No Man’s Sky developer Hello Games has announced it’s publishing the next game from Ghost Town Games, the studio behind indie hit Overcooked.
Announced at The Game Awards 2024, Stage Fright is a two-player couch co-op game that can also be played online. Think Luigi’s Mansion meets Overcooked with a really charming story, Hello Games said. Expect Overcooked-style chaotic moments mixed with escape room-style co-op. The setting is “magical and spooky,” Hello Games added.
So why is Hello Games, already busy continuing to support No Man’s Sky and working on the upcoming Light No Fire, adding to its slate with publishing? “Hello Games has a bunch of experience we can lend behind the scenes, support we can give, but if we’re honest it really appeals to us to have fun working with a bunch of creative people we just love spending time with,” the studio said. “When we played an early version of Stage Fright we got the same buzz as we had with Overcooked all those years ago, it’s just something we wanted to be involved in.”
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.
Yakuza / Like a Dragon developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has revealed Project Century at The Game Awards 2024, a new action game set in 1915 with some absolutely fantastic vibes.
Despite a pretty lengthy trailer, we don’t actually know much about what Project Century is. It looks kind of like a classic Yakuza action game, with a tough guy protagonist walking around what we probably can safely assume is Japan, beating people up. But this is much gorier than we’re used to seeing, the protagonist seems to be a mystery man we haven’t met before, and the Japan we’re exploring seems to have some sort of alt-history stuff going on? Neat!
The developer is known for juggling multiple games at once, as in the last five years, for example, RGG Studio has released Yakuza 4 Remastered, Yakuza 5 Remastered, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Judgment Remastered, Lost Judgment, Like a Dragon: Ishin, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, alongside three Super Monkey Ball Games and an enhanced remaster of Virtua Fighter 5. That’s 12 games in total.
In our 9/10 review of the last RGG Studio release, IGN said: “Sprawling, enthralling, and packed with dynamic brawling, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth isn’t just the best turn-based Like a Dragon game, it’s one of the greatest games in the entire series.”
CD Projekt has explained why it went with Ciri as protagonist for The Witcher 4 instead of continuing with Geralt as the main character.
The Witcher 4, just revealed at The Game Awards 2024 with a debut trailer, is the first in a new trilogy of Witcher games set after the events of The Witcher 3.
Speaking exclusively to IGN ahead of the reveal, executive producer Małgorzata Mitręga said Ciri was “the very organic, logical choice.”
“It was always about her, starting from Saga when you read it in the books. She’s an amazing, layered character. And of course, as a protagonist we said goodbye to Geralt previously. So this is a continuation. I guess for all of us it’s like she was meant to be. That was always her.”
Game director Sebastian Kalemba added that because Ciri is younger than Geralt, players will have more freedom to define her character in a way they couldn’t with Geralt. This also affords the developers more space to explore her character.
“She’s actually about to become the Witcher,” Kalemba explained. “She’s about to actually form her own codex, but on her own terms. The way she actually deals with the monsters, the way she deals with quests, the adventures, it’s her own unique way. And also I think that she gives more room to be able to tell different stories here and there. Of course, we want to give the opportunity for the player to explore more nuance because this is what we do. But she deserves that.”
Both Mitręga and Kalemba acknowledged a potential backlash from some corners of the internet at Ciri’s role as protagonist in The Witcher 4, but both insisted Ciri was always going to be the game’s main character.
“There was an intention behind this choice,” Kalemba said. “It was far from roulette. It wasn’t random. I remember we had discussions nine years ago, we were talking about who’s next? The very, very instant answer was Ciri. There are many reasons behind that. We’ve already mentioned a few. But she really deserves a stage and we want players to really experience her story because she has so much to tell, so much to prove. The amount of challenges that are in front of her give us so much amazing energy and fuel to create an epic saga that we had no choice but to go with it. We all felt that this is the way. I believe this is the super right choice.”
We’ve got plenty more exclusive content on The Witcher 4, including a trailer breakdown and an interview with CD Projekt where the developer explains why The Witcher 4 will avoid a Cyberpunk 2077-style launch disaster.
