IGN Video Games

IGN Video Games

85% of Apex Legends Players Responded Better to Direct Feedback Than Outright Bans

Posted: 23 Feb 2022 11:47 AM PST

EA chief operating officer Laura Miele says it's on the games industry to build a better online community and how it's not as hard a challenge as one would expect.

At the annual DICE Summit, Miele delivered a keynote address that covered a range of topics from the metaverse to the state of the industry. One element Miele touched on was how the games industry is uniquely positioned to improve all the various burgeoning metaverses and social networks currently in the works.

Miele cites EA's work with games like Apex Legends and how the community improved itself without bans or other punitive measures. "85% of players who receive feedback about their behavior under the Positive Play charter changed their behavior. We didn't have to ban them."

According to Miele EA was able to improve its Apex Legends community by sending a straightforward, personal email versus an outright ban and it has resulted in positive change.

The Apex Legends statistic is an example Miele provided that shows how the games industry can bring order to the metaverse. "We need some world order," Mile says, "and no industry can do it better than ours."

Another positive community tool Miele cites is the ping system in Apex Legends which can let players non-verbally communicate online with strangers. This ping system was one of the patents EA has opened up to let other developers use royalty-free. "We can dare to do better. The ingenuity of game developers can have a significant impact on creating safer communities," Miele says.

Miele's full keynote hit on a broad range of topics and kicked off the first in-person DICE Summit since 2020. In the past two years, we've seen the rise of concepts like the metaverse while the industry was rocked by a sexual discrimination scandal at companies like Activision Blizzard.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

EA CEO Says its Soccer Games Are Being Held Back by FIFA License

Posted: 23 Feb 2022 11:35 AM PST

EA CEO Andrew Wilson reportedly told his staff in November 2021 that the FIFA license has been an "impediment" to EA's hopes for its football games.

Citing sources familiar with the conversation, VideoGamesChronicle reports that Wilson told staff in an internal meeting that FIFA (the organization) had kept EA from expanding FIFA (the games) into additional modes beyond a standard 11 vs. 11 or "broader digital ecosystems." Wilson also reportedly stated that the only value EA received from FIFA in a non-World Cup year was "four letters on the front of the box."

"I'm going to be more open… more open than I've been with the outside world," Wilson reportedly said, when asked why EA was considering breaking up with FIFA. "We've had a great relationship with FIFA over the past 30-odd years. We've created billions in value… it's just huge. We've created one of the biggest entertainment properties on the planet. I would argue – and this may be a little biased – that the FIFA brand has more meaning as a video game than it does a governing body of soccer. We don't take that for granted and we try not to be arrogant. We've worked really hard to try and make FIFA understand what we need for the future."

It's another installment in the long-running feud between EA and the FIFA organization, which most recently saw FIFA appear to challenge EA's football monopoly. The organization released a statement in October 2021 calling itself "bullish" over "the future of gaming and esports." The statement similarly appeared to denounce EA's grip on the football video game market, drastically outperforming its only competitor, Pro Evolution Soccer. FIFA reportedly wants to charge EA upwards of $1 billion per year for the rights to the FIFA brand.

EA currently holds a 10-year naming deal with FIFA, but that could expire without renewal after this year's Qatar World Cup, making FIFA 23 potentially the last EA Sports football game with FIFA branding.

"Our players tell us they want more cultural and commercial brands relevant to them in their markets, more deeply embedded in the game… brands like Nike. But because FIFA has a relationship with Adidas, we are not able to do that," Wilson reportedly said. "Our players tell us they want more modes of play, different things beyond 11v11 and different types of gameplay. I would tell you, it's been a fight to get FIFA to acknowledge the types of things that we want to create, because they say our licence only covers certain categories."

Wilson also said that FIFA is impeding EA's ability to adapt quickly to player demands and adding new features or content.

"Our players are telling us they want us to move really quick: 'we want you guys doing stuff fast'. And in order to do that, we need a level of freedom to be truly creative, innovative and experiment in the marketplace," Wilson said.

He added that EA wants to be "good partners" with FIFA, but "I wouldn't be surprised if we ultimately move in a different direction."

IGN has reached out to EA for comment and will update the story if we receive a reply.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

Elden Ring Is Currently One of the Best-Reviewed Games in Modern History

Posted: 23 Feb 2022 11:17 AM PST

Elden Ring has been one of the gaming community's most anticipated games for years, and its review scores appear to be living up to the hype. Right now, Elden Ring is one of the highest-scoring games on Metacritic and OpenCritic. The two websites compile scores from various outlets, giving an average score that's usually a pretty good indicator of the general critical consensus on a game.

Over on Metacritic, the PlayStation 5 version of Elden Ring has a score of 97, tied with the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Grand Theft Auto V, Metroid Prime, and more. Only four games have ever scored a 98, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time stands alone at 99. And on OpenCritic, Elden Ring is currently tied with Super Mario Odyssey for the highest rating on the website at a 97.

There are a couple important things to note with Elden Ring's score. First, the scores are incredibly fresh since Elden Ring's review embargo only lifted hours ago, and some reviews that are already out aren't scored yet due to the game's length. New review scores can keep coming in over time, causing Elden Ring's average score to change. Also, both Metacritic and OpenCritic don't encompass many reviews for older games. Metacritic specifically only has a handful of pre-2000 games in its rankings, with all-time greats from consoles like the SNES not being included at all. Still, it's an impressive achievement for FromSoftware.

Our Elden Ring review largely agrees with the common consensus. We called the game a masterpiece, saying, "Elden Ring is one that we'll be looking back on as a game that moved a genre forward."

The hype train for Elden Ring has almost reached the station. If you can't wait to check out The Lands Between, check out the global release schedule to learn what time you can start playing. Or, if you're a FromSoftware rookie and are worried about the difficulty, learn about Elden Ring's detailed tutorial dungeon for new players.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

The Best Reviewed Games of 2022

Posted: 23 Feb 2022 11:10 AM PST

2022 has the potential to be the biggest year for new video games since 2017 — a standout year that brought us Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Horizon Zero Dawn, Persona 5, Resident Evil 7, Nier: Automata, Assassin's Creed Origins, and so much more. And now, less than two months into the year, that potential is being realized: 10 games released in 2022 have already been awarded a review score of 8 or higher from IGN.

To keep track of the year's best new releases we've compiled this running list of every new, standalone game (no DLC) that received an 8 ("Great"), 9 ("Amazing"), or 10 ("Masterpiece'') from IGN. Click through the gallery below or continue scrolling for our full list of 2022's best games, ordered from lowest score to highest.

This list will be updated throughout the year as new games are given qualifying review scores.

Review Score: 8 ("Great")

These games leave us with something outstanding to remember them by, usually novel gameplay ideas for single-player or multiplayer, clever characters and writing, noteworthy graphics and sound, or some combination thereof. If we have major complaints, there are more than enough excellent qualities to cancel them out.

