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Xbox Game Pass is losing Headbangers: Rhythm Royale and four other titles on October 31. These upcoming removals will bring the total number of October 2024 Xbox Game Pass departures to 10. View the full article

EA Sports FC 25's third title update is now available for those on PS4 and Xbox One, with other platforms set to follow "soon". What are you getting with it? Well, a lot, including some balacing tweaks and nerfs it's worth being aware of. Read more View the full article

A new teaser trailer for The Monkey, the latest film from Longlegs director Osgood Perkins, will probably put you off those awful cymbal clashing toys for good. Read more View the full article

The Japan set *********'s Creed Shadows from Ubisoft is facing yet another controversy as collectible figure maker PureArts has removed a statue from ***** over its "insensitive" design. PureArts is "reworking the design" of the Qlectors *********’s Creed Shadows Yasuke & Naoe figure after some complained that its use of a one-legged Torii gate was offensive. "We recently released an insensitive design," PureArts said in an X/Twitter post. "We appreciate and have learned from the concerns brought to our attention, and we apologize for the harm this caused. "After reading and processing the feedback, we have immediately returned to the drawing board and are currently reworking the design of the Qlectors *********'s Creed Shadows Yasuke & Naoe. Stay tuned!" The apology post was issued 27 days after the figure was revealed. Torii gates are found close to religious shrines all over Japan to indicate a boundary separating the human world and the sacred. The one-legged Torii gate has significant meaning of its own, however, as one can famously be found at the Sannō Shrine in Nagasaki, located 900 metres from the hypocenter of the World War 2 atomic ***** which ******* upwards of 60,000 people. The new 6-inch Qlectors *********’s Creed Shadows Yasuke & Naoe is the perfect fit for any collection! Where will you display yours? Pre-order your Qlectors now! [Hidden Content] [Hidden Content] — PUREARTS (@PureArtsLimited) September 19, 2024 The shrine was destroyed almost in its entirety, with the only thing that remained being half of the torii gate. It has been preserved in such a state as a memorial to the tragedy. Some were therefore upset that PureArts used a one-legged torii gate in its roughly $70 figure. "The new six-inch Qlectors *********’s Creed Shadows Yasuke & Naoe is the perfect fit for any collection," it said in the announcement post. "Where will you display yours?" Incidents like this are practically commonplace for *********'s Creed Shadows as developer Ubisoft has so far apologized twice over similar situations. Some expressed frustration with inaccuracies in the game's depiction of Japan, leading the development team to issue an apology and say the game is not intended to be a factual representation of history but instead "a compelling, historical fiction." This comes despite art director Thierry Dansereau telling IGN Ubisoft looked to make the game as "authentic as possible to match historical events" just two months prior. It also emphasised its collaboration with external consultants and historians, but "despite these sustained efforts, we acknowledge that some elements in our promotional materials have caused concern within the ********* community," Ubisoft said. "For this, we sincerely apologize." Concern was also raised when the developer used a flag from a ********* historical re-enactment group in artwork for *********'s Creed Shadows without permission. Ubisoft apologized for doing so but refused to remove the artwork from a presumably already printed artbook available in the game's $279.99 Collector's Edition. The historical re-enactment group said this was not good enough, but Ubisoft hasn't publicly acknowledged it since. All this comes amid a significant delay to the game, which was revealed in May with a November 12 release date for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, PC, and Amazon Luna. *********'s Creed Shadows now launches on February 14, 2025, however, and Ubisoft is ditching the season pass model as part of a ******* shake up. This also includes bringing the game to Steam on launch day, instead of releasing it exclusively on Ubisoft's own marketplace and the Epic Games Store on PC. The return to Steam comes after Ubisoft admitted Star Wars Outlaws, which did not launch on Steam, underperformed. A 2025 launch will put *********'s Creed Shadows in more direct competition with PlayStation's Ghost of Tsushima sequel, Ghost of Yotei. This is also expected in 2025 and is another open-world action adventure game set in Feudal Japan. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot maintained confidence, however. "There's a lot of space for very high-quality games, and those two games can sell very well," he said in the company's latest earnings call. "The focus is to really make sure that we deliver a fantastic experience with this dual protagonist approach and two different and complimentary gameplays." Assassins Creed Shadows indeed features two protagonists, stealthy ********* Naoe and savage samurai Yasuke. The game's story will weave between the two but players can otherwise switch between them at will as they explore Ubisoft's open-world take on Japan. Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day. View the full article

