Scarf out loud.
Sonic Boom was one of the most ambitious projects Sega has ever undertaken with Sonic the Hedgehog. It was a full-throttle attempt at creating a brand-new sub-franchise for the blue blur, complete with new world, radically different character designs, and an accompanying animated series.
Nintendo fans certainly had a lot to be excited about; the games would be Nintendo exclusives!
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Let’s get this out of the way – if you haven’t played Case of the Golden Idol yet, you really should do that (hint: it’s on Game Pass). Developer Color Gray’s debut game is one of the most smartly conceived, intriguingly told puzzle games of recent years. Spinning the story of a seemingly magical artifact through a series of murder-mystery tableaus, you amass clues in each scene, then literally piece the story together yourself, word-by-word – revealing an incredible fantasy-history tale of national conspiracy, political wrongdoing, and dangerous technology in the process. There was simply nothing quite like it – until now.
The sequel, Rise of the Golden Idol (which arrives on Xbox Series X|S tomorrow) is left in a pretty unique position as a result.
How do you follow up a beloved one-off – retaining what made it special, but expanding its world and ideas meaningfully? Color Gray has managed a truly deft balance here – this is effectively the game you know, but a setting you really, really don’t. Far from continuing where we left off, Rise picks up whole centuries after the events of the first game, in this world’s equivalent of the 1970s. For fans of Case, it means that, even if you have all the backstory, you’re just as lost in the context of this world, giving you the thrill of putting all the pieces back together once again.
This is a world where the very real Idol of the first game has not only become a myth, but been physically broken into pieces – and we discover what happens when people begin putting them back together again. To give away any more would spoil the surprises, but it’s safe to say that while it deals in similar themes to the first game, this is a very different story.
On first glance, you might assume that this is a very similar game, however. The basic formula remains – each level gives you a look at a very specific (almost always violent) moment in time, and offers the option to click on the people and objects in that moment, picking up clues.
These could be names, objects, or associated verbs. In each scene, you’re given distinct puzzles – figuring out who each character is, what their jobs might be in that moment and, almost always, a final conclusion as to what’s happened in the run-up to the scene. Almost every one of the dozens of interactive elements will be relevant to that final conclusion, and you’ll need to use the bulk of the words you’ve amassed to put that together.
Despite an upgraded art style – retaining the Hogarthian caricatures of characters, but placing them in a grubbier urban context – it’s very familiar. Until you reach the end of a chapter.
This is Rise of the Golden Idol’s key new feature – every chapter contains multiple scenes but, once you’ve completed them all, you’re given an overarching meta-puzzle. Using all the information you collected from each scene, you then need to work out the story of what was going on around the full chapter itself – often revealing twists you’d never have expected.
You’ll likely need to revisit each scene to do so, jumping from moment to moment (and perhaps even the cutscenes and clues presented between those moments) to re-establish whether, say, that particular item – which felt like a red herring at the time – was actually a major clue you didn’t know you needed.
It’s a truly smart piece of extra design – nothing that you loved about the first game has been changed, there’s just way more of it all of a sudden. That’s also a summation of the game as a whole, and perhaps the greatest recommendation I can give for Rise of the Golden Idol. It’s a brilliant sequel to a brilliant game – when something was this good already, who wouldn’t want more of it?
The post Rise of the Golden Idol Is a Fitting Sequel to One of the Best Puzzle Games of Recent Years appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Overwatch 2 is taking a page from WoW Classic and returning to the beginning, announcing a brand-new Overwatch Classic mode featuring the original 21 heroes and 12 maps from the 2016 release.
The nostalgia mode, which launches Tuesday and continues over the course of three weeks, will feature key moments from Overwatch history, Blizzard says. It’ll begin with the original 1.0 version from launch, with no limits on which characters you can pick, meaning you can theoretically have a team full of tanks or Torbjörns. And yes, it will be 6v6, though Blizzard says it’s unrelated to its experiments with bringing the format back to Overwatch 2.
“Overwatch Classic is separate from our broader 6v6 plans. Overwatch Classic is meant to be a nostalgic experience, taking heroes, players, and the game back to moments in the game’s history for limited time events,” Blizzard explains in its official FAQ about the event.
Overwatch Classic’s gameplay will largely match up with the original game’s mechanics, with characters regaining their original abilities and Ultimates charging up much more quickly. However, maps like Dorado, Numbani, Route 66, and Watchpoint: Gibraltar will retain their changes from Overwatch 2, including match timing and how elevator platforms work.
