Rise of the Ronin may be a little shy over a month out from its release on PlayStation 5, but that isn’t stopping the action RPG’s sales from outpacing its spiritual predecessors, Nioh and Nioh 2.
News of Rise of the Ronin’s sales comes from Koei Tecmo’s recent financial report. In the report, Koei Tecmo noted that Rise of the Ronin’s sales are surpassing the Nioh series and that it might usher in a “significant step toward mid to long-term growth” for the holdings company despite being a new triple-A game.
No specific sales figures, however, were mentioned. Back in 2022, Team Ninja had announced that the Nioh series collectively had shipped 7 million units worldwide.
In tandem with Koei Tecmo’s internal findings of Rise of the Ronin, the financial report also underscored the acclaim the game has received from both critics and players. More specifically, Koei Tecmo cited Rise of the Ronin’s “very high” user and “generally favorable” Metacritic score, which praised the game for its combat, story, and graphics.
Rise of the Ronin, by Nioh developer Team Ninja, is an open-world action RPG where players control a nameless ronin in a perilous adventure set in the mid-19th century era of Japan.
In our review, in which we gave Rise of the Ronin a 7, we said it “marries a cool setting, Team Ninja’s mastery of tough-but-fair combat, and smart RPG design, even when map clutter and junk loot can get in its way.”
Isaiah Colbert is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow them on Twitter @ShinEyeZehUhh.
I’m not sure how I, a committed Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy fan, managed to miss A Difficult Game About Climbing. It is, like its obvious inspiration, a difficult game about climbing, but here you’re using your arms independently to grip and hoist yourself rather than hooking and swinging a pickaxe. It is, also like its obvious inspiration, frustrating and moreish, like a scab you keep picking at.
Manor Lords, the medieval-themed strategy game released in early access last week, recently got a mod that allows it to be played with a VR headset, and it’s even caught the attention of the game’s developer.
Flat2VR, a community of modders and developers aiming to port “flat” games into virtual reality, announced on X/Twitter that there is now a VR mod for PC players looking to play Manor Lords on a virtual reality headset. Flat2VR notes that the mod currently uses mouse and keyboard controls and that “it works perfectly” in six-degree-of-freedom VR (6DOF VR). It’s made possible thanks to UEVR, a mod that allows developers and modders to make VR mods for games powered by Unreal Engine.
A video shared by the modding group caught the eye of Manor Lords developer Slavic Magic, who responded with awe that modders managed to get a VR mode running.
“Wow I have no idea how it’s done but I’m impressed it works,” they replied.
Manor Lords has been out for less than a week and it already has becomer a big hit on PC. A few days after its early access release, publisher Hooded Horse revealed that Manor Lords not only sold over a million copies in a day, buy it also hit a peak Steam player concurrent out of 173,178. Manor Lords is the latest indie of 2024 to break out in the industry, joining the likes of Pocket Pair’s open-world survival game Palworld and Arrowhead’s shooter Helldivers 2 in finding success outside of AAA development.
In our early access review of Manor Lords, IGN wrote: “Manor Lords is a gorgeous medieval city-builder that kept me occupied for hours building my perfect, cozy hamlets, but it definitely feels very early in its Early Access development.”
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
The developers of sci-fi action-adventure Deliver Us Mars have laid off all their staff. The news was announced by KeokeN Interactive’s leadership in a statement in which they state they have “exhausted all our possible options” of finding funding for a new project. They also say they plan to rebuild the company.
Star Wars: Hunters, the free-to-play team-based battle arena shooter from Zynga and Lucasfilm Games, is set to be released on June 4, 2024, on Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.
At launch, Star Wars: Hunters will feature 13 characters who are all very unique, including one named Utooni who is actually two Jawas stacked on top of each other wearing a trench coat. There is also a droid who thinks it is a Jedi and is aptly named J-3DI, an Ugnaught named Slingshot who fights inside a Droideka, and much more.
You can find the full list of characters below and check them out in the image below that, from left to right;
Sprocket (Mon Calamari Prodigy)
Utooni (Jawa Scavengers)
Zaina (Rebel War Hero)
Grozz (Wookie Juggernaught)
Skora (Rodian Sawbones)
J-3DI (Jedi Droid)
Aran Tal (Mandalorian Vanguard)
Rieve (Dark Side Assassin)
Sentinel (Imperial Heavy Gunner)
Diago (Miraluka Sharpshooter)
Imara Vex (Unrelenting Bounty Hunter)
Slingshot (Droideka Speedster)
Charr (Trandoshan Trapper)
A lot of these characters may sound ridiculous, but that’s kind of the point! In that galaxy far, far away, these characters are competing in a form of “fight-entertainment” that has taken a huge influence from pro wrestling.
