Author: Trafficblast

Assassin Creed Valhalla’s Siege of Paris expansion has arrived, and much like the previous DLC episode that saw Eivor leave England behind for an adventure in Ireland, the Viking Warrior is on another globe-trotting expedition. This time the journey takes Eivor to France for a chance to dethrone King Charles the Fat from his Parisian throne during the historically accurate conflict between the Vikings and Frankish troops in the ninth century.

Reviews are in for the last planned expansion in the current season pass, with most critics having mixed feelings over Eivor’s latest expansion. While the stronger mission structure, late-game challenges, and infiltration missions have received positive attention, Siege of Paris’ shortcomings boils down to repetitive challenges, a smaller environment than Wrath of the Druids, and an uninteresting atmosphere when compared to other locations in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

If you’re still interested in trying it out, you can access the DLC from August 12 as standalone content that’s available from the Xbox and PlayStation storefronts, or through the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla season pass.

• Game: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Siege of Paris
• Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
• Developer: Ubisoft
• Release Date: August 12
• Price: $25

PC Gamer – (No Score)

“If you’re ready for an Assassin’s Creed journey without the pomp and circumstance of Mercia, then following in Ragnar’s footsteps is the sure-fire way to go. It’s a starkly bleak change of pace for Valhalla, but this nosedive into misery is oddly refreshing. There’s no real feeling that everything is going to be okay in The Siege of Paris. If there’s anything European cinema has taught us it’s that life isn’t all sunshine and roses. Sometimes there’s death, defeat and constant struggle, but it doesn’t mean a well-rounded ending for all can’t be found. True historical accuracy aside, if you want a glimpse into the reality of the Viking vs Frankish conflict of the 9th century, The Siege of Paris is a beautifully grim portrayal.” — Lauren Aitken [Full review]

IGN – 6/10

“Even with the satisfying creative freedom of its Infiltrations and the brisk bite that scythes add to combat, The Siege of Paris doesn’t feel like an essential addition to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Its story provides a truly memorable menace in King Charles, but otherwise doesn’t stand out much from what we’ve already seen, substituting Breton soldiers with Frankish ones. Valhalla of course remains fun on its own merits, but the base adventure already has Mjolonir’s weight in nearly identical content.” — Jarrett Green [Full review]

Rock Paper Shotgun – (No Score)

“Repetition stings more here than it did in the main campaign as traditionally Assassin’s Creed DLC has been a place for designers to test out weirder ideas. Think of Syndicate’s hunt for Jack the Ripper, or getting a suite of magic powers to fight a godlike George Washington in AC3, or taking a visually spectacular tour of the afterlife in Odyssey. If anything, The Siege of Paris’ run of strong missions and knottier story feels like what Valhalla probably should have been in the first place; a tantalizing glimpse of a better game penned into an eight hour DLC. It only dips its toe into the giant, plastic skull full of red wine; time for a bolder developer to take the plunge.” — Matthew Castle [Full review]

WCFTech – 6.3/10

“With a story that fails to go beyond serviceable and some not particularly inspired characters, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris fails to reach the heights of the Wrath of the Druid expansion, basically offering more of the same in a somewhat uninteresting setting. The Infiltration Missions, a nice callback to earlier entries in the series, are not enough to salvage an experience that only the most die-hard Assassin’s Creed Valhalla fans will thoroughly enjoy.” — Francesco De Meo [Full review]

VG247 – 4/5

“Ultimately, the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Siege of Paris DLC is a worthy add-on with a good story and great emphasis on more interactive gameplay. While its narrative stakes feel relatively low, Eivor has real impetus in how everything unfolds throughout the well-paced plot.” — James Billcliffe [Full review]

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

Star Wars: Tales From the Galaxy’s Edge – Last Call will be released on the Oculus Quest in Fall 2021, and ILMxLAB has shared a teaser trailer and has revealed some of the new characters fans will encounter in this new adventure to that galaxy far, far away, including one from Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Star Wars: Tales From the Galaxy’s Edge – Last Call is the sequel to last year’s Tales From the Galaxy’s Edge and will bring players back to the Outer Rim and will put them face-to-face with such characters as Dok-Ondar – who can be seen at the real Galaxy’s Edge – and the return of Seezelslak in this “epic conclusion.”

There will also be other new characters in this VR story, including Lens Kamo, the “badass daughter of scholar parents who developed a healthy respect for history. She went into treasure hunting with the sole purpose of getting artifacts out of sites without harming them, and keeping them out of reach of the destructive collectors — by any means necessary.”

Fans of Star Wars: The Last Jedi will also be in for a treat as Baron Yasto Attsmun – who can be seen in The Last Jedi on his luxurious yacht in Canto Bight – will make an appearance. His ship is called the Undisputed Victor and, according to the “masseuse Lexo Sooger, he never acknowledges the less elite members of Canto Bight society let alone even look them in the eye.” He is also an ultra-wealthy industrialist who sells cybernetic parts throughout the galaxy.

