Will be “taking a break” from his next game.
It’s been a while since Eric ‘ConcernedApe’ Barone shared any information about the 1.6 update coming to his lifestyle-farming simulation Stardew Valley.
Now, in an update, the creator has revealed he’s taking a temporary break from his new project Haunted Chocolatier to work on Stardew 1.6. This next version will be “mostly changes for modders”, but he also mentions how there will be some new game content.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Minecraft is a game that has been taking the world by storm for well over a decade now, yet it feels as though it has been a part of our lives and our gaming histories for as long as we can remember. With the new release of Minecraft Legends, the latest action strategy spinoff from Mojang, it’s worth taking a trip down memory lane to take a look at exactly where this industry-changing saga began. How did this sandbox game become one of the best-selling games of all time?
Minecraft was initially created by Markus “Notch” Persson, a Swedish game programmer. Markus Persson had worked for King for over four years until 2009, when he began full-time development on Minecraft. His idea brewed from a game he was developing titled “RubyDung”, an isometric base-building game, and from Markus seeing Infiniminer, a block-based mining game. With the first-person perspective, blocky visuals, and building elements from Infiniminer, and the RPG elements/base building from RubyDung, Minecraft was born.
Markus stayed with the growing team at Mojang (of which he was the founding member) until September 2014, when Microsoft announced a $2.5 billion acquisition deal to purchase the company. From there, he decided to step away from game development.
The lead designer of Minecraft since 2011 has been Jens “Jeb” Bergensten, who had been co-developing Minecraft with Persson since 2010, took the lead designer role in 2011, and assumed full creative control in 2014 upon Persson’s departure.
The original version of Minecraft, which is the Java Edition of the game, began development in 2009 with various Alphas and Betas leading through 2010 to the beginning of 2011. The full version, titled “1.0 – Adventure Update” released on November 18th, 2011. This makes Minecraft 14 years old from its initial conception, and 12 years old from its full public release.
What major milestones have happened since Minecraft began in terms of large content drops that add new items and gameplay mechanics? Let’s take a look at some of the more ground-breaking updates for the game.
The first major update arrived in 2012, with the 1.4 Pretty Scary Update. This update introduced both Wither Skeletons and the Wither boss, alongside Witches, Bats, and Zombie Villagers. It also brought in command blocks, and other useful items like the Anvil, Potatoes, and Carrots. Released in October, this update was thematically perfect for the spooky season!
Immediately following this update came the 1.5 Redstone Update which as the name implies added a slew of redstone-related blocks into the game, including the Hopper, Daylight Sensor, Comparator, and more! The Minecraft Realms subscription service was also introduced in this update, allowing players to create and manage their own private servers in the game for the first time.
In 2013 came the Update that Changed the World, which focused almost entirely on revamping the world generation systems, and introduced 11 new biomes in the process, including the Savanna, Mesa, various Forests, Extreme Hills+, and more! Biomes that already existed in-game also received an overhaul to ensure each felt distinct from one another.
At the beginning of 2016 came the Combat Update. This introduced the off-hand slot so players could dual wield, implemented a cooldown mechanic for attacks, added the Shield item and the Elytra, which enabled flying/gliding within Survival Mode. This update also revamped The End, so that the outer islands of the area were populated by end city structures and the new Shulker mob to defeat.
An update centred around color and player expression, aptly titled the World of Color Update, arrived in 2017. Adding a large number of colored blocks to the game, including Concrete, Terracotta, and dyeable Beds, this version enabled players to brighten up their builds like never before. Parrots also debuted, adding their own flair to the skies.
In 2018 came the Update Aquatic, which totally overhauled the oceans in-game, introducing colorful Coral reefs, mobs like the Turtle, Dolphin, Cod, Salmon, and Pufferfish, and water-based items like the Trident and the Heart of the Sea. Completely changing an aspect of the game long overlooked, the oceans, this update was more than welcome when it arrived.
