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Another week in Fortnite means new content is on the way, and LEGO Fortnite is receiving a big focus in v30.40. Here, we’ve highlighted the biggest new additions. It’s a busy ******* in Fortnite as we tick ever closer to the start of chapter five, season four, on Aug. 16. While things may be winding down on the Battle Royale side, it’s all ramping up in LEGO Fortnite. View the full article

A new ***** about Madame Pings gameplay kit in Genshin Impact has been shared and, while the information is still scarce and unconfirmed, it does sound like a big disappointment. Madame Ping, or Streetward Rambler, is currently an elderly NPC that players can find in Liyue. She has had many interactions with the Traveler, such as during Lantern Rite Festival quests and presenting them to the Serenitea ****, the games housing system. Her backstory has been explored previously, but there have been previous leaks about the possibility of Madame Ping finally becoming playable, like Xianyun in Genshin Impact. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Monster Hunter Wilds releases new information regarding the Focus Mode mechanic and how it can change how traditional weapons like the Great Sword play. One of the biggest announcements out of The Game Awards 2023 was Capcom's Monster Hunter Wilds, the next major entry in the massive popular franchise. Since then, fans have been eager to learn more about how this game looks to expand upon the foundations of Monster Hunter World, though details to this point have been few and far between. View the full article

Baldur's Gate 3 serves up a bounty of massive, complex dungeons primed to gobble up unprepared adventurers, but the one that stuck with me the most—even now, a year after launch—has to be the House of Hope. This late game dungeon shares the limelight with some other corkers, like the exceptional Iron Throne, but still manages to stand out thanks to its audaciousness. To mark the RPG's one year anniversary, I spoke with the writers and designers involved in its creation to find out how my fave came together... Read more.View the full article

A slew of new announcements will be made during the first week of August to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Five Night at Freddy’s series. From Aug. 1 to 8, Scott Cawthon, the creator of the series, will reveal new games and make some surprise announcements. It’s gearing up to be a great way to celebrate a decade of the iconic horror series. View the full article

Capcom has released three new overview trailers for Monster Hunter Wilds. Viewable above and below, the short gameplay trailers include a rundown of some basic movement and combat mechanics, including Slinger functions, and abilities while riding a Seikret, a mountable monster that can automatically guide players to their next target, among other features. One video shows off a new mechanic called Focus Mode, which enables players to carefully aim attacks or guards. It also highlights ****** wounds which can be targeted to deal extra damage, as well as any weak points monsters have exposed. Read More... View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Image: Nintendo When The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is released on September 26th, it will be the first Zelda game in decades with the titular princess as the hero. Nintendo has released a new trailer highlighting some of the new powers she’ll have and all the places she’ll get to use them. Princess Zelda will have the whole of Hyrule to explore in Echoes of Wisdom. She’ll traverse the harsh landscape of the Gerudo Desert, the calming waters of Jabul, the jungles of the Faron Wetlands, and the scorching lava floes of Eldin Volcano. And to get around the wide world of Hyrule, Zelda will be able to summon a trusty steed to her side, just like Link. [/url] Zelda’s got a couple of new powers that will aid her in her quest to save Hyrule from dangerous... Continue reading… View the full article

I’m a lifelong Marvel fan, and I’ve played Overwatch regularly since its 2016 launch, so I hope you can imagine how excited I was when I finally got my Marvel Rivals beta key. It’s a colorful team-based hero-shooter with all my favorite Marvel characters, so what could go wrong? I spent nearly two weeks with NetEase’s answer to Overwatch and had a blast, but Marvel Rivals might be the most audaciously derivative game I’ve ever played. View the full article

Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: New MTG Astarion Secret Lair is packed with BG3 easter eggs Why isn't there a Redwall MTG tie-in to go with Bloomburrow? New bunny commander drives 156% MTG card price spike View the full article

