Month: September 2021

Ahead of its launch on November 9, Forza Horizon 5 has revealed its initial list of cars and manufacturers you can expect to see in the game at launch. While the list is already extensive, there are more cars still to be announced before launch, and players can also expect to see more vehicles added in post-launch updates as was done with Forza Horizon 4.

Developer Playground Games has confirmed that the Festival Playlist from FH4 will be returning for the upcoming title, a battle pass-style system that will reward players for completing seasonal content and challenges. As in the previous games, the Festival Playlist rewards will include both cars that are new to the series and returning favorites.

For now, there are several cars making their franchise debut in the list of vehicles available at launch, including the 2020 Ford Super Duty F-450 DRW Premium, the 1991 Jaguar Sport XJR-15, and Porsche’s electric Taycan Turbo S.

Playground Games has also confirmed that Forza Horizon 5 will introduce raytracing to the series for the very first time, though only in Forzavista, the game’s vehicle viewing mode. Raytracing in Forzavista will be available for players on Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Here’s the full list of cars that will be available in game on day one, accurate as of September 7:

2001	Acura	Integra Type-R
2002	Acura	RSX Type-S
2017	Acura	NSX
1973	Alpine	A110 1600s
2017	Alpine	A110
2015	Alumi Craft	Class 10 Race Car
1973	AMC	Gremlin X
2554	AMG Transport Dynamics	M12S Warthog CST
2018	Apollo	Intensa Emozione
2013	Ariel	Atom 500 V8
2016	Ariel	Nomad
1964	Aston Martin	DB5
2013	Aston Martin	V12 Vantage S
2016	Aston Martin	Vantage GT12
2017	Aston Martin	DB11
2019	Aston Martin	Vantage
2019	Aston Martin	DBS Superleggera
2017	Aston Martin	Vulcan AMR Pro
2006	Audi	RS 4
2003	Audi	RS 6
2009	Audi	RS 6
2011	Audi	RS 5 Coupé
2013	Audi	RS 4 Avant
2013	Audi	RS 7 Sportback
2013	Audi	R8 Coupé V10 plus 5.2 FSI quattro
2001	Audi	RS 4 Avant
2015	Audi	RS 6 Avant
2010	Audi	TT RS Coupé
2016	Audi	R8 V10 plus
1984	Audi	Sport quattro
2015	Audi	TTS Coupé
1995	Audi	RS 2 Avant
2015	Audi	S1
1958	Austin Healey	Sprite MkI
1939	Auto Union	Type D
2014	BAC	Mono
1987	Buick	Regal GNX
1970	Buick	GSX
2016	Cadillac	ATS-V
2016	Cadillac	CTS-V Sedan
2018	Can-Am	Maverick X RS Turbo R
2013	Caterham	Superlight R500
1969	Chevrolet	Camaro Super Sport Coupe
1970	Chevrolet	Chevelle Super Sport 454
1967	Chevrolet	Corvette Stingray 427
2002	Chevrolet	Corvette Z06
1970	Chevrolet	Corvette ZR-1
1979	Chevrolet	Camaro Z28
2009	Chevrolet	Corvette ZR1
1970	Chevrolet	El Camino Super Sport 454
1964	Chevrolet	Impala Super Sport 409
1970	Chevrolet	Camaro Z28
1996	Chevrolet	Impala Super Sport
1969	Chevrolet	Nova Super Sport 396
1957	Chevrolet	Bel Air
1953	Chevrolet	Corvette
1988	Chevrolet	Monte Carlo Super Sport
1995	Chevrolet	Corvette ZR-1
2015	Chevrolet	Corvette Z06
2015	Chevrolet	Camaro Z/28
1955	Chevrolet	150 Utility Sedan
2017	Chevrolet	Camaro ZL1
2017	Chevrolet	Colorado ZR2
2019	Chevrolet	Corvette ZR1
2018	Chevrolet	Camaro ZL1 1LE
2020	Chevrolet	Corvette Stingray Coupe
1970	Datsun	510
2018	DeBerti Design	Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Drift Truck
2018	DeBerti Design	Ford F-150 Prerunner
