Opinion: Video Games Still Have a Way to Go with Black Avatars

I’ve been a gamer for almost three decades, but I’ve been black my entire life. When I started gaming on my first Atari 2600 in 1982, the thought of having characters who looked like me -- in stories relevant to my background or culture -- was the furthest thing from my mind.

In ‘82, I was obsessed with roping pixelated cattle on Stampede and dodging crocodiles with Pitfall Harry in Pitfall. In 2019,  I find myself confused as to why there hasn’t been a huge amount of progress in black representation in video games. From the lack of black protagonists in triple A titles to the uneasy fact that black avatars always play second fiddle to white ones --  I have to pay almost $10 just to have a black avatar represent me in a free-to-play game like Guns of Glory -- the slow progress is puzzling.

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Is a Borderlands 3 Reveal Imminent? Gearbox Teases 'Never-Before-Seen Reveals'

Gearbox is holding a main theater show at PAX East 2019, teasing “never-before-seen reveals” at the event. Is it possible Borderlands 3 could be one of these reveals?

Per the official PAX East 2019 schedule, Gearbox's main theater show will happen on March 28, the first day of the event. In the show’s description, it says "This is your opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at Gearbox Software and Gearbox Publishing, along with the latest news and updates from the makers of Borderlands, Battleborn, Brothers in Arms, and more!  We will have never-before-seen reveals, exclusives, and surprises, so don’t miss out!"

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Opinion: The Division 2 Has the Opportunity to Capitalize on Anthem's Shortcomings

When The Division 2 was first announced to be coming out a month after Anthem at E3 2018, I remember thinking the familiar-looking sequel to 2016’s original would have a hard time stealing the spotlight from the flashy and (potentially) innovative sci-fi shared-world shooter. Now Anthem is out, and after 40+ generally underwhelming hours with it, I feel the opposite is true. Anthem’s combat is fun, and I have high hopes for the future, but the fact remains that too much of its meaningful multiplayer gameplay and progression was hidden behind its repetitive and weirdly lonely quest grind. With this all-too-common shared-world shortcoming fresh in players’ minds, Massive Entertainment is in a unique position to showcase what lessons it’s learned from nearly three years of post-launch support on The Division.

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Fortnite Season 8 Adds Volcano, Pirate Cannonball, and Party Assist Challenges

Season 8 brings another big shakeup in the world of Fortnite with new volcanic and jungle locations, a cannonball weapon, and the ability to allow friends to help complete your challenges.

A volcano has emerged from depths of the map, creating a jungle and lagoon in the surrounding areas. In exchange for saying goodbye to Wailing Woods, Lazy Links, and Tomato Temple, two new locations have appeared on the map. Lazy Lagoon and Sunny Steps can be found in the northeastern portion of the map.

A new Pirate Cannonball can be found in different places on the map. Players can position the cannon, aim, and fire a ball to deal 100 damage on a direct hit and 50 damage for anything caught in the radius. You can even throw yourself into the cannon to launch yourself wherever you'd like to go.

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Every Clue and Teaser for Fortnite Season 8

We've gathered all the official clues and teasers for Fortnite Season 8.

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How Black Women Made The Sims 4 Their Own

Since The Sims entered the video game market in 2000 on the PC, it has defied easy categorization. Designed to be a mix of an architectural simulator and a high-tech doll-house, The Sims’ release marked some of the most extensive customization in a video game at the time. All iterations of The Sims since have continued the trend. There is no definitive story mode or sense of linearity; the draw is in the details.

Your sim pays their bills, cleans themselves, eats, and remembers if they had a sour social interaction with another sim. Players have a great deal of freedom to guide their sims in whatever way they wish. Whether that’s toward success -- through wealth, fame, family, popularity, a stylish vampire coven, or unbeatable cooking skills -- or death. You can kill your sims in progressively stranger ways (because, at some point, we’ve all put our sims in a pool and removed the ladder to observe as nature takes its course).

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IGN Can't Draw: Our Imaginary Pokemon Sword and Shield Starter Evolutions

Since this morning's reveal of the three new starters in Pokemon Sword and Shield - the grass chimp Grookey, the fire rabbit Scorbunny and the water lizard Sobble - there's been a lot of discussion around what their evolutions might look like.

After all, Pokemon always start out cute and cuddly but can end up as imposing, muscle-studded beasts. We at IGN decided it would be a fun experiment to draw what we think Grookey, Scorbunny and Sobble's evolutions might look like, but the catch is...not a lot of us can draw.

Please enjoy IGN Can't Draw: Our Imaginary Pokemon Sword and Shield Starter Evolutions Edition.

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Mortal Kombat 11: Johnny Cage Revealed

It may be no surprise that Johnny Cage is on the Mortal Kombat 11 roster, but as you can see in the video above, he's looking good and having FUN. His fatality might be the most laugh-out-loud amusing one in the whole game yet, and his mime move can't help but make you smile.

We'll be showing off more of Cage on KombatKast, NetherRealm's Mortal Kombat show, airing live on all IGN channels today (Wednesday, February 27) at 1pm PT/4pm ET. Be sure to tune in here on IGN.com, YouTube.com/IGN, Twitch.tv/IGN, or Mixer.com/IGN.

For more on Mortal Kombat 11, check out other character reveals, such as Jade (above), and all of the fatalities we've seen so far.

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Took 100mg Of THC For This Episode - The Desolate Ones Ep. 4

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How Bonnie Ross Is Shaping the Future of Halo

343 Industries studio head and AIAS Hall of Famer Bonnie Ross discusses her entire career in this 70-minute interview, from her start on an NBA basketball game to how she came to ask for – and get – the keys to the Halo franchise, including the trials of Master Chief Collection and the lessons being applied to Halo Infinite. She discusses taking over Halo from Bungie, the mistakes of the Master Chief Collection, the reception of Halo 4, what they've learned from Halo 5, and what 343's approach is for Halo Infinite.

If you'd rather listen than watch (but we encourage you to watch!), here's an audio-only download link of the full episode.

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Update: First Major Red Dead Online Update Released

Update 02/26/2019: Red Dead Online's first major update has now been released, and Rockstar has detailed what's included, and what's coming at a later date.

Today's update includes the addition of Daily Challenges, the Rare Shotgun weapon, a range of new clothing items and outfits, and new emotes (which will be available through the Wheeler & Rawson Catalogue). PS4 players will also get early access to the new Jawbone Knife weapon.

Logging into the game any time between now and March 5 will also award players with a delivery of recovery items and rare ammo.

The previously announced world enhancements – updated player visibility, easier Parley and Feuds and a more fully-fledged Law and Bounty system – have also gone live.

