Author: Game Infliction

Square Enix Shadow Drops Octopath Traveler 1 and 2 Alongside Surprise Update

Square Enix has made the Octopath Traveler series available on all console platforms as well as Xbox Game Pass as part of a multi-pronged shadow-drop.

Octopath Traveler, first released on Nintendo Switch in 2018, is now available to buy on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 for the first time. Octopath Traveler 2, which launched on Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC in 2023, is now available for the first time on Xbox Series X and S and Xbox One, including launching straight into subscription service Xbox Game Pass. Both Octopath Traveler games are now in the Game Pass library across Xbox and PC.

Octopath Traveler is a well-received role-playing series with a unique HD-2D art style, with 2D characters in 3D worlds. Both games are a standalone experience set in different worlds with eight distinct protagonists, each with their own stories to explore and Path Actions to use.

IGN’s Octopath Traveler review returned a 9.3. We said: “Octopath Traveler’s beautiful style and outstanding take on traditional turn-based combat make it a game that pushes JRPGs forward rather than simply paying homage to the greats.” IGN’s Octopath Traveler 2 review scored a 7: “Octopath Traveler 2 is a very enjoyable JRPG sequel that feels a little too safe and familiar,” we said. Square Enix said the Octopath Traveler series has sold over four million copies worldwide.

Team Asano, the Square Enix group led by Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler designer Tomoya Asano, released a surprise free update for Octopath Traveler 2 that includes Extra Battle mode, which becomes available after defeating the final boss in the final chapter. The Extra Battle mode lets players test their skills against newly added tough opponents, including the main characters of Octopath Traveler, Square Enix said. This mode is available on Xbox consoles from launch and has been added to the PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC versions today, June 6, via an update.

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.

Two Pokémon Scarlet And Violet Squishmallows Are “Coming Soon”

It appears to be Fuecoco and Bellibolt.

The Pokémon Squishmallows line continues to grow with two more plush seemingly joining the collection in the future.

According to an official post, these two Squishmallows (which appear to be Fuecoco and Bellibolt), will be “coming soon”. There’s also a proper sneak peek on the way of these Scarlet and Violet-generation Pokémon.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

MultiVersus Update to Bring Performance Improvements, Iron Giant to Return ‘Shortly’

Player First Games has clued players into how upcoming patches will flesh out its Warner Bros.-themed platform fighter, MultiVersus, with more enhancements, options, and the return of the Iron Giant.

The developer detailed its plans on social media today, promising to deliver improvements based on player feedback in the near future. Included in the list of soon-to-be changes are performance improvements, End of Game stats, and the option to turn off team colors. Additionally, Player First clarifies that the option to purchase extra lives in-game is unintentional and has been addressed.

Meanwhile, the studio explains that its work on Iron Giant is still underway, but it plans to reintroduce the character “shortly.” The Iron Giant was removed June 3 following complaints that the character offered players an unfair advantage. It’s not currently clear in what order the new fixes and improvements will roll out outside of the promise that fans can expect to see them in “upcoming patches.”

MultiVersus relaunched last month following the end of its open beta last summer. Since the Warner Bros. fighter has returned, Player First has introduced new characters like Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th), Agent Smith (The Matrix), and the Joker as well as additional game modes like Rifts. The studio is also working on bringing back some missing features that were previously present in the beta.

For more, you can read up on the player who managed to walk away victorious after their main character, Iron Giant, was pulled mid-tournament. You should also check out our 8/10 review, where we said, “MultiVersus may not be a must-play at social gatherings, but its refreshing team-based battles make it a great platform fighter online.”

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

Sony Appears to Remove 8K Tag From PlayStation 5 Boxes

Sony appears to have removed the 8K tag from PlayStation 5 boxes that has been clearly visible on the front of them since launch.

As spotted by Digital Foundry’s John Linneman, new PS5 boxes now only include the 4K/120 fps and HDR tags and no longer shout to the world that Sony’s latest console is capable of outputting to 8K.

IGN has reached out to Sony for a comment, but we have confirmed in the meantime that the PS5 boxes on the PS5 pages of PlayStation Direct are also missing the 8K tag.

Prior to PlayStation 5’s launch in 2020, Sony noted that “PS5 is compatible with 8K displays at launch, and after a future system software update will be able to output resolutions up to 8K when content is available, with supported software.”

Since then, there has been virtually no true support for 8K titles, except for a game known as The Touryst. Additionally, the adoption of 8K TVs is not quite at a level where it has been a priority for console makers.

