And many other bargains.
There’s a new Bethesda sale on the Switch eShop and series like Elder Scrolls and Doom have seen some massive price cuts.
Both The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and DOOM Eternal are going for their “lowest prices ever” on this particular digital storefront, so if you’ve been holding out for a sale – now might finally be the time to splash some cash. This sale ties in with the 29th anniversary of the Elder Scrolls series.
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Alongside revealing that the legendary DK Rap from Donkey Kong 64 will be featured in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Seth Rogen has also jokingly called it “objectively, one of the worst rap songs of all time.”
Rogen, who voices Donkey Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, appeared on the film’s official Twitter to share the exciting news and react to watching the original DK Rap from the opening of 1999’s Donkey Kong 64.
DK Rap is straight-up ???#SuperMarioMovie pic.twitter.com/SVKzaTSB7z
— The Super Mario Bros. Movie (@supermariomovie) March 30, 2023
Rogen also confirmed that his version of Donkey Kong will be introduced with the DK Rap in the film before calling it, as previously mentioned, “one of the worst rap songs of all time.” However, he finds more things to love as the song continues and even gives it a “10/10 bananas” rating at the end.
Grant Kirkhope, who was the composer of Donkey Kong 64 and the person responsible for the DK Rap, responded to the video in the best way.
“If you’d told me in ’97, when I wrote the worst rap track in the history of rap tracks, that it would go on to be in a Mario Bros movie I’d [sic] would’ve burst with excitement! Long live the DK Rap!” Kirkhope wrote.
Fans won’t have to wait long to see the DK Rap come to life on the big screen as The Super Mario Bros. Movie will be released in theaters on April 5, 2023.
For more, check out Rogen’s comments on how he’d be “excited” to voice Donkey Kong again after this film, why Mario voice actor Chris Pratt said to “get ready for a lot of these movies,” and Keegan-Michael Key on how he maintained Toad’s high-pitched voice throughout the movie.
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.
But is it legit?
You might remember that last year, PlatinumGames released a video from a clearly fake press conference at which Hideki Kamiya and co. announced nine new “upcoming” games as a part of a series called the Neo-Classic Arcade. This year, the studio is back at it again as it revealed a “Spectacular Side-Scrolling Action” game starring its V-Tuber and mascot, Pt Shirogane.
The game was announced on the fictional “Happy-Go-Lucky Underground Radio” show, hosted by Pt. You can watch the full reveal in the video above (be sure to turn subtitles on), with the small amount of game footage (assuming that it’s a real game) appearing around the 3:17 mark.
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Today, Studio WildCard announced that Ark 2, the sequel to 2017’s Ark: Survival Evolved, is getting delayed a second time into 2024 – but in the meantime, a next-gen version of the original game is coming out in August to keep us busy.
In a community blogpost offering a development roadmap, Studio WildCard explained that the reason for Ark 2’s delay to next year was due to challenges working with Unreal Engine 5:
“Our goal is to make ARK 2 the best game it can be and provide a truly exceptional and rewarding experience for players. Unreal Engine 5 is incredibly new technology to us (and all developers), and we aim to use this cutting-edge tech to its fullest potential while creating a game with never-before-achieved scope at Studio Wildcard. As we learn more about the engine and develop the sequel, we have adapted our workflows and adjusted our pipelines to accommodate this new next-generation paradigm, and because of everything that involves, we need more time for development.”
Additionally, Studio WildCard acknowledged that these challenges also mean that Ark 2 will not be backward compatible. So that means no release of Ark 2 on Xbox One or PS4.
But there’s some good news for Ark 1 fans. Because Ark 2 has “some pretty significant design changes from the original game” and may not appeal to those who prefer “Souls-like combat, primitive-only weaponry, and strict third-person mechanics – and an overall “very serious” tone,” Studio WildCard is releasing a current-gen version of Ark 1 on PC, Xbox Series, and PS5 in August of 2023 “to ensure that fans can continue to enjoy the ARK they know for years to come.”
