A Cyberpunk 2077 fan has perfectly recreated armor worn by the game’s trauma team, the dystopian, gun-wielding paramedics, down to a working face mask.
Cosplay and prop maker Props It Yourself shared a video of the outfit on their Instagram, below, showing someone dressed in the full cosplay of a Trauma Team worker. The futuristic mask begins open before it folds in, seals, and activates its lights as the cosplayer walks forward.
Those who’ve played just a few hours of Cyberpunk 2077 will recognize the Trauma Team outfit as one of the game’s opening missions, The Rescue, has them appear. Protagonist V is tasked with saving a kidnapping victim who proves unresponsive, and the Trauma Team, ready to kill any threat to the victim themselves, show up to save her at the end.
Those who remember the part iconic, part infamous E3 2018 Cyberpunk 2077 presentation will also recognize the outfit as this mission debuted there. The Trauma Team cosplay proved particularly popular on the Cyberpunk 2077 Reddit, where it currently has 28,000 upvotes and hundreds of comments. “This is so f**king cool,” said one user. “The way I actually gasped when I saw the helmet click together,” said another.
In our 9/10 review, IGN said: “Cyberpunk 2077 throws you into a beautiful, dense cityscape and offers a staggering amount of flexibility in how you choose to take it from there.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
I’m never more excited than when I’m playing games where I’m not even sure the main mechanic is fundamentally interesting. Despite hours playing Blue Prince and still thinking about it when I’m doing anything else, somehow, delightfully, I can’t figure it out. This clawing madness – trying to get a sense of whether this is all a waste of time, while happily wasting that time – is a feeling few things have been able to evoke within me.
With Blue Prince, the first release from up-until-now film studio Dogubomb, that metagaming sense of not quite having the full picture in mind perfectly mirrors the in-game activity of exploring a procedurally generated mansion in search of its answers and rarely finding any.
Hurrying through the grand estate of Mt. Holly to ensure the retrieval of some inheritance from a departed family member, every time you open a door you’re presented with a choice of three additional rooms. Whichever one gets picked is instantly bolted on ahead, as if it was always there. Each room is carefully authored by the development team, but the order that they’re offered up is procedurally chosen from a pool that grows in size over the course of a run. Ideally every choice is the one that’s most beneficial for that moment. Often enough, it’s actually just the least worst.
A decent handful of these rooms are complete dead-ends. Maybe they’ll contain a useful item like a key or a gem, which will need to be spent to place more complicated structures. Some of the rooms have additional doors which lead on to other rooms. If you’re lucky, you’re facing the right direction, and there aren’t any other rooms already blocking the potential exits, a hallway or such with multiple additional doors will appear and you’ll be able to create even more options for how to proceed.
Certain techniques for making proper progress are beginning to occur to me after more than five hours playing the surprisingly generous demo. I’m deliberately drafting dead-end rooms without much clear need to return in the same area of the map so that I don’t waste time heading back to them. Each in-game day limits your exploration to entering just 50 rooms before having to start a new run, with the ability to gain more energy earned through making good room choices. Ideally, every room is placed with all the important stuff together to limit any back-tracking, but Man Plans, God Laughs.
Some of these rooms offer unique features and challenges. Drafting the Security Room gives access to a terminal showing all the items that have been missed during exploration. A photography Dark Room will completely obscure which of the three selections you’re actually picking for your next move, unless you’ve managed to find the mansion’s breaker box and manually turned the lights back on. Placing a chapel – which demands an immediate tithe of 1 gold coin every time you walk through it – would be terrible in a busy intersection, but it’d be great to put the bedroom walkway that replenishes some of your energy in a spot you’re likely to return to often. Certain rooms only seem to appear on the edges of the 9×5 grid, of which many are expensive green rooms which regularly need multiple gems to unlock, though that cost can be mitigated by getting lucky enough to select an early room that voids the expense toward any future green rooms entirely.
Strategy in Blue Prince is, then, all about location and timing. Picking bad rooms feels great when there’s a lot of options for where to move on to next, and it’s agonizingly tense when the only three options available, on the last free door of the run, are all glorified closets.
