I think I’ve written about it a bazillion times here on RPS, but I do think Elden Ring is a massive open world game that’s a bit too large and in charge. I reached the exhaustion point once, and now the DLC’s come out, I’m scared I’ll reach it again despite the fact I think it’s very good. It’s interesting then, that FromSoftware’s president Hidetaka Miyazaki sees Elden Ring as “the limit” for FromSoftware in terms of project scale (cheers The Guardian for the interview, and PCGamer for the spot). I think it’s a great thing, personally.
Even just one year after The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom‘s launch in May 2023, its story, cutscenes, and music have already reached legendary status among fans. Heck, even the pre-launch trailers gave us all kinds of goosebumps. Honestly, though, we never would have expected a Game Boy ‘demake’ of the title to illicit such a similar response.
Alas, a selection of cutscenes from the game has been given a stunning Game Boy treatment alongside its iconic music, courtesy of YouTube channel, uh… ‘it‘. We get to see the opening sequence of the game in which Zelda and Link stumble across… something… alongside a look at some of its closing moments. So just be wary if you’ve yet to finish Tears of the Kingdom – this is pretty spoilerific.
It’s been some time since Amazon announced its Tomb Raider and The Lord of the Rings video games, and it sounds like fans will have to wait a while longer for a reveal.
Speaking to Variety, Amazon Games chief Christoph Hartmann said a reveal for either game is not imminent, but is not long away. “It’s not going to be tomorrow, but it’s not too far away,” Hartmann said, before insisting Amazon Games is now “getting into a much more regular cadence of shipping games.”
“That’s all I’m allowed to tell you right now,” Hartmann added. “It’s all about quality. You don’t want to just be rushed out. That doesn’t work. It has to be triple-A quality, because the bar is so high.”
Amazon will be keen to capitalize on other Tomb Raider and The Lord of the Rings projects it has in the works by lining up the TV shows with the video games. Prime Video has confirmed a Tomb Raider live-action series with Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge in place as writer and executive producer, although it has yet to say when it will launch. Meanwhile, Rings of Power Season 2 kicks off on Amazon Prime in August, with more seasons confirmed to be in the works.
It’s not going to be tomorrow, but it’s not too far away.
In the interview, Hartmann pointed to Microsoft’s recent success with the Prime Video Fallout TV show, which boosted interest in the Fallout games. “And so you can see a world where Amazon would do well to release a game simultaneously available to play on PC, console, mobile, as well as launching a TV series or an animation on its Prime Video service,” Hartmann explained.
However, fans shouldn’t necessarily consider the Tomb Raider TV show canon with the video games. While that’s worked out well for the Fallout TV show, which is set after all the Fallout video games, Hartmann suggested Amazon’s plan for Tomb Raider is closer to Sony’s with its hugely successful Marvel’s Spider-Man games, which are separate to the Spider-Man movies.
“You see it with Tomb Raider, where we’re gonna have a Tomb Raider game coming and they’re doing a show,” Hartmann said. “And some people say, ‘Oh, will they be linked together?’ And I give them the example, look at Spider-Man. There’s amazing, amazing games. There’s great animated content, there’s great live-action, and everyone seems to be very happy with that. So it does not need to be always that everything is mingled together, but it’s really one brand, which really just shows for me why transmedia nowadays is so important, and how games is such a vital part.”
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.
Assassin’s Creed fans “can be excited about some remakes” of the older games in the open world series, permits generous soul Yves Guillemot, via one of those odd promotional things disguised as a conversation. They’d like to “revisit some of the games we’ve created in the past and modernize them,” Ubisoft told Ubisoft about Ubisoft.
Elsewhere in the blog, Guillemot repeatedly praises what he sees as the potential for generative AI and how it “can enrich NPCs to be more intelligent, more interactive,” saying this could “potentially extend to animals in the world.” So, look forward to remake Ezio putting glue in his pizza sauce I suppose?
