Category: Video Games

Review: Red Dead Redemption – A Fine But No-Frills Switch Port, For A Fistful Of Dollars

For a few dollars more.

Cast your tired minds all the way back through the mists of time to the year 2010. It was a truly great 12 months for video games, with the likes of Super Mario Galaxy 2, the best Mass Effect – AKA Mass Effect 2 – and the juggernaut that is Xenoblade Chronicles all arriving on the scene. It was also the year that David Cameron was appointed Prime Minister of the UK, but we’ll…eh…let’s not think about that just now.

As highly anticipated and ultimately well-received as these amazing games were, they still stood somewhat in the shadow of the year’s biggest release, the all-conquering behemoth that was Red Dead Redemption. Rockstar Games’ epic Western was a real tour de force, a surprisingly serious, studied, and actually rather emotional rumination on the final days of the American frontier, which also had plenty of toilet humour and knockabout ragdoll violence, of course. It remains one of the highest-ranked games of all time on Metacritic and was heralded as Rockstar’s best work to date by many critics at the time. Now that’s really saying something.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Frog Detective Series Leaps Onto Consoles and Game Pass as a Single Game This Year

The Frog Detective series is coming to consoles as a single game called Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery, developer Worm Club has announced.

Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery contains all three Frog Detective games, and is due out later in 2023 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S, including Game Pass. The Entire Mystery also includes an exclusive new scooter minigame.

This new release marks the first time Frog Detective will be localised into multiple languages. The game will be available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese.

Frog Detective is a first-person mystery series that enjoys a cult following of over half a million players. “I have spent countless hours learning many languages just to translate every word meticulously myself,” said Grace Bruxner from Worm Club. “Unfortunately I am not very good at learning languages so we had to hire help, but I feel like it’s only polite that everyone buys the console versions so that my time was not wasted. Now I know how to count to three in Portuguese. Actually, I don’t. Thank you for playing, everybody.”

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.

Winning every Baldur’s Gate 3 conversation as a charismatic bard isn’t nearly as fun as I thought

As Edders Sheeran the bard in Baldur’s Gate 3, I’ve come to realise I’m a jack of all trades. I do a bit of bow, a bit of sword, a bit of plucking the lute and buffing my pals with a nice song. My greatest strength, though, lies outside of combat in the arena known as “conversation”. Seriously, I’ve played for around 30 hours now and haven’t lost a single chat skillcheck. At first I loved being a master of chats, but ever since I played some co-op with my pals using a less charismatic dude, I’ve found Edders Sheeran’s unbeatable gob a bit… deflating?

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How to Play Starfield Early

Starfield’s highly anticipated launch is just around the corner, poised for release in the upcoming weeks, and reviews will be flying in hot on August 31. Fans can’t wait to get their hands on the game, and the good news is: you can play Starfield early if you choose your preorder wisely. In case you didn’t catch the announcement during the Xbox Summer Showcase, those who opt for the Premium Edition of Starfield will enjoy the privilege of playing the game ahead of the official release by a remarkable five to six days.

How to Play Starfield Five Days Early

Preorders are now available for Starfield, and for those eager to dive into the game ahead of time by five to six days, the Starfield Premium Edition is the ideal choice. This edition not only grants you early access but also comes bundled with the Shattered Space Story Expansion (upon release).

Additionally, it features the Constellation Skin Pack, which includes the Equinox Laser Rifle, Spacesuit, Helmet, and Boost Pack, alongside access to the Starfield Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack, immersing you even further into the captivating world of Starfield.

This edition is also down to just $89.99 at Newegg right now with code SAVEXDPP – for more deal updates closer to release, ensure you’re following @IGNDeals on Twitter and join our IGN Deals Discord server here as well.

Xbox Series X|S

PC

When Does Starfield Early Access Start?

Starfield early access starts at 5 PM PT, 7 PM CT, and 8 PM ET on August 31 for those in the US. For the UK, it’s 1 AM BST on September 1, and for players in Europe, Starfield early access begins at 2 AM CEST on September 1 as well.

Here’s the exact early access Starfield release date and time in other timezones:

  • West US: August 31, 5 PM (PT)
  • East US: August 31, 8 PM (ET)
  • Central US: August 31, 7 PM (CT)
  • UK: September 1, 1 AM (BST)
  • Europe: September 1, 2 AM (CEST)
  • Japan: September 1, 9 AM (JST)
  • Australia: September 1, 10 AM (AEST)

How to Play Starfield Early for Just $35

If you’re not looking to spend upwards of $100 on playing Starfield early, then we’ve got some further good news to share. Those on Xbox Game Pass will also be able to play the game Day One on September 6, but if you opt to purchase the Premium Edition Upgrade, this will also grant you five to six days early access as well, unlocking the game for you on August 31/September 1 depending on your region.

To ensure you’re getting the most out of this, we’d suggest going for the Digital version so you can start playing on August 31 (in the US), but if you want the physical goodies like the Starfield Steelbook, then we’ve left links to those preorders as well.

Digital Version

Game Pass members also get an additional discount on this purchase.

Physical Version

The physical version comes with the following physical and digital items:

  • Includes a Steelbook display case and a Constellation patch
  • Shattered Space Story Expansion (upon release)
  • 5 days early access
  • Constellation Skin Pack: Equinox Laser Rifle, Spacesuit, Helmet and Boost Pack
  • Access to Starfield Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack

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

Poll: Bomb Rush Cyberfunk Is Out On Switch Today, Will You Be Getting It?

Check this out, JSR fans.

After some delays, Team Reptile today launches its Jet Set Radio-style release Bomb Rush Cyberfunk on the Nintendo Switch.

This game blends dance, paint graffiti, beats, and tricks as you face off against rival crews and dispatch the military police to conquer the five boroughs of New Amsterdam. It also happens to be a really busy week with games like Red Dead Redemption and Vampire Survivors also arriving on the Switch.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Cult Of The Lamb Teases Crossover With Don’t Starve Series

“Join us on August 21”.

Cult of the Lamb was one of the indie highlights of 2022 and since its successful launch on the Switch last updates, it’s received multiple updates and even DLC.

The next batch that’s been teased is a collaboration with the ‘Don’t Starve‘ series. Here’s the line attached to the latest trailer: “The portal has opened but will the Lamb survive?”. This update, whatever it happens to be, is dropping early next week on 21st August.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Savescumming has returned to Freelancer mode in Hitman: World Of Assassination

If you long for an excuse to return to Himan 1’s stellar levels, like Sapienza and Hokkaido, the latest patch for Hitman: World Of Assassination might provide. Alongside a selection of fixes, it also brings a new set of DLC missions – or “new”, at least. The Sarajevo Six Campaign includes six assassination missions set across the six missions from Hitman 2016 which were previously only available on PlayStation 4.

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Hyenas’ closed beta will launch this month, might change business model

Creative Assembly’s scifi heist ’em up Hyenas received a new trailer yesterday, showing its teams of three doing battle in zero-G. It also got dates for a new closed beta due to begin on August 31st.

The bigger news is that its business model is seemingly up in the air. Publishers Sega had previously said it would not be free-to-play, but are now “making final adjustments to its business model” and will use the closed beta to finalise plans for launch.

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