One of Bungie’s defining first-person shooter projects is coming to Steam in the form of Classic Marathon.
It’s an unexpected revival that exists thanks to the community-driven development team at Aleph One Developers. The Steam port is said to bring the sci-fi FPS to players without tarnishing its original look and feel while still providing new features like optional widescreen HUD support, 3D filtering/perspective, positional audio, and 60+ fps interpolation.
Bungie took to X/Twitter to formally reveal the new Classic Marathon Steam page.
Somewhere in the Heavens…
Thanks to the amazing Aleph One community, the Classic Marathon trilogy is coming to Steam. Wishlist today, and prepare for your journey back to Tau Ceti.
“Alien forces have boarded the colony ship UESC Marathon in the Tau Ceti system, in orbit around humanity’s first interstellar colony,” the Classic Marathon Steam description says. “The situation is dire, and as a security officer assigned to the Marathon, your duty is to defend the ship and its crew from the alien threat.”
The original Marathon launched for Mac in the mid-‘90s, and while it was eventually overshadowed in the public eye by projects like Halo and Destiny, it still remains as an important milestone for Bungie. It also went on to receive two sequels in Marathon 2: Durandal and Marathon Infinity, though there’s no word on if they will get the Classic treatment, too.
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.
After a few weeks in Steam beta, Bethesda Game Studios has released the next update for Starfield across all platforms, with one change addressing the Security minigame.
As detailed in a new blog post, everything in the beta update remains the same in the full version. While we previously pointed out the changes to photo mode and one particular quest missing a key NPC, causing some not to finish the mission, one big change in Update 1.10.31 addresses a tweak in the Security minigame.
Starfield has a lockpicking minigame where you must fit several pieces together to fill holes. These locks can be found throughout the game, notably in safes or computer terminals. Often, this minigame includes valuable loot, such as weapons and credits.
While my colleague Dan Stapleton wrote in his review of Starfield that it might “be the best unlocking minigame [he’s] ever seen in an RPG,” other players criticized the minigame, particularly how you lose a Digipick as a penalty for pressing “Undo” to correct a mistake.
On easier locks, this isn’t quite so bad. But when you’re low on Digipicks (which you need to play the minigame) and are doing one of the higher-difficulty locks, as seen in the screenshot below, making even a small mistake with few Digipicks can be heartbreaking. Some players have even turned to mods to simplify the minigame prior to the release of Update 1.10.31.
You can check out the full patch notes below.
Starfield Update 1.10.31 Patch Notes
Features
PHOTOMODE: Added the ability to set Expressions and Poses on player and companions in Photomode.
SCANNER: You can now open doors and harvest with the scanner opened.
Setting course on an inactive quest will now make it the active quest.
Added support for adjusting FOV when using 3rd Person Ship view.
Added an Anisotropic filtering quality slider (PC).
Removed the digipick cost for using Undo during the Security mini-game.
Added an autosave when fast travelling from a planet’s surface to orbit.
Updated the Ship UI to perform more smoothly at higher framerates.
Fixes
Art
Fixed an area that allowed the player access to the New Atlantis Ship Technician’s vendor chest.Fixed the gap that allows players to access Spacesuits without picking locks of one of the Spacesuit display cases.
Fixed an issue that could cause the Fishworker Mask to not be visible when equipped.
Fixed a spot where the player could get out of the world on The Siren of the Stars.
Fixed a rare issue that could cause the player to remain stuck under an elevator.
Fixed a spot where the player could become stuck outside Hopetech.
Fixed flickering floors in the aquarium of a Research Station on Altair II.
Fixed the text on a sign from being cut off on The Key.
Corrected a sign found on The Key.
Adjusted the position of a floating speaker at the Nasa Launch Facility.
Fixed badly placed objects in the Paridiso Hotel.
Fixed a spot players can get stuck in the Lair of the Mantis.
Fixed a spot players can get stuck on top of a bookcase in Marco’s room.
Fixed a generator intersecting a railing on New Homestead.
Fixed disappearing objects on Starstation RE-939.
Fixed balloons that were stuck inside each other on the Siren of the Stars.
Fixed a spot where players could get stuck on a staircase in New Homestead.
Fixed flickering textures in the Vanguard Test Chamber.
Adjusted the position of some office objects on a desk in the Abandoned Hangar.
Fixed a spot where players could go through the wall in New Homestead.
Fixed a chair placement inside of Hopetech.
Fixed a spot where players could get stuck in Infinity LTD.
Fixed a chair stuck in the wall on the roof of Sonny Di Falco’s Island.
Fixed a spot where players could fall out of the world in the Autonomous Staryard.
Settled some floating items in the Argos Office of New Atlantis.
Fixed some decal placements in an Abandoned Hangar.
Fixed a spot where players could see outside the world in Red Devil Headquarters.
Fixed a spot where players could get stuck in Londinion.
Fixed a stool that couldn’t be sat on in the Red Mile.
Fixed a spot where players could get out of the world in the Red Devil Mines.
Fixed flickering mats in Neon.
Rotated a monitor to face the intended direction in the Deimos Staryard.
Fixed placement of some items in the Autonomous Dogstar Factory on Vega II-d.
Fixed a sign placement on Tau Gourmet.
Fixed a spot where players could get stuck near the Bayu Plaza of Neon.
Fixed a spot where player could get stuck underneath metal girders in Neon.
Rotated and electrical panel in a starstation.
Fixed disappearing decals on a wall in Research Outpost U3-09.
Fixed a chair placement that caused an intersection with a computer in a Mining Complex.
Fixed missing walls of the UC Syracuse.
Fixed floating whiteboard text inside Nishina Research Facility.
Fixed a disappearing paper on the wall of the Starstation RE-939.
Fixed a gap on the tarmac of Cydonia.
Fixed a spot where players could fall out of the world behind Chunks in New Atlantis.
Fixed storage bins intersecting at the Lair of the Mantis.
Fixed fire extinguishers stuck inside the wall of the Siren of the Stars.
Fixed flickering textures found on Mars Mech Factory.
Adjusted position of objects on shelves found in Gagarin.
Adjusted position of objects in the Akila City Barracks.
Settled a floating vent panel in the Infinity LTD HQ.
Adjusted position of objects on the Fortuna Spaceship.
Fixed a spot where players could get stuck on The Scow.
Fixed a spot where players could get stuck in the Vault of the Siren of the Stars.
Fixed a flickering sign found in Gagarin.
Fixed a disappearing note on a whiteboard found in a Fracking Station on Procyon V-B.
Fixed a disappearing painting found in The Lodge.
Fixed a spot where players could get stuck in the Bindi Mining Outpost.
Adjusted the position of shelves in The Emporium of Neon.
Fixed a flickering wall panel in the Deimos Staryard.
Fixed weapons placed incorrectly on a display case found in a Civilian Outpost.
Fixed object placement on shelves in Akila’s Stone root Inn.
Fixed decal issues on whiteboards placed in The Warlock ship.
Fixed shelves and objects placement in The Corvus.
Fixed items stuck inside shelves in Gagarin.
Fixed flickering textures found in New Homestead.
Fixed a texture on the tarmac of the Waggoner Farm.
Fixed a spot where players could get outside the world at the Bindi Mining Outpost.
Adjusted physics on objects found near Alex Shadid’s desk in Akila City.
Replaced a missing wall in Gagarin.
Fixed physics on some objects placed in New Homestead.
Fixed a spot where players could fall out of the world in a Science Outpost location.
Fixed an object stuck inside a shelf in MAST.
Fixed flickering posters found in The Vigilance.
Fixed item physics in cabinets found in Hopetech.
Fixed a spot where players could get stuck in The Lock.
Fixed a gap underneath the airlock door of a Science outpost on Magnar.
Fixed physics on the skull in the Coe Heritage Museum.
Fixed a decal texture on a table in The Lock.
Fixed a spot where players could see out of the World in The Lock.
Fixed physics on objects placed in The Emporium.
Fixed cabinets intersecting on Gagarin.
Fixed physics on the cabinets found at one of the United Colonies Garrison locations.
Fixed a gap in the ceiling of The Lock.
Fixed collision on the roof of the Pioneer Tower.
Fixed flickering windows at Terrabrew in New Atlantis.
Fixed collision on the floor in a Warehouse of Neon.
Fixed flickering posters in the Military Wing of MAST.
