Microsoft has launched a new Xbox feature that lets you change your gamerpic to what it was back in the Xbox 360 days. Xbox Insiders who are part of the Alpha Skip Ahead program (which you can opt into at any time) can now select their Xbox 360 gamerpic from the “change gamerpic” screen.
This may require a reboot, Xbox’s Eden Marie said on Twitter (via Eurogamer). Also of note, it will only work if you had an Xbox 360 back then and had a gamerpic assigned. If, for whatever reason, you change your Xbox 360 gamerpic on that console, this will also apply to your new Xbox.
Hey all, I know a bunch of you were asking for a way to go back to your Xbox 360 gamerpic. Exploration Time to the rescue! If you’re an Alpha Skip Ahead Insider, you may need to reboot your console, but starting today you’ll find a new option in your “change gamerpic” screen. pic.twitter.com/YWijIJR2HE
FYI, this will only show up if you’ve ever had an Xbox 360 gamerpic, and if your current gamerpic isn’t already your Xbox 360 gamerpic. Once it’s set, any future changes you make on an Xbox 360 console will automatically carry over.
The Xbox 360 gamerpics definitely do look dated, as the newer options are far more robust and detailed. But it’s a neat option to have in any event, and worth checking out just to see what your last Xbox 360 gamerpic was. The Xbox 360 was a very successful console and had many excellent games, and it’s fun to see its lineage continue in this way.
Ahead of today’s Pokémon Unite launch for mobile devices, the Pokémon Company updated the game to include a range of new features as well as cross-play.
Pokémon Unite has already added a number of playable Pokémon since its release for Nintendo Switch in July. However, as the MOBA makes its long-awaited debut on mobile devices, The Pokémon Company announced features of the new update on its website while also taking to Twitter to show off new gameplay clips for upcoming debutants, Mamoswine and Sylveon.
Get ready, Trainers! Tomorrow, the battle continues as #PokemonUNITE arrives on mobile devices!
As of today, Unite fans can battle it out across multiple platforms, as the MOBA’s move to mobile also introduces cross-play. Budding trainers will be able to link their accounts across devices meaning that when you inevitably burn through the battery power on your Switch, there’s always your trusty smartphone to keep your progress moving forward.
Pokémon Unite will also now feature a number of new in-game events, during which fans will get the chance to obtain Super Item Enhancers. Similar to standard Item Enhancers but far rarer, these will allow players to upgrade a held item straight to level 30 – a prospect that could take the edge off some of the game’s microtransaction-driven grind.
With concerns over a pay-to-win nature of the game being brought into question since its release, the publisher has also said that it is developing a new mode of play “designed to level the playing field for all Trainers, regardless of their held items’ grades.”
Pokémon Unite’s new season also includes a brand new space-themed battle pass called Galactic Ghost 094, and the addition of Unite Squads. The Pokémon company says that through Unite Squads, players can use tags based upon their own preferences in playstyle to team up with other like-minded individuals who want to approach the game in a similar way. Whether you’re destined for greatness or want to take the game at a casual pace, joining up with players of a similar mindset should now be pretty easy within the game.
Because over five million trainers preregistered for the mobile version of the game (three cheers for an arbitrary milestone), every user who has played the mobile version of Pokémon Unite before October 31 will receive the Unite license for Pikachu (which lets you play as the character in-game) along with a special Holowear for everyone’s favorite little yellow companion and 1,000 Aeos tickets, which can be exchanged for in-game items. Mobile users will also be able to unlock the license for Zeroara as a launch bonus by winning a total of 32 battles in the game.
For more on Pokémon Unite, make sure to check out our review of the game where we gave it a 6/10 calling it “an entertaining MOBA constrained by its overcommitment to simplicity”.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Gran Turismo 7 is set to release for PS5 and PS4 on March 4, 2022. Like earlier installments in the long-running series, GT7 is a racing sim that offers many modes to play, cars to collect, and tracks on which to burn rubber both online and off. It’s available for preorder now (see it on Amazon).
You can choose between the launch edition and the 25th anniversary edition, each of which comes with a selection of digital extras. We have the full rundown on these editions below, along with preorder links and all the other details you need.
There’s only one version of the 25th anniversary edition. It comes with the PS5 version on disk, plus a code for the PS4 version. Here are all the extras you get with this edition:
The standard edition at launch is being called the Launch Edition, and it comes with the following digital extras:
Toyota Castrol TOM’S Supra
Mazda RX-VISION GT3 Concept (Stealth)
Porsche 917K Living Legend
100,000 in-game Credit (CR)
Gran Turismo 7 PS4-to-PS5 Upgrade
While the 25th Anniversary Edition comes with both the PS4 and PS5 version, the launch edition does not. If you want to upgrade from the PS4 version to the PS5 version, you’ll be able to do so on the PlayStation Store for $10 once the game comes out.
What Is Gran Turismo 7?
Gran Turismo 7 is the latest installment in Sony’s premier racing series. It has returning game modes like GT Campaign, Arcade, and Driving School. It also has GT Simulation Mode, which has you play through a solo campaign, collecting cars as you complete races. You can also go online to race against others in GT Sport Mode.
