CD Projekt Red is rolling out the 4.02 update patch for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, bringing in sweeping quality-of-life changes for the PC, PlayStation and Xbox versions.
The 4.02 patch notes, which the Polish game studio published on Monday, detail different bug fixes within the game depending on the platform you play it on. However, the most important part is that the update has improved the game’s overall stability and performance.
In the PC version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the patch has improved CPU core utilization in the DX 12 version and restored horizon-based ambient occlusion. It also includes fixes for other bugs including the “My Rewards” section not being localized in the REDlauncher; the landscape in Toussaint flickering when Nvidia HairWorks is disabled; and the game temporarily stuttering as a result of particle optimization.
On both the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, the patch improves Performance Mode and the alleviates the crashes that occur when Geralt runs away from Shani after initiating dialogue in the “Whatsoever a Man Soweth…” quest. It also fixes bugs that have been popping up on individual consoles, incuding crashes that have been occurring as a result of memory usage while using ray tracing on Xbox Series X, and blurry characters in the PS5 version.
The 4.02 patch also placed some nifty optical improvements across all platforms, including added refraction to SSR and ray-traced reflections on water for improved immersion and a Motion Blur slider.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was ported over to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on December 14, 2022, bringing new outfits and a quest inspired by the Netflix series. Five new games in The Witcher series are currently in the works.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is Nintendo’s first $70 game, and Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser has shared why Nintendo chose to raise the price of this specific Nintendo Switch title.
“We look at what the game has to offer,” Bowser told AP News in a recent interview. “I think fans will find this is an incredibly full, deeply immersive experience. The price point reflects the type of experience that fans can expect when it comes to playing this particular game. This isn’t a price point that we’ll necessarily have on all our titles. It’s actually a fairly common pricing model either here or in Europe or other parts of the world, where the pricing may vary depending on the game itself.”
Bowser’s statement echoes what Nintendo has previously said on the matter. Shortly after revealing Zelda’s $70 price tag, Nintendo confirmed that it determines “the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis.”
Tears of the Kingdom is currently the only $70 game on Nintendo’s publishing slate, as the upcoming Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon and Advance Wars 1+2: Reboot Camp are listed for $60. Even Pikmin 4 — which launches after Nintendo launches Zelda at $70, will retail for $60.
Nintendo is still keeping most details about the Breath of the Wild sequel under wraps. The latest trailer (which was revealed alongside a Collector’s Edition and amiibo) showed new vehicles and enemy types, but we’ve still seen very little of the game that’s now less than two months away. The game is surely packed with secrets and content, given the $70 price tag and the fact that it has the largest file size of any first-party Switch game.
While fans are hoping Nintendo will spill the beans soon, Zelda won’t be at PAX East later this week. Nintendo confirmed to the Boston Herald that while Nintendo will have a presence at the show, ““The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will not be shown at PAX East 2023.” Instead, it’s likely that Nintendo will bring March’s Bayonetta Origins or April’s Advance Wars remake to the event.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
Professor Layton is making his grand return to Nintendo consoles in Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, and Level 5 has revealed that his trusty assistant, Luke Triton, is coming back too.
The trailer begins with a voiceover from Luke, who’s writing a letter to Professor Layton. The trailer reveals that it’s been one year since Luke parted ways with Layton at the end of 2010’s Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, and that he’s settled into his new life in America.
Luke is writing to the Professor because of something “deeply puzzling” that’s “tailor made for Professor Layton and his apprentice.” The trailer then shows Layton flying to a very steampunk inspired town called Steam Bison to reunite with Luke.
The dynamic between Professor and apprentice might be slightly different in The New World of Steam, as Luke has started to make a name for himself in America, while Layton is just an anonymous gentleman.
Professor Layton and the New World of Steam is the tenth entry in the Layton franchise, and the eighth starring Hershel Layton himself. We haven’t seen the good professor in a starring role since 2014’s crossover with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.
The last proper Layton game was Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy, which was a 3DS release in 2017 and a Switch port in 2019. We’re still waiting to hear a release date for Professor Layton and the New World of Steam.
After years of absence from the western market, Level 5 came back in a big way in the latest Nintendo Direct, revealing Professor Layton, a Fantasy Life sequel, and new IP Decapolice. The company is also working on new Inazuma Eleven and Megaton Musashi titles.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
Here’s some good news for anyone who’s not wild about spending $70 on a video game. The new 2023 remake of Dead Space is on sale for PS5 for $49.99. That’s $20 off the standard retail price, and a much easier pick up for anyone who didn’t want to drop major cash on a remastered version of an (admittedly excellent) game they’ve already played. The Xbox Series X version is also on sale, but for $54.99 for some reason.