2013	DeBerti Design	Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
1969	Dodge	Charger R/T
1970	Dodge	Challenger R/T
2008	Dodge	Viper SRT10 ACR
1969	Dodge	Charger Daytona HEMI
2015	Dodge	Challenger SRT Hellcat
2015	Dodge	Charger SRT Hellcat
2016	Dodge	Viper ACR
2018	Dodge	Durango SRT
2018	Dodge	Challenger SRT Demon
2018	Exomotive	Exocet Off-Road
1994	Ferrari	F355 Berlinetta
2003	Ferrari	360 Challenge Stradale
1969	Ferrari	Dino 246 GT
2002	Ferrari	Enzo Ferrari
1987	Ferrari	F40
1995	Ferrari	F50
1984	Ferrari	288 GTO
2005	Ferrari	FXX
1996	Ferrari	F50 GT
2007	Ferrari	430 Scuderia
2009	Ferrari	458 Italia
1957	Ferrari	250 Testa Rossa
1957	Ferrari	250 California
1968	Ferrari	365 GTB/4
2012	Ferrari	599XX Evolution
2013	Ferrari	LaFerrari
2013	Ferrari	458 Speciale
2014	Ferrari	FXX K
2015	Ferrari	488 GTB
2015	Ferrari	F12tdf
1967	Ferrari	#24 Ferrari Spa 330 P4
2017	Ferrari	812 Superfast
2017	Ferrari	GTC4Lusso
2018	Ferrari	Portofino
2019	Ferrari	488 Pista
1966	Ford	Lotus Cortina
2017	Ford	M-Sport Fiesta RS
1977	Ford	#5 Escort RS1800 MkII
2005	Ford	GT
2000	Ford	SVT Cobra R
1993	Ford	SVT Cobra R
2009	Ford	Focus RS
1985	Ford	RS200 Evolution
1992	Ford	Escort RS Cosworth
1987	Ford	Sierra Cosworth RS500
1977	Ford	Escort RS1800
1965	Ford	Mustang GT Coupe
2011	Ford	F-150 SVT Raptor
2011	Ford	Transit SuperSportVan
1973	Ford	Capri RS3100
1940	Ford	De Luxe Coupe
1973	Ford	Escort RS1600
1956	Ford	F-100
2013	Ford	Shelby GT500
1969	Ford	Mustang Boss 302
2014	Ford	Fiesta ST
2003	Ford	Focus RS
2014	Ford	Ranger T6 Rally Raid
1981	Ford	Fiesta XR2
1975	Ford	Bronco
2017	Ford	Focus RS
2017	Ford	GT
1932	Ford	De Luxe Five-Window Coupe
2017	Ford	F-150 Raptor
2016	Ford	Shelby GT350R
2014	Ford	#11 Rockstar F-150 Trophy Truck
2014	Ford	FPV Limited Edition Pursuit Ute
2015	Ford	Falcon GT F 351
1972	Ford	Falcon XA GT-HO
1968	Ford	Mustang GT 2+2 Fastback
2010	Ford	Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
2017	Ford	#14 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing GRC Fiesta
1959	Ford	Anglia 105E
1964	Ford	GT40 MKI
1986	Ford	Escort RS Turbo
2018	Ford	#25 Mustang RTR
2018	Ford	Mustang RTR Spec 5
1965	Ford	Transit
2017	Ford	#25 ‘Brocky’ Ultra4 Bronco RTR
2018	Ford	#88 Ford Mustang RTR
1970	Ford	GT70
1994	Ford	Supervan 3
2019	Ford	Ranger Raptor
1967	Ford	Racing Escort MK1
1999	Ford	Racing Puma
2020	Ford	Mustang Shelby GT500
2020	Ford	#2069 Ford Performance Bronco R ‘Welcome Pack’
2020	Ford	Super Duty F-450 DRW PLATINUM
2021	Ford	Bronco
2015	Formula Drift	#13 Ford Mustang
2016	Formula Drift	#530 HSV Maloo GEN-F
2006	Formula Drift	#43 Dodge Viper SRT10
2013	Formula Drift	#777 Chevrolet Corvette
2007	Formula Drift	#117 599 GTB Fiorano
1997	Formula Drift	#777 Nissan 240SX
2018	Formula Drift	#64 Nissan 370Z
2018	Funco Motorsports	F9
1983	GMC	Vandura G-1500
2012	Hennessey	Venom GT
2019	Hennessey	VelociRaptor 6X6
1977	Holden	Torana A9X
1973	Holden	HQ Monaro GTS 350
1974	Holden	Sandman HQ panel van
2003	Honda	S2000
2009	Honda	S2000 CR
2004	Honda	Civic Type-R
1991	Honda	CR-X SiR
2005	Honda	NSX-R
1992	Honda	NSX-R
2005	Honda	NSX-R GT
2007	Honda	Civic Type-R
1997	Honda	Civic Type R
1974	Honda	Civic RS
1994	Honda	Prelude Si
2015	Honda	Civic Type R
2018	Honda	Civic Type R
2016	Honda	Civic Coupe GRC
1955	Hoonigan	Chevrolet Bel Air
1972	Hoonigan	Chevrolet Napalm Nova
1978	Hoonigan	Ford Escort RS1800
