The post The Ice Rink and Winter Wonderland Stadiums Return to Forza Horizon 5 appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Category: Video Games
Blade Ball Festivities Update Adds Gingerbread Spin and Holiday-Themed Crate
Roblox sports experience Blade Ball is charging into the holiday season with a Festivities Update to help celebrate winter.
The latest update to developer Wiggity’s strategic dodgeball game, titled V6.5, arrived over the weekend. It comes with a new Gingerbread Hourly Spin and a special festive crate alongside a host of bug fixes, new swords, emotes, and more. It’s unclear exactly how long the Festivities Update-related goodies will be live, so make sure you start getting those spins in sooner rather than later.
The Festive Crate can be found in the lobby and grants access to specific rewards. Wiggity didn’t reveal everything the crate can hold and instead teased just one item: an OP-tier sword called Northstar Reaper. Players who advance to the Gingerbread wheel’s center, meanwhile, will be rewarded with the OP-tier sword, Frostbane.
Blade Ball’s latest update also comes with changes to a few abilities. The team says Calming Deflect and Quantum Arena have both received buffs, while Dragon Spirit, Swap, Golden Ball, Necromancer, and Phantom have been nerfed. Some clan tweaks include the ability to change your clan’s name for 99 Robux, while players are also now able to contribute up to 100 crowns every 10 minutes.
The Festivities Update follows November’s Thanksgiving Event update, which included a number of new themed additions, features, and bug fixes. Highlights included an in-game turkey NPC to visit as well as other unique rewards. That event is still underway and will remain available until December 7.
For more on Blade Ball, you can check out all active codes here. You can check out everything included in the latest update in the full patch notes below.
Blade Ball V6.5 Update Patch Notes
Festivities!
– Festive Crate
– Find the Festive Crate in the lobby to unlock awesome rewards like:
– OP Tier sword “Northstar Reaper” (VFX, Slash) – 0.05%
– Gingerbread Hourly Spin
– Get a free spin every hour!
– Advance to the center to unlock a LIMITED QUANTITY sword:
– OP tier sword (VFX, slash) “Frostbane” (5K Exists)
– Clan Changes
– Contribute up to 100 crowns every 10 minutes
– Change the clan’s name for 99 R$ (under the manager, as the first option).
– Vote 2 abilities to ban in clan wars.
– New OP 2.5K Existing BACKSWORD “Celestial Whisper”.
– Ability Changes
– Calming Deflect Buff
– Quantum Arena Buff
– Dragon Spirit Nerf
– Swap Nerf
– Golden Ball Nerf
– Necromancer Nerf
– Phantom Nerf
– Bug Fixes
– 18 Swords
– 5 Explosions
– 6 Emotes
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
Doronko Wanko Lets You Play As The Messiest Puppy Ever On Switch
Wan wan.
Revealed at today’s OTK Games Expo, Bandai Namco has announced that Doronko Wanko, a game which stars the most adorable pomeranian we think we’ve ever seen, is coming to Switch in Spring 2025.
To the British people reading this, yes, okay, stop chuckling in the back. The game’s name actually derives from わんこ Wan ko, which is an informal or cute way of saying dog or puppy in Japanese. Kids use it a lot. And come on, the puppy in this game is pretty darn cute.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Join the King of Meat – Closed Alpha Dec 4 – Dec 14!
King of Meat: Lights, Camera, ALPHA! We’re excited to invite Xbox Insiders on Xbox Series X|S to the world of Loregok for the first time from December 4 through December 14. This confidential alpha will give players in North America and Europe (full list of available regions below) an early look at King of Meat. Step into the role of fearless Contenders battling through ridiculous dungeons, build devious creations, and outshine everyone with dazzling custom appearances. Limited space is available so join now before it fills up.
About the Game:
King of Meat is a colorful combat spectacle that pits Contenders against creative dungeon masterpieces. With a combination of creative co-op combat, user-generated dungeons, and ridiculous customization options, King of Meat brings countless possibilities to express your own creativity. Build your own dungeons to challenge other players, outsmart other Contenders and their cunning puzzles, or team up with your friends and fellow Contenders to defeat skeletons, trolls, and other ridiculous monsters. Or just outshine them all with your dazzling custom appearance.
If you want to learn more, please visit the Official King of Meat Website!
Playtest Times:
Start: Wednesday December 4, 10:00 AM PT (1:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM GMT)
End: Saturday December 14, 1:00 PM PT (4:00 PM ET / 9:00 PM GMT)
How to Participate:
- Sign-in on your Xbox Series X|S console and launch the Xbox Insider Hub app (or install the Xbox Insider Hub from the Store first if necessary)
- Navigate to Previews > King of Meat – Closed Alpha
- Select Join
- Wait for the registration to complete and be directed to the Store and install King of Meat – Closed Alpha
NOTE: Limited space is available and offered first-come first-served.
NOTE: This playtest is only available on Xbox Series X|S consoles.
NOTE: This playtest is only available for Xbox Insiders in the regions below.
- North America
- United States
- Canada
- Mexico
- Europe
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
How to Provide Feedback:
If you experience any issues while playing King of Meat – Closed Alpha, don’t forget to use “Report a problem” so we can investigate:
- Hold down the home button on your Xbox controller.
- Select Report a problem.
- Select the Games category and King of Meat – Closed Alpha subcategory.
- Fill out the form with the appropriate details to help our investigation.
Other resources:
For more information: follow us on X/Twitter at @XboxInsider and this blog for announcements and more. And feel free to interact with the community on the Xbox Insider SubReddit.
The post Join the King of Meat – Closed Alpha Dec 4 – Dec 14! appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Friday the 13th: The Game Developer IllFonic Hit With Layoffs
Friday the 13th and Predator: Hunting Grounds developer IllFonic has been hit by layoffs as the team has “re-aligned to a refined strategy.”
IllFonic CEO & Co-Founder Charles Brungardt shared the message on X/Twitter saying, “Today we had to accept the harsh reality that the state of the industry has impacted us here at IllFonic.”
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that cuts to our team had to be made as we re-aligned to a refined strategy,” he continued. “There is a lot of talent in this group and if you or your team is hiring, please reach out so people can be connected to open roles. Thank you.”
