Category: Video Games

The Dragon Strikes Back with the World of Warships: Legends Lunar New Year Update

Dragons, dragons everywhere! The Year of the Rabbit is upon us and World of Warships: Legends is a great place to celebrate the arrival of the new symbol of the year. The themed range includes a new gorgeously looking port, Pan-Asian Tier VII Premium Destroyer Northern Dragon, special Commander guise Celestial Guardian with absolutely menacing unique roaring voiceover, and a dedicated container with chances for various content, including some from the previous celebrations of the Lunar New Year.

World of Warships: Legends Screenshot

Besides, more Pan-Asian content will become available for the players in form of…

Pan-Asian Cruisers in Early Access

A brand-new tech tree range makes its debut in this update. Pan-Asian cruisers wielding deepwater torpedoes as their primary weapon backed by the Smoke Generator consumable available for Tiers IV-VII, earnable through regular and Big Early Access crates, with a personal mission for each of those. Besides, the apex predator of the branch Tier VIII Sejong will be available with the start of the next update, meaning other Pan-Asian cruisers will become obtainable for credits through tech tree research. A new Pan-Asian dedicated Commander, Chen Shaokuan, is reinforcing the officer roster to provide more choice at the helm of the ships of the new branch.

World of Warships: Legends Screenshot

Azur Lane: Wave IV

The newest iteration of Azur Lane collaboration arrives on February 6! It includes as many as five new Commanders:

  • AL New Jersey
  • AL Neptune
  • AL Roon
  • AL Chapayev
  • AL Saint Louis

In addition, there are two new ships, three skins, and a new crate. Make sure to check out our dedicated article to find out all the details!

Gryphon of the Baltic Flies High

Tier VIII Premium battleship Pommern is the ultimate reward of the newest campaign, available with Admiralty Backing active. Besides a ton of in-game goods, including crates, Commander Progression Items, camos and more, you’ll get a powerful German ship with a huge HP pool, powerful secondary armament, and AP shells hitting like a train. With such potent package all set and ready to go, Pommern is a solid contender for a high-ranked place on the German battleship roster.  

World of Warships: Legends Screenshot

Gryphon of the Baltic runs for 5 weeks, through March 6, and includes a traditional number of 100 milestones, with catch-up mechanic available, as well as Heroic Effort and Battle Prowess missions (coming with Admiralty Backing) for earning additional renown.

The First Italian Legendary Ship is Here

The Italian Navy, also known as Regia Marina, finally makes its debut at the Legendary tier! Featuring as the ultimate prize of a free Bureau project, cruiser Napoli brings a whole lot of interesting wrinkles to the heat of battle. Those include high speed paired with great concealment combo, Exhaust Smoke Generator, which is a signature consumable of Italian ships, and Semi-Armor-Piercing shells for her secondary caliber gun batteries. That’s a very solid selection of battle-ready options: consider getting this armored monster!

World of Warships: Legends Screenshot

Competitive Seasons Arrive in Numbers

Rejoice, captains with a desire for rivalry! This update, you’ll have plenty of chances – actually, more than ever – to prove your skill on the high seas, and win prizes in process, of course. As many as 3 Ranked Battles seasons and 2 Brawls will be open for everyone to fight in, covering most of the update’s time in the sun. Prizes, including Steel, crates, Commander Progression Items, and more in-game content, will be distributed as soon as you hit certain rank (or number of wins for Brawl): go out there and fight, starting February 1 with 5vs5 battles of Ranked season 36.

Celebrate with World of Warships: Legends and turn the tide!


World of Warships: Legends
Xbox Live

World of Warships: Legends

Wargaming.net

☆☆☆☆☆
437
★★★★★

Get it now

Experience epic naval action in World of Warships: Legends—a global multiplayer free-to-play online game in which you can conquer the seas on the decks of history’s greatest warships! Recruit Legendary Commanders, upgrade your vessels, and stake your claim to naval domination alongside and against players from around the world.

CHOOSE YOUR COMBAT STYLE
Take control of over 350 destroyers, cruisers, battleships, and aircraft carriers—a range of ships that’s perfect for every playstyle, whether it’s an all-guns-blazing approach, more careful and methodical attacks, or tactics that are unique to you.

