Author: Trafficblast

Apex Legends season 8 starts on February 2, and will feature the battle royale’s 16th Legend: Fuse, developer Respawn Entertainment announced Monday.

With a theme of “Mayhem,” it appears Respawn is hoping to ramp up Apex’s action. On the official Apex Legends site, Respawn is teasing that Fuse’s arrival to the tournament has dramatically reshaped Kings Canyon. There’s no new screenshots to look at, though, but Respawn says it will show off more soon.

New Legend Fuse is a brash demolitions enthusiast and thief. You can watch his origin story trailer below. When Fuse and his friend discover a golden grenade in the hands of a dead soldier on their home planet, Salvo, it sparks a rivalry between the two that lasts throughout the years. With each friend continually stealing the golden grenade from the other, while Fuse builds up a career as a ring fighter, tensions eventually boil over as Salvo joins the Syndicate planets.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/18/apex-legends-stories-from-the-outlands-good-as-gold-trailer”]

Fuse ends up telling his friend that he’s leaving Salvo to join the Apex Games, and offers her a truce, giving her the grenade. Obviously not a fan of kind gestures, this sends her off the deep end. She grabs the grenade, pulls its pin out, and surprises Fuse by tossing it at him, blowing his entire arm off. Fuse can be seen in a picture on the Apex Legends site sporting a metal arm that’s bound to be jam-packed full of weaponry.

Data miners have already found out a few details about Fuse’s abilities. “Airburst Grenade” lets him launch, what else, a grenade from his arm. His ultimate ability is believed to be “The Motherlode,” which lets him launch a missile off his back and burn anything in its path.

 [ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/17/the-biggest-games-coming-in-2021″]

Apex players who still prefer other legends won’t be left in the cold. A new weapon named the 30-30 Repeater, a futurized lever-action rifle, will become available at the start of season 8.

Apex Legends season 8 will include all the other usual stuff you’d expect: a 100-tier battle pass offering skins and other cosmetics, a ranked competitive mode, and more.

Apex Legends is also coming to Nintedo Switch sometime in 2021 after a previous delay.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/pathfinder for IGN.

Today you can save on several big titles for the PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch consoles. That includes the controversial Cyberpunk 2077 (although at this price, it’s much easier to recommend), and Hitman 3, which is out this Tuesday. Several AAA Nintendo Switch titles including Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (two “Masterpiece” rated games at IGN), and Mario Party are 33% off. These deals and more below.

Cyberpunk 2077 (PlayStation, Xbox) with SteelBook Case for $29.99

If you’ve read our review, you should already be aware that Cyberpunk 2077 for the PS4 and Xbox One consoles isn’t ready for prime time. Instead, you should get this deal if you have a PS5 or Xbox Series X. Sure there’s still a fair share of bugs, but in my opinion it’s still worth it at this price. Plus you get the Best Buy exclusive steelbook case. This price drop isn’t permanent so grab it while you can. If you can ignore the bugs, it’s still a pretty awesome game at heart.

• Get it at Best Buy for $29.99

Out Tuesday: Preorder Hitman 3 for $49.99

You can’t miss the first blockbuster release of 2021. Hitman 3 is going to be the conclusion to the World of Assassination trilogy and IO Interactive is sure to end things with a bang. The PS5 edition is discounted at Walmart and the PS4 and Xbox One editions are on sale at Amazon.

• Preorder the PS5 edition at Walmart for $49.94
• Preorder the PS4 and Xbox One editions on Amazon for $49.99

Nintendo Switch V2 (Refurb) with Full 1 Year Warranty for $259.99

Direct from Nintendo

In my opinion, a refurbished product is usually only worth the discount if still carries some form of manufacturer’s warranty. The longer the warranty, the more confident that the manufacturer is with its refurbishing process. Nintendo offers the full 1 year warranty for their refurbished Switch consoles, same as getting a brand new Switch. They’re currently in stock at Nintendo with a sweet $40 discount. And don’t worry, these are the new generation Switch consoles with model number HAC-001(-01) and the extended battery life.

• Get it from Nintendo for $259.99

More Video Game Deals

[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=daily-deals-games-roundup”]

______________________________
Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends roughly 1/4 of his income on stuff he posts. Check out his latest Daily Deals Article and subscribe to his IGN Deals Newsletter.