Smoothed out the collision near Madame Sauvage in Neon.
Fixed a spot in the Mercury Tower where players could fall outside the world.
Fixed disappearing decals outside the Astral Lounge.
Fixed disappearing vent frames in Neon.
Fixed a Fan position near the Xenofresh sign in Neon.
Fixed a shelf intersecting the wall near the UC Distribution.
Fixed a spot where players could get out of the world near the door of the Va’ruun Embassy.
Settled a floating rope near the Neon Landing Pad.
Fixed the collision on a wall in the Ryujin Industries Head Quarters.
Fixed spots where players could see outside the world near the pool of the Commercial District.
Fixed spots where players could see outside the world on the roofs of the Residential District in New Atlantis.
Fixed a spot where players could see outside the world under the MAST bridge in New Atlantis.
Rotated a monitor in the Stroud-Eklund Showroom.
Fixed a spot where players could fall out of the world near the Fishmonger in Neon.
Fixed a gap in the sidewalk and grass in New Atlantis.
Fixed multiple spots where players could see outside of the world on the roof of the Pioneer Tower.
Fixed a missing wall near the Pioneer Tower.
Fixed an issue where characters would suddenly disappear in the Neon elevator.
Fixed several spots where players could see out of the world in Neon.
Fixed the flickering computer monitors found in Apex Electronics.
Fixed a spot where players could see out of the world near the Pioneer tower in New Atlantis.
Fixed the netting from disappearing inside Neon at certain viewing angles.
Fixed flickering crates in Cydonia’s mine.
Fixed flickering textures in the corner of Bayu’s Penthouse bedroom.
Fixed gaps in the wall inside Galbank of New Atlantis.
Fixed a spot where players could see out of the world in the Trade Authority.
Fixed an area that a player could get out of the world in the Generdyne Industries.
Corrected a missing wall inside the Mercury Tower Lobby.
Fixed a backwards polygon floating outside a Warehouse in Neon.
Dropped a floating tree outside the entrance to the Lair of the Mantis.
Made it so a mineral resource can be properly harvested near Gagarin.
Settled a floating tree found near Remote Industrial Site locations.
Settled a floating rock arch near Industrial Mines.
Settled a floating tree to the ground at an Abandoned Farm location.
Fixed a spot where the player could get out of the world in a cave on Procyon I.
Improved LOD for Juniper trees.
Improved LOD for Fringe trees.
Improved LOD for Swamp Pods.
Improved LOD for Hickory trees.
Fixed a spot where the player could get outside of the world in a cave on Altair II.
Fixed a floating tree near the Lair of the Mantis.
Fixed an area that caused the player to see out of the world in the Mining Complex.
Fixed flickering bushes seen during Sam Coe’s Matter of the Hart quest scenes.
Settled a floating resource stone near Akila city.
Settled a floating stone near Gagarin’s Landing Pad.
Fixed an area that caused the player to fall out of the world near Gagarin.
Fixed floating fungus found on Procyon.
Settled floating stone arches near Gagarin.
Fixed a texture blend around one of the Wetland biomes.
Fixed textures on the leaves of the Sapling Trees.
Settled a floating rock near the Landing site on Toliman II-a.
Addressed texturing issues on various cave sections.
Fixed a few areas that caused the player to fall out of the world.
Fixed a spot where players could get stuck outside a mining complex.
Dropped a floating tree to the ground near Gagarin.
Fixed a spot where players could get stuck outside Cydonia.
Settled floating rocks to the ground around Eren’s Camp.
Fixed a spot in New Atlantis Spaceport where players could get stuck.
Fixed gaps in the caves that allowed visibility outside the playable space in underground caves.
Fixed texture issue on the landing pad of the Ranshaw Research Facility.
Settled a floating tree to the ground around the Dauntless Crash Site.
Fixed a flicker on the Quarantine Isolator.
Addressed flickering textures on the faucets in the Lock.
Adjusted Briggs pose when holding a weapon (The Showdown).
Adjusted assets for the “Living Outside Earth” airlock display (Revelation quest, NASA).
Fixed an issue that could cause the player to remain stuck when traversing the collapsed C Block hall near the Armory in The Lock.
Fixed an issue that could cause the player to become stuck between rocks near New Atlantis on Jemison.
Fixed an issue that could cause the player to become stuck inside the stairs that lead down to the Red Mile.
Fixed blast shield occasionally disappearing from landing pad near Nishina research station.
Fixed an issue that could cause the player to become stuck after falling down a tube in an Industrial Outpost.
Fixed a few landing areas (like Valerie’s Cache) that were too small for some ships.
Gameplay
Fixed an issue with ship power allocations decreasing unintentionally due to crew member bonuses.
Crew bonuses for ship weapon recharge times should now be applied as intended while in targeting mode.
Fixed an issue that could turn the player’s head to the left when sprinting in 3rd person.
Addressed an issue that could cause artifacts to become inaccessible if the player left their location for a long time without retrieving them.
Fixed an issue that could cause the player housing decoration to be lost when there is a state change in New Atlantis.
Resolved an issue where Sarah could appear non-interactable if she was assigned to a ship or outpost during a conversation with Walter in the Lodge.
Resolved an issue where the player could be affected by weather while inside.
Fixed an issue that could prevent the player from getting 100% completion for Niira’s planet survey.
Fixed an issue on Heinlein V-A’s moon, which could cause Chlorine gas vent deposits to be extremely rare.
Fixed an issue that could cause weather to occur on planets with no atmosphere.
Addressed an issue where EM damage wasn’t being applied as intended to robot enemies.
Resolved a rare issue where robots might not power down after using the “Disable Robot Workforce” option in a terminal.
Minibots should no longer appear to influence the Stealth Meter.
Boarding encounters should now have a better difficulty distribution.
Fixed an issue that prevented commandeering a smuggler Freestar Rambler after killing all of its crew.
Alien Reanimation now works on Aquatic and Flying creatures.
Resolved an issue that could sometimes prevent the player from turning invisible when using Void Form in 1st person.
Resolved a time scaling issue that could occur if Phased Time was used before waiting/resting.
Parallel Self clone should now have the ability to follow the player through load doors.
Sunless Space should now be able to deal critical damage.
Fixed an issue that could cause allied ships to become hostile when using Anti-grav field inside your ship.
Addressed an issue where using a power on a Terromorph in the Red Devil HQ could potentially free it.
Resolved an issue with Alien Reanimation which caused it to last longer than intended when used by another character.
Fixed an issue with the Scavenging Skill challenge not incrementing when weapon cases were looted.
Resolved an issue that could cause Missile Weapon Systems Rank 4 to not recharge as intended.
Fixed an issue with Rejuvenation FX remaining active.
Fixed an issue where the EM Weapon Systems skill challenge wasn’t tracking EM damage as intended.
Fixed an issue where Starborn ship weapons were not being improved by ship skills.
Fixed an issue with using the Boostpack in Zero-G Environments counting towards Weight Lifting skill challenge.
Fixed an issue where the Wellness skill did not apply actively when leveling up.
Fixed a rare issue where Neurostrikes could count a crowd character as a stunned enemy.
Fixed an issue with the Neurostrikes challenge progress causing it to be more difficult than intended after the first Rank.
Fixed a Rank 4 Concealment issue that briefly made the player undetectable.
Contraband is now removed when rejecting a previously accepted smuggling mission.
Addressed an issue that allowed attacking the assigned home ship to progresses ship weapon systems skills.
Fixed an issue where Mom and Dad could participate in different conversations with each other at the same time.
Fixed an issue that could allow unusable ammo to be placed in the world.
Fixed an issue where the boostpack could be incorrectly hidden when using boostpack skills.
Fixed an issue with damage scaling for critical damage after going through the Unity.
Fixed an issue that could cause the Coe Estate to be inaccessible for Sam’s Commitment after going through the Unity.
Water in wetlands biomes should now correctly spawn creatures for scanning.
Fixed an issue that could occasionally cause swimming creatures to fly above water or appear on land.
Fixed an issue where flying creatures could sometimes appear to fall slowly after being killed.
Addressed an issue where occasionally a character could clip through the ground when knocked down.
Fixed an issue that could cause unstable ragdolls on some mercenaries.
Resolved an issue that could cause a technician’s body to turn invisible if a manipulated character was instructed to inspect the corpse.
