Great was the adulation last week when FromSoftware announced a new Elden Ring game, Elden Ring: Nightreign – and great the lamentation from certain quarters when it was revealed to be a co-op-focussed experience. If you missed the reveal, perhaps because you value sleep over the spectacle of Geoff Keighley’s fashion friends, let me catch you up: in Nightreign, you pick from one of eight preset characters and explore a parallel-universe version of Elden Ring‘s Limgrave map, fighting lesser foes and levelling up quickly so as to prepare for a boss battle at the end of each 15-minute in-game day.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has received its first major update alongside the release of the Mythical Island Themed Booster, which adds 86 new cards to the game alongside new missions and rewards.
Mythical Island arrived today, December 17, and as a Themed Booster is a smaller set compared to the debut Genetic Apex, which includes 286 cards. Developer Creatures Inc. has still added myriad new missions and solo battles for players to interact with though, which somewhat recreates that opening day feeling of the digital trading card game.
There are plenty of special cards added with Mythical Island too, which despite adding 86 cards total officially caps out at 68 cards. This means there are 18 of the “secrete” alternate art cards, including one immersive and one crown card.
On the mission front, Mythical Island Dex Missions have been added which, just like Genetic Apex, reward players with special shop tickets for collecting five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, and 60 unique Mythical Island cards. These can be used to redeem a Mew icon.
Deck Missions are added too, rewarding players with Rental Decks for collecting some of the major new cards available in Mythical Island including Celebi ex, Gyarados ex, Mew ex, Aerodactyl ex, and Pidgeot ex.
Finally, Themed Collections are also updated for Mythical Island. A variety of missions here reward different items for collecting, well, themed collections of cards, such as the Flower Travelers mission tasking players with collecting the three flower Pokémon in the Florges evolution line.
Solo Battles at the Step-Up and Expert tiers have also been updated with new challenges. Eight new Step-Up Battles have been added for Mythical Island decks, with players able to take on the second most challenging versions of decks such as Celebi ex and Mew ex to earn rewards such as pack hourglasses.
Another eight decks are added at the Expert Battle tier, which each reward seven Pack Hourglasses upon completion. The Step-Up Battles offer five, so a total of 96 Pack Hourglasses are available in solo battles alone, letting players open eight booster packs at no cost. This comes on top of 12 Pack Hourglasses that Creatures Inc. offered as free gift to all players.
As for Wonder Picks, these now appear to only serve Mythical Island packs and no longer Genetic Apex, though it’s possible the new set is just dominating the random selection since the majority of players are presumably opening it on launch day.
Other changes to the game will emerge over the coming days, as the 86 new cards are slotted into the meta and shake up the player versus player scene. A new Vaporeon card is already threatening to make Misty even more powerful, while Aerodactyl ex may lead Pokémon TCG Pocket’s first control deck by stopping players evolving their Active Pokémon.
This huge amount of money comes as Pokémon TCG Pocket follows the standard mobile and free to play game model, flooding players with rewards in the first few days before soon drying up, with spending real world money the only real way to re-experience that early thrill outside of the occasional set drop like this.
Uh, it’s probably not a problem – probably – but I’m seeing a small discrepancy in today’s advent calendar and… no, never mind… it’s well within acceptable bounds. Go ahead, open the door.
The new expansion for Pokémon TCG Pocket, dubbed ‘Mythical Island’ is out now via a free, automatic update for all users.
The booster set contains an additional 68 standard cards alongside roughly 20 secret cards for you to find, including the likes of Mew, Celebi, and Aerodactyl.
Then, responding to a user who joked that they wouldn’t be able to use “the poop poop farty 4,000 while doing a mission to clean up porta-potties with my companion skibidi toilet!?!?!?” Winkler said: “I’m not gonna say there’s no toilets but if the word skibidi ships in the game under my watch I’m gonna cry real tears.”
