Indulge in the Sins of the Flesh in Cult of the Lamb’s next free update, out Jan 16

Sins of the Flesh is the next update for our darkly cute cult sim Cult of the Lamb, and it’s the biggest yet. As well as a shrine-load of killer new content and a congregation of quality of life improvements, a deliciously evil new resource has been thrown into the macabre mix: Sin. But how do you generate it? Well, by sinning.


Indulge in the Sins of the Flesh in Cult of the Lamb’s next free update, out Jan 16

The free Sins of the Flesh update adds a selection of decadent new structures to Cult of the Lamb, which when built in your base and enjoyed by you and your followers will reward your cult with lashings of delectable, so-wrong-it’s-right Sin.

Take the Drinkhouse, for example. Here a follower can volunteer to mix up drinks and serve them to your thirsty cultists. Terrifying treats on the menu include Brog Brew, Grape Nectar, Eggnog, and, uh, Poop Juice. Tasty! Imbibing these sugary beverages at the Drinkhouse has a risk of befuddling your followers, but every dubious drink they hurl down their adorable necks will generate sweet, sweet Sin.

You can also form a devilish Drum Circle with your followers, which will let you take part in Sins of the Flesh’s all-new rhythm-based minigame. The better your performance, the more Sin you’ll get in return. You’ve heard of Rock Band… this is Flock Band.

But let’s be honest: the real star of the update is the Mating Tent. If two of your followers are into each other, and have a sufficiently high love match, you’ll be able to send them into the tent together. A few seconds later they’ll emerge with an egg, which can either be harvested for food or, best of all, hatched into a tiny new follower. This dinky disciple will share some traits with its parents, and its birth can generate Sin.

Gather enough Sin and you can perform a series of new Rituals, including the free-spirited Rite of Lust. This will cause your followers to cast their robes aside and dance merrily around a flowery shrine. But if it’s chaos you desire, the new Rite of Wrath ritual might be more your speed. This unleashes a fury of violence, with fighting, killing, vandalism, and other scenes of havoc gripping your base.

This is just a brief, tantalizing taste of what you can do with Sin. There are other dark deeds to discover in the Sins of the Flesh update, including a selection of new Sin-based Doctrines and a troubling new food source that is not for the weak of heart—or weak of stomach. You can discover this, and more, for yourself (if you dare) when Sins of the Flesh launches for PS4 and PS5 on January 16.

Nvidia confirmed the GeForce RTX 40 Super series, and they’re out this month

Nvidia have resurrected their Super refresh branding for a new trio of GeForce graphics cards: the RTX 4070 Super, RTX 4070 Ti Super, and RTX 4080 Super. The announcement, part of the GPU giant’s CES 2024 showcase, was light on specifics about gaming performance – but all three promise marked improvements on their 40 series predecessors. And, in the RTX 4080 Super’s case, even a big ol’ price drop.

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Horizon Forbidden West’s PC Port Is Getting DLSS 3 Support

We knew Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition was coming to PC sometime this year. And today, Nvidia announced that it will support DLSS 3 when the game is released.

Released last year, DLSS is the third generation of Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling technology that can increase frame rates for supported PC games. The caveat, however, is that DLSS 3 is exclusive to the RTX 40 series of GPUs, including the just-announced RTX 40 Super series.

Horizon Forbidden West’s PC port is one of a growing number of PC games that will or already support DLSS 3. Additional games announced to soon be getting DLSS 3 support include Diablo IV and Tekken 8. Other games already supporting the tech include Fortnite, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, and Alan Wake 2.

In our review of Horizon Forbidden West, we said: “Horizon: Forbidden West continues Aloy’s story as she moves west to a far-future America to brave a majestic, but dangerous frontier where she’ll face awe-inspiring machines and mysterious new threats.”

Horizon Forbidden West getting DLSS 3 support is one of Nvidia’s CES 2024 keynote announcements. Additional news from the event includes the aforementioned RTX 40 Super series GPUs announcement and a beta release date for the RTX Remix tool.

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

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown – Here’s What Comes in Each Edition

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is set to release for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on January 18, 2024. A new side-scrolling entry in the long-running series, The Lost Crown is a stylish, fast-paced Metroidvania-style game. It’s available for preorder now in a couple of editions (see it on Amazon). Below, you’ll find details about what comes in each edition, what the game is, and more. Let’s get to it.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Nintendo Switch

PS5

PS4

Xbox

PC

The standard edition comes with the game itself, plus the preorder bonus (details below).

