Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is set to release for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on January 18, 2024. A new side-scrolling entry in the long-running series, The Lost Crown is a stylish, fast-paced Metroidvania-style game. It’s available for preorder now in a couple of editions (see it on Amazon). Below, you’ll find details about what comes in each edition, what the game is, and more. Let’s get to it.
The deluxe edition comes with the game itself, plus the following extras:
3 Day Early Access (with pre-order)
Immortal character outfit
Prosperity Bird amulet
Deluxe Pack
Digital adventure guide
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Preorder Bonus
Preorder the game from any retailer, and you’ll get the Warrior Within outfit, as seen in the 2004 video game.
What is Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown?
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the latest entry in a series that dates all the way back to 1989. This installment was made by Ubisoft Montpellier, which also made the delightful side-scrollers Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends. The Lost Crown is a Metroidvania-style game, so you’ll discover items and abilities that let you unlock new pathways through the environments of Mount Qaf.
It has you slicing through enemies, manipulating time, platforming to avoid pits and spikes, solving puzzles, completing quests, and seeking out treasure. Ubisoft also says the game will run at 60 frames per second on all platforms, which is pretty neat. Check out our Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown hands-on preview for more information.
Other Preorder Guides
Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed or on Mastodon @chrislreed.
Larian Studios’ next game is sure to be one of the most anticipated ever following the breakout hit of Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 3. What that game is remains to be seen, but Larian boss Swen Vincke has indicated he’s already worked out its Act 1 narrative.
In a series of tweets, Vincke said that after four months of writing work, he’d “finally figured out what Act 1 on this thing I’ve been working on needs to be.” “Quote me when it’s revealed to see how much of today’s draft survives,” he added. “I suspect a lot.”
There’s not a lot to go on here, of course. And, indeed, it may not go anywhere. But given Vincke mentions Act 1, we can assume what’s next will probably be an RPG in the Larian style, which are games broken up into three distinct acts. I suppose it could always be a three-act dating sim. I mean, that’s basically what Baldur’s Gate 3 is, right?
Vincke went on to say he has yet to share Act 1 with anyone, so he may end up scrapping the lot if no-one likes it. “But I think I really like this one,” he said.
Then, a few inevitable qualifiers: “Also, it’s not what you think and this is not a teaser for an announcement. Just am genuinely excited about where this is going and wanted to share some of my excitement. It’ll be quite some time before we talk about this.”
This isn’t the first time Vincke has teased Larian’s next game. In November 2023, Vincke spoke in vague terms about the studio’s next project. “I wish I could tell you about our next big game but this is really encouraging us to ensure it pushes many boundaries,” Vincke teased in response to Baldur’s Gate 3’s many The Game Awards nominations. “I’m very excited about it.”
“It’s our own universe we built, so we’re definitely gonna get back there at some point,” Vincke said. “We will get back there at some point. We’ll first finish [Baldur’s Gate 3], and then take a break, because we will need to refresh ourselves creatively also. You’re seeing 400 developers putting their heart and souls into this. You’re getting the best of them and their craft into this game. And so I can tell you, it’s quite a thing.”
If Divinity isn’t next, perhaps a brand new game set in a completely different universe? Larian has created fantasy RPGs for some time now. Could it branch out into science fiction? Or a modern day setting? Or maybe even try a new genre?
Meanwhile, Larian has yet to announce any Baldur’s Gate 3 expansions or DLCs. Given how well the game has done, you’d expect something expanding upon its world and characters would do well indeed.
For now, Baldur’s Gate 3 remains one of the hottest games in the world, and is still among the most-played games on Steam. In IGN’s review of Baldur’s Gate 3, which returned a 10/10, we said: “With crunchy, tactical RPG combat, a memorable story with complex characters, highly polished cinematic presentation, and a world that always rewards exploration and creativity, Baldur’s Gate 3 is the new high-water mark for CRPGs.”
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.
Xbox hit Hi-Fi Rush is heavily rumored to be set for rival console the Nintendo Switch in 2024, sparking a vociferous debate about Microsoft’s exclusives strategy.
Insider “Nate the Hate”, who has a good track record when it comes to video game announcements, teased that a critically acclaimed Xbox exclusive is set to launch on a competing console platform.
Resetera user lolilolailo, who also has a good track record for video game announcements, then appeared to confirm Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush is coming to Switch.
Windows Central then reported that Microsoft “has been exploring bringing some of its back catalog to other platforms, although some of the details remain vague and unconfirmed.” IGN has asked Microsoft for comment.
The reports have sparked a debate online about Microsoft’s Xbox exclusive strategy, with some fans bemoaning the idea of an Xbox exclusive launching on a rival console such as the Nintendo Switch or the PlayStation 5. Others have expressed excitement that a game such as Hi-Fi Rush could get a second wind and millions more players, potentially helping to build the case for a sequel.
