IGN Video Games

IGN Video Games

Rust Console Edition Release Date Announced for PS4 and Xbox One

Posted: 27 Mar 2021 09:04 AM PDT

Rust, the competitive online multiplayer survival game that was first released in early access on PC in 2013, is officially coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (and PS5 and Xbox Series X/S via backward compatibility) on May 21, 2021. The announcement was revealed alongside a new trailer and a blog post by developer Double Eleven that details the differences between Rust Console Edition and Facepunch Studios' PC version. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/rust-console-edition-trailer"] While Rust Console Edition is obviously based on the PC version, it has been "designed and optimised for a completely separate and unique console player experience." Double Eleven had been in talks with Facepunch since 2016 about the idea of creating this console version, and the teams knew early on that the two games would "need to be in separate universes given that the PC edition can expand as it needed to, and performance would be maintained so long as people continued to upgrade their hardware, while consoles on the other hand have finite resources that need to be more closely managed." Performance was the team's "biggest and most demanding challenge" and Double Eleven needed to "rip apart and rewrite major engine subsystems within Unity" to get it up to standards. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/11/17-minutes-of-rust-ps4-pro-gameplay"] Load times were also a big issue, and the team explained how initial load times took up to 45 minutes to read and decompress the procedural map and its assets into memory. By implementing a new bootstrap system that would allow for the loading of multiple Unity scenes and asset bundles simultaneously, the game now loads "in around one minute give or take." The team also decided to pick a point in Facepunch's code base that served as a good foundation, and decided it would rebuild some of the more advanced features once a solid base on which to build was established. This means that Rust Console Edition will follow its own update roadmap that differs from the PC version that will "provide an optimal player experience while gradually introducing players to the vast amount of game play and content that makes Rust an incredible experience." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/02/23/rust-review"] While Double Eleven isn't quite ready to reveal the roadmap, the studio promises some of it will be shown closer to the release of the game in May. The developer did reveal that Rust Console Edition will be getting a Deluxe and Ultimate Edition which include Beta access in April 2021, 3-days early access, and more. For more on Rust, check out why everyone was playing Rust again earlier this year and read our review of the game from 2018. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Six Days in Fallujah's First Gameplay Trailer Reinforced Many of its Harshest Criticisms

Posted: 27 Mar 2021 09:00 AM PDT

Editor's note: Earlier this week, we shared the first look at gameplay in Six Days in Fallujah, a game that has been the topic of heavy criticism due in large part to the subject matter itself, as well as its portrayal of what are very real, very recent, and very painful memories for the Iraqi and Arab communities. 

This new asset followed shortly after we published a lengthy report that both detailed the context of why The Second Battle of Fallujah is a painful subject and black mark on the US's history, as well as shared the perspectives of the Arab community who have close ties to the war, and to the communities affected by that war. We did so in the hopes that we could capture the larger conversation happening around the game for our readers. We believe it's our responsibility to give you the necessary context and lens by which to view and consider the contents of the game to make those judgments for yourselves. 

But our packaging and rollout of the trailer earlier this week contributed to a tonal disconnect with our reporting, as well as our increasing concerns around the intentions of the game, and it was a disservice to our readers to not frame and present the news of a first in-game look at Six Days in Fallujah within that larger context and conversation. We wanted to take the time to reshare and reframe this new point of reference with our readers, to apologize for the original misrepresentation, and to remind you all of the valuable voices and perspectives from our sources who took the time to speak to us and share an important side of the conversation. 

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In a feature last week, I spoke to a number of game developers and critics who are either from Arab or Iraqi backgrounds, or otherwise have close ties to the Second Battle of Fallujah -- a controversial battle that occurred during the Iraq War, in which at least 800 Iraqi civilians died at the hands of US and British troops.

Six of those I spoke to agreed to go on the record about their fears, frustrations, and criticisms of what we know about the video game Six Days in Fallujah, which claims to "recreate true stories of Marines, soldiers, and Iraqi civilians" involved in the battle. Their concerns are many and if you have not already, I recommend taking the time to click the link above to read the full context of what they said, as a summary does not do their stories justice but it's also important context as we continue to see more of the game itself.

Among those concerns are:

  • The game's pitch and marketing thus far focuses heavily on US forces who invaded Fallujah, and has either minimized or often even excluded stories from Iraqi civilians.

  • A game like Six Days in Fallujah runs the risk of contributing to an ongoing culture of generalized, racist, and dehumanizing portrayals of Arab, Muslim, and Middle Eastern cultures across all entertainment, and especially FPS games.

  • Publisher Victura has numerous verifiable past ties to the US military, making it difficult to trust that Six Days in Fallujah is not at best unintentional, or at worst very intentional, US military propaganda.

