Shovel of Hope DX, DLC, updates… the list goes on!
Alongside the new game announcement at the special Shovel Knight 10th anniversary broadcast, Yacht Club games also announced a whole bunch of other new content on the way. We’re talking about a new enhanced version of the original game, Shovel Knight DLC, an update on Mina The Hollower, and much more.
With so much revealed at this event, we’ve put together this round up – featuring everything you can expect from Yacht Club in the future. This includes some projects which are “coming soon”, some “summer 2024” releases, and even a TBD release. It’s all happening on the Shovel Knight front!
Demons and angels locked in a post-apocalyptic, generation-spanning blood feud to the backing of a hard synth-metal soundtrack… but make it a tough-as-nails RPG – that’s the Shin Megami Tensei experience. I sang the praises of Shin Megami Tensei V back in 2021 because of the way it embodied the series’ ethos in modern form, and as per usual with developer Atlus, we now have a more definitive version a few years later in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. Although it doesn’t fundamentally change what already made the original great, its new separate storyline and quality of life improvements are reason enough to play (or revisit) this masterclass in turn-based combat and demonic atmosphere.
The very first thing you do is choose whether to play the original route or go down the Path of Vengeance, which is an alternate path that remixes events with new plot threads, new characters, and some wild new battles. There are no tricky decisions to make or specific choices required to see this content this time. Hell, you don’t even have to consider siding with competing ideologies at any point, as had been SMT tradition – you just pick the Vengeance route and follow it to the end. Since I already spent 80 hours getting 100% completion in the original game, I solely focused on the Vengeance-specific campaign. It took me about 60 hours to finish since I was already familiar with a majority of its challenges and mostly sought out the new sidequests, of which there are a lot. While I do like it more overall, it’s not exactly a significant leap over what was already there.
The story starts off the same in that you’re a high school kid in Tokyo who stumbles into being the chosen one, or a Nahobino – a human who can possess supernatural powers and transform into a demigod. Tokyo as you know it begins to fall apart as you travel to and from a post-apocalyptic future in a battle to determine the world’s fate. For roughly one-third of the runtime, events play out fairly similarly in Vengeance, except for two major points: the presence of both a new villainous group of demons known as the Qadistu and a new ally named Yoko Hiromine. All of these additional characters sport wonderful designs that bring out the best in SMT’s art style and they provide better context for this particular story’s events.
The thing I appreciate most is that the Vengeance path puts more emphasis on its human characters and gets them more directly involved. Yoko is available as a playable party member for a large chunk of the story and often feels like an integral part of it rather than tacked on since she is very much a focus of this route. Existing characters like Tao have a more prominent role as well, joining the party early on and having a bigger focus throughout. While the four members of the Qadistu are more of a mechanism to deliver new plot points rather than fully formed characters, they at least provide an adversarial dynamic that wasn’t previously there.
There’s something special about the attitude of an SMT game that I can simply describe as badass.
Where Vengeance takes a hard turn is in the third region, which is completely replaced by a new one that’s built to encompass the shift in certain story beats. This also leads to a change in the mid-game dungeon that has its own unique aesthetic and set of gimmicks, although you can tell it borrows a lot of design principles from what it replaced. Things eventually merge back onto the original path, so the new mainline Vengeance content isn’t necessarily “in-addition-to,” but rather a detour to better fit the story events. And by the time you reach the finale, it will have treated you to some of SMTV’s best moments, Vengeance or otherwise.
Its larger theme of revenge doesn’t exactly take center stage, though, and the trope of destroying the world to start anew doesn’t get some kind of meaningful examination since it’s missing the connective tissue necessary to make it all work. So as it tries harder to deliver more story, it opens itself up to a few pitfalls along the way. In its grand moments, the philosophical platitudes are what drive its events and that’s kind of the SMT way. Regardless, I can at least appreciate the effort that Vengeance puts into better contextualizing your exploration of Tokyo’s demonic wasteland and the hard-fought battles you’ll overcome there.
SMT has always staked its claim on unforgiving turn-based combat, and there are moments in which Vengeance doubles down on that principle. You’re still honing in on the elemental affinities of your enemies and building a roster of demons who can exploit those weaknesses. But in this version, I got “SMT’d” more often – meaning I’d get absolutely wiped by an enemy in one turn and there wasn’t anything I could really do about it. Of course, in the most tense battles where I needed to carefully think steps ahead to plan buffing spells, hit weaknesses to earn extra turns, or strategically substitute different demons in my party based on elemental affinities, I was reminded that SMT’s combat system has some of the best turn-based mechanics around, even if it can be as punishing as it is rewarding.