“They’re larger-than-life personalities, similar to pro wrestling,” Zyngy art director Dominic Estephane said in an interview with StarWars.com. “Using Grozz as an example, he’s our super heavyweight and he’s a showman, but in reality he’s a former Huttball pro. He brings that persona to the arena, but he dials it up for the fans and the crowd, the audience watching at home.
“It’s in the presentation, as well. It’s a live show broadcast. We have our version of a jumbotron. If you’re familiar with pro wrestling, where they have the big-screen jumbotrons, each Hunter has their own graphics package that you see on the screen within our roster screen in the game. Each Hunter has their own music theme, which is really, really awesome. We have what we call, internally, ‘Hunter’s spectacle.’ That is, how would the Hunters walk out on stage and present themselves? And once they walk out, their music is playing, as well. So we think our best-in-class visuals on mobile really help deliver and showcase that progress and influence.”
Alongside the release date, the two hosts of Star Wars: Hunters was revealed. It was shared that they are the hosts of the in-universe show called ‘Hunters of the Outer Rim,” which broadcasts “live on ORSN across the holonet.”
Boz Vega is one of the hosts and he is a former hunter who has the Hall of Fame rings to prove it. Joining Boz is LX-1, a droid who was programmed for this role and has an extensive knowledge of the competition and can compute stats instantly. She also comes with a bit of snark as well.
Takashi Tezuka seems like a good laugh, the kind of chap who knows how to have fun.
Despite all the Master-Sword-waving and PR-related hijinx from fellow Nintendo luminary Shigeru Miyamoto over the years, you still get the impression he’s merciless in the workplace — an exacting, intimidating, tea-table-upending taskmaster — whereas Tezuka has an air of merrymaking and mischief about him.
Bringing back strategic turn-based combat with a deep story set in the war-torn Alordesh.
Stunning visuals, modernized battle scenes, improved loading times, enhanced effects, and a captivating soundtrack.
Get ready to suit up and command your Wanzers becauseFront Mission 2: Remakeis landing on Xbox Series S|X and Xbox One!
This strategic turn-based classic returns with a stunning visual overhaul and refined gameplay, ready to reignite the hearts of its fans once again.
The People’s Republic of Alordesh, already struggling financially, has been pushed to the brink by the devastating Second Huffman Conflict. This war has left the nation deeply impoverished, fueling widespread public frustration.
Follow the O.C.U.’s elite military squads – the “Muddy Otters,” “Dull Stags,” and the “O.C.U. Ground Defense Force Intelligence Agency” – as they navigate the war-torn nation of Alordesh and fight to end the brutal civil war.
Beyond the gripping story, Front Mission 2: Remake offers a deep and engaging strategic combat system. Take complete control of your Wanzers, customizing them to your tactical preferences. Enhance the original experience with two new Wanzers: Uisk and Igel Eins H, along with two powerful weapons: Storm Trident and Heavy Trident, and explore new camo options!
Refine your tactics by equipping different weapons, armor parts, and special abilities. Master the battlefield with a free camera system, allowing you to survey the environment and exploit enemy weaknesses.
Front Mission 2: Remake isn’t just about a visual upgrade. The game boasts a complete overhaul, featuring: modernized battle scenes, improved loading times, modern in-game effects, a renewed soundtrack, and localization into nine languages to make the story accessible to a wider audience.
Brand new content added to the remake version also includes the free camera option, allowing you to freely hover around the map to gain an even greater overview of your battlefield. Additionally, a brand new game mode called “New Game+” lets you keep all your gathered weapons, parts, and progress, allowing you to start the game anew and challenge your opponents once again! Whether you’re a seasoned Front Mission veteran or a newcomer to the series, Front Mission 2: Remake offers a captivating story, deep strategic gameplay, and a chance to rewrite the fate of Huffman Island. Prepare to deploy!
A classic tactical RPG returns! The second game in the main Front Mission storyline is finally available outside of Japan for the first time.
FRONT MISSION 2 blends intense strategy with a deep and involved storyline.
12 years have passed since the second Huffman conflict. The impoverished People’s Republic of Alordesh has been suffering a severe economic decline ever since the war ended. In June 2102, soldiers of the Alordesh Army rise up and, led by Ven Mackarge, declare independence from the O.C.U. (Oceania Cooperative Union).