But I couldn’t help but wonder if it even works. I don’t know if continually seeing the same environments in different orders is compelling, in and of itself. Maybe it’s the limited input. I’m not against a walking sim, but I’m hesitant to play a walking sim that asks me to continue to see the same things over and over. Blue Prince occasionally injects puzzles and surprise features – the Parlor Room, which appears with a unique guessing-game each time it’s drafted – is a fun reprieve every time, but the Billiards Room, which offers different takes on the same rudimentary math problem of addition, subtraction and multiplication, gets pretty dull after the second appearance.
Something strange happened in this place and you’re forced to both know that and still be there.
I’ve been thinking about it in contrast with 2021’s Phantom Abyss, another game about revisiting the same procedurally generated environments under different contexts, where the purpose was for you to make the perfect execution of movement to avoid danger and be quicker than everyone else that came before. Blue Prince’s mystery hasn’t hooked me, though the presentation – with gorgeous cutscenes that have far greater investment than you might expect – is really noteworthy.
Blue Prince isn’t a scary game. There are sparse musical cues in key moments of discovery that help build the atmosphere, but it’s un-scary in the same way Gone Home is un-scary. Nothing’s going to jump out and chase you, but something strange happened in this place and you’re forced to both know that and still be there.
Blue Prince’s demo is currently available on Steam. I wonder if you’ll end up any clearer than me on what you think about it.
IGN’s Shadow of the Erdtree map is here! Ourinteractive Elden Ring DLC map tracks every boss in the Land of Shadow, so you know exactly where to go to defeat them. The best part? It doesn’t just show regular bosses: you’ll also find locations for Invasions, Legendary Bosses, and more.
Note that our Shadow of the Erdtree interactive map isn’t 100% complete yet, but our guides team is working hard to ensure new content is added as quickly as possible, so don’t forget to check back!
Shadow of the Erdtree Scadutree Fragment Locations
If you’re struggling with a boss fight in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, it’s highly beneficial to collect Scadutree Fragments. These increase your Scadutree Blessing level, which, in turn, increases your attack and your damage negation stats.
Our Shadow of the Erdtree interactive map shows the exact locations of Scadutree Fragments, so you know exactly where to go to buff yourself and increase your chance of surviving those challenging boss fights – the Elden Ring DLC is full of ’em!
Meg Koepp is a Guides Editor on the IGN Guides team, with a focus on trends. When she’s not working, you can find her adventuring around Eorzea in Final Fantasy XIV.
The developer of Witcher 3 has congratulated the developer of Elden Ring after the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion overtook Blood and Wine to become the best-reviewed expansion ever.
At the time of this article’s publication, Shadow of the Erdtree has a Metascore of 95, whereas Witcher 3 expansion Blood and Wine currently sits on a Metascore of 92.
IGN’s Shadow of the Erdtree review returned a 10/10. We said: “Like the base game did before it, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree raises the bar for single-player DLC expansions. It takes everything that made the base game such a landmark RPG, condenses it into a relatively compact 20-25 hour campaign, and provides fantastic new challenges for heavily invested fans to chew on.”
Blood and Wine, which came out in 2016, got a 9/10. We said: “Geralt gets a fitting sendoff in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine, courtesy of a strong cast and new items.”
In a tweet, CD Projekt congratulated Elden Ring developer FromSoftware for the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, and even pointed to its own staff preparing for its release today, June 21.
“For the last eight years, The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine had the honor of being the best reviewed expansion for a role-playing game,” CD Projekt said, “but @ELDENRING gets to wear that crown now. Congratulations to the entire team at @fromsoftware_pr on their stellar work!”
Here’s a live view of REDs this week trying to prepare for Shadow of the Erdtree. pic.twitter.com/Ixb3rxrpyZ
The tweet about CD Projekt staff preparing for the release of Shadow of the Erdtree is of course in relation to the requirements that must be met in order to access the expansion within the base game — players must tick off a handful of obscure feats beforehand, including beating an optional boss.
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.
