Here I am, once again, The Gears Of War-liker. I’m back, specifically because vidbud Liam and I played some Gears Of War 5 co-op campaign the other night, a rare occasion where we hadn’t played a game for work but for just like… fun? Anyway, through all the roadie-running and chainsaw-gun-toting, I kept thinking, “I haven’t played a video game that feels so much like a video game in ages, I miss it”.
Mech Punk is taking the piss, and I like it. Deliberately opaque games are one thing. Artsy games making a point (that seldom grab me, I shouldn’t admit) are another. But Mech Punk is something else altogether, and an incredibly rare game that actually earns the “punk” in its title.
Does that mean it’s good? Well, umm. Yes, it’s good at what I think it sets out to do. Being an irreverent mess is a valid artistic approach, but still means your game is exactly that. It’s not a good game in the traditional sense, though. Do I recommend you buy it? If you can spare £20 to pat an artist on the back, maybe. What kind of artist? Put it this way: on release, its developer changed all their Steam page credits to “Alan Smithee”. I don’t think they’re disowning it.
Nintendo has no plans to cut the price of its Switch console until April 2024 at the earliest, according to company president Shuntaro Furukawa.
“Currently, there are no plans to reduce the price of our hardware during this fiscal year,” he said during a Q&A session with investors following the release of the entertainment giant’s most recent earnings report.
“On the other hand, while we also have no plans to raise prices, the yen continues to be weak, and procurement costs remain high, so we will continue to monitor the situation carefully.”
The Nintendo boss acknowledged that the prices of certain production materials had fallen, but that it would take time for this to be reflected in manufacturing costs, and that the overall costs of manufacturing the Switch “remain high”.
The recent financial report saw Switch sales fall for the second year in a row, however, with a further 15% year on year reduction in sales forecast for the coming financial year. Furukawa noted some upward swings coming too though, such as the success of the Super Mario Bros. movie and today’s highly anticipated launch of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
“In the history of our dedicated video game platform business, we have never anticipated sales of 15 million units of hardware and 180 million units of software in the seventh year for a system, so we see ourselves as having entered uncharted territory,” continued Furukawa.
The Nintendo president also re-iterated that the prices of future first party Switch games would be decided on a case-by-case basis, and that the $10 price increase of Tears of the Kingdom over its predecessor Breath of the Wild didn’t indicate a general increase in the price of software.
During the accompanying investor presentation, Furukawa also revealed that Nintendo wasn’t considering new hardware in the form of a successor to the Switch until April 2024 at the earliest. In the mean time be sure to check out IGN’s list of the best deals out there for the Nintendo Switch for May 2023.
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer
When Google announced they were shutting down their streaming service Stadia, a bunch of exclusive games began to jump ship to other platforms. Tequila Works – the studio behind Rime and The Sexy Brutale – have now announced that their Stadia-exclusive adventure Gylt is heading to Steam and consoles on July 6th, 2023.
Zooming for Zelda.
The release of a new Zelda game means that we are going to be hearing about a whole lot of speedruns over the coming days/weeks/months and today’s Tears of the Kingdom launch is no exception. Yes, somebody has already managed to beat the game in an eye-watering 94 minutes (thanks, VGC).
On the day of the game’s launch, Zelda speedrunner @MrGymnast86 posted his best time on Twitter, with an any% speedrun of a little over an hour and a half. His tweet was accompanied by a video of the run in question, which we are obviously not going to add to this article on account of it showing huge portions of the game which most of us and you haven’t even had the chance to play yet.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!
Kargast is a dark narrative exploration game with light RPG elements and branching endings. It tells a surreal and semi-satirical story of an unwell child on the brink of death and his adventures through his surreal, cryptic surroundings.
Behind every brilliant invention hides an incredible story. Guide a troop of tin soldiers through a magical toy-filled world in this immersive puzzle adventure game from members of the team that brought you Fable.
Warlander – May 16
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Sharpen your blades and ready your warhammers. Join an army of up to 100 players and battle each other in action-packed, player vs. player skirmishes and epic castle sieges with the ultimate goal of breaking into the enemy’s stronghold, destroying their core, and claiming victory for you and your allies.
