Category: Video Games

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Team Gearing Up For “Major Switch Patch Announcement”

The JRPG had a lot of performance problems at launch.

The Suikoden spiritual successor Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes has offered up quite an enjoyable RPG experience, but admittedly had some issues at launch on the Nintendo Switch.

Although the teams at Rabbit & Studios and 505 Games have already acknowledged this, there’s apparently something much more “major” in the works. According to the official social media account for this relatively new release, a Switch patch announcement is coming in the next few days.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Daily Deals: Super Mario Odyssey, WD_Black 2TB SSD, JBL Flip 6

With so many deals each day, it can be hard to keep up with the best sales. Luckily, we’ve rounded up some of the best deals you can find for Tuesday, May 21. Whether you’re searching for a new accessory for Steam Deck or just looking for a new game to start, we’ve got you covered. The best deals of the day include Super Mario Odyssey, a 2TB WD_Black SSD, Unicorn Overlord, the JBL Flip 6, and more.

Super Mario Odyssey for $39.99

Super Mario Odyssey is still one of the best games available on Nintendo Switch. From the stunning Kingdoms to the numerous new gameplay elements, this is a title any Switch owner should have in their collection. Odyssey is best known for its Capture mechanic, which allows Mario to use Cappy and take over different enemies and objects in the environment. This title doesn’t go on sale too often, so pick up a physical copy at a discount this week!

WD_BLACK 2TB SSD for $139.99

Currently, Amazon has the WD_Black 2TB SN850X SSD available for just $139.99. Normally priced at $189.99, this 2TB SSD features speeds up to 7,300MB/s to ensure your games load as fast as possible. This model will work with PlayStation 5, but you will need to purchase an SSD heatsink separately.

Unicorn Overlord for $39.99

Unicorn Overlord is available at Amazon for only $39.99. This title was developed by Vanillaware, most recently known for 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. Over 60 unique characters are available to choose from within Unicorn Overlord, where you command armies in tactical battle. We gave the game a 9/10 in our review, stating, “Unicorn Overlord is a visual delight that’s brimming with creativity, and an absolute must-play for any fan of strategy RPGs.”

JBL Flip 6 Bluetooth Speaker for $99.99

Target has the JBL Flip 6 on sale this week for only $99. If you’re looking for a fantastic speaker to use throughout the Summer, this is the one for you. The JBL Flip 6 is completely waterproof, which means it is perfect for the beach or pool. With exceptional sound quality and a heavy focus on bass, the Flip 6 will deliver a quality listening experience no matter where you are.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 for $19.99

If you’ve been holding off on the first Metal Gear Solid collection, now is the time to pick it up. Target has the Nintendo Switch version of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 for just $19.99 with Target Circle. You can score this deal for a limited time, so be sure to pick it up before it’s gone.

Save on Sony WH-1000MX Series Headphones

Both the Sony WH-1000MX4 and WH-1000MX5 headphones are available on sale. These are two of the best over-ear headphones on the market, especially in the noise-canceling area. Eight microphones are utilized to ensure you have the best listening experience possible. You can instantly silence all of your surroundings with the press of a button, or choose to listen to close sounds like voices, horns honking, etc. Overall, you can’t go wrong with either of these headphones.

Persona 5 Royal on Switch for $24.99

Persona 5 is one of the most important RPGs of the last ten years for a variety of reasons. It brought millions of new fans into the scene with its exciting combat, gripping story, and interesting characters. Persona 5 Royal is the ultimate version of P5, and it’s now playable portably with Nintendo Switch! This deal was also available at Target but has since sold out. With Persona 6 still a ways out, now is the time to experience this installment. Be sure to pick this one up before it is sold out.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Remake Restores Character’s Trans Identity

Warning: Slight spoilers for Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door follow.

The Nintendo Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door marks the first time Vivian has been written as a transgender woman in English versions of the game.

