The more things change, the more they stay the same. Men of War 2 layers in new deck-building elements and some shiny graphics alongside a wedge of singleplayer and multiplayer options but, beyond that, this sequel is the same as the franchise ever was: brutal, shocking ********* that can see scores of your forces wiped out in an instant... Read more.View the full article
Wayfinder, currently a free-to-play RPG developed by Airship Syndicate, is undergoing a pretty drastic change in its upcoming Echoes patch. Right now it's a live-service game with microtransactions, but soon it'll continue as a paid co-op RPG with no in-game monetisation. And that's alongside promised tweaks to how progression works, too. Huh. It's often you see paid games go free-to-play, but this is an unexpected switcheroo. Read more View the full article
Ubisoft has said its Call of Duty rival XDefiant does not feature skill-based matchmaking in its casual playlist. For years, skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) has been the hottest of topics within the Call of Duty community, with some proclaiming it ruins the experience, others saying quite the opposite. High-skilled Call of Duty players often bemoan SBMM for chucking them into what they call “sweaty” lobbies full of similarly high-skilled players. Activision has defended its use, insisting skill in matchmaking means all players (regardless of skill level) are more likely to experience wins and losses more proportionately. “We use player performance to ensure that the disparity between the most skilled player in the lobby and the least skilled player in the lobby isn’t so vast that players feel their match is a waste of time,” Activision said earlier this year. “Our data shows that when lower skill players are consistently on the losing end, they are likely to quit matches in progress or stop playing altogether,” Activision continued. “This has an effect on the player pool. A smaller player pool means wait times for matches increase and connections may not be as strong as they should be. This can compound over time to create a spiral effect. Eventually, when only high-skilled players remain because lower skilled players have quit out of frustration, the result is an ecosystem that is worse overall for everyone. “Game data indicates that having some limitations on the disparity of skill across the players in a match makes for a healthier ecosystem. We also understand that many high skill players want more variety of experience, but often feel like they only get the ‘sweatiest’ of lobbies. We have heard this feedback clearly and will continue to test and actively explore ways to mitigate this concern.” "Frankly, skill-based matchmaking means every casual game is repetitive. Ubisoft, though, clearly has a very different philosophy for its free-to-play first-person shooter, which it outlined in a blog post. “The most important thing to know is — there is no skill-based matchmaking in our casual playlist,” Ubisoft confirmed. “We believe that no SBMM is paramount to a fun and varied game experience in the long-term. Frankly, skill-based matchmaking means every casual game is repetitive — constantly repeating matches that are just as stressful and matched as ranked. We believe casual playlist should be fun and no SBMM is the way to do that. If you want that competitive every second counts go all out playstyle — you'll find our ranked mode to your liking.” Ubisoft’s stance on SBMM makes for a clear distinction between XDefiant and Call of Duty multiplayer, and is sure to go down well with a subset of ********* competitive FPS fans. Ubisoft has been keen to attract disgruntled Call of Duty fans with a number of crowd-pleasing design decisions as it works to wrestle players away from Activision’s behemoth. Indeed, XDefiant developer Ubisoft San Francisco is helmed by Mark Rubin, a former Call of Duty executive producer at Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward. After a number of delays, XDefiant’s pre-season launches May 21 on PC via Ubisoft Connect, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. The game is not set to launch on Steam or the Epic Games Store. 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
Honkai: Star Rail has revealed new enemies that players will encounter in version 2.2. Earlier this month, Honkai: Star Rail released the version 2.2 update, which offers a variety of content, including missions, events, and banners. The game's latest update has introduced players to a five-star character, Robin, who treads on the Harmony path and specializes in dealing physical damage. In addition, it has brought Topaz's rerun banner, which will be obtainable until May 29. View the full article
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Baldur's Gate 3 players looking to spice up their next playthrough with a small treasure trove of new items are in luck because a new mod aims to do just that. Larian Studios' massive RPG is already filled to the brim with unique items and tools that can have a significant impact on how Tav and the party explore the Forgotten Realms but, like most fans, most users will eventually want to experience even more. Fortunately, the Baldur's Gate 3 modding community is up to the task with an excellent add-on to introduce more variety to players' inventories. View the full article
Both the chips are aimed at gamers on a budget and come with relatively affordable price tags. While the 8700F is priced at $269, the 8400F costs just $169. However, the affordability comes with a compromise, as they miss out on the integrated graphics found on the Ryzen 8000G processors.... Read Entire Article View the full article
