Category: Games

Whether you just want to learn how to pop an ollie or join the Hall of Meat, now you can do it all on a deck from the team developing Skate 4. A giveaway announced on the game’s Twitter account will leave just a few lucky participants with a killer new deck for their board.

There are two ways to enter the sweepstakes and get a chance to win a custom Skate-inspired deck. Each day from July 26 to July 30, you can enter a daily drawing either on Twitter or Discord. To enter on Twitter, you need to follow the Skate account and then “like” the post with the hashtag EASkateSweepstakes. It’s worth noting that your entry will only be counted if you like the post between 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET and 11:59 PM PT / 2:59 AM ET that same day. For example, today’s drawing period stretches from 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET on July 26 to 11:59 PM PT / 2:59 AM ET on July 26.

You can also enter the sweepstakes via Discord. First, you’ll have to join the Skate Discord server, and then you’ll have to find a post from a channel or mod in the server’s giveaways-and-contests channel. Once you’ve found it, just react to the post before the daily period is up.

Naturally, the sweepstakes has some rules to abide by, but they shouldn’t be a problem as long as you’ve reached the age of majority in your country.

A release date for the next entry in the Skate franchise hasn’t been revealed yet, but developer Full Circle recently released a teaser trailer indicating that it’s hard at work. The franchise, which hasn’t received a new entry since 2010’s Skate 3, was notably left out of EA’s Play Live 2021 event.

Universal’s Peacock streaming service has acquired the rights to a new Exorcist trilogy that will see Ellen Burstyn reprise her role of Chris MacNeil, the mother of the possessed child in the original 1973 movie.

This news comes by way of Deadline, which reports that Universal Pictures and Peacock, in collaboration with Blumhouse and Morgan Creek, have closed a $400 million-plus deal to purchase the rights for this new exorcist franchise. It will be directed by David Gordon Green, who directed 2018’s Halloween and Halloween Kills sequel.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/07/24/halloween-director-will-make-a-direct-sequel-to-the-exorcist-ign-the-fix-entertainment”]

Leslie Odom Jr., who played the original Aaron Burr in Hamilton on Broadway, is set to star in the trilogy as the father of a demon-possessed child. As for how Burstyn’s Chris MacNeil character gets drawn into the story, Deadline reports that Odom Jr.’s character will reach out to Chris MacNeil for help.

Universal says the franchise will play out across three films and describes the trilogy as a “continuation” of the 1973 classic, rather than a remake. The first of three movies will hit theaters on October 13, 2023, but the New York Times reports that the other two movies could premiere on Peacock.

Blumhouse’s Jason Blum is set to produce the three movies alongside Morgan Creek’s David Robinson and James Robinson. The trilogy’s director, Green, will executive produce the film alongside Couper Samuelson and Danny McBride.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”slug=5-truly-twisted-horror-movies-that-are-worth-watching-once&captions=true”]

Blum says he’s grateful for what feels like “top notch support through the lifeline of the film” by way of Universal, Morgan Creek, and his team at Blumhouse.

The Exorcist was released in 1973 and quickly became a hit, grossing over $441 million to date, that has since spawned sequels, TV shows, and more. Burstyn was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Chris MacNeil, which was just one of the film’s 10 Academy Award nominations in total.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/06/25/halloween-kills-official-trailer”]

This deal has seemingly been in the works for some time as it was reported last December that an Exorcist sequel was in development with Blumhouse and Green. This trilogy seems to be that sequel since it’s going to be a continuation of the original 1973 movie’s story. After reading about that, check out IGN’s top 25 horror movies of all time to see where The Exorcist lands on the list.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

During a presentation at GDC 2021, Gears of War developer The Coalition revealed its first technical demo using the latest tools in Unreal Engine 5, including its impressive Lumen lighting system and Nanite, the engine’s virtualized geometry system.

The demo, titled Alpha Point, isn’t meant to represent any work on an existing game, but rather just the studio’s first attempt at forming its working pipeline within the new engine for projects going forward. The demo is brief, with assets similar to the initial Unreal Engine 5 demo from last year. Despite that, it’s got some glimpses of striking lighting and incredibly detailed geometry that is becoming a staple of Unreal Engine 5 showings.

