Nintendo has revealed that anyone with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild save data on their Nintendo Switch will receive a free bonus when playing Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. If you want to take Link into battle with weapon that will might break after a few swings, leaving you completely defenseless, then you’ll want to keep your save data.
The free bonus weapon is a Training Sword, the rough wooden blade we’ve seen a few different times over the course of the series. Link can equip similar armor and a shield like he had in Breath of the Wild, as well, and the game takes place 100 years before it. It’s technically a prequel, which means its story could be more interesting than the standard Warriors game.
Much like in the first Hyrule Warriors, Age of Calamity has famous Zelda characters fighting through huge numbers of enemies, and you’ll be able to play as everyone from Zelda herself to Impa. The sound effects and visuals seem like they’ve been plucked directly from Breath of the Wild, and there are plenty of cutscenes to help expand the universe. It even supports local cooperative play with both players using one Joy-Con.
Those who preorder the digital version of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity will be able to use the Lucky Ladle weapon, which can be paired with a pot lid for an even more ridiculous loadout. The game releases exclusively for Nintendo Switch on November 20.
Old-school G.I. Joe fans are getting treated to a new wave of G.I. Joe Retro Collection figures and vehicles, including Destro, Roadblock, Scarlett, and Cobra F.A.N.G. helicopter.
The line is based on the 3 3/4″ G.I. Joe action figure line of the 1980s, and includes period-perfect packaging and accessories. They compliment, but are quite different from, the premium 6″ G.I. Joe Classified line of figures, which are more akin to the Star Wars Black Series and Hasbro’s other premium figure lines.
Anyone who grew up in the 1980s should instantly recognize everything about these figures. Check them out in the gallery below.
The G.I. Joe Retro Collection uses the same playbook as the Vintage G1 Transformers line, which routinely releases classic 1980s Transformers designs in accurate packaging, with that line being made using the same dies and molds as the originals.
Revealed during Hasbro PulseCon, happening now on YouTube, Roadblock, Scarlett and Destro should be available to preorder starting now, with the Walmart-exclusive F.A.N.G. vehicle going up soon.
The figures cost $12.99 each and have a December 1, 2020 release date. The Cobra F.A.N.G. is $24.99, with a “January 2021″ availability.
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Seth Macy is Executive Editor, IGN Commerce, and just wants to be your friend. Find him on Instagram at sethgmacy.
Capcom showed off an extended gameplay demo for Monster Hunter Rise at Tokyo Game Show, expanding on the Switch game’s new abilities, combat, dog companions and more.
Gameplay showed a Dual Blade-using player taking on a two-star quest to slay a Tetranadon, the platypus-like new beast introduced in the game’s announcement. After fighting it for some time, we also saw an Arzuros enter the fray, showing how the game’s open areas allow for unexpected extra monsters to interrupt your quest, and perhaps even cause fights between monsters.
We also saw a non-boss creature based on Japanese tanuki, described as something like a mascot character. Like Monster Hunter World, the open areas also include endemic insect life, which can offer health boosts and buffs along the way to your prey.
We got a good look at the game’s new free-form movement, using a combination of jumps and the new Wirebug ability to climb buildings and even mountains. The Wirebug can be used twice in succession before needing a cooldown, although wild Wirebugs can be collected to extend the number of uses you have in the current quest. The new potential for exploration means Capcom has hidden gathering points and other areas of interest among the maps.
In combat, the Wirebug can be used as a means of adding mobility, but it can also be used specifically as a counter-attack ability. It’s designed as a way to simultaneously offer new attacks and evasion opportunities.
We also saw the player riding the new Palamute companion – you can either jump onto its back, or hold the A button to climb on. They can also be asked to sit or shake hands. Like the player character, Palamutes can jump and climb, increasing your potential for exploration. They come with a health bar, but can never die in combat, similarly to the previous games’ Palicoes. While riding a Palamute, players can use items without stopping or having to use stamina.
Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto explained that these new features are additions to the existing Monster Hunter formula, rather than a new structure for the game – and made clear that experienced players will be able to approach combat exactly as they’d expect to in previous games and still be able to succeed. The additions are designed to accentuate classic Monster Hunter play, not replace it.