At the start of the adventure, Vivian is one of The Thousand-Year Door’s villains, working alongside her sisters Marilyn and Beldam to track down and defeat Mario. But due to incessant bullying from Beldam, Vivian eventually leaves her sisters to join Mario’s party.

In the original Japanese version of The Thousand-Year Door, Vivian was written as a transgender woman, but that element of Vivian’s identity was removed in the English localization, where instead of bullying Vivian about her gender, Beldam called her ugly.

Now, when Vivian is traveling with Mario in Chapter 4’s Twilight Town, it’s revealed that her original backstory is intact: “Truth is, it took me a while to realize I was their sister… not their brother,” Vivian tells Mario. “Now their usual bullying feels heavier.”

The new localization smartly tones down much of Beldam’s bullying from the GameCube original’s script. In the 2004 Japanese version, Vivian is consistently misgendered by Beldam, Goombella’s tattle, and her in-game character description, but the remake is much more affirming of Vivian’s gender, as Beldam’s comments are less direct and all other characters and text refer to Vivian as a woman.

Goombella’s tattle now says, “The youngest of the Three Shadows. She’s so cute, she’s able to infatuate anyone”, while her character bio says, “Vivian was one of the Three Shadows but has now chosen to leave her two sisters behind.”

We called the Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake amazing in our review, saying, “There’s a reason The Thousand-Year Door has been considered one of the greatest Nintendo games for the last 20 years, and this brilliant remake ensures it will maintain that reputation for at least a thousand more.”

Logan Plant is IGN’s Database Manager, Playlist Editor, occasional news writer, and frequent Super Ninfriendo on Nintendo Voice Chat. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Round Up: The Reviews Are In For Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Does this paper make the cut?

After literally years of begging from Nintendo fans, what many consider to be the very best Paper Mario entry has finally been remade and is about to launch on Nintendo Switch.

But despite how lauded Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door has been in the past, does it still hold up in 2024? Well, if you ask us, we’d say ‘too bloomin’ right, mate’, but if you want a bit more detail about what we think of the game, then be sure to check out our full review via the link below.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Until Then’s minigames create depth out of simple moments

Until Then is a stunning narrative adventure set in a charming pixelated world inspired by the Philippines. Playing as protagonist Mark, you navigate day-to-day high school insecurities until he begins to realize something more mysterious is going on. Between juggling homework deadlines, navigating relationships, practicing piano, and investigating the strange occurrences happening in between, the developers also sprinkled endearing minigames throughout the story that create depth and delight out of what could have been just mundane moments. 

For example, a walk to the fishball stand to subdue hunger pangs turns into a fierce competition for who can fill up their fishball stick the fastest. Getting extra meta, play the video game within a video game with Cathy & Mark to find out who is the fastest racer. And, of course, what would a carnival outing with friends be without all the classic fair games like whack-a-mole? 

Beyond being just plain entertaining, Until Then’s minigames resonate in unique ways and those among the development team have their own opinions about which minigame stands out among the rest.

A minigame to create interactive worldbuilding

Mickole Klein Nulud, Game Director of Polychroma Games, has nostalgic ties to the ticket vending machine from chapter 1 of the game. “I’d always used them in my college days so it’s nostalgic,” said Nulud. “I replicated its user interface from the real world to the game in detail, which was a very fun process for me.”

Moments in the game like the ticket vending machine, were included to help break up the flow of the game’s dialogue-heavy nature and to create moments of interactive worldbuilding. “It sets up the tone of what kind of experience the player is going to get, where minigames can be as mundane as possible but true to life,” Nulud added.

A minigame to showcase character development

Senior Environment Artist Pia Demanawa’s favorite minigame, the haunted house in the perya, calls out to Filipino culture.‘Perya’ is a Tagalog word for ‘fair’, like a carnival. These week-long events take place throughout the year and are a unique part of Philippine celebrations. From game booths to rides to food stalls, a perya is a place of fun and entertainment for people of all ages.

