Arrowhead’s PvE squad-based shooter Helldivers 2 is one of the major success stories of 2024, with millions of PlayStation 5 and PC gamers opting to don the cape of humanity's finest to defend managed democracy and hold back the tide of bugs and robots seeking to sweep Super Earth away. The game's overwhelming popularity has understandably left some Xbox players with a deep sense of FOMO, with Phil Spencer himself questioning the wisdom of keeping the multiplayer phenomenon as a PlayStation exclusive. While Arrowhead’****** game doesn’t look like its coming to Microsoft consoles anytime soon, Xbox owners may soon have the opportunity to experience the next best thing, courtesy of the ‘Helljumpers’ Halo Infinite project, which is currently under development by a small team of creators known as The Forge Falcons. As spotted by Windows Central, this Helldivers-esque experience is currently being developed using Halo Infinite's Forge level editor, which allows the community to create bespoke content featuring a wide range of assets and AI enemies. The Forge Falcon’s Helljumpers project looks set to be a PvE experience consisting of eight semi-scripted engagements, during which players will drop into a map and strive to complete a range of main missions and procedurally generated side objectives while facing off against AI enemies, bosses, and dynamic events. Also we're awarding double points for the name, a riff of Arrowhead's title while simultaniously referencing the informal name given to ODST soldiers. Helljumpers | Reveal Trailer This is your first look at the map for *Helljumpers*. This map is NOT final and is expected to receive new additions, changes, lighting changes and balances throughout the development cycle. Helljumpers will launch in June, we are aiming for early… [Hidden Content] — The Forge Falcons (@TheForgeFalcons) April 30, 2024 Along the way the player will be able to call on strategums - such as a 'Mac Blast' strike, kinetic airstrike, and orbital laser - similar to those used in Helldivers 2. These, along with your gear, can be upgraded between missions. However, we aren't yet sure exactly how these will be called in as the Forge UI toolset doesn't allow for the directional code-based input system featured in Helldivers 2. According to the developers, each mission will be progressively *******, with every upgrade and objective completed during the campaign counting towards an as of yet undefined endgame experience. “We wanted to make an endgame for Helljumpers so the end isn't just '******' but more so an actual end to the experience that's way more in-line with a campaign that feels satisfying, rewarding and most importantly is fun through and through,” read an April 20 X post from the group, teasing the campaign. The team estimates that Helljumpers will take around two to three hours to complete for players who are largely focussing on the main objectives, or roughly five hours for those looking to take on all of the optional content. The Forge Falcons recently gave supporters a brief glimpse of the urban environment in which the campaign will be fought, while noting that the pre-alpha version of the map is liable to benefit from lighting changes, balancing improvements, and other additions over the course of the development process. The Forge Falcons are currently aiming to release their Helldivers tribute in early June, but have warned that this preliminary window could be pushed back by “a few more weeks” to make for a smoother launch. Prior to that, the developers are planning to drop a full gameplay trailer in May. For more Halo content why not check out our Halo Infinite Forge Guide, or read up on how one user recreated a scene from Hideo Kojima’s horror title P.T. in Halo Infinite with the help of the game's versatile creation tools. 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
After news broke yesterday that Take-Two Interactive is shutting down Intercept Games, players began review-******** the studio's final project, expressing frustration and disappointment at the closure. Heading over to the official Steam listing for Kerbal Space Program 2, its most recent reviews on Valve's digital storefront reveal they are "Mostly Negative." Further examining the recent reviews, you'll see dozens of players leaving notices for Kerbal Space Program 2, many expressing disappointment that Take-Two shut down the game's developer. Some commenters are warning others not to buy the game, as the project was released last year in Early Access and it seems unlikely that it'll ever see a final release. "WARNING, the entire development team has been ***** off. This project appears to be *****, it was barely making progress to begin with, it's over," one user wrote in their review of Kerbal Space Program 2. "Do not buy, modders will end up having to carry this if the community wants it." A Take-Two spokesperson reiterated in an email to IGN that "Private Division continues to make updates to Kerbal Space Program 2" and that the company has "no further comment" regarding the matter. The review-******** comes less than a day after it was made public that Take-Two filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice in Washington State, revealing that it was closing a Seattle office and laying off 70 employees. Bloomberg's Jason Schreier later confirmed that Take-Two was shutting down Intercept Games and Roll7, the studio behind Rollerdome and OlliOlli World, would also be closed. The studio closures are part of Take-Two Interactive's plan to reduce staff across all its studios. Last month, Take-Two revealed that it was laying off around 5% of its workforce, or about 579 of its employees, and was canceling multiple projects. This all happens despite the fact that, just months ago, CEO Strauss Zelnick claimed the publishing giant had "no plans" to lay off anyone, though did reveal it was undertaking a cost reduction plan. Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster. View the full article
