Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Dev Rocksteady Lifts NDA ‘Now There Is More News Out on the Game’

After a round of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League previews from media went live this week, developer Rocksteady has lifted its non-disclosure agreement (NDA) on the recently held closed alpha, allowing players to talk freely about their time with the game.

IGN was among a number of publications that published impressions of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League earlier this week. “Rocksteady’s first large-scale game in almost nine years is not clicking with us yet,” we said.

Warner Bros.-owned Rocksteady has now lifted a portion of the NDA on the closed alpha, letting players talk about the game but not publish assets like videos and screenshots.

“Now that there is more news out on the game and players are asking, we’re no longer enforcing a portion of the NDA,” Rocksteady said in a statement. “And we’re allowing players to talk about their experience from the Closed Alpha Test. We’ve heard the community requests and want to give players an opportunity to discuss what it’s like to explore Metropolis as Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark.

“To the amazing players who tested the game, please feel free to talk and write about your gameplay experience.”

As mentioned, other terms of the NDA remain in place. “Players may not post imagery or videos from the Closed Alpha Test,” Rocksteady said.

In Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League you play as one of four supervillains who take on members of the Justice League. You can play solo or co-op with friends in the open-world city of Metropolis. Suicide Squad follows Rocksteady’s critically acclaimed Batman Arkham series, which includes a number of single-player and story-focused games.

Suicide Squad, on the other hand, is very much a live service, with a battle pass to work through and gear score to increase as you pick up incrementally more powerful loot. But Rocksteady really does not want to call Suicide Squad a live service, perhaps to avoid the negative connotations the phrase now has.

Indeed, Rocksteady has faced an uphill challenge bringing its fans on-side following the announcement of Suicide Squad and the revelations about its live service elements, with many hoping for a return to the developer’s roots with a Batman Arkham-style game in the future.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League comes out February 2, 2024 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Upgrade your ROG Ally, Legion Go or Steam Deck with this £81 1TB NVMe SSD

Choosing the lowest storage capacity Steam Deck or other PC gaming handheld then upgrading to a high-capacity SSD is often cheaper than choosing the highest-tier storage option out of the gate, and can even provide better performance too.

If that makes sense to you, we spotted a 10% discount on the WD SN740, a solid PCIe 4.0 option that works well in the Steam Deck and even better in the ROG Ally, Legion Go and MSI Claw gaming handhelds that support faster PCIe 4.0 speeds. After the discount at Scan in the UK, the SN740 is available for £81 for 1TB.

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Sand Land, the Video Game Based on Dragon Ball Creator Akira Toriyama’s Manga, Has a Release Date

Sand Land launches on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and S, and PC on April 26, 2024, publisher Bandai Namco has announced.

Announced in 2023, Bandai Namco’s Sand Land looks to translate a cult Japanese comic into an open-world adventure. Sand Land debuted in 2000 as a short-lived tale of a demon prince exploring a desolate wilderness.

Created by Akira Toriyama, a manga artist of major renown for his Dragonball series as well as his contributions to many games such as Dragon Quest, Sand Land remained a print-only phenomenon until 2023. A feature-length film debuted last summer, with this game serving as the next multimedia tie-in.

“Joining Beelzebub, the Fiend Prince, his chaperone, Thief, and Sheriff Rao, prepare to explore the vast desert and take on the Royal Army in various customisable vehicles,” reads the official synopsis.

“This unlikely team uniting humans and demons sets out on an adventure in search for the Legendary Spring capable of ending the terrible drought that has taken over the world. Together, they will travel beyond Sand Land to uncharted territories.”

IGN played a Sand Land demo at last year’s Tokyo Game Show. “Sand Land has a long way to go before I’d consider giving it another look,” we said at the time. “At present, the driving, combat, and exploration don’t entice me to dig any deeper.”

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

This Lexar Play 1TB Micro SD card is down to £67.85 and works great in Steam Deck

Lexar’s Play Micro SD cards are some of the most affordable 1TB memory cards you can buy, and now you can pick up one for just £67.85 – within £3 of the cheapest price ever recorded for this model, which was during Black Friday last year.

These cards are rated for up to 150MB/s reads and have both UHS Speed Class 3 (3) and App Performance Class 2 (A2) certifications for minimum speeds, making them a decent choice for Steam Deck, ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go owners amongst other use cases in phones, cameras and more.

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Mini Review: Shinorubi (Switch) – A Curious Shooter That’s A No-Go In Docked Mode

Not starring Joe Musashi.

