Kilmer voiced Walker Sloan in Spider-Man: Edge of Time.
The legendary Val Kilmer, who lit up the screen in so many amazing movies such as Heat, Tombstone, True Romance, Top Gun and Batman Forever, has died at the age of just 65.
The star, who recently recovered from throat cancer, succumbed to the effects of pneumonia on Tuesday night in LA according to his daughter, Mercedes.
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The Tekken 8 community has reacted in anger after the Season 2 update changed the game in a number of controversial ways.
Patch notes revealed an across-the-board buff to character damage potential and offensive pressure, which has caused some within the community to complain that Tekken 8 has strayed too far from the classic Tekken experience.
Pro Tekken player JoKa said the Season 2 update means “this does not feel like Tekken AT ALL.”
“Characters getting buffed even in the slightest is not the way along with more stance-based transitions where 50/50 situations are enhanced. Some of the new moves added are insane with little to no counterplay. Characters getting their weaknesses patched and identities being removed by homogenisation is lazy balancing. Oki being gutted and heat just getting buffed makes no sense. Combo damage is too much across the whole roster. I definitely think the sidesteps are better but does that really matter when moves exist with crazy tracking/hitboxes? Chip damage is still excessive with most heat smashes remaining the same. Removing strategy in favour of more 50/50 situations isn’t interesting gameplay and is moving away from the foundation of Tekken.
“Where are the defensive options that were mentioned?”
As you’d expect, Tekken 8’s Steam page has become the avenue through which players are expressing their frustration. The game has seen a flood of negative reviews (over 1,100 in the last two days), resulting in an ‘mostly negative’ user review rating for recent reviews.
“Genuinely good game held back by schizophrenic insane developers sent from hell,” reads the current ‘most helpful’ review.
“New season dropped and they made every character into a braindead easy mix up machine without a single buff to defense,” reads another.
“After promising changes to open up defensive options, the balance team has doubled down on extremely powerful offense that takes away all agency from the defending player,” another negative review reads.
“Not every character needs to be able to force 50/50 canned mixups constantly, but it seems like the balance team doesn’t have any other ideas for how to build characters at this point. It’s just a shame to see another legacy fighting game become entirely defined by character offense and situations with little to no response from the defender.”
Some Tekken fans are so upset with what’s happening that they’re ditching the game in favor of Capcom’s Street Fighter 6. Others are calling Season 2 the “worst patch in Tekken history,” with some pro players threatening to walk away from Tekken 8 entirely.
I don’t know if I’ll continue playing Tekken if this patch stays.
I’m sorry for doomposting, but I thought it had a chance to be a better game.
I’m just really sad.
Like depressed.
I streamed 70 hours of Tekken this past week to prep for s2 just to have those hopes shattered.
Gn.— END | Jesandy (@Jesandy1572) April 1, 2025
The community is now hoping for some communication from the development team responding to the complaints. Some want the patch rolled back in its entirety. Others want an emergency follow-up patch to make key changes.
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.
The makers of cardy roguelike Monster Train 2 announced a release date yesterday, revealing that it’ll be pulling into Steam libraries and honking its big “all aboard” horn in less than two months. Do you have the capacity to allow another deckbuilder into the overcrowded dining car of your brain? I probably don’t. But I do have fond memories of the first game’s crunchy runs and over-the-top card combos. Hmmm, maybe another rail trip or two hundred would be nice.
April 1 has been and gone, and so has the video game industry’s penchant for April Fool’s Day gags for another year. But the one the people behind Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 came up may perhaps live a little longer in the memory.
Yesterday, Space Marine 2 publisher Focus Entertainment declared that the new Chaplain class would be released as DLC on April 1.
“In story mode, swap out Titus for The Chaplain and experience the game as a true Codex-compliant Ultramarine,” Focus said, no doubt sniggering from behind their monitors.
This ‘DLC’ supposedly added the new playable character to the story mode, as well as an ‘Enhanced Dialogue System’ that would have the Chaplain, every five minutes, remind everyone around him that “the Codex Astartes does not support this action,” and “I’m telling the Inquisition.”
The Chaplain even has a special ability called Discipline. This would involve instantly reporting “any and all minor deviations from the Codex Astartes for a 5% discipline bonus (but -20% brotherhood bonus).
