We are less than 100 days away from the launch of Ghost of Yōtei on PS5 on October 2! This week, we can’t wait to give you your best look yet at what to expect with a State of Play gameplay deep dive streaming on July 10.
Our State of Play features nearly 20 minutes of Ghost of Yōtei gameplay hosted by Sucker Punch’s Creative Directors, Jason Connell and Nate Fox. Beyond sharing more about Atsu’s quest for vengeance, we’re excited to show off her new weapons, new ways to personalize your journey at the edge of Japan, new special modes, and much more.
The Ghost of Yōtei State of Play gameplay deep dive will stream on PlayStation’s Twitch and YouTube channels on July 10 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 10pm BST / 11pm CEST.
Is Leon S. Kennedy Resident Evil’s most popular character because he starred in one of the best Resident Evil games of all time? Or did he star in one of the best Resident Evil games of all time because he’s the series’ most popular character? I’ll never know for sure. Nevertheless, ever since his first day on the job at the Raccoon City Police Department back in 1998, Leon’s influence over the Resident Evil series has only grown to the point that his popularity threatens the future of the series… again.
When Resident Evil 4 hit shelves on January 11, 2005, everything we knew about Resident Evil was upended. The series’s famous fixed camera perspective gave way to a fully 3D camera, and the infamous tank controls were replaced with fast-paced action and melee combat. And Leon Kennedy, who was introduced to the series in Resident Evil 2 as a fresh-faced rookie police officer, was promoted to a secret agent action hero tasked with rescuing the U.S. President’s daughter from an evil cult. Leon became more Ethan Hunt and less Ash Williams.
Resident Evil 4’s status as a Hall of Fame video game is undisputed, but the 2005 release also caused Capcom to enter a period of being lost in the wilderness. The overwhelming success of Resident Evil 4 shifted the series towards a more action-focused tone, at the expense of its horror elements. Resident Evil 5 took us to Africa, where Las Plagas-infected militia troops engaged in car chases and gunfights. Resident Evil 6 pushed things to the next level, with Call of Duty-like street battles and explosive plane crashes. But while these games followed the blueprint set by Resident Evil 4 to tremendous financial success, fans weren’t wholly satisfied with the overall direction of the franchise. It increasingly became clear that turning Resi’s former everyday cops into MMA-trained super agents had eroded away the series’ core.
To rediscover the horror at the heart of the franchise, Capcom effectively rebooted Resident Evil in 2017 with Biohazard, the series’ seventh mainline game. It ditched Leon and many of the franchise’s iconic (now incredibly powerful) characters in favor of unknown newcomer Ethan Winters who, despite a surprising resilience to a variety of gnarly hand injuries, was essentially an “everyman”. Resident Evil 7 also adopted a new first-person perspective that not only put players directly face-to-face with the game’s many scares but also restricted Ethan’s moveset — there would be no roundhouse kicks here. This new formula led to sales success and the start of a new storyline focused on the Winters family (with an occasional cameo by legacy character Chris Redfield.)
Leon became more Ethan Hunt and less Ash Williams.
During the era of Resident Evil 7 and Village, there was little demand for Capcom to revisit the more action-prominent design of Resident Evil 4. That’s likely because, while Leon might not have been at the forefront of the series during this time, he was still hanging around thanks to remakes of older games. Resident Evil 2 reinvented the PS1 classic in a guise that more closely resembled the over-the-shoulder, gun-heavy design of Leon’s most famous adventure, while the Resident Evil 4 remake replicated the original’s balance of horror and suplex tackles. But as time has gone on, it’s become clear that fans have been getting antsy to see Leon headline a new adventure, not just retread old territory.
Earlier this year, Capcom finally announced the highly anticipated Resident Evil: Requiem, and once again, the studio debuted a new protagonist: FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft. But if you look around the internet for information on Requiem, you’ll see the name of Leon S. Kennedy brought up so often that you would think he was the main character of the upcoming game. That’s because rumors, both substantial and otherwise, claim that Leon will appear in Requiem in some capacity, whether that’s as a second protagonist, cameo, or even the secret star, depending on who you ask.