Dead Space 2023 is a remake of the 2008 original that came out for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Like its predecessor, it’s a single-player survival horror game that puts you in the boots of an engineer named Isaac Clarke. You unfortunately find yourself on a derelict mining space ship that’s been overrun by violent (and terrifying!) beasts called Necromorphs.
Thankfully you have access to a series of mining tools that act as weapons that do a good job of slicing the enemies limb from limb. You can also upgrade them along with your armor to make yourself into a potent Necromorph-killing machine. It’s all good fun.
From our Dead Space review: “With its stunningly redesigned spaceship, smartly and subtly enhanced story, and spectacularly reimagined action scenes, Motive Studio has managed to successfully breathe new life into the seminal sci-fi horror universe of Dead Space.”
This is the first discount we’ve seen so far on Dead Space, and it’s a pretty good one. I for one feel a lot better paying $50 or $55 for this remake than I would dropping a full $70 for it. It’s a superb remake by all accounts (including our 9/10 review), but the main story takes roughly 12 hours to beat, so this sale price just feels more reasonable. If you haven’t picked it up yet, now is a good time to take a trip on the USG Ishimura. Just don’t forget your plasma cutter.
Chris Reed is a deals expert and commerce editor for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed or on Mastodon @chrislreed.
Magic: The Gathering has been doing a lot of Universes Beyond crossovers, from Warhammer 40,000 to Street Fighter, but its next might be one of the most exciting yet. The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth will be a full, draftable card set legal for play in Magic’s Modern format. We have an exclusive look at the first cards to be revealed from it, including both Gandalf the Grey and The One Ring itself, as well as some insight from the team at Wizards of the Coast.
Watch the reveal video above or flip through the gallery below to see for yourself:
Illustrated by Veli Nystrom, The One Ring is a 4-mana legendary artifact that’s indestructible and gives you protection from everything until your next turn – as long as you cast it, that is, so no shenanigans where you can blink it for endless protection here. The One Ring also taps to draw you cards at the cost of life later. The more times you tap it, the more cards you will draw, but also the more damage you will take at the start of your next turn, which seems like a delightfully flavorful way to express the tempting but costly power of using The Ring. I also like the idea that not using it doesn’t actually stop you from taking damage each turn… so after all, why shouldn’t you tap it again?
On a lighter note, a cycle of full art basic lands will feature art from different sections of Middle-earth’s iconic map. Art Director Ovidio Cartagena tells me this was one of their very first ideas for the set, saying “Middle-earth has such a specific geography, and it is of course one of the genius details of storytelling that influenced a lot of subsequent works in fantasy and science fiction. That approach told us not only the challenges and natural obstacles the Fellowship had to traverse in this story, but also is linked to the rich and mythic history of Arda in the previous ages. Making those maps as full art lands compliments the card illustrations to create an immersive experience for players.” The artist for these lands, Devin Rue, may also be a familiar name to any Critical Role fans, as they create the maps of Exandria for that show as well.
The showcase frame is meant to express what happens “inside” the Ring.
The last new card we get to reveal is Gandalf the Grey, who you might notice is actually blue-red. That certainly caught me off guard initially, but it does make sense in the context of Magic, where Wizards are mostly commonly represented in the blue-red color pair. Illustrated by Aaron Miller, Gandalf the Grey is a 5-mana legendary Avatar Wizard, and in typical red-blue fashion, it triggers whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell. That ability lets you pick once from four different effects: tapping or untapping a permanent, dealing 3 damage to each opponent, copying an instant or sorcery, or (presumably your last choice) putting Gandalf back on top of your deck.
You may also notice the rather prominent glowing sword in Gandalf’s hand, which Vice President of Game Design Aaron Forsythe confirmed is his signature weapon, Glamdring, with Cartagena teasing that “I think fans are going to be pleasantly surprised to find many of their favorite artifacts from Lord of the Rings in the card set.” No word on whether or not Glamdring might get an equipment card of its own or anything, but he did tell me that they had a lot of fun coming up with new interpretations of the legendary objects from the War of the Ring and keeping them consistently recognizable throughout the set.
We also got a glimpse of Gandalf’s epic confrontation with the Balrog on Anato Finnstark’s art for the showcase ring treatment of Gandalf the Grey. Not so much of a triumphant portrait, Cartagena says the circular shape of this set’s showcase frame is meant to express what happens “inside” the Ring, saying it symbolizes “the power that the quest for the One Ring can have in the different characters’ internal struggles.”
