Month: March 2020

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Is Now Available on Mobile

PlayStation classic Castlevania: Symphony of the Night has been released on mobile all of a sudden and completely without warning.

The iOS and Android port costs $2.99 / £2.99 and comes with touchscreen controls, with revamped menus to boot, but is said to be fully compatible with controllers. It also has a new continue feature – which probably means you don’t have to wait an age every time you die as you’re sent back to the title screen.

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It seems this mobile port is based on the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 4 versions of Symphony of the Night, rather than the original PlayStation 1 version. That means it has a completely new script and voice acting that, unfortunately, doesn’t have the iconic line, “What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets!”

It also has extra familiars, new credits music, a boss fight against Maria, and Maria is playable. Everything else is pretty much the same as the 1997 original. The timing of this couldn’t be better as Castlevania Season 3 arrives on Netflix on March 5.

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If you don’t know, in Symphony of the Night you play as Alucard – the white-haired vampire in the Netflix series – as he tries to stop the evil that has overtaken Dracula’s castle. We gave it a 9 in our Castlevania: Symphony of the Night review from way back in 1997, saying that it’s “one of the finest 2D platforms game yet seen.”

One of the directors of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Koji Igarashi, went on to make a spiritual successor to the game recently in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.

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Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Ben Affleck Confirms McDonald’s Monopoly Movie Is Still in the Works

Ben Affleck has confirmed that McScam, his McDonald’s Monopoly movie, starring Matt Damon, is still in development following last year’s Disney-Fox merger.

In an interview with Collider, Affleck shared an update on the long-gestating project, which has been in the works since 2018, explaining that a new draft of the script had just recently landed on the table.

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“We’ve gotten a new draft. That’s really good,” he told the outlet. “Hollywood’s a weird place, because the person who was running the studio when they bought that script, just left that job. And the studio that was going to make it got bought by another studio.

“So there’s these moments where things sort themselves out, and you sort of see ‘Is this still a priority, or are they really interested in different kinds of movies?’ And I’m not sure whether or not, McScam, what kind of priority it is. We really like it. We’re still developing the script.”

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The original script for the movie, reportedly penned by Deadpool scribes Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, was said to be based on a Daily Beast report by Jeff Maysh chronicling an FBI operation to uncover an underground criminal ring run by “Uncle Jerry.” The ex-cop worked as a security officer at the firm that printed the McDonald’s Monopoly game pieces and was able to defraud the annual promotion of $24 million in prize money over several years.

However, the project seems to have suffered setbacks in the aftermath of the huge deal between Disney and 21st Century Fox, in which Disney acquired not only Fox’s Marvel characters but also Fox’s movie and TV studios, meaning that many more franchises and properties ended up falling under the Disney corporate umbrella, causing some shifts and delays in the process.

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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Hideo Kojima Shows Off Death Stranding Photo Mode

Hideo Kojima has provided a first look at the photo mode that will be available as part of the PC version of Death Stranding.

He shared footage of the photo mode in a Twitter video that, unfortunately, isn’t of the greatest quality. What can be seen in the low-res video is that Death Stranding’s photo mode will work much like many other photo modes in other games.

You’ll be able to pause the game at any moment and then move the game camera around to get the shot you want. You’ll also be able to tweak the brightness, the depth of field, change the aperture, and add filters. If you want, you can even make protagonist Sam Bridges pull different expressions and poses, or remove him from the shot entirely. It seems you may also be able to put themed frames around photos as well as turn them into posters.

In another tweet, Kojima mentioned that he’d like to hold photo contests for Death Stranding “by letting users send the photo that they took with the in-game camera.” He’s referencing a Metal Gear Solid 2 competition that rewarded players for creative use of the camera in that game.

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Finally, around the same time as the tweets about Death Stranding’s photo mode, Kojima brought up the fact that, in Metal Gear Solid, he hid a number of his staff members in the game as ghosts. The only way you could see these ghosts were to take photos in certain places using the in-game camera. In fact, most of the Metal Gear Solid games had ghosts hidden in them that can be found through this method.

Kojima doesn’t make any direct connection between the Metal Gear Solid ghosts and Death Stranding. However, given that he mentions it around the same time as posting this video, it could mean that there’s something hidden in Death Stranding that can be revealed with the new photo mode. Maybe it’ll be something related to Kojima Productions’ next project, or perhaps even a Silent Hill tease?

Death Stranding comes to PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on June 2. As well as the photo mode, it’ll have higher frame rate caps, ultra-wide screen support, and Half-Life content. There’s no word yet on whether any of these new features will be added to the PlayStation 4 version of Death Stranding.

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Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Preorder Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX and Save $5 with Prime

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is set to release exclusively for Nintendo Switch on March 6, 2020. A remake of a pair of handheld roguelikes from 2006, this new version will offer the same dungeon-exploring gameplay, but with stylish new graphics that look almost hand-drawn. It also sports a handful of new features, including the ability to add Pokemon you find in world to your team. And, if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can save $5 by preordering now. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing!

Preorder Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX

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On top of that, you’ll find options aimed at making things easier for young kids and newcomers. For instance, you can automate moving through levels, if that’s the kind of thing you’d like to do. Roguelikes are known for being challenging, after all. You can download the demo to try it for yourself.

Although the game doesn’t launch until March 6, you can already lock down a copy of it for yourself (see the list of links above). As is typical for most first-party Switch games, no special or collector’s editions will be available. All you get is the core game. But that’s why you’re here in the first place, right?

No Preorder Bonuses Announced

sad-pikachuJust like there’s no special edition, no preorder bonuses have been announced, either. If that changes, or if some retailer gets it in its head to offer an exclusive preorder bonus for Preorder Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, we’ll update this section.

Other Preorder Guides

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

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Mystery Star Wars Game Seemingly Leaks on PSN

Star Wars: Project Maverick has seemingly leaked on the European PlayStation Network – and it appears to be an unannounced game.

Posted by Twitter bot PSN Releases, and posted on ResetEra by user soulzonic, it appears a listing was created for the game on the European PSN backend, with a logo image attached (below). While that listing won’t appear on the public store, its details can still be scraped by services like this bot – these “hidden” listings have also recently outed the likes of Resident Evil 3, ahead of their official announcement.

We’ve never heard of Project Maverick before, and it appears this is an early listing for a completely unannounced project.

ESQxtoWXsAA4Y4MThe presence of a tiny group of X-Wings flying towards a Star Destroyer in the logo image has led some to speculate that this is a dogfighting game in the vein of the classic X-Wing or Rogue Squadron games.

Last month, we heard that EA had canceled a Star Wars game, codenamed Viking, in 2019, but that a “smaller, more unusual project” was still in the works at EA Motive in Montreal – it’s possible this is Project Maverick.

Star Wars games have been having a rough time in recent years: Amy Hennig & Visceral Games’ project, codenamed Ragtag, was canceled. Its assets were then repurposed for a game at EA Vancouver, codenamed Orca – which was also canceled. Here’s hoping Maverick avoids the curse.

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Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News and, if this is a dogfighting game, he hopes they bring back ludicrously complicated cockpit controls. Follow him on Twitter.

New This Week in the IGN Store: Black Widow Designs

It’s Wednesday, which means not only is the week halfway over, but we’ve also added a bunch of new designs to the IGN Store.

This week we’re bringing you designs from Marvel’s Black Widow, inspired by both the comics and the upcoming live-action Black Widow movie. Check out some of the best ones below, then visit the IGN Store to see our full selection of Black Widow shirts.

Black Widow Shirts

Don’t see the deals below? Click here.

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Black Widow is just one small subset of a pretty healthy selection of Marvel designs at the IGN Store, but we have more than just Marvel: there are Nintendo, Star Wars, DC Comics and even SpongeBob designs, among others.

Oh, and we also have designs for our own IGN shows like Next-Gen Console Watch and Game Scoop.

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Seth Macy is IGN’s tech and commerce editor and just wants to be your friend. Find him on Twitter @sethmacy.

The Way Back Review

With The Way Back, director Gavin O’Connor (Warrior, Miracle) has prepared a very familiar and very comforting, audience-pleasing stew. Sports movies have long been, throughout the broad history of the genre, reliable comfort food that can reasonably be applauded for cleaving to traditional, predictable story beats; daring originality is welcome in sports movies, of course, but falling back on cliché is not necessarily a vice for them. So while O’Conner, a slightly more thoughtful director than your average filmmaker, has perhaps added a few generous tablespoons of welcome soulful melancholy to The Way Back – effectively producing a satisfying meal – its baseline flavors are what make the film ultimately a genial and emotional entertainment. The rest of the review shall be, I assure you, free from further food metaphors.

In The Way Back, Ben Affleck – operating in full-on sad-sack mode, perhaps his best note as an actor – plays a bitter alcoholic construction worker named Jack whose life is clearly on the downward slope; in the first five minutes of the film, we see him sneaking beers at work, slipping gin into his coffee mug for the drive home, and taking a few depressive chugs from a can he keeps next to his shampoo in the shower. The Way Back, then is going to be less a film about winning championships and Big Games, and more about the delicate process of recovery from addiction.

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Jack is also a former basketball star from his high school days, and those who meet him mention that fact frequently, often compounding how badly he’s burned out. Into his grey milieu, Jack is offered a coaching position at his old high school where he is invited to take the school’s flagging basketball team from – and we can all probably recite this part in unison – being the losing-est team in the state to being a hard-working band of teammates who have all begun to realize their talent and potential.

Yes, there will be plenty of moments wherein a crucial basket is scored right at the buzzer, or where the film’s music will cut out for a split second while a basketball sails tensely through the air on its way to winning – or losing – a big game.

