Share of the Week: Games Within Games

Last week, we asked you to share moments when game characters find themselves playing a game using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

lovers_nero shares Leon racking up the points in the shooting gallery from Resident Evil 4 Remake.

MrioMoreno5 shares Joel watching as Ellie stops to admire an arcade deck in The Last of Us Part I.

vp_louie shares Tim Drake spending some time at an arcade game in Gotham Knights.

Lny_Trpr_EE7 shares a game of dominoes being played across Abigail in Red Dead Redemption 2.

WarDaddyPlatine shares May and Cody about to journey across a ball pit in It Takes Two.

secondcapture shares Gary riding a mechanical bull-type machine in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Running
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on August 7, 2024

Next week, we’re stretching our legs and going for a run. Share moments where your favorite characters are running in the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Destiny 3 may yet happen, but Destiny’s unannounced “Payback” spin-off won’t, according to reports

Bungie have reportedly cancelled Payback, an unannounced project in the Destiny universe from former Destiny 2 game director Luke Smith and project lead Mark Noseworthy. Both Noseworthy and Smith appear to have lost their jobs in the course of Bungie’s brutal cost-cutting this week, but Payback’s cancellation pre-dates the layoffs. Envisaged as a Destiny spin-off, rather than Destiny 3, it was apparently dropped “a while ago”.

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Elden Ring Was the Best-Selling Game of June 2024, Kingdom Hearts Collection Jumps From #399 to #3

Alongside Elden Ring becoming the best-selling game of June 2024 thanks to its Shadow of Erdtree expansion, Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece’s arrival on Steam launched it from #399 to #3 month over month.

As reported by Circana’s Mat Piscatella, Elden Ring has returned to the top of a monthly best-selling list for the first time since May 2022, and, as we mentioned, that was due to the huge success of Shadow of the Erdtree. For some context, Shadow of the Erdtree sold a massive five million copies in just its first three days on the market.

As for Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece, its astonishing jump was because it was only available on Nintendo Switch via Cloud before it came to Steam in June. For those unfamiliar, this collection includes Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind DLC.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance led the way for new games in June, as it managed to reach fourth place in its first month. Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD also performed admirably by cracking the top 10 and placing eighth.

We also want to shout out The Elder Scrolls: Online, as it jumped from #198 to #18 this month thanks to the launch of The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road, and Street Fighter 6, as it jumped from #72 to #20 thanks to promotional pricing.

June 2024’s Best-Selling Games

  1. Elden Ring
  2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
  3. Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece
  4. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
  5. Hogwarts Legacy
  6. Minecraft
  7. MLB: The Show 24
  8. Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD
  9. EA Sports FC 24
  10. Sea of Thieves
  11. Helldivers II
  12. Ghost of Tsushima
  13. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
  14. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
  15. Mortal Kombat 1
  16. UFC 5
  17. Mario Kart 8
  18. The Elder Scrolls Online
  19. Dragon’s Dogma II
  20. Street Fighter 6

In the world of hardware, PlayStation 5 claimed the top prize in regard to unit and dollar sales, and Nintendo Switch finished second. Xbox, however, passed Switch in terms of dollar sales. Hardware as a whole dropped 37% when compared to 2023.

Which games do you think will be the best selling of August? Will it be one of the biggest new games of the month, including Star Wars: Outlaws, Madden NFL 25, Concord, Black Myth: Wukong, or something else? Let us know!

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.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team Is Headed to Nintendo Switch Online Next Week

The Game Boy Advance title Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team is headed to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on August 9, 2024.

Nintendo revealed the news on X/Twitter, confirming that the rougelike Pokemon spin-off game that sees the player character turn into a Pokemon and go on a grand adventure is about to return.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team was first released in 2006 and was the first Pokemon-themed Mystery Dungeon game in franchise history and the last Pokemon game released for the Game Boy Advance.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team was released for the Nintendo DS at the same time and was mostly the same, but it did take advantage of the DS’ two screens and improved power. Each game also had six exclusive Pokemon, much like other Pokemon games always do.