The rumours come just two months after Xbox CFO Tim Stuart said Microsoft wants to bring first-party games to “every screen that can play games,” including rival consoles.
“It’s a bit of a change of strategy,” Stuart said at the Wells Fargo TMT Summit in November. “Not announcing anything broadly here, but our mission is to bring our first-party experiences [and] our subscription services to every screen that can play games. That means smart TVs, that means mobile devices, that means what we would have thought of as competitors in the past like PlayStation and Nintendo.”
Still, that leaves the door open for Microsoft to launch more of its first-party games on rival consoles. Hi-Fi Rush launched on January 25, 2023. Could it set a precedent for Xbox games to expand to other platforms a year after release?
It’s worth noting Microsoft does already publish its games on non-Xbox platforms. Minecraft is of course available on pretty much every platform going. Bethesda games The Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76 are both published and updated on PlayStation. Double Fine’s Psychonauts 2 came out in August 2021 for PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S.
It’s also worth noting that Microsoft has a long list of exclusive games due out this year and beyond, including the likes of Obsidian’s Avowed, Ninja Theory’s Hellblade 2, and Playground’s Fable. There’s no suggestion that these exclusives will launch on PlayStation as well as Xbox.
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.
Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival in Tokyo is currently underway and its keynote revealed such exciting things as the full Dawntrail trailer, a new Pictomancer job, and a look at the female Hrothgar playable race in action.
While we didn’t get a release date for the much-anticipated Dawntrail expansion beyond Summer 2024, the glimpse of the future of FF14 shared by director Naoki Yoshida and the team was quite promising.
To learn more about Dawntrail as a whole, you can check out the nearly 6-minute trailer of the expansion above that is intended to be the “very best summer vacation a hero could possibly have.” It will also be the first step into a “new story” for the game and will send players to Tural, a land that lies over the ocean to the far west of Eorzea.
Players will be able to take on two new jobs in Dawntrail, and the Pictomancer job is now known alongside the previously announced Viper. Pictomancer is a magical ranged DPS that uses a paintbrush and a wide array of colors to take down its foes. It looks like a very fun job that has players painting landscapes, shapes, and other types of art as skills to cause damage, create weapons, summon creatures, and more.
To become a Viper or Pictomancer, players will need to purchase Dawntrail. If they aren’t ready to begin the new expansion, there will still be updates to enjoy like the major graphical update, system updates, and Gold Saucer updates.
One of the other biggest additions is for those who at least have the Shadowbringers expansion, and that is the new playable race known as the Female Hrothgar. The Male Hrothgar was added during the Shadowbringers expansion, and soon, the more rare Female Hrothgar will join the fight.
The Female Hrothgar are “identified by their lithe, muscular forms” and their “predisposition for leadership.”
Yoshi-P said the Female Hrothgar will be the final race to be added to the game, but he also left the door open for them to change their minds in the future.
As reported by Nova Crystallis, there were a ton of other new updates given during the keynote, including some of the new areas we will be visiting. The new region players will be visiting is called Tural and a Female Hrothgar will be aiding players and will introduce them to what they can expect. This includes a contest where the prize is “succession as the ruler of Tuliyollal, a massive city that sits at the juncture of northern and southern regions of Tural.” This contest may also split your team of Scions, potentially causing conflict or arguments between friends.
We also got a glimpse of a new town called Solution Nine, a “city of towering facades constructed by an entirely different civilization than of Tuliyollal.” There will also be another area called Heritage Found that is a region “overflowing with lightning energies, thick thunderclouds blot out the sun, while streaks of purple levin illuminate the land day and night.”
New challenges will put players face-to-face with Valigarmanda, The Eliminator, and the Barreltender. A new 8-player raid called The Arcadion was discussed and it will take place in Solution Nine. A new Alliance Raid – Echoes of Vana’Diel – is a collaboration with Final Fantasy XI and will test players with a battle against the Shadow Lord from FFXI. There will also be an Ultimate Raid call Eden – Futures Rewritten that will bring players back to Eden and see different “what-if” scenarios with Ryne and Gaia.
Fans of Island Sanctuary will be happy to know a new type of “lifestyle content” called Cosmic Exploration that will be released after Dawntrail and will let players visit other planets.
There are so many other smaller updates coming with Dawntrail and beyond, and we encourage you to check out the official Dawntrail page for even more info.
