Hello everyone! The gang returns this week to discuss new releases Stellar Blade and Another Crab’s Treasure. Plus, the Helldivers 2 marathon continues as the team dives into Super Samples and more.
Stuff We Talked About
Moto GP 24 – PS5, PS4
Sea of Thieves – PS5
Gran Turismo 7 1.46 Update Blog
Community Game Help live now for select titles including Granblue Fantasy: Relink and Stellar Blade
Stellar Blade New Game Plus Blog
Another Crab’s Treasure Hands-on Blog
Another Crab’s Treasure – PS5
Stellar Blade – PS5
Lords of the Fallen – PS5
Tekken 8 – PS5
Helldivers 2 – PS5
The Cast
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Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE
Tim Turi – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE
Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.
[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]
The creators of Escape from Tarkov may be looking for their own escape at the moment, after enraging the extraction shooter’s community with a new top-tier edition of the game that’s come under fire for its extortionate cost, “pay-to-win” offerings and for U-turning on the promise of free DLC for buyers of a previous bundle.
The next-gen update for Fallout 4 is finally live, bringing Bethesda’s 2015 RPG up to par for modern consoles and PCs. But what exactly does next-gen update mean, especially in 2024?
We’ve broken down the biggest changes that are now available in Fallout 4 thanks to Bethesda’s update, which not only includes graphical and technical changes, but even additional content as well. Remember to check out our list of “Things to Do First” in Fallout 4 for anyone jumping into the game the first time with the next-gen patch.
Powered for Current-Gen Consoles
The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are miles more powerful than the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles on which Fallout 4 originally released. The new update will bring the nearly nine-year old game up to modern-day standards thanks to the next-gen update. Fallout 4 now supports 4K resolution on consoles, regardless of whether you choose between either the new Quality or Performance mode.
The main difference is Quality mode targets 30 FPS at 4K resolution on ultra settings without dynamic resolution scaling. Performance mode, meanwhile, targets 60 FPS at standard 4K resolution with dynamic resolution scaling. Furthermore, depending on your display, Fallout 4 on Quality mode will target 40 FPS when connected to a 120Hz display, or 1440p resolution at 60 FPS on ultra settings when connected to a 1440p display.
Remember, for console players, there’re also Console Commands and Cheats that you can enable even when playing on a PS5 or Xbox Series X.
One note of warning! It appears that the next-gen update is not available for players who own Fallout 4 through a PS Plus subscription currently. However, Bethesda has stated the next-gen update will be available for the PS Plus version and that the studio is working on a fix.
Squishing Bugs (for now).
Speaking of bugs, Bethesda has been working away on squashing game bugs even after nearly a decade since launch. The patch notes for Fallout 4’s next-gen update include a long list of bug fixes, ranging from technical issues, save data issues, locked missions, broken assets, and more.
However, it appears the introduction of the next-gen update introduced some other issues as well, which we’ll continue to monitor as more and more time is spent with the new update.
Changes For PC Owners
Thanks to mods and typically better performance, PC Fallout 4 players have been playing the game at a higher standard than console players from even before the patch. But with the next-gen update, there are still some new benefits to PC players.
With the update, there’s now official support for both wide and ultrawide screens. Furthermore, the Fallout 4 Creation Kit has received a set of fixes and updates for easier navigation and to fix bugs and crashes.
Greater Availability on More Platforms
Fallout 4 is now also officially available on the Epic Game Store, as well as getting an official “Deck Verified” badge for Steam Deck. Frankly, there weren’t too many issues running Fallout 4 on Steam Deck before, at least from my experience, but the verification should mean the process of getting Fallout 4 running on Valve’s handheld is smoother than before.
Additional Mission Content and Gear
It isn’t just a technical update that’s in Fallout 4’s next-gen patch. Bethesda’s patch notes begin with a long list of new gear and questlines available in The Commonwealth. There’s a brand new Enclave storyline called Echoes of the Past that has ties to a storyline from Fallout 3, and there are new weapons, Power Armor, and outfits for players to find along the way.
