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Valheim Early Access Review

Posted: 17 Feb 2021 09:15 AM PST

Emerging from the mists to take the survival crafting genre by storm, much like the Viking warriors it draws inspiration from, Valheim manages to spin a formula we've all seen plenty of times into something more like uncharted territory – even in Early Access. Whether I'm sailing the shimmering seas on my sturdy ship or delving deep into dim dungeons in search of treasure, the challenging combat, endearing art style, and moody soundtrack create a delightful and thrilling world to inhabit. It's guilty of becoming a bit grindy, especially later on, but the rewarding exploration and memorable encounters with its various dangers help give all that busywork meaning.

Since even before Minecraft, we've done this opening routine countless times: by yourself or with up to nine friends, you cut down trees. You kill some animals. You make new tools so you can cut down trees and kill animals better. This makes it tricky, at first, to tease out why Valheim works so well and stands out so much from the dozens of other games like it. It's a lot of little, subtle things… and a few not so subtle.

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The art and world design are definitely near the top of that list. It has a deliberately lo-fi look with pixelated textures and not a lot of polygons to go around. But even so, it's truly a beautiful game. Every creature, sunbeam, and forested hillside is filled with a sort of fairy tale ambience that made me want to get lost in its procedurally-generated regions. And there's a lot to get lost in, from peaceful meadows to spooky, monster-infested woods to snowy mountains. Every time I generated a new map it impressed me with its scale and how it looked like it could've been hand-made. Because of the naturalistic, Northern European feel, it comes across as very cohesive and authentic.

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The first time Valheim really made me go "Wow!" was when, after about 15 hours of preparing, I set sail on my own hand-built ship. Like a proper Viking, your main method of long-distance travel will be taking to the seas and riverways. The controls for steering are kind of clunky, and I love them for that very reason. Mastering the art of making tight turns, plotting a course through dangerous rapids, and managing my speed was oh so satisfying, even if it included some trial and error that did a number on my hull. By the time I had mastered the muscle memory to approach the shoreline at full speed and basically drift to a complete stop, parallel to the beach, right where I wanted to be, I felt like a true master of the briny deep.

Realistic waves can bounce you up and down, and a sudden storm can even damage your vessel and force you to make for a safe harbor. The ever-changing direction of the wind is a constant consideration that may encourage you to go out of your way and discover something new rather than simply sail in a straight line. Having a ship makes it feel like a whole new world is opening up – and then it tries to eat you. Sometimes literally, as the deeper waters are full of danger.

Dungeons and Dragons

Valheim's larger monsters are very well designed in their simplicity. My first time encountering a troll was a memorable and terrifying experience. Some of my most exciting adventures arose simply from trying to figure out how to get from A to B without being smashed into jam. To reach the second boss arena, because of the way my world was generated, I had to sail up an extremely narrow river that ran between two frigid mountain biomes, which caused me to take constant damage from frostbite. Unfortunately, at the very coldest part of the canyon, I discovered the waterway actually became too narrow for my ship. I leapt out, the winter air chipping at my health bar, and frantically whacked away at the voxel rocks of the riverbed trying to make a canal wide enough to let me pass.

And then, from the steep canyon walls above, a troll showed up and smashed my boat to flinders. I had to flee in terror, shivering in my soggy boots, return to my camp on foot (which involved spending a danger-filled night in the wilderness since it was so far away), build a new ship, come back, deal with the troll, finish my canal, and get on my way before I froze solid. None of that was scripted, but Valheim's simple but brilliant world generation made it one of the most memorable experiences I've had in any survival game in a long while – and it's far from the only tale I have like it! This is an ecosystem that consistently generates campfire-worthy stories with a small number of ingredients. There are finished games that feel less fleshed-out and well balanced. If you hadn't told me it was early access, I probably never would have suspected anything.

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Some of those ingredients are better than others, of course. The nearly-ubiquitous Greydwarves of the Black Forest are an unchallenging annoyance, like flies you have to constantly swat away. I would have liked to snap my fingers and see maybe half of them deleted from existence. Unfortunately, I haven't found any magic space rocks for my gauntlet just yet.

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On the other end of that spectrum are the satisfying, hectic, dramatic boss fights that drive Valheim's progression. These really demonstrate the strengths of its combat: There are five in this early access version, out of a planned nine, and I've taken on four of them in the 40-plus hours I've played so far. Not only do they serve as a climactic capstone to each area and tier of technology, they're really enjoyable and rewardingly difficult to defeat. Each is a major step up in challenge from the last, and the third and fourth bosses feel almost absurd to take on solo. Definitely plan to bring some backup and you'll have a much better time.

The randomized dungeons are also a treat, from bone-strewn Viking barrows that reminded me of Skyrim to foreboding crypts that bring to mind the undead areas of the original Dark Souls. You'll need a torch to navigate them, and they're full of monsters, treasure, and crafting materials that you can't get in the overworld. Each one is a nice little break from the sometimes tedious tasks you'd be doing above ground.