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.
“First-person shooter” is a broad term. It can mean everything from an action-horror game like F.E.A.R., to a sci-fi adventure like Metroid Prime, to a demon-eviscerating romp like Doom. Even narrowing it down to a sub-category like “military FPS” still puts the linear campaign of Call of Duty, the enormous PvP clashes of Battlefield, and the white-knuckle extractions of Escape from Tarkov (among others) under a single umbrella. Delta Force, the latest revival of a now 26-year-old shooter series last seen in 2009, is probably best defined as a bit of each of those last two – with a dedicated large-scale PvP mode and a separate extraction shooter mode, it sits somewhat awkwardly at the center of that Venn diagram. As a result, it’s a free-to-play one-stop shop of “just fine”: It’s competent all around, but doesn’t distinguish itself in battle with any substantial new ideas.
While Delta is officially “out,” (whatever that means anymore) only two of the three main modes are currently available. The third, a single-player campaign, is planned as paid DLC somewhere down the line. Of the two that are here now, the Warfare mode is Delta Force’s version of the big team combat of Battlefield, where 64 players duke it out for supremacy across one of a handful of sprawling arenas. There is no straight kill-focused Deathmatch; instead, the focus is on objective-based games like King of the Hill variants. The standout among these is Attack and Defend, which has one team capturing strategic points before running out of a finite number of respawns, while the other team defends those areas with limitless lives. It’s a subtle rule change that does put a good spin on a mode we’ve seen a ton of in Battlefield; initially, the offense has the advantage thanks to favorable terrain and an abundance of vehicles, but things even out as the match progresses and the defense retreats toward their home base and has quick access to respawned reinforcements. This means each side typically gets to spend some time as both the figurative hammer and the nail.
The battles certainly do feel big, which is a good thing. Fast respawns mean both teams are dense with soldiers at all times. Once the bullets and rockets start flying, the chaos and confusion of combat is as exciting as you’d expect for a Battlefield-style game. Each gun you use earns it’s own XP to unlock component options, as is common on modern military shooters. It’s particularly fun when you get behind the controls of a vehicle and start running roughshod over the other team. A tank fully loaded with gunners can dominate, but don’t sleep on the impact of a simple machine gun turret on the top of an armored car. And similar to Battlefield (yes, you’re hearing that comparison a lot, for good reason), aerial vehicles like helicopters are challenging to pilot but can be powerful in the right hands, rewarding skillful play.
Vehicles don’t totally dominate the battlefield, however, thanks to the varied operatives you can choose to play as and switch between mid-match. These named characters act as a sort of hybrid between a simple loadout choice and a bespoke hero, which is somewhat similar to the Specialists from Battlefield 2042, which fits the jack-of-all-trades theme persistent throughout Delta Force. They create the sort of rocket-paper-scissors balance that Battlefield veterans will know intimately, and it’s done pretty well: if you are being overrun by vehicles, it might be a good idea to spawn with a rocket launcher or, if the fight is taking place in open spaces, it could be time to bust out the trusty sniper rifle. Each character has unique abilities that are helpful in battle too, like Luna’s Detection Arrows that can periodically be fired to reveal enemies, but none are so powerful as to outright win a skirmish, let alone a whole match for you.
I just wish the action felt better on a basic level.
I just wish the action felt better on a basic level. One thing that strikes me as off is the way that bullet arc and trajectory factor heavily into shooting, so leading your targets is essential for firing accurately at a distance. I don’t mind leading a target, but often the bullets feel like they are flying so slow that I may as well be firing airsoft rounds. Maybe that’s more realistic than Call of Duty’s more arcadey ballistics model, but feels deeply at odds with the aggressive pace of play that the objective-based Attack and Defend mode drives. Once you die you generally need to rush back to the objective, but as you’re dashing through open space you’re an easy target, and the finicky shooting also means it’s tough to return fire accurately on the move. I found this meant deaths tend to come in bunches while I tried to get back to a good position. It’s also a bit strange to have the gunplay be so grounded in simulation at one moment, then have operators activate fantastical abilities like clouds of healing smoke or status effect-inflicting drones the next. There’s nothing inherently bad about that, it’s just a head-scratcher.