In this 3D platformer game where you play as a mouse living in a big house, try to collect the stars placed at certain points in the rooms of the house and overcome the challenging platforms.
In an unnamed city, deep in the urban sprawl, lies a darkened building of brick and concrete filled with boxes, documents, appliances, and enigmatic workers. No one seems to question the mysterious, haunting atmosphere of the complex. In this first-person adventure game, take on the role of a worker who receives a phone call and a request for help.
Neo Seoul has been hit with a wave of terrorist and crime attacks and only a few good officers remain willing to battle this new evil. Discover the dark secrets of Neo Seoul as you fight your way to uncover the truth as you battle your way to unmask the evil syndicate crime lord himself in this ‘90s style arcade fighter.
World Championship Boxing Manager 2 – May 17
An official sequel to 1991’s World Championship Boxing Manager, this iteration captures the essence of the original and expands upon it. Offering updated visuals, deeper gameplay, and new characters that extend the World Championship Boxing Manager franchise for grizzled veterans and lightweight fans.
Prepare for terror in this ground-breaking classic old-school FPS. Following the destruction of Time, you are left to battle in this horrific hellhole of multilevel interconnected missions populated by gruesome, grotesque creatures.
Infini – May 18
Smart Delivery
Exercise your mind on a psychedelic journey filled with puzzles and meaningful encounters with time, Poetry, Memory, Technology, War, and Fatality. Solve brain-busting puzzles with thought and skill. Manipulate the camera to change the perspective and what you can see and discover new mazes and abilities. Nothing is what it seems in this truly unique, mind-bending experience.
A dark and violent meld of retro and modern action games, inspired by the classic 2.5D first-person shooters of the ‘90s, with elements of modern looter shooters and roguelites featuring tons of enemies crammed in open-ended levels full of surprises, blood, and treasure.
No One Lives Under the Lighthouse – May 18
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
You’re alone on this rock, just a lighthouse and the seagulls to keep you company. Nothing else… at least you’re pretty sure that’s it… The previous lighthouse keeper has gone missing without a trace and you are the newest keeper tasked with keeping the lighthouse on every night. Keep your sanity from slipping on this desolate rock in the middle of the ocean, and don’t give in to hallucinations.
Welcome to the Void Realm, a place where danger lurks around every corner. From the creators of Red Ronin comes a new challenge that will test your strategic skills and tactical prowess. Undergrave is a thrilling rogue-like adventure that promises a new experience with every try.
Cyber Citizen Shockman – May 19
Everything was going great for Tasuke and Kyapiko until one fateful day when they woke up as the cybernetically enhanced Shockman! Thanks to the genius of the Doc, they have been given the opportunity to become cyborgs and heroes of justice tasked with taking down the Evil Group which had been terrorizing the town.
Play as a kitty who is searching for the soul of Planet-42 to save the Earth. The game includes six large biomes to explore, seven types of weapons, and numerous quests. Fight unique enemies, solve captivating puzzles, and explore interesting levels to achieve your goal.
LEGO 2K Drive – May 19
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Welcome to Bricklandia, home of a massive open-world LEGO driving adventure. Race anywhere, play with anyone, build your dream rides, and defeat a cast of wild racing rivals for the coveted Sky Trophy! In LEGO 2K Drive, your awesome transforming vehicle gives you the freedom to speed seamlessly across riveting racetracks, off-road terrain, and open waters. Explore the vast world of Bricklandia, show off your driving skills, and build vehicles brick-by-brick!
MLB The Show 23’s Season 2 Rewards Program drops today*, bringing an amazing array of new content including, but definitely not limited to, the Kaiju Series.
Inspired by the Kaiju, or “Strange Beast,” film genre, the Kaiju Series features some of the most devastatingly effective MLB Legends and Superstars of the past and present, such as Monte Irvin, John Franco, and Corey Kluber.
The Kaiju Series Program, available in Other Programs, is the perfect way to kick off your Season 2 Rewards Program and begin adding Kaiju Series players to your Diamond Dynasty squad.