I’m not gonna say there’s no toilets but if the word skibidi ships in the game under my watch I’m gonna cry real tears. Paul Tassi joked that we were gonna have a gun called Hawk 2A and a fellow dev asked me if it was real and I wanted to put my hand down the sink grinder
The Borderlands series, which began with the first game’s release in 2009, is known as much for its humor as it is its loot-driven gameplay. The tone of the jokes have remained relatively consistent throughout the franchise’s run, which takes in 2012’s Borderlands 2, 2014’s The Pre-Sequel, and 2019’s Borderlands 3. Indeed, toilet humor has served Borderlands well so far, with total franchise sales now up to an impressive 81 million copies. But the debut teaser trailer for Borderlands 4 suggested a darker tone this time, and the latest trailer, unveiled at The Game Awards 2024, reinforced this shift.
The TGA 2024 trailer showed snippets of first-person shooting and a few returning characters, including Claptrap.
Here’s the official blurb from Gearbox:
Revealed at The Game Awards, a new trailer introduces The Timekeeper, a ruthless dictator who dominates the masses from on high. A world-altering catastrophe threatens his perfect Order, unleashing mayhem across Kairos, the most dangerous planet discovered so far in the Borderlands universe.
Borderlands 4 is the most ambitious Borderlands to date, lovingly hand-crafted by the development studio that first forged the looter shooter genre. The title evolves the series’ gameplay and storytelling in new ways while delivering on the quintessential Borderlands experience fans know and love, including:
Intense action, badass Vault Hunters, and billions of wild and deadly weapons on an all-new planet ruled by a ruthless tyrant.
The deepest and most diverse Vault Hunter skill trees of any Borderlands title yet, giving players an unprecedented level of expression through their builds. Paired with the most expansive loot chase yet, players will have all the tools they need to seek out and perfect the build that best matches their style.
Players will be able to seamlessly travel between zones and become immersed in a more dynamic world featuring events and discoverable side missions that encourage and reward exploration.
New traversal mechanics add to the exploration for loot and add new dimensions to combat. A vehicle that can be summoned almost anywhere will have players racing across the beautiful vistas of Kairos in style.
Fight solo or in co-op with up to three other players in this immense sci-fi adventure, packed with free-form combat and exploration, pulse-pounding boss fights, infinitely varied loot drops, and an eclectic cast of unforgettable characters new and old.
“Borderlands 4 is about freedom and being badass,” said Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford. “This is by far the biggest and most insane world we’ve ever made – it’s overloaded with jerkface ratnozzle scrote monsters that need to be put down with the most over-the-top hardcore nuts op guns and loot in any game ever. Oh, and the story also seriously kicks ass!”
Borderlands 4 is set to launch at some point in 2025, and comes after the disastrous launch of the Borderlands movie.
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.
MySims made a surprise comeback on the Switch last month with EA’s release of the ‘Cozy Bundle‘ and the game is still receiving some post-launch support.
In an official update, the development team revealed how it had been working on bug fixes and also implementing new features to the game including a “new teleport interaction”. Here’s the full rundown of Version 1.2, which rolled out last week:
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has been one of the major highlights for the Switch this year, and to send 2024 out with a bang, Tetris 99‘s final Maximus Cup of the year will be all about this game!
The 44th Maximus Cup will take place between 19th December and 23rd December, and if you participate and accumulate 100 points, you’ll unlock a special theme.
The developer of recently-announced virtual pet simulator game Catly has responded to allegations that the game’s trailer and marketing was produced using generative AI, saying that no such technology was used in its announcement at The Game Awards, nor in the game itself.
In a statement shared with IGN, a PR representative authorized to speak on behalf of developer SuperAuthenti said that generative AI was not used to produce the trailer, nor the game. Furthermore, the representative said the developer was “very surprised by such speculations,” adding that “We do not think there are any existing AI tools that can produce a video like that. Industry experts have echoed this opinion.”
The PR representative also showed IGN a version of the trailer from The Game Awards that showed in-progress shots interspersed alongside the final version, which did seem to confirm the lack of AI use in the actual trailer production.
Additionally, the PR representative said that other allegations suggesting that Catly was a blockchain game were similarly unfounded. They said that there has been “zero blockchain technology” involved in Catly or the company behind it, SuperAuthenti, and similarly there are no NFTs. “Our company/project has never issued any blockchain currency and any NFTs. Our company does not and has never owned any blockchain currency and NFTs.”
The spokesperson confirmed to IGN that Catly is being made in Unreal Engine 5, and said the developer uses “various software” to produce hyperrealistic fur and hair.