In addition to Alpha Point, The Coalition also released a character render demo within Unreal Engine 5, too. The static model is packed with detail, letting you make out individual hairs in the beard and small blemishes on the character’s armor. In both cases, the scenes were rendered in real-time on the Xbox Series X with an early version of Unreal Engine 5.

The full presentation from The Coalition is available online, too, presented by studio technical director Kate Rayner. It’s an in-depth discussion on the studio’s progress with Unreal Engine 5, as well as all the technology used in both demos above.

The Coalition has not announced its latest project yet. It is releasing Operation 8 for Gears 5 soon, which will be the game’s last official content drop of its kind as the studio moves resources to future projects.

The Lord of the Rings Illustrated Hardcover Edition is out in October and now there’s a huge incentive to preordering one. Amazon just dropped the price today by 40% and everybody who already preordered it in the past will automatically have their price adjusted. For those of you who are interested in picking up this book, it’s unlikely that the price will drop any more than it is right now. Other deals today include the lowest price ever on Back to the Future Ultimate Trilogy in 4K, Monster Energy Drinks, Mario Kart, and Apple AirPods Pro.

The Lord of the Rings Illustrated Edition Hardcover

[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=daily-deals-lord-of-the-rings-illustrated-edition”]

This LotR Illustrated Hardcover Edition hasn’t been released yet (it’s out October 19), but it just saw it’s second massive price drop today. Last week this book was discounted for the first time ever from $75 down to $59.99 (20% off). Today, there’s yet another discount for a total of 40% off the original price. If you’ve already preordered this book, don’t fret; Amazon will automatically guarantee you the lowest price. This massive 1,200+ page tome includes illustrations from author JRR Tolkien, for the first time in any edition of the series since 1954.

Monster Energy Zero Ultra, Sugar Free Energy Drink

[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=daily-deals-monster-energy-drink”]

This deal is always popular with the IGN crowd when it comes along. Monster Energy Drinks usually cost about $2-$3 apiece at your local convenience store. On sale you might be lucky to find them for about $1.50. This deal lets you cop a 24-pack for only $1.05 apiece. Get it to under $1 per can if you add a total of five items to your current Amazon Subscribe & Save order. This is in my opinion the best tasting of the zero calorie energy drinks.

Back to the Future Ultimate Trilogy in 4K UHD

[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=daily-deals-back-to-the-future”]

Amazon just dropped its price from $56 down to $29.99, a savings of 46% and the lowest price we’ve ever seen for this super popular set. You’re essentially getting each movie for $10 each, not including the loads of extras you get as well. All three Back to the Future movies are faithfully remastered in glorious 4K for the first time ever.

Mario Kart Live Home Circuit for Switch

[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=daily-deals-mario-live-home-circuit”]

Here’s another deal that’s the lowest price ever. Mario Kart Live combines the traditional Mario Kart video game with an actual remote-controlled car. Your house is the literal race track. The car doesn’t feel like a cheap toy either; it’s a decent size and weight, with good responsive controls, and a built-in camera so that it can see its surroundings and set up a virtual course. If you have multiple cars, up to 4 players can race around the house together.

[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=daily-deals-mario-live-home-circuit-2&type=list”]

Cooler Master Caliber R2 Gaming Chair

[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=daily-deals-cooler-master-gaming-chair”]

This Cooler Master chair normally sells for $299, but this particularly slick purple/black color scheme is on sale right now for $229, or 23% off. If you want something higher quality like a Secretlab but don’t want to pay over $400, then this chair might be right up your alley. Cooler Master is a reputable brand that’s known to make quality products, and this chair is no exception. It has all the bells and whistles you’d except for a high-end gaming chair, like molded foam and PU leather upholstery, up to 180-degree recline, 2D armrests, included headrest and lumbar pillows, full adjustability, and more.

WD Easystore 5TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive

[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=daily-deals-wd-easystore-portable-hard-drive”]

This portable hard drive adds more storage to your PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Portable drives are much smaller than their desktop hard drive siblings and require no additional power other than the obligatory USB port.

Apple AirPods Pro Noise-Cancelling Earbuds

[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=daily-deals-july-8-2021″]

If you regret not picking the Airpods Pro up on Amazon Prime Day at 24% off, here’s your chance to get it today at the same price. The AirPods Pro is considered one of the best noise-cancelling in-ear headphones you can get, especially for under $200, and it’s significantly better than even the vanilla AirPods.

