A totally original pixel art fighting game in 2024 is certainly a welcome surprise. What’s more of a surprise, though, is discovering that Mark Minkyu Chung touts himself as a solo game developer. Known by his developer handle Rarebreed, we hopped to Blazing Strike’s credits roll to corroborate the seemingly impossible. And, sure enough, he appears to have done pretty much everything himself, from programming to art direction, rollback netcode implementation, and sound. Where he’s had help, he’s still the lead credit of two individuals for things like animation, character, and environment design. To that end, it appears Blazing Strike’s vast majority is indeed the effort of one man – a head-spinning feat considering the comprehensive nature of the end product.
A love letter to the fighting game hardcore, there’s plenty of SNK about Blazing Strike, with incredibly tall, superbly rendered sprites, tons of animation frames, and a scaling effect that zooms in and out based on the proximity of the combatants. Indeed, the game’s graphical style is arguably its most polished asset, and bears some visual kinship to Rage of the Dragons. The spritework appears genuine, as if it was crafted on old-school tools, and boasts a near-CPS3 quality (that being the hardware that fuelled Street Fighter III and Red Earth). The colour palette positively beams, with attractive blending, and, although samey at times, the backgrounds are truly top-notch, featuring a range of sci-fi cityscapes and in-theme prison courtyards.
Wayfinders! I’m AJ, an Executive Producer at Airship Syndicate and I’m incredibly excited to talk about the upcoming release of our game, Wayfinder! Today we’re focusing on two big new additions coming alongside our October 21 launch!
For those that might not know, Wayfinder is an ARPG where players assume the roles of various Wayfinders to push back a hostile force called the Gloom. With a single player campaign that can be played solo or with up to two friends, as well as endless replayability through randomized dungeons and end game activities, Wayfinder is packed with content for you and your friends to enjoy; all for one price with no microtransactions.
Our 7 Wayfinders are distinct & different, each with their own backstory, gear, abilities and (pun intended) ways-to-find new experiences across the world. You start out with one hero and quickly rescue the full roster from the Gloom so you can level, customize, and swap between them at will. But you don’t need to fight alone! Two others can join you for 3-player online, drop-in cross play co-op as you fight through Evenor collecting over 3,000 weapons, armors, housing decorations and more!
We’ve been in Early Access for the past year, fine-tuning the game based on player feedback we’re seeing from our super engaged community. I want to give a huge thank you to Wayfinders old and new from all of us at Airship– you make the game better each update.
Leaving Early Access and moving into the game’s full release will bring a ton of new content to the game. A brand new playable character, new Lost Zones (our version of repeatable, and randomized dungeons), new armor styles and loot to collect and a whole lot more.
But today we’re here to talk about a huge brand new open world area– The Crucible! This lush, yet dangerous area has quests, mini bosses, and is packed with secrets (and monsters!) lurking around every corner.
The final battle begins in The Crucible. The Eldren have occupied a shattered region known as The Crucible—a city-sized machine built by The Architects, reclaimed by nature and lost to time. In search of a powerful secret at The Crucible’s center, the Eldren intend to finish the war their gods started, and pen the world a dark fate.
Players may have a mount already, but the Crucible is enormous and filled with verticality & multiple areas to explore. With that in mind, we developed an entirely new traversal tool: the Hookshot! We think you’ll love this thing. It’s super fun to use, and allows you to easily get around the massive new area, as well as avoid dangers in situations you may find yourself in when exploring the Crucible!
Alongside the game’s release, we’re also introducing The Critical Role Supporter Pack, which brings the world of Vox Machina into Wayfinder with over 50 unique items. This Supporter Pack directly supports Airship Syndicate and Critical Role, two indie companies bringing their worlds to life with the help of their passionate player base. This pack will go on sale October 21, but we’re thrilled to show off the first in-game teaser featuring Venomess as Vex! Can you spot all the Critical Role inspired items?
“We are huge fans of Critical Role, so we’re super excited for this collaboration, which we hope is the first of many.” said Joe Madureira, CEO of Airship Syndicate and Marvel Comics alum. “From the start, we wanted the Vox Machina personas to feel uniquely Wayfinder, while still capturing the magic that makes these beloved heroes of Exandria so special. Our team of artists and animators were very passionate about making it happen, and I think it shows.”
Wayfinder has changed for the better so much over the last year in Early Access! Our fans have told us that the experience today is more polished, more rewarding and most importantly, more fun. We can’t wait to welcome all the new PlayStation 5 Wayfinders on October 21!