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$35 for Red Dead Redemption 2 and More PS4, Xbox One Deals

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Well, well, well. Just when we thought the sale price of Red Dead Redemption 2 wouldn't go any lower, Walmart went and dropped it again. You can now get RDR2 on both PS4 and Xbox One, with free two-day shipping or in-store pickup, for $35. (Amazon has matched the price, but it's having trouble keeping it in stock.)

$35 is the lowest price we've seen yet, which is great news for anyone who's held out this long and is interested in trying this fantastic open-world western. It's unclear when the deal will go away, so grab it fast if you want it.

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Twitch Invites Politicians to Play Mario Kart and Discuss Copyright Law

In an attempt to rise awareness of an impending change to European copyright law that could leave Twitch liable for its users' content, the platform is hosting two EU MEPs.

Tiemo Wölken and Julia Reda, representatives of Germany's Social Democratic Party, and Pirate Party respectively, will be streaming Mario Kart later today to discuss Article 13. They will be joined by Twitch streamers P4wnyhof, and Mantrousse.

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Pokemon Nintendo Direct To Air Tomorrow

Nintendo has announced a 7 minute Nintendo Direct centred around "new information" about Pokemon.

It will be livestreamed tomorrow, February 27 at 6am Pacific / 9am Eastern / 2pm UK (that's February 28 at 1am AEDT).

These are all the details you’re getting...until tomorrow.

Set your alarms, Trainers—you don’t want to miss this Pokémon Day! #PokemonDirect pic.twitter.com/SvMFzfsM5m

— Pokémon (@Pokemon) February 26, 2019

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5 Awesome Black Video Game Characters

Change is positive.

It feels like slowly, but surely over the past few years, publishers have finally started to realize the value of trying to inject their properties with new perspectives based around diverse characters, casts, and crews. A few developers like Long Hat House with Dandara, Arkane Studios with Dishonored, and Respawn Entertainment with this month’s Apex Legends have specifically included prominent black characters, and proven that it’s not hard to do.

Seeing blackness in-game is finally becoming normal, which is a stark contrast from when I was a kid and only able to make my Animal Crossing villager look like me by having him tan every day. It was a Jersey Shore nightmare cycle. Now kids get to bop their friends in Smash Ultimate as dark-skinned villagers who sport fly haircuts and don’t over-tan. We’re getting somewhere.

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Microsoft's HoloLens 2 Will Cost $3,500

Microsoft has unveiled the HoloLens 2, an updated mixed-reality device that starts at $3,500 and will support Unreal Engine 4.

Announced by Microsoft at MWC Barcelona, HoloLens 2 focuses on three key areas: immersion, comfort and an execrated time-to-value ratio.

To improve upon HoloLens’ immersion, Microsoft purportedly doubled HoloLens' field of view while maintaining a holographic density of 47 pixels per degree of sight. It features a new display system that achieves this at low power, and includes a new time-of-flight depth sensor for direct manipulation of holograms. On top of this, HoloLens 2 features eye-tracking sensors and iris recognition for security.

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Horror Game Disappears From Steam Following Meme Controversy

A Taiwanese horror game has been removed from Steam following a controversy surrounding Winnie the Pooh and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Devotion was removed from Steam after users found an in-game meme mocking Xi, according to The Verge.

An in-game poster reportedly says, "Xi Jinping Winnie-the-Pooh moron," an apparent reference to internet memes that have long compared the Chinese president to the famous cartoon bear. It remains unclear if this was the exact reason the game was removed.

Chinese censors have repeatedly banned content linking the president to Winnie the Pooh. According to Business Insider, the Oscar-nominated Disney film Christopher Robin was recently banned because of the memes.

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Dead Cells Gets Free DLC This Year, Playable at PAX East

Dead Cells will be receiving free DLC later this year and, according to developer Motion Twin, "players are going to freak out."

Motion Twin and Red Bull released a new 12-minute video that delves deep into the history of Dead Cells and allows fans to see "the first iteration of Dead Cells, which started as a "really boring" multiplayer strategy game."

As for the "huge DLC," the team begins discussing it and showing footage at around the 8:50 mark and reveals they have been working on it for over nine months.

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Microsoft Employees Protest Company's HoloLens Military Contract

A group of employees at Microsoft has begun protesting the use of its HoloLens technology following a multimillion contract with the United States Army.

Reported by GamesIndustry.biz, the group known as Microsoft Workers 4 Good, which was started in January, posted an open letter on Twitter to Microsoft’s Brad Smith and Satya Nadella, demanding the cancellation of the $479 million contract and stricter ethical guidelines.

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The Division 2 Open Beta Details Revealed

Ubisoft has revealed details for the upcoming Open Beta for The Division 2, which will be dropping next week.

Announced through Twitter with additional details shared on the official Division 2 website, the Open Beta spanning from March 1-4 on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will include three main missions, five side missions, a Dark Zone and more. Ubisoft also released an official Open Beta trailer, which can be viewed below.

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Resident Evil 0, 1 and 4 Get Switch Release Dates

Capcom has confirmed we'll be surviving zombie outbreaks on the go with Resident Evil Zero, 1 and 4 this May on Switch.

Announced through Twitter, all three ports will drop on the Nintendo eShop on May 21, saying “Play all three masterpieces anywhere, such as: on trains, during mansion tours, across the European countryside.”

Resident Evil 0, 1, and 4 are coming to Nintendo Switch eShop on May 21!

Play all three masterpieces anywhere, such as:

- On trains

- During mansion tours

- Across the European countryside

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Borderlands Developer Was Considered for Halo 4

Borderlands developer Gearbox Software was originally considered to create Halo 4. In this month's episode of IGN Unfiltered, Ryan McCaffrey sat down with Bonnie Ross, head of 343 Industries, and discussed the history (and alternate histories) of the development of Halo 4, among many other topics.

After Halo's original development studio, Bungie, split with Microsoft, there was a discussion at Xbox about what to do with the Halo franchise. While the ending of Halo 3 was ambiguous enough to serve as a finale for the series, Halo also took place in an incredibly well-realized universe, one which was rich enough to serve as the setting for many more games, should Microsoft find the right studio to make them.

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Fortnite Season 8 Could Feature Pirates and Snake Monsters

The Fortnite Twitter account has been slowly dropping hints about the game's upcoming Season 8, and it seems the new theme may centre around fantasy piracy.

In what seem to be daily tweets, rhymes and teaser images have pointed squarely to a pirate theme. The first is the clearest, from the theme of treasure to the hook-hand in the image:

'X' Marks The Spot

Treasure abound

Loot that has been lost

Can always be found.

4 days to Season 8. pic.twitter.com/1U8n7x4pQQ

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) February 24, 2019

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How to Get 2,150 Apex Legends Coins for 99p

Find out how to get 2,150 Apex Legends Coins for 99p, 4,350 for £17.99, 6700 for £34.99 and 11,500 for £64.99.

