New screenshots of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, the next game in the beloved Budokai Tenkaichi series, confirms more characters coming to the hotly-anticipated 3D fighting game. Among its ranks of super-powered heroes is Dragon Ball Z’s oft-forgotten Saiyan warrior, Future Gohan.
NEW SPARKING ZERO CHARACTERS! Beerus, Whis, Gohan, Videl, Future Gohan, and Trunks (Sword) pic.twitter.com/nq0u2ns8un
Although Future Gohan is among the likes of other popular Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super characters like Trunks and Beerus, his presence supersedes that of Sparking Zero’s admittedly expected playable characters as far as DBZ fans are concerned. Part of why Future Gohan in Sparking Zero is blowing fans’ collective minds is thanks to the limited-yet-impactful amount of screen time he got in the series canon.
Future Gohan first appeared in the Dragon Ball Z special, The History of Trunks. In it, he and Trunks serve as humanity’s last line of defense after Android 17 and Android 18 massacred the rest of DBZ’s cast of heroes. Design-wise, Future Gohan distinguishes himself from other iterations of the character because he fights with only his right arm. Famously, Future Gohan lost his left arm protecting Trunks during their desperate battle against the cyborg duo.
Although Future Gohan has made appearances in other Dragon Ball games like Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, his character model had both of his giant arms still attached to his body. This in turn led to the creation of a humble PC mod whose sole purpose was to “chop off Future Gohan’s useless broken arm.” Going off V-Jump’s screenshots, Future Gohan’s character model will do battle with one arm, much to the adulation of diehard fans.
Limited screentime aside, Future Gohan’s death is most remembered among fans as the emotional push that led to Future Trunks turning Super Saiyan for the first time.
It won’t be long before players can get their hands on Hades II, the sequel to 2020’s critically-acclaimed roguelite by Supergiant Games. In a new post on X/Twitter, Supergiant Games announced an upcoming Hades II Technical Test along with instructions on how to join.
The goal of the technical test is to ensure that the upcoming Early Access release has a “smooth play experience from the start.” It will have much less content than the Early Access version — including the first major area of the game and early-game characters — and it will only be available to a “relatively small subset” of players who sign up to play.
“If you played the original game, imagine a version where you couldn’t get past Tartarus even if you vanquished its guardian,” Supergiant explains on its website. Players who complete the area a number of times will see a “gentle suggestion” to discontinue play.
How to join the Hades II Technical Test
To sign up for the Hades II Technical Test, you need only go to the Hades II Steam Page and click the button marked “Request Access.” If you’re invited to participate, you will receive an email from Steam with download instructions.
“We expect to start with a small player population, then grow it over time,” Supergiant explains. “So, even if you aren’t invited to the Technical Test right away, you may still be invited later. Our process boils down to: invite some players, fix any problems they run into, invite more players, and so on. Once we’re sufficiently confident that things are stable, we’ll wind down the Technical Test, then launch in Early Access on Steam and the Epic Games Store relatively soon after.”
The Hades II Technical Test will be one of the first playable glimpses fans get of the anticipated sequel, which will feature Melinoë, daughter of Hades and sister of Zagreus, as its main character. The original game was acclaimed for its sharp writing, beautiful visuals, and clever take on roguelite storytelling, and Hades II looks to be more of the same.
Supergiant says that it will try to “conduct the Technical Test as expeditiously as possible,” then launch into Early Access. The studio is uncertain how long it will last, but expects that it will be “longer than a week, shorter than a month.” The Early Access launch will be dependent on the length of the Technical Test. It is currently set for Q2 2024.
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.
While it can occasionally be difficult to get teenagers engaged or even torn away from their screens, board games often offer opportunities to connect or, at the very least, serve as a break from all the devices and social media apps. Whether its family game night or simply an evening in with friends, it’s important to have games that teens actually want to play.
The best board games don’t just pass the time, they transport players with fantastic themes and engaging mechanics. Teens who are into Marvel, Star Wars, zombies, or dragons can find something in the space to try out. Not to mention, various addictive party games also offer an alternative to simply watching a movie.
