Category: Video Games

Marvel Rivals Players Are Risking Account Bans to Mod the Game Even After Season 1 Clampdown

Marvel Rivals players are risking having their accounts banned by continuing to use mods even after a clampdown with the release of Season 1.

Ever since Marvel Rivals’ hugely successful December launch players have used mods to create custom skins despite concern over account bans. Popular mods include turning Iron Man into Vegeta from Dragon Ball and Mantis into a goth. There’s even a mod that turns Jeff the Land Shark into Pochita from Chainsaw Man.

Last week, alongside the launch of the Fantastic Four and Season 1, Marvel Rivals added a secret mod restriction in the form of asset hash checking. At the time, developer NetEase told IGN that the game’s terms and conditions prohibit mods as well as cheats, bots, hacks, or any other unauthorized third-party software. NetEase had already warned Marvel Rivals players that using mods might cause problems, and reinforced that message in a statement to IGN: “It is not recommended to modify any game files, as doing so carries the risk of getting banned.”

However, it seems some are undeterred. A workaround was discovered and is now widely circulating online and, while it involves more steps than previously, is manageable for most PC players.

Modder Prafit, who uploaded their workaround to Nexus Mods, issued a warning to players: “Use at your own risk,” Prafit said in the description of the mod.

“By using this you are actually circumventing a system that was created to stop us from modding on the Season 1 patch start. No-one knows if NetEase will ban you, but they have never issued permabans as far as we know.”

Now, new mods have sprung up that take advantage of the addition of Fantastic Four characters. For example, Ercuallo’s mod turns Mister Fantastic into Luffy from the manga One Piece. According to stats from Nexus Mods, this Luffy mod has already been downloaded over 5,000 times in the two days since launch.

The question Marvel Rivals modders and those who continue to use them is whether NetEase will actually ban players, as it’s threatened to. The community has yet to unearth an example of a player who has been banned for using mods, but workarounds may spark further action.

Why would NetEase want to ban mods? Apart from the potential lost revenue associated with the sale of skins and potential intellectual property concern, mods may affect the balance of gameplay or even the performance of the game itself. Indeed, modder Prafit said that their temporary workaround should only be used by those with a “beefy” PC.

In the meantime, check out the Marvel Rivals Season 1 patch notes, and official stats that reveal Marvel Rivals’ pick and win rates in Quickplay and Competitive modes for Season 0. And keep an eye on the latest Marvel Rivals codes for free skins, and vote on the strongest Marvel Rivals characters in our community tier list.

Image credit: @Ercuallo.

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.

Daily Deals: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Xbox Elite Series 2 Core Controller, Forza Motorsport, and More

The weekend is officially here, and we’ve rounded up the best deals you can find! Discover the best deals for Sunday, January 12, below:

Save $44 Off This Xbox Elite Series 2 Core Wireless Controller

This deal from Target on the Xbox Elite Series 2 Core controller is one you can’t miss. Widely regarded as one of the best controllers on the market, the Elite Series 2 has so many great features you can use to your advantage. This includes modifying the tension of the thumbsticks, creating custom button profiles, and so much more. The Core version of the Elite Series 2 controller allows for a cheaper price point with less premium outer materials and textures. Additionally, you won’t get the paddles or charging dock in the box, so you’ll need to buy those separately if you’d like them.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth for $24.99

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the latest title in the long-running RPG series. Kiryu Kazama returns following the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, uniting with Ichiban Kasuga in a wild adventure you won’t forget anytime soon. While you should absolutely try to play through the series in order, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth can be played and enjoyed standalone.

Anker Zolo Power Bank for $15.99

If you’re looking for a compact portable power bank that you can take with you anywhere, this Anker Zolo Power Bank is perfect for you. Holding 10,000mAh, this power bank can charge an iPhone 15 twice all the way through, with up to 30W of power for fast and efficient charging. A USB-C cable is included, built into the device as a lanyard, so you won’t need to bring a cord with you to charge up.