Coway Airmega 200M True HEPA Air Purifier

[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=daily-deals-air-purifier”]

If you’re been waiting for a good deal on an air purifier, you’re in luck. The very well-rated Coway Airmega is normally priced at $229, but today Walmart is offering $100 off. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for this model since the pandemic started. The Airmega is a True HEPA purifier, which means that it is certified to trap 99.97 percent of particles that are 0.3 microns in size. The Airmega uses a 4-way filtration system (permanent and washable prefilter, charcoal filter, True HEPA filter, and ionizer). The 200M model covers 361 square feet. The best thing about this purifier is that True HEPA filter replacements are inexpensive.

More Daily Deals for July 26

[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=daily-deals-week-of-july-26″]

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends roughly 1/4 of his income on stuff he posts. Check out the IGN Deals articles and subscribe to the IGN Deals Twitter page.

A determined Reddit user has managed to reconstruct cut dialogue between Ellie and Joel buried in the game files of The Last Of Us 2. It’s a brief conversation where Joel asks Ellie about the origins of her tattoo.

That user, taegukie, suggests that the dialogue was originally intended to happen in the “Finding Strings” flashback, where Joel talks about the comic he’s been reading. The “moth hologram” mentioned in the audio is a fictional element of the Savage Starlight comic, and could possibly be the original source of Ellie’s moth tattoo. That source was later changed to Joel’s guitar in the final game.

Taegukie states in the Reddit post that reconstructing the dialogue isn’t as easy as it seems, because they’re not listed in a logical order in the game files. In other The Last Of Us news, fans recently released a short film inspired by the zombie franchise, and it’s pretty impressive. Additionally, Naughty Dog confirmed that it’s working on a new multiplayer game set in The Last Of Us universe, and it seems they’re still hiring roles for that project. Additionally, a remake of the original The Last of Us is in the works.

Alongside brand new screenshots, Playground Games has detailed the 11 unique biomes players will drive through when Forza Horizon 5 released later this year.

As revealed on Xbox Wire, Forza Horizon’s locations are just as important as its cars, and Forza Horizon 5 is no different. This latest game is set in Mexico, and the team made sure that each biome was “painstakingly researched and recreated by the team.”

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/06/13/forza-horizon-5-release-date-trailer”]

“Our team collects reference from the location and creates concept images that highlight the beauty and unique detail for each biome. We employ techniques such as photogrammetry to recreate the environment with precision accuracy,” says Don Arceta, Art Director for Forza Horizon 5 at Playground Games. “And we bring the beauty of the world in, through the sights and sounds you’ll find throughout every area. The goal of the artistic process is to make it feel like you’re really there.”

Playground also confirmed that seasons, which first debuted in Forza Horizon 4, will also be returning for the fifth entry. However, each of the 11 biomes will experience these seasons differently. The team explains that “spring means the rainy season in the jungles and farmland of Mexico, while summer could bring intense tropical thunderstorms along the coasts.”

As for the biomes themselves, they are detailed below in the slideshow and images by Playground Games and help make up a map that is one-and-a-half times the size of Forza Horizon 4’s;

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”slug=forza-horizon-5-biomes&captions=true”]

Forza Horizon 5 Biomes

Canyon

You might recognize this as the biome that was shown in the Forza Horizon 5 reveal trailer in June. It’s filled with rock formations patterned with unique striations, many of which erode into hoodoos that are only found in the canyon. Fun fact: each of the biomes have unique audio and the canyon has more echoes than any of the others.

Tropical Coast

This might be what you think of when you imagine a tropical Mexican vacation. Filled with palm trees, seagulls, white sand beaches and calm waters, it feels a lot like a postcard come to life. At least that’s the case until you reach storm season, which completely changes how you need to navigate it. Watch out for flying palm trees!

Farmland

Unlike the flatter or drier farmland found in some of the previous Forza Horizon games, these rolling hills are filled with lush vegetation, fruit-bearing trees, and wide, shallow rivers. You’ll have plenty of fences to smash through and picturesque homesteads to explore while you’re cruising through here.

Arid Hills

As you might suspect given the name, this biome is full of dry grasses on rolling hills and plains, providing plenty of open spaces to drive across if you feel like off-roading. One of the coolest features in this biome is a lake that actually dries up in the winter season, opening up shortcuts via fast passages and secret areas.