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Trials Rising Review

I’ve long since stopped physically leaning into my turns while playing racing games, but something about the Trials series still has me twisting and jumping in my seat as if doing so will just give my rider that little bump they need to get over an obstacle. The nail-biting reaction time and delicate finesse required to get through the hardest courses Trials Rising has to offer makes them as thrilling to overcome as ever, driving me to return to them to crash and burn and improve my times endlessly. Counterproductively, though, it works against that urge with some tweaks and new additions which take the focus off of that loop of self-improvement and put it instead on repetitive challenges and discouraging PvP competition.

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A Guide to Crafting in Anthem

We'll show you how to unlock crafting abilities, and where to find components, blueprints and more in Anthem.

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Far Cry New Dawn: How to Get Every Outfit

Where to unlock all the item pieces throughout the latest Far Cry.

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Every Collectible Location in Far Cry New Dawn

From Audio Files to Photo Locations, here's where to find all the hidden items around what's left of Hope County in Far Cry New Dawn.

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How to Get 2,150 Apex Legends Coins for 99p

Sign up to Quidco and get £15 off Apex Legends coins.

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Microsoft Reportedly Set to Unveil New Xbox Hardware During E3 2019

New reports suggest that Microsoft will unveil two new Xbox hardware platforms during E3 2019, and that Halo Infinite will launch alongside them.

Reported by French site Jeux Video (via Google Translate), the Project Scarlet family of next-gen Xbox hardware will allegedly be revealed at E3 2019 and are scheduled to launch by the end of 2020. The site claims the rumors that Scarlet consists of two platforms, a weaker Lockhart console and a more powerful Anaconda console, are also true. These will allegedly be announced alongside the rumored partnership between Nintendo and Microsoft.

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Apex Legends Player Uses Spider-Man Web Shooter to Play

It can be tough enough for some of us to win in Respawn Entertainment's hit battle royale shooter Apex Legends. But one player has decided to take a unique tactic to playing the legend Pathfinder — using a modified Spider-Man web shooter toy as a controller.

Louis Hamilton, ATwerkinYoshi on Reddit, posted his awesome controller mod, which activates Pathfinder's grappling hook ability with the press of a Spider-Man glove. Mimicking the webhead's iconic motion, Hamilton presses down with his middle and ring finger on a modded web shooter glove, which launches Pathfinder's grapple. Check out the video below to see the glove in action.

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Minecraft Beta 1.14 19w08b HARDCORE Survival - How Far Can We Get?

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A Creepy Glitch in Red Dead Online on Xbox One Leaves the Whole World Empty

Red Dead Online players on Xbox One have been riding around in empty towns for close to a week, due to a glitch in the game.

Reported by Polygon and posted on Reddit and Twitter, players are describing the issues as the typical townsfolk being completely deleted from the areas, horses not spawning when they are called, and all animals being gone from the game.

Others are saying that Red Dead Online's beta will just kick them out of the game entirely while they are beginning to play, in which, Rockstar sent a troubleshooting link to a player on Twitter who inquired about the issue. Players have responded by saying the troubleshooting does not work.

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Fortnite: World Cup and Other 2019 Events Share $100 Million Prize Pool

The upcoming Fortnite World Cup and other Fortnite events that will take place across 2019 will share a $100 million prize pool.

Announced by Epic Games, the the lead up to the Fortnite World Cup includes ten weekly online open qualifiers from April 13 - June 16. Each week, $1 million will be on the line for eligible Fortnite players, with broadly distributed payouts.

Ultimately, the top 100 solo players and the top 50 duos teams from around the world will take part in the Fortnite World Cup Finals in New York City from July 26-28. Here, a $30 million prize pool is up for grabs. Each participant will be guaranteed at least $50,000, while the solo cup champion will earn a cool $3 million.

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Age of Wonders: Planetfall Is a Sci-Fi 4X with XCOM-Like Tactical Battles

Of all the varied visions of the future we see in games, some of my favorites have always been the ones that include dinosaurs. Age of Wonders: Planetfall doesn’t skimp on these Cretaceous throwbacks, and it’s all the better for it. Combining a detailed 4X campaign layer with XCOM-like tactical battles, Triumph’s first foray into sci-fi has a lot of elements that will look familiar to a turn-based strategy veteran. But the way they’re assembled is not quite like anything I’ve played before.

The backdrop for all this hex-based expanding, exploring, and exterminating is that there used to be a grand, galactic government that ruled over settled space peacefully, and everything was great. You know, unless you were a slave. Every shining beacon of spaceborne civilization has to have a rotting, decadent core after all. But a couple hundred years back, that all fell apart and left scattered groups of ragtag survivors to pick up the pieces and try to make something with them.

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Fallout 76 2019 Roadmap Details Content Seasons

On the 100-day anniversary of the release of Fallout 76, Bethesda has revealed its 2019 roadmap for the game, including a major spring update.

Detailed on Bethesda.net, the 2019 roadmap for Fallout 76 includes three major timeframes for free updates, with the Wild Appalachia update hitting in spring, Nuclear Winter coming in summer, and Wastelanders coming in fall. They bring with them different types of content, from new modes to a new main quest. Specific dates for when content will drop are included in the image below.

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How to Get 2,150 Apex Legends Coins for 99p

If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.

With the number of players jumping into Apex Legends sky-rocketing, it's only natural demand for new skins and unlockables to increase. It's possible to earn new cosmetics simply by playing, but purchasing Apex Legends coins is a fast-track way to getting extras (although you're not guaranteed to get what you want).

Apex Legends coins are only used to unlock cosmetics, characters and weapons - they do not provide any actual advantage in the game, so it's not 'pay-to-play' via the currency.

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Stellaris: Console Edition Review

If you asked me what traditionally PC-centric genre would be least likely to work with a gamepad, a complex grand strategy game of Stellaris’ breed would be near the top of the list. But much to my surprise, the team behind the Console Edition of Paradox’s space opera sandbox have managed to do a really admirable job translating the controls. Coming from the PC version, however, I can’t help but notice that they’ve ported a long out-of-date version of Stellaris that’s still full of major gameplay shortcomings that have been solved for a while now on that side of the fence – and man, is it hard to go back.

If you’ve never even looked at Stellaris before, there are plenty of reasons to get excited about Console Edition. It’s one of the most ambitious and innovative space 4X games to come out in the last decade. You’re given fine control over designing your empire’s government and primary species using a variety of flavorful and impactful trait choices, allowing you to be anything from an iron-fisted dictatorship of bloodthirsty turtles to a peaceful technocracy led by some sort of worm creature whose underlying biology I don’t even want to guess at. The portraits you can pick from include enough weird, memorable, and sometimes hilarious aliens to fill the Mos Eisley Cantina a few times over.