1965	Hoonigan	Ford Hoonicorn Mustang
1991	Hoonigan	Rauh-Welt Begriff Porsche 911 Turbo
1977	Hoonigan	GYMKHANA 10 Ford F-150 ‘Hoonitruck’
1991	Hoonigan	GYMKHANA 10 Ford Escort Cosworth Group A
1965	Hoonigan	GYMKHANA 10 Ford Hoonicorn Mustang
2016	Hoonigan	GYMKHANA 10 Ford Focus RS RX
1986	Hoonigan	Ford RS200 Evolution
1994	Hoonigan	Ford Escort RS Cosworth WRC “Cossie V2”
2011	Hot Wheels	Bone Shaker
1969	Hot Wheels	Twin Mill
2014	HSV	GEN-F GTS
2014	HSV	Limited Edition GEN-F GTS Maloo
2006	HUMMER	H1 Alpha
2019	Hyundai	Veloster N
2015	Infiniti	Q60 Concept
1970	International	Scout 800A
1961	Jaguar	E-type
1993	Jaguar	XJ220
1956	Jaguar	D-Type
2012	Jaguar	XKR-S
2015	Jaguar	F-Type R Coupé
2015	Jaguar	XFR-S
2016	Jaguar	F-TYPE Project 7
1959	Jaguar	Mk II 3.8
2015	Jaguar	XE-S
2017	Jaguar	F-PACE S
1964	Jaguar	Lightweight E-Type
2018	Jaguar	I-PACE
1991	Jaguar	Sport XJR-15
2012	Jeep	Wrangler Rubicon
2014	Jeep	Grand Cherokee SRT
1976	Jeep	CJ5 Renegade
2016	Jeep	Trailcat
2018	Jeep	Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
2020	Jeep	Gladiator Rubicon
2002	Koenigsegg	CC8S
2008	Koenigsegg	CCGT
2015	Koenigsegg	One:1
2016	Koenigsegg	Regera
2017	Koenigsegg	Agera RS
2020	Koenigsegg	Jesko
2013	KTM	X-Bow R
1988	Lamborghini	Countach LP5000 QV
1999	Lamborghini	Diablo GTR
1997	Lamborghini	Diablo SV
1967	Lamborghini	Miura P400
2008	Lamborghini	Reventón
2010	Lamborghini	Murciélago LP 670-4 SV
2011	Lamborghini	Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera
2011	Lamborghini	Sesto Elemento
2012	Lamborghini	Aventador LP700-4
2013	Lamborghini	Veneno
2014	Lamborghini	Huracán LP 610-4
1986	Lamborghini	LM 002
2016	Lamborghini	Aventador Superveloce
2016	Lamborghini	Centenario LP 770-4
2019	Lamborghini	Urus
2018	Lamborghini	Huracán Performante
1997	Land Rover	Defender 90
2015	Land Rover	Range Rover Sport SVR
1972	Land Rover	Series III
1973	Land Rover	Range Rover
2018	Land Rover	Range Rover Velar First Edition
2020	Land Rover	Defender 110 X
2010	Lexus	LFA
1997	Lexus	SC300
2015	Lexus	RC F
2014	Local Motors	Rally Fighter
1969	Lola	#6 Penske Sunoco T70 MkIIIB
1971	Lotus	Elan Sprint
1999	Lotus	Elise Series 1 Sport 190
2016	Lotus	3-Eleven
1997	Lotus	Elise GT1
2012	Lotus	Exige S
2010	Maserati	Gran Turismo S
2017	Maserati	Levante S
2008	Maserati	MC12 Versione Corsa
1997	McLaren	F1 GT
1993	McLaren	F1
2013	McLaren	P1
2015	McLaren	650S Coupe
2015	McLaren	570S Coupé
2018	McLaren	720S
2018	McLaren	Senna
2018	McLaren	600LT Coupé
2019	McLaren	720S Spider
2019	McLaren	Speedtail
2016	Mercedes-AMG	C 63 S Coupé
2017	Mercedes-AMG	GT R
2018	Mercedes-AMG	GT 4-Door Coupé
2018	Mercedes-AMG	E 63 S
2021	Mercedes-AMG	Mercedes-AMG ONE
2012	Mercedes-Benz	SLK 55 AMG
1954	Mercedes-Benz	300 SL Coupé
1998	Mercedes-Benz	AMG CLK GTR
2011	Mercedes-Benz	SLS AMG
1990	Mercedes-Benz	190E 2.5-16 Evolution II
2012	Mercedes-Benz	C 63 AMG Coupé Black Series
2013	Mercedes-Benz	G 65 AMG
2013	Mercedes-Benz	A 45 AMG
2013	Mercedes-Benz	E 63 AMG
1939	Mercedes-Benz	W154
2015	Mercedes-Benz	#24 Tankpool24 Racing Truck
2014	Mercedes-Benz	Unimog U5023
1929	Mercedes-Benz	SSK
2018	Mercedes-Benz	X-Class
2014	Mercedes-Benz	G 63 AMG 6×6
1987	Mercedes-Benz	AMG Hammer Coupe
1971	Meyers	Manx
1986	MG	Metro 6R4
1995	Mitsubishi	Eclipse GSX
1997	Mitsubishi	GTO
2006	Mitsubishi	Lancer Evolution IX MR