  • Six Days in Fallujah has had minimal and often contradictory messaging as to how it will address the controversial political contexts around the Second Battle of Fallujah, including the documented (if denied) war crimes allegedly committed by US forces.

With its first gameplay reveal, Victura had an opportunity to account for these numerous valid concerns. If Six Days in Fallujah is indeed an empathetic, thoughtful portrayal of the horrors of the Second Battle of Fallujah as they impacted everyone involved, this week's trailer was a perfect time to showcase that intent with a focus on the Iraqi perspective, as well as some acknowledgement of the US's harmful decisions in entering the war in the first place. All of this could have been done alongside gameplay that told a meaningful story to those watching.

However, the trailer that Victura released this week has done nothing to quell those fears and criticisms. Instead, it has substantiated many of them.

The First Look at Six Days in Fallujah, Broken Down

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/23/six-days-in-fallujah-official-gameplay-reveal-trailer"]

Six Days in Fallujah's first gameplay trailer opens with narration from US Sgt. Jason Kyle, who continues to tell the story of his experience in Fallujah interspersed throughout the trailer. A handful of other US veterans make appearances and tell their stories, as well. Almost the entirety of the six-minute trailer is told through their viewpoints, and all of the gameplay shown is through the US military perspective, lending credibility to the concerns that this is largely a game about empathizing with the US military rather than the people who lived in Fallujah. A brief perspective from two anonymous Iraqi civilians is shown later in the video, but it is far and away eclipsed by what is clearly a military-focused story.

Sgt. Kyle's introduction gives way to a narrator who introduces the gameplay of a soldier walking down an alley. Upon turning a corner, you can see a dark, undefined figure at the end of the alley, who the player immediately begins shooting at. We hear soldiers yell, "There's one in the alley!" and then "I got you," when the figure is dead. There is no context offered for the person who was shot at -- which is notable because of the presence of civilians in the real-life counterpart to this story. They are merely presented as an enemy to be defeated.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=%E2%80%9CYou%20just%20turn%20on%20a%20game%2C%20you%20see%20some%20terrorists%2C%20and%20you%20start%20shooting%20at%20them%22"]

As the trailer continues, we are shown gameplay mechanics presented in the same manner as This Year's Thrilling New Shooter, rather than what you might expect from, as Victura themselves have described it, a 'playable documentary'.

"Pin enemies in place with suppressive fire, while you flank," the voice says with a tone of hyping up a fun gameplay feature. An enemy shouts "Allahu Akbar" in the distance in the only attempt at detailing who the player is shooting at: presumably a generalized Islamic terrorist.

More shots are exchanged with distant figures in a house across a street, again impossible to tell who they are from a distance. It's a scene reminiscent of what one of the developers I spoke to, Alex, mentioned in our interview, about the ease at which Middle Easterners are villainized in games, because Americans don't have to question it.

"You just turn on a game, you see some terrorists, and you start shooting at them," they said.

The Unknowable Fallujah

We cut to a segment called "The Fatal Funnel" in which Sgt. Kyle reappears with the line, "The person who goes in first is never wrong. They have the most to fear." This line is not contextualized, but it's especially dark given the number of civilian deaths in Fallujah. Without additional context, it's easy to interpret this line as a defense or rationale around those deaths.

Three more US military veterans appear and share their experiences of entering houses and not knowing what to expect inside, focusing on the fears of those soldiers and ignoring what the people inside those houses might have feared. This discussion of fear is used as a transition point back to a gameplay feature, this time around the procedural generation to recreate the "realism" of the battle. "Six Days in Fallujah reshapes the battlefield every time you play. Each room, each building, even the entire neighborhood is generated procedurally. Every map is a new map. So just like actual combat, you never know what to expect."

Six Days in Fallujah has, from the start, promised a "real-life" experience. Here's one quote from Victura's official website messaging:

"We've invested more than three years building technologies to explore specific parts of the combat experience more realistically than other games have so far," the website continues. "We hope that participating in these real-life 'moments of truth' will give each of us a new perspective into events that have already shaped so much of our century." [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=The%20reality%20of%20Fallujah%20--%20a%20place%20where%20people%20lived%20their%20lives%20--%20has%20been%20glossed%20over%20for%20the%20sake%20of%20a%20thrilling%20combat%20experience"]

While it wasn't entirely clear at the time what this would entail, the demonstration of a procedurally generated Fallujah offers part of an answer. The "real-life" Victura is interested in is the real-life combat experience, focused on the soldier's perspective of the city as an unknown, threatening place. The reality of Fallujah -- a place where people had once lived their lives and which many refused to abandon due to a number of deeply personal reasons -- has been sacrificed for the sake of a thrilling combat experience.