FREQUENT UPDATES
New content in form of ships, Campaigns, events, Bureau Projects and more arrives regularly! Each update brings new features to shake things up in the game.

FEATURE RICH
Develop Legendary vessels such as Yamato from the ground up in the Bureau, finish epic Campaigns to gain exclusive patches and powerful new ships, and compete in Ranked Battles Seasons for a ton of rewards!

TURN THE TIDE IN EPIC 9V9 BATTLES
Join forces with friends to challenge players around the world, and work together across consoles to devise strategies and plan attacks via voice chat. Cooperate to outgun your opponents and Turn the Tide of battle!

World of Warships: Legends features loot boxes known as “containers” and “Crates.” These provide various items to boost your in-game progress.

Related:
Gifts Galore: Celebrating 12 Years of DC Universe Online
Overwatch 2 – Winter Wonderland Event 2022
Get to the World of Tanks Holiday Event

Shots fired as Microsoft and Sony reignite Call Of Duty parity debate

Call Of Duty exclusivity, and they’re not done yet. In a series of tweets published last Friday, Microsoft’s chief communications officer Frank X. Shaw said Sony were “briefing people in Brussels claiming Microsoft is unwilling to offer them parity for Call of Duty if we acquire Activision,” but added that “Nothing could be further from the truth.” I would have thought that a legal venue would be a more appropriate place to air these grievances, but I suppose this gets the job done quicker. Either way, it’s a toffee popcorn-worthy accusation in the ongoing drama.

Read more

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Review

Whether I’m enjoying my favorite memes or going back to rewatch one of the only cartoons I still legitimately laugh at as an adult, it’s hard to understate SpongeBob SquarePants’ influence on my life. Through it all, the porous goofball I’ve known for years feels like the perfect mascot for an over-the-top, cartoonish platformer. While 2003’s SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom proved it could be done, we’ve been in dire need of a modern take on that idea starring everyone’s favorite fry cook. And yet, like a collapsing Squidward Souffle, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake dried up my optimism the more I played: it’s merely a thin, by-the-numbers sequel to the 20-year-old Bikini Bottom rather than the ground-up redesign that absorbs the progress genre heroes like Mario or Ratchet and Clank have made in the decades since that we deserve. So although Cosmic Shake does benefit from the quirky SpongeBob characters and their world, as a platformer it’s a terribly bland journey that feels painfully frozen in time even as the fans of the show that ended eight years ago have continued to age (also painfully).

As I’ve come to expect from this delightful sponge, the story begins when he makes a series of extremely ill-advised decisions which cause the very fabric of Bikini Bottom to be torn apart at the seams. Determined to put things right, SpongeBob and a newly transformed balloon version of Patrick begin hopping through portals and fighting samey jelly monsters in search of their friends. What little plot follows is basically just a thinly veiled excuse to revisit memorable SpongeBob episodes, whether you’re running around the prehistoric version of Bikini Bottom or the creepy depths of Rock Bottom, which is a nice trip down memory lane but not exactly an original or memorable SpongeBob tale that can stand on its own.

That nostalgic indulgence is helped greatly by the appearance of so many recognizable characters – voiced by their original voice actors – including SpongeBob, Patrick, Pearl, The Flying Dutchman, and Mr. Krabs, most of whom have more than a few amusing lines or gags that they’re a part of. I got a chuckle out of seeing Mr. Krabs as a western bandito or Pearl as a medieval fantasy princess, and the resulting hijinks felt very much like it was straight out of a long-lost episode of the show. Similarly, all the realms you visit along the way are such colorful and vibrantly cartoonish reimaginings of the world of SpongeBob and friends. It’s even got an amazing loading screen where that classic French voice says “one hour later,” and those way-too-detailed closeup images of characters that gross you out, both of which are fantastic nods to the show.

It’s shocking how little the formula has been changed.

