Category: IGN

Resident Evil 4 Remake was the best selling game in the U.S. in March 2023, while the PlayStation 5 remained the best selling hardware.

Revealed through the latest data from Circana (formerly NPD), Capcom’s remaster of the classic horror game outperformed March’s other new releases including MLB: The Show 23 and WWE 2K23.

Both of these titles were also outperformed by last month’s Hogwarts Legacy, which placed second overall in March but remains the best selling game of 2023 so far. MLB: The Show 23 placed third, followed by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, The Last of Us: Part 1, FIFA 23, WWE 2K23, Elden Ring, Madden NFL 23, and Mario Kart 8.

Video game hardware spending increased 10% year over year, with PS5’s increased availability leading the push as the best-selling console in both units sold and dollars made. The Xbox Series X and S placed second in dollars made while the Nintendo Switch placed second in units sold.

Sony declared hardware production issues over in January after a semiconducter chip shortage plagued the entire tech industry, and the PS5 has had strong sales performances since.

Resident Evil 4’s strong performance was also expected after Capcom announced it had sold four million units in its first two weeks on sale.

In our 10/10 review, IGN said: “The Resident Evil 4 remake is the series’ most relentlessly exciting adventure rebuilt, refined, and realised to the full extent of its enormous potential.”

Our resident experts are also hard at work uncovering Resident Evil 4 Remake’s secrets in our Resident Evil 4 Remake Strategy Guide. Here are some of the most helpful links:

• How to Make Money Fast in Resident Evil 4 Remake
• Tips to Save Ammo in Resident Evil 4 Remake
• Resident Evil 4 Remake Cheats, Secrets, and Unlockables
• All Clockwork Castellan Locations and Checklist

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

While many gaming companies largely got the hint last year that gamers aren’t keen on blockchain, NFTs, and all that web3 entails, Square Enix doesn’t seem to have absorbed the message yet. And it’s demonstrating this today via a partnership with web3 gaming platform Elixir, with the intent of “generating visibility and adoption of web3 games among traditional gamers.”

The official announcement is light on details as to what, exactly, these two companies will be doing together, calling this a “strategic partnership” intended to “drive mass adoption [of web3 gaming] during 2023.” Elixir itself is a PC games distribution platform that puts web3 games and regular games side-by-side, with little to distinguish between them.

Notably, Elixir partnered earlier this year with Epic Games to allow users to play any game in their Epic library “next to your fav web3 games“. Basically, the idea seems to be that if it stuffs enough non-web3 games next to web3 games, players won’t be able to tell the difference and will get really, really into web3 gaming.

Square Enix digs in its heels

Given its recent activities, it’s unsurprising that Square Enix is digging its heels in on this. At the start of the year, then-president Yosuke Matsuda said that the company’s vision for 2023 included “aggressive investment” into blockchain technology and NFTs. While Matsuda himself stepped down last month, his vision appears to have remained intact, as demonstrated by a recent set of Final Fantasy 7 NFT trading cards. It’s an ironic choice given the themes at play in Final Fantasy 7, but that didn’t bother Square Enix last year either when it made a Cloud Strife action figure that was also an NFT.

Web3, blockchain, and NFTs have remained deeply controversial in gaming, though enthusiastic support from major gaming companies has cooled significantly after multiple studios and publishers faced intense criticism for suggesting they were using the technology. Valve has banned the technology on Steam outright, noting its overwhelming use for scams, as has itch.io. And a handful of studios signed an anti-NFT pledge last year set up by Climate Replay in a commitment to avoid the serious, ongoing issues involved with blockchain systems, which demand massive amounts of energy to run and can cause serious environmental harm.

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

Update, April 19, 2023: Argos currently has a new allocation of The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom collector’s edition preorders available. These are listed at £109.99 (as opposed to when they were previously listed for £139.99). Preorders are still available at the time of writing, and you can secure one through our handy link here, or by clicking through the shopping info left below as well. Keep an eye out for updates by following @IGNUKDeals on Twitter.

There are plenty of other hot items available to preorder if you’re looking forward to Tears of the Kingdom, including the unique and limited edition Switch OLED model, OLED Carry Case, and even the Pro Controller and Link Amiibo. For links on preorders to all of these, check out the full article just below.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Collector’s Edition Preorders Are Back In Stock for £109.99

When is Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Available in the UK?

Preorders for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be delivered on May 12, 2023. This is the same for the standard preorders, alongside the special Collector’s Edition.

