Category: Video Games

Stardew Valley gets yet another update, adding new mine layouts and ominous-sounding “fish frenzies”

It’s starting to feel like ConcernedApe (aka Eric Barone) may in fact be a modern day Sisiphus, destined to work on Stardew Valley forever. Following on from the mega update of 1.6 a month ago, and 1.6.3 soon after that, the hardy perennial farming game has a new 1.6.4 mini update. The key addition this time is more new layouts that will appear after you reach the bottom of the mines, and more layouts for the volcano mines too. If you’ve not played Stardew Valley you might wonder why there are deep mines and volcanos, and to you I say “Pah! You should play Stardew Valley.”

1.6.4 also has a lot of bug fixes (including fixing disappearing pets, new pets being a key feature of 1.6) and some balance changes, as well as a host of fixes for modders and modded players. ConcernedApe said early on that 1.6 would be an update for modders, so it’s nice to see that being supported. You can read the full patch notes here.

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Alice0 is leaving RPS, come and celebrate her work and make lamentation

We’ve suffered some body blows recently, but perhaps none will ever be as winding as the news I now deliver to you: Alice0 is leaving RPS. She recently celebrated 10 years here, so that should tell you something about how much of an influence she’s had over the tone of the site over it’s lifespan. Truly, the site won’t be the same without her – so let’s take the opportunity to celebrate here work here.

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Upcoming Dragon’s Dogma 2 Patch to Nerf Dragonsplague and Make Pawns Speak Less, but There’s No Mention of a Performance Mode

Capcom has detailed an upcoming patch for Dragon’s Dogmas 2 that makes a number of changes and fixes, but there’s no mention of the performance mode so many players are waiting for.

Following the release of the sprawling action role–playing game in March, players experienced inconsistent framerate performance, particularly on PC. Whereas games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth gives players a Performance or Graphics mode option — prioritizing either a consistent framerate or increased graphical output — Dragon’s Dogma 2 only has one visual mode across all consoles. Check out IGN’s Dragon’s Dogma 2 Performance Review – PS5 vs Xbox Series X/S vs PC, for more.

Now, Capcom has announced an upcoming Dragon’s Dogma 2 patch, due out later in April, and confirmed what it sets out to do, but players shouldn’t expect a performance mode. What is included is a nerf to the pesky dragonsplague illness, which turns pawns murderous but only exhibits a few subtle symptoms up to that point (modders have already made things really obvious for PC players by sticking a big number on the follower’s forehead).

Elsewhere, there are adjustments to pawns’ behavior and dialogue, including a tweak to make it less likely for pawns to fall of cliffs. There’s also a note about reducing the frequency of some pawn dialogue, which should make them a little less annoying to be around.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 arrived more than a decade after its predecessor on March 22, 2024 and proved a monster hit for publisher Capcom despite being seeped in controversy, selling 2.5 million units in 11 days amid microtransaction and the performance complaints.

In our 8/10 review, IGN said: “More of a redo than a sequel, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a strange and wonderful action-RPG that bolsters the original’s strengths without addressing its weaknesses.”

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.

Fallout 76 has a hellish new area and Bethesda want you to nuke it

Timed perfectly off the back of the Fallout TV show’s success, Fallout 76 players can start testing out Skyline Valley, a new woodland area in the game’s upcoming major update. There’s a new public event to try, as well as combat readjustments that’ll be drip fed over the course of the test period. Anyone who owns the game on Steam can give these things a go, which is a bonus, too. I think I own it? I genuinely can’t remember. Anyway, yes, maybe I’ll hop in and see how things have changed since, errr, launch.

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Super Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Country Park Delayed To Late 2024

Swinging away from Spring.

It was right at the end of 2023 that Universal Studios announced the opening date for its Donkey Kong Country park at Super Nintendo World Japan. It was supposed to be this Spring (any day now, we would assume), but instead, the studio has announced that the opening has been pushed back to “late 2024”.

The delay was announced by Universal Studios Japan on Twitter, with the notice giving no indication of why the opening had been delayed, but confirming that more details would be coming in the future when they are ready.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Valve Updates Team Fortress 2 to 64-Bit, Boosting Performance of the 17-Year-Old FPS

Valve has updated its near 17-year-old competitive first-person shooter Team Fortress 2 to finally add 64-bit support.

The update, which some fans are calling the most significant from Valve itself in years, should result in a performance improvement for most users. Reports indicate Team Fortress 2’s frames-per-second count is increased by around 20%, resulting in a much smoother experience.

While this Team Fortress 2 update is certainly welcome, it has done little to calm the constant stream of requests from the player base for Valve to tackle the game’s most troublesome issue: bots. Team Fortress 2 has had a bot problem for years, and despite a community-wide drive to raise awareness for the issue, there is little sign of improvement.