It's an exacerbation of an issue that media critic Anita Sarkeesian, whose parents were born and raised in Iraq, pointed out prior to the trailer's release:

"The developer statements very carefully acknowledge the Iraqi casualties but they are not providing any context about the fact that the heroes of this story are murdering people who are defending themselves and their homeland, a people who have been targeted repeatedly over the years by world powers, including the US."

Why Stay?

More gameplay is shown featuring firing at distant and nondescript targets before cutting to another section titled "Fathers and Sons." In this section, Sgt. Kyle tells an emotional story about missing his son's birthday while in Fallujah, and not wanting to die on his child's birthday. While this story is heartfelt, the trailer's emphasis on the pain felt by loss of life is noticeably centered on the US side of that story. It does nothing to either contextualize the political decisions that sent Sgt. Kyle and the US military at large to Fallujah in the first place, or to tell any stories from Fallujah residents whose family lives may have been impacted in similar or far worse ways.

A final, lengthy gameplay sequence follows soldiers moving through an empty, dark house and checking rooms, all with the framing, lighting, and audio effects one might see in a horror game, just before the protagonist is attacked by some unseen enemy. The player kicks down the door and screams are heard as a family huddles in the darkness. It is entirely unclear whether or not control is taken away from the player at this point, and whether or not players might have the ability to fire on what are clearly civilians hiding from the invading force, a la No Russian.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=Excluded%20is%20the%20context%20that%20the%20US%20did%20not%20permit%20any%20males%20over%20the%20age%20of%2015%20to%20leave%20at%20all%2C%20and%20it%20is%20likely%20many%20families%20chose%20to%20stay%20together%20rather%20than%20be%20separated%20from%20one%20another%20or%20abandon%20their%20homes."]

"So just think, you have this marine, you're amped up, you've got all this adrenaline going through, and this family of four -- and I'm talking to the dad, I'm like, 'Dude, why are you still here?'" The focus of empathy, a major point of concern from the sources I spoke to in our original report, again favors Sgt. Kyle's perspective. The tensions of war from any perspective notwithstanding, we never get to see him nor anyone else explore the implications of what could conceivably happen when a Marine in that situation opened fire into buildings or streets without checking who the target was, as previous segments of gameplay suggested.

The trailer then cuts to the only scene we see with Iraqi representatives. The anonymous interviewees say that the people in Fallujah were told to leave, but the reasoning for some staying behind is pinned on the stubbornness of an older generation. Excluded is the context that the US did not permit any males over the age of 15 to leave at all, and it is likely many families chose to stay together rather than be separated from one another or abandon their homes. The trailer ends here.

What Have We Learned About Six Days in Fallujah?

This first gameplay trailer for Six Days in Fallujah tells us that regardless of what ultimately ends up in the game when it releases, the priorities of publisher Victura are, first and foremost, on presenting the US military as brave heroes. Though the individuals whose stories are told may indeed be sympathetic, the ultimate motives and context of the US being in Fallujah in the first place were far from it, as US military veteran John Phipps acknowledged when we spoke to him for our original article.

"There is a massive unwillingness on the part of American media, no matter what form of media it is, to portray US soldiers as the antagonists or the bad guys, which, in that instance, we were," he said.

It's still possible this may be addressed in the shipped game, and Victura's website says it will explore "the events that led to these battles." But we haven't seen evidence of that yet. Thus far, indications increasingly point to the idea that the bulk of Six Days in Fallujah will follow a war story intended to inspire empathetic feelings for the US military and its actions in Fallujah, and may engender negative feelings about Iraqis and Middle Eastern people as a whole.

"It sells you the idea that the soldiers are brave and that their cause is just without showing you if their fear is justified or not," said Yifat Shaik, an Iraqi-Jewish academic who I spoke to in my original article. She was referring to this tweet at the time, but her analysis seems fitting for the trailer, too. "We do not see what they are encountering, the enemy is faceless and voiceless...It's propaganda because it is telling you (and this is true for all the gifs and images they have on Twitter) that they are the good guys and that they are fighting a nameless enemy. It is there to sell you the idea of war being just and that the US Army [are] the good guys in this case. If I reverse this, and those would have been Iraqi soldiers or insurgents, our reaction would be a lot different."

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=The%20team%20spoke%20to%20over%20100%20Marines%20and%20soldiers%20for%20Six%20Days%20in%20Fallujah%2C%20while%2026%20Iraqis%20(23%20of%20whom%20are%20from%20Fallujah)%20were%20interviewed%2C%20some%20of%20them%20as%20long%20ago%20as%202008."]

In a six-minute trailer, less than one minute is devoted to the Iraqi perspective, and it is focused on a single subject: one possible reason why more civilians did not leave Fallujah. Of course, we won't know what the final balance is until the game comes out, but the recently-updated FAQ on the game's website states that the team spoke to over 100 Marines and soldiers for Six Days in Fallujah, while 26 Iraqis (23 of whom are from Fallujah) were interviewed, some of them as long ago as 2008. This does not inspire confidence that their stories will play a prominent role, or at least not as compared to that of the Marines.

