Two theme parks are being planned based on Minecraft. Mojang are partnering with Merlin Entertainments to open the destinations, including rides, hotel rooms and shops, in the UK and US in 2026 and 2027. Merlin are the operator of existing theme parks and attractions including Alton Towers, Legoland, Sea Life, and Madame Tussauds.
Pokemon TCG Pocket continues to be ridiculously popular, but in the early days of the game there are only a limited number of ways to engage with other players. Trading still hasn’t been released yet, and battling only has one regular format that lets you start a match with a friend, or a random player. So in order to spice things up, the community is coming up with its own workarounds, including a brand new battle format that’s been very well-received so far: NOEX.
“NOEX” is a battle format with one simple rule: no EX Pokemon allowed. EX Pokemon, if you’re unfamiliar, are ultra-powerful monsters that are very difficult to defeat, but which award two points upon destruction as opposed to just one. Due to their sheer power, most good meta decks in Pocket are built around at least one EX card, and the end result is that you tend to run into a lot of the same decks over and over when you engage in random battles. For the last month or so, for instance, I’ve been playing a deck that revolves around Pikachu EX, and have been fighting a lot of Mewtwo EX, Charizard EX, and Starmie EX.
But in NOEX, all those cards are banned, which forces players to build decks around other Pokemon for some interesting combos. For this article, I engaged in a couple of NOEX battles myself. In one match I faced a Butterfree/Dugtrio stall deck that I’d never seen before that decimated my army of Nidoran, and in another I barely scraped out a win against a wacky Dragonite/Weezing combo thanks to a lucky final draw. It’s a fun format if you want to shake things up a bit.
Unfortunately, NOEX exists on an honor system. There’s no way to officially create your own battle formats in Pocket just yet, so players have created this by word-of-mouth. If you want to join a NOEX battle, simply select “Private Match” under battles, and use “NOEX” as the password. But you’re essentially on your honor to use a deck with no EX Pokemon, as there’s nothing in the system to stop you. Some players are already complaining about opponents bringing EX Pokemon to a NOEX fight and ruining their fun – an unfortunate hazard of a community-created format.
That said, it sounds like NOEX is otherwise going pretty well. Community members are praising it on Reddit, and while my personal experience is limited, the speed with which I was able to get into matches with others who were respecting the format indicates this might have legs. It also sounds like some players are suggesting other types of formats that can be done in the same way, such as only allowing a single EX card per deck, or no decks considered by the community to be “S-tier.”
Hopefully, it won’t be long before we start to see new features creep in that will hopefully eliminate the need for the community to invent stuff to do. We’ve already learned that there’s a “major update” coming in the near future that will include trading, and new booster packs on the way will hopefully spice up the meta a bit as well. Given how wildly popular TCG Pocket is, the updates can’t come fast enough.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Valve said that they want to make a new Steam Controller back in 2022, but such a thing might be getting closer to production, according to dataminer Brad Lynch.
From Nah-cha to Got-cha.
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they’ve been chewing over. Today, how Tim learned to love the lottery…
When I first played Xenoblade Chronicles 2 upon its launch, I was ecstatic to once again bond with memorable characters and explore open expanses teeming with powerful beasts. Then I was faced with a foe more repugnant to me than any other encountered on my Alrestian journey: Core Crystals.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
New worlds are calling! War Robots: Frontiers, a new entry in the smash-hit War Robots series, is coming to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One in 2025. To celebrate and welcome new Pilots on Xbox, a limited-time Console Playtest is available to Xbox Insiders from November 20 until December 4.
Get ready to build your very own mech fleet, squad up with friends, and take the fight to the Wild Ten in this online mech shooter. If you’re new to the War Robots universe, let’s brush up before you jump in the cockpit.
Human advancement sees this future-set War Robots game rocket across the stars. The new setting known as the Wild Ten is a collective of planets that Dominions – mega corporations from Earth – are vying for control over, employing mercenary Pilots and their mechanical War Robots as enforcers.
From your base of operations on Tortuga, you can accept jobs from Dominions, then go out and battle across these new worlds. Storm the fiery refineries of Catalyst, plunge into the towering industry of Fissure, and traverse the city-spanning Spectrum in six-versus-six online battles. You’ll be beset by dynamic weather as well as enemy teams, so be sure to keep that metal in good shape.