An updated remake of these two games was released on March 6, 2020, for the Nintendo Switch and we said it “feels like putting a bandaid on a flawed game that badly needed major surgery instead.”

In our original review of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, we said, “This style of gameplay certainly has its following, as ChunSoft has been doing this type of game for years. But its implementation in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon hasn’t evolved a whole lot to provide enough variety that’ll sustain its extensive storyline. It drags on and on without much change, which is why it’s a good thing it’s been structured in segments for quick-shot, handheld-friendly dungeon exploration.”

For more from the world of Pokemon, check out our feature on why a mainline Pokemon entry skipping 2024 is a good thing and our look at Pokemon TCG’s ‘small but brilliant’ Shrouded Fable expansion.

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.

Random: Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Sold Better Than Tears Of The Kingdom Last Quarter

Showing the youngsters how it’s done.

Well, we weren’t expecting this. After crunching some of the numbers from Nintendo’s latest financial report, it turns out that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – which was a launch game in 2017, mind – actually sold better than its direct sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, during Q1 of FY2025 (cheers, Mr. Jon Cartwright).

Now, for a sequel to sell fewer copies than its predecessor over its lifetime isn’t paritcularly surprising (in fact, it’s usually the norm), but for the first game to sell more over a period of three months in 2024? That’s wild.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for August 5 to 9

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for August 5 to 9

Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! This weekly feature highlights all the games arriving soon on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, and with Game Pass. Discover more about these forthcoming titles below and explore their profiles for additional information (note that release dates are subject to change). Let’s dive in!


Xbox Live

Pepper Grinder

Devolver Digital

Pepper Grinder – August 6 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

An action-packed pirate adventure starring the titular Pepper, a seafaring soul with a passion for prospecting, and Grinder, her super-powered drilling device. Cruise through a colorfully animated world with precise movements, fluid drilling, and thrilling leaps. Chew through the world with Grinder and find new drill bits to ramp up the chaos and solve clever puzzles.


Xbox Live

Seed of Life

GS2 Games Inc

$39.99

Seed of Life – August 6 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

An action-adventure puzzle game that will take you to a beautiful yet toxic world where almost all life has disappeared. There’s only one way to survive: help Cora find The Seed, an alien device capable of generating the essence of life and save your planet from annihilation. Find your way through a labyrinth like world full of mysteries, dangers, and beauty. Search for capsules and learn special abilities. Face off against alien creatures and solve challenging puzzles.


Xbox Live

CYGNI: All Guns Blazing

Konami Digital Entertainment


$29.99

$26.99

Cygni: All Guns Blazing – August 6 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

An exhilarating space shooter elevating the genre to a truly next-generation experience. An unrelenting onslaught of eye-popping visuals, ear bursting soundscapes and mind-melting action makes Cygni the vanguard for the next generation of shoot ‘em ups. Choose to route power between weapons or shield systems and go up against unrelenting waves of ground and aerial enemies. Upgrade your ship by picking up new tech and take down colossal alien bosses in visceral combat; do whatever it takes to survive.


Xbox Live

Volgarr the Viking II

Digital Eclipse


$19.99

$15.99

Volgarr the Viking II – August 6 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

More than a decade after Volgarr the Viking’s chaotic, challenging debut, the barbarian king’s story continues in an uncompromising new form. Volgarr the Viking II is a hardcore, 2D action-platformer where precision is everything and one false move can spell a brutal death. While the sequel delivers the same unforgiving 1980s-arcade level of difficulty as the original, Volgarr the Viking II also (mercifully, begrudgingly) offers modern quality-of-life options such as checkpoints, save states, and an undead mode. You decide how punishing your quest should be – but now anyone can be a viking!


Xbox Live

Eden Genesis

Aeternum Game Studios


$24.99

$22.49

Eden Genesis – August 6– Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

A platform game focused on fast-paced trials, quick reflexes, and a rich story by the same dev team responsible for Aeterna Noctis and Summum Aeterna. Take control of Leah, a young cyborg lady, and overcome challenging trials to liberate her corrupted mind!


