Oh, hello EA Sports FC 24.
The latest UK Charts are in, and… look, we’ll be honest, it’s not a particularly exciting week.
The usual suspects, such as EA Sports FC 24, Hogwarts Legacy, Minecraft, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe all make the top ten as usual, with the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition and Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate sneaking in to take the second and fourth spots respectively.
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Microsoft has reportedly approved a new game from Hellblade 2 developer Ninja Theory and has no plans to close the studio.
Windows Central reports that this new game from the Cambridge, UK-based developer is in addition to Project Mara, the already announced upcoming psychological horror game that takes place entirely in a single upscale apartment. There are no plans whatsoever to close the studio any time soon, Windows Central added. IGN has asked Microsoft for comment.
Microsoft today releases Ninja Theory’s Hellblade 2 four-and-a-half years after it was announced and six years after Microsoft bought the studio, bringing it into the Xbox Game Studios fold. IGN’s Hellblade 2 review returned an 8/10. We said: “Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is another Viking-worthy feast for the senses that meets the high bar set by its predecessor, even if it never really manages to clear it.”
Yesterday, a day before launch, Ninja Theory studio head Dom Matthews issued a heartfelt statement to fans, expressing gratitude for their support, along with the development team for working on Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2.
Some have expressed concern for Ninja Theory after Microsoft shocked the video game world by announcing the closure of a number of Bethesda studios, including Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Redfall developer Arkane Austin. The cuts come as part of sweeping layoffs announced earlier this year that affect 1,900 staff at Microsoft’s gaming business.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has indicated that Microsoft’s gaming cuts are the result of a video game market that is failing to grow amid rising development costs, but Spencer and other Xbox executives are also reportedly under pressure to make cuts following the company’s $69 billion acquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard.
In an email to staff sent by Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, Microsoft blamed the Bethesda cuts on a “reprioritization of titles and resources.” In the email, first reported by IGN, Booty said: “we are making these tough decisions to create capacity to increase investment in other parts of our portfolio and focus on our priority games.”
Earlier this month, Xbox president Sarah Bond responded to questions about Microsoft’s decision to shut a number of much-loved studios, insisting it was about ensuring the Xbox business remains healthy for the long-term during what she called “this moment of transition.”
Microsoft is set to host an Xbox showcase event in June as well as fully unveil the next mainline Call of Duty game, Black Ops 6.
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.
Risk Of Rain 2 is one of my fave action roguelikes, as it’s a good time with pals and has all the hallmarks of things I enjoy most in my games: shooting and looting. That’s why the latest free update excites me so, as it introduces an artifact that makes chests malicious and another that lets you hatch angry lizard companions. Oh, and there’s a new map, too.
Watching Senua emerge from a shipwreck onto the shoreline bruised, bloodied, and struggling to breathe immediately drags us back into the depths of desperation and despair of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II’s psychosis-affected lead from the outset. What follows is a supremely taut, six-hour tour across the human realm of Midgard that’s conveyed through staggeringly vivid action sequences, stunning Nordic-inspired locations, and intense encounters with towering terrors intimidating enough to make a Viking mess their furs. Hellblade II serves up another satisfyingly brutal and consistently enthralling heroine’s journey, even if its streamlined swordfighting favours cinematic spectacle over substantial gameplay depth.
Although it’s been some seven years since Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, the events of Hellblade II take place shortly after the original’s vengeful highway to Helheim, with Hel’s belle now feeling empowered by her psychosis rather than encumbered with it. (Suffice it to say, if you’re jumping into Senua’s story here then the included story recap is mandatory viewing.) However, after the Icelandic slave ship she stows away on is wrecked during a severe storm, survivor’s guilt sees her prior struggles with self doubt reemerge to clash with her own stoic sense of justice, setting her down another gripping and tortured path towards battling both her own inner demons and the bloodthirsty monsters roaming Midgard as they take human and mythical forms.
Senua is joined along the way by a handful of human companions, including a shackled slave master who begrudgingly accompanies her on her path and a settler she saves from a sacrificial altar. None of these supporting characters are given enough screen time to really develop much of a personality beyond the surface, but I appreciated having them along for various parts of the quest since their incidental conversation felt like a far more organic method to process exposition than the superimposed live action vignettes of the first game.
It’s the battle-scarred Senua herself who is the star, though, portrayed to stirring effect by Melina Juergens, returning from the still gorgeous original game now in near-photorealistic form. Juergens is a truly courageous and compassionate presence, and I completely bought into her determination to battle through the fear and self-loathing, from moments where she’s paralysed by anxiety through to shocking outward bursts of blood-boiling rage.
