Month: July 2020

Fortnite doesn’t have a second-chance mechanic in its battle royale mode, so one player added his own version of the Gulag in the game’s creative mode. It’s just as gross and claustrophobic as it is in Call of Duty: Warzone.

Reddit user and Fortnite designer u/NO-SWEAT-POLICE posted his creation to the Fortnite Creative subreddit, asking players to test the arena out for him. They even included the different variations of the small map.

The Gulag has become a popular addition to the battle royale genre. It gives people one last chance to get back to the action in Verdansk. Players have recreated it in other games, like this Minecraft version, to help simulate the feeling of getting one last chance at survival outside of Call of Duty.

Fortnite players have discussed what a possible gulag-like feature would look like in their battle royale. Some have suggested an isolated island be the place where dead players duke it out for another chance to get back to the big fight. Epic Games hasn’t said anything about adding it to the game officially, though.

Games Workshop, the company behind the Warhammer tabletop miniature games and lore universes, has stated in its latest annual report that it aims for AAA Warhammer video games to be launched in the future, and is signing new development licences every few months.

The report explains that “Our goal is AAA video games. We have signed multiple licences and we continue to negotiate many more, we will update you once they are announced. At the time of writing, we have 73 licences and are signing new ones every 2-3 months.”

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Warhammer video games are not in short supply, but Games Workshop’s goal of AAA games suggests that it is looking beyond what we’ve seen from the licence in recent years. Take one look at the Warhammer search results on Steam, and you’ll find that the many of the games based in the universes have mixed reviews, come from small studios, and look a little on the low-budget side. The Warhammer community in general is constantly wishing that big-budget titles in the guise of games like Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War and Space Marine – both developed by Relic in the 2000s – would be negotiated by Games Workshop.

With Games Workshop entering into licence deals with new developers every 2-3 months, it appears that we may be getting multiple high-budget Warhammer video games in the future.

There are currently a small selection of Warhammer licenced video games that we know are in active development. The Xbox Series X Games Showcase revealed Warhammer 40,000 Darktide, and recently Planet Coaster developer Frontier announced that it is creating an RTS in the Warhammer: Age of Sigmar setting. Then there are three games coming from Focus Interactive; two Warhammer 40,000 games from Streum On Studio and Saber Interactive, and an Age of Sigmar title from Gasket Games. Based on the histories of these studios, it seems sensible to assume that at least Frontier is working on a AAA game, while Darktide from Fatshark will certainly be closer to AAA than many other Warhammer games.

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The Warhammer universes – broadly split into two areas, the fantasy Age of Sigmar and the sci-fi Warhammer 40,000 – have become increasingly popular over the last few years, with the 2019/2020 financial year being Games Workshop’s best in its entire history. The expansive settings cover everything from dungeon crawling adventures to space battles to all-out planetary wars, and so are ripe for a multitude of video game genres. Hopefully we’ll see AAA games in the settings within the next few years.

For some recent AAA Warhammer, check out our review of Total War: Warhammer 2. Or if you’re happy to play something with a more modest budget, why not try Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus.

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

The every popular Ring Fit has been in and out of stock sporadically, but Best Buy seems to have a decent amount of inventory this time around. We could be wrong, though, so best hurry up with your order before it goes out of stock again. You can also save 15% off the Switch Wireless Pro controller. It’s $20 cheaper than the joy-cons, and a superior controller for many games out there (including Smash Bros Ultimate). See these deals and more below.

Deals for July 29

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More Video Game Deals

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Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends roughly 1/4 of his income on stuff he posts. Check out his latest Daily Deals Article and subscribe to his IGN Deals Newsletter.

The Boys and Star Trek star Karl Urban has revealed that he had a secret cameo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, confirming that he has ticked off another of his “life-long goals” by appearing in the epic space-opera franchise.

In an interview with Digital Spy, Urban, who portrays vengeful vigilante Billy Butcher in Amazon’s The Boys, shared some details about his mysterious role in The Rise of Skywalker, as he revealed that he suited up to play a stormtrooper in the final instalment of the Skywalker saga.

