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The Most Terrifying Scares in Video Games

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 15:37:31 GMT

Video games have the unique ability to put you in the shoes of someone else, which also means they have the ability to scare the crap out of you like no other medium. From the escalating psychological torment Silent Hill 2 throws your way, to the good old fashioned heart-in-the-mouth scares dished out the original Resident Evil, there are a lot of genuinely terrifying moments in video games. There are plenty to choose from, but we've whittled it down to ten of the best. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/22/10-most-terrifying-scares-in-video-games"] Watch the video above, click through the gallery below or scroll down for the full list! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-most-terrifying-scares-in-video-games&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]

10. T-Rex Attack – Tomb Raider

Though not a horror series in the traditional sense, the Tomb Raider series has leaned heavily into the fantastical and the supernatural, delivering its fair share of scares throughout the years. However, nothing came close to the appearance of the T-Rex in the Lost Valley level of the 1996 original. Even though you eventually knew it was coming, the thunderous footsteps and overwhelming size of the dinosaur, accompanied by that sudden, frantic, string-based score, still terrified every time.

9. Fast Zombies of Ravenholm – Half-Life 2

The Half-Life games have always excelled at introducing new gameplay mechanics or enemy threats within each playable chapter, and one of the best took place in the zombie-infested town of Ravenholm. There comes a moment where the player is trapped on a rooftop waiting for a slow-moving elevator to reach the top floor while a strange, awful howl echoes in the distance. Because of that slow elevator sequence, Valve decided it would be best to introduce a new enemy type not found in any previous Half-Life game: the fast zombie. The fast zombies were not only horrifying to look at, but they were incredibly agile and unlike anything Half-Life 2 previously set up for player expectations. Stranded on the rooftop while the horrible sounds of howling, grotesque gargling noises and witnessing the pipes attached to the building’s structure rumble as the fast zombies climbed their way up to lunge right at the player’s face made that elevator’s eventual rise to the top floor feel like an eternity.

8. The Mirror Room – Silent Hill 3

The original Silent Hill trilogy all had nail-biting moments, but one of the most terrifying - and abstract - was the cursed mirror in Silent Hill 3. Located in the nightmare version of Brookhaven Hospital, there’s one particular storage room that Heather can enter only for the soundscape to turn into a thumping heartbeat. Staring at the mirror, the player will begin to see what looks like blood vessels crawling all over the floor inside of the reflection, which begin making their way inside of a sink before spilling out into the world. The door leading to the exit is locked as the floor, Heather’s reflection in the mirror freezes in place, and the entire room is engulfed with what appears to be mutating flesh and blood before it eventually kills Heather. It’s one of the most eerie moments in the Silent Hill series, and one its fans will never forget.

7. The Ladder – F.E.A.R.

Some horror games make situations more intense by providing you with barely any weapons. F.E.A.R. changes things up by giving you the means to mow down countless supersoldiers, but routinely reminds you that no weapon can protect you from true terror. Players learn this early on as they witness hallucinations and shadowy figures scampering just out of range that no amount of bullets or reflex time can fend off. But the most terrifying moment in F.E.A.R comes when you’re climbing down a seemingly harmless ladder, and suddenly you’re face to face with Alma, the series’ iconic creepy little girl, standing only inches away. This event is particularly devious as the player is essentially helpless while on the ladder, and while frantically sliding down to regain control, they hardly notice another specter walking towards them on the catwalk below.

6. Tentacle Attack – Dead Space

It's one thing to program an effective jump scare, but what about dread? Dread can be a tougher mood to set, but Dead Space accomplished it with little more than a hole in the side of a ship and one mean-ass tentcacle. Sure, the first time the player passes the hole, they're immediately on guard. But when nothing pops out the second time? Or the seventh? The hole becomes just another part of the background as Isaac retraces his steps again and again trying to put the Ishimura aright. Until, that is, the jack-in-the-box finally POPs and the player's treated to an terrifying quicktime event, then has to make some precision shots or risk becoming become cthulu-food.

5. The Nightmare Alley – Silent Hill

The first few minutes of Silent Hill are a masterclass in game design in the way it uses nearly every aspect of gameplay to crank up the tension bit by bit. Thick fog obscures its environments, while a low electronic hum and your own footsteps are the only sounds to be heard. When protagonist Harry Mason chases a ghostly figure down an alley, Silent Hill’s camera suddenly becomes more dynamic—sweeping down low then creeping back up again as if from the point of view of something watching. Your environment inexplicably becomes darker, the walls around you become blood-splashed rusted metal, mutilated corpses litter the ground. A siren sounds off in the distance, and knife-wielding creatures start to encroach. The controls, clunky at first, now underscore how nearly impossible it is to fight these monsters, and that there’s no escape. And that’s all in the first five minutes.

4. The Xenomorph Can Actually Hear You – Alien: Isolation

Ever since that baby xenomorph burst through Kane’s chest in the mess of the Nostromo, horror movies and sci-fi films have never been the same. While Alien: Isolation wasn’t as revolutionary as its motion picture progenitor, it was the first Alien game to successfully adapt the survival horror heart of the first movie. And to survive on the Sevastopol, the player needed to not only master evasion but silence itself. Xenomorphs have super sensitive hearing, and while a locker might hide the player from its predatory gaze, the loud exhale or celebratory cheer (from the comfort of your terrestrial couch) after surviving a close call could lead to an unexpected headbite and respawn if loud enough. But How did the alien hear you in the first place? Well, it’s listening through the controller mic. And those early deaths that come when the Xeno re-enters right after you thought you were in the clear are some of the most frightening scares in the game- that is, until the player realizes their bugged and they need to stay quiet to survive.

3. Meeting the Licker – Resident Evil 2

The lead up to your first encounter with a licker in Resident Evil 2 signposts exactly what you’re in for. Upon discovering a corpse very early into your journey into the Racoon City Police Station, you’re notified that its “head is missing. It seems to have been twisted off”. The cut scene where the licker reveals itself on the ceiling, all brains, teeth, and tongue, is bad enough, what’s worse is when it drops off the ceiling and you’re forced to face it, in that uncomfortable fixed angle, with only a handful of bullets. Truly, the stuff of nightmares. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-resident-evil-bosses&captions=true"]

2. That Doggie in the Window – Resident Evil

You’re casually walking down an empty hallway in the original Resident Evil, completely devoid of zombies, and BAM - a zombie dog bursts through the window and absolutely ruins your day. The initial shock of this particular moment is so great, you’ll never walk past a window in comfort for the rest of the game, which leads to a sense of gnawing unease throughout.