For the superhero-obsessed teen, there are plenty of great tabletop options out there, but the good folks behind Dice Throne have created one of the best Marvel board games with this accessible but addictive title. With currently eight different comic book heroes to choose from (and far more characters in the non-Marvel iterations), Marvel Dice Throne pits players against each other in competitive battles. Players start by picking their hero from either Black Panther, Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Loki, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, or Thor. Each character comes with their own set of abilities, card decks, and themed dice.
Marvel Dice Throne is a simple enough dice chucker but with enough twists and turns contained in the cards to keep gameplay unpredictable. As each character handles quite differently, there is ample opportunity for replayability as well. For those who find the Battle Chest complete with all eight heroes to be a bit pricey, there are also separate packs with just two or four characters included that can be built upon over time.
Disney Villainous: The Worst Takes It All
Disney holds a special place in countless childhood memories and continues to offer content many enjoy into their teenage years. While we all know the princesses and beloved sidekicks, Disney Villainous: The Worst Takes It All asks players to control one of six iconic villains such as Ursula, Jafar, the Queen of Hearts, Captain Hook, Maleficent, and Prince John from the animated Robin Hood feature film. Disney Villainous plays out asymmetrically as each villain is accompanied by their own card deck, player board, and 3D character piece. Of course, it wouldn’t be quite as much fun to only worry about completing your own objectives; it’s also about tripping up your opponents before they realize their villainous goals using heroes from their universe via Fate Deck cards. This is a double-edged sword, however, as your opponents can employ the same tactics against you.
Disney Villainous: The Worst Takes It All is a great place to start, but various expansions have introduced even more fan-favorite Disney baddies to the game. Not to mention, villains like Darth Vader, Thanos, and plenty more have also joined in the fun through Star Wars and Marvel iterations of the series.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
For teens who prefer their board games from a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a clever take on the popular Pandemic board game series. Rather than taking control of scientists, doctors, and medics to fight deadly diseases from spreading, Star Wars: The Clone Wars has players taking control of fan-favorite Jedi to ensure the reach of Count Dooku’s Separatist droid army doesn’t overtake the galaxy. For fans of Pandemic, The Clone Wars should be a breeze to pick up, but it’s a fairly intuitive cooperative title even for those with no familiarity with the original board game.
While The Clone Wars’ unique spin on a popular series makes it one of the best Star Wars board games, there are plenty of other great and unique titles to check out for fans of the space opera.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a bluffing game in which players try to identify the werewolf hiding in their village. Each player receives a secret role card at the beginning of the game, many of which coincide with a special ability that plays out in the nighttime phase when players put their heads down. In the morning, players try to deduce which one among them is the werewolf. If they can guess correctly and sentence the werewolf to death, they win the game, but if not, the monster gets to run amok for another night.
In many ways, One Night Ultimate Werewolf is the perfect party game for teens with friends who aren’t normally into board games: it’s easy to pick up thanks to the audio app that guides players through each phase, it plays incredibly quickly, and it works well for up to ten people. When groups start to pile up past four people, it’s not always easy to find a game that everyone can learn, play, and have a great time with, but One Night Ultimate Werewolf addresses every one of those issues, excelling with larger groups.
Decrypto
Like One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Decrypto is another one of the best party games. Decrpyto plays somewhat similarly to the incredibly popular Codenames, but the former differentiates itself by keeping players engaged even when it’s not their turn. Decrypto splits players into two teams. In front of each team is a series of numbers with words written just below. One player on each team is tasked with providing clues in an effort to get their team to guess the right sequence. While each team can see only their own board, opposing players can attempt to intercept using the codewords which are read aloud. The trick here is that encrypters need to try and give clues that only their team can guess. Of course, this is much easier said than done.
Sushi Go Party
Sushi Go Party builds upon the success of Sushi Go, a drafting game in which players pick a card to keep and pass the rest of the deck to the next player. Each card contains an adorable illustration of sushi as well as a point value. However, various cards can combine to multiply scores. Crafting the right sushi platter gets tricky as other players also look to grab valuable pieces or even block you from completing a set that might just secure your victory.
Sushi Go Party adds several cards to its predecessor but like Sushi Go, it manages to remain easy to play. At around 20 minutes a game, it’s perfect for teens who would rather jump in and learn a game rather than spend ages reading through a rule book.