Everyone has a guilty pleasure game. A game that you know isn’t good, but you can’t get enough of it. All that matters when you’re playing a game at the end of the day is your own enjoyment. Regardless of whether the game has apparent flaws or crummy visuals, if you enjoy it, it’s good. An Aug. 4 Reddit post is full of these experiences as players discuss their favorite “awful” games that they keep returning to. View the full article

Marvel Rivals roster of characters is only growing, and Star-Lord is now part of the group as the game nears the end of its closed Beta test. He has a fair amount of good abilities and makes a lot of movement happen due to the skills he comes with. He is not quite as easy to pilot as others, but he has a high DPS and can do many fun things. View the full article

Elden Ring players have discovered a risk free way of instantly defeating one of Shadow of the Erdtree’s main bosses, Rellana, the Twin Moon Knight. The exploit works without ever setting foot in her arena, by travelling to the Scadu Altus area before visiting the legacy dungeon Castle Ensis. Spotted by X/Twitter user Ziostorm, players can defeat Rellana by simply casting long range spells while standing in contact with the boss chamber’s rear fog gate. “Turns out, you can cheese Rellana by going to the rear fog wall by Highroad Cross and using Flame of the Fell ****,” they wrote, referring to an Incantation which shoots a ball of *****. “It will travel into her arena and explode.” Turns out, you can cheese Rellana by going to the rear fog wall by Highroad Cross and using Flame of the Fell ****. It will travel into her arena and explode. - But definitely ****** her legit first, she's one of the best bosses in Elden Ring DLC. [Hidden Content] — Ziostorm (@Ziostorm1) August 1, 2024 Though perhaps not the way FromSoftware intended Shadow of the Erdtree to be played, players can access Scadu Atlus and thus the exploit by making use of spirit springs, explained in a video from YouTuber LaserBolt. Using a spell over and over will eventually see Rellana’s health bar hit zero, upon which the fog gates will fade to nothing. Players will earn 240,000 runes, a Remembrance to trade with Finger Reader Enia at the Roundtable Hold, and perhaps a slight feeling of guilt. Those looking to take on Rellana face to face can read IGN’s Elden Ring guide, which features extensive boss ****** walkthroughs, build guides, interactive maps, and more. Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

The Shorekeeper is a leader of the infamous ****** Shores organization in Wuthering Waves and an upcoming character set to make her first debut in version 1.3. While Kura Games gave players a glimpse of The Shorekeeper, leaks revealed her kit. Here’s everything you need to know about The Shorekeeper in Wuthering Waves, including her rarity, ******* type, abilities, and more. View the full article

Monster Hunter Wilds can't come soon enough. With crossplay, an incredibly mobile mount, and a plethora of new creatures to slay, Wilds is positioning itself as Capcom's definitive series entry. The developer has plenty of new ideas, with the brand-new Focus Mode chief among them. While we already knew the basics, a new video gives us our best look at the mechanic yet. It's going to be divisive, but it'll also be groundbreaking. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Monster Hunter Wilds release date estimate, trailers, and latest news View the full article

The Love Isle challenge in BitLife is all about having fun and living life to the fullest without having any regrets. Bitlife has unique weekly challenges that allow you to fulfill your wildest fantasies and face the consequences of your decisions to have a desirable life. While some quests are easy to complete, others are trickier, and you need insights to overcome your hiccups to finish the challenge. View the full article

All colors of the M3 Air are on *****, including starlight. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Wow, it wasn’t long ago that the M2 MacBook Air dropped to its lowest price (and that deal is still kicking, by the way) but now’s a chance to get the newer M3 model for its best-ever rate too. The 13-inch M3 MacBook Air with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is $849.98 (around $250 off) in all available colors at Amazon. And for those that want more storage or more RAM, Amazon is also selling the 8GB RAM / 512GB configuration for $1,049.98 and the 16GB RAM / 512GB version for $1,249.98 — each around $250 off as well. [/url] If you can spend the extra dough, that highest-specced model is ideal since it has the performance headroom to last quite a long time. However, even the base MacBook Air is a great all-around machine, especially since its... Continue reading… View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

