Month: August 2021

Forza Horizon games always begin with a showcase introduction, and the fifth installment goes wilder than ever before, with the game literally dropping you into a volcano.

Shown off during the Gamescom Xbox Stream, the game’s introduction begins with a 2020 Ford Bronco Badlands reversing out of a plane and parachuting into the game’s Gran Caldera volcano during winter, seeing snow and lava meat in columns of steam. It’s a confident opening, to say the least.

But it’s only a quarter of the introduction – the intro includes three other cars airdropping into the new Mexican map, from the countryside in a dust storm, to a flamingo-filled jungle, to a coastal road that leads you directly into the game’s central festival site.

Forza Horizon’s introduction events have gained interest throughout the series, and this is the most out-of-the-ordinary yet, acting as a showcase for the Xbox Series X’s power, and the game’s variety of locations at the same time. Two of the cars involved, the Mercedes-AMG ONE and the Ford Bronco Badlands, are Forza Horizon 5’s cover vehicles, too.

Forza Horizon 5 arrives on November 9, and this is just the latest in a series of stunning gameplay reveals we’ve seen since it was announced at E3 2021. We’ve also had developer walkthroughs, 14 minutes of Series X gameplay, and we’ve gotten a look at the game’s full map.

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].

Microsoft has announced the Forza Horizon 5 Limited Edition Xbox Controller. Revealed as part of the Xbox Gamescom showcase, the new limited edition controller has a bright, funky scheme to match the vibe of Forza Horizon 5.

The translucent yellow front panel is splattered with a vibrant spray paint-like design. Blue and pink accent colours are used on the face buttons, analogue sticks, and main triggers, while the back and bumper buttons are a white to offset the brightness of the front. Black grips should help keep it in your hands while you fight the wheel.

The controller is available to pre-order now from the Xbox online store.

For more from Xbox, check out the newly announced Forza Horizon 5 cover car, Sea of Thieves’ new Borderlands event, and Crusader Kings 3 is coming to console. For everything else, be sure to check our Gamescom 2021 schedule. It’s about to be a busy week!

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

Sea of Thieves’ latest collaboration is an unexpected one. During Xbox’s Gamescom 2021 presentation, Rare announced a special event featuring, of all things, Borderlands.

The event’s centerpiece is a special “Mayhem” ship inspired by Borderlands. Basically, it’s a pirate ship cast in Borderlands’ rusty red and yellow, with the familiar logo on the sails.

It’s not the most obvious collaboration given that Borderlands’ brand of post-apocalyptic sci-fi is the diametric opposite of Sea of Thieves’ pirate fantasy. But they have a similar sense of humor, so the two might not be as far removed as one might suppose.

In any event, Sea of Thieves has found plenty of success with its collaborations of late, particularly its Pirates of Caribbean event featuring Jack Sparrow (but not Johnny Depp). We’ll see if it can replicate that success with the Mayhem event, which runs from August 24 to September 7.

This announcement is part of our coverage of Gamescom 2021. For lots more news, check out our Gamescom 2021 hub, which will be continually updated throughout the show.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN.

A PlayStation Store listing for Destiny 2‘s new Witch Queen expansion has seemingly spoiled Bungie’s big surprise announcements today ahead of the big Witch Queen showcase event. A listing for the expansion was published on the Australian PlayStation Store, and it reveals the release date, new gameplay information, and pre-order bonuses, among other things.

TrueTrophies viewed the listing and has all the details. The release date is going to be February 22, 2022, or 2/22/22, according to the leak. The date shown on the listing is actually February 23, which some remarked was odd because that’s a Wednesday when Destiny 2 updates normally drop on Tuesdays. But this is could be due to the fact that it’s an Australian listing.

The listing also reveals Witch Queen’s setting–Savathûn’s Throne World. The page also mentions how the expansion will take players into “Savathûn’sThrone World to uncover the mystery of how she and her Lucent Hive stole the Light.”

