Category: Games

In the new February 2021 issue of the Official PlayStation Magazine, the number of Riders Republic players people can see in competitive online races on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 have been revealed. As expected, the PlayStation 5 supports more, sitting at 50 players total.

Conversely, the PlayStation 4 version of Ubisoft’s upcoming extreme sports title can only support a maximum of 20 players in competitive online races. Other notable but expected differences between the two consoles are graphics and frame rate, with Riders Republic targeting 60 fps and 4K on PlayStation 5. Neither specs have been revealed for PlayStation 4.

It’s worth noting these player-count limitations are specific to competitive online races, meaning players could see far more people online in the open-world and far less while participating in 6v6 game modes. Additionally, it’s unclear if these player-count limitations apply to other console generations and platforms, such as Xbox One versus Xbox Series X|S.

Originally slated to launch on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on February 25, Ubisoft announced earlier this month that Riders Republic has been delayed to “later this year.” The studio has not announced a new release date as of yet.

Riders Republic is an extreme action-sports title reminiscent of Steep, Ubisoft’s other extreme sports game from 2016. It features a variety of activities for players to participate in, including snowboarding, mountain biking, and wingsuiting. Hit up our Riders Republic preorder guide to find out what bonuses are available and when a new release date has been announced.

We got our best look at Resident Evil Village — or Resident Evil 8 if you prefer — today during Capcom’s livestream reveal event. Here is a breakdown of all the new features, gameplay, and story elements we learned from the nearly 30-minute event.

When the rumors began to go around that Resident Evil Village would be more supernatural, featuring enemies like werewolves, vampires, and witches, the internet became abuzz. Those rumors were confirmed during the official Resident Evil Village reveal last year, but that was only scratched the surface.

It’s still first-person, but combat has evolved.

Resident Evil Village is a sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. Ethan Winters once again steps up to the main character role and he’s searching for a loved one, again. But this time it’s not his wife, but rather his kidnapped daughter.

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As with Resident Evil 7, Village takes the first-person perspective once again, but Capcom producer Pete Fabiano says there are some new melee elements this time around.

A big focus appears to be blocking and counters. During a fight against vampiric goons in a dungeon, Ethan can be seen blocking their attacks before kicking one in the chest. Ethan appears to have learned a few moves since the events of Resident Evil 7.

Resident Evil games now firmly seesaw between more action-heavy games and survival-heavy games, and Resident Evil Village is seemingly going for something more bombastic than in Resident Evil 7.

Melee attacks aside, enemies seem to attack in hordes now which should hopefully mean Ethan is loaded up with some extra firepower to take on the bigger numbers. So perhaps that’s an indication this entry will be a little more combat-heavy. Especially since the enemies are now bigger and more varied.

A spooky village, sound familiar?

The five-minute gameplay video reveals a variety of locations from the village itself, leading up to the castle interiors, to down below in what looks like catacombs or a dungeon.

But fans may recall this is not the first time Resident Evil took place in a spooky village and castle. I’ve been talking around it, but let’s face it, there are some serious similarities between Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 4. Melee-enhanced combat, varied enemy hordes, a vaguely European village in the middle of nowhere? And the similarities don’t end there.

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What are you buying, Stranger?

Ethan’s inventory system for Resident Evil Village gets an upgrade this time around in the form of a, that’s right, attache case. The same item management system from Resident Evil 4.

This time, Ethan can use the attache case to store weapons and items, but also craft new weapons or upgrades.

And helping Ethan with items is a merchant. He’s not the same one from Resident Evil 4, instead, he’s a new character called “The Duke.” You’ll be able to buy and sell weapons from the Duke, but I’m sure he’ll have more unique wares as the game progresses.

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Despite the similarities to Resident Evil 4 in some very specific ways, Resident Evil Village is still a departure for the series into new territory. While Capcom has flirted with supernatural elements in the past, this is a full-blown supernatural horror utilizing classic gothic horror elements like werewolves and vampires.

And we’ll hopefully find out, even more, when Resident Evil Village is released on May 7. Check out the full release details here, including pre-order info that leaked earlier, info about a PS5-exclusive demo; as well as other news from today’s reveal from the RE:Verse multiplayer mode, to IGN’s Rewind Theater.

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Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

It’s cold outside (at least in the northern parts of the country) and the pandemic continues to run rampant. That means now is a great time to hunker down and seek out entertainment that doesn’t require you to leave the house. Thankfully, we live in an age in which such entertainment is easy to come by. Just subscribe to a streaming service and let the TV, movies, or music wash over you.

As luck would have it, a number of streaming services are offering deals that make them cheaper than ever right now. Here are our favorite streaming service deals you can take advantage of right now.