Two more new questlines, When Pigs Fly and All Hallow’s Eve, will further unlock more content from the Makeshift Weapon Pack that includes a Nail Gun and Baseball Launcher, to spooky Halloween props for your settlement.
These are the biggest changes in Fallout 4 thanks to the update. For both returning and new players, this is a great chance to jump back into Fallout 4, especially after the success of the Fallout TV show.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN’s Senior Features Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.
It’s been barely a month since the reboot of horror classic Alone in the Dark arrived, but it looks like developers Pieces Interactive are now making a number of layoffs in the wake of its release.
The free-to-play mobile game Play Together gives players of all ages around the world the chance to play however they want, wherever they want. It’s an online social hub game where there are tons of minigames, customization options and chances to connect with other players. And with an event going on now that introduces popular Sanrio characters like Hello Kitty, now’s the time to jump in.
Play Together is all about giving you the freedom to play how you want. You get dropped off on Kaia Island, and from there it’s up to you. If you want to wind down after a long day, there are relaxing options like fishing and insect catching. If you’re looking to meet some new friends, you can invite people over for a Home Party. If you’re the competitive type, there are more than 30 minigames with rewards depending on how you finish. No matter which of these activities you choose, you’ll accomplish goals and gain rewards that you can use to upgrade your character.
There are minigames of all different types, too. Game Party pits 30 players against each other in waves of games, with players eliminated each round until there’s only one champion left standing. Zombie Virus turns some players into zombies, while the others have to hide to avoid getting infected. Tower of Infinity sends you through a gauntlet of obstacle courses and challenges you to complete them all back-to-back. And that’s just scratching the surface of all the games that are available.
That “play how you want” mantra also extends to character customization. When you first start the game, you’ll have the chance to pick your body type, hair, skin color and facial features. Once the game gets going, you’ll get tons of additional options. Clothes, shoes, hats, accessories — from butterfly wings to shirts with flaming skulls, there’s a wide variety of things available.
Every player also gets their own house right from the beginning of the game. No waiting until you hit a certain level here. As you play, you can improve your house, making it bigger and decorating it with all kinds of furniture — beds, chairs, tables and appliances of all shapes and sizes. There’s even specialized furniture for your pets.
That’s right, there’s pets too. And you get your first one as part of one of the first objectives in the game. You’ll get your hands on an egg, then need to treat the egg well, fulfilling the wishes of the cute animal within. Once you’ve done that and raised the egg to the level needed, it hatches into a companion that will accompany you as you walk around. So even when you’re playing solo, you’ll always have an adorable friend with you.
Speaking of adorable friends, the game recently added more with its collaboration with Sanrio. To celebrate Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary, one of the game’s hotels has been transformed into a home for her and her friends. Daily missions can be given by Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, My Melody, Pom Pom Purin and Kuromi. They’ll give you special kitty coins, which can be traded for unique character items.
The area outside of the hotel also has a new Sanrio character photo zone, where players can take as many photos as they want. And next to the photo zone is a Sanrio calendar that provides a free gift every day. There are also new costumes and cars themed after Hello Kitty and Cinnamoroll.
Play Together has a little something for everyone, no matter your age or experience. There’s all kinds of fun to be had, and you can download the app for free on iOS or Android.
Sometimes there’s a game that’s just a delight to write about, however you slice it. That’s how I feel about getting to tell you about Oyster Wars, a platforming game that melds the fluid movement of Celeste with the puzzle dungeons and hookshot traversal of Zelda. Oh, and top of that it’s about rebelling against capitalism via oyster farming – and it’s made by a real-life oyster farmer. Let’s get into this package of joys.
If you’ve ever wondered what was actually inside a Nintendo Switch cart, then wonder no more, dear reader. Over on YouTube, Tinker Man Mick has uploaded a Short (okay, it was uploaded in July 2023, so we’re a bit late, but who cares) to demonstrate that some Switch carts actually have quite a bit of empty space.