What’s Included in The Tears of the Kingdom Collector’s Edition?

The Collector’s Edition includes the following: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom game (physical copy), Tears of the Kingdom Artbook, Switch SteelBook, ICONART steel poster, and a Zelda set of four unique pins.

How Much Does the Tears of the Kingdom Collector’s Edition Cost?

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Collector’s Edition will cost £109.99 in the UK. This is the standard and recommended retail price, or RRP. Some retailers may try and charge you more than this (such as Argos who previously listed the special edition for £139.99, but have now corrected this and are charging the regular RRP for preorders.

Where to Preorder Tears of the Kingdom – Switch OLED Model

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is getting its very own limited edition Switch OLED. It was initially revealed during a Tears of the Kingdom gameplay showcase on March 28, and will release on April 28, 2023. Preorders are now live at select retailers, including Amazon UK. See the relevant links below.

Where to Preorder Tears of the Kingdom – Switch OLED Carry Case

The Switch OLED Carry Case to go alongside the shiny limited edition console has been just as popular as the Pro Controller and aforementioned Switch console. Out of stock at most retailers, but for now, Amazon has got a limited allocation available. Once again, if you’re after one, I’d preorder as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Where to Preorder Tears of the Kingdom – Switch Pro Controller

At the time of writing, the Zelda-themed Switch Pro Controller is currently out of stock at all retailers. But, don’t give up yet, as we’re likely to see more preorders become available over the next month. Keep an eye out for updates on IGN UK Daily Deals, or follow @IGNUKDeals for more news on Twitter.

Where to Preorder Link Amiibo (Tears of the Kingdom)

Preorders have sold out for the Link Tears of the Kingdom amiibo in the UK, with GAME, Amazon, ShopTo, and The Game Collection all now out of stock for the time being.

Best Steam Deck and Switch SD Card Deal is Still Live (Limited Time)

Obviously, these SD cards can be used with any compatible device, but we’re focusing on a select few that are perfect for your Steam Deck (A2 SD Cards like the Samsung Evo Select), or your Nintendo Switch. My favourite deal is definitely on the Samsung Evo Select 512GB SD for just £32.99. This SD card was down to £38 during Black Friday, so this is an even better deal.

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

Xbox has officially confirmed its second wave of new Xbox Game Pass games for April 2023, and there’s plenty more to jump into this month, and early May as well. Bethesda and Arkane Studios’ Redfall is a clear standout from the latest blog post, although don’t get too excited as it’s still hitting Game Pass in May. But, it’s still not far too off the April release window for Game Pass users, releasing on May 2 for PC, Xbox Series X|S and Cloud.

Other games announced for late April include The Last Case of Benedict Fox on April 27, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle also on April 27, Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly on April 20, Homestead Arcana on April 21, Medieval Dynasty on April 20, and Cassette Beasts on April 26 for PC,

Games that have already hit Game Pass this month include Ghostwire Tokyo, which made its debut on Xbox Series X|S on April 12th. There were also the likes of Loop Hero on April 4, NHL 23 on April 13 and Minecraft Legends on April 18. You can see the full list of games that are on Xbox Game Pass in April, just below.

Everything Coming to Xbox Game Pass in April 2023

This is everything so far confirmed to be hitting Xbox Game Pass this month. Stay tuned for more updates on the second wave of games in the last couple of weeks in April.

• Loop Hero – April 4 (Console, PC)
• Everspace 2 – April 6 (PC)
• Iron Brigade – April 6 (Console, Cloud)
• Ghostwire Tokyo – April 12 (Console, PC, Cloud)
• NHL 23 – April 13 (Console)
• Minecraft Legends – April 18 (Console, PC, Cloud)
• Medieval Dynasty – April 20 (Xbox One)
• Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly – April 20 (Console, PC, Cloud)
• Homestead Arcana – April 21 (PC)
• Cassette Beasts – April 26 (PC)
• The Last Case of Benedict Fox – April 27 (Console, PC, Cloud)

Also Coming Soon

• Redfall – May 2 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)

PC Game Pass – 3-Months for $23.99 Deal (was $29.99)

If you’re a PC user and don’t have Game Pass, or even want to stack your membership up a few months, you can currently save $6 on 3-months of PC Game Pass with this link at Amazon.

