Don’t miss the summer sale.
In case you missed it, Square Enix has reminded fans that its Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series, featuring six iconic adventures, is currently discounted for a “limited time” on the Switch.
This special summer sale brings each game and the entire bundle down to the following prices, or your regional equivalent:
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Tournament scandal.
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition has been out for less than a month on the Switch and it seems we’ve already got our first major tournament scandal. While glitches aren’t actually allowed in this game, it seems a player has used one to top the ladder in the ‘World Championships’ Donkey Kong competition.
The individual with the best run for ‘Donkey Kong Barrel Roll’ (with an ‘S‘ rank and time of 00:15:68) has used the “invisible ladder glitch” to set this leaderboard time. We’ve reviewed the replay in the game and can confirm it’s the winning run.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
I know what you’re thinking. We’re already surviving a global pandemic, so why would anyone consider playing a game with that name literally in the title? Because, my friends, the co-op board game version of fighting this big thing is all about coming together for the sake of the greater good. I mean, who doesn’t love a superhero tale, right?
While the game and its many iterations do not involve superheroes with capes, they involve superheroes of different kinds: scientists. Each player has their own special skills that help with the greater objective.
Pandemic is a popular board game, one often chosen on regular game nights – even during our modern time. The necessary teamwork involved helps strengthen friendships and see where communication and coordination might be improved. You see, it’s an all-or-nothing game. You either save the world and win, or you don’t, and everyone loses. I guess you’d better buck up on those soft communication skills or else, eh?
There are several versions of the base game available to play. The original is a great place to get versed in the game mechanics and learn how each role works together. While you can play it with two players, I’ve found that this game is best experienced with more players than that (it supports up to four players), as you’ll have more options to get you through the waves of the pandemic. Playing it as a two-player board game, however, might make for one revealing date night adventure!
There are a few different expansions for Pandemic, but even more options exist beyond the expansions themselves. Some of the expansions below only require the base game, while others require additional expansions.
Contents: 7 new roles, 8 new event cards, 3 new challenges, Bio-Terrorist element & corresponding location pad
The On the Brink expansion adds a space for another player to join the fun as well as other interesting twists. There are new roles to play that come with alternative ways to approach the now even stronger version of the virus.
Another added element when playing with a fifth player is that the fifth player will play as a Bio-terrorist. This is a secret role that adds chaos and helps spread the virus, so other players will have to beat the virus and the bio-terrorist to win.
Contents: Lab board, 4 new role cards, 3 new event cards, lab abilities, CDC card
Note: To play the In the Lab expansion, you must have both the base game and the expansion On the Brink.
This expansion adds to both the base game and the previous expansions. It allows folks to play Pandemic in teams or as a solo board game.
The lab portion of the game extends to the capacity to study the virus outside of the field. You’ll have to sequence and categorize the disease to effectively create a cure.
In a solo game (available with this expansion), you’ll have the help of the CDC. In a multiplayer game, you can either team up or split into rival teams competing to see who can find the cure and move fast enough to resolve it before the virus does its worst.
Contents: Five new roles, 2 new game boards, 4 new locations, 2 new challenges, one untreatable virus
Note: You need the base game to play State of the Emergency.
In the State of Emergency expansion (playable with the base game), you face even more obstacles to battle viruses… and not all of them can be cured. Two different campaign challenges are in this expansion: Hinterlands and Superbug.
You’ll race worldwide on two boards to move the emergencies out of orbit. Be careful, however – the virus in this version not only affects humans but also goes after animals, which can pass the virus on to humans. You’ll have to invoke quarantine and other methods to counter the state of emergency. (Note: If this description gives you deja vu vibes, it’s purely coincidental. Believe it or not, this expansion came out in 2015!)
Some board games have spin-offs in universes that are different from the original base game. Other times, board game iterations remain relatively the same but with different characters pursuing similar objectives. The following titles are standalone board games with varying takes on the Pandemic universe game mechanics.
Contents: Game board, investigator meeples, Shoggoth meeples, cultist meeples, sanity die, and associated cards
Fans of the mythos of Cthulhu will likely love this game edition. It’s my brother’s and my favorite version of the series. My only complaint is that I wish it were digital so we could play it together across the country.