King of Tokyo
Ask a handful of tabletop enthusiasts for a list of the best family board games and King of Tokyo is bound to come up, and likely more than once. It’s colorful and easy enough for kids to pick up, but it’s fun enough to keep teens coming back. Players pick from one of six pop culture-inspired mutant monsters with the goal of occupying Tokyo. Through dice-rolling and various special cards, players attempt to earn victory points and take down the other monsters. The winner is either the player who collected 20 victory points or the last surviving monster – whichever comes first.
Splendor: Marvel
Splendor is a favorite among the tabletop gaming community as it is a great entry point for teens who are new to the hobby thanks to its easy-to-grasp ruleset. That said, Splendor contains some strategy that may take a while to master, making it great for experienced gamers too. It’s easily one of the most popular games out there, but for teens with little interest in the Renaissance period, however, publisher Space Cowboys offers a Marvel variant.
Rather than collecting rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, to purchase cards, Splendor: Marvel tasks players with gathering the powerful Infinity Stones. Still, the rules largely remain the same, so those familiar with Splendor will be able to hop right into the Marvel iteration. As in the Marvel universe, collecting the stones ends the game, but individual turns consist of using stones to purchase cards with iconic comic book heroes and villains on them. Each hero contains a point value, and the player with the highest score at the end of the game wins. It’s not quite as thematic as something like Marvel Dice Throne, but the comic book artwork makes this a fun entry point for superhero fanatics.
Zombicide: Black Plague
Between its sizable board, various miniatures, lengthier playtime, and slightly more in-depth ruleset, Zombicide: Black Plague isn’t the most accessible game on this list. It’s still relatively easy to pick up when compared to other dungeon crawler board games, but it will require a teen who wants to dive a little deeper into a tabletop adventure. That shouldn’t be too difficult a sell as the gripping survival horror theme makes it easy to get fully immersed in the experience.
There are several entries in the Zombicide franchise, but Black Plague takes the combat to the Middle Ages with fantasy elements. Players can choose from dwarves, knights, magicians, and paladins to take the fight to the hordes of zombies. As with other iterations of the game, Black Plague has received several expansions, so fans of this title can keep the fun going for quite a while.
Flamecraft
The medium can so often be filled with gargantuan monsters and darker settings that the colorful, storybook artwork of Flamecraft feels like a breath of fresh air – as does its lower learning curve. Despite its aesthetic, Flamecraft is still a little difficult for younger children, but it’s perfectly suited for anyone in their teens.
Flamecraft is sort of an entry-level worker placement game, not quite as difficult as titles like Dune: Imperium or A Feast for Odin. In Flamecraft, players take on the role of Flamekeepers, those skilled at communicating with dragons. As a Flamekeeper, players visit the various shops, playing specialized dragon cards, enchanting the establishments, and gaining a reputation to attract even fancier dragons. The player with the most reputation at the end of the game wins and gains the esteemed title, the Master of Flamecraft.
If you’re still looking for more quality board game recommendations, make sure to check out our list of the best board games for four players. Also, take a look at our collection of the best board game deals to save some money on your next tabletop purchase.
Bobby Anhalt is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering board games and LEGO. He has more than 8 years of experience writing about the gaming industry with bylines at Game Rant, Screen Rant, TheXboxHub, and Ranker. You can follow him on Twitter @BobbyAnhalt.
Star Wars Outlaws is not out for a few more months, but as the release date slowly approaches, the game’s ESRB rating summary revealed that a popular and nearly-forgotten card game is set to return as a playable mini-game.
Spotted by GamesRadar, the ESRB summary description for Star Wars Outlaws reveals that “players can wager in-game currency on Sabacc, a blackjack-like card game with detailed rules.” The card game, which first debuted in the L. Neil Smith novel Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu, has rules and concepts similar to those of blackjack and poker.
The rules of Sabacc were first published in 1989 with the release of the Crisis on Cloud City supplement for the Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, which Games International described in an issue published in 1990 as “a sort of Blackjack variant.”
Despite its known existence over the last several decades, its appearance in Star Wars media has been slim. Sabacc is never directly shown but rather mentioned in Star Wars media, such as in the Star Wars: Squadrons short story, The Light You Bring, or when it appeared in a scene in Solo: A Star Wars Story. And Disney began selling an official Sabacc deck at its Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge attraction in 2019. Yet, no Star Wars game has ever made Sabacc playable in any capacity, thus making its inclusion in Star Wars Outlaws all the more noteworthy.