Play brand-new Moments and complete Missions spotlighting Kaiju Series Program players including Hunter Renfroe, Brandonw Lowe, Stephen Strasburg and Billy Williams.
Not only will completing each of these tasks provide you progress in the Kaiju Other Program, but they’ll also give you ample opportunity to earn XP towards the Season 2 XP Rewards Path.
Along with the monstrous amount of Kaiju content to play and rewards to earn, you can also find all-new Kaiju props in the Stadium Creator on current-gen consoles, including PlayStation 5. Create your stadium with imposing Kaiju looming directly behind the outfield walls. Combine these new Kaiju props with existing props such as the t-Rex, boats, or the UFO Mothership, among others, to create the ultimate Kaiju-inspired setting for your games to take place in.
All of this Kaiju content, while undeniably cool, is just the tip of the iceberg for the new content available in Season 2 of Diamond Dynasty mode.
Play new content in Team Affinity 2 Programs with rewards for all 30 MLB clubs, new Mini Seasons challenges, earn rewards with your friends in the new Ranked Program and climb the leaderboards in co-op mode, complete new Collections for 99 overall bosses, as well as the mysterious Incognito Series that will all be headed your way in Season 2.
So, what are you waiting for? Now is the time to get in on the action in MLB The Show 23. See you on the field.
*Internet connection required for Season 2 update and rewards.
Tunic developer Andrew Shouldice has made no secret about his love of The Legend Of Zelda over the years. He’s not only spoken at length about how playing the original pair of Zelda games on the NES provided ample inspiration for his crafty hack and slasher, but you can also see it right there in the game itself, from your fox hero’s bright green outfit to the beautifully illustrated in-game manual you piece together to unravel the world’s mysteries.
But speaking with Shouldice at GDC this year, I wanted to talk to him another other potential source of inspiration. Before he struck out on his own to make Tunic, Shouldice cut his teeth making hidden object games, ranging from globe-trotting mystery adventures to Atlantean-themed detective stories. On paper, this earlier work would appear to provide the perfect proving ground for Tunic, as we all know by now that it holds plenty of secrets of its own. For Shouldice, though, it was more of a reaction against his earlier work that fuelled his approach to Tunic, as he gradually came to realise his hidden object games “weren’t tapping into this very specific type of mystery and discovery and player agency and true exploration that I was interested in,” he says.
A select few rare Tears of the Kingdom items are now back in stock at Best Buy (for what is likely a very limited time). Each of these was exceptionally rare in the build-up to Tears of the Kingdom, so we wouldn’t be surprised if they sell out again rather quickly. So, get in quick and secure those goods, we’ll leave all the handy links you need just below. (Note: you need a Best Buy account to order most of these as well.)
Update; 7:14 AM ET. It’s quite remarkable but at the time of writing this is still available to buy. We’re in no doubt that it will sell out soon, but for now you can pick it up from Best Buy, or get it delivered straight to your front door. If you missed out on buying the Tears of the Kingdom Collector’s Edition before this week, jump on this quick while you still can.
The new amiibo featuring Link in his new Tears of the Kingdom look will grant access to materials, weapons, and special fabric for Link’s paraglider when scanned. It will cost $15.99 and is only available to order from Walmart at the time of writing.
A limited edition Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is also among the rare Zelda-themed items available at the moment. YMMV on this one, as it’s out of stock everywhere buy Best Buy, and even there it’s for pickup only! Check the links below if you want to see if it’s in stock for you locally.
Tears of the Kingdom looks to be a truly massive game with tons of things to do and surprises to find. You can get some help on that front with the official guide to the game, available in both a collector’s and a standard paperback edition.
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.
Humans are pesky creatures. Without the influence of giant crabs and smiling monkeytree giants, who knows what terrors we could unleash? We thankfully won’t need to find out since deity sim Reus is coming back with a sequel: Reus 2. It’s another God game with a side-on view, putting you in control of elemental titans that can terraform planets to either benefit or bully the humans that live there. Gawk at its colourful reveal trailer below:
