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The Last of Us Part II Remastered coming to PS5 on January 19, 2024

The team here at Naughty Dog is excited to announce The Last of Us Part II Remastered, the definitive way to experience the acclaimed The Last of Us sequel originally released in 2020. We’re thrilled to confirm you won’t have to wait long for it either; players can jump into Ellie and Abby’s emotional journeys on the PlayStation 5 console on January 19, 2024.

Whether you’ve already played and even platinumed The Last of Us Part II on the PlayStation 4 console or have recently jumped into The Last of Us Part I on PS5 and want to continue the story, Part II Remastered will offer plenty of reasons for new and returning players to revisit a story that means so much to our studio. The engrossing campaign returns alongside technological improvements, new modes, and new behind-the-scenes features that will deepen your understanding of Part II’s creation. But before we break down what’s in store, take a look at our announcement trailer below.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered is designed to let you dig deeper into both its development and mechanics. Chief among these is a brand-new mode called No Return, a roguelike survival mode designed to let players prove their mettle in randomized encounters and experience The Last of Us Part II’s combat in a fresh experience.

The mode includes a host of playable characters to choose from – some playable for the first time in The Last of Us franchise (which you may have spotted in our trailer) – who each come with their own traits to suit different playstyles. Players will chart their own course on each run, choosing between various stealth and combat encounters that will pit you against a range of enemies, with unique twists that can add new, unexpected factors to any given encounter.

Each run will offer a new chance to decide what rewards you get after each encounter, how you spec out your character, and more. Unlock more characters, skins, and more as you progress to use in the mode, customize your own runs, and compete on a global leaderboard as part of a Daily Run². We’re excited to share more about No Return as we get closer to launch.

For those who have already played The Last of Us Part II, we know the included sections featuring a playable guitar were a favorite for many, and you burgeoning rockstars impressed us with your performances. So we’ve introduced a new Guitar Free Play mode, which will let you 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 to customize the mood and feel of your set.

And for both new and returning players interested in learning more, we’ve designed Part II Remastered to offer a comprehensive dive behind-the-scenes of how our studio brought this game to life. A new set of Lost Levels in Part II Remastered allow players a unique chance to check out some playable sequences previously cut from the game. These aren’t fully finished levels, but rather early-development slices that not only let you see some new glimpses of Part II’s world, but also include embedded developer commentary to give them richer context. Explore these spaces and hear directly from the team about the intention of aspects of each level – this is a unique inclusion for our studio and we’re excited to allow players a glimpse into the creative process.

We’ve also included newly recorded director’s commentary across the campaign’s cutscenes from director Neil Druckmann, narrative lead Halley Gross, and actors Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson, and Laura Bailey. They assembled to offer insight into the story and its characters that mean so much to both our team and our fans, and we’re delighted to give fans even more understanding of the team’s approach to this story.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered will feature enhanced graphics, including native 4K output¹ in Fidelity Mode, 1440p upscaled to 4K¹ 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 more. 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.

Part II Remastered takes advantage of the PS5’s power and features in more ways as well, including improved loading times. Part II Remastered also incorporates DualSense wireless controller haptic feedback and adaptive triggers integration to better immerse you in every moment of combat and exploration.

We’ve ensured Part II’s award-winning suite of accessibility options returns for the PS5 experience, alongside new additions like 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 I, will also be coming to Part II Remastered, allowing players to post their best times. Following The Last of Us Part I, The Last of Us Part II Remastered includes the ability to unlock bonus skins for Ellie, Abby, and their weapons that we’re excited for players to see and take some incredible Photo Mode shots with. You can get a first look at some in our announcement trailer. And speaking of Photo Mode, we’ve made some additions that players of The Last of Us Part I may be familiar with, including dynamic lighting, Frame Forward, and Gaze Direction, as well as new frame and logo options.

