Category: Video Games

Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions reveals Triwizard school pitches

Calling all students of Beauxbatons, Hogwarts and Durmstrang! We are excited to reveal the Triwizard Quidditch Cup in Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions.


Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions reveals Triwizard school pitches

Featuring the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and Durmstrang Institute for Magical Learning, the Triwizard Quidditch Cup will be included in the game’s Career mode. This tournament marks the first adaptation of the iconic international schools from the wizarding world. We could not be more excited to show off this exclusive look at the pitches and give some insight into what players can expect to see when the game launches digitally September 3 on PS5 and PS4.  Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions will be available at no extra charge for all PlayStation Plus members as a Monthly Game from Sept 3 to Sept 30!

We knew from the beginning that we wanted to leverage the fact that Quidditch Champions is not limited to Hogwarts, or locations we have seen in the films. Quidditch is an international sport enjoyed by witches and wizards worldwide, and it is natural for students of every wizarding school to play the sport in their own unique way.

While progressing through the game’s Career mode, players eventually reach the Triwizard Quidditch Cup where they select one of the three international schools to represent in the cup. Players may choose to represent Hogwarts, where they line up next to the school’s very best such as Cedric Diggory, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. When competing against Beauxbatons, players may find themselves in a high-speed chase for the Golden Snitch next to Fleur Delacour. While in a high intensity match against Durmstrang, players should be sure to watch out for Viktor Krum, who was skilled enough to play as a Seeker for the Bulgarian National team at 19 – in the World Cup Finals no less. 

Of course, a large part of the inspiration came directly from the Goblet of Fire film, which gives us the only visual glimpse into the students and cultures of two of the greatest magical schools in Europe. It left us wondering, how would students from these schools approach Quidditch? We imagined Beauxbatons students on finely crafted brooms, flying with perfect form and showmanship over a beautifully manicured pitch, and the students of Durmstrang running drills on sturdy brooms in harsh conditions. 

Beauxbatons Academy of Magic sits among the Pyrenees mountains in the south of France. The descriptions of the ice sculptures and fountains in the school bring to mind Baroque architecture and gardens. The grass is perfectly manicured, surrounded by reflecting pools, and the audience views the sport from elaborate and ornate stands. 

By contrast, Durmstrang Institute is located in the far northern reaches of Europe. Contrasting the scenic daytime weather of Beauxbatons, we set Durmstrang’s pitch at night, under the light of aurora borealis. Viking-inspired architecture can be seen surrounding the pitch, with minimal flames to preserve the secrecy of the school. The pitch itself is a way off from the school for the same reason, and the iconic ship the students use to travel is docked beside the pitch, which is surrounded by water. The surface of the pitch is frozen-over black stone, ensuring that athletes who fall off their broom learn from every mistake.

We can’t wait for players to experience the Triwizard Quidditch Cup in Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions when it launches September 3 on PS5 and PS4.

Vampire Survivors Comes to PlayStation This Month

Indie sensation Vampire Survivors is finally coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on August 29, 2024.

Developer Poncle announced the release date in an admittedly ridiculous trailer, below, promising 500,000 texture mapped garlic balls and at least 13.5 hours of gameplay, all for the price of a peri peri chicken wrap.

Vampire Survivors is a fast paced and over the top gothic horror game with rogue-lite elements, where your choices can allow you to quickly snowball against the hundreds of monsters that get thrown at you.

It became one of the biggest surprise hits of the last few years as what launched as a humble indie game on Steam blew up in popularity and snowballed itself.

Poncle soon added layers of new content to the game and the core experience now offers 50 playable characters and 80 weapons to play with. That’s before the two major expansions too.

In our 8/10 review, IGN said: “Need a game to play while listening to podcasts? This is it. Vampire Survivors is outwardly simple but turns out to be an incredibly deep hole to fall down — though it’s not without extended dull periods when you get ahead of its curve.”

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

The Rally Point: Messy urban wargame Khaligrad is this year’s low-intensity strategy game for when it’s blisteringly hot out

I was partial to a scrappy little strategy game even before idiot billionaires doomed the planet, and the UK to brain-steaming heat just when you thought we’d escape it this year. Khaligrad is plenty scrappy. Its edges are rough and you have to figure it out yourself, but it’s more intuitive than it appears, and easy to operate once you discern some basics. It’s scrappy too in that it’s, well. It’s Stalingrad. Not really: its world is so fictional it’s their 15th century. But the invaders are explicitly fascists and the defenders communists embroiled in a long and brutal semi-guerrilla city war with World War 2 technology. Thankfully, it’s stripped of any actual fashy or genocidal play-acting beyond each side doing “hail the empire/union” bits as a sign off.

