Category: IGN

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Last Epoch ‘Here to Stay’, Dev Declares Amid ‘Mixed’ Steam User Reviews

The developer of Steam hit Last Epoch has addressed the influx of negative reviews that came in after the action RPG’s bumpy launch.

Last Epoch is one of the most-played games on Steam, but its long-standing Early Access user review rating of ‘mostly positive’ plummeted to ‘mixed’ in recent reviews after the game launched in 1.0 form with a raft of issues that prevented people from playing. Online connectivity was so bad that Eleventh Hour Games announced plans to give players an in-game gift as compensation.

Now, in a post on Steam, Eleventh Hour Games founder and game director Judd Cobler expressed his surprise and delight at hitting 265,000 players online at one time over the weekend, the 39th highest concurrent user count recorded on Steam ever.

“We appreciate you all bearing with us as the load initially gave us trouble for online gameplay, but we’re happy to say that we’re holding mostly steady above 200,000 players in-game and have made improvements each day in the backend infrastructure to support the demand,” Cobler said. “We’ll continue to monitor and address any issues that crop up.”

Still, Last Epoch’s ‘mixed’ user review rating remains, at least for now, and clearly it’s caused some concern within the game’s community and Eleventh Hour Games itself, so much so that Cobler moved to calm the player base, declaring: “Last Epoch is here to stay.”

“While we’re continuing to receive high praise about the game itself, Steam reviews and sentiment took a heavy hit due to the initial turbulence of online services at launch,” Cobler said. “We are committed to regaining that trust by making improvements to our backend infrastructure for this amount of load and providing a great experience for online play.

“We take time to read your reviews and feedback on Steam, socials, and our forum and take swift action to improve the areas that we see players are dissatisfied with. We know that seeing our Steam reviews lower than they’ve ever been is concerning to players who are looking forward to the future of Last Epoch, but we want to assure you that the team has always been committed to making a game you can enjoy and expect updates from for years to come. We’ve seen that passion reflected back at us in the community this past week, and it has bolstered our resolve to that goal even further.

“Last Epoch is here to stay.”

To that end, Cobler outlined future content plans, including the upcoming patch, 1.1. There’s a heavy emphasis on expanding end-game content now Last Epoch has launched out of early access. “For future patches we have plans to expand the monolith, bring great new itemization options, add more boss content, class and balance updates, campaign content, etc,” Cobler revealed.

“For 1.1 specifically we’ll be focusing on bringing some ‘pinnacle’ content, or very hard fights that will give you challenges to aspire to. We’ll be sharing more on this and more of what’s to come in 1.1 in the not too distant future.”

Elsewhere, Cobler reaffirmed plans to release Last Epoch on console “in the future”, and so improvements it’s making to the existing gamepad support will benefit the game long-term.

IGN’s Last Epoch review returned an 8/10. “Push past its one-note campaign and Last Epoch is an impressive, time-bending action RPG that combines rich customization with modern action,” we said.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Preorder the Bethesda Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Anthology Edition for PC

The Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Anthology Edition for PC is up for preorder, with a release date that’s not too far away either on April 11. This collection will set you back $59.99 and contains PC codes for Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, Fallout New Vegas: Ultimate Edition, Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition, Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition, and Fallout 76. On top of that, they’re all packaged inside a mini-nuke case that even features an audible bomb sound.

This is a must-have investment for Fallout fans. You can preorder yours at the link below.

Bethesda’s Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Anthology Edition for PC is Up for Preorder

Games included:

  • Fallout
  • Fallout 2
  • Fallout Tactics
  • Fallout New Vegas: Ultimate Edition
  • Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition
  • Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition
  • Fallout 76

The timing of this release also lines up well with the brand new Fallout TV show, which will premiere on Prime Video on April 12. Considering the show’s creators have stated that they view the new series as Fallout 5, there’s no better time to go back and revisit all of the previous games and their stories. McFarlane Toys is even releasing some new Fallout figures alongside the series, if you’re looking to pick some up for your collectible collection.

