Category: IGN

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Insomniac ‘Highly Encourages’ Spider-Man 2 Physical Players to Download Day 1 Patch

Spider-Man 2 physical release owners won’t need to download its Day 1 patch in order to enjoy it in full, but Insomniac still “highly encourages” fans who opt to purchase the disc to install patch 1.001.002 before they start playing.

“The disc contained the entire game and is playable from start to finish with no patch or online requirement,” Insomniac wrote in a statement posted on X. “But for the best experience, we highly encourage physical/disc-based players to download update version 1.001.002 on launch day — prior to experiencing the opening of the game for the first time.”

Insomniac says that the patch will further polish the game’s opening while offering “general refinements” to the overall experience. The patch will also include additional accessibility options, though Insomniac did not go into detail on what those features might be.

If you’re downloading the digital version of Spider-Man 2, then you’re all set. Patch 1.001.002 will be included with the pre-loaded version of the game.

Spider-Man 2 launches on PS5 on October 20. You can read our Spider-Man 2 review right here.

Developing…

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Buy One Board Game, Get One 50% Off at Amazon

Amazon is offering a “buy 1 get 1 50% off” promo on select board games. The list of eligible board games include several that weren’t discounted on Prime Day, like Wingspan, The Isle of Cats, Star Wars Armada, Pandemic Legacy, Marvel Dice Throne, and more. Some of the more popular games that were discounted on Prime Day, namely Azul and Splendor, are also eligible with very minimal markup. We’ve sorted out our favorite picks below, but you can check out the full list here.

Wingspan Board Game

Wingspan from Stonemeier Games is an incredibly good board game. So good in fact that we deemed it the best board game of 2019. Wingspan looks like a deceptively simple game; the endgame goal is to attract as many birds as you can to your wildlife preserve and help them proliferate. There are only four actions you can perform: draw a bird card, play a bird card, get food, and lay eggs. Sounds simple enough, right? Well let’s just say these four actions mask an incredibly complex engine-building game with which you will have to juggle between bringing new birds into the fold and keeping your existing birds well stocked and in a breeding frenzy. Wingspan is infinitely replayable, and you’ll find yourself developing and honing new strategies with every subsequent playthough.

Buy One Get One 50% Off Select Board Games on Amazon

Assassin’s Creed’s Wild Meta Story Might Be Getting Even Stranger Soon

This article features mild spoilers for Assassin’s Creed Mirage, though nothing players won’t become aware of beyond the opening hours of the game.

A dataminer has found what they claim is a cut post-credits scene in Assassin’s Creed Mirage that sets up an even more complicated twist coming to the already convoluted Assassin’s Creed meta story.

As reported by Eurogamer, YouTuber and dataminer Sliderv2 uploaded a video of what they claim to be a cut tease for Assassin’s Creed Hexe, the upcoming spooky-looking entry seemingly connected to witchcraft.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage, like most games in the franchise, features some minor connections to the meta story that links the historic events of each game to a vaguely connected modern-day plot.

The alleged post-credits scene hints at something completely different, however, as while Assassin’s Creed has so far only explored these two eras, the past and the present, it teases stories taking place in the distant future.

A conversation takes place between two Animus Operators (the Animus being the machine that sends people’s consciousness back in time), in which they refer to our 21st century as “ancient history”.

Present day Assassin leader William Miles, who appears in a handful of games, is referenced by one of the voices as an Assassin mentor: “One of the last before the Great Shift.” In response, the other said: “The Shift was 21st century. Ancient history.”

What makes the cutscene even more complicated, and a little eerie, is that it shows Basim’s eagle Enkidu flying from what appears to be Mirage’s normal map into the desert to a technological tower of some kind, suggesting the game may not be set in the distant past after all.

You can read about Assassin Creed’s Mirage meta story and have its ending explained here, and therefore how this cut plot twist might affect things, but we won’t spoil that for everyone. Of course, as this scene was cut, it could mean Ubisoft decided against this plot point altogether and it won’t feature in upcoming games at all.

Assassin’s Creed appears to be going through a great shift of its own though. Upcoming entries like the aforementioned Hexe and feudal Japan-set Assassin’s Creed Red will be sheltered under the Assassin’s Creed Infinity umbrella, a new platform acting as the series’ hub.

