In the Cho-zone.
School’s out, baby! Sorry, what..? What do you mean we’re adults? Pfft, fine.
Yes, it’s the weekend, which means it’s time to find out which games we’re all planning to boot up. For we do so, however, let’s just recap some of the biggest stories from the week, shall we?
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Despite supposed listings online.
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered is out in just a few weeks and one thing many fans want to know is if there will be a physical version of this retro collection. While there have supposedly been some listings online, officially speaking there’s been no announcement.
During an interview with Nintendo Everything recently, Aspyr’s director of product Chris Bashaar mentioned how there’s been no official announcement. In other words, it’s not an outright “no”, so maybe there’s still hope. Here’s the full exchange:
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“You, as an actor, are so disposable”.
Before the appointment of Sarah Natochenny as the voice of Ash Ketchum, the original voice actor of the Pokémon character was actually Veronica Taylor. Now that Ash’s arc has come to an end in the anime series, Taylor has reflected on her own time when she was essentially “fired” from the role.
As a result the abrupt recast in 2006, she still struggles and isn’t even sure she’s properly said goodbye to Ash just yet. Here’s what she had to say during a chat with Kotaku:
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Monster capture games have certainly captured the attention of players for generations, with Pokemon being the most prominent and beloved series within the genre. Due to its popularity, it isn’t any surprise that games of a similar vein have popped up to occupy the same space. But that doesn’t mean all of these games are the same, despite sharing a similar foundation, or even considering several games that predate this wildly popular series. Either way, there’s a wide world of monster capture games for all you Pokemon fans out there.
Below are a list of games that reside within the vast monster capture genre, or dabble in the mechanic in some meaningful way.
While it was a very busy year for major game releases, under-the-radar Cassette Beasts was one of the best games to release in 2023. A stylish blend of 2D and 3D art, Cassette Beasts is visually similar to some of the best Pokemon games in the series, but with some light traversal elements and large focus on the monster capture and fusion mechanics of the game.
Like most games that take heavy inspiration from Pokemon, Cassette Beasts stars a self-insert player character as they make their way through the island of New Wirral while they look for a way to return home. However, the game is a little more complex in the way that you interact with various major characters, as you can increase your affinity with them and even undertake their quests. What Cassette Beasts offers is a blend of Pokemon-esque monster capture mechanics, a character driven story, and a unique fusion mechanic that keeps them on their toes. Overall, it’s an inspired and fresh take on the genre, and one you should check out.
Monster Sanctuary is a mix of the monster capture genre and your par for the course Metroidvania. Players catch monsters to engage in 3-vs-3 battles as well as to open up exploration in gorgeous 2D pixel environments.
The game extends beyond the use of monster types as just a means to get an advantage on opponents, as attack types are just as important. But what really kept me glued to Monster Sanctuary was its traversal mechanics and really nailing those 2D platforming elements. Going back and uncovering new shortcuts and secrets made the game utterly addicting to me in addition to how battles were structured. This is a game I highly recommend for those who like monster capture games, 2D platformers, or both.
The Digimon series is effectively the progenitor of the monster capture genre, even predating Pokemon — it just never rose to the same kind of success internationally. Digimon World: Next Order takes all of the fun from the first Digimon World game on the PlayStation (bar the scuffed localization) and makes it more approachable. The Digimon World series have functioned as more or less “open world” exploration games where players can raise a Digimon from birth to its eventual death, with how they’ve treated them playing into their evolutions, as they experience unique stories set within the Digimon universe.
These games have generally always been more story focused than Pokemon games as players befriend Digimon to fill out their cities and discover what plagues the digital world. Players can still train their Digimon and unlock unique Digivolutions but in a more story-focused experience. That said, you can still grind out and train your Digimon to your heart’s content, but Digimon World: Next Order definitely has one of the meatier stories of the games on this list thanks to its focus on its narrative and the wealth of various Digivolutions players can discover.
An oldie but a goodie, Monster Rancher is one of several monster capture games that was released in the 1990’s alongside the Pokemon series. Like other monster capture games, players will raise monsters and train them through a series of mini-games to compete in tournaments that will allow them to raise their ranks.
However, you aren’t really capturing monsters in Monster Rancher, as you more or less generate them through various methods depending on which versions of the game you were playing. Koei Tecmo re-released Monster Rancher 1 & 2 for the Nintendo Switch, making these games available to an entirely new audience. Unfortunately, these versions have done away with what made the monster capture mechanic so unique, and that was swapping out CDs on your Sony PlayStation to generate a random monster. What makes Monster Rancher so fun though is that there’s a big emphasis on bonding and training your monster outside of battling them in the arena. Monster Rancher is a great game for those looking to build up their monsters and really test their mettle in 1-vs-1 combat.
You may be wondering why a Dragon Quest game has any business being on this list. Well, the Dragon Quest Monsters sub-series, first introduced in 1998 to capitalize on the Pokemania, are all about capturing monsters to use in turn-based combat against your foes. Sound familiar? The Dark Prince is the latest entry in the series, and despite launching with some major technical issues that have since been patched on certain platforms, it carries this tradition onwards. However, capturing monsters is a little more intensive than in Pokemon and success rates are decided by some variables that players can turn in their favor, which makes it a little more in-depth than Pokemon games. Nevertheless this game will definitely satiate any cravings you may have for capturing some monsters. Fans of Dragon Quest and monster capture games, or even fans of both, will enjoy this entry in the series.
