Category: Video Games

The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle is the Best Nintendo Switch Deal of Black Friday

‘Tis the season of savings as Black Friday is in full swing this week at a variety of retailers. While there’s an abundance of great deals to look through, one of our favorites is the Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bundle for $299. This comes with the Switch console, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (in a digital format), and 3 months of Nintendo Switch Online membership. It’s well worth picking up if you, or someone you know, has been dying to get their hands on a Nintendo Switch. Click the link below to see this deal in full at Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop.

Black Friday 2023: Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle

New Switch OLED Black Friday Bundle

The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bundle isn’t the only one that Nintendo has up its sleeve for Black Friday. They also have a Switch OLED bundle that comes with a digital download of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and a three-month subscription to Nintendo Switch Online for $349.99.

Nintendo has quite a few Black Friday deals available this year, though. This includes a wide variety of discounts on games, Joy-Cons in a bundle deal, and so much more. You can even save on The Super Mario Bros. Movie right now, which has dropped down to just $10 on Blu-ray and $12 on 4K!

To see everything that’s available in the world of Nintendo this shopping season, make sure to check out our roundup of Nintendo Switch Black Friday deals to learn more. And for more on Black Friday this year, check out our Black Friday 2023 hub page for information on what’s going on at other retailers and what to expect throughout the week.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.

Review: In Stars And Time – A Tricky, Story-Driven RPG With Echoes Of EarthBound

Let’s do the Time Warp again….

If we had to choose two words to describe In Stars and Time, we’d pick ‘beautiful’ and ‘strange’. This story-driven RPG is ideal for fans of titles like Undertale and EarthBound. Don’t take that comparison to mean that it is identical to these games, though — it’s still its own experience.

Right off the bat, In Stars and Time looks great, with 4:3 aspect ratio that makes it feel more retro than it actually is. The music is gentle and soothing, and it pairs perfectly with the monochrome art style. The menu and settings are easy to navigate from the off, and the story starts with a detailed trigger warning; the game does have some text-based depictions of topics like suicide, which is worth being mindful of. Nothing is shown, but the dialogue is intense in places.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

The Walking Dead: Destinies the Latest ‘Worst Game of 2023’ Contender From Company Behind King Kong

The Walking Dead: Destinies launched last week with little fanfare and it didn’t take long for it to emerge as yet another worst game of 2023 contender from the same company that published this year’s terrible King Kong game.

The Walking Dead: Destinies is developed by little-known Brazilian studio Flux Games and published by Minneapolis-based GameMill Entertainment. Last month GameMill published Skull Island: Rise of Kong, which went viral for its terrible visuals, gameplay, and cutscenes. IGN’s Skull Island: Rise of Kong review awarded it a 3/10, calling it “a boring, buggy, totally unambitious game that isn’t even interesting in its failures.”

It later emerged that Chilean indie studio IguanaBee developed Rise of Kong within a strict one-year turnaround, and that the game was part of a “vicious cycle” of licensed titles published by GameMill.

The Walking Dead: Destinies, then, may have been developed under similar circumstances. IGN has asked GameMill for comment.

The Walking Dead: Destinies is a $49.99 third-person action adventure that retells the story of AMC’s The Walking Dead show, but lets players change the course of history. You can, for example, decide whether Rick or Shane leads the group. You can make an enemy of the Governor or recruit him to your cause. Whatever you pick, you’re meant to “live with the consequences”.

The reaction to The Walking Dead: Destinies aped that of Skull Island: Rise of Kong. The visuals are PS2-era, the gameplay itself is laughable, and its cutscenes are as static as they come. Here’s a snippet:

The Walking Dead: Destinies launched last week on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. A PC version via Steam is due out December 1.

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.

PlayStation Plus Premium Gets 2-Hour Baldur’s Gate 3 Trial and a 1-Hour Gollum Trial

Two new time-limited trials are on offer to PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers, although you may be interested in one more than the other.

Larian’s sweeping Dungeons & Dragons role-playing adventure Baldur’s Gate 3 has a new two-hour trial, exclusive to PS Plus Premium subscribers on PlayStation 5. “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,” we said in IGN’s Baldur’s Gate 3 review, which returned a 10/10.

Meanwhile, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum now has a one-hour trial, exclusive to PS Plus Premium members. This one’s a bit of a head-scratcher. Gollum was panned upon its launch, and is considered one of 2023’s most disappointing games. “The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is filled with dull stealth, bad platforming, and a pointless story, and does little to justify why anyone should take the time to play it,” we said in IGN’s Gollum review, which awarded the game 4/10.

A contrasting due of trials, then, although it’s worth noting you won’t get much done with just two hours of Baldur’s Gate 3. If the character creator alone doesn’t rine your trial time, then you’ll barely make it out of the prologue. Still, as a sip of perhaps the greatest RPG of recent times, the trial will no-doubt whet players’ appetite for more.

