A special exclusive item.
The My Nintendo Store has been updated with an “exclusive” new “Super Mario Shopping Bag”. This offer is available to My Nintendo members located in the US and will set you back 800 Platinum Points. If you do end up purchasing this reward, shipping fees apply.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
The Xbox Digital Broadcast will be returning to Tokyo Game Show on September 21 at 6 pm JST / 9 am UTC / 2 am PDT. Tokyo Game Show represents a special time each year where we share news and updates on games that we hope will delight Xbox fans in Japan and across Asia.
Players can expect to hear progress updates from Xbox and Bethesda Softworks and see a creatively diverse collection of games from creators predominantly located in Japan and across Asia. We’ll also share exciting new games coming to Xbox Game Pass, which continues to grow with great content from teams all around Asia.
This year’s broadcast will be available on Tokyo Game Show’s official YouTube channel, as well as on select Xbox social channels in Japanese, English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Malay, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, French, German and Castilian Spanish. It will also be broadcast with Japanese Sign Language (JSL), Australian Sign Language (AusLan), and audio descriptions in both Japanese and English. A full list of where you can watch the broadcast will be available the week of the show.
Xbox’s Tokyo Game Show always comes with a unique, Japan-inspired look and this year we have brought together some of the most famous iconography of both Xbox and Japan. The Xbox Nexus and Xbox Series X console are featured alongside Maneki-neko (also known as beckoning cat) and surrounded by Mount Fuji, cosmos flowers, and a Japanese lantern. We hope that Maneki-neko brings good luck to all our players, whether they are tuning in online to TGS or visiting the Makuhari Messe in-person this year.
Xbox fans who will be in Japan and near the Makuhari Messe on Saturday 23 September are invited to apply for free tickets to a special in-person event with Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond hosted by IGN Japan. Fans can visit the IGN Japan website or Twitter account from today to learn more about the event and apply for tickets to attend.
We look forward to welcoming players from Japan, across the Asia region, and the world to celebrate the amazing games that creators are building for our platform. For more details and full schedule for Tokyo Game Show 2023, visit the official site from the show’s organizers. Join the conversation at @Xbox_JP #XboxJP #TGS2023.
Related:
Coming to Xbox Game Pass: Starfield, Solar Ash, and Lies of P
How Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is an Immersive Controller Experience on Xbox Series X|S
Xbox Introduces Enforcement Strike System
Ed Boon, the co-creator of Mortal Kombat, brought the heat on a Sept. 7 episode of Hot Ones during a conversation about Mortal Kombat 1, showing off the first look at Johnny Cage’s Jean-Claude Van Damme skin.
It marks a rare appearance for a video game personality on the hit YouTube series, which mostly features film, TV, and music celebrities as they attempt to eat wings that gradually get spicier while making it through an interview. Boon did the same, and he and Hot Ones host Sean Evans had plenty to talk about in regards to Mortal Kombat 1.
One new addition that’s been decades in the making is the inclusion of Jean-Claude Van Damme in the form of a Johnny Cage skin, which will be available for players who purchase the Premium/Kollector’s editions of the game.
“We tried a number of times going back and forth with [Van Damme],” Boon said. “This time we hit the lottery and we got him. And we actually have his voice, and he’s going to be the Johnny Cage character.”
A sneak peek at the skin was revealed on the Hot Ones episode, showing Van Damme as he would have appeared in 1988’s Bloodsport — pecks of steel and all.
First Look at Jean-Claude Van Damme skin for Johnny Cage in #MortalKombat1!! 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/YUH8Q4df6X
— David (@unCAGEDgamez) September 7, 2023
Between sips of milk to lessen the spicy aftertaste of the buffalo wings, Boon explained that he’d always intended to include Van Damme in the franchise — dating as far back as the video game series’ debut in the early ’90s.
“We called his people, and we’re like, ‘We want to make a game based on Van Damme,'” Boon continued, admitting he didn’t receive a response at the time. Even so, Boon said he doesn’t blame the acclaimed movie star for turning down a group of ambitious 20-year-old programmers.
Nearly 30 years later, Boon’s dream is finally coming to life: “It’s the absolute full circle moment that we had,” he added.
Boon credits the feat to how the game has evolved over the last three decades. What once started as a passion project helmed by four people has turned into a major creative operation and lucrative video game franchise.
“The scope is 100 times, I’d say maybe, as big as the very first [game],” Boon said.
That, admittedly, has its cons. When asked what he misses most about the old days, Boon conceded that working on a smaller scale meant being able to visualize ideas a lot faster: “If you had an idea, later that afternoon you could see the idea come to fruition… Now it affects 30 people, and you have to borderline get permission to do it before you do it, even in my position.”
Mortal Kombat 1 is being developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Games. The new title will be released Sept. 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. It will also be available for purchase on PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store.
For more on Mortal Kombat 1, check out yesterday’s reveal that Nitara is coming to the game (voiced by Megan Fox, no less), as well as our gamescom interview with Boon.
I have been playing Starfield for a few weeks now, and there is plenty of opportunity for customization, from the character creator tool to changing your clothing appearance and even customizing the outside of your ship. But today I learned that you can also design the interior of your ship’s console by adding items on there as decor.
Reddit user, Fabulous_Hedgehog839 posted a video on r/Starfield where he shared this helpful tip: you can place items like a plushie onto your ship’s console. It’s akin to having decorations like an ornament for your car dashboard.
Cute and charming, especially if you are in first-person mode while flying your spaceship. Of course, the items will disappear if you change your primary ship or edit the ship you are currently using, so be sure to grab them first.
Starfield is filled with little touches like these, as well as some amusing bugs, from levitating NPCs to missing heads. Elsewhere, Starfield modders keep finding new ways to put Todd Howard in the game.
Starfield officially released yesterday and it has already surpassed one million concurrent players. In our review of Starfield, which we awarded a 7 out of 10, we wrote: “Starfield has a lot of forces working against it, but eventually the allure of its expansive roleplaying quests and respectable combat make its gravitational pull difficult to resist.”
If you find yourself venturing off across the settled systems, be sure to check out our Starfield guides. If you need assistance of the main quest we have a complete guide to every big decision, along with some tips on how to start ship customization.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
If you’re playing Starfield on PC — specifically via the Microsoft Store or through PC Game Pass — it’s important to note you might run into some issues if you intend to mod one of those versions.
Several users on Steam, NexusMods, and Reddit have pointed out the issues with the Microsoft Store and Game Pass versions of Starfield. This is potentially problematic given how integral mods can be to the overall Starfield experience. Hundreds of mods are already available on Nexusmods, from simple intro screen replacements to performance optimizers.
The problem is that the Script Extender mod or more complex mods that require Script Extender to be installed won’t work, though basic mods work just fine on those versions. The modder who created the Starfield Script Extender mod, ianpatt, pointed out in the comments that it would not work on the Game Pass Version or the Microsoft Store.
“No, you can’t just jam the DLL in to the Game Pass version and expect it to work. The Game Pass and Steam executables are very different, alternate loaders are not calling functions at the right times, the whole thing is a mess,” they wrote.
“Independently of any loader, protection, or other issues, it would take a huge amount of effort to support the Game Pass executable. This effort would also be passed down to everyone creating native code mods. Doubling (or worse) everyone’s work is not going to happen right now.”
Despite this, modder MrReekoFTWxD released a Starfield Script Extender Mod today that is compatible with the Microsoft and Game Pass versions.
A new mod in Starfield lets you light up the world with the visage of head of Xbox Phil Spencer’s…well, head. The mod, which adds Spencer’s face to the in-game flashlight, is available on Nexus Mods. pic.twitter.com/H0NSiPidgb
— IGN (@IGN) September 5, 2023
If you’re unfamiliar with a Script Extender, the tool allows users more in-game functionality that is otherwise unavailable through the mod tools. As the name implies, it provides script functionality that allows modders new functions to modify the game to their preference.
Starfield is out now on PC and Xbox Series X/S. For more mods to check out, there are a slew of them that add quality-of-life improvements, from fixing the inventory UI, to unofficially adding DLSS, and one that adds a FOV Slider. And for those concerned that achievements will be disabled after installing mods, don’t worry: there’s a mod for that too.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
Some would say the best way to wind down after a rough day down the Content Reactors isn’t to play a grotty occult horror game, but I caught a trailer for Tenebris Somnia earlier, and couldn’t help myself. In this foetid offering from Argentinian devs Andrés Borghi and Tobías Rusjan of Saibot Studios, you play a young woman, Julia, who is visiting her film-maker ex-boyfriend to drop off their old apartment key. Julia’s having a hard time getting over the break-up, but she’s clearly doing better than her ex: his apartment is full of broken glass, anomalous red gloop and creepy occult books.
The game’s twist is that it’s two visual styles thrust into the same frame. On the one hand, you’ll explore an 8-bit world of unpleasantly bright colours, finding and combining objects adventure-game style (I say adventure-game-style, because this is a bit more energetic than most adventure games – you can equip and swing a wrench, and there’s a run button). On the other hand, well. Click the headline to find out, if you dare. Yes, this is me trying to do a jumpscare. Brace yourself!
“I want people to feel like they’re a 10-year-old kid again”.
While sauntering through the Seattle Convention Center at this year’s PAX West, we saw hundreds of developers showing off their biggest, flashiest games to the enthusiastic crowds — many of which had already been announced and were highly anticipated by fans.
However, in a tucked-away corner of the show floor sat an unassuming display featuring a well-loved NES system and a small board signifying its role: demoing a brand new title called Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
There’s that moment in every major UFC event, where you’ve cheered for your fighters during the preliminaries, main card, and co-main event, but then the time comes for the main event. You’re on the edge of your seat as the arena lights go dark. The walk out song starts playing, the fighter begins the trek out to the octagon, the arena erupts in flashing lights, and a thunderous crash of cheers resonates throughout the arena – and you know two warriors are about to engage in violent battle until one emerges as the victor.
Watching the EA Sports UFC 5 reveal trailer perfectly recreates this heart-pounding rush of adrenaline experience. It’s so lifelike from start to finish – from the walk out, to Israel Adesanya “shooting arrows” into his fallen opponent, right down to Jon Jones staring out across the ring at his next victim. Chills!
In a follow up to the cover athlete announcement from a few days ago, Electronic Arts just shared the full reveal about EA Sports UFC 5, including release date, pre-order details, new features, and more! I attended a press event supporting today’s announcement and witnessed many of these new features firsthand and explained in greater detail. All I can say is, fight fans, you are in for a treat!
We already know Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski and Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko share the cover of EA Sports UFC 5’s standard edition, while Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya graces the cover of the Deluxe Edition in spectacular fashion befitting the iconic fighter and current Middleweight champion. If that wasn’t reason enough to cheer, check out what else is coming to the game when it launches in October.
My biggest takeaway from the event was how the team is so invested in creating the most realistic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) simulation in all of combat sports, and how many of the innovative new features and technology will be incorporated in the series for the first time. During the press event, the team focused on three main pillars in the development of EA Sports UFC 5 – making it as real as it gets; creating an authentic MMA experience; and celebrating the culmination of all the hard work and training with an exciting Fight Week.
I mentioned EA Sports UFC 5 is implementing several “for the first time” features in the latest installment, and one of the most exciting instances of this is, for the first time in series history the game will be utilizing the Frostbite engine and will support 60 Frames Per Second (FPS) during gameplay and when rendering replays.
Using Frostbite technology allows for “highly detailed characters, next-gen lighting and shading, improved rendering quality, all new presentation of environment, and visual effects.” Simply put, the game looks and plays – as real as it gets! With features like strand-based hair, new facial animation technology (FaceRig) and advanced body technology (Shapeshifter), you will experience a level of realism never experienced in the games before now.
While Frostbite guarantee fighters look their best at the start of the fight, it will also ensure they look like they’ve gone through three (or five) rounds of all-out war. Damage is authentically represented with realistic accuracy. To put that in greater detail, your character model will have 8 regions for cuts, bruising, and swelling, with multiple levels of injury progression in each region, resulting in a combined 64,000 different possibilities. All inflicted damage carries true game play altering consequences – affecting stamina, mobility, and defensive ability.
All the technology used to bring a level of realism to gameplay will also be used to recreate those spectacular Knock Out moments with more intensity than ever before, with dramatic lighting, dynamic cameras, super slow motion, and immersive sound effects. The video I saw of this demonstration showed a devastating head kick that landed with ear ringing, jaw jarring effect that sent blood and sweat flying across the octagon – I thought I was watching an actual highlight reel from an Adesanya fight. Spectacular!
In addition to having lifelike athletes who look, sound, act, and bleed like their real-world counterparts, EA Sports UFC 5 must immerse you in an authentic MMA experience for you to fully feel like you are the next UFC champion, and feel it you will, with the new strike and submission animations, physics driven hit reactions, and Real Impact System.
The game features new and improved strike animations including ground and pound elbows, spinning attacks, calf kicks, body punches, and more. Plus, with the Real Impact System, the damage you and your opponent sustain isn’t just a visual representation but is translated into authentic damage impacting gameplay – a broken nose will result in slower stamina recovery; a cut or swollen eye will result in more vulnerability on the affected side; leg damage (those calf kicks can be a game changer) will result in slower movement and impaired takedowns. And any injury, if severe enough, can ultimately lead to a doctor stoppage.
In another series first, the ringside physician plays a role in EA Sports UFC 5. Sustain an injury severe enough, or badly damage your opponent, and the referee will pause the fight long enough for the doctor to come in and evaluate the severity of the injury. If you’re lucky enough, you’ll be able to continue (or is that unlucky), but if it’s too severe, the doctor can call a stop to the fight.
It’s important to note combat sports can be a bloody and brutal endeavor, and the level of realism on display in EA Sports UFC 5 has resulted in the game receiving a Mature rating for the first time for blood, violence, and language. The developers were careful to honor the fighters with the same amount of respect they often show one another after the battle is over and the dust settles, so some of the more gruesome and often career ending injuries will not appear in the game – they very rarely happen in real life, nobody wants to see them happen, so the decision was made to leave them out. Fine by me!
One of the most significant changes from previous editions in the series is the new seamless submission feature. Previous games relied on a submission system using multistage mini games, but the team felt this was too lengthy of a process that bogged you down and removed you from the excitement of the fight. The new method features over six hundred grappling and submission animations allowing you to focus on the fight while smoothly and seamlessly switching from transitions, counters, and reversals. You’ll feel like a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in no time, and to help you perfect your skills, you’ll have access to another series first – the Performance Institute (PI), hosted by none other than former Women’s Flyweight Champion – Valentina Shevchenko.
As part of your training camp and quest for the championship in UFC 5, you’ll have access to the PI where you can focus on improving and mastering your striking, grappling, health, damage, and stamina attributes. The whole training camp experience has been improved with the return of Coach Davis, upgraded sparring challenges, and a new challenge pack grading system.
Fight week is an exciting time for the fighters and fans and features several events leading up to the actual fight night. In real life, this manifests in press conferences, ceremonial weigh-ins, and the often-tense face-off between the competitors. And now for the first time in series history, EA Sports UFC 5 is incorporating real world UFC events into special in-game challenges and events. I don’t want to spoil some of the specific details since they will result in a unique player experience, but one feature I’m looking forward to is Fight Predictions.
Leading up the next UFC event, you will have the opportunity to view the fight card and pick your predictions for winners and losers, the method and round the fight will end, and who will get the fight of the night bonus. You’ll automatically be pooled to compete with others, and whoever scores the best based on the real-world UFC fight results will be rewarded with in-game coins. How cool is that!
There are also daily matches you can participate in for a chance to win in-game coins, and these matchups are also based on the real UFC schedule, with each daily match getting progressively harder as you near the end of the week. As a big fan of UFC in real life and the video game series, I applaud this innovative integration between the two.
There’s a lot for fight fans to look forward to in EA Sports UFC 5, and the good news is the launch is less than two months away, right around the time many of us will be watching UFC 294 and wanting to jump in a game and recreate the epic battles on that card!
EA Sports UFC 5 releases October 27 for Xbox Series X|S and is available for pre-order today. The Deluxe Edition includes 3 days of early access, plus Fedor Emelianenko, Muhammad Ali, and Mike Tyson – three of the greatest warriors to ever compete in combat sports. Check out the official website and follow @EASPORTSUFC for more details.
Electronic Arts
Pre-order* EA SPORTS™ UFC® 5 Deluxe Edition and receive:**
-3-days early access
-Mike Tyson
-Fedor Emelianenko
-Muhammad Ali
-Bruce Lee Bundle
-4 Alter Egos (Jon Jones, Israel Adesanya, Alexander Volkanovski, Valentina Shevchenko)
-Origins Bundle (Conor McGregor [2013], Leon Edwards [2015], and 22 Vanity Items)
-30th Anniversary Vanity Bundle (4 Vanity Items)
-Online Career Mode XP Boosts (x5)
**EA account, internet connection, and all game updates required to claim and use pre-order content.
This game includes optional in-game purchases of virtual currency that can be used to acquire virtual in-game items.
*Conditions & restrictions apply. See http://www.ea.com/games/ufc/ufc-5/game-and-offer-disclaimers for details.
Electronic Arts
Pre-order* EA SPORTS™ UFC® 5 Standard Edition and receive:**
-2 Alter Egos (Alexander Volkanovski, Valentina Shevchenko)
-Muhammad Ali
-30th Anniversary Bundle (4 Vanity Items)
-Online Career Mode XP boosts (x5)
**EA account, internet connection, and all game updates required to claim and use pre-order content.
This game includes optional in-game purchases of virtual currency that can be used to acquire virtual in-game items.
*Conditions & restrictions apply. See http://www.ea.com/games/ufc/ufc-5/game-and-offer-disclaimers for details.
Related:
Immortals of Aveum Is Far More Than Your Typical Debut Game
The Sims 4 Addresses Xbox Fan Feedback
Wild Hearts Is Adding New Monsters, New Tools, and More – and There’s a Free Trial
Early access action RPG Last Epoch has just received update 0.9.2, which adds a new class of mage called the Runemaster. The Runemaster has five new spells they can use to tear through the game’s monsters, and each spell can be customised via its own skill tree.
The update, called “Runes Of Power”, also adds eight new languages, and a new type of event called Rune Prisons. Developers Eleventh Hour also announced that Last Epoch’s 1.0 release would happen in December this year.
Kung-fu brawler Sifu‘s final update is out now. It mostly adds new content for previously added modes, including 75 Challenges, six Arenas, two Outfits and 27 cheats and modifiers. There is also a new Custom Mode, however, which lets you “play and replay the Arena Challenges with your own twist.”
