Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Will Get Another Patch…Late Next Month

The Pokémon Company International said that there were will be a new patch for Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet coming in February.

“Update Ver. 1.2.0, which will include bug fixes and add functionality, is planned to be released in late February. Please look forward to more details soon,” says The Pokémon Company in a statement on its official website.

Shortly after launch back in November, Patch 1.1.0 was pushed out and added features such as Ranked Battles and fixed some “select bugs” such as the music not being played correctly during battles against the Elite Four. However, the patch didn’t seem to address many of the various technical and performance issues that have been plaguing the games.

Unfortunately, The Pokémon Company hasn’t provided any specific details on whether the upcoming patch will alleviate performance problems. So far, it seems like it’ll just continue to fix more bugs and include additional features.

Despite how the numerous glitches and performance issues found in the games, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet set a brand new all-time sales record with 10 million combined units sold within its first three days of launch.

In IGN’s Pokemon Scarlet review, we said, “The open-world gameplay of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a brilliant direction for the future of the franchise, but this promising shift is sabotaged by the numerous ways in which Scarlet and Violet feel deeply unfinished.”

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

Rick and Morty Co-Creator Justin Roiland Charged for Domestic Violence

Rick and Morty co-creator and High on Life creator Justin Roiland has been charged in a California court with domestic battery and false imprisonment, according to a report by NBC News.

NBC, which obtained the criminal complaint in question, says that Roiland was charged in May of 2020 in connection with an incident from January of that year.

Roiland is charged with one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury, and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud, and/or deceit — both against an anonymous Jane Doe who he was dating at the time.

He has pleaded “not guilty” to both charges.

Thus far, over a dozen hearings have taken place connected to these charges, including a pre-trial hearing today, but a trial date has not yet been set. Roiland was reportedly arrested in May of 2020 and released on a $50,000 bond the following August. In October, a protective order was filed stating that he was not permitted to harass, threaten, surveil, or go within 100 feet of the Jane Doe in question.

A number of other case details are reportedly being withheld under a protective order, though an attorney confirmed to NBC News that a plea offer is available. NBC reports that a hearing in the case is planned to reconvene on April 27, with Roiland ordered to attend.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Disclosure: The author of this piece’s partner previously worked at High on Life studio Squanch Games.

Image Credit: Greg Doherty, Getty Images

Feature: Fire Emblem Narratives, Ranked – Which Fire Emblem Has The Best Story?

More Dark Dragon Demon Gods than you can shake a Falchion at.

Since Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade — or just Fire Emblem as it was known in the West — made its way to the West on the Game Boy Advance thanks to the popularity of Marth and Roy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the series has filled a cutthroat, tactical RPG void on almost every Nintendo console since – all the way up to the stellar Fire Emblem: Three Houses on the Switch.

Known for wide casts of colourful characters, challenging maps, permadeath, dozens of classes, and more recently matchmaking, the plots of political intrigue often get left out of the Fire Emblem discussion. A shame, because the writers over at Intelligent Systems have put together more than a few decent yarns over the series’ 30-year+ history. As such, we expect this month’s Fire Emblem: Engage to have a great story as well, despite much of the conversation being focused on the protagonist’s toothpaste hair.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Gifts Galore: Celebrating 12 Years of DC Universe Online

Welcome to 2023! Thank you for another bustling year of DC Universe Online on Xbox. Together we fought off Perpetua’s Dark Knights, stormed Neron’s Underworld with Black Adam, and Saved the Universe (literally, again). 

Doesn’t ring a bell? Don’t worry. All our storyline content is delivered in free episodes, and you can still jump in right now.


Free Player and Member Gifts


By the way, right now is a very good time to head back to Gotham City and Metropolis because January 11 is the 12th anniversary of DC Universe Online

To celebrate, all Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S players can claim an anniversary gift pack with over $75 worth of items through the end of January. You’ll get the new Batman Ally and CR333 Character Advance which will put your character at the right level to play our 42nd episode, Legion of Doom. 

DC Universe Online

Even better, all our members will receive another gift with over $75 of additional rewards. The member gift includes the Teal Textured Polymer Chroma Pack, a box full of Artifact XP, Catalysts, and Seals, and 12 Stabilizers – one for every year of DC Universe Online.

DC Universe Online

Not yet a member? Become one today and claim these items by January 31, 2023.


Anniversary Event Returns


The Attack of the Anti-Monitor event returns this year with new items. We particularly recommend checking out the updated Fate’s Faith gear suit and the Source Wall-inspired base items and boss statues. Head over to Anti-Matter Metropolis to test your skills in the Speed Force Flux raid alongside The Flash and Professor Zoom. Will you be able to send the Anti-Monitor forward another year into the future?

DC Universe Online

We hope so, because 2023 is shaping up to bring in three new episodes, plus all-new allies, artifacts, an emotes system, and that’s just what we can share right now. Make sure to follow our social channels to stay up to date with everything headed your way.