Sony wasn’t alone in highlighting 8K back in 2020, as Microsoft also touted that Xbox Series X was able to support the resolution. However, Xbox head Phil Spencer cautioned that 8K is “aspirational technology” and that we’re “years away from 8K being – if it ever is – standard in video games.”

For more on PS5 and its potential to output to 8K, check out our breakdown of what would really need to happen for games to make the jump to that next resolution.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.

Baldur’s Gate 3 will add official mod tools this September, making it even easier to play dungeon master

Mods are to Baldur’s Gate 3 what butter is to bread, that unreadable squiggle-font is to death metal bands or wheels are to the bottom of trainers when you’re a kid: not necessarily essential, per se, but so harmonious and well-suited that they feel essential. In the case of the D&D CRPG, it’s a natural extension of playing dungeon master around the table, crafting the world and its characters as you see fit – typically by making everyone in Faerûn even hornier somehow.

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This Anker 25,6000mAh USB PD Power Bank Includes a Wall Charger for Only $49.99

Amazon is offering Amazon Prime members an older generation Anker PowerCore 737 25,600mAh USB Power Bank, which also includes a 65W USB PD wall charger for only $49.99 shipped after you clip a $10 off coupon on the product page. That’s over 50% off its original $110 MSRP. This is close to the highest capacity power bank you’re allowed to bring on airplane carry-on, and it also boasts 60W of USB power delivery to charge your Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, or ASUS ROG Ally gaming handheld.

Anker PowerCore 737 25,600mAh Power Bank for $49.99

Includes a 65W USB PD wall charger

The Anker PowerCore 737 can be used like any other power bank; it does a fine job of charging any of your standard mobile electronics. It has two USB Type-A ports and one USB Type-C port. This is one of the largest capacity power banks that can be brought onto an airplane as carry-on. It can charge a Nintendo Switch OLED over 5 times, iPhone 15 Pro Max over 5 times, Steam Deck over 4 times, and an ASUS ROG Ally over 9 times. The power bank is physically larger than smaller capacity ones and weighs in at 1.3 pounds.

The USB Type-C port supports up to 60W Power Delivery. That’s enough to charge the Steam Deck (35W) and Nintendo Switch (18W) at their maximum charging speed. It’s also very close to the maximum charging speed of the ASUS ROG Ally, which caps at 65W. The two USB Type-A ports support up to 18W of total charging, which is enough to fast charge a Nintendo Switch.

What’s unique about this deal compared to some other similar deals we’ve posted is that this one also comes with a USB Type-C wall charger that supports 65W of Power Delivery. There’s no need to buy another wall charger or scavenge one from another power bank you might have sitting around.

The Anker 737 is our pick for best Steam Deck / ASUS ROG Ally charger

We picked the newer Anker 737 as our favorite portable charger for the Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally portable gaming handhelds. Both the ROG Ally and Steam Deck suffer from a short battery life when gaming on the go. For instance, when playing most games at 60 FPS, you’re likely looking at four hours of battery life, at most. We even found games like God of War or Spider-Man would tap out in under 2 hours on the Steam Deck. At the end of the day, you’ll never get the full potential out of your Steam Deck or ROG Ally if you’re not equipped with a decent portable charger.

The PlayStation VR2 PC adapter gets a release date and price, but a lot of its best features won’t work

We knew a PC adapter for PlayStation’s VR2 headset was on the way, and it looked to be fairly soon – and we were right! Sony’s shiniest virtual reality offering is now confirmed to be adding official PC support via a nifty wired adapter at the start of August. It’ll cost £50/$60 – but whether it’s worth the price given a number of key features will be missing is another question entirely…

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Feature: “Only Pokémon Can Make Pokémon” – Dicefolk Devs On Finding A Voice In A Crowded Genre

“You never know when the Pokémon inspiration will strike!”.

In recent years, we have seen an increasing number of roguelikes on Switch. In even more recent years, we have seen the same happen for ‘Pokémon-likes’. Naturally, each genre has its respective highs and lows, but rarely have we seen both of them joined by the same game. That is, until we saw Dicefolk.

Dicefolk is a tactical roguelike. It’s also a monster catcher. It’s also a dice game. It’s a confusing combination of genres that seem disparate on paper but click in practice. The game launched on Steam earlier this year and quickly started racking up positive reviews. So, when developers LEAP Game Studios (Tunche) and Tiny Ghoul announced that the monster-based mashup would be rolling the dice on Switch on 20th June, our interests were quickly piqued.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com