You’re still negotiating with demons to capture them, having them fight in your party, and fusing them to create more powerful demons, and the typical flow of building your roster remains one of SMTV’s strengths. There are a handful of new unlockable perks to help you in battle and some of the new demons I earned through fusion are ones that came in clutch in the late-game. It’s that satisfying Pokemon-like nature of cycling through increasingly powerful monsters and staying on top of covering your bases as you level up your main character, and making good use of them in critical moments.
The thing I appreciate most is that the Vengeance path puts more emphasis on its human characters.
Having played on normal difficulty, being at the same level as the bosses alone is not enough to get through them, and you will be tested on your mastery of the system as a whole. Even when you come prepared and think tactically about all the support skills, items, and elements available, your party is going to be fragile. There comes a point where mainlining the story isn’t enough to keep pace, either, essentially encouraging you to seek out sidequests and level up that way. And boy howdy, does Vengeance lay on a thick serving of sidequests.
As far as I can tell, all of the original ones remain in the Vengeance route, and the aforementioned new region is jam packed with its own set of sidequests. Some of them rope you into tough minibosses, require you to find items out in the world, or spin off into short minigames. Big and small, sidequests all feed into painting a more detailed world as you develop a better understanding of the relationship dynamics of the demons in SMT’s mythological multiverse. There’s a humanizing aspect to some of these little stories, so to skip out on sidequests would also be to miss a bit of SMTV’s charm – particularly in Vengeance, where it can get as silly as it is challenging.
There’s something special about the attitude of an SMT game that I can simply describe as badass – much of which comes through in its atmosphere and art direction. From the deranged demon designs that have evolved over the years to the sinister vibe of a Tokyo destroyed by the hand of godly powers, SMTV manages to evoke a unique sense of dread that lingers over its world. It knows it’s cool and doesn’t care too much about being pleasant or palatable; even when Vengeance appeals to our humanity more so than the original, it still maintains a certain darkness the series is known for.
It’s also a credit to its soundtrack, which effortlessly pumps you up for specific battles or sets an unmistakable mood in its overworld, bouncing between synth-infused metal and eerily catchy ambient tunes. The new battle theme is an improvement over what was already a great track, and sometimes I’d sit there mid-battle not doing anything just to listen to it loop multiple times. SMT soundtracks get into thrash-style rock as often as it gets experimental with its instrumentation to create some haunting melodies and harmonies, and Vengeance still carries that tradition.
New music was one of the things I looked forward to most with Vengeance, but on the more technical side it was lovely to replay SMTV as a much better visual experience. If you play on PC, PlayStation 5, or Xbox Series X|S, you’re treated to significantly higher resolutions and frame rates along with better draw distances to let SMTV’s world pop in a way it simply couldn’t when it was a Nintendo Switch exclusive. Vengeance is still available on Switch with all the essential features, of course, but I do think you’d be missing out on one of the best parts of this rerelease playing it there, especially considering how the original struggled in terms of technical performance.
Quality of life improvements don’t end on the technical side either. New mechanics also make the experience smoother without sacrificing the challenging nature of SMTV. For example, the Demon Haunt is a hub area you can visit at save points and talk to demons in your roster, who will then sometimes offer items or get a boost in stats. As you progress in the story, you’ll be able to get free bonus stat points to boost the main character’s attributes in the Demon Haunt as well. Exploration in the overworlds was quite tedious in SMTV (and still kind of is) but now you can pull up a bird’s eye view at any point to get both a lay of the land and a better idea of how to get to hard-to-reach areas. This coincides with the addition of Magatsu Rails which are shortcuts sprinkled throughout the open regions that you skate on to get across the map faster or reach secret areas. And being able to save anywhere now is so much more convenient, because no one wants to lose chunks of progress because they got unfairly “SMT’d” in between save points.
If you’re gearing up for the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, IGN Store has the ultimate collector’s item for you from manufacturer PureArts. Starting today, you can pre-order the Assassin’s Creed Yasuke 1/1 Scale Helmet Replica at IGN Store. While designed for display, this helmet can be worn and acts as a true replica of the legendary Yasuke’s Samurai helmet.
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This life-size replica is made with polyresin and fabric to create a premium look and feel. The helmet itself features a removable face plate and Kabuto-style cords and sits approximately 20 inches tall. Of course, this helmet is completely accurate to the model used in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, from the removable face plate to the finish and accents. It’s officially licensed by Ubisoft and limited to 2,000 units worldwide. Right now, the Early Bird Special will save you 10% off this highly valuable item. This deal will last through June 27.