Expeditions: Rome

From our review: Between the tough but engaging tactical battles, a robust campaign system, uncommonly strong plot and characters, and the chance to live through so much of one of the most fascinating periods in all of history, Expeditions: Rome is one of the better tactical RPGs of the last several years. It can feel weighed down at times by all the systems it tries to cram in, and the mass combat remains a vexing enigma that no tooltip or tutorial can properly explain. But with interesting random events, meaningful strategic choices, and plenty of brain-bending smaller-scale scenarios to keep things fresh, that can be mostly forgiven. These developers deserve a Roman triumph. – Leana Hafer

King of Fighters 15

From our review: King of Fighters XV is not the most ambitious or revolutionary fighting game to come out in recent years, but what few changes have been made to distinguish it from its predecessor are done well. It's a significant step up over KOF 14 in terms of its detailed character models (if not animations), there are a handful of smart adjustments to its fighting mechanics that give you more options than ever before, and its large roster of 39 characters features a wide variety of different character archetypes to choose from. It's disappointing that SNK still hasn't figured out how to provide value for those who are looking for single-player content in their fighting games, or a way to learn to play better using the actual tools provided by training modes, but those shortcomings are easy to overlook in the face of its fantastic netcode and simple, but effective online modes. – Mitchell Saltzman

Lost Ark

From our review: Lost Ark takes a genuinely impressive stab at the isometric action RPG genre, and its integration into a perpetually online world is complementary rather than invasive. It's expansive and deep, capable of scratching the itch for a new Diablo-like action RPG that is filled with other players to meet and team up with. The excellent and flexible combat system channels the best of its ARPG forebears, but it can start to wear out after you've slaughtered your way through enough lower-tier enemies. Lost Ark's most prominent fault, though, is that its generic story can be cheesy due to awkward writing and voice work. However, there are a lot of interesting locations to discover as you sail your ship around the open seas, and at the end of the day, this is a world that's certainly worth the time to explore, even if you never pay a cent for its optional premium boosts. – Gabriel Moss

Total War: Warhammer 3 Multiplayer

From our review: Total War: Warhammer 3 has the best multiplayer features of any game in the series' long history. The pair of quick-and-dirty mini campaigns offer your warparty a great way to have a more laid back and self-contained experience beyond fighting individual skirmish battles but without having to commit to a campaign that might take months to finish. Now it's accessible to groups of friends who only have a few hours a week to play together. Its simultaneous turn-based campaign map can get a little harried, and there are definitely some network issues that still need to be ironed out. But overall, I'm pretty impressed with what Creative Assembly has managed to put together. – Leana Hafer

Windjammers 2

From our review: Windjammers 2 is a worthy sequel to a retro classic that manages to improve upon the highly competitive arena with new characters, levels, and abilities that make this fighting game version of Pong incredibly addictive. It lacks some key features like a spectator mode or any kind of tutorial to walk new players through all the complexities of combat and makes a limp attempt at telling a story about its characters, but it's so much fun to play that it's easy to forgive those whiffs. – Travis Northup

Review Score: 9 ("Amazing")

We enthusiastically recommend that you add these games to your to-play list. If we call a game Amazing, that means something about it seriously impressed us, whether it's an inspired new idea or an exceptional take on an old one. We expect to look back at it as one of the highlights of its time and genre.

Horizon Forbidden West

From our review: A triumphant combination of enthralling combat, top-tier creature and character design, and a captivating open world, Horizon Forbidden West is an absolute blast and fantastic showcase for the power of the PS5. Although the return of a couple of familiar series trappings and a noticeable lack of freeform climbing never threatens to derail the enjoyment, it does leave it falling frustratingly short of something revolutionary. Major evolutionary steps have firmly been placed in the right direction, however, and there's no doubting the many, many hours of fun to have with Aloy, who stakes her claim further to be one of this generation of gaming's greatest characters. Guerrilla has outdone itself yet again with Forbidden West, and at this trajectory, neither the horizon nor the sky's the limit for what could come next. – Simon Cardy

OlliOlli World

From our review: Radlandia may seem like an offbeat location for a skating game, but in reality it's a wonderfully eclectic reflection of what OlliOlli World itself is trying to be. In this vibrant place, skating is an obsession and an escape, whether you're wall-riding through a forest or grinding across an incredibly industrial factoryscape. Its gameplay has enough depth to challenge hardcore players to master its level-long combos, but it's also a smooth and exciting ride for novices, backed by characters that are quirky and passionate. These elements ring true in every facet of its design, from the more forgiving approach to basic gameplay through to the new mechanics and refinements that make the skill ceiling higher than ever. OlliOlli World is a fantastic evolution of what was already an outstanding skating series. – Cam Shea

Sifu

From our review: Sifu demands a lot from you, and that's a sword that cuts both ways. Its combat is impeccable, with incredibly smooth and impactful animation, deep fighting mechanics, and challenging enemies that really make you fight tooth and nail for every victory. At the same time, the repetition that comes from replaying levels so you can essentially set a high score and give yourself a chance at completing the rest of the short campaign with what's effectively one persistent pool of lives can lead to some really frustrating moments with no clear path through outside of just trying and trying until you get better at it, which can be frustrating. On the other side of that vicious learning curve, though, is one of the most impressive beat-em-ups I've ever played, with excellent level design, fantastic music, and – once it was all over – a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that few other video games can provide. – Mitchell Saltzman

Total War: Warhammer 3 Single-Player

From our review: Total War: Warhammer 3's single-player mode presents us with a tense, challenging, multilayered campaign driven along by a compelling story and a memorable cast of rivals. The Chaos Realms cleverly draw these larger-than-life figures together, so even those from remote corners of the world will be able to test each other's mettle. And while the size of the faction list currently feels a bit disappointing coming from Mortal Empires, all of the newly introduced factions are inventive and just plain fun on the campaign and battle maps. The true test of Warhammer 3 is still to come, when we'll get to play with all the factions from all three games on the massive combined map. But even if that's the main reason you're interested in it, there's plenty of excitement to be had already. – Leana Hafer

Review Score: 10 ("Masterpiece")

Simply put: this is our highest recommendation. There's no such thing as a truly perfect game, but those that earn a Masterpiece label from IGN come as close as we could reasonably hope for. These are classics in the making that we hope and expect will influence game design for years to come, as other developers learn from their shining examples.

Elden Ring

From our review: It is no exaggeration to say that Elden Ring is FromSoftware's largest and most ambitious game yet, and that ambition has more than paid off. Even after 87 hours of blood, sweat, and tears that included some of the most challenging fights I've ever fought, and innumerable surprises, there are still bosses that I left on the table, secrets that I've yet to uncover, sidequests that I missed out on, tons of weapons, spells, and skills that I've never used. And this is all on top of PVP and cooperative play that I've barely been able to scratch the surface of. Throughout it all, while the fundamentals of combat haven't changed much from what we've seen before, the enormous variety of viciously designed enemies and the brutal but surmountable bosses have brought its battles to a new level. Even with all the threads I didn't manage to tug on my first playthrough (of what I'm sure will be several), what I was treated to can easily be held amongst the best open-world games I've ever played. Like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild before it, Elden Ring is one that we'll be looking back on as a game that moved a genre forward. – Mitchell Saltzman

BioWare Says Dragon Age 4 Is 'Right in the Middle of Production' as Executive Producer Departs

Posted: 23 Feb 2022 10:49 AM PST

BioWare has provided an update on Dragon Age 4, saying that the game is currently "right in the middle of production," while also announcing the departure of its executive producer.