1999	Mitsubishi	Lancer Evolution VI GSR
2004	Mitsubishi	Lancer Evolution VIII MR
2008	Mitsubishi	Lancer Evolution X GSR
1988	Mitsubishi	Starion ESI-R
2014	Morgan	3 Wheeler
1953	Morris	Minor 1000
2010	Mosler	MT900S
1933	Napier	Napier-Railton
2010	Nissan	370Z
1969	Nissan	Fairlady Z 432
1994	Nissan	Fairlady Z Version S Twin Turbo
1992	Nissan	Silvia CLUB K’s
1994	Nissan	Silvia K’s
2000	Nissan	Silvia Spec-R
1993	Nissan	Skyline GT-R V-Spec
1998	Nissan	R390
1971	Nissan	Skyline 2000GT-R
1997	Nissan	Skyline GT-R V-Spec
1993	Nissan	240SX SE
2012	Nissan	GT-R Black Edition
1973	Nissan	Skyline H/T 2000GT-R
1987	Nissan	Skyline GTS-R (R31)
2017	Nissan	GT-R
1998	Nissan	Silvia K’s Aero
2016	Nissan	Titan Warrior Concept
1995	Nissan	NISMO GT-R LM
2004	Nissan	Pickup #23 Rally Raid
1990	Nissan	Pulsar GTI-R
1984	Opel	Manta 400
2010	Pagani	Zonda R
2009	Pagani	Zonda Cinque Roadster
2016	Pagani	Huayra BC
2011	Penhall	The Cholla
2007	Peugeot	207 Super 2000
1984	Peugeot	205 Turbo 16
1991	Peugeot	205 Rallye
1971	Plymouth	Cuda 426 HEMI
2015	Polaris	RZR XP 1000 EPS
1987	Pontiac	Firebird Trans Am GTA
1977	Pontiac	Firebird Trans Am
1965	Pontiac	GTO
1970	Porsche	#3 917 LH
1995	Porsche	911 GT2
2004	Porsche	911 GT3
1982	Porsche	911 Turbo 3.3
1970	Porsche	914/6
1989	Porsche	944 Turbo
1987	Porsche	959
2003	Porsche	Carrera GT
1997	Porsche	911 GT1 Strassenversion
2012	Porsche	911 GT2 RS
2014	Porsche	911 Turbo S
2014	Porsche	918 Spyder
2018	Porsche	718 Cayman GTS
2016	Porsche	911 GT3 RS
2016	Porsche	Cayman GT4
1993	Porsche	968 Turbo S
2019	Porsche	911 Carrera S
2017	Porsche	Panamera Turbo
2016	Porsche	911 GT2 RS
2018	Porsche	Cayenne Turbo
1985	Porsche	#185 959 Prodrive Rally Raid
1959	Porsche	356 A 1600 Super
2019	Porsche	911 GT3 RS
2019	Porsche	Macan Turbo
2015	Porsche	Cayman GTS
2018	Porsche	Macan Rally Raid
1989	Porsche	#65 Rothsport Racing 911 ‘Desert Flyer’
2020	Porsche	Taycan Turbo S
2015	Radical	RXC Turbo
2017	Ram	2500 Power Wagon
1972	Reliant	Supervan III
1980	Renault	5 Turbo
2013	Renault	Clio R.S. 200 EDC
1993	Renault	Clio Williams
2008	Renault	Mégane R26.R
2018	Renault	MEGANE R.S.
2019	Rimac	C_Two
2016	RJ Anderson	#37 Polaris RZR-Rockstar Energy Pro 2 Truck
2004	Saleen	S7
2018	Saleen	S1
2021	SIERRA Cars	RX3
2013	SRT	Viper GTS
1998	SUBARU	Impreza 22B-STi Version
2004	SUBARU	IMPREZA WRX STi
2005	SUBARU	IMPREZA WRX STI
2008	SUBARU	IMPREZA WRX STI
2011	SUBARU	WRX STI
2013	SUBARU	BRZ
2015	SUBARU	WRX STI
1969	Toyota	2000GT
1985	Toyota	Sprinter Trueno GT Apex
1992	Toyota	Supra 2.0 GT
1998	Toyota	Supra RZ
1994	Toyota	Celica GT-Four ST205
1989	Toyota	MR2 SC
1992	Toyota	Celica GT-Four RC ST185
1974	Toyota	Celica GT
2013	Toyota	86
1979	Toyota	FJ40
2020	Toyota	GR Supra
1998	TVR	Cerbera Speed 12
2005	TVR	Sagaris
2018	TVR	Griffith
2015	Ultima	Evolution Coupe 1020
2005	Vauxhall	Monaro VXR
2016	Vauxhall	Corsa VXR
1995	Volkswagen	Corrado VR6
1992	Volkswagen	Golf Gti 16v Mk2
2003	Volkswagen	Golf R32
1981	Volkswagen	Scirocco S
1998	Volkswagen	GTI VR6 Mk3
2011	Volkswagen	Scirocco R
2014	Volkswagen	Golf R
1963	Volkswagen	Type 2 De Luxe
1970	Volkswagen	#1107 Desert Dingo Racing Stock Bug
1969	Volkswagen	Class 5/1600 Baja Bug
1983	Volkswagen	Golf GTI
2017	Volkswagen	#34 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Beetle
2010	Volkswagen	Golf R
2017	VUHL	05RR
1945	Willys	MB Jeep
2019	Zenvo	TSR-S