A limited edition box featured key art of Yasuke from Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which is perfect for displaying alongside the helmet. This product is set to ship out in Q4 2024 currently, so be sure to get your pre-order in before the Assassin’s Creed Yasuke Helmet Replica leaves IGN Store!
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Let me get this out of the way – being at Summer Game Fest was amazing.
The people were amazing. The variety of games, both big and small, were amazing. I was lucky enough to go to E3 twice back when I wrote for a different site, and I would take the laid-back vibes, the layout, and the ability to socialise at my own pace any day of the week over the crowded convention centre of E3.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle made a grand appearance at Xbox Games Showcase 2024 last weekend, showing off new gameplay, revealing new elements of the story, and treating us to an extended scene set in the Himalayas, as Indiana and new companion Gina attempt to recover a relic while avoid the clutches of colonel Viktor Gantz.
On a special episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, host Malik Prince got to talk more about the trailer and the wider game, joined by MachineGames’ Jerk Gustafsson, Game Director, and John Jennings, Production Director. If you want to watch the full interview, check it out below – or read on for the new details.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s development is in full swing, and what we’ve seen of the game promises a truly authentic Indiana Jones adventure – both in storyline and gameplay.
“The story kicks off when an ancient relic is stolen from the college where Indiana Jones works,” explained Gustafsson. “He’s determined to track down the thief, and he stumbles into this ancient conspiracy involving the theory of the Great Circle, as we call it. The Great Circle is a strange alignment of ancient sites around the globe, and a set of mysterious artifacts connect to it. But Indy isn’t the only one in search of answers. The enemy are scouring the world for these artifacts, believing that they hold some kind of power – and to stop them there’s only one thing he can do, and that is to find the artifacts first.”
This kicks us off on a classic globe-trotting adventure, beginning in the corridors of Indy’s beloved Marshall College, before taking in the Himalayas, the ancient jungle sites of Sukhothai in Thailand, the Vatican (an all-new location for an Indiana Jones project), the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, and more. It’s the kind of set-up you’d hope for from an Indiana Jones story, but it stemmed from a perhaps unexpected source:
“It actually started with an idea from [Bethesda Game Studios director and executive producer] Todd Howard,” said Gustafsson. “He had been thinking for years about creating a story around the concept of the Great Circle, so when we got this opportunity to work on an Indiana Jones game it felt like the perfect match.”
Of course, that idea was just the starting point, and the team at MachineGames has worked incredibly closely with Lucasfilm Games to ensure that their original adventure would feel faithful to movies it sits alongside.
“We spent countless hours just rewatching the films – especially the two movies that are closest to the game, which are Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Last Crusade,” said Gustafsson. “In addition, we have one of the best resources through our partnership with Lucasfilm Games, and working together with them on this project has been invaluable, just this cave of knowledge about the character, which has been fantastic.”
“It’s been great having access to writers, art directors from Lucasfilm, people who worked with the Indiana Jones property for decades,” continued Jennings. “Having their input – I mean, some of these people know everything that has ever been written about Indy – and having them to bounce ideas off, and get some of their own input has been hugely, hugely invaluable.”
That partnership came with perks for fans on the team, too: “We managed to get access into some of the Lucasfilm archives as well,” said Jennings, “which for Indy fans has been an absolute dream come true, to get access to some of these things that perhaps not so many people have seen.”
The research has been deep. Writers and artists on the team studied not just the films, but comics and books, not to mention had recreations of Indy’s costume created – including his iconic fedora, reproduced by the same hatmaker that created the original for Raiders of the Lost Ark. On the musical side, longtime Lucasfilm Games collaborator Gordy Haab (who recently won a Grammy for his work on the Star Wars Jedi: Survivor soundtrack) has been brought in to create a score John Williams would be proud of.
That authenticity extends to the characters involved, too. While most of the cast will be brand new faces for the franchise, the latest trailer showed us more of Indy’s friend, Marcus Brody: “Because we start the story in Marshall College it made sense to have Marcus there, to sort of ground it in the familiarity of Indy’s home base,” said Gustafsson – before going onto tease that we’ll see cameos from other classic characters along the way, too.
Of course, the most important element for authenticity was in getting Indy himself right, and the team found a perfect partner in renowned actor Troy Baker:
“It was maybe an unexpected choice at first, but from the moment we watched his audition tape we were just totally sold,” said Jennings. “He’s just a great actor. He’s put so much effort into the role as well – you can tell he’s just this huge, huge fan of Indiana Jones […] We’ve just been in a [voiceover] session recently with him, and he was improvising lines. You know, ‘Wouldn’t Indy say it a bit more like this?’ Or commenting on lines that we’ve written that we thought were subtle Easter Eggs just for the die-hard Indy fans, and he’ll pick up on it straight away.”