A cute Twitter post from the official Minecraft account has sparked excitement and speculation among fans about the potential addition of new biomes to the game. The post features a map image that has led players to hope for the inclusion of marshes and volcanoes, two biomes missing from Minecraft. View the full article

Every so often, the fine folk of Resetera take a break from their usual schedule of complaining that video games journalists get all their news from Resetera, and post a Thing Of Beauty. For example: it's thanks to Resetera member AstralSphere that I know about Alistair Aitcheson's Magic Box and BizHawk retro emulation tools, which - amongst other things - allow you to play old Sonic the Hedgehog games in giddy parallel, shuffling between them whenever you collect a ring. Read more View the full article

Hello gamer. I have some bad news. It looks like the global economy is having a bit of a rough time, with markets all over the globe taking a tumble towards the red. It's lacking aura, as the kids say. Wall Street has lost much of its rizz. As a video game website, this may not seem like relevant news to you, but it absolutely is. Companies like Nintendo, *****, and Capcom have seen a decrease in stock valuation as a result of this historical ******. This article will go through the why of it all, ahead of what could be the starting **** of a global recession, in video game terms. Let's start in Japan, with the likes of Capcom and Nintendo. Prior to today's events, both companies were doing very well! Nintendo, on the verge of releasing the Switch 2, should be sitting comfortable right now. At the same time, Capcom has been on one ***** of a [Hidden Content] streak with recent games, and had sharp stock rises as a result. The ********* yen may have been weak in recent years, but even this was showing signs of improvement. All this makes it sound like it's a great time to be a ********* game dev - Kenzo Tsujimoto should be drinking champagne in a ********** suite. But he certainly isn't today. Capcom has seen a stock decrease of roughly 16%, Nintendo -15%, ***** -13%, Nexon -13%... etc etc. No matter how good a video game company is doing, it's been hit hard. This is because the problem isn't with the video game industry in Japan, but the ********* stock market itself! You've got the onion of economic downfall here - layers upon layers. As of market close, the ********* Nikkei - think of this as a single marker of overall market health - sank by over 12%. It's worth noting that the value increase of the Yen may have actually hurt the market here, as with it came an increase in interest rates.This is the largest drop since 1987 for the Nikkei - bad news! Read more View the full article

The Forsaken Giant is a challenging Level 60 boss you can try to defeat for different rewards in Once Human when you unlock a Phase 4 server. This hulking blight of nature is one of the game's toughest foes, with multiple phases that can be hard to overcome. You need to understand this creature's ******* patterns and weaknesses to counter its every move and take it down confidently. View the full article