Someone has made a mod for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt which replaces beloved horse companion Roach with a vicious fiend for Geralt to ride around The Continent.
Nexus Mods user apokryphos created the Rideable Fiend Mount mod, which does exactly what it says on the tin, letting monster and monster hunter team up to take on the world. What’s more, the fiend even mimics Roach’s behaviour by backing Geralt up when not being ridden, and its savage swipes are a touch more effective than a horse kick.
Only a handful of Fiends exist in The Witcher 3 naturally, and the massive monsters are always a threat. “Fiends are walking mountains of muscle capped with horned, tooth-filled heads,” reads the in-game bestiary entry. “When possible they avoid humans, but when not possible, they kill them, and without much difficulty.”
CD Projekt Red announced REDkit in November 2023, saying “it will allow you to create your own experiences in the game by making something completely new or editing existing quests and content.” Fans are still getting to grips with the new tools, and while full expansion-like mods are likely on the way, smaller projects have so far seen the likes of this and a miniature remake of the original Witcher game release.
A Red Faction sequel was in the works at the Embracer-owned developer of Galaxy On Fire and Chorus before it was hit by layoffs, according to a new report.
Rock, Paper Shotgun reported that Fishlabs, bought by controversial video game group Embracer in 2018, was working on a sci-fi Metroidvania and had built a “visual prototype” for a brand new Red Faction game before both projects were canceled and their developers laid off in 2023.
Critics praised that game for its huge open world and, in particular, impressive destruction-based gameplay that saw players smash up buildings with a sledgehammer. A sequel, Red Faction: Armageddon, followed in 2011, but sales were poor and then-publisher THQ canceled further follow-ups. Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered, a remaster of Guerrilla, launched in 2019.
Unfortunately, despite the pitches to Plaion, this new Red Faction was not greenlit, and in November last year it was canceled outright. According to RPS, Fishlabs studio leadership were told to lay off almost everyone not attached to an active game project, resulting in 50 job losses. The RPS article is well worth a read if you want some insight into what it was like working at an Embracer-owned studio in 2023.
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.
Beyond Good & Evil 2 is considered vaporware by many fans after an incredible 16 years since it was announced back in 2008. Despite Ubisoft’s many vague references to it being still alive, no video game has materialized thus far.
But this week’s announcement of Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition has sparked renewed hope that Beyond Good & Evil 2 is real and may even be re-revealed sooner rather than later. This remaster includes a brand new mission in which players can discover mode about Jade’s past and collective exclusive cosmetic rewards.
Crucially, Ubisoft included a note to press that this new mission “also reveals more about the narrative link to Beyond Good & Evil 2, showing Ubisoft’s enduring commitment to the franchise.”
That line strongly suggests Beyond Good & Evil 2 is not just still alive but closer than ever to launch. The question of course will be what form the game takes, given how many times development has stopped and started over the years. At E3 2017, Ubisoft revealed what looked like an incredibly ambitious project, promising a multi-planet world populated by dynamically-generated characters.
In the meantime, Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition launches June 25 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Amazon Luna and PC through the Ubisoft Store, Epic Games Store and Steam, with a physical version courtest of Limited Run Games out July 12. It features the aforementioned new mission, an anniversary gallery, a re-orchestrated soundtrack, support of up to 60FPS, and other “exclusive new content.”
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.
Minecraft developer Mojang has released a native PlayStation 5 version in preview form, bringing the game in-line with the Xbox Series X and S version.
The PS5 version adds native 4K resolution support and higher settings for render distances and anti-aliasing, settings already available in Minecraft on Xbox Series X and S. Unfortunately, there’s no word on the addition of ray tracing to either the Xbox Series X or PS5 versions, despite Microsoft teasing the tech years ago.
The first preview of the native PS5 version of Minecraft is available now for testing. If you own the PlayStation 4 version for your PS5, you can test this early version by heading to Settings and then Preview within the game. This preview includes the new Tricky Trials update, but multiplayer is only possible between other players on PlayStation 4 and 5. The exception to this is playing the preview on Realms, which allows you to cross-play with players on other devices. This preview version does not have access to the Minecraft Store.