In a blog today, general manager Gary McKay outlined the different phases of game development, noting that Dragon Age 4 was currently in the midst of the phase where the development team is "executing on the blueprint."

"Our blueprint was completed last year, so we're now focused on building out our vision: creating amazing environments, deep characters, strong gameplay, impactful writing, emotional cinematics – and much more. The blueprint for the game is well understood and the team is focused," he wrote.

However, he continues, the team is now saying goodbye to executive producer Christian Dailey, who started with BioWare back in 2018 and was promoted to executive producer in 2020 after Mark Darrah departed the project. Dragon Age 4 has grappled with other high-profile departures over the years, including general manager Casey Hudson (alongside Darrah in 2020) and senior creative director Matt Goldman late last year.

With Dailey's departure, McKay outlines the current leadership structure at BioWare: Mac Walters, who led development on Mass Effect Legendary Edition, is serving as production director. Dragon Age design director Corrine Busche is the game director, and Dragon Age development veteran Benoit Houle is the director of product development. McKay is also working closely with the team.

McKay concludes by suggesting we'll see more Dragon Age updates going forward in the form of both blogs and social content, while reassuring that the next Mass Effect is still in the works, and the team is currently "actively prototyping new ideas and experiences."

We don't know too much about Dragon Age 4 as of yet. First teased in 2018 at The Game Awards, we've since learned that it will take place in Tevinter, seen several concept art teases, and gotten a glimpse at the return of the Grey Wardens.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Tom Brady Is Making, Starring in His Own Football Comedy Called 80 for Brady

Posted: 23 Feb 2022 10:49 AM PST

While Tom Brady may have officially retired from the NFL, the seven-time Super Bowl champion is keeping his love of football alive in a new football-themed road trip movie called 80 for Brady that he will produce and act in.

As reported by THR, Paramount Pictures and Endeavor Content's 80 for Brady will star Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field and will be directed by Kyle Marvin, who also co-wrote the script with Michael Covino.

The film is inspired by the true story of four New England Patriots-loving best friends who take a life-changing road trip to see Tom Brady compete in Super Bowl LI in 2017. Brady himself was very involved in getting this project off the ground and is producing the film through his company 199 Productions alongside Donna Giglotti and Endeavor Content.

Production on 80 for Brady will start in Spring 2022 and the latest version of the script is based on a draft from Booksmart's Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins.

Tom Brady was in the NFL for 22 seasons and spent the first 20 as the QB of the New England Patriots before finishing his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Along the way, he earned seven Super Bowl rings, five Super Bowl MVP awards, 4 NFL MVP awards, and so much more. He also hold many NFL records, including the most Super Bowl wins and the most career QB wins, attempts, completions, touchdowns, yards, and more.

Brady was also the cover star of Madden NFL 18 and Madden NFL 22 alongside Kansas City Chief's QB Patrick Mahomes. In our review of Madden NFL 22, we said that it "takes a small and unimpressive first step into the Xbox Series X and PS5 generation, with even its better new ideas hobbled by poor execution."

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.

You Can Now Pre-Load Elden Ring

Posted: 23 Feb 2022 10:22 AM PST

If you can't wait to start exploring the Lands Between in Elden Ring the moment it is released, FromSoftware has confirmed that pre-loading is now available for all platforms.

FromSoftware shared the news in a Tweet by simply saying, "pre-loading for #EldenRing is available now on all release platforms." Those release platforms are PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.

After you pre-load Elden Ring, you can also check out what time you can start playing with a handy infographic previously FromSoftware shared.

Players can jump into Elden Ring on PC on February 24 at 3pm PT/6pm ET/11pm GMT. If you are in Australia, that translates to 10am AEDT on February 25.

Most of the world will be able to begin their Elden Ring journey on console at midnight in their local time zone. If you are on Pacific Time or Central Time, you will be able to start a bit early on February 24 at 9pm PT/11pm CT.

In our Elden Ring review, a game we gave a rare 10/10 to, we said, "Elden Ring is a massive iteration on what FromSoftware began with the Souls series, bringing its relentlessly challenging combat to an incredible open world that gives us the freedom to choose our own path."

For more, check out why playing Elden Ring in co-op is much easier than we thought, how it has a detailed tutorial dungeon for new players, and the game's launch trailer that shows off bizarre bosses and locations.

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.

PlayStation Plus Games for March 2022 Announced

Posted: 23 Feb 2022 10:17 AM PST

Your free PlayStation Plus games for March 2022 are Ark: Survival Evolved, Team Sonic Racing, and Ghostrunner's PS5 version, and the standalone version of the multiplayer Ghost of Tsushima: Legends is also being added.

All games will be available to download from March 1 to April 4. After that, you'll need to have an active PlayStation Plus subscription to keep the games. If you're still playing on a PS4, unfortunately you won't be able to get Ghostrunner.

If survival games featuring robot dinosaurs (but not those robot dinosaurs) are your thing, check out our review of Ark: Survival Evolved for a taste of prehistoric battle. It's worth noting that if you're already an Xbox/PC Game Pass subscriber, the service recently added Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition, which includes all DLC from the past seven years.

You can also read our review of Ghostrunner for what IGN's Mitchell Saltzmann calls a "short-lived but memorable action game with some incredible moments."

It might surprise you to know that, of all three PlayStation Plus games this month, Team Sonic Racing is actually the highest-rated, earning an 8.5 out of 10 in our review. Contributor David Jagneaux called it a "gorgeous arcade racer full of blistering races, mind-bending tracks, and new ideas that make cooperation fun."

Lastly, Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, the game's multiplayer mode – recently turned into a standalone game of its own – is also being added to PlayStation Plus, available in both PS4 and PS5 versions.

Keep in mind that you also have until February 28 to download the current PlayStation Plus free games, including UFC 4, Planet Coaster: Console Edition, and Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

Twitch Streaming Returns to the Xbox Dashboard

Posted: 23 Feb 2022 10:14 AM PST

Xbox users can once again stream to Twitch directly from the console dashboard, five years after Microsoft removed the feature.

Xbox announced the imminent return of Twitch integration in a blog post and promised that streaming Xbox games is now easier than ever.

Players simply need to press the Xbox home button, shift along to the "Capture and Share" tab, hit "Live Streaming", and with just one further button press they'll be live on Twitch.

An options menu allows users to edit the stream title, manage game and microphone audio levels, toggle party chat on and off, and manually set resolution and bitrate. The stream will automatically pause whenever the player switches games.

Microsoft removed Twitch integration from the Xbox One in 2017 in a bid to push its own streaming platform, Mixer, but despite a strong effort to draw people in - which included streaming powerhouse Ninja signing exclusivity to the platform - it was shut down in 2020 and its userbase shifted to Facebook Gaming.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer said at the time that making Mixer successful was an uphill battle from the beginning.

