two of the seven slots to their designs. One that doesn’t feature on that list but has attracted strong reviews elsewhere is the Edifier R1280T, a 2.0 studio speaker set that delivers excellent sound for the money. These speakers are normally normally around £100, but today on Overclockers you can grab a pair for £84 – lower than they’ve ever been before.
Developer Arkane Studios will be releasing their story-driven shooter, Redfall, on May 2, they announced at today’s Xbox Developer Direct.
They also revealed some new gameplay footage, showing off more details on the players’ unique abilities, as well as the titular setting of Redfall, Mass, giving a glimpse at a lighthouse story mission. Redfall features both single-player co-op multiplayer modes, with players choosing from one of four protagonists — cryptozoologist and inventor Devinder Crousley, telekinetic student Layla Ellison, combat engineer Remi de la Rosa, and supernatural sharpshooter Jacob Boyer — to fight off vampires who took over and ruined Redfall after a failed scientific experiment.
Redfall was initially surprise-announced at the Xbox and Bethesda E3 2021 showcase on June 13, 2021, and then delayed, along with Starfield, to the first half of 2023.
Redfall will release on Xbox Series X/S and PC, and will be available on day one on Game Pass. See all the announcements from today’s Xbox Developer Direct, including updates from Minecraft Legends and Hi-Fi Rush, here.
Alex Stedman is a News Editor for IGN, leading entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
Celeste turns five years old today, and in celebration of the platformer being old enough to go to school, the developers have announced a totally new collector’s edition of the game.
I’ll put it out there – as surprised as I was that Tango Gameworks had secretly made and released a new game, I was more surprised that it very quickly had me fighting a giant, cel-shaded robot to the beat of Nine Inch Nails’ ‘1,000,000’. Because Hi-Fi Rush is something practically unique: a rhythm-action game in the most literal sense — a classic action game driven by rhythm.
While the initial shock might be that it’s available to play on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC today (and free to those with an Xbox Game Pass or PC Game Pass subscription), the follow-up feeling will be surprise that this is a Tango Gameworks production. For a studio best known for its horror leanings – having created The Evil Within series and last year’s Ghostwire: Tokyo – this is a much warmer, funnier, weirder new game than we could ever have expected.
If you’re still trying to get your bearings, let me give you a rundown based on just the first hour of the game (so no spoilers here!):
Perfect Sound Forever
Think of this as a game-length concept album, telling the story of Chai – a wannabe rockstar who just wanted a sweet robotic arm from the Vandelay corporation – who gets caught up in a tech company conspiracy when his music player is accidentally embedded in his chest, and begins syncing the wider world up to his own personal playlist. He’s quickly deemed a defective model, and scheduled for violent decommission – and you’ll be guiding him through his escape.
Hi-Fi Rush is something like the ‘Baby Driver’ of video games. It’s not just a game set to music, but a game driven by it in every respect. Combos need to be hit in time to the music for the highest scores, enemies telegraph their attacks more with sound than animation, and platforming challenges rely on you being able to read the music as much as the environment. Hell, Chai’s idle animations see him finger-snapping along to whatever you happen to be listening to at the time.
All of this is driven by a guitar-heavy soundtrack worthy of the most well-curated dive bar jukebox. The bulk of levels are underpinned by music created by Tango Gameworks itself, shifting as you progress, and beautifully growing in tandem with your own combat prowess. The more damaging and in-rhythm your combos are, the more stems you’ll add to the track itself. Once you hit an S-level combo, the soundtrack will be in full force, driving you to keep fighting with finesse just to hear more of the song.
But hit a major story moment or a boss battle, and things kick into high-gear with the addition of licensed music. The opening of the game features an intro set to The Black Key’s ‘Lonely Boy’, and ends with a boss battle set to the aforementioned Nine Inch Nails cut. The feeling of driving some classic tracks by sheer force of your action game prowess is something to behold – and doing it through combat is a fresh new way to recreate the joy of the plastic instrument era of rhythm games. I cannot wait to find out what else the playlist has in store.
