Get Ready to Flex in Grounded with the Upcoming Fully Yoked 1.4 Update

Summary

  • The “Fully Yoked” 1.4 update launches on April 16 for all platforms.
  • Digital pre-orders available from today for PlayStation consoles and Nintendo Switch, and physical preorders open through Limited Run Games for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.
  • The free 1.4 content update for all players introduces royal Ant Queens, a New Game+ mode, full Japanese VO, and an exciting array of new weapons, armor, and additional content.

Hey, Grounded friends! We’re absolutely buzzing to introduce the upcoming “Fully Yoked” 1.4 update – the ultimate Grounded experience bulging with new content that’s sure to get you pumped!

Grounded Screenshot

The Reign of the Ant Queens

First up, let’s talk ants. Each of the three ant colonies in Grounded now has a royal leader you can meet, the Ant Queen, who can be found deep within their respective hills. You will face a crucial decision with each queen: to befriend or betray her with a delectable offering. The path you choose determines not only the unique rewards you’ll receive but will also shape how the entire colony reacts to you. But tread carefully – some decisions have ripple effects that might not be immediately obvious…

Grounded Screenshot

The Backyard, Remixed

Ready for a backyard makeover, Grounded style? The New Game+ mode brings a thrilling twist to every corner of your backyard, heightening your gaming experience with unique challenges. Each playthrough morphs the backyard in astonishing ways, introducing a multitude of new system enhancements. Accessing this mode isn’t a walk in the yard – you’ll need to conquer the Broodmother, Mantis, Wasp Queen, and emerge victorious in the Javamatic fight. After defeating those bosses, players can choose to leap into an alternate dimension courtesy of Wendell’s new creation, the REMIX.R. Expect different creature spawns, tougher bosses, and a host of eerie anomalies and hidden secrets in these otherworldly dimensions.

In a remixed yard, be prepared to face creatures infused with the essence of Raw Science. These beasts aren’t just tougher – they’re quicker, stronger, and have unique abilities that elevate the challenge. But fear not! Defeating these infused creatures rewards you with special trinkets, also infused with Raw Science. These trinkets come with random, unique properties, offering a myriad of ways to enhance your character. Keep an eye out for Ominent Badges and new BURG.L Chip Trinkets as they too will have randomized properties to give you more options on how to build your character.

To get more powerful, you will need to purchase the Yoking Station from the ASL (Advanced System Library) in remixed yards. Here, you can level up your weapons to previously unimaginable strengths. Be prepared to scour these new realms for unique materials required for these upgrades.

Don’t forget to keep collecting molars, now hidden in randomized spots in remixed yards. Staying as mighty as the backyard’s inhabitants demands constant strength upgrades, and these molars are key.

Grounded Screenshot

More New Features to Explore

  • Hosts can now load a save while in the middle of a multiplayer session and all connected players will seamlessly transition into the new game world.
  • Full Japanese Voice Overs: Immerse yourself completely with full Japanese voice-overs, covering everything from the teen characters to BURG.L, cutscenes, and audio logs. Simply enable this feature from the Game Options menu.
  • The 1.4 update adds four new achievements, one new mutation, twelve Ant Queen-related buildings, new baby ant pets, and so much more we can’t list here!
  • Cross play will be supported across Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Preorder and Release Details

Mark your calendars, because on April 16th, the “Fully Yoked” 1.4 update goes live across all platforms, offering a whole new dimension of backyard adventure for our 20 million and growing player community. This release is not just another update; it’s the last planned content update for Grounded, poised to make your gaming experience more thrilling than ever. Gear up for a backyard adventure that’s truly yoked!

Excited yet? Digital preorders are available from today on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch for an April 16th release. If you’re a fan of physical editions, don’t miss out on securing your copy for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch through Limited Run Games, who have been incredible partners in this journey.

Grounded is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows 10/11, and Steam for $39.99. It’s also available with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming. For more information on Grounded, visit the official website.

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The world is a vast, beautiful, and dangerous place – especially when you have been shrunken to the size of an ant. Explore, build, and survive together in this cooperative survival-adventure. Can you thrive alongside the hordes of giant insects, fighting to survive the perils of the backyard?

Uncover the mysteries while playing through the story!
How did you wind up so small? Who did this to you? How do you go home? These are all answers you will uncover as you play through the story.

