Month: May 2021

EA’s new “dodgebrawl” game Knockout City debuted today, May 21, but the release of the game did not go exactly to plan. Just after releasing, the game ran into crashing issues on Xbox that are significant enough for EA to advise playing the game on a different platform. [Update: the issues with Knockout City on Xbox now seem to be fixed]

The official Knockout City Twitter account acknowledged that some Xbox users are reporting crash errors. The studio is working on a fix, but until then, it recommended Xbox users to play on a different platform. The game supports cross-progression, so if you’re able to play on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, or PC, your progress will be recognized when the Xbox edition is functioning again.

“We will update you when we have more information,” the developers of Knockout City said.

Knockout City is out now and free for everyone, on all platforms, as part of the Block Party event. The game is also included on Xbox Game Pass for Ultimate subscribers.

On May 25, Knockout City’s Season 1 kicks off, and it adds a new map, Jukebox Junction, as well as more contracts and new playlists. Check out the Season 1 trailer below to learn more.

Anyone who buys Knockout City outright during the Block Party event will get a set of extras that won’t be available again after the free trial wraps up. This includes a variety of cosmetics, which are listed below and can also be seen in the image.

Knockout City Block Party Bundle

• Epic Outfit: Cyber Spike
• Epic Hairstyle: Locked Horns
• Epic Glasses: LED the Way
• Epic Glider: Mach 1
• Epic Intro Pose: Calling In Reinforcements
• Epic KO Effect: By the Horns
• THREE Player Icons: Bomb Ball, Pixel-Dillo, and Noodles Gone Bad
• 500 Holobux

Inspired by dodgeball, Knockout City is a multiplayer game where players try to knock out other players using a ball, which can have all different types of special properties. The game is developed by Velan Studios, which is the team that made Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit.

The original Xbox came out nearly twenty years ago this year, and a credits Easter egg on its dashboard has lain undiscovered for that entire time.

Kotaku received a tip from a developer who worked on the original Xbox console, who explained how to trigger the secret, which displays a credits scene listing those who worked on the Xbox Dashboard. Kotaku tested out the trick and confirmed it does, in fact, work.

To access this newly discovered Easter egg, you will need to go to “Music,” and insert an audio CD. On the Audio CD screen, you’ll need to select “Copy,” then click “Copy” again and then choose “New Soundtrack.” It will then ask you to rename the soundtrack title, which you need to rename ‘Timmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!’ (yes, with exactly 26 Ys)

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Once the console finishes copying the tracks, head back to the main menu on the console’s dashboard, click on “Settings,” then “System Info.” A new screen listing will appear that was not previously there, and it contains a list of four members that were a part of the “Xbox Dashboard Team.”

This is not the only Easter egg you can find on the original Xbox. There is a more commonly known Easter egg, which you can activate by going into the audio CD ripping screen on the console, and naming the new rip “<>” which would trigger a hidden credit roll. However, according to the original Xbox creator Seamus Blackley, there appears to be at least one more undiscovered Easter egg for the console. It has something to do with the console’s boot animation, but we’ll need to find out more about that in the future.

If you want to learn more curiosities about the original Xbox, it’s very much worth checking out our Podcast Unlocked special with Phil Spencer, Peter Moore and Blackley, with the three Xbox legends revealing many stories about the creation of Microsoft’s machine.

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Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

A VR conversion mod for Red Dead Redemption 2 has been created and is now available in early access.

If you own Red Dead Redemption 2 and a capable gaming PC, you can try the mod for yourself via the Patreon of developer Luke Ross. Those who subscribe at the £8 a month tier will be able to download an early version of the mod and any future prototypes. Bear in mind that Red Dead Redemption 2 mods might not play well with Red Dead Online, and could get you banned. This is strictly for the single-player component of the game.