The Xbox Game Pass catalog has expanded to include Chants of Sennaar. This is the fifth title to hit the service in May 2024, as well as the 63rd new Xbox Game Pass addition since the turn of the year. View the full article
Ubisoft's upcoming multiplayer shooter XDefiant won't have skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) in casual modes. The developer wants a "fun and varied game experience in the long-term," and believes that removing SBMM from casual playlists can help with variety, while a ranked mode can still offer a challenge. With XDefiant around the corner, this change should go down well, as it'll split players between those desiring a fair challenge, and others just looking for a quick, chaotic game. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: XDefiant release date, trailers, gameplay, and latest news XDefiant, Ubisoft's F2P arena shooter, finally launches this month How to get into the XDefiant stress test View the full article
Diablo 4 Season 4 is here, bringing the much-touted 'Loot Reborn' update to the Blizzard RPG. It's just what the game needed to kickstart its heart after a lackluster third season, with a complete rework to the way gear is designed and changes to everything from early leveling through to the endgame. However, a couple of early problems are causing issues for players, including a ****** that Blizzard says it believes to be an issue with new Nvidia graphics cards and a bug causing players to lose their valuable Resplendent Sparks. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: After Diablo 4, it looks like a new Blizzard game is in the works Best cross platform games 2024 Diablo 4 DLC release date window - Vessel of Hatred news and updates View the full article
In an earnings letter for Q1 2024, Nexon revealed that THE FINALS’ season two launch saw only a short-lived player count increase and delivered lower-than-expected retention and revenue. For reasons unbeknown to Nexon, players simply aren’t interested in playing THE FINALS long-term, and the publisher is trying to figure out why. As stated by Nexon in its earnings report: View the full article
The Phase 1 and Phase 2 character banners for Honkai: Star Rail 2.3 have allegedly leaked, indicating what players may expect from the two periods in the update and hinting at what may end up being a very difficult choice. Version 2.3 is the next patch in the turn-based RPGs schedule and it will continue adding content, including new playable characters. The games next destination is likely still several months away, as the main story quests in Penacony have just ended with the release of Version 2.2, the same patch that added Robin and Boothill in Honkai: Star Rail. View the full article
By dominating the advanced AI hardware space, Nvidia has seen its share price catapult from $289 in May last year to $913 today. Team Green's $2.28 trillion market cap makes it the third largest company in the world behind Apple ($2.87 trillion) and Microsoft ($3.09 trillion). Read Entire Article View the full article
It's already been a few years since the first Mortal Kombat movie, but Warner Bros. has finally set a date for its sequel. While 2021's Mortal Kombat isn't the first live-action adaptation of the classic fighting game series, it's probably technically the best one, and it was generally received well upon its release. It also did quite well at the box office, despite being released on what was at the time called HBO Max on the same day, and a sequel was greenlit in 2022. Now, Warner Bros. has confirmed the release date of said sequel: October 24, 2025, more than four years after the first one was released. That's obviously still a good while away, so you shouldn't be expecting a trailer anytime soon, but at the very least you can put it on your calendars. Notably, the film will also be coming to Imax theatres, which certainly implies that it will be a ******* outing than the first one. Simon McQuoid is back on directorial duties for this one, with 2015's Fantastic Four and 2017's ****** Note writer Jeremy Slater penning the screenplay (those two films don't inspire confidence, but hey, never judge a writer by two not very well written films, as the saying goes). The film will have a number of returning cast members like ***** Han and Hiroyuki Sanada, but there's some big names joining it too. Read more View the full article
So you've just unlocked Outbreak Perfected by completing the newly returned Zero Hour exotic mission in Destiny 2, but now you need to tackle the Outbreak Refined quests to unlock its brand new perks. Though perhaps not quite as horrible as it used to be, this exotic mission is still very challenging, especially if you're not familiar with its puzzles and lovely little quirks like the murderous cleaning ****, TR3-VR... Read more.View the full article
r/Games has opened a five-year time capsule containing thoughts and predictions for the future of gaming made by posters back in 2019, and it’s hard not to be impressed by how accurate some of the predictions are. The time capsule asked the Reddit community a series of questions about what the gaming landscape would look like in five years, including their predictions for the three major publishers, PC, and third-party game makers like EA. Some of the theories give credence to the idea that time travelers exist among us—while others make us question just how bad the industry has gotten over the past five years. View the full article