An update from IllFonic. pic.twitter.com/C3wM7ysZu7
— IllFonic (@IllFonic) December 4, 2024
IllFonic was founded in 2007 and has studios in both Lakewood, Colorado and Tacoma, Washington. It is currently unclear how many people were impacted by these cuts, but these layoffs are taking place just a few months after the release of the studio’s latest game, Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game.
In our Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game review, we said, “is as silly and entertaining as the movie that spawned it, and that makes for a surprisingly compelling asymmetrical multiplayer game to boot.”
Alongside the previously mentioned games, IllFonic has also developed and supported such games as Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, Arcadegeddon, Dead Alliance, Star Citizen, Armored Warfare, and Evolve.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.
Anime Last Stand Tournament Update Adds New Game Mode and a Wave of New Features
Roblox tower defense strategy game Anime Last Stand’s new Tournament game mode is here alongside a quality-of-life update that adds a seamless retry feature, bug fixes, and more.
There’s a lot to go over when it comes to this latest update, but its new mode is the centerpiece. Developer Boss Studio says the mode asks players to deal as much damage as possible over a 20-minute period. The team says leaderboards reset every week, confirming that brackets will be added “soon.” With Tournaments also comes a Tournament Shop, which allows players to spend currency called Tournament trophies on items and new units.
Two new units also arrive with the Tournament update – Pirate King (Celestial) and Soul King (Shiny) (Exotic) – as well as seven new Evolutions: Pirate Lord, Fused Warrior (Blue), Idol (Pop-Star), Flame Breather (Demonic), Noble Caption (Blood War), World’s Strongest (Prime), Kon (Rage). Some of the more substantial changes involve new features, such as seamless retry, which allows players to restart stage instantly. Evolving now increases a unit’s stats, too, with a 5% chance to increase stats twice.
As for those quality-of-life changes, rerolling stats has been tweaked to make it harder to accidentally skip a stat you want. Boss Studio says it has also implemented “some lag fixes” while buffing out a number of other bugs.
In other Roblox news, there are a variety of other popular experiences that have received updates big and small in the last few weeks. The recent Fisch Ancient Isles update added new fish, mechanics, and a megalodon event, bringing some of the game’s biggest changes so far. Anime Vanguards Update 1.5, meanwhile, came with additions such as Familiars and new Units when it dropped on November 23.
Anime Last Stand will celebrate its two-year anniversary come March, but there’s no telling how exactly the team at Boss Studio plans to celebrate. Until then, you can see our list of all up-to-date codes here, and check out the full patch notes for the Tournament and Quality-of-Life update below.
Anime Last Stand Tournament + Quality of Life Update Patch Notes
Additions
- Tournaments!
- Tournaments have been added to ALS. Survive for 20 minutes and deal the most damage possible. The leaderboard for the tournament is global and resets every week.
- These tournaments have a traitless and traits leaderboard which rotate every week. 2 elements [a primary and a secondary] will have a raw damage boost and a new map will be chosen each week.
- Brackets coming soon.
- New Tournament Shop
- Playing the new tournaments gamemode rewards you with “Tournament trophies”. These trophies can be used to purchase items (and tournament units) from the new tournaments shop.
- 2 New Units
- Pirate King (Celestial) [ Tournament Unit ]
- Soul King (Shiny) (Exotic) [ Shiny Soul Capsule ]
- 7 New Evolutions
- Pirate Lord
- Fused Warrior (Blue)
- Idol (Pop-Star)
- Flame Breather (Demonic)
- Noble Caption (Blood War)
- World’s Strongest (Prime)
- Kon (Rage)
Abilities
- “I’ll use EVERYTHING” [ Kon (Rage) ]
- During his ability “Kon (Rage)” has a -50% SPA reduction and a 100% DMG increase to boss type enemies. Lasts for 100 seconds.
- “Final Kamehameha” [ Fused Warrior (Blue) ]
- Line attack that applies 10 electricify ticks, each doing 10x his Damage (100x Total).
- “Concert” [ Idol (Pop Star) ]
- Range and damage of all units in her range are increased by 20%. Her ability lasts for 35 seconds.
- “Demon Bout” [ Flame Breather (Demon) ]
- “Flame Breather (Demon)” transforms and increases his DoT damage multiplier to 500% [ 5x ] (This doesn’t stack with the initial 300%)
- “Bankai” [ Noble Captain (Blood War) ]
- Using this ability applies an extended hemorrhage and does damage equal to 3x his current damage.
- “Sea Quake” [ World’s Strongest (Prime) ]
- Using this ability does a larger version of his 3rd attack that does an initial 200m DMG. Afterwards he starts summoning smaller waves every 10 seconds for a period of 5 minutes. These waves deal 40% of his current damage.
Features
- Seamless retry
- Retrying a stage now does NOT teleport you to a different game place and instead restarts the game almost seamlessly.
- This also applies to the “Next” button.
- Stats increasement on evolving.
- Evolving a unit now increases their stats.
- A -> A+,
- SS -> SSS.
- And there’s also a 5% chance for that stat to increase twice.
- Evolving a unit now increases their stats.
- Potions
- ALS is now introducing Drop and Banner luck potions. The drop potion increases your drop chance of evolution items and more. Banner luck potion increased the odds of pulling rarer units from banners.
- Clan Enhancements
- Your clan’s name and clan image are now displayed above the player’s name.
- Leaving a clan now requires you to click “Leave” twice (To prevent accidental leaving from your clan)
- Visual Updates
- Trait Animations have been reworked and look much nicer!
- Added new icons and colours to the UI.
- Teleport photos have finally been updated up to date as well!
- New Bundles
- Three new bundles have introduced:
- Luck Bundle
- Drop Bundle
- Tournaments Bundle
- Three new bundles have introduced:
QoL
- Stat changes
- Rerolling stats now gives you a confirmation so you don’t accidentally skip a good stat!
- Stats now have a different % buff for every stat.
- Lag and Bug fixes
- Some lag fixes have been put in place. (Focusing on lag purely for next update).
- A bunch of bug fixes regarding units and other MISC bugs.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
The next Dragon Age game might be another “reinvention”, say BioWare, drawing parallels with Final Fantasy