A new weapon type, the Glaive, is also coming to Destiny 2 in Witch Queen, apparently. This weapon is capable of delivering “powerful melee combos, projectile attacks, and a deployable energy shield.” A new weapon crafting system is coming, too, according to the leak. As for the pre-order bonuses, these apparently include the Throne World Exotic Ghost Shell, Enigma Exotic emote, and a new emblem. The leak is based on the Witch Queen’s Deluxe Edition, so keep that in mind.

Destiny 2’s Witch Queen showcase is slated to begin at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET today, August 24, so hopefully everything becomes clear sooner rather than later.

In other news, Destiny 2’s Season of the Lost will begin at 10 AM PT on August 24, after The Witch Queen showcase concludes.

Microsoft has shared more details on the next Halo Infinite beta test, and it’ll be bigger than the first one, it seems. As part of the Halo Infinite August Development Update video, 343 live producer Sam Hanshaw confirmed that the game’s next beta test, or “flight,” will include Big Team Battle and 4v4 PvP. This is a big change from the game’s first test, which was mostly limited to matches against bots.

The next Halo Infinite test will have the same content as the first beta, which includes bots and the weapon drills tutorial system, as well as Big Team battle and 4v4 Slayer. At least this is the current plan; everything is subject to change. What’s more, if you didn’t get into the first test, your odds might be better the second time around, as Hanshaw confirmed even more invitations are going out this time.

“Another big scale flight like this, with even more people invited. We’re going to include the same content we had this time–the bots, and the weapon drills–but we’re also targeting a full release of 4v4 PvP action and we want to go even bigger and have Big Team Battle,” Hanshaw said. “So, those are our targets for the next flight to come.”

There is no word yet on precisely when this second Halo Infinite test will occur, but you will need to sign up for the free Halo Insider program to get in.

Hanshaw also confirmed in the video that Halo Infinite will get beta tests for new features after the game is officially released. This will seemingly be similar to how Halo: The Master Chief Collection invites Halo Insiders to test new features and content before they launch for everyone.

In other news, 343 has announced that Halo Infinite will not have Forge or campaign co-op at launch. “Yes, some of the things we won’t be able to do for launch, but that’s part of being a service,” Microsoft’s Joseph Staten said. “And the good news is we have a year-long, post-launch content and feature roadmap already worked out. You know, we’re already working on those things now. So yeah, some things won’t land in a launch timeframe, but some things will just roll out over time. That’s part of this Halo Infinite journey that we’re kicking off together with fans.”

Halo Infinite will launch this holiday season for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. Whenever the game does launch, multiplayer will be free and it’ll be available on Xbox Game Pass.

More Xbox news is on tap for today August 24, as Microsoft’s Gamescom briefing is scheduled to begin at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Keep checking back with GameSpot for all the big news.

Following a leak, the official teaser trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home is here and the internet has gone into overdrive. Fans across social media have been eagerly breaking down the trailer ever since it arrived, and this has led to some members of the community debating the appearance of one particular moment, and which classic Spidey villain might be making an appearance.

This is your friendly neighborhood spoiler warning. If you want to know nothing about Spider-Man: No Way Home, turn back now.

The first look at Spider-Man: No Way Home teases multiple bad guys across its relatively short duration. MCU fans were quick to acknowledge confirmation of Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus in the film and also point out homages to Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin and Jamie Foxx’s Electro. But one smaller moment has fans arguing about whether we could be seeing The Lizard or, more unexpectedly, Venom making an appearance.

A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it section of the trailer sparked the debate. At around the 2:27 mark, the trailer shows a short shot of a still-to-be-revealed villain seemingly crashing into a Doctor Strange-conjured shield behind Peter Parker. Many immediately took the shadowy, hulking figure to signal the return of The Lizard from 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man.

This shot was really dark but is this Lizard? #SpiderManNoWayHome pic.twitter.com/rDgUaqR23E

— Nicholas Whitcomb (@Whos_Nick) August 24, 2021

The inclusion of The Lizard would make sense based upon what we know about the film’s villains so far. A number of short sections of the trailer suggest that a lineup of villains including Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, Electro, and the Sandman could be returning from across Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man movies. With Curt Connor’s Lizard featuring in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man, and the creature in the trailer letting out a low, rumbling roar, this would make for a sensible cameo in the trailer.