I think that’s why, despite its brutal and difficult setting, it’s this year’s entry in the long tradition of Low-Intensity Strategy Games For When Hot Why Hot Please Stop You Cannot See My Begging Tears For They Evaporate.

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College Football 25’s First Major Update Adds Expanded Playbook Options, New Uniform Pieces, and More

Nearly a month ago, the long-awaited return to College Football video games arrived on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. And today, EA Sports has announced the first major update for College Football 25, which introduces new playbook options, new uniform pieces, tweaks to gameplay, addresses various bug fixes in game modes like Road to Glory, and more.

In a new Campus Huddle blog post, EA Sports revealed a slew of new changes as part of College Football 25’s Title Update 2. The most notable ones include expanded playbook options and new uniform pieces. Regarding new playbook options, the new update adds 8 new shotgun formations to 35 teams, providing more variation in offensive strategies to the applicable terms. This update’s specific formations include Bunch Quads Open and Slot F Wing.

Regarding the new uniforms, EA Sports revealed that new uniform pieces are introduced in College Football 25. According to the blog post, the following teams have received new uniform pieces: Baylor Oregon, Iowa State, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Bowling Green, Northwestern, UTEP, Boise State, New Mexico State, App State, Texas State, Louisiana, New Mexico, and South Alabama. Some schools, like TCU and Missouri, also received adjusted uniform pieces to reflect the upcoming season.

College Football 25’s Title Update 2 also introduces tweaks to gameplay. Some notable adjustments include adjusting the O-Line behavior, resulting in fewer ineligible receiver downfield penalties when players executed an RPO-style play, specifically when players opted to pass instead of running the ball.

Changes to specific game modes, most notably Dynasty and Road to Glory. The most notable one for the former includes addressing an issue where players could not have more than 20 created coaches at one time during an online Dynasty League. The most notable change for the latter includes an additional undisclosed scenario and new NIL content, alongside fixing an issue that caused some players’ games to crash when quitting a Position Battle.

The full patch notes will be provided below.

College Football 25 has been a massive success for EA. While the publisher has disclosed no firm sales numbers, the publicly available data revealed that 2.2 million people were willing to spend $100 to pre-order the Deluxe version, which granted buyers access to College Football 25 a couple of days early.

In our review of College Football 25, IGN wrote: “College Football 25 nails the on-field action with a dynamic feel, stellar graphics, and tons of smart gameplay tweaks. However, so much of what’s off the field feels unfinished, with UI issues and barebones modes that seem like they are waiting for a rebuild next season.”

