Author: Trafficblast

Welcome to the IGN Unfiltered, our monthly interview series where we sit down with the best, brightest, and most fascinating minds in the video game industry. (Catch up on the other 40-something episodes here.) Our guests this month are Valve’s Robin Walker and Chris Remo two of the developers behind the long-awaited return of Half-Life in the form of Half-Life: Alyx. In this interview, Walker and Remo discuss everything from the unexpected origins of The Orange Box, Alyx’s insane level of audio-design detail, Left 4 Dead 3, Portal VR, and much more – including, yes, Half-Life 3.

Check out the episode in the video above, but if you’d prefer to listen to the hour-long interview, here’s an audio-only podcast download link. One way or the other we hope you’ll check out the interview!

Here’s a preview clip, in which Walker discusses where those Left 4 Dead 3 rumors from a while back came from:

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And if you missed it, here’s the previous episode of Unfiltered, in id Software’s Hugo Martin and Marty Stratton discuss Doom’s long road back to greatness leading up to the release of the fantastic Doom Eternal:

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Catch up on every episode of IGN Unfiltered here, including conversations with Bethesda game director Todd Howard, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, former PlayStation boss Jack Tretton, Journey creator Jenova Chen, Halo boss Bonnie Ross, and many more!

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Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.

Back in 2015, Konami cancelled Hideo Kojima’s Silent Hills, a much-anticipated reboot to the cult horror series. In recent weeks, rumors of a new Silent Hill game–or a restart to development on Silent Hills–have swirled around certain online gaming spaces, with some even analyzing Kojima’s tweets for cheeky hints. Well, before you start hanging your Pyramid Head flag from your porch again, you might want to wait a bit, because a Konami US representative has flatly denied the rumors.

“We’re aware of all the rumors and reports but can confirm that they are not true. I know it’s not the answer your fans may want to hear,” said the Konami US rep.

Though Rely On Horror–the site that’s reported on many of these rumors–notes that they specifically involved Konami Japan, not Konami US, it’s unclear to what extent that matters. Then again, if secret talks are indeed currently in progress, it’s not exactly surprising that a PR person would deny them.

Even though Silent Hills may never emerge, its famous demo PT remains one of the most celebrated examples of video game horror, and it’s still finding new ways to scare us today. Intrepid YouTuber and video game hacker Lance McDonald recently revealed some unseen behavior of one of PT’s enemies, which is sure to haunt your dreams.

The roguelike Risk of Rain 2 is getting a pair of big updates–one today on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, and the other later this month on PC. The Hidden Realms update catches the console versions up with the PC update that’s been out since December. At the end of March, the PC version will add the Artifacts 2.0 update.

The Artifacts 2.0 update is coming to PC on March 31, with no console release date announced. Artifacts are earned by completing challenges and then can be equipped at the start of a run to add new modifiers to the game. Aside from the artifacts themselves, the Artifacts update will add a new Sky Meadow stage, a monster returning from the first game, and a hidden boss. You’ll also get new skill variants for Commando, Huntress, Engineer, and Acrid, a new Engineer skin, and new loot.

As with the PC version, Hidden Realms adds the melee-focused survivor Acrid, who has a passive poison ability and can release a deadly cloud as his special. It also adds some new biomes, enemies, and of course, extra loot to collect.

If you’d like to give Risk of Rain 2 a try, it will be free to download on Xbox One as part of Free Play Days from March 26-29, and then it will be 40% off on Xbox after that. It will be 20% off Steam from March 31 to April 6, and playable for free through a Steam Free Weekend April 2-6. Finally, it’s 50% off on the Nintendo Switch Eshop until April 2.

Risk of Rain 2 is a follow-up to the indie space roguelike that took the game into 3D but kept the familiar looting mechanics. It received generally positive reviews on GameSpot sister site Metacritic and has an “overwhelmingly positive” rating on Steam.

Xbox head Phil Spencer has outlined ways that Microsoft hopes to help people through their social distancing during the coronavirus outbreak, starting with special educational content to be distributed through Minecraft. In a blog post, Spencer cited “unprecedented demand for gaming.”

Part of that includes more kids going online to spend time with friends since they aren’t in schools. Spencer says that families are trying to strike a balance between socializing and fun, and continuing education through distance learning. To that end, Minecraft has opened a new Education category to the Minecraft Marketplace, which houses free educational content curated by Microsoft.

The first pieces of curated content include a model of the International Space Station, a coding lesson, recreations of Washington DC landmarks, lessons on 3D fractals and marine biology, and more. These free tools will be available through June 30, 2020.

We had previously heard that Poland was encouraging kids to use Minecraft to continue socializing while maintaining social distancing.

In the blog post, Spencer also reviews some family-friendly tools in Xbox consoles, like family settings for limiting free time and content filters, and a Copilot feature to let two controllers function as one.

