Space 4X strategy game Stellaris launched in 2016, but Paradox can’t stop adding to the universe. Last time I checked in, it was school trips to other dimensions. Now, it’s Cosmic Storms. Due for release alongside the Stellaris 3.13 Vela update on September 10th, these are a paid “mechanical expansion” (priced at a rather chunky £11, $13 or €13, and available as part of the current season pass) that builds upon the game’s existing Space Storms, “providing a deeper experience with strategically meaningful gameplay and beautiful upgraded visuals”. Wash that down with new civics, precursor narratives, anomalies, archaeology sites, techs, edicts, a new Ascension perk, and new galactic community resolutions.
Collecting trading cards, especially vintage cards, has gotten considerably dicier — seemingly overnight.
Over the past month, multiple people have come forward to demonstrate how various X-ray technologies can reliably see inside unopened trading card products. The concept of X-raying packs has been rumored for as long as X-rays and trading cards have existed at the same time, yet most believed the idea apocryphal, or at least impractical. Today, you can literally pay someone to do it for you.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 makes a grand return to the series’ beloved Round-Based Zombies mode with two brand-new maps at launch, and we’ve been learning a lot about what’s in store for our latest bout with the undead.
Ahead of a live gameplay reveal of the upcoming Liberty Falls map at the Call of Duty NEXT event on August 28, the Black Ops 6 team has been teasing us with new information in Intel Drop videos over the past week for their other Zombies map coming at launch: Terminus, telling us more about the story, setting, and systems of the highly anticipated new Zombies experience. To find out everything we’ve learned so far, read on:
Story
Set in 1991, five years after the events of Black Ops Cold War’s own Zombies mode, Black Ops 6’s Zombies campaign begins with a prison breakout – previous heroes Weaver, Dr. Gray, and Carver form an uneasy alliance with new character Maya (who’s on a desperate hunt for her missing brother, and has allied with the villainous Dr. William Peck) and set out to escape the combined jail/research outpost, Terminus Island. Along the way, they’ll discover a lot more about the horrifying work that’s gone into creating this outbreak.
It’s not just a new story for Zombies, but includes new ways of telling that story. While the mode will still allow you to play as any Operator, playing as the four members of the dedicated Zombies crew will open up new in-game dialogue interactions, deepening the plot and revealing more about each character as you play.
Terminus
A remote island in the Philippine Sea, Terminus could have been a tropical paradise – if it hadn’t been used as clandestine location to house prisoners and use them for unethical science experiments. On one of the biggest maps ever made for Round-Based Zombies, players will begin their time on Terminus Island during an outbreak – it’s a chaotic, ruined location, stuffed with the shambling corpses of scientists, security guards, and experiment victims alike.
The team has gone all out to make this feel like a living (or unliving) location, with set pieces built across the island – from testing areas where zombies will break out of their chambers to attack, to seeing the evolutionary cycle of the zombies themselves. Players will even face off against the Amalgam, a grotesque mass of combined body parts that’ll provide a stern challenge.
The team also wanted to make use of the whole island; from the prison, to its jungles, to the beach, to the sea – you can go just about anywhere.
Equipment
You might be fighting against the odds in Terminus, but there are some new ways of evening those odds to find. Most notably, the new Beamsmasher Wonder Weapon offers a very fun way of thinning the hordes you come across. With three attacks to use (a devastating sonic beam attack, a wave-based secondary that slows enemies and has them take extra damage, and a shockwave effect when reloading after expending your ammo) it’s a versatile way to get through the horrors of the island.
A more passive way of surviving is the Tentacle Trap, which is placed over doorways. When activated, the Trap will scoop up any passing zombies with, well, tentacles, reducing them to a far less threatening pile of gore.
Terminus also sees the first ever drivable vehicle introduced in Round-Based Zombies, letting you commandeer a Tactical Raft and zip from island to island – but beware, the open sea might be even more dangerous than the land…
New Systems
As you’d expect, the new Zombies experience makes some key improvements to the winning formula fans are already familiar with. Augments are a major addition, allowing you to upgrade your Perks, Ammo Mods, and Field Upgrades in different ways. Augments come in Major and Minor forms, and you’re able to use one of each per item. A Minor Augment might offer a stat buff to an existing ability, like a more powerful Napalm Burst, while a Major Augment can drastically change how you play. With a Major Augment, you might be able to summon a set of damaging orbs that surround you and damage enemies that get too close.
