Round Up: The Reviews Are In For Endless Ocean: Luminous

Nothing fishy going on here.

We are mere days away from the release of Endless Ocean: Luminous on 2nd May and today, we can start to gauge whether it’s going to be choppy waters or smooth sailing as a wave of reviews have come flooding in.

We will be collecting together the critical consensus from around the internet but before we do so, let’s dive into what we at Nintendo Life made of the latest ocean explorer. In short, ehhh. While we found that there was some fun to be had with Endless Ocean: Luminous, the repetitive gameplay and bland objectives left us rather bored as we awarded the game a 5/10.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Escape From Tarkov Rival Gray Zone Warfare Shoots to Top of Steam Sales But Reviews are ‘Mixed’

Realistic first-person shooter Gray Zone Warfare is currently Steam’s best-selling game as extraction rival Escape From Tarkov endures a community revolt, though its also being panned with “mixed” user reviews.

Gray Zone Warfare’s Early Access began today, April 30, 2024, timed just as Escape From Tarkov players are sharing their frustration at “shameless” and “tone deaf” developer Battlestate Games. But while Gray Zone Warfare, which promises similar tactical FPS gameplay, is currently the best-selling Steam game above Manor Lords, Helldivers 2, and Fallout 76, players are having significant issues, including poor performance, frustrating design choices, unsatisfying gunplay, and connectivity issues.

“Can barely manage 60 frames per second with specs higher than the recommended,” wrote one Steam user. “AI is weird. [It] either shoots you from way too far away with no warning or runs out in the open and stands there like a mannequin.”

Another complained about lack of simple quality of life features. “Chose the wrong faction. Now I can’t play with my friends because there is no way of recreating your character or changing,” they said.

DemonicSquid posted an extensive review detailing the above issues alongside others such as “extremely annoying” loud music during the character creation scene, clunky movement, random slowdowns, unusual NPC health bars (enemies can be bullet sponges or they can go down in one hit), and “very shady” practices where upgrading the game makes the entire product non-refundable.

“Can barely manage 60 frames per second with specs higher than the recommended.

The connection to Escape From Tarkov’s isn’t lost in the reviews either, with many referencing the recent controversies. “At least it doesn’t cost $250,” wrote one positive review. This comes after Battlestate announced the $250 Unheard Edition upgrade to the Escape From Tarkov beta, which added an exclusive player-versus-everyone mode amid other extras, and notably wasn’t deemed downloadable content by the developer. This meant those who’d bought the $150 Edge of Darkness edition of Escape From Tarkov, which came with a Season Pass and thus “free access to all subsequent DLCs”, wouldn’t obtain this new content without spending another $250.

While Battlestate has already reversed some of these decisions following a backlash, fans arguably grew more upset at comments made by COO and studio head Nik Buyanov. “I would like to say that I am very sorry that fans and the game community in general are experiencing these feelings,” he said, which was dubbed a “fake apology” by many.

For its part, Gray Zone Warfare developer Madfinger Games has said it’s working to iron out the problems players are facing.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Spooky throwback Elder Scrolls ’em up Dread Delusion leaves early access in May

Dread Delusion is a creepo-tastic open world RPG that positively reeks of King’s Field and the Elder Scrolls of yore. Created by Lovely Hellplace and published by horror anthology specialists DreadXP, it’s so far up my alley it’s probably been mugged by some kind of hideous clockwork cutthroat – and yet somehow, I’ve never played the thing. I’ll be rectifying that on 14th May, when Dread Delusion leaves early access.

Read more

Epic Confirms Fortnite Will Return to iPads, but Only in the EU

Epic Games has announced plans to bring back the iPad version of Fortnite, but it will only be available for countries in the European Union (EU).

In a post on X/Twitter, the Epic Games newsroom announced that EU Fortnite players who miss playing the free-to-play battle royale natively on Apple’s tablet will soon be able to play it again. The statement follows a recent announcement by the European Commission that it now requires Apple to have iPadOS comply with the same rules iOS must abide by as part of the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Epic had already said it planned to bring the iOS version of Fortnite back to the EU App Store thanks to the DMA. This comes as part of a wider effort to launch the Epic Games Store on Android and iOS in the EU, with Epic boss Tim Sweeney previously stating the company’s ultimate goal is to become the “number one multi-platform software store, on the foundation of payment competition, 0%-12% fees, and exclusive games like Fortnite.”

At the State of Unreal event last month, Epic shared some new details on the mobile version of the Epic Games Store, revealing that mobile developers that use its third-party storefront would benefit “from the same fair terms” found on the main Epic Games Store. This includes an 88/12 revenue share, and developers can keep 100% of the revenue it earns by using its own payment system for in-app purchases.

Fortnite was removed from all mobile devices nearly four years ago after Epic rolled out a direct-pay system in-game. The outcome resulted in cheaper V-Bucks for players; however, it violated Apple and Google’s app store policies, with both companies removing the app from their respective digital storefronts. Shortly after Fortnite was banned from both app stores, Epic announced it was suing both companies, with varying outcomes.

Since the removal, those who wanted to play Fortnite on the go but did not have a Nintendo Switch or a portable gaming PC like the Steam Deck were required to stream Fortnite on either Xbox Cloud Gaming or Nvidia GeForce Now. Epic has yet to announce a fresh release date for Fortnite on mobile.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Razer to pay out over $1 million in refunds over its misleading (and hideous) Zephyr face mask

Razer, makers of various pretty good gaming peripherals and one deeply questionable face mask, have been slapped with a $1.1 million fine by US regulators after said mask was determined to have misled buyers over the amount of protection it afforded. Kotaku reports that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took issue with Razer’s claim that the Zephyr, an RGB monstrosity released during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, could act as a medical-grade N95 respirator – it could not – and will allocate $1 million of that fine towards refunds for fooled, if colourfully illuminated, buyers.