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Urban highlighted the exact moment that he appears on the screen, revealing that he even has a line of dialogue in the scene. The actor confirmed that he says “Knights of Ren” as the enclave of masked warriors follow Kylo Ren on his journey to the desert world of Pasaana, passing by two stormtroopers on their way out. “I am one of those stormtroopers,” Urban admitted.

“I had the good fortune to go and visit JJ Abrams [the film’s director] while he was shooting The Rise of Skywalker,” he added, explaining the process behind his cameo. “While I was there, he put me in a stormtrooper uniform and we had a really fun day on set. It’s been one of my life-long goals to be a stormtrooper, so I can tick that off now.”

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The Star Wars sequel trilogy is bursting with blink-and-you’ll-miss-them celebrity cameos spanning all four corners of the galaxy, and Urban’s brief appearance and voice cameo in The Rise of Skywalker is another fleeting moment in the saga, which could be so easily missed on first viewing of the 2019 film.

In recent months, we have continued to learn behind-the-scenes details about The Rise of Skywalker. The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker book shed new light on axed storylines and a tank-like version of BB-8, while Anthony Daniels told IGN that C-3PO nearly had a bigger role in Episode IX.

For even more on the final Skywalker Saga film, find out why we think The Skywalker Legacy documentary is essential viewing after The Rise of Skywalker.

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

System requirements for the Horizon Zero Dawn PC port have arrived ahead of the game’s launch next week.

Revealed via the Horizon Zero Dawn Steam page, we can now see the minimum and recommended specifications necessary to play the game.

Horizon Zero Dawn – Minimum Specs

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64-bits
• Processor: Intel Core [email protected] or AMD FX [email protected]
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 (3 GB) or AMD Radeon R9 290 (4GB)
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 100 GB available space

Horizon Zero Dawn – Recommended Specs

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64-bits
• Processor: Intel Core [email protected] or Ryzen 5 [email protected]
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 580 (8GB)
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 100 GB available space

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Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition will launch on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on August 7th, 2020. We included Horizon’s setting in our article running through the best open worlds in video games – check out what else made the cut.

A sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn was revealed during the PS5 Showcase in early June. The game, titled Horizon: Forbidden West, will see Aloy encounter new robot fiends and friends on the West Coast of America. It seems unlikely we’ll see that sequel on PC anytime too soon, given PlayStation chief Jim Ryan wants to make PS5 exclusives that make the most of the new console.

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

Netflix has announced the premiere date and released the first look images for Ryan Murphy’s Ratched series.

It’s time to schedule an appointment with Netflix, as the eight-episode series officially premieres on the streamer on Friday, September 18.

Ratched serves as a prequel series to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and tells the origin story of the nefarious nurse Mildred Ratched who arrives in Northern California in 1947 to seek employment at a leading psychiatric hospital where new and unsettling experiments have begun on the human mind.

The first batch of images, pictured in our gallery below, capture Ratched’s early journey in becoming a nurse before turning into a full-fledged monster.

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Per the official synopsis, Mildred sets out on a clandestine mission to present herself as “the perfect image of what a dedicated nurse should be, but the wheels are always turning and as she begins to infiltrate the mental health care system and those within it, Mildred’s stylish exterior belies a growing darkness that has long been smoldering within, revealing that true monsters are made, not born.”

The series stars Sarah Paulson as Mildred Ratched, Cynthia Nixon as Gwendolyn Briggs, Judy Davis as Nurse Betsy Bucket, Sharon Stone as Lenore Osgood, Jon Jon Briones as Dr. Richard Hanover, Finn Wittrock as Edmund Tolleson, Charlie Carver as Huck, Alice Englert as Dolly, Amanda Plummer as Louise, Corey Stoll as Charles Wainwright, Sophie Okonedo as Charlotte and Vincent D’Onofrio as Gov. George Wilburn.

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The suspenseful new drama series is executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, Sarah Paulson, Alexis Martin Woodall, Aleen Keshishian, Jacob Epstein, Jennifer Salt, Margaret Riley, Michael Douglas, Robert Mitas and Tim Minear. It is Murphy’s third Netflix series, as part of the uber-producer’s mega-deal with the streaming giant.

Ratched arrives on Netflix on Friday, September 18.