Details are still slim about all three of these projects, but one employee listed the highly anticipated Red as a 2024 game.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage launched October 5 as a smaller-scale entry that returns players to the series’ roots through slower-paced, stealth-based gameplay, veering away from the role-playing game foundations of Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla.

Its map isn’t anywhere near the size of those of its predecessors for one, and it only takes around 20 to 30 hours to complete compared to the several dozens of hours of previous games.

In our 8/10 review, IGN said: “Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s back-to-basics approach is a successful first step in returning to the stealthy style that launched this series.”

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Best Video Game Deals Today (October 2023)

Buying new video games, hardware, and accessories for your preferred console doesn’t need to make a massive dent in your wallet. In fact, deals happen all the time for items like these, so you can save money while investing in your favorite hobby.

TL;DR – Our Favorite Video Game Deals

These sales even occur outside of events like Prime Day, Black Friday, or publisher events like Nintendo’s eShop sale in the summer or PlayStation’s Days of Play. And while we’ll always keep you up to date on those sales and what’s included in them — especially since Black Friday is coming up in November — here, we’ll provide you with year-round deals that are worth taking advantage of. Whether you play on PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or PC, you’ll find the very best deals listed below.

Buy a PS5, Get a Free Game

Starting on September 20 and running through October 20, those in the US can pick out a free PS5 game with purchase of the console. There’s an excellent variety of games to choose from as well, which we’ve listed below. To redeem this game, all you need to do is look for the banner in the PlayStation store after activating your console!

  • Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered
  • God of War: Ragnarok
  • Horizon Forbidden West
  • Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut
  • Rachet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • Demon’s Souls
  • The Last of Us: Part 1
  • Sackboy: A Big Adventure
  • Returnal
  • Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
  • Death Stranding: Director’s Cut

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How to Avoid Xbox Game Pass Price Hike ($44.99 for 3-Months of Ultimate)

By securing 3-months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $44.99, you can actually avoid the Game Pass price hike. We recommend securing your current subscription for as long as possible. You can stack up to a maximum of 36 months of Game Pass, meaning you have the option to accumulate 3-month subscriptions up to 12 times.

Admittedly, this approach might put a strain on your wallet, totaling $539.88 if you purchase the 3-month package from the link above. However, when you compare it to the new cost of Game Pass Ultimate for 36 months at $16.99 per month, amounting to $611.64, you’ll realize you’re saving $71.76 on your subscription for the next three years. Otherwise, secure your membership for at least a year to lock in at least some savings overall.

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Amazing PS5 SSD with Heatsink for Just $53

Could your PS5 use more storage? Prices have been plummeting since Sony started letting people upgrade their SSDs. Right now you can get a TeamGroup T-Force A440 Pro 1TB for $53. It’s hard to beat the recent Prime Day we had, and this doesn’t match the best 1TB deal at $50 during that sale, but it’s pretty close.

More PS5 SSD Deals:

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Perfect Steam Deck or Switch SD Card for $25

The best Steam Deck SD card should be fast, reliable, and as future-proof as possible. Therefore, you’re going to want to opt for the latest in SD card tech, which is a micro SDXC UHS-I U3 A2 V30 memory card. That’s a lot of random letters, so to save you a bit of time we’ve left our top suggestions and deals here for your convenience.

More Micro SD Card Deals

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Tears of the Kingdom Is On Sale Right Now (Save $16)

This is an excellent price for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, saving you $16.14. It’s available at Walmart for $53.85. Make sure to jump on this offer quickly, though, as prices fluctuate all the time. You can also pick up Dying Light 2: Stay Human for Xbox Series X at a discount on Amazon for just $25, 58% off its usual price of $59.99. Check out even more deals below.

More Video Game Deals:

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Get 33% Off the Anker 737 Power Bank

If you’ve been looking to pick up a power bank to use with your favorite devices, you can never go wrong with options from Anker. To see even more excellent power bank options, check out our picks below.