Xbox Live

Bleak Faith

PERP GAMES

Bleak Faith: Forsaken – August 6 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Explore the last remnants of civilization in this vast, unforgiving, and interconnected world. Learn what is left of its history. Discover pockets of civilization in the perpetually expanding Omnistructure. Lose yourself in a journey unlike any other. Choose a class and progress into your perfect playstyle. But remember, not every choice is reversible, so decide wisely what direction you take your character in.


Xbox Live

Creatures of Ava

11 bit studios

$24.99

Creatures of Ava – August 7

A unique creature saver game inviting you to explore a world brimming with wild beings. Instilling joy and wonder, they provide a unique bond that enables you to utilize their skills for traversing the planet and solving environmental challenges. Once peaceful creatures, they now succumb to an unknown infection driving them to behave aggressively, which makes your mission to save them an urgent necessity.


Xbox Live

I Want To Go To Mars (Xbox Series X|S)

Sometimes You


$4.99

$3.99

I Want To Go To Mars – August 7 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

A fun and exciting point & click story book adventure to Mars for kids and parents. Suitable for the young and the young at heart! Robyn & Teddy want to go to a place that never rains, that’s always sunny, that never runs out of sand. They want to go… to Mars! Embark on an award-winning imaginative adventure that’s perfect for the whole family. Build your rocket, pass Moon customs, dodge asteroids and collect star fuel in this short and heartwarming tale of adventure and growth.


Xbox Live

Cattie

Eastasiasoft Limited

Cattie – August 7 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Pounce with precision in feisty feline style as you journey through an old-school action platforming adventure! Get ready for platforming action of the retro kind as you take the role of a nimble kitten named Cattie! Run, jump, hop from wall to wall, crouch, pounce and swipe at enemies as you make your way through side-scrolling pixel art pixel art stages with feline precision.


Xbox Live

The Lullaby of Life

Midwest Games

The Lullaby of Life – August 7 – Optimized for Xbox Series X| S / Smart Delivery

A puzzle adventure where you encounter puzzles solved through timing-based music notes. Solve these challenges using sound waves matched in sequences of different colors and symbols. Challenge the way you think with each level featuring unique puzzles, mechanics and ambience. Awaken new companions, bring life to inert beings, and solve your way in this abstract universe!


Xbox Live

Cat Quest III

Kepler Interactive

$19.99

Cat Quest III – August 8 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Get whiskered away on a hearty catventure in the third installment in the award-winning Cat Quest series! Play as a swashbuckling purrivateer in this 2.5D open-world action RPG set in a fantastical pirate-themed world – the Purribean – an archipelago swarming with Pi-rats searching for the Northern Star – a long-lost mythical treasure. Alongside your trusty spirit companion, set sail through the Purribean in your very own ship! But beware, the seas are dangerous, and a meow-tiny is nigh as the hordes of Pi-rats under the order of the Pirate King hunt you down…


Xbox Live

SteamWorld Heist II

Thunderful Publishing


$29.99

$26.99

SteamWorld Heist II – August 8 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Join Captain Leeway and his ragtag crew as they uncover the enigmatic menace threatening the Great Sea. Equip and upgrade your crew for turn-based gunfights packed with ricochet action and engage in real-time naval combat. Get ready to aim, plot, and plunder in this uproarious Steambot adventure!


Xbox Live

Cultist Simulator: Initiate Edition

Klabater

Cultist Simulator: Initiate Edition – August 8 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

A game of apocalypse and yearning. Play as a seeker after unholy mysteries, in a 1920s-themed setting of hidden gods and secret histories. In this roguelike narrative card game, what you find may transform you forever. Every choice you make, from moment to moment, doesn’t just advance the narrative – it also shapes it.


Xbox Live

Deathbound

Tate Multimedia Sp. z o.o.