Explaining the decision to release a native PS5 version in a blog post, Mojang said “we’ll be able to make the game run more effectively on the PS5’s hardware.”
Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time with an incredible 300 million copies sold since its early access release in 2009. 15 years later, Microsoft and Mojang have so far resisted the urge to release a sequel, and with good reason — in March last year Xbox boss Phil Spencer said Minecraft had 120 million monthly players.
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.
Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki is interested in developing a more traditional Japanese RPG, but if such a project does come to be, don’t expect it to be based on a select few past FromSoftware games.
The Dark Souls creator spoke about his desire to explore new gameplay styles during an interview with Rolling Stone. He explains he isn’t interested in leaving his own mark on many previous FromSoftware IP because series like Kings Field and Enchanted Arms are too connected to the work of other developers.
“I think a lot of these games are so intertwined with the directors who almost invented that style of game,” he said.
“I don’t think there’s a scenario where I myself would make a King’s Field. The same can be said about Otogi and Enchanted Arms.
Miyazaki continued: “I don’t think there’s a scenario where I myself would make a King’s Field. The same can be said about Otogi and Enchanted Arms.”
The one exception to this rule is the Armored Core series. Miyazaki served as a planner on Armored Core: Last Raven and chipped in for other games in the franchise, too. As a result, he feels equipped to potentially return to that universe.
“I worked on Armored Core 4 and Armored Core: For Answer,” he added. “It enabled me to put my own interpretation on Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon and develop that.”
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.
Finally, fellow Tarnished, we’ve reached the day of days—launch o’clock for Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. By now, you would have seen our IGN review for this phenomenal 10/10 masterpiece of a DLC that almost feels like a sequel in its own right. Which, let’s be honest, is what you love to hear about a bit of add-on content that’s very reasonably priced.
Another thing many of us love to hear: a touchstone gaming event like this, that’s garnered almost universal praise, has been suitably celebrated with a whizbang edition for diehards. FromSoftware has indeed taken that route with the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Collector’s Edition, a not inexpensive bit of kit that we’ll be unboxing and tracking bargains for in a moment. (While stocks last, and hopefully before the scalpers descend, like a horde of head sucking leeches with arms.)
And now, without further ado, let’s get you sorted for prices on this rock solid contender for GOTY 2024. Or, possibly, DLCOTY 2024.
Best Shadow of the Erdtree Standard Prices
– Buy Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree digital on Steam – $59.95
– Buy Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Edition digital on Steam – $119.95
Best Shadow of the Erdtree Collector’s Prices
– Buy a PC edition direct from Bandai Namco – $449.95
Shadow of the Erdtree Collector’s Unboxing
Truth be told, I’ve been all the way through Shadow of the Erdtree already, and I know the subject of this Collector’s Edition like the back of my Malenia’s Gauntlet. Posterboy of the entire DLC and star of at least one lead-up trailer, Messmer the Impaler, is a foe that is both eye-catching in his design and lifebar-destroying in his merciless onscreen assaults.
The Elden Ring universe is chock full of memorable boss battles and bad-ass beasties—Messmer deserves his place both at the top of the boss food chain and in that pool room display cabinet in your own castle.
His Poke-ness rests entombed within a Collector’s Edition box that’s coated in runes and measures 20x27x38 cm. Breaking the seal on this prison reveals a range of items besides Messmer which should be quickly scooped up into your inventory.
The full list includes:
Shadow of the Erdtree DLC code (no base game)
Exclusive hardcover art book
Digital soundtrack
Preorder Bonus Gesture
With regards to the artbook, it’s a high-quality visual odyssey into some parts of the Shadow Realm that I, honestly, still have PTSD from. Wonderful tourist destinations that are to die for, like the Ancient Ruins of Rauh, the Hinterlands, and the always breathtaking Cerulean Coast. They’re all locales you’ll soon come to fear as well as swoon over.