The joke here works because as anyone who played Space Marine 2’s campaign knows, Chaplain Quintus watches Titus’ every move with a hawk-like distrust for signs of heresy, despite the protagonist’s demonstrable loyalty to the Imperium, the Ultramarines, and the Emperor himself.
Throughout the campaign, as Titus battles against the Tyranids and the Thousand Sons traitor legion, it becomes clear there is something… special about him, and Chaplain Quintus does not like that one bit. He’s a bit like the annoying school prefect who patrols the corridors for a mere whiff of deviant behavior and then— bam! You’re reported to the headmaster. Everyone hates the Chaplain.
The Chaplain has become something of a meme within the Space Marine community, and it’s this status that the Space Marine 2 April Fool’s joke leans into. But some fans have said they would love for The Chaplain to actually come to the game, not, perhaps, with this exact skill set, but as a straight-up warrior-priest who insists upon the veneration of the Emperor at all times.
“This would actually go hard if this was real,” declared ResidentDrama9739 in a post on the Space Marine subreddit that’s full of enthusiastic chatter about the Chaplain and how he might work in the game. Some are even saying
The thing is, Space Marine 2 is getting a new class soon. Focus and developer Saber Interactive have yet to say what it is, but fans certainly have their theories. Most assume it will be the Apothecary, as close to a medic class as Space Marines have. But there is hope that it could be the Librarian, which would mean super cool warp-powered space magic. Does the Chaplain’s star turn in Space Marine 2’s April Fool’s Day joke rule him out?
There’s a lot happening in the world of Space Marine 2, despite the surprise announcement that development of Space Marine 3 development had begun. Space Marine 2’s year one roadmap remains, and Patch 7 is set to be released mid-April. But in the coming months Space Marine 2 will also get the aforementioned new class as well as new PvE operations and melee weapons.
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.
There are few things more heartwarming than a solo developer seeing breakout success, especially if their game is a wholesome testament to community spirit, entrepreneurship, and innovative street cleaning solutions like Schedule I. Pretty close, though, is a solo developer pulling a ‘Miyazaki lying about Elden Ring‘, and underselling just how big their game actually is in the run-up to release.
Developer Tyler has been updating the bud flinging simulator steadily throughout the demo release and into the current early access, and they’ve also got a roadmap over at Trello here (featuring: raids, parkour, jukeboxes, and controller support among other things). Some of the most relevant communication is actually in the Steam forums though. Tyler revealed yesterday that he’s currently working on getting the game Steam Deck verified. It’s also where he first revealed the full list of planned sellables that are now in the roadmap (Marijuana, Meth, Cocaine, Shrooms, MDMA, and delicious + cool Heroin), with plans to take community suggestions once they’re all in.
It’s time for Switch 2.
Update: We’re almost there! The April 2025 Nintendo Direct is today – can you tell we’re excited?
Our second Nintendo Direct of 2025 is coming, and it’s a big one.
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“It’s just a question of when, not if”.
Not everyone got to experience the joy of the GameCube generation, but a new rumour has renewed hopes this past Nintendo system might finally make a return.
According to podcaster ‘Nate the Hate’, who previously revealed Game Boy and Nintendo 64 updates for the Switch Online, he now appears to be teasing GameCube for Nintendo’s subscription service within possibly the “first launch year” of the Switch 2’s life.
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Digital Foundry investigates.
Nintendo gave us another glimpse of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond during the Switch Direct last week and some fans have been so impressed with the visuals on display they are convinced it’s footage of the game running on Switch 2.
If you, or anyone else you know are feeling the same way about what you’re seeing, you might want to watch this latest clip from the team at Digital Foundry – perhaps unsurprisingly confirming there’s no actual Switch 2 footage on display here.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Given the potential release of GTA VI and the possibilities presented by Nintendo’s Switch 2 launch lineup, 2025 could go down as the decade’s most memorable year in gaming. Even without those juggernauts, games like Monster Hunter Wilds and Assassin’s Creed Shadows have already set the tone for what should be another great year for new games.
Through the first quarter of the year, 18 games have earned a spot on this list, which compiles every game and expansion released in 2025 that received a review score of 8 or higher from IGN. These are IGN’s best video games of 2025.
This list will be updated as new releases receive qualifying review scores.
These games leave us with something outstanding to remember them by, usually novel gameplay ideas for single-player or multiplayer, clever characters and writing, noteworthy graphics and sound, or some combination thereof. If we have major complaints, there are more than enough excellent qualities to cancel them out.