College Football 25 Title Update 2 Patch Notes

  • Gameplay
    • Included 8 new shotgun formations to a total of 35 teams: Bunch Quads Open (Known as Diamond Quads; added to teams including Texas Tech, Western Michigan), Deuce Twins Over (Buffalo, Toledo), Slot F Wing (NC State, Liberty), Split Pro Far (NC State, Liberty), Split Pro Near (NC State), Tight Y Off Flex (Florida), Wing HB Wk Close (Indiana, Minnesota), Wing Slot Over (Texas A&M, Kansas State)
    • Tuning and logic enhancements to pursuit angles.
    • Introduced new behavior that further differentiates players with high pursuit ratings vs lower pursuit ratings.
      • Dev Note: We will monitor feedback on how this change impacts gameplay and based on results could make further adjustments in a future title update.
    • Reduced frequency of broken tackles from trailing defenders.
    • Fixed various instances of rare broken play bugs.
    • Fixed issue where certain formations had offensive players align too wide when on the near or far hash.
    • Fixed an issue where you could not use 4-2-5 or 3-3-5 formations in a custom playbook.
    • Fixed an issue where singleback formations would be assigned the wrong name when creating a custom playbook.
    • Fixed an issue where Spiking the Ball in online modes was not working as part of the Turbo Tempo system.
    • Fixed an issue so a Speed Option Running Back will follow the QB longer.
    • Adjusted AI QB behavior on shot plays to make more lob throws vs bullet passes.
    • Adjusted AI QB behavior to be less aggressive based on awareness rating.
    • Adjusted AI offensive line behavior resulting in less illegal man downfield penalties during RPO style plays.
      • Dev Note: For best chances at success, make sure you press the icon of which receiver you want to throw to before the RB receives the ball.
    • Adjusted the DB’s ability to more effectively shed blocks on the perimeter.
    • Increased the speed penalty for running out of stamina during play.
    • QB scrambles behind the line of scrimmage will lose stamina at a faster rate.
    • Fixed an exploit where players would leave a QB contain player unblocked and run around them.
      • Dev Note: We will make further improvements to QB Contain in a future title update.
    • Increased the reward players receive for shading inside or outside correctly in Man Coverage vs passing routes.
    • Adjusted False Start chances when you make preplay adjustments late in the play clock.
    • Fixed an issue where run-fit defenders were not responding as effectively to Wildcat run plays.
    • Made an adjustment to the Wildcat Unbalanced Motion Zone play.
    • Reduced the effectiveness of multiple laterals in a single play.
    • Adjusted the thresholds required to receive the most effective Juke and Spin moves.
    • Adjusted press animations to be more of an effective counter to the Takeoff Ability.
    • Updated pass protection mechanic to only include the RB in the protection if they are already on a block or block and release assignment.
    • Abilities
      • Updated the coloring of Platinum tier Abilities to further distinct the look vs Silver Abilities.
      • Rebalanced the Gold and Platinum tiers of the Juke and Spin abilities like 360 and Side Step.
      • Rebalanced the Platinum tier of the extender ability which includes not firing on QB designed run plays.
      • Slightly rebalanced the effectiveness of the Gold and Platinum tiers of the Quick Jump Ability. Additionally we made adjustments to the tier levels found on the Texas Front 7.
  • Dynasty Mode
    • Fixed an issue where players were unable to have more than 20 created coaches at one time in an online Dynasty League.
    • Various fixes around score summaries and Box Scores.
    • Various fixes for News Stories.
    • Introduced a new Playoff Bracket Screen.
    • Updated Texas/Oklahoma Rivalry data.
    • Discovered that FCS SE, MW, and NW were secretly using professional players and passing them off as collegiate players. Gave them sanctions and ensured they are now using properly-rated players.
      • Dev Note: For this change to go into effect, you will need to create a new Dynasty.
    • Fixed an issue where Wear and Tear did not recover for FCS teams resulting in a high number of FCS team injuries during gameplay.
    • Reduced dynamic attendance penalties for playing FCS teams.
    • Increased dynamic attendance in rivalry games.
    • Retuned Toughest Places to Play formula to reduce the impact that large stadiums have on Toughest Places to Play and increase the value of filling the stadium and winning games at home historically.:
    • Reduced impact of raw crowd size.
    • Increased impact of historical win rate.
    • Increased impact of attendance rate.
    • Updated Right hand panel in Stadium Atmosphere Grade on My School screen to accurately reflect the Toughest Places to Play at all times.
    • Increased the accumulation of Pride stickers, particularly for defensive players and offensive linemen.
    • Reduced the Chance to Transfer Penalty for players rated below 90 OVR.
    • Updated Coach Talents on Wyoming Offensive Coordinator.
      • Dev Note: For this change to go into effect, you will need to create a new Dynasty.
    • Defensive Schemes and Playbooks for the following teams have been updated.
      • Dev Note: For this change to go into effect, you will need to create a new Dynasty.
        • USC
        • UCLA
        • Mississippi State
        • Texas Tech
        • UConn
        • Miami
        • Memphis
        • Nevada
        • North Carolina
        • Notre Dame
        • Oregon State
        • San Jose State
        • TCU
        • Texas A&M
        • Troy
      • UMass
    • Updating your coach’s playbook in the Schemes and Playbooks screen will now update your team’s scheme and should be reflected in Team Needs.
    • Fixed an issue where Offensive Linemen would appear in the Preseason Heisman Watch in future seasons.
    • Updated the Heisman Watch logic to reduce the value of receiving TDs.
    • Recruiting
      • Dev Note: Our primary goals for this update were to remove most of the recruiting strategies that were discovered during early access and to smooth out the pain points our players were reporting. Recruiting is a delicate balance as we want to try to make things as realistic as possible, while also allowing players to live out their football fantasies. With that in mind, we decided to introduce additional recruiting logic and balance changes:
  • Fixed an issue where teams were pursuing too many quarterbacks in High School Recruiting.
  • Reduced the number of unrecruited 4 and 5 stars early in the season.
  • Increased the number of players that the AI will pursue at one time.
    • Dev Note: The above changes strive to decrease the number of players that go unrecruited until late in the cycle, while also slightly reducing how aggressive the AI could be with those recruits once they start to recruit them. Our goal is to deliver a fun but balanced recruiting experience that feels rewarding to all players. We will monitor the impacts these changes have on the overall recruiting experience and continue to adjust as needed.