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Get a Nintendo Switch with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for £289

The Nintendo Switch has notoriously held its value since its release, bar Black Friday when Amazon reduced it to £249. If you're one of those that are looking to get a Nintendo Switch on the cheap but didn't jump in on the Black Friday deal, you've come to the right place.

I've highlighted my picks on what I feel are the best and cheapest Nintendo Switch bundles, games and accessories below (updated weekly). It's good to note that Nintendo Switch bundle deals right now aren't as good as they are in promotional periods such as Black Friday, but if you can't wait to get your hands on one, then these deals are currently your best bet.

Best Cheap Nintendo Switch Bundle Deals Right Now

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Anthem: How to Make Combos

Mix these abilities to deal more damage to foes.

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Are We Going To The Abyss OR The Betweenlands? - Fox Tails RPG Mod Pack Ep. 11

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Getting Lucky A Lot - Minecraft 1.14 Beta Let's Play Ep. 2 - Snapshot 19w08a - Leather Horse Armor

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Getting Lucky A Lot - Minecraft 1.14 Beta Let's Play Ep. 2 - Snapshot 19...

That's A Lot Of Jump Scares - The Desolate Ones Ep. 3

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Apex Legends: New Gun and Twitch Prime Rewards Announced

Twitch Prime members can now get a new Pathfinder skin and five Apex packs.

The rewards launched alongside the second half of the Apex Legends Twitch Rivals event, featuring 48 streamers vying for a $200,000 prize pool. If you missed the result, you can catch up over on Twitch.

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Rich Vreeland Talks About Composing Music for Games

In Episode 6 of Humans Who Make Games podcast, host and comedian, Adam Conover chats with composer and musician, Rich Vreeland – better known as his stage name, Disasterpeace – about composing the indie games like FEZ and Hyper Light Drifter, and how he decided on becoming a musician for his career.

Listen to Humans Who Make Games Episode 6.

Vreeland comes from a family of gamers and said, "apparently my parents were playing Legend of Zelda while I was in the womb. That must have seeped in somehow."

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Kingdom Hearts 3, Resident Evil 2 Topped January 2019 Game Sales

January's NPD report is in, and Nintendo pipped its competitors to the post in both hardware and software sales.

The Switch was the only console to show a year-on-year increase in both dollar and unit sales, despite an overall decrease in spending of 28% in the category as a whole, compared to January 2018.

Kingdom Hearts 3 was the best-selling game of January 2019, and while Kingdom Hearts 2 also topped the charts in its launch month back in 2006, the latest installment has it beat on the revenue front, with a 2.5-times increase in dollar sales.

The game was also the fastest-selling in the Kingdom Hearts franchise, shipping over 5 million units in one week.

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Rocket League Gets Cross-Platform Parties

Cross-platform parties in Rocket League were promised last month, and the new Friends Update V1.58 adds the feature.

In January, Rocket League became the second PS4 cross-play title in the PlayStation Cross-Play Beta program and, as Competitive Season 10 kicks off, the game's begun allowing more than just matchmaking between players on different consoles.

Using an auto-generated RocketID, players can search for and add their friends to Parties and Clubs, as well as viewing a list of 25 recent players met online.

You can check out the update's highlights below, and the full patch notes on the official website.

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Dirt Rally 2.0 Review

Dirt Rally 2.0 is a first-rate return to the more serious side of Codemasters’ off-road catalogue. It may be hot on the heels of Dirt 4 – with a couple of tricks pulled from its friendlier stablemate – but make no mistake: Dirt Rally 2.0 reasserts this spin-off series’ reputation as the premier rally simulator of the modern era.

Dirt Rally 2.0 is designed primarily for hardboiled rally enthusiasts and returning fans, so new players may struggle initially. The original Dirt Rally was eventually augmented with a pile of tutorial videos in time for its jump from PC to console, and Dirt 4 features a fully-fledged Dirt Academy training mode set within the sprawling DirtFish Rally School – a real-life facility based in the US Pacific Northwest. But there’s none of that here in Dirt Rally 2.0. It’s a case of learn on the job or perish.

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Tetris 99 Review

Tetris 99 is the "This is Fine" meme in video game form – only instead of ignoring encroaching flames, you have to keep your cool during an onslaught of gray garbage blocks piling onto the screen from any of 98 other players in the match, making each moment more panicked than the last. Sometimes it really is fine, and the right sequence of movements mixed with a little luck returns my grid to a nice, orderly structure. Other times the garbage is too much, and all that remains of my screen is a gray dumpster that signals an early exit from this frantic, pulse-racing spin on one of the most beloved puzzle games of all time.

I get irrationally nervous during a seemingly solid run; a palms sweaty, heart beating out of my chest, jittery kind of nervous. If I had a blood pressure cuff on during a top-10 run, my doctor would probably tell me I need to be on medication. When I make it into the top five, I feel like I can run through a brick wall. I also feel like I’m going to pass out. I’m 99 percent sure Tetris 99 is bad for my health. It’s a vice I will gladly live with, though, because the overbearing tension is also what makes it such a thrilling and ultimately fulfilling multiplayer experience.

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Battlerite Royale Going Free to Play

The MOBA brawler Battlerite Royale has officially gone free to play.

As of today, Battlerite Royale has moved out of Steam Early Access and into a free to play structure. Stunlock Studios is also releasing the “BIG PATCH” today, which introduces three new Champions, two new areas, and new regional objects added to certain parts of the map.

The new Champions are Oldur who can bend space and time, Taya the tornado summoner, and Pearl who can unleash the ocean’s fury. The two new areas are the Frozen Plateau and Trade’s Islet. On top of this, players will be able to purchase the Legendary Adventure Pack 2, which features a new mount.

The BIG PATCH also introduces the Battle Pass system, which gives players a Free Pass and the option to upgrade to a Premium Pass, which can unlock exclusive cosmetics. The All Champions Packs for Battlerite and Battlerite Royale are priced at $20.

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Anthem's Microtransactions: Everything You Need to Know

The first week of microtransactions are currently available in Anthem, and if you don’t feel like earning them for free, they’ll set you back $30 USD. They can be earned in-game if you’d rather not pay to acquire them, but here’s what you can get today:

• 61,000 coin or 850 shards - Epic Guardian Armor Pack for the Ranger
• 61,000 coin or 850 shards - Epic Dreadnought Armor Pack for the Colossus
• 18,000 coin or 400 shards - Epic Gum on Shoe Entrance Animation for the Colossus
• 12,000 coin or 300 shards - Uncommon Graphic: Midnight Shield Vinyl
• 12,000 coin or 300 shards - Rare Metal: Diamond Plate Texture

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The World Next Door Release Date Announced

The World Next Door, a narrative-driven, action-adventure game from VIZ Media, officially has a release date.