While that’s it for new cards, we were also given a first look at another of Gandalf’s incarnations as the much more stern Gandalf the White. Now I genuinely don’t know anything else about the card, but I’m certainly getting some (purely speculative) planeswalker vibes from Magali Villeneuve’s shining rendition. Gandalf also has a third card in the previously shown art for Gandalf, Friend of the Shire – when I asked Cartagena why Gandalf had so many renditions in the set, he told me that it gives them an opportunity to explore the character more, and that “Tolkien’s rich storytelling allowed us to explore how Gandalf (and others) present themselves to different allies and at different times throughout the story.”
If you’re hungry for more, you won’t have to wait long, as a WeeklyMTG livestream on Tuesday, March 10 at 10am PT will have further details and reveals from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (which is available for pre-order now). In the meantime you can read my full Q&A with Wizards of the Coast down below, or if want to see some more fancy showcase versions of cards from Magic’s most recent set, you can watch me unbox the Phyrexia: All Will Be One Compleat Edition bundle.
IGN: With all the past Universes Beyond cards, you’ve been able to bring the exact likenesses of iconic characters or actors into Magic: The Gathering’s art style, but this set is a bit different. What were some of the challenges of making new interpretations of characters that fans may be familiar with some other version of, and how did you go about making them recognizable but still your own?
Ovidio Cartagena, Art Director: There have been many interpretations and likenesses for the characters in The Lord of the Rings throughout the years. The fanbase for this world has only grown in the last two decades, and this version seeks to reflect that growth. The main challenge was balancing the familiarity, timelessness, and deep reverence of the original Lord of the Rings with a modern sensibility. The Lord of the Rings is about the different peoples of Middle-earth coming together to fight Sauron, finding strength in their diversity. We worked really closely with the dedicated people at Middle-earth Enterprises to reflect that sensibility while staying true to the original vision, and it was certainly a challenge to strike the right balance. I believe what the teams have delivered not only walks that line well, but creates a deep, immersive experience that fans of both Magic and The Lord of the Rings will love.
“Gandalf the Grey is the quintessential fantasy wizard”
Okay, I am going to address the elephant in the room: Gandalf the Grey is blue-red! I imagine it’s tricky to design a card for a notable character with a color in their name, as well as to make art that then still has to show all those colors. Could you tell me a bit about why he is blue-red and how it affected his look?
Aaron Forsythe, Vice President of Game Design: It is true that certain color words in characters’ names can complicate design decisions just because those words have such powerful associations in Magic. But thankfully, “grey” is not one such word! There are actually several versions of Gandalf in the set (including Gandalf the White, whose color identity will not surprise you), and we show him at different points throughout the story by making him different colors. Gandalf the Grey is the quintessential fantasy wizard, so it made sense for his card design to be blue-red as those are the colors that do the most “wizardy” things in-game. As for how that color choice influenced his art, we did ask for his sword, Glamdring, to have bluish energy, and the setting of Moria lends a red glow to everything. Aaron Miller did a great job infusing those colors into the piece while leaving his costuming the traditional grey that is so iconic for Gandalf.
Cartagena: Gandalf’s sword Glamdring was something we thought about from very early on in the creative visual process. I think fans are going to be pleasantly surprised to find many of their favorite artifacts from Lord of the Rings in the card set.
Was it fun to get to design your own takes on famous Lord of the Rings weapons or artifacts like The One Ring in addition to their wielders?
Cartagena: Of course! In order to have storytelling in the illustrations, objects had to be consistently recognizable throughout. The process of designing weapons, equipment, armor and of course characters was very fun! For decades, many of us have been imagining different ways the legendary objects from the War of the Ring could be depicted. We had that in mind from the very beginning of concept art creation, and it was very interesting seeing the various proposals artists made.
Can you tell me about what led you to this look for the showcase frame and why it was ultimately the right one?
Cartagena: In early conversations, we discussed the power that the One Ring would have over different characters in the story. The One Ring offers you conflict but also misleading promises. Tom Jenkot and his team came up with the awesome showcase treatment, with the circular shape expressing what happens “inside” the Ring, and of course symbolizing the power that the quest for the One Ring can have in the different characters’ internal struggles.
You’ve said there are actually at least three Gandalfs in this set (Gandalf the Grey, Gandalf the White, and Gandalf, Friend of the Shire). Why give him multiple cards, and how did you go about approaching the looks and designs of these cards differently?
