Category: Video Games

Can you play Rusty’s Retirement while at work and still get work done?

I’m playing Rusty’s Retirement as I type this article. This cute farming sim runs at the bottom of your screen as you go about your working day. You can plant crops, hire watering robots, harvest blueberry bushes, raise pigs, all while validating the spreadsheets from Paula in accounts. Paula! Where are the running totals!? I can’t find the running t- oh, they’re under the turnips. Sorry, Paula. My bad.

But can you actually play “idle games” like this while getting your work day done? Aren’t they distracting and obstructive? These are important questions. I plan to find the answers by playing Rusty’s Retirement while simultaneously – and dutifully – completing days of work. Let’s go!

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V Rising Full Launch Causes Surge of Players on Steam

Vampire centric action role playing game V Rising has now fully launched on Steam after two years in Early Access, and it’s off to a very hot start.

V Rising enjoyed a 24 hour peak of 78,164 concurrent players on its May 8, 2024 launch date, according to player tracking website SteamDB. While this wasn’t quite the 150,000 player peak it enjoyed upon its Early Access launch, it was a huge spike in numbers for the game which was previously averaging less than 10,000 a day.

Developer Stunlock Studios announced the release date in March 2024 but its full 1.0 patch notes (which you can see here) only arrived as the full game launched.

“The journey to full release was rife with dangers and challenges, but your feedback and raw excitement helped us navigate the winding roads to a victorious 1.0 launch,” Stunlock said of its release. “We’re very excited to take this last step with you because we can truly spread our wings beyond this last footfall and take to the skies!”

V Rising is also confirmed for PlayStation 5 but currently only has a vague 2024 release window. The game begins with the player as a fully-customizable vampire waking up after a century-spanning sleep, very weak and in need of blood. But what begins as a survival action game in the vein of Diablo soon turns into a fully open world adventure with base-building, co-op, and versus multiplayer.

In our 9/10 review, IGN said: “V Rising has been nicely polished up during its dark slumber in Early Access, allowing it to fully rise to the occasion with its excellent boss design and challenging ARPG combat.”

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

The Resident Evil Franchise Has Sold An Astonishing 157 Million Units

Capcom’s S.T.A.R player.

Capcom has confirmed that the Resident Evil franchise has now sold a ridiculous 157 million units since the franchise’s launch back in 1996.

Granted, we can’t imagine a huge percentage of sales have come from the Switch, where several titles were sadly relegated to ‘Cloud Versions’, but it’s still an impressive feat nonetheless.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Hi-Fi Rush Is 35% Off on Xbox Right Now

Microsoft’s decision to close several development studios, such as Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, and more, has generally been met with a big thumbs-down online. Tango was responsible for break-out hit Hi-Fi Rush in 2023, a game considered one of the best on Xbox in recent years, and went on to win a BAFTA for Animation.

Hi-Fi Rush is still available on Xbox Game Pass, or you can purchase it digitally at a discount right now. It’s 35% off via the Microsoft Store, down to $19.49 (or equivalent in your region). This is the lowest price we’ve ever seen the game drop to on Xbox.

Hi-Fi Rush is also a part of the Humble Choice Bundle for May, alongside Yakuza Like A Dragon, Steel Rising, and more. You can join Humble Choice for $11.99/month (£8.99/month for the UK), collecting all these PC games to keep permanently, and you can skip a month or cancel anytime. To top things off, each code included is for Steam.

Both developers and fans have shared their disappointment at the studio closures at Microsoft. Announced to staff via email on the morning of May 7, 2024. Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty told employees of the studios, which joined Microsoft under Bethesda parent company ZeniMax, the cuts were a result of the “reprioritization of titles and resources.”

“This is absolutely terrible,” wrote Arkane Lyon director Dinga Bakaba on X/Twitter, whose studio survived the closures and will continue working on Marvel’s Blade. “To any executive reading this: friendly reminder that video games are an entertainment and cultural industry, and your business as a corporation is to take care of your artists and entertainers and help them create value for you.”

Microsoft acquired ZeniMax in 2021 for $7.5 billion and with it came Bethesda studios such as Arkane, Tango Gameworks, and Alpha Dog Games. Its acquisition streak reached new heights in 2023 with the $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which finally went through in October 2023, just six months before it closed these other studios.

Xbox also announced The Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax Online Studios would absorb Roundhouse Studios, but the other Bethesda teams would be unaffected. Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 developer Bethesda Game Studios, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle developer Machine Games, Doom developer id Software, and the aforementioned Marvel’s Blade developer Arkane Lyon are all unaffected.

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

Wargroove 1+2 ‘Super Rare’ Physical Switch Release Announced

4000 copies will be made available next week.

We’ve already had some physical Switch announcements this week and to add this Super Rare Games has now revealed a two-in-one physical release containing Wargroove and Wargroove 2.

