Category: Video Games

Over $600 Million Later, Star Citizen Is Now at the Alpha 3.20 Stage

Star Citizen’s long-running development has inched forward yet again, this time to the Alpha 3.20 stage.

The latest update, dubbed “Fully Loaded”, overhauls the Arena Commander mode, adds new PvP modes, maps, and racetracks, and adds new missions and ships to the Persistent Universe portion of the space sim.

This is the largest update to Arena Commander since its introduction in 2014, developer Cloud Imperium Games said, and delivers “more focused, bite-sized gameplay with diverse content for racers, fighters, and competitors climbing the leaderboards”.

The update also adds the MISC Hull C ship, the “titan of the cargo hauling profession with room for a crew of up to four players”, and the Fury LX, a racing variant of the recently added Mirai Fury snub fighter. New features include automatic cargo loading and unloading at space stations to support the Hull C’s expansive cargo capacity.

The launch trailer bigs up Star Citizen’s exploration, saying players can travel “seamlessly across worlds”. As you’d expect, fans have taken that as CIG making a point of comparison between its game and Bethesda’s recently released Starfield, which does not feature seamless space travel.

Star Citizen crowdfunding began back in 2012 and now, over a decade later, is considered one of the most controversial projects in all video games. Over the years Star Citizen has been called many things, including a scam by those who wonder whether it will ever properly launch. Its virtual space ships, some of which cost hundreds of dollars, are often the focus of criticism. (The MISC Hull C added with the Alpha 3.20 update costs an eye-watering $500).

What cannot be denied is the huge amount of money so far raised by Star Citizen, which developer Cloud Imperium Games displays on its website. At the time of this article’s publication, Star Citizen had raised $604,183,210 from just over 4.8 million backers.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty review: perhaps the best expansion pack ever made

Cyberpunk 2077‘s triumph was that it offered a sprawling story, dozens of hours long, which cohered around just a small number of themes. Or maybe even a single thesis: that the cynical, defensive, self-centred voice in your head – personified by ancient, soul-trapped, anarcho-rockstar Johnny Silverhand – offered only a literal dead-end, and that real rebellion in the face of a messed-up world lay in helping friends. It was Frank Capra with robot arms and samurai swords, and I ate it up.

V doesn’t go to Washington in Phantom Liberty, but Washington comes to her. CD Projekt Red’s major expansion to the first-person RPG opens up a new district and a new cast of characters, including the President of the New United States and an aging sleeper spy played by Idris Elba. The themes remain the same, but the thesis is being tested: how can you help your friends if you don’t know who they are, and if their goals are mutually exclusive?

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Netflix Onimusha Anime Just Got its First Trailer

Netflix has released its first trailer for its animated adaptation of Capcom’s Onimusha video game franchise, which is due to premiere on November 2 later this year.

The action-packed three-minute trailer shows protagonist Miyamoto Musashi don the series’ iconic Oni Gauntlet, and go toe to toe with a varied cast of foes, both demonic and human alike, as the series’ theme song ‘The Lonliest’ by artist Måneskin plays on in the background.

As the trailer unfolds, Musashi is handed down a 33-day deadline in which to complete a covert mission, while a seemingly human antagonist drinking a suspiciously blood-like liquid lays out his wish to exterminate all remaining samurai in Japan.

Later, a flame wreathed entity charges Musashi with the task of killing the Genma, a race of demons who serve as antagonists in the Capcom series, and trapping their souls in the Oni Gauntlet. Throughout, we’re also given glimpses into the tragic life of a young girl, who Musashi fights to protect.

The action unfolds against a backdrop of a fantasy-infused take on the Edo Period of Japanese history, which has been stunningly realised using hand-drawn backgrounds, while the on-screen characters have been brought to life with 3D CGI.

Capcom’s Onimusha video game series begin in 2001 with the release of Onimusha: Warlords, and was succesful enough to spawn three further mainline games, along with a number of spinoffs. Barring the release of a 2019 remaster of the PS2 original, the Ominusha franchise has been largely dormant for over a decade at this point.

Netflix’s Onimusha adaptation is being helmed by supervising director Takashi Miike, and director Shinya Sugai, who had previously worked on the streaming giant’s CG animated adaptation of Dragon’s Dogma.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer

Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova Edition gets a release date plus “AI” civilization generator

A new version of Stardock’s cosmic empire wrangler Galactic Civilizations IV, titled Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova Edition, will release on Steam and the Epic Games Store on 19th October – which also happens to be Stardock’s 30th anniversary. It’s “by far the biggest expansion Stardock has ever made”, according to company founder Brad Wardell, who claims this latest dollop of interstellar tyranny will “transform the gameplay in ways not seen in a 4X game before”. By which he chiefly means that the Supernova Edition uses large language learning models to generate civ backstories on demand. Let’s dig in!

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Mythforce Developer Hit By Layoffs As Embracer Continues To Restructure

26 employees affected.

Embracer Group is continuing its efforts to restructure its organisation, this time resulting in multiple job losses at developer Beamdog, which was acquired by Aspyr / Embracer last year.

As reported by GameDeveloper (thanks, Eurogamer), a total of 26 employees at the MythForce developer were let go according to multiple posts on LinkedIn.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Official Mortal Kombat 1 Nintendo Switch Gameplay Has Steam Achievement Pop-Up

It’s going from bad to worse for the embattled Nintendo Switch version of Mortal Kombat 1. After fans critcised its visuals and $70 price tag, the official Mortal Kombat 1 Switch launch trailer has now come under fire for apparently using PC gameplay footage.

A placeholder Steam achievement pop-up appears during the Mortal Kombat 1 launch trailer published to the Nintendo of America YouTube channel on release day, September 19.

The pop-up appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen during gameplay of the new Invasions mode, which suggests PC footage was used to create at least this section of the Switch trailer. At the time of publication, the trailer is still live. IGN has asked publisher Warner Bros. Games for comment.

YouTube commenters are now slamming the video for being misleading, with some even calling for refunds. “The trailer is not representative of the Switch version,” pedrovillela3426 said. “The achievement notification that appeared as 1:53 shows that this footage is from the PC version. Unfortunately the Switch version looks and run way worse than what was shown in this trailer.”

It’s a high-profile gaffe for Warner Bros. Games, Nintendo, and developer NetherRealm, the latter of which is already facing tough questions about the heavily criticised Switch version. NetherRealm boss Ed Boon recently has promised updates are coming following complaints about visuals, performance, and missing modes.

What makes matters worse here is the Switch version of Mortal Kombat 1 only has the tutorial stage of the Invasions mode. According to a post on the Warner Bros. Games support page, the full version of Invasions is due out on Switch “in a matter of weeks”.

“To ensure the best possible experience for Switch players at launch, only the introduction for Invasions will be available,” the statement reads. “The full breadth of Invasions Season 1 content will be available on Switch in a matter of weeks. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause Switch players and are working to make this update as quickly as possible.”

IGN’s review of the current-gen version of Mortal Kombat 1 returned an 8/10, but IGN’s review of the Switch version, ported by Shiver Entertainment and Saber Interactive, came back with a 3/10. “Mortal Kombat 1 proves to be too much for the Switch’s dated hardware,” we said. “The load times are egregious, there are numerous bugs plaguing both graphics and gameplay, making for a poor quality port of a great game that’s all around aggravating to play.”

Meanwhile, Mortal Kombat 1 dataminers believe they’ve found clues to unannounced DLC characters. If you’re playing, check out how to perform all Mortal Kombat 1 Fatalities.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Phil Spencer argues AAA publishers are “riding the success of franchises created 10+ years ago” in leaked mail

Among the chunkier morsels from yesterday’s leak of Microsoft documents is an extended email from Xbox CEO Phil Spencer, dating from 2020, in which he argues that today’s largest AAA videogame publishers remain dogged by their “failure” to adapt to the shift from physical to digital videogame distribution, and especially, subscription models such as Microsoft’s own Game Pass. This inability to move with the times, Spencer suggests, has created a situation whereby the largest publishers rely on sheer “production scale” to attract and retain customers.

In turn, this has meant that publishers are unwilling to bet on new IPs – it could be billions down the drain, after all. Instead, “AAA publishers are milking their top franchises but struggling to refill their portfolio of hit franchises”, while relying on “rented” IPs such as Star Wars. This is an older email, of course, and there’s an obvious element of self-flattery in the shape of Microsoft talking up Game Pass. Still, it’s a persuasive account of recent industry history, bolstered by Spencer’s notes from conversations with Assassin’s Creed outfit Ubisoft and GTA publisher Take-Two Interactive in particular.

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Like A Dragon Direct reveals LAD: Infinite Wealth weaves the old and new with the utterly bonkers

Sega’s Like A Dragon Direct happened in the early hours for us UK netizens last night, which meant I woke up today to an absolute heap of flaming hot Yakuza news. Not only is Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth launching on January 24th next year, it’s taking Ichiban and co. to the sunny island of Hawaii! Kiryu’s back and in a battle with his biggest adversary yet. And you can become an unhinged Pokémon master, among many, many other things. We’re so back. We’re so effing back.

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Official Horizon Board Game To Explore Canon Events Leading up to Forbidden West

Guerrilla has teamed up with Steamforged Games to create a new tabletop board game titled Horizon Forbidden West: Seeds of Rebellion, which will explore the never before-seen canon events leading up to Aloy’s journey through the blight-scarred land of western America.

“In the dark corners of the mysterious Forbidden West, seeds of rebellion are taking root amongst the warlike Tenakth,” a post on Steamforged Games’ website reveals, setting the scene for the tabletop adventure. “This potential insurrection threatens the fragile peace between the Tenakth clans.”

The developers plan to release a series of gameplay videos running up to the start of Horizon Forbidden West: Seeds of Rebellion’s Kickstarter campaign on November 21.

The new one to four player co-op tabletop adventure is set prior to the events of Horizon: Forbidden West, and asks players to take the place of a group of Tenakth marshals as they strive to thwart a growing rebellion that unfolds throughout a new narrative driven campaign.

Steamforged Games explained that it worked closely with Guerrilla to create a new canon story that explores the “never before-seen events” that set the scene for Aloy’s adventures in the second game in the Horizon franchise.

Players will explore and battle their way through the hostile setting, employing co-operative stealth and “in-depth combat” along with a “huge suite of abilities” as they go up against human and machine enemies, while undertaking “life or death” quests.

The board game looks set to feature a number of impressively modelled miniatures representing machines native to the Forbidden West, though only the elephant-like tremortusk has been revealed to date. Models included in Steamforged Games’ original Horizon Zero Dawn board game are also be compatible with the new tabletop experience.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer

These are your 25 favourite RPGs of all time

If 2023 is remembered for one thing, it’s that it was a 100% critical success year for the RPG. Role-players across the land have been feasting exceedingly well these past few months, what with the stonking success of Baldur’s Gate 3 (and to lesser extents, Starfield and Diablo 4), so we thought it was about time to celebrate your favourite RPGs of all time. Your votes have been counted, your comments have been sorted, and the cream of the RPG crop has been assembled. But which of the many excellent RPGs have risen above all others? Come and find out below as we count down your top 25 favourite RPGs of all time.

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