Author: Game Infliction

Resident Evil 4: Remake’s demo has a secret cheat code that lets players unlock the demo-exclusive brutal Mad Chainsaw difficulty.

As shown by Jigzaw Killer on YouTube, players must go to the main menu in the demo with the “Main Story” choice highlighted. Then, hold L1 and R1 and press up, left, down, right, Square, Triangle, Circle, X, X on PlayStation, or hold LB and RB and press up, left, down, right, X, Y, B, A, A on Xbox. This will bring up the option to select Mad Chainsaw difficulty mode for the playthrough.

Before this cheat was discovered, Mad Chainsaw difficulty only appeared to unlock by chance, as the game would said: “You must wait until Mad Chainsaw Mode is triggered again for subsequent attempts.” This difficulty increases enemy damage and health, as well as changes their placements in the game and makes them even more aggressive.

Additionally, the chainsaw-wielding Dr. Salvador will come equipped with a flaming chainsaw this time around. There are also no checkpoints, so if players die during this playthrough it’s a complete game over.

The difficulty option might keep fans entertained until Resident Evil 4: Remake launches on March 24. Though the game is fully single player, Capcom has announced that it’s working on a Day One patch to improve the game’s rain effects that fans found to be too distracting.

It’s also working on a PlayStation VR2 version and confirmed this will be free DLC, but fans eager to experience the horror in virtual reality will have to wait a while yet as it has no concrete release date.

In IGN’s Resident Evil 4 remake preview, we said: “It was always going to be hard for any newer game in the series to experience quite the same technical jump that the Resident Evil 2 remake did. But so far Capcom seems to be making smart choices in what it iterates on for Resident Evil 4. It feels as if it’s trying to find that perfect balance between tribute and innovation.”

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He’s been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.

When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey

Mario Day may have passed, but many of the deals are carrying on. One of its best this year was the Nintendo Switch Mario ‘Choose One Bundle’, which you can still access! For $299.99, the bundle includes both the Mario Red console and a Mario game of your choice. In regard to the latter, your choices include Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, or New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. Below, you can see links to where each of these bundles can still be purchased.

Nintendo Switch Mario ‘Choose One Bundle’ for $299.99

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Ticket Pre-Sale

In the spirit of Mario beyond Mario Day, there are still several more deals to check out (including a new LEGO Super Mario Dry Bowser Castle Battle expansion set), but more importantly, The Super Mario Bros. Movie tickets are up for pre-sale. If you’re looking to pick up tickets for Nintendo and Illumination’s upcoming film (which releases on April 5), head to the link below to reserve them.

This is an excellent time to pick up a Nintendo Switch, especially with games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on the horizon, which you can preorder here. You can also pick up the physical version of Metroid Prime Remastered for the Switch and see a full list of other upcoming Nintendo Switch games for this year here.

If you want to see even more gaming deals outside of what Nintendo has to offer, make sure to visit our Daily Deals page to see everything from sales on Dead Space Remake to what’s in Capcom’s sale. The latter features a sale on Resident Evil Village as well, which is the latest mainline Resident Evil game and worth adding to your collection before Resident Evil 4 Remake releases on March 24.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.

Warning: Full spoilers ahead for episode 8 of HBO’s The Last of Us.

HBO’s The Last of Us episode 9 has arrived and we finally get to see the conclusion to the first series. But how close does the show compare to the game?

To help answer this question, we’ve gathered images from episode 9 of HBO’s The Last of Us and put them next to stills from Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us game to see how faithful the adaptation is. Check out the slideshow, or watch the video above to see the scenes from both the show and the game in action.

In our The Last of Us episode 9 review, we said “The season one finale of HBO’s The Last of Us is a thrillingly faithful adaptation of one video games’ greatest endings, even if it doesn’t pack quite the same punch as the original. Pedro Pascal excels in Joel’s defining moment, displaying both the tenderness and brutality we’ve come to expect from Ellie’s protector. Wonderfully shot and hauntingly soundtracked, it’s an ending that will long linger in the memory of those first experiencing it, and one that ultimately sticks the landing on the comparatively shorter runway that’s been built for it..”

