Author: Game Infliction

Go Mecha Ball, out today on Steam and Game Pass, is a swish blend of twin-stick shooting and pinball physics

Friends, it is finally time for me to discourse unto you about my great love of balls. The roots of my enthusiasm go back to pinball machines – both the fancier, arcade variety that transmogrify into e.g. screaming robot skulls when you achieve a high-enough multiplier, and the crappy, play-at-home variety that are basically a canted wooden sheet with some numbers drawn on it. But it wasn’t till I embraced the holy medium of videogames that I realised the full potential of balldom.

Initiated, of course, by Sonic the Hedgehog, I descended into a frothing ballpit of ball variations, encompassing everything from the squashy rolling UFOs of Exo One through Katamari Damacy to the overcrowded chutes of Marble World and the spectacle of Overwatch’s Hammond clearing out a capture point by means of sheer, delicious torque. I am always up for a game in which you either control or become a ball, and Go Mecha Ball looks like one of the better ones.

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Palworld Update 0.1.3.0 Hits Steam

Palworld developer Pocketpair has released a new update for the Steam version of the ‘Pokemon with guns’ crafting and survival game, with a patch for the Xbox version to come.

Palworld Steam update 0.1.3.0 fixes a number of bugs and attempts to tackle cheating, which as IGN has reported is ramping up. Pocketpair said it’s currently prioritizing fixing critical issues with the game before moving on to adding new in-game features, such as PvP.

Palworld Steam Update 0.1.3.0 Patch Notes:

Main changes

・Fixed a bug where the loading screen did not end when logging into the world

・Fixed a bug where the world date was not displayed correctly and appeared to reset.

・Corrected various incorrect text

・Countermeasures against various cheats and exploits

Meanwhile, Xbox version v0.1.1.2 will be released “as soon as it is ready”, Pocketpair said.

Palworld is one of the biggest games in the world following an explosive early access launch that’s seen an incredible eight million copies sold in just six days. But it is also one of the most controversial games of recent times. Pocketpair has said its staff have received death threats amid Pokémon “rip-off” claims, and Nintendo has moved quickly to remove an eye-catching Pokémon mod. Overnight The Pokemon Company issued a statement, saying: “We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon.”

For more, check out our in-depth look as to whether it is fair to call Palworld a Pokemon rip-off.

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.

It’s Been 5 Years Since Nintendo Announced It Was Restarting Switch Exclusive Metroid Prime 4

Five years ago today Nintendo announced it had restarted development of Metroid Prime 4.

On January 25, 2019, Nintendo said it had restarted work on the hotly anticipated Switch exclusive from the beginning, with the help of the developer of the original Metroid Prime games, Retro Studios. At the time, Nintendo said the decision was made because this fourth entry had “not reached the standards we seek in a sequel to the Metroid Prime series.”

Metroid Prime 4 was announced at E3 2017, reportedly with Bandai Namco handling development. But two years later Nintendo handed development duties to producer Kensuke Tanabe, who set to work with Retro Studios to get the game out the door.

We’ve heard nothing official about Metroid Prime 4 in the five years since the reboot was announced. However, Nintendo still lists Metroid Prime 4 for Switch, with a release window of TBA.

With the Nintendo Switch 2 now waiting in the wings, all eyes are on Nintendo to see if the game will launch on the original Switch as planned, has been repurposed for the next-generation console, or will launch on both. Switch 2 is reportedly set to launch later in 2024, with an announcement expected in the first half of the year.

Whatever the case, it’s been a long five years for Metroid Prime fans (seven years if you count from when Metroid Prime 4 was first announced), although last year’s Metroid Prime Remastered is a wonderful stop-gap.

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.

Pokémon Company statement on Palworld copyright allegations sounds a lot like “please leave us the hell alone”

The august representatives of the Pokémon Company have descended from their hilltop PokéMansion, approached the hushed masses of PokéFans with their flaming Torchics and shocked Pichaku placards, and asked everybody to please, please, please, please, please stop yelling at them about Palworld potentially breaching Pokémon’s copyright. Or at least, that’s what it sounds like they’re saying between the lines of a statement published a few hours ago, in which the Pokémon Company acknowledges messages sent by the concerned PokéFaithful about “another company’s game released in January 2024”.

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Random: It’s Been 5 Years Since Metroid Prime 4 Was Rebooted

And nearly 7 since its first announcement.

In recent years, Nintendo has become extremely efficient when it comes to announcing and releasing its games. Tears of the Kingdom aside, there has mostly been only a handful of months between the initial announcement and the release of many of the company’s major software titles.

