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If you're currently subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online, and you've been meaning to check out Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, this week is the perfect time to do so. I often forget about Nintendo's Game Trials, but every now and then one comes along and makes me think "oh neat, that's quite convenient actually!" That's what happened just today in fact, as Nintendo shared earlier that this week's free Game Trial is for the Ubisoft developed Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. If you weren't aware of Nintendo's Game Trials, it's a pretty simple system: they let you download the full game, free of charge (as long as you're subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online, so it's more of a bonus), with the only limit being that it's only free for a certain ******* of time. In the case of Mario + Rabbids, that ******* of time is from today, July 8, until the end of this week, July 14. To be clear, it's not just a demo - this is the whole game that you're downloading, meaning if you've got enough time this week, you'll be able to play the entirety of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, back to front, without paying a single penny extra than you normally would for paying online. It's actually pretty feasible too, when it comes to Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope at least, as according to How Long To Beat, it only runs at just over 20 hours. You might have a bit more trouble if you're something of a completionist, but for the person with not a huge amount of time on their hands, it's worth giving a go. Read more View the full article

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree sheds new light on characters from the base game. In most cases, revelations about characters in the DLC don't fundamentally change the character or justify their actions, even if it might result in feeling more sympathy for them. However, there's one instance where the perception of a character is completely different with the additional lore from the DLC. View the full article

This tiny PC is 15 cm (5.9 inches) wide and 10 cm (3.9 inches) tall, making it just a smidge taller and wider than the average smartphone. If that's not enough, you can cut the height even more by folding it from the center. It's thicker than most handsets and... Read Entire Article View the full article

What are the new Roblox Neighbors codes? Even in social hangout games, there can still be plenty of free rewards up for grabs. With Neighbors' low-key premise of simply interacting with fellow Roblox players, codes can be redeemed for extra helpful rewards like Credits which can be spent on customizing your house and avatar. Using other bonuses available in Roblox games is great for getting an edge on the competition. When trying to become the ultimate athlete using Basketball Legends codes or defeat monsters with ******* on Titan Revolution codes, for example, getting free items is essential to becoming the very best. With social sim games like Neighbors though, these latest codes will help you have more fun too. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Driving Empire codes July 2024 Roller Skate Racing codes July 2024 ******* on Titan Revolution codes July 2024 View the full article

Capcom and Tango Gameworks veteran Ikumi Nakamura hasn't been shy about her love and nostalgia for the project that initiated her into AAA development: Ōkami. And now in a new video conversation with Hideki Kamiya, the pair have opened up about Ōkami's development, including Kamiya's belief that its development team as a whole...could have been better. This comes from a new entry in a video series presented by Nakamura's new studio, Unseen, called Ask Ikumi. In it, she's been sharing all sorts of behind the scenes game development insights both on Unseen's project, Kemuri, and her own development experience. In this latest video, she sits down to chat with longtime colleague Hideki Kamiya, with whom she worked on Ōkami, Bayonetta, and briefly on Scalebound. Their conversation largely focuses on Ōkami's development, and the pair has a lot to say! The video opens with Kamiya explaining his notorious philosophy of blocking anyone who annoys him on Twitter by asking questions he's answered before, or not addressing him in *********. They then launch into a discussion of Ōkami's development. First, they discuss its original conception in a photo-realistic style. Ōkami was apparently first conceived while Kamiya was working on Viewtiful Joe, and saw work on the Resident Evil remake for GameCube being done next to him. He was impressed by the realism, and wanted to use that style for something more "light-hearted" than the horror genre. So Ōkami was conceived as a game about "healing." But, he says, the photorealistic style they were aiming for was a struggle to get working on PS2. With Ōkami in trouble, the team was looking for new ideas, when character designer Kenichiro Yoshimura drew main character Amaterasu with a brush. This design sparked a new visual style for the entire game. Not long after, the studio leads convened a three-day summit over a weekend to revamp the game, during which time the Celestial Brush was pitched, and Ōkami changed directions for the better. Ōkami was supposed to be Clover Studio's signature title...It was supposed to be a dream team with all the best staff in each section. That was the plan, but in the end, not everyone, but as the whole team, I frankly think it was weak. But even so, Kamiya is candid that Ōkami could have been even better. For one, Ōkami was supposed to have a ******* story, but the team ran out of time and ended midway through what Kamiya wanted to do. What's more, Kamiya has apparently been notoriously critical of the team that worked on Ōkami, as Nakamura brings up. She reminds him that at a party near the end of development, Kamiya apparently said to the whole room, "This team was the worst!" Kamiya admits it, and while he backs off his comments at the time a bit, he goes on to say he was "half right." "Ōkami was supposed to be Clover Studio's signature title," he says. "That's why we wanted to create a dream team. It was supposed to be a dream team with all the best staff in each section. That was the plan, but in the end, not everyone, but as the whole team, I frankly think it was weak. "It wasn't a dream team. There was a very drastic contrast within. There were certainly people without whom there would be no Ōkami. Those members shone brightly. Some of them really shone stronger even more than ones I had worked with previously. I'm not saying this as flattery, but you [Nakamura] certainly did. Naoki Katakai and Keniichirou Yoshimura, Sawaki Takeyasu, Mari Shimazaki, Hiroshi Yamaguchi. I'm really grateful, but when viewed as a whole, it wasn't a dream team." Kamiya elaborates a little further in banter with Nakamura here and later in the interview, suggesting that the issue was that the level of passion and enthusiasm for Ōkami wasn't high throughout the entire team, but instead was rather uneven. Nakamura acknowledges she noticed this, too. "If I think about the Viewtiful Joe and DMC teams, the passion was uniformly high," Kamiya says. "But in Ōkami's team there was a huge contrast." "Because all the users who played and enjoyed Ōkami, I'm sure they all think it was made by a great team, but actually, that wasn't the case," Kamiya concludes. "This is my honest opinion." The full conversation between Kamiya and Nakamura is fascinating and worth watching in its entirety. In it, Kamiya refers to Ōkami as a "********" (though he seems to be referring to commercial success) and notes that Clover Studio could have continued existing if it had been successful. Nakamura also states that Ōkami has had the greatest influence on the work she's doing now at Unseen with Kemuri. You can watch the whole video right here, and then catch up on our own interview with Nakamura from IGN FanFest earlier this year. Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected]. View the full article

