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.
Amazon is currently offering Amazon Prime members a Romoss 40,000mAh USB Type-C Power Bank with 18W of USB Power Delivery for only $23.99 after you clip a 50% off coupon on the product page. Non-Prime members can get it for $29.99. That’s an excellent price for a pretty massive 40,000mAh power bank that’s also equipped with a USB Type-C output with 18W of Power Delivery, which is the ideal wattage for charging your Nintendo Switch gaming handheld.
Romoss 40,000mAh USB Type-C Power Bank for $23.99
Amazon Prime members only ($29.99 for non-Prime members)
The Romoss 40,000mAh power bank has a larger capacity than most portable battery backups we’ve seen. The tradeoff is its size; it’s a pretty hefty device, measuring in at 6.7 x 3.2 x 1.7 inches and weighing in at 2 pounds. It’s important to note that the Romoss can’t be brought onto the plane as carry-on. The maximum cutoff is 27,000mAh and 100Wh, whereas this powerbank is 40,000mAh and 148Wh. A smaller 10K mAh power bank might be a better choice as a daily driver or airplane travel, however the extra battery capacity is useful for when you don’t have access to a power outlet for longer periods of time.
There are four total ports: one USB Type-A input, one USB Type-C input/output, and two USB Type-A outputs. The maximum amount of Power Delivery is 18W via USB Type-C, which also happens to be the max charging speed for the Nintendo Switch. The Steam Deck, on the other hand, supports a max of 38W and the ASUS ROG Ally even higher at 65W. If you want the most efficient charging for those gaming systems, there are better (and more expensive) options. If you’re not in a rush, though, this power bank can still charge up all three without a problem, it will just take a little onger.
It’s important to note that technically, the Romoss can’t be brought onto the plane as carry-on. The maximum cutoff is 27,000mAh and 100Wh, whereas this powerbank is 40,000mAh and 148Wh.
Capcom’s highly anticipated role-playing game Dragon’s Dogma 2 launches March 22, 2024 but spoilers have already leaked online.
As reported by Eurogamer, the now fairly common occurence of major games leaking before their release date has happened again with Dragon’s Dogma 2, where players have seemingly received physical copies ahead of launch.
Regardless of how they obtained the copies, these players have streamed them online, uploaded videos to YouTube, and shared clips and other content on social media. While Capcom has issued takedown notices for some of these, the nature of the internet means they’ve already spread like wildfire.
Those looking forward to the RPG may therefore want to mute keywords on X/Twitter and avoid online discourse surrounding Dragon’s Dogma 2 for fear of spoiling the game too early. We won’t share what information has leaked online for obvious reasons, but it goes without saying myriad story details have surfaced.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 takes place in a parallel universe which “mirrors the world setting of the original game”. Players can explore the human kingdom of Vermund and the beastren kingdom of Battahl and ultimately take on a big evil dragon.
The myriad non-player characters of Dragon’s Dogma 2 also appear endlessly complex, as beyond some pawns being completely customisable as mentioned, NPCs can form different bonds with the player character and may even fight each other for the player’s love.
Those looking to kill time until it comes out proper can check out the game’s character creator, which Capcom released early. Players have used it to make some incredible recreations of other iconic characters (and some absolute monsters), with all data transferrable to the main game.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
Amazon is currently offering the 2TB SK Hynix P41 Platinum PCIe 4.0 NVME solid state drive (SSD) for only $139.99 shipped. That’s one of the best prices we’ve seen for a 2TB PS5-compatible SSD from a reputable brand. It also happens to be one of the fastest PCI-E 4.0 SSDs on the market right now. This is an outstanding candidate for your PS5 or gaming PC rig.
SK Hynix P41 Platinum 2TB M.2 SSD for $139.99
SK Hynix might not be a brand that the consumer recognizes as much as Samsung or Western Digital, but make no mistake that they are a major player in the flash memory market. SK Hynix is a South Korean DRAM manufacturer and is the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker and the world’s third-largest semiconductor company. They supply components for brands you’ve heard of, like Corsair and G.Skill.
The Platinum P41 is SK Hynix’s highest end SSD. It boasts sustained read speeds of 7,000MB/s and sustained write speeds of 6,500MB/s. It also boasts random read speeds of 1.4 million IOPS and random write speeds of 1.3 million IOPS. In terms of reliability and stability, the SSDs have been tested and validated through 1,000 hours of stress testing with MTBF reaching 1.5 million hours or up to 1,200TB written. SK Hynix backs it all up with a 5 year warranty. Unlike most other SSDs, both the chips and the controller are manufactured in-house. The P41 Platinum uses an Aries controller with 176-layer TLC NAND flash chips.