Starz: Get 6 Months for $5

• Get 6 Months for $5

This deal ends January 26, so grab it soon if you want it. It gets you six long months of Starz (that’s half a year!) for just $5. It’s a great deal, even if you only want to watch, like, one show or two movies.

What is there to watch on Starz? It has popular shows like American Gods, Ash vs. Evil Dead, Black Sails, and the historical bodice-ripper Outlander. Some of the popular movies currently available on the service include Spider-Man: Far from Home, Bad Boys for Life, and Jumanji: The Next Level. Anyway, six months of Starz is easily worth $5. I mean, come on.

HBO Max: Save Over 20% on 6 Months

• Save 22% on 6 Months

In my estimation, HBO has always been worth its full price of $15 a month, a fact reflected on my credit card bills for many, many years. Ever since it evolved into HBO Max, it got a ton more content, making it even more worthwhile. And then when Warner Bros. announced its entire lineup of 2021 theatrical releases would also arrive on HBO Max on day one, it became basically impossible not to want a subscription.

As if the content wasn’t enough, HBO has extended a killer deal that saves you 22% off the service when you pre-pay for six months. Take advantage of the deal now, and you’ll get to see Godzilla vs. Kong, Mortal Kombat, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and Space Jam: A New Legacy before your subscription is up. Keep it going, and you’ll get to watch Dune, The Matrix 4, and a whole lot more before the year is over.

Tidal: Save $10 on 12 Months

• Save 13% off 12 Months

If music be the food of love, then grab this Tidal deal at Best Buy. It saves you $10 off a year of the music streaming service. Tidal offers just a ridiculous number of songs (over 70 million) to stream, plus a quarter of a million music videos to watch. Music streaming deals don’t come around all that often, so it’s nice to save some cash in order to listen to all the music you love.

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

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As part of Capcom’s Resident Evil Village reveal, Capcom producer Tsuyoshi Kanda revealed that as part of Resident Evil’s 25th Anniversary, a special multiplayer game called Resident Evil RE:Verse that will be free for anybody who purchases Resident Evil Village.

RE:Verse is a competitive multiplayer mode where up to four players will play as one of several iconic Resident Evil characters. While the full roster hasn’t been revealed, the trailer shows protagonists like Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Leon Kennedy, and Claire Valentine; as well as enemies like Nemesis and even Jack Baker from Resident Evil 7.

Other characters shown include HUNK and Ada Wong, though who knows how many more characters will be available when RE: Verse is released.

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Beta tests for select Resident Evil Ambassadors are set to begin soon, so if you’re part of the program and have been chosen to test the beta expect invites in the future.

Capcom has dabbled with Resident Evil multiplayer in the past. Most recently with the release of Resident Evil 3 Remake, when Capcom released a special game called Resident Evil Resistance.

While Resistance is an asymmetrical multiplayer game that pit four players against a mastermind, RE:Verse on the surface appears more straightforward and combat-based. But we’ll have more once we get some hands-on time with RE:Verse ourselves.

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For more from today’s livestream including Resident Evil Village release date news, pre-orders, and an in-depth gameplay dive check out IGN’s full coverage.

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Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

During Capcom’s official Resident Evil Village showcase, the developer made a series of announcements, including an official release date, a new PlayStation-exclusive demo, and expanding the line of launch consoles to include the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Resident Evil Village will officially be released on May 7, with pre-orders starting today. When Capcom first announced Resident Evil Village, previously referred to as Resident Evil 8, the company only announced that it will be released on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.

Now, Capcom has announced that alongside next-gen systems, Resident Evil Village will be released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on the same day as PS5 and Series X. Something Capcom previously said it was looking into, but could not confirm.

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Furthermore, the PS4 owners will receive a free digital upgrade to the PS5 version, and Xbox Smart Delivery will automatically upgrade the Xbox One version for the Series X.

As per usual, Capcom announced multiple versions of Resident Evil Village, starting at a standard edition all the way to a Collector’s Edition complete with collector’s box and Chris statue. These Resident Evil Village pre-order details leaked earlier, but are now official.

Current PS5 owners will also be able to try out an exclusive Resident Evil Village demo today. Producer Pete Fabiano says that the demo is not a slice of the final game, but instead a wholly unique experience.

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Instead of playing as Resident Evil 7 and Village protagonist Ethan Winters, players will take control of a character called the “Maiden.” Fabiano says the demo doesn’t have combat, but like Resident Evil 7: Beginning Hour, the events of the demo will likely tie into the events of Resident Evil Village in some way.