It’s called Ark: Survival Ascended, and comes with The Island, battle royale spinoff Survival of the Fittest, and “all the ‘non-canon DLC maps'”. As well as graphical and performance upgrades, it also includes cross-platform multiplayer and cross-progression, and cross-platform modding supported by Overwolf.
That’s a lot of content, but the purchasing scheme is a bit confusing. Xbox Series X, S, and PC players can only get it by purchasing the Ark Respawned Bundle for $49.99, which includes both Ark: Survival Ascended and Ark 2, and will grant access to an exclusive one-month closed beta of Ark 2 in 2024. The bundle will only be available for the first year after launch of Survival Ascended, after which both games will be available separately.
Meanwhile, PS5 players can purchase Survival Ascended as a standalone game at launch for $39.99. DLC packs will also be available separately on both platforms.
Finally, Studio WildCard has a new canonical story DLC planned for release in Q4 of 2023 including four new creatures.
Ark 2 was first announced via a fancy Vin Diesel cameo at The Game Awards back in 2020, at the time with a 2022 release date, but it was later delayed into 2023. We gave the original Ark: Survival Evolved a 7.7/10 review, praising its strategic moments and combat but noting its AI bugs and grind.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, Niantic introduced Remote Raids to Pokémon Go, which allowed people to access raids from the comfort of their own homes. Remote Raids allowed people to continue playing during lockdowns and kept Pokémon Go alive during a time when people weren’t really going outside at all. As players’ focus shifted away from the pandemic, however, Remote Raids remained a way to make Pokémon Go more accessible for all, especially for disabled people and those who live in rural communities.
Three years after the pandemic began, Niantic is now hiking prices and putting caps on Remote Raid Passes to encourage people to play the game the way it was played before the pandemic — but the Pokémon Go community is pushing back.
Yesterday, in a blog post, the Pokémon Go team revealed adjustments to the way Remote Raids work, including substantial price increases for Remote Raid Passes and rewards for players who participate in in-person raids. The update will also introduce a cap on Remote Raids, allowing players to participate in a maximum of five per day, and will go live on April 6 at 11 a.m. PT.
Naturally, fans took to Twitter and Reddit to speak out against Niantic’s decision to make an accessibility feature… less accessible.
The push to reverse these changes has largely been led by disabled fans, many of whom rely on Remote Raids to play. AbleGamers senior director Steven Spohn referred to the price increase as a “disability tax,” noting that the update essentially charges some disabled players more to play in a way that’s accessible to them.
To summarize, Niantic is doubling the cost of playing Pokémon GO remotely, and limiting how much you can play.
This is what we call a disability tax. If you can’t leave your home or live in an inaccessible area, you can play, but it’s going to cost you, and you can’t play much. https://t.co/hDPj3QmACD
— Steven Spohn (Spawn) (@stevenspohn) March 30, 2023
“In this case, remote play is great for anybody that might prefer to play that way, but for someone who has mobility challenges or is unable to leave the house or lives in a rural/inaccessible area, it’s literally the only way that they can play,” Spohn said via Twitter DMs. “Limiting the amount of times that you can engage with raids to only five times per day is just limiting the content for the sake of trying to convince people to play a different way, but again, what do you do if you literally cannot?”
As pointed out by Kotaku, these changes also disproportionately impact people who live in rural areas where Pokéstops, Gyms, and raids are sparse. But fans with physical access to raids are up in arms, too. Reddit user octocode, who lives in a large city, simply prefers the flexibility and convenience of Remote Raids, which can come in handy for people with time commitments.
“I love the ‘go’ aspect of this game, but this system isn’t it,” octocode said via Reddit DMs. “This just rewards going to specific locations at specific times, there is no exploration involved. I just want to play on my own schedule.”
Beyond convenience, for some fans, the update even signals the loss of a community.
“Remote raiding has essentially changed my life,” Twitter user Qshinys said via DMs. “I’ve made so many friends around the world and here in the states because of it. With the nerf, I essentially can’t enjoy the game and play it with my friends anymore. It is absolutely too expensive.”