The Look of Love
As all great bands know, however, your sound is only part of the appeal, and Hi-Fi Rush has the looks to match its tracklist. This has the vibe of some lost ’90s Saturday morning cartoon, with an eye-searing neon color palette, thick lines, and over-the-top animations. Cutscenes are a treat, driven by some lovely facial animation tech that brings Chai to life, and instantly marks its cast of villainous bureaucrats as love-to-hate nemeses we’ll be butting heads (and metallic guitar-clubs) with over the course of the whole game. It backs up that look with a story tone as warm as its visuals – this is a comedy first and foremost, and it’s delivering visual gags from minute one.
All of that’s augmented by some lovely comic book-like touches that bring to mind ‘Into the Spider-Verse’ – onomatopoeic words pop up around you, major moments (delivering the final blow to a boss, for instance) are given a splash page-like redraw, and you can even see Ben Day dots making up some of the textures in the backgrounds of scenes.
Vandelay Technologies, the tech campus-turned-prison that makes up the game’s world, is a jagged, futuristic skyline set under perfect blue skies, and its twisting corridors are built to hide hidden collectibles, humorous lore drops and mountains of loot – all of which will come in handy once you reach your hideout hub base. This is where the game’s more traditional action chops (not a huge surprise, given Tango’s connection to legendary action designer Shinji Mikami) begin to show themselves, offering the ability to tweak your fighting style to your needs, and up those combo scores.
It’s that final point that has me truly excited to play more. Within the first hour, I already knew that Hi-Fi Rush’s unique premise would work for me, and that its looks had charmed me. But that promise that there’s so much more under the surface – the churning mechanical works of action game mechanics we’re more used to from the likes of Vanquish or Devil May Cry – is what I’ll want to dig into as I undoubtedly set this particular playable playlist on repeat.
Hi-Fi Rush is available today for Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC. The game is free to download with an Xbox Game Pass or PC Game Pass subscription.
We’re now just one sleep away from the January 26 release of the first Marvel’s Midnight Sun’s DLC*. You’re likely already aware that “The Good, the Bad, and the Undead” adds Deadpool to the Midnight Suns roster of playable Marvel heroes**, but did you know that it also tells the story of how and why the Merc with a Mouth joined the team? Did you know that he employs a unique En Fuego resource on the battlefield, or that his food truck is parked right outside the Abbey? Read on for more details!
Deadpool has his own Story missions
Deadpool joins the Midnight Suns after crossing paths with the Hunter (and Hydra forces, and vampyres, and Red Skull’s granddaughter Sin) while attempting to stealthily liberate an artifact from the NYC Museum of Art. The story of this botched burglary and subsequent confrontations with vampiric enemies plays out across a series of new missions in which Deadpool, fully aware that he’s appearing in a video game, takes things considerably less seriously than his new allies.
“You should expect Deadpool to regularly break the fourth wall, both in and out of combat,” shares Creative Director Jake Solomon. “It’s like playing the game with a mouthy but lovable friend.”
It’s worth noting that while Deadpool’s storyline is separate from the main campaign, you can include him when assembling a team for any mission once he joins the hero roster. And you should, not only because his wisecracks are brilliantly voiced by Nolan North, but also because…
Deadpool can deal SO much damage!
Deadpool’s unique En Fuego resource has the potential to make him increasingly powerful as a mission progresses. Many of his ability cards incorporate the En Fuego keyword and, providing he has at least one stack of En Fuego, these cards are more powerful and/or have additional effects when played.
“If you can maximize Deadpool’s En Fuego bonus, he becomes a ‘one man Delete key’ for enemies,” says Jake. “Watch him draw an absurd amount of cards, shoot five enemies, and then absolutely destroy the biggest, baddest enemy on the map. All in one turn.”