2019 brought the Village and Pillage Update to players, altering the way villages spawned in-game, and the purposes that they could serve. With up to 14 new stair, slab, and wall variations, each village you stumbled upon could now look visually distinct depending on the biome you found it in. With useful items like Scaffolding, the Campfire, Blast Furnace, Cartography Table, Stonecutter and Grindstone, this update made finding a village even more of a monumental moment than it was before, with each building brimming with new opportunities.
The Nether Update in 2020, as you can probably guess, included an overhaul for the Nether. Introducing new biomes within the Nether as well as the addition of the Netherite items (including a new tool and armor set) gave players all the more reason to delve deep into the underworld, though the additions of the Piglins made this venture even more of a dangerous one.
Caves and Cliffs was a two-part mega update for Minecraft in 2021. The first update, 1.17, introduced the Axolotl, Glow Squid, and Goat mobs, as well as some unique plant life such as the Glow Lichen and the Dripleaf. Heading underground, you could now find Copper Ore and Amethyst Geodes to mine, crafting things like the Lightning Rod and the Spyglass from these new materials.
Part 2 of the Caves and Cliffs update fundamentally altered the way world generation works in-game, adding not only overworld biomes like the Grove and the Meadow, but overhaul of mountains and cave systems. Both were blown up to mega proportions with this update, resulting in huge obstacles when traversing above ground (whilst also creating excellent vistas in the process), as well as unique areas underground like the Lush or Dripstone Cave biomes.
For 2023, the Trails and Tales Update is the next major update set for launch in the near future. An update fully focused on creativity and self-expression, it includes a huge number of vibrant decorative blocks such as Bamboo, the Cherry wood set, Decorated Pots, and a total of 11 sign variants (including the ability to hang signs). Mechanics like archeology are debuting thanks to items like the Brush, which can be used on Suspicious Sand to unearth goodies, Smithing Templates allow you to add trims to your armor for unprecedented personalisation, and unique mobs like the Camel and Sniffer present brand new gameplay opportunities.
With Minecraft evolving in so many unexpected and unique ways over the years, there’s no telling where the game will be in 5 years time. All we can expect is that the developers at Mojang as well as Minecraft players around the world will continue to surprise and impress us with their talent and ingenuity, building new memories and friendships for the foreseeable future.
Want to get into Minecraft? See our guide on how to play Minecraft for free as well as our ideas for fun things to build.
We’re now only a few weeks away from release, and if you haven’t yet secured your Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom preorder, then you’re in luck. All preorders for the highly anticipated Switch exclusive are currently down to £44.99 at Currys, just use code ZELDA25 at checkout. This is the absolute best deal on Tears of the Kingdom preorders in the UK.
This is a £15 saving compared to the Amazon listing, and £5 better than the previous best deal ShopTo. This is well worth considering if you don’t have any leftover extra credit at Amazon, or you won’t be trying for the Tears of the Kingdom Collector’s Edition (that’s out of stock right now as well). We’ve left some handy links to the preorder deal just below, and make sure you’re following @IGNUKDeals on Twitter for more updates.
If you’re looking to add the special Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED model to your collection, then look no further. Preorders for this special edition console are still available and will launch on April 28, just a few weeks before the new game.
This is a great deal on Audible. For 99p you’re essentially getting three audiobooks of your choosing (one per month), alongside the whole Audible podcast catalogue. Some of my favourites I’ve listened to on Audible this year include Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino, Strong Female Character by Fern Brady, and I Am Not Nicholas by Jane MacSorley.
But there’s plenty else to choose from as well, such as The Sandman, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Dune, Lord of the Rings, and more. For 99p, you’re getting plenty of value out of Audible, so I defintiely recommened giving it a go. (This is for new and returning subscribers only)
There’s some pretty awesome 4K UHD and Blu-ray preorders that the IGN UK audience have been loving recently. At the top of these is The Last of Us Season 1 steelbook, but we’ve had a couple of new popular preorders announced recently as well. Both John Wick 4 and the Mario movie are getting the special edition or steelbook treatment, and you can check out the preorders for both just below as well.
