Category: Video Games

PS5 Homescreen Now Replaces Unique Video Game Art With Annoying Ads You Can’t Turn Off

The PlayStation 5 now has an advert system built into the dashboard user interface you can’t disable without disconnecting from the internet.

Users noticed how hovering over a video game icon on the homepage now forces an advert to replace the unique art — as close to a theme as the PS5 gets.

What appears to be happening is the PS5 is pulling in the latest news for each game, whether it be a YouTube video, patch notes, or even the announcement of a different game entirely.

However, some users have critisized the move for replacing main video game images on the homepage with what are in some cases outdated adverts.

IGN’s testing shows the latest promotional Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 video released by publisher Focus Entertainment has replaced the art of protagonist Titus in the background of the homescreen.

Black Myth: Wukong, meanwhile, now forces an image signaling the latest patch notes.

And Call of Duty promotes The Haunting update for Season 6.

Other users have reported particularly confusing ads. MP1st showed how an ad for the upcoming Lego Horizon Adventures takes up the background when selecting Horizon Zero Dawn, making it look like you’re about to play a game that’s not out yet.

Perhaps most annoying of all, some of the latest news the PS5 is pulling from is significantly out of date, which will perhaps confuse some less clued up users. For example, Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales brite-forces an advertisement for the movie theatre release of Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse, which came out in June 2023.

Bizarrely, some games do not use the new advert system (perhaps there’s no latest news to pull from). The recently released Astro Bot, for example, is spared for now, as is Yakuza Kiwami 2.

The PlayStation dashboard has featured ads for years now, but mostly those were relegated to the PlayStation Store itself. This new homescreen feature is new, though. Similarly, Microsoft’s Xbox dashboard is littered with ads, but at least its console supports themes that take priority on the homescreen background.

There is some speculation that Sony added this feature as part of the PS5’s recent Welcome Hub firmware update, but there was no mention of it in the patch notes. Either way, it’s fair to say core PS5 users aren’t massive fans of the intrusion.

“There definitely should be a way to disable this,” redditor mikelman999 said. “I get its usefulness in modern games that are still getting updated but since it just displays the newest “news” item it’s a lot more problematic with older titles. It just ends up covering your screen with irrelevant information that’s potentially a decade out of date.”

“Terrible decision and I hope this gets changed or a way to opt out quickly,” said ConcreteSnake. “At least with the explore tab I could ignore it and not have it infect every game I ‘own’.”

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.

EA FC 25 review: ol’ familiar football, even if it does encourage a different style

Something feels off. I’ve brought an utterly improbable Champions League title to Aston Villa, built an enviable Ultimate Team and developed a formation that keeps at least outright humiliation at bay in online matches… And yet, my heart isn’t bursting with the joy of joga bonito. This must be how Guardiola feels, popping onto the pitch to celebrate his annual Prem title with the latest batch of ruthlessly efficient, lab-grown wonderkids and pushing down the feeling that this one doesn’t feel quite as special as the first.

That is to say, EA Sports FC25 is a bit like FC24. Which was quite a lot like FIFAs 21-23, which had a lot in common with the FIFAs our ancient ancestors used to play by the fireside in their primitive tribal dwellings. There are noticeable additions – particularly new tactics controls and a 5v5 Rush mode – and I’m glad they’re here. But as much as they contribute towards a continuously compelling suite of foot-to-ball, they can’t quite dislodge the nagging feeling that this shouldn’t be an annual, full-price release anymore.

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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Datamine Reveals Unannounced Armor Pieces — Including the Beaky Helmet

Following the release of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s game-changing patch 3.0 last week, dataminers have dug into the files and unearthed what looks like upcoming armor customization pieces — including one fans had hoped would be added to the game.

Images of the Mark 6 Corvus and Mark 7 Aquila Astartes helmets were posted to reddit, showing that developer Saber Interactive likely plans to expand the game’s Space Marine customization beyond variations of the latest Mark 10 Tacticus power armor.

Mark 7 has also been datamined along with Mark 6. We are about to be eating brothers!
byu/MuiminaKumo inSpacemarine

Space Marine 2, which is set in Warhammer 40,000’s current and ongoing Indomitus Era, features Primaris (bigger, stronger, better) marines and thus focuses on the latest armor sets in the tabletop. However, this datamine suggests old favorites are potentially on the way, and it’s the “beaky” helmet popularized by the Raven Guard chapter of Space Marines that’s got Warhammer 40,000 fans most excited.

There’s more. Redditor agentduckman12 found a number of images in the game files that reveal what looks like the new customization pieces coming to Space Marine 2 as part of its big October patch and the launch of Season 2 of the game.

We see images of a number of weapons skins, that beaky helmet again, and winged Dark Angels helmets alongside the chapter’s new armor set. There’s also an image of a Salamanders Sniper Rifle skin, supposedly part of a Salamanders Champion Pack coming at some point for the Sniper class.