They get knocked down, but they get up again, and you’re apparently never going to keep Eve Online studio CCP Games from trying to make an FPS set in the universe of their Excel(lent?) MMO happen. EVE Vanguard - the studio's admirable fourth ****** at it - was announced last September. Since then, it’s had several open betas and, according to a new and rather vague roadmap, should release sometime post this coming November. Here’s said infographic - more pork scratching-stained napkin scrawl than sat-nav. Read more View the full article

Over the last couple of weeks, the same old debate about what makes a game successful and how devs can hold on to that success emerged yet again. Some decided that Helldivers 2 losing 90% of its playerbase was an issue despite the live service game having a healthy 40,000 or more concurrent players each day. And now Manor Lords, the small city builder that managed to climb to the most wishlisted game spot on Steam, is also apparently showing cause for concern... Read more.View the full article

Cyberpunk 2077, as you might know, didn't have a great launch. Described (accurately) by PC Gamer's online editor Fraser Brown as "one of the highest-profile launch disasters in videogame history", the game had performance issues so bad on one console it was removed from its storefront, an infestation of more bugs than the cheapest motel mattress—heck, the thing was even causing seizures with no warning... Read more.View the full article

If you're waiting for news on an Elden Ring adaptation that isn't just George R.R. Martin vaguely trolling us via his blog, you're in luck. A fan-made anime based on FromSoft's creation has just gotten a teaser trailer ahead of its arrival this fall. Yep, you'll soon (ish, at least) have something ER-related to watch that isn't a very good lore video that may or may not be 100 hours long or a very talented streamer slapping up Messmer one-handed while having a snack. The teaser, which you can watch below, is for the fan-made Elden Ring anime currently being worked on by a team led by YouTuber Steins Alter, who decided earlier this year that enough was enough, they were going to make the Elden Ring anime a thing. Read more View the full article

Rogue Company publisher Hi-Rez Studios and developer First Watch Games have offered players in-game currency following their decision to remove all Dr Disrespect content from the third-person shooter. Instead of a refund of the real money spent in order to purchase the items, players will instead be refunded in Rogue Bucks, the game’s in-game currency. “Hey Rogue Company, we have disabled Dr. Disrespect content previously available on game,” reads a message on the Rogue Company X account. “We will provide full Rogue Buck refunds to any impacted account this week.” Read More... View the full article

If you want to seize victory in Roblox Rivals, you must unlock better weapons. Getting new items can be difficult, but luckily, there are usually some codes you can redeem to make the process a lot easier. Regardless of what kind of battle you’re tackling, ensuring you have all the best items is crucial if you want to be set up for success. Here are all the codes for Roblox Rivals and everything you need to know to use them so you can quickly gain access to some powerful free items. View the full article

Nintendo has announced Nintendo Switch Sports will add its planned Basketball update this month in its latest content release. Nintendo Switch Sports will add Basketball in a new update tomorrow, on July 9th. Here’s a rundown on the new update: Nintendo Switch Sports Basketball free update: Basketball is coming to Spocco Square in the Nintendo Switch Sports game […] Source View the full article