As the event progresses, Blizzard plans to progressively layer in changes, including single hero limits. Future updates will return to “popular moments in the game’s history,” with Blizzard citing the 2017 Moth Meta — in which Mercy was one of the most powerful characters — and the triple-tank, triple-support style of “Goats” as two examples.
Fans for their part have been generally positive about the news. Over on Reddit, one player joked, “Mass rez is back, I’m scared mom come get me.” Others are asking for it to be a permanent arcade game mode, though Blizzard is being cagey about its plans for the future, saying it plans to measure player response.
Overwatch Classic officially commences on November 12 and will continue until December 2. It’ll be playable as a mode within the standard Overwatch 2 client, and will not include legacy features like loot boxes, the original UI, or the Competitive mode. Available modes include Assault, Escort, Hybrid, and Control.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
Potentially the best Black Friday deal on a high-end OLED gaming TV is already avaialble. Right now, Best Buy, Amazon, and Samsung are offering the 65″ Samsung S90C 4K OLED Smart TV for just $999.99 after an absolutely massive $1,600 price drop. This is an excellent TV to pair up with your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. In fact, some critics rate the S90C as a better gaming TV than the LG C4. RTINGS writes that “the LG (C4) is noticeably dimmer in Game Mode while the Samsung (S90C) isn’t, making the Samsung the better choice for gamers.”
Note: The best vendor to get this TV from is Samsung because you get a bonus $50 Best Buy gift card. However, most zip codes show this TV is out of stock. If so, then get it from either Amazon or Best Buy.
The Samsung S90C is a 2023 model (superseded by the S90D for 2024) and was considered one of the best OLED TVs on the market last year, superior to even the LG C3. The S90C uses Samsung’s proprietary quantum dot (QD) OLED panel. QD OLED panels are brighter than traditional OLED panels without losing the color accuracy, range, and wide-viewing angles that OLEDs are known for. Compared to a traditional LED LCD TV, an OLED TV offers superior image quality, near-infinite blacks, near-infinite contrast ratio, and near-instantaneous response times.
OLED technology aside, the Samsung S90C also has all the features you’d want in a gaming TV. It has a native 120Hz panel that can be pushed to as high as 144Hz (rare in a 2023 TV) as well as four total HDMI 2.1 ports for running 4K at 120Hz on a PS5 or Xbox Series X. The S90C also supports variable refresh rate and auto low latency mode. This is an especially good complement to the Playstation 5 Pro console that was just released.
Although this is an extremely good discount for one of our favorite gaming TVs, you may be wondering if you should wait until Black Friday to make a purchase. Black Friday 2024 will definitely have more options available, but if you’re looking for a 65″ OLED TV, this is an outstanding deal and we doubt you’ll find anyhthing better. It’s the best TV deal right now and I bet it will be one of the best TV deals for Black Friday as well.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
The Persona 5 battle theme, officially called Last Surprise, has been nominated for a Grammy award thanks to a cover by jazz orchestra The 8-Bit Big Band.
Charlie Rosen, who arranged the cover alongside Jake Silverman, celebrated the nomination on X/Twitter. “Just nominated for my fourth Grammy in a row,” he said. “So thrilled to be nominated alongside [Silverman] for our co-arrangement of Last Surprise from Persona 5 for The 8-Bit Big Band. Long live video game music.”
Last Surprise has been nominated for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals and is up against the likes of John Legend’s Always Come Back, Willow’s Big Feelings, and more. The winner will be announced on February 2.
Fans of Persona 5 will be familiar with Last Surprise because, as mentioned, it is the main battle theme of the 100 hour plus role-playing game. Those who’ve played through even a small portion of it will therefore recognise its jazzy beats, and it’s also featured in Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight and Persona 5 Strikers.
Persona 5 arrived in 2016 and, despite its critical acclaim, with the enhanced version being dubbed a masterpiece in IGN’s review, developer Atlus hasn’t released another entry since. The team behind Persona 3, 4, and 5 did recently release Metaphor: Refantazio, however, a very Persona-esque RPG set in a fantasy world.
Nothing has been announced regarding the next mainline Persona game, but a somewhat bizarre and incredibly subtle tease seemingly alludes to a green color theme for the next game.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
In the bag.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD‘s 16th January 2025 release date might still feel like a long way off, but the new year is rapidly approaching and Nintendo is getting the hype train a-moving with a first look at some pre-order bonuses.
My Nintendo Store UK has today provided a peek at some of the merch that will come bundled with DKCRHD (nobody’s abbreviating it to that, right?) pre-orders and it looks really rather sweet.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
The post The Call of Duty Endowment Celebrates 15 Years of Veteran Impact with Anniversary Bundle appeared first on Xbox Wire.