The early 2010s were an incredible time to be a fan of indie games, with classics like Limbo, Bastion, and Super Meat Boy paving the way for others to follow. One of my favorites from that ******* was the original Volgarr the Viking – it’s a 2D platformer that looks and plays like a 16-bit ***** Genesis game, but one informed by the ways in which the genre had evolved since the 90s. It was brutally difficult, but always fair, and that careful balance made it incredibly satisfying to overcome its challenges. So it pains me to say it, but that balance is all out of sorts in its 2024 sequel, Volgarr the Viking 2. This is a game that recaptures a lot of what made the original so great, but adds very little to iterate on those ideas, and the few areas that are substantially different end up being changed for the worse. For the most part, Volgarr the Viking 2 is extremely similar to its 2013 predecessor. You play as the titular Volgarr, a mighty Norse warrior wielding an arsenal of weapons granted to him by the gods of Asgard, as you march from the left side of the stage to the right, cutting a path through hordes of enemies as you go. Like many older 2D action-platformers, Volgarr the Viking is defined as much by what you can’t do as it is by what you can. You can only swing your sword directly in front of you, either crouching to hit low or standing to hit high; you can’t control the direction or momentum of your jump once you leave the ground; and while you can double jump, doing so also doubles as an *******, which is occasionally not ideal due to the fact that some enemies will ******* back once you strike them. While that may sound rough, learning to play around these limitations is actually one of greatest joys I got out of Volgarr the Viking 2. Granted, a lot of it is carried over from the first game, especially because this sequel also recycles a large percentage of its enemies, but I enjoyed how often I had to get creative in combat nonetheless. You might have to jump backwards, then double jump forwards and throw a spear to hit an ****** that’s at an awkward angle, or make use of the incline of a slope to better line up a spear throw against an ****** that’s low to the ground, or use your double jump slash to ***** an ****** that’s directly above you. Enemies are designed in a way that really forced me to make use of every single move in Volgarr’s limited repertoire, which feels really good. This creativity in problem solving is true for the platforming challenges as well, which once again make clever use of the fact that Volgarr’s spear can be thrown into walls to become impromptu platforms. Enemies make you use every single move in Volgarr's limited repertoire. There are also interesting little nuances to the enemies depending on how you ******* them. Draugrs, for instance, **** to a single swipe if you hit them high, but if you hit them low, their torso will fly off their body and still be able to damage you. Other enemies will have shields that block their top halves, leaving them vulnerable to crouched slashes. Volgarr the Viking 2’s level design does a great job of playing to the strengths and weaknesses of its enemies, oftentimes forcing you to be patient as you wait for an ****** that’s vulnerable only to low attacks to climb up a set of stairs so you can get a clear shot on its legs, or find another way to deal with them entirely. Volgarr the Viking 2 also retains the first game’s tiered power-up system. You start off with no gear, and while you’re in this state, you’re like Mario without a mushroom – one touch away from ******. To be able to withstand more hits, you’ll need to find treasure chests, and every one of them you open will grant you the next tier of power-up. So if you’re gearless, the next chest you find will have boots, then a flaming sword, then a belt, and finally a helmet to complete the set. Every power-up you get acts as both a shield against a point of damage, but also a boon to your combat capabilities: The boots cause a damaging shockwave that covers both sides of you when you plunge your sword into the ground from above, the sword doubles your ******* power, and the helmet increases your ******* speed. It’s generally a great system that truly makes you feel powerful once you’re fully geared up, and rewards you well for taking risks by going out of your way a bit to try and collect a chest. Going through the first world, I was having a great time. The difficulty felt like it was in an appropriate spot of being tough, but fair; the levels were *******, sure, but there were now checkpoints that could be destroyed Shovel Knight-style to add more riches at the expense of losing a respawn point; and I also appreciated the quality of life improvements, like having the that sword power-up come second as opposed to saving it for the final tier. But the deeper I got, the less fun I found myself having – partly due to an enormous difficulty spike once I reached the second world, but mostly because of the way Volgarr the Viking 2 is structured as a whole. A Shaky Foundation Like the original, the campaign is split up into five worlds – plus a secret sixth one – with each world consisting of two levels and a boss. There were no mid-level checkpoints in the first game, but this was an issue that was mitigated by the fact that levels were relatively short, the bosses were simple, and there was no real penalty for dying other than getting locked out of certain endings. Volgarr the Viking 2 proves that ******* isn't always better. Volgarr the Viking 2 proves that ******* isn’t always better, with levels that feel about two to three times as large. While there are checkpoints, they come with a fatal flaw in that you always respawn without any of the gear power-ups you may have collected before that point, meaning the first hit you take will be lethal. And you're almost never given an easy chest after a checkpoint, with the exception of the checkpoints right before a boss battle. That left me with very little wiggle room to do any sort of trial and error experimentation in order to figure out a way past whatever just ******* me. ****** is also very punishing, as you have a limited number of lives and, once you’re out, you have to use a continue and get sent back to the very beginning of the level. There’s even a penalty for relying on continues, too. If you use six continues over the course of a single playthrough – which is very easy to do, given the difficulty – you permanently become Zombie Volgarr, which locks you into the worst ending and makes it so that you are impervious to damage. Basically, it turns on **** Mode whether you want it to or not, making you unkillable unless you fall into a pit. I’m sure for some people this might be a welcome lifeline in what is a very hard game, but for me, it felt like I was being forced to use a cheat code that trivialized everything after it. What I love about Volgarr is that careful and deliberate pace, and the aforementioned creativity that you must use to work around your limitations and overcome its challenges. And I just don’t get that when I’m able to bulldoze through enemies and hazards without caring about taking damage. I so badly wish that Zombie Volgarr was a choice, rather than something that was forced upon me. I so badly wish that becoming Zombie Volgarr was a choice. But it’s not, and I didn’t want to beat Volgarr the Viking 2 like that. But the only way to avoid being locked in as Zombie Volgarr for the rest of your playthrough is to delete your save and start the whole dang thing all over again. Which I did. Over and over again, for about 10 hours, making it as far as the third world until I eventually got to the point where any of the fun that I had playing those first few levels was completely sucked out of my soul. These levels are simply too long to rely on the player being okay with replaying them over and over and over again. Ultimately, I just resigned and played through the rest of the campaign in zombie mode to save my sanity. And just in case you aren’t familiar with my past reviews or overall taste in games, it’s worth mentioning that I love to be challenged in video games. I recently reviewed Shadow of the Erdtree and had no issue with the difficulty of that DLC, nor any other game that I’ve reviewed throughout my time at IGN. That’s not to brag, it’s just to illustrate how significantly the difficulty balancing in Volgarr the Viking 2 feels out of whack when not in Zombie Volgarr mode. There is a Practice Mode that allows you to quickly replay any level you’ve already beaten, which is great, but you still have to play through the full level first. You also can’t select a specific checkpoint or boss ****** that’s been tripping you up, either, which makes it unappealing as a way to try and master these levels before trying to unlock one of the good endings. It’s doubly disappointing, too, that this mode feels like Volgarr the Viking 2’s only big, new tentpole feature. Outside of the larger levels, the checkpoints, and a few quality of life upgrades, there are no other big new mechanics or enhancements in this sequel. The graphics are better, but not that much better; Volgarr himself has virtually no new moves, weapons, or abilities that change up his approach to combat or platforming; and most of the enemies are taken directly from the first game with almost nothing done to alter their behaviors. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Last week, we reported a slew of negative Intel news: CPU crashes affecting more chips than originally expected, a warranty extension to appease current owners of those chips, yield problems on the latest mobile CPU models, the potential for a class action, and an announcement of job cuts. In hindsight,... Read Entire Article View the full article