Update : Skunkape Games has shared a new update about the release date of Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered, confirming it will be released for all platforms (including the Nintendo Switch) on 14th August 2024.
Alongside this announcement is a new trailer, which you can check out above. Here’s a little bit more about what to expect, and you can learn more about this remaster in our original story below.
The Paramount series will include a bunch of special features.
The Sonic the Hedgehog series ‘Knuckles‘ made its debut on Paramount earlier this year and it was generally well-received. If you haven’t already watched it or would just like a hard copy, you’re in luck. As previously confirmed a Blu-ray and DVD is on the way and we’ve now got a bit more information about it.
It will apparently be arriving later this year in September according to some updated online listings. Along with all six episodes, we now also know it will come packed with a bunch of special features including: “gag reel, cast featurette, working with Knuckles, this or that? and Knuckles impressions”.
From the very first gameplay prototypes to getting the game ready before launch in August, playtesting Concord every day has been a defining aspect of development and core to our culture at Firewalk and our mission of delivering great-feeling multiplayer. There’s simply no substitute for getting your hands on a controller or mouse and keyboard, squadding up as a team, and experiencing the game for yourself.
That’s why we’re excited to share that your first chance to play Concord during our upcoming beta is just a couple of short weeks away! Here’s everything you need to know:
Concord Beta Early Access dates for Southeast Asia (July 13 – 15) and Open Beta (July 19 – 22)
In Southeast Asia, the Concord Beta will kick off with an Early Access weekend on PS5 and PC* from Saturday, July 13 through Monday, July 15. For those that pre-order, this early access weekend will be your opportunity to be among the first to play Concord—and you’ll get to bring your own crew. Those that pre-order any digital versions of Concord will get five codes for Concord Beta Early Access: one for you and four of your friends.
Following the Early Access weekend, the Concord Open Beta in Southeast Asia will be available to all players on PS5 and PC beginning on Friday, July 19 through Monday, July 22.
No matter what platform you play on, the Concord Beta Early Access and Open Beta will allow you to team up with friends on either PS5 or PC through optional cross-play support.
Play the full 16 Freegunner roster
You won’t have to wait until launch to find your favorite Freegunner(s). During the Concord beta weekends, you’ll be able to play as all 16 of the Freegunners that will be available at launch. Whether you like to run and gun, lock down an area, lay down fire from afar, or back up your team, there are Freegunners for players of a wide range of playstyles and skill levels.
From familiar faces like Haymar, Vale, Lennox, 1-0FF, and Star Child from the reveal trailer to other members of the Northstar crew, like It-Z, Teo, Bazz, and more, you’ll get to experiment and learn how each character brings distinct strategic abilities, traversal and gunplay feel, and, most of all, your own personality to the battlefield.
Explore (and Battle Across) Multiple Planets and Modes
Throughout both Concord Beta weekends, you’ll be able to visit and battle across multiple worlds and maps in the Concord Galaxy.
During the Concord Beta Early Access weekend, you’ll have a chance to play on four maps:· Freewater: Set in a fortified outpost on the sun-scorched planet of Glance, Freewater features intersecting perimeter lanes and a large central courtyard in the middle of the map that serves as a prime convergence point and inspires intense combat engagements.
Water Hazard: On the stormy water-covered planet of Leviathan, a massive, armored eel, known as a Morack, has been caught and is being harvested on a large floating fishing rig. Players will fight across the platform and within the jaws of the Morack in a primary harvesting site.
Star Chamber: Located atop the tallest mountain on the planet Gloom sits an ancient observatory with narrow corridors and a meteorite at the center, which creates great opportunities for team fights and one-on-one battles.
Shock Risk: Located beneath a massive conductive kite in the sky that harvests lightning on the planet Leviathan, Shock Risk features multiple unique arenas for battling with rival crews with pathways that converge on a large center tower.
During the Open Beta weekend, a new world and fifth map will be introduced: Bone Mines on the planet Akkar.
