Category: Games

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is already the 20th best-selling game (in dollar sales) since sales tracking for US games began.

In the NPD report for January sales in the US (and pointed out by NPD Group analyst Mat Piscatella), Black Ops Cold War was the country’s best-selling game for the third straight month, since its release in November. In just two months on sale, it became the best-selling game of 2020 according to NPD’s stats (although those figures didn’t account for digital sales of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which may have beaten it to the title).

As a result of just those three months of huge sales, Black Ops Cold War is now 20th on the NPD’s list of best-selling games – although, given that they’re based on dollar sales, it may be that inflation could shift that list somewhat.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/13/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-campaign-review”]

The stats make clear just how huge Black Ops Cold War has been, likely bolstered by the continuing popularity of Call of Duty: Warzone, and its intrinsic tie to the new game. In our Black Ops Cold War reviews, we awarded the game’s Campaign and Zombies modes a 7/10 each, with multiplayer garnering a 6/10.

Don’t expect Activision to sit on its laurels, however – we already have confirmation that a new mainline Call of Duty game is on the way for the end of 2021.

[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 new Nintendo Switch model has arrived. Nintendo Switch Mario Red & Blue Edition is currently available at Best Buy, Gamestop, and Target. It has already gone live and sold out the Nintendo Store (and once overnight at GameStop), so I wouldn’t count on it sticking around very long. We’ll do our best to keep this article updated as it rolls out elsewhere today, but if you see it in stock and you want it, I wouldn’t wait. Good luck, Mario fans.

Where to Buy Nintendo Switch – Mario Red & Blue Edition

• See it at Best Buy – In Stock for $299.99
• See it at GameStop – In Stock for $299.99
• See it at Target –  In Stock for $299.99
• See it at Amazon – Not yet available
• Get it at Nintendo Store – Sold out

Regarding the Amazon listing, beware. Unscrupulous resellers are trying to get you to pay well over MSRP at the moment. Once Amazon itself gets its stock ready to go, it will sell for the standard $299.99 until it runs out.

While it’s functionally the same as other Switches, the Nintendo Switch – Mario Red & Blue Edition is styled to match the clothes worn by everyone’s favorite mustachioed plumber. Like standard Switch models, it costs $299.99, and it even comes with a carrying case, something you won’t find in other models.

This new edition of the hardware features an all-red Switch, including red Joy-Cons, red casing around the screen, and a red stand. To complete the new design, the Joy-Con grip and the Joy-Con wrist straps are a bold blue color. The colors definitely call to mind Mario; it looks great.

This edition also comes with a screen protector, as well as a special carrying case that matches the colors of the Switch and features Mario iconography. It still costs the normal MSRP for a Switch, so these additions are effectively thrown in for free.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=nintendo-switch-mario-red-blue-edition&captions=true”]

It’s worth noting that, despite launching on the same day, the Nintendo Switch Mario Red & Blue Edition does not include a copy of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury. You’ll have to buy that separately if you want it.

Nintendo has released several special-edition Switch consoles in the past, including an Animal Crossing special edition and, more recently, a Fortnite Wildcat bundle. These tend to sell out fairly quickly and not come back into stock, though the Animal Crossing one has come back into stock a couple of times.

That said, if you’re interested in picking up the Nintendo Switch Mario Red & Blue edition, you should grab it as soon as possible. There’s no telling whether it when it will sell out or if it will come back into stock at all. And if you’re interested in discounts, check out our full rundown of all the best Nintendo Switch deals, covering games, accessories, and more.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

[widget path=”ign/modules/recirc” parameters=”title=&type=articles%2Cvideos&tags=us-shopping&count=3&columnCount=3&theme=article”]

A new 10-minute gameplay demonstration has been released for Nier: Replicant ver.1.22474487139.., showing off some very impressive upgrades to both the visuals and the combat. It gives us our clearest view yet of how the game will improve on the original 2010 game and even how it integrates elements from the sequel, which Square Enix didn’t release for another seven years.

The video focuses on the protagonist and Kaine as they enter the Barren Temple, an area previously hidden by a sandstorm. It features large environmental puzzles as well as classic Nier combat, combining hack-and-slack action with third-person shooting and dodging projectiles.

If you played the original Nier, you know the combat wasn’t exactly tight or particularly fluid. That changed with Platinum Games’ input for Nier: Automata, and those same improvements are evident in the retooled Nier: Replicant. There is a sense of weight as you break an enemy’s guard and send them flying backward, and you can also deflect their attacks and deliver devastating counter-blows. The Ikaruga-inspired enemy projectiles are still here, as well, mixing in a healthy dose of arcade action into your existential adventure.

Despite only launching on current-gen systems and PC, Nier: Replicant looks remarkably better than the original version, and it also sounds incredible because of Keiichi Okabe’s score. We’re sure it’s going to make us cry, as will Yoko Taro’s story of sacrifice and family during a humanity-eviscerating plague.

Nier: Replicant releases for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on April 23. It’s being developed primarily by Toylogic, and a mobile-only game called Nier: Reincarnation is also launching later this month in Japan. An English-language release date hasn’t been announced yet.