With a little than a week left until the update launches, fans are now convening to try to convince Niantic to change course. One Reddit user encouraged players to strike by not purchasing Remote Raid Passes and limiting in-person raids, while other players have started contacting Niantic and leaving poor reviews.
A few players are even quitting for good, or at least until Niantic reverses the decision. And some Pokémon Go fans, especially many of the game’s disabled fans, don’t really have a choice.
“Niantic needs to realize not everyone can just drop everything to go outside,” octocode said. “Sometimes we physically can’t. We need some flexibility.”
Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN who loves all things indie and Nintendo. Outside of IGN, they’ve contributed to sites like Polygon and Rock Paper Shotgun. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.
Update 3: The final batch for Captain U.
Update #3 : The final batch of codes is now available!
Once again, thank you to TaraBates for keeping us in the loop with the developer’s tweets.
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For far too long, The Last of Us has been something you could only play on PlayStation consoles. Now that the first installment in the series has arrived on PC, non-PlayStation gamers finally have a chance to play the critically acclaimed Naughty Dog title. With the first season of The Last of Us show concluding, this is a great opportunity to dive into the story once again with even more depth.
Unlike watching a TV series, however, playing The Last of Us, which has some puzzling portions, can be confusing, and even challenging at times. Whether it’s trying to find the right puzzle solution to progress or just surviving a Clicker stealth area, you may need some guides as you progress through the story. Take a look at some of the best tips, guides, and secrets that can help you survive The Last of Us. You can also check out our Last of Us Part 1 Walkthrough for the full guide.
Depending on your skill level and what you want to get out of the game, you may want to raise or lower the difficulty setting. There are 5 different difficulty settings from Very Light to Survivor, each of which provides a different gameplay experience. If you want to just enjoy the story, you can go with the lowest setting and play your way through with less stress.
If you don’t like any of the available difficulty settings, you can also customize it yourself by selecting Difficulty via the Options menu. This will allow you to change things like number of resources, strength of allies, and enemy difficulty.
Although it is generally advised on our Last of Us tips page to never rush into combat encounters, sometimes it can’t be helped. Not everyone enjoys strategic gameplay, but if you want to avoid losing all of your ammo and supplies in one go, it’s a good idea to manually save the game before you go into any encounter. This will leave you the option to go back and try again once you better understand the situation.
To manually save the game, you will need to head to the pause menu and select ‘Save Game’. Otherwise your only saves will be at certain checkpoints and you’ll have to start from further back.
A big draw for Naughty Dog to rebuild the original The Last of Us for PlayStation 5 (and now PC) is the number of accessibility options they were able to add. The Last of Us Part 2 featured a ton of accessibility options over the original, and now those options are more uniform between the two games. For instance, in combat, you can make small adjustments such as preventing enemies from being able to break free from your holds, as well as disabling the ability for the enemies to grab your allies. You can even toggle slow motion, giving you more time to think during a combat scenario, giving you more of a chance to perform stealth kills or better line up your shots.
Aside from combat, there’s a slew of traversal assistance built-in now, as well as a Skip Puzzle option for those unable to progress due to eyesight limitations. However one of the biggest additions Naughty Dog added was Cinematic Descriptions. This causes cutscenes to be fully narrated, giving the player spoken descriptive audio of key visual elements during a scene, without interrupting the character’s dialogue.
Crafting is an essential part of The Last of Us gameplay, and if you don’t focus on finding and collecting resources, you’re probably going to have a hard time. You need everything you can get your hands on for crafting Health Kits, Explosives, and upgrading your weapons.
There are a few key items with limited quantity that you’ll need to find to help you with some crucial weapon and skill upgrades: Tools and Training Manuals. To help you find these, you can check out our guides to all tool locations and where to find every Training Manual throughout the game.
When fighting zombies in any game, versatility is incredibly important. You need to be able to switch between long range and short range weapons quickly to fend off enemies from any distance. Because of this, we recommend crafting weapon holsters before crafting anything else. This will allow you to carry both a pistol and a hunting rifle, for example, and you’ll be able to easily switch between them using the weapon wheel.
You won’t be able to craft anything until you have access to workbenches, so focusing on resources is key to speeding up this process. You’ll need both tools and parts to create these upgrades.
Shivs are one of the most crucial items in the Last of Us. You can use them to perform stealth kills on Clickers and even open up Shiv Doors that grant you access to additional loot. You won’t get access to Shivs until Chapter 2, and you’ll quickly find that they are not very durable at all without the proper upgrades.
To upgrade your Shivs, you will need to find Training Manuals that help increase their durability. There are two Shiv-related manuals, one in Bill’s Town and another inside the Grand Hotel in Pittsburgh
Throughout The Last of Us Part 1 there are 4 different locked safes that require specific codes to open. Although the safe codes are often found on hidden notes in the same area, it can take time to actually figure out how to open it on your own. Since these safes usually reward you with additional ammunition and parts, you don’t want to pass one up when you see them.
To help you open up these safes without having to actually find the codes yourself, you can take a look at our guide to all of The Last of Us safe combination codes throughout the game.
If you’ve watched the show, but haven’t played the game, then the entire story will feel like it’s full of easter eggs. However, there are more references to other PlayStation games and more throughout the game that are worth finding for your own amusement. You can take a look at our guide to every easter egg in the Last of Us Part 1 to find them all.
There are also various Artifacts throughout the game that tell additional side stories that are worth finding. They come in the form of diary pages, old pictures, and even scraps of paper. You can check out our full guide to every Artifact location to find them all.
Looking for more help in this game? Take a look at our full Last of Us Part 1 Wiki guide or see our beginner’s guide for additional tips.
Kirby fans have been feasting lately, between the critical and fan success of Kirby and the Forgotten Land, the silliness of Kirby’s Dream Buffet, Kirby’s Dream Land 2 arriving on Nintendo Switch Online earlier this year, and recent remake Kirby’s Return to Dream Land: Deluxe. It seems like there’s more Kirby than ever, both new and old. But does this mean fans of classic Kirby might see even more remakes and ports in the future alongside brand new Kirby games?
Speaking to IGN at the Game Developers Conference, Kirby director Shinya Kumazaki told us that while he couldn’t share any concrete plans for the future of Kirby, HAL Laboratory’s goal is always to “provide a new gameplay experience.” The developers won’t just remake Kirby games for the sake of it – only if there’s something new they can add. In Return to Dream Land Deluxe, that new experience is the Merry Magolor theme park with mini-games, as well as the extra Magolor Epilogue at the end of the game.
I also asked Kumazaki if we could expect a mix of 2D and 3D Kirby games going forward, existing side-by-side like Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe. Again, Kumazaki wasn’t giving anything away about the future, but did confirm that having 2D games, 3D games, or even “something completely different” are all “within scope” for HAL Laboratory’s future.
Then he offered what may have been a tiny, additional hint about his thoughts on the future:
“You might have experienced it if you played Forgotten Land, in that it’s not quite open world. It’s really a 3D game that really utilizes, kind of inherits the playfulness and the ease of play of 2D Kirby games. And that’s a unique 3D experience that we want to provide. And so what we want to do moving forward is continue to provide that unique 3D experience, and not necessarily be caught within the boundaries of existing genres.”
We also spoke to Kumazaki and Tatsuya Kamiyama about how Kirby and the Forgotten Land was a “Breath of the Wild moment” for the Kirby franchise, as well as whether or not the final boss of Forgotten Land was too challenging (or not challenging enough) for players given Kirby’s approachable nature.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
Have you played these?
We’re back with our new monthly video recapping some hidden gems on the Switch eShop, and we’ve got three cracking games for you this time around.
We say “we”, but we actually mean Alex, Zion, and Felix over on our YouTube. Admittedly, Nintendo’s had a bit of a quiet month on its home console, with only Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon being the big headliner. But the eShop indies have been scrambling over each other. If you’ve been reading our reviews, you know it’s been anything but a quiet month.
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