That’s what makes it a massive bummer that Cosmic Shake falls so woefully short when it comes to actual gameplay. It’s been almost 20 years since the release of SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – and just over two since the “Rehydrated” remaster reminded us of how poorly that game’s mechanics have aged – and it’s shocking how little that formula has evolved for this followup. In one of the dullest platformers in recent memory, Cosmic Shake serves up a recipe that’s almost identical to that of its predecessor and had me nodding off as I played. Dreadfully simplistic jumping puzzles and combat against the same handful of enemies who posed absolutely no challenge wore thin quickly. Sure, you can double-jump, ground pound, glide across gaps using a pizza box, attack with your bubble wand, and sometimes activate context-sensitive prompts to do special things like karate kick enemies or swing on a fishing line, but that toolbox is extremely light and never puts you into situations – mandatory or optional – that require a mastery over any of these skills. After the first few hours of its 10-hour campaign, I’d seen just about all the tricks up Cosmic Shake’s sleeves and had to press on through humdrum platforming and combat ad nauseum.

Every level has you jump through some metaphorical and literal hoops, broken up by waves of enemies that can easily be swatted away in seconds before going back to platforming. Variety, both in combat and in the “puzzles” that the platforming offers, is a major pain point, and even as you’re traveling through a pirate-themed realm or a Hollywood movie set, you’re fighting the same pushover purple enemies or hopping on the same floating rectangles. Even when you do get a special sequence, like a chase scene atop a seahorse or an extremely brief stealth section, it’s either incredibly short-lived or hardly different enough from the rest of the grind to keep things interesting.

The only unique moments are at the end of each level when you fight a boss, like an evil Sandy the Squirrel in a Bruce Lee outfit, though even these highlights aren’t breaking any new ground in terms of gameplay – they just feel loads better than the rest of the boring trek.

It’s not that the controls or ideas in Cosmic Shake are poorly implemented, but that they haven’t learned a thing from practically any modern-day platformers that are far more interesting. For example, you don’t get any of the highly entertaining gymnastic platforming feats or unique and silly combat options you’d find in Psychonauts 2 – a game that feels like a lot of its bones would have suited a SpongeBob platformer perfectly. Instead, it plays like every forgettable, middling platformer I’ve played in the past 20 years, and that stunning lack of creativity in an underwater world that’s known for its hilarious originality is a throbbing disappointment for the entirety. As a result, playing Cosmic Shake made me feel like I had put on a high-quality foam SpongeBob costume to attend a costume party, but was forced to perform excruciatingly dull chores while wearing it instead of goofing around; it’s amusing only in the charming disguise that accompanies the otherwise tedious experience.

There are just so many better platformers out there already, even for kids.

I understand that Cosmic Shake was almost certainly designed with children in mind and I’m sure a kid who hasn’t played a lot of better games would enjoy it just fine, but even so, I can’t imagine any of the children I know enjoying this as much as they would Super Mario Odyssey, which does practically everything better. There are just so many great kid-friendly platformers out there already in 2023, and aside from having SpongeBob’s face in it, Cosmic Shake gives you no reasons to play this one over the multitude of alternatives. I mean, you can only blissfully swat around the same three types of enemies or double-jump across identical gaps so many times before you’re sick of it, regardless of your age.

Aside from getting through the main story, Cosmic Shake does offer some optional collectathons to complete and even some side quests to go on. Most aren’t worth the trouble, like one side quest that has you cook Krabby Patties for hungry fish in a short minigame. That said, there’s plenty of new content hiding in areas that can be revisited once you’ve gained new abilities, some of which hide interesting secrets and areas that can only be accessed later. Usually, though, they just lead to more of the same dull combat and rote platforming you’ll already be bored with.

Over 12 minutes of early Horizon multiplayer game footage leaks online

Horizon Forbidden West‘s multiplayer alpha has appeared online. The leak surfaced on Reddit over the weekend, claiming to be from a “very old alpha” build from summer 2020. It’s an interesting watch, as while the world and robo dinos look like classic Horizon, the characters jumping around fighting them look a lot more stylised than their hyper-detailed mainline counterparts.

Read more

Capcom Expects To Sell A Record 40 Million Game Units By End Of Fiscal Year

Driven by Monster Hunter and Resident Evil.

Capcom has today released its latest financial report for the third quarter of fiscal year ending March 2023. In it, the publisher states that it expects to reach a record 40 million in unit sales by the end of the period, driven in large part by the Monster Hunter and Resident Evil franchises.