What we do know so far is that, at least in the gameplay segments, the Iraqis in Fallujah will be portrayed as distant, non-specific foes who yell stereotypical phrases. We know that players will be encouraged to shoot indiscriminately where they think enemies might be, and while we don't know if players will be able to accidentally shoot civilians (Victura has said it won't depict war crimes, but has been inconsistent in other messaging), the idea of simply being able to fire into houses where innocent people might be hiding or firing at generic, unknown maybe-foes remains troublesome.

While the publisher has spent time and energy promoting the game's "documentary" style of storytelling, this week's footage ultimately focused on the intensity and specificity of shooting mechanics as a core point in its marketing. Though these mechanics -- like the "Go" command and the procedural generation of the city -- are said by Victura to be in the service of realism, the realism being uplifted is the realism of shooting, of violence, of destruction. It is not the realism of the lives of the everyday people of Fallujah.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=Though%20these%20mechanics%20are%20said%20by%20Victura%20to%20be%20in%20the%20service%20of%20realism%2C%20the%20realism%20being%20uplifted%20is%20the%20realism%20of%20shooting%2C%20of%20violence%2C%20of%20destruction."]

This is, of course, just a six-minute slice of a gameplay trailer, and does not encompass the entirety or even most of what Six Days in Fallujah will be. But with a subject as sensitive, real, and controversial as the Second Battle of Fallujah and its corresponding video game, Victura hasn't taken many opportunities to make their intentions clear. What information and responses have been offered have revealed little about how the Iraqi side will be portrayed.

Whatever Six Days in Fallujah ultimately is, every step this game has taken from its initial announcement and cancellation, to its re-announcement and marketing has been contradictory and frequently thoughtless. Now, Six Days in Fallujah's first gameplay trailer has only served to increase people's concerns that it cannot be trusted to be more than another military-centric wargame.

Assassin's Creed Narrative Director Leaves Ubisoft After 10 Years

Posted: 26 Mar 2021 04:38 PM PDT

Darby McDevitt, the lead writer on Assassin's Creed games like Valhalla, Black Flag, Revelations, and more, has announced that he is leaving Ubisoft after 10 years. McDevitt announced the news on his personal Twitter account. McDevitt hasn't shared plans about his future other than he has "decided to set forth on a new adventure." McDevitt is primarily known for his extensive credits on the Assassin's Creed franchise. He served as a scriptwriter on mobile Assassin's Creed games like Discovery on the DS and Bloodlines on the PSP and is credited as Lead Writer on the canceled 3DS game Assassin's Creed: Lost Legacy, as well. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-assassins-creed-review&captions=true"] He eventually got credits as lead writer on Assassin's Creed Revelations and Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, as well as co-writer on Assassin's Creed: Unity. His final credit on the series is as Narrative Director on Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. While video games are a collaborative effort, McDevitt has some big credits to his name and games like Black Flag and Valhalla are two of the more popular games across the franchise. "A special thanks to all the fans & content creators that have supported & expanded on our work over the years," McDevitt writes. "Thank you for your kind attention! You have my deepest respect & admiration. It has been the honor of a lifetime to get to know so many of you." There's no word yet on the future of the Assassin's Creed series, but Netflix and Ubisoft have announced a new Assassin's Creed anime from the producers of the Castlevania animated series. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor.

Let's Talk About Those Switch Pro Rumors

Posted: 26 Mar 2021 02:04 PM PDT

Welcome back to Game Scoop!, IGN's weekly video game podcast. This week your Omega Cops -- Daemon Hatfield, Sam Claiborn, Justin Davis, and Mark Medina -- are discussing the latest Nintendo Switch Pro rumors, the Ghost of Tsushima movie, favorite video game easter eggs, and more. And, of course, they play Video Game 20 Questions. Watch the video above or hit the link below to your favorite podcast service. Listen on: Apple Podcasts YouTube Spotify Stitcher   Find previous episodes here!