The Maiden demo is exclusive to the PS5, and Fabiano says a different demo will be released for other consoles at a later date sometime in the spring.

For more on today’s Resident Evil Village reveal, check out our extensive list of new gameplay details, more about the upcoming multiplayer mode, and our Rewind Theater.

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Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Capcom is showing off gameplay for Resident Evil Village for the first time today at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET. If you’re anxiously awaiting the next entry in the long-running survival horror franchise, now’s the perfect time to revisit older Resident Evil games. Multiple digital storefronts are hosting Resident Evil franchise sales, including Steam. Every mainline game and several spinoffs are steeply discounted on Steam through January 25.

The Resident Evil 2 ($16) and Resident Evil 3 ($19.79) remakes are available for great prices. You can also buy them together in the Raccoon City edition bundle for $29.78 to save a few more bucks.

Other mainline games in the franchise are available for even less. Resident Evil 7, which adeptly changed the perspective to first person, is on sale for only $9.89. Resident Evil 6 is slashed to $7.49, while the other numbered entries are only $5 each, including the great Resident Evil 4.

When it comes to Resident Evil spinoffs, the most notable ones featured in the franchise sale are Resident Evil Revelations and Revelations 2. The original is discounted to $6.89, while the sequel’s deluxe edition is down to $15.

For deals on Resident Evil games for consoles, make sure to check out the ongoing sales on the Xbox and PlayStation Stores.

Resident Evil franchise sale on Steam

• Resident Evil — $5 ($20)
• Resident Evil 0 — $5 ($20)
• Resident Evil 2 — $16 ($40)
• Resident Evil 3 — $19.79 ($60)
• Resident Evil 4 — $5 ($20)
• Resident Evil 5 — $5 ($20)
• Resident Evil 6 — $7.49 ($30)
• Resident Evil 7 — $9.89 ($30)
• Resident Evil Revelations — $6.89 ($30)
• Resident Evil Revelations 2 – Deluxe edition — $15 ($30)

As it turns out, Deathloop won’t feature a time loop that acts as a perfect clockwork system–even your best laid plans may become unraveled because of a little déjà vu. In an interview, game director Dinga Bakaba reveals as much, adding that this will result in inconsistencies in the time loop based on your actions.

“This time loop is a dirty process,” Bakaba said in an interview published in PlayStation Official Magazine’s February 2021 issue. “There is a limit to this, so an experienced player will know about all of the computations. These are rare, and most targets have a predictability.”

As an example, the game director talks about how a Visionary–one of the main targets you must kill to end the loop–may go for a gun after you mess with them, only for you to gun them down. In the next loop, this may cause the same enemy to suffer a case of déjà vu and get the funny feeling that hunting you down won’t work out for them. As a result, they may try something else even if you interact with them in the same way, forcing you to enact a contingency plan.

To help you out a bit, there are some ways that you can break the rules of the time loop as well, ensuring you don’t always start out from square one at the outset of every loop. “Very early on Colt will find that this island has a few weird rules and the time loop is not the only thing influencing the island,” Bakaba told POM. The game designer remained coy about what this other force is, only adding that it would allow you to upgrade Colt in more permanent ways before jumping into another loop.

“And because of that ‘thing’ there is some progression, it’s not a roguelike,” Bakaba clarifies. “There are powers, perks, weapons, and upgrades to unlock… you can basically build an arsenal.” We’ll have to wait and see what that something is, though not for much longer as Deathloop is scheduled to launch for PS5 and PC on May 21.

The Rainbow Six Siege “Road to Six Invitational 2020” event has begun, letting you jump in as any operator in the specially designed Stadium map. Once again this year you’ll be able to grab a special battle pass with its own reward track, and some of the revenue will go toward the Six invitational prize pool.

Every weekend during the event, you can play in the competitive Stadium map, which combines elements from the Coastline and Border maps. The Road to SI event runs through February 22, after which you won’t be able to nap the battle pass. It features 100 tiers with 135 rewards. The Premium track goes for 1200 R6 credits, and team captains will get special themed outfits. Up to $3 million USD of the money generated from the battle pass will go into the Six Invitational prize pool.

The kickoff didn’t go off completely as planned, however. The R6 Siege Twitter shared that there was an issue with matchmaking shortly after it began. After a few hours it reported that the problem had been fixed and you no longer need to use a workaround.

The Six Invitational 2021 event will take place February 9-21. It will feature 20 of the best teams in the world competing in Paris, France. No audience will be allowed at this year’s event due to social distancing guidelines, but it will be broadcast on Twitch and YouTube. The event will also once again serve as an overall celebration of R6 Siege, with developer panels.

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