As with anything on the internet though, some people disagree, pointing out that the dark figure could instead be Spider-Man’s symbiote nemesis, Venom. Eddie Brock was previously a part of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 back in 2007. The Marvel villain has since seen his own entirely separate franchise of films which star Tom Hardy as Brock, but have never crossed over with Tom Holland’s take on Spider-Man.

Sony has previously indicated that there is “actually a plan” to connect Sony’s Spider-Man Universe to the MCU, a statement that will only fuel the rumors that the dark figure could instead be Venom. A number of fans across social media believe that the character is Venom, with many pointing to what looks like a frame that could show Venom’s eye markings.

I’m 55% sure this is Venom… pic.twitter.com/m2eKMuzHzV

— ArticLovesFilms (@AW_Official_) August 24, 2021

Venom director Ruben Fleischer has said that Sony is “building towards” a confrontation between Tom Hardy’s Venom and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, so it’s not out of the question that this could be a cameo leading to something bigger. It would certainly add an extra level of trepidation if Hardy’s Venom entered the mix in No Way Home. There’s always the chance we’ll know more after Venom: Let There Be Carnage arrives on October 15.

However, fans likely won’t find out whether the cameo in the trailer is Venom or Lizard until closer to the film’s release in December this year. For more on the Spider-Man: No Way Home, why not check out this article where we break down the film’s trailer further.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN currently watching the Spider-Man No Way Home trailer on repeat. You can follow him on Twitter.

Mayim Bialik will be the first guest host of syndicated episodes of Jeopardy in the wake of Mike Richards’ departure from the popular quiz show.

According to Collider, the Big Bang Theory alum will temporarily cover weeknight hosting duties on Jeopardy, fronting 15 episodes of the new season while the quiz show searches for a new host to take to the podium. Bialik was originally tapped to host the show’s primetime specials and spin-offs rather than the syndicated hosting position due to her busy schedule.

Bialik serves as an executive producer and stars in the title role of the Fox sitcom Call Me Kat, which was renewed for a second season earlier this year. However, Collider notes that “Bialik is currently on hiatus from Call Me Kat,” meaning that her schedule has opened up just enough to allow her to take the first guest spot on Jeopardy’s upcoming 38th season.

It was announced last week that Richards would be stepping down as the new host of Jeopardy, just one day after the Anti-Defamation League called for an investigation following a report by The Ringer that Richards had allegedly made offensive and sexist comments during his time on the Randumb Show podcast in 2013 and 2014.

Sony’s search for a long-term host of Jeopardy has been turbulent ever since show host Alex Trebek passed away in November 2020. The series has run with several guest stars over the past year, including the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Joe Buck, and fan-favorite LeVar Burton. Viewers should expect to see more guest hosts on the show until a full-time host is found.

Production resumes on Jeopardy this week, with the upcoming 38th season of the classic quiz show expected to begin airing on September 13.

Thumbnail Image Credit: FOX/Getty Images

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

The population of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 14 is booming, but with the game’s recent popularity also came growing pains in the form of login queues, and, now, the inability to create new characters entirely on worlds occupying the game’s most populated North American data center.

All worlds on the Aether data center are now classified as “congested,” meaning they are at full capacity. Square Enix says it has already expanded the maximum world capacity as much as possible, and were it to do so even further, it would result in hours-long queues for players. That’s something Square Enix would like to avoid.

New players, or those just wanting to create a new character, will need to do so on a world hosted on either the game’s Primal or Crystal North American data centers for the time being, though Square Enix says those worlds are also heavily populated.

Square Enix says it would like to expand its data centers and add new worlds, but there are a few things standing in the way of making that happen anytime soon. The first is a global shortage of semiconductors, with Square Enix saying it is “still struggling” to get the necessary equipment to make upgrades to the game’s infrastructure. COVID-19 restrictions in Japan also make it difficult to travel outside of the country to implement server upgrades.