This tallies with what Saber has announced is coming to Space Marine 2 in Season 2 (a Dark Angels Champion Pack, Cosmetic Pack, and Weapon Skin pack).

upcoming content that i extracted from the game there is also the mark 8 but did not show
byu/agentduckman12 inSpacemarine

Saber has yet to show off upcoming customization pieces, so for now this all remains firmly in datamined territory, but with October around the corner, it won’t be long before the developer reveals what’s to come.

Speaking of patch 3.0, IGN has reported on a seemingly innocuous change it made to Space Marine 2’s ending that got Warhammer 40,000 fans excited. IGN also recently interviewed Saber chief creative officer Tim Willits about the boost he expects the PS5 Pro will give the game, and how the breakout success of Space Marine 2 has “changed everything” for the studio.

Meanwhile, Warhammer 40,000 superfan Henry Cavill has been playing Space Marine 2 and delivered his verdict, and we also have details on what fans can expect from Space Marine 2’s seasonal post-launch content model. Season 2 runs from October until the end of 2024, and includes a new Operations map, a new enemy, a harder difficulty level, a new weapon, and various other improvements.

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.

StarCraft 2 production director pitched WarCraft 4 and a Call Of Duty RTS before leaving Blizzard, claims report

It’s been the best part of a decade since Blizzard, developers of StarCraft and WarCraft, released a new real-time strategy game, but not for want of enthusiasm from certain Blizzard developers. According to a report, former StarCraft 2 production director Tim Morten and unnamed accomplices pitched several RTS projects to higher-ups at Activision-Blizzard, before Morten jumped ship to co-found Stormgate creators Frost Giant in 2020. These pitches included WarCraft 4, as you’d expect, and also a Call Of Duty RTS, as you’d probably also expect, though seemingly no new StarCraft.

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Pirate Adventure Ahoy! ‘Mark Of The Deep’ Sets Sail On Switch Next Week

To the depths.

Publisher and developer Mad Mimic has revealed that its upcoming pirate-themed action-adventure Mark of the Deep will be swashbuckling its way onto Switch on 8th October.

After his ship mysteriously crashes off the coast of a spooky cursed island, Marcus “Rookie” Ramsey sets out to reassemble his crew and take down whatever monsters, gangs or nefarious cult leaders stand in his way.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Preorders Get a Massive Discount Just a Month Before Release in the UK

Thinking about grabbing the new Call of Duty this year? We’ve got the best deal in the UK right here. You don’t need to pay the full £70 for the highly anticipated return to the Black Ops series. Right now, you can secure Black Ops 6 for just £53.99 with the code GHOST10 at Currys, available on PS5, PS4, and Xbox.

The new installment brings the sub-series up to the early 1990s, with in-game representations of world leaders like George H. W. Bush, Saddam Husseine, and Margaret Thatcher. As usual, it will include a single-player campaign, multiplayer, and zombies.

Activision also recently announced all the changes coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Multiplayer based on feedback to the recent beta. Black Ops 6, due out October 25, has Multiplayer developed by Treyarch, with the Campaign developed by Warzone developer Raven.

Treyarch also weighed in on the ongoing community debate regarding the map sizes, following the beta’s focus on smaller, more chaotic close-quarters maps. Treyarch emphasized that most of the 12 core 6v6 maps available at launch will be medium-sized, explaining that the eight maps featured in the beta “trended smaller” and included some Strike maps, which support 2v2 to 6v6 gameplay.

Other top deals in the UK right now include Meta Quest 3 headsets getting a significant discount at Amazon. You can pick up a 512GB VR headset with Batman Arkham Shadow included for free at just £469, over £150 off the RRP. Amazon has also dropped the price of an Xbox Controller down to just £39.99 right before October Prime Day.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

Here’s eight minutes of new Death Stranding 2 scenes, posted chopped up and context free on social media as Kojima intended

Despite his cinephile tendencies, one thing you can’t accuse Kojima of is being precious about how people experience his work. Would Scorsese release eight minutes of a film chopped up into two minute chunks on Xitter, to be experienced fractured and contextless to anyone who didn’t tune into the Tokyo Game Show? Would Scorsese have the chutzpah to call a character Head Viceman or Tempted Christman? I doubt it. Irishman doesn’t count. It’s Dollman’s time now anyway. Let’s have a look at the new Death Stranding 2 scenes then. Watch them on your phone for added kino.

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Blade Star and Country Music Legend Kris Kristofferson Dies Aged 88

Country music legend and Hollywood star Kris Kristofferson has died aged 88, his family has announced.

Kristofferson, a Grammy Award-winning country music legend and star of films such as Blade and Planet of the Apes, died at his home in Maui on Saturday, September 28, surrounded by his family.

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 28 at home,” a statement on behalf of Kristofferson’s wife, Lisa; his eight children, Tracy, Kris Jr., Casey, Jesse, Jody, John, Kelly and Blake; and seven grandchildren, read on Kristofferson’s official Facebook page.