One hour of Gollum, though, is enough to get a sense of what that game’s all about. According to HowLongToBeat data, Gollum’s main quest takes around 13 hours to complete. We’re not talking about the Fellowship’s journey to Mordor here.

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.

The Logitech G502 Hero gaming mouse is super cheap for Black Friday, because of course it is

Black Friday week is underway and the world’s most reliably discounted gaming mouse, the Logitech G502 Hero, is enjoying a fresh round of savings. Yep, the same Logitech G502 Hero we post about every gosh–darn time there’s a Black Friday, or whatever mutant Prime Day variation Amazon has spawned. Still, no sense in stopping – it’s a cracking mouse, going cheap, and you folks seem to love it as much these days as you did in 2019.

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Borderlands 4, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands 2, and an Unannounced Brothers in Arms Game Spotted

A raft of unannounced Gearbox games were spotted online over the weekend.

As reported by Eurogamer, a developer who worked at support studio Lost Boys Interactive referenced Borderlands 4, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands 2, and an unannounced Brothers in Arms game in a now-deleted LinkedIn post. All games were mentioned as being built within Unreal Engine 4.

Lost Boys Interactive is a division of Gearbox, which itself is a part of the embattled Embracer Group. Embracer is currently working through a brutal restructure that has seen mass layoffs, studio closures, and cancelled projects. Embracer is thought to be trying to sell off Gearbox, but, according to IGN sources, it has struggled to find a buyer for the price it’s asking for.

Gearbox has yet to announce Borderlands 4, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands 2, or a new Brothers in Arms game, but IGN has asked the studio for comment.

It’s worth noting that the current purge at Embracer may have resulted in some or all of these projects falling by the wayside. Last week, the Swedish firm confirmed its internal headcount had reduced by 713 people (511 developers and 202 non-developers) so far this year, and its external developer headcount had reduced by 191. In total, 15 mostly unannounced projects were “written down” across Amplifier, Freemode, Gearbox, Plaion, Saber, and THQ Nordic, Embracer said.

While it seems Borderlands 4 will most likely have survived the cull, Tiny Tina’s Wonderland 2 and this new Brothers in Arms game may have been cancelled.

Borderlands 3, which launched in 2019, received a 9/10 from IGN’s review: “Borderlands 3 sticks to its guns and outdoes itself with an amazing arsenal of weapons, humor, and missions.”

Fantasy spinoff Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands got an 8/10: “Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is a fantasy-themed Borderlands spin-off that’s hilarious, action-packed, and ridiculous, even if it plays it a bit safe.” Last year, Gearbox’s Randy Pitchford said Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands had done well enough to kick off a new franchise, with “future experiences already under development.”

The last mainline Brothers in Arms game was 2008’s Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway. A fourth game in the WW2 shooter series, Furious 4, was cancelled and eventually turned into ill-fated hero shooter Battleborn. In Furious 4, a character called Montana (who went on to appear in Battleborn) was one of the four Inglourious Basterd-esque heroes tasked with hunting down Nazis. His character was massive and used a huge machine-gun as his weapon.

Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 was announced back at E3 2011. After a mixed reaction to its different tone, Gearbox opted to remove the Brothers in Arms brand from the game and turn it into Battleborn. Gearbox’s Randy Pitchford has over the years said a new Brothers in Arms game was on the way, but it never materialised.

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.

Screenshot Saturday Mondays: You want screenshots? Here’s screenshots!

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, I bring you not just screenshots but a screenshot of an options menu too, so I’ll hear no more griping about all the videos thank you very much. Hop on in to admire automative combat, cool platforming, an infinite city, and more attractive and interesting indie games.

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Random: Super Nintendo World Japan Breaks Out Some Cute Festive Displays

Snow-mama mia!

The folks over at Super Nintendo World Japan are beginning to feel the festive spirit and have introduced a range of displays, food, and products for visitors to enjoy over the Winter period.

Beginning on November 21st, 2023, the ‘Superstar Plaza’ entrance to Super Nintendo World will include a delightful Christmas tree, a festive-themed wreath above the warp pipe photo standees, and a snowman display of Mario and Luigi. Heading into the park itself, Peach’s Castle will also include some subtle Christmas decorations to mark the occasion.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Does The Last of Us 2 Need a PS5 Remaster?

Last week, after a significant leak spilled the beans early, developer Naughty Dog confirmed a PlayStation 5 remaster of The Last of Us Part 2, a game that launched just a few years ago in 2020, and which has already received a performance update to allow for 60 frames per second gameplay on Sony’s latest console.