    • Visits
    • Fixed an issue where you could not schedule visits for recruits in certain situations.
    • Fixed an issue where a visit remained scheduled even if a recruit was removed from a board.
    • Fixed an issue where the allowed the number of visits scheduled for a week to exceed 4.
    • Tuned Visit Influence effects:
    • Removed initial influence when scheduling a visit.
    • Increased disparity between winning and losing a game during a visit.
    • Tuned the logic for game stakes to better account for ranked teams.
    • Increased the penalty for choosing a visit activity that the team does not have a high grade in or the player is not interested in.
    • SuperSim
    • Increased hand off rate for simulated RPOs to increase the number of running plays across the country, especially for teams with a lot of RPOs in their playbook.
    • Various tuning fixes to increase the gap between good and bad teams/players.
      • Dev Note: We are going to continue to monitor the simulation results to ensure that teams and players are performing within expected ranges, including reducing frequency of upsets, based on Pre-Season Projections and expected win totals.
    • Polls
    • Increased the loss penalty for schools with more than 1 loss.
    • Increased the weighing of Conference Prestige in the poll calculation.
    • Reduced variance in CFP poll logic vs Media/Coaches
      • Dev Note: As with the other systems mentioned above, we will continue to monitor the Polls system to ensure that it strikes a balance between realism and reward for player success.
    • Custom Conferences/Custom Schedules
      • Dev Note: We will continue to monitor feedback about Custom Conferences and Scheduling. Based on this feedback we plan to continue making adjustments in future title updates.
    • Fixed an issue in Conference Rules where Divisions were changed to off, even if those Divisions were previously turned on.
    • Fixed an issue where the Independents Tab disappeared when removing all teams from Independents
      • Dev Note: This also fixes issues with tabs to the right of Independents having incorrect or missing data.
    • Addressed UI issues around the Conference Title game for the CUSA and PAC-12
    • Addressed UI issues around Dynasty Team Select UI appropriately respecting Custom Conference moves
    • Updated text in the Team Header on the Custom Schedules Screen
  • Road to Glory
    • Added an additional scenario and NIL content.
    • Fixed rare issues where you’d get a scenario reward screen that did not align with your received bonuses.
    • Fixed an issue where users were getting Skill Points maxed out after completing a practice.
    • Fixed a crash when quitting a Position Battle.
    • Reworked Wear and Tear UI to show position-appropriate ratings-impacts.
    • Fixed an issue where you cannot equip a Mental Ability during the RTG Player creation flow if you enter a settings menu during creation.
    • Fixed an issue where Meter Mental Progress is not tracked during Bye Weeks.
    • Fixed an issue where it is impossible to lose Coach Trust once you reach max Coach Trust.
    • Fixed a UI issue related to the display of Coach Trust when a user is close to max Coach Trust.
    • Fixed an issue where you cannot Upgrade your player during Bye Weeks.
    • Fixed a UI issue related to the display of Weekly Energy in the Meters Screen.
    • Fixed issues with Mental Goals not tracking correctly or reaching Platinum correctly.
    • Fixed UI issues around Text Messages.
    • Fixed an issue where backing out of the Team Selection step in RTG Creation can soft lock the mode.
    • Fixed an issue where a player can continue to work on Academics after graduating early.
  • College Football Ultimate Team
    • Generating ‘Best Lineup’ no longer changes your equipped visuals and playbook.
    • Player Portraits will no longer appear on non-player items after filtering or sorting.
    • Fixed a crash that occurred during kicking off at halftime when playing Champs.
    • Attributes on the front of Player Items should update correctly after a Player Item has been upgraded.
    • Fixed an issue that was occurring when highlighting the Rename Team tile on the UT Hub.
    • Fixed an issue with Squads 3v3 that prevented 2 users from being able to connect to the game.
    • Fixed an issue with the Orientation Pack that was preventing new users from being able to upgrade their lineup and progress through the Orientation Field Pass.
    • Fixed an issue on the Player Profile Screen that prevented users from being able to transition within the Profile selections.
    • Removed the Green Gavel icon that appeared on owned items placed on the Auction House.
    • Fixed a crash with House Rules: Touchdown Tango that triggered when the play clock reached 0.
    • Player Items displayed on the New Items Screen no longer appear transparent when not highlighted.
    • When viewing Challenge Details the yardage marker is now displayed within the Conditions.
    • On the Lineup Screen names of players in backup slots contributing to Chemistry should change in scale when highlighting a Chemistry boost.
    • Improved UI around Attributes that are receiving chemistry boosts when viewing the Attributes tab of the Item Detail screen.
    • Fixed issue that was causing long load transitions on the New Item Screen during the First Time User Experience.
    • The Difficulty star for Challenges now displays correctly when scrolling down the Play Co-op List.
    • Fixed an issue that was causing users to error out to the Main Hub when trying to access the Auction House.
    • Conference Filters in the Auction House now work correctly.
    • Fixed stability issues for users entering Ultimate Team for the first time.
  • Presentation
    • Added new uniform pieces for Baylor, Oregon, Iowa State, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Bowling Green, Northwestern, UTEP, Boise State, New Mexico State, App State, Texas State, Louisiana, New Mexico, and South Alabama.
    • Adjusted uniform pieces for 2024 season: TCU, Arkansas, Missouri, Baylor
    • Various improvements made to teams’ uniform pieces for authenticity
    • Updates have been made to the following stadiums:
      • Holiday Bowl
      • Texas State
      • Kansas
      • Kennesaw State
      • Oklahoma State
      • Wake Forest
      • UL-Monroe
      • Nebraska
    • Fixed an Issue where the USC Mascot would disappear during the opening ceremony.
    • Fixed an Issue where the incorrect mascot would appear during different situations.
    • Restored opening chants for Penn State, FSU, and Tennessee on Xbox Series S.
  • Road to the College Football Playoff
    • Tier Rebalancing and Reconstruction changing the format from 3 tiers to 5 tiers.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Nintendo Download: 8th August (North America)

