Author: Game Infliction

We’re excited to announce the star-studded celebrity gaming series Lost Odyssey is returning to the physical table after two years of virtual webcam games for one of the biggest events yet! The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War™ & Penny Dragon present Lost Odyssey: The Red Scribe — an actual play game event showcasing the World Premiere of the brand new Lord of the Rings™ Roleplaying Game. You can catch the Extra Life trailer featuring Elijah Wood here in case you missed it!

Lost Odyssey: The Red Scribe was filmed in front of a live audience during this past year’s LA Comic Con. Partnered with Fathom Events and Legion M, the game and charity campaign will be exclusively previewed in front of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 20th Anniversary Extended Edition release on April 13th and 19th in theaters nationwide.

You can catch the entire game on April 13 (Thursday) at 11am on IGN.

How to Watch the World Premiere of the brand new Lord of the Rings™ Roleplaying Game

If you want to tune in, we’re hosting the video right here on IGN.com and on our accounts across all major platforms including YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, and Facebook. Here are some of the places where you can watch the stream online:

• IGN.com (homepage)
• IGN’s iOS App
• IGN’s Android App
• IGN’s Xbox One App
• Roku
• IGN App for Android TV
• IGN for Amazon Fire TV
• Apple TV
• IGN 1 on Samsung TV Plus
• Pluto TV
• IGN’s Twitch Channel
• IGN’s Youtube Channel

What to Expect:

LOTR fans can anticipate narration by Elijah Wood at this event and a tabletop roleplaying experience like no other. The showcase will be starring game master Kate Welch (Acquisitions Incorporated), alongside players including:

• Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood, Daredevil)
• Reggie Watts (The Late Late Show with James Corden)
• TJ Storm (Godzilla, Deadpool)
• Luke Gygax (GaryCon, GaxxWorx)
• The Dark Lord Sauron himself, Sala Baker (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy)

You also won’t want to miss behind-the-scenes and a first look at the teams who made the event possible, all driving people to support Extra Life for Kids.

More About Lost Odyssey: The Red Scribe

• The game supports Extra Life for Kids, a program of Children Miracle Network Hospitals.
• The original story for this one-shot set in the Lord of the Rings Roleplaying 5E system was created by lifelong LOTR & Tolkien-verse fan and game master Kate Welch, with showrunners DiMuccio & Miller bringing the game to life with the teams of Lost Odyssey and Mind’s Eye Tribe Action Actor’s Academy.
• Within the actual play, audiences will see original music performances, stunt choreography, and the introduction of an original villain from Lost Odyssey lore who was teased back at the end of their first ever live show in 2019, Lost Odyssey: The Book of Knowledge. One pandemic later, the story continues…

What Is The Extra Life Marketplace?

Powered by eBay, The Extra Life Marketplace is a space where gamers and collectors can explore, play, and bid on all kinds of gaming gear, exclusives, and collectibles, with 100% of the proceeds from every sale going towards Extra Life for Kids.

By adding #UNITEFOREXTRALIFE into the title of a product listing and setting 100% of the sale profits to go to Extra Life, eBay will pull items into the Marketplace page so that anyone, anywhere can add to the shop to help the cause. Visit the marketplace now at: lostodysseyevents.com

Lost Odyssey: The Red Scribe is presented by The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War™ (an officially licensed mobile strategy game based on the iconic trilogy of books by J.R.R. Tolkien, developed by NetEase Games) and Penny Dragon (an indie TTRPG publisher with books packed with original content, art, narratives spanning elemental fantasies to sci-fi epics). Brought to you from sponsors including Free League Publishing (Creators of hit TTRPGs like ALIEN The Roleplaying Game, Blade Runner The Roleplaying Game, The One RingTM, and of course the new The Lord of the Rings™ Roleplaying Game), Magpie Games (Avatar: Legends, Root The Roleplaying Game, and Urban Shadows), Spidermind Games (creator of the new technologically advanced, Dragon Eye Dice), Miniature Market (the online gaming superstore), DUST (a diverse platform for visionaries across the sci-fi community), GaxxWorx (veteran-owned company focused on creating well-designed and fun games and gaming accessories for everyone), and Syrinscape (the app that brings immersive sound effects and music to your tabletop roleplaying games, offering unique soundscapes that will elevate your game at home), many of whom’s games and products, you can get in the Ext.

Studio Wildcard has announced that it will be scrapping the Ark: Survival Ascended bundle following backlash from fans.