Fixed a rare issue that could cause a character to spin when exiting a seated position.
Fixed an issue that could cause dead characters on the Red Mile to be standing upright.
Characters should no longer share the same chair at the same time in The Rock.
Fixed issue that could cause characters to shift out of the world after entering certain poses.
Fixed various character head tracking issue that could make some scenes look inconsistent.
Reduced the frequency of stun attacks from the Elder Terrormorph during Hostile Intelligence.
Fixed an issue that could cause Terrormorphs to not properly ambush during some encounters.
Turrets in The Mantis Lair should no longer be invisible after leaving and returning after a long period of time.
Boarding Encounter objectives should now be cleared when fast traveling off the boarded ship via the Starmap.
Resolved an issue that could cause crosshairs to turn red during combat when not pointing at an enemy character.
Fixed Kodama weapon recoil inconsistency between 1st and 3rd person.
Resolved an issue where releasing aim while turning in 3rd person could automatically cause aiming to begin again.
Aiming through a scoped weapon while attempting to enter dialogue should no longer cause the weapon to become invisible.
Fixed an issue that could sometimes cause initial melee attacks to fail after immediately drawing the weapon.
Resolved an issue where the player could lose a large amount of Oxygen when using a Power Attack and blocking.
Resolved an issue with scopes appearing too low if used in 3rd person directly after landing on a new planet.
The Rattler should now use the correct reload animation in zero-g environments.
Resolved an issue with the Frenzy Special Effect on the Keelhauler effecting allies.
Fixed an issue that could cause the Autorivet to fire in a wider cone when a laser sight was added.
Fixed an issue where the Drumbeat Burst fire attachment causing it to fire 3 shots instead of 4.
Special Weapon Effects with a damage increase should now function with EM weapons.
Fixed an issue with Anti-Ballistic that caused it to not reduce physical damage taken from Particle Beam Weapons.
Fixed an issue where EM weapons dealt health damage instead when used by a companion.
Added Special Effects to the Old Earth armor set reward.
Addressed an issue that could soft lock the player if they interacted with a stun mine in a specific way.
Fixed an issue where the player could avoid criminal repercussions by stowing their weapon at a very specific time.
Addressed an issue where companions would not be dressed correctly if a stolen outfit was removed due to an arrest.
Quest specific companions (such as Emma Wilcox or Walter Stroud) are now prevented from taking weapons from locked chests when they are out of ammo.
Fixed crash that could occur when the player holds a corpse in front of a miner.
Characters should no longer reaction to older bodies as if they were new corpses.
Fixed an issue where Sam Coe could still tell Cora she could try out her joke on a dead character. Tough crowd.
Fixed an issue where the player could talk about Adoring Fan’s fandom even though he had never joined the crew.
Addressed an issue that could cause the camera to appear detached when immediately boostpacking after entering a Temple.
Resolved an issue where using a boostpack while entering zero-g could disable boosting.
Ammo packs near Sergeant Yumi during Eyewitness should now provide more ammo.
Docking at a station with a stolen ship should now set it as your home ship.
Added reward for completing the injured guard activity at the Trade Authority Warehouse.
Added loot to a weapon rack hidden behind a Master locked door at the Ship Disassembly Platform.
Fixed an issue where a skill magazine could not be acquired in the abandoned farm.
Fixed an issue that could cause Havershaw to be tucked away from his desired position in Stroud-Eklund’s Staryard.
Removed an invisible collision that partially blocked movement through the plastic flaps at the entrance of The Clinic.
Fixed an issue where sometimes a supply shelf would not appear correctly in the Freestar Ranger station in Hopetown.
Fixed a texture issue that could occur when the tables in Jake’s bar were shot.
VFX and SFX will now occur when player discovers a scanner anomaly even while not directly facing it.
Fixed an issue with all guards on The Scow sharing a similar appearance.
Resolved an issue that could cause a quest for a legendary ship to not appear during a space encounter.
Fixed an issue where helping a Settler by using the Medicine skill in dialogue would incorrectly consume a medpack.
Adjusted ownership of Maurice Lyon’s journal so it can be taken without “stealing” in New Homestead.
Fixed an issue with the ramp of the Razorleaf that could cause characters pathing difficulty.
Fixed an issue could cause enemies in combat to slide between cover spots.
Fixed an issue that could cause Vasco to appear incorrectly in the player’s ship.
Fixed an issue that could stall character patrols if they spoke immediately before reaching a idle location.
Followers should no longer continue their conversations if the player exits a ship while they are speaking.
Fixed a rare issue that could cause Homesteaders to attack without provocation.
Improved crowd fleeing behavior.
Fixed an issue that could cause enemies to spawn on the roof areas of ships.
Fixed an issue that could cause a character using a melee attack to get stuck in a floating state.
Fixed an issue where Vasco may not path back to the ship through Cydonia when dismissed.
Fixed an issue that could leave Followers in zero-g animations if the ship is exited when gravity is being disabled.
Fixed an issue with companions jumping that could cause them to become stuck in a floating state.
Addressed an issue that allowed players to get into a state where they could wait while standing up.
Addressed an issue that could sometimes cause allied ships to not retaliate when being attacked by the player.
Fixed the player sometimes being stuck with a pending grav jump.
Fixed an issue that could cause spaceships to land slightly above the ground on various planets.
Addressed an issue that could temporarily alter the view of the ship in 3rd person after the FOV in Photo Mode was used.
Ship weapons should now target the nearest module on an enemy ship instead of the center of mass.
Fixed an issue that could sometimes prevent the player from gaining repair parts after helping an allied ship during a space encounter.
Addressed an issue that could cause Heller to briefly flicker during the boring machine countdown.
Fixed an issue that could sometimes cause characters to double blink during dialogue.
Improved an issue that could appear as an odd emotion transition on faces during dialogues.
Fixed an issue where characters could reopen their eyes after being killed.
Fixed an issue that could cause a character to say a generic greeting instead of a custom greeting.
Various fixes for planetary bodies with erroneous orbits.
Various stability improvements.
Graphics
Improved lighting on particles at night when using the flashlight (PC medium / High / Ultra and Xbox Series X).
Fixed rare Depth Of Field visual issues.
Fixed an issue that could cause the sun’s lens flare to disappear when partially occluded by an object.
Fixed an issue causing the sun’s lens flare to have the wrong size when modifying the FOV.
Fixed an issue that could occasionally display the sun’s lens flare through opaque objects around the edge of the screen.
Fixed a rare issue that could cause shadows or lighting to flicker during sunset and dawn.
Fixed an issue in Neon Spaceport that could cause the atmosphere to be overly bright.
Fixed occasionally flickering bloom effect that could occur when the sun started appearing behind a planet in space.
Fixed occasional screen flickering that could occur when using medium graphics preset with vsync disabled (PC).
Fixed an issue that could cause the player view to have a momentary blur after waiting on a chair.
Fixed an issue that could display black squares around a planet when other planets rings were visible in the background of the Starmap.
Fixed an issue that could occasionally make lightning bolts appear to have missing sections.
Fixed occasionally missing lightning effect when the player was inside the ship during a storm.
Improved the look of beards and mustaches in the distance.
Fixed rare pixelated shadows that could occur on character outfits under certain exterior lighting conditions.
Fixed an issue with shadows occasionally appearing inconsistently on asteroids in space.
Fixed rare issue that could occasionally display outline on objects when seen through smoke.
Fixed rare issue that could lead to displaying wrong colors on smoke effects in Va’ruun Embassy.
Fixed fog abruptly appearing and disappearing in the The Lock’s shuttle bay during Echoes Of The Past.
Fixed popping smoke emitted from the crashed ship the player approaches during Back To Vectera.
Fixed white flickering dots that could occasionally appear on wet surfaces.
Fixed an issue that could occasionally make glass objects flicker in the distance.
Fixed rare flickering on characters when DLSS was enabled (PC).
Fixed flickering lines on the floor when seen through glass in Ryujin (Xbox Series S).
Fixed rare cases of flickering with FSR 2 (PC).
Fixed subtle flickering that could occasionally occur on the Equinox.
Fixed occasional flickering on the Magpulse.
Fixed flickering on the Navigator Pack.
Fixed an issue where the player’s hair could occasionally clip through the Chunks Cap in third person.
Fixed an issue where characters hair could have holes when wearing a cap.
