Good news, From Software fans: Future Press is set to release Bloodborne Complete Guide: 25th Anniversary Edition on September 30. You can preorder it now at Amazon for $59.99. This officially licensed guide is a hefty tome, ringing in at 736 full-color pages. It gets into the nitty gritty, covering the main game of Bloodborne, plus The Old Hunters expansion. It also has lots of behind-the-scenes info we’ll dive into below.
The Bloodborne Complete Guide has all the resources you need to get the very most out of the game. It reveals all the secrets and hidden areas for you to fully explore Yarnham. It’s an excellent resource for all the items, weapons, and characters found in the game. It also dives deep into the game’s lore, much of which you might have missed in previous play-throughs.
Plus, it contains a good deal of bonus material. There’s a new, exclusive interview with Bloodborne creator Hidetaka Miyazaki. It includes a 20-page concept artwork gallery, and a dedicated Lore Index to help you tell your Vilebloods from your Scourge Beasts.
If you’re doing the math to figure out just how long ago Bloodborne came out (it was released in 2015 as a PS4 exclusive), you’re not losing your mind. The 25th anniversary in the book’s title is how long Future Press has been printing books.
Our critic gave Bloodborne a 9.1 in the review, and the game was a runner up for IGN’s Game of the Year 2015.
The end of EA’s decades-long FIFA deal in 2022 means there’s currently a FIFA-shaped hole in the world of video games that isn’t quite filled by EA’s not-FIFA replacement EA Sports FC 24 and is yet to measure up the efforts of whoever the footballing organisation gets to make the next officially licensed FIFA game. So, naturally, FIFA is looking to help plug that gap in the meantime by hosting a virtual World Cup in car-football game Rocket League.
GSD, via GamesIndustry.biz, has shared the latest sales data for the video game market across Europe in May 2024, and it looks to have been a quiet month. So quiet, in fact, that the entire top ten failed to sell as many copies as May 2023’s highly-anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Across physical and digital data from the major European markets (excluding Nintendo which doesn’t share digital figures), Game sales dropped 17% in May 2024, compared to the same period last year. That’s still 11.6 million game sales.
The DNA bomb has detonated at Popov Power Plant, releasing powerful mutagens in the Season 4 Reloaded mid-season update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Call of Duty: Warzone. Deploy across new mutated modes, maps, Unstable Rifts, events, and more, and get your hands on new weapons and Aftermarket Parts to help face the challenges ahead.
Incline (New Core Map): Battle over frozen ground on this small-sized research outpost deep in the Caucasus Mountains of Urzikstan. Fire down from the cable car in the central transit station and prepare for long-ranged encounters along the northern road.
Bitvela (New Variant): Experience Multiplayer like never before in this pixel-art inspired version of Favela appearing in the Bit Party Playlist modifier. Pixelated cars, buildings and trees, jagged clouds, and pixel smoke particles perfectly mimic the original map, without a curved edge in sight. When competing in Bit Party, your Operator’s head will grow after every elimination, making you a bigger target while also granting objective bonuses.
Das Gross (New Variant): A vile infection has enveloped downtown New York City, sending bloody tendrils over the ceiling and walls of Das Haus. An alien planet looms overhead in the night sky. Try to keep your wits about you in this map variant arriving with a new Vortex Playlist.
New Mutation Mode, Havoc, and more
Mutation: Take turns playing as humans and mutants in a moshpit of game modes. Mutants can choose from a variety of classes including the Mutated Leaper, Radioactive Beast, Contaminated Slugger, and Camouflaged Sneaker.
Havoc: In this twist on Team Deathmatch inspired by classic arena shooters, random modifiers activate throughout the match, dramatically altering gameplay in a mode where no two matches are the same!
Plus, perfect your aim in the Headshots Only mode, wield powerful weapon blueprints in Blueprint Gunfight, and flex your parkour skills with the limited release of G3T_H1GH3R.
Zombies Overview
Face Waves of Enemies in an Unstable Rift
Gear up for a new wave-based challenge via the appearance of unstable rifts. Squads must race to be the first to enter: reports of [[REDACTED]] in the Exclusion Zone may lead the way.
After entering an unstable rift, squads must defend against increasingly difficult waves of enemies. Survive the onslaught to reset the cooldown on all your insured weapons and schematics. Squads who gain access to multiple unstable rifts can repeat the activity within the same match.
Call of Duty: Warzone Overview
Explosion at Popov Power Plant
The DNA bomb has exploded at Popov Power Plant in Urzikstan, altering the environment and releasing a toxic chemical agent in the vicinity. Approach the site with extreme caution.
New Gameplay Features
[Redacted] Weapons: Look for [Redacted] Weapons now found within Loot Hot Zones and Bunkers in Urzikstan. These extra-powerful weapons hold more than the normally five allowed attachments, granting their owner an edge in combat.