1. Lisa Attacks – PT

The greatest thing about PT is the way everything slowly builds up to this one big scare. While its dimly lit house interior is creepy, it’s too linear to make you feel at risk of a jump scare from some shadowy corner. But as you keep walking through PT’s continuous loops through the house’s corridors, things get slightly more disturbing each time and the tension starts to build, and build, and build, until finally... the words "look behind you," can barely be made out through the radio static... you oblige, and you meet Lisa, up close and personal. Try not to scream. And those are our favorite scares in gaming - what made you shriek the loudest? Let us know in the comments, and for more scarily fun reads, check out how PT became a modern urban legend in its own right, or

Mass Effect Legendary Edition Has Been Rated in South Korea

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 18:48:55 GMT

Fans have been eagerly awaiting a potential remaster of the Mass Effect Trilogy for what feels like forever, and it seems it may be closer than we think. As reported by Gematsu, the Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea has rated an unannounced Mass Effect Legendary Edition. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-bioware-game-review&captions=true"] Just last month a Portuguese retailer listed the Mass Effect Trilogy for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, but nothing has been announced since the listings went up. November 7th marks N7 Day, a day where BioWare celebrates the rich Mass Effect history with fans of the series. Generally, it includes announcements and updates of upcoming projects for the Mass Effect franchise. Last year's N7 day was a bit underwhelming, adding in Mass Effect-themed emotes to the floundering Anthem — just months before the team at BioWare began rebuilding it from the ground up due to negative criticism and fan feedback. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/06/billie-eilishs-secret-mass-effect-connection-ign-daily-fix] After the disappointing launch of Mass Effect Andromeda, fans have been clamoring for a new entry in the series. While BioWare is currently working on Dragon Age 4, rumors began circulating late last year that a new entry in the Mass Effect series was in early development. In an interview with BioWare's Executive Producer Mark Darrah, he reaffirmed they are, "definitely not done with Mass Effect," along with saying, "there's a lot of stories to be told." While it's unlikely we'll see a new proper Mass Effect game anytime soon, we'll happily settle for that remaster trilogy in the meantime. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matthew Adler is a Features, News, Previews, and Reviews writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.

Ex-Sega Developer Criticizes Release of Golden Axe Prototype Created 'Under Crunch Conditions'

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 12:31:38 GMT

An ex-Sega developer has criticized the publisher following the announcement of a repackaged release of a prototype he helped create "under crunch conditions." Witch Beam co-founder Tim Dawson took to Twitter to point out that Golden Axed: A Cancelled Prototype - a game launching on Steam as part of Sega's 60th-anniversary celebrations - was initially coded by Dawson and a small team in 2012 in an attempt to revive the classic series. Dawson claims that Sega enforced very tough working conditions for the team. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=sega-60th-anniversary-streets-of-kamurocho-golden-axed-armor-of-heroes-screenshots-ign&captions=true"] Dawson and his team were asked to make "a polished gameplay prototype for an internal Golden Axe pitch in about two weeks." "This project was my personal nexus of nightmare hours, inept management, industry realisations and heroics achieved with a small team under unreasonable conditions, so it's an odd feeling to see it surface eight years later without context, credits and with a joke title sequence," Dawson explained. The prototype's development was apparently mired by problems and criticism from upper management.

woke up to the surprising news that Sega is releasing the Golden Axe prototype I coded in 2012 under crunch conditions
At least I'm not alone - this appears to be a surprise to everyone I know who actually worked on it https://t.co/MRmuSFgMlA — Tim Dawson (@ironicaccount) October 15, 2020

The launch of Golden Axed has surprised some of the prototype's original developers, who worked on the project almost a decade ago and were not informed by Sega that it would be making a return. Dawson mentioned that he was working on the game for "14-hour days" amid "7 day work weeks." and called Sega "parasites" for the tongue-in-cheek description of the game originally featured on its Steam store page, which read as follows: "Golden Axed may be janky, may be buggy, may be an artifact of its time, but it offers a unique glimpse into the prospect of a project that could have been." Later, Dawson added to his comments, saying "If you're excited to play an old prototype, that's fine! Bunch of people including me worked hard on it. And obviously Sega owns it and any work I did, it's just a bit weird they're saying they reached out to the original team." IGN reached out to Sega for comment on this story, who provided the following response: "SEGA Europe reached out to former members of the Golden Axe: Reborn dev team to produce this prototype of the game for Steam as part of our 60th Anniversary celebrations. We wanted to bring the work of the developers at the time to light and celebrate it as a part of our history. Something we didn't get the chance to do first time around. We certainly didn't mean to dredge up painful memories for Mr. Dawson and his former colleagues or appear disrespectful. We've removed the line from the Steam copy that could have been taken as a slur on the development and would like to reassure everyone that it was intended as a comment on the build we had ported to PC, not the quality of the original work. We're hoping lots of fans play the prototype and can appreciate the work he and his colleagues put into this developing this prototype." Golden Axed is part of Sega's 60th Anniversary Steam Celebration, which also includes a Streets of Rage/Yakuza mash-up game and a retro battle tank game based on Company of Heroes. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

SEGA 60th Anniversary Steam Celebration Includes Streets of Rage/Yakuza Mash-Up Game and More

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 20:06:31 GMT

SEGA’s 60th anniversary celebration is underway on Steam, with discounts on their in-house franchises and Creative Assembly’s library of Total War games. Most unusually, SEGA has also announced the publication of three new games that include a Yakuza/Streets of Rage mash-up and a playable canceled Golden Axe game.

The Yakuza/Streets of Rage mash-up, appropriately titled “Streets of Kamurocho,” features Yakuza protagonists Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima in traditional 2D pixel form brawling their way through waves of street thugs and enemy Yakuza. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=sega-60th-anniversary-streets-of-kamurocho-golden-axed-armor-of-heroes-screenshots-ign&captions=true"]

The trailer shows a brief glimpse of Kiryu’s adoptive brother Akira Nishikiyama, and with the Steam description mentioning the death of the Tojo Clan’s third chairman, it seems Streets of Kamurocho will follow the events of the first game at least loosely. The Yakuza franchise is already pretty close to a traditional brawler, with its long-running focus on physical combat, so it’s got a lot of familiar brawler trappings, including using traffic cones to whack enemies with.

Streets of Kamurocho is being developed by Empty Clip Studios, which has previously made 2D “demakes” of popular franchises like Dead Island and Final Fantasy 15.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/07/yakuza-like-a-dragon-next-gen-announcement-trailer"]

Streets of Kamurocho is free on Steam starting on October 17, and will become unavailable after 10 am PST on October 19.

SEGA also plans to release “Golden Axed,” a canceled prototype of a new Golden Axe game from the defunct SEGA Studios Australia, which closed in 2013. Golden Axed was originally meant to be one part of a compilation of 2.5D reboots of Golden Axe, Altered Beast, Streets of Rage, and an endless runner version of Shinobi.

Golden Axed, or what remains of it, is just a single level created as a proof of concept, and at times throughout its trailer, it can certainly look it. SEGA and porting studio Eccentric Ape are clearly running with it as a tongue-in-cheek bit of humor.

“Golden Axed may be janky, may be buggy, may be an artifact of its time, but it offers a unique glimpse into the prospect of a project that could have been, and a rare peek behind the curtain at the sometimes tumultuous world of video game development,” the Golden Axed Steam page reads. “We reached out to some of the original development team to bring this dusty gem to light, and they are proud that this project could be revived in some form to be shared with you, the fans.”