Fixed an issue where the player’s facial hair partially disappears when wearing the ‘Fishworker Mask’ while the helmet is hidden.
Fixed an issue that could cause a parent planet’s axis to instantly shift at a certain time of day when seen from the surface of its moon.
Addressed an issue with electrical shock VFX that could happen at Argos Extractors.
Fixed an issue that could appear with Ship trails emitted from damaged ship engines at high speed.
Fixed missing VFX on canisters that could occur with certain weapons in the Akila City Prison.
Fixed an issue causing exploding tanks to occasionally miss an explosion VFX outside the Kreet Research Lab.
Various texture adjustments to fix occasional moiré, flickering and z-fighting issues.
Various decals and geometry fixes.
Various shadow quality improvements and bugfixes.
Various minor performance improvements
Outposts
Resolved an issue that could make a workbench appear to be obstructed.
Fixed an issue with outposts where the player could see an infinite loading spinner while using the fly camera.
Resolved an issue with displaying Survey Data on data slate display stands in Outposts.
Fixed an issue that could cause items placed on mannequins to be displayed incorrectly.
Fixed an issue that could cause objects placed near a connected hallway to disappear if the containing hab module was moved.
Tweaked the snap distance for storage containers.
Improved visible line for moving around objects for link.
Fixed objects stacked onto auto-foundations not moving correctly if the foundation is moved.
Resolved an issue where building near a landing zone was prevented if the beacon is placed outside of it.
Resolved an issue with moving a Power Management Robot at an Outpost after it was built.
Fixed an issue that could cause a wall to disappear when an Industrial Wall Light is placed and then deleted.
Fixed an issue that could cause generators to not increase power production after building the Power Management Robot.
Save and Load
Resolved an issue that could cause bonus skins to appear to be removed from stored items after loading a save.
Fixed an issue where loading a save prior to repairing Nia Kalu’s ship could prevent the player from activating the switches.
Addressed a rare issue that could cause locations to be positioned incorrectly after loading a save.
Fixed an rare issue that could cause the player to appear to be in a falling state, unable to interact with characters or rotate the camera as intended.
Fixed an issue that could cause a crash or create a corrupted save file when attempting to sync with 0 local storage available (Steam).
Fixed an issue that caused the flashlight to stay on when reloading a save with no helmet equipped.
Resolved an issue that could cause characters to try to path through ships after loading a save.
Resolved an issue where loading a save could cause characters to shift in the furniture they were using.
Fixed an issue where scars and tattoos could appear removed when loading a save made in the Unity.
Various fixes for issues when loading saves.
Ships
Fixed a rare issue where New Atlantis would appear to follow the player ship.
Fixed a rare issue where the player could end up in a bad state if task swapping while fast traveling in space (PC).
Fixed an issue that could cause furniture to be doubled.
Fixed floating items found aboard some ships.
Fixed an issue that could result in missing items in ship after a module modification.
Addressed clutter items blocking pathways and ladders in ships.
Text and Localization
Special descriptors in weapon names now appear properly when playing in localized languages.
Updated ship persuasion minigame text for localized languages.
Fixed various typos and translation errors.
Fixed various text display issues.
UI
Added ability to invert the X-axis on a controller in the Settings menu.
Holding RB or Alt on the Starmap will now show the names of all star systems.
Fixed an issue that could rarely cause the wrong ship to appear on a landing pad after editing ships.
When using a keyboard, the player can now control their ship’s power allocation when pressing the Left Alt key and keys 2, 4, 6, and 8 on the number pad (PC).
Addressed some inconsistencies with Character Creation sliders where sometimes switching back and forth would not produce expected results.
Fixed an issue where body/face apparel would not be hidden when visiting Enhance.
Fixed an issue where the player’s skin tone could appear to change when rapidly scrolling through Apparel.
Fixed an issue where pressing certain buttons at the same time could cause the mission objective to remain on screen while the Scanner is closed.
Fixed an issue where the calibration image could disappear while adjusting Brightness in Display Settings.
Resolved an issue that caused the Incoming Hail prompt to disappear when Photo Mode was entered.
Fixed Enable VRS setting not resetting correctly when all Display settings were reset to default.
Fixed an issue that could prevent landing after binding “Activate” to “X” while using a controller (PC).
Fixed an issue that could cause the player to flicker when equipping apparel in the Inventory menu.
Fixed special characters from not appearing in Precognition responses in English.
Fixed an issue where pressing certain buttons while using a controller could prevent using the Ship Builder (PC).
Fuel and distance should now calculate as intended for long grav jumps.
Particle Beam weapon kills should now increment Laser Kills in Combat Stats.
Fixed an issue where the compass would not properly indicate the player is in combat.
Ship Builder Upgrade Mode now highlights both positive and negative stat changes.
Fixed an issue with the item card sometimes not appearing after inspecting an item.
Fixed an issue that caused tracked resources to not appear correctly on unvisited planets in the same solar system.
Fixed text display issues with various scopes.
Fixed an issue that could make the player character disappear when Show Character was switched to “On” in Photomode.
Adjusted the name of The London Landmark on the planet map.
Fixed various icon inconsistencies on the planet map for Landmark locations.
Various fixes for Large Menu Fonts.
Quests (SPOILER WARNING)
A Break at Dawn: Fixed an issue that could get the objective stuck on ‘Find Hugo Fournier at Athena Tower’ if persuasion failed and all dialogue options were exhausted with Hugo.
Absolute Power: Fixed an issue where the companion would not go inside the ventilation shaft with the player in Generdyne Industries.
All That Money Can Buy: Fixed an issue that could prevent this from starting if all of Ryujin Industries questline was previously completed.
All That Money Can Buy: Fixed an issue that could cause the ship and its technician to disappear after getting the ship back from impound.
Back to the Grind: Resolved an issue where trying to sit during the “Take a Seat” objective sometimes caused a control-lock.
Back to Vectera: Addressed an issue where the player could later become control-locked on the ramp if they missed Lin’s initial greeting and assigned her inside the ship.
Back to the Grind: If the TerraBrew Employee is killed while the player is in combat with Tomo, the quest will now properly handle the quest target.
Back to Vectera: Fixed an issue where the player could be unable to speak to Lin & Heller and be prevented from recruiting them as Crew.
Background Checks: Resolved an issue leaving the area of Ularu’s computer could cause a confusing quest marker.
Bare Metal: Fixed an issue at Neon Tactical where Styx still had graffiti despite the player having a dialogue option indicating otherwise.
Bare Metal: Fixed dialogue inconsistencies with Frank when talking about Styx.
Bone Dry: Fixed an issue where hailing the stranded ship after finishing the initial dialogue could restart the dialogue from the beginning.
Breach of Contract: Fixed an issue where Ellie Yankton would not talk to the player if they sat in Barrett’s chair.
Breach of Contract: Fixed various dialogue and camera inconsistencies that could occur if the player talked to Ellie before Barrett could enter the room.
Breach of Contract: Fixed an issue where canceling the dialogue with Keala could cause the objective to update earlier than intended.
Breach of Contract: Fixed an issue that could cause various issues with the objectives when hacking the Security terminal before talking to the community members to find Helgi.
Breach of Contract: Fixed a rare issue where Barrett’s quest did not appear in the quest tracker.
Breach of Contract: Addressed an issue with the camera panning to Barrett during his dialogue.
Castillo’s Revenge: Fixed an issue where canceling out of dialogue did not make Mathis hostile to the player.
Commitment with Barrett: Fixed an issue that could cause Ellie Yankton to remain in her apartment after agreeing to have her officiate the ceremony.
Deep Cover: Addressed a possible control lock when boarding UC Vigilance after loading a previous save where the player is an enemy of UC SysDef.
Delivering Devils: Addressed an issue with an objective not disappearing when speaking to Cambridge after already paying the debt.
Delivering Devils: Fixed an issue that could prevent companions from following the player to Percival at the end of the mine.
Divided Loyalties: Fixed an issue that could cause zealot ships to not appear during the encounter with Jaeda Huang.
Echoes Of The Past: Resolved an issue where failing to pickpocket a Rook inside the Lock could cause Delgado to become inaccessible.
Entangled: Fixed an issue that could rarely cause a control lock when Raphael greets the player.
Eye of the Storm: Addressed a rare issue that could prevent docking with the Legacy.
Eye of the Storm: Fixed a location where the player could get stuck on a section of wires while escaping from the UC Vigilance.