The developer explained in a community blog post published on Steam last Friday that it has backpedaled on the decision to bundle Survival Ascended with Ark 2, which recently got delayed to 2024:

“Our intention behind this was to provide a package where you essentially got two products for the price of one. In hindsight, not the best move,” the studio wrote. “Our bad; we recognize how combining Ark Survival Ascended with Ark 2 and requiring further DLC upgrades wasn’t optimal, especially since you wouldn’t be able to judge Ark 2 as no gameplay or content would be available yet.”

Because of the fan feedback Studio Wildcard received regarding that issue, it is now making Ark: Survival Ascended a standalone game, with the DLC content gradually built in instead of being sold on digital storefronts, for $59.99. The content and their release windows include:

• The Island (released at launch)
• Survival of the Fittest: The Island & Scorched Earth map variants (released at launch)
• Scorched Earth (released at launch)
• Aberration (Q4 2023)
• Extinction (Q1 2024)
• Genesis Part 1 (Q1 2024)
• Genesis Part 2 (Q2 2024)
• All the community-created maps are also to be released over time in 2024 (Fjordur, Ragnarok, The Center, Lost Island, Valguero, Crystal Isles)

The studio also reiterated it would be sunsetting Ark: Survival Evolved on August 31 in order to prepare for the launch of Survival Ascended. However, it will update the game one last time on its 8th anniversary in June by introducing Rhyniognatha, a new creature that won a community election.

The initial announcement of the Ark Respawned Bundle caused confusion among fans because they were upset about Survival Evolved getting shut down and having to pay for the Unreal Engine 5 upgrade, had previously been teased as a free upgrade. Studio Wildcard explained that its original plan had been to port the Switch version of the game with no upgrades for free, but came to the conclusion that such an upgrade would “not be sufficient” and opted to create an “evergreen classic Ark experience” that can “continue to grow over time.” However, such a thorough update to the original Ark would apparently invalidate save data and render some mods useless, and could make the gameplay experience unbearable for some players.

However, the original Survival Evolved will still be available for unofficial/player-hosted sessions:

“ASE will still be available to play for those who choose to; that includes multiplayer through unofficial/player-hosted sessions, the endless amount of mods on the Steam workshop, and all the game content as you currently know it. All of that is going to remain, but after 8 years of development, we have to make the difficult decision of sunsetting ASE and the Official Network in order to provide that truly long-term and evergreen version of the game through ARK: Survival Ascended.”

Ark: Survival Ascended will release in August 2023 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. She has contributed her work to various publications, including Digital Trends, TheGamer, Twinfinite, Mega Visions, and The Escapist. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.

2023 might finally be the year where 2TB PS5 SSDs might actually be worth the upgrade. Last year, prices for 1TB PS5 SSDs averaged around $150, whereas 2TB SSDs hovered closer to $300. This year, we’re seeing 1TB SSDs trickle below the $100 price point and 2TB SSDs are under $200. The reason PS5 SSD upgrades are pricey is that you can’t use any old SSD and expect it to perform well on the PS5 console. You’ll want to pick up an PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 solid state drive with a rated 5,500MB/s read speed to match the PS5’s internal drive. That means, for better or for worse, picking a top-shelf SSD.

Note that Sony recommends a heatsink attached to your SSD. Not all SSDs listed here have pre-installed heatsinks. For the ones that do, we’ll be sure to mention it. For the ones that don’t, all you have to do is purchase your own heatsink (we recommend this one for $10) and install it yourself. It’s very easy.

Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PS5 SSD for $119.99

Crucial’s newest M.2 SSD meets all the requirements for your PS5 SSD upgrade. It supports transfer speeds of up to 6,660MB/s which is well above the 5,500MB/s minimum threshold. Yes there are faster SSDs out there, but if your intention is to put this in your PS5, then that extra speed is worthless because you’re bottlenecked by the original PS5 SSD. If you’re worried about opening up your PS5 case, don’t worry it’s very easy. Crucial has an official YouTube PS5 SSD install guide to see you through the process.

Silicon Power XS70 2TB PS5 SSD for $119.99

This one includes a pre-installed heatsink

The Silicon Power XS70 offers ample amounts of performance and a pre-installed heatsink at a rock bottom price. This is the first time we’ve seen it priced this low… we usually see it for around $145-$150. It’s performance is surprisingly good for its low price point. It’s not the fastest drive out there, but it’s definitely not the slower either. As a PS5 SSD, it’s perfect because it performs better than the stock SSD and the low-profile heatsink will fit in the case without any modification.

Samsung 990 Pro 2TB PS5 SSD for $179.99

The fastest SSD on the market

The Samsung 990 Pro is currently one of the fastest, if not the fastest, SSDs out there and there’s a $100 price drop that makes this a competitive deal compared to other top-of-the-line SSDs. It outperforms other top-end contenders like the WD SN850X or SK Hynix Platinum P41. It might be overkill, but it’s also PS5 compatible.