The game has over 420 cars to collect. Each one is intricately re-created in the game, and feels different to drive. You’ll also find over 90 tracks you can race on, complete with dynamic weather conditions, including tracks from previous Gran Turismo games.
The PS5 version has some additional features. It supports 4K and HDR, with a targeted framerate of 60fps. It loads faster than the PS4 version and features Tempest 3D AudioTech with compatible headphones, including Sony’s Pulse 3D headset (soon to be available in midnight black). The game also uses adaptive triggers and offers haptic feedback.
Other Preorder Guides
Chris Reed is a deals expert and commerce editor for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.
A Nintendo Direct is coming tomorrow, September 23, promising to show off around 40 minutes of upcoming Switch games.
Announced on Twitter, the presentation will air at 3pm Pacific / 6pm Eastern / 11pm UK (that’s September 24 at 8am AEST). It will be “focused mainly on Nintendo Switch games launching this winter.”
Amid smaller showcases, this marks the third full Nintendo Direct of the year. In February, a Direct revealed Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, Splatoon 3, Mario Golf: Super Rush and more. At E3, Nintendo finally showed more from Breath of the Wild 2, announced Metroid Dread, and revealed Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope.
Correction: This story originally said Breath of the Wild 2 was arriving in February. No release month has been announced, and the error has been corrected.
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].
Nintendo announced that a new Nintendo Direct will air tomorrow, September 23, at 3PM PT / 6PM ET. It will feature about 40 minutes of new information that focuses mainly on Switch games launching this winter.
Nintendo has quite the lineup coming for the rest of 2021, including Metroid Dread, Mario Party Superstars, Shin Megami Tensei V, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl, and Advance Wars 1 +2: Re-Boot Camp.
Since the winter period can also extend to the beginning of 2022, Nintendo also has more titles that can possibly launch then as well, such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Splatoon 3, Project Triangle Strategy, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, and possibly even the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel.
Of course, both Metroid Prime 4 and Bayonetta 3 are hotly anticipated, despite radio silence on any recent updates. Nintendo Directs are known for their shadow drops too, so there’s still hope for a surprise like Hollow Knight: Silksong.
We could potentially hear about the rumored third Xenoblade Chronicles game. It was reportedly supposed to be revealed earlier this year, but development has been difficult. Additionally, a new Nintendo Switch controller announcement is possible too. It could be a Nintendo 64 controller to tie in with N64 games coming to Switch Online, similar to what Nintendo did with SNES coming to the online service.
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Netflix showrunner André Nemec has confirmed that his live-action Cowboy Bebop is an “expansion of the canon” rather than a beat-for-beat remake of the original anime.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Nemec discussed his approach to making a live-action Cowboy Bebop for Netflix, explaining how he hadn’t wanted to replicate the story of the original anime with a direct adaptation, but rather step into its world to present an “expansion to the canon,” with some original stories that will “add things” to the mythos.
“I promise we will never take the original anime away from the purists. It will always exist out there,” Nemec assured fans of the Japanese anime classic. “But I’m very excited about the stories that we’re telling. I believe we’ve done a really nice job of not violating the canon in any direction but merely offering some extra glimpses into the world that was already created.”
We got under the skin of who the live-action characters were going to be,” he added. “I think that the poetic nature of the anime absolutely allowed for us to mine the archetypal nature of the characters and dig out deeper histories that we wanted to explore — and answer some of the questions that the anime leaves you with.”
Nemec expressed that he didn’t feel the need to “serve the exact same meal” by retelling the same story in a different form, even though he acknowledged that the anime had done such an “amazing job.” Ultimately, he felt redoing the anime would deliver disappointing results as it would “leave an audience hungry for something that they already saw.”
Cowboy Bebop will debut its 10-episode first season on Netflix on November 19 — here’s what we think the show needs to get right. The series joins several other live-action adaptations in the pipeline, including a new Netflix series based on One Piece, an Akira remake from director Taika Waititi, and a reimagined version of Your Name.
A beta test for Battlefield 2042 is expected to begin in October, and ahead of that, some people who preordered the game have reported receiving codes already. In a post on Reddit, multiple people say they received a beta code after preordering on Amazon. Stories about beta codes from Amazon were also shared on Twitter, among other places (via GamesRadar).
Some are speculating that the codes were dispatched early, due to the fact that EA delayed the Battlefield 2042 beta in correspondence with the game’s overall delay to November 19.
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The official word from EA is that the beta dates for Battlefield 2042 will be announced in September, and with the month wrapping up soon, it shouldn’t be much longer until we learn more. Codes that have been sent out already do not work.
It’s been a long road to release for Battlefield 2042 already, as DICE took an extra year to develop the game to help give developers more time to make the most out of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game supports 128 players on those platforms, compared to 64 on PS4 and Xbox One.
Explaining the delay from October to November, DICE called out the “unforeseen challenges” related to developing a big, ambitious game during a global pandemic. The studio had expected its developers to be able to return to the office by now, but this was not possible.
Plenty of games planned for 2021 have shifted to 2022, due to the impact of the pandemic and other factors. For more, check out GameSpot’s roundup of all the games delayed so far.