STALKER 2 developer GSC Game World has announced that its long awaited sequel will come to Xbox Game Pass on the day of launch, and will feature both ray tracing technology and 4K resolution support.

In a new update on the Xbox Wire blog, GSC said “you can be confident the game will come to Xbox Game Pass on day one.”

Additionally, the studio detailed the current progress of the game. “We’re progressing smoothly, including Xbox Series X|S versions as well. The aim is to deliver the product of the highest quality possible on every platform it’s announced for. With fast SSD, RTX support (both Series X and S) and 4K-resolution (Series X), we’re pleased to see how S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is shaping up to be the ultimate experience we’ve initially promised.”

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/30/stalker-2-official-in-engine-gameplay-teaser”]

Based on the in-engine trailer released in December last year, it seemed pretty much guaranteed that STALKER 2 would be pushing the graphical envelope. It’s nice to now have a guarantee that ray tracing will be available on all formats, and 4K on both Xbox Series X and PC.

Finally, the post also revealed that STALKER 2’s protagonist has the codename Skif. While nothing further has been revealed about Skif, GSC promises that “His actions will shape the new grand chapter in the history of the Zone.”

Little else is known about STALKER 2, but you can check out the first screenshot and the original Xbox announcement, as well as how the studio’s boss announced STALKER 2 without consulting anyone.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

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

Apex Legends Season 8: Mayhem officially starts February 2, and it brings a ton of new content to Respawn’s battle royale. Per usual, players can expect a brand-new character, and the season is adding a new weapon and map changes as well.

Season 8’s new character is Fuse, a laid-back man with an enthusiasm for explosives. As seen in a brand-new animated trailer, Fuse has had a tumultuous life leading up to his addition to the Apex Games. Fuse–whose real name is Wally–grew up on Salvo, fighting for his planet’s freedom alongside his best friend all through their childhood, teenage years, and young adult lives.

However, Wally grew disillusioned with their cause, instead finding his true passion in the pursuit of battling it out in the Bone Cage, creating a rift between the two friends. Eventually, Wally’s prestige in the arena won him a ticket off-world to join the Apex Games. He hoped to patch things up with his friend, but she angrily blew him off–quite literally, like with an actual grenade that blew off his arm. The two parted on poor terms, with Wally asking her to throw out his old arm for him before walking out to, assumedly, get medical attention and a prosthetic.

With the start of Season 8, Apex Legends’ roster of playable characters has officially doubled since launch, reaching 16–10 of which you need to purchase with in-game currency. Season 8 also adds the 30-30 Repeater, a lever-action rifle. Additionally, Kings Canyon makes a return–following its removal at the start of Season 7–with a brand-new look, which includes The Mirage Voyage parking itself where Skull Town once stood.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Quarantine will not be released on March 21, despite Ubisoft’s own Connect service listing that release date.

Fans noticed that the Ubisoft Connect website had begun listing the game for PS4, Xbox One and PC release on March 21, 2021 (screenshot below). However, an Ubisoft spokesperson confirmed to IGN that this date is incorrect. It’s not clear what has caused the error.

Rainbow Six Quarantine is currently slated only for a release in Ubisoft’s 2021-22 financial year (from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022), after being formally delayed, along with Far Cry 6, in October last year. Some had taken the Ubisoft Connect date to mean that the game’s release had been quietly pushed forward but, sadly, it’s not to be.

First announced at E3 2019, Quarantine is a spin-off from Rainbow Six Siege, and particularly its popular Outbreak limited-time event. The 3-player PvE game will see squads of operators taking on the creations of a deadly new parasite, using FPS reflexes and tactics to survive.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/06/11/rainbow-six-quarantine-full-presentation-e3-2019″]

The game was initially scheduled for Early 2020, but has seen two delays, one in late 2019, and another in 2020. The most recent delay was tied directly to the workflow issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The name, and its associations, probably aren’t a huge help at this moment, either.

Along with Quarantine and Far Cry 6, Ubisoft now also has a Star Wars game in development at Ubisoft Massive, which will be the beginning of a “long-term collaboration” between the French developer-publisher and Disney.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

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].

A patent filed by Take-Two Interactive details a new Rockstar-developed system for managing NPC navigation, with details explicitly referring to vehicle road routes and behaviour.