Forza Motorsport for $30

Forza Motorsport offers over 500 cars to choose from, with an incredible attention to detail placed on each. There’s no better racing game for Series X, especially for $30. The game has dozens of environments to race through that all offer day & night cycles, with weather even possible as well! Builders Cup, the new career mode, makes for a fun single player experience that can keep you busy for hundreds of hours.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora for $19.97

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has hit $19.97 on Amazon, marking a new low. If you’ve been searching for a new open world adventure, this is a great option. You’ll get to experience a full open world with Frontiers of Pandora, exploring and fighting enemies with plenty of Na’vi weapons at your disposal.

Metaphor: ReFantazio for $49.99

Metaphor: ReFantazio is the latest game from Persona 3, 4, and 5 Director Katsura Hashino and the team at Atlus’ Studio Zero. In our 9/10 review, we stated, “Refining the Atlus RPG formula of weaving tough turn-based combat into compelling social sim mechanics, Metaphor: ReFantazio doesn’t just send a powerful message across its political drama, it becomes a beautiful expression of the real impact storytelling can have on all of us.”

M2 MacBook Air for $799

Amazon has this 2022 Apple MacBook Air on sale for $799 this weekend. This model includes the M2 chip, which supports Apple Intelligence, as well as 16GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage, and a 13.6-inch display. If you’ve been holding out on upgrading your MacBook this can be an excellent option.

Anker 60,000mAh 192Wh Power Bank for $89.99

This massive Anker power bank is a solid option if you need some extra juice on your next road trip or getaway. With a 60,000mAh capacity, you can charge an iPhone 14 Pro Max up to 7.4 times or a MacBook Air 2.9 times. This power bank is made for activities like camping, as it has a built-in light at the top that you can retract up and down. Additionally, you can recharge the device with onboard solar panels, so you can continue to power your devices regardless of how long your trip is.

Murder Mystery 2 Codes (January 2025)

On the hunt for some new redeemable codes for Murder Mystery 2? You’ve come to the right place. This article will compile all of the latest codes for Murder Mystery 2 in January 2025, so you can earn some useful rewards in MM2 and flee your killer in style.

Active Murder Mystery 2 Codes (January 2025)

Currently, there are no active Murder Mystery 2 codes in January 2025. As soon as that changes, we’ll update this page, so check back soon for updates.

How to Redeem Murder Mystery 2 Codes

To redeem Murder Mystery 2 codes, launch the game and, once you’re in, follow the steps below:

  1. Look at the icons on the left-hand side of the screen. You’ll see three labelled icons.
  2. Click on the Inventory icon beneath the crate symbol.
  3. On the bottom right-hand side of the tab that appears, you’ll see an Enter Code bar.
  4. Type your code into the code bar, being careful to make sure it’s in the right case and spelt correctly.
  5. Click Redeem and you should see the resources you unlock appear in your inventory.

Why Isn’t My Murder Mystery 2 Code Working?

If your Murder Mystery 2 code isn’t working, it’s likely due to one of two scenarios. The first is that the code was inputted incorrectly. Murder Mystery 2 codes are sometimes in lower case or entirely in upper case, so make sure you have the code inputted correctly before you hit redeem. You can even copy and paste the codes directly from this article over to Roblox if you want to make sure you’re inputting them correctly.

The other possibility is the code has expired or you’ve already used it. In either case, the redeem bar won’t register the code, so if it isn’t working, check to see if it’s in our expired category or if you already received the resources the code provided.

How to Get More Murder Mystery 2 Codes

If you’re looking to scout out some Murder Mystery 2 codes yourself, the easiest way is through the game’s official Discord. After joining, you’ll be able to hop into the announcements channel to find all the latest codes as they drop or chat with the community to see if you’ve missed any.

You can also follow Nikilis over on X, where the creator frequently drops new codes for the community.

What is Murder Mystery 2 in Roblox?

Murder Mystery 2 is an asymmetric horror game where you play as one of three roles: an innocent, a murderer or a sheriff. From there, the match plays out similarly to social deduction games like Among Us. The murderer stalks the map, killing unsuspecting innocents, who try to flee to survive. Meanwhile, the sheriff tries to deduce who the killer is so they can shoot them to save the innocents.