Microsoft has pulled its $1 for 14 days of Game Pass trial ahead of next week's Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 release date. Mirroring a tactic it employed ahead of last year's launch of Bethesda’s Starfield, Microsoft has now made the $1 introductory offer unavailable. It was previously available only to those who hadn’t subscribed to Game Pass before. Microsoft is clearly hoping to capitalize on the release of ****** Ops 6 straight into Game Pass as a day-one title, and it seems likely that hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people would have used the $1 offer to blast through the campaign and perhaps dip into Multiplayer and Zombies had it been available. IGN has asked Microsoft for comment. The Game Pass tiers that include the release of ****** Ops 6 are the $19.99 a month Game Pass Ultimate, or, if you’re on PC, the $11.99 a month PC Game Pass. The $14.99 a month Xbox Game Pass Standard tier does not include day-one releases, and so won’t include ****** Ops 6. ****** Ops 6 is the first Call of Duty game to launch day-one on Game Pass. It comes a year after Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which has also seen the likes of Diablo 4 and Modern Warfare 3 hit the subscription service, and will see StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection arrive in November. ****** Ops 6’s launch straight into Game Pass is a big gamble for Microsoft. It hopes the power of Call of Duty will boost subscriber numbers and revenue (itself bolstered by the recent Game Pass price rise and restructure), but it comes with the risk of losing sales of the full-price game. While Xbox executives have insisted sales can be boosted by a game’s presence on Game Pass, some publishers remain unconvinced. Former Activision boss Bobby Kotick, for example, was always against putting Call of Duty into subscription services. Unlike Microsoft, console rival Sony does not release its new exclusives straight into its subscription service. In an interview with IGN last year, Xbox boss Phil Spencer was asked how he’d handle his and Kotick’s different ideologies after the deal to buy Activision Blizzard closed. "Well, there's a different person making the decisions," Spencer laughed. In August this year, Spencer admitted the pressure is now on Microsoft’s gaming unit to deliver following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. “We run a business,” Spencer said. “It’s definitely true inside of Microsoft the bar is high for us in terms of the delivery we have to give back to the company. Because we get a level of support from the company that’s just amazing and what we’re able to go do.” Microsoft has also cut an eye-watering 2,550 staff from its gaming business since acquiring Activision Blizzard, with multiple studios falling by the wayside. Wesley is the *** News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Decades before we got married and started a family, my partner and I connected over a little Boxer pup named Charlie. We tossed a ball around, scrubbed him down when he got ******, and took him for daily walks. It was a bonding experience — mediated entirely through the original Nintendo DS’s touchscreen. The tactile experience turned an otherwise simple game like Nintendogs, where the goal is to take care of virtual pets, into something that created a deep emotional connection. And years before smartphones were in everyone’s pockets, it helped show a generation of gamers just what’s possible with a touchscreen. Now, we mostly take them for granted, but prior to the arrival of the first DS in 2004, the idea of a touchscreen was, for many... Continue reading… View the full article

An upcoming *********'s Creed Shadows figurine has been pulled from *****, as the company says that it is "insensitive." The figurine originally featured both of the game's protagonists, Yasuke and Naoe, alongside a one-legged torii gate, but the design is now being reworked. There's no indication of when the figurine will be back on *****, or how the design is being changed. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: *********'s Creed Shadows map size, regions, and points of interest Is *********'s Creed Shadows on Steam? *********'s Creed Shadows release date, trailer, story, and gameplay View the full article