Originally published in black and white by Games Workshop in 1983, Talisman is a classic fantasy board game with a rich history spanning over 40 years. Commonly compared to Monopoly, Talisman features an easy to learn and basic gameplay loop that makes it a great board game for beginners, despite its extremely randomized outcomes, hectic situations, and often longer-than-average play times.
Players choose from over 12 characters, all of which are classic fantasy classes, like the Wizard and Thief, and then the game begins. In it, two to six players battle it out to be the first to reach the Crown of Command in the center of the board and defeat the dragon, venturing through three main sections of the board: the outer, middle, and inner.
Throughout the game, you’ll have the opportunity to use over 100 different Adventure, Spell, or Talisman cards to gain the upper hand or screw with your opponents. You might even be able to turn one of them into a toad.
Featured in this article
The entire history of Talisman is vast and has many out-of-print versions and expansions, so this guide will focus solely on expansions and spin-offs that are more easily accessible.
The Base Game
Talisman: The Magical Quest Board Game 5th Edition
Price: $59.99
Players: 2-6 players
Age Range: 12+
Play Time: 60-90 minutes
Released in July 2024, the 5th Edition of the decades-spanning fantasy board game is the latest and most up-to-date version available. With the game’s rich history, it’s easy to get confused on which versions to pick up – don’t look on eBay, as 4th Editions can go for almost $150! Instead, pick up the 5th Edition, which offers the base game as well as the gameplay mechanic changes first introduced in the 3rd Edition. Additionally, compared to the 4th Edition, the newest edition of Talisman is a more streamlined, slightly less chaotic experience; the 5th Edition rulebook even mentions explicit changes with a symbol next to the rules blurbs. This version also comes with two fewer characters; it cuts the Bard and Druid.
Talisman Expansions
A very notable bummer is that the 5th Edition is not backwards compatible with the extensive library of 4th Edition expansions. But there’s a new 5th Edition expansion available called Fate Beckons.
Talisman Alliances: Fate Beckons
Price: $33.99
Players: 2-6 players
Age Range: 12+
Play Time: 60-90 minutes
The first expansion for 5th Edition, Fate Beckons offers cooperative play for the first time in mainline Talisman history. Players must complete 5 Trials in order to win the game, and do so using over 50 new cards, tokens, and figures.
Talisman: Legendary Tales
Price: $49.99
Players: 1-6 players
Age Range: 14+
Play Time: 20-40 minutes
Not so much an expansion as it is a spin-off, Talisman: Legendary Tales is a story-focused adventure that has players working together to recover the five Talismans to thwart the evil that vies for control over the Crown of Command. Each of the five lost Talismans is recovered in their own unique adventures, and can be replayed as many times as possible to get the full experience. Great for beginners and those looking for quick-playing board games.
Talisman: Themed Versions
There are a few themed versions of Talisman, with Batman and Star Wars tie-ins out of print.
Talisman: Harry Potter
Price: $59.99
Players: 2-6 players
Age Range: 11+
Play Time: 90+ minutes
The gameplay mechanics are virtually unchanged from the 4th Edition here. The main draw is the Wizarding World setting, with amazing art and figures of fan favorite characters, like Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, and Dumbledore. Make your way to the center of the board to take on the Dark Lord Voldemort to win the game.
Talisman: Kingdom Hearts
Price: $59.99
Players: 2-6 players
Age Range: 13+
Play Time: 90+ minutes
This version also maintains the mechanics of the original game, and sees classic Kingdom Hearts characters like Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Riku battle their way through Heartless to reach the inner part of the board and seal the Door to Darkness.
Talisman Adventures RPG
Talisman Adventures: Core Rulebook
Price: $35.94
Players: 2-6 players
Age Range: 13+
Play Time: 2-4 hours
Essentially a DnD-like (and DnD-lite), the Talisman Adventures RPG Core Rulebook has everything you need to get started with the 3D6 ruleset: a breakdown of each character class, the lore, and, of course, how to play. Choose your class, ancestry, and skills as you set forth on your own unique Talisman adventure. You can find other RPG board games here.
Talisman Adventures: Myths and Monsters
Price: $33.52
Players: 2-6 players
Age Range: 13+
Play Time: 2-4 hours
The first expansion for the RPG experience adds an impressive amount of content, including bigger and badder enemies and bosses, as well as new events and festivals. This’ll surely add a lot of meat to the bare-ish bones of the starter book.
Talisman Adventures: Tales of The Dungeon
Price: $22.11
Players: 2-6 players
Age Range: 13+
Play Time: 2-4 hours
The next expansion is much darker in tone, and sees adventurers delving into the Glittering Caverns to confront the Lord of Darkness. This offers two new ancestries; minotaur and vampire, and two new classes; necromancer and tomb robber.
