Month: May 2020

The Five Nights at Freddy’s horror series has made its debut on Nintendo Switch. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted was surprise-released on Switch on May 21.

Help Wanted is a collection of mini-games from the earlier titles and some new ones that is meant to showcase the “best gameplay across the Five Nights universe.”

As usual, you’ll be attempting to survive against horrifying animatronic characters in a haunted house of sorts. The game makes use of the Switch’s rumble feature to try to scare you even more. Check out the announcement/release trailer below.

Help Wanted originally released in May 2019 for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Oculus. The Switch edition is developed by Steel Wool Games, and it costs $30.

Pokemon Go will be unplayable for much of Monday, June 1. Developer Niantic has announced it is taking the game offline around the world that day while it performs extended server maintenance.

The maintenance period is expected to last for about seven hours, from 11 AM PT (2 PM ET) to 6 PM PT (9 PM ET). During that time, the game will be inaccessible, so you won’t be able to log in and play until the maintenance concludes.

In the meantime, Niantic has a few events lined up for Pokemon Go. The Legendary Pokemon Terrakion is back in Raids until May 26, after which point it will be replaced by another Gen 5 Legendary: the debuting Reshiram. On top of that, the Sinnoh Throwback Challenge line is currently underway, giving players more chances to catch Pokemon from the Sinnoh region, including Shiny Glameow.

May’s Community Day is just around the corner as well. The event takes place this Sunday, May 24, and features the Grass-type Pokemon Seedot. Niantic will also run a poll this weekend letting players vote for June and July’s Community Day Pokemon.

Goat Simulator’s designer Armin Ibrisagic and his studio DoubleMoose have announced Just Die Already, an “Old People Mayhem Sandbox Game.”

This “ridiculously gory and unpredictable physics-based sandbox game” will see players becoming those of the “more senior persuasion” that must compete crazy challenges to earn a spot in the “World’s Nicest Retirement Home.”

Just Die Already can be played solo or with up to three friends, and it is set to be released on PC in Summer 2020. A demo will be released on Steam “shortly,” giving those interested a chance to try out this title for themselves.

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“When we started making the game, there wasn’t all this going on,” says Armin Ibrisagic, gesturing around at all the global craziness. “So it does feel a little weird introducing such a ridiculous, over-the-top sandbox game when the world is so grim at the moment. That said, maybe supergluing a rocket pack to the back of an octogenarian and sending him flying into a construction site just to see what happens is the type of escape we all need right now?”

Just Die Already lets you “embrace your inner boomer” and “wreak havoc on the Millennial and Zoomer population.” NPCs will even act differently to you depending on their age.

You are also able to pick up and interact with a wide variety of objects, including giant trouts, trampolines, firearms, jetpacks, fireworks, and much more. However, players must be careful as every part of your body can be broken…oh, and each part may also fall off.

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Goat Simulator was released in 2014, and in our review, we said “Goat Simulator is a clever piece of interactive satire powered by hilarious ragdoll physics and its embracing of bugs.”

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Batwoman lead-star Ruby Rose reportedly left the show due to her dislike of the long working hours demanded by the role.

Following the surprise news of her exit from the CW show, Variety reports that multiple sources have claimed that Rose was unhappy with the long hours required as the lead on the 20-episode season. This led to friction on set, and eventually a decision by Rose and Warner Bros. Television to part ways.

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This report is backed up by TVLine, who also has sources that detail the same events. “She wasn’t happy working on the show, and did that make her fun to work with? No,” said the publication’s source. “So everyone decided it would be in the best interests of the show, and for all concerned, if they parted ways.”

The TVLine report also claims that Rose struggled to acclimatise to living in Vancouver, where Batwoman is filmed.

Rose has previously had supporting roles in films such as John Wick: Chapter 2 and The Meg. Previous to that she starred in Netflix’s Orange is the New Black – also a TV show – but as a supporting role in nine episodes across two seasons. Being the main character in Batwoman and thus starring in most scenes of a 20-episode season is a considerable step up in working hours.

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Berlanti Productions, the studio behind Batwoman, intends to recast Rose for the already commissioned second season. Once again the company will be searching for a member of the LGBTQ community, as the woman behind Batwoman’s mask – Kate Kane – is a lesbian.

Our review of Batwoman’s season one finale was full of praise, and so hopefully the right person will be easily found in order to propel the show into a great second season.