SteamWorld Heist II! Cat Quest III! Natsu-Mon!

The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it’s bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy!

Switch eShop – Highlights

SteamWorld Heist II (Thunderful, 8th Aug, $29.99) – Get ready for an epic adventure on the high seas in this sequel to the critically-acclaimed SteamWorld Heist game! All is not well on the waves of the Great Sea – the waters are turning corrosive and eating away at the metal bodies of its robotic denizens. As the captain of a rag-tag crew of Steambots, you’ll lead the way through intense turn-based gunfights, where bullets can ricochet with deadly precision. This time around, there’s a world-map to explore, but be careful – there are no turns to take on the Great Sea, so you’ll have to engage in real-time naval combat against enemy vessels. Also new for this sequel is a job system with in-depth character customization options. With more than 150 weapons, utility items and ship equipment pieces, you can strategically craft your crew to best fit the mission at hand.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Isekai Chronicles: city-building gameplay details

Relive the original storyline and spin up a new tale of the Jura Tempest Federation in the first action-RPG based on the popular animated series. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Isekai Chronicles is available today on PS5 and PS4!


That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Isekai Chronicles: city-building gameplay details

The game has a plethora of elements offering a unique experience for fans and newcomers alike, such as thrilling battles and new storylines directed from the series’ original author. We’re excited to share an in-depth look into the city building features that give you the ability to grow your community from a small village to a great nation.

Create your own Jura Tempest Federation

To quickly recap the series, the Jura Tempest Federation was founded by Rimuru Tempest and was originally a small goblin village before expanding into a great nation that many species called home. In this game, you will be able to create your own Jura Tempest Federation alongside a lively cast of characters.

As you progress through the main storyline and recruit new allies, you can unlock a variety of buildings that can be placed in your own community. There are also unique buildings inspired by Rimuru’s memory from the world before his reincarnation (into a Slime!) that you can choose from as you plan out your city’s development.

Choose from a variety of building types

As you expand your Jura Tempest Federation, take advantage of Tempest Resonance which gives different facility effects that boost character stats for you and your allies as you construct various types of buildings. Facility effects range from increased attack power, reinforced defensive stats, enhanced luck rates, and more. While there’s a variety of buildings to choose from, here are a couple of options that may help you in your adventures.

The Kaijin Weapon Shop and other Kaijin-affiliated buildings like the Weapon Stand and Weaponry all provide an increased ATK boost for you and your allies, giving you the extra strength needed to finish off challenging foes in your next battle.

The Hot Springs enhances the Luck for one character randomly between you and your allies, determined by different conversation patterns within the Hot Springs. Improving your Luck rate will increase your chances to obtain more luxurious items from treasure chests during exploration. Also, who wouldn’t want Hot Springs in their own city if they had the chance?