Battles can be waged in three modes. Capture points for your team in Warp Rush, go all-out on destruction in Team Deathmatch, and make quick work of the enemy team in Last Robot Standing.
Build a battle-ready War Robot, finetuned with a massive selection of Pilots, weapons, parts, and abilities. New unlockables can be found in a variety of ways to help you stay on top of new strategies and counters. Different War Robots and combinations can be used to experiment with different combat roles, and play to the strengths of your own personal playstyle.
When you’re in the midst of battle, you’ll have to manage the War Robots at your disposal. These mechs don’t come cheap, so respawns are limited. Optimize your fleet and coordinate with friends to give yourself a fighting chance, and adapt to the task at hand and the state of play.
Pilots of the Wild Ten have made a new discovery: the Titan, a hulking power-up build with maximum damage in mind. These Robots are much larger and more formidable than their more standard counterparts. They’re powerful, but they also make for a large target. If you can build up enough power to unleash it, you might just turn the tide of battle… or go down in flames. Worth a try either way!
Titans come with their own quirks and abilities but have limited use per battle. Deploy wisely, and if you see the enemy team call their own Titan in, take it out with extreme prejudice.
Ready to construct your first mech? War Robots: Frontiers is now available to play on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One for Xbox Insiders, with the full game set to launch in 2025.
Wait for the registration to complete, and you should be directed to the Store page to install it.
Wishlist the full game today!
MY.GAMES
MASSIVE MECHA MAYHEM
Shoot and smash your way to victory in 6v6 online battles. Whether you’re an attacker, tank, support, or speed-loving gearhead, there’s a playstyle for you.
GALACTIC BATTLEFIELDS
Storm the worlds of the Wild Ten in battles that rage across a vast, tactically rich map roster. Immerse yourself in this brave new galactic frontier with dynamic weather systems and satisfyingly stompable terrain.
ENGINEERED VICTORY
Construct the perfect mech and customize it with the huge selection of Pilots, weapons, parts, and abilities at your disposal. Switch up your builds with new unlocks to keep up with the competition!
TITANIC DESTRUCTION
Build up enough power to unleash your ultimate secret weapon: the Titan. This hulking power-up is built with maximum damage in mind, and armed with unique specializations and abilities.
The post Xbox Insiders Can Play Test War Robots: Frontiers Now Through December 4 appeared first on Xbox Wire.
I’ve been looking forward to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 since it was announced, but I might wait a while longer before trying to play it. It launched yesterday and currently sits at “overwhelmingly negative” Steam reviews due to long loading times caused by server issues.
Epic Games is making some changes to its Fortnite Battle Pass model that will see its standard pass getting a price increase in just a few weeks.
The gaming mega company talked players through its plans in a post on its website today. While the update details various adjustments, such as new inclusions for Fortnite Crew subscribers, the thing that’s likely to affect most battle royale fans is the slight increase in cost for the Battle Pass. Fortnite has long offered its standard pass for 950 V-Bucks, but starting December 1, the price will increase by 50, bringing the total asking number to 1,000 V-Bucks.
IGN has reached out to Epic Games for comment.
It’s a small increase in price but still undeniably notable considering Epic hasn’t altered the cost of the Fortnite Battle Pass in the past. The studio does clarify that the real-world cost of its popular digital currency will remain unchanged (you can pick up 1,000 V-Bucks on the Epic Games Store for $8.99 right now), and you’ll still be able to earn chunks of V-Bucks by reaching certain Battle Pass levels, too. While any increase in price may be worrying for fans, Epic adds that the price of its 25 Battle Pass Reward Bundle is going down from 1,850 to 1,800. IGN has reached out to Epic for comment.
These tiny but fundamental changes arrive ahead of the highly anticipated launch of Fortnite OG: Chapter 1 – Season 1 on December 6. Part of the shift to allow players to enjoy the classic battle royale experience will see the $12.99 Fortnite Crew deal sweetened to include even more goodies. The bundle currently grants subscribers the standard Fortnite Battle Pass, 1,000 V-Bucks, monthly Crew Pack outfits, Crew Pack outfit styles, and Rocket League’s Premium Rocket Pass. Starting December 1, it will be expanded to include the Music Pass and LEGO Pass without asking subscribers for a penny more.