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

Ubisoft is potentially teasing the return of the infamous delisted Ubisoft Montreal Scott Pilgrim game that launched back in 2010.

Last night The Academy held a rewatch of Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World adaptation. Scott Pilgrim creator, Bryan Lee O’Malley tuned in for the watchalong.

O’Malley tweeted during the movie that Ubisoft should “bring back the scott pilgrim game,” after the Xbox Live Arcade / PlayStation Network title was delisted from both stores on December 30, 2014. At the time, it wasn’t clear why the game was taken down, but it was most likely due to licensing issues.

— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) May 21, 2020

Despite not being tagged in the initial tweet, Ubisoft, which developed the game, responded to O’Malley’s call with a considering emoji, (hopefully) teasing the game’s potential return.

The game was well received by fans of the graphic novel and was praised for its soundtrack upon release, which was composed by the American bitpop band Anamanaguchi.

We reviewed Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game in 2010, calling it “really enjoyable, even if at times it can be really frustrating.” We featured the game in our article featuring 9 licensed games that got it right (and 5 that didn’t).

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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

The cast of Justice League seem to be as happy as their original director about the announcement of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the recut version of the 2017 movie.

Henry Cavill (Superman), Ray Fisher (Cyborg) and Jason Momoa (Aquaman) all posted on Instagram about their happiness regarding the announcement of the long-awaited ‘Snyder Cut’.

Fisher kept it simple, referencing the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement by saying: “For those who fought. For those who believed. Thank you.” Momoa also thanked fans for their part in the Snyder Cut’s release: “finally it’s happening. your welcome. justice served. all my aloha to everyone who made this happen. all the fans. we love you.”

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Cavill provided the longest message, and referenced the occasionally volatile online arguments about the Cut, saying “be nice to each other” while congratulating Snyder himself:

“Ladies and Gents, it finally happened. The Snyder cut will be out next year! Now, I know there have been two camps over the whole Snyder Cut thing and whether it will ever happen for a while. Just remember, we all get to have more Justice League now, it’s a win win. So, be nice to each other ;). Big congratulations to you, Mr Snyder!”

Zack Snyder’s Justice League will be released on HBO Max in 2021, but its format is still undecided – it may be a 4-hour movie, or a miniseries.

If you’re not sure of how we got here, we wrote a full history of the Snyder Cut shortly before this announcement.

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

EA has announced that it’s releasing the source code for Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert in an effort to support the series’ modding community ahead of the launch of Command & Conquer Remastered.

Announced in a blog post on May 21, EA has decided that it will release the dynamic-link library (.dll file) and for both Tiberium Dawn and Red Alert, as well as the games’ respective source codes. This will allow modding of the remastered game, something highly requested by fans.

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The remastered collection launches in 15 days, and the blog post states that the source code will be launched alongside it.

“This is a key moment for Electronic Arts, the C&C community, and the gaming industry, as we believe this will be one of the first major RTS franchises to open source their code under the GPL,” C&C producer Jim Vessella said in the blog post, referring to the General Public License, which guarantees freedom for users to modify software. “After discussing with the council members, we made the decision to go with the GPL license to ensure compatibility with projects like [existing mod projects] CnCNet and Open RA.”

Vessella said EA’s goal was to deliver the source code in a way that would be “truly beneficial for the community” and that he hopes this will enable community C&C projects for years to come. The release of the DLL files will help modders in designing maps, creating custom units, replacing art, altering gameplay logic, and editing general data, according to Vessella. This is enhanced by the inclusion of a new map editor in the remastered package.

Steam players will be able to use Steam Workshop to share both maps and mods, while Origin users will need to manually install mods into their respective folders outside the game. Origin players will, however, be able to download maps through the usual in-game process. For both PC versions of the game, a Mods tab will be accessible in the game’s Options menu, where mods can be activated.

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Alongside this announcement, Vessella said that while EA understands LAN play is a heavily-requested feature, its inclusion in the collection has been delayed as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Earlier this year, we had every intention of including LAN Play in the launch version of the game, but sadly this feature did not make it in time,” Vessella said. “Unfortunately, LAN Play became the key impact of the Covid-19 situation as we realized the challenge of developing/testing a ‘local area network’ feature in a workplace time of social distancing.”