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Ok. So, Yoko Taro and a couple of the other key people behind the NieR games have cheekily teased a new project that they're working on together, very much leaving it up in the air as to whether the thing is related to NieR or not. Seriously, the quote even has the word 'laughs' in it in brackets, who knows what they're cooking. Speaking in a Famitsu interview (thanks, Gematsu), NieR series producer Yosuke Saito was the one that did the teasing about the project, which involves him, director Yoko Taro and composer Keiichi Okabe. "I’ve been talking about wanting to do something with Yoko and Okabe for some time now," Saito said, "I’ll have something a bit more put-together to say in the not-too-distant future, so please stay tuned. It might be Nier, it might not be Nier. (Laughs.) That’s about all I can say for now." Read more View the full article
Not every superteam in esports works, especially in Counter-Strike 2. Lately, one squad has been fumbling massively, and CS2 players are thoroughly enjoying it. Team Falcons assembled a CS2https://dotesports.com/counter-strikesuperteam by the end of 2023, bringing in ENCE core of Snappi, maden, and SunPayus, alongside Magisk, BOROS, and coach zonic. After falling short at the beginning of 2024, the team had to make some roster changes, and things aren’t looking much better, since Falcons have won only two of their last 10 series. View the full article
Disney has finally given Daredevil: Born again a new release window, but after all the reshoots, it's sounding like there'll be a whole lot less episodes to expect. Yesterday, the house of mouse confirmed that Daredevil: Born Again will be coming to Disney+ March 2025, a whole year later than it was originally set to premiere. A trailer was also shown behind closed doors, so unfortunately there's nothing for you to see today, though IGN was able to share what takes place in it. It shows Matt Murdock once again wearing the iconic Daredevil suit while narrating that the "entire system is against you... it's often Davis vs. Goliath." There are apparently some glimpses of Kingpin, Foggy, and Karen too, and after an action sequence, Murdock is asked "what kind of lawyer are you?" to which he retorts "a really good one" while putting on a broken pair of his glasses. Daredevil: Born Again underwent a huge series of reshoots earlier this year, after Marvel announced that the series would be getting a major overhaul last year. This has seemingly led to the return of Jon Bernthal as The Punisher, and Foggy and Karen were only confirmed to be returning earlier this year, so clearly some big changes are being made. With those creative changes has also come some changes to how many episodes there will be. Speaking to TVLine at the Upfront red carpet yesterday, where the new Daredevil trailer was shown off, series lead Charlie Cox confirmed that they had filmed nine episodes, half of the originally promised 18. Read more View the full article
I think most would agree that the artist formerly known as Twitter has never been in more need of a thermonuclear cleansing. The Musk era has transformed what was already fondly known as a hellsite into something at once more obnoxious and sadder, whether you're talking about the web3 grifters or the resurgent debate-me cryptofascists or the recommendation algorithm's perceptibly greater enthusiasm for quote-tweet flamebait. Still, there are lights in the darkness. Yesterday, Graham pointed us towards a thread started by The End Is Nigh developer Tyler Glaiel in which he challenged other developers to "take a short break, pick a number in your code or data files, multiply it by 1000, and post the results". Other developers have heeded the call. Here's a round-up of the results that doubles as a watery echo of Alice0's (RPS in peace) old Screenshot Saturday Monday features. Read more View the full article
The Sims 4 is nothing if not a teetering jenga tower of updates and add-ons and DLC packs, and the latter half of 2024 will be no exception for EA's life sim king. Yesterday saw the release of an update to the base game's swimwear, kicking off the updates teased in the recently-revealed new roadmap, Season Of Love. The roadmap video's vibe is that it and its partner saw you from across the bar and wondered if you'd be interested in joining them, and it kind of weirds me out. Read more View the full article
While pulling on banners for popular limited characters is one of the gacha genre's most appealing features, avoid this fatal mistake in Solo Leveling: Arise or risk rerolling an account. The new action RPG game inspired by the popular South Korean web novel was released with massive success and over 15 million preregisters. The game offers players the chance to experience the story of Solo Leveling for themselves while building a strong party of Hunters. However, while most Hunters must be pulled from banners, the game is still completely beatable with the standard Hunters given out. View the full article
The producer, composer, and developer of the NieR series “might or might not” be working on a new NieR game, the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu has revealed. As shared by Gematsu, Yoko Taro (NieR director), Yosuke Saito (producer), and Keiichi Okabe (composer) discussed their future plans in an interview for ********* games magazine Weekly Famitsu. Saito explained they are currently working on “something a bit more put-together” that will be revealed in the “not-so-distant future.” View the full article