Enlarge / New gods, same old drama. (credit: Supergiant) [/url] Here at Ars, we were obviously excited by the late 2022 announcement of Hades II as a follow-up to our favorite game of 2020. But when early coverage of that sequel suggested major changes to the game's core combat, we were a bit worried that the developers at Supergiant risked messing up the core gameplay loop that made the original game so satisfying. So far, it seems like those worries were unfounded. After spending a few hours playing through the game's recent technical test—which covers content up through the game's first major "boss" character—we found a confident sequel that keeps the original games familiar flow while adding just enough changes to avoid feeling like a rehash. If anything, the new systems in Hades II make the original game's positional combat more satisfying than ever. Spoiler warning: The rest of this piece offers minor spoilers for the early parts of Hades II. Read 11 remaining paragraphs | Comments View the full article
Dying in Gray Zone Warfare is punishing as you instantly lose your hard-earned spoils. However, that loss may not be as permanent as you think. How to loot your ***** body in Gray Zone WarfareGray Zone Warfare players have discovered that your body stays on the map when you ****. This mechanic means you can **** and then return to your body to retrieve your loot.Your loot isn’t guaranteed; if another player takes your gear after beating you, it won’t be there when you return. In my limited testing, the mechanic seems to be a little inconsistent, even in the PvE mode. I’ve ***** in the ****** Ops mode in the middle of nowhere, and my body has vanished by the time I’ve returned. It’s possible another player found my gear, but it’s doubtful. I’ve also read reports on the Steam forums of users experiencing the same thing. Unless the AI enemies rummage through your pockets when they beat you, your loot may sometim...View the full article
You don't need to go overboard with flashing rainbow RGB lighting to make a PC that stands out, and we really like this monochrome gaming PC. Inspired by the ****** and white ****** scheme of MSI Krait motherboards, Ricky Kemp built his first PC with a custom water-cooling loop, and fabricated several custom aluminum parts for the interior Thanks to our rapidly growing PC building Facebook page, we've seen many custom gaming PCs, from mods based on existing case designs to scratch PC builds. You can even submit yours for consideration right here. Here we talk to Ricky about how he made this ****** and white PC build. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: There are two rigs in this monster water-cooled gaming PC build This steampunk PC build is inspired by a brain in a jar This wall-mounted gaming PC is a metal-tubing masterclass View the full article
Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: MTG card price spikes 1,000% ahead of Modern legal reprint New MTG Secret Lair is so cringe that our teeth shattered Wizards gives all MTG commanders Partner for Pride Month View the full article
One of the major rules of automation is "The factory must grow", like it's some kind of gluttonous ****** whose hunger can never be satisfied. That's kind of true but not really; the factory is only as hungry as the player. If you want to set up each type of ore and resource using one miner, putting out one belt of the item to feed a single smelter or product refiner apiece and have everything come from there, that's perfectly fine. Granted, that means playtime will be in the tens of thousands of hours, but the real problem is that it doesn't look anywhere near as impressive as thousands of machines all working in unison. The factory must grow because it's just so much cooler that way, and that's as true for the giants of automation like Factorio as it is for the newest one finally released today, Foundry. View the full article
On Steam, Starfield—a game that launched only last September after eight years of development—is being totally spanked by Fallout 4. At least in terms of player numbers. In April, Starfield peaked at around 9,000 concurrent players. That's about 180,000 fewer than Bethesda's previous RPG. Last year, Todd Howard said that Starfield was designed to be played for years, and that he expected updates would keep coming out for another five years. Honestly? I think it's already time to pack it in... Read more.View the full article
****** in Baldur's Gate 3 is final—if you're playing Honour Mode, that is. For everyone else, returning to the land of the living is but a revivify scroll away. This is a streamlining of D&D 5e (the system the game's built upon) and its resurrection mechanics—which typically require powerful magic that grows costlier and more advanced the longer the poor sod in question has been *****... Read more.View the full article
Arrowhead Game Studios has released update 1.000.301 for Helldivers 2, bringing various ****** fixes and massive performance improvements to the game. Many players have reported a dramatic decrease in performance since the last Helldivers 2 update, but it seems that the issue should now be resolved. View the full article
Elden Ring fans hoping for even more expansions after the upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree DLC are out of luck as creative director Hidetaka Miyazaki shared some bad news about the game's future. Released in 2022, the community has waited for over two years to return to The Lands Between and while pre-release footage continues to look promising, some are already looking to the future. While FromSoftware is known for releasing at least a couple of expansions for their RPGs, with a few exceptions, it seems like Elden Ring won't receive any further post-launch support. View the full article