From on-track Ray Tracing to unprecedented detail with 8K, discover how EA Sports and Codemasters utilize the groundbreaking PS5 Pro technology to make F1 24 look and play better. Si Lumb, Technical Producer at Codemasters, shares insight into what players can expect when playing F1 24 on PS5 Pro — plus, more details about Season 4 and an upcoming Free-Play trial.
Enhanced for PS5 Pro, F1 24 takes full advantage of the console’s exclusive technologies and improved graphical capabilities depending on the display option players choose in the settings menu.
“PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) allows us to push a Ray Traced image to 4K without sacrificing image quality in Quality Mode,” says Si. “The increased power in the PS5 Pro’s GPU gives us the ability to double the 120Hz resolution in Performance Mode, and with some clever re-ordering of the frame, we have even managed to put the 32 Million pixels of 8K at 60Hz in Resolution Mode.”
Whilst Ray Tracing is available on PS5 in F1 24 race replays, the power of the PS5 Pro enables this technology during on-track racing when selecting Quality Mode.
“Ray Tracing allows us to simulate light to enhance realism, making reflections, shadows, and lighting more lifelike. These enhancements result in a more photorealistic experience, especially on the glossy and mirror-like chassis of the cars, the undulating and detailed track terrain, or the varied circuit surroundings. This is even more prominent in wet conditions, where reflections from puddles or shiny surfaces play a significant role in the immersion.”
In a first for EA Sports, the PS5 Pro F1 24 enhancements enable 8K/60Hz support when using a compatible display in Resolution Mode. All 25 circuits in the game are improved both on and off the track, and with variable weather and time of day options for each, players are bound to discover a new favorite in 8K/60Hz.
“For the ultimate showcase of 8K visuals, I’d recommend Spa Francorchamps at sunset in clear weather. The elevation changes and dense foliage at Spa, combined with the incredible detail and depth offered by 8K, make for a visually stunning experience. The track’s sweeping corners and long straights will show off the high pixel count, while the dynamic lighting and shadows give you a real sense of immersion as the light shifts across the circuit.”
By leveraging the power of the PS5 Pro to work in harmony with F1 24’s EGO Engine, the development team plans to push the limits of graphical performance for future releases.
“We’ve learned a lot from this release, and the groundwork laid in F1 24 will help us take even greater advantage of the PS5 Pro’s power in the future. We’re especially interested in expanding our use of technologies like PSSR across more modes and further optimizing our Ray Tracing and high frame rate features. As we continue to push the limits of the EGO engine, we look forward to delivering even more groundbreaking advancements in upcoming F1 titles.”
No matter which graphical mode players choose, the PS5 Pro enhancements result in noticeable differences throughout the game when you load up F1 24 for the first time.
“Whether it’s increased clarity in the Performance Mode, the sharper details and more immersive visuals of our new 8K Resolution Mode, or the dramatic improvements to lighting and reflections—thanks to Ray Tracing—in Quality Mode, each adds to the realism, immersion, and scale in bringing the sport of F1 to life on your screen.”
For F1 24’s Season 4, players across all PlayStation platforms can race to unlock a number of new customization items, with one such item being fit for a champion. Plus, a new Pro Challenge at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas featuring Oscar Piastri, and a selection of Race Scenarios, including a pair from Abu Dhabi 2021, each with rewards usable throughout the game. Keep an eye out for the full reveal on November 19.
For those yet to pick up F1 24, there’s no better time, as from November 21-24, F1 24 will be free to download and play, with the opportunity to test drive the entire game, including its PS5 Pro features alongside a double XP period for Podium Pass. Everything from the revamped Career mode through to the thrilling multiplayer will be available, with all progress made carrying over to the full game.
Stellar Blade gets its highly anticipated Nier: Automata downloadable content on November 20 as part of a larger update that also includes a photo mode.
A PlayStation Blog post from Stellar Blade developer Shift Up said “Nier: Automata significantly inspired Stellar Blade” and the DLC is “marked by mutual respect and creativity” between the games’ directors: Yoko Taro and Kim Hyung Tae respectively.
A handful of screenshots showed Nier: Automata protagonist 2B in the world of Stellar Blade alongside the iconic but bizarre Emil. “Emil’s Shop makes a surprise appearance in the world of Stellar Blade where 11 different collaboration-special items will be available,” the post said. “Items that intertwine the best of both games, leading you to a more enriched world.”
Also coming in the November 20 update is the aforementioned photo mode, which lets players pose the characters of Stellar Blade and dress them in different clothes to capture the perfect snap. Four new costumes and one new accessory (the Symbol of Legacy) are also coming in the update, alongside the ability to remove Eve’s ponytail altogether.
On the audio front, players can soon choose what song to listen to from the camp turntable and lip-sync support for French, Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Italian, German, and Portuguese, is also coming.
As well as Nier: Automata, action game Stellar Blade drew inspiration from Alita: Battle Angel, 80s and 90s science fiction, and a taxi driver strike according to director Hyung Tae. Its already enjoyed a handful of other post-launch updates too, including one which added a boss challenge and new outfits.
In our 7/10 review, IGN said: “Stellar Blade is great in all of the most important ways for an action game, but dull characters, a lackluster story, and several frustrating elements of its role playing game mechanics prevent it from soaring along with the best of the genre.”
In July, Shift Up raised 435 billion won ($320 million) in its first day of trade after an initial public offering. According to Bloomberg, that was the largest in the country for a gaming company since 2021, when PUBG maker Krafton Inc. raised $3.8 billion from its own IPO.
The company’s success came off the back of the launch of PS5 exclusive Stellar Blade, which has sold more than one million copies and may spawn a sequel as well as a PC version, and its popular mobile game, Goddess of Victory: Nikke.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket players have voted Charizard ex the best card in the game, with his meta game rival Mewtwo ex coming in a close second.
An IGN poll asked players which of 10 popular cards was the most popular and, with 20.8% of more than 1,000 votes, Charizard ex took the crown. This Stage 2 Pokémon has the highest damage attack in the game, with Crimson Storm’s 200 power able to take down any other card in a single shot.
Charizard ex is extra powerful because of fellow fire type Moltres ex though. This card lets the player flip three coins and add a fire energy to a bench Pokémon for every heads, so players use it to overload a Charmander, Charmeleon, and eventually Charizard on the bench so it’s not impacted by the loss of two energy when using Crimson Storm.
The second best card in Pokémon TCG Pocket, as per our player poll, is the biggest rival of Charizard ex at the top of the meta: Mewtwo ex. It came in at just a touch below with 20.1% of votes, so the two are practically neck and neck.
Mewtwo ex works in a similar way as Charizard ex, though as a basic Pokémon itself, players will often put it directly into the active Pokémon slot. It also has a two energy, 50 damage attack, and 150 hit points to keep it around and doing damage, meaning players have enough time to set up a Gardevoir on the bench.
This Stage 2 Pokémon takes some time to set up, with Ralts and Kirlia coming before it, but once it’s on the bench, players can use its Psy Shadow ability to add one energy to the active Pokémon. This again counters the discard two energy cost of Mewtwo’s 150 damage attack, as the standard energy joins the Gardevoir energy each turn to add two at a time.
Following Charizard ex and Mewtwo ex came Pikachu ex in third place, with 17% of votes, and in fourth place, but way below, came Starmie ex. Both of these have high damage, low cost attacks, meaning if players can deploy them quick enough it’s hard for opponents to build a strong board.
Next in the poll came the infamous Trainer card Misty at 7.3%, followed by Professor’s Research at 5.2%, Farfetch’d at 5%, Sabrina at 4.5%, and Dragonite at 4.1%. Only the last of these is the leader of its own deck and not a supplementary card, and seemingly the only non-ex Pokémon to stand a chance against the meta leaders.
All of this could change when another set comes out, of course, and while developer Creatures Inc. hasn’t revealed when this will be, a datamine of Pokémon TCG Pocket alluded to an expansion set in December and the next full release in January.
Pokémon TCG Pocket arrived in October on iOS and Android as a digital version of the beloved trading card game. It lets players open packs, collect cards, build decks, and battle others, a simple formula that has already proved popular given it made $12 million in just four days and was downloaded more than 30 million times in just nine.
Creatures Inc. is keeping interest high by releasing myriad events catered to different playstyles. The first offered players freebies in the form of Wonder Picks, and to entertain more than just collectors, Creatures Inc. soon launched battle events both in single player and player versus player.
The Lapras ex Drop Event lets players take on a handful of water decks for a chance of winning the beloved Pokémon, while the PvP event embraces Pokémon tradition by putting badges on the line.
On the collecting front, some players are focused on a conspiracy theory about crinkled corners while most are swooning over mythical god packs that award five alternate art cards in one go. There’s also a secret Mew card hidden in the game that’s not super difficult to get.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