Back to the Grind

As with most survival crafting games, Valheim can get a bit grindy – sometimes extremely grindy, in fact. Harvesting enough ore or metal scraps to get a new set of gear can literally take real-world days. Some later areas require certain consumables, like poison or frost resistance mead, to even survive in them, meaning you have to do a lot of collecting and brewing every time you want to visit. This cuts both ways, because it serves to make them feel more thrilling and dangerous, but also adds a layer of ticking-clock anxiety and a lot of repetitive prep work to exploration as you watch your mead supply dwindle. Not being able to access a new area because I needed to get stronger to beat up a troll is cool. Not being able to access a new area because I'm waiting on my bees to make more honey? Not so much. Work faster, stupid bees!

I really like the way other consumables tie into progression, though. While you can skill up in different weapons and abilities, like running and swimming, your health and stamina meters are completely tied to what's in your belly. This means that "leveling up" mostly involves finding new ingredients and learning new recipes to ensure you're always as well fed as you can be. Valheim also wants you to eat a balanced diet. You can benefit from up to three types of food at any time, but stacking more than one of the same thing gives you no benefit.

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This is really one of Valheim's most clever little tricks for making your character feel more alive and connected to the world, and it sets itself apart from the rote, old-fashioned RPG progression routines where experience translates to levels, which translate into more hit points and energy. There's something really satisfying and thematically appropriate about heading out to battle evil with a full stomach, a good night's rest, and a flagon full of invigorating mead to quaff. And it also avoids one of the most annoying things about hunger systems in other games: being hungry will never actually kill you or prevent you from being able to hunt and gather. You just won't want to go into battle with anything stronger than a skeleton on an empty stomach.

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Building your own Viking village can be a decent way to while away the hours while you wait for those bees. While Valheim is voxel-based, it's also much more limited in how much effect you can have on the terrain than something like Minecraft. You can raise and lower the terrain a certain amount, but it's not very precise. The tool for leveling out an area for building was especially unsatisfying to use, as I never seemed to be able to get a nice, even grade no matter how much I fiddled with it. That means all of my buildings were either floating partly above the ground, or the dirt below would clip through the floorboards in some places.

Other than that, the structures you can build are cozy and appropriately Norse. They're assembled from a collection of pre-made pieces that limit your stylistic freedom somewhat, but also make sure the things you build really look like they belong in this world. When you move on to bigger projects, you even have to start thinking about support beams and load-bearing walls, which was a welcome little touch of immersion.

Microsoft Announces FPS Boost Feature For Xbox Series X/S Back Compat Games

Posted: 17 Feb 2021 09:00 AM PST

Microsoft has announced FPS Boost, an enhancement system for backwards-compatible games on Xbox Series X and Series S that can double - or sometimes even quadruple - frame rates. FPS Boost will be applied to select games, and the first five to be enhanced are Far Cry 4, New Super Lucky's Tale, Sniper Elite 4, UFC 4, and Watch Dogs 2. As the name suggests, FPS Boost improves the frames-per-second performance of each of these games on the newer, more powerful Xbox Series X/S consoles. Microsoft notes that it chose these first five games as they are both popular and show the range of improvement available. New Super Lucky's Tale has been pushed to 120fps, while UFC 4 has been specifically tailored to run at 60fps on Xbox Series S. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/05/xbox-series-x-review"] For players who'd rather experience these games in their original format with lower frame rates, FPS Boost can be toggled on and off. This is similar to how Xbox's other back-compat technology, Auto HDR, works. A new Compatibility Options menu will be added to allow you to toggle both of these technologies. These FPS Boost performance enhancements come via Microsoft's Xbox team rather than the games' original dev teams, and so there's no additional development needed from studios. They are applied via patches just like a developer title update, though, so if you wish to play any of these five games with FPS Boost, just make sure your Xbox Series X/S has updated them to their latest version. Last year, Phil Spencer said that frame rate is more important than resolution. Since these are backwards compatible games from the Xbox One generation, this will be the chance to get both frame rate and resolution. For more on backwards compatibility, check out our list of all the previous generation Xbox games playable on Xbox Series X/S. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Fighting Game Experts are Impressed With Guilty Gear Strive's Netcode

