Calling dusty post-apocalyptic city builders a trend is probably a stretch, but not by much. I suppose it’s a natural extension of the post-2000s explosion of the survival sim from “literally about 3 ever made” to “does your tetris remake really need the hunger meter”. Games like Against The Storm porting over the roguelike element as well certainly suggest it. In my head, that’s probably why New Cycle hangs out more with Endzone Dash A World Apart, and Surviving The Aftermath. It’s more a traditional building game than a punishing test to be retaken, or the intense “survive the ordeal” narrative of Frostpunk, despite the superficial similarity that your town expects to be ravaged by scorching solar flares.
But it might also be because after playing it more than I really wanted to, New Cycle matches those two peers by leaving me with a vague feeling of disappointment. I’m just not sure what it really has to say.
When it comes to picking up new games, hardware, or accessories for your Xbox, it feels good when you can find those items at a discounted price. Here, we’ll keep you updated on all of the latest deals for Xbox, from games to controllers and so much more. Below, you can find a wide range of items on sale, including some console bundles that are still available and controllers.
Select console bundles are still available right now for both the Series X and S. One of our favorite deals is on the Diablo IV Xbox Series X bundle, which you can get for $458.40 at Walmart. The Xbox Series S bundle with an Xbox Wireless Controller in Robot White and 3 Months of Game Pass is also discounted down to $299.99, which is a fantastic discount. These were big hits over the holiday season, especially during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Grab them quick before they’re gone!
Assassin’s Creed Mirage Launch Edition is Down to $34.99 and More Xbox Game Deals
There are several Xbox games on sale right now that are worth adding to your collection. One of our favorite deals at the moment is on Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s Launch Edition, which is down to $34.99 from its MSRP of $49.99. That saves you 30%! To see even more Xbox game deals, check out the links below.
In need of another Xbox controller? Well, you’re in luck, as there are quite a few discounted right now. In my opinion, you can never have too many controllers. You never know when someone will pop on by and want to play Overcooked or It Takes Two, or any local multiplayer game.
Buying new items for your Xbox doesn’t have to make a massive dent in your wallet, either. Here, we’ll feature a variety of excellent games, accessories, and hardware that are available at more affordable prices regularly or are the just option available when gaming on Xbox.
Get 10% Off the Official Xbox Wireless Headset & More Headset Deals
Does your family complain when you stay up playing loud shooters late into the night? They’ll stop complaining if you pick up anXbox headset that lets no one but you hear the delightful explosions you cause on the screen. Right now, you can get 10% off the Official Xbox Wireless Headset, bringing the price down to $89.99 from $99.99. You can also save 20% on the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Gaming Headset by using the promo code ‘GET20’ at checkout.
How to Avoid Xbox Game Pass Price Hike ($44.99 for 3-Months of Ultimate)
By securing 3-months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $44.99, you can actually avoid the Game Pass price hike. We recommend securing your current subscription for as long as possible. You can stack up to a maximum of 36 months of Game Pass, meaning you have the option to accumulate 3-month subscriptions up to 12 times.
Admittedly, this approach might put a strain on your wallet, totaling $539.88 if you purchase the 3-month package from the link above. However, when you compare it to the new cost of Game Pass Ultimate for 36 months at $16.99 per month, amounting to $611.64, you’ll realize you’re saving $71.76 on your subscription for the next three years. Otherwise, secure your membership for at least a year to lock in at least some savings overall.
In general, it is advisable to keep an eye out for sales and restocks throughout the year, as availability has improved since the initial launch of the console. Unlike the Nintendo Switch, there is no specific recommendation to wait for a sale regardless of the time of year. Instead, it’s a good idea to monitor various retailers and online platforms for restock announcements and promotional offers.
However, certain events like Black Friday or other holiday seasons may bring about unique bundles, discounts, or promotional deals specifically for the Xbox Series X. These bundles may include additional games, accessories, or exclusive limited editions. While quantities for such promotions might be limited, they can provide an opportunity to get more value for your purchase. See our guide to Xbox Series X prices for more info.
Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S?