If you’re looking for even more games to preorder, there’s plenty to look forward to this year. Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is one highly-anticipated release, set to come out on June 21, and is available to preorder right now with a variety of different editions. These range from a digital download of the expansion alone, which will set you back $39.99, to a $249.99 Collector’s Edition. But, if you’re curious to see what’s coming out in the next few weeks, check out our Dragon’s Dogma 2 preorder guide. There, you can learn more about what editions are available to preorder ahead of its release on March 22.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.

Ex-Call of Duty: Black Ops Dev David Vonderhaar Reemerges With New First-Person Co-Op Game

Former Call of Duty: Black Ops developer David Vonderhaar has founded a new studio and announced a new first-person co-op game.

The remote-first Los Angeles-based studio, called BulletFarm, is backed by NetEase and on the hunt for staff. It’s working on “an ambitious new AAA game set in an original universe with an emphasis on co-operative gameplay”, NetEase said. This unannounced new game is built using Unreal Engine 5, and “will craft a more intimate and relatable experience while offering a fresh take on first-person gameplay.” Also at BulletFarm as creative director is Chris Cowell, who also worked at Treyarch on the Call of Duty series.

“Starting this new studio has given me a chance to step out of my comfort zone and try my hand at making something entirely new and different,” Vonderhaar said. “This is a departure from the games I’ve worked on, but one that showcases my passion for rich characters, precise mechanics, more intimate storytelling, and plenty of action.

“NetEase has provided us an incredible support structure to explore these new avenues and allow true freedom to begin building the concept and ideas for our game.”

“NetEase Games is fully dedicated to giving BulletFarm the resources and support required to build this new first person experience,” said Simon Zhu, president of global investments and partnerships at NetEase Games. “David’s leadership and the early collection of game development talent assembled at the studio is set to offer something truly unique for his existing fans along with a new audience.”

Vonderhaar was Treyarch’s studio design director and had been with the Activision-owned company for 18 years before leaving last year. Vonderhaar had worked on eight Call of Duty games, starting with 2005’s Call of Duty 2: Big Red One and ending with 2020’s Black Ops Cold War.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Helldivers 2 Patch 1.000.13 Fixes Super Credits, Unlimited Stratagem Use Glitch, and More

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has released yet another patch for the hugely popular co-op shooter, and it makes some key fixes for troublesome issues.

Patch 1.000.13 fixes the Super Credits issue that was preventing the in-game resource from showing up after purchase or collection. Elsewhere, the patch fixes the unlimited stratagem use glitch that occurred after an AFK kick. This was something IGN reported on as part of shining a spotlight on the growing problem of cheating in Helldivers 2. On that, there’s no note about anti-cheat in this latest patch.

Helldivers 2 is Sony’s biggest PC game launch of all time, with a peak concurrent player figure of 458,709 on Steam. Helldivers 2’s success has even sparked renewed interest in Starship Troopers, the film from which it draws quite a bit of inspiration. If you’re playing, be sure to check out IGN’s Helldivers 2 guide.

There’s a lot going on in the world of Helldivers 2. IGN has reported on the fall of Malevelon Creek, one of the game’s most popular maps, as part of the galaxy-wide war against the bugs and bots. We’ve also reported on how Helldivers 2 players are kicking teammates who don’t have ‘meta’ loadouts, and Arrowhead’s return to the “original plan” now it’s on top of the server issues.

Helldivers 2 Update 1.000.13 Patch Notes

Fixes

  • Improved: login speed and error messages on PS5
  • Improved: support for AZERTY keyboards by allowing the Ship HUD shortcuts to be rebound
  • Fixed: Super Credits not showing up after purchase or collection
  • Fixed: Premium Warbond not being accessible after purchase
  • Fixed: crash which could occur when a player changed their rank or title
  • Fixed: missing text in HUD for Acquisitions and Social menus
  • Fixed: crash which could occur while browsing the mission Hologram
  • Fixed: unlimited stratagem use glitch which occurred after an AFK kick
  • Fixed: missing equipment issues after an AFK kick
  • Fixed: purple question marks appearing after an AFK kick

Known Issues

These are issues that were either introduced by this patch and are being worked on, or are from a previous version and have not yet been fixed.