We’re so excited to natively bring The Last of Us Part II to the PlayStation 5 as the definitive way to experience the sequel and everything it has to offer, while also offering fans new and returning deeper levels of appreciation for the work that went into it. Pre-orders will be available beginning December 5, both for the standard edition, as well as The Last of Us Part II Remastered W.L.F. Edition, which will be exclusively available direct from PlayStation in select markets (United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Benelux, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Austria). It includes a SteelBook® display case, four enamel pins, a Washington Liberation Front Patch, and a total of 47 Society of Champions trading cards, including eight holographic cards. These were a favorite of Part II players to collect in-game, and we’re so happy we could bring these to life. Check it out below:

And good news for existing owners of The Last of Us Part II on PlayStation 4! You will be able to upgrade to a digital version of The Last of Us Part II Remastered for $10 USD³ at launch.⁴ You’ll also be able to import your saves from the original game to Part II Remastered.

We’re excited to share more with you about The Last of Us Part II Remastered as we get closer to its release on PlayStation 5 on January 19! Preorders will go live on December 5.

¹4K resolution requires compatible 4K TV or display.
²Internet connection required to compete in Daily Run.
³Price shown in U.S. currency and may vary by country. Check PS Store at launch on January 19, 2024 for local pricing.
⁴Upgrades for disc copies of the PS4 version of the Last of Us Part II are only available if you have a PlayStation 5 console with a disc drive. Owners of PS4 disc copies must insert them into the PS5 every time they want to download or play the PS5 digital version.

6 Games Like Kingdom Hearts To Play Next

Kingdom Hearts’ 21st anniversary in the U.S. has passed, and Kingdom Hearts 4 still won’t be out until next year at the earliest. You could play every Kingdom Hearts game to hold you over, but here we’re exploring six recommendations for games outside of the franchise that share gameplay and/or thematic elements with Kingdom Hearts.

Kingdom Hearts thrives on action-based combat, with each game employing different gameplay techniques than the last. Likewise, these games outside of the series, whether they’re published by Square Enix or not, have wild combat mechanics for players to experiment with and themes such as the power of friendship, the nature of memories, self-determination, emotional health, self-acceptance, and partaking in a cause greater than oneself — themes that are similar to the Disney-Square Enix franchise, no matter what circumstances the characters are facing. Here are six games that may be of interest to fans of the Kingdom Hearts series.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

The Kingdom Hearts franchise wouldn’t be where it is today were it not for Final Fantasy — specifically, Final Fantasy VII.

Released at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Final Fantasy 7 Remake centers on ex-SOLDIER Cloud Strife working as a mercenary for the eco-terrorist group Avalanche. Per the request of his childhood friend Tifa Lockheart, Cloud must stop Shinra Electric Power Company from usurping the planet of Mako, its life source, for profit. The gameplay involves spell-casting, party-based combat, and an improved Active Time Battle (ATB) that enables the use of special attacks, magic, and items. It’s got everything a Kingdom Hearts fan could want, plus additions to certain characters’ lores.

The World Ends With You

The World of Ends With You is the goth/emo cousin of Kingdom Hearts. The Nintendo DS RPG was created by Square Enix in collaboration with Jupiter, the developer behind Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and the characters were designed with a cocktail of alternative and Y2K coolness by Kingdom Hearts creator Tetsuya Nomura. The plot involves anti-social Shibuya teen, Neku Sakuraba and his deceased peers being forced to play the Reapers’ Game over the course of a week (or more) to determine whether they should come back to life or transcend to a higher plane of spiritual existence.

Each mission has a time limit, but it’s not linked to the passage of time for the player, and certain sections are closed off until you fulfill the requests of a nearby Reaper. Fighting the Noise creatures that Neku scans is rhythmic, and the efficiency of your gameplay depends on the pins and clothes you wear. It’s a clever design scheme that imparts some life lessons along the way. Neku and company even paid Sora and Riku a visit in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

Epic Mickey

Directed by Warren Spector in collaboration with Walt Disney Animation Studios, Epic Mickey blends unexpectedly macabre design with Disney’s expectedly colorful palette, sprinkling pieces of Disney history in between. The game centers around Mickey Mouse as he saves Wasteland, a world created by Yen Sid where forgotten characters and concepts live — such as the obscure Disney character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit — after accidentally destroying it with his paintbrush.