Posted: 17 Feb 2021 07:00 AM PST

Experts in the fighting games community have been given early access to Guilty Gear Strive, and many seem to be impressed with the game's rollback netcode. As originally reported by EventHubs, many members of the fighting game community are reporting smooth games between players in the USA, Japan and Korea, which will be music to the ears of those anticipating Arc System Works' upcoming fighting game. Eight-time Evo champion Justin Wong said on Twitter that the "game feels amazing and NETCODE is so good!!!." "I was able to play against people from Japan and Korea with no LAG," he adds. Dogura, a professional player signed to Cyclops Gaming Osaka played against Wong in the beta, reporting on Twittter that there "was no delay, no lag." "Is this really a match against the United States?," Dogura added. "I can't help but be surprised. incrediblllllllle." Jiyuna, a streamer and event organizer based in Tokyo called it "the best [fighting game] netplay I've ever played." Jiyuna added that they don't know whether it's better than Good Game Peace Out, a middleware used to create a "near-lagless" online experience in-game, but that the netcode and input buffer make the game "feel better than an older game with strict timing like (Guilty Gear XX Accent Core) +R." Those who preorder the game will be able to access the open beta of Guilty Gear Strive from February 17, with the beta running until February 21. Those without a preorder can play from February 18. Here are 25 minutes of high-level gameplay of every beta character from Guilty Gear Strive. The game was initially delayed out of 2020 due to COVID-19, but the full release will land on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC on April 9, 2021. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Persona 5 Strikers: Here's What Comes in Each Edition

Posted: 17 Feb 2021 06:25 AM PST

Persona 5 Strikers is set to release for PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC on February 23. Naturally, anyone lucky enough to have a PS5 can play the PS4 version via backwards compatibility, but it won't feature any next-gen upgrades. You don't have to wait to lock in a copy for yourself, because the game is available for preorder at a number of retailers (see it at Amazon). It's available in two editions: a standard one and a digital deluxe edition that comes with downloadable extras. Depending on where you get it, you may also get a preorder bonus (see below). And if you're wondering whether the game is worth playing, be sure to check out IGN's glowing Persona 5 Strikers review to find out why we called it "essential for fans of the original."

Preorder Persona 5 Strikers

persona-5-strikers-1PS4

Nintendo Switch

PC

The standard edition of Persona 5 Strikers comes with the following digital items:
  • Soundtrack with over 40 songs
  • Digital art book
  • Behind-the-scenes video

Persona 5 Strikers Digital Deluxe Edition

digital-deluxe The digital deluxe edition of Persona 5 Strikers comes with the digital items from the standard edition, as well as four days' early access (starting February 19), plus the following: Persona Legacy Background Music
  • Music from Persona 1 and Persona 1 PSP remake
  • Music from Persona 2 Innocent Sin and Persona 2 Eternal Punishment
  • Music from Persona 3 and Persona 3 Portable
  • Music from Persona 4 and Persona 4 Golden
All-out Attack Pack
  • Boost Skills Pack
  • Basic Affinity Skills Pack
  • Ally Buff Skills Pack
  • Armor Pack
  • Persona Points
  • Enemy Debuff Skills Pack

Persona 5 Strikers Preorder Bonuses

persona-5-strikers-steelbook-best-buyIn addition to the digital bonuses that come with all versions of the game (see above), some retailers are offering exclusive bonuses for placing your preorder with them.

What Is Persona 5 Strikers?

Persona 5 Strikers catches up with the Phantom Thieves as they head out on a summer vacation following the events of Persona 5. As you can imagine, things don't go quite as expected and they get roped into investigating mysterious cases in cities across Japan. The combat this time around is Musou-style, which means you take on hordes of enemies in real time. But the turn-based combat of the game's predecessor isn't completely gone, as you can pause the action to plot out your next moves. You also get a chance to play as each of the Phantom Thieves as you take on waves of enemies.

Other Preorder Guides

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No Man's Sky: Companions Update Lets You Adopt An Alien Pet

Posted: 17 Feb 2021 06:00 AM PST

No Man's Sky has received another update, titled Companions, which lets players adopt and breed alien companions. The Companions update launches today and will let players "tame, breed, train and even speak to the creatures they encounter." No Man's Sky has long been known for the inimitable alien creatures that inhabit the game's procedural planets, but this update will let players interact with them on a deeper level. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/17/no-mans-sky-companions-official-trailer"] Explorers can adopt creatures as sidekicks for their interstellar adventures, and the tamed beasts can be trained "to scan for resources, mark out hazards, provide light, hunt dangerous fauna, find settlements, excavate buried treasure or even mine for materials with their own shoulder-mounted mining lasers." Once a companion is nurtured they will also lay eggs which can be incubated by the player. A new system called the Egg Sequencer will also let players genetically modify their alien eggs to create variant and rare species, which can be sold to other travellers. "A wide range of customisable accessories and decals" will also be made available so players can create a stylish companion. Hello Games notes that "no two creatures are alike," and that the personality of the new companions will be defined "by their species and ecosystem." This will colour their emotional interactions with other players, who may also have a companion. You can also connect your companion to an Exosuit via a neural harness, and their alien thoughts will be "translated and sent directly to your internal communication channels," allowing players to communicate with their new alien friends. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=no-mans-sky-companions-update&captions=true"] Beyond the addition of companions, the update will also "bring significant improvements to load and warp times for PlayStation 4 players." You can check out full patch notes on the Hello Games website. Hello Games says that this is the start of the game's 5th anniversary festivities, but they "have a lot planned" for the rest of 2021. In other Hello Games news, Sean Murray has said that the studio won't be talking about its new game for a while, but that it's going to be big. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Microsoft-Bethesda Acquisition Reportedly Partly Responsible for Stadia Studio Closures