  • New Personal Orders are not showing.
  • Login rate limiting when many are logging in at the same time.
  • Players can become disconnected during play.
  • Rewards and other progress may be delayed or not attributed.
  • Various UI issues may appear when the game interacts with servers.
  • Pick-up of certain objects in-game may cause characters to freeze in place for an extended period of time.
  • Some games would not be joinable by others for a short period of time during heavy load.
  • Other unknown behaviors may occur.
  • Japanese VO is missing from intro cutscene and Ship TV.
  • Armor values for light/medium/heavy armor do not currently function as intended.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Preorders Get a Huge Discount Just Before Release Day in the UK

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has been getting some tremendous reviews, even getting a 9/10 from us at IGN, and plenty of critical acclaim elsewhere as well. The game is finally out on February 29, so there’s only a limited window remaining in which to secure the best deal on your preorder for the game, and so you can play at launch with everyone else. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth preorders are currently down to just £51.96 in the UK (see here), all you need to do is use code LEAP20 at checkout to secure the offer.

This is a tremendous deal, and guaranteed to arrive on launch day February 29. But, as it’s also over £18 off the RRP, it’s already gone out of stock once and since come back, so we’d recommend securing your order ASAP to avoid disappointment. If you order today, the game will likely still turn up tomorrow as The Game Collection has a great track record with last-minute orders.

There’s plenty more on offer in the LEAP20 sale at eBay as well, with hundreds of trusted sellers discounting tech, video games, homeware, and more. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is also on sale right now, down to just £23.96 with LEAP20 as well.

Other great deals in the eBay sale right now include Helldivers 2 for £30.28, Dragon’s Dogma 2 for £50.36, and Steam Deck (LCD model) for £375. These deals will expire at 11:59 PM on February 29, so don’t delay if you’re looking to secure the offer.

In our review of Rebirth, we said: “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth impressively builds off of what Remake set in motion, both as a best-in-class action-RPG full of exciting challenges and an awe-inspiring recreation of a world that has meant so much to so many for so long.” If you’re in the US, check out our Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth preorder guide here instead.

It was also recently announced at the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth State of Play that a demo is now available to download via the PlayStation Store. It will let fans play as Cloud and Sephiroth in a sequence from the early part of the game among other content. This is a great opportunity to try the game out before you commit to purchasing via the deal we mentioned above.

There’s also a new relationship system, called Bonds of Friendship, that has been added to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. As explained in the system’s tutorial, “the strength of these bonds can alter portions of the story.” One of those story moments is the Gold Saucer date, and you’ll be able to see how your potential partner feels about you via a variety of emoji-like faces.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

Helldivers 2 Community Mourns the Loss of ‘Space Vietnam’ Map Malevelon Creek — but the Fightback Has Already Begun

The Helldivers 2 community was left in tatters after fan-favorite planet Malevelon Creek, dubbed ‘Space Vietnam’ by players, finally fell to the Automatons.

The community reacted in horror overnight as they discovered Malevelon Creek with the dreaded ‘0% Liberated’ flag, and, even more devastating, a ‘Planet Lost’ retreat order. This made the planet inaccessible, and players have even reported getting booted from its surface mid-mission.

Malevelon Creek is widely thought of as Helldivers 2’s best planet. It sees players go up against Automatons — Terminator-style killer robots – in an atmospheric environment clearly inspired by iconic imagery from Vietnam war movies. Its eternally twilight forest biome is creepy, awe-inspiring, and, if you’re doing well, more than a little heroic.