Take-Two Interactive, the firm behind some of the biggest properties in gaming like GTA 6, is set to shutter two of its studios as part of its ongoing "cost reduction program." Based on documents reviewed by Bloomberg, ***-based developer Roll7 and Kerbal Space Program 2 maker Intercept Games are in the ******* line. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: The Loadout's Game of the Year 2022 nominees: Rollerdrome Rollerdrome on PS Plus - release time, trial, and everything to know Rollerdrome tips - how to skate and ****** with style View the full article
Europa Universalis, Civilization 6, and Stellaris offer unbridled opportunities for conquest, but it's Crusader Kings 3 that manages to combine all this with a smart, domestic drama twist. Your 'beloved' family is a constant source of trouble - scheming spouses, warring siblings, and rival dynasties competing for power and control. As the Paradox classic approaches its fourth anniversary, another contender for the throne has just emerged. Finally available in full thanks to its 1.0 launch, it's already accrued extremely favorable player reviews, and builds on the CK3 grand strategy formula. Read the rest of the story... View the full article
At the start of Gray Zone Warfare, you’ll have to make the tough decision of choosing a faction. This guide aims to help you decide as it will explain which faction should you choose in Gray Zone Warfare and why.All Factions in Gray Zone WarfareBefore we get into which faction you should choose in Gray Zone Warfare, it’s important to know the difference between the three. The three available factions are Lamang Recovery Initiatives, Mithras Security Systems, and Crimson Shield International. The only major difference between the factions is lore. Below is a brief overview of each.Lamang Recovery Initiatives: Led by a tech billionaire and touts itself as a philanthropic organization. They want to help potential survivors in Lamang after the UN abandoned the island.Mithras Security Systems: This faction is a private military company that is run by soldiers. It is a strict and skilled group inspired by the Roman Legion system.Crimson Shield Internatio...View the full article
In Star Trek Fleet Command, codes are one way to give players a little extra something to make the game easier. Playable on multiple platforms, players will want to recruit various crew members and build a fleet of ships to send out from their growing bases. Codes are one way to make this process easier and build up your resources faster than you would otherwise. View the full article
The Forever Winter is an upcoming looter-shooter that offers a twist to the typical wartime game, making players unallied civilians trying to survive amidst powerful war machines. It's the debut from Fun Dog Studios, a developer founded by industry veterans that have worked on titles like Mass Effect and Horizon: Zero Dawn. It's a title that can never truly be won - enemies will always have the upperhand, but players can do a bit better every journey. View the full article
Nvidia is announcing improved GeForce Now support on Steam Deck, allowing some of the biggest and best PC games to run on the handheld without the need to worry about hardware limitations and compatibility ratings. While the Steam Deck is our pick for the best handheld gaming PC, we can also see its shortcomings when it comes to power, especially against competitors like the ROG Ally and Legion Go. Playing huge triple-A games is starting to become tricky, as seen in the Unsupported rating assigned to games like Horizon Forbidden West. As such, this increased support from Nvidia is welcome. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Nvidia's new AI assistant app is the first one I'm tempted to use Nvidia G-Sync guide - how it works and how to get it This pink Nvidia graphics card has cats, but it's too kawaii for us View the full article
Frostpunk 2 is one of the most anticipated new games of the year. Dark, bleak, and brooding, with intricate political systems and strategy gameplay, it promises a journey into the depths of social psychology. Appropriate then that its publisher, 11 bit, has just dropped one of the most original and strange games of 2024 so far. Combining Telltale's The Walking ***** with decaying, dreary ********* landscapes that feel reminiscent of Stalker and The Witcher 3, it's just hit Steam, and you can play it right now. Read the rest of the story... View the full article
Amazon has revealed its slate of free Prime Gaming games for May 2024. This month's freebies available to Amazon Prime subscribers include Fallout 3 and eight other titles. View the full article
The ******** of Arasaka Tower in 2023 is a massive moment in Cyberpunk lore, and pretty much the key inciting event that makes the whole plot of Cyberpunk 2077 possible. No wonder, then, that the ground zero of the blast—right next to the new Arasaka Tower—is home to a sprawling memorial in stark, ****** blocks... Read more.View the full article
One of the chief complaints about GZW at launch is how permanent your Faction choice was. If you want to swap, you can now change Factions in Gray Zone Warfare — Here’s how.How to change Faction in Gray Zone WarfareAll players can now change Faction in Gray Zone Warfare, but it’s not something you’ll want to do all the time. The only way to swap Faction is to wipe your character and create a new one. This was impossible at launch, but you can easily delete your character on the Main Menu screen.Screenshot: PC InvasionOpen Gray Zone Warfare and press the Wipe Character button (pictured above) in the bottom corner of the screen. You can only have one character at a time, and the system does have a couple of limitations:Character wiping is permanentThere’s no way to bring a deleted character back, so make sure it’s something you definitely want to do before proceeding.Characters with less than an hour of playtime c...View the full article
The Epic Games Store is giving away Circus Electrique and free content for Firestone that totals to over $100 in value. Most of the time, the Epic Games Store freebies are standalone games, but there are times when EGS users are instead treated to content in free-to-play games. View the full article
