How many times do you think we can say the word ‘Tetris’ in a single review? Well, since Tetris Forever contains a total of 18 games based on the original 1985 title, you’d best strap yourselves in, because we’re going to be saying it a lot. Well, okay, we might mix things up a bit with the odd sprinkling of ‘tetromino’, just to be nice.
Anyway, Tetris. It’s often been described as one of, if not the greatest game of all time thanks to its unrivalled approachability and remarkable staying power. Yet we wouldn’t be surprised if you perhaps weren’t overly familiar with the game’s origin, release, and subsequent proliferation across the video game industry.
LEGO Horizon Adventures, launching on PS5 and PC November 14, brings about a new take on Aloy’s story from her first adventure. Guerrilla and Studio Gobo met with The LEGO Group at their headquarters in Billund, and shared a few behind-the-scenes insights on creating the game. Watch the full video here and continue reading to find out how they built Aloy’s world, one brick at a time!
Senior Producer at Studio Gobo, Kat Woolley, talks about what it’s like to work on a LEGO game and how the story was adapted to fit this playful adventure. “There’s a layering of talent, passion, creativity and just joy – there’s such joy in working on a LEGO game, and especially something like Horizon where there is an effort to bring something quite serious from the world of Horizon over to LEGO Horizon Adventures. We needed to give it that element of funny, of light-hearted, of silly, of play.”
“Horizon is all about the mystery of the origins, especially for Aloy. It’s something we tried to replicate in LEGO Horizon Adventures where every character is on their quest for finding a family, building a home and making connections with each other in the story of LEGO Horizon Adventures,” Guerrilla’s Design Director, Stephane Varrault, explains.
Creating the world
Everything you come across in LEGO Horizon Adventures is made entirely out of real LEGO bricks, so if you have the right pieces at home, you could rebuild anything from the world, including the machines, the treasure chests, and Mother’s Heart!
Guerrilla’s Senior World Artist, Lucas Bolt explained, “The world of Horizon Zero Dawn is filled with incredible natural landscapes; it’s one of the core pillars of the game so that’s something that we also had to create for LEGO Horizon Adventures.”
“You can see how everything is made, all the little details, all the little LEGO elements that were used to bring things to life,” Joe Kyde, Senior Model Designer at The LEGO Group, adds.
Roy Postma, Art Director at Guerrilla, goes on to explain the process of visualizing and developing the Horizon world in LEGO form, “We started out in a very realistic way, by rebuilding the original Old World buildings from the Horizon games… Then someone sneaked in an official LEGO set in the background, I believe it was the LEGO gas station, and we were looking at it like ‘ah this can work, this is fun!’ It totally made sense for the Old World to be our LEGO world.”
Making the machines
“My favorite part of the machine design process is seeing the builds just develop,” says Joe. “How they naturally evolve from early versions, teams working together to figure out how to solve specific problems, how to get the movement we want, how to get the specific look we want.”
“Throughout development, we started by imagining what a LEGO version of each machine would actually look like,” says Studio Gobo’s Game Design Lead, Toño Gonzalaz, with Stephane adding, “For every machine, we looked at the traits of the machine, how it would behave in the game, and how can we make it work best with all the LEGO bricks?”
One of the machines featured in LEGO Horizon Adventures is the Shell-Walker, a crab-like machine responsible for carrying cargo to various cauldrons found in the world. “With the Shell-Walker it really came down to its personality,” says Toño. “It’s always trying to defend its cargo, so at the end of the day, the Shell-Walker feels like a mean, defensive machine, but at the same time in a funny way.”
Designing machines with LEGO bricks did not differ too much from how Guerrilla created them originally, as The LEGO Group’s Creative Lead, Frédéric Andre, explains, “We wanted to recreate the machine as detailed as possible, so you start with the skeleton of the machine and then you add all the details into it. That’s also how Guerrilla creates their own machines: they have the skeleton and then they add all the armor plating and everything on top of that.”
“All machines have their own unique, particular personalities and attacks that they do. They’re very different from one another, so when players are fighting combinations of them it creates really interesting, wacky, fun and creative combat,” Toño smiles.