SEGA is releasing Golden Axed for free on Steam on October 18, but you only have until 10 am PST on October 19 to grab it.

Finally, SEGA is working with Eccentric Ape again to release Armor of Heroes, a retro tank battle game based on the Company of Heroes RTS franchise. If you ever played those browser-based tank battle games in high school, you probably have a good idea of what to expect, albeit with a modern day coat of paint. In a top-down view, up to four players can drive their tanks around and try to bounce shots around or through destructible environments to eliminate enemies across nine game modes and couch PVP co-op. If your friends aren’t up for tank warfare, it also has a single-player mode with AI opponents.

Armor of Heroes is available from October 15 to 10 a.m. PST on October 19.

SEGA fans in the west are also eagerly awaiting Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the seventh core installment of the franchise which finally introduces a new cast of characters and features a much more turn-based RPG style of combat. You can read our latest preview of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which we played on the Xbox Series X. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/06/yakuza-like-a-dragon-the-quest-begins-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/brawler for IGN. Hit him with a bicycle on Twitter.

Level-5 Reportedly Ends North American Operations

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 18:53:04 GMT

Publisher and developer Level-5 appear to be ending operations in North America. There are currently no concrete plans to release any more games outside of Japan. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Level-5 International America and smaller spin-off studio Level-5 Abby began laying off the majority of its of employees sometime in the middle of 2019, although the exact number of employees is unknown. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ni-no-kuni-cross-worlds-screenshots&captions=true"] There is no indication as to why Level-5 is shutting down outside Japan, but employees from the Abby location were "given every indication" that the studio would be ceasing operations. Only a couple employees remained to maintain day-to-day operations while Level-5 focused its attention on the Japan office. Level-5 is known primarily for the Ni no Kuni series of games as well as the popular Yo-Kai Watch titles, both of which feature games as well as anime adaptations. Earlier this year Level-5 confirmed the third mainline installment of the Ni no Kuni series is currently in development with a tentative 2020 release date in Japan, although no updates have been given as to the status of development. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/26/ni-no-kuni-cross-worlds-15-minutes-of-gameplay-japanese-vo-tgs-2020] Additionally, a mobile spin-off of the Ni no Kuni series, titled Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds, was revealed recently during Tokyo Games Show. Gameplay shown during the presentation was later uploaded to YouTube along with English subtitles. No official announcement was made indicating it would be coming stateside, however. Netflix recently added a Ni no Kuni feature-length film to its catalog (stylized as NiNoKuni) featuring a new cast of characters and an original story. Yo-Kai Watch 4 was announced for Nintendo Switch in 2018 with a launch in Japan in late 2019. There are currently no plans to release the sequel outside of Japan at this time, although it's unlikely we'll see any of the recent on in-development titles localized now. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matthew Adler is a Features, News, Previews, and Review writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.

Final Fantasy 14: PS5 Backward Compatibility and Patch 5.4 Details Revealed

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 15:21:46 GMT

Square Enix has detailed the upcoming 5.4 Patch for Final Fantasy 14 and has announced that the PS4 version of FF14 will be playable on PS5 with PS4 Pro display settings and quicker load times. During the latest Letter from the Producer LIVE broadcast for FF14, producer and director Naoki Yoshida, who is also a producer on Final Fantasy 16, revealed Patch 5.4, entitled "Futures Rewritten," and stated it will be released in early December 2020. This patch will bring new Main Scenario Quests that will follow the grand conclusion of the Shadowbringers story and will add a new Raid dungeon - Eden's Promise - which is the third chapter in the 8-player Eden raid series. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=final-fantasy-14-patch-535-and-54-screenshots&captions=true"] Furthermore, there will be new Chronicles of a New Era - The Sorrow of Werlyt updates that will introduce the Emerald Weapon into FF14. There will also be a new dungeon and Unreal Trial, and the Blue Mage will be getting a new update that increases its level cap and more. The new Explorer Mode will allow players to traverse Shadowbringers dungeons without the danger of enemies in order to take screenshots. Mounts and minions can also be summoned to help create the perfect shot. Prior to Patch 5.4, Patch 5.35 will be released on October 13 and will feature the latest chapter in the "Save the Queen" questline, with a story written by Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII's Yasumi Matsuno, and new Bozjan Southern Front battle content will also be added. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/20/the-top-10-modern-pc-games"] Unfortunately, it was also announced the the European Fan Festival for FF14 was cancelled for February 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it will still go on as a digital event. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

How Rhythm Games Blew Up (And Then Burned Out)

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 20:27:55 GMT

It began with a dog and an onion.

Sure, NanaOn-Sha’s PaRappa the Rapper wasn’t the first video game to demand players sync button presses to a basic beat via on-screen prompts. For instance, the early Bandai dance mat peripheral-based game Aerobics Studio – a primitive NES precursor to the likes of Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution – was first released in Japan in 1987 and handily pre-dates PaRappa. It wasn’t the first to intrinsically weave music into the core of the game itself, either, as anyone who had the misfortune of, say, waking up during 1992 and unwrapping a copy of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch: Make My Video can probably attest.

But Aerobics Studio is overtly an exercise game set to some bleeps and bloops, and the Make My Video trio of FMV games (INXS, Kris Kross, and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, all released in 1992) are famously regarded as some of the worst ever inflicted upon humanity.

If you’re really looking for the flame that truly lit the rhythm game fuse – a genre that would later go on to become one of the most lucrative in the industry throughout the mid- to late 2000s – look no further than this love-struck, two-dimensional dog and his onion-headed karate mentor.

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Kick! Punch! It’s All in the Mind

Development for PaRappa the Rapper began in 1994, just after the original PlayStation was announced. It was launched in Japan in 1996 and a worldwide release followed in 1997. Created by Japanese music producer Masaya Matsuura and American graphic artist Rodney Greenblat, PaRappa the Rapper was a game like no other that had come before it.

It was so unique, in fact, that Matsuura himself wasn’t even sure it was a game – and, according to him, neither were some of the folks at Sony when it came time to promote and publish it. With the initial production run for PaRappa the Rapper in the tens of thousands, Matsuura hadn’t anticipated it being particularly successful.