Until Then brings this to life in chapter 10. Mark runs into one of the new students at the carnival and, after a bit of banter, bets that he can scare more people in the haunted house than she can. You then have two minutes to chase NPCs around the creepy maze, gaining points for each person successfully frightened.

“On its surface, [the haunted house] uses elements of Filipino mythology such as the Kiwig [a shapeshifter that preys on humans] and the Minokawa [a giant, dragon-like bird that can swallow the moon and sun],” Demanawa shared. “The designer for the art of the minigame itself, Vanessa Sumo, really encapsulated what a low-budget, Filipino-themed haunted house would look like from the inside with the stereotypical bahay kubo and the random chickens. The art director, Dominique Duran, additionally found inspiration for aesthetics from the 2012 RPGMaker horror game called Ib, and I thought that it was a wonderful homage to the cult-classic story game.”

Without spoiling too much, this competitive, haunted minigame creates a special moment for Mark, Until Then’s lead, telling more of the story not through the typical dialogue interaction but rather through character interaction within the minigame.

“Because of that, I don’t think the chapter is complete without it,” Demanawa added. “It’s needed to see the character development and charisma that bounces off of these two specific characters. It makes you happy for them, and, I think, it makes you root for them too.”

Minigames to foreshadow story events

Some minigames can be so subtle they might be easy to miss. Joshua James San Juan, Programmer, loves interacting with the school bulletin board. “It’s just fun and satisfying,” he shared, “like the ‘pop’ sound it makes when you remove the pins and watch the posters fall all over the place.” 

For players who pay close attention to the details on the board, you might even find some enlightening clues to what’s coming later in the game. “I think it’s a clever way of showing or hinting at what events are happening and what will take place in the future without directly stating it,” San Juan said. “It also gives a little bit of lore on the setting of the story that will make them understand the world better.”

Minigames to just take a break

There are no surprises here. Kyle Patrick Naval is the game’s composer and has a particular fondness for the jeepney rhythm minigame. “I love playing rhythm games, and making music for that specific minigame was a super fun process,” he shared.

Some minigames might not necessarily have a narrative purpose but can add variety to the gameplay and give players a breather from intense moments. “I think it gives the character somewhat of a little break from what they are experiencing, enjoying the little things, as they say,” Naval said. “It gives the player new minigames to explore and play, and to look forward to what  else they might discover in the game.”

There’s never a dull moment in Until Then. From friendly competition and compelling minigame mechanics to breathtaking scenery and tear-jerking story moments, expect a rollercoaster of emotions and interactions. Until Then launches May 23 on PS5.

This Is The Best Deal on Elden Ring’s DLC Before Release Day on PC

Shadow of the Erdtree, Elden Ring’s ‘first and last’ DLC expansion, is so close. We’ve just gotten a new trailer for the expansion, which gives fans plenty to chew over until release. Whether you’re jumping back into the base game before release or starting from scratch altogether, the hype is slowly building. Shadow of the Erdtree will release on June 21 and costs $39.99 — but if you’re on PC, there’s already a tantalizing saving on offer to you.

Fanatical, a trusted PC and Steam code seller, currently has the Elden Ring: Shadow of The Erdtree expansion listed for $35.19 / £30.79 in the UK, alongside the ‘Premium Bundle’ for $43.99 (down from $49.99). That’s at least $4.81 savings and 12% off one of the most anticipated DLCs ever. This feels like a no-brainer.

If playing Shadow of the Erdtree already seems like a done deal for you, this offer is like finding $5 stuffed into the back pocket of the jeans you wore last week. It isn’t a Fire Giant-sized discount, but it’s still one of the best PC video game deals running at the moment.

Codes at this price aren’t unlimited either, so it could be worth securing ASAP to ensure you’re paying the best price possible. In case you missed some other finer details, this is a Steam code purchase and only for those on PC. For those on console, you can see our complete preorder guide for Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Edition right here on IGN as well.