Announced on The World Next Door’s official website, the game will hit PC, Nintendo Switch and iOS on March 28, 2019. It will run for $15, but a premium bundle that includes the game’s soundtrack can be purchased for $20.

The World Next Door follows Jun, a "rebellious teen girl trapped in a parallel world inhabited by magical creatures.” The game is inspired by anime and indie games, and players can expect to encounter an eclectic cast of characters while uncovering mysteries within its world.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Update Starts New Season, Changes to Blackout Map

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's newest update, Operation Grand Heist launched Tuesday on PlayStation 4, becoming available on Xbox One and PC at a later date.

Operation Grand Heist is a free update and will offer content across all playable modes: multiplayer, Blackout and Zombies. A new female specialist, the Outrider, will be released and more playable areas in the Blackout map will launch.

The update is comprised of a 1970's style heist theme, and brings with it immense types of personalization, including new vehicles and accessories.

The new specialist, Outrider, who was previously in Black Ops 3, will make her debut in the update – known for her stealth precision using the Sparrow, a, explosive longbow, to take out enemies.

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Darkest Dungeon 2 Announced

Developer Red Hook Studios has revealed that a follow-up to the role-playing game Darkest Dungeon is on its way.

Announced on Twitter with first details from PC Gamer, Darkest Dungeon 2’s announcement came alongside a brief teaser video called The Howling End. This video shows six returning classes from the first game: Grave Robber, Leper, Man-at-Arms, Plague Doctor, Highwayman, and Hellion.

The teaser, narrated by Darkest Dungeon’s Wayne June, says “In the howling darkness of the end, men will become monsters. But hope will ride with those courageous enough to carry the flame."

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Every Confirmed Mortal Kombat 11 Fighter

There are 16 confirmed fighters coming to Mortal Kombat 11: 14 returning fighters in the main roster, one new kombatant, and one returning DLC fighter.

While the fan-wielding Kitana has been mentioned by name in trailers, she has not been explicitly shown, so while she will likely be a fighter, she has not been included in the slideshow and article below.

The game’s antagonist Kronika will reportedly not appear as a playable character. Similarly, Mortal Kombat X’s main antagonist Shinnok will make a cameo in the game, but will not be playable.

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Shovel Knight: King of Cards, Showdown, and Amiibo Delayed

Shovel Knight: King of Cards, Showdown, and the Treasure Trove amiibo 3-pack have been delayed from their April 9, 2019, release date.

Announced by Yacht Club Games, the delay will allow for the developer to "bring these to the highest level of quality just as we have with previous Shovel Knight games."

While no new date was given, Yacht Club Games does mention it estimates it will be "several months - at most!"

Alongside polishing and perfecting the games themselves, this delay will allow for a simultaneous physical/digital release, localization in nine languages, playtesting on 10 different platforms, and much more.

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Anthem: Day One Patch Will Improve Loading Times

Because the world is strange and confusing, Anthem's day one patch will arrive a week after thousands of people began playing it. Thankfully, it should improve one of the most common complaints about the early version – its loading times.

Arriving on the game's official release date of 22 February (it was made available to EA Origin Access Premier subscribers on the 15th), the patch is wide-ranging to say the least, but puts loading times (and a bug that caused infinite loading screens) right at the top.

To gauge how big a problem that's been, the Anthem subreddit has been ablaze with posts on the subject. One post sees u/dragonoob44 timing how long it takes to exit Freeplay to change gear, then re-enter, which results in over 7 minutes of loading. It's not an out-of-the-ordinary complaint.

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Metro Exodus Guide and Walkthrough

Use our guide for all the tips and strategies you need as you play through Metro Exodus' campaign.

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Betweenlands Requires An Extra Pair Of Brown Pants - Fox Tails RPG Mod Pack Ep. 10

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Apex Legends Causes Sales of VR Game Apex Construct to Take Off

The huge success of Apex Legends has had an interesting impact on VR title Apex Construct, as the similarity in names has caused visits to its Steam page to increase by over 4000%.

Via PC Gamer, Andreas Juliusson of Apex Construct developer Fast Travel Games took to Reddit to discuss the situation in more detail and how the launch of the free-to-play battle royale title Apex Legends, which isn't even on Steam, has affected Apex Construct, which is on Steam and costs $29.99 USD.

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Mortal Kombat 11: Ronda Rousey Wrestles as Sonya Blade at WWE Elimination Chamber

Ronda Rousey seems fairly excited about taking on the role of Sonya Blade in Mortal Kombat 11, and she's taken that fandom a step further by dressing as the character when taking part in yesterday's WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

The UFC Champion, Olympic medallist and WWE superstar emerged for her Raw Women's Championship match dressed as the character. It's proven a popular move, with many viewers (including our own reviewer) saying it's a better look than her traditional "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey attire.

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Yoshi’s Crafted World Preview: Charming, if a Bit Too Easy

I instantly fell in love with Yoshi’s Crafted World when it was announced at E3 2017. A Yoshi-starring Nintendo platformer with a gorgeous art style and an intriguing level-flipping dynamic? Sign me up! Nintendo finally gave me the chance to play it, though only for about 20 torturously short minutes, and so far, I can confidently say that Yoshi’s new adventure will be nothing if not endlessly charming.

The hook of Yoshi’s Crafted World is that it’s a left-to-right 2D platformer that mixes in some 3D gameplay elements. Certain paths might take you to the background and others to the foreground. Sometimes you’ll need to flip cardboard doors around so that you can literally go behind the scenes. Meanwhile, coins, collectibles, or enemies are occasionally hiding behind the papercraft objects in the scene, so you’ll need to aim to throw an egg towards the camera or away from it instead of just to the sides. And most of all, of course, is that you’ll get to play levels in reverse, from the other side of the scene. I only got to experience one example of this, but I can see it (hopefully) being super compelling the deeper into the world you get.

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Well Looky What We Found - Minecraft 1.14 Beta 19w06a Snapshot Let's Pla...

Metro Exodus: What You Need to Know Before Diving In

Keep this important information in mind when starting your journey through the post-apocalyptic Metro Exodus.

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Anthem: All Fort Tarsis Cortex Locations

Don't miss a single Cortex entry when exploring Ft Tarsis in Anthem.

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RE2: Ghost Survivors DLC Complete Walkthrough

Get essential tips for surviving these free dlc scenarios in Resident Evil 2 Remake.