Deadpool’s En Fuego meter is fueled by KOing enemies using his ability cards, granting him an additional stack of En Fuego after earning a number of KOs. However, Deadpool will lose a stack of En Fuego anytime he takes damage. So, while Deadpool’s innate ability to self-heal a percentage of his health each turn means he doesn’t require a babysitter, teaming up with a tanky hero like Captain Marvel or Captain America who can Taunt enemies away from him helps to maximize his damage output.
Eating at Deadpool’s food truck helps you stay Regular alive
When Deadpool joins the Midnight Suns, the team’s secret Abbey base is upgraded to accommodate his flashy Food Truck in a spot by the pool. Emblazoned with a colorful picture of the man himself astride a bearded unicorn, the truck advertises the “World’s Best Turduckens” but actually delivers something far more useful, if not quite as tasty.
“With Deadpool’s Food Truck upgrade you can discard a card from your hand once per encounter to gain a Move,” explains Jake. “This is a huge boon for positioning and using the environment during tactical missions, and Deadpool doesn’t need to be on the mission for your team to use it!”
Furthermore, if you upgrade the Food Truck you’ll gain a Shove as well as a Move when you discard a card, so you can push an enemy towards danger while backing your heroes away from it.
There’s more to Deadpool than violence and cooking
Like other Midnight Suns heroes, Deadpool can be found relaxing in and around the Abbey between missions, and if you’d like to pursue his friendship you can invite him to hang out. Just know that, because of his unstable and unpredictable nature, Deadpool doesn’t merely “like” any hangout activities; he either “loves” or “dislikes” any way that you spend time together!
Does Deadpool strike you as someone who’d enjoy playing video games, or do you think he’d prefer to lounge by the pool? Movie watching or bird watching? Invite him to activities that he enjoys and, once your friendship level with him maxes out, you can unlock his Legendary Midnight Suns ability and suit.
Deadpool’s arrival at the Abbey also affords an opportunity to conduct additional research with Tony Stark and Doctor Strange at the Abbey’s forge. Deadpool has pitched an idea for “basically an energy drink combined with a portable defibrillator” that, once researched, manifests as the new Effort Maximizer combat item that you can take into tactical missions. This Legendary-rarity item has the power to duplicate all of the cards in your hand for a selected hero while discarding all other heroes’ cards.
“The Good, the Bad, and the Undead” DLC for the PlayStation 5 version of Marvel’s Midnight Suns launches on January 26. It’s available for purchase separately and is the first of four DLC packs included in the Marvel’s Midnight Suns Season Pass.
* The Good, the Bad, and the Undead is included with the Legendary Edition of Marvel’s Midnight Suns and is included as part of the Marvel’s Midnight Suns Season Pass. Also available for individual purchase. Base game required.
**Characters may require unlocking through gameplay.
The Xbox and Bethesda Developer Direct for January 2023 is underway right now, as Microsoft and its partners are sharing updates on games including Redfall, The Elder Scrolls Online, Forza Motorsport, Minecraft Legends, and more. Check out this article for live updates of everything announced as it happens during the event.
Minecraft Legends Gets April Release Date, PVP Details Revealed
Minecraft Legends is the upcoming action strategy game set in the Minecraft universe, and today we learned the game is coming out on April 18. Xbox also shared a look at the game’s PVP mode, which takes place in the same procedurally-generated worlds as the single player campaign. The gameplay showed off a lot of different strategies, including base building, mob recruiting, and using redstone to take the enemy team down.
Gather your allies and prepare to #UnitetheOverworld: Minecraft Legends is coming April 18th on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Windows, Steam, Xbox, and Game Pass.
The next stage of Disney Dreamlight Valley is almost here.
Posting on their blog today, Gameloft Montreal gave us one of our first glimpses into the 2023 roadmap for their Disney-themed life simulation adventure game.
The roadmap includes new characters like Mirabel from Encanto, Simba from The Lion King, and Olaf from Frozen, as well as the promise of new “realms” to explore, which are in-game worlds that can be visited as part of the story.
Is that a roadmap we see?
Get your first look at what (and who) to expect from our next few updates⤵️
Early 2023 is shaping up to be HUGE for Disney Dreamlight Valley and we can’t wait to share the magic with you!