I've completed Resident Evil 2 probaby 100 times, and that's not an exaggeration. Some years ago, I used to speedrun it, which meant playing the entire Leon A scenario back to back maybe twice or three times a day. From the Raccoon City streets to the RPD building, the narrow sewers and the Umbrella lab, I feel like I know every inch of Capcom's classic survival horror game by heart. I like RE2 Remake, but the original will always be the best. With that in mind, and rumors whirling about both Resident Evil 9 and a possible remake of Code Veronica, if you want to revisit Resident Evil 2 now it's on GOG, a new, unofficial HD remaster mod is perfect for bringing layers of extra detail to one of the all-time greats. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Resident Evil 2 is better than RE2 Remake, and now easy to play on PC Resident Evil 2 finally getting a decent PC port, and it's here soon Resident Evil 2 Remake rebuilt with classic fixed camera, playable now View the full article

MultiVersus is constantly growing with new characters pulled from Warner Bros.' massive collection of franchises and this ***** may have confirmed that the upcoming fighters couldn't be more different. Featuring everyone from Finn the Human to Jason Voorhees, MultiVersus maintains its ridiculous tone by providing players with plenty of content to unlock that pays homage to classic movies and shows. With a roster that already covers such a massive range of fandoms, it's time for the game to begin incorporating some more classic characters one might never assume would fit in a platform fighter View the full article

Starting with the hardware requirements, Dragon Age: The Veilguard's lowest setting – 1080p/30 fps, graphics preset low – is pretty forgiving, asking for just a Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 3 3300X and GTX 970/GTX 1650 or AMD Radeon R9 290X. Read Entire Article View the full article

As you continue your journey in WoW The War Within, you might have encountered an LUA error or two during your playthroughs. Simply put, LUA errors usually happen because of corrupted interface files. Although it’s not a serious issue, any error can be an unpleasant gaming experience, especially when jumping into a new expansion. View the full article

Have you ever visited the borders of the ********* countries? Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue, “Natural boundary between France and Italy,” tests your geographical knowledge of Europe’s natural landforms and one of its iconic tourist destinations. Do you need a boost with today’s NYT Mini Crossword? Our hints and solutions will help you breeze through the puzzle. View the full article

The rumours are true: James Gunn's Superman film will feature Krypto the Superdog, and the reason why is honestly quite sweet. Read more View the full article

"Do you have a ping of 1000 or something," my opponent asked, during my inaugural bout of Straftat. Ah yes, this is it, that sense of unpleasantly intimate sheepishness. That's the withering late-90s chatbox scorn I've been missing, in this age of glossy live service multiplayer. I hid under a stairwell in order to meditate upon my response, then laboriously typed: "No, I just *****." Right on cue, the other player tumbled into view and shredded me with an AK. The player I met in my second match was more forgiving. "I honestly think the characters need more HP," they said, generously. My wrists need more HP, actually. My eyes and reflexes need urgent patching. Read more View the full article