Over 20 ID@Xbox Games Are Launching Day One With Xbox Game Pass

Posted: 26 Mar 2021 12:57 PM PDT

Microsoft and Twitch presented the first /twitchgaming Showcase: ID@Xbox event today, and it featured over 20 games, including DrinkBox Studios' new game Nobody Saves the World, that will be launching day one with Xbox Game Pass. The /twitchgaming Showcase: ID@Xbox event highlighted 60 games that are headed to Xbox Series X/S, and the 22 of them that will be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch are as follows; [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/xbox-indie-showcase-games-coming-to-gamepass-montage"]
  • Art of the Rally (Cloud and Console - 2021) - Race in the golden era of Rally. Drive iconic cars from the 60s to Group B on challenging stages that are inspired by real locations.
  • Astria Ascending (Cloud and Console - 2021) - Astria Asceding is a turn-based JRPG that puts players in control of the Demigods - a motley crew of eight heroes charged with the fate of the world.
  • Backbone (Cloud and Console) - Backbone is a noir roleplaying detective adventure that puts you in the shoes of anthropomorphic raccoon and private eye, Howard Lotor.
  • Boyfriend Dungeon (Console and PC) - Boyfriend Dungeon is a dungeon-crawler that is all about dating your weapons. Enjoy the world's best "shack-and-slash" game.
  • Craftopia (Console and PC) - Craftopia is a multiplayer survival action game that features hunting, farming, hack-and-slash, building, automation, and more.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/nobody-saves-the-world-a-hilarious-deep-action-rpg-from-guacamelee-devs"]
  • Dead Static Drive (Console and PC) - Top-down driving meets survival horror in Dead Static Club. Drive down Route 666 and take your chances against unearthly horrors.
  • Edge of Eternity (Cloud and Console - 2021) - Edge of Eternity is a grand tale of hope and sacrifice that follows a cast of unforgettable characters on a fate-defying journey across a dying world.
  • Hello Neighbor 2 (Cloud and Console) - Hello Neighbor 2 is a stealth horror game that is all about uncovering your creepy neighbor's secrets.
  • Library of Ruina (Cloud and Console) - Become the owner of the Library and find the "one singular, perfect book." Guests will get in your way, and defeated guests will turn into books.
  • Little Witch in the Woods (Cloud and Console) - Little Witch in the Woods is a fantasy role playing game that lets you live the life of a witch named Ellie.
  • Moonglow Bay (Cloud and Console) - Moonglow Bay is a wholesome fishing RPG set along the 1980's Eastern Canadian coastline and features over 100 aquatic species.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/moonglow-bay-announcement-trailer"]
  • Narita Boy (Cloud and Console) - Narita Boy, in this game, becomes the best-selling video game of all time in the '80s, but a dark secret lives in its binaural code.
  • Nobody Saves the World (Cloud and Console) - Guacamelee! developer DrinkBox Studios have revealed Nobody Saves the World, an action RPG that lets your transform into a Ranger, Rat, Horse, and a dozen other unique forms.
  • Omno (Cloud and Console - Summer 2021) - Take on a journey through an ancient world of wonders in Omno, a single-player adventure full of puzzles, secrets, obstacles to overcome, and more.
  • Recompile (Cloud, Console, and PC - 2021) - Take control of a semi-sapient program and escape deletion in this atmospheric, Metroidvania-inspired hacking adventure.
  • Sable (Console and PC) - Sable is a coming-of-age tale of discovery through exploration across a strikingly rendered open world desert.
  • She Dreams Elsewhere (Console and PC) - She Dreams Elsewhere is a surreal adventure RPG about dreams and the extent to which they mirror reality.
  • S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 (Cloud and Console) - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is a blend of FPS, immersive sim, and horror set in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/stalker-2-dev-diary"]
  • The Ascent (Cloud, Console, and PC) - The Ascent Group is a mega corporation that owns you and everyone else, and it has just collapses. Discover what happens and deal with the fallout in this solo and co-op action RPG set in a cyberpunk world.
  • Undungeon (Cloud, Console, and PC) - Travel between dimensions and change the world around you in this action RPG driven by intense real-time combat and a rich sci-fi story.
  • Way to the Woods (Cloud and Console) - A Deer and Fawn must embark on a journey through an abandoned world of the unknown to get home.
  • The Wild at Heart (Console) - Take control of a magical swarm of curious creatures in this story-rich, action-adventure game about childhood escapism.
[poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

ID@Xbox and /twitchgaming Indie Showcase: Every Game Announcement

Posted: 26 Mar 2021 12:41 PM PDT

Microsoft and Twitch presented the first /twitchgaming Showcase: ID@Xbox event today, and the stream featured over 60 games. The announcements included everything from the reveal of DrinkBox Studios' new game Nobody Saves the World to a new look at Twelve Minutes and so much more. We've gathered together all the best news from the show below, including the over 20 games that will be launching day one on Xbox Game Pass.

DrinkBox Studios New Game Is Nobody Saves the World

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/nobody-saves-the-world-a-hilarious-deep-action-rpg-from-guacamelee-devs"] Guacamelee! developers DrinkBox Studios revealed Nobody Saves the World, a game that promises to put a "new twist on Action RPGs." Players can transform into a Ranger, Rat, Horse, and a dozen other unique forms. Furthermore, players will be able to mix-and-match abilities to create custom builds. Nobody Saves the World will arrive on PC and consoles in 2021, and promises dozens of dungeons and the chance to save the world.

