel like to play, with such an "out there" premise – "the player wakes up one day as a Shiba Inu puppy made of light, who must guide crowds of people into a strange pillar of light," but going hands-on I'm happy to report it presents a delightfully puzzling diversion, bringing both classic puzzle elements and new ideas to bear in fresh and fun ways. I was drawn in instantly and had a blast reaching 100% in each new level I played during my preview.

Much like some of my favorite puzzle games, like Echochrome, Hitman GO, Catherine, & Monument Valley, to name a few, Humanity takes a single idea and cleverly iterates on it. That idea? Direct a steady stream of humans from their starting point all the way to the goal.

Humanity asked me to run and jump across stages cleverly constructed of blocks, swim through floating cubes of water, and use commands like 'Turn,' 'Jump,' 'Float,' 'Hit,' and others to guide the humans to the pillars of light at the end of each level. Various hazards like pits, moving obstacles (which will push the humans in various directions), and more were added at a fantastic pace as I proceeded, and each new gameplay wrinkle had me carefully examining each map, rotating and inspecting it to find a way forward.

At first I was afraid, I was petrified – I kept thinking "how could Respawn follow up on its outstanding Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order?" But then I spent so many nights playing the sequel finding out how they got it right and Cal Kestis grew strong, and I learned how to get along. And now we’re back, in outer space… okay, okay, don’t leave! I’ll stop. The point is that with vastly expanded combat options, bigger, more open maps, vastly more abilities to play with, and enough collectable stuff to fill a Correllian freighter, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is in many ways the Batman: Arkham City to Fallen Order’s Arkham Asylum. And much like the Arkham games did for Batman, nothing else convincingly captures playing as a Force user quite as well as this.

Especially considering that there’s no reason not to go back and play Fallen Order before starting Survivor if you haven’t, I greatly appreciate that the sequel starts you out with most of the powers and upgrades that Cal had already acquired – there’s no corny amnesia or other, “Oh no, my powers are gone!” gimmick to make you re-learn how to double-jump or use Force push, and no Jawas snuck up and stole away the climbing claws that make scaling walls much faster or the Scomp Link that lets BD-1 hack things. Outside of having to earn back your healing canisters and life and Force bar extensions, this is more or less Cal as we left him five years prior.

Respawn Entertainment and EA have revealed a slew of accessibility settings that will ship with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor when it launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC later this week.

“By embracing the disability community mantra, ‘Nothing About Us Without Us,’ accessibility champions from Respawn gathered direct community feedback to inform their accessibility design choices and options,” explained EA’s programme lead for accessibility Morgan Baker in a blog post on the company’s website.

“We realise that creating accessible player experiences is a never-ending journey though, and I am proud of the team's progress and ceaseless dedication.”

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has five difficulty options, ranging from Story Mode to Jedi Master, that can be switched on the fly as long as the player isn’t locked in combat. The game’s controls will also be entirely remappable, allowing gamer’s to alter controller inputs to best suit their needs.

Respawn has also included an option that allows players to slow down the movements of the protagonist, enemies, and the game world, in order to make both combat and platforming more accessible to those with different reaction times,

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is just over two weeks away, but we still don't know what's replacing the Divine Beast dungeons from Breath of the Wild.

IGN's final preview of Tears of the Kingdom has just been released, a point in the marketing cycle that, for most games, means we have a strong understanding of the main gameplay loops of a game. Though we did get to see and try lots and lots of really cool stuff, Nintendo is playing its cards very close to its chest when it comes to dungeons.

Breath of the Wild featured the Divine Beasts, which acted as dungeons where players would solve puzzles, defeat monsters, and eventually take on a big slimy boss that, once destroyed, would mark a major chunk of the game ticked off.

While the 2017 game is largely considered a masterpiece and one of the best video games of all time, one hang-up that players did have with it is its lack of traditional Zelda dungeons.

A mainstay in the franchise from the very beginning, these large, puzzle-filled areas usually presented the most interesting gameplay experiences of the game and were usually themed around a certain element or weapon. The Divine Beasts in Breath of the Wild were criticised by some for being a little bit samey.

It should come as a surprise to exactly nobody that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is going to be an absolutely massive video game with a staggering amount of things to do and see. After all, it’s the follow up to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, one of the biggest, deepest, and rewarding open world games ever made. But what truly caught me off guard with my time playing Tears of the Kingdom wasn’t just how much there was to do - and there was certainly tons - it was just how much creative freedom I had as I attempted to take on every corner of it so far. Breath of the Wild’s core philosophy was effectively “See that landmark in the distance? You can walk there!” In Tears of the Kingdom, it’s more like “See that landmark in the distance? Well, you have a hundred different ways to get there, and a lot of them might not work, but when one does, hoo boy, you’re gonna feel like a genius.”

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is by all means a massive commercial and critical success, but six years later fans everywhere are still debating over one of its most integral item and combat features: weapon durability. Well, we’ve played a few hours of the upcoming sequel to Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and it turns out it has some interesting and strange new additions and tweaks to the weapon durability system.

Let’s get this out of the way right off the Boko Bat: your weapons will definitely still break in Tears of the Kingdom. You’ll pick up low level swords, spears, and sticks, smack them against a bad guy a few times, do a little damage, and then watch your weapon shatter to pieces in the middle of a fight, sending you scrambling through your inventory for a backup.

With the clock rapidly ticking down to the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, we finally got some hands-on time with the game and shared our impressions here. But unshockingly, there's tons more detail for us to unpack.

We've written elsewhere about some of the big changes: there are improvements to cooking, ways to make your weapons more durable, and you can save designs for your more complex Ultrahand builds. But we also wanted to run through some of the smaller changes and upgrades we noticed during our time with Tears of the Kingdom, ranging from the reappearance of bombs to the ability to chuck most of your inventory off a sky island if you want. Here are some of the more interesting bits we noticed:

Bombs Return, Sort Of

Ever since we first saw the new abilities Ultrahand, Fuse, Recall, and Ascend, we've been wondering if the original set of runes (Statis, Remote Bombs, Cryonis, and Magnesis) would also make a return. We still don't have a firm answer one way or another on that, but we did finally get absolute confirmation that some version of bombs will be available in Tears of the Kingdom, even if it's a bit more situational than in Breath of the Wild.

Eiji Aonuma’s recent The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gameplay demonstration finally gave us an expanded look at Ultrahand, a new ability that allows you to pick up almost anything and stick them together.

The idea of being able to create anything that comes to mind sounded amazing, especially when we learned more about powerful and unique Zonai devices in our hands-on session. However, one glaring downside of the system ingrained deep anxiety: the potential that we’d have to painstakingly recreate these necessary constructs every time we wanted to cross a river or glide over a ravine.

After our hands-on with Tears of the Kingdom though, we’re happy to confirm this won’t be the problem we thought it could be because there’s a way to streamline building with Ultrahand.