Choosing between the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S ultimately depends on your gaming preferences, budget, and specific requirements. Let’s compare the two consoles to help you make an informed decision:
1. Performance: The Xbox Series X is the more powerful option, offering native 4K gaming, higher graphical fidelity, and faster loading times. It has more advanced hardware, including a larger storage capacity. On the other hand, the Xbox Series S targets a lower price point and offers a less powerful performance, targeting 1440p resolution gaming and upscaling to 4K.
2. Price: The Xbox Series S is more affordable compared to the Xbox Series X. If budget is a significant factor for you, the Xbox Series S provides a cost-effective option while still delivering a next-generation gaming experience. For example, the Series S can play Starfield at 1440p 30fps (vs 4K 30fps on Series X).
3. Storage: The Xbox Series X comes with a larger internal storage capacity, allowing you to store more games directly on the console. The Xbox Series S, however, has a smaller storage capacity, which means you may need to manage your game library more actively or rely on external storage solutions.
4. Disc Drive: The Xbox Series X includes a disc drive, enabling you to play physical game discs and enjoy a wider range of media options, including Blu-ray and DVD playback. The Xbox Series S, in contrast, is a digital-only console, meaning you can only play games downloaded from the digital store.
5. Graphics and Performance: While both consoles support ray tracing, the Xbox Series X provides a more immersive and visually impressive experience due to its superior hardware capabilities. If you prioritize cutting-edge graphics and want the best performance available, the Xbox Series X is the preferable choice.
Consider your gaming preferences, budget, and whether you prioritize top-of-the-line performance or cost-effectiveness. If you have a 4K TV, want the most powerful console, and are willing to invest more, the Xbox Series X is the recommended option. If you have a lower budget, a 1080p or 1440p TV, and don’t mind sacrificing some performance, the Xbox Series S offers excellent value for money.
With how expensive gaming is getting in 2024, we’re trying to save you as much money as possible on the games and other tech you actually want to buy. We’ve got great deal roundups available for all major platforms such as Switch and Xbox, and keep these updated daily with brand new offers. If you’re trying to keep costs down while maintaining your favorite hobby, stay tuned for more incredible discounts.
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.
Elias Toufexis, voice actor for Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Mankind Divided‘s cyborg protagonist Adam Jensen, has bid a formal “goodbye, but hopefully not farewell” to the character, expressing hopes that somebody with a lot of money will buy the license and restore poor moody Adam to our screens. Toufexis also shared a few parting speculations about the unannounced Deus Ex sequel from Eidos Montreal that was reported cancelled last week. Toufexis wasn’t involved with this one, and according to him, it likely wasn’t a continuation of Jensen’s story from Mankind Divided.
We have known about the Idris Elba-led Knuckles TV series for a while now, but today we have got our first real look at what’s in store thanks to a new trailer from Paramount.
The “six-episode streaming event” — whatever happened to ‘series’? — will air on Paramount+ on 26th April and is set to serve as a spin-off to the two (soon to be three) live-action Sonic movies.
Halo The Series has always been about offering a different perspective. Where the games have always put us inside a helmet, the Paramount+ show pulls back and offers unfamiliar points of view on a story so well-known by millions of fans.
In Season 2 – which sees its first two episodes released on Paramount+ today – that’s never been truer. We know from the trailers that this season will tackle a war with the Covenant that edges ever-closer to human home soil and, crucially, will cover the events of the iconic, epochal Fall of Reach. But we’ll be seeing that from perspectives we’ve never had before and – as we saw in Season 1 – even seeing changes to the game series’ storyline, upping the surprise factor.
We caught up with Xbox Head of IP Expansion and Entertainment (and all-round Halo legend) Kiki Wolfkill to discuss how the show’s creators have gone about putting a new spin on such legendary events, and even shifted the tone of the show from Season 1.
“With Season 2, we edge up against events that we start to see in the games,” Wolfkill explains. “Obviously the events on Reach, which people have seen in trailers, [are] a huge historical milestone in Halo history and chronology, and are also critical [to] the story – because what it does is it marks when the Covenant have really come close to home. Reach is our last stand before they find Earth.
“We really tried to honour that event for what it means for the stakes. But also, what we get to do is see it from a different perspective – we get to see it on the ground. We get to see it from the soldiers’ perspective, outside of Noble team, which is where Halo: Reach focuses. And so you get a very different story that comes out of that by virtue of seeing what it means for a Marine to go through that – what it means for a city to fall and how terrifying that is.”