The season 11 update to Sea of Thieves changed the way missions worked in the game. They were moved from various points of the map. With the reworked system, you can now buy, start, and complete quests all from the comfort of your own ship in Sea of Thieves.How quests work in Sea of ThievesRather than having to blast all around the place to buy the various quests in Sea of Thieves, the whole process is now managed by the Quest Table. This all-in-one location can be found in the captain’s quarters of your ship. This streamlines game sessions massively, making for more action and less faffing.Image: RareThe Quest Table is where you can start everything from Tall Tales to Voyages. This area allows you to buy, start, and then complete the various Sea of Thieves quests quickly and easily. Simply head to the table. Here, select what you want to do from the extensive list. Finally, you embark on your adventure. Once completed, turn your mission in at the Table for your r...View the full article
A new live-action adaptation of Masters of the Universe has been in the works for what feels like forever, but it's now getting close to finally happening, and Amazon MGM Studios is backing it - with some interesting talent attached. After Netflix shut down costly development on the movie last year, Mattel was quick to team up with Amazon to give the project yet another refresh (it's been floating around since 2017). This makes sense, as the toy giant has been trying to get as many projects based on its IPs as possible off the ground ever since Barbie defied all our collective expectations last year and broke box office records. Deadline shared the exclusive news that Kubo and the Two Strings and Bumblebee director Travis Knight was circling the project earlier this year. Now, Variety is reporting that Mattel Films and Amazon have dated the movie for a theatrical release on June 5, 2026, meaning they're quite serious about the current iteration of the project, which is written by Knight's partner Chris Butler (ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings). Read more View the full article
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Arrowhead’s PvE squad-based shooter Helldivers 2 is one of the major success stories of 2024, with millions of PlayStation 5 and PC gamers opting to don the cape of humanity's finest to defend managed democracy and hold back the tide of bugs and robots seeking to sweep Super Earth away. The game's overwhelming popularity has understandably left some Xbox players with a deep sense of FOMO, with Phil Spencer himself questioning the wisdom of keeping the multiplayer phenomenon as a PlayStation exclusive. While Arrowhead’****** game doesn’t look like its coming to Microsoft consoles anytime soon, Xbox owners may soon have the opportunity to experience the next best thing, courtesy of the ‘Helljumpers’ Halo Infinite project, which is currently under development by a small team of creators known as The Forge Falcons. As spotted by Windows Central, this Helldivers-esque experience is currently being developed using Halo Infinite's Forge level editor, which allows the community to create bespoke content featuring a wide range of assets and AI enemies. The Forge Falcon’s Helljumpers project looks set to be a PvE experience consisting of eight semi-scripted engagements, during which players will drop into a map and strive to complete a range of main missions and procedurally generated side objectives while facing off against AI enemies, bosses, and dynamic events. Also we're awarding double points for the name, a riff of Arrowhead's title while simultaniously referencing the informal name given to ODST soldiers. Helljumpers | Reveal Trailer This is your first look at the map for *Helljumpers*. This map is NOT final and is expected to receive new additions, changes, lighting changes and balances throughout the development cycle. Helljumpers will launch in June, we are aiming for early… [Hidden Content] — The Forge Falcons (@TheForgeFalcons) April 30, 2024 Along the way the player will be able to call on strategums - such as a 'Mac Blast' strike, kinetic airstrike, and orbital laser - similar to those used in Helldivers 2. These, along with your gear, can be upgraded between missions. However, we aren't yet sure exactly how these will be called in as the Forge UI toolset doesn't allow for the directional code-based input system featured in Helldivers 2. According to the developers, each mission will be progressively *******, with every upgrade and objective completed during the campaign counting towards an as of yet undefined endgame experience. “We wanted to make an endgame for Helljumpers so the end isn't just '******' but more so an actual end to the experience that's way more in-line with a campaign that feels satisfying, rewarding and most importantly is fun through and through,” read an April 20 X post from the group, teasing the campaign. The team estimates that Helljumpers will take around two to three hours to complete for players who are largely focussing on the main objectives, or roughly five hours for those looking to take on all of the optional content. The Forge Falcons recently gave supporters a brief glimpse of the urban environment in which the campaign will be fought, while noting that the pre-alpha version of the map is liable to benefit from lighting changes, balancing improvements, and other additions over the course of the development process. The Forge Falcons are currently aiming to release their Helldivers tribute in early June, but have warned that this preliminary window could be pushed back by “a few more weeks” to make for a smoother launch. Prior to that, the developers are planning to drop a full gameplay trailer in May. For more Halo content why not check out our Halo Infinite Forge Guide, or read up on how one user recreated a scene from Hideo Kojima’s horror title P.T. in Halo Infinite with the help of the game's versatile creation tools. 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