Cartagena: As an artist and art director, having different Gandalfs in the set gives us a chance to further explore the character in his various presentations. Tolkien’s rich storytelling allowed us to explore how Gandalf (and others) present themselves to different allies and at different times throughout the story.
“We have been having fun pushing the envelope in creative ways”
Why did you decide to feature maps of Middle-earth on the full art lands for this set?
Cartagena: That is a great question! This was one of the very first ideas for the set, even before we had illustrations, and it came from our creative director, Jess Lanzillo. Middle-earth has such a specific geography, and it is of course one of the genius details of storytelling that influenced a lot of subsequent works in fantasy and science fiction. That approach told us not only the challenges and natural obstacles the Fellowship had to traverse in this story, but also is linked to the rich and mythic history of Arda in the previous ages. Making those maps as full art lands compliments the card illustrations to create an immersive experience for players. Those arts were commissioned by Sarah Wassell, who worked with Deven Rue on this treatment.
Is the fact that the Mountain has primarily green art rather than red a concern or a consideration at all when designing lands like this? I’m curious if your philosophy around land art color has evolved at all in recent years, as it seems like y’all have been having fun pushing the envelope.
Mike Turian, Product Architect: We have been having fun pushing the envelope in creative ways to show off our most fundamental piece of Magic, Basic Lands. Basics offer a great way to show off the creative setting and backgrounds of the world we are in. From Full-art Constellation lands highlighting the beauty of Theros to fun expressions of our Magic partnerships, such as the Godzilla basic lands, we are always looking for ways to bring the universe we are visiting to our players. With The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, we were inspired by the novels, to create our own maps of Middle-earth that blended the vast lands traversed by the Fellowship on their journey with our own Magic Basic Lands. To be authentic to what a map would look like, we choose colors that would most strongly resonate and then used our Magic frame and mana symbols to communicate gameplay information.
Tom Marks is IGN’s Deputy Reviews Editor. He loves card games, puzzles, platformers, puzzle-platformers, and lots more.
Resident Evil 4: Remake’s demo has a secret cheat code that lets players unlock the demo-exclusive brutal Mad Chainsaw difficulty.
As shown by Jigzaw Killer on YouTube, players must go to the main menu in the demo with the “Main Story” choice highlighted. Then, hold L1 and R1 and press up, left, down, right, Square, Triangle, Circle, X, X on PlayStation, or hold LB and RB and press up, left, down, right, X, Y, B, A, A on Xbox. This will bring up the option to select Mad Chainsaw difficulty mode for the playthrough.
Before this cheat was discovered, Mad Chainsaw difficulty only appeared to unlock by chance, as the game would said: “You must wait until Mad Chainsaw Mode is triggered again for subsequent attempts.” This difficulty increases enemy damage and health, as well as changes their placements in the game and makes them even more aggressive.
Additionally, the chainsaw-wielding Dr. Salvador will come equipped with a flaming chainsaw this time around. There are also no checkpoints, so if players die during this playthrough it’s a complete game over.
The difficulty option might keep fans entertained until Resident Evil 4: Remake launches on March 24. Though the game is fully single player, Capcom has announced that it’s working on a Day One patch to improve the game’s rain effects that fans found to be too distracting.
In IGN’s Resident Evil 4 remake preview, we said: “It was always going to be hard for any newer game in the series to experience quite the same technical jump that the Resident Evil 2 remake did. But so far Capcom seems to be making smart choices in what it iterates on for Resident Evil 4. It feels as if it’s trying to find that perfect balance between tribute and innovation.”
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He’s been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.
When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey
Mario Day may have passed, but many of the deals are carrying on. One of its best this year was the Nintendo Switch Mario ‘Choose One Bundle’, which you can still access! For $299.99, the bundle includes both the Mario Red console and a Mario game of your choice. In regard to the latter, your choices include Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, or New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. Below, you can see links to where each of these bundles can still be purchased.
Nintendo Switch Mario ‘Choose One Bundle’ for $299.99
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Ticket Pre-Sale
In the spirit of Mario beyond Mario Day, there are still several more deals to check out (including a new LEGO Super Mario Dry Bowser Castle Battle expansion set), but more importantly, The Super Mario Bros. Movie tickets are up for pre-sale. If you’re looking to pick up tickets for Nintendo and Illumination’s upcoming film (which releases on April 5), head to the link below to reserve them.
This is an excellent time to pick up a Nintendo Switch, especially with games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on the horizon, which you can preorder here. You can also pick up the physical version of Metroid Prime Remastered for the Switch and see a full list of other upcoming Nintendo Switch games for this year here.