But overnight, Malevelon Creek fell in a surprise twist in the ongoing meta narrative that makes up Helldivers 2’s Galactic War. Here, Super Earth and the alien enemy wrestle for control over entire sectors of the galaxy as players battle to complete operations (sets of missions) and positively contribute to each planet’s liberation status.

Here’s a snippet of the reaction to the fall of Malevelon Creek:

However, as of this morning, the fightback has begun. IGN has verified a tiny percentage pushback on Malevelon Creek as players work to wrestle control away from the Automatons. Malevelon Creek is playable once again.

Helldivers 2’s galactic war is a single, ongoing meta narrative fans have had fun role-playing with since the game’s explosive launch. Currently there are no rewards directly tied to the liberation of sectors, so it’s all just a bit of fun. And it’s not entirely clear that players truly control this narrative through their actions, with developer Arrowhead ultimately pulling the strings as the live-service develops. Still, perhaps more than any previously lost planet, the fall of Malevelon Creek really hurt.

Now Arrowhead appears to have sorted out Helldivers 2’s server issues, it has time to return to its original post-launch plan, so hopefully we’ll get an idea of what to expect in terms of new content soon. If you’re playing, be sure to check out IGN’s comprehensive Helldivers 2 guide.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Life Is Strange: True Colors Studio Deck Nine Lays Off 20% of Staff

Deck Nine, the studio behind Life Is Strange entries Before the Storm and True Colors, as well as The Expanse: A Telltale Series, laid off 20% of its staff today.

The studio announced the news in a statement on X/Twitter today, writing, “Like many others in the games industry right now, Deck Nine has been affected by the game industry’s worsening market conditions.”

“These people are amazing, talented, and awesome developers,” the statement adds. “They have made a huge impact during their time at Deck Nine Games and we did not take this decision lightly. Please hire these people if you can, they’re amazing.”

Deck Nine didn’t specify how many people that 20% equates to, but IGN understands that the studio employed roughly between 100 and 130 staffers prior to today’s layoffs.

A number of the laid-off staffers were quick to post about the news on social media. Elizabeth Ballou, who served as a Narrative Designer at Deck Nine, wrote that all workers affected by the layoffs would be getting only two weeks of severance pay, regardless of time spent at the company.

Deck Nine previously went through another round of layoffs last May which, according to a statement sent to GameDeveloper.com, affected 30 people. As mentioned, the studio is best known for its work on its work on the Life Is Strange series, including 2022’s Remastered Collection, as well as The Expanse title it co-developed with Telltale Games.

As Deck Nine’s statement notes, it’s unfortunately only the latest in a long list of layoffs to hit the games industry over the past year. Just earlier today, Sony announced layoffs at PlayStation that will affect 900 staff members, or about 8% of its global workforce. Microsoft, meanwhile, is laying off a shocking 1,900 people from its video game workforce, it was revealed earlier this year. An estimated 10,000 game workers lost their jobs in 2023 alone, and this year has continued to be relentless in the industry.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.

Pokémon TCG Pocket Is the Right Game at the Wrong Time

One of the big announcements from this year’s Pokémon Presents was a new, mobile Pokémon Trading Card Game, which comes as a big surprise, given Pokémon already has a game where you can collect cards and play online called Pokémon Trading Card Game Live.

Unlike the newly announced Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, TCG Live was released in 2023 on desktop and mobile, but its lackluster quality has earned it both a 2.8/5 star rating on Apple’s App Store (as of this writing) and the ire of Pokémon card players everywhere. But while Pokémon TCG Pocket does look attractive — with its gorgeous, immersive card art, and slick animations — it’s actually not the game the Pokémon TCG community needs right now. What we need is a functional digital client that fully captures the real-life tabletop game and not a watered down App Store game version emulating Marvel Snap.

Exhaustingly, up until 2023, the main way to play Pokémon TCG digitally was through an official client, Pokémon Trading Card Game Online, which was serviceable but showing many signs of its advanced age. (In hindsight, we didn’t know how good we had it.) Fans were initially excited when a replacement was finally announced in the form of Pokémon TCG Live, but it was so riddled with issues that it had us begging for the 12-year-old client back. It’s been a real Mankey’s Paw situation!