Dragon Age: The Veilguard won’t receive any major story DLC. It also ends pretty decisively, save for a few hints about the future of Thedas in a secret post-credits scene. How final is that air of finality? Is Dragon Age going back on the shelf for the forseeable? Fear not, say game director Corinne Busche and series creative director John Epler, for the universe of Dragon Age has many yarns yet to spin. The next game won’t necessarily be an action game with RPG trappings, either, for much like Final Fantasy, Dragon Age exists in a state of continual “reinvention”.
Talking Point: Can Sony And Microsoft Really Compete With Nintendo In A New ‘Handheld War’?
Come at the king, you best not miss.
It’s safe to say that, 146 million sales later, Nintendo’s risk of launching a dockable handheld console in 2017 has paid off handsomely. After all, Sony’s PS Vita was all but dead by that point, and despite the 3DS managing to reverse its fortunes after a swift price drop in its first year, many claimed that the rise of mobile gaming would spell the end of handheld consoles.
Yet the Switch proved the naysayers wrong and, if anything, ignited a renewed interest in handhelds the likes of which we haven’t seen in years. Mobile gaming has fallen by the wayside (somewhat – though Nintendo properties have also dipped their toes in the water here), and, we now have a bevvy of powerful handheld consoles to choose from, including the Steam Deck, the Asus ROG Ally X, the Lenovo Legion Go, and many more. Yet despite the growing competition, the Switch has comfortably maintained its position as the king of handheld gaming in 2024.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Resurrecting a Classic: Raziel Returns to Xbox in Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered
As we approach the highly anticipated launch of Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered, we’re diving deep into the series’ legendary roots, the artistry behind its remaster, and the exciting enhancements Xbox players can look forward to.
The Legacy of the Legacy of Kain
Very few franchises in gaming history boast the narrative depth and artistic ambition of Legacy of Kain. Since its debut in 1996 with Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, the series has delivered an intricate saga of betrayal, destiny, and free will. Among its chapters, Soul Reaver stands out as a groundbreaking entry, weaving the tragic tale of Raziel, a once-loyal lieutenant of Kain, resurrected to seek vengeance against his creator.