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6 Questions We Have About The Zelda: Link's Awakening Switch Remake

Nintendo recently unveiled their latest title in the Legend of Zelda series: a Nintendo Switch remake of the cherished 1993 Game Boy game Link’s Awakening, set to be released in 2019. Fans went wild, but once we finished pointing at our screens with glee and yelling obscenities, we realized we had a few questions about how this remake would unfold, what new content it could bring to the table, and what it would cost. I’m far and away the biggest Link’s Awakening fan at IGN so I figured I’d break down some questions (and potential answers) of what to expect from this incredible announcement. So let’s get into it!

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Update: Carlton Dance Cannot Be Copyrighted Amidst Fortnite Lawsuit

Update 2/15: Fresh Prince of Bel Air star Alfonso Ribeiro'a lawsuit against Fortnite for the inclusion of the famous "Carlton Dance" in the battle royale game has hit a major snag, as the U.S. Copyright Office has called into question his attempts to copyright the dance.

In a letter posted by The Hollywood Reporter, Saskia Florence of the Copyright Office's Arts Division, said Ribeiro's copyright request should be refused on the basis of the dance being "a simple dance routine."

"The combination of these three dance steps is a simple routine that is not registrable as a choreographic work," the letter readers after laying out the specific movements. Florence then follows up this description by refusing the registration claim.

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Yume Nikki: Dream Diary Launching on Nintendo Switch

Yume Nikki: Dream Diary, a 3D reimagining of cult horror classic Yume Nikki, arrives on Nintendo Switch on February 21.

You can watch the Nintendo Switch launch trailer below.

In Yume Nikki: Dream Diary, players explore the various dream worlds of Madotsuki, a socially withdrawn young woman who refuses to leave her apartment.

Many of the same worlds and creature designs from the original Yume Nikki make appearances in Dream Diary, but Dream Diary has added platforming and puzzle game elements, as well as brand new areas to explore and a new 3D art style.

The original Yume Nikki, a 2004 RPG Maker game from anonymous creator Kikiyama, found its way onto Steam in 2018 alongside a two-week countdown timer for "the next Yume Nikki project."

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We're Streaming the Full Version of Anthem Today

EA Access subscribers on PC have access to the full version of Anthem starting today, so we're hopping in to stream two hours of our first impressions of how BioWare's latest holds up.

So join us today, February 15 from 10am-12pm PT/1-3pm ET/7-9pm UK (Saturday, February 16 from 5-7am AET) to catch all the action live.

As always, you can watch right here on the front page of IGN.com, or you can find us on YouTube, Twitch, and Mixer.

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Get a Nintendo Switch With $35 eShop Credit for $299

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If you've been holding out on picking up a new Nintendo Switch, your patience has paid off. Right now there are some good deals to be had on Nintendo's mega-popular hybrid console.

Here are the best deals on Nintendo Switch right now:

Nintendo Switch With $35 eShop Credit for $299

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Fortnite Nerf Blasters, Super Soakers Revealed

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Hasbro has officially revealed its lineup of Fortnite Nerf Blasters and Super Soakers that will allow fans of Epic Games' battle royale to live out their favorite moments this Spring.

Starting today, fans of Fortnite will be able to pre-purchase a wide array of Nerf Blaster and Super Soakers that include the previously announced AR-L, a Llama-inspired Microshot, and the Super Soaker Fortnite RL a.k.a. a rocket launcher.

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Crackdown 3 Campaign Review

Editor's Note: Because Crackdown 3’s single and multiplayer modes are so different, and because the multiplayer was barely available ahead of time, we’re reviewing them separately. This review covers my thoughts on the single-player campaign; check back soon for my take on the Wrecking Zone PvP mode.

Like a B action movie, Crackdown 3 is solely concerned with trying to deliver a hamfisted, high-octane, kaleidoscopically techno explosion-fest. And just like all but the best B action movies, it’s not stylish or substantial enough to pull it off. Outside of a few decent bosses, most of the eight to 10-hour campaign is the same rehashed lock-on shooting gallery across a huge but relentlessly bland city map. There’s some fun toward the end, once you’re effectively a superhero and springing around the lifeless world like Ang Lee’s Hulk. But even in co-op, it’s extremely forgettable – which is a damning thing to say about a game that tries so hard to be over the top.

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Far Cry: New Dawn Review

I liked the ending to Far Cry 5. There, I said it. (Spoilers for the ending of Far Cry 5 ahead, though the existence of this game probably already ruined that for you.) It may be an unpopular opinion, but I appreciated that, for once, we didn’t vanquish the bad guy, save the day, and walk off into the sunset. Joseph Seed kind of won. So I’m a little bummed that the very silly developments of Far Cry: New Dawn walk back a lot of that bleak, dark finale. That said, the very familiar Far Cry gameplay formula is just as fun as ever in the post-apocalypse, and I had a blast clearing outposts, hunting for treasure, and absolutely brutalizing the Highwaymen who have seized control of what’s left of Hope County, Montana.

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Well Looky What We Found - Minecraft 1.14 Beta 19w06a Snapshot Let's Play Ep. 1

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New TheFaxFox Logo Intro 2019

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The Last Demon Of The Abyss... Maybe? - Fox Tails Minecraft 1.12.2 RPG Modpack Ep. 9

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Devs, Publishers Upset Over Lack of PS4 Cross-Play Support

Developers and publishers are speaking out against Sony's lack of cross-platform support, despite what Sony has publicly stated about the process.

Earlier this month, War Thunder and the new CEO of Hi-Rez, Stewart Chisam, asked Sony publicly to include cross-play support in their games through posts on Twitter.

Shortly after, in an interview with Game Informer, Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios chairman and former SIE president and CEO, Shawn Layden, said that Sony was open to cross-play but that publishers and developers just needed to take the necessary steps to get there.

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Just Ma Talks About Growing Up Around Video Games

In Episode 5 of Humans Who Make Games podcast, Co-Founder of Subset games and creator of FTL and Into the Breach, Justin Ma, chats with host and comedian, Adam Conover about following his family's path into game design, how the best ideas never work out, what is essential to the learning process, and more.

Listen to Humans Who Make Games Episode 5.

Ma met with work partner, Matthew Davis, while he was in Shanghai working as a junior game designer for 2K games.

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Nice Discounts on Red Dead Redemption 2 and Spider-Man

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Good news, pardner: Red Dead Redemption 2 is on sale for its lowest price ever. Between now and February 20, GameStop has Rockstar's latest open-world western on both PS4 and Xbox One for $39.99. That's a remarkable deal on one of the biggest games of this console generation - and it's the lowest price we've seen since RDR 2 launched in October. And if superheroes are more your speed, you can grab PS4's Spider-Man on sale for $39.99 from Walmart.

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Metro Exodus Review

It turns out that what makes Metro – a series named and known for its dark, subterranean survival-horror atmosphere – work was never really dependent on being underground at all. The third game, Metro Exodus, successfully brings its lengthy single-player campaign to the post-apocalyptic surface without sacrificing any of the series’ signature tension.