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The teenage ball players all have well-realized personalities – the hot dog, the lothario, the angry one, the shy champion who Just Needs to Realize His Potential – but they are mere supporting players to the world of the adults who spend most of The Way Back’s running time discussing the banal details of adult life, the kind of details that seem so dull when one is a youth, but that are the very pulp of existence as a middle-aged man. Very slowly, we begin to learn the great tragedies that Jack has experienced, the true nature of the relationships he has with his sister (Michaela Watkins) and his ex-wife (Janina Avankar), and what drove him to drink in the first place.

These tragic banalities – paired with an ineffable sense of geographical authenticity – are The Way Back’s greatest strengths, allowing it to poke its head ever so slightly above other sports movies of its ilk. Affleck is convincing as a has-been who hasn’t known joy in all too long (easily aided by the fact that Affleck himself has wrestled with alcohol), and director O’Connor is too emotionally intelligent to allow mere basketball victories become the solution to his problems. Indeed, just when one might expect the film to begin cresting and climaxing to the conclusion audiences have been trained to expect from such narratives, The Way Back sinks into a calmer, sadder place, leaving us with a different kind of catharsis beyond cheering and Gatorade showers.

Nioh 2: Here’s What Comes in Each Edition

Nioh 2 is coming exclusively to PS4 on March 13. A sequel to the 2017 original, the game puts you back in the role of a half human, half Yokai warrior as he slays demons in Sengoku-era Japan and the Dark Realm. Nioh 2 sports an updated combat system and allows you to transform into a Yokai to dole out extra pain to your enemies. It promises to be another challenging entry in the action-RPG sub-genre popularized by the Dark Souls series.

The game comes a few different editions, all of which are available for preorder right now. Here’s what comes with each one and where you can get it.

Nioh 2 Special Edition

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The special edition of the game comes with the following:

  • Nioh 2 season pass
  • “The Art of Nioh 2” book
  • Steelbook case

Nioh 2 Standard Edition

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The standard edition of Nioh 2 only includes the game and nothing else. Bit harsh, don’t you think?

Nioh 2 Digital Deluxe Edition

The PlayStation Store-exclusive digital deluxe edition is similar to the special edition, but it obviously lacks the physical extras. Here’s what it comes with instead:

  • Nioh 2 season pass
  • Demon Horde weapons
  • Nodama Netsuke charm
  • PS4 theme
  • PSN avatar set

Nioh 2 Preorder Bonus

nioh-2-preorder-bonusPreorder Nioh 2, and you’ll receive the following digital extras:

  • Demon Horde armor set
  • Sudama Netsuke charm
  • PS4 theme
  • PSN avatar set

Other Preorder Guides

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

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Call of Duty: Mobile’s Zombies Mode Being Removed as It’s Not Good Enough

The Zombies mode in Call of Duty: Mobile is being removed on March 25 due to it not meeting the quality standards of the game’s developer.

“We had always mentioned it was limited but with no explicit end-date,” writes the Call of Duty: Mobile developer in the latest community update. “We wanted to see the reception, see the feedback, and see how we can potentially shape the mode for the future. However, the mode just didn’t reach the level of quality that we desire.”

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The developer goes on to say that the the Zombies mode may return to Call of Duty: Mobile in the future, but only when it’s of a “high enough quality.” If and when it does return, it may also arrive with the global release of the mode’s second map, Nacht Der Untoten.

For now, the Call of Duty: Mobile developer is looking to focus on the game’s multiplayer, battle royale, and ranked modes. As such, a new Battle Pass arrived on March 1 that lets you earn new character Soap (from Call of Duty 4), along with new weapons and new equipment.

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There’s also a new multiplayer map called Cage, which is designed for close-quarters combat, and while being a three-lane map has a verticality to it that can give risk-taking players an advantage. The developer has also confirmed that Hardpoint will now be a permanent game mode rather than just a limited-time mode.

Until March 11, you can also earn the new operator skill, H.I.V.E. Straight from Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, H.I.V.E. lets you place trap pods that release a deadly swarm of nano-drones when triggered by enemies.

In our Call of Duty: Mobile review we gave it a 7.7 and said that it “plays well but not great” and comes “with a substantial multiplayer package that includes an exciting, condensed take on Blackout’s battle royale.”

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Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Best Price Ever on Apple AirPods 2 Is Back

If you missed that great Apple AirPods deal way back on Black Friday, there’s some good news to be had today: the latest generation AirPods are on sale for essentially the same price as the older ones were back in November, at just $129.98.

Apple AirPods Deals

Don’t see the deals below? Click here.

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The Apple AirPods Pro were on sale yesterday, but the sale ended pretty abruptly. I’m glad to see them back again, both in-stock and at a reduced price. If you missed out on a pair yesterday, the AirPod God is smiling down on you today.

Personally I recommend the AirPods if you’re in a budget-minded mood, since they offer a lot of functionality at a relatively-low price, but if you really want to show off, or if your tax refund came in, you might as well jump at the AirPods Pro sale opportunity.

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Seth Macy is IGN’s tech and commerce editor and just wants to be your friend. Find him on Twitter @sethmacy.