Get in, get loot, get out
On the other side of things, the Operations mode follows the equally familiar extraction shooter framework: You and up to two friends can form a three-person squad to enter an area, shoot AI bad guys, grab the loot, and scoot back to the extraction zone without catching a bullet. It’s a tried-and-true formula that Delta Force follows to the letter, but the generally high quality of its execution makes up for at least some of that lack of imagination.
There are three levels available at launch (with another unlocking in just a few days) and each is an open sandbox that is dense with objectives to choose from. Maps easily highlight points of interest for things like bounty targets, safes to plunder, and intel to decode. That might seem like a small detail to praise, but in a genre dominated by games like Escape from Tarkov that are designed to be intentionally opaque, Delta Force’s choice to make important information accessible is a nice differentiator. I like being able to just drop a waypoint and know what I’m in for when I get there without having to memorize the maps or look them up in a guide.
I’m a fan of the enemy variety the Operations mode throws at you.
Once you pick your destination, you’ll need to shoot your way through squads of AI soldiers, and occasionally other human squads who cross your path. So while we have more information here than in similar games, the suspense is still in effect because you never know who’s around, or in what numbers, and that means every enemy encounter starts with some fast risk assessment: do you take the shot and risk letting everyone know where you are, or do you sneak by, leaving a potential threat on the field? Making quick decisions with limited information does a good job of keeping the action strategic and interesting. That’s particularly true if you see other people, as they are certainly more dangerous than the bots, but could be loot-rich targets worth taking on.
I’m a fan of the enemy variety Delta Force throws at you. I encountered plenty of run-of-the-mill soldiers that had my squad fighting roving bands of riflemen, ducking into buildings to avoid sniper fire, and executing on-the-fly flanking maneuvers to get around riot shields. But then there are surprises that shake things up: One memorable moment saw my team pinned down by a massive armored baddie blasting at us with a minigun as we lobbed grenades from behind cover. Another time, a member of our trio was cracking a safe while the other squadmate and I provided cover, and I almost jumped out of my chair when a giant alligator came around the corner and tried to put a stop to our fun.
One place where you get perhaps too much information, though, is the loot system. There are all sorts of containers everywhere, like file cabinets, coat pockets, fallen enemies, etc. – but just about any Operation starts with the whole squad just running right towards whichever safe on the map is marked with the best loot. That could use some work, because the levels themselves are really cool when you explore them freely. Areas like The Dam mix offices with exposed industrial exteriors, and there are often hidden doors to open or secret hidden areas where loot can be stashed. Some areas require specific operators to access, like chain link fence that needs to be cut into by the Engineer, which would give you even more reasons to think about your team composition if there were a reasonable chance that there’s something worth finding on the other side. I would be much more inclined to explore if I thought valuable treasures were potentially waiting in all these hidey-holes.
The time between Operations is spent at the Black Site, which functions as your home base and the tiny amount of storage space in your stash that needs upgrading. It’s also where you manage the well-built loadouts screen where you can save a few different kits you can take into battle, or rebuild them with just a few clicks. It’s a fast and slick way to get back in the action, which helps take the sting out of a failed extraction.
I’m also a fan of the ticket system, which you can trade in for entire load-outs, including weapons, armor, ammo, and healing items. There are different quality levels you can cash in, Recruit gives basic equipment, Standard includes better armor and weapons with more powerful mods, etc. Every failed extraction gives you a Recruit Ticket, and you automatically generate one every eight hours, so even if you have a run of terrible luck and lose all your in-game money, you can still start working your way back up from the bottom with some decent gear. The more powerful tickets, meanwhile, are tied to completing events. These can be as simple as logging in at certain times, or as complex as completing a long series of assigned tasks in a particular level or as a specific character.