Capcom, for its part, seems adamant that Grace Ashcroft is the face of Requiem, and there is enough information about her to believe this. Unlike Ethan Winters, who was a complete unknown when he debuted in Resident Evil 7, Grace Ashcroft is the daughter of journalist Alyssa Ashcroft, a playable character from the Resident Evil Outbreak games. This makes Grace something of a legacy character in her own right, giving her greater importance and stronger ties to the overall canon of the series.
Also, during the Capcom Showcase, Resident Evil: Requiem director Koshi Nakanishi directly addressed some of the online rumors surrounding Leon Kennedy being the game’s secret protagonist, saying, “We always thought about making Leon the protagonist, but making a horror game based around him is difficult… No one wants to see Leon scared by every little thing. So he’s actually quite a bad match for horror.”
Having played a slice of Requiem, I can confirm that Capcom is continuing the revised formula it introduced in Resident Evil 7 and putting a lot of emphasis on horror in the new game. One of the standout details is how Grace audibly reacts to different jump scares throughout the demo, which effectively ratchets up the tension. Nakanishi makes a good point about Leon being a bad match for this type of game: by this point in the series’ timeline, which is 30 years after the events of Resident Evil 2, Leon is a veteran who has no problems facing off against even the scariest monsters.
This makes Grace something of a legacy character in her own right, giving her greater importance and stronger ties to the overall canon of the series.
Even the decision to maintain the series’ real-time timeline feels designed to get fans used to the idea that their beloved characters face a ticking clock. Even if Leon Kennedy does appear in Resident Evil: Requiem, it’d be as a member of the old guard. After all, he will be around 50 years old when the events of Requiem take place, and while I’m sure he can still roundhouse kick a zombie at that age, having him age in real-time since his introduction in 1998 feels like a deliberate attempt to put Leon closer to retirement than in the thick of the action.
I think there’s plenty of room for Leon Kennedy to appear in Requiem as a seasoned veteran helping the new protagonist, similar to Chris’ role in Resident Evil Village. But the problem is how the Leon rumors have sucked up so much of the oxygen around Resident Evil: Requiem, so much so that some fans of the series are outright disregarding Grace as the game’s protagonist. There’s a good chance Leon could appear in Requiem, but Capcom’s attention to detail on Grace tells me that developers are quite passionate about her as a character. It must be a little frustrating to see fans brush her aside for an unconfirmed appearance by Leon.
But Leon and Resident Evil 4’s grip on the newest game isn’t just limited to which characters fans want to see. Resident Evil: Requiem made waves when it announced that, in an attempt to appeal to all Resident Evil fans, there will be the option to play Requiem in both the scarier first-person perspective introduced in Resident Evil 7, or in the iconic third-person perspective.
My concern, and something I noted in my preview, is that switching between first- and third-person perspectives has an immediate impact on how scary the game is. That wider viewing angle reveals threats that would otherwise go unseen, spoiling jump scares and instilling additional fear-conquering confidence. And for a game that’s supposedly focused on horror, as Nakanishi claims, having an option that immediately dampens the terror feels like it undermines the director’s goals.
The last time Capcom chased the ghost of past Resident Evil games, it took years for the franchise to find its way back again.
Just like in the aftermath of Resident Evil 4, Capcom finds itself again in a position of balancing giving fans what they want, between the potential appearance of everyone’s favorite zombie-hunting agent and the choice to play in both first- and third-person, and pushing both the design of Resident Evil and the story of Raccoon City forward through the use of a new protagonist and contemporary timeframe.
If the developers of Requiem believe that the game can be scary and compelling in both first- and third-person, then I look forward to seeing that for myself next year. Similarly, if they feel that Grace Ashcroft can carry the next mainline Resident Evil game as the protagonist, I’m even more excited to find out how she fits into the story of Raccoon City. After successfully reinventing Resident Evil with Ethan Winters’ story and establishing a slower, creepier design that directly opposes the high-octane horror action of Leon’s trip to Spain, fans should extend Capcom the benefit of the doubt about Grace, Leon, and Requiem. And for the developers, I hope they pursue their vision for the Resident Evil franchise without compromise.