Cracking open a copy of Let’s Sing 2021, you can see that the board within does indeed fill the entire casing, while a copy of Super Mario Odyssey actually has quite a bit of unused space. Now, the video is titled ‘Why Does Nintendo Do This?’, but we think it’s fairly obvious. Switch carts are pretty small to begin with, so making it even smaller would no doubt make it more difficult to handle while leaving much less space for publishers to attach their printed game labels.
It’s hard to believe, but we’re now in our third month of Indie Selects – and the hits just keep on coming. The team have picked some amazing games this month. We’ve played them, we’ve loved them, and we feel confident that you’ll like them too.
April’s Indie Selects include an interactive, playable historical artifact, two completely different approaches to building, and even a lo-fi, jazzy space shooter. As always, you can find the whole list in one easy-to-access spot on the Xbox Store, right now. With that in mind, here’s the list (in no particular order):
Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles is a work of passion from the same solo developer behind the original Falconeer. In this iteration, the universe of that game is expanded into vast new territory, and you’re tasked with building the ultimate settlement in an oceanic world. It’s a relaxed, immersive city builder for the most part, serving up an open world where you can scavenge for resources to support your ever-expanding creation.
Later in the game you can open up trade routes and defend your city from invaders, or even become the invader yourself, taking on rival civilizations. It’s really the unique world here that sets this game apart from other city builders: you start with a simple island village, and then expand out into, and over, the seas, with steampunk-inspired flying ships and gothic architecture. You can really play Bulwark any way you like and it’s easy to get sucked into, building and exploring for hours.
Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles is an open world builder with freedom and expression at its core, allowing players to build sprawling towns, spires, and fortresses that become hubs for trade, or rallying grounds for conquests.
Carve your legacy into a world shattered by the decisions of those who came before you, tower by tower, wall by wall, sculpting from the daunting cliffs and perilous waters of an unforgiving landscape that refuses to be tamed.
Tasked with rebuilding a civilization devastated by the aftermath of a war 40 years prior, you are in command of creating the last great settlement upon the Great Ursee – a vast, fantastical oceanic world filled with lost myths, breath-taking vistas and danger.
From humble docks and wooden jetties, you will scavenge resources and grow your settlement as your population and creations grow ever grander, sculpting monumental stone towers and battlements that scrape the skies, where airships and giant warbirds rule.
Create trade routes and strike alliances with other factions scattered across the waves, acquiring powerful Captains and Commanders to protect your creations and utilise their aid in exploration – or muster your own battlegroup to strike at them, waging war upon your ancient enemies.
This world and its choices are yours to make – what legacy will you leave behind? What creations will bear your name?
Veteran “flippers” will love the revised mechanics and new content, and will completely lose themselves in the sandbox building mode, in which you can design and build your own original creations. But you don’t have to be an experienced flipper to have fun – it’s super easy to jump in and start painting, renovating, and remodeling, bringing new life to the old, shabby buildings in your town.
There’s even a story mode, where an old pal unveils the secrets of each house under renovation to you. Hard to believe that a game that involves painting, sweeping and hammering – things you’re not likely to see many of us here on the ID team doing in real life – on our “favorites” list, but there are a lot of dedicated flippers on the team now.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a makeover veteran or if you’re only starting out – you’ll feel at home in no time!
House Flipper 2 introduces new mechanics and revamps the ones from the original game.
The good old hammer, the trusty paint roller, and the sturdy mop, all await your return! The new visuals make our fixer-uppers look crisp as never before!
Another brick in the wall
Why renovate a house when you can just build one? Unleash your creativity in the Sandbox Mode! Use it to recreate real-life buildings or design projects that exist in your imagination.
Remember: building from scratch is no easy task! But let’s face it, it’s definitely worth putting in extra effort to design the house of your dreams.
Once upon a time…
Between the mountain tops and the endless sea, there lies the town of Pinnacove.
A place where time slows down, and the friendly residents are ready to entrust you with their homes.
Can you discover some of the stories within these walls?
Your old pal Tom, who seems to know everybody in the neighborhood, will gladly share some local knowledge with you.
Sea of opportunities
In House Flipper 2, you are the foreman!
You get to decide what ‘relaxing gameplay’ means!