Baker’s performance doesn’t just extend to a great impression of Harrison Ford, either. “He’s not just a voiceover actor, he’s the full thing,” Jennings continued. “We do full performance capture: the body, the face, and the voice all recorded at the same time. And he’s got the physical acting nailed down as well. He does a really, really good job of capturing the character of Indy – specifically his character in the first few movies, the earlier ones, which is where our game is set of course. He just does it perfectly.”
This has been a new kind of development process for MachineGames, and that extends to the game itself. “It’s a little bit different, this game, for us, in many ways,” said Gustafsson. “We are very used to having heavy weapons, gun-blazing shooters – and this is a little bit different. We are making a proper adventure game here.”
While the team’s acclaimed Wolfenstein games were brutal, frenetic shooters, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle offers an experience more befitting of the world’s most famous archaeologist.
“He solves problems with his mind first and really relies on smarts, and not this excessive combat that we have seen or done before with the Wolfenstein games,” explained Gustafsson. “When you are playing the game, choosing the more authentic stealthy Indy route – or just some classic old fist-fighting – will be a benefit to the player more times than not, and also make for a very fun and challenging experience.”
In playing as Indy, we’re not rampaging through the world, but stopping to solve puzzles, and trying to avoid conflict when we can. The team wanted to avoid turning the character we know into a superhero.
“He is flawed, he makes mistakes, he stumbles, there is weight to his movement, and we have this gritty, pulpy edge to the action,” continued Gustafsson. “But at the same time he’s also rather athletic, he’s an excellent fighter, and he also has an enormous amount of luck as well – and at the same time he’s the best archaeologist in the world. So focusing on all of these things, in a way it makes the game feel in line with these classic matinee action-adventures that the movies were celebrating, something I think Indy himself also personifies in a way.”
To do that, the game will primarily be set in first-person – a perspective that MachineGames is very familiar with, a key way to help players feel like they’re truly walking in his shoes, and an exciting point of difference when looking at the wider action-adventure genre as a whole. In key moments, however, we will see the character in third-person, letting us live those filmic moments from the outside.
And speaking of filmic moments, the trailer ended with a callback to perhaps one of the most famous sequences in movie history – Indy’s rolling boulder escape. We had to ask how that made it into the game, and whether we’ll be able to play it. But Gustafsson wanted to keep some mystery before Indiana Jones and the Great Circle arrives:
“That’s unfortunately one of those things where I just have to say: ‘You’ll have to wait and see.’”
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them – Indiana Jones. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard.
YOU ARE INDIANA JONES
Live the adventure as Indy in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. As the brilliant archaeologist – famed for his keen intellect, cunning resourcefulness, and trademark humor – you will travel the world in a race against enemy forces to discover the secrets to one of the greatest mysteries of all time.
A WORLD OF MYSTERY AWAITS
Travel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond. When a break-in in the dead of night ends in a confrontation with a mysterious colossal man, you must set out to discover the world-shattering secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact. Forging new alliances and facing familiar enemies, you’ll engage with intriguing characters, use guile and wits to solve ancient riddles, and survive intense set-pieces.
WHIP-CRACKING ACTION
Indiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies. But the whip isn’t just a weapon, it’s Indy’s most valuable tool for navigating the environment. Swing over unsuspecting patrols and scale walls as you make your way through a striking world. Combine stealth infiltration, melee combat, and gunplay to combat the enemy threat and unravel the mystery .
THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY
Venture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps. Indulge your inner explorer and unearth a world of fascinating secrets, deadly traps and fiendish puzzles, where anything could potentially hide the next piece of the mystery – or snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?
Hey y’all! We’ve got a full show for you all this week, starting with a recap of the teams’ hands-on experiences at Summer Game Fest. Plus, we got to sit down with Riot Games Production Director Arnar Gylfason to discuss Valorant coming to PS5 and the Limited Beta starting today.
Stuff We Talked About
PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for June: Monster Hunter Rise, Football Manager 2024, Crusader Kings III, After Us and more
Summer Game Fest recap:
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC | PS5
Monster Hunter Wilds | PS5
Neva | PS5
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero | PS5
Assassin’s Creed Shadows | PS5
Dragon Age: The Veilguard | PS5
LEGO Horizon Adventures | PS5
Tune in next week for all things Astro Bot
Interview w/ Arnar Gylfason (starts at 30:37)
Listener letter
The Cast
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Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE
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Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE
Brett Elston – Manager, Content Communications, SIE
Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.
[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]
Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) has announced that it has suspended more than 600 in-game accounts following widespread complaints of cheating.
The developer revealed the move in a post on its Robert Space Industries website, saying that it has suspended accounts that participated in exploitative behavior following an investigation. Affected players are said to have manipulated Star Citizen’s systems to duplicate items and gain more of its in-game currency, Alpha United Earth Credits (aUEC). All aUEC gained using these methods have been removed from the ecosystem.
CIG thanks Star Citizen players for raising awareness about these issues, explaining that in-game exploits like the ones being squashed now “undermine the integrity of our game and the efforts of our dedicated backers who help us build Star Citizen.” The developer promises to continue addressing cheating players as issues arise.
“At this stage of development, exploits and issues like these are likely to arise, which is one of the benefits of open development and working closely with our community,” CIG said. “Identifying, testing, and reporting exploits is acceptable and encouraged. We’ve gained valuable insights through your issue council reports, and we thank you for that. However, once an exploit is identified and confirmed, continued abuse for personal gain will not be tolerated and will result in action on our part.”
Other Star Citizen players suspect the 600 suspensions are tied to players who were selling their unauthorized credits for real-world cash. Specifically, users called out those who have taken to third-party bidding websites like eBay, where millions of aUEC is sold for anywhere from one dollar to hundreds of dollars.
“Yup, I noticed a peculiar amount of posts here recently both defending and supporting third-party aUEC sales, which is very odd to me, as gold selling/buying is an almost universally reviled practice in most MMOs,” one Reddit user said. “I wouldn’t even be slightly surprised if it was the exploiters themselves encouraging that BS to make a quick shady buck.”
IGN has reached out to CIG for comment.
Star Citizen is CIG’s long-in-development sci-fi game. It’s been sold as an ambitious MMO that allows players to immerse themselves within an enormous space sim experience, but despite being announced in 2012, its launch build has never actually been released. Last month, we reported that Star Citizen managed to raise more than $700 million in the 12 years since its reveal.
Star Citizen’s drawn-out development has turned it into one of the most controversial games ever, but CIG has recently started to openly talk about a 1.0 launch. Regardless, it seems we are still far off from hearing a release date. While you continue to wait, you can read more about CIG’s $48,000 ship bundle. You can also learn more about its single-player story, Squadron 42, which includes big names like Mark Hamill and Gary Oldman, here.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
Former Dragon Age lead writer and Summerfall Games co-founder David Gaider has strung together some opinions on Xitter – the original spawning ground for all opinions – about the full reveal video for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, expressing broad enthusiasm for the new RPG’s narrative tone, combat system and environments, while offering a more ambivalent analysis of BioWare’s decision to let players seduce every last member of their party.
Madden NFL 25’s cover athlete was revealed earlier this week, and today, EA has provided new details on what fans can expect from this year’s Madden, including Boom Tech, this year’s one big feature.
In a press release, EA revealed that Boom Tech is a new “dynamic physics-based” tackling system and the newest iteration of Maddens FieldSense technology that “unlocks the re-engineered Hit Stick” and should provide better ball carrier control. With Christian McCaffrey as this year’s cover athlete, the description of Boom Tech aligns with EA’s theme of trying to pick cover athletes that best fit the new editions coming to Madden in a given year.
Additional upgrades to FieldSense, thanks to Boom Tech, are needed to “deliver increased authenticity” in offense, defense, and special teams. This includes a reloaded hit stick that will now be a skill-based mechanic, with playing ratings influencing the impact of the hit stick.
To increase offensive immersion, EA notes that Ball Carrier will introduce new jukes, spins, and hesi releases. The new NFL kickoff rules will be added when the game is released this August. In addition to new branching catches, there will be new pass block strategy mechanics.
“It’s been incredibly rewarding to grow with the Maden NFL experience alongside our players the past two years, and we’re excited to deliver even more of the control, depth, and immersion they’re looking for in Madden NFL 25,” Madden NFL Senior Production Director Mike Mahar wrote in a press release. “Boom Tech has been multiple years in the making and represents the most impactful FieldSense improvement yet, and combined with a new audio and visual experience across the game, plus deepened modes and increased customization, Madden NFL 25 will look, feel, and sound different.”
Madden NFL 25 is out on August 16th and is now available for pre-order. Those who buy the $100 Deluxe Edition get access to Madden NFL 25 three days early. Those planning to buy Madden NFL 25 and College Football 25 could also buy the MVP Bundle, which retails for $150 and includes the Deluxe Editions for both games.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
Cities: Skylines 2 has found a delightfully straightforward solution to the very real-world problem of greedy landlords demanding excessive rent payments. The city-builder sequel will simply delete all its virtual leeches in its next patch, helping to bring down the cost of living in your digital metropolis.
, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark
