Category: Games

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Deathloop Gets Stylish New Trailer At State Of Play

Sony showed off a new trailer for the PS5-exclusive shooter Deathloop during its State of Play, and it was nothing if not stylish. The new trailer interspersed combat footage with a Bond-like animation sequence set to a smoky ballad.

And fitting with the Bond vibes, we saw some impressive tech gadgets at play too. You can cloak to look like someone else, turn invisible near enemies, or use phase out similar to Dishonored’s Blink ability.

Deathloop is coming to PS5 and PC on May 21.

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Absolver Dev’s New Game Revealed During State Of Play; Coming 2021

During February 2021’s State of Play, PlayStation revealed a new trailer for Sifu, an upcoming game from developer Sloclap. Sifu is set to come to PS5 later in 2021.

The game seems to be a combo-focused action game in which “dying” only ages the protagonist. Throughout the trailer, we see them grow older and older, becoming an old man by the end. The cinematics seen in the trailer were captured on PC, but Sifu is also coming to PS5 and PS4.

Previously, Sloclap developed Absolver, a combat-heavy game set in an online world. Absolver was first released in 2017; in GameSpot’s Absolver review, critic Richard Wakeling gave the game an 8/10 and said: “There’s a significant challenge involved in learning Absolver’s combat intricacies, but it’s the kind of struggle that rarely frustrates. Defeat is part and parcel of the experience, but your demise always teaches you something new that you can take with you into the next battle–and Absolver’s deep, nuanced combat always finds ways of enticing you back for one more fight.”

For more news from PlayStation’s February 2021 State of Play, check out our recap.

Now Playing: SIFU Reveal Trailer | PlayStation State of Play

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Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach PS5 Gameplay Revealed

During its February 2021 State of Play presentation, Sony debuted a new trailer for Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach, which is coming to PS4 and PS5 in 2021. The creepy trailer gave a better look at the colorful environments and what appear to be new mechanics coming to the series.

The trailer showed the player interacting with environments like a colorful ball pit inside the indoor amusement park that is the hallmark of the FNAF series. The trailer showed the player-character going behind the scenes through hallways with pipes and other backstage equipment, and a companion voice warned that the enemies will never stop hunting you. The trailer ended with a suitably creepy clawed monster coming straight at you.

The most recent Five Nights at Freddy’s game, Help Wanted, was also revealed during a State of Play presentation. That game was originally released only in VR before a non-VR version came to PC and PS4 at the end of 2019.

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Hyper Light Drifter Studio Gives Us Closer Look At Solar Ash Gameplay

One of the many games showcased during PlayStation’s State of Play was Solar Ash, the follow up from Heart Machine, the creators of Hyper Light Drifter. We got a closer look at its gameplay which emphasized its movement system and combat, as well as a bit of insight into the premise.

Creator Alx Preston said that the game focuses on speed and fluidity with some platforming elements. The main character, Ray, glides across the environment as if she’s skating across the colorful lo-fi world, and uses a grappling hook for platforming elements. Combat is also simple, but challenges do ramp up throughout the game.

Solar Ash is set to launch sometime this year for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. For more on the recent reveals, be sure to catch our State of Play recap.

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No, Mr. And Mrs. Potato Head Aren’t Going Anywhere

For the first time possibly ever, the plastic toy Mr. Potato Head ended up going viral Thursday, due to Hasbro announcing that the branded toy would lose its gendered pronouns and instead be labeled as simply Potato Head. As it turns out, though, both Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head aren’t being retired. Their packaging will just look a bit different.

“Hold that Tot–your main spud, Mr. Potato Head isn’t going anywhere! While it was announced today that the Potato Head brand name & logo are dropping the ‘Mr.’ I yam [sic] proud to confirm that Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head aren’t going anywhere and will remain Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head,” a tweet from Hasbro reads.

What this means, essentially, is that the packaging will be emblazoned with the Potato Head brand name and a description of which specific toy you’re buying. You can see the new packaging below. What’s more, according to Fast Company, Hasbro will release boxed sets of multiple Potato Heads without attached gender pronouns, allowing kids who play with them to essentially create their own potato family.

“Kids want to be able to represent their own experiences. The way the brand currently exists–with the ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs.’–is limiting when it comes to both gender identity and family structure,” senior vice president and general manager of Hasbro Susan Boyd explained in a statement to Fast Company.

Mr. Potato Head first launched in 1952. Initially, it didn’t come with a plastic potato at all. Instead, it was a set of accessories that were meant to be attached to actual potatoes. The plastic potato was added to the playset in 1964.

Image credit: Getty Images/Bloomberg/Contributor

Hulu’s Animaniacs Revival Gets Renewed For Season 3

Hulu has decided to give an early Season 3 renewal to Animaniacs, ahead of the reboot’s second season later this year. According to a release, the streaming service has ordered 10 more episodes of the popular animated series from Steven Spielberg, Amblin Television, and Warner Bros. Animation.