In an era where most first-person shooters seem to be intent on constantly upping the tempo, Metro Exodus is refreshing in its demand that you take your time. This is not a run-and-gun experience; it’s a stay-low-and-go-slow crawl through some of the most atmospheric and detail-rich settings I’ve ever experienced in a story-driven shooter. With a storyline that sidesteps the supernatural themes of its predecessors in favour of focussing on a more affecting human experience, and level design that affords you significantly more freedom without giving you too much room to relax, Metro Exodus feels like the full realization of this series’ potential.

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Burnout Successor Dangerous Driving Dated for April

Dangerous Driving, the upcoming arcade racer from Burnout co-creators Fiona Sperry and Alex Ward, will be released on April 9, developer Three Fields Entertainment announced today.

It will be available digitally on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC (via the Epic Games Store) for $30 USD/£25. A physical version, which bundles in Three Fields' Danger Zone 2, will be available for $40 USD/£30.

Alongside the release date, Three Fields revealed Dangerous Driving will include seven locations with 30 total courses. It'll also feature unlockable cars and abilities, which can be obtained by racing online against other players or offline against "remorseless" AI.

Dangerous Driving will offer eight different event types, with many taking inspiration from beloved Burnout modes.

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Complete Guide to Dead or Alive 6's Preorder Bonuses

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Listen up, fighting game fans. Dead or Alive 6 is set to release March 1 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. This series is known for its fast-paced combat and occasionally skimpy outfits. This upcoming installment is the first new mainline entry since 2012, and so far 26 fighters have been announced, including two newcomers. It also introduces a Break Gauge system that lets you use new special attacks when the meter fills up.

If you're ready to throw down some cash to preorder Dead or Alive 6, you'll probably want to know what comes in the various editions, where you can buy it, and how much it costs. Read on for the details.

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BioWare 'Definitely Not Done With Mass Effect'

Series fans can rest easy; BioWare isn't done with Mass Effect or Dragon Age.

According to Polygon, who sat down with the team at BioWare, Mass Effect is "very much alive." BioWare General Manager Casey Hudson said, "In my mind, it's very much alive. I'm thinking all the time about things that I think will be great. It's just a matter of getting back to it as soon as we can."

Mark Darrah, Executive Producer on Anthem and Dragon Age, went into further detail on what a new Mass Effect might look like. "We're definitely not done with Mass Effect. There's a lot of stories to be told. We could pull on the threads we put down with

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PlayStation Exec Discusses What Sony Learned From PlayStation 3's Missteps

During his DICE 2019 keynote speech, SIE Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden discussed the lessons Sony has learned in game development, including how missteps with PlayStation 3 led to changes with PlayStation 4.

In his Beyond Generations keynote, Layden discussed the three lessons Sony has learned in game development: quality above all, embrace new ideas, and people want to play.

When discussing quality above all, Layden said “PlayStation 2 was an industry triumph, it remains one of the best-selling consoles of all time. But coming off the heels of that, was PlayStation 3: a stark moment of hubris in the nearly 25 years of PlayStation history. As we sometimes call it, PS3 was our Icarus moment."

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Deal Alert: PlayStation Classic Is On Sale for $39.99

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The PlayStation Classic started dropping in price not long after it came out. The mini console hit the market with a $99 price tag, and didn't exactly fly off store shelves. Its $99 list price soon gave way to a $59 semi-permanent sale price, and right now through tomorrow, Walmart is clearing them out at $39.99.

The initial PS Classic announcement was met with a lot of excitement, but that excitement began to fade as more details on the PlayStation mini console began to trickle out. Sony held off releasing the full list of games, which seemed suspect in the eyes of many. But the 20 included games run the gamut from must-have classics to sort-of-overlooked to "why would I want to play that?"

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PlayStation Exec: ‘Never Underestimate Nintendo’

During his DICE 2019 keynote speech, SIE Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden discussed not only Sony’s place in the gaming market, but how both Nintendo and Microsoft are working to improve the industry in various ways.

In his Beyond Generations keynote, Layden said "The best-selling console of 2018 in the U.S. was… The Nintendo Switch. Nintendo took a massive risk when they brought this to the market. People thought Nintendo might one day be out of the hardware business. People would say things like ‘kids play games on mobile phones and tablets, dedicated portable gaming is dead and gone.’ But as I’ve said before: never underestimate Nintendo... All of us are better for their efforts."

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Ranking Every Legend in Apex Legends

Apex Legends is taking over the world right now, and there’s a lot of discussion across newcomers and experts around the best Legends to actually play. Steven Ryu offers his top picks, which Miranda Sanchez doesn’t necessarily agree with. FIGHT!

The master of decoy, Mirage can send a decoy out every 14 seconds. In addition, when downed, he turns invisible and also creates a decoy of himself. His ultimate ability turns him invisible while creating multiple copies of Mirage.

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Red Dead Online Update Coming Later This Month, Here's What Is Changing

New features and improvements will be added to Red Dead Online's Beta on February 26, including a new Law and Bounty system, weapons balancing, and mini-map changes for players.

In order to prevent players from being repeated targets across the map, Rockstar said that player blips' visibility will be reduced over long distances – a person's map position will only be displayed if one is within 150 meters of another player, otherwise it will only appear on the map while firing a weapon.

A new system will also be put into place to shed light on overly aggressive and destructive players. The more hostile a player becomes in the game, the more visible that player will become on the map.

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The Division 2 Open Beta Dates Announced

Following its private beta that concluded this past weekend, Ubisoft announced that The Division 2’s open beta will happen at the beginning of March.

The open beta will be available for PC, PS4 and Xbox One players from March 1-4. This will give Ubisoft just under two weeks to make final tweaks to The Division 2 prior to its official release on March 15, 2019. For more information, you can visit the official Division 2 beta page.

The Division 2’s private beta ran from February 7-11, and was available to players who pre-ordered the game or registered for limited spaces. Soon after the private beta began, players reported numerous crashes. One on Xbox One and PC occurred if fans played for too long, while another on PlayStation 4 could lead to performance degradation if players went for 3+ hours of uninterrupted gameplay. Many issues with the private beta were fixed while it was underway, and others are likely to be solved by the beginning of March.

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Nintendo Direct Arriving Tomorrow

Nintendo has confirmed that a new Nintendo Direct will be arriving tomorrow, February 13.

Announced by Nintendo, this Direct will air at 2pm PT/5pm ET/11pm BST and promises "35 minutes of information on upcoming Nintendo Switch titles, including new details on Fire Emblem: Three Houses."

This will be Nintendo's first Direct since the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct that aired on November 1, even though it has held smaller presentations like the Indie Highlights last month that featured nine indie games.