Monster Hunter Rise will be released for Nintendo Switch on March 26, 2021.
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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].
Following Rayman creator Michel Ancel’s abrupt resignation from Ubisoft earlier this month, the company has confirmed that he is under investigation regarding allegations of a toxic and hostile work environment.
“[Ubisoft CEO] Yves Guillemot committed back in July that any allegation will be investigated and no one will be outside of that process — and this would include Michel Ancel,” Ubisoft told GameSpot. “And as Michel confirmed to the journalist at Liberation, he is under investigation. The investigation is still ongoing and we have nothing further to share as we respect the confidentiality of this investigation.”
Ancel was informed of the investigation in August and has not been in contact with Guillemot since then.
The French publication Liberation’s article alleges that Ancel was abusive toward staff and could make them feel unappreciated during meetings. He also is alleged to have not listened to his team and seemed to be making certain decisions arbitrarily.
Ancel largely denied the article’s allegations on his own Instagram page, saying he wasn’t responsible for managing the team and was not changing his mind on design decisions regularly.
“I worked hard on every [one] of my projects and always had respect for teams. The accusations are wrong,” he said.
When Ancel announced he was retiring from the game industry, he clarified that his project Beyond Good & Evil 2 would continue, as would the game Wild being developed at his independent studio. He said this decision was made in order to focus on work at a wildlife preserve, and Ubisoft’s statement at the time didn’t suggest otherwise.
“We would like to thank Michel for the incredible creative vision he has brought to Ubisoft over the course of his career, and wish him all the best for this new venture,” the company said.
The allegations are just the latest in a growing list at Ubisoft that has included reported sexual assaults, harassment, and physical violence. Thus far, several high-profile Ubisoft employees have resigned or been fired, including VP Maxime Beland and former Assassin’s Creed Valhalla director Ashraf Ismail.
Newegg has the cheapest price we’ve seen so far for an RTX 3090 prebuilt gaming desktop PC. The RTX 3090 alone costs $1500 and it was sold out seconds after it became available. Dell is offering RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 configs as well. The RTX 3080 video card is the one to get for high-powered gamers and the RTX 3090 hits the sweet spot for creative professionals. In other deal news, you can save nearly 50% off Alienware’s flagship Area-51m desktop replacement laptop, the Nintendo Switch Animal Crossing Edition is back in stock, and the new Apple iPad that came out just last week is already discounted.
______________________________ 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.
During a Cyberpunk 2077 livestream at Tokyo Game Show 2020, Hiroshi Sakakibara, Environment City Coordinator at CD Projekt Red, shed some light on the design behind the game’s principal location, Night City.
Sakakibara is responsible for the visual appearance of Night City as part of the Environment Art team at CDPR, which he said is a somewhat large team of dozens of people that builds the game equivalent of what would be sets and props in a movie. The team is subdivided into three smaller groups – the quest location team which is in charge of creating locations for quests together with the game designers, a team that creates smaller scale items, like furniture and garbage cans, that dot the environments, and the city team led by Sakakibara, which brings Night City to life by designing the streets, buildings and more that you will see in this vibrant city.
When asked for his favorite spot in Night City, Sakakibara said that while just picking one location is difficult, his favorite area would have to be Japantown, an area that can be reached by crossing the canal from Retro China, the area in which protagonist V resides. “Japantown is a vibrant downtown area with many towering buildings, and while walking through the narrow alleys in the area these skyscrapers make it feel like you are walking through a futuristic valley,” he said.
According to Sakakibara, entering one of the skyscrapers in the area and then randomly getting off the elevator halfway, and walking the stairs from there is a truly dynamic experience. “You will see details like terrace seating, kiosks and other shops, people hanging out their clothes, somebody sitting at a balcony, a drone carrying goods and more.” Sakakibara said that looking down at the streets or up at the little bit of sky you can see between the skyscrapers is an enthralling experience which will make players realize that they have truly come to a cyberpunk mega city.