But Reach is only a part of this story, and learning how we reach that moment will be a major part of Season 2. “We’re about six months or so after the events of Season 1,” Wolfkill explains, “and the environment feels really different. The UNSC has had a lot of changes, the Covenant are edging ever closer. So I would say the big thing with Season 2, where we start off from, is that humanity’s absolutely on its back foot. We saw in Season 1 [that] the Covenant [were] out in the Outer Colonies – they’ve really come close to home in Season 2… So we find our Spartans kind of in a different place while the threat gets ever bigger. The stakes feel higher, but a lot in the universe has shifted in that six months.”
That comes with a shift to the overall tone of the show, too. Wolfkill says Season 2 reflects its more desperate stakes with a shift in how it feels – helped by new showrunner David Wiener (‘Fear the Walking Dead’). “It’s much more grounded, it’s much grittier,” says Wolfkill. “[It kind of goes] back to those Halo 3: ODST TV ad roots, you know? The stakes are high, and this is a war story. We wanted really for the audience to feel the threat, and not just see it.”
Cristina Rodlo as Corporal Perez.
“We really wanted this to be a visceral experience,” she continues. “We wanted it to feel scary, we wanted it to feel intense, and I wanted it to feel emotional with what happens with some of our characters. At the same time, I’m super proud of our action. What I love is that intertwining of really interesting character drama, and also just high action and stakes. We spent a lot of time actually refactoring some of our action sequences in order to get that more visceral feel – and I think that’s something people will be able to see right away.”
Of course, seeing familiar characters in new contexts will remain a major part of Season 2 – Master Chief, Silver Team, and more will return, and Wolfkill says that Chief’s journey to discovering what his role is for humanity will be the key to his storyline here. But Halo The Series is introducing new perspectives along the way.
Joseph Morgan as James Ackerson.
“We have some great new characters,” Wolfkill enthuses. “We have Colonel James Ackerson – who is from [the original series’] canon – played by Joseph Morgan, who’s extraordinary. What’s exciting about bringing Ackerson in is it’s a character we get to see in books and in comics, and has always been sort of a shadowy foil for [Cortana creator Catherine] Halsey… It lets us sort of dig into that in a way that we don’t actually experience in the games.
“And then we also introduce a character named Corporal Perez, played by Cristina Rodlo – who we see early in Episode One is a Marine – getting back to that Marine perspective and, again, how terrifying it is to see an Elite or Sangheili for the first time and encounter them in battle. There’s, there’s sort of a horror aspect to that.”
It all adds up to make Season 2 of Halo The Series a very exciting prospect – a storyline that helps push forward an intriguing tale for those already invested in the show, and a new reflection of events from the games already firmly in the hearts of millions of Halo fans. You can start that journey right now by streaming the first two episodes of Season 2 on Paramount+ today, with new episodes coming weekly.
Subnautica 2 is a multiplayer-focused live-service game, publisher Krafton has revealed.
Writing in its latest financial report, Krafton described Subnautica 2 as a “multiplayer sequel to the original IP pursuing fandom snowballing”, which is a garbled way of describing the game.
Krafton said Subnautica 2 lets players “explore an oceanic world in stunning stylized graphics powered by Unreal Engine 5”, with “single or one to four player co-op to uncover the mysteries on an entirely new alien planet”, alongside a “game-as-a-service model with enhanced replayability.”
Subnautica is a hugely successful indie game that first emerged in 2018, then saw a follow-up, dubbed Below Zero, in 2021. IGN’s Subnautica review returned a 9/10. We said: “Subnautica’s a survival game with focus and an excellent sci-fi story, but its greatest achievement is its underwater horror.”
We were equally impressed with Below Zero: “Subnautica: Below Zero is a leaner, meaner standalone expansion to Subnautica that improves on the story and mechanics, but doesn’t give us as much room to explore,” we said. Subnautica and Below Zero are single-player game, although modders added multiplayer post-launch.
The industry appears to be struggling with live-service games after a number or recent efforts failed to move the needle and some were even cancelled before launch. Perhaps most notably, Sony canned Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us multiplayer game amid a more general pull back on live-service at PlayStation. Naughty Dog will now focus on single-player games.