The newest Magic: The Gathering set Innistrad: Midnight Hunt will be upon us soon, and it sees the massively successful trading card game return to a world of gothic horror. Werewolves, zombies, vampires and spirits await in Innistrad, a plane first introduced 11 years ago and that remains popular today.

One of the most exciting additions will be the 19 new double-faced werewolf cards. Long term players will be familiar with the mechanic of transforming from a human form on one side to a werewolf on the other, but the new global day-night cycle offers a significant twist, meaning that a card can enter play as a werewolf if it’s nighttime. Be sure to check out IGN’s existing coverage of the new day-night cycle as well as new mechanics like Disturb, Decayed and Coven.

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt also sees the return of a mechanic from the original Innistrad set – flashback. This lets players cast spells from their graveyard, effectively allowing them to double dip. What kinds of cards will have flashback? I’m glad you asked. IGN has a mythic rare Legendary creature to reveal today that showcases the keyword. Introducing Lier, Disciple of the Drowned:

Lier looks quite powerful, but what kinds of decks would it be run in? “Lier is most likely to see play in a deck that has a mixture of card drawing and removal,” says Mike Turian, Product Architect. “At five mana, you will need to keep the board clear of threats and your life total up. You can do both with instants and sorceries. This will give you plenty of fodder for when you reuse Lier and take control of the game.

“Lier could also be powerful in a combo deck that generates lots of additional mana by casting mana-boosting cards a second time. Getting to cast instants and sorceries—ones that were only intended to be cast once—a second time is quite powerful. We have seen older cards, such as Yawgmoth’s Will and Snapcaster Mage, give the ability to cast cards from the graveyard so Lier could offer that same potential in a deck.

“Finally, Lier is a Legendary creature so that means he can be used to lead your Commander deck. Put Lier in a mono-blue deck filled with card drawing, bounce, and removal and you will be the bane of all of your friends as you have at least twice as good of a time playing as they do!”

Lier is a powerful high priest of a cult that worships an ancient god of sea and storms…

The two pieces of art are also incredibly intense, so who is this character? “Lier is a powerful high priest of a cult that worships an ancient god of sea and storms,” Meris Mullaley – Narrative Design Manager, Worldbuilding Team tells me. “He preaches that because the surface is covered with horrors and monsters it is a sign humans shouldn’t live there. One day his sea god will return, overtake the surface, and welcome all to a paradise below the waves.

“Lier’s beliefs are one way in which humans have found ways to cope with the danger and horrors of living on Innistrad.”

“The look for Lier was really fun to play with,” Senior Art Director Taylor Ingvarsson enthuses in response to my question about Lier’s visual design(s). “Originating down in the coastal province of Naphalia, the denizens of this provence are usually covered in heavy water-resistant clothing to protect themselves from the elements. We wanted to push the idea of Lier’s zealotry to his ‘god of sea and storms’ by removing this protective clothing and allowing him to look confident and powerful in the midst of this dangerous coastal storm.

“For the visual motifs on Lier, we really pushed for a meld between Naphalia’s design language and that of the Stromkirk vampires of which their progenitor, Runo Stromkirk worships the same god of the sea and storms. You can note Naphalia’s inspiration by the fishing hooks, heavy leather gloves, and thick layers of clothing. While the Stromkirk vampires inspiration utilizes twisting heavy knots of nautical rope, the hooked shapes on his tabard akin to crashing waves, and strips of cloth that when whipping in the wind are akin to tentacles of great sea monsters. Lier’s zealotry is further exemplified by incorporating sea creatures into his staff and there is a massive crab over the shoulders giving him a creepy, yet elevated silhouette.

“I also have to say that I could not have been happier than to work with Ekaterina Burmak on this character. She really knocked this image out of the park and realized an awesome character for us.”

We’re Going on a Midnight Hunt

Innistrad is a rich world for Wizards to tap back into. Given it’s been five years since the last full card set based in Innistrad, I asked Meris Mullaley to set the scene for me. “Werewolves, zombies, vampires, and ghosts rule the night,” Mullaley says of the Gothic horror fantasy setting, “and the delicious (but resilient) humans do their best to survive. On Innistrad you might find yourself in the misty woods, a forbidding manor, or a haunted cemetery. It is a place that gives you a chill and crawling sensation under your skin and you are constantly watching the shadows.”

Midnight Hunt takes place on the eve of the Harvesttide Festival; a time when things have been thrown out of balance. “As we come back to Innistrad,” explains Product Architect Mike Turian, “the night is growing longer while daytime is shrinking. From a card design standpoint, this is captured with the creation of the Daybound/Nightbound mechanic on werewolves. Typically the Nightbound side of the card is more powerful, and with this new mechanic, once it is nighttime Werewolves will enter the battlefield on their back Nightbound side. So instead of having to transform them each individually, they now sync up with the current status of Day or Night.

For Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, the setting was decided on before we created the gameplay concepts.

“For Innistrad: Midnight Hunt,“ Turian continues, “the setting was decided on before we created the gameplay concepts. Innistrad always wants to tap into the gothic horror feel and that leads to loads of top down cards designed from thinking about how to capture that gothic horror setting. We create both the cards and the mechanics by asking ourselves what it is like to be a human that returns to the world as a spirit, or as a werewolf that desires nightfall.”

The return of flashback very much fits into this design approach. “Innistrad… has always looked to the graveyard as one of the ways to capture that feel from a gameplay perspective,” says Mike Turian. “Often that is with creatures that rise from the graveyard, however flashback allows spells to come back for a second time. Everyone loves casting their favorite spells twice and we saw how popular that was with cards like Snapcaster Mage from the original Innistrad set. In addition to connecting back to earlier sets, flashback adds a lot of fun to gameplay. Often as the game goes on, it’s nice to have a reserve of spells that you can tap into again. So flashback helps connect both to the flavor of Innistrad and the great gameplay that Magic: The Gathering offers.”

Given the emphasis on setting and story informing the gameplay, does Midnight Hunt tie into players’ last visit to this plane? “The last time we were on Innistrad,” explains Mullaley, “the Eldrazi were creating nightmares out of the standard Innistrad horrors. At the end of that story, Emrakul was trapped in the moon. The Travails – what residents call the situation with the Eldrazi – left an impact on the plane that you can see snippets of in the cardset and the web fiction. The situation with the day/night imbalance very likely has to do with its Eldrazi prisoner. However, in this return to Innistrad we wanted to focus on the original Gothic horror themes of the setting. So the mechanics, the story, and the cardset focus on werewolves, witches, and vampires.”

Gothic Delights

The art direction really delivers on those Gothic horror themes. I asked how the approach to card art differed for this set versus others. “In practice, none of our cardsets are singular in their emotional tone,” says Meris Mullaley. “They do each have their unique traits and Innistrad is primarily dark horror: Really foreboding, ominous and creepy. Knowing that we were going to be on Innistrad for two sets, we wanted to make sure that the hope and whimsy themes that have always been a small part of Innistrad had a larger footprint.

“Also, when your plane is experiencing environmental changes—for example, the day/night imbalance and the frost covering everything—the art team does extra work to keep those elements consistently represented across the whole cardset as best as we can.”

“Innistrad is always a fun challenge,” adds Senior Art Director, Taylor Ingvarsson. “It is really easy to crank the horror up to high and make humans feel too scared or only like prey on the plane. What I love about this plane so much is that even though Humans are on the back foot from monsters we always push for ensuring that every character has a sense of agency and the ability to always look cool. It doesn’t matter if you are a simple farmer getting in a hard day’s work or if you’re the most battle-hardened Cathar. You will always get an opportunity in Innistrad to look awesome fighting off nasty beasties.”

And lastly, what inspired the incredible showcase art? “Innistrad has been built around gothic horror themes from the beginning,” Mullaley explains, “and our showcase cards provide a way for us to express the worldbuilding themes in new ways. For Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, we regularly talked about the influence of gothic horror monster movies, and we took that inspiration a step farther to feature many legendary creatures with alternate art that alluded to the classic black & white monster movies.”

The introduction of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt will see a new Standard meta for Magic: The Gathering, with a number of old sets dropping out of the format. And Innistrad itself will certainly make its presence felt one way or another this year, with the vampire-themed Crimson Vow set coming two months after Midnight Hunt.

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt will be out on MTG Arena on September 17 and for tabletop on September 24. Physical cards will be available in Draft Boosters, Set Boosters and Collector Boosters, as well as in Commander Deck bundles. You can find out more about on the official Midnight Hunt site.

Cam Shea has worked at IGN since the before times, and has played more Breath of the Wild than just about any other game. He’s barely on Twitter.

One of the best deals of 2021 is back, and just in time. You can currently get 3-months of Audible for just 99p. Audible is usually £7.99 a month, which means 3-months would normally put you back almost £24. Getting this for 99p instead is an absolute bargain.

Throughout the 3-months, you’ll get three separate book tokens entitling you to any audiobook on the Audible service at no extra cost. There is some seriously great choice son there as well, including Dune, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire) and so much more. This deal is for new members, or those who have let their subscription expire.

Get 3-Months of Audible for just 99p

This is one of the best deals we’ve ever seen on the audiobook service, and definitely the absolute best discount so far in 2021. We last saw this deal during Amazon Prime Day a couple of months ago, but it hasn’t resurfaced until now.

Audiobooks have become an increasingly popular way to consume all kinds of media. The convenience of listening to them whenever, wherever, no matter what you’re doing is rather appealing, and it helps that services like Audible are so easy to pick up and use.

What Do I Get with Audible?

So it’s quite simple, every book you buy on the Audible service is yours to keep, there’s the entire Audible podcast range to listen to, 80% off exclusive audiobooks, and one audiobook, every single month, regardless of the price. For example, you could pick up Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman usually costing around £30, for absolutely no extra cost.

Audible is also available on iPhone, Android, Windows, or on Fire Tablet, Fire TV or Amazon Echo. So you can listen, whenever, wherever.

Robert Anderson is a Commerce Editor and deals expert for IGN. Send him awesome gaming screenshots @robertliam21 on Twitter.

2K Foundations, the charity arm of the studio behind NBA 2K, has refurbished a basketball court in Ljubljana, Slovenia where NBA superstar and NBA 2K22 cover star Luka Dončić learned to play. The community courts have been painted with a stylized artwork designed by Dončić in collaboration with local graphic designer Nejc Prah.

The courts are painted in blue to represent the Dallas Mavericks, with Dončić’s jersey number 77 incorporated into the design in both large and small details. The whole design was finished off with Dončić’s’s signature, which he added as part of a re-opening event for the local community. The refurbishment funded by 2K Foundations also included new lighting and seats for the community courts.

“This is a very exciting day for me. I have great memories growing up in Ljubljana. These are my childhood courts where I learned and practiced the game,” Dončić said. “It’s an honor to be able to give back to my city and to my country that gave me so much and that I love. The opportunity for kids to play on the same courts and pursue the same dreams I had is something I am excited about.”