Soup Pot Aims to Capture the Open Nature of Home Cooking

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/soup-pot-reveal-trailer"] Soup Pot is a cooking game that is all about creativity. Experiment with over 100 different dishes, and try cooking delicious dishes without the pressure of failing. Soup Pot will be released on Console and PC via Steam in August 2021.

Moonglow Bay Is a Wholesome Fishing RPG Set Along the 1980's Eastern Canadian Coastline

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/moonglow-bay-announcement-trailer"] Moonglow Bay is a wholesome fishing RPG set along the 1980's Eastern Canadian coastline and features a "playful voxel art style and sumptuous soundtrack." You will play as a rookie angler who is looking to fulfill their partner's final wish. Moonglow Bay will feature over 100 aquatic species when is launch in 2021 on consoles.

Death's Door Is Set in a World Where Crows Are in Charge

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/deaths-door-gameplay-trailer"] Death's Door is a fantasy action-adventure that's set in a world where Crows are in charge of reaping the souls of the dead. They have a headquarters called the Hall of Doors, and one of the Crows (that's you!) gets sent to a "twisted place where nothing has died for several centuries." Discover the secrets of Death's Door when it arrives on consoles in 2021.

Twelve Minutes Gets a New Story Trailer

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/twelve-minutes-xbox-story-trailer"] Twelve Minutes got a new story trailer and a promise that the game would be released in 2021.

Among Us' New Airship Map Gets a New Trailer

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/among-us-airship-trailer"] Among Us' newest map, The Airship, got a new story trailer ahead of its release date of March 31, 2021.

Astria Ascending Features a Motley Crew of Eight Heroes Charged With the Fate of the World

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/astria-ascending-reveal-trailer"] Turn-based JRPG Astria Ascending takes place in a world where chaos looms. Players take control of the Demigods - a motley crew of eight heroes charged with the fate of the world. Each character has their own story, and the game features five cities, 25 dungeons, and 30 hours of gameplay that can be upped to around 50 for 100% completion. Astria Ascending will arrive on PC and console in 2021.

22 Games Will Be Launching Day One With Xbox Game Pass

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/xbox-indie-showcase-games-coming-to-gamepass-montage"] 22 games featured in the /twitchgaming Showcase: ID@Xbox event will be launching day on on Xbox Game Pass. The full list of games is as follows;
  • Art of the Rally
  • Astria Ascending
  • Backbone
  • Boyfriend Dungeon
  • Craftopia
  • Dead Static Drive
  • Edge of Eternity
  • Hello Neighbor 2
  • Library of Ruina
  • Little Witch in the Woods
  • Moonglow Bay
  • Narita Boy
  • Nobody Saves the World
  • Omno
  • Recompile
  • Sable
  • She Dreams Elsewhere
  • S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2
  • The Ascent
  • Undungeon
  • Way to the Woods
  • Wild at Heart

Over 60 Games are Headed to Xbox Series X/S

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/idxbox-upcoming-games-showcase-trailer"] The /twitchgaming Showcase: ID@Xbox event featured over 60 games that will be headed to Xbox Series X/S. Some of the biggest games are as follows; [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/chivalry-2-siege-gameplay-trailer"] [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/rust-console-edition-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