This news is positive for Ubisoft’s upcoming open-world game, as the publisher is under scrutiny for locking a mission behind the Star Wars Outlaws season pass. While Ubisoft clarified that the mission is “optional,” the publisher has yet to elaborate on its scope, leaving players confused about whether or not purchasing the season pass to access it is worth it.
Star Wars Outlaws is out on August 27 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Pre-orders are now available at the starting price of $69.99 for the Standard Edition, while the Gold and Ultimate Edition costs $109.99 and $129.99, respectively. The latter two not only include the controversial season pass, but players will also get access to the base game three days early.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
While you’re exploring the land of the Enclave and taking on gargantuan bosses in Eternal Strands, you’ll unlock more and more magical abilities to help you on your journey. But unlike many games where magic might let you toss a fireball or Force push an enemy off a cliff, Eternal Strands has a unique approach to the nine physics-altering abilities it puts in your toolbelt, all of which allow for an impressive level of freedom. Continuing our month-long exclusive coverage of the upcoming action-adventure game from a new team comprised of ex-BioWare and Ubisoft developers, today we’ll be taking a look at a few abilities at the heart of this battle-heavy odyssey and how they can be combined in surprising and creative ways.
In the same way that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gives you a set of powers that allows you to manipulate the physics of its world in order to solve puzzles and get across the map, Eternal Strands gives you a similarly playful toolset and asks you to bring them to bear in battle – including against the massive bosses that roam land of the Enclave. Instead of creating a makeshift boat with magnets and fans to sail across a river, you’re using telekinetic wormholes to launch yourself onto the back of a flying dragon or generating a block of ice to seal a giant’s leg in place before climbing up it to deal damage with your sword.
That alone can be a lot of fun, especially once you discover the interesting ways those powers have an impact on enemies and the surrounding environment. For example, when fighting a heavily armored boss who uses fire-based attacks, you might discover that prolonged exposure to ice attacks begins to make his armor brittle, which can then be cleaved off, exposing a new weak spot to lay into. Or maybe you’ll be hounded by a giant dragon who breathes fire down on you, and discover that with the right telekinetic ability, you can redirect those flames right back at him. It’s especially cool how the enemies themselves interact with you and the environment, doing things like picking up trees to lob at you or smashing through a structure that you’re in the middle of climbing.
But later on in the adventure, once you’ve slain a few bosses and have claimed a larger repertoire of powers from their corpses, you can start to combine these abilities in some surprising (and often hilarious) ways. In one instance, I used the Kinetic Stream ability, which allows you to create a tunnel of kinetic energy that throws anything that passes through it at high speeds, to create a makeshift cannon aimed at a flying boss. I then used another telekinetic ability called Launching Grasp, which lets you pick up and toss things, to snatch up every fiery minion enemy in the area and throw them into the Kinetic Stream, pelting the boss with his own deadly allies. In another encounter, while being overwhelmed by a bunch of heavily armored goons wielding swords, I used the Percussive Blast ability to create an orb of violent energy, then switched to a fire-based power to fill that orb with flames – when the hordes of enemies drew near, I detonated my orb like a mine, covering the battlefield with flames that broiled them alive in their fancy armor.
Being able to mix and match your powers to confound and destroy your enemies is one of Eternal Strands’ defining mechanics. But it’s not only useful for practical tasks: it’s also perfect for completely impractical things, whether you’re just trying to show off with a flashy move or see if some crazy new tactic might work. I spent about thirty minutes experimenting with a bow that created kinetic explosions to see if I could bounce myself into the air, then switch to a heavy melee weapon to do a downward strike on an enemy below. As it turns out, with enough practice, it’s not only possible, but quite effective – even if not particularly feasible in most cases.
Eternal Strands is all about being creative and doing unexpected or downright silly things as you fight and explore, and that absurdity and experimentation makes this action-adventure feel like a whole lot more than just another third-person hack-and-slash. After two days of hanging at developer Yellow Brick Games’ offices and goofing around with Eternal Strands’ magical repertoire, I feel as though I’ve only scratched the surface. I’m genuinely excited to see what streamers and show-offs alike are able to pull off when they get their hands on it next year.