Just as King Mickey wields the Keyblade in Kingdom Hearts, this iteration of Mickey wields a paintbrush that grants him the power to draw or erase objects to help players through levels. Enemies can be dealt with by getting erased from existence or befriending them. The Wii game was an attempt by Disney to rebrand Mickey from a pleasant and cheerful character to one more mischievous and adventurous. It gave Disney the opportunity to use Oswald for the first time since 1927 after the company bought him back from Universal in 2006.

NieR: Automata

Developed by PlatinumGames, the studio behind Bayonetta and Astral Chain, NieR: Automata is still a relative of the Kingdom Hearts series on account of being published by Square Enix. Set thousands of years after the original, NieR: Automata contains branching storylines about a post-apocalyptic proxy war between human-made androids and an army of Machines from an alien world. Automata’s band of heroes includes combat android 2B, scanner android 9S, and rouge prototype A2, who navigate the desolate landscape to find value in life and understand why people kill in the first place.

The plot is just about as convoluted as Kingdom Hearts and the hack-and-slash combat takes a while to master, but the good news is you get assistance from a flying Pod robot whose attacks range from simple gunfire to heavy-hitting hammer attacks. Not bad company for getting through a dark world, right?

Final Fantasy XV

Just like Kingdom Hearts 3, Final Fantasy 15 made it out of a tasking development cycle. It began as a PS3 spinoff titled Final Fantasy Versus 13, only to have the scope and name changed to be the next mainline Final Fantasy for PS4 and Xbox One. The plot revolves around Noctis, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Lucis, as he is accompanied by his friends to Altissia, where he is set to marry Lunafreya, only to go on a quest to rescue the Crystal from Niflheim and save the world of Eos from eternal darkness.

Final Fantasy XV’s battle system was inspired by Kingdom Hearts 2, with Noctis’ moves being limited to basic attacks, parrying, warping, and using items — all while battling in the current environment rather than transitioning to a separate arena. Eos can be explored on foot, by Chocobo, or the Regalia, Noctis’ royal car that lets you play songs from the entire Final Fantasy series, including “Braver” by Afrojack. Hikaru Utada and Afrojack collaboration, when?

Persona 5 Strikers

Persona 5 Strikers is like Kingdom Hearts in that you’re tasked with saving people’s hearts from total corruption. A year after the events of the original Persona 5, Joker and the other Phantom Thieves of Hearts’ summer vacation plans are beset by an investigation into mysterious events involving people and their Shadow selves.

Just like Sora wields multiple Keyblades, Joker wields multiple personas, which he can acquire from random drops or beating mini-bosses in dungeons. Persona 5 Strikers thrives on action-based combat and hack-and-slash gameplay, and like Kingdom Hearts, active party members can be swapped with standby members outside of battle.

Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. She has contributed her work to various publications, including Digital Trends, TheGamer, Twinfinite, Mega Visions, and The Escapist. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.

Modern Warfare 3 Devs Tout ‘Historically Low Crash Rates,’ Discuss Updates to SMGs and Other Feature

Modern Warfare III’s launch had “historically low crash rates” for a Call of Duty game, Sledgehammer developers say. They also hinted at changes that might be coming to Modern Warfare III in the future, and dropped some information on the upcoming Season 1 during an hour-long interview with content creator Repullze.

Sledgehammer’s Adam Iscove, Senior Development Director, and Greg Reisdorf, Multiplayer Creative Director on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, claimed the controversial sequel was “historically stable at launch,” but that they’re aware of ongoing server issues like packet bursts and will continue to work on and optimize them.

Perhaps more important for the Call of Duty community, however, was Iscove and Reisdorf’s willingness to talk openly about the state of Modern Warfare III, the feedback Sledgehammer is receiving from the community, and changes that will be coming to the game in the future.