Team Fortress 2 April 18 update patch notes in full:

The major changes include:

  • Added 64-bit support for Windows/Linux client and server
    • Should include performance improvements for most users
    • Bugs can be reported here: https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Source-1-Games/issues
  • Fixed an exploit related to uploading invalid custom decals that would crash other clients

Team Fortress 2 launched in 2007 on PC and console, and it has endured as one of Steam’s most popular games ever since. At the time of this article’s publication, Team Fortress 2 was the 16th most-played game on Valve’s platform, with 50,092 concurrent players. That’s more than the likes of Monster Hunter: World, Call of Duty, and Football Manager.

Despite Team Fortress 2’s ongoing popularity, players have often accused Valve of neglecting the game in favor of other projects, such as Dota 2. In January, Team Fortress: Source 2 and Portal 64 fan projects were shut down by Valve takedowns. In development since at least 2021, Team Fortress: Source 2 was envisioned as a new version of the classic game on Garry’s Mod spiritual successor s&box. With Team Fortress 2 now 17 years old and largely overrun by bots, Team Fortress: Source 2 was intended to inject fresh life into Valve’s beloved shooter. The team at one point had more than 20 volunteers helping to port assets from the base game and rebuild Team Fortress 2 mechanics.

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.

Cities: Skylines 2 devs apologise for “rushed” DLC, offer refunds, promise conciliatory fan summit

While Cities: Skylines 2 has made progress on the performance front, not everything about the troubled citybuilder is on the up. In fact, player reception to the recently released Beach Properties DLC has proven so un-sunny that both developers Colossal Order and publishers Paradox Interactive have issued a joint statement apologising for the state it launched in.

The letter, addressed to Cities fans and signed by Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen and Paradox Interactive deputy CEO Mattias Lilja, also promises refunds for anyone who bought Beach Properties. Or, in the case of those who got it through snapping up Skylines 2’s Ultimate Edition, compensation in the form of three Creator Packs and three radio stations. The contentious DLC is also going free to anyone who’s yet to put money down.

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Stardew Valley Adds 40 New Mine Layouts In Latest Update, Here Are The Full Patch Notes

The Switch release is still waiting on the ‘1.6 Update’.

Although we’re still waiting on the Stardew Valley ‘1.6 Update‘ for Switch, the game’s creator Eric ‘ConcernedApe’ Barone is already rolling out new updates for the PC version.

In the latest update (1.6.4 update), the creator has added all sorts of new content and features on top of everything that’s already been included in the 1.6 update. The highlight in 1.6.4 is the fact there are now 20 new ‘alternate’ main layouts and 20 new volcano mines layouts.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Eiyuden Chronicle Sequel Moving Forward Despite Death of Its Creator

The team at Rabbit & Bear Studios is continuing with the development of a new Eiyuden Chronicle sequel following the death of series creator Yoshitaka Murayama.

The studio opened up about its future and what’s next for the Eiyuden Chronicle series in a recent Reddit AMA conducted with Studio Head and Character Designer Junko Kawano, Director and System Designer Osamu Komuta, and Art Director and Producer Junichi Murakami. With the release of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes only days away, fans were quick to ask about how the team might continue without Murayama at the helm. Rabbit & Bear acknowledges the unfortunate passing of their former studio head but hopes to carry his legacy into the future.

“It is very sad that Murayama is not with us anymore, but we have discussed many things with him.”

“We are moving forward with a sequel,” the studio said. “It is very sad that Murayama is not with us anymore, but we have discussed many things with him. I hope we will be able to carry on Murayama’s legacy, and I always want to treasure his last work. I hope many people will support this game.”

How exactly the series may continue depends on many factors, including how Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will sell when it launches next week. Rabbit & Bear says that it discussed some possibilities with Murayama before he passed.

Respecting the Suikoden creator means staying true to some of the design decisions he made during Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes’ development. When one Reddit user suggested Rabbit & Bear implement more options to save their progress, the studio explained how current the design sticks to Murayama’s vision. A limited autosave feature was eventually added in but only because the team felt it could be included without tweaking Murayama’s “concept of play.”

“Murayama always said that playing RPG dungeons is a game of resource management,” Rabbit & Bear said, “and that he wanted to create a tension level by clearly separating ‘preparation,’ in which players prepare equipment and items when they arrive in a new town, and ‘challenge,’ in which players take on new dungeons and enemies. The save point system allows saving only at specific locations in the dungeon, thereby creating a tension until you reach the save point, a satisfaction when reaching it, and a gradual relief when you do reach it.”

Murayama’s passing was announced on the Eiyuden Chronicle X/Twitter account earlier this year. At the time, the social media page revealed that the Rabbit & Bear head had passed on February 6, 2024, following complications with an ongoing illness.

One user took the AMA as an opportunity to not ask the team a question but, instead, pass along their thoughts and condolences following Murayama’s passing.

“Thank you very much, everyone,” Rabbit & Bear replied. “The sadness of our fans is being shared with the entire RB team. We are also one of you.”

The studio also explained that it was proud to have brought Murayama’s vision to life, going on to share some of the team’s fondest memories with him: “No matter how bad Murayama’s mood or his health, he was always happy and smiling as soon as he saw the joy and excitement of his fans. I know that he loved you all.”

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes launches for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X | S, as well as Xbox Game Pass, on April 23.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.