Bone Mines: The remains of massive vastadons on the tropical planet Akkar have become the site of a lucrative Guild mining operation, where you will fight through the excavated bones and mining caverns in a mix of close-quarters and mid-range combat.
The Concord Beta will also have multiple modes to fit your mood, whether it’s to jump in for a quick match after work or to team up with friends for more coordinated and competitive play.
The Concord Early Access Beta weekend will launch with three modes:
Trophy Hunt: A respawn-based mode where you fight to take down members of the rival crew and collect their bounty cards to earn points for your team. The first team to reach the target score before time runs out wins the match.
Cargo Run: A no-respawn mode where teams compete to retrieve the Blue Buddy robotic package delivery system, plant it at one of the zones, and defend it from the rival crew to win.
Clash Point: A round-based, no-respawn game mode where teams compete to control a single capture zone at a central location on the map.
Then, during the Open Beta weekend, you’ll be able to try out a new mode: Area Control.
Area Control: A respawn mode where teams compete to control multiple capture and control zones around the map. Control two or more zones to increase your team’s score and reach the point threshold to win.
Witness the beginning of the Northstar Crew’s Story
Alongside familiarizing yourself with the Northstar crew through gameplay, you’ll also be able to see the beginning of their story. When you play the beta, you’ll be welcomed with the very first of our cinematic vignettes—brief cinematics that, when Concord launches, will premiere every week in game. When the Beta Early Access launches and then when the Open Beta starts, we’ll introduce new cinematic vignettes in-game to give you a small glimpse into how the Northstar crew’s stories will unfold each week.
We can’t wait to see you all in-game during the Concord Beta to experience just some of the content that will be available when the game launches on August 24 (Asia time zone) and will grow over time through post-launch updates at no additional cost.
Be sure to stay tuned for more information about the beta, including pre-load and server availability timing, PC specs, and more, by following Concord on Twitter/X, Instagram, and TikTok, as well as by joining the community in the Official Concord Discord.
*Account for PlayStation™Network and internet connection required. Beta terms and conditions apply.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership kicked off the latest Direct broadcast and although we’ve already seen a fair bit of footage of the game, one thing Nintendo hasn’t properly shown off just yet is the game’s box art. Yes, it’s been featured in listings here and there, but now in the latest update it’s been given an official reveal via social media.
As you see it shows the famous duo, a new character called Snoutlet and a little bit of the world Mario and Luigi are about to explore, known as Concordia. An empty background similar to Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey also returns. As noted by Nintendo, pre-orders for this game have also gone live.
IGN’s Palworld Sakurajima Island map is here! Added in a major Palworld update on June 27, 2024, the new island brings fresh content to the Palpagos Islands, which we’ve mapped out on our Palworld interactive map – including markers for new Lifmunk Effigies, chests, Syndicate Towers, and more. We’ve also included the new Rayne Syndicate Oil Rig.
Note that the Sakurajima Island map is still a work in progress, though our dedicated guides team is busy ensuring it’s updated as quickly as possible, so check back often!
If you’re still playing the Palworld base game, you’ll find everything you need as the rest of our Palworld Palpagos Islands map is 100% complete with all locations, collectibles, and more.
Palworld Crude Oil
While you’re tracking your progress through Sakurajima withour Palworld interactive map, keep your eyes peeled for Crude Oil, which is a valuable resource for crafting powerful endgame armor and another necessary material, Plasteel.
You’ll find Crude Oil across Sakurajima – look out for black patches scattered around the north, east, and central sections of the island. You’ll need the right machinery to extract it, though. Check out our How to Get Crude Oil guide for detailed instructions on how to craft the Crude Oil Extractor and extract Crude Oil from these black patches.
Meg Koepp is a Guides Editor on the IGN Guides team, with a focus on trends. When she’s not working, you can find her adventuring around Eorzea in Final Fantasy XIV.
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