It Takes Two: How to Get Through the Shed

Posted: 26 Mar 2021 12:40 PM PDT

24 Things Monster Hunter Rise Doesn't Tell You

Posted: 26 Mar 2021 12:25 PM PDT

Titan Souls Developers Reveal Their Next Game, Death's Door

Posted: 26 Mar 2021 12:22 PM PDT

More giant bosses and an explorable open world are coming in Titan Souls developer Acid Nerve's new game, Death's Door. Acid Nerve debuted a gameplay trailer that showcased two very different worlds players will encounter in this fantasy action-adventure game during the ID@Xbox Twitch Gaming Showcase. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/deaths-door-gameplay-trailer"] In Death's Door, players take on the role of a crow whose nine-to-five is collecting souls of beings at the end of their life as a reaper. But that role becomes a challenge for the crows when nothing is being reborn due to nothing dying naturally -- that is until the playerbird enters a realm that no longer has death and is overflowing with powerful beings in need of the final rest. Mark Foster (Death's Door's programmer, writer, and animator) and David Fenn (Death's Door's producer, designer, composer, and sound designer) told IGN that with the success of Titan Souls they were able to go on to make their dream game in Death's Door. Death's Door Screenshot - Forest Settlement copy "We're still quite a small-time but this is definitely the biggest and most ambitious game we've done," Fenn said. "We've gone all out with quite an expansive and varied world which we think has its own distinctive vibe and atmosphere throughout. It's full of little hidden touches [and] big secrets." The collected souls of defeated enemies act as currency, and with enough, players can upgrade their crow's speed, weapons, and other stats in the grayscale hub world called the Hall of Doors, the realm the crows occupy. From there, players can enter doors as they're unlocked to jump to specific areas in the colorful open world where they'll fight bosses for souls, encounter kind forest spirits, or run around and try to find the game's collectibles, Shiny Things. "If you go and explore after you've got a new power, you can find these little trinkets in the game… You get this nice little model to look at that'll have lore attached to it," Foster said. "Some of them maybe give you clues that can be used elsewhere for other puzzles and things." Death's Door Screenshot - Hall of Doors Updated Foster and Fenn said game franchises like The Legend of Zelda and Dark Souls were inspirations in Death's Door's design, along with aesthetic inspiration from Studio Ghibli movies. But, as with Titan Souls, Foster and Fenn said they aimed to design Death's Door with tight, minimalist, and fast-paced combat. Death's Door is making its way to Xbox consoles and PC this summer. For more from the ID@Xbox Twitch Gaming Showcase, be sure to read IGN's preview of Nobody Saves the World. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Miranda Sanchez is the executive editor of guides at IGN. You can chat with her about video games and fountain pens on Twitter.

Nobody Saves the World Is a Hilarious, Surprisingly Deep Action-RPG from Guacamelee Devs

Posted: 26 Mar 2021 10:48 AM PDT

There's no shortage of RPG's that travel in wish-fulfillment tropes, letting players take on the roles of some fantastical chosen one on a quest to save the world. But rarely do those RPG's let you take on such a journey while playing as a birthday party magician or a common rat. So, leave it to the hilarious, clever developers at Drinkbox Studios to offer just that in the upcoming action-RPG Nobody Saves the World. Blending the humor of the studio's past games with the developers' penchant for upending classic genre ideas, the opening sections of Nobody I played hint at a fascinating, funny, and fulfilling RPG adventure.

So...What Is Nobody Saves the World?

Let's start off with the basics: Though I wasn't shown the introductory cutscene, Drinkbox devs explained that the player character, a Greendale Human Being-like figure named Nobody, escapes the clutches of a magician on a power trip hoping to take all the world-saving glory for himself. With less vain ideals at heart but a desire to do good, Nobody steals the magician's wand and sets out on a journey to, well, save the world. That wand grants Nobody the ability to transform into a host of different, and at times amusingly specific, character classes or Forms, which are progressively unlocked throughout the journey. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=nobody-saves-the-world-reveal-screenshots&captions=true"] The chunk of the adventure I played let me delve into the first three: a ferocious little rat with a poisonous bite, a more typical archer who's better for ranged attacks but a bit squishier in a close-quarters fight, and a magician more suited to Las Vegas or a birthday party, with attacks that incorporate a deck of cards and summonable rabbits. Each class starts out with two basic moves before upgrading and learning new skills as you advance. But as you explore Nobody's overworld and procedurally generated dungeons in a style reminiscent of the original Legend of Zelda, progression doesn't stem from experience gained beating the bizarre assortment of baddies you'll encounter. No, instead, you'll have a constantly replenished set of quests—like killing X number of enemies with Dark damage—which will reward you with experience that goes toward ranking up a specific class and your overall experience to gain upgrade tokens you'll need to improve your skills, alongside the potential to earn Stars. Those are needed to unlock Star Doors to tackle Nobody's larger-scale dungeons, but we'll get to those in a bit. While I only had time to progress my characters up a couple of levels, I really appreciated the way the quests are integrated into the character movesets, and the journey at large. You can always keep an eye on what quests are currently available with a quick button press while out adventuring. But more importantly, they provide a nice sense of accomplishment that can hit at any time in the play experience, rather than just at the end of a battle or dungeon, per se, and they encouraged me to use my full suite of moves, or, say, try out the Ranger class while I had been favoring the Magician for a bit. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/nobody-saves-the-world-reveal-trailer"] And I genuinely enjoyed the different flavors each class brought to combat. The Magician deals different damage based on what face card it randomly strikes opponents with, and every so often that rabbit you summon might actually be a tougher White Tiger. The Archer, meanwhile, could dodge around a room (as the only character with a specific dodge), and the intricacies of its firing mechanic—while not distractingly deep—did require decent aiming and maneuvering skills.

