Month: September 2020

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is bringing back its Zombies mode with a soft reboot, but it will still feature some familiar characters and locales. In fact, according to the announcement, the mode will take place on the very first Zombies map.

The “Nacht der Untoten” map is coming back from Call of Duty: World at War. That was the first game to feature the Zombies mode, and it was a secret mode that would become unlocked after finishing the campaign. This time it’s being revised to fit the new Cold War setting. You’ll see the outpost as it looks in the 1980s instead of the ’40s, and it’s been significantly expanded to include the lab that houses Die Maschine and the outdoor area surrounding the lab.

The story will bring back a familiar character, as well. Grigori Weaver from the original Black Ops will lead a CIA-backed team, codenamed Requiem. Weaver’s team is investigating a bunker which has also attracted the attention of the Soviet clandestine force Omega Group. Activision promises the story of Zombies will unfold slowly over time, but this refreshed version of Zombies won’t necessarily tie neatly into the previous canon.

A multiplayer beta is coming next month–without Zombies, it appears–and preordering Black Ops Cold War will get you early access. PS4 has the earliest unlock time due to its exclusivity arrangement with Activision. Then Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is coming November 13, just after the launch of Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PlayStation 5. For more details, check out our Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War preorder guide.

Activision reportedly banned around 20,000 Call of Duty Warzone cheaters as the game’s Season 6 update began.

A report from Vice citing an Activision spokesperson and “people familiar with the matter” says that the publisher issued a ban wave on Monday, with some terminations related to the use of a popular cheating program called EngineOwning.

The EngineOwning website now lists its Modern Warfare 2019 cheat as “detected” suggesting that Activision has successfully halted its use in-game, wiping the accounts of thousands of cheaters in the process.

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The Vice report specifically mentions the case of streamer Nick ‘Wagnificent’ Wagner, whose account was permanently banned in the middle of a livestream. Sources told Vice that Wagner was using the now-detected cheat in Warzone, which resulted in his ban.

Back in April, Activision banned over 50,000 accounts for cheating, noting that “Warzone has zero-tolerance for cheaters.” The game’s developer Infinity Ward also warned that “more banwaves” were coming in July.

In other Warzone news, check out our article covering all the details you need to know about the bumper Season 6 update, which arrived in the game this week on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

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

CD Projekt Red Head of Studio Adam Badowski has responded to a Bloomberg report about mandatory crunch at the studio, saying the move was “one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make”, but noting that Cyberpunk 2077’s developers will be “well compensated for every extra hour they put in.”

This follows a report yesterday, which contained an email from Badowski sent to CD Projekt Red staff. The reported email says that the studio will be enacting mandatory six-day workweeks in the run-up to Cyberpunk 2077’s November release after “extending all other possible means of navigating the situation.” CD Projekt Red had previously promised its employees that they wouldn’t be forced to crunch on the game, in an interview with Kotaku in 2019.

Badowski issued a statement in response to Bloomberg’s reporting on Twitter. “These last 6 weeks are our final sprint on a project we’ve all spent much of our lives on. Something we care for deeply. The majority of the team understands that push,” Badowski’s statement reads.

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— Adam Badowski (@AdamBadowski) September 30, 2020

“This is one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make, but everyone is well compensated for every extra hour they put in,” Badowski adds. “And, like in recent years, 10% of the annual profit our company generates in 2020 will be split directly among the team.”

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of crunch, it’s a term used in the video game industry to describe situations where employees are asked to work overtime to meet project deadlines. For more information, check out our article covering the state of mental health in game development.

In other Cyberpunk 2077 news, CD Projekt Red’s Environment City Coordinator Hiroshi Sakakibara recently explained how his team built the game’s setting, Night City.

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

 

NetherRealm Studios has revealed a new Halloween-themed character skin pack for Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, which is available now for all players who own the expansion.

You can check out the skins in full below, which include a ‘Blizzard King’ skin for Sub-Zero, a ‘Bad Medicine’ skin for D’vorah which turns her into a nurse, and a ‘Beast Within’ skin for Johnny Cage which gives Cage 80’s Werewolf features.

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The All Hallows’ Eve skin pack is available free for all owners of Aftermath, a major expansion to Mortal Kombat 11 which arrived in May 2020 and added a brand new story arc to the game and a trio of characters: Sheeva, Fujin & Robocop. The new stages, fatalities and friendships added in the expansion have been granted to all Mortal Kombat 11 players as a free update.

If you’re interested in the expansion with the addition of these skins, check out our review of Mortal Kombat 11 Aftermath. We scored it a 7, calling the campaign “fun while it lasts.” In other Mortal Kombat news, NetherRealm Studios job listings have suggested that next-gen Mortal Kombat and Injustice games are in the pipeline.

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

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has announced the main cast members for his upcoming NBC comedy series Young Rock.