The digital card game space has evolved dramatically over the years, with Marvel Snap in particular setting a new standard that other developers appear eager to chase. Between Snap’s many awards and millions of dollars in revenue, it’s easy to see why. From the announcement trailer, Pokémon TCG Pocket seems to have been built in the same mold, a “free-to-start” game where you collect cards and challenge other players to quick and breezy battles. Given the Pokémon TCG is one of the most popular tabletop card games in the world, it seemed inevitable The Pokémon Company would get in on this trend, but it seems to have come at the expense of it’s pre-existing Pokémon TCG app that allows you to play the full game, or at least that’s how this competitive Pokémon TCG player sees it.

While we don’t know for sure whether Pocket was developed at the expense of Live, it would certainly explain the lack of polish to the latter. That kind of bad optics comes at a time when the competitive Pokémon TCG landscape is already dealing with a host of other issues. Top among them, the increasing popularity of the game has far outgrown its current capacity, leading to major tournaments selling out in minutes and leaving many players rightfully frustrated. If only there were a quality digital version capable of hosting tournaments online to help alleviate the issue…

Having a fully developed, high quality Pokémon TCG client is important for reasons beyond just being able to play the game online. It’s how many new players first discover the game, pro players rely on it to practice, and content creators stake their wellbeing on it because it’s how they showcase the game on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. But when the only option available is as underwhelming as Live, it only serves to drive people away to other, better online card games such as Magic: The Gathering Arena or Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel.

Speaking of Yu-Gi-Oh!, that’s a card game that has the best of both worlds. A flashy version of the full game in Master Duel and a simpler version in Duel Links. What Yu-Gi-Oh! has that Pokémon doesn’t is one of their games doesn’t completely eclipse the other in quality. They’re two different yet equally valid ways to enjoy the game.

Not all reactions to Pokémon TCG Pocket from the competitive Pokémon TCG scene have been negative. Pokémon TCG tournament caster and YouTuber Frosted Caribou posted on social media, “This app could be our TCG savior,” and later responded to a comment with, “Competitive players are sometimes way too quick to dismiss anything that isn’t ‘true TCG.’ If they supported bridging the gap between collectors and players more there are huge opportunities to grow the game and create fun and healthy playgroups for so many more people.”

That’s a fair point. At first glance, Pokémon TCG Pocket does seem like it’ll have a strong appeal to fans who aren’t necessarily looking to go pro, and it’s easy to see it has great potential to grow the casual, collector side of the hobby. Even if Pocket doesn’t let you play using all of the rules like with Live, its quality can still entice new players and act as a starting point before they dive into the full card game.

To be clear, I’m not knocking Pokémon TCG Pocket. Aside from issues with the “free-to-start” model, it looks like a fun, accessible way to enjoy the Pokémon TCG. It has an impressive amount of cool features, all executed with sky-high production value. It’s clear to see that it was made by people who love Pokémon cards, and that they put a generous amount of time, passion, and effort into it – and probably a Wailord-sized pile of money.

All Pokémon TCG players want is to be able to say the same thing about Pokémon TCG Live.

New Documentary Details Resident Evil 4 Remake’s Difficult QA Situation in Final Stretch of Development

We probably don’t need to tell you this, but developing a game is hard, even more so when a ton of quality assurance work needs to be done. The remake of Resident Evil 4 was far from immune to those struggles, as a new documentary recently revealed.

The details came in a recent episode of the documentary series 100 Cameras (spotted by GamesRadar), which, true to the name, installs a hundred cameras to capture individuals in the specific episode’s theme. This particular episode focused on Capcom.

At the time of filming the episode, Resident Evil 4 Remake had one month left in development before its release date, with a slew of QA issues that needed to be addressed. One development team member disclosed that they found “around 70” bugs after finishing just one day of playtesting.

