Month: February 2020

Black Desert Online, the hugely popular MMO known for its incredibly detailed character creator, is free to download and keep on Steam this weekend.

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Black Desert Online is currently reduced by 100% on its Steam store page, with the deal ending on March 2 at 7am PT / 10am ET / 3pm UK. Rather than being a temporary free trial weekend like many games hold on Steam, if you claim Black Desert Online over the weekend then it is yours to keep forever, free of charge.

The free weekend also coincides with developer Pear Abyss launching the beta of its new battle royale game, Shadow Arena, which is set in the Black Desert Online universe. The Shadow Arena beta runs from February 27 to March 8, although you’ll need to register to take part.

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If you’re going to grab it this weekend (it is free, after all) then you may want to check out our Black Desert Online tips to help get you started in this action MMORPG. And if you want to know more about its sandboxy activities, then check our our Black Desert Online review.

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Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

Borderlands 3 continues to get bigger, and alongside the reveal trailer for its second campaign add-on Guns, Love, and Tentacles: The Marriage of Wainwright & Hammerlock, Gearbox Software has also shared a teaser image for a third DLC expansion. This one will take things in two very different directions, featuring revolver-toting outlaws as well as dinosaurs.

Announced as part of its PAX East news, the third campaign add-on hasn’t been fully detailed yet, but it will arrive this summer. It’s included with the Borderlands 3 Season Pass, and as the image shows outlaws riding on dinosaurs, it should be every bit as goofy and over-the-top as Borderlands fans expect.

Gearbox also recently shared that Borderlands 3’s Epic Games Store PC exclusivity will be ending on March 13. At that point, the game will be available to play on Steam, and it will support cross-platform play between the two platforms. A few weeks after its Steam launch, the Guns, Love, and Tentacles expansion will be out, so you best not dillydally if you want to get through the campaign first.

In April, Borderlands 3 will be getting Mayhem Mode 2.0 as a free update, along with updated modifiers and new loot. There will also be a free event in April called Revenge of the Cartels that will feature unique rewards, and the Guardian Takedown event in May will also offer free content like bosses and cosmetics.

Jordan Ramée praised the base game’s freedom in GameSpot’s Borderlands 3 review, as well as the new environments and character classes. Alongside PC, Borderlands 3 is available on Xbox One, PS4, and Google Stadia. The official Borderlands movie recently found a director in Eli Roth, who wants to have cosplayers act–and die–in the film.

Baldur’s Gate 3 might only be in early access later this year, but developer Larian Studios already has big plans for how it will redefine role-playing game relationships with your companions.

Specifically, when it comes to romance options with your companions. Speaking to VG24/7, senior writer Adam Smith mentioned how so many RPGs treat romance as a reward for saying the right things or giving the right gifts to characters. In Baldur’s Gate 3, Smith wants to create more complex relationships that have a lasting emotional impact.

“We want to have jealousy,” Smith explained. “We want to have just great joy in it, as well. But yes, we don’t want it to be a case of, ‘you brought me the gift that I like the most, so you got +50 affection.’ It’s much more based on how you deal with them, and the things you do. So, when I say, ‘everyone’s romanceable by everybody else,’ that’s not in every playthrough”.

Smith confirmed that all companions can be romanced not only by the protagonist, but by all other characters too. This can create moments where companions will develop relationships outside of your control, with Smith using Liselle, the monogamous Githyanki, as an example.

“So, if you sleep with Liselle one night at camp, the next night you might well just find her sleeping with somebody else,” Smith added. “And she’s going to be like, ‘oh, that was a bit of fun, wasn’t it? How are you doing?’ And you’re just like, ‘oh!’ Heartbroken!”

Baldur’s Gate 3 will hopefully have these intricate relationships included in its early access launch, which will include the first act and five companion characters. It’s launching later this year on PC and Google Stadia, with console ports unlikely for now. If you missed it, catch up on the full gameplay reveal from PAX East, as well as our impressions of additional gameplay.

If you are anything like me, one of your childhood dreams was to have versions of your favorite arcade games in your own home. Thanks to the wonderful people at Arcade1UP, that’s easier than ever, and thanks to deals at Walmart, you can do it for less.

Right now you can save 50% on Space Invaders and get deals on Golden Tee, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars, and more, so you can create your own, completely stacked, arcade room.

Best Deal: Space Invaders Arcade Cabinet for $149

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• Get it for $149 at Walmart

There are few arcade games as iconic (or fun) as Space Invaders. This 4-foot arcade cabinet by Arcade1UP normally costs $299, but right now you can save 50% and snag it for just $149 from Walmart and get free delivery.

Star Wars Arcade Machine for $449

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• Get it for $449 at Walmart

Take Luke’s place and relive the legendary trench run against the Death Star, and much more with this arcade cabinet. It includes games based on Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi and a riser so you can set the height to your liking. It normally costs $499, but you can shave off $50 and get it for $449 at Walmart.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade Machine for $369

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• Get it for $369 at Walmart

This classically recreated arcade cabinet includes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Turtles in Time, as well as a riser. It normally goes for $399, but you can save $30 and get it for $369 at Walmart with free 2-day delivery.