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Anthem Live-Action Short Teased With New Trailer

Valentine's Day is more than just a day to celebrate love, at least for this year, with the announcement a new live-action short set in the Anthem universe premieres February 14.

The short is from District 9 director Neill Blomkamp and is set "decades before the events of the game," according to the description.

This link goes live Thursday! https://t.co/hnq4ZCiB89 #anthem #anthemgame pic.twitter.com/FK7FDV1D5C

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How Do We Summon This Demon Guy? - Fox Tails Ep. 8

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Civilization VI: Gathering Storm Review

Gathering Storm is Civilization VI’s second - and probably final - expansion, and it cements this iteration’s place in history with a new round of interesting systems that we’ve never seen before in a Civ game. Things like natural disasters and diplomatic Grievances give us plenty to consider during all eras, and Firaxis backs up a dump truck’s worth of leaders and other content atop this already fully-loaded 4X strategy game.

Between Gathering Storm and the previous expansion, Rise and Fall, the list of available leaders has grown to a gigantic cast of 45 – or 46, if you count Eleanor of Aquitaine’s ability to lead either the English or the French and grant them her loyalty-sapping ability as two. (That edges out Civ V’s final count of 43, if you’re keeping track.) All that narration must’ve taken Sean Bean ages, and playing a full campaign as each of them would be an epic undertaking.

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How to Unlock Kingdom Hearts 3's Secret Ending

Use this method to view KH3's secret ending.

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The Division 2: 35+ Tips for Success in the Beta

From basic controls to multiplayer strategies, here are all our best tips for The Division 2.

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Apex Legends Map: See Supply Crate Locations and More

Take a look at this map of Kings Canyon for helpful information on supply crate density and other key locations.

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Kingdom Hearts 3 Flantastic Seven Locations

Find every Flan in KH3, and learn how to get the high scores you need to earn an Orichalcum+.

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Why Am I The Only One Seeing Things? - The Desolate Ones Ep. 2

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The Best Squad Combos in Apex Legends

These are the most useful Legend groups in the new Battle Royale.

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Resident Evil 2: How to Unlock Tofu Characters and Infinite Ammo Weapons

See how to get weapons with unlimited ammo and play new special modes in Resident Evil 2 Remake.

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Kingdom Hearts 3 Battle Gate Locations

Find every Battlegate in KH3 with this guide.

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Activision Blizzard Reportedly Planning Massive Layoffs

Activision Blizzard is reportedly planning on announcing job cuts that could "number in the hundreds" following slowing sales for the company responsible for such titles as Call of Duty and Overwatch.

As reported by Bloomberg, the announcement of these layoffs could arrive as early as Tuesday and are "part of a restructuring aimed at centralizing functions and boosting profit."

Activision Blizzard's shares dropped around 2.5% on Friday and is furthering the story that was "acknowledged on a November conference call that some key titles, such as Overwatch and Hearthstone, were seeing flat or declining numbers of users."

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Kingdom Hearts 3: The Challenges and Rewards of Working With Disney

There are licensed games, and then there’s Kingdom Hearts – very probably the biggest and strangest cross-company undertaking in video game history. Over the course of almost 20 years, Square’s borrowed dozens of Disney characters and adapted them for its bonkers multiverse plotline. Kingdom Hearts 3 is its most ambitious use of Disney properties yet, from trying to create photorealistic Pirates of the Caribbean characters, while simultaneously trying to capture Pixar animation magic for the first time.

It’s such an unusual task that, in getting the chance to talk with multiple members of the game’s team, my first question was invariably “what’s working with Disney like?” The range of answers reveals a lot about how both Disney and Square Enix work, and the challenges and rewards of their ongoing relationship. Here’s what I learned.

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Complete Guide to Anthem's Preorder Bonuses

If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.

What Do PS Plus' Changes Mean For Next-Gen?

With February's lineup of free PlayStation Plus games, Sony has marked an important end of an era — moving forward, that lineup will no longer include PS3 and PS Vita games.

Of course, as Sony begins to set the stage for the PS5, our weekly PlayStation show, Beyond! discusses in the video above what that means for the service in the next generation.

As noted in the video above, Sony has committed to focusing on PlayStation Plus' features outside of free games, such as the increase in cloud save storage space.

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The Division 2: All of Our Exclusives, Impressions, Gameplay, and More!

February's IGN First game is The Division 2! We're gearing up for the shared-world shooter sequel's launch by diving deep into a number of the game's systems and facets.

This page will serve as a continually updated hub of everything we're doing all month long. Take a look at the list below and catch up on anything you've missed!

20 Minutes of Co-op Mission Gameplay

The First 15 Minutes of The Division 2

17 Minutes of Endgame Gameplay

Extended Hands-On Preview

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The Outer Worlds Won't Be As Long as Some People Think

The Outer Worlds, developed by Knights of the Old Republic II and Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian Entertainment, won’t be nearly as long as some fans are hypothesizing.

In an interview with GameInformer, co-directors Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky discuss fan expectations for the game, and while they strongly feel it’s an awesome game fans will want to play, they want people to know it’s more of a “reactive RPG” than a sprawling open-world.

"People think it’s more of an open-sandbox of a game, like 'oh, they’re gonna be able to go anywhere on any of the planets'... no...” said Cain. "People are speculating, like, hundreds of hours of gameplay... and no."

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Axiom Verge Crashes on Epic Store Thanks to Missing 'Steam' File

The Epic Games Store is giving away a new free game every two weeks just for logging in, the most recent of which is 2015’s metroidvania hit Axiom Verge, but things didn’t go quite according to plan with this one. As reported by PC Gamer, players encountered a consistent crash upon entering a specific area, and it turns that’s because it was missing a file called ‘Steam.xnb’.

The issue has already been fixed, but developer Tom Happ explained on Twitter that it stemmed from how he moved Axiom Verge over from Steam to the Epic Games Store. Happ automatically excluded any game files with the word “Steam” in it to cut down on unnecessary files associated with Valve’s platform, but that inadvertently removed an unrelated sound effect of a burst of steam – like the sound of boiled water, not the store.

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Nintendo Has Unannounced Games It Plans to Release This Year

In a recently released Q & A summary, Nintendo revealed it has unannounced games that it plans to release within 2019.

In Nintendo’s Q & A summary for its fiscal year ending March 2019, Nintendo Entertainment Planning and Development general manager Shinya Takahashi responded to a question about Nintendo’s process for software development, saying “I have heard some people say we have a tendency towards slow development, but that’s certainly not true in every case. We have titles currently in development that we haven’t announced yet, some of which we’re preparing to release this year, and I don’t anticipate the kind of delays they would be concerned about."

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