Upgrading other parts of the Black Site takes a mix of increasing levels and salvaging specific components in the field. I appreciate that you can see what things you need to collect, and even launch straight to the correct level to find them, though the amount of time it takes to get even the early upgrades going can take way too long when you need to have good RNG luck with what you find on top of grinding up to the right level. I’d love to build up a workbench to make my own ammo, but given the commitment I’m just going to stick to selling weird vases and buying what I need, thanks.
Anime Last Stand developer Boss Studio is back with the Fate/Stay Night Inspired update, which adds a new Legend Stage, six new units, major lag fixes, and more to the Roblox tower defense experience.
The latest update and its patch notes made its way to Roblox players yesterday. It’s yet another update that comes with new content to mull over, but the most substantial change lies with the adjustments to the battle pass. The team says players will now receive “much better rewards” with the pass, which also now consists of 100 tiers to complete.
Anime Last Stand’s latest update also comes with three new units – King of Heroes (Celestial), Archer of Red (Mythic), and Rogue Lancer (Mythic) – as well as three new evolutions – King of Heroes (Sword of Rupture), Archer of Red (Bladeworks), and King Pendragon (Alter). There’s also a new Ryuudou Temple Legend Stage, which, when completed, rewards players with a chance to obtain the King of Heroes unit.
In addition to the new content included with the Fate/Stay Night Inspired update come various stability improvements and bug fixes. Boss Studio says players can now enjoy “HUGE lag fixes” that will minimize risk of black screens across the Roblox experience and crashes for those on mobile.
Anime Last Stand fans were able to check out the previous update when it launched just last week on December 5. While it also brought more general balance adjustments and bug fixes, its focus was on the new Tournament game mode. It’s currently unclear when the next update will arrive. In the meantime, you can check out all of the active Anime Last Stand codes here.
You can see everything included in the Fate/Stay Night update in the patch notes below.
Anime Last Stand Fate/Stay Night update patch notes
Additions
ALS Rewrite + Battle pass rework
HUGE lag fixes, no more black screens, no more mobile crashing!
The battle pass now consists of 100 tiers, with much better rewards.
New Legend Stage
New “Ryuudou Temple” legend stage. Complete this new challenge for a chance of obtaining the “King of Heroes” unit. Alongside the unit, you can also obtain some of the evo materials for the new units.
3 New Units
King of Heroes (Celestial) [ Legend Stage ]
Archer of Red (Mythic) [ Banner 3 ]
Rogue Lancer (Mythic) [ Battle Pass ]
3 New Evolutions
King of Heroes (Sword of Rupture)
Archer of Red (Bladeworks)
King Pendragon (Alter)
New Lobbies
World 1 and World 2 have received brand new lobbies.
Features
Emotes
Obtain emotes from the new reworked battle pass or the new bundle. Equip them from the new “Emotes” icon. Use “G” to open the emote menu.
Ability Descriptions
The highly suggested Ability Descriptions have been added to ALS. You can now view all the information about a unit’s ability and what it does.
World Skipper
ALS is introducing World Skipper (Story Skipper). You can now get done with the new story modes much faster by skipping the first 5 acts of a story.
QoL
Rarity selection in index
You can now toggle what rarity you want to see in the unit index. Easier to browse and less lag!
Seamless retry toggleable
You are now able to toggle seamless retry on and off in the settings while in a game.
Hide other’s units
A new setting that allows you to disable other’s unit followers whilst in the lobby for less lag!
Rebalances
Nerfs
Apprentice Kay (Madness) – Damage slightly decreased.
Fused Kai (Full Power) – Passive damage % gain cap reduced (30% -> 10%), removed fear passive.
Gray (Full Power) – Passive nerfed from 100% crit damage -> 60% crit damage, damage for upgrades 8-10 nerfed.
Braly (LSSJ) – Passive cap reduced (300% -> 150%)
Buffs
The True Cursed King – Final upgrade DPS buffed, World Cutting Slash nuke damage buffed to 10B damage and Malevolent Shrine TOTAL nuke damage buffed to 50B.