From our review: Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes a flashing blade to the series’ established norms, trimming them to a more precise form in lieu of chopping them down outright. Combat is aggressive and requires more intentional parrying and skill management than in the past, and exploring the gorgeous provinces of Sengoku-period Japan is encouraged thanks to the revamped map that deemphasizes collecting icons and checking off lists. Naoe and Yasuke are well-realized and memorable protagonists, even though most of the story they drive follows pretty predictable paths. Both have unique playstyles that bolster each other’s weaknesses, but they are ultimately imbalanced by the fact that you can make use of the stealth and exploration skills of the master shinobi far more than the superhuman strength of the samurai. This isn’t the Assassin’s Creed that will change the minds of folks that never connected with the series before, but for those of us with lots of hours logged in the Animus, the sum of Shadows’ parts provide a refreshing realignment of the series that you should not skip. – Jarrett Green
From our review: Atomfall is a gripping survival-action adventure that takes some of the best elements of Fallout and Elden Ring, and synthesises them into its own fresh mutation. It presents a picturesque chunk of English countryside littered with alluring structures to pique and reward your curiosity, eccentric locals to meet, and absorbing mysteries to unravel, and uses classic iconography from British sci-fi and horror to consistently unsettling effect. In spite of some enemy behaviours that are occasionally less stable than a reactor in meltdown, Atomfall is a compelling, post-apocalyptic survival story that satisfyingly bends to your choices and discoveries no matter which direction you take. – Tristan Ogilvie
From our review: Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector does not stray too far from what made the first one a cult hit, but it doesn’t need to. It tells a rich and poignant story about the complex nature of control on one’s self when that self is a machine that can be rebooted and hacked, finding and enriching community in the face of overwhelming odds, and expressing personhood both to oneself and to others. It’s visual novel-like presentation is heavy on reading and dice rolling, so its not exactly pulse-pounding, but the retooled character classes and stats, new crew missions, and stress mechanics provide just enough feedback and create a sense of precarity throughout that it stays engaging. – Jarrett Green
From our review: Somehow, Donkey Kong Country Returns returned (again), but Nintendo’s third full release of this 2010 Wii platformer is almost as fresh and fun today as it was 15 years ago. DK’s satisfying, weighty movement paves the way for a challenging, momentum-based platformer that demands more skill and precision than the average Nintendo game. But it stays fun rather than frustrating thanks to incredibly impressive level design that explores every clever idea to the fullest and a ton of hidden collectibles worth tracking down. As a remaster specifically, it’s no more than a passable update, with graphics that can only really be described as “good enough” and some outdated elements that could have used more modern touches, like a lack of checkpoints during boss fights and a few obnoxious sections full of one-hit kill obstacles. But Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is still a competent update and easily the best way to play one of the greatest 2D platformers Nintendo has released this century. – Logan Plant
From our review: Propelled by a breezy and often completely bananas treasure-hunting tale, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a delightful spin-off that seamlessly shifts between street thuggery and skulduggery. Majima’s Sea Dog stance is one of the most fun and flexible fighting styles I’ve enjoyed in the series to date – at least in its classic, combo-based form – and I welcomed the challenge of carefully balancing my crew lineup in order to survive the many turbulent naval battles. While its overworld maps feel a little padded out with recycled island settings, Honolulu itself is jammed with unpredictable substories and overhauled activities that meant every moment of shore leave was full of surprises. Absolutely heaving with buried treasures and varied pleasures, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a consistently captivating voyage that kept my timbers shivering whether on land or at sea. – Tristan Ogilvie