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Ross previously created the R.E.A.L. virtual really mod for Grand Theft Auto 5, and this Red Dead conversion is similar, allowing players to experience the whole game in virtual reality. “Red Dead Redemption 2 can now be played in VR from start to finish,” Ross’s Patreon reads. “50 to 160 hours of amazing gameplay that can finally be experienced the way we VR fans always wanted!!”

You can see footage of the mod in action as part of this video from Virtual Reality Oasis, who plays the games seated while using a Valve Index HMD and a gamepad. UploadVR also has written impressions of the mod, noting that it can be played in first and third-person.

In other Red Dead news, Red Dead Online recently landed on Xbox Game Pass as part of the May library update. Rockstar recently announced that GTA 5 and GTA Online woule be receiving next-gen upgrades on November 11, for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

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

For the next week, Grand Theft Auto Online is offering players the biggest heist payout in the game–that is, if they can take the heat. Along with the suite of extra rewards from Nightclub missions and Client jobs, players can cut themselves a whopping $2 million targeting the panther statue in the Cayo Perico Heist.

This week’s benefits and rewards for GTA Online can be found in a blog post from Rockstar, and are detailed further down below.

The Heist Of The Century

The Cayo Perico Heist was added to GTA Online this past December and stands out as one of the biggest money-making opportunities for solo players. The heist lets players choose their primary target, and for the rest of this week, the game’s most expensive piece of loot is up for the taking. While it’s sure to be difficult to get, the Panther Statue players can steal is worth every risk, rewarding enterprising thieves with a massive $2 million payout if they complete the heist on hard.

Bonuses For Club Owners

If you’re trying to keep things low-key and earn your money like a (somewhat) honest businessman, Nightclub owners also have some choice money-making opportunities this week. Nightclub Management Missions won’t pay out any extra cash, but they will give your club twice its normal popularity. The lack of a better payout in those missions should be balanced out by the tripled daily revenue players generate from their Nightclub’s operations.

Extra Rewards For Client Jobs

For the players that just like to be pointed at something to shoot up, this week still has an opportunity to earn extra cash. Anyone with a Terrorbyte can use the vehicle’s touchscreen to complete Client Jobs and claim twice the usual XP and cash that they’d usually get.

Big Payouts For Vehicular Carnage

Anyone looking for even more money this week can head to the Motor Wars arena and gear up for some high-octane, Twisted Metal-esque action. Motor Wars will continue to pay out all competitors, no matter how they place, three times the XP and cash until June 2.

Discounts And Freebies

Like any other week, players have a ton of opportunities to save some cash on their big purchases or just walk away with free gear. In terms of threads, players can pick up four new t-shirts all for free just by logging into GTA Online. Anyone over rank 100 with a HVY Menacer can also pick up an orange shade camo livery if they log in after May 31.

This week’s last free item comes down to chance. Spring the wheel in the Diamond Casino and you may walk away with a Canis Freecrawler, a small, boxy off-road vehicle.

Here are the vehicles players can pick up this week at a discount:

• Dinka Jester Classic – 40% discount
• Ocelot Pariah – 40% discount
• Vapid Festival Bus – 40% discount
• Blimp – 40% discount
• Pfister Neon – 40% discount
• Ocelot Lynx – 40% discount
• HVY Menacer – 40% discount
• Overflod Entity XF – 40% discount
• HVY Brickade – 40% discount

Additional content for GTA Online is also on the way. Rockstar recently announced that updates coming to GTA V this summer will give criminals of all trades new opportunities to make some cash.

Persona 5 Strikers is down to its lowest price so far, but only for one day. The Persona 5 spin-off can be had for $33, down from its usual MSRP of $60. We’ve previously seen it go down to $40, so this constitutes a new low price for the game.

Amazon is price-matching the deal from GameStop, so you can find it at either retailer. This is GameStop’s Daily Deal so it will expire shortly, and Amazon’s price-matching will too. The deal applies to both the PS4 and Switch versions at GameStop, but only appears active for the Switch version at Amazon.

Strikers combines gameplay elements of both the Persona series and Koei Tecmo’s Dynasty Warriors series. It takes place roughly six months after the events of Persona 5, so while it’s not necessary to have played Persona 5 first, you’ll catch more character references and story if you have.

“For all its shortcomings, Persona 5 Strikers reminds me why I loved the Phantom Thieves to begin with and shows how they’ve matured since we last saw them,” Michael Higham wrote in GameSpot’s Persona 5 Strikers review. “Once you get your head around it, the action-RPG combat is a challenging thrill, and no one can pull off flourishes in the same fashion as these characters. I almost forgot I was playing a musou-style game developed by Koei Tecmo and Omega-Force, and I think that’s a testament to how sharp Strikers is as a Persona game. If you have any love for Persona 5, what say you save the world one more time with some old friends?”

Mass Effect and No Man’s Sky are crossing over. The famous Mass Effect spaceship SSV Normandy SR1 has been added to No Man’s Sky, but it’ll take a little work to unlock it.

To get the Normandy, you must complete the “mysterious expedition” that appeared recently in the game. The mission is only available until May 31, but if you complete it by then, the Normandy from Mass Effect will be yours forever inside No Man’s Sky.

The Mass Effect crossover in No Man’s Sky is connected to an object called the Historiographical Dosimeter, which appeared in the game recently. No Man’s Sky players solved the mystery and now it’s been revealed to be a Mass Effect crossover.

“This is a lovely little Easter Egg moment, and something hopefully no one was expecting,” developer Hello Games said on the No Man’s Sky website. “We are thrilled and flattered that BioWare and EA let us pay tribute in this way. As huge fans of the series, it’s a lovely moment for sci-fi fans.”

Sean Murray of Hello Games added, “Like everyone else we’ve been rediscovering the amazing universe of Mass Effect through the release of the Legendary Edition. I still have chills every time I see this incredibly iconic ship warping in, and was delighted to see so many people have the same reaction.”

For more on the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, check out GameSpot’s coverage linked below.

Matt’s had a good ol’ look at Deathloop and won’t stop banging on about it so we let him on the podcast despite it being his week off. Cardy has been continuing his Mass Effect journey and is joined by Joe to talk about how exciting being able to fight in Nakatomi Plaza in Warzone is. There’s also three Netflix shows, Castlevania, Jupiter’s Legacy and Love, Death and Robots that are recommended to varying degrees.

Plus, a fantastic Chain Brain battle and of course, your feedback. One that produces vivid flashbacks to the conclusion of the fabled Sandwich Special.

Remember, if you want to get in touch with the podcast, please do: [email protected].

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AEW Games has pulled back the curtain on new details for upcoming management sim AEW Elite GM, the wrestling company’s second foray into mobile gaming after AEW Casino: Double or Nothing.

Executive producer for AEW Games–and referee for AEW itself–Aubrey Edwards hosted a brief livestream showing full gameplay of Elite GM, showcasing the management sim’s extensive offering of fantasy booking options while offering new details on the project. The video also announces the opening of registration for a closed beta test coming soon, for which those interested can sign up here.

Players will be able to take on the head booker job for their own wrestling federation, doing everything from drafting a roster to booking and building feuds. Running shows will gain revenue for the organization, which will then be used to sign more wrestlers and continue to grow the brand. AEW Elite GM also includes a PvP multiplayer element, letting players compete with other bookers’ federations in a ladder-style ranking system.

“We’ve said from the beginning that it’s imperative we listen to our fans and strive to implement their feedback into our games,” Edwards–who previously worked as a developer for Scribblenauts developer 5th Cell–said in the official release. “We’re excited to give our fans a voice as we take this beloved genre to new heights and deliver an authentically AEW experience on a global scale.”

AEW Games has also announced a currently untitled wrestling game, in development for all major consoles. Elite GM joins a growing list of wrestling management simulation games, two examples being Total Extreme Wrestling 2020 on PC and 80s Mania Wrestling Returns on mobile.