Update 02/12/2021: Chivalry 2 will be released on June 8 for PC (via Epic Games Store), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. All versions will feature cross-play.

Pre-ordering on PC will get you guaranteed access to a Cross-Play Closed Beta event, open from March 26-29. That beta will, of course, run for all consoles, but PC is seemingly the only platform with guaranteed beta access for pre-orders. Pre-orders on all formats will net you a Royal Zweihander sword.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/12/chivalry-2-developer-diary-beta-announce-and-release-date-video”]

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Chivalry 2 has been delayed and will now be released in 2021 on PC (Epic Games Store), Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.

Announced by Torn Banner Studios, this delay is “necessary to allow Chivalry 2 to be the greatest game it can be, and one that realizes our vision of a “true sequel” to the original Chivalry: Medieval Warfare.”

The developer cites COVID-19 as a big factor for the updated timeline, but the extra time will allow them to “incorporate several quality of life improvements and also include what was originally post-launch content, in the release.”

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/10/chivalry-2-console-and-crossplay-announcement-trailer”]

While this will mean that more maps and game features will be playable at launch, horses will still be arriving after launch as they “need a bit more time in the training stables.”

Chivalry 2 recently completed its sixth round of its Alpha stage, and Torn Banner Studios reassures fans that this delay will not impact the previously-planned Summer beta. There is no specific date given yet, but more information will be coming soon.

Chivalry 2 was announced during E3 2019 and looks to bring players into their favorite medieval movie battle scenes. It features first-person melee battles of up to 64 players and will allow players to relive moments that invoke battles like Game of Thrones’ Battle of the Bastards.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=chivalry-2-two-new-screenshots&captions=true”]

During our IGN Expo earlier this year, we were able to exclusively confirm that Chivalry 2 would be headed to consoles alongside the previously confirmed PC version. Furthermore, they will all feature cross-play with each other.

[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.

Battleborn may not have been a success for 2K Games–the game’s servers were shut down for good just days ago–but the publisher hasn’t given up on action-focused multiplayer games. One of the writers of Overwatch is now working with 2K Games on a project that sounds like it could be an Overwatch rival.

Spotted by IGN and Twitter user MauroNL, the new 2K Games studio 31^st Union, which is co-helmed by ex-Dead Space and Call of Duty developer Michael Condrey, has Overwatch lead writer Michael Chu on board as the narrative lead. Chu has also worked on Grounded, Diablo, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, among other games, and will hopefully get to write more actual story for this game instead of the backstories and dialogue we mostly got in Overwatch.

The studio hasn’t officially announced its game, but we do know that it will be a “multiplayer character-action game” based on job openings. Does that mean it will be similar to Overwatch? Possibly, especially with the first-person shooter experience that Condrey brings to the table. However, “character-action” is also a term used to describe games like Bayonetta and Devil May Cry, so the game could take a completely different approach.

It would certainly be a strange decision for 2K Games to take on Overwatch with another game given the massive flop of Battleborn, which saw its price tank shortly after launch before going to a pseudo free-to-play model. It didn’t seem to slow down Gearbox Software, however, which saw big success with Borderlands 3 before being purchased by Embracer Group.

G4 has announced that Adam Sessler and Kevin Pereira are officially returning to G4 and will be hosting the revivals of X-Play and Attack of the Show!, respectively.

While G4 recently confirmed that X-Play and Attack of the Show would be returning, this is the first official confirmation of Sessler and Pereira rejoining the network.

Sessler has been a huge part of G4’s relaunch, beginning with its first teaser from last year. Since then, he has brought back Crazy Adam to launch #G4Needs Talent and Ebeneezer Sess during the holidays. He even did a game review for Cyberpunk 2077. In the new version of X-Play, Sessler will review games while inviting guests from across gaming to talk about the industry at large.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/24/g4-2021-return-teaser”]

Kevin Pereira, or Colonel Duckbuckets, is also making his return to Attack of the Show!, in which he was an original cast member. G4 also teased that there is “no word from his former co-host, though…” One of Pereira’s co-hosts, Olivia Munn, was reportedly in talks to return to G4 back in August 2020.

Alongside Adam Sessler and Kevin Pereira’s return, it was also announced that Ovilee May and Froskurinn will be the first two on-air cast members for G4’s official slate of esports programming. Last week, these two made their debut with The Bleep Esports Show for the B4G4 beta campaign.

Sessler, Pereira, Ovilee, and Froskurinn all join other G4 hosts like WWE’s Xavier Woods in this reboot of the network.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=g4-reunion-show&captions=true”]

[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.

You’ve almost certainly played some weird games in your time, but have you played a game in which you attempt to escape a town where everyone thinks you’re a criminal, and your every move is watched by a gigantic policeman who towers over the horizon? That’s the premise of Militsioner, a delightfully strange immersive sim from Russian developer TallBoys.