One of the most substantial topics they touched on was how movement has changed from Modern Warfare III’s beta. In the beta, stamina started to regenerate while you were sliding. Now, stamina regeneration pauses while you’re sliding and only restarts once the slide has completed. Iscove and Reisdorf said that a stamina bar would be added to the HUD in the near future to help players manage it more accurately. They also said they’re looking to bring back bunny hopping “in some form” in Modern Warfare III, which is something the community has been asking for.

Iscove and Reisdorf also talked about several other features they’d like to bring to the game. The core issue, however, is time. Sledgehammer is trying to mitigate this somewhat with the experimental playlist, which allows the studio to “flip switches” and test and implement ideas quickly if they’re well-received by the community. It also helps the studio get an idea of what appeals to the different parts of Modern Warfare III’s playerbase.

Iscove and Reisdorf also mentioned that several aspects of Modern Warfare III are undergoing changes in the near future based on community feedback. Those include:

Changes to the Firing Range intended to fix a glitch where dummies have 100 health instead of 150
Tweaking or removing some of the aim assist options for better balance
Changes in the way weapons, particularly SMGs, which the community feels are underpowered, are tuned
Allowing players to bind dive and slide to different buttons.

In addition, they also addressed things like Weapon Prestiges and bonus camos, both of which Sledgehammer wanted to bring back but couldn’t due to time constraints, though they didn’t rule out bringing either back in the future.

All told, it was a remarkably detailed and open podcast, and both Iscove and Reisdorf expressed interest in doing something like it again so they can connect to the Modern Warfare III community more directly.

This level of transparency is probably for the best because Modern Warfare III is off to something of a rocky start. We described the campaign as “boring” in our review and didn’t think there were “enough content or novel ideas in play to justify a whole new Call of Duty” in the multiplayer. Zombies mode suffers similar issues. In our review, we said it was “undercut by way too much time spent grinding for gear needed to survive the intense enemies in the center of the map, busywork story objectives, and crashes that can kill any desire to play.”

Suffice it to say, fans haven’t been particularly happy with Modern Warfare III at launch. Activision has already had to pull maps due to fan complaints about spawns, and it takes nearly 76 hours to grind out Modern Warfare III’s most coveted camo. Even the patches trying to fix Modern Warfare III’s issues have had problems, with some fixes delayed to the next patch.

Sledgehammer clearly has their work cut out for them. If nothing else, though, this podcast proves Sledgehammer is taking accountability, listening, and open to implementing feedback. And based on the amount of Ws posted in Repullze’s chat once everything was over, the community is very, very happy about that.

Stay with IGN for more updates on Modern Warfare III as we head into the holidays. For more on Modern Warfare III, check out our guides for the Best Modern Warfare III Loadouts and Class Setups, our guide to Modern Warfare III’s Zombies Mode, and more.

Will Borger is a freelance writer at IGN.

The Best Audible Black Friday Deal Is Live at Amazon

Amazon is offering one of the best subscription deals we’re going to see for Black Friday and the holiday season. First time Audible subscribers can get 4 months of Audible Premium Plus membership for only $5.95 per month. That adds up to $23.80. You also get a free $20 credit that’s good for any audiobook at Audible, which means you actually only end up paying about $4 for your entire 4 month subscription. If you’re not sure whether or not you’re eligible, simply click on the link; if you see the promo then you’re eligible and if you don’t then you’re not. This deal ends on Cyber Monday, November 27, so you better hurry!

4 Months of Audible Premium Plus + $20 Audible Credit for $23.80

Audible is a subscription service that gives you access to hundreds of thousands of the best audiobooks without ever having to purchase them. There are two paid membership plans: the lower tier Audible Plus ($7.95/mo) and the higher tier Audible Premium Plus ($14.95/mo). The biggest difference between the two is the size of the audiobook library. Whereas Audible Plus only lets you listen to a selection of about 10,000 audiobooks, the Audible Premium Plus plan gives you access to a whopping 500,000 audiobooks. These include all-time classics like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire), Witcher, The Sandman Series, The Lord of the Rings, Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archives, Mistborn, and much more.