Resident Evil 4 Remake director Yasuhiro Anpo detailed several bugs, from the screen freezing at random points to Leon falling from the map. “At this rate, we won’t make the release,” Anpo said in the episode.

The episode goes into detail of the activities of QA testers during game development, delving into the extensive gameplay testing to ensure proper functionality.

Among other things, it highlighted the rigorous testing of elements like the “Game Over” screen, and revealed that one QA tester died 300 times in a day while testing the Resident Evil 4 Remake. At one point, the QA lead, frustrated with the number of bugs and questioning why the “fixes are so sloppy,” held a meeting with Anpo, worried that the team would be unable to finish the game before its release date.

One of the major issues was the fact that new additions, including those dealing with menu screens and lighting, were being tacked on during the final stretch of development, causing new bugs to surface and leading the QA team to pile more work onto their plates.

Nevertheless, we know how this story ends: Resident Evil 4 Remake hit its March 24, 2023 release date and did not encounter any game-breaking bugs upon release. The development team’s efforts did not go unnoticed, as Resident Evil 4 Remake was a critical and commercial success.

“The Resident Evil 4 remake is the series’ most relentlessly exciting adventure rebuilt, refined, and realized to the full extent of its enormous potential,” my colleague Tristan Ogilvie wrote in his glowing review of Resident Evil 4 Remake.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Pokémon Fans are Convinced That Pokémon Legends: Z-A Is Coming to Switch 2

Pokémon Legends: Z-A was announced during Tuesday morning’s Pokémon Presents stream with a 2025 release date. One of the first questions on the minds of fans was, “Is Pokémon Legends: Z-A coming to Switch 2?”

The answer, for now, is “we don’t know.” Fans who pointed out that it’s coming to “Nintendo Switch systems,” with an emphasis on the plural, were reminded that the Switch has Lite and OLED versions. The timing does align rather conspicuously, though, with the rumored release date of the Switch 2, which is said to be be around March 2025.

So will Pokémon Legends: Z-A be a Switch 2 launch game? Some fans think it might be.

Stealth, an X/Twitter user who frequently tweets Nintendo news, observed, “What if Switch 2 has 3D Mario and Pokémon legends Year 1? It was rumored that Nintendo moved Switch 2 to 2025 to further strengthen the 1st Party lineup. If Pokémon Legends Z-A was one of the reasons, I get it.”

A popular Twitch streamer wrote simply, “100% gonna launch on Switch/Switch 2 in march.”

These comments were echoed by numerous Pokémon fans on various social platforms, amplified by Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ (and Scarlet and Violet’s) well-documented technical problems. Others pointed to the decision to skip the holidays; the fact that Legends: Arceus launched early in the year, and the generall vague nature of the announcement as further evidence that it might be a Switch 2 launch game.

“2025 huh? Potentially skipping out on the holidays is big, and that fact gives even more credence to to Switch 2 2025 leak. Launching with a Pokémon game would be a repeat of the Switch launch: a big, gotta-have game,” one fan wrote.

It would certainly make sense from a timing perspective. On the other hand, Game Freak has a long history of subverting expectations and continuing to support older Nintendo hardware. When the Switch was released in 2017, speculation ran rampant that “Pokémon Stars” would be releasing for the system, only for The Pokémon Company to continue supporting the Nintendo 3DS with Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

Remarkably, this looks to be one of the longest breaks between major releases in its history. With no mainline entries releasing this year, nor any news of a remake, it looks like the newly-announced Pokémon Trading Card Game on mobile will be the biggest series release in 2024.

In the meantime, all we have to go on is rumors and speculation as Nintendo continues to work on its next-generation Switch in the background. It’s unclear when the Switch 2 will ultimately revealed, nor even what Nintendo’s major holiday release will be if the reports of its delay to 2025 bear out. For now, Pokémon fans will have to sit tight and wait alongside everyone else.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.