Vessella said the team will keep LAN Play on their priority list as it moves forward in the game’s development. The C&C Remastered Collection launches on June 5 on PC. You can check out the first snippets of the collection’s gameplay in this C&C Remaster teaser trailer. Meanwhile, here are some ways to help and stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Saints Row The Third? More like this is the third time I’ve reviewed Saints Row 3, and the second in as many years after last Fall’s technically shaky Nintendo Switch port. I bring that up because it puts me in a pretty good position to confidently say that Saints Row The Third remains not only my favorite Saints game, but also still a decidedly fun one nearly a decade after it first came out. I just thought that if Volition was going to go to all the trouble of remastering this hilarious GTA satire for 4K systems, it would’ve done a little more to live up to the gracefully aging gameplay.

Here’s why you should play this game, if you haven’t yet. Saints Row 3, while comically over-the-top, was nevertheless the last Saints game to have one foot still planted in reality before number 4 went full Matrix and Mass Effect on us. That relatability laid the foundation for some of its most memorable moments in 2011, and those remain fantastic in 2020. There was jumping out of a helicopter and parachuting down to reclaim your gang’s old rooftop penthouse to the tune of Kanye West’s “Power.” And no matter how many times I play it, I’ll still have a big smile on my face while cruising around singing along to Sublime’s classic ‘90’s tune “What I Got.” Its progression is still smart, too; completing missions, activities, and daring driving earns you respect and money, which can be cashed in for upgrades like dual-wielded pistols, NPC gang members you can call in as backup during battles, and increasingly stupid weapons and vehicles. Even Saints 3’s story – often a weak point in open-world jack-of-all-trades games like this – is worth seeing through. There are two equally funny endings that I guarantee you won’t see coming.

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Saints Row 3 also layered a lot of fun extracurricular activities on top of the comic-book-meets-gang-warfare story. Mayhem, in which you’re given a set amount of time and unlimited ammunition for certain weapons like grenades or a rocket launcher to cause as much property damage and destruction as possible, is still gleefully fun. And I’m not sure any open-world game’s side quest or secondary activity has given me more joy than the self-destructive Insurance Fraud mode, which combines intentionally over-the-top video game physics with the sensibility of a Looney Tunes cartoon while challenging you to throw your limp body in front of moving vehicles. The goal: to cause as much pain to yourself as humanly possible in a few minutes. It’s as enjoyable now as it was in 2011.

New Paint

I do wish Saints Row 3 had more going on in the remaster department. The fresh coat of paint slathered over the top of Steelport honestly isn’t all that attractive. I played on PC, which is the only platform including the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro where the framerate can go above 30fps, and even on Ultra settings it didn’t really inspire any awe. Yes, you can tell that the car models have been redone, the character models have been touched up, and the daytime lighting is better in general, but it doesn’t look anywhere near as good as something made in 2020 – and a good remaster should at least be plausible as a modern game. Rain looks especially bad, and one area where Saints 3 hasn’t held up well is seeing the same male and female grunts shooting at you hundreds of times.

Memorial Day weekend is nearly here, which means if you’re anything like me you’re eager for the sales. Anyone in the market for video games or consoles can look no further. Each year plenty of Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One games and gear gets big price drops for the holiday weekend. We’re tracking all of the best deals at all the major retailers below. This article will be kept up to date all weekend, so check back for all the latest Memorial Day weekend deals.

If you’re in the market for a new gaming PC or accessories, you’ll want to head over to our Dell Memorial Day deals page, because that sale is huge and it’s already live.

Gaming Deals Available Now

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Dell is offering a 10% discount on Xbox digital gift cards when you enter promo code GAME10 at checkout.

• Gaming Deals at Amazon
• Gaming Deals at Best Buy
• Gaming Deals at GameStop
• Gaming Deals at Walmart

You can expect to find a batch of gaming deals at each of the above retailers. This year’s sale will look a bit different than last year’s, back when scoring a Nintendo Switch with a free bundled item was possible. In recent months, inventory problems have made Switches nearly impossible to find in stock. That said, you’ll find plenty of game discounts and deals on controllers and other accessories for Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

For more sales and deals, stay tuned for our coverage of Memorial Day sales on TVs, PCs and laptops, and Dell computers and accessories. Or, for a veritable firehose spray of deals, we’ll also have a mega-post that features all the best deals on all the categories you’re likely to care about.

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

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