DC Universe Online

Download and Play Free Today


 DC Universe Online is free to play for all Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S players. All episodes are free to access for everyone, so you can play alongside your friends no matter the content. Once you start the game, choose your morality, mentor, and powers to use in battle. Then create and customize your unique character to begin your adventures in the iconic DC universe!

For additional content details and guides to get started in DCUO, please visit us at DCUniverseOnline.com.

Xbox Live

DC Universe Online

Daybreak Game Company, LLC


780

DC Universe™ Online is now on Xbox One! Join thousands of other players in this Free-to-Play, massive online action game set in the popular DC Comics universe. Choose your side – Hero or Villain – and create your character to experience true action combat, as you fight alongside and against legendary characters such as Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Lex Luthor, and Circe.

Jump in and explore the DC Universe; walk the darkened streets of Gotham City, investigate the mysteries of the futuristic cityscape of Metropolis, and travel to legendary locations such as Arkham Asylum and the Watchtower.

The Xbox One version of DC Universe Online includes the following:

– Xbox One Exclusive items: Powered-Up Character Emblem + Powered-Up Cape + Vapor Aura!

Become a part of our thriving community at DCUniverseOnline.com!

Please note the download is around 35GB and could take several hours, but it’s worth the wait!

Bandwidth requirements may exceed 192 Kb.

Related:
Overwatch 2 – Winter Wonderland Event 2022
Overwatch 2: Season 2 is Now Live
Feel the Heat of the Stia Region in Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis Today

Face-Off: Which 2023 Game Are You Most Excited For?

2023 has officially arrived, and that means we are finally in the year (fingers crossed) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Starfield, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and so many more fantastic games will be released. However, we’re very curious to see which 2023 game you are most excited for.

Do you think Final Fantasy 16 deserves the top spot? Or is your top pick Diablo IV, Street Fighter 6, or Hollow Knight: Silksong? We’ve selected 45 of the biggest games with release dates and windows in 2023 specifically to “Face-Off” against each other two at a time. Will you choose Hades 2 over Star Wars Jedi: Survivor? Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League over the Resident Evil 4 Remake? The choice is yours…

(And don’t forget, you can pass on a Face-Off round if you don’t know a game by just hitting “skip” at the bottom of the page.)

Click here to start voting in the 2023 video game Face-Off!

What Is a Face-Off?

Like the name suggests, a Face-Off pits two things against one another and you decide which one is the superior of the two. In this case, you are voting to determine which 2023 game you are most excited for. It’s possible to see certain games multiple times, so you can keep voting for your favorites to ensure they get ranked higher than the rest. IGN’s resident team of gaming experts pre-selected 45 of the biggest 2023 games for you to choose from. These get randomly paired up and each time you pick a winner, it’s tracked.

How Is the Winner Determined?

When voting ends on December 19, we tally up the total number of “wins” and “losses” each game has, and create a ranked list based on your choices that will be revealed on December 20. The game that won the most matchups will be crowned the “winner,” and in the event of a tied number of “wins,” the game with the least “losses” will take the top spot. If you continue to keep voting for your favorite game, they’ll have a better chance of ranking high on the list. You can vote as many times as you want until the Face-Off closes.

How Do I Know When I’ve Clicked Through Everything?

It’s difficult to know when you’ve seen every 2023 game included because they are matched randomly and there are so many possible match-ups. Playing until you vote for all your favorites or ensuring that certain games don’t get in the winner’s circle are different options you can take with a Face-Off. By deciding the winner throughout all these match-ups, you’re ensuring that your picks for your most-anticipated video games in 2023 will have a fighting chance to reach the top of the list.

Which 2023 Video Games Have Been Included?

The list of the biggest 2023 video games included in this Face-Off has been decided by IGN staff, and we’ve tried to include the most popular games and those our audience has been most excited for. If you’d like to learn more about each of these games, you can check out our breakdown of all of these 2023 games.

We do want to note that we’ve only included games with officially announced 2023 release dates/windows, so that means games like Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (2023-2024) and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (planned for “Next Winter”), for example, have not been included as they may fall into 2024. We’ve also chosen to omit games that have already been released in Early Access and are expected to have their full release in 2023, including Baldur’s Gate 3 and Disney Dreamlight Valley.

Click here to start voting in the 2023 video game Face-Off!

For more, check out which game we crowned the Game of the year in 2022 and what you can expect from Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox in 2023.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

26th Annual DICE Awards Game of the Year Nominees Announced

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) has announced its nominees for the 26th D.I.C.E. Awards, with Santa Monica Studios’ God of War: Ragnarok leading the pack with 12 nominations.

The annual video game award recognizes the best games of the year as chosen by the members of the AIAS, and the winners are chosen at an annual awards show hosted in Las Vegas. This year’s event will be hosted on February 23 on IGN.