Because the last time Capcom chased the ghost of past Resident Evil games, it took years for the franchise to find its way back again.
If you’ve been enjoying Peak, but reckon its towering mountains aren’t filling you with enough existential dread, there’s a mod you need to check out. It’s called Everest, and it fills your game with other players’ dead bodies.
Well, skeletons to be exact, and possibly over 10,000 of them by the sounds of it. That’s more bones that you’ll find at Crufts, and it looks to turn the co-op climbing game from Another Crab’s Treasure devs Aggro Crab and Content Warning devs Landfall into the sort of morbid fun you can usually only have by chucking a frisbee around the garden of a crematorium. No, I haven’t done that last bit. Yet.
What was that I was saying earlier about dealsposting PC hardware we’ve previously bought? Because I am currently using the LG UltraGear 27GR93U to highlight some savings on the LG UltraGear 27GR93U, a very affordable yet very tidy 4K gaming monitor that I bought for myself back in March. Still for a fair bit more, annoyingly, than you can now get it during Amazon Prime Day.
There’s another new patch available for Dune: Awakening, and more tweaks to improve the endgame experience for players who’d prefer to spend time in PvE activities, including the ability to farm Tier 6 resources and a better chance of getting Unique drops in PvE loot in Deep Desert.
Dune: Awakening’s last big update, 1.1.10.00, introduced a long list of changes, and while it didn’t specifically deal with end-game issues that time, it did make some QoL improvements. But this time, there’s a whole section of the patch notes dedicated to the Deep Desert, end-game, and Landsraad.
The ability to find more T6 resources in PvE areas of the Deep Desert is particularly noteworthy, as even with the rebalancing of PvE and PvP zones, it was still pretty tricky to routinely find T6 minerals without delving into heavy PvP areas. This should make it easier for players needing resources to find what they want without putting their virtual lives on the line.
It’s not all bad for PvP fans, either. One of the changes includes a delay for leaving a PvP security zone from five to 30 seconds to prevent border camping and allow players to better protect their areas.
Here’s the full list…
Dune: Awakening Patch Notes 1.1.15.0
Deep Desert, End Game, and Landsraad
Tier 6 resources can now be collected across wider areas in the PvE part of the Deep Desert.
We added an element of randomization to the respawn timer of unique loot containers in the Deep Desert.
The plastanium tier crafting components were split up to drop based on the content location: Imperial Testing Stations, Caves, or Shipwrecks, with each of them dropping their own selection of components. Fallen Shipwrecks and Buried Treasure can drop components from any location.
Added a chance of a different selection of Uniques drop in PvE loot in Deep Desert.
The spawn rate of medium fields increased from 5 back to 8, and of the small spice fields increased from 22 to 30.
The delay for leaving a PvP security zone increased from 5 to 30 seconds to prevent border camping and allow PvP players to protect their area.
Changed Landsraad tasks to allow for Kill and Delivery Contribution to happen after the task has been completed but awarding only personal contribution. (i.e., which faction won and how many guild votes were awarded are unaffected by contributions made after the task was completed by one faction).
Other:
Improved game stability.
Reduced the cases where the sandworm can push vehicles under terrain.
Added a new audio alert for the PvP zone change.
FIXES
Fixed an issue where the Harkonnen faction recruitment contract “Do you have what it takes?” could sometimes get stuck and couldn’t be completed if you exited the dialogue with Maxim Kazmir before selecting the line “It says here that you’re looking for recruits“ to complete the contract.
Fixed an issue where contract rewards dropped on the ground if your inventory was full, which could lead to situations where you would miss them. Now rewards can only be claimed when there is enough space in your inventory.
Fixed an issue where vehicle modules wouldn’t highlight properly after the player had applied a customization variant.
Fixed an issue where the positioning of a pentashield surface could overlap with an existing pentashield surface.