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

Console gamers are getting a new generation of hardware this year, but why should they have all the fun? If your gaming PC is starting to show its age, it might be time to pick up a new rig. Right now, Newegg has a number of powerful gaming PCs and laptops on sale for very reasonable prices. Note that many of these deals are only available today.

Or, if you just want to upgrade some of the parts in your PC, you can check out all of today’s Newegg deals. Either way, it’s a good time to save some cash on PCs or parts.

Gaming PC and Laptop Deals

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That does it for Newegg’s current gaming PC deals. Some of the PCs come with a free copy of Kojima’s latest wonderfully weird adventure, so check out our Death Stranding review for details on that. The laptop includes a bundle of digital goodies that includes Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order as well. While we’re on the subject of freebies, you can pick up a few free PC games at various online stores right now as well.

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

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Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice will be getting a new update on October 29, 2020, that will add a boss rush, new outfits, and a Remnants system that will allow players to send messages to help others on their journey.

As revealed on the Activision Games Blog, the first part of this update is the Reflections and Gauntlets of Strength, which can be accessed through the Sculptor’s Idols.

The Reflections of Strength allows for players to take on any previously defeated boss. The Gauntlets of Strength, on the other hand, has you facing off against Sekiro’s bosses in consecutive battles. If the Wolf (player character) were to die at any point, he would have to start from the beginning.

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The Sculptor’s Idols will also allow the Wolf to change into three new outfits, including Tengu and Old Ashina Shinobi. Two of these outfits can be unlocked via Gauntlets, while the third is unlocked by beating the game once. It should be noted that all outfits are purely cosmetic in nature.

Lastly, Remnants are recordings of player’s actions for up to 30 seconds at a time. After a player records one of these Remnants, it can be uploaded along with a message to help others making their way through Sekiro.

If a community member watches and rates a Remnant, the owner of it will have have their HP recover for free.

This will be especially helpful for those Sekiro players who are playing for the first time on Google Stadia, which will be released on the streaming service on October 29, 2020 as well.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was released in 2019 and, in our review, we said “Sekiro evolves From Software’s formula into a stylish stealth-action adventure that, naturally, emphasizes precision and skill in its combat. It walks the line between deliberate and patient stealth and breakneck melee combat against threats both earthly and otherworldly.”

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

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

Netflix has released the opening scene from The Umbrella Academy Season 2 ahead of Friday’s premiere.

The streaming giant shared the “explosive surprise” scene on Wednesday, giving fans a chance to preview the opening moments of episode one, which will officially drop into everyone’s timelines (and Netflix watch lists) on July 31.

We have an explosive surprise for you Watch the opening scene of The Umbrella Academy season 2 before the rest drops into your timeline on Friday. pic.twitter.com/m4ntwXcbGx

— Umbrella Academy (@UmbrellaAcad) July 29, 2020

The clip opens with Five descending from a swirling time vortex and emerging from an alleyway in downtown Dallas to discover that he has seemingly landed in an alternate timeline for November 25, 1963, where the streets are commandeered by Soviet troops and battle tanks. He spots a newspaper amongst the rubble, with a headline that reads: “Soviets Attack U.S., JFK Declares War on Reds.”

Without hesitation, Five’s siblings step into the ensuing chaos and unleash their superpowers in a series of action-packed sequences detonated by the backing track of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” Hazel interrupts the chain reaction of explosions, bullets, and bangs as he zaps onto the scene to rescue Five from the impending nuclear apocalypse and give him a chance to save his family.

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An adaptation of Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá’s comic book series of the same name, The Umbrella Academy follows the lives of a dysfunctional family of superheroes. It proved to be a huge hit for Netflix, which reported that 45 million households had watched the show, and quickly ordered a second season.

We awarded the first season an 8.5 review, calling it “hilariously twisted, subversively stylish, and surprisingly poignant.” We named it as one of the best new TV series of 2019, and one of the best comic book series – plus, it was IGN People’s Choice Winner in both of those categories.

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The Umbrella Academy Season 2 will be released on Netflix on July 31 with 10 hourlong episodes. If you have never watched The Umbrella Academy before, then you might want to read our explainer about the characters and team, and if you have, then you might need a refresher on Season 1’s ending.

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