EA Sports has released a significant balance update for FC 25 addressing some of the key issues with the game. Since FC 25 launched last month, players have complained about a number of gameplay issues that have made competitive play frustrating, including overpowered Trivelas (shots taken with the outside of the foot) and a much-maligned five at the back formation that was incredibly difficult to break down. Title Update 3, which is rolling out now across all platforms, addresses those concerns with sweeping balance changes to many aspects of gameplay. The accuracy of Trivelas, for example, is “greatly reduced,” and the width of the defensive line for five defender formations is “greatly increased,” which will hopefully open up space. Meanwhile, first-time lobbed through passes are nerfed, as are driven passes. There’s a general boost to attacking play, too, with attacking runs for AI players in certain roles given a shot in the arm among other tweaks. This will hopefully make attacking more effective in-game. Those annoying offsides should hopefully calm down, too, with improved AI player recognition of offside situations. Elsewhere, there are fixes for various bugs and improved referee decision making when calling for fouls and penalty kicks. FC 25’s refs had become the focus of ridicule for failing to give obvious penalties in-game. Last week, EA Sports issued FC 25's first live tuning update, which patched out an exploit that was ruining competitive play. Live tuning lets EA Sports roll out some changes without requiring a full title update like today’s. The developer said it can make tuning changes “faster and with more frequency while working on the balance of the game.” Wondering what's changed in FC 25? Here's a list of everything new - we've also got the Best EA FC 25 Tactics Codes to help you prepare your game plan, plus a breakdown of every Skill Move in FC 25 and how to perform them. EA Sports FC 25 Title Update 3 patch notes:Gameplay Made the following changes: Reduced accuracy of First Time Lobbed Through Passes including when performed at extreme angles.This change is most noticeable for players with high passing Attributes.Greatly reduced potential accuracy of Trivelas.Greatly increased width of the defensive line for 5 defender formations.Reduced potential accuracy of Driven Passes.Increased the frequency of attacking runs for AI players in the following roles: Shadow Striker, Inside Forward *******, Inside Forward Roaming, Wide Playmaker *******, and Wingbacks in scenarios with open space ahead of them.Improved AI player decision making when considering diagonal runs into open space, and when considering runs into nearby open space.Improved accuracy of shots taken in situations where the player is not being pressured and generally has a clear line of sight on goal, including 1 on 1 situations and open goals.Improved AI Center Back decision making when attempting to provide a safe option for a pass.Improved AI player recognition of offside situations.The CPU AI will look to further prioritize passing during build up play instead of dribbling.Reduced the speed of some slide tackling animations.Slightly increased clearance accuracy.Reduced Ground Pass and Through Pass ball velocity in wet weather. Addressed the following issues: During some long distance shots and corners, goalkeepers faced away from the ball unintentionally.In some cases, defenders could have turned and faced away from the ball instead of trying to intercept a pass.Right Wing Inside Forward AI players did not always position themselves as intended.Improved referee decision making when calling for fouls and penalty kicks.During a match, Half Wingers could not have changed sides when swapped with their counterparts in Team Management.Players could have sometimes lost the ball too easily when making physical contact during a Skill Move.In some scenarios goalkeepers were attempting to punch or deflect the ball instead of catching it.Some passes could have resulted in the ball traveling faster than intended.The CPU AI incorrectly ignored certain Skill Moves and did not perform them.When remaining in control of the ball after a tackle attempt by the defender, a requested Lob Pass could have taken longer to ******** than intended.Some passes could have been more accurate than intended.Improved animations that can occur when performing short passes.In rare scenarios, the user could have lost control of a player receiving a pass.During Set Pieces, an incorrect off the ball player animation could have occurred.Goalkeepers could have sometimes unintentionally dived the wrong way when attempting to make a save.In some dribbling situations, the CPU AI did not attempt to challenge for the ball against a user controller player.In rare cases, goalkeepers could have gotten stuck around their goal posts when attempting to make a save.Sometimes, automatic clearance animations were occurring outside of intended heading and goal line clearance situations.The CPU Slider for Skill Moves previously only applied to Legendary difficulty.Improved goalkeeper animations when dribbling with the ball.The ball could have passed through a goalkeeper in some rare scenarios.In some rare situations, players’ feet could have gotten stuck around goal posts instead of attempting to hit the ball.During Rush penalties, the goalkeeper could have sometimes moved off the line and gotten stuck.During Rush corners, players could have incorrectly positioned and continuously readjusted themselves until the corner was taken.In certain scenarios, the opposing goalkeeper could have been controlled during set pieces by all players in a match.During penalty kicks, players outside of the box did not always perform the correct idle animations.When a Free Kick timed out, sometimes the automatic action could have resulted in a pass instead of an inaccurate shot.Players could have run up directly to the set piece taker in some scenarios, ignoring the minimum distance they must