The forecast comes after the publisher confirmed it has sold an incredible 29.1 million units during the fiscal year so far, up from 25.8 million the year prior. This is primarily due to the growth of catalog titles, including the remarkably successful launch of Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, which recently surpassed 5 million units sold.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Seeing the world of Horizon Call of the Mountain through new eyes

Over the last few months, we’ve been sharing glimpses of Horizon Call of the Mountain, an upcoming PlayStation VR2 adventure launching on 22 February. Today, we wanted to spend some time getting to know Ryas, the character you will play, as you experience a new story in the world of Horizon. 

The Carja Sundom is still reeling from the bloody Red Raids, a brutal campaign of attacks and ritual sacrifice inflicted by the Carja on their neighboring tribes. These raids, which devastated countless lives, were ended when the Mad Sun-King Jiran was overthrown by his son Avad. 

The aftershocks of Jiran’s rule splintered the Carja tribe, with those grateful for an end to his rule remaining in the Sundom, and soldiers loyal to the slain leader forcing their way into the citadel at Sunfall, reforming as the Carja in Shadow. 

The protagonist of Horizon Call of the Mountain, Ryas, was one such soldier. Having played a key role in the abduction of young Prince Itamen from his home in Meridian, Ryas seeks to atone and regain his honor. 

After allowing himself to be captured and imprisoned by the Carja, Ryas was spared execution. Now, he has been recruited by Sun-King Avad and Blameless Marad. A master climber, archer, and hunter, Ryas must earn his freedom in exchange for investigating a new threat. Guerrilla’s Studio Narrative Director, Ben McCaw, offered us further insight: “Ryas ended up on the wrong side for the right reasons. His family was torn apart, and ultimately, he was incarcerated. This is the story of how he tries to come back from that.”

Ryas has a dangerous adventure ahead of him, and while he may be the only one who can do the job, he won’t do it alone. Along the way, players will meet new characters and be reunited with familiar ones, though his past has affected these relationships, explains Ben. “Having fought for the Shadow Carja, Ryas’ relationship with these characters is at best adversarial. He needs to make inroads and amends if he hopes to be accepted.” 

Take Hami, for example, a stalwart soldier for the Carja Sundom who was spared the horrors of the Red Raids thanks to her posting as a Border Guard. Even she is unable to forgive or forget the atrocities caused by the Shadow Carja, having lost many friends and comrades to the conflict. Known for her sharp wits and quick temper, Hami resents the task of escorting Ryas. Her hatred for what Ryas represents is just one of the challenges he will face. 

With Horizon Call of the Mountain, players will be able to experience the world of Horizon from a new perspective, through both Ryas as a compelling new protagonist and the PS VR2 headset. With haptic feedback, intelligent eye tracking, and an ultra-wide field of view, the player becomes incredibly immersed, and Call of the Mountain puts them right at the most thrilling peaks of the Sundom and beyond. 

Says Ben McCaw, “We took the Horizon experience and built it from the ground up for VR. And for this, we felt we needed a new protagonist. As a master climber, hunter, and explorer, Ryas offers the perfect viewpoint of the sweeping vistas and dangerous wilds of Horizon.”For more information on Horizon Call of the Mountain, please visit here.

Even after big fixes, the Dead Space remake can stumble on Steam Deck

Dead Space remake on my PC, and the Dead Space remake on my Steam Deck. It’s a belter of a refurb, and for me personally, has been like getting dessert after being forced to finish my Forspoken vegetables. Still, some lingering performance woes on the Deck mean I’m probably going to continue Isaac Clarke’s first and worst job on desktop alone.

To be fair, the remake is playable on Valve’s handheld. It’s not outright broken, despite having been so on launch day, with problems ranging from drastic FPS dips to outright hard crashes. Following some impressively fast work from Valve themselves, focusing on hotfixes for SteamOS’ Proton compatibility software, Dead Space’s Deck performance has become more or less manageable. But worthy of the best Steam Deck games? Nope, nein and non.

Read more

UK Daily Deals: Score Hogwarts Legacy Preorders From Just £43

Hogwarts Legacy is incredibly close to releasing in the UK, and the hype continues to build. The game is now consistently number two on the Steam charts (sitting closely behind the Steam Deck), and is set to have a colossal launch. If you’re looking to preorder the game, or even preorder the deluxe edition to get early access, we’ve collected all the current best Hogwarts Legacy deals in the UK in one easy place.