Oh, and you can talk to the policeman with your actual voice. Just in case it wasn’t strange enough for you yet.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/12/militsioner-official-gameplay-trailer”]

TallBoys has released a new gameplay trailer, which you can watch above, that demonstrates the voice mechanics and shows off the world and tone. The immediate vibe is Half-Life 2’s City 17; it’s drenched in a communist dystopian atmosphere, and has a giant face in the sky watching you at all times. The difference, though, is that in City 17 you couldn’t answer back to Dr. Breen, but in Militsioner you can get snarky with your massive parole officer. You can even tell him to eff off, if you’re brave enough to face the consequences.

The city itself seems to be freely explorable, with NPCs to talk to using the real voice communication system. The townsfolk, at least in the trailer, do seem to hate you for the crimes you’ve been accused of, though. It seems that finding help in the town may not be easy.

While Militsioner seems to be a haunting comment on the police state, it looks to be really quite funny in its bizarre methods. The giant policeman isn’t chasing you with pepper spray or guns, and seems open for a chat. And, of course, that chat comes through your actual voice, which lends it a sense of potential absurdity.

The developers are working on making sure the voice system is as natural as possible. “In order for the policeman and the environment to understand the player correctly, we are working on a system that will correctly process the player’s responses based on the context,” a dev blog from TallBoys says. “It is important that it does not make stupid mistakes or create obstacles, as the answers will influence the mood and attitude of the Militsioner towards the player.”

For anyone who would rather not shout at their own computer, Tallboys is looking at “alternative text input as an option and possibly even a classic dialog system” according to a post on Twitter.

For more immersive sim style games, check out the upcoming System Shock remake, as well as our reviews of Dishonored 2 and Prey. None of these involve giant police officers, though. Sorry.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

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

Just as it did back in 2009, the announcement of the new version of the Iraq War game Six Days in Fallujah this week caused a stir online over its subject matter. A FAQ on the game’s website contains some responses to questions people might have regarding whether or not the US government is involved, if it’s being used as a military recruitment mechanic, and if the deaths of certain US Marines will be depicted.

The US government is not involved in the development of Six Days in Fallujah, the FAQ states, and there are no plans for the game to double as a recruiting tool officially. “The Marines, Soldiers, and Iraqi civilians who’ve helped us participated as private citizens, and the game is being financed independently,” the page says.

People wondered about these points specifically due to the involvement of Peter Tamte, the head of new publisher Victura. Tamte previously ran Six Days in Fallujah’s original developer, Atomic Games, which also created training simulations for the US military. The company was funded in part by In-Q-Tel, the venture capital firm funded by the CIA. As the FAQ says, the new game is financed independently.

Also in the FAQ, it states that a portion of the sales from Six Days in Fallujah will be donated to organizations that help service members affected by war. “Our focus will be on those whom traditional relief efforts are not yet reaching. Marines, Soldiers, and civilians who’ve helped us create the game will be deeply involved in directing these donations,” the page says.

T‍he FAQ page goes on to state that Six Days in Fallujah will not recreate the death of any specific soldier, unless their family gives consent. The game will, however, display video interviews with real service members who speak about their experiences in the war.

Gallery

You won’t always play as an American in Six Days in Fallujah, either, while there will be missions in the game where you play as an un-armed Iraqi civilian.

‍”Multiple countries had forces in the city, not all of which have been acknowledged publicly. Additionally, the single-player campaign includes some high-intensity stealth missions in which you play as an un-armed Iraqi civilian,” the page says.

Players will never take on the role of an insurgent, however, either in single-player or multiplayer.

The developers of Six Days in Fallujah don’t agree with the idea that video games should stay away from depicting real-life events.

“Throughout history, we’ve tried to understand our world through events that happened to somebody else,” the studio said. “Six Days in Fallujah asks you to solve these real-life challenges for yourself. We believe that trying to do something for ourselves can help us understand not just what happened, but why it happened the way it did. Video games can connect us in ways other media cannot.”

More than 100 Marines, soldiers, and Iraqi civilians spoke with the developers to share their experiences, including a corporal who was on the ground kicking down doors and the Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq.

“Based on their stories, we’ve invested more than three years building technologies to explore specific parts of the combat experience more realistically than other games have so far,” the studio said. “We hope that participating in these real-life ‘moments of truth’ will give each of us a new perspective into events that have already shaped so much of our century. Perhaps now, more than ever, the best way to understand what’s actually true is by experiencing reality–for ourselves.”

Six Days in Fallujah’s creative director, former senior Halo developer Jaime Griesemer, said on Twitter that the stories in Six Days in Fallujah are worth being told. His comment came in response to a former soldier on Twitter who said they have PTSD and would not be able to play the game due to the trauma of it.

“The stories are worth being told, and our medium can tell them in a unique and powerful way. Although the realism may well be too much for you and I would encourage you to be cautious,” Griesemer said.

Six Days in Fallujah is scheduled to release in late 2021 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, as well as last-gen consoles.

The game was originally canceled in 2009 by its then-publisher, Konami, which said the subject matter was too controversial. You can read more about the game’s history in GameSpot’s feature about it.