keep.Sometimes, sliding or falling shot animations could have occurred unintentionally.In some cases, defenders going to ground could have applied more pressure to the ball carrier than intended.Addressed instances of player switching not functioning as intended.Ultimate Team Addressed the following issues: Attribute upgrades were not showing in the Player Bio when using an upgraded Evolution Item in another Evolution.A stability issue could have occurred when claiming Season Pass, Objective, and Milestone Rewards.After creating a Squad in Single Player Ultimate Draft, new tactics could not be created on the team management screen.Loan Player Items in Seasonal Objectives were showing as having 0 contracts, this was a visual issue only.Sometimes, the Objective notification would still be present even if all Objectives were claimed.A stability issue could have occurred after swapping players and then making tactical changes in Ultimate Draft.If a player forfeited a Rush match, they were not able to party up with their original group again with a new invite.In rare situations, a Player Bio can be displayed after returning after Pack Preview.After completing the onboarding in Ultimate Team, Learn and Upgrade was sending players to the FC Hub.Stadium Items set to active on the New Items screen were not applied.A Season Pass screen could have displayed when an Objective reward was claimed.Sometimes, the match result was displayed when waiting in the match lobby.In Evolutions, Role rewards did not display + or ++ symbols.Some Stadium Items were showing a placeholder image on the Item.In some circumstances, it was not possible to navigate to the SBC Storage.Addressed instances of players not being able to preview rewards in the Season Pass.Player profiles could overlap with Club Badges in the Rush lobby.Sometimes, a Custom Tactics share code could have disappeared.A player could have been assigned more than one Corner Kick Instruction.Sometimes, a Goalkeeper could have come up for a corner kick unintentionally.Addressed instances of stability issues when navigating SBCs. Clubs Addressed the following issues: In a rare scenario, an incorrect match result was shown when the opposing team left the match.Drop-in matches didn’t proceed to penalties if Golden Goal Extra Time ended in a draw.CAM Avatars could have been placed in incorrect positions when selecting the Any option in some cases.The Captain was not always able to interact with Quick Tactics.Highlights in Rush displayed an incorrect time format.After getting a Match Rating of 10 in Rush, it was not possible for it to decrease during the match.Addressed a stability issue when using the Reset Tactic option.In Rush, the pop-up message to join the team voice channel did not always display.In certain situations, a Waiting for Clubmates message would display at the end of a match.Career Mode Made the following changes: The Simulation gameplay preset is now the default for new Career Mode saves.Added multiple settings when creating a new Career Mode save, including the ability to disable Club Growth Board Objectives. Addressed the following issues: Improved Growth Plan logic for secondary positions in Manager Career.Addressed instances of social media posts not displaying as intended.Youth Academy goalkeepers had lower Diving Attributes than intended.Addressed an instance of conversations interrupting Calendar time advancement.Youth Academy surnames could have repeated too often.Sometimes in Manager Career, the Player of the Month award was not present.In Player Career, created Players were not always displaying correctly.Addressed instances of incorrect camera angles.Addressed instances of Manager customization not displaying as intended.In some cases, the Transfer tab could have been inactive.Improved some UI transitions.A stability issue could have occurred when ******* a Scout.Improved social media comment context.The audio for goal sounds could play at inconsistent volumes.Updated Youth Academy player body types.Addressed visual issues when customizing players.Addressed an instance of an incorrect task present in Women’s Player Career.Addressed instances of Team Sheets not functioning as intended.General, Audio, and Visual Made the following changes: Updated some art and UI elements, ******, badges, placeholder text, QR codes, kits, accessibility settings, stadia, audio and commentary, crowds, star heads, camera angles, and visual effects. Addressed the following issues: Sideline players and staff did not always react to shots as intended.During Tournament matches, an NPC could have appeared standing in the middle of the pitch.Adjusted the timing window for Suggested Tactic pop ups in game.Addressed instances of incorrect lighting.Sometimes after using the Rewind functionality, the EA connect widget can appear during gameplayWhen connecting online in Kick Off, Main Menu settings could have overwritten Kick Off settings.Some Tactical Suggestions did not display the Substitutions option.In Kick Off some player roles were not highlighted when playing them in their preferred position.Addressed instances of UI not displaying or functioning as intended.In Learn To Play Rush, the game could have started on a full-size pitch.[Xbox Only] The Online Seasons Leaderboard did not update correctly.In Kick Off, the CDM role was not shown as an option in some formations.When switching the player role from Goalkeeper to an outfield position in the create Avatar screen, the option to change gloves was not available.The Lob Pass Skill Game did not always calculate scoring correctly. Wesley is the *** News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Riot Games is going through another wave of layoffs. This has been announced by Riot Co-Founder Marc Merrill on Twitter, who announced the news through a written article on the social media platform. This statement starts by reassuring fans that League of Legends will be okay, before diving into the job cuts. Read more View the full article