Twitch streaming from the Xbox One or Series consoles has been possible in the meantime, of course, through the Twitch app, but Xbox promises this new integration is the best way to stream from the platform.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

How to Watch IGN's Black History Month 2022 Charity Stream

Posted: 23 Feb 2022 10:00 AM PST

Black History Month is the annual celebration of Black people, their achievements and contributions throughout history. As a video games and entertainment media company, we personally want to make sure we not only celebrate Black History Month by showcasing Black creators and entertainers across different mediums, but also do it with a cause in mind.

To help achieve that goal, we've assembled some of our awesome, amazing, and talented friends to play Among Us with us for two hours, and raise money for Black Girls CODE in the process.

IGN is carrying the stream and, as usual, this watch guide will provide you with everything you need to know to watch the stream, including when it starts, a list of places you can watch it with us, and how you can donate.

You can check out last year's Black History Month stream below to see what you can expect from this year's event!

What Cause Are We Raising Funds For and How Can I Donate?

During IGN's Black History Month charity stream, we will be proudly raising funds for an organization called Black Girls CODE - a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching girls ages 7-17 about computer programming and digital technology.

If you'd like to help us make a difference for Black Girls CODE, head on over to our donation page to contribute whatever you may be able to. If you can't donate, no worries, but we'd love to still have you watch along and share our stream!

IGN's Black History Month 2022 Charity Stream Start Time

The upcoming charity stream for Black History Month takes place on Friday, February 25, and will start at 3pm PT, 6pm ET, 11pm BST. If you're tuning in from Australia, that translates to Saturday, February 26 at 8am AEST.

Where to Watch IGN's Black History Month 2022 Charity Stream

If you're interested in watching IGN's Black History Month 2022 Charity Stream, we'll be hosting the show here and across our many channels on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, and more. Here's the full list of places you can watch it with us:

What to Expect at IGN's Black History Month 2022 Charity Stream

As we previously mentioned, IGN's Black History Month 2022 Charity Stream will be celebrating Black creators and entertainers and raising money for Black Girls CODE. To do so, IGN's Akeem Lawanson and Jada Griffin will be joined by Kieraplease, Jaharajayde, Tatted Poodle, BigCheeseKIT, JazzyGuns, EbonixSims, and Justin Woodward as they play Among Us for two hours together.

This will be the third year in a row that we've done a charity stream for Black History Month, and you can check out our streams from 2020 and 2021 to get an idea of what to expect from this year's stream. We look forward to continue to highlight Black creators and entertainers not just this month, but all year long.

Elden Ring: Here's What Comes in Each Edition

Posted: 23 Feb 2022 07:34 AM PST

Elden Ring is set to release for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC this Friday, February 25, 2022 (see it at Amazon). If you haven't checked it out yet, our Elden Ring review is live and spoiler: it's incredible. Anyone who buys the PS4 or Xbox One version will get a free next-gen upgrade as well, which is always nice to see. Elden Ring is the next game from the makers of tough-but-satisfying action RPGs like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. You can check out our Elden Ring hands-on preview for full details about the gameplay.

The game comes in a standard edition as well as a cool-looking collector's edition, and it's available for preorder now. Read on to see what comes in each edition and where you can lock in your Elden Ring preorder.

Preorder Elden Ring

PS5

PS4 (includes free PS5 upgrade)

Xbox One / Series X

PC

Here's where you can preorder the standard edition of Elden Ring.

Preorder Elden Ring in the UK

Elden Ring Digital Deluxe Edition

The digital deluxe edition of Elden Ring comes with a digital artbook and digital soundtrack.

Elden Ring Collector's Edition - SOLD OUT

PS5

PS4

Xbox Series X|S / Xbox One

Preorder the collector's edition of Elden Ring, and you'll receive the game itself along with the following items:

  • Statue of Malenia - Blade of Miquella (9 inches)
  • Exclusive steelbook
  • 40-page hardcover artbook
  • Digital soundtrack

Elden Ring Preorder Bonus

Preorder Elden Ring, and you'll receive a digital adventure guide, as well as a "bonus gesture." Additionally, Best Buy offers the following preorder bonus.

  • Best Buy preorder bonus - Free steelbook case
  • GameStop preorder bonus - Free steed whistle replica

Elden Ring Has a Free Next-Gen Upgrade

Anyone who buys Elden Ring for PS4 will be able to upgrade to the PS5 version for free. The same goes for Xbox: buy it for Xbox One, and you'll get a free upgrade to the Xbox Series X or Series S version. That's something of a relief, as many games don't offer a free upgrade path, and many PS5/Series X|S games cost $69.99 instead of $59.99.

What is Elden Ring?

Elden Ring is an action-RPG that represents a confluence of fandoms. On one hand, you have From Software's Hidetaka Miyazaki, the creator of the exceptional, brooding games mentioned above. On the other, you have George R.R. Martin, the mind that brought you Game of Thrones, helping build out the story.

As for the game itself, it's an action RPG that doesn't look like it will stray far from the gameplay popularized in the Dark Souls franchise. You can expect super-precise combat controls and towering bosses to take down. These games are certainly challenging, but if you keep trying, you'll likely learn the enemies' moves and improve your skills enough to succeed.

As for the story? From Software's games have never been very forthcoming with their stories, even within the games themselves. Bandai Namco released an Elden Ring plot summary, but it doesn't help all that much, either. As far as I can tell, a bunch of demigods each have a piece of the powerful Elden Ring. Your job is to relieve them of these pieces in order to put the ring back together.

Other Preorder Guides

Chris Reed is IGN's shopping and commerce editor. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

Playing Elden Ring in Co-op Is Much Easier Than We Thought

Posted: 23 Feb 2022 07:00 AM PST

FromSoftware has made playing Elden Ring in co-op much easier than in its previous games – and easier than the previous network test made it seem.

Elden Ring features a system broadly similar to Dark Souls, Demon's Souls, and Bloodborne, in that you must first use a consumable item to open your world up and allow co-op allies to visit you. However, rather than demanding a semi-rare item that you must scour the world for, Elden Ring uses an item that can be crafted from incredibly common materials.

This item - called the Furlcalling Finger Remedy - is made using two Erdleaf Flowers, a plant that grows, at least in the opening area of the game, all over the place. This means that within the first few hours of Elden Ring you can create many, many Remedies, and thus be able to frequently summon allied players with ease.

As ever, offering help is easier than requesting it; you simply create a summon sign using the infinitely reusable Tarnished's Furled Finger. Those using Furlcalling Finger Remedies can then see those signs and summon you into their world.

In Dark Souls, Demon's Souls, and Bloodborne, you must use an item (Humanity/Ember, Stone of Ephemeral Eyes, and Madman's Knowledge respectively) to allow your character to summon co-op allies. Dying stops you from doing this, and so on particularly difficult bosses you can easily burn through several of these items as you try over and over to score victory. While Elden Ring uses pretty much this exact same system, making Furlcalling Finger Remedies so easy to acquire notably changes the way players can approach co-op.