Eye Witness: Fixed an issue that could cause members of the Fireteam to run out of ammo.
Eye Witness: Addressed an issue that could cause some confusion with incapacitating the Thralls.
Eye Witness: Added a message to address possible confusion about why the Lodge is inaccessible.
Eye Witness: Resolved a possible progression issue related how Thralls were incapacitated by the player.
Eye Witness: Addressed a rare issue that could prevent Yumi from being present at the quest target location.
Final Thoughts: Addressed an issue that allowed the player to drop the “For Claire Maensah New Atlantis” dataslate.
Find the Missing… : Mission Objective should now complete when the targeted Quest Character is found and healed.
Friends Like These: Fixed a turret in the Va’ruun embassy that was always hostile and could not be turned off or turned friendly.
Friends Like These: The door inside the Va’ruun Embassy will now be correctly opened if the player left the Embassy and returned later.
Friends Like These: The door inside the Freestar Embassy will now be correctly opened if the player left the Embassy and returned later.
Fueling Greatness: Purchasing any velocity color from Madame Sauvage should now update the objective.
Grunt Work: Addressed an issue that could prevent Hadrian from moving to the microscope if she was downed before the sample was collected.
Grunt Work: Fixed an issue that could cause the Terrormorph to idle instead of stalking the player.
Grunt Work: Fixed an issue where the objective would repeat to Restore Power to Kill lanes.
Grunt Work: Removed an empty dialogue response that could occur after the player knows about Tau Ceti II.
Guilty Parties: Fixed an issue that could occur with getting into the Hideout if the player didn’t talk to Dalton.
Hard Luck: Clover MacKenna will be downed instead of killed before the quest is completed.
Hostile Intelligence: Resolved an issue where Hadrian may not follow the player out of the Steam Tunnels.
Hostile Intelligence: Fixed an issue that could cause Toliman II guard ships to repeat the scene after the player had already checked in with Hatoum.
In Memoriam: Resolved a rare issue with dialogue near the waterfall that could prevent romance with Sarah Morgan.
In Memoriam: Addressed an issue that could prevent progression if the player left Sarah while she was at the Colony War Memorial.
Incoming Storm: Fixed an issue that would grant the player double the intended reward.
Juno’s Gambit: Added a marker back to Juno if the player chooses to leave before completing the quest.
Keeping the Peace: Fixed an issue where attempting to speak to Yumi while ‘Eye Witness’ was active wouldn’t work as intended.
Leader of the Pack: Resolved an issue that could occur if Davis died just before the Alpha Ashta.
Legacy’s End: Crimson Fleet bounty is now removed if the player sides with UC SysDef since the Crimson Fleet will always be hostile.
Legacy’s End: The security door inside the Key will now be opened if the player left the station and returned later.
Legacy’s End: Fixed dialogue inconsistencies with Commander Ikande and Lt. Toft.
Legacy’s End: Addressed a rare issue that could cause Naeva to remain in the elevator longer than intended.
Legacy’s End: Credit cost now appears correctly in dialogue with Lt. Toft after completing the quest.
Legacy’s End: Fixed an issue with Bog’s dialogue that could allow it to occur before intended.
Lost and Found: Made it easier for the player to find Dirk during the ‘Speak To Dirk’ activity.
Mantis Shakedown: Addressed an exploit that allowed access to more credits than intended.
Matters of the Hart: Addressed an issue that could occur if progressing ‘Missed Beyond Measure’ simultaneously.
Matters of the Hart: Fixed an issue which allowed Neon Security to interrupt Cora’s lockpicking scene.
Matters of the Hart: Fixed an issue that could cause the player to arrive in the middle of the Victor compound.
Miner Inconvenience: Fixed an issue that could make finding the creatures more difficult than intended.
Missed Beyond Measure: Addressed a few issues that impacted other overlapping quests.
Missed Connections: Fixed an inconsistency with progressing the quest in a different order than anticipated.
New Driver: Fixed an issue where markers would occasionally not appear inside the ship.
One Giant Leap: Addressed an issue that could appear to prevent grav jumping when artifacts are split between the ship and an outpost.
One Giant Leap: Fixed an issue where companions still wanted to talk about less relevant information after Revelation is completed.
One Giant Leap: Addressed an issue that could cause a control lock when attempting to jump to the Unity while in Targeting mode.
One Small Step: Fixed an issue that could cause an odd dialogue camera when Walter speaks.
Operation Starseed: Fixed an issue where a door would be inaccessible if a crime was committed at Crucible and the player returned much later.
Operation Starseed: The door to the restricted wing should now be correctly opened if the player leaves the facility and returns later.
Operation Starseed: Resolved a rare issue where the door leading to Franklin Roosevelt was inaccessible on Charybdis III.
Operation Starseed: Fixed an issue where the player could be unable to talk to Genghis Khan after the civil war on Charybdis III.
Power From Beyond: Fixed an issue that could cause the Temple to not to appear where intended.
Power from Beyond: It should now be easier to talk to Vladimir.
Prank Caller: Fixed an issue where the joke ship did not grav jump away after finishing the dialogue.
Red Tape Reclamation: Addressed an issue that could cause Hank to be away from his desired position.
Red Tape Runaround: Fixed an issue with the pirate leader unintentionally changing poses in dialogue.
Research Outpost: Addressed an inconsistency that could occur when boarding Dr. Sohla’s ship.
Research Outpost: Added the ability to transfer items to Dr. Sohla from the ship cargo.
Party Cruise: Addressed some inconsistencies that could occur depending docking and boarding interactions.
Revelation: Fixed a rare issue that could cause the quest to not successfully complete.
Revelation: Fixed an issue where a guidance path would not appear in the Hand Scanner.
Revelation: Resolved an issue where “Activities” would be automatically set to Active after completing Unearthed.
Revelation: Fixed a rare issue where the Hunter/Emissary could appear in an unreachable section of the Astral Lounge.
Robot Survey Team: Addressed an issue that could lead to inconsistent robot behavior.
Rook Meets King: Fixed a rare issue that could cause Naeva to stall during the tour of The Key.
Rook Meets King: Fixed an issue where the player could unintentionally get better gear from Dmitri Moldavski.
Rook Meets King: The Captain can no longer be Instigated preventing a few inconsistencies.
Rook Meets King: Addressed an issue that could prevent travel after dealing with the Ragana in a specific way.
Rook Meets King: Addressed an issue with accepting the Ragana’s hail if the system was left and returned to later.
Rook Meets King: Addressed an issue with accepting the Astraea’s hail if the system was left and returned to later.
Rook Meets King: Fix a dialogue inconsistency that could occur when loading a save onboard the Ragana.
Sabotage: Fixed an exploit that allowed the player could avoid arrest after stealing.
Sabotage: Addressed an issue that could occur if the player was arrested after using manipulation on Demarcus at Ryujin HQ.
Sabotage: Resolved an issue that could occur if combat was started before trying to sit on the Neurosurgery Operating Table.
Sabotage: Fixed an issue that could make David Barron difficult to find.
Sensible Ship: The “Collect your new ship” objective should now clear if the player destroys the ship first.
Supply Missions: Fixed a rare issue that could list unobtainable items as the target.
Supra et Ultra: The Quest Marker should now point to intended elevator floors.
Supra Et Ultra: Addressed a rare issue that could interrupt Tuala from reaching his mark under the stars.
Supra Et Ultra: Fixed an issue with power distribution changing while using targeting mode during the simulation.
Supra et Ultra: Fixed a rare issue that could cause John Tuala to not appear at his intended location.
Surgical Strike: Ben Armistead should now more quickly head toward Ari Miller.
Surgical Strike: Fixed an issue that allowed players to become trapped under the mine elevator in the Bonner Eklund Excavation Site.
Survey Says: Fixed an issue that prevented the objective from clearing if the ship was destroyed.
The Audition: Addressed an issue with later passing a door if the area was left while Andrea escorted the player.
The Best There Is: Resolved an issue that allowed fast travel after the Jade Swan docked.
The Best There Is: Fixed an issue that could occur if Jasmine was downed during the dialogue with Naeva.
The Best There Is: Added the ability to progress the quest if any ship docked at the Key.
The Devils You Know: The door to the cockpit of The Warlock should now be open if the ship is left and returned to later.