Ever wanted to raise monsters instead of hunting them in Monster Hunter? Monster Hunter Stories provides that exact experience. Instead of slaying monsters for valuable parts, players instead collect monsters by obtaining their eggs — which sounds bad in practice. But the narrative always makes it clear that these games are more or less about the conservation of monsters and cultural practices, so it sort of rubs off whatever reservations players might have.
You assume the role of a budding monster trainer who has been paired with one of the series most iconic monsters, a Rathalos. Things begin to go awry as monsters begin to rampage through areas surrounding your village. Combat is relegated to strategic turn-based battles that take into account the types of monsters you decide to make part of your team. You can also use your monsters as means to traverse various landscapes, similar to what modern Pokemon games have implemented. Monster Hunters Stories 2: Wings of Ruin provides a decently balanced experience in terms of narrative and gameplay, and will occupy a decent amount of time if you decide to collect all of the monsters in the game.
While Palworld’s similarities to Pokemon begin and end with its colorful monster design, a monster capturing mechanic does exist within the game that more or less mirrors what you get in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. In Palworld you can capture and use Pals in interesting ways, either to help them automize construction, provide resources for your base, and even for traversal. You can do that in most Pokemon games, with it far more tangible in Scarlet and Violet as you use Koraidon or Miraidon to scale mountains, glide, and more. That is effectively where the similarities end, since Palworld is more or less about obtaining resources to build up your base like most survival games are.
While there are still a plethora of other monster capture games that exist, as the genre has expanded greatly since the release and subsequent popularity of Pokemon in the 1990’s, the ones included in this list build upon those foundations in some truly unique ways. Whether it be an engrossing story, a more fleshed out battle system, or even how you obtain monsters, these games are more than worth checking out.
Kazuma Hashimoto is a freelance writer for IGN.
Coffee Stain Studios will finally launch Satisfactory 1.0 later this year, it has announced in an update video.
Studio Community Manager Snutt Treptow laid out the 1.0 plans — along with a definitely not-fake roadmap filled with guns, fast cars, and romanceable creatures — today. There’s no release date yet, but the team is confident that there will be no more Early Access updates for players to wait through before the full factory-building experience becomes available.
As for what Satisfactory 1.0 looks like, Coffee Stain says players can expect new content, fixes for long-lasting issues, an end game and narrative, and more. As these final features are ironed out, Treptow says that there will be “next to no patches for the game until the full release.”
“Back in 2021, when we released Update 5, we sort of divided our focus into two development tracks,” he said. “One track was dedicated to the content that would go into each subsequent update, and the other was content exclusively aimed for the 1.0 release. So, our attention at the studio has sort of been divided between handling update launches with everything that comes with that and at the same time working on new content that we didn’t want to reveal until the full release of the game.”
Late last year, Coffee Stain brought these two teams together to move full steam ahead toward 1.0. Now that both branches are one, he says that it is “no longer possible for us to release any major patches in between them.” All of the work on issues big and small will be release when the Satisfactory launch build arrives, which Treptow says includes the effort put toward things like dedicated servers.
Coffee Stain says it’s still in Alpha but is close to reaching the feature-complete Beta phase. After that milestone is secured, players can expect to hear about a closed Beta test. You can sign up for this limited test now by clicking here.
Satisfactory came to Early Access on the Epic Games Store in March 2019, nearly five years ago. It’s received numerous updates since and eventually came to Steam. Development will continue after the launch build arrives, though it’s “up in the air and yet to be decided” what post-launch will look like exactly. If you need more crafting experiences to keep you busy before 1.0, be sure to check out our list of 11 games like Minecraft that are worth playing.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
Learn how to make South Indian food.
If you’ve played Venba, which launched on Nintendo Switch in July 2023, and you love cooking, you probably had one big question at the end of the game — how do I make all of that delicious food? Thankfully, the team at Visai Games have a solution that’ll save you a google or three — cookbook DLC!
The developer teased the upcoming DLC over on Twitter and TikTok (thanks, Kotaku!), revealing that fans have been asking how to make all of the recipes that you cook up in the game. From the soft and fluffy breakfast cake idlis to the warming chicken rasam soup to the delicious rice dish biryani, there will be 12 recipes covered in this upcoming DLC.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Hey Xbox Insiders! We have a new Xbox Update Preview releasing to the Beta ring today.
It’s important we note that some updates made to 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!
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:
Profile
Rewards
System
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
Game Card
Games
Networking
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.
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 – Beta (2402.240131-2000) appeared first on Xbox Wire.
At the end of Grounded 2: Making The Last of Us Part 2, Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann made a surprise reveal that The Last of Us Part 3 could very well be on the way.
That’s not to say that’s a lot there at the moment – he says he merely has a “concept” in mind – but did note that there’s “probably one more chapter to this story.”