This year’s awards will be co-hosted by Kinda Funny’s Greg Miller and IGN’s own Stella Chung, with IGN as the official media partner of the event. Check below for the full list of game of the year nominees which alongside God of War include Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West, Stray, and Vampire Survivors.

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

  • Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course
  • Elden Ring
  • God of War Ragnarok
  • Horizon Forbidden West
  • Moss: Book 2

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
  • God of War Ragnarok
  • Horizon Forbidden West
  • Stray
  • The Callisto Protocol

Outstanding Achievement in Character

  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Alejandro Vargas
  • God of War Ragnarok – Atreus
  • God of War Ragnarok – Kratos
  • Horizon Forbidden West – Aloy
  • Return to Monkey Island – Guybrush Threepwood

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

  • A Plague Tale: Requiem
  • God of War Ragnarok
  • Horizon Forbidden West
  • Metal: Hellsinger
  • Moss: Book 2

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

  • A Plague Tale: Requiem
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
  • God of War Ragnarok
  • Gotham Knights
  • Somerville

Outsanding Achievement in Story

  • Elden Ring
  • God of War Ragnarok
  • I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
  • IMMORTALITY
  • NORCO

Outstanding Technical Achievement

  • A Plague Tale: Requiem
  • Elden Ring
  • God of War Ragnarok
  • Horizon Forbidden West
  • Teardown

Action Game of the Year

  • Bayonetta 3
  • Grounded
  • Neon White
  • Sifu
  • Vampire Survivors

Adventure Game of the Year

  • God of War Ragnarok
  • Horizon Forbidden West
  • NORCO
  • Stray
  • TUNIC

Family Game of the Year

  • Disney Dreamlight Valley
  • Kirby’s Dream Buffet
  • Lost in Play
  • Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
  • Trombone Champ

Fighting Game of the Year

  • JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R
  • MultiVersus
  • Rumbleverse
  • SpiderHeck
  • THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV

Racing Game of the Year

  • F1 22
  • Gran Turismo 7
  • Need for Speed Unbound

Role-Playing Game of the Year

  • Citizen Sleeper
  • Elden Ring
  • Weird West
  • World of Warcraft: Dragonflight
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Sports Game of the Year

  • EA SPORTS FIFA 23
  • Mario Strikers: Battle League
  • MLB The Show 22
  • NBA 2k23
  • OlliOlli World

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

  • Dwarf Fortress
  • IXION
  • Marvel’s Midnight Suns
  • Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator
  • Warhammer 40,000: CHaos Gate – Demonhunters

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

  • Cosmonious High
  • Moss: Book 2
  • Red Matter 2
  • Tenatcular
  • The Last Clockwinder

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

  • IMMORTALITY
  • Neon White
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
  • TUNIC
  • Vampire Survivors

Mobile Game of the Year

  • Diablo Immortal
  • Gibbon: Beyond the Trees
  • IMMORTALITY
  • MARVEL SNAP
  • Poinpy

Online Game of the Year

  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
  • EA SPORTS FIFA 23
  • FINAL FANTASY XIV: Endwalker
  • MARVEL SNAP
  • Rumbleverse

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

  • Elden Ring
  • God of War Ragnarok
  • MARVEL SNAP
  • TUNIC
  • Vampire Survivors

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

  • Elden Ring
  • God of War Ragnarok
  • Horizon Forbidden West
  • IMMORTALITY
  • TUNIC

Game of the Year

  • Elden Ring
  • God of War Ragnarok
  • Horizon Forbidden West
  • Stray
  • Vampire Survivors

Check out the winners when the 26th DICE Awards are livestreamed from Las Vegas on IGN on February 23, 2023.

This £38 Steam Deck dock is a great alternative to Valve’s official model – and I’ve tested it

official Valve Steam Deck Docking Station looks great, with DisplayPort and HDMI, ethernet, three USB ports and a design that perfectly fits the Steam Deck for £79. However, delivery times are 1-2 weeks, and you can now get a functionally identical alternative for half the price.

It’s the iVoler Steam Deck Dock, which normally costs £49.99/$55.99 but is now down to £37.59 in the UK or $44.99 in the US. I’ve been testing this model for the past few days; here’s why I rate it.

Read more

Nintendo’s Next Switch Game Trial Has Been Announced For Online Subscribers

Switching things up next week.

Nintendo has announced that UNO is set to be the next free game trial for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers in Europe. The freebie is available to download from the Switch eShop right now, but it won’t be playable until the trial begins on 19th January.

The chances are you will have come across UNO before and you don’t need us to tell you how the game works (yep, we have also been a part of those long family game nights that get a little too competitive). In one of the few differences between the Switch version and the OG card game, the power of online play lets you play solo against others from around the world — perfect for working on your skills before the next family event.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com