Dark Captain (Magic Zone) – Damage heavily buffed, now has Pressure passive.
Wind Prince: Damage heavily buffed, now has Slow passive.
Pride (The One) – Final upgrade DPS buffed.
Ninel (Spirit): Damage heavily buffed.
Ichiko (Moonless Sky) – Final upgrade DPS buffed.
Asuta (Half Devil) – Completely rebalanced, now has Hemorrhage + Stun, DPS heavily increased, range slightly increased.
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.
Blade Ball is one of the most exciting experiences on the Roblox platform, and it’s only going to keep getting better from here. Alongside a massive new update for the game, it’s also bringing a new Battle Pass to keep players in the game for the foreseeable future.
This new update, which went live on December 7, 2024, brings several interesting new tweaks to the familiar Blade Ball formula that we know and love. And the Christmas-themed Battle Pass is bound to be a winner for anyone who is into the holiday spirit.
All Blade Ball Patch Notes for Version 6.6
Below, you’ll find all of the new additions to Blade Ball with the Version 6.6 update. This information was found directly on the Blade Ball Discord channel:
50 Player Winter Royale… BUT with 2 balls!
50-player Battle Royale game mode, accessed through the server selector.
The storm will have different phases doing more damage as the game goes on, as well as increasing in speed.
LTM Crate
Winter Royale Pack
Leaderboard Rewards
Christmas Battlepass
New Ability, and lots of awesome rewards!
60 Tiers of Rewards + Expansions
NEW Quests
Battlepass Crate
Battlepass Shop
Dual Candycane Blaster + Emote + Finisher!
Ability Spin
New Ability [Fracture!]
One big slice cuts the ball into 2, each going to different opponents. When the extra ball eliminates someone, it will then disappear.
[UPG1] + Lower cooldown & +10% speed buff
Christmas Calendar
You will be able to claim new daily rewards every day starting December 7 to December 25 (19 days)
Daily Login Streak Rewards
Miscellaneous
Winter has arrived! Christmas map decorations are now on every map
Patched autoparry
Bounty nerf
48 Swords
24 Explosions
22 Emotes
Christmas Cheer and Games Galore on Blade Ball
The addition of a new Limited-Time Battle Royale mode is extremely exciting, as well as all of the holiday cheer that is available to be experienced now. Anyone that is even remotely in the holiday spirit should be jumping in to see what new rewards are available to be earned in Blade Ball.
If you’re looking to keep up with all of the upcoming updates for your favorite Roblox experience, make sure to follow the official Blade Ball X account, their YouTube Channel for additional behind-the-scenes looks at content, and join the official Discord Server for extra goodies.
Shaun Cichacki is a Freelance Contributor with IGN, covering features, guides, and news. When he isn’t writing about games, he’s likely diving into the latest indie, the biggest AAA games, or pampering his extensive collection of retro games. You can find him on social media on Bluesky @shauncichacki.bsky.social
Best Buy is keeping the gaming deals rolling past Black Friday and Cyber Monday with its delightful 12 Days of Gaming sale event. Today’s deal is a real treat for Nintendo fans, as you can get Super Mario RPG for just $30 right now. However, this deal on Super Mario RPG only lasts for today, so if you’ve had your eye on it you’ll want to act fast to add it to your collection.
Best Buy’s 12 Days of Gaming: Get Super Mario RPG for $30
Super Mario RPG is well worth adding to your collection of Nintendo Switch games. If you’re still on the fence, have a read through our Super Mario RPG review. IGN’s Tom Marks said it’s “considered a classic for a reason, and this wonderfully faithful remake makes it easy for anyone who missed it in the SNES era to see why.”
Our overall roundup of the best video game deals features even more discounts for Nintendo Switch – like a nice deal at the moment on The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom at Woot – alongside some great PC game deals. In regard to the latter, you can also take advantage of a little discount right now on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle for PC at Fanatical. It’s truly the most wonderful time of the year for gaming deals.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has revealed its next set is a Themed Booster Pack centred around Mew called Mythical Island, and it arrives December 17.
