Category: Games

Niantic is currently working to overturn a number of false bans given out to Pokemon Go players. As reported by Eurogamer, the Pokemon Go developer has acknowledged that its anti-cheat system has falsely flagged players for using third-party software and banned them.

Niantic did not say if affected players would receive any compensation for being incorrectly locked out of their accounts nor did it give a timeframe for restoring the accounts. Some Pokemon Go players took to the SilphRoad subreddit to post about the false bans, but the comments made it clear that players did not expect Niantic customer support to respond or reverse the ban prior to the developer’s official announcement.

This isn’t the first time Niantic’s anti-cheat system has given out false bans to players. The system is in place to attempt to prevent people from spoofing their phones and obtaining rare Pokemon from places across the world without actually traveling there. Players who receive a ban will get a short seven-day soft-ban warning, followed by a 30-day ban, and ultimately getting their account locked on the third violation.

Players will hopefully get back access to their accounts ahead of a jam-packed August in Pokemon Go, including Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl-themed raid bosses and an Eevee-focused community day.

Microsoft Flight Simulator, the technologically staggering love letter to aviation, is now finally out on Xbox Series X|S, as well as Xbox Game Pass. While the game was greeted with an enthusiastic critical response when it was first released for PC late last year, the Xbox Series X|S versions of the game have managed to deliver the fidelity and performance you expect with only a few compromises.

In our updated Microsoft Flight Simulator review, critic Alessandro Barbosa called the game visually breathtaking, though he criticized the game’s clunky user interface. He also praised the game’s updated tutorials, which are significantly improved from the PC original, and called Microsoft Flight Simulator the first game to truly push the Xbox Series X. Other critics agreed with our assessment, giving the game the highest Metascore for an Xbox Series X|S released in 2021 so far.

“Controlling flight on a controller is, thankfully, a lot better, with a decent balance of options mapped as default to give you a great sense of control in the air while not stripping away the enthusiast fundamentals of the series,” he wrote. “Of course, all of this can be customized, letting you tune your experience however you see fit. More dedicated players will likely want to invest in a full HOTAS setup for the most authentic experience, but many are sadly still incompatible with the Xbox Series X.”

There are, however, a few sticks designed with the Xbox Series X|S systems in mind. Our list of the best flight sticks for Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox and PC runs through several, ranging from budget options to more expensive setups. If you’re planning on playing the game frequently, you’ll certainly want one.

There’s also a significant update for the PC version of the game, which clocks in at 40 GB. It includes a significant boost for performance. Along with its arrival on Xbox Series X|S, Microsoft Flight Simulator is now on Xbox Game Pass. For more games to play on Xbox, check out our guides to the best Xbox One games of all time and the best Xbox Series X games available so far. Plus, Game Pass subscribers should check out the best games available with Xbox Game Pass right now.

The Marvel open-world action RPG for mobile devices, Marvel Future Revolution, will launch on August 25 across iOS and Android, publisher Netmarble and Marvel have confirmed.

Pre-registration for the free-to-play game is available now on the App Store and Google Play, and everyone who does so gets a special costume box that comes with in-game cosmetics.

For those just catching up, Future Revolution’s story takes place in a timeline where there are multiple Earths in the multiverse that come together to create what’s known as a “Primary Earth.” This place includes several zones to explore, including New Stark City, Hydra Empire, and Sakaar, among others. Players are enlisted into the Omega Flight team of superheroes and work alongside others to defeat supervillains and save Primary Earth.

Future Revolution has eight playable heroes–Black Widow, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Star-Lord, and Storm. Customization is a big part of Future Revolution, and the developers say there are more than 400 million possible combinations for costumes for each hero.

In terms of the storyline, it is a “completely original” narrative, the developers said. Future Revolution is also the first Marvel open-world game for mobile.

Developer Netmarble Monster previously worked with Marvel on Marvel Future Fight, which reached more than 120 million downloads globally. For more on Future Revolution, check out GameSpot’s video above featuring GameSpot’s own Persia and Greg Miller of Kinda Funny talking to Danny Koo of Marvel Games and Joe Lee from Netmarble. The video was sponsored by Netmarble.