Runaway Train Public Event: Each match within Urzikstan has the chance to trigger the Runaway Train public event announced around the sixth gas circle. When active, the safe zone will remain over the moving train until the end of the match. Hop aboard and clear out enemy stowaways.
Mutated Playlists: Plus, wield mutant powers in two limited-time modes arriving in the mid-season: Mutation Resurgence Quads and Mutation Buy Back Quads.
General Overview
Two New Weapons
Reclaimer 18 (Shotgun, Battle Pass): The Reclaimer 18 supports two firing modes. Activate pump-action for extended damage range and semi-auto for increased fire rate. Toggle between them as the situation demands to reign in close-ranged fights.
Sledgehammer (Melee, Challenge): Smash skulls with the Sledgehammer, sporting a 20-pound carbon steel head with a variety of attack moves including swings, an overhead attack, and a pole butt.
Season 4 Combat Pack for PlayStation Plus members
PlayStation Plus members don’t forget to grab the Season 4 Combat Pack. This pack grants Élodie, Lockpick a new operator skin Chemical Warfare.
PlayStation Plus members will also receive the following: the Composition Carbine weapon blueprint, the Brushstroke Ballistics weapon blueprint, the Fuming with Pashion Large Decal, the Toxic Artist Weapon Sticker, the Mini Infiltrator Charm, and the Infectious Vision Emblem.
Plus, PlayStation players will receive a 2XP Player boost in-game from June 26 – 27 and from July 4 – 5.
New Challenges and Events
Check for new weekly challenges throughout the mid-season to unlock more Aftermarket Parts plus the animated Molten Obsidian weapon camo for completing all eight Weekly Challenges.
Earn more rewards across a variety of in-game events, including Altered Strain, Retro Warfare, Redeployment Missions, Vacation Squad, and Vortex: Death’s Grip.
New Store Offerings: 8-Bit Task Force 141 and More
Deploy as 8-Bit versions of Task Force 141 with the Tracer Pack: 8-Bit Blitz bundle and suit up in astronaut gear with the Out of This World Pack. Look for other wild bundles arriving in the mid-season, including a crabby Zodiac-themed Pro Pack.
Season 4 Reloaded launches June 26th
Purchase Modern Warfare III on PlayStation to enjoy the benefits of two additional loadout slots, monthly exclusive Double XP events, +25% PlayStation Party Bonus XP, +5 bonus Battle Token Tier Skips with a BlackCell purchase, and a free in-game bundle each season with the Combat Pack.
Dungeons & Dragons players will finally be able to drink potions as a Bonus Action in One D&D, meaning the popular homebrew and Baldur’s Gate 3 mechanic is becoming an official rule in the next iteration of the game.
As reported by Comic Book, a video from D&D game designers Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins walked fans through some changes to the Player’s Handbook, which will be refreshed for the first time in more than a decade in 2024, including the long-requested ability to have a cheeky heal as a Bonus Action.
Crawford specifically said that health potions can be used as a Bonus Action in One D&D — which arrives beginning September 17, 2024 with the Player’s Handbook but won’t launch fully until the Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual arrive on November 12, 2024 and February 18, 2025 respectively — but it’s unclear if the rule change will apply to other potions too.
As a health potion can theoretically be drank at the same speed as any other kind of potion, however, it would certainly make sense for the Bonus Action rule to affect all of the magic smoothies. The current 5th Edition of D&D forces players to use a potion as a full Action, meaning players miss a turn of doing potentially more interesting things if they need to heal.
The Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is officially up for preorder with a price tag of $39.99 and a release date of September 6, so you won’t have to wait too long before it’s in your hands. You can find links to the physical release for Nintendo Switch below. It will be available on other platforms as well in digital storefronts – including Nintendo, Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox – on the same day.
This collection features Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit with full HD graphics, quality of life improvements, and more. There’s even a preorder bonus of five arranged in-game tracks for Ace Attorney Investigations 2. You can preorder the game and learn more about its preorder bonus below.
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is Up for Preorder
When you preorder the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection you’ll get five in-game tracks for Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit. These can be played either in game or you can listen to them in the Gallery.
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Trailer
What is Ace Attorney Investigations Collection?
As revealed during the most recent Nintendo Direct in June, the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection features remasters of Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit. Per Capcom’s website, the collection features, “full HD graphics along with quality of life improvements and special bonus materials, this two-game collection is the definitive experience!” You can also enjoy upgraded character sprites, a helpful Story Mode, you can check dialogue history, and more. It’s a great investment if you’ve been itching to have these games in remastered formats.
More Preorder Guides
If you’re looking for even more games to preorder right now, look no further, we’ve got a helpful list below of upcoming games available to preorder right now. From the physical release of Alan Wake II to Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble, check them out below.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.