Developer Creatures Inc. revealed the new set with a trailer, below, alongside word the digital trading card game has now been downloaded more than 60 million times.
Embark on a magical journey to fabled lands, as Pokémon TCG Pocket – Mythical Island goes live in-app, December 17th! 🏝️✨
Bolster your online collection with Mew ex and many more. Who’s hyped for the new release? pic.twitter.com/l6e3tDoKmp
Mythical Island will be a smaller set compared to the only other available so far, Genetic Apex, featuring more than 80 cards including five ex, five Trainers, and at least two new Immersive Cards. Only a few specifics have been revealed so far, but both Mew ex and Aerodactyl ex will feature alongside new versions of currently available Pokémon and brand new ones too.
Pokémon TCG Pocket arrived October 30 and is a certified hit for Creatures Inc. and The Pokémon Company, having earned an estimated $200 million in its first month. It follows the standard mobile and free to play game model, flooding players with rewards in the opening few days before soon drying up, with spending real world money the only real way to re-experience that early thrill.
X/Twitter user @DJari2020 posted a brief snippet of the trailer, below, which seemingly appeared as a YouTube ad. It offers a first look at the gameplay, characters, and narrative of Mafia: The Old Country, promised to be a gritty mob story set in 1900s Sicily.
The trailer closes with a vague summer 2025 release window, but this is still a touch more clear than the previously announced general 2025 date. That’s potentially running close to GTA 6’s fall 2025 release window, should Rockstar’s game resist a delay in 2026. Mafia: The Old Country was revealed at gamescom in August with a brief teaser trailer that confirmed the setting but little else.
“Uncover the origins of organized crime in Mafia: The Old Country, a gritty mob story set in the brutal underworld of 1900s Sicily,” reads the official synopsis. “Fight to survive in this dangerous and unforgiving era, with action brought to life by the authentic realism and rich storytelling that the critically acclaimed Mafia series is known for.”
Debuting more than two decades ago with 2002’s Mafia, the series continued slowly but surely with a sequel in 2010 and third game in 2016, though has otherwise been quiet since. Given the great stretches of time between each release, however, Mafia: The Old Country is practically right on schedule.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows features a Canon Mode that makes every dialogue decision for the player instead of having them choose, Ubisoft has revealed.
Creative director Jonathan Dumont was asked by a fan on Reddit how much weight player choices have in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. “Choices come more into play when recruiting allies and romancing some of the characters,” Dumont said, before revealing the ability to remove these choices altogether.
“Since the fanbase is divided on branching dialogues, we have incorporated an option called Canon Mode which allows you to play the game with choices already made for you, to give you a choice free experience,” he added. “Hope this makes it fun for everyone.”
Role-playing games have long included dialogue options that allow players to shape the story, but Assassin’s Creed picked up branching dialogue when it shifted to a full-on RPG series with Assassin’s Creed Origins. Clearly, some fans preferred more concrete stories like that of Ezio’s in Assassin’s Creed 2.
Ubisoft will therefore hope fans of both options will pick up Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which could be the most important entry in the franchise’s history. Not only does it have a lot riding on it as the long-awaited Feudal Japan-set entry and the first full Assassin’s Creed since 2020, but a struggling Ubisoft needs it to perform well following recent flops.
Concern was also raised when the developer used a flag from a Japanese historical re-enactment group in artwork for Assassin’s Creed Shadows without permission. Ubisoft apologized for doing so but refused to remove the artwork from the aforementioned and presumably already printed artbook available in the Collector’s Edition. The historical re-enactment group said this was not good enough, but Ubisoft hasn’t publicly acknowledged it since.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot maintained confidence, however. “There’s a lot of space for very high-quality games, and those two games can sell very well,” he said in the company’s latest earnings call. “The focus is to really make sure that we deliver a fantastic experience with this dual protagonist approach and two different and complimentary gameplays.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