But what is it that makes cyberpunk such a unique genre? Sakakibara said that Cyberpunk 2077’s director Adam Badowski repeatedly reminded the team that “an environment filled with things that look futuristic is not cyberpunk, but simply science fiction”. What makes the cyberpunk style special is how it combines retro and futuristic aspects.
“For example, you could have a run down building with an old wooden door, but an LED light might be attached to that door, which could be a part of a high-tech security system,” he said. “Or maybe an old-fashioned diner could have a modern device that allows its customers to make orders.” According to Sakakibara, the team has mixed futuristic elements together with more familiar aspects in order to create an atmosphere that could only be described as cyberpunk.
As for inspiration sources, Sakakibara mentioned that since Night City is located in California, the team looked at cities in California, especially their suburbs. Blade Runner, which Sakakibara called “the bible of all cyberpunk”, has been another obvious source of inspiration, while he mentioned the team has also learned from Japanese anime and manga in the genre, such as Akira and the Ghost in the Shell series. Regarding Night City’s buildings, Brutalist architecture, an architectural style that uses bricks and concrete which emerged in the 1950s, has played an important role in creating Night City as well. The rough and violent style of Brutalist architecture was something that the team saw as a good match with Night City’s suppressed nature, since the city is ruled by a mega corporation.
Sakakibara said that “all the artists have put their everything into each single street and building you can see in Night City, so I hope you will enjoy exploring everything the city has to offer”.
We don’t have much longer to wait – Cyberpunk 2077 releases on November 19 2019 for consoles and PC.
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Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan. Follow him on Twitter here.
The Boys Season 2, Episode 6 answered some of the season’s longstanding questions. How old is Stormfront exactly? What is her plan for Homelander? What is Lamplighter’s part in it all?
Lamplighter’s introduction was just one highlight of “The Bloody Doors Off”. This one also explored Frenchie’s backstory, added dimension to characters who are evil, and showed good characters doing evil things, with more collateral damage than The Boys themselves are used to causing. And it gave Starlight and Butcher the chance to bury the hatchet and reach an understanding, largely thanks to their mutual love of Hughie–and his love of children’s shampoo.
Naturally, we went over Season 2 Episode 6 with a fine-toothed comb to unearth all the comics references and other hidden Easter eggs that we could find. Watch the video above to see what we found, and check out our Episode 6 video breakdown for more.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War released a surprise alpha on PS4 after it was announced at the PlayStation 5 Showcase. Being massive fans of Modern Warfare’s big team battle mode, Ground War, we spent our time playing Cold War’s Combined Arms mode. Although Combined Arms has 24 players versus Ground War’s larger 64 player count, we found plenty of similarities and differences to talk about. Some of those include how the games handle their maps, spawning troubles, vehicle versus infantry balance, scorestreaks versus killstreaks, and what needs polish going into Cold War’s final build.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War takes multiplayer mechanics away from the mil-sim and sandbox direction of Modern Warfare and towards earlier Black Ops gunfight fundamentals. Cold War is set in the 1980s with weapons themed around that time. Cold War had some larger maps in the alpha including a naval-based one called Armada and a frozen map called Crossroads. These maps contain a mix of gunboats, jet skis, tanks, and snowmobiles.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War releases on November 13 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It will not have a season pass but will have a Battle Pass system. Cold War supports cross-save, cross-play, and cross-generation play, and will tie into Call of Duty: Warzone.
A new console generation is upon us. If you don’t play video games (or even if you do), navigating the tech and gaming landscapes can feel intimidating, even without the additional questions and confusion prompted by new PlayStation and Xbox systems hitting the market soon. If you’re a prospective buyer, like a parent doing some early holiday shopping, and find yourself in this camp–confused by all the different brands, naming conventions, accessories, and technical details–don’t worry! In this guide, we’ll walk you through what’s currently on the market, break down the key differences between the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S, and try to ease some of that gift-buying pressure.
Explaining Next Gen: The PS5 and Xbox Series X
Because of innovations in hardware and other trends and advancements in the game industry, new game consoles often launch around the same time. These periods are referred to as a “console generation.” The current generation of consoles includes Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One, which were both released in 2013, and the Nintendo Switch, which was released in 2017. When people refer to “next gen,” they are talking about the upcoming generation of new consoles.