This version of the Pandemic board game brings gothiness and unspeakable horrors to four cities in the mythos. Instead of a virus, you’re fighting against cultists and supernatural powers called Shoggoths to avoid awakening the ancient ones. The art is fantastic. The meeple characters are shaped like monsters, investigators, and cultists. It’s a great stand-alone game that gives you a bit of the enjoyment of Pandemic but without the doctor part… unless you want to play as the doctor character, because it wouldn’t be Pandemic if that weren’t still an option, right?
Contents: Intergalactic game board, Star Wars character meeples, connected game cards
This is a stand-alone board game with Pandemic-style mechanics, and its version of intergalactic dramas to defeat and reign victoriously cooperatively. In it, you and your partners choose Jedi with your own special powers to go up against the Separatists. The game features several of the franchise’s beloved (and hated) characters from the film, including Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Maul, and Count Dooku. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is so good that it landed on our lists for the best Star Wars board games, as well as the best board games for teens.
Contents: World of Warcraft game board, hero meeples, Lich King meeple, abomination meeples, ghoul meeples, Icecrown Citadel, associated cards
Fans of the MMORPG World of Warcraft may be interested in this stand-alone version of the game. Like the Star Wars and Cthuhulu games, this one takes place in its own separate universe, utilizing Pandemic-style playing elements but with a different universe presentation.
In this version, you’ll be battling across the continent of Northrend on the ultimate quest of defeating the Lich King. Of course, you’ll need to complete an ever-piling amount of quests fighting creatures before reaching the Icecrown Citadel, where you’ll face the Lich King himself… if you survive long enough. Will you complete your quest successfully or will you run away with a ghoulish abomination in a disappointing loss that time forgot? Check out our World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King board game review for more info on this game.
There are also some period-based game versions to consider (some of which seem to be going out of print in recent years). Iberia, Rising Tide, and Fall of Rome are all stand-alone Pandemic-style games that incorporate similar mechanics to achieve their desired cooperative objectives. Check them out if you’re a fan of a specific historical era.
Looking for a quick-playing version of Pandemic? Two different editions take half the time in the Hot Zone series. Hot Zone North America brings the battle against the virus stateside in half the time that it takes to complete its original counterpart. Want to journey away from North America? Hot Zone Europe will give you that shorter tour in and beyond the Schengen.
One other take on Pandemic that stands on its own is Contagion, which reverses the original board game’s roles. Contagion, while also a shorter-to-play game, is completely different from any of the others out there. You see, in this version, players play as the disease. Yep, you read that right. You and other players are working as the virus to wipe out the human race.
On the opposite side of the time-to-play spectrum, if you are seeking a very repeatable, lengthy, and committed gaming experience, consider one of the legacy versions of the game. Legacy games feature campaigns done across multiple play sessions. They require a lot of time commitment and are something to jump into with mindfulness. Legacy games pack in a lot more content than standard games, and are generally more expensive.
Pandemic has multiple legacy versions available to play. The legacy titles are Season 1, Season 2, and Season 0. Legacy games take place over the course of one year. Your actions each month of the campaigns will continue to affect you throughout the course of the very lengthy gameplay. If your gaming crowd holds grudges, well, this one will be a rough year to maneuver!
A number of iterations of Pandemic are available in digital form. The site Board Game Arena is a browser-based platform where folks can play the game. It’s how several of my friends in my digital board game group and I have enjoyed this version.
To play the base game over there (available for 1-4 players who can play in real-time or turn-based games where players can take turns over several days), someone in your board game group will have to have a premium subscription. A premium subscription to Board Game Arena costs $3 a month, billed at $36.00 once a year. Playing multiple games, even outside of Pandemic, can be well worth the investment. My board game community currently has several ongoing turn-based premium version games going on with regularity.
Another place you can play Pandemic digitally is via the website Tabletopia. Tabletopia offers three digital versions of the game: Pandemic Hot Zone North America, Pandemic Hot Zone Europe, and Pandemic Legacy Season 0. All of the versions on Tabletopia are available to play free online. The gameplay is a bit different than on Board Game Arena, as their version is a physics-simulated version that is essentially one step in between playing the game physically and playing it on BGA.
Steam used to have a PC version of Pandemic on its store but removed it in January 2022. Other versions of the game on Xbox and the Nintendo Switch were removed at the end of July 2022. It was reported that the development team (Asmodee Digital) might work on a newer game version at some point, they haven’t announced any solid plans yet. Asmodee did not respond to my request for an updated comment.