While this may be the only expansion Elden Ring is getting, it may not be fans’ final taste of The Lands Between. FromSoftware boss Hidetaka Miyazaki hasn’t shut down the possibility of a full sequel, and when asked about the future of the franchise, he commented that FromSoftware deliberately leaves the end of its games open to potential sequels, and it seems Elden Ring will be no exception.

Miyazaki suggested in March 2024 that FromSoftware hadn’t made a decision on a sequel yet, but similarly spoke to the desire to keep its options open. “We don’t want to say this is the end of the Elden Ring saga for now,” he told IGN.

As part of the reveal of the hotly anticipated Shadow of the Erdtree this year, Bandai Namco also issued a sales update for the base game, which has now sold over 20 million copies after launch. If you’re excited for the upcoming expansion, it’s worth checking out 15 hidden details that we found in the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer as well.

The base version of Elden Ring returned a 10/10 in IGN’s review. “Elden Ring is a massive iteration on what FromSoftware began with the Souls series, bringing its relentlessly challenging combat to an incredible open world that gives us the freedom to choose our own path,” we said.

If you’re keen on saving a few extra dollars elsewhere, we also have a slew of other gaming deals roundups worth checking out, including the best Xbox deals, the best PlayStation deals, and the best Nintendo Switch deals. In each of those, you can find a wide variety of great discounts on games, hardware, accessories, and more.

Another great spot to look for the latest sales is in our Daily Deals roundup, where we highlight all the best deals on stuff you actually want to buy. Currently, we have some great video game deals listed alongside Nintendo Switch OLED and CRKD Nitro Deck discounts.

When is Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdree Available?

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will release June 21 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC. The release date was announced earlier this year, alongside the release of a brand-new trailer, which includes glimpses of a host of new bosses, powers, and more.

What Level Should You Be for Shadow of the Erdtree?

We already have a handy guide on how you should prepare for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, but here’s a quick rundown. We recommend that characters should likely be at least Level 100 to Level 150 to properly prepare for the challenges of the DLC.

Most players who have reached the final boss of Elden Ring usually find themselves around Level 100 or higher depending on the challenges you face, so it’s likely that having that many points allocated in various stats will give you a good fighting chance.

But, it’s also worth noting that the DLC will introduce a new power scaling mechanic. Players will be able increase their power by seeking out minor bosses and defeating them, so this will be an additional factor to consider besides your level when entering the Land of Shadow.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

The Witcher 3 REDkit Goes Live Alongside New Patch That Enables DLC-Sized Mods

The Witcher 3 now has REDkit, a comprehensive and advanced modding tool for PC that enables the creation of DLC-sized mods.

All who own Witcher 3 on PC can now download REDkit through GOG, Epic Games Store, and Steam. On Steam, it features Steam Workshop integration.

Here’s the official blurb:

Developed and implemented by Yigsoft with close collaboration from the CD PROJEKT RED team, The Witcher 3 REDkit offers a plethora of advanced features as well as full Steam Workshop integration, making publishing — and using — mods easy for both creators and casual players. As a repurposed, reworked, and extended codebase of REDengine 3, it gives modders unparalleled freedom in creating new quests, characters, locations, and more. Today’s release was accompanied by a trailer that features some of the modding possibilities contained within the tool as well as an overview of its major features.

The hope is these modding tools will breathe new life into the nine-year-old Witcher 3, and may even spark a collaboration that results in a DLC-sized mod akin to the Fallout London mod for Fallout 4. To coincide with the release of REDkit, Witcher 3 on PC gets an update that enhances the modding experience and supports Steam Workshop and DLC-style mods. The patch notes are below:

Witcher 3 REDkit update patch notes:

  • Enabled Steam Workshop. Manage your mods with ease on Steam! We’ve integrated the Steam Workshop support into The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. While Steam users can still use Nexus Mods or whatever modding platform they like, they now can install any mod available on the game’s Steam Workshop with a single click. Just find the mod you like, click “Subscribe” and it will install automatically!
  • Added Steam Workshop support for DLC mods (mods that include completely new content).
  • Added support for an easier way to add new world IDs in mods.
  • Added full support for loading DLC mods – fixed an issue that occurred when loading additional content from mods.