Jungle

Filled with lush, dense vegetation and towering trees that let beautiful rays of sun through the canopy, this biome also sports some impressive waterfalls and winding rivers. There are also a number of hidden temples in this area, all of which are based on real locations in Mexico.

Living Desert

In a first for the Forza Horizon series, Forza Horizon 5 features a cactus desert that’s full of towering saguaros. There are also a number of rock formations and rock piles that are unique to the area. As the name implies, it’s full of life and features plenty of flowers and wildlife.

Rocky Coast

While the tropical coast features lots of trees and vegetation, this one has a completely different vibe. Since there aren’t many trees, you’ll get a full view of the ocean and some excellent views of the sun setting at the end of the day. As a bonus to all you golfers out there, you can even take a spin around (read: through) a golf course.

Sand Desert

Full of towering sand dunes, this biome is perfect for cruising around in a buggy and carving into the sand. If you don’t feel like getting sand between your toes, many of the roads in this area feature long straightaways so there are plenty of opportunities to see how fast your favorite ride really goes.

Swamp

Although a swamp might not sound like the best place for a race, this biome’s shallow waters are a great place for it. The swamp also features a lot of mangrove trees that sport very thick, interconnected roots. You can actually smash through these during races, changing the route depending on whether or not your car can handle it.

Urban City of Guanajuato

Like a number of cities in Mexico, there’s a good deal of amazing architecture and vibrant colors everywhere you look. Unlike a lot of cities, however, it features a lot of rolling hills and tunnels, making for some really fun race routes. As with the Canyon, you’ll hear plenty of echoes bouncing around the city’s tight roadways.

Volcano

In another first for the Forza Horizon series, this massive mountain is situated right next to the Living Desert. It’s a very high-altitude volcano, so driving to the top is a unique experience that rewards players by seeing way off into the horizon. This is also the only place in the game that you’ll encounter snow, so be sure to pack an extra jacket.

Forza Horizon 5 will be released on November 9, 2021, for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

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.

Capcom is distributing a special Palamute to all Monster Hunter Rise players. The critter is named Wanogre, and it’s based on one of the Palamutes used by a member of the Monster Hunter Rise development team.

To add Wanogre to your party, you first need to speak to Senri the Mailman in Kamura Village and receive the Palamute from the Add-on Content option. After that, head to the Buddy Plaza in the eastern portion of the village, speak to Iori the Buddy Handler, and select Hire a Special Buddy to pick Wanogre up.

That isn’t the only new piece of content available now in Monster Hunter Rise. Capcom recently distributed another new Event Quest called An Icy Blade So Bright. This quest can similarly be claimed by speaking to Senri the Mailman and downloading it from the Add-on Content menu, and completing it will net you a stylish pair of shades.

More updates are on the way to Monster Hunter Rise over the next few weeks. According to Capcom’s content roadmap, Rise’s 3.2 update is slated to arrive before the end of this month. That patch will introduce the second Capcom Collab event as well as more DLC. The 3.3 update will follow sometime in August and will add the third Capcom Collab event.

In other Monster Hunter news, the series’ newly released RPG spin-off, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, also recently received its first update, which added Rise’s Palamute as a Monstie companion. To celebrate that game’s launch, Capcom is giving away a free item bundle to all players.

The late Robin Williams was originally cast to voice Howard the Duck in Marvel and Lucasfilm’s movie of the same name, but he quit after a week due to voice syncing frustrations.

This news comes by way of The Hollywood Reporter, who learned of this casting revelation in an interview with Chip Zien, the person who was called in to voice Howard after Williams quit. THR also spoke with the actor who played Howard’s love interest in the film, Lea Thompson, about this film and the notoriety it quickly garnered upon release.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/07/15/loki-director-confirms-a-major-shift-for-the-mcu-ign-news”]

“What I was told was by the third day, Robin said, ‘I can’t do this. It is insane. I can’t get the rhythm of this. I am being confined. I am being handcuffed to match the flapping duck’s bill’,” Zien said. “So, on Memorial Day 1985, I got a call from my agent who said, ‘You have to get right to the airport! Robin Williams just quit and you’re now Howard the Duck. You need to get there tonight. There is a ticket waiting for you at the counter.’ I was incredibly excited.”