As for Subnautica 2, it’s down for release at some point in 2024, which suggests Krafton will reveal it sooner rather than later. It will be interesting to see how its live-service model works.
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.
Not to denigrate either the efforts of either the comms or dev teams, but when a game has been knocking around my consciousness for a while, eventually I just move it it from a mental box marked “in development” to “probably out now, innit” without any input from anyone else. Inkulinati, a turn-based strategy game where you play a medieval artist duking it out with another artist on the pages of an illuminated manuscript, is one such. It’s been kicking about on Steam since at least 2019, and in fairness to me it did launch in January last year – it just went into early access. These factors contributed to me being sort of surprised at the reveal of the actual release date for 1.0, which is February 22nd.
Call of Duty’s latest Zombies mode is only three months old but fans now fear it’s “dead” after developer Treyarch indicated no new perks or enemy types are planned.
Popular Call of Duty content creator MrDalekJD tweeted to say that during a Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Season 2 ‘Creator Call’, Treyarch confirmed “there are no plans for any new enemy types or new perks to come to Modern Warfare Zombies at any point.”
The news has caused a collective wave of disappointment to crash over the Call of Duty Zombies community, which had already feared the worst following a lack of content relative to Multiplayer and Warzone in the recently released Season 2.
“I feel robbed,” redditor scirvexz said in a post on the Call of Duty Zombies subreddit. “Seems that the mode is already starting to die,” said AssassinsCrypt. “I was still hoping they would have improved it in the future seasons, but seems that they actually don’t care at all about this mode.” “I’ll probably just delete the entire mode from my console after Season 2 like I did for DMZ,” said SuccessLongjumping62.
It’s a similar sentiment across social media, where Zombies fans have signaled the end of Call of Duty’s famous co-op mode.
MWZ is dead and it will always be dead. The content won’t be the same as the launch content at all. It’s disappointing but it is what it is 🤷♂️
The situation with Modern Warfare Zombies echoes that of DMZ, an extraction mode Activision moved on from after it launched with 2022’s Warzone 2.0.
The relentless pace of Call of Duty development and its annual release schedule mean there’s an army of Activision developers working on the first-person shooter franchise at all times, with each new mainline entry supposedly led by a different team each year. But last year’s Modern Warfare 3 marked a change in strategy, following directly on from Modern Warfare 2 just a year later.
Treyarch, best known for the Black Ops series and the creation of the Zombies mode, was drafted in to make Modern Warfare Zombies. It is now reportedly working on this year’s Call of Duty Black Ops Gulf War, which is expected to launch with a Zombies mode of its own. How long that will be supported remains to be seen.
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.
Disney are taking out a $1.5 billion equity stake in Fortnite publisher Epic Games, and have announced “an all-new games and entertainment universe that will further expand the reach of beloved Disney stories and experiences”. According to Disney CEO Robert A. Iger, it’s “Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of games”. Friends, we are witnessing the birth of a franchising megamoeba of titanic proportions – a new, Unreal Engine-driven “persistent universe” of playing, watching, shopping and other content-tickling opportunities, featuring characters and stories created by Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar “and more”. Where are your puny gods now?
Kadokawa Corporation, the parent company of Elden Ring and Bloodborne developer FromSoftware, has acquired the studio behind Octopath Traveler.
As reported by Gematsu, Kadokawa revealed during its latest earnings results it had made the studio, called Acquire, a “wholly owned subsidiary”, placing it alongside the likes of fellow developers FromSoftware and Spike Chunsoft.
“To strengthen the ability to create IP in games as part of our game business strategy, we have made ACQUIRE Corp. into a wholly owned subsidiary,” Kadokawa said.
“By acquiring the company, which has produced million-seller hit titles, we expect to generate synergies with our existing game-related subsidiaries, strengthen our planning and development capabilities groupwide, and enhance our lineup of console games.”
It’s unclear what the “synergies” between game studios will entail, but it’s likely related to development efficiency rather than seeing Elden Ring downloadable content in Octopath Traveler 2 and vice versa.
The Octopath Traveler is perhaps most recognised for its art style, dubbed HD-2D, which reimagines classic role-playing game pixel art in a modern and dynamic way.