GobbleGums make a return after last appearing in Black Ops III – each one a consumable item that offers gameplay changes and upgrades. Ahead of a match, you’ll be able to choose from a set of five GobbleGums and, once you find a GobbleGum machine in your match, it will dispense one of your chosen Gums, to be used whenever you like. The effects here can be huge – whole-team revives, temporary unlimited ammo, or unlocking every Perk at once, just as a few examples.
Weapon Builds also help you customize your Zombies experience. Before you enter a round, you can create your ideal build of weapon, including Blueprints, attachments, and more, before specifically designating it a Zombie Build. When in a game of Zombies, if you find that weapon at a Wallbuy or Mystery Box, it will be your build of that weapon you receive.
Fan-Requested Features
Black Ops 6 also brings some improvements that fans have been asking for. Several HUD Presets will allow players to tweak their onscreen experience – you could remove the mini-map if you prefer to play without it, change the location of your health bar, and generally offer exactly the information you need, where you need it. Enemy damage numbers and health bars can even be toggled as global settings in Zombies on day one.
In a major change for solo Zombies players, you’ll also now be able to save and quit your match, meaning you can take a break from a high-round all-nighter and continue the next day, rather than having to commit yourself to a multi-hour session in one go.
Liberty Falls
Terminus may be the starting point for this instalment’s Zombies story, but Black Ops 6 will launch with two Zombies maps – Liberty Falls is the next step. Set almost simultaneously with the events in Terminus, Liberty Falls is a small West Virginian town that becomes the epicenter of a new zombie outbreak. But you’ll have to wait to learn more about that, when the map gets a full reveal at Call of Duty NEXT on August 28…
Pre-order any digital edition or subscribe to select Game Pass plans* and receive:
– Early access to the Open Beta**
— Early Access is August 30 – September 4
— Open Beta access is available for all players from September 6 – September 9
– Items for immediate use in Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III, Call of Duty®: Warzone and Call of Duty®: Warzone Mobile***:
— Woods Operator Pack – unlock the Classic Woods Operator Skin. Plus, get access to unlock the Zombie Woods and Numbers Woods Skins.
— Reflect 115 Camo Pack – unlock the Reflect 115 Weapon Camo. Plus, get access to 9 acquisitions for Modern Warfare® Zombies.
Includes:
– Cross Gen Bundle of Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6
— Includes Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6.
Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.
The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.
In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.
Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
*Requires active subscription to Game Pass Ultimate or Game Pass Console. Subscribers must login to Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III or Call of Duty®: Warzone on Xbox One / Xbox Series X|S by October 25th, 2024 to redeem the Woods Operator Pack and Reflect 115 Camo Pack.
**Actual launch date(s) and platform availability of MP Beta subject to change. See www.callofduty.com/beta for more details. Minimum Open Beta duration is 2 days. Limited time only. Internet connection required. Game Pass Core subscription may be required for MP Beta.
***Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III or Call of Duty®: Warzone on Xbox One / Xbox Series X|S required to redeem. Sold / downloaded separately. Must be redeemed by October 25, 2025.
Activision may modify or discontinue online service in the future, which may impact the continued availability of online gameplay. Online services may be discontinued due to factors including number of players.
Additional storage space may be required for mandatory game updates.
For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com.
– Early access to the Open Beta*
— Early Access is August 30 – September 4
— Open Beta access is available for all players from September 6 – September 9
– Items for immediate use in Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III, Call of Duty®: Warzone and Call of Duty®: Warzone Mobile**:
— Woods Operator Pack – unlock the Classic Woods Operator Skin. Plus, get access to unlock the Zombie Woods and Numbers Woods Skins
— Reflect 115 Camo Pack – unlock the Reflect 115 Weapon Camo. Plus, get access to 9 acquisitions for Modern Warfare® Zombies
The Vault Edition includes:
– Cross Gen Bundle of Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6
— Includes Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game
– Hunters vs. Hunted Operator Pack
— 4 Operator Skins: Adler, Park, Brutus and Klaus
– Mastercraft Collection
— 5 Mastercraft Weapons
– BlackCell (1 Season)***
— Includes: Battle Pass, 20 Tier Skips, 1,100 CP and more
– GobbleGum Pack for Zombies
— 12 GobbleGums of high rarities
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6.
Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.
The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.
In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.
Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
*Actual launch date(s) and platform availability of MP Beta subject to change. See www.callofduty.com/beta for more details. Minimum Open Beta duration is 2 days. Limited time only. Internet connection required. Game Pass Core subscription may be required for MP Beta.
**Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III or Call of Duty®: Warzone on Xbox One / Xbox Series X|S required to redeem. Sold / downloaded separately. Must be redeemed by October 25th, 2025.
***Battle Pass, BlackCell an Tier Skips will be accessible in Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6 once the Season 1 Battle Pass is made available in game. Battle Pass / BlackCell redemption applies to one Season of Black Ops 6 Battle Pass only.
Activision may modify or discontinue online service in the future, which may impact the continued availability of online gameplay. Online services may be discontinued due to factors including number of players.
Additional storage space may be required for mandatory game updates.
For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com.
Ready your gear, check your ammo count and prepare to head Into The Radius on PlayStation VR2 on September 19. We at CM Games are immensely proud to be bringing our hit VR survival shooter to the PlayStation platform for the first time ever.
We believe VR is a powerful medium that allows you to immerse yourself further into the gaming experience. And, like many of you, we want deep experiences with rich gameplay, intense action, and smart interactions that get the best out of VR. Our goal with Into The Radius was to deliver exactly that kind of experience.
But, wait, what is Into The Radius? We’re glad you asked!
An intense survival FPS, built for VR
Into The Radius is a grueling, hardcore VR survival shooter set in a mysterious, supernatural wasteland known as the Pechorsk Anomaly. This desolate, surreal landscape is filled with mysterious and deadly anomalies. To explore its mysteries and return home with loot, players must carefully manage their inventory, and use their tactical skill and situational awareness to overcome, outsmart or outrun various dangers in the Radius.
Besides using a variety of weapons with realistic handling, different ammo, attachments and upgrades, you need to clean and maintain firearms in order to ensure they work well in the field. Neglect this maintenance and you’ll be putting yourself at risk, so make sure to check in on their status between missions.
Physical interactions with items are also core to the Into The Radius experience. We’ve gone to great lengths to make players feel like they’re really stepping into the harrowing world we’ve created. You’ll interact with a paper map and compass, audio cassettes and food as if you were really using them in the physical world. Never has survival gameplay felt so real!
New features for PS VR2
The PS VR2 version of the game will feature the entire original experience with 20+ hours of gameplay, but we’re also working hard to make sure this edition really reaches its full potential. That means a smooth, native 90FPS experience that uses the power of the PS5 console, combined with eye-tracked foveated rendering, to get the best balance of performance and visual fidelity.
It also means we’re utilizing many of the great features unique to PS VR2. Squeeze the adaptive triggers on the Sense controllers for dynamic feedback when firing weapons, and feel the impact of enemy attacks with headset haptics. These are features never before seen in our game, and we’re really excited to see how players react to the added immersion they provide.
You can also immerse yourself deeper into the world of Into The Radius with mesmerizing 3D Audio that truly roots you in wasteland. Never before has the Pechorsk Anomaly sounded so eerily convincing!
Arriving on PlayStation for the first time
When all combined together, these features make for one of our favorite versions of our game, and a powerfully immersive way to explore the wasteland. In fact, it’s been a dream of ours to bring Into The Radius to PlayStation for many years, having worked on the project for over five years now!
We’re confident that we’ve taken our time and done this version justice. For those of you that have been following our progress, rest assured it’ll be worth the wait!
There’s more to share about this version of the game but, rest assured, you’re not going to have to wait too long. Into The Radius reaches PS VR2 on September 19, and you can pre-order now to save 10% on the full price ahead of launch. We’ll see you in the wasteland!
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is set to release for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on October 31. The fourth mainline game in the series — after a decade-long hiatus — Veilguard brings us back to the fantasy world of Thedas, where the evil forces once again rear their ugly heads. You can preorder the game now in a variety of editions. Let’s dive in and see what comes in each one.
If all you want is the game itself, the standard edition is the one to get. Note that the PC version is $10 cheaper than the console version, and that it’s Steam Deck verified. Very exciting.
The Rooks Coffer edition comes with the deluxe edition of the game, plus the following items:
Rook’s Card Deck
Glass Potion Flask
Companion Litho Print
Light-Up Lyrium Dagger
Enchanted Die
Cloth Map and Quiver Tube
Thank-You Letter
Note: If you want to buy the game elsewhere, but you still want the physical goodies that come in this edition, you can buy a “game-less” version from the BioWare Gear Store.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Preorder Bonus
Preorder the game, and you’ll receive the following in-game items:
Blood Dragon Cosmetic Armor
What Is Dragon Age: The Veilguard?