Do you enjoy building? Choose the Sandbox Mode which allows you to construct houses from scratch. Or maybe you prefer cleaning and decorating? In the Story Mode, you will delve into long and engaging renovation projects, as well as deal with some quick jobs.
Sit back and relax, here comes the new age of House Flipper!
Picture the Australian Outback after the apocalypse with man-eating spiders, raiders, and even blood-thirsty kangaroos. Is it Mad Max? No, this is Broken Roads, a deep RPG that introduces a novel Morality System to mix up the genre. What kind of character will you be? Much is decided in advance as you set out your character’s visions and ideals, which then influence what kind of story you’ll experience.
Much of the game involves discovering, befriending and influencing the vast cast of characters you’ll encounter on your journeys, as you peel back the many layers of the detailed story. It’s an ambitious game that is infused with Australian culture, dialect and humor.
Born of a love for traditional computer role-playing, Broken Roads provides a rich, engaging narrative in which players make their way across a desolated future Australia. Blending together traditional and all-new role-playing elements on top of a classless system offering nearly unlimited character development options, Broken Roads presents players with an original morality system: the Moral Compass. This novel design sees dialogue options and questing decisions influence, and be influenced by, a character’s philosophical leaning.
Features
• All-new post-apocalyptic setting
• Unique morality system influencing dialogue, quests and character development
• Authentic Australian locations and environments
• Blend of traditional and original RPG mechanics
• Up to 5 party members
• Turn-based tactical combat
• Hand-drawn artwork
• A content-rich and densely-crafted world
If you’re under the age of 40 or so, and you’re not from the UK, you could be forgiven for not having heard of games like Attack of the Mutant Camels or Metagalactic Llamas Battle at the Edge of Time. But now’s your chance to rediscover some of the wildest and weirdest games to come out of the ’80s and early ’90s. Not only the games: developer Digital Eclipse serves these classics up in their landmark “interactive documentary style”, and takes you into the mind of creator Jeff Minter, and through the entire history of the iconic British Video game company, quixotically named Llamasoft.
If you played any of the originals – like Jeff’s signature shooter Gridrunner – on systems such as the Sinclair ZX81, the Commodore VIC-20, or the Atari 1040 ST (this writer’s favorite computer of all time) you’ll absolutely fall in love with these remasters. But if you’re entirely new to Jeff and his trippy games, you’ll find the Llamasoft story to be a fascinating journey into video game history – a history that you can jump into and play.
Gridrunner. Revenge of the Mutant Camels. Tempest 2000. Llamatron. In the British gaming universe of the 80s and 90s, nobody made games like Jeff Minter. Now, in a new interactive documentary from Digital Eclipse, you can play the history of one of the weirdest, wildest game developers to ever exist – a man who loved shooters and sheep, lasers and llamas.
LLAMASOFT
Journey back in time to an era of cassette tapes, photocopied zines, and README.TXT. An era in which a kid with a Commodore VIC-20 and dreams of radioactive sheep could become one of Britain’s best-known game makers. A virtual museum of design documents, playable games, and all-new video features tell the fascinating story of a true independent game designer.
PLAY THE ACCLAIMED ORIGINALS
Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story includes 42 classic games from 8 different platforms, from Jeff Minter’s earliest work on the Sinclair ZX81 and Commodore VIC-20, to later work on the Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Atari 800, and deep into the 16-bit era with the Atari ST and Atari Jaguar.
GRIDRUNNER: REMASTERED
Jeff’s signature shooter masterpiece Gridrunner gets an all-new look from Digital Eclipse, updated into thrilling modern graphics and sound – while still running the core of the Commodore 64 version for 100% gameplay accuracy.
GAMES, GAMES, GAMES
Sheep In Space. Andes Attack. Attack of the Mutant Camels. Matrix. Metagalactic Llamas Battle at the Edge of Time. Hellgate. Laser Zone. And many more. All the Minter classics you’ve heard of (and several you probably haven’t), now with new quality-of-life features to make playing them more fun than ever before.