Form and Function

Though I didn't get to experience it for myself, Drinkbox showed me that as you progress and unlock more skills with each class, you'll actually be able to switch up attacks and assign skills from one Form to another. This twist will also coincide with more generalized quests so you don't have to necessarily lock yourself into a single character to progress. While that frees you up to use what you like and not be forced into playing with a Form you don't want to, I do wonder whether that will make all the wacky classes I didn't get to see, like a playable egg, more superficial in the long run. It's impossible to say concretely for now, but Nobody Saves the World showed a welcome amount of depth to its customization, and there's reason to believe you'll need to dip into at least a few different forms even late in the game. Each form has its own stats meaning you'll get different health, luck, defense, and attack capabilities, but they also often specialize in specific attack types. So I may need to level up the rat—which specializes in dark damage— even if I'm using the ranger, in order to have the right attack elements at my disposal. I'm definitely intrigued to see how this mixing and matching plays out in the long run. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/08/21/guacamelee-2-review"] Regardless of which class you're playing as though, Nobody Saves the World's charming world is brimming with the personality and quirks I'd expect from a Drinkbox game. My first two dungeon choices were between a downed UFO and a massive Eldritch Gourd. Neither is your typical fantasy RPG dungeon, and Drinkbox said it's aiming to have upward of 20 of these varied dungeons in the full game. I can't wait to explore each one. Those dungeons are procedurally generated, meaning traps and enemy layouts will spawn differently each time, and you're likely to see many of those combinations due to Nobody's interesting checkpoint system. There's only one checkpoint in each dungeon, and it's right before the boss. That of course makes sense to avoid punishing players for dying at a boss fight, but it does mean being really careful and considerate about your dungeon crawling up to that point. I didn't find the opening dungeon I played, the Eldritch Gourd, nor the first Legendary Dungeon to be overly difficult, so it's not a huge concern for replayability just yet, but I'm curious to see how the difficulty curve balances throughout the full experience. And there's certainly more to do than just try to run from the beginning to the end to get to the boss. In addition to taking on any assortment of baddies in your way to complete quests, my dungeon-crawling experience included plenty of chests stashed away in far off corners, environmental traps like intermittent poison clouds that I needed to contend with, and more. The first legendary dungeon I tackled, which was blockaded behind a requirement of collected Stars, also had locked doors that required me to navigate new traps and foes on my quest to find a hidden key. (You're also collecting money dropped by enemies and stashed in chests around the world, but I didn't get a chance to spend my hard-earned coin at a merchant during my playthrough.) [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-top-25-switch-games-fall-2020-update&captions=true"] But exploring those dungeons and taking on their larger boss battles is certainly a joy, at least so far, given Drinkbox's penchant for a combination of bright, colorful worlds and peculiar detail. If being on the inside of a rotting gourd while googly-eyed skulls and three-eyed cat magicians attack from all sides is the first dungeon Nobody has to offer, I can't wait to see where the rest of this adventure goes, especially coupled with the humorous writing sprinkled throughout. From a pumpkin knight, who is actually a normal knight with a head transformed into a pumpkin, to Randy the Rad, the sorcerer who trapped me at the outset of the game, Drinkbox has seemingly filled Nobody's world with an entertaining cast of major and bit players who I'm looking forward to encountering as the journey continues. Nobody Saves the World can throw a lot at you all at once, but it never felt overwhelming in my time with it. The different Form leveling systems, the upgradeable (and swappable) ability mechanic, the quest system, and so much more plays around in familiar genre trappings, but the developers have seemingly found plenty of ways to put fresh spins on what I already knew as a player. Nobody may not be the hero their world is expecting, but my short time in their ghostly white shoes has me confident they're going to be just the right one for this potentially wacky, engrossing adventure. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Aliens: Fireteam – All of Our Exclusive New Info So Far

Posted: 26 Mar 2021 10:37 AM PDT

Our IGN First game for March – our "cover story", if you will – is Aliens: Fireteam, the upcoming third-person, three-player PvE survival co-op game from Cold Iron Studios. It's due out this Summer for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, and Xbox One. We're showing off everything we've seen and played this month. Check below for all of our content from the month. We hope you enjoy it! Also, if you missed the announcement of Aliens: Fireteam, including the reveal trailer, check that out too.

25 Minutes of Aliens: Fireteam Gameplay

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/04/aliens-fireteam-exclusive-25-minutes-of-gameplay-ign-first"]

Gunner and Technician Character Class Walkthroughs (with New Gameplay)

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/12/ign-first-aliens-fireteam-character-class-walkthrough-gunner-technician"]

Meet 6 New Xenomorph Types from Aliens: Fireteam

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Aliens: Fireteam Weapon Details

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The First Aliens: Fireteam Hands-On Impressions

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/25/aliens-fireteam-the-first-hands-on-ign-first"]

IGN Unfiltered Interview With Cold Iron's Co-Founders About Working With Disney, Their Canceled Marvel Superhero MMO, and More!

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/16/aliens-fireteam-devs-discuss-working-with-disney-star-trek-and-more-ign-unfiltered-55"] [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.
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