Enlarge (credit: Benj Edwards) Ars Technica AI Reporter and tech historian Benj Edwards has co-written a book on the Virtual Boy with Dr. Jose Zagal. In this exclusive excerpt, Benj and Jose take you back to Nintendo of the early '90s, where a unique 3D display technology captured the imagination of legendary designer Gunpei Yokoi and set the stage for a daring, if ultimately ill-fated, foray into the world of stereoscopic gaming. Seeing Red: Nintendo's Virtual Boy is now available for purchase in print and ebook formats. A full list of references can be found in the book. [/url] Nearly 30 years after the launch of the Virtual Boy, not much is publicly known about how, exactly, Nintendo came to be interested in developing what would ultimately become its ill-fated console. Was Nintendo committed to VR as a future for video games and looking for technological solutions that made business sense? Or was the Virtual Boy primarily the result of Nintendo going “off script” and seizing a unique, and possibly risky, opportunity that presented itself? The answer is probably a little bit of both. As it turns out, the Virtual Boy was not an anomaly in Nintendo’s history with video game platforms. Rather, it was the result of a deliberate strategy that was consistent with Nintendo’s way of doing things and informed by its lead creator Gunpei Yokoi’s design philosophy. Read 47 remaining paragraphs | Comments View the full article
Nintendo has expanded its ever-growing Switch Online library today by adding three classic Game Boy games for anyone with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. The three games are Alleyway, a Breakout-like puzzle game; Baseball, which speaks for itself; and the highlight of the three, the classic, iconic Game Boy platformer Super Mario Land. Additionally, if you can access the ********* eShop with a ********* Nintendo Switch Online account, you can also play Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru. View the full article
Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has announced plans to roll back changes made to patrols and spawn rates following a recent patch after admitting the PlayStation Network controversy was the focus of its attention in recent weeks. Arrowhead butted heads with Sony over the Helldivers 2 IP owner and publisher’s decision to force PC players to link their accounts to PlayStation Network in order to continue playing. Sony eventually backed down, although not before a Steam review ******** campaign that looks set to become the inspiration for a new in-game cape. Clearly, events of the past few weeks have taken their toll on Arrowhead staff, who have had to contend with a player revolt while also trying to work with Sony on a change of policy. Community manager Twinbeard had said the PSN controversy was a huge tax on resources: "... when sth like the PSN-gate (TM) happens, a lot of things come to a halt. Many of us at AH more or less 'lost' a week due to this, and only now are slowly getting back to what we were doing before all of this (and that's even with it not being entirely resolved as well)." Now, in a new statement issued to the Helldivers Discord, Twinbeard announced the studio’s intention to address patrols and spawn rate following what has been a “hectic” past couple of weeks. “As many of you have noticed, something has been off with patrols and spawn rate for some time now,” Twinbeard said. “This primarily leads to more enemies rearing their ugly heads than they're supposed to, indirectly to players feeling overrun, kiting, and subsequently less fun gameplay. This has been the case for all players, but predominantly for smaller teams and solo playing. We've been aware, but frankly, the past couple of weeks have been so hectic that we haven't been able to give this the TLC that it required. We now have, and we've concluded that it's not working as intended and we're changing it. "There might be some minor tweaks, but overall we're reverting back to how patrols and spawn rate worked before the patch that changed them a few weeks ago. We believe that this is more or less how you currently want them to be. “We also know you want us to do things and changes properly instead of rushing them, and we do as well. Therefore, implementing this will take some time. We want to give it proper testing and review it... ah heck, simply see that it works this time. Even if this means we're faced with more bugs and bots than even the bravest of citizens would deem realistic for a while longer, we hope you're happy with us fixing the problem. “Onwards and upwards!” "... frankly, the past couple of weeks have been so hectic that we haven't been able to give this the TLC that it required. Twinbeard’s statement touches on a call from the Helldivers 2 community for Arrowhead to take more time with its balance patches, and even slow down the release of new weapons and gear via what have so far been monthly Premium Warbonds. The feeling at the moment is Arrowhead is feeding the Helldivers 2 live service ****** too often and to the detriment of other parts of the game, such as ******* balance and gameplay, and that new content added to the game fails to make an impact. Earlier this month, Arrowhead boss Johan Pilestedt acknowledged that ******* nerfs had gone "too far in some areas” while responding to complaints the studio had patched the fun out of the explosive PC and PlayStation 5 shooter. "It feels like every time someone finds something fun, the fun is removed," Pilestedt admitted. Despite these issues, Helldivers 2 is an astonishing success story for both Arrowhead and Sony. This week, Sony announced Helldivers 2 had sold an incredible 12 million copies in just 12 weeks, making it the fastest-selling PlayStation game of all time. 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
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Wayfinder, currently a free-to-play RPG developed by Airship Syndicate, is undergoing a pretty drastic change in its upcoming Echoes patch. Right now it's a live-service game with microtransactions, but soon it'll continue as a paid co-op RPG with no in-game monetisation. And that's alongside promised tweaks to how progression works, too. Huh. It's often you see paid games go free-to-play, but this is an unexpected switcheroo. Read more View the full article