I know that in our post-pandemic era, it probably sounds strange to play a game about fighting a pandemic – or, goodness, even being a virus on the opposite end – but my experiences with the Pandemic board game have all been enjoyable. It’s a fun game that shows where your tabletop group’s communication skills work together… and where they could improve. My personal crew has both won and lost plenty of battles playing the game, but our sessions have always been full of laughs, regardless of the outcome. In any case, rally your gaming group and pick the Pandemic base game, spinoff, and/or expansion, and have fun.
Jennifer Stavros is a contributing freelancer for IGN, covering everything from comics, games, technology, and nerd culture. Follow her on Twitter or watch her on Twitch under the handle @scandalous.
Today, Amazon is offering the Stonemaier Expeditions board game for only $63.50, a 25% discount from its original $85 MSRP and the lowest price we’ve ever seen for this 2023 release. This is a limited “Lightning Deal” that will expire when a certain number have been sold.
Stonemaier is no stranger to the board gaming world. They’ve produced some excellent games like Wingspan (and its spinoff Wyrmspan), Scythe, and Viticulture. Expeditions was released in 2023 and it is the sequel to Stonemaier’s popular Scythe game. It takes place in the same mecha-industrial setting as Scythe, but with complete different game mechanics and goals. This time around, there’s more of an emphasis on exploration over warfare with a more horror feel. Scythe is a very complex board with many moving pieces, and Expeditions is no different. Check out our Expeditions review for more details.
Looking for options? Check out the 17 best board games to play in 2024.
I’m hooked on Dune Imperium, a deckbuilder and worker placement digital board game I’m only just beginning to get my head around. Here comes some news to send my head spinning again: the Rise Of Ix expansion is out now, which adds three new factions, six new leaders, a new mode and much more.
So Very Common.
Sometimes it’s very difficult, no matter how you try to frame it in your head, to get excited for re-releases of certain retro fighting games. It’s a genre that’s ripe for the picking, absolutely stuffed full of crackers to be revisited but, for every delightful return to the likes of Samurai Shodown 2, Guilty Gear, or Street Fighter, you’re gonna end up with something that has no real reason to be revived at all. Something like SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos.
A product of what’s known as SNK’s ‘dark period’, what you’ve got here is an arcade game that looks the part, sounds the part, and has a roster that should be kicking ass and taking all the names. However, as nicely as it’s presented — and a quick glance at these screenshots still makes us want to go on a retro-fighter bender — it’s just…not very good, and it never was.
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I’m happy to be able to announce to you that mission command has authorized the use of an experimental training programme, to keep you sharp as ever. As you know, the Combat Shells you use in our missions, while disposable, are nevertheless an asset we would prefer you to utilize to the full extent of their potential. To do so, the R&D department has provided us with a cutting-edge, virtual environment that will really push you to achieve mastery over the craft of disrupting the operations of the corpos we aim to dismantle.
A series of timed challenges, or obstacle courses if you will, the Chronodeck mode is designed to improve your abilities such as fluid movement, precise aim and utilizing the many skills of the various Combat Shells to dominate the battlefield.
Just making it through the obstacle course can be difficult to initiate Agents, so expect to fail every now and then. However, that’s not where the true challenge lies. At the end of each run, your performance will be judged and graded based on how quickly and precisely you completed the run.
Understand now, that there will always be a better score to achieve. Shaving seconds off of each run may just be the difference between a great and a truly outstanding Agent, so make sure you do your best. To further motivate you, your score will be compared against other Agents in Global Leaderboards.
Think you’ve got what it takes to achieve the top scores? Prove it!
Head over to the X account of Crunching Koalas to find and enter the competition. Achieve the highest score among other participants before August 14th and win an Xbox Pro Controller!
Don’t be too intimidated though. Surely, the competition will be fierce, but Deadlink was created with controller players in mind. Rather than relying on aim-down-sights mechanics and long-range precision shooting, the game invites you to get up close and personal with various mobility, short-range and area control skills.
Hone them and you’ll see yourself become the master of the battlefield!
That’s it for now, Agents. I’ll see you on the other side. Make your Agency proud!
Deadlink is launching today on Xbox Series X|S.
