Author: Game Infliction

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Physical Deluxe Edition Is Up for Preorder

After a very successful digital launch earlier this year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is now getting a physical deluxe edition. If you can’t wait to get your hands on it, the good news is it’s now available to preorder for both PS5 and Xbox Series X, and what’s even better is it releases very soon, on October 13.

At the moment you can preorder it for $39.99 from a variety of storefronts including Amazon, GameStop, and Target. That’s weirdly $20 cheaper than the digital deluxe edition that’s been available since the game first launched, but hey, we’ll take that win. Get your preorders in at the link below and learn everything that comes with this physical deluxe edition further down.

Preorder Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Physical Deluxe Edition

PS5

Xbox Series X

Preorders are live for the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of the game.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Physical Deluxe Edition Contents

When you pick up the physical deluxe edition of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered – which features a very cool cover that features a leather-like background texture with gold detailing – you’ll get plenty of bonuses alongside the base game. These include:

  • Unique digital Akatosh and Mehrunes Dagon Armors, Weapons, and Horse Armor Sets
  • Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine story expansions
  • Access to the Digital Artbook and Soundtrack App
  • Additional downloadable content: Fighter’s Stronghold, Spell Tomes, Vile Lair, Mehrune’s Razor, The Thieves Den, Wizard’s Tower, The Orrery, and Horse Armor Pack

Earlier this year when it was released, we gave The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered an 8/10 in our review. Writer Travis Northup said it’s, “a fantastic open-world RPG that’s aged quite well, with questlines and stories that are better than I remembered, modernizations (like the slightly improved leveling system) that remove some of the friction of the original, and loads of opportunities to make this adventure whatever you want it to be via the plentiful freedom afforded to you.”

Other Preorder Guides

Looking to secure a few more games for your physical library? Have a look at our list of other preorder guides below to see what else is available to preorder at the moment, from 007 First Light to Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and more.

If you happen to be a PC gamer more interested in savings than physical copies, I’d also check out the Steam Autumn Sale, which happens to include digital discounts on Oblivion Remastered.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.

Minos, a maze-building roguelite about a trap-happy minotaur who’s tired of adventurer bull, has a demo out

“That’s not a minotaur, that’s just a guy with horns,” yells one of the YouTube commenters on the reveal trailer of Minos. They might be right with their Monty Python-esque accusation, but regardless of how much the maze-building roguelike and its developers Artificer have put the cat amongst the Greek mythology-loving pigeons, the demo that’s currently out for it is good fun.

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Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Gets Another Update, Here Are The Patch Notes

Fixes aplenty.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound has received another update following a recent patch to improve the game’s frame rate when played on Switch 2.

This one is more focused on general bug fixes and gameplay improvements, but it’s a welcome update nonetheless. Highlights include fixes to soft-locks and freezing scenarios, collision issues, improved visual consistency, and more.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Minecraft Adding Spears for Players, But Also for Mounted Zombies

Minecraft has announced a major new game update, Mounts of Mayhem, that will be spearheaded by the addition of… the spear!

The sharp-tipped stick is the first new weapon added to Minecraft in some time, and the first new tiered item — one that is available in progressively more durable variants — added since the hoe, back in 2010.

After so long jabbing at skeletons with a sword, you might wonder why the spear is being added now. Well, thankfully it sounds like there will be some interesting new gameplay possibilities as a result of the spear’s addition, and in particular: jousting.

As in real life, you’ll be able to wield your nearest spear on foot, or on your nearest horse, which is where part of that Mounts of Mayhem title comes in. The other part? Well, that comes from the fact that it isn’t just you getting to play around with a spear… Mounted Zombies (who also now ride Zombie Horses) will get spears also.

In an update video revealing the spear’s mechanics, developer Mojang explained that the weapon can be used for slow, long-range jabs or stronger charge attacks that deal damage based on how fast a player is moving. On horseback, at a gallop, your spear is going to do significant damage to any enemy standing in your path. However, the same is presumably true of those Mounted Zombies.

Crafting or upgrading your spear using different materials will allow you to create a bog-standard wooden spear, but also fancier golden, stone, copper, iron, diamond and even Netherite alternatives. However, while the item’s durability might increase, fancier materials will be heavier — making the spear’s attacks slower. It’s an interesting trade-off.