Other Arcade Deals

• Galaga/Galaxia Machine for $349 – Get it at Walmart
• Golden Tee Machine for $399 – Get it at Walmart

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Brian Barnett writes news, features, wiki guides, deals posts, and much more for IGN. You can get your fix of Brian’s antics on Twitter and Instagram (@Ribnax).

Last year, IGN visited the set of Altered Carbon Season 2 as part of an exclusive IGN Premiere first look at the Netflix show’s much-anticipated return. We’re rolling out a series of exclusive sneak peeks for Season 2 this week, so keep it locked right here for never-before-seen interviews and behind the scenes footage of Anthony Mackie as Takeshi Kovacs, Chris Conner as Poe, and Renée Elise Goldsberry as Quellcrist Falconer. For more, be sure to check out our spoiler-free review of Altered Carbon Season 2, our interview with Mackie discussing how his version of Kovacs is different from Joel Kinnaman’s, an exclusive clip featuring Takeshi and Poe walking the streets of Harlan’s World, and learn what makes Poe’s new A.I. companion so fascinating.

Warning! Some spoilers follow for what we saw on set.

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The universe of Netflix’s Altered Carbon has always looked amazing on-screen, so when we were given the opportunity to have our very own guided tour of the immense sets by production designer Carey Meyer (Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), we jumped at the opportunity to learn how Meyer’s team created the Season 2 setting of Harlan’s World.

Harlan’s World is the birthplace of Takeshi Kovacs (Anthony Mackie), and it also happens to be home to the highest concentration of Elder artifacts and technology in the settled worlds. One of the first stops on our tour landed us in Governor Danica Harlan’s (Lena Loren) apartment, which was decorated with various Elder relics. Meyer told us that by the time you finish binging Season 2, “you’ll know what all of those artifacts are all about.”

Be sure to watch the entire tour of Harlan’s World with Meyer in the video below, or at the top of the page:

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Probably the most jaw-dropping place we saw was the “street set,” which is one of the major thoroughfares in Season 2 and can hold hundreds of extras if needed. Meyer explained that this particular set was built on top of the same street set from Season 1 that Joel Kinnaman’s Kovacs walks through many times.

Meyer explained that the dominant design elements of Harlan’s World are rock and water, since the colonizers built their civilizations into the planet’s core, but despite the organic materials, you can still see the grimy, neon-lit Cyberpunk aesthetic that made Season 1 so memorable, especially in locations like the “street set.”

You can watch Poe and Takeshi walk down that same street in the video below:

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If you’ve already binged Season 2 of Altered Carbon, check out our ending explained to find out what’s in store for Season 3 if the series is renewed by Netflix.

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David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He’s also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

When it’s released on March 23, Half-Life: Alyx will be a notable moment in the timeline of VR gaming – perhaps the medium’s first true blockbuster. It’s led to a rush of first-time VR buyers, eager to play the first full Half-Life game in 16 years. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 (a.k.a. Coronavirus) has led to production shortages of several of the compatible headsets you’ll need to actually play it.

With under a month until release, we looked into each of the major VR headset manufacturers – Oculus, HTC, and developer Valve itself – and what the status of their production is ahead of HL: Alyx’s release date, to get a sense of which units may be available to buy if you don’t already have one.

Before we get going, of course there are more important things than games, and factory shutdowns have been a major means of protecting lives in the wake of a virus that has already killed thousands – these are necessary means, not inconveniences.

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Valve Index

Valve’s Index headset was already sold out practically worldwide following the announcement of Half-Life: Alyx, with Valve proactively working to supply more for those who hadn’t secured a pre-order. In a statement, however, the developer confirmed that coronavirus-related factory shutdowns meant there would be “far fewer units” available on release than planned:

“With Half-Life: Alyx coming March 23rd, we are working hard to meet demand for the Valve Index and want to reassure everyone that Index systems will be available for purchase prior to the game’s launch. However, the global Coronavirus health crisis has impacted our production schedules so we will have far fewer units for sale during the coming months compared to the volumes we originally planned. Our entire team is working hard right now to maximize availability.”

It’s unclear at time of writing how many will be made available at release, but it may well be that Index is in short supply, at best, come March 23.

Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S

Oculus Quest, considered a popular entry-level device for VR, is in a similar position. Facebook (which owns Oculus) has also announced that the standalone VR headset has been selling out in many regions, and remains unavailable to buy in the UK and US at time of writing. It too, has seen an impact on replenishing those stocks because of coronoavirus.

A spokesperson told IGN, “like other companies we’re expecting some additional impact to our hardware production due to the Coronavirus. We’re taking precautions to ensure the safety of our employees, manufacturing partners and customers, and are monitoring the situation closely. We are working to restore availability as soon as possible.”

Facebook wouldn’t comment on the effect of production shutdowns on its other headset model, the Oculus Rift S but, given it too is made in China, it seems likely to have been hit by factory shutdowns as well. The Rift S is also currently unavailable to buy in the US or Australia, with no indication of when stock might be replenished.

It remains to be seen how many units of either Oculus headset will be released in the next month but, again, it feels unlikely to meet demand.