Soul Reaver introduced players to a hauntingly beautiful world, brimming with gothic architecture, complex puzzles, and a legendary narrative. Its dual-realm exploration, allowing Raziel to shift between the material and spectral planes, was a revolutionary feature together with seamless level streaming that cemented the game’s place in history. Raziel’s journey from vengeance to self-discovery resonates even today, making him one of gaming’s most beloved anti-heroes.

Bringing Soul Reaver Back to Life
We had the opportunity to speak with Monika Erosova, Head of Development for the remaster, about the incredible effort it took to bring Soul Reaver into the modern era. Erosova described the process as “a labor of love,” with a focus on preserving the essence of the original while reimagining its visuals for modern hardware.

The remaster boasts meticulously updated textures, dynamic shadows for characters and objects, and brand-new character models. Raziel and Kain designs, in particular, were treated with care to honor their iconic look while amplifying details such as Raziel’s tattered wings now having translucent edges.
“We aimed to match their looks from their highly detailed FMV render models, but also made sure that they will still fit within the in-game world,” Erosova said, highlighting that preserving the original lighting played a critical role in creating the remaster’s atmospheric tone, ensuring Nosgoth feels as eerie and immersive as ever. The addition of the day and night cycle further enhances this and provides a more varied gameplay experience when returning to the areas you visited previously.
The original Soul Reaver FMV intro is perhaps one of the most legendary introductions into a video game ever. However, the original game release had severely limited resolution and simply does not hold up on modern screens anymore.
“My dream was always to be able to update it one day and that has finally come to fruition!” exclaimed Erosova. “The archive provided us with the necessary source files and while some parts were missing and had to be remade, it was enough for us to be able to fully reconstruct the FMV in HD graphics. It was not an easy feat, but we pushed through until we were able to render all the scenes in highest fidelity. We hope that fans will enjoy this latest version of the iconic FMV just as we do.”

Being an artist at heart, Erosova felt straight at home in her role on this project: “I simply love texture archaeology. I collected a vast library of reference books during my modding days so I was able to apply all my in-depth knowledge of the Soul Reaver games and also managed to find even more source textures than ever before, making the Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered superior to any of my previous modding work, becoming the definitive experience.”
She also mentioned the people who have been her inspiration for all these years: “It would definitely have to be Amy Hennig, Daniel Cabuco, basically the whole Soul Reaver team. I would like to send special thanks to Daniel for being such an amazing mentor figure – without his advice I would not be where I am as an artist!”
Recreating the FMV, however, was not the only improvement included in this release.The team also added many quality-of-life improvements such as customizable controls with camera movement on the right analogue stick or a mouse if you prefer, the photo mode, a cutscene skipper (super useful for repeated playthroughs), multi-language support with subtitles, extensive Bonus Materials section and much more.
“We even managed to restore the dynamic music which was missing in the original pc release of Soul Reaver!” Erosova adds. “These games would not be the same without the atmospheric music of Kurt Harland and the way it reacts in real time to the player’s experiences in the game.”

Erosova is also a devoted fan of the series and has shared her love of Raziel through cosplay and countless many projects such as the most recent artbook called The Art of Soul Reaver, created several texture mods for both Tomb Raider and Soul Reaver games, and regularly posts lore videos on YouTube on her The Ancient’s Den channel co-maintained by her fellow lore master, Bazielim, who is also well known figure in the Legacy of Kain community.