Johnson shared the casting news in a series of Instagram posts on Wednesday, revealing the actors that have been selected to portray younger versions of himself and his family members on the NBC sitcom, which he says is based around his “wild and unpredictable childhood and formative years growing up.”

Three actors have been cast to portray Johnson throughout the various stages of his life. Adrian Groulx has been given the role of 10-year-old “little Dewey” Johnson (a nickname given to Johnson by his Godparents) while Bradley Constant has been tapped to play a 15-year-old version of The Rock. Finally, Marco Polo star Uli Latukefu has been cast to play Johnson at 20 years old when he was playing football on a scholarship at the University of Miami.

In addition to those casting choices, Johnson announced that Stacey Leilua will be playing his mother, Ata Johnson (AKA “Mama Rock”), while Joseph Lee Anderson will take on the role of the star’s late father, Rocky Johnson (AKA “the OG original Rock”). Ana Tuisila rounds out the cast in the “highly entertaining” role of Johnson’s grandmother, Lia Maivia. Johnson noted that the first episode will be dedicated to his late father, who passed away earlier this year.

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According to Variety, the series will chart Johnson’s childhood “from growing up in a strong and resilient family, to being surrounded by the wild characters of his professional wrestling family, to playing football at the University of Miami. It will explore the rollercoaster that has shaped Johnson into the man he is today and the larger-than-life characters he’s met along the way.”

Production is now officially underway on the previously-announced series, which is being executive produced by Nahnatchka Khan, Dwayne Johnson, Jeff Chiang, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Brian Gewirtz and Jennifer Carreras. Young Rock is expected to debut on NBC sometime in 2021, so stay tuned to IGN for all of the latest updates and announcements.

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

After a few years of being one of the most popular video game consoles ever made, the Nintendo Switch, to no surprise, is still a hot item when it comes to deals and affordable bundles. Just like the console, the games, accessories, and more continue to retain a high price even years after release.

This makes Nintendo Switch stock an even bigger deal, as Nintendo continues to restock the console to keep up with stock demand. Surely everyone will have one soon, right? Well, maybe not. Some of us might be waiting for the rumored new entry into the Switch family, which could be 4K capable. Who knows at this stage, but we’re certainly excited.

If you’re not looking to wait for a new version of the Switch, which by the way hasn’t even been announced yet so it could be years off still, then we’ve got all the information you need right here. Every retailer, and every deal, every console available. Switch consoles are still such a rare item, that if you do see any on sale at the moment, we suggest you snap it up as soon as possible. You’ve also got the Switch Lite to consider, which is a very reasonably priced console itself, albeit only in a portable form. If you’re after something a little bit more expensive, you can always check out the best Nintendo Switch deals to get a good overall view of every offer and discount out there right now.

Best Nintendo Switch Console Deals at Amazon

Amazon can be a favorable retailer to buy Switch console from, especially since the stock can be delivered extremely quickly with Amazon Prime, and there’s never any doubts about the legitimacy of the listing. Not only that but occasionally Amazon can run an awesome deal that packs together several other Switch items, that in the end will save you some cash. Whether this is another set of controllers, or maybe another game to go alongside the portable device.

If you’ve successfully picked up a new console, why not check out the best Nintendo Switch game deals as well?

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Best Nintendo Switch Console Deals at Best Buy

Best Buy is another great retailer to keep an eye on, especially when it comes to the latest and greatest preorder deals and Nintendo Switch bundles. Switch deals don’t always come out with just a simple discount, so you’ve got to be a smooth operator and check out some of the savings you can snag when you buy bundles. You could get yourself an even cheaper game, or maybe a new expandable storage card so you can keep wracking up those digital titles.

If you are just looking to expand your current storage capabilities, then check out the best deals on Nintendo Switch microSD cards.

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Best Nintendo Switch Console Deals at GameStop

GameStop is iconic when it comes to the nostalgic feeling of walking into a store and picking out the latest game or console to play. It can be a little difficult when Nintendo Switch stock is so low at the moment, but you can occasionally find the console popping up online if this is your retailer of choice.

Once you have actually sorted your new console out, make sure to consider any new Nintendo Online subscription deals for you and your family as well.

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Best Nintendo Switch Console Deals at Walmart

Big, bold, and full of deals, is it no surprise that you can find great Nintendo Switch deals from the retailer. If it’s in stock of course. Just like the other retailers on this list, Switch stock can be few and far between. So, when you do see some of the portable consoles up and available to grab, don’t hang around. Or, even better, if you see some amazing bundles or some rare discounts, jump on it as soon as possible.

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The next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC fighter will be revealed tomorrow, Nintendo has announced.

A three-minute video presentation will showcase the next character to join the roster at 7 AM Pacific / 10 AM Eastern / 3 PM UK on Thursday, October 1. You can set a reminder for when the stream goes live by heading to Nintendo’s official YouTube channel here.