HTC Vive

Of the three main manufacturers, HTC is the only company seemingly untouched by production problems, and its Vive headsets seem to be the surest bet for availability come launch day.

In a statement to IGN, a spokesperson said, “As our Vive VR products are assembled and built in Taiwan, our supply chain has been relatively unaffected by COVID-19. In addition to having our Cosmos headset in stock, the newly announced Cosmos Elite began preorders on February 24 and will ship to those who preordered on or around the on-sale date of March 18 […] We look forward to allowing customers to experience Half-Life: Alyx on our headsets as soon as it is released.”

Of course, Vive remains a relatively expensive way to play HL: Alyx – requiring a powerful PC as well as a headset that comes in at $499 USD / £499 / $939 AUD. However, with no production problems, it may be the easiest route to playing as Alyx on March 23.

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Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

The Nintendo Switch has been home to many ports of gaming’s recent past, even games that you may have never believed would have been playable in handheld form like The Witcher 3, Doom (2016), Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Now, we have both of the Redux versions of Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light, two tremendous single-player FPSs out now Switch. And having put some time into both, I’m coming away wildly impressed–these are Switch ports done right.

You kind of know what you’re getting into when it comes to Switch versions of bigger games; lower resolutions, lower framerates, muddier textures, and toned-down effects. Those factors don’t necessarily diminish the quality of the game itself though, so long as it’s done within reason and the game remains playable. However, these Metro ports exceed what we’ve come to expect for Switch–they look sharp and run extremely well, all things considered. You can see for yourself in our gameplay footage below.

Naturally, the compromises are noticeable when playing in docked mode on a full size display, but Metro Redux is truly stunning in handheld mode. It’s not just that the condensed screen mitigates the perceivable blemishes of lower graphical fidelity, it’s that the graphical compromises are somewhat minimal as not to muddle or obscure overall visual clarity. Even lighting effects and character models, which are imperative to the Metro experience, still shine through.

Granted, these Metro games mostly take place in fairly contained areas with tight, dark spaces. But even outside of those instances where big firefights break out or when you have to navigate larger areas on the surface, performance and visuals remain consistent. The limitation in framerate is manageable, too, because Metro 2033 and Last Light maintain a near-constant 30 frames per second on Switch. Although it’s not the 60 fps or 144 fps we can get from a proper PC, there haven’t been any distracting dips when the action ramps up. And coming from someone who prioritizes PC versions because of framerate and higher refresh rate, that consistent 30 fps is viable for Metro’s slower, methodical pace in and out of combat, especially for a handheld experience.

Metro’s style of slow-paced action and exploration also means that the constraints of the Joy-Con analog sticks are easier to deal with; using a bit of auto-aim and motion controls to fine-tune aiming down sights, playing in handheld mode feels just right. The console’s shortcomings have less of an impact on Metro in comparison to other shooters; combat in Metro doesn’t necessarily require quick reflexes or pinpoint precision most of the time, hardly hindering my ability to overcome combat scenarios.

As for the games themselves, Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light are still absolute achievements as narrative-driven FPSs–some may say Last Light carried the legacy of Half-Life 2 of sorts. Metro takes you through the horrors of surviving in the underground tunnels of a post-apocalyptic Russia where the surface is ravaged by radiation and mutated beasts lurk around every corner. The otherworldly species of the Dark Ones provide a mysterious narrative crux as you learn about them in the midst of conflict between human factions. A great mix of stealth, unforgiving firefights, and tense exploration make up the Metro games. And the resource management of gas mask filters and military-grade bullets (used as either high-damage ammo or currency) keep you on your toes. The best part of Metro’s captivating campaigns is the sense of vulnerability it instills through its atmosphere and gameplay systems–and these aspects remain untouched in 2033 and Last Light’s Switch ports.

Metro 2033 and Last Light were once technical showcases, often used as PC benchmark tools to gauge performance. It’s an accomplishment by developer 4A Games to bring both to Switch at this level of quality. In a world where games like The Witcher 3 and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are playable on Nintendo’s handheld console hybrid, the bar for quality Switch ports of big games is pretty high. Metro 2033 and Last Light Redux meet, if not, exceed, those expectations.

Shockingly Alex has returned again, despite promising a 3 month hiatus recently. He’s joined by Dale, who talks Resident Evil 3 and has Siege tales from San Francisco. Mr Matt Purslow rounds off the threesome and he is BIG into everything Baldur’s Gate 3 and Hunt: Showdown.

Also, not only is The Endless Search back, but so is The Perpetual Pursuit. The extra twist is Alex is hosting his first ever Endless Search game on the podcast! Guess he had to pull his finger out at some point…

Remember, if you want to get in touch with the podcast, please do: [email protected]

IGN UK Podcast #528:Spunky Ticker

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• IGN UK Podcast #527: Mother: Unleashed
• IGN UK Podcast #526: Are There Hedgehogs on the Moon?
• IGN UK Podcast #525: The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Vincent D’Onofrio
• IGN UK Podcast #524: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Hype
• IGN UK Podcast #523: Doom Eternal Might Be the Best FPS… Ever?

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