Shinorubi feels like a game that came about by providing prompts to an AI specialising in video game building (coming soon, no doubt), feeding it information on various historical works of a particular nature, and then publishing whatever it spat out. That might sound mean to the humans that created it, but it’s an apt descriptor nonetheless.

Shinorubi has the odd misfortune of getting worse depending on the size of your screen. On our 55” panel, the experience was somewhat shocking. Filling the full 16:9 aspect and played in a vertical format, the player ships are enormous, with a giant pink jewel on their nose to dictate the hit-box area. Each pilot has different shot types, underpinned by a straightforward shot, laser, and bomb setup, as well as a fever power-up mode that’s triggered by collecting stars. It appears Shinorubi runs at 30fps, but on a large flatscreen is so janky it’s hard to say. Every ship in the game, with their various pros and cons, travel at extreme speeds to cover the play area, requiring inappropriate firing of the laser just to quell the weird skating of their movement. The larger the screen, the more prone you are to accidentally crash into bullets, not helped by laggy controls, and everything seems to stutter slightly. When you die in docked mode, it’s not because the game is overly difficult, but because you’re struggling to understand the action.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age Rise at Last on Nintendo Switch Online

At last, Nintendo is bringing two of the Game Boy Advance’s best RPGs to Nintendo Switch Online. Stand up, Golden Sun fans, because we’re finally getting Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age on the service next week, on January 17.

We knew Golden Sun would make its way to the service eventually – it was teased last year, when Nintendo first unveiled its plans for GBA games coming to Switch Online. But with Golden Sun and its sequel effectively being two critical halves of a full story, it makes a lot more sense to drop them both at the same time.

For those unfamiliar, Golden Sun was a 2001 RPG from developer Camelot, better known now for its work on the Mario Golf and Mario Tennis franchises. It follows a group of four heroes wielding elemental magic on a quest to stop a team of villains from lighting four elemental lighthouses and plunging the world of Weyard into chaos. However, Golden Sun only tells half of the story – its sequel, The Lost Age, was released two years later and follows some of the supposed “villains” from the first game as they work to finish the job they started in Golden Sun, while the first game’s heroes are in hot pursuit.

Both games are still beloved for their interesting and nuanced class systems revolving around elemental spirits called Djinn, the hybrid ways the game’s magic, or Psynergy, could be used both in and out of battle, and their incredible soundtracks by renowned composer Motoi Sakuraba. We reviewed both Golden Sun and The Lost Age very highly back in the early 2000s when they came out. Camelot did eventually release a third Golden Sun game, Dark Dawn, for DS in 2010, but it wasn’t as well-received as its predecessors, and we noted that it felt “somewhat dated.”

The debut of both Golden Sun and The Lost Age on Nintendo Switch Online is great news for fans of the series who were struggling to find ways to play these games in 2023 without digging up ancient handheld gaming devices. Now, if only we can convince Camelot to tackle a fourth Golden Sun game…

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Xbox Insider Release Notes – Omega (2311.240110-1710)

Hey Xbox Insiders! We have a new Xbox Update Preview releasing to the Omega ring today.

It’s important we note that some updates made in these preview OS builds include background improvements that ensure a quality and stable build for Xbox consoles. We will continue to post these release notes, even when the noticeable changes to the UI are minimal or behind the scenes, so you’re aware when updates are coming to your device.

Details can be found below!

Xbox Insider Release Notes

System Update Details:

  • OS Version: XB_FLT_2311ZN25398.2923.240110-1710
  • Available: 5 p.m. PT – January 11, 2024
  • Mandatory: 5 p.m. PT – January 12, 2024

Note: This update may not occur automatically before it has already become mandatory. You can always find the most current update as soon as it is available by opening the Guide > Profile & system > Settings > System > Updates.

Remember: Newly enrolled users in this ring are not guaranteed to receive all early updates, but they’ll receive the update prior to the GA release. Additionally, a small subset of users may remain on their current GA build once they enroll until the next system update becomes mandatory for the public. Visit the Xbox Insider Program FAQ to learn more.

Fixes Included

Thanks to all the great feedback Xbox Insiders provide and the hard work of Xbox engineers, we are happy to announce the following fixes have been implemented with this build:

Games

  • Fixed an issue where syncing game saves would not complete.

System

  • Various stability and performance fixes.

Known Issues

While known issues may have been listed in previous Xbox Insider Release Notes, they are not being ignored! However, it may take Xbox engineers more time to find a solution. If you experience any of these issues, we ask that you please follow any guidance provided and file feedback with Report a Problem.

