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Square Enix has revealed that its games currently in development will be available on both current and next generation consoles, and games exclusively made and released for next-gen consoles will be “somewhat farther down the road”.

The company, which develops Final Fantasy and will publish Marvel’s Avengers, made the announcement in an investor Q&A. President Yosuke Matsuda said:

“The next-generation consoles will have backward compatibility, so we plan for the time being to make our new titles available for both current and next-generation consoles. It will therefore be somewhat farther down the road that we release titles exclusively for the next-generation consoles.”

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What’s interesting here is that mention of backwards compatibility. It may be that Square Enix is only working on current-generation versions of its games right now, because Xbox Series X and PS5 will both play them out of the box. It’s not entirely clear from the text – we asked for clarification from Square Enix, but received a no-comment response.

Microsoft’s new Smart Delivery policy, which allows players to buy a current-gen game and get access to its next-gen version for no extra cost (already adopted by the likes of CD Projekt Red for Cyberpunk 2077), could also be an option. However, Smart Delivery is an opt-in for third-party publishers, who may not want to give multiple copies away for free.

Either way, sticking to current-gen releases is an understandable move – releasing next-gen exclusives results in a far smaller pool of potial buyers, particularly when you take into account that PS4 is now the 4th highest-selling console of all time.

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Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News, and he is playable exclusively on Ouya. Never forget. Follow him on Twitter.

Music fans, rejoice! Studio Ghibli has released 38 soundtracks from its celebrated anime films across several major streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play and YouTube Music, though some regions are only displaying a limited number of songs.

Hypebeast reports that, in total, 693 tracks from 23 Studio Ghibli films, excluding 1988’s Grave of the Fireflies for which the studio doesn’t control the rights, are now available across these popular streamers, delighting many listeners around the globe.

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By making Studio Ghibli’s music widely available, more people can now be transported to the whimsical worlds of the studio’s beloved classics, including the likes of Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, and My Neighbor Totoro.

In addition to its catalogue of compositions, Studio Ghibli has also compiled 15 “image albums”, featuring music inspired by characters and moments from its films such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Porco Rosso.

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This news comes shortly after Netflix added its first wave of Studio Ghibli films to its service for subscribers outside of North America and Japan, with the next batch of titles set to be released on March 1, 2020.

Elsewhere, HBO Max previously announced that it had acquired US streaming rights to Studio Ghibli’s famed body of work, which will be available to stream on their new platform when it launches in Spring 2020.

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For more on the Japanese arthouse, read about the two new films Studio Ghibli is working on in 2020, find out about the new Studio Ghibli theme park opening in 2022 and check out our list of Top 10 Hayao Miyazaki movies.

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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

It’s hard to believe it’s nearly March. The new month is bringing some of the first major game releases of 2020, but for PlayStation Plus members, it also means a new batch of PS4 free games will become available. Right on schedule, PlayStation has announced March’s PS Plus games, which will be free to claim starting March 3. Until then, there’s still time to claim February’s free PS Plus games: BioShock: The Collection, The Sims 4, and Firewall Zero Hour (PSVR). As usual, these games are free to keep as long as you have an active PlayStation Plus subscription.

First up for PS Plus members in March: Shadow of the Colossus, an HD remake of the 2005 PS2 classic. Shadow of the Colossus follows a man named Wander who travels across a forbidden land to battle massive, armored colossi. The game earned a “superb” 9/10 in GameSpot’s Shadow of the Colossus review for its stunning visuals, riveting fights, and very good horse.

“Shadow of the Colossus is a tremendous journey, and one well worth taking and retaking,” wrote Edmond Tran. “The visual overhaul is stunning, thoroughly enhancing every facet of Wander and Agro’s excellent adventure. Galloping through the tranquil world is always breathtaking; felling a monumental colossus is always humbling. Shadow of the Colossus is a beautiful reconstruction of an already exceptional title. It continues to be a modern classic and is an extraordinary game that everyone must experience.”

The second free game for March is less exciting, but if you’re in the mood to play some Sonic after watching the new Sonic the Hedgehog movie, Sonic Forces is still worth snagging while it’s free. Featuring both classic side-scrolling and modern 3D gameplay, the 2017 game starring everyone’s favorite blue hedgehog takes place in a time where Doctor Eggman and his minions have managed to conquer the world. Sonic and other familiar heroes like Knuckles, Tails, and Amy form a resistance force aiming to stop Eggman’s evil plans.