“We’re all so blessed for our time with him. Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all.” – The Family of Kris Kristofferson.

“The family asks for privacy during this time.”

Aside from his wildly successful music career which began in the late 1960s, Kristofferson starred in a number of Hollywood films, including Martin Scorsese’s 1974 romantic comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, and with Barbra Streisand in 1976 musical romantic drama A Star Is Born.

Later, Kristofferson played Abraham Whistler in Marvel’s Blade film trilogy alongside Wesley Snipes, Karubi in 2001’s Planet of the Apes, and, in his final role, Edwin Fuller in Ethan Hawke’s 2018 biographical drama film based on the life of country musician Blaze Foley.

Kristofferson also had two notable video game roles: Ned White in Activison’s 2005 Western-themed action game Gun, and Chief Hanlon in Obsidian’s 2010 post-apocalyptic adventure Fallout: New Vegas.

In a tweet, Dolly Parton wrote: “What a great loss. What a great writer. What a great actor. What a great friend. I will always love you, Dolly.”

In an Instagram post, Barbra Streisand said she “knew he was something special” the first time she saw Kristofferson perform.

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.

Bakeru Is Currently Unavailable On The Switch eShop In Europe

Spike Chunsoft says it’s “urgently working on resolving this”.

Switch users across Europe have noticed the recently released game BAKERU has disappeared from Nintendo’s eShop.

In case you’re wondering what’s going on, publisher Spike Chunsoft has actually shared a notice about this on social media – mentioning how it’s “aware of an issue” making the game unavailable and is “urgently working on resolving this”.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Daily Deals: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Tears of the Kingdom, CRKD Nitro Deck, and More

The weekend is officially here, and we’ve rounded up the best deals you can find! Discover the best deals for Sunday, September 29, below:

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for $49.99

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is officially on sale at an all-time low price. This sequel to 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake brings Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, and Red XIII outside of Midgar for the very first time, with Sephiroth looming and moving in on his goals. This experience offers well over 100 hours of content, with 36 sidequests and a main story over 40 hours long. If you haven’t played Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, now is the time to score one of the best 2024 titles out there at a discount.

Tears of the Kingdom for $44.99

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is one of the most impressive games ever made. It features three distinct layers of its map, with Hyrule, the Depths, and the Sky Islands, which opens up the world in ways never thought possible in Breath of the Wild. Right now, you can save on Tears of the Kingdom at Woot, where the game is only $44.99. Don’t miss your chance to experience one of the best games of the past decade.

Kingdom Hearts All-in-One Package for $35

If you’re itching to start a new series, Kingdom Hearts is one of the best out there to jump into. From Tetsuya Nomura, Kingdom Hearts mashes together the worlds of Disney and Square Enix to tell the tale of light and darkness. This All-in-One package contains a total of ten games, with everything up to Kingdom Hearts III included. Now is the perfect time to get caught up before Kingdom Hearts IV, so pick up the All-in-One bundle today and jump into Sora’s journey.

CRKD Nitro Deck for $59.99

The CRKD Nitro Deck is the ultimate Nintendo Switch accessory. You simply slide the console into the Nitro Deck, which then offers an ergonomic grip and feel around the system. By far, the best feature of this accessory is the Hall Effect Thumbsticks, which guarantee zero stick drift. This is easily one of the best Nintendo Switch accessories you can buy.

Apple Watch Ultra (Premium Refurbished) for $449

Amazon has the Apple Watch Ultra for $449 today. This is the premium refurbished model, but most often, these watches have zero scratches or signs of use at all. If you’re interested in the Ultra line but don’t plan to spend $799 for a new watch, this is a fantastic alternative.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R for $29.99

Star Ocean: The Second Story R is an HD-2.5D remake from Square Enix. Taking the HD-2D sprite style found in titles like Octopath Traveler II, this game adds a 3D camera and 3D environments. There are a total of 99 different endings for you to discover, which makes this adventure one that can last for dozens of hours! Explore the world with fantastic quality-of-life updates, new battle mechanics, and more in this gorgeous remake of Star Ocean 2.

Luigi’s Mansion 3 for $39.99

Luigi’s Mansion 3 is available this weekend at Woot for only $39.99. This is one of the best games available on Nintendo Switch, filled with charm and all sorts of fun puzzles. With October right around the corner, there’s never been a better time to pick up the game if you haven’t already!

Octopath Traveler II for $29.99

Octopath Traveler II was one of the standout RPGs of 2023. Featuring eight different characters, this HD-2D release depicts an expansive story told from the perspectives of these characters. Each traveler has unique abilities, making for a new and exciting experience with each story. This is one RPG you do not want to miss, especially for this price.

Indiana Jones: The Complete Collection Vinyl for $213.95

Finally, this Indiana Jones: The Complete Collection Vinyl Box Set is on sale at Amazon for $213.95. This collection includes the soundtrack from each of the five Indiana Jones films on vinyl! A total of 10 LPs are included, making this the ultimate collector’s item for any fan of John Williams.