Ghostwire Tokyo is Now Available on Xbox Game Pass

A major free update for Ghostwire Tokyo came alongside the new release. It’s called the Spider’s Thread update, and Tango Gameworks has also promised it will come with a variety of quality-of-life improvements to make players’ journeys through the haunted version of Tokyo a little smoother. This update released on the same day for all users (on PS5, Xbox, and PC) and adds a new game mode, extended story cutscenes, new areas, and more.

Everything Leaving Xbox Game Pass in April 2023

The following games will be leaving Xbox Game Pass by April 30, so get ready to say goodbye, or consider making them a permanent addition to your library.

• Life is Strange: True Colors (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Moonglow Bay (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Panzer Corps II (PC)
• Rainbow Six Extraction (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Long Dark (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Riftbreaker (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Bugsnax (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Destroy All Humans! (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Dragon Quest Builders 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Tetris Effect Connected (Console and PC)
• Unsouled (Cloud, Console, and PC)

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

Final Fantasy XII was a marvel when it was originally released on the PS2 in 2006. However, it also had an infamously challenging development cycle for its key developers, including game director Yasumi Matsuno.

Though the true extent of how challenging development was on the game is not publically known, one prevailing rumor about Final Fantasy XII’s early production that stuck with fans was that protagonist Vaan wasn’t the initially planned hero of FFXII.

On Twitter, the game director took time to respond to a fan’s comment about Bacsh fon Ronsenburg — a disgraced knight and eventual party member in FFXII — being the original protagonist of the game. This comment came from a thread about Clive, the hero of Final Fantasy XVI, who is set to become the oldest main character in an FF game.

In the plainest terms, Matsuno denied that Basch was the original hero of Final Fantasy XII in the early production, writing, “That rumor is a fake story. Thank you.”

That rumor is a fake story.
Thank you.

— 松野泰己 (@YasumiMatsuno) April 18, 2023

A long-standing rumor

According to the long-standing rumor, the original pitch for Final Fantasy XII was a dark fantasy story more in the vein of Vagrant Story or Final Fantasy Tactics on the PS1, which Matsuno also directed.

The rumor that made the rounds for nearly 20 years suggested that Final Fantasy XII’s original vision changed to be more approachable for all players, with Vaan, an energetic street rat who bore a striking resemblance to Tidus, being introduced as the core protagonist.

What made this particular rumor about the game stick with fans over the years was that Vaan was not well-received upon release. While the more extensive cast of characters was very popular, including Balthier, Fran, Basch, and Ashe, Vaan’s place in the core story seemed more set as a perspective character rather than someone with a major role in the larger plot.

That said, Vaan eventually came into his own throughout the game, and he even starred in an FFXII spin-off game on the Nintendo DS called Final Fatansy XII: Revenant Wings. Fans have also taken more of a liking to him over the years, thanks to memes about the quest where Vaan had to shout in the streets, “I’m Captain Basch fon Ronsenburg of Dalmasca!” or “Don’t listen to Ondore’s lies.”

Don’t listen to Ondore’s lies!
I’m Captain Basch fon Ronsenburg of Dalmasca! pic.twitter.com/gYDXso2J8S

— Victor Hunter (@victorehunter) April 9, 2022

In IGN’s original review for FFXII, former editor Jeremy Dunham gave the game a 9.5, and stated “Final Fantasy XII is a fantastic RPG. It blows all of its PS2 competition this year right out of the water and is among the all time elite role-players ever made for the system.”

In the years since its release, publisher Square-Enix have re-released FFXII as Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, which updated the visuals, introduced revised combat and character growth mechanics, and added new encounters that were only in the Japan only enhanced edition of the game from the PS2. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is currently out on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and the Nintendo Switch.

Alessandro Fillari is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @afillari.

Sports gamers took to the polls in April for IGN’s Ultimate Sports Video Games Showdown Contest (presented by the U.S. Army) and after 624,620 votes, Mario Kart 8 has been crowned as the #1 sports game title from a competitive field of 32! When Nintendo’s powerhouse racer was released in 2014, it was lauded for its twisting U-turns, blistering sense of speed, and thrilling antigravity transformations — not to mention its robust tournament and online features. A total package that led to Mario Kart 8 not just winning our tournament, but lapping the competition.

In Round 1, Mario Kart 8 was up against the Wii’s innovative, launch-day phenom, Wii Sports, which lured casual gamers with its wand-waving tennis, bowling, golf and more. Mario Kart won by 68% of the vote to advance to the next round.