In other Marvel game news, Eidos Montreal is developing a Guardians of the Galaxy game for release this October. Additionally, Black Panther is coming to Marvel’s Avengers in August, with Christopher Judge voicing the character.

Gears 5’s latest (and last) seasonal update is right around the corner, and when it arrives, it will add custom game support for previously time-limited Horde mode event gametypes.

Come the release of Operation 8 on August 3, players will be able to play the following Horde event modes via custom games:

• Boss Rush – Survive 10 waves against bosses only.
• Escape from Kadar – Survive 10 waves against Niles’ creations.
• Horde Mania – Survive 25 waves with a short build period.
• Horde Roulette – Survive 10 waves of random enemy combinations.
• Jingle Juvies – Survive 20 waves of joyous Jingle Juvies.
• Mad Man’s Monsters – Survive 20 waves against the Mad Man’s Monsters.
• Nexus Siege – Survive 10 waves of Locust with no Fabricator.
• Predator Hunt – Survive 10 waves and battle the Wakaatu with no Fabricator.

Operation 8 will add two “prototype” weapons that never made it into the final version of the game for use in custom games as well. The two “new” weapons take inspiration from Gears of War: Judgment, with one weapon mimicking the Breechshot and another inspired by the Stim-Gas Grenade, which can be used to revive “down but not out” players.

A new map, Ritual, inspired by the Gears 5 Hivebusters DLC, will be added at launch, as will two new characters: the Mataki sharpshooter Bernadette Mataki and one of the first Locust to serve Queen Myrrah, Ketor Vrol. Additional new map and characters will release for the operation at a later date.

An additional game type, Capture the Flag, is also being added to the game’s competitive playlist. The game will be adding new achievements and increasing the game’s “re-up” system from 50 to 60 as well. A triple XP event celebrating Operation 8 will be live from August 6 to August 9. Operation 8 will be the last content drop for Gears 5.

Gears 5’s previous operation enabled forced cross-play between Xbox and PC players, in an effort to reduce matchmaking times on both platforms. Operation 8 will remove the PC icon for players in public lobbies playing on that platform. Developer The Coalition has previously stated that it believes the play experience to now be virtually the same across PC and consoles thanks to the addition of reduced input lag and mouse-and-keyboard support on Xbox Series X|S.

The Coalition recently showed off an impressive new Unreal Engine 5 tech demo at GDC, highlighting what will possible on the latest version of Epic’s game engine.

Let’s be honest, PC gaming is great. But, it can also be remarkably expensive. You’d be surprised how many people would rather just pay $500 for the latest game console rather than messing around with $2000 and getting confused. Actually, that shouldn’t be so surprising.

But, that doesn’t mean PC gaming should scare you away, there’s a whole slew of benefits to start gaming on PC, or even expand your current PC gaming setup. But, if the cost does scare you away a bit, let me introduce you to certified refurbished deals at eBay.

Certified Refurbished Doesn’t Mean Broken, It Means it Costs Less (Up to 50% Off)

Certified refurbished shouldn’t be a scary phrase for gamers, especially those on a budget. When it comes to big retailers, this means they’ve normally given it a big seal of approval, and will even give you a warranty alongside.

eBay is just like this and will provide a 2-year warranty on any of its certified refurbished gear, so go nuts, and save some money along the way. Here are a few of our favorite deals to get you started, with discounts of up to 50% currently available.

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eBay Certified Refuribished Apple MacBook Deals

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Robert Anderson is a Commerce Editor and deals expert for IGN. Follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ version 1.11.0 update arrives on July 29. In addition to bringing back August’s weekly fireworks show, the update will introduce a new slate of seasonal items to the game, which will be available to purchase from Nook Shopping and other vendors throughout August and September.

To coincide with the fireworks show, which will once again take place every Sunday night in August, Redd will be selling popsicles, cotton candy, and bubble tea at his stall. The fireworks show is also being tweaked slightly for this year, with some new fireworks on display, including depictions of Tom Nook and Isabelle.

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From August 10-16, Nook Shopping will be selling two new items for Japan’s Obon festival, while mooncakes and some other new moon-viewing food items will be available from September 12-21. You can take a look at the new items below.