Lastly, Akihito Yoshida created gorgeous artwork for Dawntrail and you can check it and the Official Dungeon Crawl trailer below.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
It’s the first weekend of 2024, and there are some exciting deals that have gone live now that the holiday season has ended. From video games to PC components, there is no shortage of deals you don’t want to miss out on. The best deals for Sunday, January 7, include Persona 5 Tactica, the EVGA X17 Gaming Mouse, Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen), Super Mario RPG, a 2TB Crucial SSD, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, and more.
Lowest Price Yet for Persona 5 Tactica
Amazon has Persona 5 Tactica listed for $34.99, which is an even better deal than Black Friday. This action-packed adventure takes the Phantom Thieves into a new adventure with tactical combat. If you enjoyed Persona 5 Royal or Persona 5 Strikers, P5 Tactica should be a game on your radar. Erina, a character new to the series, is a great addition to an already amazing cast of characters.
$17.99 for the EVGA X17 Gaming Mouse
This gaming mouse from EVGA is a solid pickup if you’re looking for a new mouse and don’t need any fancy features. The X17 includes 10 buttons you can program as you see fit, in addition to a sensor capable of up to 16,000DPI. You can save five different profiles on the mouse, which comes in handy as you alternate between games and tasks. Lastly, there’s even the option to add or remove weight from the mouse to best fit your desired experience.
Apple AirPods Pro with USB Type-C for $189.99
Amazon has dropped the price of the 2nd gen Apple AirPods Pro truly wireless noise cancelling earbuds with the universal USB Type-C connector by $60, now only $189. With this current gen AirPods Pro, Apple has replaced the proprietary Lightning port with the more universal USB Type-C. For people who want to bring along a single charging cable for all of their mobile devices, this is a godsend.
Super Mario RPG for $47.69
The recently released remake of Super Mario RPG is 20% off at Walmart right now. If you’ve yet to either play the original or check out the remake, this is the perfect time to do so. Composer Yoko Shimimura returned to compose the remake’s original soundtrack, and each boss and environment has been expertly recrafted for the Nintendo Switch. It’s the perfect Mario title to check out if you’ve already beaten Super Mario Bros. Wonder!
Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 for $95.99
Target recently dropped the price of the professional-grade Xbox Series X Elite Series 2 Core Wireless Controller in Red/Black to $95.99. It’s less expensive than the Black/White and Blue/Black variants. This controller wasn’t discounted at all during Black Friday and Cyber Monday and would make for an awesome holiday gift for any Xbox gamer who appreciates precision control and customizability.
Note that Target RedCard members get an extra 5% discount. Signing up is free.
2TB PS5 Compatible SSD for $128
You can never have enough storage for a console like the PlayStation 5. File sizes have only grown with each passing year, and each of the biggest titles of the year usually requires 100GB on the low end. This Crucial T-500 2TB SSD includes a heatsink, so it’s ready to slot into your PS5 with no other installation required. If you don’t have an SSD yet, this is a great deal to take a look at.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition for $11.99
This collection of titles is well worth your money for $11.99. Mass Effect Legendary Edition includes the first three Mass Effect titles and all DLC associated with each. The games are all remastered in 4K, each running at high frame rates. The first Mass Effect title specifically received loads of enhancements and updates to improve the visual and gameplay experience. You can’t go wrong with picking this one up.
2021 Apple iPad 10.2″ 64GB for $249
Amazon is offering a brand new 2021 Apple iPad 10.2″ Wi-Fi 64GB tablet for only $249. This iPad normally retails for $329, so you’re saving about 25%. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for what is already the most affordable iPad you can get. These are brand new and include a 1 year Apple warranty. You’ll get 64GB of storage with this model and Touch ID features for login.
Save $70 Off 1TB of Additional Xbox Series X|S Storage
Best Buy currently has the Seagate 1TB Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S listed for $149.99. If you’re currently just utilizing the console’s internal storage, this is a great deal to look at. Additional storage will allow you to download more games without having to free up space. It’s a great addition to your console and will benefit you in the long run. The WD – Black 1TB SSD Card for Xbox is also priced at $149.99, so take your pick of either brand.
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete 4K Blu-ray for $18.90
With Final Fantasy VII Rebirth just a month and a half away, there has never been a better time to watch Advent Children. This 4K Remaster of the Complete edition packs in multiple bonus features, in addition to the revised cuts and over 25 minutes of added content throughout the movie. It’s likely that Advent Children could be very important to the story of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, especially with Square Enix electing to bring the movie back to theaters just days before the game’s release.
43% Off The Last of Us Part I
This is the lowest we’ve seen The Last of Us Part I in quite some time. The PS5 title doesn’t go below $40 usually, so you’re saving a few extra dollars with this purchase. If you recently watched The Last of Us on HBO and are looking to experience the game it’s based on, this is the best way to do so. The remake of the 2013 title brings loads of gameplay and visual improvements to make it worth your while.
Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 850W
If you’re in the market for a new power supply, look no further than the Thermaltake GF A3 850W. This Gold Certified PSU is fully compatible with ATX 3.0 Standards and is PCIe Gen 5.0 ready. Additionally, it is fully modular, so you’ll only need to use the necessary cables for your specific build. Almost any of the new 4000 series cards will work effortlessly with this 850W PSU.
$800 Off One of LG’s Best 2022 TVs
Best Buy has the 77″ LG G2 Gallery Series 4K OLED TV on sale for $2,474.99. It’s one of the best TVs that LG put out in 2022, which makes this a fantastic deal for a high quality 4K OLED TV. Utilizing the Gen5 AI Processor 4K, you’ll get the best color and picture quality from your LG TV. It will automatically adjust both the picture and sound depending on the content you are watching. Additionally, this TV has 4 HDMI 2.1 ports, making it a perfect for the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X.
Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion for $29.99
A remaster of the PSP title with the same name, Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion tells the story of Zack Fair and his journey. The game is set years before the events of Final Fantasy VII and is imperative to expanding upon the overall story. Now is a great time to pick up Crisis Core if you haven’t had the chance to play it yet, especially as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is set to release in February.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – Limited Edition for $49.99
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has hit $49.99 on Amazon, matching a previous low. With the limited edition of the game, you’ll get a unique weapon and an exclusive character gear set to adjust your appearance. You’ll get to experience a full open world with Frontiers of Pandora, exploring and fighting enemies with plenty of Na’vi weapons at your disposal.
It’s the first weekend of 2024, and there are some exciting deals that have gone live now that the holiday season has ended. From video games to PC components, there is no shortage of deals you don’t want to miss out on. The best deals for Saturday, January 6, include Super Mario RPG, a 2TB Crucial SSD, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, and more.
Super Mario RPG for $47.69
The recently released remake of Super Mario RPG is 20% off at Walmart right now. If you’ve yet to either play the original or check out the remake, this is the perfect time to do so. Composer Yoko Shimimura returned to compose the remake’s original soundtrack, and each boss and environment has been expertly recrafted for the Nintendo Switch. It’s the perfect Mario title to check out if you’ve already beaten Super Mario Bros. Wonder!
2TB PS5 Compatible SSD for $124.99
You can never have enough storage for a console like the PlayStation 5. File sizes have only grown with each passing year, and each of the biggest titles of the year usually requires 100GB on the low end. This Crucial T-500 2TB SSD includes a heatsink, so it’s ready to slot into your PS5 with no other installation required. If you don’t have an SSD yet, this is a great deal to take a look at.
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete 4K Blu-ray for $18.90
With Final Fantasy VII Rebirth just a month and a half away, there has never been a better time to watch Advent Children. This 4K Remaster of the Complete edition packs in multiple bonus features, in addition to the revised cuts and over 25 minutes of added content throughout the movie. It’s likely that Advent Children could be very important to the story of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, especially with Square Enix electing to bring the movie back to theaters just days before the game’s release.
Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 850W
If you’re in the market for a new power supply, look no further than the Thermaltake GF A3 850W. This Gold Certified PSU is fully compatible with ATX 3.0 Standards and is PCIe Gen 5.0 ready. Additionally, it is fully modular, so you’ll only need to use the necessary cables for your specific build. Almost any of the new 4000 series cards will work effortlessly with this 850W PSU.
$800 Off One of LG’s Best 2022 TVs
Best Buy has the 77″ LG G2 Gallery Series 4K OLED TV on sale for $2,474.99. It’s one of the best TVs that LG put out in 2022, which makes this a fantastic deal for a high quality 4K OLED TV. Utilizing the Gen5 AI Processor 4K, you’ll get the best color and picture quality from your LG TV. It will automatically adjust both the picture and sound depending on the content you are watching. Additionally, this TV has 4 HDMI 2.1 ports, making it a perfect for the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X.
Save 20% Off This LEGO Icons Atari 2600 Set
Right now, Amazon has the LEGO Icons Atari 2600 set on sale for $191.99. That’s 20% off the listing price of $239.99! This set includes loads of nostalgia and retro fun, with a to-size Atari 2600 console and its iconic controller. Additionally, Asteroids, Adventure, and Centipede cartridges are included to be built, with game scenes representing the three games as well. Overall, this is a great set to pick up if you love Atari or are looking for a rush of nostalgia for video games.
LEGO DC Super-Villains for $14.99
LEGO DC Super-Villains is a title that went under the radar for many. The collaboration between DC Comics and WB Games sees you take control of some of DC’s biggest villains and wreak havoc across multiple cities. A new group of suspicious heroes has appeared, and it’s up to the villains to uncover their true intentions. This deal is for the Nintendo Switch version of the game, which runs consistently in docked and handheld modes.