In this case, the next generation of consoles includes the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X, which will launch in November 2020. For a clearer look at some recent console generations from the past few decades, check out the table below.
Console Generation
PlayStation
Xbox
Fifth generation
PlayStation (1995)
Sixth generation
PlayStation 2 (2000)
Xbox (2001)
PlayStation 2 Slim (2004)
Seventh generation
PlayStation 3 (2006)
Xbox 360 (2005)
PlayStation 3 Slim (2009)
Xbox 360 S (2010)
PlayStation 3 Super Slim (2012)
Xbox 360 E (2013)
Eighth generation
PlayStation 4 (2013)
Xbox One (2013)
PlayStation 4 Slim (2016)
Xbox One S (2016)
PlayStation 4 Pro (2016)
Xbox One X (2017)
Xbox One S All-Digital (2019)
Ninth generation
PlayStation 5 (2020)
Xbox Series X (2020)
PlayStation 5 Digital (2020)
Xbox Series S (2020)
If that’s all too confusing, no worries. The main thing to know is if you’re buying for someone who is interested in one of the new, next-gen consoles (or if that person is you), then you’re going to be choosing between either the PlayStation 5 (or PS5) or the Xbox Series X/S.
This is where things get a little more complicated.
PS5/Xbox Naming Conventions and Versions
Console naming conventions are getting more and more confusing, and not just for people who don’t follow games news. While PlayStation is relatively straightforward with its linear numbering system, Xbox is a bit unconventional. This gets even more confusing when you introduce version types. Yes, both the new PlayStation and the new Xbox have two different versions on sale.
For the Sony PlayStation, there’s the PlayStation 5 and the PlayStation 5 Digital.
For the Microsoft Xbox, there’s the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S.
Use the slider to compare the Xbox Series X and Series S with the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital.
Both the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X are the “base” versions of each console. Think of them like the default. They are full-priced, high-powered, and come with all the features of a next-gen console.
Meanwhile, the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition and the Xbox Series S are slightly different. The hardware is mostly the same, give or take a couple technical trade-offs. They can both play the same games as their base counterparts. The biggest differences here are the price and the “digital” aspect–that means neither of these consoles come with a physical disc drive, so you can’t insert a game disc inside them. You can only purchase games from their online stores digitally. If you buy either the PS5 Digital Edition or the Xbox Series S, don’t buy any physical games for those consoles–they won’t be able to play them from the disc.
Xbox Series X/S or Xbox One X/S?
A major thing to note here is to notconfuse the Xbox Series X with the Xbox One X. The Xbox One is the current generation of Xbox console on the market. It was released in 2013 and will reach the end of its console “lifespan” when the Xbox Series X launches in November. (That just means there’s a newer system around to replace it and new games will primarily target the Xbox Series X/S.) A smaller version of the Xbox One called the Xbox One S was released in 2016, and a high-end version called the Xbox One X was released in 2017.
Basically, to Microsoft, the X naming convention seems to indicate superiority, while the S naming conventions seems to indicate the slightly smaller budget option. Remember that when deciding between the Series X and Series S, but don’t confuse the new Xbox Series X/S (2020) consoles with the soon-to-be-outdated Xbox One X/S (2016-2017) consoles.
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S Differences
If you’re buying a console for someone else, they’ve probably specified which one they want. If not (or if you’re a first-time console buyer looking to purchase one for yourself), here’s a quick breakdown of the technical specifications of both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X/S and what each console has to offer.
Technical Differences
We have a much more detailed comparison of the next-gen console specs if you’re interested, but if you just want a quick summary, these are the primary differences, not taking into account technical performance.