More Power Bank Deals

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Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Official Guide for $27 (Save $18)

With these, you’ll have a detailed overview of Hyrule, a helpful walkthrough to get you through the game, and much more. Not only that, but they have gorgeous covers as well, especially the Collector’s Edition. The Standard Edition has an MSRP of $29.99 but is on sale for $18.74, and the Collector’s Edition normally runs for $44.99, but you can get it for $26.85. Plus, if you want to complete the set, the Breath of the Wild guidebook is also down to just $23 right now as well.

With how expensive gaming is getting in 2023, we’re trying to save you as much money as possible on the games and other tech you actually want to buy. We’ve got great deal roundups available for all major platforms such as Switch and Xbox, and keep these updated daily with brand new offers. If you’re trying to keep costs down while maintaining your favorite hobby, stay tuned for more incredible discounts.

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Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

The Video Game Layoffs Continue, This Time at F1 Manager Developer Frontier

2023 continues to be an extremely difficult year for the video game development industry, with yet another wave of layoffs announced.

This time, UK studio Frontier Developments has announced an organisational review of the business that includes a wave of redundancies, subject to consultation. A spokesperson for Frontier told IGN this morning that it was unable to share how many people will be affected as the review is not yet concluded.

Frontier Developments is the veteran Cambridge-based studio behind 2014’s space sim Elite: Dangerous, Microsoft’s Zoo Tycoon, Planet Coaster, and the Jurassic World Evolution games. In recent years, it’s released two F1 Manager games, with real-time strategy game Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin due out in November. Frontier also published games from external developers under its Frontier Foundry label, including Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters, Deliver Us Mars, and FAR: Changing Tides.

In January, Frontier said it planned to lower its original sales expectations for the fiscal years of 2023 and 2024 after its games underperformed during the 2022 holiday season. F1 Manager 2022, which launched in August 2022, was singled out, with “lower than expected” sales of 600,000 across console and PC. At the time, Frontier said there was “increased player price sensitivity” amid larger concerns of a global economic recession.

Then, in June, Frontier announced the closure of its Frontier Foundry subsidiary and a plan to concentrate on its own universe of curated games, admitting to “disappointing” financial performance across its third-party portfolio.

F1 Manager 2023 launched in July but is thought to have similarly underperformed. Now, in a new trading update, Frontier said it had “refined” its strategy to focus on its core strengths following “a period of disappointing financial performance and more challenging industry conditions”. This organisational review will “reshape” the business to help return Frontier to profit, it said.

A reduction in annual operating costs of up to 20% is planned, and this will be achieved through a recruitment freeze, spending cuts, and redundancies. The actions are expected to end early 2024, “placing Frontier in a strong position to deliver efficiently on its strategic plan over the medium term, and capitalise on future opportunities.”

Frontier’s existing game portfolio “continues to perform in-line with expectations” the company said. It’s looking to Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin’s release date and the shopping-heavy Black Friday and Christmas period for revenue. Frontier said it expects £108 million in revenue for the 2024 financial year, with a loss of £9 million.

The Frontier news is the latest in an increasingly long list of video game layoffs during 2023. Technical artist Farhan Noor has been tracking layoff numbers since the beginning of the year, and estimates 112 rounds of layoffs so far, with an eye-watering 6383 people losing their jobs.

Embracer Group is currently embroiled in a restructure that’s seen layoffs and even studio closures, with Saints Row developer Volition shut down in the summer. Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt has also seen a significant round of layoffs that have prompted the formation of a Polish union. Fortnite maker Epic Games recently laid off 830 employees, a move that seriously affected Mediatonic, the UK developer behind Fall Guys. More recently, Telltale Games reportedly laid off most of its workers, and Worms maker Team17 saw deep cuts.

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.

The Internet Is Already Roasting ‘Worst Game of 2023’ Skull Island: Rise of Kong

Skull Island: Rise of Kong is out today, October 17, and the $39.99 action adventure has already been called “the worst game of 2023”.

Skull Island: Rise of Kong was developed by IguanaBee, the Chilean studio behind 2020’s G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout and Headsnatchers, and is published by Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl‘s GameMill Entertainment under licence from DeVito ArtWorks, which controls the King Kong / Skull Island universe.

Announcing its release date, GameMill described Skull Island: Rise of Kong as an “exhilarating, third-person action-adventure game [that] lets you become Kong on a journey of vengeance as you fight to claim your rightful place as King of Skull Island”.