Apple AirPods Pro with USB Type-C for $189.99
There’s no better holiday gift than a new pair of AirPods. Amazon has dropped the price of the 2nd gen Apple AirPods Pro truly wireless noise cancelling earbuds with the universal USB Type-C connector by $50, now only $199.99. Best of all, it can be delivered to you before Christmas, December 25 without paying any additional shipping fee. With this current gen AirPods Pro, Apple has replaced the proprietary Lightning port with the more universal USB Type-C. For people who want to bring along a single charging cable for all of their mobile devices, this is a godsend.
Listen, there are some weird Pokemon evolutions out there, and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have them in spades. Sometimes the cute little guy you first caught will evolve into an absolute monstrosity, or just something a little bit… off. But who doesn’t love a good motley crew?
The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Teal Mask DLC introduced some new and classic Pokemon to the game, but evolving them isn’t always a straightforward process. Here are some of the most sought-after Pokemon evolution methods in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet The Teal Mask DLC and the Pokemon Indigo Disk DLC.
How to Evolve Nosepass in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
This adorable little Moai (or Easter Island head) of a Pokemon makes a return in the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC, but evolving Nosepass is different this time around.
Once you’ve found Nosepass in the northwestern corner of Kitakami (we recommend looking in Paradise Barrens) you will need to expose Nosepass to a Thunder Stone in order to evolve it into its next strange form, Probopass. Alternatively, if you don’t want to evolve Nosepass, you can sometimes find and defeat Probopass in either a 5-Star or 6-Star Tera Raid.
How to Evolve Aipom in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet
Teach Aipom the Double Hit move
Defeat in Tera Raid Battle
It’s always been just a little disconcerting that Aipom evolves from a cute little monkey with a hand on its tail to a cute little monkey with… they kind of look like udders, okay? If you want Aipom’s evolution, Ambipom, however, you can evolve your Aipom using this trick.
First, you will want to teach your Aipom the move Double Hit. Aipom should learn the Double Hit move naturally at Level 32. Once Aipom knows Double Hit, you only need to level it up once more and it evolves into Ambipom!
How to Evolve Lampent in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Yep, a chandelier Pokemon. Starting out as the precious candle Pokemon, Litwick, you can take its second evolution Lampent another level and get yourself your very own Chandelure.
To evolve Lampent into Chandelure, you will need to expose your Lampent to Dusk Stone. There is a guaranteed drop of Dusk Stone behind the Montenevera Gym, if you’re having trouble finding some. Otherwise, you can skip evolving Lampent altogether and capture a Chandelure after defeating one in a 5-Star or 6-Star Tera Raid Battle.
How to Evolve Weepinbell in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Expose to Leaf Stone
Defeat in high-level Tera Raid Battle
It has to be said. Weepinbell goes from looking very much like a mouth to evolving into a mouth with sharp teeth. If this cursed creature is your cup of tea though, you can catch Weepinbell and evolve it into your very own Victreebel!
To evolve Weepinbell, you’ll need to expose your Weepinbell to a Leaf Stone. We recommend looking for Leaf Stone in Tagtree Thicket, or you can just buy one. You can also just capture a Victreebel by defeating it in a higher-level Tera Raid Battle.
How to Evolve Dusclops in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Trade while holding Reaper Cloth
Defeat in high-level Tera Raid Battle
This strange Ghost-type Pokemon Dusclops can only be evolved into a Dusknoir by trading it at Level 37. However, there’s a catch! The Dusclops must be holding a Reaper Cloth when traded. To find one, head to the Timeless Woods in Kitakami, and look around the ground in the center of it, to the south, for a Poke Ball on the ground containing one. Dusclops is one of several Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet that can only evolve when traded.
The only other way to snag yourself the sinister Dusknoir Pokemon is to defeat one in a high-level Tera Raid in Kitakami.
How to Evolve Poliwhirl in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Okay, so Poliwhirl really isn’t that “weird” for a Pokemon, at least when you compare it to others. What’s strange about Poliwhirl is that it’s one of the few Pokemon that has a “branching” evolution. Not only that, but its Politoed evolution circumvents the usual standard in which an adorable Pokemon evolves into a “tougher” looking Pokemon.
If you want to evolve your Poliwhirl into a cute Politoed instead of Poliwrath, you will need to trade it while it’s holding a King’s Rock at Level 25. You can get King’s Rock from Delibird Presents. The only other way you’ll encounter a Politoed in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is in a high-level Tera Raid Battle in Kitakami.