Although the seriously expanded library is the main draw of the Audible Premium Plus membership, there are some other nice perks as well. Every month Premium Plus members get to pick one audiobook to keep in their library indefinitely, even after the membership expires. Also, Premium Plus members can get 30% off any additional audiobooks they wish to purchase, in addition to exclusive limited-time discounts.

On a regular day, new subscribers are eligible for a 30-day free trial of either Audible membership. But why settle for one month when you can get four months? If you were planning to purchase a couple of audiobooks anyway, then it makes more sense to jump on this deal and enjoy the subscription at least for a little while.

Looking for more Black Friday deals like this? Check out our guide to Amazon Black Friday deals.

Score Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope for $15

A huge discount on a popular Nintendo Switch game has hit Amazon and Best Buy for Black Friday. That game is none other than Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, the turn-based adventure that throws the characters of Super Mario together with the Rabbids. Sparks of Hope is available for $14.99, which is a 75% discount off of its standard price. If you’ve been waiting on a blowout sale, this is the lowest this game will probably get.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope On Sale for $14.99 During Black Friday

Also at Best Buy

If you’ve never heard of the Mario + Rabbids series, it is a turn-based collaboration that combines the worlds of Super Mario and the Rabbids. The first game in the series, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2017. Last year, Sparks of Hope was released for Switch as a sequel. You play as Mario, Luigi, Peach, and the familiar cast of Mario characters. However, you also have the ability to play as Rabbid versions of Mario characters, like Rabbid Rosalina.

Sparks of Hope took a huge step forward from Kingdom Battle with its open-level design. Here, you can freely explore and battle however you choose, whereas every level was linear in the original game. If you’re interested in checking out the game, it’s worth noting that you don’t need to play the first Mario + Rabbids title to understand the second.

Plenty of Nintendo Switch deals are now available ahead of Black Friday. Titles like Super Mario Party and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD are 50% off at GameStop. Additionally, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is only $9.99 on 4K UHD from Amazon. If you’re looking for the latest Nintendo Switch deals throughout the next week, be sure to check out our Nintendo Switch Black Friday 2023 roundup.

Reminder: Splatoon 3’s Greeting-Themed Splatfest Kicks Off This Weekend

Which team are you on?

Update #2 : For obvious reasons, this weekend has been flagged for some Super Mario RPG playtime for a while, but let’s not forget that there is another Nintendo event getting underway that you might want to get involved in. Yes, this is your friendly reminder that Splatoon 3‘s greeting-themed Splatfest (or a dessert-themed one, if you’re in Japan) is getting underway very soon!

The question this time is “What’s your go-to greeting?“, with Team Handshake, Fist Bump and Hug all battling it out for your vote.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Pre-orders for Bombastic On-Rails Arcade Shooter Railbreak Begin Today

Accessible on-rails arcade fun just in time for the holidays
Blast countless zombie hordes, either alone or with a friend
Preorder Railbreak today

Hello Survivors! I’m Evan Wolbach, co-founder of Dead Drop Studios. We’re excited to share explosive details about our upcoming on-rails arcade shooter, Railbreak! This is our first ever game built in Unreal Engine 5, and it’s taking aim at Xbox Series X|S just in time for the Holidays. Get ready for zombie-blasting carnage that’s as gorgeous as it is frenzied.

An Arcade Shooter for the Modern Age

Although we’re traditionally known for Outbreak, our survival horror thriller series, Railbreak marks our first entry in the under-represented on-rails arcade shooter genre. We’re huge fans of classic arcade games like The House of the Dead and Time Crisis, and Railbreak is built to channel the spirit of those titles and infuse it with modern technology and new, unexpected twists.

Unreal Engine 5 Delivers the Visual Flair and Allows for Shrapnel-Spewing New Gameplay Twists

As this is our first game utilizing Unreal Engine 5, the graphical leap over our previous titles is astronomical. Featuring next-generation garnishes like ray tracing, lumen, and volumetric lighting, Railbreak is a visual feast for the eyes; that is, if you have time to appreciate it while mowing down hordes of zombies! The new tools at our disposal also allow for advances in gameplay; our dismemberment physics allow players to strategically minimize zombie attacks, and the improvements in processing power also massively scale up the enemy count, making this game more frenetic than anything we’ve made before.