In the Sweet 16, Mario Kart 8 faced off against Rocket League, the wonderfully absurd, hyper-powered, cars meet-soccer competition. And while over five billion Rocket League matches have been played online, Mario Kart 8 made a statement by getting 77% of the vote (at the time, the highest margin of victory of any of the matchups).

In the Elite 8, Mark Kart 8 took on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, Neversoft’s wildly addictive skateboarder that topped the original by allowing users to create their own skater (not to mention the skate-park creator). But Tony Hawk was no match for Mario Kart 8, which cruised into the Final 4 with a no-doubt victory, winning 73% of the vote.

In the Final 4, it was racer-vs.-racer as Mario Kart 8 took on Forza Horizon 5, an adrenaline junky’s dream set in Mexico and wowed gamers by opening with cars being dropped out of an airplane!!! But it was no match for Nintendo’s juggernaut as Mario Kart drove away the winner, earning 65% of the vote.

In the Championship, it was Mario-against-Mario, as Mario Kart 8 took on Mario Golf World Tour, an accessible, joy-making golfer that sent players to the links with loads of power-ups to get you close to the pin. But in the end, Mario Kart dismantled its brethren, winning it all by a stunning 94.9% of the fan vote, making them not only a decisive winner, but clearly the best sports video game of all-yime.

Congratulations to Mario Kart 8, which amassed 79,159 votes across the competition, and 16,216 votes in the final round to decide the champion.

And further congratulations go out to the winner of our Bracket Building Contest! They’ll take home a prize package valued at over $2,000, which includes an Xbox Series X, a PS5, 32 sports genre game titles and a one-of-a-kind IGN champion’s jersey!

Finally, congrats to the contest’s 10 runners-up, who will each receive a $100 gift card to the digital video game store of their choice.

Sports gamers took to the polls in April for IGN’s Ultimate Sports Gaming Showdown Contest (presented by the U.S. Army) and after 624,620 votes, Mario Kart 8 has been crowned as the #1 sports game title from a competitive field of 32! When Nintendo’s powerhouse racer was released in 2014, it was lauded for its twisting U-turns, blistering sense of speed, and thrilling antigravity transformations — not to mention its robust tournament and online features. A total package that led to Mario Kart 8 not just winning our tournament, but lapping the competition.

In Round 1, Mario Kart 8 was up against the Wii’s innovative, launch-day phenom, Wii Sports, which lured casual gamers with its wand-waving tennis, bowling, golf and more. Mario Kart won by 68% of the vote to advance to the next round.

In the Sweet 16, Mario Kart 8 faced off against Rocket League, the wonderfully absurd, hyper-powered, cars meet-soccer competition. And while over five billion Rocket League matches have been played online, Mario Kart 8 made a statement by getting 77% of the vote (at the time, the highest margin of victory of any of the matchups).

In the Elite 8, Mark Kart 8 took on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, Neversoft’s wildly addictive skateboarder that topped the original by allowing users to create their own skater (not to mention the skate-park creator). But Tony Hawk was no match for Mario Kart 8, which cruised into the Final 4 with a no-doubt victory, winning 73% of the vote.

In the Final 4, it was racer-vs.-racer as Mario Kart 8 took on Forza Horizon 5, an adrenaline junky’s dream set in Mexico and wowed gamers by opening with cars being dropped out of an airplane!!! But it was no match for Nintendo’s juggernaut as Mario Kart drove away the winner, earning 65% of the vote.

In the Championship, it was Mario-against-Mario, as Mario Kart 8 took on Mario Golf World Tour, an accessible, joy-making golfer that sent players to the links with loads of power-ups to get you close to the pin. But in the end, Mario Kart dismantled its brethren, winning it all by a stunning 94.9% of the fan vote, making them not only a decisive winner, but clearly the Best Sports Video Game of All-Time.

Congratulations to Mario Kart 8 which amassed 79,159 votes across the competition, and 16,216 votes in the final round to decide the champion.

And further congratulations go out to the winner of our Bracket Building Contest! They’ll take home a prize package valued at over $2,000, which includes an Xbox Series X, a PS5, 32 sports genre game titles and a one-of-a-kind IGN champion’s jersey!

And finally, congrats to the contest’s 10 runners-up, who will each receive a $100 gift card to the digital video game store of their choice.

When Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma revealed what would become The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in 2014, he said the new Zelda game would be all about “revisiting the conventions of the Zelda series.” Breath of the Wild absolutely delivered on Aonuma’s promise — from a gameplay perspective, at least.