Diving further into why Williams quit, it wasn’t necessarily that the role was just voice over — it’s that the scenes featuring Howard had already been shot, meaning that Williams would need to voice the lines in such an exact way that they line up with the footage of the character that had already been shot. This hampered Williams’ famous improvisational style (see: Disney’s Aladdin) and the frustration became enough for the actor that he quit before the first week was done.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”slug=how-the-mcus-phase-4-could-introduce-the-x-men&captions=true”]

Zien went on to say that he had signed on for a total of three films. He was also set to work as a fill-in host on Entertainment Tonight, become the voice of AT&T, and receive the rights to talking Howard the Duck dolls. It was all overwhelming, he said.

However when Howard the Duck hit 1,554 theaters on August 1, 1986, it took in just $5 million in its first weekend. THR reports that the movie’s reported budget was more than $45 million, including marketing, and when all was said and done, the movie raked in just $16.2 million domestically and $37.9 million worldwide. It was technically Marvel’s first box office bomb.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”slug=the-25-best-marvel-villains-in-the-mcu&captions=true”]

Anyone familiar with the character likely knows that Howard the Duck is now officially a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having a couple of scenes with actual voice lines by Seth Green (Guardians of the Galaxy 1 and 2) and others where the character makes quick-glance cameos (Avengers: Endgame, for example). THR spoke to Green about Howard the Duck, both as a 1986 movie and as a character that he now officially voices in the MCU.

He said becoming the new Howard the Duck was a months-long process that began with a phone call from Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn. Green voiced the character again in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and will soon do so again in Disney’s upcoming animated series, What If…?, “which is really cool because it resulted in a scene between T’Challa and Howard,” Green says.

Disney Plus’ What If…? series is the final time the late Chadwick Boseman will play T’Challa and Black Panther.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/07/08/marvel-studios-what-if-official-trailer”]

For more about Howard the Duck, check out IGN’s review of Marvel’s Howard the Duck #1 comic, written by Zdarsky back in 2015, and then read about a now-canceled Howard the Duck show that was going to release on Hulu. Check out IGN’s list of the new Marvel movies and TV shows coming in 2021 and beyond after that.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Madden 22 ratings season is officially underway, with the Green Bay Packers’ Davante Adams revealed as its one and only 99 overall wide receiver — at least for now.

Adams returns to the 99 Club after another strong season that saw him reel in 115 receptions for 1374 yards and an NFL-high 18 touchdowns. His stats were enough to earn him a near-unanimous first team All-Pro selection, receiving 49 out of a possible 50 votes.

Another #99Club for @tae15adams 👏 @Packers | #Madden22 pic.twitter.com/EBDCu9EF3C

— Madden NFL 22 (@EAMaddenNFL) July 26, 2021

This is not Adams’ first stint in the 99 Club. After starting at 94 overall in Madden 21, Adams steadily climbed in the ratings, finally reaching 99 overall in December. He’s joined at the top of this year’s list by DeAndre Hopkins (98 overall), Tyreek Hill (98 overall), Stefon Diggs (97 overall), and Julio Jones, who rounds out the top five at 95 overall.

Madden 22’s ratings announcements officially commenced Sunday with various rookie reveals. New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was among those who received their ratings, learning that he would start at 71 overall. ESPN’s reveals will continue through the end of the month.

Over the past few years, Madden’s ratings reveals have become a kind of unofficial holiday as EA has sought to leverage interest around the numbers by partnering with ESPN and partaking in various social media promotions. They serve as one measuring stick for how various players compare with one another, and offer a glimpse of how EA thinks their real-life teams might perform. Naturally, they spark plenty of debate among fans, who argue vigorously over whether a given player is overrated or underrated.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”slug=madden-nfl-22-screenshots&captions=true”]

In the meantime, despite Adams’ well-deserved accolades, trouble may brewing for the Packers. Last week, Adams and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers shared the same image of Michael Jordan and Scotty Pippen doing a fist-bump to their Instagram feeds. This was on top of news that Adams had broken off long-term extension talks with Green Bay.

All of this suggests that this might be Adams’ last year in Wisconsin. And you know what? As a supporter of their rivals, the Minnesota Vikings, I couldn’t be happier.

Madden 22 is set to release on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Stadia, and Xbox One on August 20. You can read our preview detailing 10 of its most important improvements right here.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Image source: Getty Images Sport [Dylan Buell / Contributor]

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN. She’s still waiting to see the Vikings in a Super Bowl.