The truth of Skull Island, however, is quite different. It’s already gone viral on social media for all the wrong reasons, with one tweet showing a cutscene with visuals you’d expect three generations ago viewed nearly seven million times.

Another tweet showing rudimentary action gameplay has had over a quarter of a million views.

There’s plenty more:

In the game, Kong sets out to avenge the death of his parents by the saurian terror Gaw. “Traverse the mysterious island and uncover its secrets across a variety of treacherous environments, discovering the power coursing through its exotic flora and fauna,” GameMill said. “Conquer waves of primal beasts, defeat unique bosses, and rise above all who stand in Kong’s way to being King!”

Exacerbating the issue is the fact Skull Island: Rise of Kong is the first new King Kong game in 18 years, and follows Ubisoft’s fondly remembered Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie, which came out in 2005.

As you’d expect, the memes are in full force:

Skull Island: Rise of Kong rekindles memories of 2017’s Life of Black Tiger, which was at the time called the worst PlayStation 4 game ever. It raises questions about the quality control — or lack of — employed by the console platform holders Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, when such an obviously poor quality game is approved for release on their supposedly curated storefronts.

IGN has asked GameMill for comment.

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.

PSA: Super Mario Bros. Wonder Spoilers Have Leaked Online

Super Mario Bros. Wonder arrives October 20 but spoilers have already leaked across social media, showing fans glimpses (or lots) of the game Nintendo would rather keep quiet.

IGN won’t reveal any of these spoilers here, of course, but wanted to offer a heads up for those looking to experience the long-awaited next-generation 2D Mario game completely fresh.

While a handful of now deleted tweets showed some glimpses at levels beyond what Nintendo has revealed so far, another main instigator of spoilers appears to be emulation. As reported by DSOGaming, players are already able to run the entirety of Super Mario Bros. Wonder through illegal PC emulation.

Nintendo understandably doesn’t take kindly to those who create such software or even leak their games. It cut ties with one publication who showed images of Pokémon Sword and Shield ahead of the games’ embargo in 2020, and recently issued a cease and desist order against Wii and GameCube emulator Dolphin over its launch on Steam.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder launches officially on Nintendo Switch, with the game debuting Mario’s new voice actor. Original star Charles Martinet announced his stepping away from the role in August.

Excitement around the game is still clear though, as Super Mario Bros. Wonder will be the first full side-scrolling entry since 2012’s New Super Mario Bros. U. Following Wonder’s announcement in June, fans quickly fell in love with the new power-up that turns Mario and friends into elephants.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Lies of P Sells 1 Million in Less Than a Month

Lies of P has sold one million copies since going on sale last month, publisher Neowiz has said.

Round8 Studio’s well-received soulslike launched on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, PC via Steam, and Mac via the Mac App Store on September 18. It reimagines the classic fairy tale of Pinocchio in the Bloodborne style.

IGN’s Lies of P review returned an 8/10. We said: “Lies of P might not branch out particularly far from its soulslike inspiration, but it plays the part extremely well.” Lies of P has a “very positive” user review rating on Steam too.

“This incredible milestone for Lies of P proves the potential of Korean console games on the global stage,” said Seungchul Kim, co-CEO of Neowiz. “The Lies of P project was a challenging endeavor for Neowiz and Round8 Studio and we take great pride in what we achieved with this title.”

Given the success of Lies of P, thoughts turn to the possibility of DLC and a sequel. Earlier this month, IGN reported on a job listing for a quest planner role for a Lies of P DLC, with one of the bullet points on the listing directly stating that the DLC is in development. At the time, Neowiz told IGN it did not have an official statement regarding upcoming DLC for Lies of P, however, the studio said it “will be providing a roadmap of the contents planned for Lies of P as soon as it is ready”.

Spoilers of Lies of P are ahead

Lies of P includes a clear hint at either upcoming DLC or a sequel. A post-credits scene shows the ruby shoes worn by Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. An unnamed character says: “When I return, I will find her. For sure. Another key of ours. Dorothy.”

In today’s announcement Jiwon Choi, Director for Lies of P, teased more to come: “The reception has been incredible so far, and we are beyond thankful that over one million players have already embarked on their journey through Krat. Likewise, we are excited for what the future holds for Lies of P, and can’t wait to share more when the time is right.”