Hellblade II once again takes Senua to some dark and disturbing places, but the sequel’s environments have been painted from a broader colour palette than the mostly bleak backdrops of the original. Sure, you’re still forced to hold your breath during crawls through heinous pits of blood and gristle and infiltrate marauder camps decorated with gruesome bouquets made out of human bones, but these darker moments are contrasted with peaceful mountain treks beneath beautiful coral-coloured skies and jaw-dropping glimpses of aurora borealis so vivid you can almost smell the steamed hams cooking in Principal Skinner’s kitchen. The impressive lighting and fog effects employed throughout bring added depth to each destination, making for a journey that feels grounded even as it shifts between reality and the haunting altered states that spill out of Senua’s psyche. The tradeoff is that Hellblade II runs capped at 30 frames per second on Series X, but I felt its visual design was gobsmacking enough to justify that limit.
These immaculate visuals are once again reinforced by first-class binaural audio design, and playing with headphones on is an absolute must in order to really appreciate the detailed environmental touches like flies buzzing around mutilated corpses and drops of water echoing in underground caverns. More importantly, the swirling voices in Senua’s head seem so close you can almost feel their breath on the back of your neck. This time around not only do these disembodied backseat drivers serve as the bickering angel and devil on Senua’s shoulders casting confusion over every decision she makes, but they also cleverly sow suspicion about the supporting characters around her, making it tough to know who to trust along the way to the story’s thoroughly cathartic conclusion.
Whereas much of Senua’s war in the original Hellblade was waged against demonic manifestations of the Northmen who raided her village and murdered her lover, in Hellblade II the majority of her foes are flesh and bone human warriors. This means that every attack you land feels all the more brutal, with Senua’s sword splitting surface wounds in her opponents’ skin that continue to bleed for the duration of battle, and enemy encounters can be brought to a viciously abrupt end by jamming Senua’s blade so far down their Nordic necks that they’d need to perform a Helheim-lich maneuver to cough it back up again.
The combat camera is so tight on each conflict that every weighted blow lands with concussive force, and I was acutely aware of Senua’s knees buckling under her as I blocked an incoming series of powerful slashes. Dodging feels far more physical too, lurching you out of harm’s way but leaving you open to a followup attack in the brief moment it takes Senua to regain her footing, if you don’t manage to time it just right. Timing is also now more key to performing successful parries relative to the original, and the window in which to do so has been shortened to the point where I wasn’t able to just calmly deflect each and every enemy assault with Jedi-like consistency anymore. That made each fight feel like a little less of a foregone conclusion.
That said, while I remained consistently engaged in each ferocious and remarkably fluid fight to the death, I do wish the team at Ninja Theory had done a little more to build upon the fairly modest combat template established in the original Hellblade with what they’ve served up here. Admittedly, Hellblade II’s swift six-hour run time leaves little room to cram in a skill tree to flesh out or additional attack combos to unlock, but it does feel a touch familiar to play through another campaign with the same basic two-button mix of light and heavy sword slashes, as superbly animated as they may be.
If anything, Hellblade II’s fighting feels even further streamlined than the original, where Senua also has a guard-breaking melee attack. That’s been dropped entirely, with nothing to replace it. Meanwhile, her slow-motion focus ability, which was unlocked midway through the original Hellblade, is made available in this sequel virtually from the outset, with no further attack-altering abilities to be found for the remainder of the story. Hellblade II’s combat encounters are consistently menacing and muscular as new enemy types like flame-spitting cultists and nimble ghouls are introduced, but without any additional charged attacks or alternative weapons to wield my basic methods for overcoming each marauding mob remained mostly unchanged from start to finish – even on the hardest difficulty setting.
One combat change that I did appreciate, however, is the way Hellblade II limits each duel to one-on-one encounters. With no HUD to indicate incoming attacks and the whispers of warning from the voices in Senua’s head easily missed during the heat of battle, in the original Hellblade I often found myself getting stabbed in the back by an unseen offscreen assailant whenever I found myself outnumbered. Thankfully that’s no longer an issue here, and the way Hellblade II’s energetic direction brings new opponents seamlessly barrelling into frame the second another foe is violently dispatched successfully sells the illusion that Senua is stuck amidst a proper rough and tumble free-for-all, rather than the carefully choreographed turn-taking brawls of a Bruce Lee movie.