From our review: Monster Hunter Wilds continues to smooth off the traditionally rough edges of the series in smart ways, reducing as much friction as possible that could get in the way of you grabbing any of its exceptionally fun weapons and planting them firmly in a monster’s hide. But in that quest to make Monster Hunter more approachable, Wilds has carved a little too close to the bone in some places, trimming its challenge back so much that I barely needed to dig into its in-depth equipment system at all this time to become an apex predator. Its more flexible combat is some of the most fun I’ve had with the series, but like the blustering lighting storms of its gorgeous desert, it’ll burns brightly but briefly until Capcom unleashes some real endgame beasts to challenge us. – Tom Marks
From our review: Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is neither Ninja Gaiden 2 nor Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, but instead a secret third thing that mixes both versions together to create something that is wholly unique and by far the most beautiful version of this excellent action game yet. While I have a hard time calling it the definitive release because I prefer the original’s “more dudes who are more aggressive but die faster” approach, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is a definite improvement over the Sigma 2 release, fixes several long-standing issues, and unlike the original, isn’t trapped on the Xbox 360. It isn’t the version I was hoping for (get on it, modders), but it is still an incredible game and I’m happy it exists. If this really is it for Ninja Gaiden 2, it will at least go out on a high note. This trip through time reminded me that while you can’t go home again, and nothing will ever truly be like it was, that doesn’t mean something can’t still be beautiful. Ninja Gaiden 2 is remarkable, even with its flaws, and it’s good to finally have it back in Black. – Will Borger
From our review: With substantial changes to how it looks and plays, PGA Tour 2K25 feels like a different game from its predecessor. The new swing mechanics, paired with the significantly improved graphics, makes for a much more realistic ambiance, even with a lethargic performance by the announcing team. The highly customizable MyCareer campaign mode shines as one of the most enjoyable parts even though it has a tacked-on personality system, occasional unnecessary connectivity issues, and of course microtransactions. PGA Tour 2K25 is still a few strokes behind EA Sports PGA Tour as the best golfing simulator around, but if it continues to improve like this with each new iteration, we may see it close that gap relatively soon. – Andrew McMahon
From our review: I could wear out my keyboard slapping arrow keys to the beat and jamming in my seat to Rift of the NecroDancer’s excellent soundtrack, fervently chasing down a perfect run of a song for hours. Whether I was fighting stuffy puppet masters, rhythmically ridding the world of monsters, or just waddling around in a silly mole costume, it provides many excellent flavors of arcade-style rhythm action. Even though this “Greatest Hits” anthology isn’t as focused or Earth-shattering as Brace Yourself Games’ genre-bending debut album, it still continually surprised and delighted me by providing clever twists on time-tested mechanics. – Charlie Wacholz
From our review: Tokyo Xtreme Racer is an infectiously addictive time capsule of a racing game that needs little more than a bit of menu refinement and some major aggression injected into its sound to really soup it up and prep it for even more classic Japanese cars to race in and against. In fact, it’s already well worth its early access asking price. It’s narrow in scope, but its highway battle hook makes it hard to put down, and its total lack of modern baggage like microtransactions and tacked-on multiplayer is outright refreshing. – Luke Reilly
From our review: A couple of microtransaction-fueled missteps aside, WWE 2K25 is really the best wrestling game since… WWE 2K24, which was also pretty great. It looks fantastic, still feels good, and there’s a lot of it, including small but welcome updates like intergender matches or bigger updates like the new MyRise and Showcase modes. It’s an upscale wrestling buffet, if you will: It’s pretty scrumptious, there’s a wide selection of dishes on the table, and you could spend an awful lot of time in the squared circle if you’re not careful. Speaking of, I need to get back to it. I have some more Showcase things to unlock, Universe is calling my name, and… well, you get the idea. – Will Borger
We enthusiastically recommend that you add these games to your to-play list. If we call a game Amazing, that means something about it seriously impressed us, whether it’s an inspired new idea or an exceptional take on an old one. We expect to look back at it as one of the highlights of its time and genre.