Ahead of The Last of Us season two coming to max next year, a new half-a-minute trailer has been released—which seems to suggest a character arc change for Joel. The focus of the teaser, posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Aug. 5, is Joel, who talks with Catherine O’Hara’s new, unnamed character about what had happened by the end of season one. She could be some sort of therapist since she asks Joel if he hurt Ellie. “No. I saved her,” Pedro Pascal answers. View the full article

We all need a good pillow to rest our weary heads on. As the NYT Mini Crossword says, you can add a “Decorative pillow cover” to liven up an otherwise comfy but uninspired pillow, so let’s go through the clue, help you with hints, and give you a good night’s sleep. ‘Decorative pillow cover’ Aug. 5 NYT Mini Crossword solution and hints One down clue. Screenshot by Dot Esports Hint 1: Fake marriages are considered this.Hint 2: It has one vowel. Hint 3: This clue is nearly a “shame.”Hint 4: It ends with “M.” I’ve given you four hints to get you on the path to the solution, so it’s time to reveal the full answer. View the full article

If you're quick, you can bag yourself a 32-inch LG gaming monitor for an incredible price right now, with the 32GS75Q-B currently discounted by a massive $150. This LG gaming monitor deal saves you 33% off a display that delivers you an IPS panel with a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution and a speedy 180Hz maximum refresh rate - an ideal all-round combo for a gaming monitor. With loads of the features we love about the best gaming monitors in the world, the LG 32GS75Q-B delivers a big-screen experience with speedy gaming performance and a sharp image for a new low price. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Don't miss this 34-inch LG gaming monitor deal for just $290 LG's new OLED monitor tech doubles lifespan, triples brightness This LG 240Hz OLED gaming monitor now costs just $597, if you're quick View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]