Crunching Koalas
You are the Corporate Security Agency’s greatest weapon, and it’s your job to make sure the corporations and their shady deals are anything but secure. With the team at HQ backing you up, you’re tossed headfirst into the fray, where a military operation with plausible deniability can fix things for a fraction of the cost of a hopeless court case.
Every randomized run will be different, but one thing never changes: you will be outnumbered. Get ready to think on your feet as you dash, jump, and use the environment to your advantage. You can’t still, not even for a second.
Equip your shell with powerful weapon loadouts. Try out various combinations as you blaze a path of destruction. Want to snipe your foes from a distance, debilitate them with status effects, or just go in guns blazing? Whatever your playstyle, you can find the right kit for the job.
Your enemies have no shortage of bullets and bodies to throw at you. But you’re no slouch either. Sure, you might lose a combat shell here and there, but your next one will be even tougher. Start each new run with amped-up skills and deadlier firepower!
The post Chronodeck – A New Time-Challenge Mode for Xbox in Deadlink, Available Now appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Today, Destiny developer Bungie announced another massive round of layoffs following several months of internal turmoil and the launch of Destiny 2: The Final Shape. In a post on Bungie’s blog, CEO Pete Parsons announced that 220 roles, or 17% of Bungie’s workforce, were eliminated due to “financial challenges.”
Now, in the wake of these layoffs, quite a few employees who were laid off (along with other members of the games industry) have taken to social media to share their concerns and criticisms about Bungie’s management, with many even demanding that Parsons step down.
While fears of layoffs were reportedly prevalent within the studio, many employees expressed that their own layoffs were unexpected due to recent actions taken by leaders at Bungie. One music designer shared that they were reassured that they were needed, only to be laid off today. “There’s nothing I could’ve done to not be laid off,” they wrote.
looks like i got hit. i work A LOT and im obsessed with work, everyone knows this. there’s nothing i could’ve done to not be laid off. in fact i was literally working so much that so many people told me “you’ll be ok, we need you to train/manage the outsourcers” https://t.co/lLZ4piq9bB
— ナディア nadia (@nadiaudio) July 31, 2024
Another employee shared that she was laid off just a month after being promoted.
I didn’t even tweet that I got promoted last month, but now I get to tweet that I got laid off, so there’s that. gonna miss my team. https://t.co/4OE6R3dclt
— beau (she/her) (@BeauOckers) July 31, 2024
Meanwhile, employees at Bungie who were unaffected by the layoffs have also made posts in support of their now former coworkers. Bungie’s global community lead, known as dmg04 online, called the layoffs “inexcusable.” “Accountability falling upon the workers who have pushed the needle to deliver for our community time and time again,” he wrote.
Inexcusable. Industry leading talent being lost, yet again. Accountability falling upon the workers who have pushed the needle to deliver for our community time and time again.
Please maintain focus on those who’ve lost their position & income. Offer help where you can. https://t.co/SSDveUd5uW
— dmg04 (@A_dmg04) July 31, 2024
A few people also noted that Bungie’s player support team was heavily impacted. One employee noted that her “whole team is gone,” while a former community manager (whose position was eliminated during Bungie’s last round of layoffs) noted that player support employees dealt with harsh conditions and “worked harder than anyone else, through weekends – holidays – and the pay was atrocious, only to [get] tossed out so LY could get their personal buyouts.”
The player support team was also gutted, as well as some of the folks behind the most beloved narrative moments and sounds. The player support team worked harder than anyone else, through weekends – holidays – and the pay was atrocious… only to the tossed out so LY could get… https://t.co/z2XveKAjay
— Liana Ruppert (@DirtyEffinHippy) July 31, 2024
my whole team is gone.
— ☾ Alexandra, alexthegr8r on bsky (@_AlexTheGr8r_) July 31, 2024
Throughout the games industry, others have criticized Bungie’s management, with many in the Destiny 2 community attributing the layoffs to poor decisions made by leadership. Destiny 2 lore YouTuber My name is Byf said Bungie has been “reckless with the studio, its employees, and its franchises. The problem is clear. Bad leadership. It needs to change.”
Leadership needs to be changed.
Their decisions have consistently led to disaster for everyone who has actually been making the games we play.
They’ve been reckless with the studio, its employees, and its franchises.