From our review: If Dynasty Warriors: Origins is meant to be a new beginning, it’s one that gets off to a masterful start. It doesn’t just have the largest amount of enemies the series has thrown on screen at once, it also deepens its combat, improves its storytelling without getting in the way of the action, and provides a healthy amount of replayability and postgame content – all while looking better than ever. Your amnesiac hero is a bit too much of a blank slate at times, but the impressive ensemble cast made this story sing as I grew to care about the characters around him, big and small. Origins is both a great entry point for newcomers and a triumphant return for veterans like me who felt the last few entries had become stale or missed the mark. It feels like the series I once loved is finally back. – Jada Griffin
From our review: In many ways, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 feels like it’s picked up and run with the reactive first-person RPG torch that Bethesda left lying in the mud years ago in pursuit of a broader audience. And it has excellent melee combat, which The Elder Scrolls never came close to even at its peak. Sometimes it’s not sure if it wants to be a cinematic tale about a specific guy going on a specific adventure or a truly dynamic open-world sandbox packed with interesting and varied side quests, and that can lead to a few immersion-shattering conflicts. But most of the time, leaning into one doesn’t get in the way of the other, and you’re free to go on any of its many optional adventures along the way to a thought-provoking and rousing finale for the main plot. I was delighted to get lost in its world, and it will be a long time before I forget its exceptional story. – Leana Hafer
From our review: MLB The Show remains one of the best sports series around. The new upgrade system and the amateur portion of your player’s journey have reinvigorated Road To The Show, while the shift away from Sets and Seasons has righted Diamond Dynasty’s biggest wrong. While it’s a bit of a bummer that the Storylines feature isn’t living up to its full potential, it remains a worthwhile and important inclusion that has reach beyond the game of baseball. All the small touches, such as updated infielder reactions and new quick time events like the swim move, have the on-field action in a great place, too. It’s not always easy for an annual franchise to justify the move to a new entry, but in the case of MLB The Show 25, it does more than enough to make me glad it has arrived. – Justin Koreis
From our review: An expertly crafted and absorbing co-op adventure that pinballs from one genre extreme to another, Split Fiction is a rollercoaster of gameplay ideas and styles that are usually discarded as quickly as they’re introduced. This keeps it fabulously fresh for its full, 14-hour duration. With no idea sticking around long enough to get stale before making way for the next, it’s a victory of imagination and restraint in equal measure. Hazelight may have been rewriting the co-op rule book for a decade now, but Split Fiction is a new chapter that you (and a partner) cannot miss. – Luke Reilly
From our review: Two Point Museum is a rewarding, deep, challenging, and highly entertaining tycoon game that demonstrates Two Point Studios has really hit its groove with this third iteration of the idea. The variety of different exhibits to unlock and level up, the thrill of discovering new expedition maps, and the array of clever and easy-to-use management tools make designing and running a museum joyful and consistently rewarding. I’ve sunk more than 40 hours into it already and I could easily see doubling that without running out of stuff to do. Call the curator. They’re really going to want to take a look at this. – Leana Hafer
From our review: Every inch of Wanderstop pushes the conventions you’d expect of similarly wholesome games. Its vibrant colors, quirky characters, and enchanting music are used to tell a compelling story that forces you to grapple with both its lead character’s insecurities as well as your own. It’s a powerful adventure not just about burn out, but about how deeply painful it is to free ourselves from coping mechanisms that may have previously kept us secure. At the same time, Wanderstop’s simple but satisfying tea brewing experimentation serves as a safe and entertaining space to do that deep digging. There aren’t many games like Wanderstop out there currently, but for all our sakes, I hope there will be soon. – Shailyn Cotten
From our review: Xenoblade Chronicles X was already one of the Wii U’s best games, and this Definitive Edition has escaped the destruction of its old home like the White Whale and settled down nicely on Switch. The quality-of-life improvements here are enough to justify another trip to Mira alone for veteran players, and it’s the perfect opportunity for newcomers to explore its beautiful landscapes for themselves. Its combat systems are deep and engaging, and the massive open world never got old to run, jump, or fly across. Its main story may not quite live up to the standards of the series, but a likable cast of characters and plenty of compelling side missions mean Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is still an adventure worth writing back home about. – George Yang
Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.
The story behind the Metal Gear Solid Board Game is nearly as wild as the plot of a Metal Gear game, featuring a mix of delays and licensing issues, with odds stacked against it ever seeing the light of day before being rescued (much like Solid Snake rescuing Gray Fox) by CMON Games. But at long last, this cardboard adaptation of the Hideo Kojima masterpiece has finally reached the masses. From sneaking around in cardboard boxes to dynamic and exciting boss fights, the game’s tactical stealth gameplay has successfully made the jump from video games to board games. However, the whole package isn’t without its faults, leaving me feeling both satisfied and let down at the same time.
Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game is a campaign-style board game that retells the story of the first Metal Gear Solid game, originally released on the PlayStation in 1998. Designed for one to four players (at least according to the box; more on that below), the game has players move plastic miniature versions of series favorites like Meryl, Otacon, Cyborg Ninja Gray Fox, and Solid Snake himself through 14 scenarios featuring iconic moments from the game, such as the confrontation with Ocelot, changing the PAL Keycard, and, of course, taking out REX.