Speaking of direction, there are some exceptionally well executed sequences that revolve around murderous giants who have crossed over into Midgard from another realm and are hoovering up sacrificed slaves like they’re human-shaped snack bars. These encounters are urgent, desperate scenarios that put Senua through rigorous physical trials, and although they don’t ever actually put her in head-to-gigantic head conflict with one of the man-hungry monoliths, they still deliver some blood-pumping story peaks to Senua’s Saga that fill the void left by the absence of any traditional boss battles.
Hellblade II isn’t all life and death fighting, though, and as was the case with the original game there’s an equal amount of environmental puzzles to tease your brain as there are combat challenges to test your reflexes. At regular junctions the path forward will be blocked by a swirling, kaleidoscopic gate made of fractalized body parts – one of the most disconcerting images to be found in a journey packed to the brim with startling sights – and the only way to progress past it is by carefully lining up elements of the environment around you and resolving them into the shape of a specific symbol. I was a big fan of these perspective-based puzzles in the original Hellblade, and was happy to see them return here.
In addition to a bit of Midgard Magic Eye, Hellblade II sprinkles in the use of torchlit braziers and bubble switches that each transform the terrain around you and open up new paths towards your goal. They’re effectively new spins on the landscape-altering portals from the previous adventure, and although they might not be quite as brain-bending to behold they’re still just as satisfying to solve. None of these environmental riddles are particularly taxing, though, and for the most part Hellblade II’s puzzles have seemingly been designed to momentarily stall Senua’s forward march rather than ever truly stump you, but there are still some stand-out sequences. One mid-game stretch that involved sharing Senua’s puzzle-solving torch with an unnamed spectral assistant on the opposing side of the arena was particularly inventive, and felt like something straight out of the PlayStation 2 classic, Ico.
Despite the wide-open appearance of its world, Hellblade II is every bit as much a linear adventure as the original. However, the lorestones that were hidden off the beaten path in the first Hellblade make their return here, triggering further teachings about the Northmen from Senua’s friend Druth, delivered with earnest gravitas by returning voice actor Nicholas Boulton. Supplementing the lorestones is a second new string of secrets: hidden trees of Nordic knowledge that can be stumbled upon by focusing on faces found in the world that then dissolve into hidden paths like one of the false walls in Jim Henson’s Labyrinth. Neither give you any gameplay benefit but I still felt compelled to collect them, and unlike its predecessor, Hellblade II unlocks a welcome chapter select feature upon completion so that you can go back for anything you may have missed without having to replay the entire story from start to finish.
Three questions before we start:
1) Do you like Robert Eggers’ film The Northman?
2) Do you like games that mainly involve pressing ‘forward’ and not much else?
3) Do you like rocks?
Journey through Minecraft history.
Minecraft is currently celebrating its 15th anniversary and on day six of the celebrations it’s taking a “literal” trip down memory lane with a “free map full of nostalgia”.
“Celebrate 15 years of Minecraft with our free anniversary map! Made in partnership with our pals at Oreville Studios, this marvelous map holds a massive Minecraft museum filled with key moments in Minecraft history. Play mini games, collect lost memories, and explore historical exhibits to unlock the rich history of Minecraft. Take your friends with you – the museum is open to multiplayer too!”
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Square Enix has confirmed multiple Kingdom Hearts games will be available for the first time on Steam from June 13, 2024.
The games in question include Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind DLC, and Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece (which is a bundle pack that contains all the games just listed). In Kingdom Hearts parlance, this is known as the “Dark Seeker Saga.”
Square Enix notes that Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX will feature “textural updates to its graphics”, and that purchasing Kingdom Hearts III + ReMind DLC or the Integrum Masterpiece bundle will give players a new platform-exclusive Keyblade called “Dead of Night.”
Debuting as a PlayStation 2 game back in 2002, the long-running Kingdom Hearts is currently already available on PC via the Epic Games Store, as well as PS4, Xbox One, and Switch (via cloud gaming).
Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can chat to him on Twitter @MrLukeReilly.
“Free for all players”.
Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has officially rolled out its second major title update, called ‘Boss Attack’.
This is an entirely free update that allows players to take on new challenges including “Boss Revenge” where you an replay any previously defeated boss on any difficulty.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Nintendo announced today that it’s acquiring Shiver Entertainment, the company behind the Nintendo Switch ports of Hogwarts Legacy, Mortal Kombat 1, and more.
The company said in a press release that it’s entered an agreement with Embracer to buy 100% of the outstanding shares of the Miami-based Shiver, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. Shiver was founded in 2012 and since then, Nintendo notes, “has partnered with publishers and developers through commissions for large scale title developments.” It was acquired by Embracer Group in 2021.