Mojang has confirmed that your mounted combat can extend underwater, via Mounts of Mayhem’s new tamable aquatic mob, the Nautilus. You can even wield spears while soaring through the skies with Elytra wings.

Will spears be part of the next Chicken Jockey meme whenever the Minecraft Movie sequel comes around? Perhaps. Until then, players can begin testing Mounts of Mayhem features “soon,” Mojang said, ahead of a full release further in the future.

For now, Minecraft fans can busy themselves with the game’s latest update, The Copper Age, which is out today and adds those adorable friendly copper golems.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Ghost of Yotei Global Release Times Confirmed

Sony has confirmed the global release times for PlayStation 5 exclusive Ghost of Yotei.

Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima sequel has an official release date of October 2, but fans in some parts of the United States can play it earlier, from October 1, Sony confirmed to IGN.

It’s worth noting Ghost of Yotei has an important day-one patch, which makes a number of significant improvements to the game. Sony revealed the patch notes to IGN, and confirmed disc owners will have to install the update. Sony also asked players to make sure they’re on Version 1.006 before playing the game.

Ghost of Yotei pre-load via the PlayStation Store went live last week, with the game itself weighing in at over 85GB.

IGN’s Ghost of Yotei review returned an 8/10. We said: “A predictable but well-executed story takes you through Ghost of Yotei’s gorgeous landscapes and satisfying, fluid action — it may not be revolutionizing open world games, but it’s a great distillation of the samurai fantasy.”

Ghost of Yotei global release times:

Wednesday, October 1, 2025

PDT (Pacific Time):

  • 9pm

MT (Mountain Time):

  • 10pm

CT (Central Time):

  • 11pm

Thursday, October 2, 2025

EDT (Eastern Time):

  • 12am

International (midnight local time):

  • 12am

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Yakuza Kiwami 3’s Dark Ties spin-off was originally set to be a video, and here’s why its protagonist sings to a photo of a bald bloke

Dark Ties, the Like A Dragon spin-off game that’s set to arrive alongside Yakuza Kiwami 3 next year, was originally just going to be a video. That was, obviously, until devs RGG studio opted to let folks wander around in the shoes of Yakuza 3 antagonist Yoshitaka Mine, whose karaoke singing to a picture of a follically-challenged gangster they’ve now also explained.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Early Access Beta and Open Beta Global Release Times Confirmed

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 officially releases on November 14, 2025, for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. However, those hoping to try before they buy can test Treyarch’s updated formula October 5-8 via an open beta. Players willing to pre-order can get in on the action even earlier via an early access beta running October 2–5.

Don’t forget, Activision recently warned PC gamers that they will not be able to play during the beta and at launch if they do not enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot. Like rival shooter Battlefield 6, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are required for Black Ops 7 to run on PC as part of strict anti-cheat measures to block modified hardware and unauthorized software.

Check out all the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 multiplayer details announced so far to find out what to expect.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Beta Start Times: Early Access

Thursday, October 2, 2025

PDT (San Francisco):

  • 10am

EDT (New York):

  • 1pm

BST (London):

  • 6pm

CEST (Paris, Rome, Berlin):

  • 7pm

EEST (Turkey):

  • 8pm

HKT (Hong Kong):

  • 11pm

CST (Beijing):

  • 11pm

Friday, October 3, 2025

JST (Tokyo):

  • 2am

AEST (Sydney):

  • 3am

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Beta Start Times: Open Beta Access

Sunday, October 5, 2025

PDT (San Francisco):

  • 10am

EDT (New York):

  • 1pm

BST (London):

  • 6pm

CEST (Paris, Rome, Berlin):

  • 7pm

EEST (Turkey):

  • 8pm

HKT (Hong Kong):

  • 11pm

CST (Beijing):

  • 11pm

Monday, October 6, 2025

JST (Tokyo):

  • 2am

AEST (Sydney):

  • 3am

The beta test ends at the same times given above on Wednesday October 8 (Thursday October 9 in Asia/Oceania).

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

“I Feel A Great Responsibility To Get It Right” – Naoki Hamaguchi On The Pressure Of Remaking Final Fantasy VII

“I find myself torn about how best to adapt it on a daily basis”.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade will finally make its way onto the Switch 2 early next year on 22nd January 2026.