Speaking of swooning, let’s cut to the main event—that 46cm Messmer the Impaler figurine. For reasons unknown (to me at least) Messmer is an especially lanky sort who would always get selected first in a pick up game of Shadow Realms b-ball. Our boy will tower impressively over the 23cm Malenia figure that came with the original Elden Ring Collector’s Edition, if you’re lucky enough to own that as well.
The visage on display here is one of tall, dark, and gruesome. Messmer is nothing less than a conversation piece, with topic at hand being Well, How On Earth Does One Kill This Bastard? That information I do in fact know, thanks to many an attempt plus trial and error, but I’ll leave you all to discover it yourself.
Starting at the head of the snake (so to literally speak), Messmer has an open faced helm that provides more than adequate protection from Fire, Lightning, and other projectiles covered in your average OH&S guide book. I also love the detailing on the snakes that adorn his crown, the dragon-esque winglets on the sides, and those Centurion galea face-guards.
When it comes to actual facial detail, this is a more than decent rendering of a fiercely brooding demigod. I particularly like the accurate portrayal of Messmer’s unearthly eyes—the same sort of peepers that dragons and runebears have in this universe, which suggests old mate has an ability to Dr. Doolittle with like-minded beasts.
Indeed, we’re already given that impression with the three slithery sidekicks that wind about our subject. One in particular hangs over his right shoulder, in proximity for a quick parseltongue chit-chat. All of these are recreated from the in-game asset that I’m intimately familiar with—particularly the little winglets that protrude from those little death noodles. I’ll not reveal why they’re going to be bad news for you…
When it comes to finery, Mr.’ Snake Hips Himself is draped in the imaginatively named Messmer’s Armor (which, pro tip: provides especially good damage negation to Lightning and Fire, but isn’t the best against Slash). The blood red cloak that furls out dramatically in-game has been recreated quite nicely here in the physical realm. Only Batman rocks a cape with more pizazz than this guy. And when it comes to the fine fur detailing on the cloak edges, John Wayne ain’t got nothing on our fringe game.
Beneath that battle drape is a finely detailed chainmail curiass with additional material accents around the hips. Incidentally, it’s a theme that all the cool kids are wearing in the Shadow Keep this season—you’ll soon meet a cadre of Fire Knights, Messmer loyalists who ape their bosses style without exceeding it. Because upstagers probably get impaled in that workplace.
Moving below the equator, we’re hiding our modesty today with the Roman-esque Messmer Greaves. These are essentially wrapped leather shingards that conjoin with a pair of open toe sandals. Every little pig is accounted for and clearly Messmer has gone with open toe as a means to keep cooler—overheating can and will occur when you’re a pyromaniac who spews flames and ground-pounding explosions all day long.
Last but not least, and speaking of flambe, this figurine is dominated by the presence of the Spear of the Impaler. Long enough to be God’s own letter-opener and devilishly OP enough to be Satan’s favourite pitchfork, this weapon is indeed a 1:1 replica of the in-game stick that jabbed me into a ‘You Died’ many a time.
The intricate (faux) metal work that makes up the crossguard is impressive, as is the detailing of the mid-shaft handle that reveals the true nature of this stick. Yep, this Great Spear is just as much a throwable javelin as it is a CQC shanker. The only thing that could have made it more authentic would be a hint of flame at the business end—because this stick can be made to explode if you have the mind to R2 charge it up.
At the end of the unbox, what we have here is more authenticity than you can poke a red hot stick at. If you want to adorn your game cave with a stark reminder of how many times you had your butt handed to you by Messmer the Impaler, there is no finer way to do it. (And that includes this Messmer Helmet replica that I feel caters more to the cashed-up cosplay crowd.)
Essentially, I think the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Collector’s Edition can stand proud and tall alongside FromSoftware’s many other premium figurines, like this especially dashing Dark Souls 3 one.
If Hidetaka Miyazaki speaks true, Erdtree might well be the last piece of the Elden universe we’ll get to experience. I’m certain, then, in the years to come that my eyes will wander over to this figurine and remember back to the great struggle that was. With a thousand-yard stare. As Adagio For Strings plays.
Thanks to Bandai Namco AU for providing a unit for photography purposes.