Spread the Lead Alone or with a Friend in Three Distinct Game Modes

One important similarity to our previous games is support for optional two-player co-op in all modes. You and a friend can play through the very cheesy and fully voiced Story, test your skills in Score Attack complete with rankings, and take on an endless challenge in Onslaught. All modes can be played across a variety of difficulty settings, so regardless of if it’s your first time playing an on-rails shooter or if you’re an arcade veteran, you experience the game the way you want to.

Strapped with More Action Than You Can Shake a Boomstick at

Railbreak is jam packed with content: we have seven unique scenarios, tons of zombies and enemy variations, multiple weapons, and a bevy of unlockable characters each with their own loadouts. The game is maximized for replayability; whether you want to try achieving a higher rank on an individual level or you want to relax and pass some time with a friend, Railbreak has the action you crave.

Show the undead swarms you mean business when Railbreak launches for Xbox Series X|S on December 22^nd. You can equip yourself for battle early when pre-orders begin on November 17th. Can you rise up to the retro challenge, or will the savage specters bite you to bits?

Railbreak

Dead Drop Studios LLC

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$19.99

Pre-order

It’s Saturday night in Cypress Ridge which means the city is in ruins, hordes of flesh eating undead are on the prowl, and you have the arcade all to yourself! Grab your controller, select your survivor, and blast your way to safety as the city burns around you in this on-rails survival horror shooter. Oh, and don’t forget to bring a friend for zombie fodder, er, we mean multiplayer experience!

Railbreak melds a classic on-rails arcade experience with the cutting edge Unreal Engine 5. In this prelude to Outbreak: Shades of Horror, you’ll get an opportunity to see the sights and sounds of Cypress Ridge and get chomped on by a zombie or four! Face the city alone, or bring a friend along with optional 2-player co-op supported across the entire game

Featuring a wide cast of survivors each with their own loadouts and traits, you’ll find plenty of replayability in this absurd take of a survival horror game in a survival horror game. A full story mode experience awaits across six scenarios. Bonus modes include Score Attack, and the endless Onslaught Mode that keeps ratcheting up the difficulty until the undead finally seal your fate.

Crack open your piggy bank, snag a fizzy soda, and take a trip back to the 1990’s arcade.

The post Pre-orders for Bombastic On-Rails Arcade Shooter Railbreak Begin Today appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Official PlayStation Podcast Episode 474: Don’t Get Gravy On That

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS, or download here

This week the team discusses the upcoming releases of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and the Access controller. Plus deep dives on game difficulty settings, how to hold your DualSense wireless controller, and of course more Baldur’s Gate 3.

Stuff We Talked About

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora PS5 Features Blog
Access controller Blog
PlayStation Black Friday Deals 2023
Listener letters
Baldur’s Gate 3

The Cast

Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE

Tim Turi – Manager, Content Communications, SIE

Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE

O’Dell Harmon, Jr. Content Communications Specialist, SIE

Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.

[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

10 Best Call of Duty Games of All Time

There’s no escaping that Call of Duty is currently in a bit of a rut. Although there are bright spots in Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer and Zombies mode, it ultimately feels all too familiar. And the campaign? Our reviewer Simon Cardy said it was “perhaps the worst Call of Duty single-player campaign I’ve played.” It currently has a disappointing Metacritic rating of 56 and, unsurprisingly, Modern Warfare 3 didn’t make into IGN’s top 10 Call of Duty games (spoilers: it came bottom of the pile).

Thankfully, Call of Duty has been exceptional at times and, years on, many of its greatest moments still stand the test of time. So we’re looking back to decide which Call of Duty games are our absolute favorites, and we’re talking about the full package – campaign, multiplayer, zombies, everything. IGN staff voted on all the games, and you can read all about why we picked what we picked below. After, be sure to let us know how we did and share your favorites in the comments below!

10. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War sets itself apart from other entries in the legendary franchise by how much it excels when your gun is actually holstered. While Call of Duty is obviously known for its world-class shootouts with explosions around every corner and edge-of-your-seat moments, Black Ops Cold War added another wrinkle to that formula.

The campaign takes place during the most critical moments of the Cold War and we get time to learn more about our covert ops crew at our safehouses and sneak around KGB headquarters as a Russian double agent. These moments are quiet in the best ways, and they make the louder ones even more impactful.

Black Ops Cold War’s multiplayer fell a little short but its Zombies mode was a highlight. Sure, we would have loved some more content, but it provided highly polished and tense gameplay sessions we still think about today.

9. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)

There were some big issues with 2023’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, but 2011’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 did a great job of iterating and improving on what came before. Its multiplayer added new elements such as weapon progression, proficiencies, and more, but what it did best was create one of the most compelling and addicting Call of Duty multiplayer experiences ever made up to that point.

The campaign was fun enough and even though it isn’t one of our favorites, it had the amazing setpieces and “wow” moments that made this franchise so popular. It was also the conclusion of one of the most beloved Call of Duty trilogies ever and that in itself was another reason it was worth the admission price.

8. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was notable for many reasons, including that it featured the series’ first branching narrative and arsenal of futuristic weaponry. While it continued the Cold War-era story from the original Black Ops, it also took us to 2025 to experience a whole new Cold War that centered on Alex Mason’s son, David. Oh, and don’t forget that Raul Menendez is one of the best villains in the entire franchise.

Black Ops 2’s multiplayer also had a few firsts like the Pick 10 system and Scorestreaks, adding a welcome level of depth and customization to the experience. Throw in its Zombies mode, which was the perfect, laugh-filled alternative to the campaign and multiplayer, and Black Ops 2 is still a standout Call of Duty game over a decade later.

7. Call of Duty: World at War

Call of Duty: World at War brought us back to World War 2 after the roaring success that was Modern Warfare’s contemporary setting, but it did so in a different way. Instead of simply going back to Normandy and D-Day for the umpteenth time, the story focused on the Pacific theater and the Red Army’s reversals of the tide at Stalingrad to the Fall of Berlin. The campaign was filled with a ton of close-quarters combat moments, many of which were in tight, packed trenches, and for the first time let you play with up to three other friends.

What World at War may forever be remembered for, however, was its introduction of what we now know as the Zombies mode, or Nach der Untoten as it was called. Its multiplayer was also a hit as it brought in much of what made Modern Warfare great and adapted it for the era the game was set in.

6. Call of Duty

Call of Duty first appeared on the scene in 2003, at a time when Medal of Honor and Battlefield 1942 were at the top of their game and proving what could be done in the WWII genre. But Call of Duty did a number of things that would immediately set it apart, including chosing to tell its story from the perspective of not only the United States, but also Britain and the Soviet Union.

It also had you going into battle with other soldiers by your side instead of having you face the horrors of war alone, and that led to a more realistic and compelling experience. And don’t forget the “shellshock” feature, which visually and audibly showed the dangers and consequences of large explosions and brought us closer to war than ever before.

While it’s obviously a little out of date 20 years on, the campaign is still fun to play and it’s impossible to understate the foundation it built for the future of not just the Call of Duty series but first-person shooters as a whole.

5. Call of Duty: Black Ops

Call of Duty: Black Ops took us to the 1960s to learn the story of CIA operative Alex Mason. From the first moments in that chair in the interrogation room to one of the best twists in the entire franchise, we couldn’t get enough of the story that also had the star power of Sam Worthington, Ed Harris, and Gary Oldman. We previously ranked Black Ops’ campaign as Call of Duty’s best, and we stand by it today.

Black Ops’ multiplayer is just as iconic and some of the maps, including Firing Range and Nuketown, are still favorites in 2023 as they have been brought forward multiple times. The multiplayer suite also introduced CoD Points, which changed how things were unlocked and made progression feel fresh again.

Nazi Zombies returned too, except this time as a full-fledged mode, and it even let you play as JFK, Fidel Castro, Richard Nixon, or Robert McNamara. There was also an unlockable mode that played like a retro arcade version. It was all wonderful.