Dončić is one of the cover stars for NBA 2K22, along with Candace Parker, Rui Hachimura, and NBA legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kevin Durant. The game is due out on September 10, 2021.

The latest Fortnite skin, Windwalker Echo, may not be as familiar a face as LeBron James or Wonder Woman, but to anyone who saw last year’s Unreal Engine 5 reveal trailer, the action hero will be very familiar indeed. The Windwalker Echo skin is now available in the Fortnite Item Shop for a limited time, marking her first public appearance in over a year.

Fortnite Windwalker Echo Skin

We didn’t know much about Echo–including even her name–when she was first seen in May 2020’s Unreal Engine 5 tech demo running on a PS5. Her arrival in Fortnite includes a bit more lore for players who want to learn more about her.

For starters, she is what’s called a “windwalker,” which explains her flying squirrel-like ability to glide through canyons. As of today, she also stars in a new animation from Mold3D Studio, which is powered by Unreal Engine and should flesh out her background even more.

When Echo was first revealed, people speculated whether we’d see the hero star in her own game, but at the time, Epic said the experience was merely a demo. While that’s still apparently true, Echo has nonetheless managed to star in a game, even if she happens to share it with a roster of superheroes, singers, and streamers.

As for the Fortnite cosmetics, it’s just Echo herself that’s on offer. Perhaps Epic will work on accessories like back bling, a glider, and a pickaxe down the line. Following a similar schedule for brand-new cosmetics, Echo should be in the Item Shop for at least a few days before she rotates out for weeks or months at a time.

For more on Fortnite Season 7’s final week, don’t miss the Week 14 challenges, which include a tricky one to place warning signs around the island. Fortnite Season 8 is nearly here, so get ready for Operation: Sky Fire.

It’s rare to see Studio Ghibli’s iconic and instantly recognizable anime art style take shape in a video game, but developer NAPS Team’s isometric action-adventure RPG, Baldo: The Guardian Owls, claims both Ghibli and The Legend of Zelda as its primary inspirations. Those are lofty ambitions, but Baldo rarely instills the same depth into its story or characters, and very little of it feels good to play. In fact, experiencing upwards of 50 hours of wildly inconsistent dungeon-crawling and puzzle-solving to reach its meager ending is more like wading knee-deep in a swamp than strolling through a park.

The premise of a young boy attempting to save a world in danger is simple but effective for what’s intended as a light-hearted story. This is a pretty standard Legend of Zelda-esque plot, and there’s really no unique spin here. You’ll spend a lot of time solving dungeons, exploring an overworld, doing quests, and then backtracking every time you receive a nifty new piece of path-opening equipment like the Owl Bomb or the Sacred Fire.

The main problem – at least when you’re getting started – is the lack of direction. Beyond the very first screen that shows you some basic tooltips for your controls, there is absolutely no tutorial. Many of the major mechanics, including the one that lets you shake yourself loose from spider webs, are not explained whatsoever. It doesn’t help that the rest of the interface is equally egregious, often making basic tasks like checking your inventory or your quest list much more arduous than it should be.

It’s almost like Baldo is passive-aggressively daring you to stop playing it altogether.

In Baldo, bugs are hidden around every corner – and not just the kind you squash with your sword. Expect to commonly run into everything from NPCs not giving you correct items upon finishing their quests (essentially stranding you in a location until you revert your save and try again) to near-constant crashes to the dashboard and other glitches that make exploring simply far less pleasant than it should be. It’s almost like Baldo is passive-aggressively daring you to stop playing it altogether, pulling and poking you and trying your patience to see what it can get away with before you uninstall it for good.

It’s immediately clear from the first few moments in the first dungeon, the claustrophobic Lost Galleon, that Baldo is in rough shape. Everything from this initial dungeon crawl to the labyrinthine overworld to the painfully nondescript world map is a chore to make sense of. Aside from some vague dialogue or hints from the Rodia Town library, or the help of the eerily chipper Minisio the Map Merchant, you’re rarely offered guidance at all.

It’s immediately clear from the first few moments that Baldo is in rough shape.

Later dungeons, like the endlessly frustrating Savoca Prison and the hyper-tedious Bobo Pit, are no better – they often find creative ways to waste your time and send you back to the “game over” screen rather than tug you onward. Aside from torch sconces and pressure plates, there’s very little consistent vocabulary across Baldo’s world to prompt you toward a point of interest, often making it easy to completely miss key items and events that are necessary to progress. It’s almost like every room is playing by its own completely unique set of rules.

Many puzzles require you to carry fragile statuettes or push blocks across long distances while navigating traps. Compounding the tedium is the fact that you move as slowly as molasses while doing any of this. It’s all well and good when it all comes together at the end, but it’s excruciating to get there – if you get there at all.

Frustrations abound as you navigate a dungeon. It’s far too easy to simply fall off of a ledge or dodge-roll in the wrong direction because there’s absolutely no feedback to help you guide Baldo around. Making matters worse, most of your important actions, like swinging your sword, talking to NPCs, and picking things up and throwing them are all mapped to the same two buttons on your controller, making it easy to accidentally talk to a companion when you really meant to attack an enemy.

Baldo would be a tough challenge if the combat were up to it, but this is no Dark Souls.