But that’s not all, as there are plenty of other great UK deals to check out right now, including Horizon Forbidden West for £25, Dead Space Remake for £59.95, Mass Effect Legendary Edition for £12.95, and so much more as well. Check out all the other great discounts just below, and make sure you’re following @IGNUKDeals on Twitter for even more UK deal updates.

TL;DR – My Favourite UK Deals Today

Best Hogwarts Legacy Preorder Deals in the UK

These deals from Green Man Gaming are incredible, and definitely worth considering if you’re getting Hogwarts Legacy on PC or Xbox. This is especially good for those who use Steam, and even better if you’ve got a Steam Deck, as Hogwarts Legacy is confirmed to be Verified at launch.

For just £42.49 you can preorder the game and be ready to play on February 10 (or go for the Deluxe Edition for £50.99 and play on February 7 instead). See here for our final preview of the game.

Best Gaming Deals for PS5, Xbox, and PC Right Now

Jump Back to Top

Best Random Deals I Love Right Now

These are the best deals that I want to highlight, but can’t necessarily fit anywhere else.

Jump Back to Top

Save an Extra 20% at eBay Right Now

Quick Links: Browse Lunar New Year Sales Here

Lunar New Year deals are looking pretty great at the moment, and there are a brilliant few sales going on at Xbox, Steam, and Green Man Gaming. My favourite sale is definitely at Green Man Gaming, however, as there are loads of brilliant Steam, Epic, and GOG PC games on offer at a fraction of the original price (my Steam Deck backlog is ready)!

George Orwell Sale Kindle Free Books

These are both relatively short reads, but absolutely worth checking out if you’ve never gotten around to reading them. Both are free on Amazon Kindle right now, so you can read both on the Kindle App on your phone as well.

Elden Ring Art Books Preorders Down to £48.99

It seems that From Software is really onto something with Elden Ring. Not only was it IGN’s Game of the Year 2022, but it’s also been a massive success with fans, selling millions and millions of copies. If you count yourself an Elden Ring fan, you might want to check these out: up for preorder on Amazon right now are volume 1 and volume 2 of the Elden Ring official Art Books. They’re set to publish on July 25, and they’re both on sale for £48.99 (down from the origianl RRP of £53.99).

Jump Back to Top

How to Watch The Last of Us TV Show in the UK

Whenever a new HBO show comes out, we collectively as a nation go, so how do we watch it? HBO Max is infamously still not available in the UK, so every new HBO original show is normally shown via Sky or NOW (the streaming service owned by Sky).

So, if you want to watch The Last of Us TV series today, you’ll need to sort yourself out a NOW subscription for the next couple of months. Or, if you’re a Sky customer, you should already have access to watch the show right now.

Jump Back to Top

Xbox All Access from £20.99/Month – 24-Months at 0% Interest (AD)

Here’s the gravy; if you minus the £10.99 you’re paying for Game Pass Ultimate, effectively you’re paying £10/month on the Xbox Series S, or £18/month on the Xbox Series X. Funnily enough, this means you can actually save money on an Xbox Series X|S with Xbox All Access (over the course of the 24-month payments). This is as it’s 0% interest over the 24 months, so you pay just £240 for the Series S (~£10 less than the RRP of £249.99), and £432 for the Series X (~£18 off the RRP for £449.99).

So, if you’re already paying for Game Pass Ultimate monthly, or you were definitely going to sign up for it when buying your console; Xbox All Access does seemingly save you money. (Just remember you are still paying for Game Pass in this deal, and it will still be £20.99/ £28.99 every month, Game Pass Ultimate can’t be removed from the offer).

Jump Back to Top

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

Back Scratching Simulator 2023 lets you scratch an itch on Itch

Tie Simulator 2020 so wonderfully weird. As many RPS Treehouse members found out at EGX 2022, it’s a game that sees you holding your keyboard vertically, and pressing buttons to (sort of) tie your tie onscreen. Now, Ludipe’s back with a new co-op sequel called Back Scratching Simulator 2023 where you’re once again doing terrible, but brilliant things with a vertical keyboard.

Read more