Two of Jeff Minter’s earliest “light synthesizers,” Psychedelia and Colourspace, are also included, with all-new options and features optimized for controller-based play. Finally, Jeff’s demo of Attack of the Mutant Camels for the unreleased Konix Multi-System console is also included.
THE GOLD MASTER SERIES
New from Digital Eclipse (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, The Making of Karateka), the Gold Master Series presents iconic games in an innovative “interactive documentary” format, putting the shared history of games and their creators into one comprehensive package.
Speaking of classic games, the original Grandia dates back to 1997, and Grandia II came out in 2000. Both iconic RPGs have been lovingly remastered in the Grandia HD Collection. Groundbreaking in their time, the series featured a novel dynamic attack system, deep skill progression, and an extensive and immersive storyline.
New UI enhancements, updated HD cinematics, and tweaks to gameplay make the games feel modern and fresh, while maintaining the original classic characters and stories. If you didn’t get a chance to experience these incredibly influential RPGs, which really defined the idea of “going on an adventure” in a game, now is your chance to set out on that quest.
The highly-anticipated Grandia HD Collection for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S are here! Get your hands on two games that changed the landscape of RPGs forever, in beautiful HD graphics.
GRANDIA: Dive into the captivating journey of Justin and his allies as they race against the sinister Garlyle Forces. Unravel the mysteries of a forgotten civilization and immerse yourself in an RPG hailed as a timeless classic, inspiring generations of games to come.
GRANDIA II: Step into the shoes of Ryudo, a jaded Geohound with a heart, as he embarks on a magical quest alongside a group of unlikely allies. Their journey is riddled with twists and turns as they seek a divine weapon to save the world. Delve deep into this tale where the line between good and evil blurs, and everything is open to question…
Imagine mashing up a classic top down “shoot-‘em-up” with a lo-fi, chill-out music channel and you’d end up with something very much like Super Space Club. Usually “shmups” go for more of a frenetic, kinetic vibe with lots of angry aliens and what not, but Super Space Club opts for a much more relaxing tone, while also serving up some great space combat.
You can select different weapons, ships and pilots to customize the build you want to take into battle, which is a nice plus-up to the genre. And nothing is more satisfying than mowing down wave after wave of aliens while grooving alone to some jazzy, lo-fi tunes.
Super Space Club is a colorful endless arcade gunner set to the backdrop of chill, lo-fi music. As a club of skilled misfit pilots, defend the galaxy by taking on galactic forces and completing a series of thrilling missions. In space, everyone can hear you groove.
Sling fireworks with the explosive Olly, or dish out ship-seeking shots with the stealthy Roscoe? With a variety of pilots, ships, and weapons at your disposal, choose the perfect build and soar across the stars through physics-based thrusting. As you’re taking down enemies and completing objectives, be wary of your ship’s energy. Depleting energy could leave you vulnerable to devastating damage. Don’t get too comfortable after coming out on top, as the next wave is always right around the corner.
Despite the challenge that gameplay may bring, space can be quite dope. Missouri-based audio duo Fat Bard provides the backdrop of lo-fi beats and chill-hop tunes featuring vocal artists from around the globe. Paired with a vibrant and colorful cool-toned aesthetic, Super Space Club delivers a relaxing yet challenging arcade experience unlike any other.
Although Corsair isn’t included in our current best gaming SSDs guide, their compact form factor SSDs, including the MP600 Mini, are probably some of the best M.2 2230 SSDs on the market to pair with your Steam Deck gaming console.
The 1TB Corsair MP600 Mini SSD has already seen quite a few discounts since its release in late 2023, including during this year’s Amazon Spring Sale. In the UK, Amazon has once again shaved some money off, knocking its price down to just £69.98. That’s a saving of £28.54.
It’s also on sale in the US, but not for its cheapest price. If you urgently wanted to grab one though, you can do so for a still fairly reasonable price of $84.99 from Amazon’s US storefront (was $114.99). But just know it has reached low prices of $70 in the past so it may be worth waiting for a big sale like Amazon Prime Day to get it for even cheaper.