Talisman Adventures: Tales of the City
Price: $16.60
Players: 2-6 players
Age Range: 13+
Play Time: 2-4 hours
Finally, Tales of the City brings players to some of the seedier areas of the City. From shady goblins to pickpockets, this expansion adds plenty of new and unique story content to round out your adventure, as well as the new goblin ancestry and three new classes: alchemist, tinkerer, and gladiator.
If you’re in possession of the 4th Edition and its expansions, this organizer has everything you need to house the insane amount of cards, tokens, and figures all in one place.
The perfect tool for those looking to DM your first campaign, this kit includes 24 pages of tips and expanded rules explanations, a four-panel screen used for reference while playing, more Fate tokens, and blank character sheets.
A sort of proof of concept entry level appetizer, the playtest guide is great for those looking to dip their toes into their first RPG. Includes six characters and nine classes to choose from.
Looking for a one-stop-shop and then some for all these accessories? Online retailer Fapeto has you covered. This bundle includes the Playtest Guide, Accessory Pack, and Game Maker’s Kit mentioned above, with a bonus 8x10in. drawstring bag to carry it all.
How to Play Talisman Online
Digital: $52.99
Physical: $29.97
This video game adaption of the board game classic is a faithful recreation, offering the same gameplay mechanics and rules, but with awesome 3D graphics and visuals that make the experience that much more immersive. The 40th Anniversary Collection includes all 13 of the 4th Edition expansions, from Blood Moon to the Nether Realm. The PS4 and PC versions include extra characters not available on Switch. Notably, the physical versions on PS4 and Nintendo Switch are not region-locked, but the expansions are.
The Bottom Line
Talisman is undeniably one of the most popular fantasy board games of our time, with a rich history of expansions and revisions spanning over 40 years. The streamlined ruleset of the 5th Edition makes learning it for the first time a breeze, and the updated fantasy art is worth the upgrade. And while many of the 4th Edition expansions are out of print and are either hard to find or expensive on the secondary market, the 5th Edition of the base game marks a perfect jumping on point for newcomers or those looking for a more laid back experience. The Talisman Adventures series of RPGs is a worthy, barebones competitor to DnD, and is great for budding DMs and players of all ages looking into trying out their first RPG.
Myles Obenza is a freelance commerce writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter @Myles Obenza.
In the grim darkness of the far future, you will not have to worry about getting preyed upon by rival Space Marine chapters whilst duffing up the Tyranids, for there are no plans to add a PvPvE mode to Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. That’s according to game director Dmitry Grigorenko, who observes that enjoyable PvPvE is the “holy grail” of game design, much-sought and seldom claimed. Balancing shooters in which players fight both each other and the bots is tricky, especially in a game as prone to dousing the screen in giblets as Space Marine 2.
Sony has announced PlayStation: The Concert, the world tour of a “state of the art production” with music from games such as God of War, The Last of Us, Horizon, Ghost of Tsushima, and more.
Some details are still hazy as the PlayStation Blog post detailing PlayStation: The Concert and a press release provided to IGN have conflicting and seemingly incomplete information, but the world tour will premiere in April 2025.
The first show will take place in Dublin, Ireland, seemingly on April 19, before shifting to the UK for six tour dates between April 21 and April 27. It will then head to “more than 200 cities” across Europe, the U.S., and more.
Concert locations beyond Europe will be announced “very soon,” Sony said, and so far only the Ireland and UK dates have been announced. PlayStation: The Concert will take place in Birmingham on April 21, Manchester on April 22, Leeds on April 23, Newcastle on April 24, Glasgow on April 25, and London on April 27.
It will later take place in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Paris and Amnéville, France, Brussels, Belgium, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Berlin, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Leipzig, Munich, and Oberhausen, Germany, Zurich, Switzerland, Bologna, Italy, Budapest, Hungary, Sofia, Bulgaria, Vienna, Austria, Bratislava, Slovakia, Prague, Czech Republic, Lodz, Poland, Copenhagen, Denmark, Gotenburg, Sweden, and Oslo, Norway.
Antwerp in Belgium and Tampere in Finland were also listed but have a strikethrough on the PlayStation Blog, seemingly suggesting these dates were removed.
Tickets will be available on the PlayStation website on October 16 at 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern / 3pm UK for those who use the early access code PLAYCONCERT24, though the site doesn’t appear to be available as of yet. The press release provided indicates an October 18 availability date for those without early access, which is essentially no one since PlayStation made the code public.
PlayStation: The Concert is promised to be a “deeply immersive live concert experience,” Sony said. “An innovative multi-screen design, combining advanced LED and projection technologies, will enhance the event and deliver the most iconic moments and imagery from these games.
“Coupled with surround sound, the show delivers breathtaking visual and audio depth, creating an immersive experience that will allow the audience to relive their gaming adventures like never before.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
If you’ve read any of my stuff by now, you’d know that I am a simple man who enjoys violence in his games. No story? Absolutely fine by me – cuts the faff. This is why I like the demo for first-person shooterCop Bastard a lot. It’s set in early 90s Japan, where you’ll smoke fools with guns in straightforward homage to 90s action movies. And it has an updated demo – not officially part of the latest Steam Next Fest – out right now.
We had a sublime time with Castlevania Dominus Collection when it shadow-dropped onto Switch back in August and now Konami has released a new patch to make things that bit better.
The latest update is a small one, we’ll admit, but there are some nice tweaks here all the same. The most notable addition this time around is a new helping of Order of Ecclesia artwork in the Gallery Mode, though the ver. 1.0.1 patch also reproduces some of Portrait of Ruin‘s minor glitches (for some OG exploits) and fixes a bug in Dawn of Sorrow.
Coming to Game Pass: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, StarCraft & StarCraft II, and More
Megan Spurr, Senior Community Lead, Xbox Game Pass
Happy spooky season to those who celebrate! We have a collection of scary games for you to enjoy with Game Pass, while hiding under the blankets (or maybe that’s just how I play). And if you want to do something slightly less scary, we have a whole list of games for you to start pre-installing including more day one additions like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and more! Let’s get to the games.
Coming Soon
South Park: The Fractured but Whole (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 16 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
From the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, comes South Park: The Fractured but Whole, a sequel to 2014’s award-winning South Park: The Stick of Truth. Players will assume the role of the New Kid and join South Park favorites Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman in this hilarious and outrageous RPG adventure.
Donut County (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 17 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
Making a return to the Game Pass library! Donut County is a story-based, physics puzzle game where you play as an ever-growing hole in the ground. Meet cute characters, steal their trash, and throw them in a hole.
MechWarrior 5: Clans (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – October 17 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one! In MechWarrior 5: Clans, players become new Smoke Jaguar pilots in the Clan Invasion of the Inner Sphere. Lead a five-mech “Star” squad across diverse planets, engaging in an expansive campaign with immersive gameplay and intricate combat. Armed with customizable BattleMechs featuring cutting-edge technologies, players explore a wealth of tactical options and strategic possibilities.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 25 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one! Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Developed by the award-winning teams at Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is an action thriller with a mind-bending narrative and unbound by the rules of engagement. This is signature Black Ops across a cinematic single-player Campaign, a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, and the epic return of Round-Based Zombies.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (Cloud) – October 25 Game Pass Ultimate
Coming to Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) with Game Pass Ultimate! In the direct sequel to the record-breaking Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Captain Price and Task Force 141 face off against the ultimate threat. The ultranationalist war criminal Vladimir Makarov is extending his grasp across the world causing Task Force 141 to fight like never before.
Call of Duty: Warzone (Cloud) – October 25 Game Pass Ultimate
Coming to Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) with Game Pass Ultimate! Welcome to Call of Duty: Warzone, the massively popular free-to-play battle royale experience, which now features Urzikstan, Rebirth Island, and Fortune’s Keep.
Ashen (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 29 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
Returning to the Game Pass library, Ashen is an open world co-op action RPG about a wanderer in search of a place to call home. As you adventure through the realm of Ashen, you’ll occasionally encounter other players in a passive, co-operative multiplayer open world. It’s up to you to decide how to deal with them – fight together against evil, invite them into your party, or simply ignore them.
Dead Island 2 (PC) – October 31 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on Cloud and Console and now coming to PC Game Pass! A deadly virus is spreading across Los Angeles, turning its inhabitants into zombies. Bitten, infected, but more than just immune, uncover the truth behind the outbreak and discover who – or what – you are. Survive, evolve and save the world!
StarCraft: Remastered (PC) – November 5 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Prepare to rediscover a classic. StarCraft: Remastered upgrades Blizzard Entertainment’s original sci-fi real-time strategy game and its acclaimed expansion, StarCraft: Brood War, from beginning to end. Experience the intergalactic battle between the terran, protoss, and zerg with improved graphics and audio, and the same classic gameplay that made StarCraft a global phenomenon.
StarCraft II: Campaign Collection (PC) – November 5 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
With millions of players already in the fight, StarCraft II has made gaming history. Now it’s your turn to take command and lead vast armies of terran, protoss and zerg to victory amongst the stars. Prepare for interstellar war, commander. You’re needed at the front. The StarCraft II: Campaign Collection includes Wings of Liberty, Heart of the Swarm, Legacy of the Void, and Nova Covert Ops.
DLC / Game Updates
Core Keeper Coming to Xbox One – October 17 Game Pass members on Xbox One will be able to dive into Core Keeper on October 17! Craft, build, and explore in a dynamic world. Develop your character, uncover ancient secrets, and engage in thrilling co-op or competitive play. Embrace the challenge and unearth the mysteries that await!
Game Pass Ultimate Perks
Monster Hunter Now: MHN Bundle – Available Now Claim one Ultra Hunting Ticket, 2 Paintballs, 2 Potions, a Magnamalo, and Rajang crafting materials for weapons and armor. This Perk content requires Monster Hunter Now (mobile) to use.
Throne and Liberty: Clay and Mischievous Bundle – Available Now Express yourself with this Clay Outfit in Xbox colorways and a Mischievous Youngster Amitoi to tag along on your adventures. Base game Throne and Liberty included with this Perk.
Free Digital Comic GONE #1 by Jock from DSTLRY– Available now On a distant, impoverished planet where resources are scarce, the best place to be is gone. Follow Abi’s epic sci-fi journey as she is swept light years into the cosmos. Written and drawn by Jock, from DSTLRY.
Leaving October 31
The following games will be leaving the Game Pass library soon, so be sure to jump back in and wrap up where you left off. Remember you can save up to 20% off your purchase with your membership discount to keep the good times going!
Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Headbangers (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Inkulinati (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Lonely Mountain’s Downhill (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Mineko’s Night Market (Cloud, Console, and PC)
We are super excited to see you jump into these games (including those checking out Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 with cloud gaming in case you missed that announcement yesterday!). We’ll be back in November with more games, and until then keep in touch with us across Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Xbox. Talk soon!
Whether you realize it or not, music is connected to some of our strongest gaming memories. Whether it’s the rousing choir of the God of War games or the delicate flutes of Ghost of Tsushima, the PlayStation soundscape has created some of the most emotional moments I’ve experienced in entertainment.
I suspect I’m not alone in this. And so for the many live music lovers in our community, I’m pleased to share that the teams here at PlayStation have been working together with RoadCo Entertainment, and GEA Live to develop a groundbreaking live music event that brings our most iconic gaming soundtracks to life under the PlayStation banner for the first time. With a state-of-the-art production, this show will merge thrilling music, cutting-edge visuals, and legendary video game titles into an unforgettable experience.
PlayStation The Concert transports fans into the epic worlds of God of War, The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, and Horizon franchises amongst many others that reflect our 30 years of making games that have not only captivated players but are celebrated for their breathtaking and immersive soundtracks too.
With innovative technology and world-class production, fans will experience a stunning fusion of multi-layered visuals, immersive surround sound, and an all-star ensemble blending classical and modern instruments. The legendary scores from composers like Gustavo Santaolalla (The Last of Us), Joris De Man (Horizon), Ilan Eshkeri (Ghost of Tsushima), and Bear McCreary (God of War) will reach new heights, offering fans a unique, deeply immersive live concert experience.
With video game music stepping into the global spotlight,PlayStation: The Concert is poised to redefine what a music experience can be. This is more than just a show; it’s the ultimate video game concert experience, embodying PlayStation’s innovative spirit and pushing the limits of what’s possible; from your console to stages around the world.
The global tour launches with a world premiere on April 15, 2025, in Dublin, Ireland, before heading to more than 200 cities across Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, and beyond. Whilst we are only announcing European dates at this time, be assured we’ll be announcing other world locations very soon.
The 2025 tour schedule so far includes: Dublin, Ireland – Glasgow, Scotland, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, UK – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paris, Amnéville, France – Antwerp, Belgium – Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Berlin, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Leipzig, Munich, Oberhausen, Germany – Zurich, Switzerland – Bologna, Italy – Budapest, Hungary – Sofia, Bulgaria – Vienna, Austria – Bratislava, Slovakia – Prague, Czech Republic – Lodz, Poland – Copenhagen, Denmark – Gotenburg, Sweden – Oslo, Norway – Tampere, Finland.
We don’t want you to miss out on this extraordinary event so our partners are giving the PlayStation community first opportunity to score tickets through the early access code PLAYCONCERT24 which will be usable from 7am PT tomorrow Wednesday, October 16 2024. Tickets are expected to go fast!
For more information on tickets, show and future tour dates please visit www.playstation.com/theconcert. Join the conversation with #PlayStationTheConcert.