In the Souls games and Bloodborne, these items are best held onto in anticipation of boss fights, as they are the moments you'll want another sword by your side. But with it simply being a case of bashing two common flowers together in Elden Ring, up to four people could happily just explore the world of The Lands Between, with the host player not being too upset about using resources to make that happen. And it's a world perfectly suited to co-operative adventure; it's so much larger than any other FromSoftware game that there's value in traveling and discovering new things together.

Furthermore, Elden Ring allows you to summon NPC allies without the use of a Remedy. Simply find their golden summoning sign (usually just outside boss encounters) to bring them along for the ride.

Elden Ring is not a co-operative game in the traditional sense, but this small change to FromSoftware's usual approach does mean that it's easier than ever to play it as a co-op game. This will no doubt be a fantastic thing for those less experienced with Souls-like games; the ability to summon friends and play together makes the world less daunting and perhaps a little easier to progress through.

For more Elden Ring, check out our 10/10 review, as well as the game's unlock times and FromSoft's promise that difficult optional bosses will be hidden in the world. They sound like the perfect thing to try co-op for. Our Elden Ring guide is already in progress, but will grow when the game is released, helping you across The Lands Between.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

Elden Ring Has a Detailed Tutorial Dungeon For New Players

Posted: 23 Feb 2022 07:00 AM PST

Elden Ring offers what is probably FromSoftware's best ever introduction for new players, thanks to an optional tutorial dungeon located just before you enter the main world of The Lands Between.

The Souls studio has what could charitably be called a patchy history when it comes to teaching you how to play its games. A few messages on the ground to explain basic attacks, guards, and parries is pretty much all you usually get in its action-RPGs, with everything else taught through experimentation, failure, and usually a lot of help from other players.

Elden Ring's tutorial dungeon is a different story. Called the Cave of Knowledge, this optional series of chambers introduces Elden Ring's fundamental mechanics one by one. Starting with the use of Sites of Grace (similar to Souls' Bonfires), it goes on to cover familiar things such as light/heavy attacks, weapon skills, and blocking, as well as new mechanics such as the Stakes of Marika checkpoint system, guard counters, and how to best use long grass and stealth to overcome your enemies. Each system is explained by a pop-up window that offers much much more transparent detail than FromSoftware has typically done in the past.

This tutorial culminates in a boss fight. However, unlike other FromSoft 'tutorial' bosses such as the Asylum Demon or Iudex Gundyr, this is not the actual first boss of the game; it's essentially a generic training enemy to introduce you to the concept of big health bar boss fights. Completing the Cave of Knowledge will reward you with a new gesture, so there's a small reward for even seasoned FromSoft veterans.

In execution, there are similarities to Dark Souls 2's Things Betwixt, which offered a more comprehensive tutorial zone than other Souls games via its collection of optional training chambers. But the concept of Things Betwixt is combined with Sekiro's more direct teaching approach with the use of pop-up directions, creating something that feels distinctly like a crash course for Elden Ring.

It's the most new player-friendly introduction that FromSoftware has produced for a Soulslike game so far, and possibly a recognition that Elden Ring stands to be the company's biggest hit with players from beyond the traditional Souls community. Plus, if you really want the old-school, no hand-holding approach, you can skip it entirely.

For more from Elden Ring, check out our glowing review. If you're concerned about surviving, you can always use the easier than ever co-op system to explore the game with friends. Our Elden Ring guide is already in progress, but will grow when the game is released, helping you across The Lands Between.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

Elden Ring Review

Posted: 23 Feb 2022 07:00 AM PST

In the 87 hours that it took me to beat Elden Ring, I was put through an absolute wringer of emotion: Anger as I was beaten down by its toughest challenges, exhilaration when I finally overcame them, and a fair amount of sorrow for the mountains of exp I lost along the way to some of the toughest boss encounters FromSoftware has ever conceived. But more than anything else I was in near-constant awe – from the many absolutely jaw-dropping vistas, the sheer scope of an absolutely enormous world, the frequently harrowing enemies, and the way in which Elden Ring nearly always rewarded my curiosity with either an interesting encounter, a valuable reward, or something even greater. FromSoftware takes the ball that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild got rolling and runs with it, creating a fascinating and dense open world about freedom and exploration above all else, while also somehow managing to seamlessly weave a full-on Dark Souls game into the middle of it. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that Elden Ring ended up as one of the most unforgettable gaming experiences I've ever had.

To set the stage, all you know from the outset is that you play as a "Tarnished" of no renown, blessed by grace, and are compelled to make the journey to The Lands Between and become an Elden Lord. What that actually means, how one might go about doing that, and what the deal is with that giant glowing golden tree are all things that you have to discover yourself. Like other FromSoft games, the grand story is hard to fully digest on a first playthrough, especially because there's no in-game journal to refresh you on the events, characters, or unique terms you encounter across dozens of hours. There really should be, but it is a story I nonetheless enjoyed trying to piece together for myself. I look forward to supplementing that knowledge with the inevitable painstakingly detailed lore videos that emerge from the community later.

It ended up being the organic side stories that kept me most enthralled rather than the grand overarching plot that credits Game of Thrones' George R.R. Martin as its scenario writer. FromSoft smartly doesn't change much in its approach to these from the Souls games, Bloodborne, or Sekiro; you'll just naturally meet characters as you explore and discover the world and become involved in their problems. There are no "!" markers on the map, no waypoints to guide you to them, and these characters don't always flag you down or initially want or need anything from you. They're just people with their own agendas and goals, whose stories are impacted based on your own actions or inactions.

I never once felt the open-world fatigue that usually sets in when my brain gets overloaded by a map.

That was actually kind of refreshing in an open world as vast as this one, and it was always exciting to see a familiar face pop up again later as I was eager to learn about what brought them to this new part of the world and how their journey had progressed. The trade-off, of course, is that without any markers, quest log, or journal, it becomes very easy to forget about certain plot threads and accidentally leave them unresolved by the end. That's a bummer, and I've already felt regret at missing out on stories that some of my colleagues have had – but for me it was worth it, because even after 87 hours, I never once felt the open-world fatigue that usually sets in when my brain gets overloaded by a map absolutely full of unresolved sidequest markers. Besides, any missed quests give me extra incentive to continue onto New Game+.

"Freedom" is the word that every aspect of Elden Ring's design connects back to. From the moment you set foot in Limgrave, the first of many interconnected regions of The Lands Between, you are completely free to go wherever you want. And sure, that's far from a new concept in open-world games, but the way it's handled here is truly extraordinary. If you wanted to, you could be an explorer and spend hours upon hours in Limgrave, delving into every mini dungeon, fighting every boss, discovering every NPC, and leveling yourself up to better prepare for what's next. Alternatively, you could follow the Light of Grace, guiding you toward the main path and the first major dungeon – or you could find a hidden path to a new region that's meant for higher levels and completely bypass the first major dungeon entirely! Maybe even steal yourself a cool weapon early while you're there.

A few things set Elden Ring apart from games like Skyrim that provide a similar openness.