Fixed an exploit that would allow building a vehicle with items from another player’s inventory.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
If you’ve played a Need For Speed game in the last decade, odds are you’ve seen plenty of cars with Speedhunters stickers slapped somewhere amid whatever delightfully tacky livery their driver’s decided to rock. Now, though, it looks like the EA-owned car culture site has gone dormant, with reports claiming it might have been shut down.
This news comes as development of NFS at EA is on a hiatus, with devs at Criterion having been drafted in to help deliver the next Battlefield, though exec Vince Zampella has hinted that there are still plans for the racing series going forwards.
Spike Chunsoft has released a new gameplay trailer for Shuten Order, the new title from Danganronpa / The Hundred Line creator Kazutaka Kodaka. It provides our best look yet at the game’s multi-genre mechanics, with the story branching off into five distinct paths.
You play as Rei Shimobe, the founder of Shuten Order who has been resurrected into a temporary body following his murder. You’ll have to investigate one of Shuten Order’s ‘ministers’, with each case presenting you with a completely unique gameplay hook.
If RPS is going to wave around Amazon Prime Day recommendations, they might as well be for hardware we’d actually use, and ideally for kit that at least one of us owns ourselves. So it is with the SteelSeries Arctis Gamebuds, true wireless earbuds that have supplanted my Sennheisers as my pocketable sound providers of choice – and are currently 26% off at both Amazons UK and US.
Fans of Animal Crossing and comfortable clogs rejoice — Nintendo’s adorable life-sim series is coming to a pair of feet near you, thanks to a range of officially-licensed Crocs.
The shoes will go on sale later this summer with a platform clog design for adults and a classic kids clog design for children. Each is adorned with an Animal Crossing background, featuring fruit trees and a sandy shoreline.
And, of course, each can be customised with additional character charms, featuring Tom Nook, Isabelle and KK Slider, if you’re willing to pay extra for the privilege.
The Animal Crossing Platform Clog for adults will cost $69.99, while the smaller Kids Animal Crossing Classic Clog will cost $54.99. Both are set to go on sale next month, on August 26.
Two packs of additional “jibbitz” charms will also available, priced at $16.99 — each. The first includes the three fashionable Sable sisters, plus a backpack and shirt. The second includes musuem owner Blathers, stargazing owl Celeste, scallop-loving Pascal, a fossil and a seashell.
Alternatively, you can pick up charms featuring villagers Rosie, Marshall or Bunnie for $4.99 each.
“Animal Crossing lets players enjoy a relaxing, slow-paced life while interacting with a cast of unique animal characters,” Nintendo wrote, describing the introduction of this newly-licensed shoe range. “Since its debut in 2001, the games have been enjoyed by millions of players worldwide becoming a cherished title for fans of all ages. Now, for the first time ever, Crocs is partnering with Nintendo to debut a special collection launching Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
“This new collection features elements inspired by the lush, natural setting from the game. From the green tone that represents the land to the sole and strap inspired by the sea, see if you can discover all the Animal Crossing moments throughout the design of the shoe.”
What next then for Animal Crossing, beyond shoes? Nintendo wound down ongoing support for Switch game Animal Crossing: New Horizons several years ago, despite its huge popularity. But with Switch 2 now released, a further sequel toetally feets inevitable. A shoo-in, if you will?
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Presumably because it’s so expensive to push Leonardo DiCaprio around in a rented gondola, this year’s Amazon Prime Day has brushed away its final lingering shreds of respect for the singular word “Day,” and in fact runs from this morning – July 8th – all the way to July 11th. At this current rate of expansion, it will therefore be just seven short years before the entire solar calendar is engulfed, with even hours being replaced as a unit of measurement by the duration of Lightning Deals. “Want to get an Amazon Fresh Refrigerated Beverage after our deals writing shift, Dave?” “Yeah sure, I clock off in three Lightning Deals’ time.”
My small act of civil resistance against this temporally disrespectful future is to uh, have unknowingly booked three of the four days off before Amazon announced the dates. But while I’m here, I’m still on cog-in-machine duty, which is why I’m now informing you that a couple of (actually good) Samsung NVMe SSDs are going cheap. They are. I’m sorry.