Ash, an O.C.U. soldier, manages to survive the ensuing battle, but Alordesh is completely overrun by the Revolutionary Army. Ash and his surviving teammates infiltrate Alordesh’s chaotic underground in an attempt to escape the country. However, they soon discover that there is a huge conspiracy behind the coup.
In FRONT MISSION 2, the perspective switches between three characters: Ash, Lisa, and Thomas, creating a worldview that goes beyond a simple dichotomy between good and evil.
Longtime Tekken character Eddy Gordo has always been a little polarizing, particularly in Tekken 8, and one streamer has found a way to make him even more of a pain to fight, rising through ranked mode using a script that spams one button.
Over on Twitch, jimmashima is currently streaming ranked mode matches of Tekken 8 using Eddy Gordo as his fighter. The streamer is using a script that keeps spamming “3,” or the Left Kick move, to attack their opponent. Aside from the obvious repeated kick show on stream, jimmashima also provided a little UI for the controller, showing the button inputs and the repeated pressing of the “X” button to attack.
The jimmashima “3ddy” bot has caught the attention of the community outside of Twitch, too. Users on Reddit and X/Twitter point out that the creator is using a script for spamming the same button input for every match (and even between matches). As X/Twitter user JakubDi notes, most viewers watching Tekken 8 streams on Twitch are watching jimmashima.
Jimmashima is not the only person with a 3ddy bot, however. Twitch streamer 3ddySmurfy is also live streaming themselves, playing ranked matches against other players using a script that spams the Left Kick button. 3ddySmurfy calls themselves “3ddy: North America.”
While some are interested in seeing how high jimmashima can get in ranked matches, others are annoyed by the button-mashing, so much so that players are canceling their matches to avoid fighting a 3ddy bot. User Leon3226 took to the Tekken subreddit to rant about how some online players would rather cancel their match than fight a 3ddy bot to “learn against a literal one-button clicker.”
Though, as some have pointed out, anyone who’s played a fighting game can likely recall a time when they or someone they played against (online or offline) just kept spamming the same attack over and over again. Jimmashima’s just using a script this time.
Regardless of how you feel about the 3ddy bot, many in the Tekken community note that it’s a wild time for the franchise. Between the 3ddy bots becoming a hot topic of conversation, Bandai Namco recently unveiling its roadmap plan for post-launch content for the rest of the year, and Evo Japan underway, it’s an exciting time to be a fan of Tekken.
For more on Tekken 8, check out our review. If you are playing Tekken 8 and trying your best to prepare for the impending 3ddy bot and everything else, check out our guide, where we explain Tekken 8’s new Heat System and go in-depth for every playable character.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
Assassin’s Creed fans embedded into the Apple hardware ecosystem can rejoice, as Ubisoft announced today that Assassin’s Creed Mirage for iOS and iPadOS will arrive in early June.
In a press release, Ubisoft revealed that Assassin’s Creed Mirage will be released on June 6 for the iPhone 15 Pro series and iPad Air and Pro tablets powered by the M1 chip or newer. This will be the most recent port of Ubisoft’s open-world game since its initial release on October 5. This will be the first time an Assassin’s Creed game that was originally released on consoles and PC will be available natively on iOS and iPad.
Although pre-ordering is now available on the App Store, Ubisoft has not publicly shared how much this port will cost. However, it did reveal on the game’s App Store listing what in-app purchases would be available and how much they would cost, as shown in the screenshot below.
The iOS and iPadOS version of Assassin’s Creed Mirage was developed by Ubisoft Sofia, with Ubisoft noting that this port would include optimized touch controllers in addition to controller support, so players that own a Backbone One, for example, can use the peripheral to play this game on the go. This port will also include cross-save and cross-ownership, meaning iOS owners can access the game on iPad without double dipping and transfer their saves between those two devices.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage was one of four games announced for the iPhone 15 Pro series during Apple’s Wonderlust event, where the company unveiled the iPhone 15 series. Most interestingly, that particular Apple event revealed that the iPhone 15 Pro series would be powerful enough to deliver console-quality video games, thanks to its A17 Pro chip.
In our review of Assassin’s Creed Mirage, IGN wrote: “Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s back-to-basics approach is a successful first step in returning to the stealthy style that launched this series.”
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
Recently, I spent around two hours with Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance, the Persona 5: Royal-fied version of the original SMT V. Vengeance promises many new things: a revised battle system, a new story branch, new areas, and more. What I found when I played, was several punches to my metaphorical ribs. A few to my gut. Sure, I spent some time with the new stuff, but really, I spent most of my time being absolutely demolished in turn-based battles against various demons of a phallic and non-phallic nature. I will now attempt to summarise my time against these creatures, wish me luck.