“By welcoming Shiver’s experienced and accomplished development team, Nintendo aims to secure high-level resources for porting and developing software titles,” the announcement reads. “Going forward, even after it becomes a part of the Nintendo group, Shiver’s focus will remain the same, continuing commissions that port and develop software for multiple platforms including Nintendo Switch.”
The announcement comes a couple of weeks after Nintendo confirmed that it’ll reveal its Switch successor console “within this fiscal year” – so, sometime before March 31, 2025. There’s no mention of the Switch successor (what’s largely been referred to as the Switch 2) in today’s announcement, but it’s still a potentially telling announcement as Nintendo gears up to unveil its future plans.
As mentioned, Shiver’s known for ports like Hogwarts Legacy, Mortal Kombat 11, and Mortal Kombat 1, as well as developing Scribblenauts Showdown. Some of its ports, like Hogwarts Legacy and Mortal Kombat 11, have gone over well enough, although its Mortal Kombat 1 port was widely criticized.
Financial terms were not disclosed in the announcement, but Nintendo noted that the acquisition “will have only a minor effect on Nintendo’s results for this fiscal year.”
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
Wingspan has quickly ascended in recent years to become one of the most popular board games. Not only has the delightful card-based engine builder made a home in the collections of more serious hobbyists, but Wingspan has also been found nesting in the board game aisles of major retailers like Target and Walmart. Wingspan isn’t just a financial success either; it’s also a critical darling. The base package is the recipient of numerous Game of the Year awards and is widely considered one of the best board games on the market.
For those who have yet to play a round of Wingspan, it might seem odd that a board game essentially centered around the somewhat niche hobby of birdwatching has captivated millions of players. Simply upon opening the box, however, it’s apparent how much love and attention has been paid to its construction. The passion of first-time game designer Elizabeth Hargrave is soaked into every component, from the hand-painted cards to the moss-covered dice tray designed to look like a bird feeder. Not to mention, but most importantly, the act of playing is simply fun. It’s perhaps cliché to refer to a board game as an accessible title that is difficult to master, but Wingspan perfectly embodies the sentiment with its mostly straightforward ruleset and wealth of advanced strategies.
Soaring sales numbers and a laundry list of accolades have led to several expansions and various iterations, adding more and more tabletop enthusiasts to the list of budding ornithologists. Wingspan’s expansions build upon existing strategies by adding even more birds from around the world with new mechanisms and abilities, but before exploring new habitats, players should first set their sights on the base game.
MSRP: $65.00
The Wingspan base game was released in 2019, and it remains a fantastic experience for solo playthroughs as well as get-togethers with friends and family. As noted in our Wingspan review, the box is stuffed with unique components such as hand-painted cards, a bird feeder-style dice tray, and pastel-colored eggs, as well as themed tokens, dice, and player boards. Everything needed for hours of single and multiplayer fun is included in this beautifully constructed package. The base game is also required for several of the expansions, making this an ideal starting point. Many of the birds included in this iteration of Wingspan are based on Hargrave’s real-life observations in Maryland, but the various expansions add species from around the globe.
MSRP: $30.00 USD
Components (REQUIRES BASE GAME)
As you might have already guessed, the European Expansion adds birds from the continent of Europe to the Wingspan series. The 81 new bird cards are designed to shuffle directly into the original deck present in the Wingspan base game. The appeal isn’t simply just adding beautiful new cards to the deck, however. The birds within the European Expansion introduce new abilities to the game, many of which are designed to increase player interaction. To house and accommodate the stunning new components, the expansion also includes a new custom tray, extra food tokens, additional egg miniatures, and a colorful new scorecard.
While the European Expansion is the first add-on to be released, it isn’t necessarily recommended as the next package to pick up after Wingspan. It is certainly a worthwhile addition, but it doesn’t add as much new content or mechanics to the experience as more recent expansions. Completionists and those simply looking to add more bird cards to their decks certainly won’t be disappointed by the European Expansion, but due to the sheer amount of new game-changing content in subsequent releases, it might be wise to revisit this update after incorporating either the Oceania Expansion or Wingspan Asia… or both.
MSRP: $35.00 USD
Components (REQUIRES BASE GAME)
The Oceania Expansion, Wingspan’s second add-on, primarily introduces new birds from Australia and New Zealand. Like the European Expansion, the Oceania cards are designed to shuffle right into the deck of the base game. Unlike the European Expansion, however, Oceania introduces a new food source and board to Wingspan that significantly changes the gameplay. Nectar, the aforementioned new food source, is unique as it serves as a sort of wild card that can be played in place of other food types. Another added twist is that unused nectar tokens are returned to the supply at the end of each round.