The Empty Nest: Addressed a rare issue where Sam Coe would sometimes not appear at the Akila Spaceport.
The Old Neighborhood: Addressed a rare issue that could cause Sarah Morgan not to speak when traveling to Venus.
The Unusual Outpost: Fixed incorrect quest log text.
Unearthed: Addressed an issue that could cause the door leading to the Artifact to remain locked if the area is left.
Runaway: Should now be visible on the Misc Mission Tab when active.
War Relics: Fixed an inconsistency that can occur by trying to find Kaiser before his position is known.
War Relics: Addressed a issue with the quest starting if Demeter was dead.
Worlds Apart: The door to the Hephaestus Mine H-363 location will now be correctly accessible if the player left the planet and returned later.
Fixed various lore issues occurring during the dialogue with Amanda Oxendine.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
“The last metroid is in captivity. The galaxy is at peace…”
Super Metroid’s opening is not the most explosive but it’s certainly one of the most iconic. Released in 1994, it was the third game in the series and is when Metroid really hit its stride, so much so it went on to become one of the most influential games ever made. Long before Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls made it cool, it had its own sub-genre (sharing custody with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night which would arrive three years later), one that has spawned countless imitators and become eternal muse to indies with games like Hollow Knight or Dead Cells.
Gated progression, non-linear world design, bonafide action set-pieces… Super Metroid brought a lot of new ideas within its (for the time) technical marvel. Even if you’ve never played it you’ll almost certainly recognise all the staples it popularised. No genre or medium can be traced to a single origin but like Samus Aran herself, metroid DNA is so well blended at this point it is impossible to see where the line of influence ends. You can find traces of it in games as far flung as the Tomb Raider reboots or Alien Isolation, which is fitting given Metroid’s debt to the Alien series.
Yet if all Super Metroid did was be the first to innovate on specific mechanics and design ideas, its influence would likely have become far more obscured over the years. Instead it still feels readily identifiable, because more than anything it created memorable moments. It crafted ambience and atmosphere. From the second players arrive at the main menu they’re given an ominous taste of what’s to come as the sole surviving metroid screeches from within its glass cell in a derelict space station. Over the course of the game it would shift through varying themes and moods, taking Samus from haunted to heroic and back again. Packed in are a dozen, iconic surprises. Nobody ever forgets that one Chozo statue, do they?
Whether intentional or not, I’ve seen Metroid’s influence in countless places. In Halo Combat Evolved’s climactic “warthog run” I see Samus’s desperate escape from the exploding station in Super Metroid’s opening moments; waking up outside the shuttle under the rain in Returnal, I think of those first cautious steps onto the eerily quiet Zebes. How many games still try to put in a sneaky horror level after Super Metroid so expertly deployed its haunted space ship? And how many games can serve up boss encounters that rival the drama of its recurring villain Ridley? Three decades on, games are still trying to fill Samus Aran’s shoes. Perhaps that’s why the series could return so strongly with Metroid Dread, 19 years after its last 2D foray, and not feel like it missed a step. While innovations from the intervening decades are brought to bear in Dread, the essence is classic Metroid.
Super Metroid told a simple, haunting tale of Samus (and by extension the player) reckoning with their genocidal quest against the titular metroid. It paints a picture of Samus as a character, a no-nonsense bounty hunter whose introspections are gestured at with small but powerful actions. That mood and character is all too easy to shatter, as Metroid Other M showed with infamy. Dread found a much better balance, simply by being truer to the original material. While it is more spectacular than Super Metroid could ever be, its pace and set pieces are all informed by the imagination of 1994. Having Super Metroid director Yoshio Sakamoto back certainly helped.
Super Metroid remains a stand out among stand outs. [But] where every other Metroid is about finding and killing, this one is about saving a life
Which isn’t to say it doesn’t have its own tricks. Each Metroid game stands out for its own spin on the formula. Super Metroid’s descent into Zebes is a contrast with being hunted by Samus’s evil doppler in Fusion. Each of these games are shaped around their themes, happy to shift the tone in one direction or another to serve the story, putting players through set pieces that make them feel the emotional core of each entry. As if declaring this, Dread tasks Samus not with another descent but an ascent, reframing that adventure’s journey as a possibly more heroic quest than her usual, murkier descents.
Super Metroid remains a stand out among stand outs however. Where every other Metroid is about finding and killing, this one is about saving a life. It is easy to forget when facing hordes of space pirates but Samus hasn’t come to Zebes to exterminate. Well, except for all those space pirates but they’re really naughty and are trying to take over the galaxy or something. No, she needs to rescue the baby Metroid she saved at the end of the last game. That little thing represents her last chance for redemption. The urge to protect it and perhaps salvage her very soul is the driving force behind her unbreakable resolve (yeah, Metroid did the whole Baby Yoda thing long before The Mandalorian). Samus’s mission, despite the galactic threat, is intensely personal. That’s what makes Super Metroid special. In Samus’s determined run, in the numerous silences and ever deepening descent, this quest is felt. An economy of storytelling that’s as elegant now as it ever was.
Perhaps the masterstroke of the game (and a benefit for the sequels that would follow) is that Samus ultimately fails in her mission. She defeats the baddies of course but the metroid she fought to save gives its life for her. Robbed of redemption, Samus is forced to sit with the finality of her actions in a way few action heroes are made to. The metroid are truly vanquished from the galaxy, never to return, something the sequels never walked back on. Regardless of whether the player internalised any of its subtext, I think many feel the sadness in that ending. It hangs over every subsequent Metroid and, arguably, the entire sub-genre it created. I’m not sure any metroidvania has given me an experience quite like that.
30 years later, the most remarkable thing about Super Metroid is that everything that made it great then, makes it great now. For all its numerous innovations, both technical and conceptual, it’s the game’s commitment to crafting a specific emotional experience that keeps it feeling fresh. Super Metroid set out to thrill, scare, exhilarate, confound, uplift and ultimately haunt players, and it did so at a bar of quality that remains undefeated.
Former PlayStation executive Connie Booth, one of the chief architects of PlayStation’s first-party strategy before her unexpected departure in 2023, is joining EA to help lead its studios amid its ongoing restructure.
Booth’s title will be Group General Manager, Action RPG, with a portfolio that will include EA Motive (Iron Man), Cliffhanger (Black Panther), and BioWare (Dragon Age, Mass Effect). She will report directly to EA Entertainment head Laura Miele.
“Connie spent more than 30 years helping to build Sony Interactive Entertainment’s internal studios and is responsible for guiding the development of some of their biggest franchises, including Marvel’s Spider-Man 1 & 2, The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank, to name just a few,” Miele said in a statement.
“She is known for having created an incredible developer-first culture and supporting creative vision while driving innovation. I have known Connie for many years and have always been impressed by her love and commitment to games. She especially cares about game developers. She has an impeccable reputation within the development community and will undoubtedly have a positive impact on our games.”
Connie spent more than 30 years helping to build Sony Interactive Entertainment’s internal studios and is responsible for guiding the development of some of their biggest franchises
Booth is a member of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Science Hall of Fame, having joined Sony in 1989 and worked especially closely with Naughty Dog. As Direct of Product Development she is credited with helping to build the studio system that has carried PlayStation through roughly 30 years in the console market. She departed Sony in 2023 amid unusual circumstances, with neither Booth nor PlayStation clarifying the reason for her exit. Sony eventually released a statement wishing her well but providing no further details.
Booth’s hiring points to EA’s desire to replicate some of PlayStation’s current exclusives strategy, in which it has found success with large-scale single-player games such as God of War and Spider-Man. In initiating its current restructure, EA has said that it is prioritizing its own franchises and that one of its pillars is “blockbuster storytelling” — an area in which Booth has considerable experience.
One of Booth’s major tasks will be revitalizing BioWare, which is hoping that Dragon Age: Dreadwolf will reverse its fortunes after Anthem and Mass Effect: Andromeda. BioWare suffered painful layoffs in 2023 and its next entry in the Mass Effect franchise remains in pre-production. Elsewhere, Cliffhanger Games is a relatively new studio that opened in 2023 and is working on a new Black Panther game, while EA Motive was founded by Jade Ryamond before her departure in 2018 and is currently working on Iron Man.
The Xbox Series X and S version of Final Fantasy 14 has a unique virtual currency that must be bought from the Microsoft Store before being spent in-game.