Each round ends when the murderer kills all the innocents or is taken down by the sheriff, so you’ll need to be suspicious of everyone, watch your back and be cautious to survive.

Callum Williams is an IGN freelancer covering features and guides. When he’s away from his desk, you can usually find him obsessing over the lore of the latest obscure indie horror game or bashing his head against a boss in the newest soulslike. You can catch him over on Twitter at @CaIIumWilliams.

What’s on your bookshelf?: Leverage Head of IP and former Deck 13 narrative director Christian Fonnesbech

Hello reader who is also a reader, and welcome back to Booked For The Week – our regular Sunday chat with a selection of cool industry folks about books! I once read in a book that you shouldn’t really believe anything you read in a book until you’ve checked at least two other books. Unfortunately, those two books both said the same thing, meaning I had to check four more. If anyone knows what every book ever written says on the subject, do let me know. I’m trapped now.

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Poll: Are There Any Good Lord Of The Rings Games On Nintendo Consoles?

Please sir, can I have some Mordor?

The year is 2025 and Lord of the Rings feels very much like it’s “a thing” again. We’re not sure that it ever really went away, to be honest, but we’ve got The Rings of Power on TV (and it’s actually rather good now), the War of the Rohirrim hit cinemas, a ‘Hunt for Gollum‘ movie is planned, and, perhaps most importantly for us, more Middle Earth games are on the horizon.

Gollum launched on multiple consoles in 2023 — though the Switch version is still in limbo (something we’re sure you were all devastated about) after Daedalic shut down its internal development team. But Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game — surely a shoo-in for 2025’s Clunkiest Title Award — is right around the corner, bringing a slice of Hobbit life to Switch in March. And, with Embracer Group now legally behind the IP’s wheel, we’d be surprised if things are stopping there.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Poll: Box Art Brawl – Duel: Klonoa: Empire of Dreams (GBA)

Long live the Empire.

Welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl, folks!

Last week, we took a look at Crash Nitro Kart for the GameCube, a sequel to Crash Team Racing that never quite managed to step out of its predecessor’s shadow. North America sealed the deal this time with 53% of the vote, while EU managed 30% and Japan just 17% (bit awkward – we like the Japanese variant). Well done, North America!

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Rumour: Switch Virtual Console Was Apparently Nintendo’s “Original Plan”

Instead we got Switch Online’s retro subscription tiers.

Before Nintendo’s subscription service took off, fans were able to individually buy and download first-party retro titles and play them whenever they wanted thanks to the Virtual Console service.

Although this was eventually replaced with Switch Online’s tier-based retro library, Nintendo apparently had plans to carry over the existing Virtual Console service and add online functionality. This information comes from “a new leak of iQue emails not too long ago” according to Yakumono’s Blog, run by dataminer (and Nintendo Life user) LuigiBlood.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Pure Rock Crawling looks like a knockabout MudRunner without the mud

Pure Rock Crawling is about steering off road vehicles across rocky terrain. It’s about pumping the gas pedal and wrenching the steering wheel just so, such that you lurch forward and over the obstacles, rather than tumbling backwards. It’s MudRunner without the mud, with a knockabout simplicity presumably as a result of its apparently one-man development team. It launched last October but I hadn’t heard of it until today, when a new map was added, and now I want to play it.

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Minecraft’s beta versions now offer adorable hot and cold pig variants

Minecraft is the best PC game, according to me and the RPS staff who dare not cross me. I played it for three hours today and, among the many build challenges and adventures, a small story formed around a baby pig. We named him Porky, we caged him as our pet, and in an unfortunate accident, we watched as he fell to his death from the sky island that was our home. RPS in peace, Porky.

How many befriended pigs like Porky have there been across the last several hundred hours of play? I’m not sure – dozens, hundreds – but soon such pigs might have a new form. After 15 years, Mojang are adding new types of pig to Minecraft.

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