The 2017 game’s story, on the other hand, stuck very close to the rest of Zelda history: Ganon returns, and Link and Zelda must combine their powers to seal the ancient evil away… Again. But with Tears of the Kingdom on the horizon, some fans think the Breath of the Wild sequel could shake up the long-standing power struggle between the Triforce’s three main wielders.

Potential Spoiler Warning: This story goes deep into theories about what could end up happening in Tears of the Kingdom. If you don’t want to know anything ahead of the game’s release, turn away now!

Some Zelda fans on Reddit are convinced that Ganondorf could end up being the hero of Tears of the Kingdom’s story. This theory has been floating around in many fan’s heads (including my own) since some of the earliest trailers for Tears of the Kingdom, but Ganondorf’s proper reveal in the latest story trailer has the speculation picking up even more steam.

To properly explain the theory, we’ve got to go back to a key moment in Breath of the Wild. Early on in the game, Impa shares a legend with Link from the first Great Calamity that took place 10,000 years ago. There’s an image of a hero wielding the Master Sword and a Princess or Goddess figure fighting Calamity Ganon. The hero has red hair and has a green body/outfit, both of which line up with new official Ganondorf art.

It’s been a very long time coming, but Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp is finally coming out. It’s set to release exclusively for Nintendo Switch on April 21, which just so happens to be this Friday. Re-Boot Camp is a collection of from-the-ground-up remakes of the 2001 Game Boy Advance game Advance Wars and its 2003 sequel Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising. It’s available for preorder now (see it at Amazon), so read on to see where to get it, how much it costs, and more.

Preorder Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp

• Get it at Amazon – $59.99
• Get it at Best Buy – $59.99
• Get it at Walmart – $59.99
• Get it at GameStop – $59.99
• Get it at Nintendo eShop (digital) – $59.99

Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp is only available in a standard edition. If that changes down the line, we’ll add the information here.

What Is Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp?

For years (and years, and years) strategy game fans had been pining for a new Advance Wars. But it seemed Nintendo had left the franchise behind in favor of its other turn-based strategy game series, the fantasy-flavored Fire Emblem. And while this isn’t a new entry per se, it’s good to see new life breathed into the modern military series Advance Wars.

This game contains full remakes of the first two Advance Wars games, which originally appeared on GBA in the early 2000s, before the series graduated to the Nintendo DS. In them, you’re in command of the Orange Star Army, which means you’re responsible for telling your land, sea, and air-based troops where to go and which enemies to engage. The idea is to win battles using your wits and strategy. You can play through the two campaigns, or you can go up against friends in Versus Mode.

Re-Boot Camp was originally announced with an April 2022 release date, but the war in Ukraine caused Nintendo to delay its release. (The enemy army bears some cartoonish resemblance to Russia). So after a year’s delay, it’s finally slated to release April 21, 2023.

Other Preorder Guides

Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

Capcom has revealed that ray tracing support will return to the PC versions of Resident Evil 2 Remake and Resident Evil 3 Remake in a future update after it was accidentally removed last week.

“We’re aware of an ongoing issue with the ray tracing option not appearing in the graphics menu and presets,” said the Resident Evil Twitter account (below), acknowledging the error. “We’ll have this addressed in a future update and apologise for any inconvenience.”

The issue came to light when PC players took to Steam and Reddit forums to vent their frustrations over the missing graphics options after an update was pushed out to Resident Evil 2 and 3 Remakes late last week. The option to turn on 3D audio support had also vanished from the menus of both games.

To all Resident Evil 2 / Resident Evil 3 users on Steam ⚠️

We’re aware of an ongoing issue with the raytracing option not appearing in the graphics menu and presets. We’ll have this addressed in a future update and apologize for any inconvenience! pic.twitter.com/hGkOey65mQ

— Resident Evil (@RE_Games) April 18, 2023

Capcom was silent about the missing options over the weekend, making it unclear as to whether the features had been removed intentionally. However, the new tweet seems to confirm the settings were removed accidentally by a bug introduced in the recent update.

This isn’t the first time that Capcom has had to fix issues with its Resident Evil PC remasters. Capcom previously allowed players to roll back to an old update after performance issues triggered an “overwhelming community response”.

IGN awarded the glow-up of Resident Evil 3 a 9/10, describing it as “a wonderful continuation of Capcom’s latest remake efforts” that did a good job “balancing 2020 gameplay and a classic Resident Evil tone”.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer