Category: Video Games

It Takes Two Crosses 20 Million Copies Sold

Hazelight Studios has announced that its excellent co-operative adventure game and IGN 2021 game of the year nominee, It Takes Two, has sold over 20 million copies.

This milestone comes three and a half years after the couch co-op game’s launch on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, with a Switch release following in November 2022. It Takes Two sold over one million units in the month following its launch, and its numbers have climbed steadily since. At last count in March of this year, it had reached 16 million units, a testimony to positive word-of-mouth and effusive critical praise helping the game continue to do well even years after release. And it helps that the game’s been on sale numerous times since launch – it’s just $9.99 (down from $39.99) on the PlayStation Store at the time of publication.

It Takes Two was showered with accolades on launch, earning a 9/10 review score from us where we called it “a spectacular co-op adventure that lays down a path of great gameplay ideas and uses it to play a giddy game of hopscotch.” It’s since settled at an 88 metascore on Metacritic and an 8.9 user score, and it won Game of the Year, Best Family Game, and Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards 2021. It also took home a Golden Joystick for Best Multiplayer Game, a GDC Award for Best Design, Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Game Design at the DICE Awards, and a BAFTA for Multiplayer Game and Original Property. A film adaptation is currently in the works at Amazon Studios, with Dawyne “The Rock” Johnson producing.

Meanwhile, developer Hazelight Studios, headed up by Josef Fares, has been relatively quiet since It Takes Two’s release. The studio’s first game, A Way Out, came out roughly three years before It Takes Two, leading to hopes that we may be due for another announcement from the devoted cooperative game studio any day now.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Archons doubles the chaos of Vampire Survivors by giving you two characters to control at once

Ever been in a position where two people are really going at each other, hurling pointed jabs and insults back and forth, and you’re stuck in the middle? Well then, perhaps you’ll empathise with the enemies in Archons, a twin-stick Vampire Survivors-like where you control two characters at once, and attacks bounce between them automatically as they move about the arena. I gave the Steam Next Fest demo a quick whirl today, and after a couple of swift attempts (I died horribly fast), I realised this could become a bit of a danger to my free time, so I’ve put it away for now.

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Nintendo Download: 17th October (North America)

Super Mario Party Jamboree! Neva! Just Dance 2025!

The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it’s bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy!

Switch eShop – Highlights

Super Mario Party Jamboree (Nintendo, 17th Oct) – The Mario Party series is back and more jam-packed than ever! With over 110 minigames, seven boards, new online* and offline modes and plenty of customization choices, there’s something for every kind of partygoer. Take the fun online and race across the party board in Koopathlon, a series-first 20-player competition to see who can rack up the highest scores in minigames, or work together to defeat an Impostor Bowser in the eight-player Bowser Kaboom Squad mode. The Super Mario Party Jamboree game is available now. Purchase by March 31, 2025 and get a three-month Nintendo Switch Online Individual Membership** on us! – Read our Super Mario Party Jamboree review

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Silent Hill 2 Remake Sells 1 Million Copies in Less Than a Week

It looks like Konami and developer Bloober Team have successfully revived the Silent Hill franchise after the Silent Hill 2 remake hit an impressive sales milestone.

In a tweet, Konami said the Silent Hill 2 remake sold one million copies as of October 11, just four days after the game’s global release date.

This is thought to make the Silent Hill 2 remake the fastest-selling Silent Hill game ever, but Konami has yet to rubber stamp that potential record.

Silent Hill 2 remake launched across PC and PlayStation 5 (there’s no word on an Xbox Series X and S version yet), and met with critical acclaim. IGN’s Silent Hill 2 remake review returned an 8/10. We said: “Silent Hill 2 is a great way to visit – or revisit – one of the most dread-inducing destinations in the history of survival horror.”

The sales success of the Silent Hill 2 remake will perhaps embolden Konami’s plans for the franchise, which have ramped up significantly in recent years. Silent Hill f and Silent Hill: Townfall are both still in the works, but perhaps Konami will also continue to remake past Silent Hill games. There’s a film adaptation of Silent Hill 2 coming, too.

It’s early days, but already modders are doing eye-catching things with the Silent Hill 2 remake on PC, including removing hair sheen, the game’s famous fog, and even turning it into Sunny Hills.

The Silent Hill 2 remake features several new puzzles and redesigned maps, so if you need help navigating through it all, head to our Silent Hill 2 Walkthrough Hub. We’ve also got a comprehensive guide to the Silent Hill 2 Remake endings, all Key Locations in the game, and what changes in New Game+.

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.

After Battleborn, 2K Is Having Another Stab at the Hero Shooter Genre With Project Ethos

2K has teased the full reveal of Project Ethos, a third-person roguelike hero shooter in development at 31st Union.

31st Union and boss Michael Condrey flagged a reveal at 9am PT / 5pm UK today, October 17, on Twitch. The Twitch channel in question mentions a game called Project Ethos, which is described as a “third-person roguelike hero shooter.”

That’s all we have for now. 31st Union is the San Francisco-based, 2K-owned studio established as 2K Silicon Valley back in 2019 before a name change a year later. It was set up by ex-Sledgehammer Games co-founder Michael Condrey, who before working on Call of Duty was one of the chief developers of EA’s Dead Space series at Visceral Games.

Project Ethos launches into the ultra competitive hero shooter market at a time when it has already claimed a number of high-profile casualties. Rocksteady’s troubled Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League flopped to the tune of $200 million, and Sony’s Concord has gone down as one of the most disastrous launches in PlayStation history. 2K and parent company Take-Two will of course be hoping to avoid a similar fate when Project Ethos comes out.

This isn’t 2K’s first stab at a hero shooter, of course. It published Gearbox’s ill-fated Battleborn in May 2016, but it ultimately crumbled under the overwhelming dominance of Blizzard’s Overwatch. Battleborn eventually went dark in January 2021.

For Take-Two, Project Ethos is but one of a number of games it has in the works, including Firaxis’ Civilization 7, Ken Levine’s new game, Judas, Gearbox’s Borderlands 4, Hangar 13’s Mafia: The Old Country, Cloud Chamber’s BioShock sequel, and the big one, Rockstar’s GTA 6.

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.

Anbernic’s New Controller Promises “Minimal Drift” With Hall Effect Joysticks And Triggers

Plus gyro and mappable buttons.

Anbernic might be better known for its swanky handheld consoles, but the company has recently revealed that it’s taking its first steps into the controller realm with a wireless pad that promises “minimal drift”.

In a blog post shared earlier this week, Anerbic described the catchily-named RG P01 as a controller that “balances quality and affordability,” apparently catering to all kinds of gaming sessions — yep, it is compatible with Switch. While we still don’t have an official price for it just yet (or a release date, for that matter), the reveal packed in a rundown of some sweet features to expand on the “quality” promise.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Launch Multiplayer Maps, Modes, and Operators Confirmed

Activision has finally confirmed the Multiplayer maps, modes, and Operators available at the launch of Call of duty: Black Ops 6.

In a blog post, Activision said Black Ops 6 launches with 16 Multiplayer maps, 10 standard Multiplayer modes, four alternative Multiplayer modes, and 21 Operators.

Let’s start with the launch maps. All Black Ops 6’s launch maps are small to medium-sized, Activision said, with traditional three-lane routes. Developer Treyarch said they’re designed to offer “rapid, energetic combat, along with a variety of scenic set-pieces, cover opportunities, and ranged thoroughfares to ensure your favorite style of play is catered to, from close quarter strikes to long-range sniping, with emphasis always on the action.”

The upshot is “tighter” gameplay, Treyarch said, that’s “perfectly suited” to the new Omnimovement mechanic.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launch Multiplayer maps

At launch Black Ops 6 has 12 brand-new core 6v6 maps and four brand-new, compact-sized Strike maps designed for Face Off 6v6 or 2v2 configurations.

Core Maps (6v6)

  • Babylon (Core 6v6)
  • Derelict (Core 6v6)
  • Lowtown (Core 6v6)
  • Payback (Core 6v6)
  • Protocol (Core 6v6)
  • Red Card (Core 6v6)
  • Rewind (Core 6v6)
  • Scud (Core 6v6)
  • Skyline (Core 6v6)
  • Subsonic (Core 6v6)
  • Vault (Core 6v6)
  • Vorkuta (Core 6v6)

Strike Maps (2v2/6v6)

  • Gala (Strike Map 2v2/6v6)
  • Pit (Strike Map 2v2/6v6)
  • Stakeout (Strike Map 2v2/6v6)
  • Warhead (Strike Map 2v2/6v6)

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 standard Multiplayer modes:

  • Team Deathmatch (6v6)
  • Domination (6v6)
  • Search & Destroy (6v6)
  • Kill Confirmed (6v6)
  • Free-For-All (8)
  • Hardpoint (6v6)
  • Gunfight (2v2)
  • Headquarters (6v6)
  • Kill Order (6v6)
  • Control (6v6)

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 alternate Multiplayer modes:

  • Face Off Domination (6v6)
  • Face Off Team Deathmatch (6v6)
  • Face Off Kill Order (6v6)
  • Face Off Kill Confirmed (6v6)

Black Ops 6 also launches with Hardcore mode on certain playlists. It adds a limited HUD, enables friendly fire, and lowers your health.

Hardcore Quick Play game modes include:

  • Team Deathmatch
  • Kill Order
  • Domination
  • Hardpoint
  • Search and Destroy
  • Kill Confirmed
  • FFA
  • Face Off Moshpit

Elsewhere, Black Ops 6 launches with the Training Course, where you can dabble with the game’s mechanics and weapons on the Multiplayer map, Protocol. There are training missions designed to teach you the basics before facing real players in the lobby playlists.

The Firing Range returns, letting you test your equipped loadout weapons. Here’s what to expect:

  • Practice dummies to shoot at, at 10-, 25-, and 50-meter intervals.
  • Dummies can have 0, 1, 2, or 3 Armor Plates added to them.
  • You have limitless ammunition.
  • The upper-left corner features a target elimination tracker, an accuracy tracker, and a damage tracker.
  • A toggle feature allows you to optionally activate a Moving Target dummy, or a Recoil metal plate.
  • Toggle Feature: Moving Target: A dummy drops down from the ceiling on a conveyor belt, and automatically moves back through the range as you connect with it using your weapon. Once you hit it at maximum range, it moves back to its initial position, and the process can be repeated.
  • Toggle Feature: Recoil Target: A metal plate hangs from the ceiling around seven meters from your booth, allowing you to fire your weapon and view the bullet spread.

And Theater Mode is available in Multiplayer for Black Ops 6 at launch and for the first time in the new Call of Duty Engine. Here’s what you can do when playing back a replay file in Theater:

  • Switch between First-Person, Third-Person, and Fly-Cam perspectives for all players in the match.
  • Elimination and Deaths are visualized on the timeline. Easily skip to the viewed player’s next Elimination on the timeline.
  • Fast-Forward, Rewind, and full playback speed control.
  • Press “Record” to Trigger an Xbox or PlayStation recording while in Theater Mode.
  • Note: Theatre Mode is unavailable on previous-generation consoles (PlayStation® 4 and Xbox One), and all Theater files expire after seven days or when a game update is released.

And finally, Private Matches let you adjust every aspect of gameplay.

Now, let’s move on to the Operators. Black Ops 6 launches with over 20 Operators, with 11 allied to the Rogue Black Ops faction, and 10 allied to Crimson One. Narratively, Crimson One represents the CIA operation initiated to hunt down the Rogue squad (Adler, Woods, and their team in the Campaign).

Oh, if you’re wondering how Woods, confined to a wheelchair following the events of the previous Black Ops games, is running about in Multiplayer, Activision offered the following: “This version of Woods is from a time before current debilitation.”

This week, Microsoft pulled its $1 for 14 days of Game Pass trial ahead of next week’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 release date. Mirroring a tactic it employed ahead of last year’s launch of Bethesda’s Starfield, Microsoft has now made the $1 introductory offer unavailable. It was previously available only to those who hadn’t subscribed to Game Pass before.

We’ve also got confirmation of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s preload and global launch times, and the PC system requirements.

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.

Hades 2 adds a boss fight against Prometheus and a lot more in a chunky update

Praise the gods, it’s Hades 2 update day, and developers Supergiant are not mucking about. They have bolstered the nippy roguelike with a heap of shiny new things in this “Olympian Update”, including a new weapon with homing attacks, a liver-pecking boss fight, two new animal familiars, and the home region of the Gods – mount Olympus. It’s probably the biggest update they’ve made yet in terms of fresh sights. And by “fresh sights”, I mean Dionysus sporting a leopard-print thong. Yikes.

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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s First Major Post-Launch Update Out Now, Adds New PvE Map and Lethal Difficulty

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has launched its first major update, adding a new PvP map and Lethal difficulty for free to all players across all platforms.

Update 4.0 adds new PvE map Termination, which is available in the Operations game mode. As revealed this week, Termination sees players battle against a huge Tyranid Hierophant Bio-Titan, added to the game for the first time, on the planet Kadaku.

Elsewhere, the update adds a new, even harder difficulty called Lethal. This is difficulty five of five for Operations mode. And photo mode is now available in Operations (works only in solo), with characters able to follow the camera with their eyes.

It’s worth noting that from a balance perspective, Update 4.0 makes a number of significant changes, with the upshot of making Operations mode harder. Check out the patch notes below, where the developers explain the tweaks.

Coming later is the new weapon, the Neo-Volkite pistol (this is also free for all players). Termination, the Bio-Titan, the Neo-Volkite pistol, and the Lethal difficulty are all part of Space Marine 2 Season 2, which runs until the end of 2024.

The hotly anticipated cosmetics for the Dark Angels chapter of Space Marines, available through the game’s premium season pass, are due out at some point during the Season 2 period.

These cosmetics, when they do hit the game, will add new weapon styles, armor pieces, and color schemes featuring the Unforgiven (the name given to the Dark Angels chapter following the disastrous events of the Horus Heresy in Warhammer 40,000 lore). The Dark Angels Champion Pack, meanwhile, includes a full armor set for the Bulwark class.

Publisher Focus Entertainment has teased what’s to come with Seasons 3 and 4, including a new PvP game mode and PvP arena, as well as a Horde mode. Eagle-eyed fans, meanwhile, have spotted the Space Marine chapter now all-but confirmed to get a cosmetic pack after the Dark Angels, and even an unannounced new Thousand Sons enemy type.

Saber recently released Space Marine 2’s game-changing patch 3.0, which made a seemingly innocuous change to the ending that got Warhammer 40,000 fans excited. Meanwhile, IGN interviewed Tim Willits, Chief Creative Officer at developer Saber Interactive, about Space Marine 2’s record-breaking success. He revealed the boost he expects the PS5 Pro will give Space Marine 2, discussed how the breakout success of Space Marine 2 had “changed everything” for the studio, and how protective Games Workshop is over the Warhammer 40,000 brand.

This week, Focus announced Space Marine 2 had sold an incredible 4.5 million copies in just over a month. It’s already the most-played Warhammer or Warhammer 40,000 video game of all time on Steam.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Update 4.0 patch notes:

NEW FEATURES

New Operation – Termination

This new Operation takes place on planet Kadaku. New dreadful foes have arrived. Make good use of the artillery to annihilate them.

Added Lethal difficulty for Operations

Major highlights of it:

  • Ammo Crates have limited refills per player.
  • Majoris enemies can become enraged and will be more deadly and harder to kill.
  • Armour restores from finishers only if you stay close to your battle-brothers.”
  • Overcoming such a challenge will grant you new cosmetics…

Added photo mode in Operations (works only in solo). Also, characters can now follow the camera with their eyes.

GAMEPLAY AND BALANCING TWEAKS

Melee Archetypes: Fencing weapons’ perfect parry window will now have the same duration as balanced weapons but it will start from the first frame of parry animation.

Melee Perks: Chainsword, Power Fist, Combat Knife charged attacks perks get significant damage increase.

Basic Auspex Scan: bonus damage on bosses is reduced by 30%.

Melta Charge: damage to bosses is reduced by 70%.

​Enemy Spawn Director PvE:

  • Tweaked idle spawns.
  • Enemy variety within waves is now less random while enemy variety between waves is bigger.
  • Extremis enemies can now spawn have additional enemies.

Difficulty:

  • Ruthless: Ammo crates have limited refills per player.
  • Ruthless: Player’s armour reduced by 20%.
  • Substantial: Player’s armour reduced by 10%

Note from the devs:

“With Patch 3 we have noticed that Operations mode became noticeably easier, especially Chaos operations. We are happier with what we have right now compared to what we had on release, because before Patch 3 Chaos missions were unpopular. Still, we think that currently Operations mode is a bit too easy.

“Overall these changes are going to make Operations mode harder, but it is difficult to measure by how much. We will continue to monitor those changes and will continue to adjust the balance of Operations mode. This is not the last change.”

PVP

  • Increased delay between announcer messages in PvP.
  • The starting animation of the Grapnel Launcher for the Vanguard is shorter in PvP.
  • Fixed Power Fist in PvP dealing too much damage with short charged attacks.

AI

  • Enemy Dodges: Globally replaced full invulnerability on dodge moves of enemies with heavy melee damage resistance.
  • Rubric Marine with Boltgun: Disengage teleport max distance is slightly reduced.

CUSTOMISATION

  • More options for colours customisation for Chaos:
    • Tertiary colours: Sotek Green, Night Lords Blue, Death Guard Green, Khorne Red.
  • Decal colours: Sotek Green, Khorne Red.
  • Colours: Added Liberator Gold colour to default for primary and secondary colours palettes.
  • Fixed a lot of issues with display of colours, now they should be more lore accurate (Mechanicus Standard Grey, Ushabti Bone, Phoenician Purple, The Fang, Iron Hands Steel, Retributor Armour).
  • Decals: Added new Chaos faction decals for the right shoulder.

LEVELS

  • Vox Liberatis – Daemonhost: Disabled respawn until the last altar in the final arena.

GENERAL FIXES

  • Fixed a bug where the Assault perk “Ascension” could kill its owner.
  • Fixed a bug where the Sniper perk “Targeted Shot” wasn’t always working in some cases.
  • Fixed an unintended animation cancel with the Bulwark by using the block, which resulted in faster attacks.
  • Fixed an issue with the Tactical team perk “Close Targeting” not triggering properly.
  • Fixed: Tactical perk “Radiating Impact” not triggering properly.
  • Fixed an issue with the Sniper perk “Guardian Protocol” cooldown not working properly.
  • Fixed an issue where sound was lost after switching the speaker configuration.
  • Fixed several issues in Trials.
  • Fixed several issues that were causing loss of saves.
  • The Thunder Hammer perk “Patience Rewarded” description is now accurate with its actual effect (added “When your Health is below 30%” part).
  • Lots of minor UI fixes and improvements.
  • Lots of minor animation fixes and improvements.
  • Localisation fixes.

TECH

  • Crash fixes and general stability improvements.
  • Fixed several connectivity issues causing disconnects for players.
  • Slightly improved performance.
  • Fixed issues controllers not working with Steam Input enabled.

RENDER IMPROVEMENTS

  • General improvements and fixes.

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.

IO Interactive fail to mention if a potential Project 007 “trilogy” will feature Hitman’s glorious queues, so who’s to say whether it’s worth my time

In a recent chat with the Ian Games Network, IO Interactive boss Hakan Abrak said the Hitman developer “absolutely feel(s) like 20 plus years of training for the agent fantasy, creating an agent that travels the world and globetrotting whatnot, has given us some know-how” on bringing James Bond to the greasy screen (“greasy screen” is my new attempt at coining a “the big/small screen” but for games. I foresee big success.)

Abrak is so confident, in fact, that he reckons their Bond project might end up mirroring the World Of Assassination’s trilogy format. “But what’s exciting about that project is that we actually got to do an original story,” Abrak says. “So it’s not a gamification of a movie. It’s completely beginning and becoming a story, hopefully for a big trilogy out there in the future.”

It’s a fine interview, worth a read. But I must ask: how are the queues, Abrak? How am I supposed to get excited about a new IO game if you don’t mention the queues?

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