Fallout Shelter, a free-to-play base-building and people management sim set within the post-apocalyptic Fallout world, has seen its daily revenue skyrocket from an average of $20,000 to $80,000, mobile analysis firm Sensor Tower said, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz. Downloads of the game have more than doubled around the launch of the Prime Video show, the data also revealed, from around 20,000 to over 60,000 within three days.
Sensor Tower’s data governs the mobile version of Fallout Shelter, but other versions of the game have seen an increase in players, too. SteamDB reveals a 24-hour concurrents peak of 5,713, when pre-TV show Fallout Shelter would average a figure in the mid 1,000s.
Perhaps Fallout TV show fans have flocked to Fallout Shelter because it contains official S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats for the main characters, including Lucy (Fallout fans are trying to work out what XP level Lucy ends Season 1 with, given the events of the show.) Based on Fallout Shelter, we know Lucy’s character sheet:
Strength 4
Perception 7
Endurance 6
Charisma 5
Intelligence 6
Agility 5
Luck 7
If you’re wondering, here are how other characters look, courtesy of Fallout Shelter:
SteamDB reported that Bethesda’s Fallout games had more than doubled their concurrent players on Steam with the release of the Fallout TV series. That’s for Fallout 4, released in November 2015, Fallout New Vegas, released in October 2010, and Fallout 76, released in April 2020. The boost was significant enough to propel Fallout 76 to a new peak concurrent players Steam record of 39,455 — four years after it came out. Even the older, non-Bethesda developed Fallout games are enjoying a resurgence.
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 boss of Pocketpair has accused Chinese game companies of making Palworld clones, saying: “These are incredible times.”
In a tweet translated by Automaton, Takuro Mizobe, CEO of PocketPair, published a screenshot of a mobile and PC game called Auroria, alongside the following statement:
“Tencent is already making a Palworld clone game! In China, many companies are simultaneously developing mobile clones of Palworld, and the budgets are in the 10 billion yen-range, 10 times larger than Palworld’s… Next year, we might see many Genshin Impact-level creature (or bishojo) raising games… These are incredible times.”
Auroria, which has a Steam page as well as mobile store pages, is developed by Chinese studio Tianjin Wumai Technology Co., Ltd. According to its description, Auroria is an open-world, multiplayer, and cooperative sandbox game in which you design a base, “survive with your pals,” and start your own interstellar travel “in a relaxed and fun way.”
Auroria sounds and, based on screenshots and trailers, looks a lot like Palworld but in a space setting. It’s set for release at some point during the second quarter of 2024, so by the end of June.
According to Automaton, Auroria is published by HK Hero Entertainment Co., Limited, and Tencent. Tencent, namechecked by Mizobe in his statement, is reportedly working on a Palword-style mobile game, but it’s not the only one. NetEase Games’ Once Human has also been compared to Palworld. This is all part of a reported drive for fresh hits as existing cash cows lose their luster.
As for Pocketpair, it was of course accused of “ripping off” Pokémon with Palworld, which is often described as “Pokémon with guns.” Palworld launched in January and overnight became one of the biggest games in the world, setting records not only on Steam but on Xbox Game Pass, where it is the biggest third-party game launch ever. So far, the $30 ‘Pokémon with guns’ game has seen an incredible 25 million players, with 15 million copies sold on Steam and 10 million players on Xbox. Mizobe has said the company couldn’t handle the massive profits Palworld has generated.
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.
Mortal Kombat 1’s upcoming DLC character Ermac has a brand new Brutality that veteran Mortal Kombat fans have recognised as being inspired by a nearly 30-year-old Fatality.
During a livestream held to show off the soul-obsessed ninja’s new telekinetic moves for Mortal Kombat 1, developer NetherRealm revealed Ermac’s new Brutality, a Telekinetic Slam that sees his hapless opponent (Reptile, in this case) repeatedly slammed into the ground until the only thing left to do is explode in a shower of gore. Check it out in the tweet video below:
In Mortal Kombat, Brutalities are special match enders that are performed with special input commands. They’re not as flashy as Mortal Kombat’s iconic Fatalities, but some players prefer them.