Again, this is not unprecedented, but a few things set Elden Ring apart from games like Skyrim that provide a similar openness. For one, Elden Ring doesn't scale enemy levels to match your own at all, so jumping into a later region means you're always dealing with stronger enemies, making the risk/reward prospect of doing so very real. But perhaps more notably, the way its different areas are connected makes finding these new ones more than a simple matter of choosing a direction and heading towards it. Limgrave is designed very specifically with a main path in mind that takes you through Stormveil Castle, and finding a way around that truly feels like you've discovered a hidden passage or alternate route, which is a super cool feeling not present in most open worlds I've explored.

You also have more freedom in how you approach combat than any previous FromSoft game thanks to a bunch of familiar new systems that are used in interesting ways here. Stealth is a more viable option thanks to the addition of crouch-walking, which finally lets you sneak by tough enemies or get behind them for a critical hit; there's now horseback combat in large, open areas which gives you more mobility and the ability to attack on both sides with your right-handed weapon, but has the drawback of taking away your ability to roll out of the way of big attacks; you can craft items on the fly using materials found in the world so you can be ready for whatever a situation calls for; you can summon a large variety of creatures to fight for you, each with their own unique abilities and situational advantages; and most substantially, you can equip Ashes of War to your weapons and completely change their affinity and skill.

Elden Ring's difficulty surprised me, even as a veteran of the Soulslike genre.

The Ashes of War system essentially combines two elements of prior Souls games – weapon affinities and weapon skills – by making them items that you can freely equip to your armaments. For example, let's say I find a really good rapier and I really like the moveset, but I'm building my character with a focus on the Intelligence stat, which means it won't get the kind of damage bonuses it needs to be a viable weapon. If I find an Art of War that bestows a magic spell onto a weapon, I can equip it and transform it into a magic weapon, thereby giving it Intelligence scaling on top of whatever skill the Ash of War has. Best of all, if I eventually decide to respec into a different build, I can still keep the same weapon and just put a different Ash of War onto it. Of course, you also have to find a specific item to unlock the different affinities, but it's nonetheless an incredibly smart addition that allows for a ton of variety in your preferred weapons.

The most important element of Elden Ring's philosophy, though, is the freedom to just walk away and do something else when you hit a wall. Elden Ring is hard – which is to be expected from a FromSoft game – but its difficulty surprised me, even as a veteran of the Soulslike genre. I hit multiple points, even all the way up until the moment when I reached the very last boss, where I'd unlocked paths to several bosses and simply could not make headway on any of them. But even though I hit dead ends on those paths, there was always somewhere else I could go – a region I hadn't thoroughly explored, an NPC quest that I had set aside for later, a Light of Grace indicator that I had not yet followed. There was never a point in Elden Ring when I was at a complete loss of what to do, and every time I explored those other regions and followed those alternate paths I would find new gear and items, level up my stats, or learn new spells or skills that would eventually give me the extra edge I needed to power through a boss that had given me problems.

It isn't just the promise of making my numbers go up that called me to turn over every stone on the map: The Lands Between is positively brimming with riches, intrigue, and danger at every turn. Much of what Elden Ring's open world does well can be traced directly back to things that made Breath of the Wild stand out from the many open-world games that came before it. (The PC version of Elden Ring also unfortunately borrows some of Breath of the Wild's stuttery framerate woes). It's that same feeling of starting out in a world with little explicit guidance, finding something that piques your curiosity on your own, doing whatever it takes to get there, and then being rewarded for that curiosity.

In Elden Ring, very rarely did my predictions come true.

The big difference is that in Breath of the Wild I could usually predict what's going to happen when I get to that orange glowy thing off in the distance. I'll do a puzzle, unearth a shrine, do another puzzle, and probably get a cool temporary weapon and a spirit orb. That's not to take anything away from Breath of the Wild – it was awesome, but that pattern became somewhat routine well before the end. In Elden Ring, by contrast, very rarely did my predictions come true. I'd head to a lake and all of a sudden get ambushed by a dragon, follow a river expecting to collect some minor crafting materials only to find a dungeon filled with enemies and traps, enter a cave and get ambushed by little goblin men, or take a seemingly unimposing elevator and find that it just keeps going down further and further and further… until eventually I found myself not in a small dungeon but one of its many awe-inspiring new regions.

Best of all, each of these little excursions rewards your curiosity with something worthwhile. That could be a new weapon, a new Ash of War, a valuable consumable, a new creature for you to summon, a new spell, or a new NPC to talk to. There are so many valuable rewards available that I never felt disappointed by my prize, regardless of the amount of effort it took.

I never felt disappointed by my prize, regardless of the amount of effort it took.

FromSoftware makes all of this especially painless thanks to a number of uncharacteristically friendly features. There's a generous fast-travel system with a ton of points strewn all across the map; a marker system that lets you drop points on the map to denote things like NPCs, boss locations, out-of-reach treasure, materials, and more; and a speedy spectral horse named Torrent that allows you to quickly cover ground and easily mount and dismount as the situation requires.

But the thing that's most impressive about Elden Ring is that, in between all of this brilliant open world design, there are also a handful of Legacy Dungeons that still deliver those "wide linear" levels that Souls fans have come to expect. These are gigantic castles, forts, manors, underground labyrinths, and more that are packed with secret areas, challenging bosses, and multiple paths that are linked via one-way shortcut doors. If they were strung all together without being tied to an open world, they could probably exist on their own as Dark Souls 4.

Bottom line: Elden Ring's open-world exploration is a new benchmark. It's constantly exciting, rewarding, and full of moments that made me go "Holy shit" in a host of different ways.

It's constantly exciting, rewarding, and full of moments that made me go "Holy shit."

As far as combat goes, Elden Ring is certainly closest to Dark Souls 3 when compared to other games in FromSoftware's library of action-RPGs, characterized by weighty attacks, careful stamina management, and a bit of a slower pace than games like Bloodborne and Sekiro. The two big new additions are the ability to use a guard counter by blocking an attack with your shield and immediately pressing the strong attack button to follow up with a crushing strike that can leave weaker enemies in a crumpled state, and a jump attack which gives melee weapon wielders a new type of heavy attack that can also be used to stun enemies and leave them open for a critical hit.

They're both great additions that offer melee classes fun new tools, but for the most part, FromSoftware has certainly adopted an "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach. What really makes the combat in Elden Ring so good though is its enemy design and variety. Not only are a fair number of them horrifying (not quite up to Bloodborne levels of grotesquerie, but still some weapons-grade nightmare fuel) but some of these baddies are absolutely vicious, coming at you with wild swings and combos that seemingly go on forever and can hit from 10 feet away. Others are more methodical and hide behind their shields to wait for the right opportunity to either parry you or catch you while you're winding up. Others still are weak, but can be huge threats when they ambush you with a grab that kills in one hit. Many are designed to punish those who just mash the dodge-roll button without care, which makes Elden Ring a very hard game, but it's a good style of difficulty; one that's less about fast reaction speeds and twitch reflexes (though those certainly help) and more about learning, adapting, and finding the planted weaknesses in an enemy's attack patterns. Deciphering those tells and acting upon each moment of opportunity is a large part of why these games are so much fun.