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Digital Deluxe Edition

The deluxe edition comes with the game itself, plus the following extras:

  • 3 Day Early Access (with pre-order)
  • Immortal character outfit
  • Prosperity Bird amulet
  • Deluxe Pack
  • Digital adventure guide

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Preorder Bonus

Preorder the game from any retailer, and you’ll get the Warrior Within outfit, as seen in the 2004 video game.

What is Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown?

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the latest entry in a series that dates all the way back to 1989. This installment was made by Ubisoft Montpellier, which also made the delightful side-scrollers Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends. The Lost Crown is a Metroidvania-style game, so you’ll discover items and abilities that let you unlock new pathways through the environments of Mount Qaf.

It has you slicing through enemies, manipulating time, platforming to avoid pits and spikes, solving puzzles, completing quests, and seeking out treasure. Ubisoft also says the game will run at 60 frames per second on all platforms, which is pretty neat. Check out our Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown hands-on preview for more information.

Other Preorder Guides

Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed or on Mastodon @chrislreed.

EA Sports FC 24 Is The Top Game For December ’23 As Switch Settles In Behind PS5 (UK)

Switch sales increase by 37% over November.

The latest GfK data puts EA Sports FC 24 at the top of the physical and digital pile for December 2023 for the UK (thanks, GamesIndustry).

Thanks to a bunch of sales and discounts, the latest entry in EA’s not-FIFA-but-still-basically-FIFA franchise took the lion’s share of 6.9 million digital and physical sales in the region, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III coming in second place, and Hogwarts Legacy in third.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Screenshot Saturday Mondays: Space, mechs, and photographing draculas

Every weekend, indie devs show off current work on Twitter’s #screenshotsaturday tag. And every Monday, I bring you a selection of these snaps and clips. This week, my eye has been caught by games with mechs, games set in space, games with aerial action, a game where you take photographs of draculas, and many more. Check out these attractive and interesting indie games!

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Larian Boss Swen Vincke Reckons He’s Figured Out Act 1 of His Post-Baldur’s Gate 3 Game

Larian Studios’ next game is sure to be one of the most anticipated ever following the breakout hit of Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 3. What that game is remains to be seen, but Larian boss Swen Vincke has indicated he’s already worked out its Act 1 narrative.

In a series of tweets, Vincke said that after four months of writing work, he’d “finally figured out what Act 1 on this thing I’ve been working on needs to be.” “Quote me when it’s revealed to see how much of today’s draft survives,” he added. “I suspect a lot.”

There’s not a lot to go on here, of course. And, indeed, it may not go anywhere. But given Vincke mentions Act 1, we can assume what’s next will probably be an RPG in the Larian style, which are games broken up into three distinct acts. I suppose it could always be a three-act dating sim. I mean, that’s basically what Baldur’s Gate 3 is, right?

Vincke went on to say he has yet to share Act 1 with anyone, so he may end up scrapping the lot if no-one likes it. “But I think I really like this one,” he said.

Then, a few inevitable qualifiers: “Also, it’s not what you think and this is not a teaser for an announcement. Just am genuinely excited about where this is going and wanted to share some of my excitement. It’ll be quite some time before we talk about this.”

This isn’t the first time Vincke has teased Larian’s next game. In November 2023, Vincke spoke in vague terms about the studio’s next project. “I wish I could tell you about our next big game but this is really encouraging us to ensure it pushes many boundaries,” Vincke teased in response to Baldur’s Gate 3’s many The Game Awards nominations. “I’m very excited about it.”

In July 2023, ahead of Baldur’s Gate 3’s explosive launch, Vincke told IGN a sequel to Larian’s own Divinity: Original Sin series is on the cards too, although fans shouldn’t hold their breath.

“It’s our own universe we built, so we’re definitely gonna get back there at some point,” Vincke said. “We will get back there at some point. We’ll first finish [Baldur’s Gate 3], and then take a break, because we will need to refresh ourselves creatively also. You’re seeing 400 developers putting their heart and souls into this. You’re getting the best of them and their craft into this game. And so I can tell you, it’s quite a thing.”