Whether you’re looking to build your collection or buying a gift for someone else, Amazon has plenty of LEGO deals that are worth checking out. From new sets like the Star Wars BD-1 Posable Droid to even more obsecure sets like the Harry Potter Hungarian Horntail Dragon, there’s something for everyone.
It’s a roll of the dice. These are my absolute favourite deals that are available right now, but don’t necessarily fit anywhere else, making them a little bit more random compared to everything else in Daily Deals.
PlayStation’s Spring Sale has brought with it a number of excellent deals on PS5 consoles and bundles, alongside some wonderful physical and digital PS5 video game deals. This includes the likes of The Last of Us Part 2 for £8.74, Dead Space for £44.99, Hogwarts Legacy for £44.99, Ratchet and Clank for £29.99, and plenty alongside. You can also save even more on digital purchases if you invest in some discounted PlayStation gift cards from ShopTo.
If you’re buying anything in the PlayStation Digital sale, then here’s how you can save a little extra money along the way. UK online retailer ShopTo has currently got a brilliant selection of PlayStation Gift Cards at discounted prices; for example a £50 card for £42.85 instead. Not only do these make great gifts, but they’re also perfect for topping up your own PSN account as well.
The only catch with these is that the best value comes from spending £50 or above, so only do this if you’re planning on make lots of digital purchases, or a couple of big ones. For example, if you buy two £50 cards, gaining £100 in total, you’re only paying £85.70, which is a £14.30 saving right out the gate. There’s more gift cards available, so I’ve left some handy links just below. And don’t worry, ShopTo is a trusted seller, and we feature deals from them all the time so you’re absolutely in safe hands when purchasing.
This is the first big PS5 bundle deal we’re getting in the UK, with £40 off the original list price of £540. With PS5 consoles costing £479.99 right now, this essentially means you’re getting God of War Ragnarok for £20. It’s a great deal, but there are a few others to check out below as well.
You love these, we love these. And to be fair, a blanket that you can wear, what’s not to love about that? These usually end up confined to the random deals section but we want to give you a nice selection today. Spring time in the UK means endless rain, get comfy and chill out in front of the telly.
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.
“In-person, it looks really, really cool”.
Nintendo hardware modder Shank is back at it, this time with a “reactive color-changing” Wii and GameCube portable system.
It’s called the ‘GloWii’ and uses RGB LEDs & video processing to display lighting through the transparent GB case. Here’s a quick highlight reel of it running all sorts of Nintendo titles:
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s latest Tera Raid has trainers around the world very excited as it is the first time Typhlosion – the third evolution of Pokemon Gold and Silver’s Cyndaquil – is able to be caught in the games. However, the chance to add Typhlosion to your party won’t last long.
The Pokemon Company announced that Typhlosion with the Mightiest Mark will appear in black crystal Tera Raid Battles from Thursday, April 14 at 5pm PT/8pm ET to Sunday, April 16 at 4:59pm PT/7:59pm ET.
Typhlosion with the Mightiest Mark will be appearing in black crystal Tera Raids throughout #PokemonScarletViolet later this week! Work together with friends to topple this powerful Tera Pokémon!
Find out more here ➡️ https://t.co/lpLdtRHWyK pic.twitter.com/vgcDFf5nuF
— Play Pokémon (@playpokemon) April 10, 2023
If you don’t have time to catch Typhlosion, there will be another chance from Thursday, April 21 at 5pm PT/8pm ET to Sunday, April 23 at 4:59pm PT/7:59pm ET.
While obtaining a Typhlosion sounds like a wonderful thing, it won’t be a walk in the PokePark as the battle will be a 7-Star raid and will see the Pokemon at level 100 with a Ghost Tera Type. Trainers are encouraged to “work together with your friends to topple this powerful Tera Pokemon!”
It’s important to not you can only catch one Typhlosion per save data, but you can continue to battle other Typhloshions for rewards. The Pokemon Company also notes that Typhlosion may return in “future events or become obtainable through other methods.”
The Typhlosion Tera Raid has been one of the biggest ones in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and many online have been sharing their excitement over the chance to battle and catch this Pokemon alongside tips for others trying to do the same.