And then there are the bosses. I don't want to spoil them, but there are a handful that are some of the most visually and mechanically impressive FromSoftware has ever crafted. Some of the later ones got really close to crossing the line in terms of what I'd deem fair and reasonable when it comes to life-restoring second phases after already brutally tough first phases and two or three-against-one handicap battles, but fortunately, as mentioned before, any walls I hit were surmountable once I took the time to do something else and come back stronger.

Nier: Automata Is Becoming an Anime

Posted: 23 Feb 2022 04:33 AM PST

The hit action-RPG Nier: Automata is being made into an anime.

Announced today by developers Square Enix during the game's Fifth Anniversary Livestream, the adaptation will see the Japanese videogame become a TV anime series.

A brief teaser trailer gives us a glimpse of the animation style. Along with the trailer, Square Enix also revealed an image of 2B along with her Pod companion robot:

According to a translated official statement, the story sounds as though it hews close to the original game. Humans have fled to the moon in the face of the "overwhelming force" of machines life forms, and combat android 2B has been sent to recapture the planet.

Aniplex, the studio responsible for Fullmetal Alchemist and Sword Art Online is said to be involved in the production of the Nier: Automata anime.

The original Nier: Automata is set during a proxy war between alien-created machines and human-made androids, vying for control of planet Earth. The story follows the tales of combat android 2B, scanner android 9S, and rogue prototype A2 – requiring multiple playthroughs to unlock the full story.

It was released on February 23, 2017, to resounding critical acclaim. IGN's own review said: "Nier: Automata is a crazy, beautiful, and highly entertaining journey full of nutty ideas and awesome gameplay. It may not include the most sensical story or compelling characters, but its frenzied combat -- coupled with beautiful visuals and a stunning soundtrack – make it too much fun to pass up."

Although the game was considered to be one of our top 25 PS4 titles, the PC version was met with some criticism – especially its Steam version, which received a slew of fixes last year, including 4K UI textures, improved cut scenes, and more.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Horizon Forbidden West Gets Its First Post-Launch Patch

Posted: 23 Feb 2022 03:07 AM PST

Guerrilla Games has released its first post-launch patch for Horizon Forbidden West, which fixes several gameplay, graphics, and quest bugs – and stops the game crashing as much.

Version 1.05 doesn't fix all known issues within the game, as Guerrilla acknowledged in a Reddit post that it's still working on some of the visual problems players have reported – but it does address some.

Two gameplay fixes have been made for the Second Chance skill and the camera jumping to random angles when using certain weapon techniques.

Several glitched quests have also been fixed, including the main quests Reach for the Stars, The Eye of the Earth, Cradle of Echoes, and The Sea of Sands, alongside a handful of side quests, errands, and world activities.

Several general fixes have been deployed as well, including images incorrectly sharpening in HDR mode, the HUD flickering when looting, Aloy's jittering when climbing, and Petra's teleporting in the Chanscrape brewery.

Some issues that the developer is aware of but has not addressed yet, it said, were the "high priority" graphical issues regarding shimmering, sharping, and screen saturation; some players experiencing infinite load screens to the Melee Puts; Aloy being blurry in Photo Mode; and an issue in Reach for the Stars where Aloy can't interact with a carcass, blocking progression.

While patch notes can often be a dry affair, Guerrilla opted to include a bit of humour in its post, saying "a rogue Tallneck that would sometimes change the direction of its route has been disciplined," and "NPCs that seemed to suffer from insomnia and would gather in large groups at night in settlements should act more naturally now."

The problems don't appear to affect the game's overall enjoyability too much as IGN said the PlayStation exclusive was "amazing" as "Horizon Forbidden West is an absolute blast and fantastic showcase for the power of the PS5."

Be sure to check out our guide as well for the best place to start in Forbidden West, the most powerful skills to acquire, the most important things the game doesn't tell you, and more.

The full notes can be viewed below:

Horizon Forbidden West 1.05 Patch Notes

Main Quests

  • Fixed an issue in main quest 'Reach for the Stars' where reloading a certain auto-save after completing the first quest could block progression.
  • Fixed an issue during interlude 'The Eye of the Earth' where Aloy could fall out of the world after skipping a cinematic.
  • Fixed an issue in main quest 'Cradle of Echoes' where Varl would wander off on a reload from save.
  • Fixed an issue in main quest 'The Sea of Sands' affecting several grapple points.

Side Quests and Errands

  • Fixed an issue in side quest 'Blood Choke' where Atekka would appear to fall out of the sky.
  • Fixed a progression issue in side quest 'In The Fog' related to fast travel during the quest.
  • Fixed an issue in errand quest 'Night of Lights' where a pullable box could get stuck and block the quest progression.

World activities

  • Fixed an issue where Relic Ruin: The Daunt could not be started in certain circumstances.
  • Fixed an issue in salvage contract The Greenswell: Plowhorn and the Plants where an optional objective could not be completed if the required item was sent to the player stash.
  • A rogue Tallneck near The Sand of the Sentinels that would sometimes change the direction of its route has been disciplined.

Gameplay fixes

  • The Second Chance skill should now work correctly.
  • Fixed an issue where the camera had an unintended position when using certain weapon techniques.

General fixes

  • Image oversharpening in HDR mode has been corrected.
  • Fixed an issue where some settlements would stream in, then stream out in certain circumstances.
  • Fixed an issue where the HUD would flicker when the player performs a loot action.
  • Fixed an issue where rapidly opening and closing the map could cause graphical anomalies.
  • Fixed an issue where Aloy's animation would sometimes jitter rapidly when climbing after picking up a plant has been fixed.
  • Fixed a global issue where the direction of Aloy's gaze, or that of certain NPCs, was incorrect.
  • Fixed several instances where Aloy, NPCs or enemies could get stuck in geometry.
  • Fixed an issue where roads and icons on the map would sometimes appear with a delay.
  • Fixed several streaming issues and unintended loading screens.
  • NPCs that seemed to suffer from insomnia and would gather in large groups at night in settlements should act more naturally now.
  • Petra will no longer teleport into her seat inside the Chainscrape brewery if followed immediately after the initial conversation with her.

Crash fixes

  • Fixed several crashes.

Other

  • Various performance improvements.
  • Various other minor fixes and cosmetic improvements.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

Next Year's Call of Duty Has Reportedly Been Delayed to the Following Year

Posted: 22 Feb 2022 03:20 PM PST

Update: Activision has reached out to IGN with a statement on the report that 2023's Call of Duty release was being delayed to 2024.

"We have an exciting slate of premium and free-to-play Call of Duty experiences for this year, next year and beyond. Reports of anything otherwise are incorrect. We look forward to sharing more details when the time is right."

IGN has followed up with Activision to ask if this was a direct denial of the claims in the Bloomberg piece that specifically the typical major November Call of Duty release in 2023 would be delayed to 2024, and will update this story accordingly.

Original story:

The typical annual Call of Duty release planned for 2023 has reportedly been delayed into 2024.

According to Bloomberg, sources familiar with the situation, executives in charge of the franchise have made the decision early after "a recent entry in the series failed to meet expectations," leading them to believe that Call of Duty's current annual cadence of releases was too rapid. The decision is reportedly unrelated to the recent Microsoft purchase of the publisher, and the 2022 Call of Duty release is still on track.

The "recent entry" is most likely Call of Duty: Vanguard, which faced release competition with Battlefield 2042 this past holiday season, as well as the free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone. A previous report noted that Vanguard's sales had also been suffering due to players feeling fatigued at Call of Duty's constant release cadence, making them less interested in buying a new entry every year.

The annual Call of Duty release has traditionally been one of gaming's biggest moneymakers, typically topping sales charts in the US at launch and remaining in the top ten year-round. With a massive sales gap now looming, Activision is reportedly working on other projects to fill in the gap such as ongoing content for 2022's Call of Duty release and a separate new, free-to-play online game that's as yet unannounced.

One interesting note is that this could mean Call of Duty players on PlayStation are able to stick with the series on their console of choice for a bit longer, as Microsoft has reportedly said it wants to release the next three games (Call of Duty 2022, 2024, and Warzone 2) on all platforms post-acquisition.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Halo Infinite Made Life Tough for Battlefield 2042? – Unlocked 532

Posted: 22 Feb 2022 03:08 PM PST

Our Xbox crew discusses the report that, among other issues, the release of Halo Infinite's free-to-play multiplayer hurt the launch of Battlefield 2042. Plus: Ubisoft stakes a claim to independence in the wake of so many publishers being bought...unless the right price comes along, Street Fighter 6 just got announced but it's already off to a controversial start, and more!

Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 download of this week's episode. For more awesome content, check out our latest IGN Unfiltered interview, where Joseph Staten – one of Halo's original creators and now the head of creative on Halo Infinite – discusses his fascinating career:

Oh, and you can be featured on Unlocked by tweeting us a video Loot Box question! Tweet your question and tag Ryan at @DMC_Ryan!

For more next-gen coverage, make sure to check out our Xbox Series X review, our Xbox Series S review, and our PS5 review.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Total War: Warhammer 3 Multiplayer Review

Posted: 22 Feb 2022 02:37 PM PST

Note: This review covers the multiplayer of Total War: Warhammer 3. You can find our Total War: Warhammer 3 single-player campaign review here.

Total War: Warhammer 3 has given me more reasons to fire up multiplayer than any game in the series' history. It's the most effort Creative Assembly has ever put into making its campaign mode work for groups of up to eight friends, and while some network issues can still occasionally crop up like a Skaven undercity, it's pretty damn fun the rest of the time.

The biggest exciting innovations are simultaneous turns and the ability for anybody to pick any side in any battle. And when I say simultaneous, I don't mean everyone decides what they want to do and then it all resolves at the same time. What I mean is, when you start a new turn, if your friend is moving their army, you can actually see them moving. It's all happening in real time, and if you both want to take the same city, whoever clicks faster or is standing closer will get there first.

There are some things I like about this and some I don't. For one, you'll sometimes be held up while the engine decides what to resolve first. If my friend is auto-resolving a battle and I'm selecting a technology, those can't both happen at the same time. So I might click on the tech and not see anything happen for a couple seconds, which makes the UI feel annoyingly unresponsive. It can be fun to race a rival to an objective, too, but the fact that it's twitch-based means you might have to prioritize moving one army quickly at the expense of another being beaten to the punch by a third player, which doesn't feel very Total War. But it's definitely an improvement over having to wait for everyone's turns to resolve one at a time.

Frenemies

When you get to the combat resolution step, though, that's where the real fun begins. Even if the battle just involves one human player against an AI faction, up to eight people could theoretically become involved. Everyone gets to make their own decision about whether to join one side or the other, or just to spectate. They can also choose to control any reinforcing armies, if there are any. Once on the battle map, the leader of each army can assign any units, lords, and heroes to any player on their side. So it's possible to have some truly epic four-vs-four showdowns that give everyone something to do, even if they have no stake in either army on the campaign map. Just be careful if you're playing against a friend who's way better than you, because if they want to mess with you, they can really grind your campaign to a halt by taking control of your enemies in every engagement.

When you get to combat resolution, that's where the real fun begins.

All of this works in the Realms of Chaos campaign, which I covered extensively in my single-player review of Warhammer 3. But given how long that campaign can take to finish, I wouldn't really recommend trying to tackle it in multiplayer unless you and your friends are under a 10-day quarantine. Luckily, there are also two multiplayer-exclusive campaigns that are paced perfectly for a Sunday evening of beer and bloodshed. Something Rotten in Kislev is a co-op experience for three players that's based around defending Kislev from hordes of daemons, with some internal tension borrowed from the main campaign's struggle between the Ice Court and the Orthodoxy. It's a nice little compstomp that can be finished in 15 turns, with my only major complaint being that it only features five of Total War: Warhammer's dozens of factions. That can get a little repetitive.

Dark Ages

The other campaign is Darkness and Disharmony, which supports up to eight players and is set during a chaotic time in Cathay's history when daemons and ogres were running around making a real mess of the place. There are also some NPC factions like the greenskins knocking around, and everyone from Greasus to N'kari to Miao Ying is playable, so it has a lot more variety in the types of battles you get to fight. It's a pretty simple race for territory, with each held settlement giving you one victory point per turn. The first person to 40 points wins, so these rarely last more than 20 turns. Technology, construction, and recruitment have also been sped up in both of the mini campaigns, and I think the length is just about spot-on.

That all said, I have run into some noticeable network issues, particularly playing with people from other regions. Disconnects are somewhat common, which can lead to having to reload from a previous turn. And lag can sometimes be so bad that it looks like Tsar Boris is galloping across the plains in slow motion. It's not a constant problem, but it is frequent enough that we almost gave up on this campaign.

You can, of course, also play individual battles in ranked matchmaking. It's disappointing to see that it's limited to only the Warhammer 3 races for now, since I've been waiting to see how my old favorites like the Wood Elves fare against the new guys. It could be a lot more fleshed out, but I'm glad it's there for the more competitive set.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Initially Underperformed for Square Enix

Posted: 22 Feb 2022 10:22 AM PST

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy had a slow start for Square Enix as the publisher admitted the game initially underperformed when it launched in October last year.

During its latest financial briefing, Square Enix commented that despite receiving positive reviews, Guardians of the Galaxy's "sales on launch undershot our initial expectations."

The game made up ground later however through different sales initiatives (such as store discounts) that began in November, and Square Enix said it intends "to work to continue to expand sales to make up for the title's slow start."

It proved to be the second shaky start for Square Enix's Marvel games as its president Yosuke Matsuda commented in November that its Avengers game "has unfortunately not proven as successful as we would have liked."

Guardians of the Galaxy certainly reviewed better than Avengers, as IGN said it was "great" and "another convincing example of how much fun a linear, no-frills, single-player campaign can be."

We said Avengers on the other hand was "okay" as its campaign is fun and endearing, but the loot-based post-game meant to be the meat of this meal is unrewarding and overly repetitive.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.
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