Posted: 17 Feb 2021 04:21 AM PST

The landmark Microsoft-Bethesda acquisition was reportedly a factor in Google's decision to close its Stadia game development studios. A report from Kotaku says that Google Stadia General Manager Phil Harrison brought it up as a factor during a Q&A with staff following Google's decision to shut down its two internal game studios in Los Angeles and Montreal in early February. According to Kotaku's sources, Harrison "pointed specifically to Microsoft's buying spree and planned acquisition of Bethesda Software later this year as one of the factors that had made Google decide to close the book on original game development." Microsoft announced its plans to acquire Zenimax Media and Bethesda Softworks in September 2020, bringing blockbuster franchises such as The Elder Scrolls, Fallout and Doom under its wing. It's not entirely clear what the connection between the acquisition and Stadia's decision is, although it could be seen as an inability to compete in the market. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/22/google-stadia-review"] Harrison reportedly mentioned the COVID-19 pandemic and "the rising costs of game development" as other factors in the decision. Kotaku's report notes that the studio's game developers were shocked by the decision to close the studios, as just weeks before they had been praised by Harrison via email for the "great progress" made by the teams. Kotaku's sources say this was "emblematic" of the reported mismanagement at Stadia's studios prior to their closure. Despite the first-party studio closures, Google recently announced that more than 100 third-party games would be added to its streaming service by the end of 2021. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

How to Solve Little Nightmares 2's Chess Puzzle

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 08:27 PM PST

Valheim: How to Unlock the Pickaxe

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 06:00 PM PST

Netflix's DOTA: Dragon's Blood Anime Series Gets a Release Date and Trailer

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 04:48 PM PST

Netflix has announced it is releasing a new anime based on DOTA, the immensely popular MOBA game from Valve, titled "DOTA: Dragon's Blood." Check out the trailer in the tweet below.

The 8-episode anime series will release globally on March 25.

Handling animation is Studio MIR, the South Korean company responsible for The Legend of Korra, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, and Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge.

The series will focus on several established DOTA characters, including the Dragon Knight Davion and moon princess Mirana. Davion, a warrior dedicated to wiping out the Scourge faction, encounters an ancient dragon race known as eldwurms, and is eventually dragged into a greater conflict alongside Mirana.

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Serving as showrunner and executive producer is Ashley Edward Miller, screenplay co-writer on X-Men: First Class and Thor. Miller also produced on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Fringe, and Black Sails.

"Fans will love how we've imagined the DOTA 2 universe and woven together an epic, emotional, and adult-oriented story about some of their favorite characters," Miller said in a press release. "The cinematic animation, acting and music are simply next level and I'm grateful to Valve for supporting our creative ambitions."

It's not a bad time to be an animated adaptation of a popular video game series, at least on Netflix. Castlevania season 3 managed to impress enough to merit a season 4 renewal, plus the Witcher is getting animated adaptation to go alongside its hugely popular live-action series. Netflix has also locked down a deal with Ubisoft on animated Assassin's Creed adaptations. You can read our thoughts on why Netflix is the future of video game adaptations here.

As a franchise, DOTA needs little introduction. DOTA 2 has spurred one of the largest fanbases in all of gaming, with 11 million players on Steam last month, according to Statista. It's annual championship, the International, is also watched by tens of millions of viewers. We here at IGN have called it one of the top 10 most addicting online games, as well as one of the top 25 modern PC games of all time. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/bungler for IGN.

Ex-Bungie Devs’ New (Old) FPS Is Controversial

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 04:23 PM PST

We discuss the return of Six Days in Fallujah, a resurrection of a canceled 2009 game based on real-world events, including its A-list team of ex-Bungie developers and what they've said about the controversial project so far. Plus: we're excited about the just-announced Xbox Wireless Headset, Microsoft creates a new Fallout-themed company to oversee the Bethesda acquisition, and more! Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, or grab an MP3 download of this week's episode. For more awesome content, check out the latest episode of IGN Unfiltered, featuring an interview with Brian Raffel, the cofounder of Raven Software – the studio behind Star Wars Jedi Knight II Jedi Outcast, Soldier of Fortune, Heretic, Hexen, Star Trek Voyager Elite Force, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, X-Men Origins Wolverine, and this year's Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War, among many others: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/27/working-on-call-of-duty-star-wars-star-trek-and-more-stories-from-raven-softwares-cofounder-ign-unfiltered-54"] It's already been an incredibly fun year of Xbox coverage, and the best is yet to come. Join us! Oh, and feel free to leave us a video Loot Box question below using Yappa and you might be featured on an upcoming episode! For more next-gen coverage, make sure to check out our Xbox Series X review, our Xbox Series S review, and our PS5 review. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.