Solo or with friends – anytime!
You can face the backyard alone or together, online, with up to three friends. Not only that, but with the Shared Worlds feature, you can continue to play in your shared world even if the original host is not on, with all your progression saving!

(Online console multiplayer requires Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or Game Pass Core, sold separately.)

Nowhere is safe – not even your base.
Creatures can be found roaming the yard in a multitude of environments, such as the depths of the pond, the caverns of the termite den, and even the sweltering heat found in the sandbox. You can even attract them to different places in the yard by activating the MIX.R devices. However, the more you interfere with the creatures in the yard, the higher the chance that they come knocking at your own door, so you better prepare.

Play true to your playstyle!
Use the in-game customization systems such as Mutations and Milk Molars to activate the bonuses and perks you want for your character. Not only that, but craft and upgrade your armor and weapons to give your character the stats and advantages you need in order to take on the perils of the backyard.

It’s time to go big, or never go home!

The post Get Ready to Flex in Grounded with the Upcoming Fully Yoked 1.4 Update appeared first on Xbox Wire.

The Massive 1.5TB SanDisk Ultra Micro SDXC Card Is Under $90 for Amazon Prime Members

If you thought a 1TB Micro SD card was big, think again. Amazon currently has a massive SanDisk Ultra 1.5TB Micro SDXC Card for only $87.99 exclusively for Amazon Prime members. This is the first time we’ve seen a 1.5TB Micro SDXC card drop below the $100 price point, and it’s fully compatible with the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and ASUS ROG Ally portable handhelds.

1.5TB Micro SDXC Card (Switch Compatible) for $87.99

Amazon Prime member exclusive deal

If you’ve started compiling a collection of digital games, you probably already know just how limited the Switch’s base storage capacity. The Switch and Switch OLED consoles have 32GB and 64GB of internal storage, respectively, with some of it reserved for the OS. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom uses up 16GB and Breath of the Wild about 13.5GB. If bought digitally, those two games alone would take up all of your internal storage on the OG Switch console. There’s only one expansion slot in the Switch console so you want to make sure you get the biggest card you can afford.

The SanDisk Ultra Micro SDXC card is compatible with virtually any device that accepts the Micro SDXC card standard. That includes the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, any recently released smartphone that supports expandable memory, GoPros, cameras and much more. It has a UHS-1 A1 rating and supports read speeds of up to 150MB/s. That means it’s not the fastest memory card out there; you might want to consider the SanDisk Extreme if you need the faster speed. But most mainstream devices like the Nintendo Switch can only output UHS-1 speeds anyways; a faster card would simply be throttled.

Is 1.5TB too much space for you? Check out more of the best Nintendo Switch memory cards.

Free horror game Fractal Sailor is about flying an airship through infinite godflesh while eluding a monster

If ever there were a game not to play on a Monday when you’ve had minimal sleep and basically want to crawl under the table and eat three-day-old pizza, that game – or rather, “tech demo” – is Fractal Sailor. The work of Struct9 founder Matej Vanco, it hands you a distressingly unwieldy and roofless hovership and cuts you adrift in a vast ocean of malevolent mathematics.

Read more

Cyberpunk 2077 PS5 and Xbox Series X and S Free Trial Set for This Week

CD Projekt has announced a free trial of Cyberpunk 2077 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, available from March 28-31.

The trial goes live at 8am PDT on March 28 and ends 11:59pm on March 31. It offers five hours of unrestricted gameplay, and does not require any additional fees or subscriptions (so no need for PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass, for example). It does not include expansion Phantom Liberty.

Here’s the official blurb from CD Projekt:

This is the ultimate Cyberpunk 2077 experience — during the free trial period, players will have access to the base game, which includes all previous updates, such as the groundbreaking Update 2.0 featuring major gameplay overhauls and new features like redesigned skill trees and perks, vehicle combat, a new police system, and more. Players will also be able to experience Update 2.1, which introduced a fully functional metro system, the ability to listen to in-game radio stations outside of vehicles via the radioport, new vehicles, and more to the game. After the free trial ends, players who decide to purchase Cyberpunk 2077 will have their progress seamlessly carried over to the full version of the game.

Cyberpunk 2077 suffered a disastrous launch back in 2020, but CD Projekt stuck with the game and successfully turned it around in one of the most remarkable redemption stories in video game history. CD Projekt is now working on a sequel, codenamed Orion, although don’t expect to see anything of it for years.