All of which means the reboot’s 13-episode first season, which premiered back in November, must have done pretty well for Hulu. Streaming services in general are not incredibly transparent about their ratings or even how they’re measured, but the release makes mention of the series garnering “the most social mentions of any Hulu Original to date.”

Animaniacs is just one of many ’90s animated revivals taking place–HBO Max and Cartoon Network are teaming up on a Tiny Toons reboot, Beavis and Butt-Head are returning on a new streaming service called Paramount+ with a movie and are also expected to bring two new seasons to Comedy Central, and MTV has plans to revive Clone High. These are just three of many, many examples in the works.

That the Animaniacs’ revival is having success should come as no great shock. When it was announced the show was coming back, it was also announced that returning to executive produce was Steven Spielberg along with Warner Bros. Animation president Sam Register, and Amblin Television’s co-presidents Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey. Oh, and they wisely brought Wakko, Yakko, and their sister Dot. The show has come back with a refreshing self-awareness that mocks reboots and breaks the fourth wall whenever possible.

PlayStation State of Play: What to Expect and Where to Watch

Sony has announced that a new State of Play will be airing on February 25, 2021. Senior Director Sid Shuman confirmed in a PlayStation blog post that the broadcast will feature new updates and deep dives for 10 games that will be released on PS4 and PS5. Furthermore, there will be new game announcements and updates for certain third-party and indie games that made an appearance in June 2020’s PlayStation 5 Showcase. Next-Gen Console Watch will be hosting a post-show right after State of Play as well.

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PlayStation State of Play Start Time

The upcoming State of Play takes place on Thursday, February 25, and will start at 2pm PT, 5pm ET, 10pm GMT. If you’re tuning in from Australia, that translates to Friday, February 26 at 8am AEST. It’s expected to be about 30 minutes long and IGN will have a Next-Gen Console Watch post-show immediately following the State of Play, which will last for 20 minutes.

Where to Watch the PlayStation State of Play (February 2021)

If you’re interested in watching the upcoming State of Play, we’ll be hosting the stream here and across our many channels on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, and more. Here’s the full list of places you can watch the PlayStation State of Play:

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What to Expect at the Upcoming PlayStation State of Play

While no specific games were mentioned in the State of Play announcement, many will be hoping to hear from some of PlayStation’s biggest upcoming first-party games, including Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Horizon Forbidden West, and the sequel to 2018’s God of War.

As for third-party games, we may get another look at Resident Evil Village, which is set to be released on May 7, 2021, the 3D action-adventure game Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Jett: The Far Shore, Goodbye Volcano High, Stray, and/or Returnal.

Another big game many will be hoping for is the PlayStation and PC exclusive Final Fantasy 16, which was announced at September 2020’s PS5 event.

Which games are you excited to hear more about? Let us know in the comments!

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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.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Welcomes Six New Sanrio-Themed Villagers

Nearly a year after its initial launch, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is about to welcome six new residents into the game — and they’re all adorable Sanrio-themed characters.

In a short trailer today, Nintendo announced the Sanrio Collaboration Pack of amiibo cards coming exclusively to Target on March 26. The cards had previously been available in Japan, but this is the first time they will debut in the United States.

The six cards depict new Animal Crossing town residents themed after the Sanrio characters Hello Kitty, My Melody, Little Twin Stars, Pompompurin, Cinnamoroll, and Keroppi — respectively Rilla, Chelsea, Etoile, Marty, Chai, and Toby. Scanning these cards in Animal Crossing: New Horizons will let players invite these residents to live in their in-game towns, and will also allow them to order themed items from the in-game store to decorate their homes and towns.

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This is the first time New Horizons has gotten new residents, though the addition is not without precedent. In Animal Crossing: New Leaf’s Welcome amiibo update, the game added a number of new villagers themed around The Legend of Zelda that could be obtained by scanning actual amiibo: W. Link, Medli, Ganon, and Epona. These four characters have not appeared in New Horizons even with amiibo, however.

At the moment, it looks like all six characters come in a single pack of Sanrio cards, so you don’t have to worry about random chance as you do with normal amiibo card packs. However, given how popular some of these characters are, there’s a chance this results in scalpers buying up the cards and selling them for high prices at online retailers — so mind that if you are trying to order them.

New Horizons just got a different themed change to the game today with the 35th-anniversary celebration of Mario. Today’s update will allow players to obtain a number of Mario-themed costumes and items — though, sorry, no Mario-themed villagers for now. The game also just recently concluded its Festivale event for February, meaning that, sadly, Bunny Day is on the horizon once again.

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Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.