For many, the 1997 original stands as one of the most iconic games of all time, and it’s certainly up there as one of the best entries in the long-running series. For Naoki Hamaguchi, the director of the Remake Trilogy (of which the latter two entries have also been confirmed for Switch 2), tackling such a monumental project comes with its own sense of pressure.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Activision Knows Call of Duty Cheaters ‘Will Try to Test the Limits’ During the Black Ops 7 Beta, Says ‘That’s Exactly What We Want’

Activision has warned PC gamers that they will not be able to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 during the beta and at launch if they do not enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot.

Like rival shooter Battlefield 6, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are required for Black Ops 7 to run on PC as part of strict anti-cheat measures. These features block modified hardware and unauthorized software, with the goal of creating a fair, secure environment for all players even as cheaters ramp up their efforts.

Indeed, Activision has said it’s well aware Call of Duty cheaters will hammer on the Black Ops 7 beta, insisting: “that’s exactly what we want.”

In a new blog post, Activision suggested PC gamers enable both TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot now to be ready on day one, with the Black Ops 7 beta set to kick off on October 2 for those with early access, then October 5 in open beta form.

However, some Battlefield 6 players ran into issues enabling TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, preventing them from playing on PC. Speaking to Eurogamer, Battlefield 6 technical director Christian Buhl lamented the situation. “The fact is I wish we didn’t have to do things like Secure Boot,” Buhl said.

“It does prevent some players from playing the game. Some people’s PCs can’t handle it and they can’t play; that really sucks. I wish everyone could play the game with low friction and not have to do these sorts of things.”

Enabling Secure Boot involves tinkering with a part of a computer not all PC gamers will be instantly familiar with: the BIOS. You need to make sure your Windows disk is GPT and not MBR (not everyone will know what these are), too. All this before you can even enable Secure Boot — and then you may not be able to enable it anyway, which then means you need to refer to your manufacturer for guidance. While this won’t be a problem for more experienced PC gamers, it will be an intimidating process for some.

Perhaps with this in mind, Activision has released guides to help Call of Duty players enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, including BIOS updates for the top 10 motherboard makers used by Call of Duty players.

“When Black Ops 7 launches on November 14, these requirements will combine with our newest RICOCHET Anti-Cheat upgrades,” Activision said. “At that point, we will introduce a remote verification system (known as Remote Attestation) to provide the strongest safeguard possible. This type of attestation is the most secure method of validation, more stringent than the client or local attestation methods found in other games, allowing us to validate TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot settings with Microsoft Azure servers in the cloud.

“This creates a tougher environment for cheats to operate in and ensures that the protections these features detect cannot be bypassed or spoofed, which would be possible if we used local verification on a player’s PC.

“Our layered defense that combines TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, and RICOCHET Anti-Cheat’s upgraded detection systems delivers our most advanced anti-cheat protection yet, safeguarding fair play across Call of Duty.”

Activision continued: “We’re setting a new standard for gaming security. TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are not optional; they are the foundation of our multifaceted defense system, and with your help, they ensure a fair and secure experience for everyone.”

Call of Duty has a reputation for cheating, especially with the free-to-download battle royale Warzone. Activision has spent a significant amount of time, money, and energy in response, even taking on cheat makers in court, although it, like all video game developers, faces an uphill battle in the war on cheaters.

And Activision knows cheaters will descend upon the Black Ops 7 beta (despite it being a beta, it happens with Call of Duty every year, and indeed the Battlefield 6 beta suffered the same fate). In the blog post, Activision welcomed the onslaught that is to come.

“Cheaters will try to test the limits during the Beta. That’s exactly what we want because #TeamRICOCHET is here, watching, learning, and removing them as they appear,” Activision said. “Any account permanently banned for cheating during the Beta will be banned across all Call of Duty titles, from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare to future releases.”

It’s worth noting that Activision has highlighted its new aimbot detection, which it said is “one of the strongest detection systems we have ever built,” and its new wall hacking detections, “making it harder for cheaters who manipulate the game to see enemies through surfaces harder to escape detection.”

Check out all the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 multiplayer details announced so far to find out what to expect.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.