Veteran Mortal Kombat players instantly recognised Ermac’s new Brutality as being ripped straight from 1995’s Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, in which Ermac made his debut alongside his Telekinetic Slam Fatality. So, with Ermac’s entry into Mortal Kombat 1, NetherRealm is recreating a near 30-year-old Fatality in Brutality form. Check out a comparison clip from X/Twitter user TQT below:
The livestream also gave fans a closer look at Ermac’s redesign. When Mortal Kombat 1 developer NetherRealm revealed DLC character Ermac in the summer of 2023, it suffered a backlash from the community for what many considered to be a downgrade compared to the Mortal Kombat 11 version of the red-clad ninja.
The version of Ermac seen in the Kombat Pack reveal last year showed the character without a mask, which meant fans got a view of Ermac’s new dehydrated mummy face. But that wasn’t the only issue. Ermac’s design was seen as simplistic without much of the detail that fans love from previous versions.
Now NetherRealm has finally unveiled Ermac gameplay, it has shown the character’s improvement in design. For a start, the character now wears a mask, and appears to have a more detailed outfit. Elsewhere, Ermac’s powers now glow in teal.
Here’s the official blurb on Ermac:
Ermac is a collection of souls bound together by Quan Chi’s dark magic that are intended to function as a group mind. But that spell is temporarily undone when Ermac is defeated by Mileena and the mind of King Jerrod, deceased ruler of Outworld and one of the souls in Ermac’s collection, takes control and rejoins the royal family, aiding Empress Mileena’s reign. Eventually, the amalgam of souls reestablishes control, and Ermac retreats to Outworld’s shadows. No longer Quan Chi’s slave, nor bound to the royal family, he must find a future worth fighting for. In the new video, Ermac’s devastating moveset is on full display, including his ability to teleport, levitate, and utilize a legion of souls to grab, lift, and slam opponents to the ground.
Ermac joins Mortal Kombat 1 in Early Access form today, April 16, with a full release set for April 23. Kameo character Mavado joins the Kameo roster later in May. You need the Premium Edition or the Kombat Pack to play early. The Mortal Kombat 1 Kombat Pack includes the Jean-Claude Van Damme character skin for Johnny Cage (available now); one-week early access to six playable DLC characters – Omni-Man (available now), Quan Chi (available now), Peacemaker (available now), Ermac (coming April 16), Homelander, and Takeda Takahashi; and five DLC Kameo Fighters.
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.
Hot on the heels of the breakout success of The Last of Us and Fallout TV shows, many are wondering which video games would make a great pick for the next great series. Dragon Age is often suggested as a good candidate for the TV show treatment, but according to its co-creator, that would be a “terrible idea.”
In a series of tweets, David Gaider, who created the setting for fantasy role-playing series Dragon Age and was its lead writer while at developer BioWare, said any Dragon Age TV show would have to be “more than a rote adaptation” in order to surface what makes the game’s story unique and interesting, which, he suggested, would be unlikely.
Gaider agreed with a user who said the problem with adapting fantasy IPs like Dragon Age, Elder Scrolls, or Baldur’s Gate, “is that outside of gaming, they’re just generic fantasy from a visual style standpoint. And their hours of stories are probably better in a game then in a show.”
“Yeah, you take away the interactive element and you’re left with a pretty stock standard fantasy story,” he replied. “It would take a pretty deep dive to distill the elements of each that make them unique and interesting. Not impossible, but it would take more than a rote adaptation.”
Gaider sounded unimpressed with Dragon Age’s existing animated spin-offs, Dawn of the Seeker and Absolution, saying: “I’ve never seen them, nor am I interested to.”
He added: “As I recall, none of the folks who did the animated shows (while I worked at Bio, at any rate) were particularly interested in authenticity. My (baseless) assumption was always that the IP had been foisted on the animation team out of necessity.”
Gaider’s thoughts on Dragon Age are clear, so which video game does he think would make a good TV show? He suggested Disco Elysium, but only if it’s along the lines of the role-playing masterpiece: “I want to see a David Lynch-style (on acid) Disco Elysium,” Gaider said. “Or maybe Banishers.”
“It would need to be as weird and experimental as the game or there’d really be no point,” he added. “Which, of course, means it’d never happen, but it’s interesting to contemplate just HOW weird it could be.”