Customize everything
The customization is a way for players to express themselves in a fun and charming way, including outfits from Aloy’s first adventure in LEGO form, or from existing LEGO sets that you may have at home!
Stephane explains: “One of our main pillars in the game is player freedom, which is why we built systems where no combat is the same, but also why we wanted to provide really open ways to customize your characters and the world. For example, we really wanted Mother’s Heart to be a reflection of players’ creativity to recreate the village of their dreams.”
Kat gives her view on how some of the outfits found in LEGO Horizon Adventures can completely change the vibe of a cutscene or conversation between characters. “It takes what can sometimes be quite serious conversations and just makes them ridiculous if you’re dressed as a pig or as a llama.”
“As soon as we realized that the customization options still felt like a quintessential Horizon experience, and that it worked within the game world, it made it feel more free and more fun.”
Bringing it all together
It was pivotal that the co-op experience of LEGO Horizon Adventures worked well to allow players to bounce off each other’s actions and work together to tackle the wilds.
“We wanted players to play together and to get in trouble together,” shares Toño, and Stephane continues, “being able to get together, either on the same tv or online, you are now two players, two actors in the same world and that one is responding to your inputs and your actions, so it was the perfect addition to make the experience shine.”
Whether you’re already familiar with Aloy’s journey, or if this is the first time you’re jumping into the franchise; we can’t wait for everyone’s fun character combinations and combat sequences once LEGO Horizon Adventures releases on November 14.
As reported by Polygon, Nintendo filed a lawsuit in a Colorado court against Jesse Keighin, aka Every Game Guru, accusing him of not only streaming 10 Nintendo games before they came out, but telling his viewers how to obtain them. The list includes The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Super Mario Party Jamboree, and Mario & Luigi: Brothership.
According to the lawsuit, Keighin obtained and streamed leaked Nintendo games at least 50 times since 2022, and provided links to the Yuzu and Ryujinx emulators for viewers. Nintendo alleged these actions amounted to “trafficking” in illegal “circumvention devices,” and insisted they caused “millions of dollars” worth of damage through “lost video game sales.”
The lawsuit reads:
“Streaming leaked games prior to their publicationnormalizes and encourages prerelease piracy — Defendant is signaling to viewers that they too should acquire a pirated copy and play the gamenow, without waiting for its release and without paying for it. Prerelease piracy harms law-abiding Nintendo customers who may have been waiting for a particular game release for months or years, and then may see gameplay and spoilers online that ruin their own surprise and delight when experiencing the game. In turn, prerelease piracy causes Nintendo tremendous harm, including millions of dollars of monetary harm from lost video game sales both of Nintendo’s and its licensees’ copyrighted games, and loss of goodwill.”
Apparently multiple takedown notices from Nintendo failed to prevent Keighin from continuing to stream the company’s games on the likes of YouTube, Twitch, and Kick. His YouTube and Twitch channels are now offline as a result of copyright strikes.
What’s more, the lawsuit alleges Keighin sent a letter to Nintendo in late October “boasting” he had “a thousand burner channels” to stream from and threatened to continue to use them, saying he could “do this all day.”
In addition to the seizure and destruction of emulators and devices in Keighin’s possession, Nintendo wants $150,000 in damages for each alleged violation of Nintendo’s rights under the Copyright Act, and $2,500 per violation arising from violations of the anti-circumvention and anti-trafficking provisions of the Copyright Act. With over 50 alleged incidents in two years, the potential damages could reach $7.5 million. Or, Nintendo could take “actual damages” to be proven at trial.
Nintendo told Polygon: “We can confirm that we filed a lawsuit against an individual who has engaged and continues to engage in clear infringement of Nintendo’s IP rights, as well as violations of our Game Content guidelines.
“Nintendo is passionate about protecting the creative works of game developers and publishers who expend significant time and effort to create experiences that bring smiles to all.”
Photo by Valeria Mongelli/Anadolu via Getty Images.