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the fourth game in the series, following Dragon Age Origins, Dragon Age II, and Dragon Age Inquisition. It’s been 10 years since the previous game, so fans have been waiting awhile for this installment. Like the previous games, it’s set in the fantasy world of Thedas, where you’ll create a character and lead a team of heroes against evil forces.
The Veilguard is noticeably more colorful than previous entries, which leaned toward the brown and gray end of the spectrum. Characters have a stylized, almost cartoonish, look to them — a change that’s been somewhat controversial among the fan base. However, combat has gotten an overhaul, to the extent that the developers say it’s “actually fun” now. You control a party of three (instead of four, like in previous games), and the combat is much more action-oriented.
In case you’re worried about a lack of story, you can allay your fears: the script for Dragon Age: The Veilguard has roughly 140,000 lines of dialogue. That’s quite a bit more than Dragon Age Inquisition’s already-considerable 88,000 lines — though not as many as Baldur’s Gate 3 or Starfield.
There will be plenty of customization options, including various difficulty settings, as well as the ability to turn off death entirely. Veilguard will also let you romance any of the party members, and it features full nudity, if that’s of interest. Of note for Steam players, you won’t need the EA app as a launcher to play the game, which is always nice. Check out our first Dragon Age: The Veilguard preview for more details.
Other Preorder Guides
Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Threads.
If you relished the splashier gunfights of Cyberpunk 2077, like the sound of Doom meets Blade Runner, or wish you could jam your nose right into the neon trenches of Ruiner, you will likely enjoy the announcement trailer for Defect. It’s a new “cyberpunk, squad-based, Immersive Objective Shooter” from emptyvessel, a team of erstwhile id Software, Call Of Duty and Naughty Dog folks.
With Alien: Romulus releasing this weekend (you can check out our 8/10 review of Alien: Romulus here), there’s no better time to jump into the spectacularly spooky atmosphere of Alien: Isolation. If you’ve been wanting to play it for your first time, or even go through it again on another platform, you can score Alien: Isolation: The Collection on PC for just $8.99 right now at Fanatical. That’s a whopping 82% off its MSRP of$49.99, which is totally worth taking advantage of!
Alongside the main game, Alien: Isolation: The Collection also comes with all seven DLCs. That’s a remarkable amount of content for under $10, and truly worth every penny if you love a good survival horror, in my opinion. Check it out at the link below.
Alien: Isolation: The Collection is 82% Off at Fanatical
These deals just scratch the surface of what’s available, though. To see even more offers for each platform, have a look at our roundups of the best PlayStation deals, the best Xbox deals, and the best Nintendo Switch deals. Alongside game deals, you can see even more discounts on hardware and accessories. Or, if you’d rather have an overall look at the best deals available in general right now, check out our roundup of the best video game deals. This also includes some of the best PC deals at the moment, so it’s worth a look!
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.
In the grim heatwave of the midsummer, everyone you know would love to come hunch over a table and roll dice for six hours, actually, but they’ve got that thing on. You remember that thing, right? Plus, no-one’s got a big enough table. Or the new errata. Also, Trevor’s been banging on about lady Custodes for five months straight and nobody wants to be around him right now. Thank the Omni-trevor, then, for the three-player co-op of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. “Warhammer with the boys?” said Horace as he stretchily dished out preview keys from an entirely different postcode. James, Edwin and Nic were initially all booked-up for the week, but Horace repeated himself, making it absolutely clear that it wasn’t a question.
Earlier this week there was some minor Discourse about the removal of the Erotica photography tag from the Dead Rising remaster. Some readers characterised this as a familiar species of cultural hypocrisy regarding video games – emphasising violence is A-OK, but for the love of god, don’t mention sex. Good news, those people: Dread XP’s latest horror signing The Lacerator has both. It casts you as hirsute 1980s porn star Max – surname not given in press release, but presumably something like Jackin’ or Girth – who has been abducted by a large scary individual called the Lacerator.
Devolver Digital and All Possible Futures have finally shared the release date for the fabulous-looking The Plucky Squire — 17th September 2024 (thanks Wario64!)
The adorable release date trailer showcases the beautiful storybook adventure’s 2D visuals including main character Jot actually putting together the game’s release date. How cute!
and Call of Duty®: Warzone