Features Overview
Enhanced Gameplay: Quality-of-life updates include a fan favorite feature “Photo Mode” and a brand-new map and compass system, designed to aid exploration without sacrificing the game’s intentionally challenging navigation.

Achievements and Trophies: A fully fleshed-out achievement list gives players new goals to strive for as they traverse the decaying Nosgoth.

Xbox-Specific Features: Optimized for Xbox consoles, this remaster includes 4K resolution support, faster load times, and enhanced framerates and textures.
Additionally, the Bonus Materials Menu allows players to dive deeper into the Soul Reaver universe. From the restored “Lost Levels” to the reimagined maps of Nosgoth and never-before-seen artwork, this remaster celebrates every facet of the game’s legacy.

Whether you’re returning to Nosgoth or visiting it for the first time, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered promises an unforgettable journey.
Pre-order now on Xbox and prepare to unleash Raziel’s vengeance on December 10, 2024!
Legacy of Kain
Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered
Aspyr
Celebrate Soul Reaver’s 25th Anniversary
Experience the epic conflict of Kain and Raziel in original form or with remastered graphics.
Included Game Titles
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
Experience the Legendary Narrative
Centuries after your former master, Kain, betrays and executes you, you rise again and embark on a relentless quest for revenge.
Wield the Powers of a Wraith
Slay your former vampire brethren with your claws, bolts of telekinetic energy, and the elemental Wraith Blade. Grow stronger by devouring the souls of your enemies.
Shift Between Realms
The Elder God has granted you the ability to shift between the Spectral and Material Realms. Traverse the realms to solve puzzles, reveal new paths, and defeat your foes.
The post Resurrecting a Classic: Raziel Returns to Xbox in Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Nobuo Uematsu: Fantasian Neo Dimension’s composer discusses his scores for the soundtrack
Hello everyone! I’m Nobuo Uematsu, the composer of Fantasian Neo Dimension.
When Producer Hironobu Sakaguchi first contacted me about Fantasian, I had decided that this would be the last video game title which I’d produce the full soundtrack for, solely on my own.
Because this was going to be my final full soundtrack project, I wanted to give it everything I had. I rearranged my office—cluttered with non-work-related things that were there for fun—into something I call the “Fantasian mode,” so that I could corner myself creatively. In the end, I spent several months dedicating myself to composing, and I have no regrets. Please enjoy Fantasian Neo Dimension, the culminating work that tops off my 30-plus years long career of composing full video game soundtracks!

Today, I’ll be introducing five of my favorite tracks from Fantasian Neo Dimension’s soundtrack.
1. Main Theme of Fantasian
Composing the main theme for a game is always a headache. I try to approach it with the mindset of “creating a track that’s better than anything I’ve ever made,” but progress tends to be slow when I take things too seriously. Sometimes, my creativity flows once I let go and realize “this is what I know how to do best.” This was the case for the Main Theme of Fantasian.
2. Prickle and Clicker’s Theme
A clumsy, outdated robot that’s certainly not the latest model – an incomplete being with fragmented speech, but is endearing precisely because of these qualities. These were the kind of things I thought about while I was making this track. It has an awkward, bumpy feel to the tune, right?
3. Shangri-La
This one is a track that I personally really like. This track features scat vocalization which goes like “lan lan~♪,” but it would be nice to do a live performance of a version that includes lyrics someday.
4. God Realm
Is music considered “proper” only when it has a beautiful melody on top of beautiful chords, played with a beautiful tone? If so, is it an “improper” piece of music when it has a graceless melody layered on top of eerily sounding chords, performed haphazardly? Being in this field for so long, there are times when I question myself about what exactly defines “proper music.”
5. Kina (Destiny) [featuring Yuria Miyazono]
The time Sakaguchi needs to write song lyrics is astonishingly short. In the past, whenever I’d send over a completed melody his way, usually his first draft would be ready by the next day, or the day after that. I wish I could say that this track followed suit, but in this particular case, I believe his lyrics were written first, and I created a melody to go along with them. Regardless, I recall that I was able to complete this track very quickly and smoothly, with no bumps on the road. Speaking of which, Yuria Miyazono’s vocals are so beautiful…
Discover these tracks for yourself in-game when Fantasian Neo Dimension launches on PlayStation Store December 5, 2024.