Audio

  • We have received reports of users experiencing intermittent issues with audio across the dashboard, games, and apps. If you have experienced issues, be sure you have the latest firmware updates for your TV and other equipment. If you’re unsure, you may need to contact the manufacturer for assistance.
    • Note: If you continue to experience issues after applying the latest firmware updates, please submit feedback via Report a Problem immediately with the “Reproduce with advanced diagnostics” option, then select the category “Console experiences” and “Console Audio Output Issues”. Be sure to include as much information as possible:
      • When did the issue start?
      • Did you lose audio just in the game/app or system audio as well?
      • Does changing the audio format resolve the issue? If yes, what was the format before and after?
      • Does rebooting resolve the issue?
      • What does your setup include? Equipment, layout, etc.
      • And any additional information you can provide to reproduce the problem.

Networking

  • We are investigating reports of an issue where the console may not connect to their network as expected on boot. If you experience this, be sure to report the issue via Report a Problem as soon as you’re able.

As always, be sure to use Report a problem to keep us informed of any issues you encounter. We may not be able to respond to everyone, but the data we’ll gather is crucial to finding a resolution.

What Happens to Your Feedback

If you’re an Xbox Insider looking for support, please visit the community subreddit. Official Xbox staff, moderators, and fellow Xbox Insiders are there to help with your concerns.

When posting to the subreddit, please look through the most recent posts to see if your issue has already been posted or addressed. We always recommend adding to existing threads with the same issue before posting a new one. This helps us support you the best we can! Also, don’t forget to use “Report a Problem” before posting – the information shared in both places helps us understand your issue better.

Thank you to every Xbox Insider in the subreddit today and welcome to the community if you’re just joining us! We love that it has become such a friendly and community-driven hub of conversation and support.

For more information regarding the Xbox Insider Program follow us on Twitter. Keep an eye on future Xbox Insider Release Notes for more information regarding your Xbox Update Preview ring!

The post Xbox Insider Release Notes – Omega (2311.240110-1710) appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Sand Land launches April 26 – new vehicular gameplay details revealed

Announced today, Beelzebub and company are rolling out onto PlayStation 5 & PlayStation 4 on April 26! In this action-RPG players will be able to explore a vast map with a wide array of vehicles in a world developed by the creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama.

Become the main character, Beelzebub, and lead your company of heroic misfits on an extraordinary adventure in search of the Legendary Spring hidden in the desert. Between bandits, fierce wildlife, and the Royal Army, reaching the spring won’t be easy!

The latest trailer shows new story elements and exciting vehicular gameplay. Watch the release date trailer below along with PS Blog exclusive info on the newest revealed vehicles in Sand Land!


Sand Land launches April 26 – new vehicular gameplay details revealed

Hovercar

As its namesake would imply, the Hovercar is a medium sized vehicle with the ability to hover, allowing it to easily traverse over wetlands and rough terrain. It can also use its boost to float to a greater height to elevate over ledges and cross gaps. When you find an area which seems to be difficult to drive through, like a quicksand biome, try the Hovercar to get out of a tough situation.

When building your vehicles you can build unique, powerful weapons to support you in combat and traversing with the Options build slot.

Hovertank

Another vehicle with similar hover functions but is more specialized for battle is the Hovertank. It equips strong long-range weaponry that can cause massive damage. However, the Hovertank’s aiming stability may be difficult to harness due to its floating nature, but once mastered, the Hovertank will be an almost unrivaled vehicle in your arsenal.

Customize vehicles with wide arsenal of parts and weapons

As shown in the trailer and clips above, vehicles can be customized with hundreds of parts that can be applied to main and secondary weapons, engines, and suspensions. Use your imagination to design your own vehicles and play to your style! Dive into dungeons to find treasure chests and obtain stronger, unique machine parts.

With powerful enemies comes the need for powerful weapons. While designing your vehicles you can equip special Option weapons. Equip the Neutron Cannon to send a flash of high power energy to take down large foes or minions closely placed together.

Dealing with crowd control and need to maneuver? Activate the special Option ability of the Autonomous C-Drone (Auto Combat Drone) to help spread out your firepower.

Stylize vehicles with skins and decals

Customization is not only for performance but also for looks with the ability to change vehicle coloring and the application of decals. Visit the paint shop in Spino, the base camp of your adventure, and design vehicles to show your style to enemies. Check out the preorder exclusive Midnight Panther and Jungle Heart vehicle skins below.

There’s a whole world to explore and more exciting vehicles to discover – check out the previous trailers and find your favorite vehicles! After the reveal of the new mysterious character, Ann, and a new green biome in the latest trailer, stay tuned for more Sand Land info.