Stay tuned for more details on Update 3 coming this February✨
Gameloft Montreal also confirmed one of the game’s most-requested features, multiplayer support, which is a major part of genre peers like Animal Crossing, though the roadmap did not offer any specific timing for when that would be added.
Dreamlight Valley, which has yet to receive its 1.0 release, previously added Lion King’s Scar, Stitch, Woody, and Buzzlightyear after its early-access debut last year. They were also quick to make quality of life improvements to the often-buggy cartoon world.
Although anyone can pay to play the game now, Dreamlight Valley is planned to receive its full, free-to-play launch later this year, though no specific timeframe for that has been announced, including in this 2023 roadmap.
citybuilder. In part because it was exactly the kind of game that could be found in the software section of your local supermarket, and in part because it appealed to dads, who would buy it and then their bored kids would play it in lieu of any other options.
Well, I’m the dad now, and the “full remake” Pharaoh: A New Era has a release date of February 15th.
World of Warcraft Classic co-lead software engineer Brian Birmingham has claimed he was terminated from Blizzard for protesting a forced employee ranking system.
As first reported by Bloomberg, Birmingham sent an email to his former colleagues saying he was terminated after revealing his intentions to resign instead of deeming certain staff members inadequate to fill a quota. Birmingham said in a Twitter thread (below) that he didn’t share the email himself but “[believes] the quotes are accurate”.
The “stack ranking” system asks managers to rank their employees under different labels, with the poorer “developing” status potentially affecting bonus money, raises, and promotions in the near future. Birmingham claimed that Blizzard managers, under parent company Activision Blizzard King (ABK), were forced to place 5% of their employees in this “developing” category.
I wasn’t intending to make this public, but apparently its in the news already, so I’d at least like to set the record straight. I am no longer an employee of Blizzard Entertainment, though I would return if allowed to, so that I could fight the stack-ranking policy from inside.
Birmingham said he refused to drop some staff from a “successful” category to “developing” in order to hit this quota, and also refused to work until the policy had been revoked. According to his email, Birmingham was later terminated after speaking with HR.
“This sort of policy encourages competition between employees, sabotage of one another’s work, a desire for people to find low-performing teams that they can be the best-performing worker on, and ultimately erodes trust and destroys creativity,” Birmingham wrote in the email.”
He added: “If this policy can be reversed, perhaps my Blizzard can still be saved, and if so I would love to continue working there,” “If this policy cannot be reversed, then the Blizzard Entertainment I want to work for doesn’t exist anymore, and I’ll have to find somewhere else to work.”
A Blizzard spokesperson told Bloomberg that the stack ranking system was in place to “ensure employees who don’t meet performance expectations receive more honest feedback, differentiated compensation, and a plan on how best to improve their own performance.” They also said it encourages “excellence in performance”.
Birmingham later said on Twitter that he would return to Blizzard if he could, to “fight the stack ranking policy from inside”. He said this had only become an issue now because managers had protested and avoided using it in the past, and Birmingham “truly believed we had reversed the ‘developing’ quota policy.”
He continued: “The realization that there’s still a minimum quota for ‘developing,’ despite our objections and sternly worded letters leads me to believe I was operating under an illusion. I hope Blizzard’s positive culture can overcome ABK’s poison, but it isn’t succeeding in doing that yet.”
Birmingham also called ABK a “problematic parent company” that put his team “under pressure to deliver both [World of Warcraft Classic] expansions early”. He said “the ABK team should be ashamed of themselves.”
two of the seven slots to their designs. One that doesn’t feature on that list but has attracted strong reviews elsewhere is the Edifier R1280T, a 2.0 studio speaker set that delivers excellent sound for the money. These speakers are normally normally around £100, but today on Overclockers you can grab a pair for £84 – lower than they’ve ever been before.
Read more
citybuilder. In part because it was exactly the kind of game that could be found in the software section of your local supermarket, and in part because it appealed to dads, who would buy it and then their bored kids would play it in lieu of any other options.