It’s an enticing offer that will no doubt keep players investing their time in Epic’s gaming ecosystem, especially considering that earning XP in any one of the related games will progress all of their battle passes simultaneously. A Crew subscription will also grant access to any additional passes that arrive in the future, including the new, yet-to-be-detailed Fortnite OG Pass.
The catch with the Fortnite Crew upgrade is that new subscribers who sign up after December 1 will no longer be able to unlock premium rewards from the passes after their subscription is no longer active. It means that if you sign up for Crew and then cancel shortly after, you’ll only be able to claim rewards for the remainder of your billing period. Players are currently able to cancel Crew and still reap the benefits of the remaining Battle Pass as long as it’s live, and this won’t be changing for those who are currently subscribed and remain subscribed after the changes take effect.
Epic is making major changes as it looks to the future with the permanent nostalgia-fueled Fortnite OG mode. The company is currently in the midst of Chapter 5: Season 5, which will conclude when Chapter 6: Season 1 kicks off next month. Details on its theme and exact contents remain under wraps, so while we wait for more information, be sure to check out the Fortnite-themed PlayStation 5 DualSense controller that released earlier this month.
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.
Gang Beasts is one of the games I think of when I recall the golden days of video game expos, before Covid rolled up and nuked the business model. It casts you as one of several jellybaby pugilists, fighting for dominance over such locations as Ferris wheels and the tops of speeding vans. All of the characters are 1) seemingly drunk, and 2) subject to real-time physics. Your abilities consist of 1) punching, headbutting or kicking people, perhaps knocking them out for a few seconds, and 2) grabbing people and things and either hoisting them skyward like a wrestler, or hoisting yourself skyward like a toddler climbing onto Mummy’s head. The only way of defeating people is to hurl them off-map.
Plus, bonus cosmetics in new DLC.
The creature-catching RPG Cassette Beasts has landed a bumper pack of bonus content today, publisher Raw Fury and developer Bytten Studio announced, thanks to the arrival of the ‘Gauntlet Update’ and ‘Fashion Pack’ DLC.
We’ll start with the free stuff. The Gauntlet Update brings the game up to ver 1.7, and the biggest addition, unsurprisingly, is a new gauntlet-style game mode. Hopping aboard one of Mer-line’s interdimensional trains after you’ve completed the main story will give you the chance to partake in ‘Magikrab’s Gauntlet’ — an endless series of carriage-based combat encounters where you can rack up some tasty rewards.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Gamers, treat yourself this month to some incredible gaming experiences with your EA Play* membership!
When you’re done watching your favorite football team defeat their rivals on TV, you can keep the heart-pumping moments by booting up your console to launch a perfect bomb downfield for a game-changing touchdown in EA Sports College Football 25 and Madden NFL 25. With EA Play game trials, you can keep the game going and dominate the gridiron for up to 10 hours. Love the game? Save 10% on a full game download with your progress carried over, and add to your lineup with monthly Ultimate Team Packs.
In addition to these titles, EA Play offers trials of up to 10 hours for many other favorite games, including EA Sports NHL 25, EA Sports FC 25, EA Sports UFC 5 and EA Sports F1 24. And there’s even more gaming to experience when you’re done with trials! EA Play members can jump into an unrivaled collection of EA’s best-loved series and top titles, including Madden NFL 24, EA Sports FC 24 and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
EA Play members can also score monthly rewards on select titles, including 10% off purchases of Electronic Arts digital content including game downloads, Season Passes, Madden Points and more. This month’s member benefits include:
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Game Pass PC members receive EA Play with their Game Pass subscription. Members can experience the world of EA with unlimited access to a collection of top titles, trials of select new games, in-game member rewards and more.
Visit the EA Play page for more details, and to stay up to date on the latest from EA Play, follow EA Play on, Instagram, or X. Please see EA.com/EA-Play/Terms for terms and conditions.
*Conditions, limitations and exclusions apply. See https://tos.ea.com/legalapp/eaplay/US/en/PC/ for details.
The post Watching A Lot of Football This Month? Keep the Game Going With EA Play appeared first on Xbox Wire.