PaRappa the Rapper’s quirky charm and catchy songs caught on, however, and after a slow start it became one of Japan’s best-selling games of 1997. It was awarded Platinum status – the designation Sony historically bestowed upon games selling over one million copies – in 1998. Matsuura, Greenblat, and the NanaOn-Sha crew had crafted something that successfully struck a chord with gamers, establishing the bones of the structure of most modern rhythm games in the process – that is, tapping indicated buttons in time with music. A simple formula, no doubt, but an accessible and addictive one. It worked.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/12/03/5-minutes-of-parappa-the-rapper-remastered-gameplay"]

NanaOn-Sha followed the success of PaRappa the Rapper with UmJammer Lammy in 1999 (a spin-off that traded raps for rock riffs) and Vib Ribbon in 2000 (a rhythm-based musical platformer with simple vector graphics and the ability to generate levels from your own CDs). However, by the time PaRappa the Rapper 2 emerged on PS2 in 2001, a rhythm revolution was well underway.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=By%20the%20time%20PaRappa%20the%20Rapper%202%20emerged%20on%20PS2%20in%202001%2C%20a%20rhythm%20revolution%20was%20well%20underway"]Rhythm games focusing on dancing had begun to combine the concepts pioneered by Aerobics Studio with PaRappa’s clear and elegant interface, and Sega’s Samba de Amigo – which debuted in arcades in late 1999 and appeared on Dreamcast in 2000 – required players to shake a pair of maracas in time with the music. However, it was Konami – which sauntered to the stage in the late ’90s with its DJ-themed rhythm game Beatmania – that would take things up a notch.

Konami quickly shadowed Beatmania with a pair of guitar and drum equivalents: GuitarFreaks and DrumMania. These peripheral-based Japanese arcade cabinets have been rocking Japanese arcades for the past two decades, and Konami has released new editions of the series every year since 1999. GuitarFreaks and DrumMania ultimately didn’t make much of a global dent as home console ports, but their instrument-shaped controllers and vertically-scrolling on-screen button commands would be the blueprint for the next big thing in music games, unequivocally paving the way for the plastic instrument tsunami soon to follow.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/05/04/how-parappa-the-rapper-inspired-the-creation-of-guitar-hero-rock-band-unfiltered"]

Danger Is Go

The stratospheric rise of rhythm gaming in the mid-2000s would ultimately come courtesy of a little-known Boston, Massachusetts-based company called Harmonix. However, while the studio’s success would ultimately come from building upon the foundation formed by Konami’s peripheral-based arcade cabinets, it didn’t come instantly.

Established in 1995, Harmonix has spent the last two-and-a-half decades devising ways to allow non-musicians to experience the joy of creating music. Harmonix’s first product was a joystick-based “music improvisation system” for PC called The Axe that reportedly sold only around 300 copies, but the studio’s failure with this project led them to look towards the Japanese karaoke market. When this didn’t work out either, however, Harmonix pivoted instead to examining the ideas established by Japanese studios with the likes of PaRappa the Rapper and Beatmania and finding ways of bringing this brand of music gameplay to the West.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=2001%E2%80%99s%20Frequency%20and%20its%202003%20sequel%20Amplitude%2C%20both%20for%20PS2%2C%20were%20Harmonix%E2%80%99s%20first%20real%20attempts%20at%20riffing%20on%20the%20burgeoning%20rhythm%20genre"]2001’s Frequency and its 2003 sequel Amplitude, both for PS2, were Harmonix’s first real attempts at riffing on the burgeoning rhythm genre. By blasting gems as they scrolled down the screen, players could activate the separate instrument tracks of a song. The gameplay was similar to Konami’s brand of rhythm action but they didn’t utilise bespoke controllers – players used Sony’s standard DualShock2. Neither game was a massive commercial hit, although each secured a keen cult following and plenty of critical acclaim. Crucially, however, they made Harmonix the most visible developer of music games in the West.

First, Harmonix caught Konami’s eye; the studio became the initial developer of Konami’s Karaoke Revolution series. Karaoke Revolution arrived in North America in late 2003, a few months before Sony’s own singing sensation SingStar hit various PAL territories in mid-2004. The first-party muscle of Sony would ultimately see SingStar become the preeminent karaoke game series – especially in Europe and Oceania; the series was a monster hit shifting dozens of different editions in various languages and moving mountains of microphones into PlayStation 2 households.

However, Harmonix’s work on Karaoke Revolution had already attracted the attention of California-based games and gaming accessory business RedOctane, a California-based games business that was already producing third-party accessories, like dance mats, for existing music games. It was to be this partnership that would crank the music game business up to 11.

More Than a Feeling

The proposal from RedOctane was simple: If RedOctane built a guitar controller, Harmonix would build a guitar game. No-one knew if bringing a GuitarFreaks-style game West was going to work but, nevertheless, it was the kind of game Harmonix had been champing at the bit to make – and the opportunity had arrived.

The original Guitar Hero arrived in November 2005 to immediate acclaim and strong sales. Featuring 30 tracks covering 50 years of rock (plus a handful of bonus songs, primarily from indie bands that Harmonix developers were either part of, or knew), Guitar Hero was a runaway success. It blazed the trail for a brand-new era of what was to become a billion-dollar business. Striking while the iron was steaming hot, Guitar Hero II followed the very next year. With even more songs than the original (plus bass and rhythm parts, to encourage purchases of a second guitar peripheral), the wildly-popular Guitar Hero II eclipsed the acclaim of the original and went on to become one of the highest-rated games on PS2.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/07/28/history-of-awesome-guitar-hero"]

In barely a year Guitar Hero had become a cultural phenomenon, though Activision had already seen the profit potential; it acquired RedOctane and the Guitar Hero brand (but not Harmonix) in the lead-up to Guitar Hero II’s release, in June 2006. A few months later media juggernaut Viacom scooped up Harmonix and placed it under its MTV wing. With RedOctane and Harmonix now under separate ownership, the rapidly-assembled follow-up to Guitar Hero II (Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, released in mid-2007 and just eight months after Guitar Hero II) would be Harmonix’s last Guitar Hero game.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock followed quickly in late 2007 and, despite the diminishing gap between instalments, the series showed no sign of slowing down just yet. Assembled by Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater veterans Neversoft, Guitar Hero III maintained the basic formula but was stuffed with over 70 songs (most of them master tracks performed by the actual bands, rather than covers), online multiplayer, and even appearances from rock legends like Slash and Tom Morello.

According to Activision, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was the best-selling game of 2007, both in terms of units sold and dollar sales, but the good news for Guitar Hero just kept coming. In January 2008 Activision confirmed the Guitar Hero series had raked in over a billion dollars in sales in North America alone. In January 2009 it was announced that Guitar Hero III had hit a cool billion in dollar sales by itself.

According to Activision it was the first single video game to do so.

Here It Goes Again

But let’s jump back to 2007. Since parting ways with RedOctane, Harmonix had immediately begun heating up its Guitar Hero rival – a game that would ultimately go head-to-head with the series Harmonix had previously helped establish.

Rock Band, released in November 2007, was a fusion of Harmonix’s original Guitar Hero vision, its work with Konami on Karaoke Revolution, and Konami’s own DrumMania. The result was something immense – both in the size of the retail box and the success that followed. Augmenting the massively popular Guitar Hero gameplay with the crowd-pleasing appeal of karaoke games (and tossing drums into the mix for good measure) created a co-op experience truly like no other.

The multi-instrument gameplay was praised by critics and fans flocked to it en masse; sales of four million were reported for the first year alone.