CD Projekt announced REDkit in November 2023, saying “it will allow you to create your own experiences in the game by making something completely new or editing existing quests and content.”

The Witcher 3 received a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X update in December 2022 but otherwise won’t get any new official content as CD Projekt focuses on its wealth of other incoming projects. The highly anticipated next mainline Witcher game, codenamed Polaris, is currently in development but won’t arrive until 2025 at the absolute earliest, and probably later. There are two other Witcher games on the horizon too, including a remake of the original Witcher and a multiplayer spin-off.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Review: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Switch) – Still The King Of Mario RPGs

Paper, un-jammed.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door has been held as the standard for Mario RPGs for 20 years. It, alongside its N64 predecessor, captured what fans wanted from their turn-based, plumber-starring adventures – silly humour, epic adventures, fantastic combat, and charm. Purists often view the GameCube original as the end of the ‘true’ Paper Mario style – a little bit unfair, perhaps, when Super Paper Mario and The Origami King are both great, if undeniably different from that original formula.

It should be no surprise that the Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door was celebrated upon its announcement. Even if you like other Paper Mario titles, it’s hard to argue that Thousand-Year Door wasn’t a high point for the plumber, not just in the RPG space but in Mario’s wider canon. Two decades later, that still holds true, and now the best Mario RPG is finally more accessible.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

A Note From Ninja Theory – Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is Out Now

Today we are proud and excited to launch Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II on Xbox Series X|S, PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming and Game Pass.

In Hellblade II, the sequel to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, we see the return of Senua in a brutal battle for survival through the myth and tyranny of Viking Iceland. It is a game from the heart, where our small team of around 80 developers have crafted an experience that aims to immerse you in Senua’s world and story. Our bold mission as a studio is to ‘Craft Life Changing Art with Game Changing Tech’, by which we mean we aim to push the boundaries of technology and techniques in order to create a game, and an experience, that leaves you thinking and feeling.

Immersion drives our work at Ninja Theory, with our belief being that if we can immerse you in Senua’s Saga, we can take you on an unforgettable journey. Our belief is also that believability is the route to this immersion, and so our team has painstakingly worked to bring our reality into Senua’s.

The game is set in real locations in Iceland, recreated through satellite data and photogrammetry. Our characters are digital doubles of real people and their costumes first made as real clothing through historically authentic techniques and materials. And all our character animations starts life as real movement from our incredible cast on our performance capture stage.

It is not only our presentation that is based in ground-truth reference, but so to are the narrative themes in Senua’s journey – in particular Senua’s experiences of psychosis. Senua is a person who lives in an unshared reality. She sees things that others don’t, hears things that others don’t and has unique beliefs about the world.

In order to realize Senua’s experiences of psychosis in a truthful way we have, as we did on Senua’s Sacrifice, worked closely with our friends and partners in the world of neuroscience and lived-experience. Their generosity, openness and support has given us the opportunity to understand what living with psychosis can be like, in the hope that Senua feels like a real person going through a very personal mental health journey.

I’d like to take this as an opportunity to thank our team and collaborators for devoting themselves to Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II as a true passion project. I’d also like to thank you, our fans, for your support throughout the development of Hellblade II. It has meant so much to us.

Now, it is time to turn down the lights, put your headphones on and join Senua for, what we hope is, an unforgettable journey into Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.


Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Xbox Live
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Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II

Xbox Games Studios

☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★

$49.99
Get it now

The sequel to the award winning Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Senua returns in a brutal journey of survival through the myth and torment of Viking Iceland. Intent on saving those who have fallen victim to the horrors of tyranny, Senua faces a battle of overcoming the darkness within and without.

Sink deep into the next chapter of Senua’s story, a crafted experience told through cinematic immersion, beautifully realised visuals and encapsulating sound.

The post A Note From Ninja Theory – Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is Out Now appeared first on Xbox Wire.