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 was the 20-year anniversary of Halo 2 at the weekend, which saw the shooter’s modern counterparts celebrating with classic multiplayer maps and long-lost levels. But also emerging from the dust of time are insights to the sequel’s development back in 2004. Rolling Stone interviewed two key designers of the game and made a fun discovery. The Flood (the sickly pale alien infestation that briefly turns Halo into sci-fi horror) was partly inspired by a colourful and innocent children’s book about a nice elephant.
Patent analyst Florian Mueller has released an extensive examination into the lawsuit filed against Palworld developer Pocketpair from Nintendo. In it, he describes Nintendo’s actions as “a clear case of bullying” against Pocketpair, citing the former’s status as a “far older and larger company” with “extensive experience in patent prosecution and patent infringement litigation” (thanks, GameRant).
It was recently revealed that Nintendo would be seeking an injunction against Palworld to halt sales in Japan, with the additional possibility of Nintendo looking to escalate the dispute in further jurisdictions. The company is also seeking a payment of 5 million yen with an additional 5 million going to The Pokémon Company, totalling the equivalent of around $66K. Although the monetary damages are said to be negligible, it is the injunction that could hold the most long-term significance.
Let’s try and get you up to speed on the fascinating oddity that is simulation game Ecosystem, on the off chance that Nate’s coverage of it hasn’t stuck with you like an unwelcome brain parasite you’re nonetheless unwilling to get removed for fear of the lingering emptiness it might cause (he once described an eel as “a quaver with erectile dysfunction”). Broadly speaking, this game is Spore’s evolutionary-biology-degree-having cousin. It’s been in early access for about three years now, but with the latest “Crustacean” update, it’s just hit 1.0. Once again, carcinization has come for all things.
Greetings, Travelers! Genshin Impact Version 5.2 “Tapestry of Spirit and Flame” is arriving on November 20, and today we’re excited to introduce two new Natlan tribes, the Flower-Feather Clan and Masters of the Night-Wind. By recruiting their elite warriors Chasca and Ororon or transforming into their Saurian companions, you may learn to command the power of the skies to move and fight in mid-air.
Using the skills of our new and familiar Saurian companions, we can also venture to the ancient, ruined city of Ochkanatlan, that towers into the clouds northwest of the two new tribes, the Flower-Feather Clan and Masters of the Night-Wind. At the same time, a mysterious incident has occurred in the Masters of the Night-Wind, which you can investigate together with Citlali and Ororon as part of the main seasonal event in the upcoming new version.
Soar and Explore Like the Saurians
The Saurians we’ve encountered so far have helped us traverse the challenging landscapes of Natlan with ease. Today, we would like to introduce you to two new species: Qucusaurs and Iktomisaurs, which will allow us to further expand our capabilities of exploration — to maneuver in mid-flight and to reveal what remains invisible to the naked eye.
Qucusaurs are the proudest of Natlan’s Saurians and consider themselves the kings of the sky. They once patrolled the entire Natlan region alongside the best riders of the Flower-Feather Clan. Qucusaurs are capable of gliding at full speed over long distances. They can dart through the wind in accelerated gliding mode, but also use Phlogiston to gain altitude or perform horizontal rolls in mid-flight.
Unlike Qucusaurs’ ability to travel long distances, Iktomisaurs can perform vertical leaps and reach great heights. In addition, these wise Saurians also possess a unique sight that allows them to detect things that would normally remain hidden. It is said that the great Iktomisaur Elder has served as a guide for the Masters of the Night Wind for generations, so your Iktomisaur companion and their exceptional sight can also guide you on the trail of secrets buried behind these glowing markings and graffiti. By activating this sight, they can draw energy from Phlogiston-infused objects or craft special items from graffiti patterns. Throughout your adventure, the Iktomisaur’s talents in detection and the impressive leaps that characterize them will prove essential for traversing steep terrain, spotting hidden passages and obstacles, and solving the most complex puzzles.
The abilities of Iktomisaurs, Qucusaurs, as well as your other Saurian companions will play a vital role in exploring the various layers of Ochkanatlan’s treacherous cityscape. Corrupted by the Abyss, this ancient city of Natlan is now inaccessible and no longer home to a living soul. However, a little companion named Cocouik will join you on your quest of ridding this place of Abyssal contamination.
Meanwhile, a rampaging dragon has occupied this area. In ancient times, the relationship between humans and dragons was completely different. A special token awaits here, which might reveal even more details about our journey together with Little One, our beloved little Tepetlisaur.
Unwavering Guardians Against the Abyss
Elite warriors from the Flower-Feather Clan and the Masters of the Night-Wind also learn from their Saurian companions and develop unique abilities in exploration and combat. With the latest update, we may have a chance to recruit Chasca and Ororon.
Known as a great warrior and the peacemaker in the Flower-Feather Clan, Chasca will finally become playable in Version 5.2 as a five-star Anemo bow wielder. Raised by a family of Qucusaurs, Chasca’s unique upbringing has shaped her sharp combat skills. Her trusty firearm, the Soulsniper, allows her to float in the air and fire bullets of different elements in battle. After finding an aerial advantage, the Soulsniper can load up to six bullets and is capable of hitting multiple enemies. Additionally, it can deliver a devastating strike that subsequently splits into homing bullets. These bullets can undergo Elemental Conversion when you have Pyro, Hydro, Cryo, or Electro characters in your party, making Chasca a specialist in amplifying damage through Swirling various elements. Finally, having Chasca in your party allows you to restore Phlogiston by eliminating enemies, which offers a significant advantage in prolonged combat.
Ororon from the Masters of the Night-Wind becomes playable as a four-star Electro bow wielder. He seems to have a profound connection to the Night Kingdom, and defends Natlan in his own way. Similar to Iktomisaurs, Ororon has the ability to rise into the air, and he also has a keen sense of perception. While charging an Aimed Shot, Ororon will enter the Spiritspeaker state, allowing him to extract power from Natlan’s graffiti and runes. In addition, having Ororon in your team increases gliding speed, making exploration faster and more seamless.
In combat, Ororon can be a great support especially if he teams up with Electro or Hydro characters. Ororon can gain Nightsoul Points when one of his party members triggers a Nightsoul Burst, or when other party members deal Hydro or Electro damage to enemies after Ororon unleashes his Elemental Skill. When enemies take damage from Electro-Charged reactions or other party members deal Nightsoul-aligned damage, Ororon can consume Nightsoul Points to enter the Nightsoul’s Blessing state and trigger the “Hypersense” effect, dealing Electro damage. He can also summon a Supersonic Oculus to taunt nearby enemies and deal Electro damage.
For Version 5.2 Event Wishes, the first phase will welcome Chasca and Ororon’s debuts together with Lyney’s rerun, while the second phase arrives with reruns of Zhongli and Neuvillette.
The Threat of the Abyss Still Looms
The war against the Abyss experiences a brief lull thanks to the efforts of the Traveler and the brave warriors of Natlan. The time has come to take a breather and lend a helping hand to the Flower-Feather Clan as it recovers from Abyssal contamination. The story continues with Archon Quest Chapter V: Interlude, “All Fires Fuel the Flame,” in which Iansan and the Captain will also assist the tribe in recovering from the physical and psychological wounds inflicted by the Abyss.
Meanwhile, other powerful threats such as a new boss called “Tenebrous Papilla” have cast their shadow on Natlan. This unsettling Abyssal monster can distort its body to become an even more powerful foe by absorbing the memories from Natlan’s corrupted Ley Lines.
More Events and Optimizations
In Version 5.2, Travelers will team up with Citlali and Ororon in the Iktomi Spiritseeking Scrolls event. Together, you’ll uncover the truth behind a mysterious accident that has caused turmoil in their tribe. As part of the investigation, you’ll face combat challenges to fend off enemies disrupting rituals, piece together scenes from the tribe’s woven scrolls, and gather lost spirits scattered throughout the region. Along the way, Travelers can earn exciting rewards, including Primogems and an exclusive 4-star sword, Calamity of Eshu.
Meanwhile, our dev team brings more optimized features in Version 5.2, including the Imaginarium Theater, Serenitea Pot, Artifacts, and other key gadgets. The Imaginarium Theater now offers a smoother experience, featuring a “Next Act” button for quick combat transitions, a Supporting Cast Record to track friends borrowing your support characters, and an optimized party configuration with detailed character recommendations and enemy information.