Baldo himself is also terribly fragile for most of the story – you start with only three hearts, and you don’t have too many opportunities to get more until you eventually trek up to the visually gorgeous but inconveniently remote Owl Village during the middle third of the campaign. During all of that time most enemies and traps deal a ridiculous two or three full hearts worth of damage, leaving little room for error. That’d be a tough challenge if the combat were up to it, but this is no Dark Souls: it’s practically impossible to gauge when to dodge or block an incoming attack. The man-eating plants and giant spiders who can sit in the air and snipe you from a distance are especially unfair and obnoxious.

It’s not impossible to learn how to navigate around Baldo’s clunky controls, but don’t be surprised if you see literally hundreds of “game over” screens before you’ve even taken your first steps out of the humble Kidoge Village or reached the main hub city of Rodia Town. This is because it takes a long time to get good at surviving fights with even the simplest lizardmen you encounter in the early starting zones, who are unreasonably good at killing you and seem to have a limitless ability to evade your attacks.

At least you can eventually build yourself up with powerful items like the Takame Shield, the Owl Mask, and the Owl Bomb, which further empower you to then explore this vast, exquisitely crafted world with ease. But even as your power grows, Baldo’s combat remains needlessly unfair, even when reasonably powered up. You are always at a disadvantage against some of the tougher foes like the Robowl or the Kangmi, both of which are relentlessly powerful and only rarely expose their weak points. But hey, at least you can use the map’s poorly-laid geometry to glitch these monsters into oblivion. Even then, you’ll still be wading through an ocean of game-breaking bugs, abysmal controls, unsatisfying boss encounters, and hundreds or thousands of soul-crushing “game over” screens before you even scratch the surface.

The biggest issue with Baldo’s visuals is the fixed camera.

Baldo’s simplistic and cute art style is more than appropriate for an isometric action-adventure game that’s clearly designed to fit in on Apple Arcade as well as consoles. But there’s something of a massive divide between its world art, which looks stunning in settings like the Marui Desert, Rodia Town at night, and the Owl Village to name a few locations, and the character and item designs. Those are far less sophisticated and often seem like children’s sketchbook drawings come to life rather than characters and monsters out of a Ghibli movie.

But the biggest issue with its visuals is the fixed camera, which often obscures important information and details about the world as you move through it. It’s very possible to simply not see something that you absolutely need in order to get through the quest, and it’s infuriating when an enemy can see you and snipe you from off-screen before you’re even aware it was there.

Speaking of being aware of your surroundings, Baldo may feature some of the worst game audio around. Each sound is ear-piercingly loud when the volume is set for the music to be at an appropriate level and is often played on repeat without end, like the annoying chain sound when you’re walking around in a dungeon. Making matters worse, some enemy types are entirely silent until you engage them directly, giving you no warning that they’re coming, while others make an indescribably annoying grunting sound. Baldo himself makes an obnoxious whining noise whenever he takes damage or blocks an attack, and it’s awful that there is absolutely no volume toggle to mute or turn down these sounds or make them blend better with the soundtrack.

That’s infuriating because Baldo’s soundtrack is one of its best features. Nothing is particularly unique about it – you can hear motifs reminiscent of Final Fantasy 7’s Bombing Mission theme in the Pansa Hills, and I was reminded of One-Winged Angel in Odessa’s herb shop – but besides some bad mixing at points, it’s euphoric enough to inspire a lust for adventure. Which is to say that it does the job just fine.

Billionaire and former Walmart executive Marc Lore has shared his vision for a new city in America, that will cost $400 billion to build.

CNN reports that the new city, called Telosa, is being designed to be a sustainable metropolis located in a desert somewhere in the U.S. Right now, city planners are considering Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, and Texas.

Every idea starts with a tiny seed. #CityofTelosa #NewCity #CityoftheFuture @CityofTelosa @ArcherAviation pic.twitter.com/MwJV4grkky

— Marc Lore (@MarcLore) September 3, 2021

The city’s layout is intended to allow residents to get to work, school, or anything else they may need within 15 minutes. The goal is for Telosa to be eco-friendly, with sustainable energy and water. At the center of it all is the Equitism Tower, a skyscraper designed to be, “a beacon for the city.”

The plan says the city will eventually grow to 150,000 acres, supporting 5 million people. That stage, however, is at least 40 years away. The first phase would apparently take 10-20 years to achieve, and will support 1 million people in the city.

Today, Bloomberg @business revealed @CityofTelosa: a vision of @BjarkeIngels and @MarcLore for a new city in America that sets a global standard for urban living, expands human potential, and becomes a blueprint for future generations. Learn more here: https://t.co/VD4tpZSgtf pic.twitter.com/lvPXkuWiMH

— BIG (@BIGstertweets) September 1, 2021

The city may evoke memories of BioShock’s Rapture, the large, underwater utopia designed to help society flourish. However, the proponents of Telosa say their goal isn’t to create a utopia, but rather to stay focused on what is possible.

Speaking of Rapture, the upcoming BioShock 4 seemingly won’t take place in either Rapture or BioShock Infinite’s Columbia, according to job listings for the game. If Telosa makes you want to dive back into the world of Rapture, you can follow IGN’s BioShock walkthrough every step of the way.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.