If Divinity isn’t next, perhaps a brand new game set in a completely different universe? Larian has created fantasy RPGs for some time now. Could it branch out into science fiction? Or a modern day setting? Or maybe even try a new genre?

Meanwhile, Larian has yet to announce any Baldur’s Gate 3 expansions or DLCs. Given how well the game has done, you’d expect something expanding upon its world and characters would do well indeed.

For now, Baldur’s Gate 3 remains one of the hottest games in the world, and is still among the most-played games on Steam. In IGN’s review of Baldur’s Gate 3, which returned a 10/10, we said: “With crunchy, tactical RPG combat, a memorable story with complex characters, highly polished cinematic presentation, and a world that always rewards exploration and creativity, Baldur’s Gate 3 is the new high-water mark for CRPGs.”

For more, check out IGN’s comprehensive Baldur’s Gate 3 walkthrough.

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.

Former Activision exec sues Call of Duty publisher for discrimination against “old white guys”

An unnamed former Activision executive is taking the Call of Duty publisher to court in California, accusing the company of age discrimination and violating the state’s whistleblower protection law. Said executive is a 57-year-old who worked at the company from 2014; apparently, he and six other men aged 47 or older were cut from a team of 200, as part of broader Activision Blizzard restructuring efforts last August.

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Random: The Golden Globes Is The Place For Top Super Mario Bros. Banter

“You ever make it to King Koopa?”.

If you’ve hopped onto social media this morning, you’ve undoubtedly been inundated with coverage of the 81st Golden Globe Awards event. We’re here to add to that, because we’re nice, but also because it’s kind of, sort of relevant to Nintendo.

You see, when presenting the nominees for Best Original Song, artists Andra Day and Jon Batiste just couldn’t help but reminisce over playing Super Mario Bros. when they were younger. Hey, we’ve all been there, right? Okay, not while presenting an award at the Golden Globes, but maybe in line at a Starbucks.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Xbox Exclusive Hi-Fi Rush Rumored for Nintendo Switch

Xbox hit Hi-Fi Rush is heavily rumored to be set for rival console the Nintendo Switch in 2024, sparking a vociferous debate about Microsoft’s exclusives strategy.

Insider “Nate the Hate”, who has a good track record when it comes to video game announcements, teased that a critically acclaimed Xbox exclusive is set to launch on a competing console platform.

Resetera user lolilolailo, who also has a good track record for video game announcements, then appeared to confirm Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush is coming to Switch.

Windows Central then reported that Microsoft “has been exploring bringing some of its back catalog to other platforms, although some of the details remain vague and unconfirmed.” IGN has asked Microsoft for comment.

The reports have sparked a debate online about Microsoft’s Xbox exclusive strategy, with some fans bemoaning the idea of an Xbox exclusive launching on a rival console such as the Nintendo Switch or the PlayStation 5. Others have expressed excitement that a game such as Hi-Fi Rush could get a second wind and millions more players, potentially helping to build the case for a sequel.

The rumours come just two months after Xbox CFO Tim Stuart said Microsoft wants to bring first-party games to “every screen that can play games,” including rival consoles.

“It’s a bit of a change of strategy,” Stuart said at the Wells Fargo TMT Summit in November. “Not announcing anything broadly here, but our mission is to bring our first-party experiences [and] our subscription services to every screen that can play games. That means smart TVs, that means mobile devices, that means what we would have thought of as competitors in the past like PlayStation and Nintendo.”

Stuart’s comments were reported as confirmation of Microsoft’s intention to bring Game Pass to rival consoles, but Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer subsequently denied such a plan.

Still, that leaves the door open for Microsoft to launch more of its first-party games on rival consoles. Hi-Fi Rush launched on January 25, 2023. Could it set a precedent for Xbox games to expand to other platforms a year after release?

It’s worth noting Microsoft does already publish its games on non-Xbox platforms. Minecraft is of course available on pretty much every platform going. Bethesda games The Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76 are both published and updated on PlayStation. Double Fine’s Psychonauts 2 came out in August 2021 for PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S.

It’s also worth noting that Microsoft has a long list of exclusive games due out this year and beyond, including the likes of Obsidian’s Avowed, Ninja Theory’s Hellblade 2, and Playground’s Fable. There’s no suggestion that these exclusives will launch on PlayStation as well as Xbox.

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.