If you’re jumping into the game for the first time, check out IGN’s comprehensive Cyberpunk 2077 guide.

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.

As The Elder Scrolls Turns 30, Bethesda Issues Brief The Elder Scrolls 6 Update

Bethesda has celebrated the 30th birthday of The Elder Scrolls series, and in doing so provided a brief update on the in-development The Elder Scrolls 6.

The Elder Scrolls franchise began life in 1994 with The Elder Scrolls: Arena, and has seen a number of main games and spin-offs in the 30 years since. The last mainline The Elder Scrolls game, Skyrim, first launched in November 2011, a sobering 13 years ago.

During a message to fans celebrating The Elder Scrolls’ birthday, Bethesda Game Studios pointed to the 10-year anniversary of The Elder Scrolls Online, mobile castle builder The Elder Scrolls: Castles, and finally, The Elder Scrolls 6.

“Last but not least, yes, we are in development on the next chapter – The Elder Scrolls 6,” Bethesda Game Studios said. “Even now, returning to Tamriel and playing early builds has us filled with the same joy, excitement, and promise of adventure.

“Thank you again for supporting us all these decades, and all you have brought to the games, making them your own. We couldn’t be more excited to continue it and celebrate the next 30 years.”

With Bethesda’s most recent game, Starfield, just six months old and set for DLC, it’ll be years before fans get to play The Elder Scrolls 6. Indeed, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said it won’t come out until 2028 at the earliest, putting a minimum of 17 years between it and Slyrim.

Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls 6 in 2018, though Howard admitted in 2023 that he “would’ve announced it more casually” in hindsight. In October, Bethesda’s former design director predicted The Elder Scrolls 6 will keep Skyrim’s levelling up and progression system. While we wait to find out, check out Everything we know about The Elder Scrolls 6.

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 14 producer teases “secret” Final Fantasy 9 connection in Dawntrail expansion

On top of announcing the release date for Final Fantasy 14‘s next expansion, Dawntrail, at PAX East over the weekend, producer Yoshi-P set Final Fantasy tongues wagging even further by mentioning the words “Final Fantasy 9” and “secret” in the same sentence. Many of the pre-order and special edition bonus items players can get with the upcoming Dawntrail expansion are suspiciously FF9-themed, you see, but when pointing this out to PAX-goers, Yoshi-P said “the reason is a secret” for now, sparking fresh rumours about Square Enix’s supposed Final Fantasy IX remake/remaster.

Read more

Random: Japanese Police Officer Gets Slapped Wrist For Playing Switch On Duty

“I played games when there were few incidents”.

We all know how easy it can be to lose ourselves in our Nintendo Switch from time to time. You might find yourself picking up something like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or the recently launched Balatro and have the genuine intention to only play for around 10 or 15 minutes. Suddenly, it’s 2am and your bladder is in dire need of some drainage. We’ve all been there.

For one Japanese police officer at the Tenri Police Station, however, time on the Switch has unfortunately meant that his attention to his role has suffered, leading to a bit of a slapped wrist and docked pay (via Japan News).

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Xbox Teams with the Atlanta Dream to Host Inaugural HoopFest Block Party Celebrating 404 Day

Continuing our fervent commitment to women’s sports, I’m pumped to announce we have created, with our long-time WNBA team partner the Atlanta Dream, a brand new block party-meets-basketball event that only Atlanta can deliver: the first ever, Atlanta Dream HoopFest – Powered by Xbox 3-on-3 outdoor high school basketball tourney, slated for Friday, April 5, 2024, from 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the Atlantic Station Greenspace, to celebrate the city of Atlanta’s 404 Day, an annual celebration of all things unique to Atlanta.  For more information, follow the @AtlantaDream on all social channels. 

When we began working on this idea last year, it was crucial to both us and the Dream to not only create an event that reflects the amazing global influence of Atlanta, but excites both Xbox and Dream fans. This influenced everything from the date choice down to the design of the brand-new HoopFest logo, which creatively weaves in the Atlanta skyline against a distinctive Xbox Sphere with true basketball vibes.