All the Lawsuits Nintendo Is Facing Over Joy-Con Drift

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 04:20 PM PST

Nintendo is facing legal trouble around the world for the continued problems surrounding Joy-Con drift. The issue — which causes the Switch controller to falsely register thumbstick input, leading to unwanted reticle and/or character movement — has been reported since the launch of the Nintendo Switch in 2017 and persisted on the Switch Lite in 2019.

Most recently, a Canadian law firm filed an application to bring a class action suit against Nintendo in Quebec, claiming Nintendo has violated the province's Consumer Protection Act by continuing to sell Joy-Cons despite their "hidden defect." The case is currently awaiting authorization from one of Quebec's federally appointed Superior Court judges.

With this latest case pending, we set out to uncover the depth of Nintendo's present legal trouble surrounding Joy-Con drift. The issue is the basis of three active class action lawsuits in the United States, a formal complaint to a public prosecutor in France, and a continent-wide investigation in Europe.

Lawsuit #1: Diaz v. Nintendo of America, Inc.

Background: Filed on July 19, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington (Seattle).

Claim: "Unfair, deceptive, and/or fraudulent business practices" by Nintendo related to Joy-Con drift. Specifically, the lawsuit names nine claims for relief, with counts ranging from violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act to a breach of implied warranty of merchantability, which means "the seller promises that the product will do what it is supposed to do," according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Status: The judge granted Nintendo's motion to compel arbitration, yet denied its request to have the case dismissed; the class action case is on hold pending results of the 18 plaintiffs' individual arbitrations.

Lawsuit #2: Sanchez v. Nintendo of America, Inc.

Background: Filed on October 5, 2020, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California (San Francisco).

Claim: "Unlawful conduct" by Nintendo related to its marketing and selling of Joy-Con controllers. Specifically, this suit contains seven claims for relief, citing violations of California's unfair competition law, false advertising law, the aforementioned Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, and the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act.

Status: Nintendo has filed a motion to transfer the case to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington (Seattle), where the two other active cases have been filed. This motion will presumably be granted considering the End User License Agreement (EULA) for Switch states any U.S.-based disputes will be settled exclusively in King County, Washington, home to Nintendo of America. (More on the EULA below.)

Lawsuit #3: Carbajal v. Nintendo of America, Inc.

Background: Filed on November 17, 2020, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington (Seattle).

Claim: "Unfair, deceptive, and/or fraudulent business practices" by Nintendo related to Joy-Con drift. The filing states Nintendo is aware of the issue yet fails to disclose it to consumers prior to purchase and has been "unable to successfully eliminate the defect or prevent it from re-manifesting" when repaired or replaced.

Status: Nintendo filed a motion to compel arbitration, which the court has yet to rule on. Previous cases suggest the motion will be granted. Nintendo notably declined to file for dismissal, presumably due to this same court's previous denial of that motion in the Diaz case.

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Nintendo's Class Action Safeguard: Its EULA

In every such case filed against Nintendo to date, the company has successfully compelled arbitration (an out-of-court method of dispute resolution where a neutral party decides whether or not the claimant is entitled to damages). Nintendo's success in filing these motions is due to its End-User License Agreement, which Switch owners must agree to during the console's initial setup. The EULA includes a provision in which Switch owners "waive their right to file a class action [suit] or seek relief on a class basis" and agree that disputes will "be finally settled by binding arbitration" ("binding" meaning the arbitrator's decision is final and enforceable by a court).

All Switch owners have the opportunity to opt out of this provision (after being forced to accept it during the console's initial setup) by sending a physical written notice within 30 days of their purchase (in the U.S., at least). However, according to the court records, none of the plaintiffs in the three cases above chose to do so.

Despite plaintiffs' attempts to disaffirm the agreement, federal courts have thus far enforced the EULA, sending disputes to arbitration and safeguarding Nintendo against jury trials or settlements.

Potential Legal Action in Europe

While Nintendo isn't currently facing litigation in Europe, there are active investigations into its business practices surrounding Joy-Con drift.

In May 2019, French consumer advocacy organization UFC-Que Choisir called for Nintendo to repair Joy-Cons for free, which Nintendo obliged. However, the group continued to receive complaints of Joy-Con drift into late 2020, leading them to issue a formal complaint to the public prosecutor in the French commune Nanterre. The complaint alleges "Nintendo is engaged in practices of planned obsolescence," as evidenced by "the nature of the failure, its frequency of occurrence with players, the limited lifespan of these products and the inertia of the manufacturer, however informed of the malfunction."