Assertions that Catly was using generative AI technology began to circulate almost immediately after its trailer debuted at The Game Awards last week. The trailer itself featured hyperrealistic cats with brightly colored fur and features bounding around a fantasy playspace and interacting with a human wearing various detailed, high fashion outfits. The art style present was flagged by many critics as reminiscent of the hyperrealistic style often produced by generative AI. That said, Catly’s statement is consistent with the current reality that game trailers of this quality are not within the reach of current generative AI technology without significant, obvious artifacting and other issues.
However, others pointed out that while the trailer may be legit, the other aspects of Catly’s promotion are still giving some off vibes. For instance, the game’s Steam description awkwardly reads, “A Cat Open World, with Beautiful Cats. Hyperrealism, Actions, Cuddle, Speed, Islands, Fashion, Dreams, Snow, Robots, Plants — all with and via Cats.”
And a few of the game’s promotional art pieces had odd details similar to AI artifacting, such as the odd paws and nose of this cat:
And the text on the wall inside the right-hand side of the building in this image:
Others unearthed more images from the official Catly website that appear to raise even more questions about their veracity. Notably, the Catly website was down as recently as Friday, and remained offline over the weekend through today when we reached out to SuperAuthenti to ask about it. The website has since been reinstated, but a number of the old images have been removed.
While SuperAuthenti confirmed to me that it did not use generative AI in either the trailer or the game itself, it did not respond to my question about its promotional images on Steam or on its website.
As for web3, speculation of the game’s ties to the technology surfaced as individuals unearthed the studio co-founder, Kevin Yeung’s, ties to other blockchain games. Additionally, the game’s Steam page features a glowing quote from League of Legends and Arcane producer Thomas Vu, who himself is a prominent web3 investor. However, it also contained a quote from Hearthstone and Marvel Snap creator Ben Brode, who has taken to Bluesky to say that he’s heard nothing about either AI generation or web3 involved in Catly, and that his interest is sincere. “I saw 20 [minutes] or so of gameplay footage a few months back and thought it looked cool so they asked me for a quote,” he wrote.
Unfortunately, as the technology becomes both more prevalent and more complex, it seems likely it will become increasingly difficult to tell the difference between AI-generated and human-crafted work. In Catly’s case, we’ll have to wait for 2025 to find out more about what exactly is behind those hauntingly rainbow cat eyes from the trailer.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
The series celebrates its 30th anniversary next year.
Bandai Namco has kicked off its Tales series 30th-anniversary celebrations with the Anniversary Project Special Broadcast. And while there were no special surprises or announcements, series producer Yusuke Tomizawa did reiterate that the team would be working on more remasters.
In the original Japanese broadcast (reported on by Gematsu), Tomizawa-san stated that he couldn’t reveal specific plans, but did say that Bandai Namco intends to “provide fairly consistently.”
Turmoil Comes to Xbox: Here’s Five Smart Ways to Drill Down Deep
Jos Bouman, Creative Director, Turmoil
December 13 marked a big day for aspiring oil tycoons who also happen to be Xbox gamers. That day, Turmoil, the unique simulation game focused on pumping up oil at the turn of the 20th century, arrived on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and the Microsoft Store. So, we’ve put together five hot tips to get your oil empire off to a running start!
1. Seek and ye shall find!
Once you’ve arrived on your first oil field, the first thing you’ll need to do is locate the underground wells filled with that bubbling crude. Your first – and best – method is by deploying dowsers. They’ll scour the field for a while, then once they’ve found a well will attract your attention with a whistle. Note that these dowsers will discover wells approximately in order of depth, so you won’t have to drill too deep for the ones they find first. Later on, you’ll also be able to enlist specially trained moles to dig for oil or use advanced scanners to uncover specific patches of the subsurface terrain. Even so, the trusty dowser will always remain the cornerstone of your oil-hunting escapades.
2. Slick drilling
Then, the time has come to set up your rig and start drilling. Every foot of your pipeline costs money, so the shorter a line you can draw between rig and well, the better. On the other hand, rigs are expensive too, so if you can lead those pipes from one rig to multiple wells, that would also be swell. It’s all about building the most efficient and cost-effective pipeline network, to extract as much oil as possible before your land lease expires. But watch out: there is such a thing as doing too well! Pumping up oil faster than your horse-drawn wagons can haul it away will lead to spillage… which is not only a waste of perfectly good black gold but will incur a hefty fine too.