Deathbound – August 8 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

A one-of-a-kind party-based soulslike set in a callous world where Faith and Science clash. The forbidden city of Akratya is an unforgiving land that cannot be conquered alone. Bind with fallen warriors found throughout your crusade and dynamically transform between characters seamlessly in mid-combat with the unique 4-hero party system.


Xbox Live

HoneyLand

Afil Games

HoneyLand – August 8 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

A charming puzzle with a turn-based strategy. Help Mr. Fluff to drink all the honey from HoneyLand! A paradise where the greatest honey worshipers seek to feel satisfied and happy. Who else could show up here? Yes, Mr. Fluff, a naive bear with a monstrous appetite. Help Mr.Fluff to drink all the honey, and of course, reach the fabulous honey volcano!


Xbox Live

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime ISEKAI Chronicles

Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime – Isekai Chronicles – August 8 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Spin a new tale of the Jura Tempest Federation together with all your favorite characters from the animated series! Relive the original story from the encounter with the Kijin to the battle against the Kingdom of Falmuth fully voiced! In addition, there are two brand new adventures from the original author for fans to enjoy!


Xbox Live

Gravitators

Eastasiasoft Limited

Gravitators – August 9 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Repel a relentless alien force, travel the galaxy and deliver payloads to secure the future of mankind! Old-school challenge and style collide with modern advancements and mission design in Gravitators, a twin-stick shooter that puts you in control of 4 different ships as you defend mankind against invasion!


The post Next Week on Xbox: New Games for August 5 to 9 appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Toonsouls is the Dark Souls of Cuphead, in case you’ve got one of two solid gold games journalism jokes raring to go

Toonsouls, which you can find on Steam here, doesn’t appear to screenshot especially well. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of those perpetually disgruntled ghosts and charming goofskulls, but I might not be writing about the platform game at all if I hadn’t seen it in motion, where the vision comes together a lot more. The Cuphead influence runneth so overly that it feels trite to even point it out, and I do think maybe opting for different music would have served it far better in this case, but you can’t deny that Ghosts n’ Goblins lance throw. Get stuck in.

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Nintendo Notes A Rise In Research And Development Costs As ‘Switch 2’ Looms

Whatcha working on?

File this one in a box labelled “Huh, makes sense”, because Nintendo has confirmed that its selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) expenses rose by 2.4% year-on-year during its latest financial report.

“Okay, so?”, you might ask, and it’s a fair question. While certainly not a particularly noteworthy announcement on its own, Nintendo has confirmed that one of the main reasons for this is due to a rise in research and development costs. As we know, the successor to the Switch will be revealed at some point before the end of FY2025, so it’s not unreasonable to assume that the company is now all-in on development for the new console.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Spectre Divide is a new tactical shooter with one big gimmick: controlling two bodies at once

With Valorant, Riot set out to integrate a bit of hero shooter into the Counter Strike template and made it a little more accessible than CS in the process. Now Mountaintop Studios, a new studio whose ranks include ex-Bungie and Respawn devs, have chucked themselves into the tactical FPS gauntlet with Spectre Divide. Made with input from former CS pro and streamer Shroud, it looks a bit like a mix of CS and Valorant, but has a big gimmick that sets it apart from the two: you can swap between two bodies. I… am cautiously optimistic? I think?

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IGN UK Podcast 760: Is Thank Goodness You’re Here the Funniest Game Ever?

Cardy, Matt, and Dale have all been playing hilarious new “slapformer” Thank Goodness You’re Here, and think it may just be the funniest game ever made. They discuss what makes it so good, as well as pick out some of their other favourite comedy games. After that, there’s time to discuss new Matt Damon film The Instigators, as well as their picks for the best heist movies. Plus, a bit of time left to sneak in a few mentions for Jake Gyllenhaal’s Apple TV series Presumed Innocent, and new indie games Nobody Wants to Die and Arranger.

Send us your thoughts about all the new games, TV shows, and films you’re enjoying or looking forward to: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.

IGN UK Podcast 760: Is Thank Goodness You’re Here the Funniest Game Ever?