Nintendo France refuted the allegation by saying, in part, that only "around 1%" of Switch owners in France experienced Joy-Con drift, and over 90% of affected systems have been repaired for free over the last two years. It also points to the "long lifespan" of previous Nintendo consoles, namely the Wii and DS, as evidence that Nintendo doesn't deliberately "shorten the life cycle of its products."

In January 2021, a wider-reaching consumer group in Europe, the BEUC (the Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs, or European Bureau of Consumers' Unions), put out a call for Switch owners to report Joy-Con drift. The information gathered will be used to determine what (if any) further action will be taken against Nintendo of Europe.

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What Happens Next?

In Europe, Canada, and the United States it's now a matter of waiting for the investigations and arbitrations to play out. We're keeping an especially close eye on the proceedings in the U.S. as those are currently furthest along in the legal process. Arbitration is typically the end of the road for these complaints unless an arbitrator rules that the dispute must be decided on in court. If that should happen, Nintendo will be faced with a potentially costly settlement or even a proper jury trial.

For the many Switch owners still affected by Joy-Con drift, Nintendo has offered a formal apology and continues to direct users toward its online form for free repair — though as the company notes, operations at its repair centers are currently limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For those hoping for a faster solution, IGN's wikis team has compiled a list of potential DIY fixes for Joy-Con Drift. You can also buy new Joy-Cons, though the cost is pretty steep ($80 USD) and there's no guarantee the new controllers won't be similarly afflicted.

Xbox's New Headset Was Hidden in the Series X and S Launch Trailer

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 02:20 PM PST

Xbox announced a new wireless headset for Series X and S earlier today, but attentive fans may have actually caught a glimpse of it in a trailer last year.

[caption id="attachment_2473955" align="alignnone" width="720"]Credit: Xbox "Power Your Dreams" Trailer Credit: Xbox "Power Your Dreams" Trailer[/caption]

In an October trailer titled "Power Your Dreams," a giant CG avatar of Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya boots up an Xbox Series X and does a bunch of awesome video game stuff, including growing to 80 times the size of a planet and donning the Master Chief suit. Before all that, he dons a pair of Xbox's new wireless headphones, a giant smile growing across his face before he's teleported into space. Check out the trailer below.

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Xbox social media manager Josh Stein confirmed the easter egg on Tuesday, adding that he wasn't sure if other easter eggs existed in the trailer.

The Xbox team is quite fond of hiding their latest hardware and other easter eggs in videos. During the Game Lab 2020 Keynote Fireside chat, Xbox head Phil Spencer spoke with interviewers while the Xbox Series X was sitting on his shelf in the background the entire time.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/16/xbox-wireless-headset-launch-trailer"]

The new wireless headset may not actually transport you to different dimensions, but at $99.99, it'll work with both the Series X, Series S, and Xbox One and will allow for spatial audio. The headset supports Xbox's suite of 3D audio systems: Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos, and DTS Headphone: X. If you're more of a PC Gamer, it'll work there, too.

The headset is available starting on March 16, but you can pre-order it on Amazon or the Microsoft Store now. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/easter egg hunter for IGN.

How Japanese Folklore Inspired Monster Hunter Rise's New Monsters

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 01:00 PM PST

With the series following a Japan-inspired theme for the first time in over 10 years, the monsters in Monster Hunter Rise are something else. Director Yasunori Ichinose explains how the art team was inspired by ghosts and spirits of Japanese folklore, or yokai, for the design of Rise's new monsters. Furthermore, The Rampage – a catastrophic event in which a horde of monsters attack Rise's hub Kamura Village – was inspired by Hyakki Yako, an ancient Japanese myth often translated as "night parade of one hundred demons." "Hyakki Yako portrays countless yokai parading at night. We wanted to recreate that image in the world of Monster Hunter," Ichinose says. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=monster-hunter-rise-concept-art-and-yokai-comparisons&captions=true"] See all the comparisons between monsters and yokai in the slide-show above with additional concept art and explanations! To give The Rampage an authentic feel that actually resembles Hyakki Yako's parade of ghosts, Ichinose and his team sought inspiration from yokai as well as other Japanese legendary creatures and stories for Rise's new monsters. Ichinose gave us a thorough explanation of how seven of these monsters came to be.

Magnamalo

IGNFirst-MonsterComparison-Magnamalo "Magnamalo will be Rise's main monster, and is Kamura Village's biggest threat together with The Rampage," says Ichinose. "The main inspiration for Magnamalo came from samurai armor. While not a yokai per se, an armored samurai ghost is a well-known image, and we took this as the base for Magnamalo's design." Ichinose further explains that hitodama, or balls of fire that float around at night, are often associated with armored samurai ghosts, as they are said to be the souls of the dead. "That's why Magnamalo emits a gas from his body that looks like onibi (ghost light)," explains Ichinose. Apart from the obvious Japanese inspirations, Ichinose says that Magnamalo's design was also inspired by tigers that inhabit other Asian countries.