How to Evolve Feebas in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Trade while holding a Prism Scale
Defeat Milotic in 5-Star or 6-Star Tera Raid Battles
This very decased-looking fish Pokemon, Feebas, is tough to locate in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. If you need help tracking Feebas down, try using our Where to Find Feebas in The Teal Mask DLC guide.
Originally, Feebas would only evolve into Milotic once it was as beautiful as it could be, but since that old Pokemon Contest mechanic is missing from Scarlet and Violet, you’ll have to follow a different method. Once you’ve caught Feebas, the next step is to give it a Prism Scale and trade it. Once traded, it will evolve into a Milotic! If you’re up for the challenge, alternatively you can defeat Milotic in a 5-Star or 6-Star Tera Raid Battle found in the Kitakami region.
How to Evolve Applin in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Dipplin is a new, strange candied apple Pokemon introduced in The Teal Mask DLC. To get it, you’ll first need to find an Applin. These are easier to find in Kitakami, specifically the Apple Hills. Applin already had two different evolutions depending on the type of apple you expose it to, and Dipplin is now the third. Once you have acquired an Applin, simply expose it to the new Syrupy Apple! You can also find Dipplin in 6-Star Tera Raid Battles in Blueberry Academy’s Terrarium.
How to Evolve Dipplin in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Teach it Dragon Cheer and level it up once
Hydrapple is really just a collection of six “syrpents” who live in an apple made of syrup. Really. It’s the new second stage evolution of the Applin line introduced in The Indigo Disk DLC, and to get it, you’ll need to evolve the more subdued Dipplin. Dipplin will need to learn Dragon Cheer via TM before it can level up and evolve. To get the Dragon Cheer TM, defeat a certain BB League Elite Four member in the Polar Biome.
How to Evolve Hisuian Qwilfish in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Teach it Barb Barrage and level it up
Defeat Overqwil in 6-Star Tera Raid Battles in Blueberry Academy’s Terrarium
Hisuian Qwilfish and Overqwil aren’t too strange, considering they’re kind of inspired by real-life sea creatures, but the method to evolve Hisuian Qwilfish is a fairly unique one. It needs to know Barb Barrage first and then level up to evolve into Overqwil. You can also encounter the angry Overqwil in 6-Star Tera Raid Battles in Blueberry Academy’s Terrarium.
How to Evolve Inkay in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet
Level up Inkay to Lv. 30 or up while the Switch is upside down
Defeat Malamar in 5- or 6-Star Tera Raid Battles in Blueberry Academy’s Terrarium
Inkay is a cute ‘lil squid friend that evolves into Malamar, a curious Dark- and Psychic type Pokemon that can hypnotize its victim. The evolution method for Inkay has been stumping players since its inception, and the method hasn’t changed for its reintroduction in The Indigo Disk DLC. Level Inkay up to at least Level 30 while the console – yes, the entire Nintendo Switch – is upside down.
How to Evolve Milcery in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet
Give Milcery a Sweet to hold and spin
Defeat Malamar in 5- or 6-Star Tera Raid Battles
Milcery’s a cute cream Pokemon first introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield with a completely unique method of evolution that is… quite specific and strange. First, you must let it hold a Sweet. Then, exit the menu and twirl the control stick so your trainer spins–Milcery should evolve into Alcremie! A pile of whipped cream and strawberries. Well, its adornments will change based on the Sweet you gave it! Yum.
Traide while it’s holding a King’s Rock (for Politoed)
How to Evolve Gurdurr
Trade
How to Evolve Seadra
Trade while it’s holding a Dragon Scale
How to Evolve Dusclops
Trade while it’s holding a Reaper Cloth
How to Evolve Feebas
Trade while it’s holding a Prism Scale
How to Evolve Porygon
Trade while it’s holding an Upgrade
How to Evolve Porygon 2
Trade while it’s holding a Dubious Disk
How to Evolve Phantump
Trade
All of these evolutions can also be caught after defeating them in Tera Raid Battles if you’ve got what it takes, too.
Are there some Pokemon who you are hoping to evolve that weren’t on this list? You can find every Pokemon and their evolution items over on our How to Evolve Every Pokemon guide for Scarlet and Violet! On the flip side, if you are looking for more Teal Mask DLC help, check out our walkthrough or How to Catch the Loyal Three guides!
Shailyn Cotten is a Freelance Writer for IGN. When she’s not writing guides, you can find her gobbling up Legend of Zelda lore, writing cozy fantasy novels, or live-streaming on Twitch. You can find her on Twitter at @ShaiCotten.