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It helped that the Rock Band ecosystem was also an incredibly strong one. Harmonix’s ongoing commitment to regular DLC meant new songs were available on a weekly basis, and the ability to export disc-based set-lists to your console meant songs could be carried from previous editions of the games and into the sequels; a player’s whole library of songs was available in one place.

Guitar Hero was never quite able to match Rock Band’s all-in-one elegance in this department, but it did immediately pivot to emulate Rock Band’s multi-instrument approach with Guitar Hero: World Tour in late 2008. The cracks, however, were already beginning to show; initial US sales of Guitar Hero: World Tour were less than half those achieved by Guitar Hero III in the same time frame.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

The steady salvo of rhythm games that filled the end of the decade saturated the marketplace. Beyond the widely-celebrated Rock Band 2 in 2008 and 2010’s Rock Band 3 – which added keyboards – Harmonix squeezed several side-projects into the mix, including a LEGO-themed Rock Band game and AC/DC’s famous Live at Donington album (which found its way to the Rock Band series as a standalone expansion). Green Day and The Beatles also received dedicated Rock Band experiences. The Beatles: Rock Band is actually regarded by many as one of the most artistically striking and achingly reverent music games ever made – and it sold well over two million copies – but the tide was still turning.

[caption id="attachment_2419380" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] The Beatles: Rock Band's intro movie alone was a thing of wonder.[/caption]

Outside of Guitar Hero V (2009) and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (2010), Aerosmith, Metallica, and Van Halen each got a Guitar Hero game to call their own before the decade was out. Activision also dabbled with several other music projects, including the bafflingly-titled Top-40-focussed Band Hero in 2009, plus a pair of DJ-themed spin-offs that shipped with their own bespoke, Beatmania-inspired turntable peripheral: 2009’s DJ Hero, and DJ Hero 2 in 2010.

However, music game sales dropped around 50 per cent in 2009, and even more the following year. On top of this, Activision was facing legal trouble from Courtney Love for the tone-deaf decision to allow an avatar of the late Kurt Cobain to be displayed in Guitar Hero V comically miming songs performed by other artists, and No Doubt took similar issue with their appearance in Band Hero.

[caption id="attachment_2419372" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] "Hey kids, I'm Kurt Cobain and this next one is... a Bon Jovi cover."[/caption]

In early 2010, Activision shuttered RedOctane. In late 2010, Viacom offloaded Harmonix to a private investor and the studio became independent again. In early 2011, four months after Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock fizzled, Activision put the series on ice and Neversoft’s GH development team was disbanded.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=From%202000%20to%202009%2C%20five%20out%20of%20the%20top%2020%20best-selling%20games%20in%20the%20US%20by%20dollar%20sales%20were%20rhythm%20games%20%E2%80%93%20including%20three%20out%20the%20top%20five"]From 2000 to 2009, five out of the top 20 best-selling games in the US by dollar sales were rhythm games – including three out the top five. Guitar Hero III was number one, and Rock Band was number three. These games captured the imaginations of a broad spectrum of gamers and were incredibly lucrative for several years.

But then, almost as suddenly as it arrived, music mania was over.

Still Into You

But while the rhythm sector had run its course as a fad, it certainly never went extinct. Rather, it simply returned to servicing its loyal base of diehard fans – both the ones that had been playing since PaRappa dropped his first rhymes back in the ’90s and those that had been enchanted along the way by the genre’s ability to democratise the art of music-making for everybody, regardless of their actual musical ability.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=Rock%20Band%204%20DLC%20continues%20to%20be%20released%20every%20week%2C%20five%20years%20after%20the%20game%E2%80%99s%20launch"]Harmonix supported the Rock Band series with 275 consecutive weeks of additional DLC songs, until 2013. After a two-year hiatus it released Rock Band 4 for PS4 and Xbox One and allowed returning players to re-download all their previously purchased PS3 and Xbox 360 songs and disc exports to their new consoles, free-of-charge. Rock Band 4 DLC continues to be released every week, five years after the game’s launch. From Fantasia: Music Evolved to the upcoming Fuser, Harmonix has not stopped making music game experiences.

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Ubisoft appeared to arrive late to the party, debuting Rocksmith in 2011 (the finger pickin’ good follow-up, Rocksmith 2014, was released in 2013 – and Rocksmith 2014 Remastered was released in 2016 for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4). Rocksmith differs from Guitar Hero and Rock Band by allowing users to plug in their own electric guitars to play along and learn the tracks. Rocksmith carved out a well-deserved reputation as a respected music instruction tool over the decade, and its epic run of 383 weeks of song releases only came to an end in April this year.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=%5BRocksmith's%5D%20epic%20run%20of%20383%20weeks%20of%20song%20releases%20only%20came%20to%20an%20end%20in%20April%20this%20year"]VR has also emerged as an intriguing space for rhythm games over the past several years, with Thumper, Audioshield, Beat Saber, and many more. VR is a thriving area of experimentation in highly-immersive and regularly brain-bending rhythm experiences.

While it seems extremely unlikely rhythm games will ever see the kind of spike in immense popularity they enjoyed in the late 2000s again, this last decade has proven they’re equally unlikely to ever go away.

The tempo may have changed, but the beat goes on.

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Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. He’s a mediocre pianist and a rubbish guitarist but he still owns more plastic instruments than real ones. You can find him on Twitter sporadically @MrLukeReilly.

This Book Offers an Insider Look at BioWare's 25-Year History

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 13:00:43 GMT

BioWare has spent 25 years building a reputation for crafting high-quality video games with immersive, lore-heavy worlds. If you've ever wondered what it's like to work behind the scenes and bring those epic games to life, Dark Horse Comics has just the book for you. Dark Horse is releasing a new hardcover artbook called BioWare: Stories and Secrets From 25 Years of Game Development. As the name suggests, this book gives fans a closer look at the company's inner workings and the fascinating behind-the-scenes stories that arose out of modern classics like Mass Effect and Knights of the Old Republic. Plus, you can expect a copious amount of sketches and concept art and even glimpses of BioWare games that never saw the light of day. Check out the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive preview of this sprawling BioWare retrospective: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=bioware-stories-and-secrets-from-25-years-of-game-development-exclusive-book-preview&captions=true"] Here's Dark Horse's official description for the book:

BioWare - Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development puts you in the room during key moments in BioWare's history, with never-before-seen art and photos anchored by candid stories from developers past and present. See what it took to make games in those wild early days. Pore over details of secret, cancelled projects. Discover the genesis of beloved characters and games. Presented and designed by Dark Horse Books, this tribute to BioWare's legacy is a must-have for any fan of the best stories you can play.

