Month: August 2020

Aragami 2 has been announced for PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, PS4 and Xbox One, and is due to arrive in 2021.

Announced as part of IGN’s coverage of Gamescom 2020, Aragami 2 builds on the 2016 original’s stylised ninja action, and throws in full 3-player co-op that can be used thorughout the entire campaign. Check out a reveal trailer below:

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/27/aragami-2-reveal-trailer-shows-stealth-action-in-numbers”]

Where the first game concentrated on stealth, Aragami 2 will allow players to approach it as a combat game too, allowing you to craft melee and ranged weapons, choose your armour, and pick from sets of abilities that can alter your playstyle.

The entire game can be played either in single or multiplayer, and focus has been put on allowing players to use the environment to their advantage, whether that’s to ghost past enemies, or surround them unexpectedly for an easy kill.

Set 100 years after the first game, Aragami 2 centres on a battle against the expansionist young nation of Akatsuchi, which has come to Rashomon Valley to control its people and resources – its you and your clan’s job to stop that from happening.

There’s much, much more to come from Gamescom 2020 on IGN – check out our full Gamescom schedule to find out what else is on the way.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Observer: System Redux, the next-gen version of Observer, is also set to be released on PC, as well as PS5 and Xbox Series X, and a demo is out on Steam now.

Bloober Team announced during Gamescom 2020 that System Redux will be available for PC during holiday 2020 for $29.99 and feature all the same upgraded visuals and additional content as the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions.

From August 27th to September 15th, existing Observer owners on Steam can also upgrade to the System Redux version for 80% off, while those who preorder will get the OST and an artbook for free.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/27/observer-system-redux-trailer-teases-new-trippy-cases-and-secrets”]

“When we announced Observer: System Redux for next-gen consoles, we had a huge response from our PC fans asking if the remaster would be coming to their platform of choice,” said Piotr Babieno, Bloober Team CEO. “We originally only planned to bring the game to consoles, but seeing the feedback we’ve heard from the community, we’re bringing the game to PC as well. As a way to thank our community, we’re putting this upgrade plan in place and looking into options to do the same on console if possible.”

An Observer: System Redux demo is also available on Steam starting today for those interested in the upgraded version.

Here’s everything players can expect from the System Redux version of the game, according to Bloober Team:

• Three new major missions: Errant Signal, Her Fearful Symmetry, and It Runs in the Family
• Updated characters models and new locations
• Brand-new neuronal interrogation sequences
• New stealth and mechanics
• Undiscovered secrets
• 4K resolution, upgraded textures, new animations, models and effects, and transformed with jaw-dropping Ray-Tracing and HDR lighting

Confirmed earlier this year for a 2020 next-gen launch, Bloober Team recently showed off Observer: System Redux gameplay to tease what new and returning players can expect from the improved version.

There’s much, much more to come from Gamescom 2020 on IGN – check out our full Gamescom schedule to find out what else is on the way.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Dotemu has announced Pharaoh: A New Era, a full remake of the 1999 ancient Egypt city-builder coming to PC in 2021.

Pharaoh was revealed in a beautiful, 2D animated trailer showing the rise of one of the most powerful, ancient civilizations in history, which you can check out below:

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/27/build-your-empire-in-pharoah-a-new-era-announcement-trailer”]

Dotemu (Streets of Rage 4, Wonder Boy) has made a name for itself with its retro remakes and revivals in recent years, and Pharaoh should continue the pattern. The game will reproduce the original’s Egyptian kingdom management, but is being developed with all-new code, a new 2D graphics style, brand new UI, and improved mechanics.

The base game will include the 2000 expansion, Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile, bringing the game’s campaign (set across various ages of Egyptian history) to 53 missions. That campaign comes alongside a Free Build mode, as well as a map and mission editor.

There’s much, much more to come from Gamescom 2020 on IGN – check out our full Gamescom schedule to find out what else is on the way.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Sam and Max are returning in the newly revealed Sam & Max – This Time It’s Virtual, a new VR adventure that is also the official 20th video game for the pair.

Set to be released in 2021, the VR adventure sees Sam and Max, the Freelance Police, on a VR adventure that needs the player’s help in an effort to stop the evil plaguing the world. And that evil may include some giant monsters. Check out the full reveal trailer below:

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/27/sam-max-this-time-its-virtual-trailer-revealed”]

The first new Sam & Max game in over a decade, this game will see players recruited by the titular heroes and trained to become part of the Freelance Police. Sam & Max creator Steve Purcell is onboard to consult on game design, art and story, and David Nowlin and Dave Boat return to voice the heroes.

Past Sam and Max adventures include Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse and other episodic adventures developed by Telltale Games.

There’s much, much more to come from Gamescom 2020 on IGN – check out our full Gamescom schedule to find out what else is on the way.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Two professional Counter-Strike teams have postponed their upcoming match to support protests against systemic racism. Team Liquid and Chaos FC both announced that they would not be competing in August 27’s ESL One Cologne 2020 match.

“We are mad, we are exhausted,” Chaos FC said in a tweet. “We know that gaming is part of the problem. We are not competing[…]in order to do our part to move the light where it belongs.”

Chaos FC was the first to decide not to play; Team Liquid followed shortly after. “We support their decision and stand with Chaos,” Team Liquid tweeted.