The same, however, cannot be said for Metroid Prime 4. Initially announced on June 13th, 2017 (nearly 7 years ago), the game’s development was rebooted exactly 5 years ago, with an announcement posted on Nintendo’s YouTube channel on January 25th, 2019 from Nintendo EPD’s Shinya Takahashi (thanks, Stealth).

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

PS5 Update Appears to Block Controversial Cronus Zen Device

This week’s PlayStation 5 firmware update appears to have blocked the Cronus Zen device, which lets gamers use macros and modify their controllers.

It is a controversial product, which some say gives players an unfair advantage. While the Zen is used in many competitive multiplayer games, it’s perhaps most prominent in Call of Duty, which has crossplay across PC and console. According to its website, Zen is used by over half a million people.

Call of Duty players have used unauthorised third-party hardware such as XIM and Cronus Zen to benefit from the likes of aim assist and reduced recoil while using mouse and keyboard for years. Activision said in 2023 its anti-cheat tech, Ricochet, would detect their use and bans would follow for repeat offenders.

Now, following the release of PS5 firmware update 24.01-08.60.00, Cronus has issued a statement addressing the block, and warned users not to update their console while it works on a fix.

“We’re aware of an issue with Zen and the PS5,” the statement reads. “As of January 24, the console is prompting everyone to update to Version: 24.01-08.60.00, and if you do, Zen will no longer connect to the PS5 without disconnecting. However, this update is not mandatory. Simply skip it and everything should still work with the Zen 2.2.2 update as expected.

“There is currently no timetable on a fix so please don’t be offended if you’re directed to check this notice when asking for any kind of estimated time of arrival. It could be 24 hours, 24 days, 24 months, we won’t know until we’ve dug into it.”

While Sony did not reference Cronus Zen in its update patch notes, it seems clear the firmware has targeted the product. It’s a move widely welcomed by the gaming community. The top post on the Modern Warfare 3 subreddit praised Sony: “To all Cronus users, what a bad investment huh?” SnooTigers8974 wrote. “To everyone else, have fun playing with legitimate players for once!!” “A step in the right direction,” added Individual_Plant_843.

In October 2023, Xbox banned “unauthorized” controllers and accessories. Fortnite developer Epic, Destiny developer Bungie, and Rainbow Six Seige developer Ubisoft have all done the same.

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.

I’m extremely here for the rise of the Golden Idol-like

Graham remarked the other day about how strange it can be to see which indie megahits spawn waves of homages and which ones don’t, noting that Lucas Pope’s Papers, Please has surprisingly few immitators. His post reminded me of Pope’s other hit, Return Of The Obra Dinn. The closest we’ve come to a “Dinn-like” is probably 2022’s outstanding The Case Of The Golden Idol, though as I said in my review, its fill-in-the-blanks murder tableaus felt just about distinct enough to be their own separate thing.

Happily, the “Golden Idol-like” appears to be having a bit of a moment of its own right now, as Playstack, the publishers of Golden Idol, have just announced the delightful-looking Little Problems, a detective game that turns its word-shuffling problem-solving to the altogether more relatable conundrums of everyday life. And I couldn’t be more here for it.

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The Pokémon Company Releases Official Statement About Palworld

“We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures”.

Palworld has been the talk of the video game space since last week and its popularity continues to rise with over eight million sales now. It’s admittedly drawn a lot of comparisons to the Pokémon series in this short time, and now it seems The Pokémon Company has issued an official statement in response.

While ‘Palworld’ isn’t directly named, The Pokémon Company notes in this statement issued on 25th January 2024 how it does not permit any use of the Pokémon IP in this game and “intends to investigate” any infringement of IP rights related to Pokémon. Here’s the statement in full:

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

The Pokemon Company Makes an Official Statement on Palworld: ‘We Intend to Investigate’

The Pokemon Company has finally made an official statement regarding Palworld, saying, “We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon.”

While The Pokemon Company doesn’t specifically mention Palworld by name, it is very clear this statement is in response to the incredible success the survival game is experiencing (8 million copies sold in less than six days!) and the claims that many of Palworld’s Pals are way too close to existing Pokemon.

“We have received many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024,” The Pokemon Company wrote. “We have not granted any permission for the use of Pokémon intellectual property or assets in that game. We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon. We will continue to cherish and nurture each and every Pokémon and its world, and work to bring the world together through Pokémon in the future.”

Prior to this statement, Palworld developer Pocketpair has insisted its game is much closer to games like Ark Survival Evolved and Vanaheim than Pokemon. Additionally, the team revealed they have been receiving death threats ever since the game went live on January 19.

In an interview with Automaton, Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe shared the team cleared legal reviewing and there had been no action taken against the company for infringement.

“We make our games very seriously, and we have absolutely no intention of infringing upon the intellectual property of other companies,” Mizobe said.

Developing…