For the Serenitea Pot, gathering wood is now more convenient — the Seed Dispensary can hold more of every type of seed, wood is available for purchase at the Realm Depot with Realm Currency, and the Boon of the Elder Tree’s cooldown has been reduced to five seconds.
In Version 5.2, artifact management becomes even easier with the updated “Lock Assistance” interface. You can now lock artifacts in batches with a single click using recommended settings or custom plans.
That’s all we want to share for today! Fly freely in this exciting chapter of Natlan with plenty of fresh content to explore, and we will see you next time!
The weekend is officially here, and we’ve rounded up the best deals you can find! Discover the best deals for Sunday, November 10, below:
Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster Collection
The first six Final Fantasy titles paved the way for the series as we see it today. Many fans still regard both Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy VI as some of the best that Final Fantasy has to offer, with gripping narratives and engaging gameplay. This package includes all six Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, which feature updated graphics, soundtracks, font, and more.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Mario & Luigi: Brothership is the first Mario & Luigi title on Nintendo Switch, acting as the first new entry in the series in over nine years. Developed by Acquire, this is the first 3D entry in the series, with plenty of new mechanics to discover. Join Mario and Luigi on this adventure to reconnect the world of Concordia and set sail to many islands on Shipshape Island!
Silent Hill 2
Bloober Team’s remake of Silent Hill 2 is on sale at Woot this weekend for $59.99. Recreating one of Konami’s most beloved titles was never going to be easy, but the Silent Hill 2 remake delivers an immersive horror experience that preserves almost everything that made the original so great. In our 8/10 review, we said the game “smoothly polishes down the rough edges of the original game’s combat while taking a piece of heavy grit sandpaper to scuff up every rust and mold-covered surface of its nightmarish environments, successfully making them appear far more abrasive and menacing to explore.”
Arcane: League of Legends – Season One 4K UHD Blu-ray
Arcane: League of Legends Season 2 is officially out today, and this is a great deal if you’ve yet to watch Season 1. The complete Season 1 4K UHD Blu-ray collection is only $34.99 at Amazon, which is $25 off its standard price. Packed inside a unique Steelbook, this is perfect for both new viewers and even the biggest of Arcane fans.
LG UltraGear 45″ OLED Curved Monitor
This weekend, you can save $700 off this UltraGear 45″ OLED curved monitor. With a resolution of 1440p and a refresh rate of 240Hz, you can expect a fantastic experience that is perfect for gaming. The OLED panel allows for high color accuracy and a wider viewing angle, so this monitor is also a great option for watching video content or movies.
Sony UBP-X700 4K UHD Blu-ray Player
If you don’t own either an Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, it’s not likely you have a quality 4K UHD Blu-ray Player. This weekend, you can save $90 off this Sony UBP-X700 model, which supports 4K upscaling, HDR10, Dolby Vision, and more. The player even has a HDR-SDR converter, allowing you to watch content on any display with vivid colors.
Sony WH-1000XM5 Headphones
The Sony WH-1000XM5 Headphones are some of the best you can find on the market. Sony made tremendous improvements from previous models, with major upgrades to both noise cancelation and sound quality. In our 9/10 review, we said, “The Sony WH-1000XM5 is hands down the best sounding and most impressive noise-canceling headphones around.”
Sonic X Shadow Generations
Sonic X Shadow Generations just released last month, and you can already save $10 off a Nintendo Switch copy at Woot. This package includes a remastered version of Sonic Generations and a brand-new campaign focused on Shadow. Both 2D and 3D levels are included, making for the ultimate package for any Sonic fan.
Super Mario RPG
The remake of Super Mario RPG is $31.99 at Woot right now, which is a great price for this classic title. If you’ve yet to either play the original or check out the remake, this is the perfect time to do so. Composer Yoko Shimimura returned to compose the remake’s original soundtrack, and each boss and environment has been expertly recrafted for the Nintendo Switch.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
This weekend, you can save on the PS4 and Xbox One versions of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The next chapter of Cal’s journey is set years after the ending of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. New lightsaber styles, planets, and more await.