BioWare: Stories and Secrets From 25 Years of Game Development is priced at $49.99 and is scheduled for release on November 11, 2020. Currently, BioWare is crafting some major changes to its live-service shooter Anthem, with the update dubbed "Anthem Next." We also know the developer is one of many EA-owned studios working on next-gen projects for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. One of those projects could even be the rumored Knights of the Old Republic remake, which will reportedly overhaul the game's story to fit within the context of Disney's Star Wars timeline. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/24/which-ea-studio-could-possibly-remake-star-wars-knights-of-the-old-republic"] For more on BioWare's long, notable history, check every BioWare game review on IGN. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Resident Evil Origin Story Reboot Casts Jill Valentine, Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, and More

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 16:27:50 GMT

The Resident Evil origin story movie has cast nearly all of its major leads, including actors for Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, Claire Redfield, Leon S. Kennedy, and Albert Wesker. This is yet another adaptation of Capcom’s survival horror series separate from a planned Netflix show. Production firm Constantin Film and writer/director Johannes Roberts announced the cast for its Resident Evil origin story. Set in 1998 “on a fateful night in Raccoon City” the Resident Evil movie will star Kaya Scodelario (Maze Runner) as Claire Redfield, Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp) as Jill Valentine, Robbie Amell (Upload) as Chris Redfield, Tom Hopper (The Umbrella Academy) as Albert Wesker, Avan Jogia (Zombieland: Double Tap) as Leon S. Kennedy, and Neal McDonough (Yellowstone) as William Birkin. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=resident-evil-origin-movie-cast-comparison&captions=true"] According to director Johannes Roberts in a statement, “I really wanted to go back to the original first two games and recreate the terrifying visceral experience I had when I first played them whilst at the same time telling a grounded human story about a small dying American town that feels both relatable and relevant to today’s audiences.” It appears given Roberts’ statement and the cast that this origin movie will blend elements of the first two Resident Evil games. The first game stars Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine and is set in the Spencer Mansion, a dangerous compound full of lurking horror; while Resident Evil 2 stars Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy on a really bad first night on the job in Raccoon City. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-resident-evil-game-review-ever&captions=true"] The new movie is produced by Constantin Film, the same company that produced the previous Resident Evil movie series directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Though it doesn’t appear related to the previous film adaptations. This is also separate from the announced Resident Evil Netflix series which tells an original story about Wesker’s children after they move into “New Raccoon City.” And just because Netflix can't get enough zombies, the streamer is also premiering a new, CGI animated film titled Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness as well. Meanwhile, Anderson, who kickstarted the last Resident Evil live-action film series is directing a live-action Monster Hunter movie. This new origin movie is set to premiere in 2021. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Wolfenstein, Dishonored & Prey Collections Seemingly Coming to Xbox Series X and S

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 11:49:50 GMT

Next-gen collections of Bethesda's Wolfenstein, Dishonored and Prey games seem to be headed to the Xbox Series X and S, according to new ESRB ratings. You can check out the ESRB page for Dishonored & Prey The Arkane Collection here, as well as the Wolfenstein Alt History Collection. 'Xbox Series' is listed as the only platform for both ratings, suggesting they could be exclusive to Microsoft consoles following Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media - which owns both Arkane and Wolfenstein studio MachineGames. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/22/the-5-biggest-takeaways-from-xboxs-bethesda-acquisition"] The Dishonored & Prey The Arkane Collection rating mentions four games, which are most likely Dishonored, Dishonored 2, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider and Prey. The Wolfenstein Alt History Collection blurb also mentions four games, which are most likely Wolfenstein: The New Order, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and Wolfenstein: Youngblood. Given that the Xbox Series hasn't announced any VR support just yet, it's reasonable to assume Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot has been skipped. The Wolfenstein collection mentions in-game purchases, but don't be alarmed, it's almost certainly referring to the existing microtransactions in the co-op game Wolfenstein: Youngblood, which allow players to purchase cosmetic skins. These next-gen collections would make a lot of sense in the wake of Microsoft's recent $7.5 Billion acquisition of Zenimax Media, bringing Bethesda Softworks and its studios under its wing – previously, Microsoft said Bethesda Games would be released on non-Microsoft platforms on a "case-by-case" basis. Here are the 5 biggest takeaways from Xbox's Bethesda acquisition. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered Announced With November Release Date

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 16:26:58 GMT

Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered has been announced, and it's coming out for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 6. A Nintendo Switch release will follow on November 13. The Criterion Games-developed Need For Speed Hot Pursuit came out 10 years ago and is still a fan-favorite. It's being released this November with updated visuals, all of its DLC, cross-platform multiplayer, and more in the form of a remaster from EA. You can check out the remaster's reveal in the trailer below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/05/need-for-speed-hot-pursuit-remastered-official-reveal-trailer"] "Unleash a savage sense of speed both as an outlaw and a cop in this timeless racing experience updated for today's platforms," a blog post detailing the announcement reads. "Get cross-platform multiplayer and Autolog, enhanced visuals, all main DLC delivered at launch, and much more. It's time to reignite the pursuit." This remaster will be presented with updated visuals across all platforms. The Nintendo Switch version runs at 1080p/30fps in its docked mode and 720p/30fps undocked. Depending on PC specifications, the PC version can play up to 4K/60fps and the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X can play at either 4K/30fps or 1080p/60fps. The base version of those consoles plays at 1080p/30fps. "In addition to the listed improvements for the Nintendo Switch version, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC versions, (the game has also been) updated with upressed UI, higher resolution reflections, boosted textures, more particles, and improved AA/SSAO," the blog post reads. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=need-for-speed-hot-pursuit-remastered-screenshots&captions=true"] As mentioned in the trailer above, the game's multiplayer will feature cross play and rankings will display on your friends' Speedwalls — leader boards — no matter what platform they play on. In terms of DLC, the remaster includes the SCPD Rebel Racer pack, the Super Sports pack, the Armed and Dangerous pack, the Lamborghini Untamed pack, and the Porsche Unleashed pack, all available at launch. This adds "an extra six hours of gameplay and more than 30 challenges," according to EA. The remaster also includes new achievements, car colors, car wraps, reduced hard stops, an updated photo mode and gallery, multiple quality-of-life updates, and more. For those unfamiliar with the game, Hot Pursuit was notable at the time of its release because it allowed you to race as vehicles on both sides of the law. You could race your best vehicle through Seacrest County's many roads or you could drive as the police, chasing down those who use the county's roads as race tracks. Check out our original review of Need For Speed Hot Pursuit, where we awarded the game a 9/10 and called it "pure over-the-top driving entertainment". [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

EA Seemingly Teasing a Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered Announcement

Sat, 03 Oct 2020 19:46:55 GMT

EA is teasing an upcoming announcement on October 5, 2020, that very well may be Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered. Need for Speed's Twitter account has been tweeting out cryptic messages that feature racing cars, cops in... hot pursuit (I had to), Big Joe's Pizzeria, and the police code of 510 which is used for speeding or racing vehicles. Furthermore, a page on Need for Speed's official website has a countdown that will end on October 5, 2020, at 8am PT/11am ET/4pm BST alongside a message that states "5:10. How did he go so fast? Five ten. "Call Big Joe's Pizzeria on 0800-510-510-510." There's got to be a way to fix this." Venture Beat first reported that Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered would be one of the seven previous announced EA games to be released for Nintendo Switch in 2020. Since then, it has appeared on Amazon UK and was rated by Korea's Games Rating and Administration Committee. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit was originally released in 2010 and has appeared on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, iOS, and Android. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2010/11/08/need-for-speed-hot-pursuit-video-review"] In our review of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, we said it "is pure over-the-top driving entertainment. The cars and environments are gorgeous, the crashes are spectacular, and the new Autolog feature breathes new life into the time-honored tradition of video game competition among friends. The single-player races can become somewhat repetitive and there are some presentation issues, but overall, Hot Pursuit is a blast." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Minecraft's Caves and Cliffs Update Arrives in 2021