The free event on April 5, 2024, will not only include high school boys and girls basketball team brackets, but a true block party, including DJ music, food, merch, the Atlanta Dream Hype Team, members of the Atlanta Dream organization, Xbox, Microsoft, and even Overtime there to cover the event. For those lucky teams who win their bracket, each player will win a custom Atlanta Dream HoopFest Xbox Series S console, among other gifts and prizing. 

Gaming will very much be part of the party too. All attendees can visit our uniquely designed, The Locker Room, a Microsoft x Xbox space where fans can play a range of great Xbox games, including recent Xbox Game Pass additions like NBA 2K24 and EA Sports Madden NFL 24.  It’s also a great chance to learn more about the Power Her Dreams program, where alongside The Atlanta Dream, Microsoft provides STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programming to empower young women and girls to lead. This activity serves to help the Atlanta Dream expand foundational level access points for young girls and women within sport and learn about technical skills like coding by creating mini-games on Surface devices.

So, if you are up for a good time full of gaming, music, sports and more, come on over to Atlantic Station on Friday, April 5, 2024, 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. and catch a block party that only The ATL, the Dream, and Xbox can create together!

The post Xbox Teams with the Atlanta Dream to Host Inaugural HoopFest Block Party Celebrating 404 Day appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Stellar Blade demo arrives March 29

Greetings. This is Hyung Tae Kim, director of Stellar Blade. We are pleased to officially announce the upcoming free playable demo for Stellar Blade, coming March 29 to PlayStation 5.

The demo takes place from the very beginning of the game when Eve, a member of the 7th Airborne Squad is sent to Earth on a mission to reclaim the planet from the Naytiba, up to the first boss fight. This first stage will include the tutorial phase to help you familiarize yourself with basic combat features as you explore post-war Eidos 7, a human city now infested by the Naytiba, giving you an early grasp of gameplay mechanics that will serve you throughout the game’s story.


Stellar Blade demo arrives March 29

We also have a little surprise included for players who complete the first stage.

From the smooth 60fps combat to the haptics, you’ll feel through the DualSense wireless controller, there are various charms of the game that you can only confidently appreciate through hands-on experience.

For those who complete the demo stage, you can carry over your save data when the full game releases on April 26, starting from the last checkpoint. Please note that save data must be stored on your PS5 system.

The Stellar Blade demo will be available starting Friday, March 29 from 7am PDT / 2pm GMT.

Alongside the demo, the full game will feature the following language options:

Voice Over: Korean, English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Latin Spanish.

Text: Korean, English (US), French, Italian, German, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Arabic, Turkish, Thai, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese.

We greatly appreciate your anticipation! Mark your calendar for April 26, and make sure not to miss the preorder bonuses. The time for humankind to reclaim Earth has nearly arrived.

Stellar Blade Preorders Get a Big Discount in the Spring Sales for the UK

Earlier in the month, Stellar Blade Korean developer Shift Up published – and then unpublished – a demo for its upcoming sleek action game, Stellar Blade, ahead of its launch on PlayStation 5 next month. It has now been confirmed that a demo for the game will officially go live on March 29. If this confirmation has you excited, and you’ve yet to get your preorder in for the game, we’ve got some exciting news.

Stellar Blade preorders for PS5 are currently discounted using code CHICK15 (see here), with over £10 off the RRP and bringing the game down to just £59.46 for a limited time in the Spring sales. We’ll leave a handy link to the Stellar Blade preorder discount just below, but it’s also worth checking out all the other deals available right now as well.

This is part of a sitewide sale for retailers via eBay, including brands or retailers like Adidas, The Game Collection, Nike, ShopTo, Dell, Lenovo, and more. CHICK15 promo code will last until the end of the day on March 29, with 15% off almost everything from trusted sellers. This includes over 2100 stores, with a low minimum spend of £9.99, alongside a max discount of £75, and a total of three redemptions of the promo code.

Other big deals in the sale include a discount on critically acclaimed PS5 exclusive Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, alongside brand new offers on DualSense Controllers, and even a nice little bonus deal on Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League just before the launch of Season One.

If you want the games but find yourself lacking in a PlayStation 5, then now is the time to cash in on another great deal. The new(ish) PS5 Slim has dropped down to just £390 for Amazon Prime members in the Spring sale which ends after today. Stocks of PS Portals have also finally started to show up at various online retailers. We always keep a keen eye out for PS Portal drops so make sure to follow us on X/Twitter @IGNUKDeals to get up-to-date stock updates.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.