VALORANT Episode 8 Act 1 is dropping January 10th and brings, for the first time since launch, a new gun. The Outlaw is the new weapon in the latest season that brings a new sniper rifle into play. Here’s everything you need to know about the Outlaw and the newest season of VALORANT.
OUTLAW
The Outlaw is a brand new double-barreled sniper rifle made to fit somewhere between the Marshal and Operator sniper rifles in the roster. The Outlaw can fire two shots in succession very quickly without zooming out. Depending on how many shots you’ve fired, one shot or two, the reload times will vary and are overall a bit longer than the other sniper rifles to compensate for the fire rate.
Nick Smith, Game Designer II and Sal Garozzo, Game Designer Architect, stated, “The Shorty (the sawed off shotgun sidearm in Valorant) served as a bit of an inspiration in that regard, allowing us to reimagine that paradigm in a new context with a Sniper rifle.”
The Outlaw will be especially formidable against players wearing Light Armor due to its high damage and two-shot mechanics. The Outlaw costs 2,400 credits in matches so it’s right between its competitors the Marshal and Operator.
OUTLAW BUNDLE
The Outlaw also drops with a new Throwback Bundle in the VALORANT SHOP that costs 2,320 VP and includes two skins for the Outlaw with 3 variants each. The Prism/Reloaded Outlaw skin and the Ego Outlaw skin. There are no unique custom animations and VFX for these skins but the Prism and Ego skins returning from 2020 have new color variants to make up for that and the price point.
VALORANT Episode 8 Act 1 will be available to everyone January 10th with a new battle pass.
Stella is a Video Producer, Host, and Editor at IGN. Her gameplay focus is on competitive FPS games and she’s previously reviewed Apex Legends, Hyper Scape, Halo Infinite Multiplayer, and Battlefield 2042. She regularly hosts and shoutcasts competitive Apex Legends and Halo Infinite tournaments when she isn’t streaming on her Twitch channel after work outs. You can follow her on Twitter @ParallaxStella.
Nearly 13 years after the debut of Portal 2, fans of the beloved first-person puzzle game were supposed to be rewarded with the Jan. 5 release of a prequel campaign from Second Face Software. The fan-made mod, dubbed Portal: Revolution, will add over eight hours of gameplay and 40 new test chambers to the sequel game.
“Right off the bat, I want to say that the game is done,” the message reads. “We could ship at any moment, but Valve has yet to review and accept the game for release.”
The note continues on to explain how all games on Steam are beholden to a review process by Valve before developers can even have the option to punch the release button. The Portal: Revolution developers first submitted their build for review Dec. 20 but had yet to hear back from Valve before the mod’s intended Jan. 5 release date.
“Even though we’re done on our part, we can’t ship,” the developers wrote. “In hindsight, we should have seen this coming and we definitely learned [our] lesson to not ship during holidays again.”
The developers acknowledged that they were, indeed, warned in advance by Steam Support that reduced staffing during the holiday season leads to much longer review times. Any other time of year, this process normally takes between 2-3 business days, according to the Portal: Revolution developers, though it’s advised games be submitted at least two weeks before their shipping date.
“Even though we’re done on our part, we can’t ship. In hindsight, we should have seen this coming.”
As the announcement was being posted to the Steam storefront, the Portal: Revolution team heard back from Valve that the build is now under review. Once accepted, the game devs said they would update fans with a revised release date.
We’re not sure what’s worse: having to stay patient for the mod’s inevitable debut or the fact it’s ready and simply not available. Either way, it’s a sad day for Portal fans.
The good news? This campaign is going to be well worth the wait. Eight hours of additional gameplay nearly qualifies this community-built mod as a full-length game in its own right. Plus, the new puzzles will force players to think outside the box (or rather, Companion Cube) by utilizing existing mechanics in a unique way.
Set between the events of Portal and Portal 2, the new content will send players back to the tattered ruins of Aperture laboratories. At the game’s onset, you awake as a test subject whose mission is to find a device that can restore the facility.
“Portal: Revolutions puzzle difficulty starts where Portal 2 stops,” according to the game’s developers, though challenging new mechanics will be taught to players as they go along, similar to the original games.
Games with miniatures and games with the Marvel licence are ten a penny, but back in 2019 the bright sparks at Atomic Mass Games had the idea to put them together. The result was Marvel Crisis Protocol, a skirmish game where teams of super-powered characters duke it out over tactical objectives. It proved a smash hit, and now it’s back in an updated edition, Earth’s Mightiest Core Set (see it at Amazon), with cool new characters and more dynamic figures. Owners of the original can still use their figures, however, as they’re different versions of the same characters, with slightly different stats and powers.