I’ve never learnt to drive, and while I’ve always told myself it’s impractical - unnecessary, expensive, potentially dangerous for someone with undiagnosed but, I suspect, incredibly likely dyspraxia - I’m not sure it’ll ever stop being one of those quiet regrets; the ambient type that don’t really bubble to the surface much unless I’m watching a Noah Gervais road trip video, but just float there and make my mood like, 1.5% worse at all times. So maybe it’s just me, but there’s a sense of intense freedom and adventure to Keep Driving's Steam demo that belies its prosaic, tractor-tailing subject matter. The opening minutes are oddly silent, until Westkust’s Swirl blasts out from your radio as soon as you drive off toward your first destination - your mate’s house, to hang out and play console games. It comes on strong and sweet; a rush of wind through an open window on a warm morning. Read more View the full article

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft has pulled its $1 Xbox Game Pass trial, just days before Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 releases on October 25th. The 14-day Game Pass trial was removed on October 8th, preventing people from signing up for a trial and playing through the ****** Ops 6 campaign without paying for a full month of Game Pass. Microsoft first stopped its $1 trial for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass in March last year, before bringing it back and nerfing it down to just 14 days instead of a full month. The Xbox maker then briefly removed the $1 trial just days before Starfield’s debut in September. It’s not surprising to see the $1 Xbox Game Pass trial quietly removed once again, especially as Microsoft looks to Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 to boost... Continue reading… View the full article

In yet another devastating ***** to video game employees and the game industry, Riot Games has announced that it will lay off 27 staff members from its League of Legends PC development team and a further five workers from its publishing sector, making it the second round of layoffs by the company this year. Founded in 2006 by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill, Riot Games is the force behind the popular titles League of Legends and Valorant. View the full article

Fortnite always has something going on, with the staying power of the Epic Games battle royale (and its ever-growing roster of spinoffs) mainly based on its bumper content updates and themed chapters and seasons. These seem to fly past day after day, leaving many Fortnite players wondering where exactly the game’s up to right now. Here’s what Fortnite‘s up to in its seemingly never-ending seasonal story. View the full article

The Palm Pilot, released in the 1990s, revolutionized mobile computing and digital assistants (PDAs). It paved the way for smartphones, shaping many of the mobile technologies we now rely on today. Read Entire Article View the full article

Remember that time in the 90s when Michael Jordan retired and then un-retired from ruining the lives of his fellow NBA players' lives? Well, it seems we've just had a sort of video game composer analogue of that, with legendary Final Fantasy songsmith Nobuo Uematsu now having said that he's not planning on retiring from making game music following his work on Fantasian Neo Dimension. Read more View the full article

The first teaser trailer for Invincible season 3 is here, and it pokes plenty of fun at itself and its lengthy production schedule (oh, and there's a release date too). Read more View the full article

Fortnite players have an ever-expanding catalog of skins to choose from, with new cosmetics added every couple of days. These cosmetics are typically inspired by pop-culture characters, but they can also be completely original designs. While the origin of these cosmetics may vary, players love to classify certain skins as “thicc.” If you want to understand what makes a Fortnite skin thicc, and which skins you should rock while earning a victory royale, we have you covered. View the full article

Blizzard has released the full set of patch notes for Diablo 4 update 2.0.3, which is set to arrive tomorrow, October 17 on all platforms. This is, more or less, the first meaty patch for the game since the release of Vessel of Hatred and the start of Season 6. Read more View the full article