  Aknosom

IGNFirst-MonsterComparison-Aknosom The Aknosom was designed as a combination between a crane and kasa-obake, a well-known yokai that is shaped like an umbrella. Kasa-obake have appeared in other video games such as Nioh, Yo-kai Watch 2 and Pocky & Rocky as well. "When a crane stands on one foot, it looks just like an umbrella, which is why we chose to combine them together," says Ichinose. "When it closes its wings, its patterns resemble an umbrella with a long tongue, which is a hallmark of kasa-obake's feisty attitude."

  Tetranadon

IGNFirst-MonsterComparison-Tetranadon The Tetranadon was based on kappa, one of the most common yokai in Japanese folklore, with many legends and stories that have spread throughout the country. A kappa is a green creature that is often depicted as a mix between a young boy and a turtle. While Tetranadon's design obviously does not resemble a young boy, you can definitely notice its turtle heritage. "We looked at creatures that live near water. Turtles, crocodiles… even platypuses!" Ichinose recalls. Another renowned characteristic of kappa is the dish-shaped depression on top of their head, which can be seen on Tetranadon's head as well, giving it a slightly more cute look than your average Monster Hunter creature. "Legends say that kappa enjoy sumo wrestling, which is why Tetranadon uses famous sumo wrestling attacks like open-hand strikes, or tsuppari," Ichinose adds.

  Great Izuchi

IGNFirst-MonsterComparison-GreatIzuchi (1) The Great Izuchi was inspired by kamaitachi, one of the sneakiest yokai. The kamaitachi is a weasel-like creature that attacks people in the midst of a whirlwind, but it attacks so fast that its victims don't even notice. "The kamaitachi work together in a group of three, which is why the Great Izuchi has two regular Izuchi help out," Ichinose explains. The kamaitachi strikes with either its scythe-shaped tail or its hands, which is why it should be no surprise that the Great Izuchi's tail has the shape of a giant scythe as well. "To make the design match Monster Hunter's world, we made the Izuchi raptor-type creatures," Ichinose adds.

  Somnacanth

IGNFirst-MonsterComparison-Somnacanth "While mermaids are commonly known as aquatic creatures with the upper body of a young beautiful woman, Japanese folklore has its own type of mermaids with the upper body of a devil instead," Ichinose says. The Somnacanth is a mixture between Western and Japanese mermaids. While its appearance is as menacing as any monster in the series, the Somnacanth swims in style and has a mesmerizing singing voice. Ichinose says that the team looked at sea otters for Somnacanth's way of swimming. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/02/monster-hunter-rise-somnacanth-complete-quest-gameplay-ign-first"] "Western mermaids are known to lead people astray with their beauty, and we wanted to add a similar aspect to Somnacanth's identity. Leading the player astray is a bit difficult to interpret as a gameplay mechanic, so we chose to give Somnacanth the ability to put the player to sleep instead," Ichinose explains.

Bishaten

IGNFirst-MonsterComparison-Bishaten The Bishaten was inspired by tengu, another staple creature in Japanese folklore. The tengu shares similarities with Western devils, and is said to lure people to the evil path. Its most common appearance sports a red face and long nose, but there are many different sorts of tengu. Ichinose tells us that Bishaten was inspired by the most common image of a tengu, as well as the karasu-tengu, which has a sharp nose and looks like a crow. "While Bishaten's skeleton is close to that of a monkey, its tail is the shape of the fan a tengu often holds in his hands. It throws items at the hunter such as persimmon fruit, which shows that it is a monster of high intelligence," Ichinose says. Another feature of the Bishaten is that it shows a wide variety of facial expressions, Ichinose tells us.

  Goss Harag

[caption id="attachment_247384" align="aligncenter" width="720"]IGNFirst-MonsterComparison-GossHarag Namahage photo: Nakashi / Wikimedia Commons[/caption] For Goss Harag the team referenced namahage, a beast that appears at a traditional festival in certain areas of Akita Prefecture in Japan. At this event, men dressed as demon-like beings in straw capes with either red or blue ogre masks and (fake) knives go door-to-door to frighten children that have misbehaved. "When we were thinking of monsters that inhabit the Frost Islands, namahage came to mind, as Akita is a very cold and snowy area in the northeast of Japan," Ichinose tells us. With a huge ice blade attached to his right hand, the Goss Harag will surely give Monster Hunter Rise players a good scare! Monster Hunter Rise will be released on Nintendo Switch on March 26. For more on Monster Hunter Rise, be sure to check out how Monster Hunter Rise connects to a previous game in the franchise, our Somnacanth Quest gameplay video, an in-depth interview with director Yasunori Ichinose and exclusively revealed concept art. Stay tuned for more exclusive Monster Hunter Rise exclusive content on IGN FIRST throughout February. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan. He lives in Japan but is not a yokai.