If you want to see even more gaming deals outside of what Nintendo has to offer, make sure to visit our Daily Deals page to see everything from sales on Dead Space Remake to what’s in Capcom’s sale. The latter features a sale on Resident Evil Village as well, which is the latest mainline Resident Evil game and worth adding to your collection before Resident Evil 4 Remake releases on March 24.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.
Warning: Full spoilers ahead for episode 8 of HBO’s The Last of Us.
HBO’s The Last of Us episode 9 has arrived and we finally get to see the conclusion to the first series. But how close does the show compare to the game?
To help answer this question, we’ve gathered images from episode 9 of HBO’s The Last of Us and put them next to stills from Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us game to see how faithful the adaptation is. Check out the slideshow, or watch the video above to see the scenes from both the show and the game in action.
In our The Last of Us episode 9 review, we said “The season one finale of HBO’s The Last of Us is a thrillingly faithful adaptation of one video games’ greatest endings, even if it doesn’t pack quite the same punch as the original. Pedro Pascal excels in Joel’s defining moment, displaying both the tenderness and brutality we’ve come to expect from Ellie’s protector. Wonderfully shot and hauntingly soundtracked, it’s an ending that will long linger in the memory of those first experiencing it, and one that ultimately sticks the landing on the comparatively shorter runway that’s been built for it..”
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the season finale, executive producer and Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann put those concerns to rest, saying he and showrunner Craig Mazin want to make Season 2 with Ramsey at the forefront.
“When we made the game, I felt we were incredibly lucky,” Druckmann said. “It was like lightning in the bottle that we found Ashley Johnson. I can’t imagine that version of Ellie being anybody else. And then somehow we got lightning in the bottle again with Bella.
“We are extremely lucky to have Bella and the stuff you saw throughout this entire season. The only way we would ever, ever consider recasting Bella is if she said, ‘I don’t want to work with you guys anymore.’ Even then, I’m not sure we would grant her that. We might still force her to come back to Season 2.”
Mazin shared Druckman’s enthusiasm for Ramsey’s Ellie, and he also pointed out that “[Ramsey]’s 19 now, which — by the way — is the age of Ellie in The Last of Us Part II.”
The structure and story of Season 2 are a bit of a mystery right now. Mazin has previously said that Part II is “more than a season’s worth of television, for sure,” implying they could split up the sequel into at least two seasons. Plus, the non-linear timeline of Part II’s storytelling could be presented in multiple ways.
Season 1 also routinely altered story beats from the game, most notably drastically shaking up Bill and Frank’s love story. Mazin is setting similar expectations for Season 2, saying some moments could be “radically” different than what players experienced in The Last of Us Part II.
“[Season 2] will be different just as this season was different,” Mazin said. “Sometimes it will be different radically, and sometimes it [won’t] be fairly different at all, but it’s going to be different. It will be its own thing. It won’t be exactly like the game. It will be the show that Neil and I want to make, but we are making it with Bella.”
For more, check out our The Last of Us season finale review, which we called, “a thrillingly faithful adaptation of one video games’ greatest endings, even if it doesn’t pack quite the same punch as the original.”
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
Editor’s Note: The war in Ukraine is an ongoing, painful and emotive topic. IGN urges community members to be respectful when engaging in conversation around this subject and does not endorse harassment of any kind.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl developer GSC Game World has revealed it was hacked by a group on a Russian social network.
On Twitter, the GSC Game World team posted a statement about the hack, explaining what happened and revealing that the studio has faced cyberattacks since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“Recently, our employee’s account for a collective work-with-images application was hacked,” GSC Game World wrote. “The responsibility for this was claimed by a community from a Russian social network. They are threatening to use the data obtained for blackmail and intimidation.
— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) March 12, 2023
“This is not the first attempt to hack and leak our data, including personal information. We have been enduring constant cyberattacks for more than a year now. We have faced blackmail, acts of aggression, hacks, attempts to hurt players and fans, and efforts to damage the development process or the reputation of our company.”
GSC Game World is asking fans to “refrain from watching or distributing information” about STALKER 2 in the event of any leaks. The studio said that outdated and work-in-progress materials are not representative of the final product.
Elsewhere in the statement, GSC Game World also reiterated its “unwavering commitment to supporting” Ukraine, adding that “attempt to blackmail or intimidate us are completely futile.” Finally, the team expressed its appreciation for the STALKER 2 community, ending by saying, “Your support is our inspiration.”
The Ukrainian studio has been very vocal about the ongoing war in its home country. When development was sidelined due to the conflict, GSC Game World said work on the game would continue “after the victory.”
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