Are you creatively minded? Do you have a basic idea of fashion sense, know what colours go together, or know how to properly shade a picture? If so, you might be in for a chance of winning some cash, courtesy of HoYoVerse and the Zenless Zone Zero Drip Fest. The Drip Fest, an official Zenless Zone Zero fan art contest which kicked off yesterday, allows players of all skill levels to submit creative works for a shot at the top prize. Categories include graffiti, illustration, cosplay, music, or video submissions, all of which have their own individual prizes up for grabs. Those who take home the top prize will earn themselves $3,000, 10,000 Polychrome (in-game currency used to buy characters and other items), some merchandise, as well as a golden Bangboo statue. While not made of real gold, the lad does have his pants down, so it'll surely be something to display publically for the world to see. Read more View the full article

Just like the films, Star Wars video games are almost always highly anticipated, and luckily, there are already some games lined up to look forward to in 2024 and beyond. George Lucas' creation has blossomed over decades into one of the largest media franchises in existence, with classic games like Knights of the Old Republic and Battlefront standing as important contributions. Following Disney's acquisition of the Star Wars IP, Electronic Arts was the sole publisher allowed to release officially licensed games. That is no longer the case, and other companies have joined the roster of upcoming titles. View the full article

Disney Dreamlight Valley loves to add events to the game themed around current movie releases, encouraging fans to check out the new and exciting adventures produced by Disney. Their latest movie, Inside Out 2, reintroduces fans to the young mind of Riley and her many emotions, both old and new. View the full article

Gothic, Risen and Elex studio Piranha Bytes has reportedly closed its doors after more than 25 years. A former employee told CD Action that the ******* studio ceased operations at the end of June after financing from parent company Embracer Group ended and it ******* to find a new owner or publishing publisher. It was reported in January that Piranha Bytes was facing closure as part of Embracer’s ongoing restructuring efforts unless it could secure new funding. Read More... View the full article

To reach every level milestone in Zenless Zone Zero, you must complete as many side commissions as possible, even if they entail collecting worthless coins for a man living inside a trash can. Belle and Wise are swamped in Zenless Zone Zero. Juggling their critical duties of keeping Agents alive in the Hollows and running a video club, they still have to find time for random activities to keep those precious EXP points flowing. This sometimes means cozying up to the giant cat cop Officer Mewmew for medals, but other times, it’s just a sprint around Lumina Square hunting down HIA Commemorative Coins. In this guide, I’ll show you how to find every HIA Commemorative Coin on Lumina Square in Zenless Zone Zero. View the full article

It’s more bad news for Cities Skylines 2, which has now seen its console version delayed indefinitely. In a note to console players, publisher Paradox said the console version was still not up to scratch and will now miss its planned October 2024 release window, itself a delayed target from earlier this year. “Unfortunately, we have not yet met the stability and performance targets we set for the console release,” Paradox said. “Without a Release Candidate (RC), we are now unable to meet an October release window. “While we are making slow but steady progress, there are still unresolved issues impacting the game in ways that harm the player experience we want to deliver. We expect to receive a new RC, which will undergo a thorough review in August. This evaluation will determine whether we can begin the submission process and provide a solid release date, or if further issues need to be addressed. “We understand this is disappointing, and it’s not what we had hoped for either. However, we are committed to keeping you informed throughout this development process, even if the updates aren’t always what we’d like. “Thank you for your understanding and support.” We understand this is disappointing, and it’s not what we had hoped for either. Colossal Order’s troubled city-builder sequel launched in October 2023 on PC via Steam and immediately ran into a number of issues. But Cities: Skylines 2’s problems began before its launch even arrived. Colossal Order had warned players the game would release with performance issues a week before it came out. In IGN’s Cities: Skylines 2 review, which returned a 6/10, we said: “Cities: Skylines 2 is an ambitious sequel that might have bitten off more than it can chew – be prepared to do a lot of terraforming if you don't want your metropolis to look like a nightmare.” Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen later admitted the lack of modding support was the developer’s “biggest regret.” Then, in April, Paradox was forced to offer refunds for the latest DLC, with Hallikainen and Mattias Lilja, deputy CEO of publisher Paradox, admitting the heavily criticized Beach Properties DLC was rushed out in a bid to improve sentiment around the disastrous launch of Cities Skylines 2. At the time of this article's publication, more people are playing the first Cities Skylines game than its sequel on Steam. As for the console release, the plan was to release it in the spring of 2024 after missing last year's launch, but it was was delayed to October. There is no new release window. Back in April, Colossal Order and Paradox insisted that the team working on the console release operates separately from the PC development team, “so it will be progressing without splitting our focus or time.” Missing October 2024 means Cities Skylines 2 will now launch on console over a year after it came out on PC, which was clearly not in Paradox or Colossal Order’s original plan. Meanwhile, both companies are battling a disgruntled player base by releasing updates aimed at improving the core PC version. 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

Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer mod CyberMP has gained traction following a successful playtest in which 20 players ran around in the same Night City. The one-person developer behind CyberpMP recently invited YouTuber JuiceHead and others to test its multiplayer version of Cyberpunk 2077, and it actually worked. Though lacking proper animations, never mind quests, the mod lets players roam the open world together, engage in firefights, and race across Night City. This bare bones version of a full Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer mode is therefore a far cry from official contemporaries like Grand Theft Auto Online but may lay the groundwork for one. JuiceHead noted "no issues with lag or players teleporting around", and, even in a 15-player ****** match, "the sync was almost perfect." The mod currently lacks proper player animations because, as Cyberpunk 2077 only exists as a single-player, first-person game, developer CD Projekt had no reason to make the player look good in third-person. The mod is still in active development, of course, so there's a chance this will be added before it's released fully. The developer has already made clear it won't receive quest support, however, so the mod won't be as involved as a full GTA Online-style mode. That being said, it does have mod support itself, so there's always a chance other community members will work on additional features after it's released. It has no launch date yet, but as even this basic version seems to work quite well, a full release is perhaps not too far off. Cyberpunk 2077 players have longed for a multiplayer mode ever since CD Projekt itself announced it, but the game's infamous launch saw it canceled as work was instead focused on fixing the base game. It's not ruled out for the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel currently in development at CD Projekt, however, so players may have some hope for some official multiplayer shenanigans in the future. Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day. View the full article

I like the solo style of Cyberpunk 2077. My V is a lone samurai, stalking the streets of Night City and trying to atone for a lifetime of wrongs in just a few short weeks. But even I have to admit that the thought of causing chaos with a group of borged-out chooms is appealing. Well, the dream of many is now within grasp, as a stunning new mod looks set to introduce worldwide multiplayer to CD Projekt Red's latest game. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Cyberpunk 2077 mod makes Night City much more immersive The best Cyberpunk 2077 mods Cyberpunk 2077 gets way more realistic as CDPR launches big update View the full article

There's no Mercenaries mode and they cut out the clock tower - these are two good reasons why Resident Evil 3 Remake, in the four years since its release, has drawn criticism from fans of the original game and from players of the Capcom survival horror series as a whole. RE3 Remake is short. RE3 Remake removes mechanics from its 1999 progenitor. RE3 Remake reuses areas from the 2019 Resident Evil 2, and could fairly be accused of being a rush job. But with Resident Evil 9 officially in the works, one of the most maligned games in the whole zombie canon is now available cheaper than ever, and well worth your time despite what you've heard. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: One of the 'worst' Resident Evil games is actually one of the best Resident Evil 3 system requirements Resident Evil 3 has shifted more than five million copies View the full article

A Bloodborne fan used one of Miquella's Crosses in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree to express their longing for a PC port of the game. This sentiment resonated with both Bloodborne and Elden Ring communities, sparking a discussion about the game's future and the possibility of it coming to PC. View the full article

Here’s a pair of SBCs no one was expecting. The semi-finals of Euro 2024 and Copa America are just around the corner, but instead of a Showdown for these, EA FC 24 has something else in mind—the Jack Grealish vs. Jordan Henderson FUT Showdown. Both these players are English, and neither of them are even in England’s squad for Euro 2024, so what gives? The Jack Grealish vs. Jordan Henderson Showdown in EA FC 24 is actually tied to the EA FC Pro World Championship, an upcoming esports event that will crown the world champion of EA FC 24. View the full article

Time is running out to jump on Humble's latest game bundle for virtual reality enthusiasts. This Devolver Digital publisher deal sees eight VR games available for just 5% of the full MSRP. You'll pay only $10 for these games rather than the full $189, a saving that is too good to let slip, and you have just days left to grab it. Many of the best VR games don't often start at a traditional $60 or $70 MSRP, but the specialist hardware is where the biggest cost burden sits. If you've purchased one of the best VR headsets, you may want to supplement it with some great, price-savvy games, making this Humble Bundle a no-brainer. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Grab these eight amazing Steam Deck games for $12, saving $187 Get two of the best RPGs ever, and five more beloved games, for $20 Create any type of Roblox game using this $2,000 bundle, now $25 View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

With players enjoying new content in Wuthering Waves version 1.1, KuroGames decided to reveal the new five-star characters set to release in version 1.2—and the players love their designs. KuroGames shared marketing of the upcoming 1.2 five-star characters on its official X (formerly Twitter), leaving the Wuthering Waves player base in awe. The official post reveals Xiangli Yao and Zhezhi as new five-star playable characters set to release in version 1.2. View the full article