Of course, in terms of real world performance, the vast majority of users won’t be able to tell apart the speeds between the highest end PCI-E 4.0 SSDs. Some of these SSDs include the SK Hynix P41 Platinum, the Samsung 990 Pro, and the WD Black SN850X. Therefore, it all comes down to the price. At its current price point, the P41 Platinum isn’t just one of the fastest drives on the market, it’s also cheaper than any competitor that can come close to its performance.
A great PS5 SSD, but you’ll need to get a heatsink
The SK Hynix P41 Platinum does not come equipped with a heatsink. That’s because this SSD is catered to PC gamers looking to add storage to their desktop computer. Many motherboards come equipped with built-in SSD coolers and will only accept bare SSDs. It’s generally harder to remove a heatsink than to apply a new one. If you plan to use this for your PS5, rest assured that’ it is 100% compatible (in fact, it’s overkill). Although some people have gotten away with an SSD with no heatsink, we recommend you install one for peace of mind. You can easily get a PS5 heatsink for under $10.
Microsoft has created another custom Xbox Series X, this time theming after Fallout in celebration of the upcoming Amazon show.
Revealed in a post on X/Twitter, below, the console will be given away to one lucky fan who follows Xbox and retweets the post. The prize includes more than just the custom Xbox Series X, however, as it also bundles in a controller (which can actually be bought) and a custom vault to keep the hardware in.
This is a seemingly working safe with various bits of Fallout branding on it. It’s marked as Vault 33, which is the same bunker where the Fallout TV show’s protagonist comes from. Interestingly, it also has “Fort Knox” written on it, which is only mentioned in Bethesda’s game universe in Fallout 76.
Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian has issued hotfix 22 across PC, PlayStation 5, Mac, and, crucially, Xbox, bringing players on Microsoft’s console up to date.
The sprawling Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game had lagged behind by a number of hotfixes on Xbox Series X and S as a result of an Xbox exclusive crash bug, but now with the release of hotfix 22, Baldur’s Gate 3 on Xbox has hotfixes 20 and 21, too.
Alongside this release, issues with Xbox cross-saves should now be resolved, Larian said. “Thank you again for your patience while we worked to fix the issue, and we’re sorry for any inconvenience it may have caused,” the developer added.
Hotfix #22, meanwhile, resolves further crashes and blockers, and, as Larian put it, makes Minthara “pinky promise to stop repeating her thoughts about Gale in Act III.” What’s that about? As Larian explained in the patch notes: “We’ve also fixed an issue where a legacy dialogue flow had been enabled unintentionally while carrying out fixes for Minthara, which meant that some players had been able to view dialogue where Minthara would seemingly end a relationship with Dark Urge players if they had resisted their urges and made a certain choice in Act III.”
Baldur’s Gate 3 Hotfix 22 patch notes:
CRASHES AND BLOCKERS
Fixed a crash caused by the game trying to access the duration of a condition on a character with no conditions set.
Fixed conditions sometimes trying to get their duration from the source entity instead of the target entity.
Fixed some potential internal crashes on Xbox when suspending the game (e.g. when suspending the console or loading another game), causing it to reboot when you went back to it.
UI
Improved the messaging for syncing and cross-saving by indicating when a cross-save sync has failed and adding an option to try again. Also prevented the saving and cross-saving messages from appearing for secondary local players.
Voice chat will no longer overlap the minimap on split-screen.
Fixed the ‘Another Player Is Joining’ pop-up not triggering while the host has a panel open on Xbox, potentially preventing the client from joining.
SCRIPTING
Fixed an issue where legacy dialogue had been enabled unintentionally as part of another line of fixes, in which Minthara would seemingly end a relationship with Dark Urge players who had rejected Bhaal.
Made Minthara promise to stop repeating her thoughts about Gale in Act III.
Fixed a bug causing you to get perpetually stuck in a dangerous area if you triggered hostilities in the Emerald Grove and then left while it was still a dangerous area.
Fixed a rare issue where dialogues would end suddenly when you went to kiss your romantic partner.
Fixed a bug causing you to get stuck in combat with the enemies on top of Moonrise Towers if you found a way to sneak into the Mind Flayer Colony.
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.