WD 2TB PS5 SSD for $159.99

Amazon is offering a 2TB WD Black SN850X for $159.99. This is generally considered one of the top three fastest SSDs out there right now. The SN850X is the successor to the SN850 SSD. It has newer flash chips (BiCS5 vs BiCS4) and an updated firmware, which combined offer improved sequential and random read/write speeds. For PC gamers, there’s also an updated Game Mode 2.0 utility that’s designed to tune the SSD for better performance during gaming sessions.

SK Hynix P41 2TB SSD for $156.99

Up until the Samsung 990 Pro release, the SK Hynix Platinum P4 was considered the fastest SSD on the market. It’s also considerably less expensive than the 990 Pro. Benchmarks consistently exceed its rated specs and it performs better than other well known brands like WD and Seagate. SK Hynix might not be immediately recognizable to some people, but they are in no way a fledgeling company. SK Hynix is the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker and the world’s third-largest semiconductor company.

Acer Predator 4TB PS5 SSD for $326.99

Whether it be for your PS5 or your PC, the Acer Predator GM700 offers both performance and storage capacity in spades. This is currently the least expensive 4TB PCIe M.2 SSD we’ve found that boasts speeds higher than the PS5 minimum requirement. It performs similarly to the Crucial P5 Plus and faster than the Samsung 980 Pro.

Corsair MP600 PRO LPX 2TB “Optimized for PS5” SSD with Heatsink for Only $154.99

Corsair is a very well known brand for DIY PC builders. Corsair makes some of the best gaming products on the market, and that includes solid-state memory like RAM and SSDs. The MP600 Pro is the same super-fast M.2 NVMe PCIe x4 Gen4 SSD that’s marketed for enthusiast gaming PC builds. This one is “optimized for PS5” because it includes a rugged preinstalled heatsink that is slim enough to fit in the PS5 bay without any issues. Performance wise, the MP600 Pro matches the best SSDs out there with its 7,100MB/sec sequential read and 6,800MB/sec sequential write speeds.

More PS5 SSD Deals

There may be other SSD deals out there, but these are the PS5 SSDs we’ve tried ourselves and highly recommend. They also double up as outstanding boot drives for your gaming PC, in case you don’t need additional storage for your PS5 console.

How easy is it to install the SSD?

It’s extremely easy! Removing the case cover is completely toolless. In fact, the only screw you have to remove is the one that keeps the cover for the SSD bay in place. You don’t even put it back when you’re done. Sony has a quick and easy YouTube video guide.

What if the SSD I bought doesn’t have a heatsink?

Sony recommends you install an SSD that has an attached heatsink. If the SSD you purchase doesn’t include one, it’s simple enough to buy one for about $10 on Amazon and add it yourself. Most of these heatsinks are just attached using an adhesive like thermal tape.

For more deals, take a look at our daily deals for today.

The Diablo 4 open beta period has ended, and players were given a taste of what they can expect in the full release of the game. While Blizzard has been sharing more information about certain systems through periodic developer livestreams and videos, not much has been revealed about the end-game, if certain game modes will be making a return, or even whether certain features from previous games will return to help add more depth to general gameplay and character builds.

Here are some things we would like to see potentially make a return in Diablo 4.

Adventure Mode

Adventure Mode was an optional game mode available in Diablo 3. This mode allowed players to skip the story and dive right into the action and tackle different quests set in the different locales available to the game’s main campaign. Objectives included defeating major story bosses, killing a set amount of enemies in a specific dungeon, opening curses chests, and more. Completing the objectives would net players experience, gold, and special chests when clearing all designated quests in an area.

These chests would drop recipes for Legendary gear and Set pieces, which incentivized tackling these objectives before heading into other end-game content like Nephalem Rifts. While engrossing, not everyone is interested in the narrative the Diablo games have provided for well over a decade, and an Adventure Mode is more than appealing for those that simply just want to play the game and not be barred by story progression.

Given Diablo 4’s pivot to being more like an MMO, perhaps Blizzard will hand out story skips through its battle pass or other avenues if Adventure Mode doesn’t make a return.

Return of the Crusader or Paladin

While offering a decent roster of playable classes with the Rogue, Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, and Sorcerer available to choose from, Diablo 4 is sorely missing the Crusader or Paladin. Unlike the Barbarian or Druid, the Crusader and Paladin fill a unique niche as a warrior-type class that utilizes a range of holy magic, capable of tanking absurd amounts of damage while also providing valuable buffs to party members.