The patent application, entitled ‘System And Method For Virtual Navigation In A Gaming Environment’, was filed by Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two, in October 2020, and was recently discovered by Reddit users. The system described within it was developed by Rockstar’s lead AI programmer, Simon Parr, and David Hynd, Rockstar’s associate director of technology.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=every-ign-rockstar-game-review-ever&captions=true”]

This new system is designed to create “a realistic virtual world that is not limited by hardware and software limitations,” which is a response to conventional systems that are unable to produce the kind of NPC behaviours players expect within the limits of current processor and memory bandwidth. This is specifically in relation to traffic behaviour; the patent details boats, cars, and drivers throughout. The system outlined would result in a more realistic and immersive simulation of traffic.

Of particular note is that the system means “each NPC can define its own specific characteristics for traversing the road nodes.” These characteristics include understanding acceleration, breaking time and distances, top speeds, and cornering speeds. NPCs and AI systems would be able to use these characteristics to generate more life-like drivers on the roads of a video game world.

Without jumping to concrete conclusions, it is possible that a system designed by Rockstar programmers for a vehicular traffic system could be for Grand Theft Auto 6. The project is not mentioned by the patent, but IGN understands that GTA 6 is currently in development at Rockstar, and so it’s not unreasonable to assume new technology will be produced for the game.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/09/gta-online-the-cayo-perico-heist-trailer”]

Of particular note is a line of the patent that explains the system is for “virtual navigation and management of objects in a multiplayer network gaming community.” If the system has been designed for a multiplayer game, it raises the question of if Grand Theft Auto 6 will be an online experience. Alternatively, perhaps this system has been built to be implemented into GTA Online; the details refer to Xbox One and PS4 consoles rather than the next-gen machines that GTA 6 would presumably be released on.

Additionally, the system is described to work via a cloud network communicating with player consoles. If the system is for GTA 6, even if the game is not multiplayer-only it may well be that the game demands an always-on internet connection to provide the processing for NPC behaviour.

For context, the patent includes an evaluation of the current deficiencies with NPC navigation systems, noting that limited resources mean that the simulation is reduced in complexity. Current processing power and memory restrictions mean some NPCs “fade out of existence as the player approaches the NPC,” the patent explains. It notes that current NPC systems only allow only for a predetermined number of NPC controlled cars, and that “players of a video game would expect to see more than a predetermined number of NPC controlled cars in a video game for a realistic experience.” Additionally, the patent also describes that current conventional systems rely on behaviour that has “no high level knowledge” of traffic, which can lead to vehicles being unable to plan accordingly for blocked roads. The new system is designed to prevent situations like this.

While Rockstar has been quiet about the development of the next Grand Theft Auto, it recently released The Cayo Perico Heist for GTA Online, which was the result of seven years of game evolution and finally allows a solo-player approach for GTA Online content.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

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

After a messy launch and more than its fair share of bugs, developers at CD Projekt Red have been hard at work issuing patches to address the game’s most glaring issue. Yet hotfix 1.06, an important patch that launched just before Christmas for consoles and PC, has only just arrived for Stadia players, many of whom were counting the extra days they had to wait for the fix.

In a CDPR forum thread about the hotfix, disgruntled Stadia players counted the days since the hotfix launched on other platforms, with one commenter still suffering from the missing Dum Dum glitch that the hotfix addresses.

The hotfix has a number of extra bug fixes on Stadia, which may have been why the patch was so delayed on Google’s game streaming platform. The Stadia-specific patch notes are as follows:

• Improved driving mechanics for story NPCs while V’s a passenger.
• Fixed rare crashes upon loading near end-game saves, and repaired some of the previously broken saves.
• Weapons should no longer get stuck when using gadgets (such as grenades) or shooting in quick succession.
• V should no longer randomly get stuck in a Strong Attack position.
• V should no longer randomly switch to a sprint while crouching forward.
• Fixed the inability to reload weapons or use grenades and consumables.

Players on platforms who’ve had the 1.06 patch loaded for weeks are already waiting on the next 1.07 patch to arrive, which is expected by the end of January. The stakes are high for Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red, which is facing fines and lawsuits if upcoming patches don’t sufficiently improve the game in a reasonable timeframe.

The company is now also dealing with a new report on Cyberpunk 2077’s development process, which claims development didn’t really begin until 2016, and that insiders didn’t believe the game would be ready in time for announced release dates.