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This marks the first new update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons since April, but more are on the way later in 2021. “In addition to these updates, more free content for Animal Crossing: New Horizons is currently in development for later this year. More information will be shared in the future, so please stay tuned,” Nintendo announced on Twitter.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been a huge sales success for the company, moving more than 32 million copies as of March 31. Nintendo has also partnered with Uniqlo for a line of Animal Crossing-themed clothing, while an Animal Crossing-themed version of Monopoly is releasing next month.

EA Sports is revealing Madden NFL 22 player ratings all week, and this continued Tuesday with the announcement of ratings for the top 10 defensive linemen in the professional American football game.

Leading the charge at No. 1 is Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams. He’s rated 99 OVR, and is a member of the 99 Club with Davante Adams of the Green Bay Packers, so it’s no surprise to see him sitting on top of the charts for Madden NFL 22’s top defensive linemen.

Rounding out the top five DL in Madden NFL 22 are Fletcher Cox (94 OVR), Chris Jones (92 OVR), DeForest Buckner (92 OVR), and Cameron Heyward (92 OVR). You can see the full list of the top 10 defensive linemen in Madden NFL 22 below. Note that this list does not include DE edge-rushers who are also linemen, technically speaking.

For more Madden 22 ratings, check out the highest-rated wide receivers, best edge-rushers, and our overall roundup of all the Madden 22 ratings announced so far.

Madden NFL 22 launches on August 20 across console, PC, and Stadia, with Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes sharing the cover. For more, check out GameSpot’s Madden 22 preorder guide.

Madden NFL 22 Top Defensive Linemen Ratings:

• Aaron Donald: 99 OVR
• Fletcher Cox: 94 OVR
• Chris Jones: 92 OVR
• DeForest Buckner: 92 OVR
• Cameron Heyward: 92 OVR
• Michael Pierce: 91 OVR
• Calais Campbell: 90 OVR
• Kenny Clark: 89 OVR
• Stephon Tuitt: 89 OVR
• Vita Vea: 88 OVR

EA has big plans to expand its sports games over the next five years as it targets an audience of 500 million players.

In an interview with Axios, EA Sports General manager Daryl Holt said that the company has plans to get “even bigger — on mobile, in football, maybe even with basketball again.” The company, known for publishing iconic sports games such as FIFA, Madden NFL, and NHL, says that it currently reaches an audience of over 230 million players but that it’s trying to more than double that number to 500 million across the next five years.

In the interview, Holt said that the expansion will involve “new business models, new geographies.” The idea of new business models might cause some speculation, after FIFA’s chief rival PES recently underwent a name change, ditched annual releases, and adopted a free-to-play model. There’s been no word on whether EA might follow suit with its mainline console sports games.

More nebulously, Holt added that EA Sports will focus on the social aspects of playing its games, adding that it’s creating “social networks” within its titles.

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Part of this expansion could come through offering a greater range of sporting games. In the interview, Holt discussed next-gen basketball games, without revealing whether they’d mark a return to the NBA LIve series EA Sports has left dormant since 2018. Late last year, EA announced plans to release multiple new sports franchises in the coming years.

The company then formally completed a $1.2 billion acquisition of Codemasters – the publisher known for creating a range of racing franchises such as Formula 1, Dirt, and Project Cars – in February 2021. EA confirmed at the time that it would be treating Codemasters’ studios as an independent group but did highlight a potential interest in perhaps bringing the Formula 1 license back under its own EA Sports brand.

EA also announced late last year that it had extended two licensing deals – one with the NHL and another with UFC, which would allow it to continue making games for both sports well into the newest console generation. Whilst on mobile, EA recently acquired Playdemic Mobile Games from Warner Bros in an all-cash deal valued at around $1.4 billion. Playdemic Mobile Games are best known for creating its Golf Clash series.

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Elsewhere in the interview, Holt spoke about the company’s flagship series, Madden NFL. The series’ latest iteration, Madden NFL 21 released in August 2020 to mixed reviews. IGN reviewed Madden NFL 21 at release where we awarded it a 6/10 noting that the game had a “lack of innovation across the board,” and “technical issues”.

Holt, who oversees the series said that this year’s Madden NFL 22 should “run better” and acknowledged that there’s “a responsibility for us to deal with craftsmanship in terms of bugs or any issues of instability.” EA will be hoping that Madden NFL 22 releases to positive reviews as this could help to bring in new players to the franchise.

If you’re looking to read more about EA’s Madden NFL 22, why not check out the Madden 22 – Face of the Franchise: All Access Trailer. Alternatively, for more EA news, try this article about everything announced at EA Play Live 2021.

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Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Running out of room after installing that latest Call of Duty update? Then we’ve got some good news. Xbox’s official Seagate 1TB Expansion Card, is now on sale at Amazon and down to £179.99. Previously listed at £219.99, this is the best deal we’ve seen on the SSD so far in 2021. I’ve used the Expansion Drive myself, and tell you what it’s like magic in a bottle. Speeds of the Xbox Series X with no fuss and no issues, it’s the perfect addition to the console.

You can always expand your storage with a regular Hard Drive, but these are nowhere near as quick and won’t utilise the Xbox Series X velocity architecture, whereas the Seagate Expansion Card will. This deal usually lasts around 24-hours, so don’t hang around you’ll want to pick this up as soon as possible.

Xbox Series X|S Seagate SSD Now £179.99 (was £219.99)

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Xbox Series X consoles come with a lighting quick 1TB SSD, and Xbox Series S comes with a 500GB SSD that is also absolutely rapid. The only issue? These next-gen consoles fill up their storage space remarkably quickly. This is likely down to all the 4K textures that come packed with new titles, and thankfully there’s a solution available with this new deal at Amazon.

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Robert Anderson is a Commerce Editor and deals expert for IGN. Send him awesome gaming screenshots @robertliam21 on Twitter.

Bless Unleashed is a free-to-play MMORPG that’s now making its way to PC, following its 2020 release on Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Set for launch on August 6, the PC version of Bless Unleashed will continue with the console’s version fast-paced, action-oriented approach to combat and exploration–putting a greater emphasis on players being active in how they engage with the game’s different challenges. GameSpot not only has some details on what’s in store of the launch of the PC edition, but we also have an exclusive first look at a new cinematic trailer in anticipation of the PC release.

As a relaunch of the original Bless Online back in 2019, Bless Unleashed was effectively reboot, revamping much of the combat and progression systems while also generally improving its predecessor’s technical shortcomings. These issues plagued Bless Online and prevented it from finding an audience, but the game’s relaunch last year has since fared much better than the original.

In this new trailer, we get to see much of the game’s scope and combat emphasis, which focuses on different classes of adventurers facing off against undead monsters, dragons, and other giant foes. Like with other online RPGs within the framework of a high-fantasy setting, Bless Unleashed will have you team up with others to explore dangerous dungeons, collect loot, and evolve your character throughout their adventure in the game’s expansive world.

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Bless Unleashed is a free-to-play game without a subscription fee, but like most other games of this type, it includes some premium options that focus on cosmetics and other options items that can be bought with real money. Newcomers can either jump into the game for free or purchase a different set of buy-in options from the founder’s program for the PC release. These different options offer some added perks for players to start their new adventure, allowing for a somewhat easier start. Here’s a quick rundown of the different options you have to purchase.

• Deluxe Edition – $20
  – Founder’s Pack Title, emotes, 500 Lumena, 50,000 Star Seed, and premium benefits.
• Exalted Edition – $30
  – All previous rewards, Star Seed 20% booster, Telepost Discount Ticket for 30 Days, 5 bag expansion tickets, and premium benefits.
• Ultimate Edition – $80
  – All previous rewards from Deluxe and Exalted editions, new emotes, 300,000 Star Seed, Gold Boost Ticket, character and account storage expansions.

The timing for the release of a new MMO on the PC is interesting. With the shift in player bases from World of Warcraft to other games like New World or Final Fantasy XIV, Bless Unleashed could be another viable option for players looking for new possibilities or lapsed online players. Whether Bless Unleashed will keep up with the other, more established games remain to be seen. Still, it does look to be making its debut on PC in style and with a suite of content for players to immerse themselves in.