In a blog post, Square Enix revealed the currency, called ‘FFXIV Coins’, and issued a warning to Xbox players who plan to jump into the long-running MMO when it finally launches on their consoles on Thursday, March 21.
Here’s the info from Square Enix:
Payment for service fees and optional item purchases will require FFXIV Coins, which can be purchased from the Microsoft Store. Please purchase FFXIV Coins before using the Mog Station or FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Store.
After purchasing FFXIV Coins from the Microsoft Store, log into the Xbox Series X|S version of FINAL FANTASY XIV to have the purchased FFXIV Coins credited to your Square Enix Account. You will not be able to use the purchased FFXIV Coins until you log in, so please be sure to log in after purchasing FFXIV Coins.
FFXIV Coins are not used with the PC and PlayStation versions of Final Fantasy 14, which has sparked something of a backlash from the Xbox community. Clearly, the addition of FFXIV Coins complicates matters for Xbox players, but there’s additional confusion around how Xbox players will buy a Final Fantasy 14 subscription. Square Enix’s note mentions FFXIV Coins must be used for “service fees”, which suggests the new virtual currency will be used to buy a sub.
Newcomers playing on Xbox will have three versions to choose from:
FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Starter Edition
FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Complete Edition
FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Complete Collector’s Edition
It’s also worth noting Xbox Game Pass (Core or Ultimate) is required to play, and you need to link your Xbox account and Square Enix account. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can download the Final Fantasy 14 Online Starter Edition, which includes expansions A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, and Stormblood, for free until Friday, April 19.
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.
Microsoft has confirmed the second wave of games coming to Xbox Game Pass during March 2024.
Out today, March 19, is open-world farming adventure Lightyear Frontier (Game Preview) (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) as a day-one release. IGN’s Lightyear Frontier Early Access Review returned a 7/10. We said: “Cute and chill, homesteading in your giant mech on Lightyear Frontier’s alien world is already some good and simple fun, even if it currently stops a bit short.”
Also out today is MLB The Show 24 (Cloud and Console) as another day-one Game Pass launch. Coming soon, on March 20, is Supermassive’s The Quarry (Cloud and Console). IGN’s The Quarry Review returned a 7/10. We said: “The Quarry is a fun, bloody thrill ride on your first playthrough, but its lack of interactivity and a lot of little issues drag down the whole.”
A day later, on March 21, Old West adventure Evil West (Cloud, Console, and PC) hits Game Pass. “Evil West is far from the most complex or innovative action game around, but it nails the most important parts of its old-school, monster-killing campaign,” we said in IGN’s Evil West Review.
Sci-fi grand strategy game Terra Invicta hits PC Game Pass on March 26 as part of Game Preview. This one’s from Pavonis Interactive, maker of the popular Long War mod for 2012 game XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
Here’s the big one: Blizzard’s action role-playing game Diablo 4 (Console and PC) launches on Game Pass on March 28. Diablo 4 is the first Blizzard game to hit the subscription service since Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. More are surely to come.
Also hitting Game Pass on March 28 is Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged (Cloud, Console, and PC), and Open Roads (Cloud, Console, and PC). Open Roads is a day-one Game Pass title.
We also have a few Game Pass games coming in early April. Ark: Survival Ascended (Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X|S) launches on Game Pass on April 1, F1 23 (Cloud) via EA Play on April 2, and Superhot: Mind Control Delete (Cloud, Console, and PC) returns to Game Pass on April 2.
Xbox Game Pass March 2024 Wave 2 Lineup
Lightyear Frontier (Game Preview) (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – March 19
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.
There’s no shortage of two-player board games — you can even find plenty of solo board games. And while you might think a group of three players would pose a challenge for board game night, you’d be wrong. Three is actually the perfect number for many games. It allows for more interesting dynamics than strictly two-player, and it affords a quick tempo with little downtime between turns. In many ways, it’s the best qualities of the two and four player format merged together.
The challenge is in finding the right games. That’s why we’re here with this list offering a series of titles that provide an exceptional experience at the three-player count. No need to fret when your fourth cancels as game night can still be salvaged.
Gloomhaven has really created a stir the last several years. This RPG-in-a-box spawned multiple offspring, including the more streamlined and accessible Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion. This fantasy adventure game has players cooperating to work through dungeons and defeat an array of enemies. Each character possesses a unique deck with a distinct playstyle. Players must leverage each character’s strengths and manage their hand of cards to optimize each action and defeat each challenge put before them. This is a campaign game that requires a lengthy commitment, but the achievement and rewards are much sweeter when experienced with a couple of friends. For additional information, be sure to check out our review of this game.
Dune Imperium: Uprising
Many leaving the theater after seeing Dune 2 will want more. We are fortunate that one of the most beloved board games of the past few years is set in this universe. This game has players balancing military strength with political power by building a personal deck of cards from a public market. You must also acquire resources and build alliances by placing your workers on a myriad of spaces on the board. Both of these systems combine to create a powerful game loop of improving your engine to yield greater rewards. The payout is tremendous in this nuanced game that rewards strategic play and deeper exploration. Three players works wonderfully as it creates just the right amount of competition over spaces on the board and forces you to adapt to an ever-changing landscape.
Wingspan
The ever-popular Wingspan is a nature-themed game that has players competing to collect an array of various birds by drawing cards and playing them in their sanctuary. The birds come to life with over 170 beautiful illustrations alongside delightful components such as small eggs and attractive resource tokens. Each bird offers a unique ability which interfaces with the rest of your sanctuary to create an emerging combination of effects. This is a very inviting and warm game visually, but it also has some heft to it as a game, offering a satisfying strategic foundation for players to repeatedly return to. Three-players is the ideal count, as it creates some healthy competition by pushing each other to thoughtfully expand your group of birds without hurting the tempo of play. You can read our review of this game here.
Anachrony
An asteroid is going to hit the Earth and you have a limited amount of time to prepare to save humanity — but you want to be the one who’s in charge when the dust settles. The complex game lets you gather resources by deploying workers with their own abilities, including some that will be piloting mechs. You can also speed up your progress by using Time Rifts to grab resources from the future so long as you pay them back before time anomalies form. With many paths to victory and different factions to try, there’s plenty of replayability. If you want to add more complexity, you can pick up the Future Imperfect and Fractures of Time expansions.
Azul
Quick and easy to learn, Azul is a great board game to play with your kid or someone you’re introducing to board gaming. Each player is working to form the most beautiful mosaic by drafting tiles from the central market to place on their board, scoring points based on how many you can connect. Full rows, columns and sets of the same type of tile earn big bonus rewards. The beautifully detailed pieces are satisfying to play with as you slide them into place, carefully considering the best move of the moment but also what other players are likely to pick so you don’t lose points from getting stuck with tiles you can’t use.
Cascadia
This soothing family board game challenges players to build a thriving ecosystem based on the Pacific Northwest. Each session is different thanks to the variety of scoring goals, which reward points based on the relative placement of animal tokens. In one game you may try to ensure red tailed hawks are flying solo and in another that they have an unobstructed view to their potential mate. The tiles you draft not only represent where each type of animal can live but different terrain types, and building unbroken expanses of mountains, wetlands and forests can be worth just as much points at the end of the game as having the right animal patterns. Add in pinecones that can be used to mix up the token and tile pairs during drafting and you’ll have plenty to think about each turn.
Cthulhu: Death May Die
Most games based on Lovecraftian horror are about preventing Elder Gods from setting foot on Earth, but it’s already too late for that in Cthulhu: Death May Die. Instead your goal is to arm yourself well enough to be able to shoot the monster in the face. There’s a high level of replayability to the cooperative game thanks to the variety of investigators players can control and the threats of the different Elder Gods and their minions, who are represented through impressively detailed miniatures. Three players gives you a nice variety of character archetypes without making the game take too long, which can happen when there are five people choosing the best way to take their actions. You still need to be careful though, since the game ends if a single investigator is eliminated before the Elder is summoned.
Lords of Waterdeep
Lords of Waterdeep provides an excellent introduction to the worker placement genre and is especially fun for D&D players who will recognize the references to the Forgotten Realms. Players take on the roles of secret Lords of Waterdeep, each with their own strengths, and will try to establish influence over the City of Splendors by recruiting various types of adventurers to send on quests. Some quests provide powerful boosts that will make it easier for you to gain more resources throughout the game while others are worth a huge amount of points, so you’ll have to think carefully about your priorities as the rounds progress. Players can also build new locations on the map that they can use themselves and they’ll rake in rewards when a rival takes advantage of them. If you prefer a more competitive experience or want to play with a bigger group, pick up the Scoundrels of Skullport expansion.