The new fighter reveal will be followed by a “brief message” from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Director Masahiro Sakurai.

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This will be the seventh DLC character to come to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as part of the second Fighters Pass DLC. Previous DLC characters include Joker, Hero from Dragon Quest, Banjo & Kazooie, Terry Bogard from King of Fighters, Byleth from Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Min Min from ARMS, who was revealed in June, earlier this year.

A surprise update for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate arrived in August, bringing with it a new stage, a bite-size take on Battlefield called Small Battlefield. We reviewed the game back in 2018, scoring it a 9.4 and calling it “Smash Bros. done right, and done bigger than ever before.”

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

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is coming to PS4 and PS5 on November 12 (see it on Amazon). That’s the same day PlayStation 5 comes out, making it a launch title for the next-gen system. It’s available for preorder now in three editions.

While Sackboy is known for his starring role in the LittleBigPlanet series, which let players create and share their own levels, Sackboy: A Big Adventure more of a typical 3D platformer. It does away with the creation aspect and focuses solely on letting players explore a colorful, hand-crafted world. It also gives the character a new set of moves to use while interacting with the world, and is playable either solo or with friends in co-op mode. You can see a video of it in action below.

In the meantime, here’s what comes in each edition of Sackboy: A Big Adventure, along with how much it costs and where you can preorder it.

Preorder Sackboy: A Big Adventure

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PS5

• Get it at Amazon – $59.88
• Get it at Best Buy – $59.99
• Get it at GameStop – $59.99
• Get it at Target – $59.99
• Get it at Walmart – $59.88
• Get it at PlayStation Store (digital) – $59.99

PS4 (includes PS5 version at no additional cost)

• Get it at Amazon – $59.99
• Get it at Best Buy – $59.99
• Get it at GameStop – $59.99
• Get it at Target – $59.99
• Get it at PlayStation Store (digital) – $59.99

Note that, unlike some other games, the PS4 version includes the PS5 version as well. Just put the disc in a PS5 with a disc drive, and you’ll get the updated version for free.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure Digital Deluxe Edition

• Get it for PS5 – $79.99
• Get it for PS4 – $79.99

The PlayStation Store-exclusive digital deluxe edition of Sackboy comes with the following digital items:

• A digital artbook showcasing the world of Sackboy
• Digital soundtrack
• Four Sackboy costumes from different PlayStation Games: Jin from Ghost of Tsushima, Sam Porter Bridges from Death Stranding, Connor from Detroit Become Hume, and Deacon St. James from Days Gone
• Four Sackboy emotes based on previously mentioned characters.
• 20 Sackboy Avatars

Sackboy: A Big Adventure Special Edition

• Get it for PS4 – $89.99

Also on offer is a special edition of the game. It’s only available for PS4, and it’s exclusive to PlayStation Direct. It comes with the following physical and digital items:

• Sackboy plush
• Artbook showcasing the world of Sackboy
• Digital artbook
• Digital soundtrack
• Four Sackboy costumes from different PlayStation Games: Jin from Ghost of Tsushima, Sam Porter Bridges from Death Stranding, Connor from Detroit Become Hume, and Deacon St. James from Days Gone
• Four Sackboy emotes based on previously mentioned characters.
• 20 Sackboy Avatars

Sackboy: A Big Adventure Preorder Bonus

Preorder any version of Sackboy: A Big Adventure at participating retailers, and you’ll receive the digital comic The Gathering Storm.

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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Wasteland 3 developer inXile Entertainment has two RPGs in the works, according to a tweet from Studio Head Brian Fargo.

Fargo responded to a fan on Twitter over the weekend, noting that the studio is “working on wonderful new RPG’s.” “It’s too bad they take so long to make,” Fargo’s tweet ends.

In a follow-up tweet, Fargo then clarified that the second of the two RPGs that InXile Entertainment has in development is still “in the infancy of pre-production”, suggesting it’s a long way off.

I should probably clarify that our second RPG is in the infancy of pre production.

— Brian Fargo (@BrianFargo) September 26, 2020

As well as launching Wasteland 3 for PC, Xbox One and PS4 on August 28 this year, The studio has also been hard at work on Frostpoint VR, which recently launched in Open Beta on the Oculus Store and Steam.

Some will be hoping that Fargo’s future projects will be in some way related to Microsoft’s acquisiton of Bethesda. InXile is also owned by Microsoft and, with Fargo’s role in creating Bethesda’s Fallout series, some have hoped for a crossover. In a similar vein, many have already requested an Obsidian-Bethesda crossover for Fallout: New Vegas 2.

You can check out our review of Wasteland 3 here. We scored the game an 8, calling it a “memorable RPG” offering “choices with major consequences.” If you’re playing through the game at the moment and on the lookout for all of the game’s followers and companions, check out our handy guide.

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