The problem is clear. Bad leadership. It needs to change. https://t.co/ga01igprSl pic.twitter.com/lQhmkUIzgw
— My name is Byf (Lore Daddy) (@MyNameIsByf) July 31, 2024
Pete is a joke. https://t.co/TtFtEzS0gF
— Griffin Bennett (@GriffinWB) July 31, 2024
Others, including more former employees of Bungie, demanded that Parsons take a pay cut or step down.
Step down, Pete. https://t.co/I5d7L8kcfq
— Liana Ruppert (@DirtyEffinHippy) July 31, 2024
Calls for Parsons to step down were only amplified by a few fans’ discoveries of what appears to be his account on a car bidding site called Bring A Trailer. One player compiled a spreadsheet showing his car purchases, showing that he has apparently spent about $500,000 on vintage cars since Bungie’s last round of layoffs in October.
Bungie lays off 17% of it’s workforce… unrelated here is a list of cars the CEO has purchased on BAT
Players and workers need to support each other.https://t.co/48qToI4Cf7
— TAILORED (@boxrTailored) July 31, 2024
The announcement of layoffs, along with calls for Parsons to resign, come just under two months after Bungie released Destiny 2: The Final Shape, which brings the game’s story to a close and was well-received by players despite facing several launch issues. Shortly after the release of The Final Shape, Bungie also announced Codename Frontiers, a mysterious new update slated for release in 2025. Bungie also has a revival of Marathon in the works, which will be the series’ first installment since 1996.
However, despite its multiple upcoming projects and well-received recent titles, Bungie has been in turmoil for months. In October, Bungie was hit with a smaller, albeit significant, round of layoffs that was reportedly due to Destiny 2 underperforming. This round of layoffs led to delays for The Final Shape as well as Marathon, which had not been given an official release window but was reportedly delayed internally from 2024 to 2025.
Following October’s layoffs, a Bungie developer described the studio’s morale as “soul-crushing,” with other developers describing mounting fears of more cost-cutting measures as well as a total Sony takeover. Months later in March, Bungie replaced its Marathon director amid internal pressure to ship the game.
Following the replacement of Marathon’s director, one source with knowledge of Bungie’s budgeting told IGN that “something will need to happen to curb costs unless The Final Shape does so well to cover the gap and people can move to Marathon,” referring to fears of another round of layoffs following The Final Shape’s release — the layoffs that happened today.
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, and they recently released a game called Garage Sale. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.
BioWare have said that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is due for release sometime this autumn, causing many to predict it would arrive in September. That seems unlikely now, as EA say the RPG is due to launch in their financial third quarter which begins October 1st.
No More Heroes developer Soichi Suda a.k.a. Suda51 and Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami are interested in returning to the Killer7 series.
The two renowned game makers discussed their potential futures during an installment in one of Grasshopper Manufacture’s Grasshopper Direct presentations. Toward the end of the 40-minute video, which primarily offers a behind-the-scenes look at Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered, Mikami and Suda were asked to comment on what they’re working on next. It was the Resident Evil veteran who brought up his desire to see more from Killer7.
“I’ve realized that I want to stay as hands-on as possible when it comes to game creation, and I’d love to see Suda make a sequel to Killer7,” Mikami said.
Suda, surprised, replies, “Seriously?!”
Killer7 launched in 2005 and follows Harman Smith and his seven killer personalities. Fans have grown to appreciate the game in the last 19 years, with many falling in love with its unique gameplay, visuals, and style. We gave it an 8.1/10 in our original review, and at the time, we said, “Players who can look beyond the control mechanics will find a truly bold and intriguing adventure game lurking within Killer7’s beautiful cel-shaded visuals.” Suda directed Killer7 with oversight from Mikami and isn’t opposed to revisiting its world.
“Someday we just may see a Killer7 sequel or a ‘complete edition,’ ” Suda adds. However, it sounds like he’d prefer to start with the latter.
“I’d rather make a complete edition first. First a complete edition and then Killer11,” he says with a smile. Suda continues: “I don’t know – ‘Killer7-something,’ probably. Maybe ‘Killer7: Beyond.’”
Mikami feels a Killer7 complete edition might be “doable,” but Grasshopper would need to first decide whether to pursue it or some sort of sequel first. For now, no sequel has been announced. For more, you can learn about the Killer7 PC port that arrived in 2018.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