“We understand the important role gaming is playing right now to connect people and provide joy in these isolating and stressful times, and our teams are working diligently to ensure we can be there for our players,” Spencer concluded. “To that end, we are actively monitoring performance and usage trends to ensure we’re optimizing the service for our customers worldwide and accommodating for new growth and demand.”

Plague Inc. developer Ndemic Creations’ game simulates what might happen in the event of an unstoppable pandemic, but the company is now doing its part to stop one. Ndemic announced this week that it donated $250,000 in order to fight the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The donation was made to the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations as well as the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. The former is dedicated to developing and financing vaccines to treating new infectious disease, while the latter is focused on preventing, detecting, and treating COVID-19 worldwide.

“Eight years ago, I never imagined the real world would come to resemble a game of Plague Inc., or that so many players would be using Plague Inc. to help them get through an actual pandemic,” the game’s creator James Vaughan said in the announcement. “We are proud to be able to help support the vital work of the WHO and CEPI as they work towards finding a vaccine for COVID-19.”

A new mode is also coming to Plague Inc. that focuses on stopping a global outbreak. The mode will include techniques currently being implemented to stop the coronavirus from spreading, including quarantining and social distancing. Experts from the WHO and Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network are assisting with development, and it will be a free update for all players.

Plague Inc. was removed from the Chinese App Store after regulators ruled it contained illegal content. Government officials didn’t clarify if the decision was made as a direct result of the outbreak, but sales had spiked in the country in the previous month.

Each week, Microsoft discounts a huge selection of games on the Xbox Store. This week’s deals just went live and are led by a Resident Evil franchise sale. The timing is perfect, as the Resident Evil 3 remake launches April 3 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Microsoft is also hosting a promotion on game add-ons for popular titles like Grand Theft Auto V, Rocket League, Black Desert, and NBA 2K20. If you spend $50 or more on microtransactions until March 31, you’ll get $5 back ($10 if you’re a Game Pass subscriber). Square Enix’s publisher sale is still live for another week, so there’s still time to get a bunch of Final Fantasy games for cheap.

If you feel like replaying old Resident Evil games again or stepping into their frightful worlds for the first time, now’s a good time to take the plunge. Last year’s superb Resident Evil 2 remake is 50% off at $20. Meanwhile, the most recent mainline game, Resident Evil 7, drops to $15 (was $20). Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 5, and Resident Evil 6 are even cheaper–each are available for just $8 (were $20).

On the lookout for a gripping adventure? All three modern Tomb Raider games are on sale for really low prices. Tomb Raider (2013) is down to $6 (was $30), Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration drops to $9 (was $30), and Shadow of the Tomb Raider is $19.79 (was $60).

You can also save big on a few blockbuster hits from the last couple of years. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey: Gold Edition–which includes all post-launch DLC–is on sale for just $25 (was $100). The Division 2: Warlords of New York Edition comes with the recent expansion and is on sale for $40.19 (was $60), and Capcom’s excellent action-RPG Monster Hunter World is $15 (was $30).

As always, Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can shop an expanded selection of deals. The biggie this week is A Plague Tale: Innocence–one of GameSpot’s best games of 2019–for $16.49, which is the lowest price we’ve seen.

You can browse the full slate of Xbox One deals at the Microsoft Store and check out our curated picks below. You don’t necessarily have to spend money to enjoy some new gaming experiences. Right now, there are a ton of free games available to download across all platforms.

Best Xbox One game deals

*indicates deals exclusive to Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass Ultimate subscribers

Death Stranding is coming to PC this summer with a few enhancements, including an expanded photo mode. However, PS4 players won’t be left out, as the console version is getting an update that gives you even more ways to take pictures during your cross-country journey.

Director Hideo Kojima revealed the news on his official Twitter account, saying the PS4 version will actually be getting the PC version’s photo mode before the PC version is out. His studio’s goal is currently to have it out by the end of the month in a title update.

Once released, the update will let you take images of protagonist Sam while you’re exploring the world and delivering supplies. Previously, you could snap images while Sam looked into the mirror in his room, complete with silly faces.

With filters and text available for the images, it should turn both PS4 and PC players into artists during their journey. There is certainly plenty of time to take pictures during the game’s long runtime, especially during its early chapters.

When Death Stranding releases for PC on June 2, it will include a high frame rate option, as well as ultra-wide monitor support and Half-Life content. Fellow PS4 exclusive Horizon: Zero Dawn will join the game with a PC launch, though you shouldn’t expect all Sony-published games to do the same.

Death Stranding is an ambitious game, and one that requires a major commitment. In GameSpot’s Death Stranding review, Kallie Plagge praised its unique take on multiplayer and shift away from traditional video game violence.