Open-world zombie adventure Days Gone might not technically feature any zombies, but at least the discourse around a potential sequel is constantly reanimating. Via Xitter, the original game’s creative director John Garvin has encouraged fans to “never say never” about a Days Gone 2, while reminding us that a full outline for the game had already been completed prior to his departure from developers Bend Studio in 2020.
Even with the caveat of “I’m not holding my breath”, Garvin’s take is an altogether more hopeful one that that of fellow Bend alumni and Days Gone game director Jeff Ross, who in May tweeXed a collage of popular PlayStation characters – sans his own post-apocalyptic motorcycling hero, Deacon St. John. “A lot of people still ask me if there will ever be a Days Gone sequel, so I submit this poster as evidence it will never happen”, Ross wrote, along with an apparent pop at Sony Interactive execs (including Hermen Hulst, co-CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment) for never being “fans” of the game.
The Super Monkey Ball franchise has experienced its fair share of peaks and troughs over the years. The first two GameCube titles knocked it out of the park, providing a plethora of content from the addictive maze-like main stages to the incredible minigames. Since then, however, the series has seemingly been unable to reach the same heights, either content to take one step forward and two steps back, or otherwise completely fumbling the (monkey) ball altogether.
After Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania instilled a smidgen of confidence with its commendable restoration of Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2, Sega is back with a brand-new entry in the form of Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble. However, in keeping with franchise tradition, it’s yet another game that just can’t quite hit the home run, combining a solid single-player experience with a bunch of multiplayer modes that, frankly, aren’t worth the price of admission or the time investment.
The wait is nearly over. Coming to Xbox Series X|S this fall, Squirrel With a Gun is the nutty sandbox shooter and puzzle platformer that you didn’t know you needed. And joining the squirrel revolution has never been easier with this handy weapon training guide. Your first mission is to get your paws on a gun. Use your valuable acorns to unlock new weapons found throughout the world or steal one from an enemy agent. But watch your ammo—if you run out, find a reload circle or hold onto the automatic reload tool you can find throughout the world to get you out of a tight spot.
Be sure to try your paw at all 7 weapon types. Each one offers a unique advantage in combat and platforming.
Squirrel With a… 9mm Pistol
The 9mm semi-automatic pistol will be the first gun available to you. It’s a classic for eliminating enemies one-by-one, or boosting mid-air jumps up to 4 times. Pro tip: Fingers tired from all that shooting? Perform a takedown and watch the Squirrel unload the entire magazine for you.
Squirrel With an… SMG
The SMG inflicts less damage than the pistol, but its fully automatic feature aids in swiftly taking down enemies. Emptying the entire magazine during a midair jump acts as a makeshift jetpack to boost you up to those hard-to-reach places. A great pick for going on acorn hunts. Pro tip: Use this trick to get to the roof of the haunted house, nabbing the golden acorn on the chimney.
Squirrel With a… Shotgun
The double-barreled shotgun excels in close-combat, causing a ragdoll effect for epic takedown opportunities. Use its powerful recoil for long-distance travel. Pro tip: Equip the shotgun as you cruise around in your RC car to boost your car to top speed.
Squirrel With a… Six-Shooter
For the cowsquirrel wannabe, pick up a six-shooter for an especially flashy takedown. Fire all 6 shots to boost your jump. Pro tip: Earn your very own cowsquirrel hat by finding Wild Will and using the six-shooter to complete a secret objective for him.
Squirrel With a… Grenade Launcher
A much more powerful six-shooter, the grenade launcher dominates at crowd control and explosive gunplay. But beware of its short range and tricky aiming. The gun jump fires straight down, launching you far but causing significant damage. Pro tip: You’ll need to suit up properly to resist explosive damage. Find the bomb suit in a secret underground cave.
Squirrel With a… Rocket Launcher
For the arsenal expert, grab a rocket launcher for large enemy takedowns or handling groups of agents. Like the grenade launcher, reserve the gun jump for when you’re in a blast-resistant suit. Pro tip: When an enemy fires a rocket at you, try to hitch a ride on it right back at them.
Squirrel With a… Sniper Rifle
Post up on a squirrely vantage point with the semi-automatic sniper rifle to take out enemies long distance. Even the sniper rifle performs an epic takedown on enemies, even if they’re far away. When platforming, utilize the sniper gun jump for an extreme vertical boost. Its powerful kickback can even knock down nearby baddies. Pro tip: Take down a certain boss from above by finding the sniper rifle up in the scaffolding and aiming for weak spots.
Choose your weapon wisely and when a gun isn’t handy, try to get creative. Throw a grenade, brick, bottle, football, cake, or whatever is around that you can get your paws on to take down the enemy and earn those nuts at any cost.
