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Free Play Days – Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, Sudden Strike 4 European Battlefield Edition and Tropico 5 – Penultimate Edition

It’s a jam packed weekend with with Free Play Days! Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, Sudden Strike 4 European Battlefield Edition and Tropico 5 – Penultimate Edition are available this weekend for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Standard and Core members to play from Thursday September 26 at 12:01 a.m. PDT until Sunday, September 29 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

How To Start Playing

Find and install the games on each of the individual game details page on Xbox.com. Clicking through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Game Pass Core or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership. To download on console, click on the Subscriptions tab in the Xbox Store and navigate down to the Free Play Days collection on your Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

Keep The Fun Going

Purchase the game and other editions at a limited time discount and continue playing while keeping your Gamerscore and achievements earned during the event! Please note that discounts, percentages, and title availability may vary by title and region.

Free Play Days (Game Pass Core or Game Pass Ultimate Required)

NARUTO X BORUTO Ultimate Ninja STORM CONNECTIONS

Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆
256

★★★★★

$59.99

$35.99

Get it now

Xbox One X Enhanced

Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections
Get ready for the ultimate ninja showdown! Battle through iconic storylines from both the Naruto and Boruto series and experience thrilling combat with a massive roster of over 130 playable characters. Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections is on sale now at up to 40% off for a limited time during this Free Play Days. Be sure to also check out Boruto Uzumaki (Karma Progression) as a playable character in the newest DLC, available now!

Sudden Strike 4 – European Battlefields Edition

Kalypso Media

☆☆☆☆☆
213

★★★★★

$29.99

$11.99

Get it now

Xbox One X Enhanced

Sudden Strike 4 European Battlefield Edition
The world is at war, will you answer the call? World War II Real-Time Strategy heavyweight Sudden Strike 4 – European Battlefields Edition will send you through three extensive campaigns across Europe. Command the British and American, German, or Soviet troops in over 20 intense tactical missions. Take control of historic wartime battles such as Dunkirk, the Vyborg Offensive, or Operation Barbossa. Play as historic generals from each faction within the war, unlock new doctrines to win battles, and play a pivotal role in one of the most brutal conflicts in history!

Free Play Days For All

Tropico 5 – Penultimate Edition

Kalypso Media Group

☆☆☆☆☆
273

★★★★★

$24.99

$9.99

Get it now

Tropico 5 – Penultimate Edition
Have you ever wanted to be a ruthless dictator of your own island nation? Well too bad! El Presidente got there first, but he has invited you to visit…Return to Tropico 5 – Penultimate Edition! Watch the passage of time sweep through Tropico, from the Colonial era, the World Wars, and more. With the Penultimate Edition, enjoy add-ons “The Big Cheese” and “Hostile Takeover”, giving El Prez extra scenarios, buildings, accessories, and maps to explore and exploit. Check out Tropico 5 – Penultimate Edition now on Free Play Days!

Don’t miss out on these exciting Free Play Days for Xbox Game Pass Core and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members! Learn more about Free Play Days here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire to find out about future Free Play Days and all the latest Xbox gaming news.

The post Free Play Days – Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, Sudden Strike 4 European Battlefield Edition and Tropico 5 – Penultimate Edition appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Sony Just Doubled the Price of Horizon: Zero Down on PS4 Following PS5 Remaster Reveal

Sony has doubled the price of PlayStation 4 game Horizon: Zero Dawn following the reveal of its PS5 remaster.

Eurogamer spotted the price rise in the UK (from £15.99 to £34.99) but the price also rose in the U.S., jumping from $19.99 to $39.99 on the PlayStation Store.

Horizon: Zero Dawn has been at the previous price point for years as part of the PlayStation Hits collection, and other entries such as God of War and The Last of Us Remastered have remained at the typical $19.99 price.

The price rise comes just days after Sony announced a remaster of the seven-year-old game at its 2024 State of Play broadcast alongside a friendly $9.99 upgrade price for those who own it already. The game otherwise costs $49.99, so the price rise is essentially to stop players buying it for $19.99 on PS4 and paying another $9.99 to upgrade.

This comes after Sony pulled Horizon: Zero Dawn from the PlayStation Plus Extra Games Catalog in May. The 2017 game has therefore gone from free for subscribers to $19.99 and now $39.99 in the last four months, or $49.99 for those wanting the best version.

The PS5 version of Horizon: Zero Dawn arrives October 31 with 10 hours of re-recorded dialogue and visual enhancements.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Food Boy wishes only to deliver pizza, but the twerkers won’t let him

During his tenure as the foremost newsperson of the 1980s, Atari’s Paperboy faced many grievous challenges – squabbling drunks, swarms of bees, the actual Grim Reaper – and yet, day after day he answered the noble call of journalism, lashing his basket to his doughty BMX and daring the treacherously oblique suburbs of Reaganite America.

Speaking as both a news editor and a former paperboy, who broke his mind and body hauling obese Sunday editions to the millionaire houses at the top of the valley, Paperboy is my role model. Or he would be if my role model weren’t actually Steven Spielberg’s Freakazoid. Paperboy’s heyday has long since passed into history, however, and the business of journalism has changed beyond recognition. People don’t read newspapers anymore, they just eat pizza. This, at least, is the condensed analysis offered by Food Boy, which launched this week on Steam.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Hits New All-Time Low Price

As we near the start of October – yes, time flies! – we’re quickly approaching the next wave of big sale events for the year. Mainly, October Prime Day is on the horizon and not long after that will be Black Friday in November. Until those sales officially kick off, though, Woot has been offering up some incredible video game deals for players to enjoy in the meantime, including this fantastic price drop on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to $45.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on Sale for $45 at Woot

This is a new all-time low price for Tears of the Kingdom. In previous sales this year, it hovered around the $50 mark, so it’s exciting to see a little extra $5 get knocked off its price tag. This is a deal that won’t stick around for very long, either, so if you’ve been itching to jump into this incredible adventure for Switch, now’s your chance!

We had nothing but high praise for this game upon release. In our 10/10 The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom review, writer Tom Marks stated that, “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an unfathomable follow-up to one of the greatest games ever made, somehow improving upon it in nearly every way – be that with simple quality-of-life improvements, a genuinely exciting story, or wildly creative new building mechanics that make you rethink what is possible.”

This isn’t the only game deal worth checking out right now, either. In our roundup of the best Nintendo Switch deals, you can see even more games discounted in Woot’s sale at the moment, including Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. If you’d like to see what’s happening on other platforms, check out our roundups of the best PlayStation deals and the best Xbox deals.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.

Apartment Story is a game about murder, loneliness, and the mental health benefits of straight up jorking it

Experimental, feature-length simulation game Apartment Story is not especially brilliant, but it does feature a home invasion that’s stressful in several, systemically tangible ways I’ve never quite felt in such a specific combination from a videogame before. It’s partly a story about mental health, partly about the absolute horror of not just managing a Sim but actually being one, and partly about seeing how many wanks and cheese sandwiches you can fit into a single morning. Yes, I washed my hands afterward. Ah, but after which?

Ubisoft France Strike Called Over Return to Office Order and Pay Dispute

A union has called for staff at Ubisoft’s French operation to strike over a return to office order and pay dispute.

Le Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo (STJV), the French Video Game Workers Union, said Ubisoft management had imposed a return to office order for three days a week for all employees “without any tangible justification or any consultation with the workers’ representatives.”

“After more than five years of working efficiently in the current remote-work context, many of our colleagues have built or rebuilt their lives (family life, housing, parenthood, etc.) and simply cannot return to the previous working conditions,” the STJV continued.

“Our employer knows this perfectly well. The consequence of its decision will be the loss of our colleagues’ jobs, the disorganization of many game projects, and the drastic increase in psychosocial risks for those who remain.”

The STJV said the return to work order was announced following the collapse of profit-sharing negotiations between Ubisoft France management and staff. “Exactly like previous salary negotiations, management’s proposals were unacceptable, the negotiations’ timetable was appalling, and management was deaf to the proposals of the various employee representatives,” the union said.

A first strike has been called for October 15 to 17. Ubisoft declined to comment when contacted by IGN.

The STJV has made a number of demands, including a formal agreement on remote work, the restoration of profit sharing at 60%, the end of an alleged gender pay gap, and a higher increase in low salaries.

“Until proven otherwise, games only exist thanks to the workers’ labor, and good games thanks to good working conditions,” the STJV added, before inviting all Ubisoft staff globally to “mobilize” as well.

This isn’t the first time the STJV has organised a strike at Ubisoft France. In February, almost 700 Ubisoft staff joined the picket line across the French cities of Paris, Montpellier, Annecy, Lyon, and Bordeaux to demand better wages.

The latest strike action comes amid a tough period for Ubisoft that has sparked an internal investigation overseen by the company’s board of directors. The recently released Star Wars Outlaws failed to sell as well as Ubisoft hoped, and it’s just delayed Assassin’s Creed Shadows into 2025. Meanwhile, Ubisoft has ditched Epic Games Store timed exclusivity for its PC games and gone back to day-one launches on Steam.

Earlier this month, a minority investor in Ubisoft called on the company to go private amid a share price slump sparked by the disappointing sales of Star Wars Outlaws.

Photo by Pascal GUYOT / AFP via Getty Images.

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.

Known Mysteries is a lo-fi climate fable that runs off a solar-powered server on its developer’s balcony

You might remember Kara Stone as the developer of Ritual Of The Moon, a game about a banished witch that is played in bursts of five minutes a day, over the course of a lunar cycle. Alice B (RPS in peace) dedicated an article series to it back in 2019, summarising it as “a sad, quiet, meditative game about breathing and loneliness and drawing pictures in the stars”. Stone’s forthcoming Known Mysteries is a ritual of the sun, I guess. Slated for launch on 23rd October, it’s the first of several, creatively low-carbon projects that will run off a custom, solar-powered server Stone has set up on her apartment balcony in Calgary, Canada.

Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom’s Frame Rate Is “Even Worse” Than Link’s Awakening

Digital Foundry delivers its verdict.

Be warned, if you’re going to watch the above video, there may be some brief story information provided that could be considered a light spoiler. Skip the introduction segment to avoid this.

Tech specialist Digital Foundry has presented its verdict on the newly-released The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom for the Nintendo Switch.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

FragPunk Closed Beta Begins October 10!

We are excited to bring FragPunk Closed Beta, a fast-paced 5v5 hero shooter, to Xbox Insiders on Xbox Series X|S consoles! The closed beta will begin on Thursday, October 10 at 3:00 PM PT (22:00 GMT) and Xbox Insiders are able to sign up early to participate. Space is still available so join now to secure your spot! Come join and on October 10, battle it out while selecting special Shard Cards that dramatically change the rules of engagement.

Key Features:

Bend the rules with Shard Cards!
No two rounds of FragPunk are ever the same. Discover over 100 Shard Cards with an activatable selection that changes every round. Cards can enhance your jumps, resurrect allies and so much more!

Frantic 5v5 Hero Shooter!
Each round lasts 2.5 minutes, so get a move on! The short TTK means you have to aim well and react fast. Pick between 12 heroes with diverse abilities, customize your weapon combination, choose your cards and get ready for a fight!

Immersive Maps & Vibrant Visuals!
Prepare for rich map designs and mixed visual effects including graffiti and a blend of realistic and stylized textures. Feast your eyes on bold colors, sharp shapes and dynamic lines to provide you with diverse visual experiences while the bullets fly.

Playtest Times:

Pre-load: Tuesday, October 8, 3:00 PM PT (22:00 GMT)
Start: Thursday, October 10, 3:00 PM PT (22:00 GMT)
End: Monday, October 21, 4:59 PM PT (23:59 GMT)

How to Participate:

Sign-in on your Xbox Series X|S console and launch the Xbox Insider Hub app (or install the Xbox Insider Hub from the Store first if necessary)
Navigate to Previews > FragPunk
Select Join
Wait for the registration to complete to secure your spot for the Closed Beta!

NOTE: FragPunk Closed Beta begins on October 10. Joining now secures your spot for the playtest. Return to the Xbox Insider Hub on October 8 and select Show in Store to begin installing the game early. On October 10, in game servers will open to allow you to play.

NOTE: Limited space is available and offered first-come first-served.

NOTE: This playtest is only available on Xbox Series X|S consoles.

Other resources:

For more information: follow us on X/Twitter at @XboxInsider and this blog for announcements and more. And feel free to interact with the community on the Xbox Insider SubReddit.

The post FragPunk Closed Beta Begins October 10! appeared first on Xbox Wire.

The Last of Us joins PlayStation’s 30th Anniversary celebrations

As PlayStation celebrates its 30th Anniversary, we’re excited to share some thrilling news with our PlayStation Plus members. To make this milestone even more special, we’re adding one of the most beloved titles to the Game Catalog: The Last of Us Part I. PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members* will have the chance to experience or revisit the unforgettable journey of Ellie and Joel. Fittingly, the game will be available today, in time to mark the series’ own The Last of Us Day celebrations, September 26.

To make this occasion even more memorable, we’ve lined up several exclusive activities for our community:

PlayStation Star Campaign

From September 26 to November 26, all PlayStation Stars members that play The Last of Us Part I, which is in the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog*, will earn a fearsome Clicker Digital Collectible.

New PlayStation Plus Avatars

Starting September 26, known by fans and Naughty Dog as The Last of Us Day, you can redeem a voucher code for new PS5 and PS4 avatars featuring key characters from The Last of Us. Choose from Ellie, Joel, or even a Clicker to personalize your profile. The voucher will be available on the PlayStation Plus website and on The Last of Us Page on the PS Plus Hub on your console. The avatars will be available until October 26.

Discount on PlayStation Gear

Show off your fandom with official The Last of Us merchandise! From September 26 to October 26, PlayStation Plus members can enjoy a 10% discount on select The Last of Us merchandise at PlayStation Gear. Simply use the promo code TLOUPLUS10 at checkout. Visit gear.playstation.com to explore all the items and find the perfect addition to your collection.**

We hope you enjoy these activities as well as the chance to revisit or experience Ellie and Joel’s unforgettable journey when The Last of Us Part I launches onto PlayStation Plus Game Catalog later today.

*Game Catalog varies over time, region/country, and plan. PS Plus is subject to a recurring subscription fee taken automatically until cancellation. Terms apply: play.st/psplus-usageterms.

**Some exclusions Limit one per customer. Must use code at checkout for discount. Only valid on The Last of Us Products.