Sat, 03 Oct 2020 17:04:39 GMT

Mojang revealed Minecraft's Caves and Cliffs update, which arrives in Summer 2021 and, as the name suggests, it will make some big improvements to cave and underground exploration and adds "more spectacular mountain generation." Mountains were the winner of the 2019 Minecon Live biome vote, and this update will make them a much bigger part of Minecraft's world. In addition to the previously mentioned mountain generation, there will also be snow "traps, the charming and mischievous goats, and much more.

Underground biomes aren’t all terrifying lava lakes and skeleton-infested mines; instead – if you follow the roots – you’ll find the lush caves are a stunning oasis of calm and tranquillity.
↣ https://t.co/CPC2Hy82Fe ↢ pic.twitter.com/r9RiTwPPdJ — Minecraft (@Minecraft) October 3, 2020

The caves in Minecraft will soon have much more variety, with lush caves, dripstone caves, crystal geodes and more being added, as well as different blocks being present and new mobs to encounter. Some of the new blocks include the Sculk Sensor, a block that emits a redstone signal, allowing players the chance to build such "amazing contraptions" as a wireless redstone.

Tumble absent-mindedly down a hole, sail your trusty vessel into the deep, watery unknown or carefully descend that ancient ravine: whatever your underground exploration method – get ready for improved cave generation!
↣ https://t.co/CPC2Hy82Fe ↢ pic.twitter.com/RLGksxbVGH — Minecraft (@Minecraft) October 3, 2020

There will also be stalactite and stalagmite blocks that are "spiky blocks with different mechanics, such as increased fall damage if you land on them." As players are exploring the underground, there will also be the new copper ore to find, which can be used to craft a lightning rod block. Additionally, the lucky few will happen across the crystal geodes that can be used to craft a telescope.

Speaking of mountains and books by Max Brooks, that brings us to mobs that live on mountains and like to eat books (we suspect). As promised, we’ve added goats – the hugely-anticipated mob from last year’s biome vote. Jumping goats! Ramming goats! Baby goats! So many goats! pic.twitter.com/Wf5LWdHHgk
— Minecraft (@Minecraft) October 3, 2020

As for the mobs, certain new ones will be introduced like the Warden, a "hostile mob well adapted to the dark caves it lives in thanks to its ability to react on movement instead of what it sees, and the Axolotl, an adorable cave-dwelling water creature that can aid in battle." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Banjo-Kazooie, Byleth, and Terry Bogard amiibo Announced for 2021

Sat, 03 Oct 2020 16:47:41 GMT

Super Smash Bros. UItimate's director Masahiro Sakurai has announced that amiibo for Banjo-Kazooie, Fire Emblem: Three Houses' Byleth, and Fatal Fury's Terry Bogard will be available in 2021. These amiibo were revealed during the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Mr. Sakurai Presents "Steve & Alex" presentation that unveiled the release date of the Mincecraft character fighters and broke down how the variations - Steve, Alex, Zombie, and Enderman - will play. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=super-smash-bros-ultimate-banjo-kazooie-byleth-and-terry-bogard-amiibo&captions=true"] Unfortunately, according to Sakurai, the team was only able to create an amiibo for the P1 fighter of Byleth, so there will not be a female version of the figure. As for a potential Minecraft Steve amiibo, Sakurai didn't quite confirm it, but he did say, "If it's going to be produced, I bet it'll be easier compared to the other fighters." These amiibo, alongside the Joker and Dragon Quest Hero amiibo, will make it so each fighter from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Fighter's Pass Vol. 1 will have a figure you can own. Hopefully, Minecraft's Steve and Alex, as well as ARMS' Min Min, won't be far behind. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/01/super-smash-bros-ultimate-minecraft-reveal-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Minecraft's Steve In Smash Bros. May Have Been in Negotiation for 5 Years

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 10:06:11 GMT

Negotiations to get Minecraft's Steve into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate may have been ongoing for "at least" five years. Mojang co-founder Daniel Kaplan revealed the news on Twitter. Kaplan first asked his followers to guess when discussions started about the character coming to Nintendo's Smash Bros, which prompted many teasing replies. Eventually, he confirmed in a reply that talks started "at least five" years ago. In a follow-up, Kaplan added that he has "no idea when implementation started," most likely due to the fact he left Mojang in 2017 to work at Coffee Stain Publishing. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/01/super-smash-bros-ultimate-minecraft-reveal-trailer"] If you missed the news, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai revealed on Thursday that the game's next DLC characters will be Minecraft's Steve, Alex, Zombie and Enderman. An in-depth look at how these characters will work in-game is coming on October 3, where a release date for the characters will also be revealed. Twitter suffered a brief outage when the news dropped, which we're sure is just a coincidence... A blog post on the official Minecraft website offers some more details on the deal. The game's chief creative officer Jens 'Jeb' Bergensten commented that getting Minecraft characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate "is the result of an amazing collaboration with Nintendo." "As fans of the series and avid players at our studios, we couldn’t be more excited to see Minecraft join Smash’s already legendary lineup of characters.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=super-smash-bros-ultimate-minecraft-dlc-fighters-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

The Internet Thinks Minecraft in Smash Bros. Crashed Twitter

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 22:45:27 GMT

This morning Nintendo announced the newest DLC character joining the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster, and it’s none other than Minecraft Steve (and friends). Coincidentally, Twitter suffered a brief outage right after Minecraft Steve was announced, and while Twitter wouldn’t confirm the reason for the outage fans believe the two are related.