The move follows teams in both the NBA and MLB as they refused to play after Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot seven times in the back by the police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin while trying to break up an argument between two other people. Protests have broken out in the city over the past three days since the shooting. Protests have also started in other cities throughout the country, including Los Angeles, against police brutality and systemic racism.

NBA 2K development studio 2K Games said that it supports the actions taken by NBA players, adding that the studio “stand[s] against racial injustice and the continued violence against the Black community.”

During Gamescom Opening Night Live 2020, EA revealed a new single-player gameplay trailer for Star Wars Squadrons. You can watch the trailer below.

After a brief Rebel propaganda film, we got a firsthand look at an Imperial mission. The cockpit view of the TIE Fighter was brief, but it showed some dogfighting action, followed by quick cuts of other spacecraft views on a variety of missions. You can play any of the missions in VR as well.

Star Wars Squardons is coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, through backwards compatibility rather than next-gen upgrades. However, it will be priced at the budget-conscious $40 instead of $60 or even $70. Creative director Ian Frazier said the price point is meant to be inviting given its narrow focus on dogfighting combat.

Star Wars Squadrons is coming on October 2 to PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It will be available with VR support on PC and PS4. A handful of pre-order bonuses are available, including some special flight suits and starfighter skins. Check out GameSpot’s Star Wars Squadrons pre-order guide for more details.

Insomniac Games unveiled more of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, the first PS5 adventure for the long-running PlayStation franchise during Gamescom 2020, and is confirmed to be a “launch window” game.

Following up from the PS5 reveal showcase in which we saw a tease of Rift Apart’s rift-jumping gameplay, Gamescom‘s Opening Night Live featured an extended, uncut look at the gameplay from the anticipated new entry.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/27/ratchet-clank-rift-apart-ps5-gameplay-trailer”]

The demo featured a look at classic Ratchet and Clank third-person combat, but quickly revealed the introduction of its titular rift shifting gameplay after a brief showdown with Dr. Nefarious. In the demo, Ratchet could pull at tears in the fabric of reality and manipulate the environment around him, jumping through space without loads throughout the level.

The demo, which was billed as uncut gameplay running on PS5, also featured a larger rift jump on the same planet, as shown in the previous Rahcte and Clank PS5 reveal, before Ratchet and Clank were then thrown through several different rifts into varied locations. The footage was previously shown in the game’s reveal, though this demo reveals the fluidity with which these rifts can occur within gameplay.

The demo ended with the same tease as before — Clank being thrown through a dimensional rift on his own, only to awaken and met a female Lombax.

Opening Night Live’s Geoff Keighley spoke to Insomniac following the game. Marcus Smith from Insomniac spoke to the PS5’s both raw horsepower and SSD allowing the developers to fling the characters from one level to the next with speeds previously not possible.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”legacyId=166500&captions=true”]

Game Director Mike Daly spoke to the rifts players will be able to find. Players can use Ratchet’s rift tether to hook onto these rifts and use them for both traversal and combat needs.

Insomniac confirms there will be no loads throughout the game, and also spoke more to Rift Apart’s use of the DualSense. Specifically, the team intends to use the haptics in the controller for Ratchet’s arsenal. Players can feel the energy on the pulse bomb weapon fade away as Ratchet throws it.

Canonically, Rift Apart is an extension of Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus, but Marcus Smith said newcomers can jump in for a “standalone adventure” and not feel lost.

Sony first unveiled Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart during June’s PS5 showcase, revealing how the upcoming adventure takes advantage of the PS5’s unique SSD. It’s one of two PS5 exclusives on the way from recently acquired first-party studio Insomniac Games, the other being the PS5 launch exclusive Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

We don’t know much else about the upcoming next entry in the series just yet, but following its reveal, Insomniac did confirm that the mysterious new Lombax character will be playable.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has finally been announced, and Activision is wasting no time in ramping up the promotion for the upcoming game. The company has announced that it will be giving out goodies to fans who check out the Call of Duty League Championship this weekend, including Black Ops Cold War beta codes.

According to the announcement, you can earn rewards like in-game Calling Cards featuring the four championship teams starting on Saturday, August 29. Those include the teams from Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and London. Then on Sunday, August 30 you can also earn a free Knife blueprint emblazoned with the CoD League. But the big prize is reserved for Sunday: 10,000 beta codes for Black Ops Cold War.

The beta codes will be distributed randomly, so unlike some of the other rewards you aren’t guaranteed to get a spot. But it’s a better chance than if you don’t watch it. To participate, make sure you link your account so you’re eligible for the in-game rewards. You can watch the competition at CallofDutyLeague.com.

If you want a guaranteed spot in the beta, on the other hand, you can just pre-order a digital copy of the game. And if you want to play it first, make sure you get the PS4 version, because it’s coming there at least five days before other platforms. The company has not announced when the beta will go live on any platforms. For more details, check out everything we know about Black Ops Cold War.

The fantastical third-person battle royale Spellbreak now has a release date. Confirmed during the Gamescom Opening Night Live presentation, the game is coming on September 3 and will be free to play.

Spellbreak is an RPG-like battle royale that has you controlling one of six different classes of battlemages as you fight to come out on top. You can watch the launch trailer below. For more our thoughts on how the game plays, read our Spellbreak preview.

Spellbreak is coming to PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. But if you’re playing on PC, the game is only available on the Epic Games Store.