The Oceania Expansion also includes a new game board that not only incorporates nectar but also alters bonuses and requirements for playing cards in certain areas, resulting in even more eventful turns and a change to traditional strategy. These components, along with the new dice, essentially replace the original pieces in the base game when abiding by the expansion’s rules. Largely due to these gameplay updates, it is recommended to pick up the Oceania Expansion before the European Expansion as the cards in the latter will fold right into the deck and updated mechanics. That being said, there is still one additional expansion to check out.
MSRP: $45.00 USD
Components (DOES NOT REQUIRE BASE GAME)
Wingspan Asia sets itself apart from the Oceania and European Expansions by serving as both an expansion and a standalone experience. The two-player Duet mode does not require the base game. It also plays a little bit differently than two-player Wingspan, adding a new map with bonus objectives to track throughout the game. Of course, like the other expansions, this Duet mode along with the additional bird cards can be tacked onto the base game, shuffling right into the core entry. As Duet mode adds a bit of unique strategy without further complicating the rules, it’s a welcome wrinkle for two-player games for those who are already enjoying Wingspan.
Flock mode, on the other hand, can get a bit messy and does require the base game. Without diving too deep into the rulebook, Flock mode basically makes it so two games of Wingspan are occurring at once. Honestly, it’s not the ideal way to experience the series, but that doesn’t mean Winspan Asia isn’t worth buying.
The Duet mode and new cards introduced in Wingspan Asia are well worth the investment by themselves. Not to mention, for those looking to solely experience Wingspan as a one or two-person game, there is an argument that this is an ideal starting point. That said, most will still likely want to start with the base game as it has the ability to play up to five. If you can manage to wrangle in more players, Wingspan is one of the best four-player board games, and it also plays exceptionally well at three players. As an expansion, the decision between Oceania and Asia depends on what you’re looking for and how much you’re willing to spend. Players who want the ultimate two-player experience and a standalone version may want to check out Wingspan Asia first, while other players looking to enhance the original game will likely want to plot a course directly toward the Oceania Expansion.
MSRP: $65
If birds still aren’t your thing, Wyrmspan offers many of the same mechanics as Wingspan, but with dragons instead. Those familiar with Wingspan will quickly catch onto Wyrmspan, but that’s not to say it’s simply a fantasy-themed reskin. For example, the introduction of the Dragon Guild card serves as an entirely unique idea that offers players who trigger the mechanic various bonuses. It’s a simple yet rewarding tweak that packs even more fun into turns without adding too many complicated rules to the core gameplay inspired by Wingspan.
Wyrmspan is a standalone game not at all compatible with Wingspan. That said, many of the components that make the original title great are also present here. Like Wingspan, Wyrmspan features incredible artwork, beautiful components, accessible rules, and deep strategy. Games run slightly longer than its predecessor and the added mechanics ever-so-slightly steepen the learning curve, but those interested in dragons—pretty much everyone, I assume—are encouraged to check out Wyrmspan. Read our Wyrmspan review for more information.
Digital versions of Wingspan as well as its Oceania and European Expansions are available on PC, Switch, and Xbox. On PC and console, the base game retails for $19.99 USD, while the Oceana and European Expansions go for $11.99 and $9.99 respectively. There are also mobile versions of Wingspan available on iOS and Android for $9.99 USD, with the European Expansion offered as an in-app purchase for an additional $9.99.
Additionally, Wingspan is available to play on Board Game Arena with a Premium Membership. For those unfamiliar with the site, Board Game Arena is a massive platform for playing board games online. While Board Game Arena does offer many titles for free, games like Wingspan are only accessible at the Premium tier. At just $3.00 per month (billed at $36.00 yearly), it’s a relatively inexpensive way to play hundreds of board games right from your computer. Of course, digital versions miss out on some of the social aspects of board games like Wingspan, but they’re great options for those who want to save a little bit of money and for nights when it’s difficult to get people together.
Wingspan is a fantastic game for any collection. The various expansions each offer something unique, along with a ton of beautifully illustrated bird cards. For those who simply cannot get into the bird-watching theme, Wyrmspan offers a similarly fun time, but with dragons. Luckily, many of these titles can be purchased well under MSRP, especially the base version of Wingspan which can often be found on sale at various retailers like Target, Walmart, and Amazon, as well as your local board game shop. Make sure to stay up to date with our board game deals coverage to potentially help secure a great deal on Wingspan, its various expansions, and countless other great board games.
For those looking for some great recommendations, be sure to check out our lists of the best two-player board games as well as the best board games for adults.