A game as prolific and eventful as Fortnite is sure to have a lot of debate surrounding the topic of what may be its best guns. In Fortnite, the best guns will change from season to season, as each new season brings with it new toys to try out and new themes that open up new creative avenues for Epic. After much deliberation, here are our picks for the best guns in Fortnite so far.
The Best Guns In Fortnite
The best guns in Fortnite will vary from season to season.
Burst Assault Rifle (Epic Or Legendary)
Arguably the most versatile and reliable gun in the game, a purple or orange “Bursty” is must-have loot whenever it drops from chests or into eliminated players’ loot piles. The Burst AR is extremely accurate and fires off three rounds with every trigger-pull, allowing you to recenter the gun on your likely moving target with very limited recoil. In seasons where the Burst Assault Rifle is vaulted, its absence is sorely missed.
Compact Submachine Gun
If you play like me, you always want to have a close-range weapon in your inventory. While many prefer shotguns for such encounters, I’ve found the Compact SMG gives me a better chance of winning gun battles. Shotguns are brutal but slow, whereas the Compact SMG gives you a big magazine and almost unrivaled firing rate, meaning anyone who strays too close can be eliminated swiftly with plenty of the clip left over for their teammates.
Kymera Ray Gun
We may have seen the last of the Kymera Ray Gun, but I sure hope not. This alien tech weapon acted as an alternative to the SMG class and provided a continuous stream of death ray energy the likes of which Fortnite has never seen before or since. While it’s weak on builds, it’s devastating on players and vehicles. If it meant having the island invaded again so I could play with the Kymera Ray Gun once more, I might take the deal.
Pump Shotgun (Epic Or Legendary)
Whenever the “pumpy” is unvaulted, you’ll see Fortnite fans do one of two things online: rejoice or panic. Sometimes even the same people will do a bit of both. The Pump Shotgun has long been considered overpowered, but Epic has hardly dialed it back, seeming to like it that way. It’s slightly slower reload time means hitting your first shot or two is critical, but if you do, that’ll be all you need.
Automatic Sniper Rifle
Season 8 saw the return of the Automatic Sniper Rifle after a long absence, and it quickly changed the battlefield that is the island. With a longer scope than the Scoped AR, the ASR gives you the best of both worlds: rapid-fire shooting and deadly-accurate damage, creating one of the best DPS guns in the entire game. If I could make one gun permanent–never to be vaulted again–I’d choose this one.
The Kymera Ray Gun may never come back to Fortnite since it’s so attached to the defeated aliens.
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Shadow Tracker
My favorite Mythic gun is the Shadow Tracker, and that’s for two reasons. For one, this list probably reveals I love a highly accurate weapon, and virtually none are more accurate than this silenced pistol. But its special ability of pinging targets on your map for allies to see really lifts the Shadow Tracker from a great gun worth its price in gold bars to a pivotal late-game tool in the right hands. The Shadow Tracker has won me countless matches.
Midas’ Drum Gun
When Midas was waiting at the center of the map in Season 2 of Chapter 2, his haven was the hottest spot of the season. That was owed all to his beloved Thompson, known in-game as Midas’ Drum Gun. This Exotic weapon combined the accuracy of the Compact SMG with the improved range of an AR, giving players the most-wanted gun in a season that was already obsessed with overpowered guns. With so many Mythics on the map and so many bosses to take down if you wanted one, most people flocked to take on Midas for his Tommy Gun each match.
Dragon’s Breath Sniper Rifle
This pyromaniacal sniper was already a fan-favorite gun, but it rose to new heights after Epic permanently buffed fire propagation in Chapter 2 Season 6. With each shot from the Dragon’s Breath, the immediate area is engulfed in flames, and now that fire spreads farther and faster, tearing down builds and burning through enemies with a fierceness that is as panic-inducing as it is properly deadly. Whenever this Mythic is available, it’s money well spent.
Mechanical Shockwave Bow
When the “Primal” Season 6 arrived in Chapter 2, snipers weren’t found anywhere, but in their place was a series of bows and arrows. Of those, the Mechanical Shockwave Bow was the most fun. Hitting enemies with this bow would do the initial damage from the piercing bow, but then shoot them toward the sky (or back into the storm) thanks to the attached shockwave grenade with every hit. With practice, you could even shock wave yourself over and over to traverse vast distances quickly. While this is probably the weakest gun on this list, it’s also one of the most creative when used in the right hands.
Sideways Minigun
The newest gun on this list, the Sideways Minigun is an otherworldly chain gun with accuracy that is probably too reliable for its damage. Perhaps that means a nerf is coming, but for now, we rank the Sideways Minigun as the best gun in Chapter 2 Season 8. Like other Sideways guns, the minigun is most effective when nearly overheated, so it’s designed to bring a downpour of bullets early and often onto your enemies, shredding through builds, vehicles, or anything else in its way.
Here is an early look at Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy including the game’s combat system, early story, and mechanics that emphasize a teamwork-focused approach. See how Star-Lord, Groot, Rocket, and Gamora work, or don’t, together.