The game earned a 5/10 in GameSpot’s Sonic Forces review–editor Matt Espineli enjoyed its thrilling action but criticized its overall lacking story and clunky platforming. “Sonic Forces ultimately fails to advance the mechanics of previously successful 3D Sonic games or present them in their best light. A mediocre platformer at best, Sonic Forces manages to do nothing more than reinforce long-held stereotypes against Sega’s beloved blue blur,” he wrote.

If you’re looking to renew or extend your current PS Plus membership at a discount, there’s a great deal on a one-year membership at Ebay, which is selling 12-month PS Plus codes for $38 each. Considering PS Plus subscriptions generally go for $60 and rarely drop below $40, it’s worth snagging this offer while still available. This is a digital code you’ll receive via email within 24 hours of purchase.

March 2020 PS Plus free games:

Platinum Games has revealed that the port for The Wonderful 101 will launch on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC this May, a few weeks after it will arrive for Kickstarter backers.

A new, brief trailer for the ports announced the dates, which are staggered based on region. The Wonderful 101 will launch in the US on May 19, Europe on May 22, and Japan on June 11.

Backers of the wildly successful Kickstarter for the port are still expected to receive their copies in April, although an exact date hasn’t been specified. Backers of tiers that include physical merchandise will have to wait until later this year to receive their rewards, according to the campaign’s FAQ. The Kickstarter is still ongoing, and has raised well over $1.5 million already.

The Wonderful 101 port was revealed as part of Platinum Games’ Platinum 4, which the studio is using to slowly reveal four new projects. The second game as part of this program is Project G.G., a brand-new IP from Platinum games that will take inspiration from Ultraman and be directed by Bayonetta game director Hideki Kamiya.

The official IGN Store is officially live, and we’ve just added 100 new designs from Disney’s Mulan and Pixar’s Onward.

New Mulan T-Shirts

The Mulan designs cover both the original 1998 animated movie, as well as the upcoming live-action version. Some of the designs for the Mulan shirts, particularly the ones inspired by traditional Chinese ink painting, are among my favorites in the store so far. I highly recommend checking them out for yourself.

 

Disney Pixar’s Onward Shirts

Onward is the latest Pixar movie, and we’ve added a huge selection of shirts based on its magical world. There are more than just Onward character shirts here: there are designs referencing day-to-day life in this fictional world of questing and trash-eating unicorns.

 

Be sure to check back often as we’re adding new designs every single week. We’re also running sales and discounts periodically, so make sure to follow the IGN Store on Twitter and Instagram.

Check out all the designs in the official IGN Store like this throwback Baby Yoda shirt, Zelda shirt, or this awesome TMNT pullover fleece.

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Predator: Hunting Grounds is going to have a trial weekend next month so you can give it a go yourself. It starts on March 27 at 4pm in the UK, 5pm in Europe, while North America players can join in at 5pm PST. You’ll be able to play all the way through to March 29, 2020.

The trial will be available to those PlayStation Plus on PS4 as well as PC players, and they’ll be able to play together with cross-play support. You can choose to play solo as the Predator, or you can team up against the alien menace as a human fireteam with three other players.

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This is an asymmetrical multiplayer game like developer Illfonic’s previous game, Friday the 13th. That means the Predator will have an advantage when it comes to one-on-one fights due to its arsenal and mobility, able to ambush its prey from all directions. However, the fireteam can come out on top if the squad is able to work together and cover each other’s backs.

IGN got to preview Predator: Hunting Grounds last year and found it to be “a blast.” Especially when playing as the Predator, using the plasmacaster, arm blades, cloaking ability, infrared vision, and more of the iconic tools from the films. Illfonic says that it’s built upon the feedback that demo got after taking it to events last year and so the trial version should be further refined.

The Predator: Hunting Grounds cover art has also been revealed with this announcement. Stare at it as much as you want right now – you might notice a familiar face in the trees – but bear in mind that you’ll be able to get an even closer look if you pick up the game when it’s expected to launch on April 24, 2020.