In 2020, a Disco Elysium TV show adaptation was announced as coming from the producer of the Sonic the Hedgehog movie. Developer ZA/UM reportedly partnered with dj2 Entertainment to develop the TV series, although work was described as in the early stages. Little has been said since.
As well as Dragon Age, BioWare is known for its science fiction series, Mass Effect. Over the years reports have suggested a Mass Effect adaptation was under consideration, with The Witcher star Henry Cavill even teasing his involvement. So far, nothing has come of it.
Gaider’s views on a potential Mass Effect TV show reflect his views on a potential Dragon Age TV show. Responding to tweets, he said: “Is there any way for it NOT to be just a painted over Star Trek, though? Because we’ve got plenty of Star Trek at home, kids.”
And, on a potential Mass Effect movie: “In what way would it be amazing and not something we’ve seen a dozen times, though? Do you mean ‘amazing to me, a fan already familiar with the story and universe’?”
As for Dragon Age, the next game in the series, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, is set for a reveal this summer.
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.
Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has released yet another update for the PlayStation 5 and PC third-person co-op shooter, this time patch 01.000.203.
This update includes fixes to armor passives as well as various improvements to stability, Arrowhead said in the patch notes, below.
Of most interest is a fix for the CE-27 Ground Breaker medium armor, which now has the Engineer Kit passive as previously advertised. Ground Breaker was added to Helldivers 2 as part of the recently released Premium Warbond, Democratic Detonation, and players soon discovered it had the wrong passive attached.
Elsewhere, the update fixes a number of crashes and a troubling issue that caused different damage to be dealt to enemies between PC and console players. And Arrowhead has updated its helpful ‘known issues’ list to include a fix for the Superior Packing Methodology ship module, also added last week. This useful new ship upgrade makes resupply boxes refill support weapons with the maximum number of carriable magazines, so hopefully a fix is due soon.
If you’re looking for more on Helldivers 2, check out IGN’s feature on the Let Me Solo Her of Helldivers 2, a player who has answered over 100 SOS Beacons as part of a mission to help others.
CE-27 Ground Breaker armor now has the Engineer Kit passive as previously advertised.
Fixes
Fixed an issue that resulted in different damage being dealt enemies between PC and console players.
Red boxes in defense missions are no longer visible.
Major orders should now properly display text.
Fixed multiple crashes that could occur in the loadout screen when other players left or joined the game.
Fixed multiple crashes that could occur after extraction when the mission results and rewards were shown.
Fixed crash which could occur when throwing back a grenade while wielding a heat-based weapon.
Fixed crash that could occur when hosting a play session migrates to another player.
Fixed crash that could occur if too many civilians spawn.
Fixed various other crashes that could occur when deploying to mission.
Fixed various other crashes that could occur during gameplay.
Known Issues These are issues that were either introduced by this patch and are being worked on, or are from a previous version and have not yet been fixed. This list is not exhaustive, and we are continuing to identify issues and create fixes. These are organized by feedback, reports, severity, etc.
Superior Packing Methodology ship module does not work properly.
Players may be unable to navigate to the search results in the Social Menu.
Various issues involving friend invites and cross-play:
Player name may show up blank on the other player’s friend list.
Friend Request cannot be accepted when the requesting player changed their username before the request was accepted.
Cross-platform friend invites might not show up in the Friend Requests tab.
Players cannot unfriend players befriended via friend code.
Players cannot unblock players that were not in their Friends list beforehand.
Damage-over-time effects may only apply when dealt by the host.
Players may experience delays in Medals and Super Credits payouts.
Enemies that bleed out do not progress Personal Orders and Eradicate missions.
Certain weapons like Sickle cannot shoot through foliage.
Scopes on some weapons such as the Anti-Materiel Rifle are slightly misaligned.
Arc weapons sometimes behave inconsistently and sometimes misfire.
Spear’s targeting is inconsistent, making it hard to lock-on to larger enemies.
Stratagem beam might attach itself to an enemy but it will deploy to its original location.
Explosions do not break your limbs (except for when you fly into a rock).
Area around Automaton Detector Tower makes blue stratagems such as the Hellbomb bounce and be repelled when trying to call them down close to the tower.
Planet liberation reaches 100% at the end of every Defend mission.
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.