4. Call of Duty 2

Call of Duty 2 was an incredible achievement on its own, but its timing was just as important. The follow-up to the original Call of Duty arrived as a launch title for Xbox 360 and demonstrated what “next-gen” actually meant back then.

While the original Call of Duty was impressive, the power of Xbox 360 – alongside advancements in PC tech – led to a WWII experience like never before. One of the most notable examples was the smoke grenades, as they were a great showcase for what the devs could do to make a more realistic experience. Not only were they a sight to behold as the smoke billowed up and smothered the screen, but they could also be used tactically to get out of a tough situation.

With Call of Duty 2, the future was here, even if the multiplayer still only allowed for eight players in a match on Xbox Live.

3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)

Spoilers: we LOVE Modern Warfare and that adoration extends to 2019’s Modern Warfare, the game that rebooted a classic. That in itself was a tough task, but Infinity Ward passed with flying colors and created the best campaign since the original Black Ops.

Indeed, the single-player was packed with stand-out moments, from Going Dark’s nonlinear stealth infiltration to Clean House, in which a team of SAS troops clear a pitch-black terrorist hideout using night-goggles, making split-second decisions to make sure its a threat in the crosshairs and not an unarmed civilian.

Modern Warfare’s multiplayer was decent too, and tried to evolve one of the most beloved multiplayer games of all time to the modern day with some nice additions, but its implementation wasn’t perfect. That said, its new modes like Realism and the 2v2 Gunfight were great.

2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and its sequel Modern Warfare 2 are not only some of the best Call of Duty games ever, but also some of the best and most important games of all time. While Modern Warfare set the gold standard for what these first-person shooters could be, Modern Warfare pushed it to an even higher peak.

We could talk about No Russian and the shocking, revenge-filled campaign ending all day, but multiplayer is where this game truly shines. From its customizable Killstreaks and progression challenges, to the focus on bigger maps with a ton of players, to the introduction of the cooperative Spec Ops maps, there was SO much to love about its multiplayer mode. And the best part? It just improved on everything else we loved from Modern Warfare, which we can’t wait to tell you about next…

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 may have perfected the formula that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare built, but new and shiny things can’t always stack up to what it’s like to experience something for the first time. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the perfect example of that, and was a revolution that changed video games forever.

This was the year that Call of Duty became the Call of Duty we know today, and it was thanks to a tag-team assault of a fantastic campaign and a legendary multiplayer experience. We will never forget being introduced to Soap and Captain Price for the first time, or when we got to jump into an AC-130 gunship, escape a cargo ship in the middle of a stormy sea, play through All Ghillied Up – possibly the greatest Call of Duty mission ever – and so much more.

We’ll also never forget the countless hours we happily sunk into multiplayer, earning killstreak after killstreak, unlocking every gun and challenge we could, finding the perfect perks, and winning or losing alongside our best friends. Those were the days we’ll never forget. That is Call of Duty.

In praise of labyrinthine game design

Mazes and labyrinths can be confusing, frustrating, oppressive, nightmarish. They are the kinds of structures videogame developers are reluctant to put in their games, because the potential for the player losing heart or patience is relatively high. But as productions, they can be strangely economical, oddly light-footed. Mazes and labyrinths, after all, twist up space and as such, discover or create additional space within space. They allow vast journeys to happen within areas that are modest when judged in terms of square footage, journeys that encompass a multitude of locations that have an inherent, automatic atmosphere: tantalising forks in the path and mocking dead ends, hubs with corridors leading in all directions, leisurely perimeter paths and gristly knots of inner passages.

As such, I think they’re useful to reflect on at a time when the mantra of growth for its own sake has conquered the heart of videogame world design: bigger budgets for grander maps in terms of both explorable area and computational resource, all the way to Armageddon (did you know that Suicide Squad’s Metropolis is twice the size of Arkham Knight’s Gotham City?). But don’t take it from me, an armchair developer with armchair socialist sensibilities. Take it from The Legend of Zelda.