Read more

Funko Fusion Announces Release Date and Names Jurassic World, Back to the Future, and Other IPs Appearing in Game

Funko Inc. and developer 10:10 Games have announced that 20(!) franchises will be a part of their upcoming Funko Pop-based co-op action game Funko Fusion. They also announced a release date for PC and consoles: September 13. Check out the new gameplay trailer above and a half-dozen screenshots showing off some of the crossover IPs in the gallery below.

Expect to see and play as Funko Pop characters from the worlds of Jurassic World, Back to the Future, Masters of the Universe, JAWS, Shaun of the Dead, Chucky, The Thing, Battlestar Galactica, Umbrella Academy, The Walking Dead, Invincible, and many more.

“Our vision at 10:10 Games is to create an incredible co-op videogame experience that will bring gamers from across the globe together in a unique, fun, energetic, and authentic gaming experience,” said 10:10 Games cofounder and Head of Publishing Arthur Parsons. “Crafted by a talented team, Funko Fusion is the ultimate celebration of fandom, blending beloved movie and TV properties for every generation with humor, fun mechanics, and fast-paced high-adrenaline action. Funko Fusion is the experience we believe fans are waiting to play, and finally, on a personal note, I get to have He-Man in a video game!”

Don’t miss the announcement trailer for Funko Fusion if you missed it.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Supermarket Times embodies a unique and quiet bovril-fueled brand of anarchy

I once went back to a gathering after a friend-of-a-friend’s metal gig that I distinctly remember not because of either the party or the show, but because we drunkenly went to a big Tesco afterwards to get snacks. I also distinctly remember making a not-completely serious but also somewhat true statement at the party about how that Tesco trip was the most fun I’d had in months, after which one of the metal men sneered at me. I felt self conscious at the time, but I’ve since grown comfortable enough with myself to realise that the metal man was a joyless fool, and going to big supermarkets is at least as fun as going to average metal gigs. There is nothing a drop D power chord can evoke in me that compares to the feeling of blurrily espying a chocolate trifle in the reduced to clear section. So I wish to bring your attention to Supermarket Times.

Read more

Review: Endless Ocean: Luminous (Switch) – A Meditative Marine Milieu, But Incredibly Shallow

Endless, unfortunately.

There are a whole bunch of, well, let’s say ‘Wii-centric’ video games from the history vaults that, in theory, seem like they might be a bit of fun to revisit on Nintendo Switch. You know the sort of thing, usually pairing some new-fangled/novelty control scheme with an activity you’d never tried in a game before; making cakes, driving a quad bike…eh…bobsleighing with the Jamaican Olympic team? The Endless Ocean series fits right into this mould and, as it turns out, revisiting its chillaxed dives — even with up to 30 other players in tow — wasn’t a very good idea.

Now, before we get into the negative stuff, let’s start by pointing out that if you’re looking for an incredibly low-energy, low-effort sort of gaming experience where all of the focus is on simply scanning marine life and then reading a tiny informational excerpt about each of them in order to expand your underwater knowledge, this is 100% the game for you. In fact, you’ll likely never find another game more suited to your very specific needs. Please enjoy. For the rest of us, as much as learning about all the amazing creatures that live under the sea is a captivating pursuit, we’re not sure we can justify the price tag given that there is precious little else to do here.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Xbox Games Showcase Followed by [REDACTED] Direct Airs June 9

Xbox Games Showcase Followed by [REDACTED] Direct Airs June 9

Mark your calendars! The Xbox Games Showcase will be livestreamed on June 9, 2024, starting at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST (additional time zones below).

Like our double-feature last year with Starfield Direct, immediately following the Showcase we’ll be airing a special deep-dive into the next installment of a beloved franchise. We can’t say much, so for now we’ll call it the Xbox Games Showcase followed by [REDACTED] Direct.

This will also be our first Showcase featuring games from our portfolio of studios across Activision, Blizzard, Bethesda and Xbox Game Studios, in addition to titles from our third-party partners.

You’ll be able to enjoy both of our June 9 livestreams live through a variety of outlets, and in over 30 languages, and American Sign Language and English Audio Descriptions:

Airtime for the Xbox Games Showcase followed by [REDACTED] Direct in local time zones:

  • PT: June 9, 10am
  • ET: June 9, 1pm
  • BST: June 9, 6pm
  • CET: June 9, 7pm
  • JST: June 9, 2am
  • AEST: June 9, 3am

June 9’s double-feature broadcast also kicks off a week’s worth of coverage here on Xbox Wire and The Official Xbox Podcast, featuring updates and deep-dives on a ton of games.

Xbox will host a premier viewing event in Los Angeles and Xbox FanFest is giving away tickets! Enter the FanFest Sweepstakes, which begins on May 2, for a chance to win tickets or even a free trip to get you there. To get notified with more details about the event and sweepstakes, sign up for FanFest at aka.ms/XboxFanFest.

Ticket Sweepstakes: No Purchase Necessary. Open only to registered Xbox FanFest members. 18+ who are legal residents of the 50 U.S. + DC. Entry Period 5/2/24 – 5/13/24. Click here for Official Rules. Trip Sweepstakes: No Purchase Necessary. Open only to registered Xbox FanFest members. 18+. Entry Period 5/2/24 – 5/13/24. Click here for Official Rules.

In the meantime, be sure to check back here on Xbox Wire for more information on the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase followed by [REDACTED] Direct on June 9, 2024.

The post Xbox Games Showcase Followed by <mark style=”background-color:#000000″ class=”has-inline-color has-black-color”>[REDACTED]</mark> Direct Airs June 9 appeared first on Xbox Wire.