“Welcome back to Batuu! Dok-Ondar has pulled up a seat in Seezelslak’s cantina and he has a job for you. The infamous ithorian sends you deep into the Batuuu wilds in search of a lost artifact. You’ll team up with the relic hunter Lens Kamo and battle against the evil Baron Attsmun.” said game director Jose Perez III. “We are super excited to continue to expand the Star Wars galaxy and hope fans swing by for Last Call.”

If that isn’t enough Star Wars for you, be sure to check out all the latest details on Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, the immersive two-night vacation experience headed to Walt Disney World that also gives guests access to the Black Spire Outpost on Batuu to see many of the locations you will see in Tales From the Galaxy’s Edge.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Microsoft’s latest ID@Xbox showcase dropped a number of new game announcements including Lightyear Frontier, an open world farming exploration game that mixes agriculture with mechs on an alien planet.

The game from Swedish studio Frame Break sees players exploring and farming on an alien planet, either solo or co-op with up to three other players. Lightyear Frontier mixes classic farming features with crafting, resource management, and base building, with players using their farmed resources to upgrade their mechas. The souped-up machines can be used both to unlock new areas for exploration and to craft, plant, and harvest crops and resources.

While Lightyear Frontier won’t include any deadly threats to the player character, it will involve protecting crops your crops and base from dangers including environmental and weather hazards. The game will also include a mystery for players to unravel as they explore ancient ruins on the planet they call home.

Lightyear Frontier will be releasing first through Steam in early access, followed by an Xbox release. The game doesn’t currently have a release window for either platform, but the studio has encouraged fans to join the game’s Discord, saying it wants to collaborate with the community during development.

To make sure you’re ready for the next limited drop, follow @IGNUKDeals on Twitter for instant updates, and make sure your Amazon Prime account is logged in and ready to go.

PS5: Amazon Prime Members Get Priority

Where to Find a PS5 in the UK

How to Get a PS5 in the UK

Be Logged Into Retailer Websites

When an online retailer gets PS5 in stock, it seems like everyone on the planet is scrambling to lock in their order. Retailer websites often become ultra-buggy thanks to all the stress on their servers. Your best bet for getting a PS5 when orders become available is to already be logged into your account, and to have your credit card information saved there. That way you won’t waste precious seconds entering your credit card number, billing address, etc. while everyone around you is successfully checking out.

Follow IGN UK Deals on Twitter for PS5 Stock Updates

For the most up-to-the-second information about where you can find PS5 in stock at any given time, you’ll want to follow

@IGNUKDeals on Twitter. Since the stock of the new console is likely to sell out within a matter of minutes after it goes live, your best bet is to follow our deals team on Twitter, where we’ll post links as soon as they go live.Decide Whether You Want to Buy a PS5 BundleQuite a number of retailers will now sell PS5s in massive bundles with all sorts of gizmos thrown in. This could be controllers, headsets, games, or even t-shirts and hats like at GAME.Before you jump into the PS5 hunt, decide whether you want just the console, or if you don’t mind paying extra to get it with a few different extras. When buying via GAME, you can normally only get the bundles when stock is available.

How Much Does a PS5 Cost?

PS5 costs £449.99, while the digital-only edition will cost £349.99.

Is PS5 Backwards Compatible?

Yes, you can play the vast majority of your PS4 games on PS5. You can’t, however, play your PS5 games on your PS4. It seems like a silly thing to clarify, but considering Xbox games are currently cross-generation, it’s worth mentioning.

Streamer Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm is starting up his own gaming studio and is looking for a studio head to help run and co-found it.

According to a job listing Beahm shared on his Twitter account, the former Call of Duty level designer is looking for a co-founder to help start up a new “AA/AAA gaming studio” that has a unique twist.

According to Beahm, whatever game this studio ends up making, it will be developed in “partnership with a select list of mega influencers” who will work closely with the studio to “launch their dream game.”

The job opening is asking for a co-founder and studio head who will manage the studio and develop and publish the game targeting PC and consoles.

While plenty of streamers have dabbled with game development, Beahm actually was a former developer who became a full-time streamer. But he isn’t without controversy.

In 2020, Beahm was permanently banned from Twitch for reasons that still aren’t fully clear to this day. Instead, Beahm decamped to YouTube, though not under any exclusive contract like he was previously at Twitch before his ban. Beahm was once temporarily banned from Twitch for bringing a filming crew inside an E3 bathroom.

Will the influencer’s dream game become the next hit or resemble something like The Homer? Time will tell.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN’s News Editor.

Xbox announces its big Gamescom event. We make our predictions for what we think we’re going to see, along with what we think we might not see at this particular event. Plus: our highlights from the second Xbox Twitch indie showcase, Dead Space’s maybe-earlier-than-expected release date, what we want from Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s new South Park game, what Mass Effect: Legendary Edition’s strong sales mean for Mass Effect 4, and more!

Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our new YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 download of this week’s episode. For more awesome content, check out our Halo Infinite Flight performance preview, which does a deep-dive tech analysis on the still-in-development slice of Halo Infinite multiplayer:

Oh, and you can be featured on Unlocked by tweeting us a video Loot Box question! Tweet your question and tag Ryan at @DMC_Ryan!

For more next-gen coverage, make sure to check out our Xbox Series X review, our Xbox Series S review, and our PS5 review.