Some upgrades will be coming to European data centers, with a hotfix increasing world capacity in the region and additional upgrades coming in September that should allow for even more players.

“Considering the current situation, we will likely require more time in implementing our large-scale solutions,” Square Enix writes in an official post on the Final Fantasy 14 website. “The circumstances surrounding our infrastructure are far from ideal, but I promise that we will continue to persevere in implementing any solutions we can!”

Final Fantasy 14’s rising popularity comes in part thanks to prominent Twitch streamers, many whom almost exclusively played and streamed Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, having started streaming Square Enix’s MMO instead. That has contributed to record concurrent player numbers for Final Fantasy 14, as more and more people become curious about the game. The fact that Final Fantasy 14 also has an extensive free trial means potential players can check out a huge chunk of the game without having to pay a dime, which is likely also contributing to overpopulated servers.

Final Fantasy 14’s latest expansion, Endwalker, is due to release November 19.

Descending into the very depths of hostile alien territory sounds like an express elevator ride straight to hell in Aliens: Fireteam Elite, but provided that you’ve spent some time making certain that your Colonial Marine has slotted in some accessories and skills into their build, it’s not an impossible challenge. Progression in Aliens: Fireteam Elite requires some self-improvement, as the game makes use of a Combat Rating system to gauge just how prepared you are for the action that lies ahead. Below, we detail everything you need to know about Alien: Fireteam Elite’s combat rating system.

How The Combat Rating System Works

The Combat Rating system works across two parts of a character build: Weapons and class perks. For example, an ordinary pulse rifle may carry a combat rating of 40, but once you unlock and start adding some modifications to it, you’ll be able to boost its stats so that it carries a combat rating of 90. Using a particular weapon also levels it up, and with a few thousand bugs killed, you’ll be wielding a rifle that shoots harder, faster, and more accurately. Each class can carry two weapons, and each weapon can have three modifications added to it that provide several extra statistical bonuses and an overall increase in character power.

One magazine for a submachine gun may provide 20% extra ammo carrying capacity; another might refill the gun by 10% for every enemy you kill. These weapon mods are earned throughout the campaign as rewards, as well as from finding hidden caches and completing tactical opportunities. If you’ve got some credits to spare, you can purchase new weapons and modifications from the supply store on the Endeavour.

Experiment with these mods–constantly check your inventory to see what you’ve unlocked, and once you’ve put them together, you’ll be dropping bugs quicker than ever.

Constantly tinkering with weapons is only half of the formula for increasing your Marine’s combat readiness though, as you’ll want to spend time experimenting with character perk grids. Each class has a grid into which you can slot modifiers, which allow for improved stats for handling weapons and alterations to how the unique skills of a particular class function.

Take a Demolisher for example, who can fire off micro-rockets as part of their offensive package. Using the grid system after the Demolisher has been sufficiently leveled up allows for that ability to be altered so that instead of firing a small cluster of missiles, the class launches a small spread of napalm rockets that leave behind a trail of flames, which will continue to damage any enemies that pass through them. Each modifier carries a combat rating total as well, so the more modifiers you slot in, the more powerful your class becomes. You’re also incentivized to strategically pick the mods and perks that can give you the highest combined rating.

Even better, each class can unlock a series of modifiers that can be applied to other classes, allowing them to quickly catch up in the power arms race. It’s worth noting that slots and abilities are unlocked as you level up, although you can buy more modifiers from the supply store. Keep an eye on where you place your more unique modifiers, though, as linking them directly to your abilities chains them together so that your bonus buffs gain an extra edge along the way.

The perk grid is a deep system that presents a few interesting opportunities for mixing and matching perks, all of which go a long way toward creating a marine that can be tailored towards your personal style of play.

For more on Aliens: Fireteam Elite, keep an eye on GameSpot this week, as we’ll have more guides up throughout the week, tips for surviving everything that a Xenomorph hive can throw at you, and our final review on the game.