PlayStation 5 / Digital
Xbox Series X / Series S
Storage
825 GB SSD
1 TB SSD / 512 GB SSD
Display
HDMI 2.1
HDMI 2.1
Resolution
4K (Up to 8K)
4K (Up to 8K) / Target 1440p
Max Refresh Rate
120 Hz
120 Hz
Backwards Compatibility
Yes (can play PS4 games)
Yes (can play Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One games)
Size
15.4 in × 10.2 in × 4.1 in (Base) / 15.4 in × 10.2 in × 3.6 in (Digital)
5.9 in × 5.9 in × 11.9 in (Series X) / 5.9 in × 2.6 in × 11 in (Series S)
Both base consoles support 4K resolution and up to 120 Hz. If you want to get the most out of this, making sure you have the right TV is essential–odds are, what someone already owns won’t make the most of these new consoles (but that’s not necessarily a big deal). We have a guide to the best 4K TVs for PS5 and Xbox Series X, which explains HDMI 2.1, the expectations around both consoles’ claims of 8K capability, and some specific options depending on your budget. The main thing to know about TV-related specs is that the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 are specifically targeting 4K while the smaller Xbox Series S is targeting a 1440p experience.
If you need a more specific breakdown, we have an explainer on the major differences between the PS5 and Series X/S that can walk you through some other key things to remember, including disparities in storage space and external storage solutions, processing power, the new size and shape of both consoles, and more.
Exclusives and Launch Games
On a less technical level, the biggest difference between the consoles is its exclusives–basically, the games you can only play on one console vs. the other. Sony has a number of games that are exclusive to its PlayStation family of consoles, such as The Last of Us 2 and Bloodborne. Xbox consoles have their own exclusives, too, such as Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 4. Sometimes these games can also be played on PC.
In the case of Forza Horizon 4 and the upcoming Halo Infinite, both are Xbox console exclusives, so you can play them on Xbox One, the upcoming Xbox Series X/S, and PC–just not on a PlayStation. (If you’re buying for a big Halo fan, an Xbox Series X is probably the way to go.) The Last of Us 2, on the other hand, is a PlayStation 4 exclusive, so it can only be played on PlayStation 4–not on Xbox or on PC. (But it will be supported by the PS5’s backwards compatibility that allows it to play most PS4 games.)
Exclusives aren’t the only games to consider. Many games will be available on both consoles, plus you have to consider the existing library of older generation games and whether or not they’re playable on the new systems. This is called backwards compatibility, referring to a new console’s ability to play games made for older consoles. In this upcoming generation, the PlayStation 5 is only backwards compatible with PlayStation 4 games, while the Xbox Series X and Series S are backwards compatible with all previous generation Xbox games, including Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
For a library of games that will be available to play on both consoles on or around launch day, consult our guides below. These do not encompass the consoles’ full libraries, but just exclusives and cross-platform games (which can be playable on both consoles) that will be available to play when the new systems are released.
Don’t forget to consult our next-gen console specs comparison for a breakdown on the online services both consoles offer as well, including PlayStation Plus and the streaming service PlayStation Now, and Xbox Game Pass and the streaming service xCloud. Xbox Game Pass should be of particular interest for anyone trying to decide between the two consoles. It’s a subscription service that works like a Netflix for Xbox games, where players can pay a monthly fee of $10 (or $15 for the upgraded Ultimate membership) to gain access to a library of games, which–like TV streaming services–is constantly being updated, with new titles added and removed on a regular basis. PlayStation Plus, on the other hand, is also a paid subscription service that offers members two free games every month. The Plus Collection, a next-gen upgrade to this service, will give PS5 users access to a list of popular games from the PS4 era.
Price and Release Date
If you’re ready to make a decision between the two consoles, the last things you need to know are the release date and price, as well as where to preorder.
PlayStation 5 / Digital
Xbox Series X / Series S
Release Date
November 12, 2020 (NA)
November 10, 2020 (NA)
Price
$499 (Base) / $399 (Digital)
$499 (Series X) / $299 (Series S)
The base versions of both consoles, the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X, are $500. The digital-only editions, the PS5 Digital and the Xbox Series S, vary in price. The PS5 Digital is $400 and the Xbox Series S is $300.
Where to Preorder
We have full lists of where you can preorder both consoles as well as accessories, like additional controllers, in our preorder guides below.