Lost Ruins of Arnak
Fusing worker placement and deckbuilding, Lost Ruins of Arnak tasks each player with learning the secrets of a mysterious island. There are so many ways to earn points that it’s a real challenge to figure out which is best to pursue, especially since you’re directly competing with your opponents to be the first to nab bigger rewards. You can focus on exploring new areas and fighting fearsome guardians, conduct research, try to improve your deck, or recruit assistants that will make your work easier. The game board is tailored based on the number of players so it’s as well balanced for three as it is for two or four. There’s a solo variant if you want to play alone or are looking for a good way to practice strategies.
Raiders of the North Sea
Be a Viking with this worker placement game, where you’ll need to put together a crew and gather enough resources to successfully raid increasingly well-protected settlements. You’ll collect silver to hire crew members, who will help determine your strategy since they can give you bonuses when attacking specific targets. They can also die and become Valkyrie that will earn points you need to win. You also have to take the time to convert your plunder into offerings for the chieftain, though the amount of favor you’ve earned is kept a secret until the end of the game. Choose your actions wisely as the game can end quickly as players rush to make offerings and launch their boats deeper into the territories at the bottom of the board.
Splendor
This fast game is easy enough for kids to learn but satisfying for players of all ages, making it a good board game for families. Compete to build a thriving jewelry business by gathering gem tokens which can be used to purchase developments and win the favor of nobles. You’ll want to try to take actions as efficiently as possible, keeping track of what resources your opponents are gathering and when they are likely to purchase a development so you don’t miss the opportunity or get stuck waiting for them to stop hoarding a key resource. You also should plan long term, looking at the bonus gems needed to attract each noble since you can only pick up one per turn and their high point values can be the difference between winning or losing.
Vienna Connection
Feel like a spy with Vienna Connection, where players work together to uncover a mystery in Cold War Europe. While the game can be played solo or with two players, the difficulty is meant for three or more people putting their heads together to solve puzzles, which can involve cracking codes, remembering details from cards, and even conducting research on the internet into real world history. The game is played over the course of four interconnected missions so you’ll want to have a group that’s committed to seeing the case through to the end. You’ll store your progress with a companion website that also plays audio and video to make the gameplay more immersive.
Viticulture
You’ve inherited an unimpressive Tuscan vineyard and you have to build it up into something to be proud of in this charming strategic game that takes place over a series of seasons. In summer you’ll deploy workers to plant vines, build structures and sell grapes, while in winter you’ll harvest crops and start aging your wines. You can develop more complex and valuable varieties based on the types of grapes you grow and how much work you’ve done in your cellar, which you can then use to fulfill orders and earn more money to make additional improvements to the vineyard. Pop open a bottle of wine and settle in to learn a bit about how it’s produced as you play.
“PSA for people who use mods: A ton of mods are already updated for 1.6 (check outhttps://smapi.io/mods),” said Barone in a recent X/Twitter post. “Also, I’ve added a public steam branch that will let you stay on version 1.5.6 if you choose. I recommend trying out 1.6 without mods, but it’s up to you.”
As highlighted by Barone, links for a wealth of supposedly compatible (and broken) 1.6 mods are available to browse on the Stardew Valley mod site SMAPI, which allow players to do everything from tweaking core gameplay mechanics and aesthetics to implementing cheats.
Meanwhile, the 1.5.6 branch of Stardew Valley that will be available through Steam after the update drops will be a saving grace for any player who, for one reason or another, isn’t yet ready to embrace the changes brought in with the new update. The option to stick with the earlier version of the game is particularly useful for those who have grown accustomed to using specific mods that aren’t immediately compatible with 1.6, and for others hoping to complete their current games before experiencing the new content offering.
I recommend trying out 1.6 without mods, but it’s up to you.
Barone explained back in January that starting a fresh save may provide a better experience over continuing an old playthrough once 1.6 drops, as it would allow the new content to be accessed in the correct order. “It’ll be fine to play on an old save,” said Barone in a post on X/Twitter at the time. “But I’d probably recommend a new save just to experience everything in context, otherwise you’ll unlock a bunch of stuff right away when you load up your old save.”
The developer has also assured fans ahead of the update that the 1.6 content will be coming to both Mac and Linux versions of the game. Barone had previously stated that console versions of the update will follow, and that he is striving to avoid large gaps between platform releases, which had in his own words proven to be “a nightmare” in the past.
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer
There’s an incredible sale on Switch games right now for those in the UK, with games like Super Mario Bros Wonder, Super Mario RPG, Princess Peach Showtime, and more on sale for a limited time only. Yes, Switch players, your time has finally come. We’re delighted to highlight some excellent deals on Switch games in the excellent eBay FRESH20 sale. If you want to snap up any of these games, then you just need to head over to eBay vendor The Game Collection (TCG) and use the code ‘FRESH20’ at checkout to apply the magical wonderful 20% off. Quids in — check out our favourites in the sale just below.
We highly suggest using this method to buy any games you want right now, as TCG is a trusted UK online retailer. In fact, they’ve been one of our top recommended retailers so far in 2024. It’s not often we see so many Switch games discounted at once, so you’ve gotta move fast if you want to snap up as many as you can. The LEAP20 promo code is also only running until the end of the day on February 29, so there’s a very limited window to secure these discounts.
Wondering if the FRESH20 sale has anything else in store for you? Well, yes it does, it has absolutely loads to choose from. For starters, preorders for Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth are discounted again, currently down to £50.36. If you’re feeling a full-on binge of the famous series, then grab yourself Final Fantasy 16 for £26.56 while you’re at it as well.
You’ll also be able to pick up an Amazon Fire Stick 4K Ultra HD for just £35.95, down from £44.94. We love these eBay sales events, and this one is running for the next two days, so make sure to keep an eye out for our coverage, and follow us on Twitter @IGNUKDeals to stay up to date with all the latest in deal-dom.
Joe O’Neill-Parker is a freelance writer and audio producer. He is the owner of O’Neill Multimedia. He writes commerce, sports, and audio-related tech articles for IGN.
Not long ago, Madame Web and Anyone but You star Sydney Sweeney revealed in an IGN interview that, like many of us, she grew up playing a Simpsons video game – but she didn’t reveal which one it was.
Luckily, for the sake of journalism, we’ve followed up and found out that the Simpsons game in question was, in fact, The Simpsons: Road Rage.
It all started a few weeks ago, when Sweeney mentioned at a press junket for Madame Web that she grew up with a brother who plays video games all the time. When asked what her favorite game was, she said, “we would play The Simpsons game,” while miming a steering wheel. She also mentioned playing Super Mario Bros. games on her Nintendo DS when her co-star Isabela Merced brought it up.
Fans were quick to speculate on just what the Simpsons game could be. As Gamespot noted, given that Sweeney’s 26 years old, pure timing would place 2001’s Road Rage and its spiritual sequel Hit & Run as the obvious candidates. Other sites simply assumed Sweeney meant Hit & Run (and, to be fair, so did I).
Luckily, we caught up with Sweeney to chat about her upcoming horror film Immaculate and got the chance to set the record straight.
“I want to say it was the racing game,” she said. With the help of my colleague Jeffrey Vega, she eventually remembered that it was Road Rage.
“Road Rage! Because it was old, it was on the Xbox,” she said. And what character did she play as?
“I always liked Homer,” she said.
Well, there you have it.
Sydney Sweeney clarifies The Simpsons video game she loved growing up: It was The Simpsons: Road Rage!
Sweeney’s one of many fans with fond memories of The Simpsons’ car-based game adaptations, although it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting a sequel to 2003’s Hit & Run anytime soon. Last year, Hit & Run’s developers revealed in an interview on the MinnMax YouTube channel that a follow-up was in the works, but never came to fruition for whatever reason.
“It was just a really bizarre decision,” executive producer John Melchior said of the sequel being tabled. “I’ll never understand it. Most people on the production level never understood it.”
Sweeney will next be seen in Immaculate, a horror film that she stars in and produced. It debuted at the SXSW Film Festival last week, and will hit theaters on March 22.
Thumbnail credit: Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