At 7 am PT, Nintendo revealed the newest character joining the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighters list. According to Down Detector, Twitter experienced an outage two minutes later. When IGN reached out to Twitter to inquire about the cause of the outage, Twitter declined to confirm the cause of the outage. Although Twitter did confirm there was a short outage. This hasn’t stopped Twitter users from claiming that the two events are related. After all, a lot of people were online to see the new character for Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Minecraft Steve has been a long-rumored, though unconventional, character. When Steve was finally revealed as the next character, the reaction online was swift and immediate.

twitter the exact moment minecraft steve got announced for smash pic.twitter.com/CAR6riDrcP
— Kevampire Williwolf (@AwestruckVox) October 1, 2020

Sakurai: Minecraft Steve in Smash! Twitter Servers: pic.twitter.com/TNQMDsPriT — TRAFON (@RiseFallNick) October 1, 2020

Twitter has survived numerous election campaigns, election days, election result, natural disasters, and a pandemic. Sakurai announces Minecraft Steve in Smash and this app just frame 1 exploded. — Itano Circus (@TheItanoCircus) October 1, 2020

Literally Twitter after Minecraft steve reveal: pic.twitter.com/U1pe3G6GoY
— Jesus (Joestar) Renteria ζ⃠ (@Jolly_Inkling) October 1, 2020

Again, neither IGN nor Twitter can confirm the reason for the 7 am disruption to Twitter that followed the new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC news. And Twitter users are free to speculate on the reasons for themselves. We’re just pointing out a funny coincidence. Minecraft Steve, Alex, Zombie, and Enderman will be released as upcoming DLC fighters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. They are part of the second Challenger Pack in Fighters Pass Vol. 2 following Arms’ Min-Min. You can see their announcement and move sets in the trailer below. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/01/super-smash-bros-ultimate-minecraft-reveal-trailer"] For more, check out IGN’s review of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Fan Gets Skyrim to Run on a Keyboard's Tiny Display Screen

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 13:10:10 GMT

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been playable on many, many formats, but a fan has managed something new, by getting the game to run on their keyboard's tiny display screen. Courtesy of Reddit user Mr_Murdoc, you can see how the iconic opening scene of Skyrim looks when rendered in monochrome on a keyboard's OLED screen. Mr_Murdoc used a SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL keyboard to achieve the feat, which comes fitted with a small OLED display that can be modified using the SteelSeries Engine app. [caption id="attachment_2415091" align="alignnone" width="1920"] A shot of Skyrim running on the keyboard screen. Watch the video on Reddit.[/caption] Mr_Murdoc added in a reply that the game itself is running on a connected computer, using a script from GitHub that mirrors the user's desktop screen to the keyboard's OLED display to achieve the effect. Skyrim running natively on a keyboard seems absurd, of course, but given Bethesda's penchant for ports... never say never. Bethesda boss Todd Howard famously said in 2018 that if fans want the studio to stop releasing Skyrim ports, they should "stop buying them." In other Bethesda news, Zenimax Media was recently acquired by Microsoft, bringing franchises like Dishonored, DOOM, Wolfenstein, Fallout and The Elder Scrolls under the wing of Xbox. Check out our video wondering whether Bethesda games will be Xbox exclusives going forward. The real question we're left with is whether this is more impressive than the fan that got Doom running on a pregnancy test. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Xbox Games With Gold for October 2020 Announced

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 16:11:31 GMT

Microsoft has revealed the next set of Xbox Games With Gold titles that will be free in October and this lineup is designed specifically for the month of Halloween. All Xbox Live Gold members will get access to Xbox One titles Slayaway Camp: Butcher's Cut and Maid of Sker, Xbox 360 game Costume Quest, and original Xbox game Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy. Slayaway Camp will be available from Oct. 1 through Oct. 31 while Maid of Sker will be available from Oct. 16 through Nov. 15. Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy will be available from Oct. 1 through Oct. 15 and Costume Quest will be available starting Oct. 16 and up until Oct. 31. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/29/xbox-october-2020-games-with-gold-trailer"] Slayaway Camp: Butcher's Cut is an homage to the classic 1980s horror where you play as Skullface, a villainous character set on terrorizing any and all camp counselors and campers at a camp. This isometric slasher-horror game features over 300 puzzles for you to solve. Check out this trailer for the game to get a glimpse at what you can expect. Maid of Sker continues the spooky-themed fun by putting players in a remote hotel with a gory history based on Welsh folklore. Players will need to use stealthy tactics to survive the attacks of sound-based enemies known as the Quiet Ones, which you can get a glimpse of in this gameplay trailer. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=25-scariest-games-of-this-generation&captions=true"] On the backwards compatible side of things, Costume Quest is a game set in the monster-filled neighborhood of Auburn Pines. Your objective is to collect magical costumes and take down the evil that lurks within the area. You can read about why we think the game is great in our Costume Quest review. The final free game this month is original Xbox title Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy. You play as Sphinx alongside their friend, the Mummy, as you travel around the world to stop the evil plans of the villainous Set. Read why we think this game is great in our Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy review. If you've got an Xbox Gold subscription active, it's not too late to grab games from Xbox Games With Gold for September; still available are The Division, The Book of Unwritten Tales 2, and Armed and Dangerous. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

MGS1 and 2 Available on PC Today

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 13:00:03 GMT

Konami has announced and released a slew of PC ports for some of its classic games, including the Metal Gear, Castlevania, and Contra franchises. Starting today, the original 1987 Metal Gear, Metal Gear Solid, and Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, are all available on GoG.com. All can be purchased separately, while additionally Konami has released the Konami Collector's Series: Castlevania & Contra, which includes: Castlevania, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, Contra, and Super C. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=metal-gear-mgs-mgs-2-pc-screenshots&captions=true"] Word of these ports broke via ratings board classifications earlier this week, but the games are now finally available for purchase. This release marks MGS' first PC availability since 2000, while MGS 2 hit PC in 2003. Substance is the expanded version of the original MGS 2: Sons of Liberty. Konami has recently been reviving its classic games, including both the Castlevania Anniversary Collection and the Contra Anniversary Collection. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/16/castlevania-anniversary-collection-launch-trailer"] For other Metal Gear Solid news, check out this interview with voice actor David Hayter as he reflects on the legacy of Solid Snake. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=konami-collection-pc-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Yakuza Movie Being Developed by Sega

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 15:37:36 GMT

Sega is developing a live-action movie adapted from its bestselling Yakuza video game franchise. Variety reports that Sega has teamed up with 1212 Entertainment and Wild Sheep Content for its latest video game movie adaptation, which will be produced by Erik Barmack, Roberto Grande and Joshua Long. As of right now, no writers have been attached to the project. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/05/which-yakuza-should-you-play-first"] "Yakuza offers us a new playground in which to set compelling stories with complex characters in a unique environment that audiences have rarely seen before," 1212 Entertainment said in a statement released alongside the announcement. "The saga of Kazuma Kiryu has a built-in cinematic appeal – a mix of kinetic action with bursts of comedy, multiple converging storylines, and a gripping journey towards redemption." The Yakuza video game franchise is a street-fighting saga centered around the ever-scowling Kazuma Kiryu, a badass ex-Yakuza who finds himself continually drawn into Japan's tangled web of underground criminal activities. The first game in the blockbuster series was released on PlayStation 2 back in 2005 and has since spawned seven main title sequels as well as eight spin-off titles, with Kiryu's journey coming to an end in 2016's Yakuza 6. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-video-game-movie-in-development-almost&captions=true"] The newly-announced Yakuza movie joins a growing list of video game adaptations that have been announced, planned, or are currently in production right now, including Amazon's Fallout TV series and Netflix's Cyberpunk 2077 anime. For more on the Yakuza video game franchise, find out which of the games you should play first and catch up with the latest of the mainline series entries by reading our review of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.