“The first game had such a clean concept of like, the unconditional love a parent feels for their child,” he said. “The second one, once we landed on this idea of the pursuit of justice at any cost, justice for the ones you love, we felt like, ‘there’s a clean concept here and there’s a throughline from the first game, about love.’ If we never get to do it again, this is a fine ending point. Last bite of the apple, the story’s done.”
“The great thing about working at Naughty Dog is that we don’t have to,” he added. “It’s always like, ‘we would love another Last of Us, but if you guys feel you’re passionate about something else, we’ll support this other thing.’ Very privileged position to be in, I never take that for granted. I’ve been just thinking about it, ‘is there a concept there?’ And for now years, I haven’t been able to find that concept. But recently, that’s changed, and I don’t have a story, but I do have that concept that to me is as exciting as 1, as exciting as 2, is its own thing, and yet has this throughline for all three. So it does feel like there’s probably one more chapter to this story.”
Before his comments about a potential The Last of Us Part 3, Druckmann talked about a previous interview he gave in which he mentioned they had written a story for Joel’s brother, Tommy, that takes place after the events of The Last of Us Part 2.
“The headlines across the industry were like, ‘Naughty Dog has outlined The Last of Us Part 3,’ and that’s actually wrong,” he clarified. “It was always a small story, it was never a full title. At the time, we had higher priorities at Naughty Dog to fix our pipeline, to fix work-life balance issues. Just based on where we were, I didn’t want to prioritize the story, so that story was shelved. And I still believe one day, it’ll see the light of day. I don’t know if it’ll be a game or a show, tbd.”
So, to be clear, we don’t know that Part 3 will indeed be that Tommy story, although Druckmann stressed, “I hope someday we get to make it.”
The documentary, which broadcasted on YouTube for the last couple of hours, provided an in-depth look at the making of The Last of Us Part 2. The same documentary will also be available in The Last of Us Part 2.
Grounded II comes just weeks after Naughty Dog released The Last of Us Part II: Remastered for the PS5. Aside from the base game for The Last of Us Part II, this enhanced version included additional features, including a new roguelike mode called No Return, Guitar Free Play, Lost Levels with developer commentary, graphical enhancements, DualSense integration, and the option to enable developer commentary during cutscenes for the main story.
“The Last of Us Part 2 is a masterpiece that evolves the gameplay, cinematic storytelling, and rich world design of the original in nearly every way,” we wrote in our review of The Last of Us Part 2.
Aside from the recent release of Part 2 Remastered last December, Naughty Dog announced that it had made the difficult decision to cancel The Last of Us Online, a live-service game inspired by the Factions mode in the original Last of Us game.
Beyond new game installments set in The Last of Us universe, HBO adapted the series for the small screens last year, with a second season currently in development.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
A CD Projekt Red developer has shared their hard fought journey to get a very specific and utterly random feature added to Cyberpunk 2077.
Online services lead Leszek Krupiński made a lengthy post on X/Twitter to chronicle the journey of getting the “munch munch” sound added when protagonist V eats an item in the menu. This sound was already in Cyberpunk 2077 when players ate while roaming around the world, but the menu sound only arrived with its latest 2.11 update.
“This version includes a tiny thing, tiny feature I’ve poured my heart into,” Krupiński began, who explained his inspiration came from the Niezatapialni podcast which has a host who always asks for the feature.
I want to share my personal achievement with you. Recently one of the last patches for Cyberpunk 2077 has been released. This version includes a tiny thing, tiny feature I’ve poured my heart into. It all started with Dominik Gąska from Niezatapialni podcast. Each time a new patch… pic.twitter.com/yDASsSyMKD
— Leszek Krupiński ⭕️ (@lisciasty_) February 2, 2024
“Yes, the lack of this was an omission, but I dunno if it wasn’t noticed, or the priority was low, so it was never added,” Krupiński continued. “I decided to do something about it. It was way out of my scope of work, but I started asking around. I talked to producers and release managers if it’s not too late to add any new features (it was after 2.0 was released), but they didn’t say ‘no’ instantly, so there was a chance.
“I put on a producer hat and started discussions with sound designers and the UI team. And this week I’ve installed the patch, and there it is. My most meaningful impact on Cyberpunk 2077: when you eat stuff in the inventory, you hear ‘munch munch’. I can die in peace now.”
Update 2.11 also addressed myriad bugs and balance issues in the open-world role-playing game. Melee finishers, dashes turning into crouches, and wrongly upgrading items have all been fixed among other issues. CD Projekt Red has also adjusted the frequency of car chases, stopped completed gigs remaining incomplete on the map, and addressed a bug where players couldn’t sleep during the quest I Really Want to Stay at Your House.
It came after the game changing Update 2.0, which completely revamped Cyberpunk 2077 with features such as a new perk system and improved AI and also brought closure to an Elon Musk fan theory, a reference to the late racing legend Ken Block, and bizarre additions to the game’s biggest mystery. Update 2.1 later added a full metro system, romantic partner hangouts, new vehicles, and more.
In our 9/10 review of the game, IGN said: “Cyberpunk 2077 throws you into a beautiful, dense cityscape and offers a staggering amount of flexibility in how you choose to take it from there.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