What’s in the Box
Like a lot of miniature game starter boxes, the contents of Marvel: Crisis Protocol – Earth’s Mightiest Core Set isn’t much to look at when you draw the lid off for the first time. It’s mostly a lot of gray plastic sprues. There are no assembly instruction in the game — instead they have to be downloaded from the website of the publisher, Atomic Mass Games. You’ll also need a craft knife, some polystyrene cement and a lot of time and patience to assemble the contents, although the figure poses are clean and obvious. No guessing games are required over whether you’ve got an arm or a leg at the correct angle.
Once you’ve put the time in, the results are spectacular. The 10 figures in this updated box are much more detailed and dynamic than their original counterparts. Doc Ock drips liquid from tentacle to test-tube, while Black Widow is captured in the act of tearing an Ultrabot in two.
In addition to the characters, there’s also a ton of scenery included, mimicking everyday street objects like lamps and cars. Some of the more spectacular pieces are wrecks and damaged buildings, enlivened by bits of crushed Ultrabots crawling out of the debris. Between them, there’s more than enough to start playing.
A pack of custom dice, character and crisis cards, a rules booklet and some sheets of cardboard sprues containing counters round out the box contents. As you can probably imagine given the wealth of comic art at the game’s disposal, everything looks bright and colorful with plenty of pictures to enliven the tiresome task of rules referencing.
Rules and How It Plays
For the most part, Marvel Crisis Protocol plays like a standard modern miniatures game. Characters get two actions which they can use to do things like move, attack or activate particular hero powers. Movement and range are measure with included custom tools to keep things fast and simple. Attacks are resolved by each player rolling a pool of dice and looking for hit or block symbols to attack or defend, with “wild” icons adding additional effects depending on the attack used.
With each character representing a superhero, you can probably imagine that these additional effects, along with their unique attacks and powers, encompass a wild range of wacky results. Spider-Man, for example, can slam enemy characters into the scenery, while Red Skull can warp both himself and other characters around the map. Most of the more powerful abilities require you to pay a resource called power which is in short supply at the beginning of the game.
However, in a twist of considerable genius, characters get extra power when they’re wounded and when they use particular attacks. This is a useful feedback loop that boosts a player taking hits due to unlucky dice, but it also results in an escalating feedback loop whereby the more everyone is punching and throwing each other around, the more options they have to punch and throw each other even harder. Characters also get dazed after accumulating enough wounds, which flips their character cards over and sometimes reveals even more powerful effects to bring into play.
The result is an ever-escalating fist-fight that feels like flipping the panels on your favorite comic. It won’t be long before characters are chaining attacks into other attacks, throwing the scenery around, throwing each other around — sometimes into the paths of incoming attacks — and criss-crossing the battlefield with energy beams or freeze rays and generally doing what superheroes do best: escalating craziness with every punch until someone finally gets hit for six at the climax.
Not only is this the thematic core of Marvel Crisis Protocol, it’s also where a lot of the tactical decisions lie. It all comes down to assessing the situation and trying to choose which heroes and powers will work best together to counter the enemy. While this is always an interesting challenge, the sheer number of different options at your disposal can also be overwhelming, even for experienced players. Most characters have two to three attack options and a further three or four passive powers. When you’re fielding a team of five or so operatives, it quickly gets hard to handle. As does the sheer number of tokens and tracking many powers require.
The remainder of the strategy comes from the game’s objective system. This is a clever concept that removes a lot of the rock-paper-scissors faction match-up issues that plague a lot of other miniatures games. You build a team of 10 models, and support that team with a choice of crisis cards, which determine the scenario, and team tactics cards, one-shot special powers. Each player draws a crisis card at random from their roster, and those two become the scenario objectives — one detailing objectives to hold and one with items or civilians to get off the battlefield. They also mandate a points cap, and players can choose which of their 10 models to use up to that points value.
This is essentially a kind of sideboard system which allows you to strategically prepare sets of cards and figures that work well together and then finalize them when the exact parameters of the mission become clear. In turn, it offers tons of variety and means you can be much more flexible in how you approach your goals each and every game. So you’re reacting to a new tactical challenge each time by making informed decisions rather than just showing up with a list and hoping your picks will be up to doing whatever job turns out to be asked of them, as a lot of these kinds of games do.
While Marvel Crisis Protocol does give you plenty of tactical tools to work with, it’s also a dice-heavy game. The custom dice icons take some getting used to, but they’re fun to use, especially when a power gives you lots of re-rolls or exclamation results give you extra dice for explosively powerful attacks. At the same time, that does make the game very swingy and prone to fate. This seems well-suited to the theme of the game, with fights often taking wildly unexpected turns just as one side thinks they have it in the bag, but those looking for a more in-depth strategic challenge probably won’t be considering a game about comic-book characters having fist-fights in the first place.