While this may sound similar to what the Druid can offer, and to some extent, the Barbarian, both the Crusader and Paladin were more or less powerhouses in this regard to being one of the tankiest classes available in the Diablo series as whole, while still capable of doing large amounts of damage. Overall, it was a nice hybrid that never felt weak if you chose to favor one type of build over the other. It would also add more variety in general in terms of what more melee-focused classes could offer, providing a nice middle ground between a solid DPS and a tank.

Rifts and Greater Rifts

Nephalem Rifts and Greater Rifts were introduced in Diablo 3 as content that appeared in its Reaper of Souls expansion. These seemingly endless procedural dungeons may not have the same attention to detail as the ones in Diablo 4, but were a great source of end-game content. Rifts allowed players to farm Legendary items and Set pieces consistently, with Greater Rifts more or less a “high risk, high reward” version of the standard Nephalem Rifts.

The core gameplay loop of the Rifts features players fighting waves of enemies in order to spawn a “super boss” of sorts, that when defeated would reward players with gear and unique gems for their gear and end-game builds. While we don’t know what Diablo 4’s end game looks like right now, Nephalem Rifts were a great way to not only obtain highly coveted Set pieces and Legendaries but allowed players to test out builds against hordes of enemies, which in turn would shape the meta for seasonal content.

Runes

As introduced in Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction, runes are a unique type of socketable item that are different from gems. While gems allow for passive upgrades to stats such as increased barrier potency or damage to Elite enemies, runes could change entire builds.

By combining runes on pieces of armor to create rune words, players could add more than one incremental stat change. These words would effectively generate Legendary passives onto items such as creating a Nova when killing an enemy or even generating Charged Bolts or Frozen Orbs when striking. While this could create passive skill bloat given Diablo 4’s Aspects effectively serve this function, seeing runes and rune words come back would be interesting — mostly because it would give players an even greater way to customize their builds to create something wholly unique.

Free Respecing

While not the most well-regarded of the Diablo games, Diablo 3 allowed players to change their builds at a whim and for no cost. Diablo 4 will require players to spend gold in order to change their skills and accompanying passives. This didn’t cost an obscene amount during the open beta period, but it can quickly add up. Especially since removing and applying Aspects to weapons and armor can also get pretty expensive.

Forcing players to spend gold to respec feels like a way to keep the grind going, but could be counterintuitive to finding new builds. And Potentially leaving experimentation to players who have massive quantities of gold could alienate more casual players. While it seems like Blizzard has made up its mind regarding whether or not this feature will come at no cost, it would be interesting to see them potentially walk back on this in the future if reception is less than favorable.

Pets and Companions

Pets in Diablo 3 were unobtrusive, if not immersion-breaking, companions that would run out and collect gold for you. This meant you wouldn’t need to run your character over or around gold in order to pick it up. It’s more or less a modern convenience that isn’t required for the overall game experience but is something of a smaller quality-of-life feature that was surprisingly missing in the Diablo 4 beta.

Since Diablo 2, players could recruit NPC companions to join them as they explored the world of Sanctuary. Diablo 3 allowed players to pick from a total of three different companions — the Templar, Enchantress, and Scoundrel — that you could choose to build in a few different ways depending on what skills you picked for them and what gear you equipped them with. Since Diablo 4 is leaning towards a more open world and MMO-lite experience, it wouldn’t be surprising if companions didn’t make a comeback.

The Return of the Angiris Council

With Diablo 2’s Andariel returning in Diablo 4, it isn’t out of the question that major characters from previous Diablo games could potentially make a return — either as bosses or major characters in the narrative. The conflict between Inarius and Lilith could see members of the Angiris Council return, which would lead to more elaboration on the leaders of the High Heavens. While players were given a taste of these stories in Diablo 3 (where Lilith and Inarus’ relationship and subsequent creation of Sanctuary were very briefly elaborated on) and its expansion Reaper of Souls, Diablo 4 has the chance to elaborate on the inner workings of the council itself. And maybe even allow characters like Imperius or other members of the council to make an appearance after the open-ended nature of how that particular narrative wrapped up. Either way, it would be great to see more lore about the High Heavens appear in Diablo 4, especially since one of the game’s key figures used to reside there.

These are just a few things we’d like to see make a return in Diablo 4 after our extensive time in the open beta period. Let us know in the comments what you’d like to see come back in Diablo 4.

Performing odd jobs around all sectors of the industry ranging from translation, narrative design, and consultation, Kazuma spends his time playing a variety of games ranging from farming simulators to classic CRPGs. In his spare time he speedruns games from the Resident Evil series as a VTuber on his Twitch channel, and raids with friends in Final Fantasy XIV and Lost Ark. You can find him on Twitter at @JusticeKazzy_.