It’s officially titled Wargroove 1+2 and will be available for purchase on 16th May 2024 for $37.49 (or the regional equivalent), with a total of 4000 copies available. It’s also been confirmed both games will be on one cartridge.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Save 20% Off Super Mario RPG for Nintendo Switch

Starting today, Amazon has the excellent Super Mario RPG remake for Nintendo Switch for only $44.80. That’s 25% off the original $60 MSRP and the best price we’ve ever seen. Even better, this game is a physical copy that’s sold and shipped from Amazon direct, not a marketplace vendor.

Super Mario RPG for $44.80

Super Mario RPG is a remake of the 1996 SNES classic. It was one of the best games to grace the console back then amidst a sea of other incredible titles, and Nintendo did a great job of staying faithful to the game’s charm and fun factor. A whole slew of improvements have been implemented to bring this game up to modern day standards, including updated visuals, music, gameplay mechanics, and several small yet welcome quality-of-life UI improvements. Check out our Super Mario RPG review for a detailed rundown of all of the the changes and our official impressions of the game. Still, it’s understandably difficult to pay $60 for a remake no matter how good it is, so a deal like this is certainly welcome.

Looking for more Mario games? Here’s a list of every Mario game for the Nintendo Switch.

GTA 6 Website Changes Hinting at New Screenshots Has Fans Going Feral

More Grand Theft Auto 6 news may be on the horizon, as a recent update to the Rockstar Games website has sent fans into a frenzy.

As spotted by X/Twitter user @GTAVI_Countdown, the developer’s page was updated to include GTA 6 in its database alongside placeholder spots for four screenshots, cover art, and the release date (via TheGamer). Not much longer after the discovery was made, the website was updated to remove these details, suggesting they made their way online a bit earlier than the developer anticipated.

As the social media user notes, the code with placeholders can still be accessed.

GTA 6 is in active development and grows closer to its release every day, and we know that Rockstar will have something more to say eventually. However, fans believe those screenshots will arrive sooner rather than later.

It’s been five months since the developer officially revealed the first trailer for its latest title, but more importantly, Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive will hold an investor call come May 16. It’s possible that the screenshots and potentially more information could be revealed ahead of the meeting next week. Adding to the madness is the fact that Rockstar recently purged most of its Instagram page, a strategy it used before revealing its first GTA 6 trailer. Reddit user Ok_Owl_9137 noticed that the page seems to be keeping only 14 posts live at any time, with many speculating that the number could point to a May 14 reveal.

Rockstar has not announced if new information is on the way. So, while fans have presented some interesting information, it’s best to keep expectations low until the studio has something official to reveal.

Just one GTA 6 screenshot is enough to turn fans into internet detectives, much less four. So, of course, many were quick to spread reactions and memes.

It’s no surprise to see that Rockstar has been pretty quiet since first revealing GTA 6 last December. The series is known for its detailed worlds and smorgasbord of activities, and it’s still not set to come to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S (and not PC) until some point in 2025. It could be nice to see some screenshots if an update is indeed on the way, but there’s no telling when or if something more substantial, like a first look at gameplay, will arrive.

For more, you can read up on how ScHoolboy Q and T-Pain are involved in GTA 6. Be sure to also check out why Rockstar’s next game could be one of the most important video game releases ever. For everything else we know about GTA 6, read here.

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.

Microsoft Debating Call of Duty on Game Pass Along With Another Price Hike – Report

After Microsoft purchased Activision Blizzard, many wondered whether the tech giant would follow its current precedent of putting its first-party games on Game Pass on the same day as their official release date. More specifically, this would include Call of Duty, one of the most profitable gaming franchises over the last several years.

Yet, a new report claims that adding new installments in the shooter series to Game Pass continues to be a topic of debate within Xbox as the platform-holder also reportedly weighs another price hike for the service.

The Verge’s Tom Warren published a new report today, claiming that Microsoft has “had internal debates” about whether it wants to add newer Call of Duty installments to the gaming subscription service. Warren writes that this debate has been “ongoing internally for quite some time.” Those who oppose the idea argue that Call of Duty’s revenue for Activision Blizzard (and, by extension, Microsoft) would “be undermined” by a Game Pass release.

More interestingly, Warren writes that Microsoft “has also contemplated” a price hike for the Ultimate tier of Xbox Game Pass. Again, this is up for consideration, and nothing has been finalized, though Warren deduced that it could mean that a future Call of Duty release might appear in “most versions of Game Pass.”

Call of Duty as a franchise is undoubtedly one of the most profitable IPs in the gaming industry and has been for quite a while. A few examples of Call of Duty’s profitability include in 2022, when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II became the fastest game in the series to cross the $1 billion sold mark, and just last year, as part of the FTC vs. Microsoft trial, we learned through a court document that Call of Duty on PlayStation hardware “directly generated over $800 million” in the United States in 2021.

The announcement comes a little over a day after IGN first reported that Microsoft was shutting down four Bethesda Studios, including Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Redfall developer Arkane Austin. However, However, a larger topic is coming to focus on Xbox’s strategy for Game Pass. As Warren and Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported, although Microsoft’s recent earnings revealed that Xbox’s content and services (which includes Game Pass) were up by 62%, the growth in that category was due to Activision Blizzard.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.