If you’re currently playing through the game, be sure to check out IGN’s Lies of P walkthrough.

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.

Michael Caine, Legendary Actor and Frequent Christopher Nolan Collaborator, Is Officially Retiring

After an illustrious career spanning more than 60 years, Michael Caine is ready to bid goodbye. The 90-year-old actor confirming that he intends to retire in the wake of the real of The Great Escaper, which will be his final film.

Caine, who has been frequent collaborator with director Christopher Nolan, feels he has nothing else to accomplish.

“I keep saying I’m going to retire. Well, I am now,” Caine told BBC Radio 4’s Today show. “I’ve figured, I’ve had a picture where I’ve played the lead and it’s got incredible reviews. The only parts I’m likely to get now are old men…And I thought, well I might as well leave with all this — what have I got to do to beat this?”

Caine bids farewell to an illustrious career

Caine has been hinting for sometime now that he plans to retire. He previously told the Telegraph, “I am bloody 90 now, and I can’t walk properly and all that. I sort of am retired already.”

Caine’s career stretches back to 1956’s A Hill in Korea, and in the years that followed would include The Italian Job, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Children of Men and numerous Christopher Nolan films. Caine famously played Alfred Pennyworth in Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, lending the role a fatherly gravitas as Bruce Wayne’s mentor and conscience. Caine didn’t appear in Oppenheimer, ending an eight-year streak of appearances in Nolan’s films.

Arguably his greatest role is 1975’s The Man Who Would Be King, where he co-starred alongside Sean Connery as an ex-soldier on a journey to Kafiristan. Caine has been nominated for an Oscar six times, his first win being for 1986’s Hannah and Her Sisters. He also won Best Supporting Actor for his role in 1999’s The Cider House Rules.

Caine’s final movie is The Great Escaper, a biographical drama based on the true story of an 89-year-old British World War II veteran. It released in the United Kingdom on October 6.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

A New Grand Theft Auto Could be Coming to Netflix Games

A new Grand Theft Auto Game may be on the horizon, and no, we’re not talking about Grand Theft Auto 6. Instead, it sounds like streaming giant Netflix wants a taste of the GTA pie, and is reportedly trying to get a Grand Theft Auto game of some kind onto its Netflix Games service.

This comes from a report in the Wall Street Journal today covering the company’s ongoing efforts to make a meal out of its library of original IP in the games space after acquiring a number of game development studios. The report claims that the company has “discussed plans” to release a Grand Theft Auto game on its service through a licensing deal with publisher Take-Two Interactive. What kind of game it would be, or who would develop it, remains to be seen.

As things now stand, any GTA spin-off that ended up on Netflix would inevitably be a mobile game, as currently the only way to play Netflix’s portfolio is through its mobile app. The report suggests that Netflix hopes to eventually expand its library to include games that can be streamed from TV or PC.

According to one analyst speaking to the WSJ, Netflix has spend about $1 billion on games so far. And it seems to be aiming to hire more game executives to oversee a foray into AAA titles. But there’s currently no good way to tell exactly how well that investment is paying off for the company, or whether it ever will. Rather than standalone purchases, the games are tied into Netflix subscriptions, which we’ll get an updated figure on during the company’s earnings on Wednesday. But there’s no way of knowing if games are convincing people to subscribe.

They don’t seem to be providing an especially strong draw for existing subscribers, though. As of September 20 these games have been downloaded 70.5 million times total. That may sound like a lot, but it’s a far cry from some of the massive numbers pulled in by the world’s biggest mobile games. For instance, Honkai: Star Rail managed over 20 million downloads by itself on its launch day alone earlier this year. And Apptopia estimates that fewer than 1% of Netflix subscribers play its games on a daily basis – perhaps unsurprising given that much of its catalog, including its most prestige titles like Oxenfree, Immortality, Spiritfarer, and others, are available elsewhere.

We previously wrote about Netflix’s big video game push earlier this year, but it sounds like the landscape hasn’t changed much since then. While a big Grand Theft Auto release could potentially turn the tide, it’s also possible that an imminent Grand Theft Auto 6 release elsewhere would drastically overshadow whatever Netflix cooks up, rather than neatly tie onto it.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.