3. The price is right… or left?
Of course, Turmoil isn’t just about getting oil above ground. It’s also about selling it… for maximum profit! Those crude-filled wagons can be sent to one of two competing oil companies, the very aptly named Left, Inc. and Right, Inc. Keep an eye on their fluctuating prices and sell wisely to maximize profits. Sometimes, the market can be pretty dire on both sides. That’s where silos come in handy: be sure to store your precious product until prices are back on the rise.
4. Grease your gears
Let’s be honest, you didn’t get into the oil game to make a modest profit every year. In Turmoil, the key to coming out on top is to keep upgrading your operation to increase efficiency and profitability. Luckily, the charming frontier town you return to after each drilling expedition, offers plenty of opportunities to do exactly that. You can invest in faster horses, bigger wagons, wider pipes and much, much more. But do get your priorities straight! Branching pipelines, deeper dowsing and the aforementioned silos should be at the top of your list… while gambling in the saloon is something you should only do once you’ve got money to spare.
5. Land of Opportunity
Your first patch of land is assigned to you. After that, you choose on which plot to stake your claim… and some of them are much richer in oil than others. Know that once you’ve found a juicy spot, the fields adjacent to it are also likely to be fruitful soil. But be warned that your rivals are aware of this… and you must be prepared to outbid all of them all to lease the most promising land. Eventually, you’ll move on to new areas which introduce even more ways to strike it rich. Parcels containing natural gas, for example, have the potential to be very lucrative indeed. And the Xbox and Microsoft Store version of Turmoil includes the DLC The Heat Is On DLC, with a fresh map that introduces fields with liquid hot magma, further ramping up the challenge… and the temperature.
So, there you have it! These strategic pointers provide everything you need to jumpstart your drilling dynasty, when Turmoillaunches this week on Xbox and the Microsoft Store. With over a million players already hooked on its addictive gameplay, it’s your turn now to conquer the world of oil. Join the ranks of dedicated Texas Tea enthusiasts and, if you’ll allow us to mix our beverage-based metaphors, come drink our milkshake!
Turmoil offers players a visually charming, tongue-in-cheek take on the simulation genre inspired by the 19th century oil rush in North America. Get a taste of the rush and rivalry of the time as you earn your way to become a successful oil entrepreneur. As you make money digging up and selling oil, the town will grow along with you.
Lease land at the town auction and search for oil. Build a rig, create an efficient pipe network and bring up the oil to store it in silos. Sell the oil at the best times to maximize profits. Then buy essential upgrades in town to cope with rock, gas and ice. Acquire more town shares than your competitors in a bid to become the new mayor.
* A campaign where you build your rags-to-riches oil baron career and beat your rivals.
* Dozens of upgrades and new tools to improve your oil mining operations.
* Meet the town’s characters in the saloon and make shady business deals.
* Play single game mode to get one of literally millions of procedurally generated levels and earn as much as you can in one year.
* Lease land at the town auction and search for oil using a dowser, mole or scanner.
* Maximize your profits by using natural gas to boost the oil price.
* Outbid your competitors at the stock auction.
Turmoil – The Heat Is On is a brand new campaign with tons of oil to dig up and convert into cash! It is designed to make you feel right at home, but at the same time offer lots of new mechanics and fun features. Here’s what you can expect!
* A new town (and mayor!) and a new oil-rich map divided into three areas.
* In each area, new drilling mechanics are introduced, powered by a new underground substance: magma.
* You’ll see familiar faces like Edward and Fred and William. They brought their goods with them in train wagons, so you can instantly stock up on all your favorite drilling gear.
* There are also new people, like Philip, who runs a shady card game in the saloon.
* Jack is a new character that runs a magma tools operation from his shed. He likes chicken.
* Anthony is also back from last time. Instead of dealing in diamonds, he has his own store where you can sell and buy all sorts of underground treasures.
* The new mayor is not quite like the old one. His tips are free, and he uses a different auction system. But shares still cost money!
* There’s a cat walking around the village! He doesn’t do a whole lot, but what can you expect from these creatures?
* And last but not least: a couple of brand new music tracks!