Unfortunately, there is one significant omission that didn’t make the cut: the final confrontations between Solid and Liquid are not recreated as playable scenarios. It’s a bummer that neither the barehanded fight on top of REX nor the Jeep escape is included. Perhaps the developers couldn’t find a way to balance or explain a 4v1 battle on REX or figure out how the escape would work with all present characters. Instead, they’ve opted to end on the high note of a dramatic and memorable team-up against Metal Gear REX. But in the meantime, the fan community around this game has you covered. Over on BoardGameGeek, user @Geoff907 and their wife devised and published their own unique Stage 15 for this game for you to try out, if you just absolutely need to get some of that shirtless fist-fight action into your game.
If you opt for the more expensive “Integral Edition,” the rest of the story bits that aren’t told through gameplay are instead presented in a striking 109-page graphic novel with art by comic artist Kenneth Loh. It’s reminiscent of the scenes in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker or the Digital Graphic Novels on PSP. But MGS wouldn’t be MGS without its CODEC calls. These little burst transmissions between Snake and his support team have been faithfully adapted to this new format, with prompts directing players to specific calls in the included Codec Book, as well as pre and post-scenario briefings. I particularly appreciate the care the developers have taken to make them just as campy yet informative as those in the video game. For example, Snake refers to how many actions he can take or offers tips on beating Psycho Mantis involving “Player 2”-like trickery. Even as a game made of cardboard and dice, this still feels distinctly Metal Gear.
Regarding gameplay, players take up to four actions per turn, chosen from those listed on their character’s unique player boards. As scenarios progress, players unlock new equipment, from Snake’s favorite sidearm, the Socom, to the iconic cardboard box, which can be used in future scenarios. This equipment expands each character’s skill pool, effectively replicating the video game’s “procure on-site” philosophy. Once players take their actions, it’s time for the enemies to act. Both generic guards and bosses have action cards that dictate their movements and behaviors, which can change depending on whether they’ve spotted the player. Guards also have a separate reaction deck used in various situations, such as spotting a knocked-out guard or investigating a noise.
Boss encounters pose their own unique challenges, forcing you out of your comfort cardboard box and requiring you to think on your feet. Each boss fight feels distinct, from Revolver Ocelot darting around while bouncing bullets off walls to the Hind D having multiple target areas to damage. Thanks to the game’s tile-based nature, each boss fight takes place on a unique, large board with special elements affecting the encounter. For example, in Ocelot’s arena, the injured Kenneth Baker can be hit and killed, adding a new way to trigger a game over. These special tweaks only enhance the excitement and tension of the encounters, as they are rarely designed to favor the players.
This element of randomness kept me on my toes, never knowing exactly how far guards would move or which way they’d turn. The added dice rolls for checking if my actions made noise or if enemy shots would hit me resulted in an experience that balanced strategy with luck. There were multiple moments where I held my breath as I pulled a guard movement card, waiting to see if I’d be spotted. I never felt the game was unfair, but I also never expected it to be kind. Metal Gear does a superb job balancing strategy and luck.
While the box suggests the game can be played with up to four players, at least for the campaign mode, I wouldn’t recommend going beyond two players. Personally, I found playing it as a solo board game offered the best experience. Each scenario specifies which of the four playable characters can be used, with the first two scenarios playable only by Snake. Only five scenarios in the entire campaign allow for four players (with no missions designed for three players), and the first four-player mission doesn’t appear until the ninth scenario.
From a narrative standpoint, this makes sense. It wouldn’t be logical for Snake to infiltrate Shadow Moses with Gray Fox at his side or for Otacon to tackle Vulcan Raven alone. But from a board game perspective, this limitation significantly impacts the experience, making it hard to convince my MGS-loving friends to play when only one of them could participate in most of the game, while the others had to wait for the last few missions. I would have loved to see optional modifiers allowing additional characters in two-player scenarios or “What if?” scenarios offering alternate viewpoints and player counts.
To the game’s credit, the developers addressed this issue by allowing up to four players in the “VR Missions” mode. This additional mode, which includes its own set of special unlockable equipment cards,
has its own caveat: a lack of content. The included VR Missions book features six mission types – Recon, Escape, and Sabotage, among others – but each type has only one associated map layout. While some tokens and traps may change between sessions, and you can swap in a boss model for extra challenge, the guard layouts and objectives remain the same. With the map never changing, once you know what to do, the mode quickly loses its luster. I hope that CMON or the community releases creative and fun new maps and missions to keep things fresh.
You can also check out our recent reviews of board games based on Dead Cells, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., and Elden Ring.