How Monster Hunter Rise Connects to the Series' Past

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 01:00 PM PST

When Monster Hunter Rise releases on March 26 for the Nintendo Switch, it will be the first game in the series with a Japan-inspired theme in more than a decade.

Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, the 2010 PSP title that never made it to the West, is the only other Monster Hunter title with a Japan-inspired setting. It's no coincidence that both games were directed by the same person, Yasunori Ichinose.

"Personally, I've always been fond of Japanese settings. Since quite some time has passed since Portable 3rd, with Rise it felt like the right timing to reintroduce a Japanese themed world, with other Asian influences as well," Ichinose tells IGN.

When asked if there are any connections between Portable 3rd and Rise, Ichinose hints at an interesting link between the village hubs of each game.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2010/03/16/monster-hunter-freedom-3-sony-psp-trailer-first-look-trailer"] See Monster Hunter Portable 3rd's Japanese-inspired Yukumo Village in the video above. 

While Rise's Kamura Village is a completely new location, Portable 3rd's Yukumo Village has also appeared in Monster Hunter Generations and Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, and has been mentioned in other titles such as Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate as well, which makes it a familiar location for Western fans of the series, too.

"While the geographical location of Kamura Village and the maps you will be exploring is never explicitly mentioned in the game, you might notice some aspects that indicate that it could be close to Yukumo Village," Ichinose says.

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See how Monster Hunter Rise's monsters were inspired by Japanese folklore in the slideshow above

Interestingly, one of the least Asian-looking maps actually shows the closest connection. Ichinose says that Flooded Forest – a map with temple ruins that feel more inspired by South American culture – could indicate a geographical relation to Yukumo Village.

"Portable 3rd had a map with the same name, so players might notice that Yukumo Village could be a nearby location."

Yukumo Village is famous for its hot springs, and Ichinose recalls developing Portable 3rd while dreaming of soaking in one. For Kamura Village, they couldn't repeat the same setting, which is why the team decided to go for a village inspired by ninja culture instead.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/11/monster-hunter-rise-hunting-101-wirebug-trailer"]

"While there's no stealth gameplay involved, you could say that the Wirebug – which allows you to swing around and wall-run – shares similarities with ninja-like action," he explains. "Thanks to manga and other works of fiction, ninja have become a popular icon in the West as well, and we thought it would be an interesting source of inspiration."

But while a hot spring resort and a ninja community are drastically different settings, further hints can be found that suggest a close relation, both culturally and geographically.

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"While it's not mentioned in the game, Kamura Village uses the same alphabet as can be seen in Yukumo Village, which shows that they share cultural similarities and are likely not too far away from each other," Ichinose says.

Judging by the way Ichinose phrases these comments, it doesn't seem likely that Yukumo Village makes an actual appearance or even that it will be mentioned in the game, but hints like these might be enough for some interesting fan theories.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/09/customizing-monster-hunter-rises-palamutes-ign-first"]

Monster Hunter Rise will be released on Nintendo Switch on March 26. For more on Monster Hunter Rise, be sure to check out our Somnacanth Quest gameplay video, an in-depth interview with director Yasunori Ichinose and exclusively revealed concept art. Stay tuned for more exclusive Monster Hunter Rise exclusive content on IGN FIRST throughout February.

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Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan. He did not write this article while soaking in a hot spring.

 

RDO: Claim Bonuses for Completing New 'A New Source of Employment' Missions This Week

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 11:17 AM PST

Hades-Like Roguelite RPG Dandy Ace Launches in March on PC

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 10:00 AM PST

Dandy Ace, the upcoming roguelike action-RPG with shades of Hades, arrives for PC via Steam on March 25. It will arrive for Nintendo Switch, as well as PlayStation and Xbox consoles, this summer. Developed by Mad Mimic and published by Neowiz, the game sees you take on the role of a magician fighting their way to defeat the Green-Eyed Illusionist in an ever-shifting palace. The mechanical intrigue comes from the game's approach to attacks – on every run, you'll pick up magical cards to slot into your attacks, each with different abilities. But every card can also be used as an upgrade for an existing attack (a poisonous explosion attack might add a poison effect to another ability, for example) – Mad Mimic promises over a thousand combinations of cards, all-in-all. Check out a new trailer below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/16/dandy-ace-official-trailer"] When it launches, the game will come with a bespoke Twitch mode, in which streamers can request aid from viewers (although the viewers can cause them more problems, should they wish). For those interested, the game has a demo out now on Steam. Publisher Neowiz recently released retro roguelite Skul the Hero Slayer, which we awarded an 8/10 review, saying it was "an original take on a well-established genre, using its novel head-swapping mechanic to put a plethora of unique playable characters front and center." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.  
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