For more, be sure to check out our similar comparison for last week’s episode.

Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for HBO’s The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II.

The first season of HBO’s The Last of Us has officially ended, which means it’s time to turn the page to Season 2.

The hugely successful HBO series has been renewed for a second season that will adapt the story from Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II. As fans of the game know, The Last of Us Part II takes place five years after Part I, leading to some discussion surrounding if the show would part ways with Bella Ramsey and recast the role of Ellie for the time skip.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the season finale, executive producer and Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann put those concerns to rest, saying he and showrunner Craig Mazin want to make Season 2 with Ramsey at the forefront.

“When we made the game, I felt we were incredibly lucky,” Druckmann said. “It was like lightning in the bottle that we found Ashley Johnson. I can’t imagine that version of Ellie being anybody else. And then somehow we got lightning in the bottle again with Bella.

“We are extremely lucky to have Bella and the stuff you saw throughout this entire season. The only way we would ever, ever consider recasting Bella is if she said, ‘I don’t want to work with you guys anymore.’ Even then, I’m not sure we would grant her that. We might still force her to come back to Season 2.”

Mazin shared Druckman’s enthusiasm for Ramsey’s Ellie, and he also pointed out that “[Ramsey]’s 19 now, which — by the way — is the age of Ellie in The Last of Us Part II.”

The structure and story of Season 2 are a bit of a mystery right now. Mazin has previously said that Part II is “more than a season’s worth of television, for sure,” implying they could split up the sequel into at least two seasons. Plus, the non-linear timeline of Part II’s storytelling could be presented in multiple ways.

Season 1 also routinely altered story beats from the game, most notably drastically shaking up Bill and Frank’s love story. Mazin is setting similar expectations for Season 2, saying some moments could be “radically” different than what players experienced in The Last of Us Part II.

“[Season 2] will be different just as this season was different,” Mazin said. “Sometimes it will be different radically, and sometimes it [won’t] be fairly different at all, but it’s going to be different. It will be its own thing. It won’t be exactly like the game. It will be the show that Neil and I want to make, but we are making it with Bella.”

For more, check out our The Last of Us season finale review, which we called, “a thrillingly faithful adaptation of one video games’ greatest endings, even if it doesn’t pack quite the same punch as the original.”

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Editor’s Note: The war in Ukraine is an ongoing, painful and emotive topic. IGN urges community members to be respectful when engaging in conversation around this subject and does not endorse harassment of any kind.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl developer GSC Game World has revealed it was hacked by a group on a Russian social network.

On Twitter, the GSC Game World team posted a statement about the hack, explaining what happened and revealing that the studio has faced cyberattacks since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“Recently, our employee’s account for a collective work-with-images application was hacked,” GSC Game World wrote. “The responsibility for this was claimed by a community from a Russian social network. They are threatening to use the data obtained for blackmail and intimidation.

A message from GSC Game World team pic.twitter.com/rqRM0tFZmO

— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) March 12, 2023

“This is not the first attempt to hack and leak our data, including personal information. We have been enduring constant cyberattacks for more than a year now. We have faced blackmail, acts of aggression, hacks, attempts to hurt players and fans, and efforts to damage the development process or the reputation of our company.”

GSC Game World is asking fans to “refrain from watching or distributing information” about STALKER 2 in the event of any leaks. The studio said that outdated and work-in-progress materials are not representative of the final product.

Elsewhere in the statement, GSC Game World also reiterated its “unwavering commitment to supporting” Ukraine, adding that “attempt to blackmail or intimidate us are completely futile.” Finally, the team expressed its appreciation for the STALKER 2 community, ending by saying, “Your support is our inspiration.”

The Ukrainian studio has been very vocal about the ongoing war in its home country. When development was sidelined due to the conflict, GSC Game World said work on the game would continue “after the victory.”

In the months following, the studio shared a look at GSC Game World’s Kiev office and workers before and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Now, work on the game has continued, with reports that some of the developers have relocated. There’s no release date for STALKER 2 yet, but last we heard the game was targeted for release sometime in 2023.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.