Gain helpful resources for your journey

Along with facility effects that boost character stats, some buildings provide an additional benefit of producing goods and materials that can be sold, allowing you to earn more gold to construct other buildings.

The bee farm, also known as the Royal Apiary, not only provides a facility effect that boosts Luck rate, but also regularly produces honey which can be collected and sold for gold.

Similarly, there are farms and ranches that produce wheat and beef worth selling for gold to help fund your construction plans for the next building.

Forge your city with a playful spirit

You can’t have a great nation without having some fun! Add unique locations like Veldora’s park to your Jura Tempest Federation which has an amusement park look to it along with other locations such as the Game Pavilion and Rimu Burger for residents to enjoy. Don’t worry, these buildings aren’t just for show, they also provide Luck boosts to your character and allies for a higher chance at luxury treasure chest items in your next exploration.

As you progress further into the story and develop your city, there are several sub-quests that reward you for constructing specific buildings. In the Cinema sub-quest, Gabiru and his team need your help to build the nation’s first cinema – build the Tempest Cinema and receive a generous reward of level experience and gold!

Are you ready to start building your own Jura Tempest Federation?

Enjoy the reincarnated life of an all-powerful Slime as you expand your Jura Tempest Federation and work together with allies to make the nation a better place for all its residents. Start building your own nation today in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Isekai Chronicles on PS5 and PS4.

Super Mario Party Jamboree Is Up for Preorder

A new entry in the Mario Party series is heading our way. Super Mario Party Jamboree is set to release exclusively for Nintendo Switch on October 17. It comes with over 110 minigames and supports up to 20 players in online competitions. Better yet, it includes a free three-month membership to Nintendo Switch Online (individual membership). It’s available to preorder now from a variety of retailers (see it at Best Buy). Read on for the details.

Preorder Super Mario Party Jamboree

No special editions have been announced, so the standard one is all you can get. If you’re holding off to preorder from Amazon, you might not want to do that. Recently, physical copies of Switch games have been appearing on Amazon at launch rather than becoming available to preorder beforehand.

Super Mario Party Jamboree Bonus

Preordering (or buying) Super Mario Party Jamboree gets you a free 3-month individual membership to Nintendo Switch Online. An NSO account is required to play the 20-player online Koopathlon mode, which should be pretty cool. It also gets you access to cloud saves, a bunch of NES and SNES games, and more.

What is Super Mario Party Jamboree?

The Super Mario Party series dates all the way back to 1998, in the halcyon days of the Nintendo 64 era. The series has come a long way since then, so long (and with so many entries) that they stopped numbering the new installments after the 10 one, which came out on the Wii U. And that’s just the console entries — there were even more on Nintendo’s handhelds throughout the years.

Jamboree is the third Mario Party game on the Switch, and it’s the biggest one yet. Announced during the June 2024 Nintendo Direct, it takes place on an island resort. It has seven boards, including new ones like a racetrack-themed one called Roll ‘em Raceway and a shopping mall one called Rainbow Galleria. It also has a few favorite boards from previous games. With over 110 minigames, it’s the biggest Mario Party game yet. It has a number of play modes, including a 20-player online Koopathlon, which has you duke it out for a high score against more players than ever before in the series.

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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.

WolfEye’s new first-person RPG is “an evolution” of Prey and Dishonored featuring mechs, magnets and a continuous world

WolfEye’s debut game Weird West attempted to pack a little of Dishonored‘s immersive sim sorcery into a top-down action-RPG. For the studio’s next game, co-founders Raphaël Colantonio and Julien Roby are leaning into comparisons with their old endeavours at Arkane more earnestly. The new game – currently untitled and without a release date – is a first-person sci-fi RPG set in an alternate-1900s North America, which ostensibly combines the ingenuity and gadgetry of Dishonored and Prey with a “real RPG” experience redolent of Skyrim and modern-day Fallout.

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Sliding Hero turns a contentious puzzle type into an otherworldly jaunt through a cursed Venetian carnival

I’d initially assumed that puzzle game Sliding Hero counts was a Sokoban-like, until I realised that it’s actually you, not endless boxes, that do the sliding here. Still, I wasn’t entirely convinced. The only thing that’s fun to slide back-and-forth indefinitely is a lounging cat on a smooth kitchen worktop. Still, after messing around with Sliding Hero’s Steam demo, I think this one might have much longer legs than its restrictive-sounding concept suggests. All the better to endlessly slide with.

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