The announcement sparked a vociferous debate about whether The Last of Us 2 needs a remaster. But before we get into that, let’s lay out everything that comes with the package.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, due out on January 19, 2024, includes a new roguelike mode called No Return, lost levels with developer commentary (playable sequences previously cut from the game), guitar free play (you can strum the strings across a host of unlockable instruments, use audio FX pedals to modulate your performance, and play as different characters in several in-game locations), “graphical enhancements”, and DualSense integration. “Re-experience, or discover for the first time, Ellie and Abby’s emotional journey with the definitive way to play The Last of Us Part 2,” Naughty Dog said in a post on its site.

So what exactly are those graphical enhancements? According to Naughty Dog, the remaster has native 4K output in Fidelity Mode, 1440p upscaled to 4K in Performance Mode, an Unlocked Framerate option for TVs that support VRR, increased texture resolution, increased Level-of-Detail distances, improved shadow quality, animation sampling rate, and improved loading times.

“It all brings the world of Part II’s story to life in richer and smoother detail, from the snow-swept mountains of Jackson, Wyoming to the rainy cityscape of Seattle, Washington, and should make a first visit or a return trip to the complex journeys of Ellie and Abby all the more engrossing,” Naughty Dog added.

Accessibility options are bolstered by the inclusion of Descriptive Audio and Speech to Vibrations, which uses the DualSense controller to indicate character speech and cadence. The unlockable Speedrun Mode, included in The Last of Us Part 1, is also coming to Part 2 Remastered, letting players post their best times. Following The Last of Us Part I, The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered includes the ability to unlock bonus skins for Ellie, Abby, and their weapons. Photo Mode now has dynamic lighting, Frame Forward, and Gaze Direction, as well as new frame and logo options.

It’s also worth noting that existing owners of The Last of Us Part 2 on PlayStation 4 can upgrade to a digital version of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered for $10 at launch. You can also import your saves from the original game to Part 2 Remastered.

With all that in mind, let’s return to the question at hand: Does The Last of Us Part 2 need a remaster? As the debate raged back and forth over the weekend (and it’s still going!), fans added the context of which other projects are in the works at Naughty Dog, announced and unannounced, as well as the studio’s recent output.

In the 10 years since the 2013 release of The Last of Us for PlayStation 3, Naughty Dog has released The Last of Us: Left Behind, The Last of Us Remastered for PS4, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, 2020’s The Last of Us 2, 2022’s Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, and The Last of Us Part 1 for PS5, a remake of the 2013 original that was itself remastered for PS4 just a year after it came out.

This new debate, then, is a repeat of a debate we had back when The Last of Us Part 1 was announced for PS5. Some of the same language is being used, with phrases such as “quick cash-in” applied to The Last of Us Part 2 on PS5 just as they were to The Last of Us Part 1 on PS5. Equally, there are many defending this latest remaster, insisting it provides the definitive version of a classic video game for the latest console, and pointing to the upgrade path for existing owners.

But where do you stand on The Last of Us 2 Remastered for PS5? Does The Last of Us 2 need a remaster?

Meanwhile, Naughty Dog is known to be working on a The Last of Us multiplayer game, although reports indicate this project has suffered significant development trouble and may not be seen for some time. The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckman has also confirmed he is writing and directing a brand-new PS5 game for Naughty Dog, although we know nothing about it at this stage. Then there’s the upcoming second season of smash hit HBO TV series The Last of Us. And The Last of Us Part 3 feels inevitable.

All in all, there’s a lot going on at Naughty Dog, this latest hot topic remaster notwithstanding. But with Sony’s PS5 release slate looking a little thin for 2024, perhaps remasters are exactly what the company needs right now to plug the gap.

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.

Xbox Series X Has Dropped to Just £359.99 in the UK – Black Friday Deal

Xbox consoles have finally received its big Black Friday discount in the UK. Both Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S have been graced with monumental deals, and this is undoubably the best time of year to buy an Xbox console. Xbox Series X consoles have dropped to as little as £359.99 (see here) – that’s a huge deal and £120 off the RRP. PS5 Black Friday deal is also live, and its down to £379.

But, the deals don’t stop there, as ShopTo has got an Xbox Series X Modern Warfare 3 bundle for just £379.95, so that’s just £20 more for the latest Call of Duty included as well. Amazon has also got the Series X Diablo 4 bundle for just £389, which is another absolutely amazing deal for Black Friday.

When it comes to the Xbox Series S, the best deal is definintely on the Starter Bundle for £199. That’s down from £249.99, but it also includes three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at no extra cost, so you’re really bagging a bigger discount than it initially seems. Otherwise you can also pickup the standalone console for just £189 right now as well.

Xbox deals don’t stop there, either, as you can also bag a new Xbox Controller for just £38.99 right now on the Black or White colour variants, or £39.99 for Red, Blue, Purple, or Yellow (down from £59.99). That’s some huge savings all round. We’ll leave all the best Xbox Black Friday deals we’ve found, just here. If you’re looking discounts on Xbox consoles in US, check out our Xbox Black Friday deals roundup here.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.