Advice for Online Raids vs Typhlosion:
Run a bulky Toxapex with Wide Guard!
It neutralizes both Eruption and Earthquake like Protect for ALL!
Just spam it over and over again and let the others COOK!You need one of your dudes to be actually offensive!#PokemonScarletViolet pic.twitter.com/rNgti46ikl
— JeromeMC (@xXJeromeMCXx) April 16, 2023
this is such a small thing to be excited about, but i’m SO happy Pokemon updated Typhlosion’s battle model to show its fire again ?
6 yr old me basically solo’d Crystal with Typhlosion because she looked so cool! The model w/o fire in X&Y and Sun & Moon was really disappointing pic.twitter.com/PmxAKNb9yK
— doonbugs (he/him) (@doonbugs) April 14, 2023
A trigger of Defiant really helped in succeeding first try! I’m so happy that I got this boy, Typhlosion was one of my first starters. #PokemonScarletViolet #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/9OYt213qLk
— Bondforged ????? (@Manetrix2000) April 15, 2023
The way he runs tho ?❤️ #PokemonScarletViolet #typhlosion pic.twitter.com/rBLx2BsXFQ
— Atrea27 (@Atrea27) April 15, 2023
Childhood me would be hyped af rn, TYPHLOSION ? ? ? 2nd to zard ofc. pic.twitter.com/v2zgbz0USa
— chris (@Akatosh4Life) April 15, 2023
The way Typhlosion Sleeps is so adorable. Make me wanna cuddle them.#SuziPlays #PokemonScarletViolet #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/K1gGqlWUjm
— on spring break (@Suzikirby89) April 15, 2023
Just solo’ed the 7 star Typhlosion tera raid.
Monke works:
Annihilape @ Defiant
Shell Bell
Adamant
252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def-Rage fist
-Bulk up
-Close Combat
-ScreechScreech t1, rage fist spam, Tera (above 70% hp) to break shield. #PokemonScarletViolet #TeraRaid #Pokemon pic.twitter.com/iLuOWYKWEG
— Kumail (@Kumailh) April 14, 2023
For more in the world of Pokemon, check out all the details on Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s expansion pass and how the new Pokemon anime appears to have featured a never-before-seen Pokemon.
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.
Gruigi time?
The box office for The Super Mario Bros. Movie is huge. Like, record-breaking huge. It feels like yesterday that cries of “the video game movie curse” filled the air whenever a new take on a game hit cinemas, but now we know that these adaptations can be both good and big. Really big.
The Mario Movie’s success at the box office will undoubtedly spawn at least one sequel and we’d be surprised if the spin-offs end there (might we be looking at the start of the NCU?). In the past, we thought about the potential for other animation studios to take the reins on some of Nintendo’s much-loved franchises — we still stay awake at night thinking of a Metroid film in the style of Into the Spiderverse — but it looks like, for the time being at least, future Nintendo movies will be firmly in the hands of Illumination.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
This reminds me of a puzzle…
It’s time for another edition of Box Art Brawl, are you ready to rumblllllllle?
Before we introduce today’s competitors, let’s have a little look at what went down last week. Capcom’s Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles was the game on the table for the last brawl, with a tasty three different covers up for discussion and a whole lotta differences between them. Now this was a difficult one to call, but it was Europe’s grizzly zombie cover that came out on top with 47% of the vote. North America landed in second place with 27% and the Japanese box art closely followed with 26%.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Controllers, stands, cases and more.
With the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom just around the corner, accessory maker Hori has announced a brand new line of products.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Another official reveal.
If you’re eager to see more of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, it seems we’ve got another official reveal.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Shardpunk: Verminfall smooshes together a bunch of different ideas you’ll have seen before. It’s got turn-based tactical combat against rats with magic rifles in a steampunk world already in ruins. It’s got the need to keep on moving, lest an approaching rat horde overwhelm you. It’s got bunkers in which your party rests, de-stresses, and tools up before moving on.
Kind of a Fallouty, XCOMy, FTLy, Vermintidey mix, then – which together seems very cool. It’s out now, and there’s a demo.