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Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Now that the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro are a few years old, we’re finally seeing some great deals on these powerful consoles. Right now, for instance, you can snag a PS4 Pro or an Xbox One X bundle for just $299. That ought to tide you over with 4K delights until you’re ready to jump to the next generation. Here’s where you can score the deals.

PS4 Pro is 25% Off

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• Get it at Walmart – $299 (was $399)

It has an MSRP of $400, but right now you can save $100 off a brand-new PlayStation 4 Pro. Assuming you have a TV that can display such things, it pumps out gameplay in crispy 4K and bright HDR. It also improves the visuals in many PSVR games.

Xbox One X Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Bundle is 40% Off

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• Get it at Walmart with 1 Month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – $299
• Get it at Amazon – $299

The Xbox Series X may be coming later this year, but it’s likely going to cost between $450 and $600, and it’s not going to have any games you can’t play on the much cheaper Xbox One X. So grab this deal to tide you over until whenever Xbox Series X exclusives start coming out. And by that point, you’ll probably be able to find one for considerably less than they’re priced at launch.

This bundle is particularly great because it comes with on of the best games of last year. And if you buy it at Walmart, you’ll get a free month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which normally would set you back $15.

Xbox One X Gears 5 Bundle is 40% Off

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• Get it at Amazon – $299

This bundle isn’t just the console and Gears 5. Instead, it comes with the console as well as Gears of War Ultimate Edition, Gears of War 2, 3, 4, and Gears 5. That’s the entire saga (if we’re going to ignore Judgment, which apparently we are!).

Xbox One X NBA 2K20 Bundle is 40% Off

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• Get it at Walmart with 1 Month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – $299
• Get it at Amazon – $299

Sports fans can get the same deal on an Xbox One X bundled with NBA 2K20. Buy it at Walmart, and you’ll also get a free month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Pretty sweet deal.

3 Months Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is 44% Off

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• Get it at Amazon – $24.99 (was $44.99)

As far as I’m concerned, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is one of the best deals in gaming right now. It gets you access to well over 100 games, plus you get to play all first-party Microsoft games for free at launch. You can’t beat it.

Xbox One S All-Digital is 33% Off

• Get it at Amazon – $159 (was $250)

The Xbox One S All-Digital isn’t as powerful as an Xbox One X, but this deal is so good I had to include it. For less than the cost of a Switch Lite, you can have a full-powered Xbox One S (without at disk drive) that comes with Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, and Fortnite.

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Chris Reed is IGN’s shopping and commerce editor. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

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Riders on Disneyland’s Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run can now ‘hack’ the ride to turn on Chewie Mode.

If you’ve been on the ride before, you know that every right and wrong move is met with a line from Hondo, the famed smuggler who sends you on the mission in the first place. You meet him in the queue before entering the Millennium Falcon.

But with a specific set of inputs, you can activate Chewie Mode, replacing all of Hondo’s verbal cues with responses from Chewbacca in the form of his famous yell. But be warned, making this happen isn’t easy and will require a group of friendly strangers or a full crew of friends willing to help you.

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Fresh Baked completed this hack and you can see it in action if you want to see it for yourself. If you’re looking to hack into the system yourself, you’re going to need to follow a very specific set of instructions:

When you enter the ride section of Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, do not activate your position, which could be pilot, gunner, or engineer. This means that nobody on the ride should press a button or touch a lever.

The left and right pilots need to push their steering controls to the far left and right respectively. Once they’ve done that, they can hit their activation button. The engineers and gunners need to now hit one of the white buttons on their interface before pressing the orange activation button.

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All of this must be done before the cast member hits the button that starts the ride. A good way to ensure you’ve done what you need to do in time is making sure everyone completes their steps, or hack as it were, before the cast member assigned to your unit finishes the seatbelt check.

If you’ve completed these steps in time, you’ll know you’ve successfully hacked the ride when you hear Chewie yelling at you and explaining what you need to do instead of Holdo.

If you haven’t had the chance to go to Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland to ride Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, we’ve got a review of it with footage from the ride you can check out. We also recently reviewed the newest ride in the land, Rise of the Resistance, and spoilers: it’s amazing.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN that loves Disney and is eagerly anticipating the day he can try this at Disney World in Florida. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.