Category: IGN

Players hoping to join the Diablo 4 open beta this weekend must prepare themselves for “unprecedented” queue times as the developers test online infrastructure.

The official Diablo Twitter account reiterated Blizzard’s comments last week that a beta is about testing functionality instead of just letting people play early. “As we prepare to open the gates to Sanctuary, we’d like to remind our players that the Diablo 4 open beta is a test to ensure a smooth launch,” it said (below).

“We expect unprecedented traffic and queue times as a result. We appreciate your patience and understanding.”

As we prepare to open the gates to Sanctuary, we’d like to remind our players that the #DiabloIV Open Beta is a test to ensure a smooth launch.

We expect unprecedented traffic and queue times as a result. We appreciate your patience & understanding.

?: https://t.co/Q4Q3Manehg

— Diablo (@Diablo) March 23, 2023

Other Blizzard employees also took to the internet to warn players of the lengthy times. “Best to set some expectations early but any issues this weekend are better found now than at launch,” tweeted Diablo general manager Rod Fergusson. “Please be patient with us as we expect a lot of players joining to help test our game and infrastructure.”

In an accompanying forum post, community manager PezRadar explained that, “while we know it can be frustrating, we need queues to properly stress test our services, and we are designing to ensure we have them [the queues] some of the time.”

He also forewarned players that there will be short periods wherein the game is taken offline entirely while the team deploys infrastructure fixes and performs maintenance. Queue times are likely to be at their worst soon after the open beta begins on Friday, and “during peak regional windows”.

The remarks follow last weekend’s beta where participants already experienced long wait times to access the game and were met with a number of error messages. A positive for some players, though, is that this weekend’s one doesn’t require a KFC to enter, and will be available to all from March 24 to March 27.

Diablo 4 is set to release on June 6 on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series, and PC. For more on the game be sure to check out IGN’s review in progress, and for tips on how to get the most out of this weekend’s open beta head on over to our Diablo 4 Wiki page.

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

If you couldn’t get enough of the Mario Day sales earlier this month, don’t worry, Nintendo has plenty more to offer before we move into April. Wave 2 of Mario Day is kicking off now (which has basically made March into Mario Month instead), and you can pick up select digital Mario games for just $39.99 each.

Below, you can find a selection of discounted digital Mario games available to pick up on Amazon. However, you can also find these sales going on at Best Buy, the Nintendo eShop, and on Humble Bundle.

Digital Mario Games on Sale at Amazon

Mario Day Switch Bundle

The Mario Day sales don’t just end with these digital games, either. You can also still pick up the Nintendo Switch Mario Day bundle, which contains a Switch console with red Joy-Cons and a game of your choosing (between Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe or Super Mario Odyssey) for just $299.00.

This second wave of Mario Day sales is set to end on April 7 at 11:59 p.m. PT, so it’s a perfect time to pick up some of these digital games at a lower price before the clock runs out. And, if you’re looking to get your hands on some tickets for the Super Mario Bros. Movie that’s set to hit theaters on April 5, you can click on the link below to pre-order your tickets for the upcoming film.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Ticket Pre-Sale

Mario isn’t the only Nintendo character with quite a year coming up, either. For those looking forward to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, you can pre-order the game now ahead of its May 12 release and you can even pre-order extra Link amiibos to go with it.

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

Sony has officially dropped the PS5 God of War Ragnarok Bundle down to just $509.99 at all retailers in the US, that’s a $50 discount from the list price of $559.99. This includes Amazon, PS Direct, Best Buy, Walmart, GameStop, and Target.

This is the first major discount we have seen since the PlayStation 5 launched over two years ago. A standard PS5 will cost you $500 at the moment, so with this discount you’re effectively only paying $10 for God of War Ragnarok on PS5. This is an absolute steal and well worth considering.

It wasn’t all that long ago that the PS5 was completely out of stock, with many gamers unable to secure the new consoles for almost two years. But, the tide seems to have turned, as PS5 consoles are now available 100% of the time, and fans are now even getting discounts on the console in 2023.

If you’re curious to see what other PlayStation items are worth picking up alongside the console, make sure to visit our gift guide for the best PlayStation and PS5 gifts to pick up this year. Alongside games, this guide also includes the PlayStation Pulse 3D wireless headset and the PS5’s DualSense controller.

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

Resident Evil 4 Remake’s horde-style mode The Mercenaries will arrive on April 7, meaning folks will only have to tolerate a short, two-week wait for the fan favourite mode to arrive in-game. Capcom revealed the date at the conclusion of the fresh Resident Evil 4 Remake launch trailer it published today, which you can watch below.

At Sony’s first 2023 State of Play last month, Capcom confirmed that The Mercenaries would be coming as a free, post-release update – though April 7 may be pleasantly closer than some were expecting.

Resident Evil 4 Remake is available today and earned a 10 out of 10 in IGN’s review as “the series’ most relentlessly exciting adventure rebuilt, refined, and realised to the full extent of its enormous potential.”

For much, much more on Resident Evil 4 Remake be sure to check out our look back on how the original completely revolutionised the survival horror genre, plus our top 10 beginner tips for tackling this superb remake and why the iconic custom chainsaw controller Capcom crafted for the original is sadly not making a comeback this time around.

Luke is Games Editor at IGN’s Sydney office. You can chat to him on Twitter @MrLukeReilly.

The Wichita City Council in Kansas has reached a $5 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by the family of Andrew Finch, who was killed by police in the first fatal swatting incident in the U.S. over an online Call of Duty match.

According to The Wichita Eagle, city officials approved the settlement on Tuesday in a five-year lawsuit against Wichita police detective Justin Rapp, who killed 28-year-old Finch despite him being unarmed. The city voted 6-1 in favor of the lawsuit.

The swatting incident stemmed from an argument between Casey Viner and Shane Gaskill during an online match in Call of Duty: WWII in December 2017. Viner made a hoax call to the police, and Gaskill gave a false address to Tyler Barriss, a serial swatter who ultimately made a false report of a hostage situation and a murder. The SWAT then surrounded Finch’s house, and when Finch, who was unaware of the situation, stepped outside to see what was going on, Rapp immediately shot Finch in the chest from 40 yards away, even though he didn’t pose a threat to police or others on the scene.

Barriss, who was also linked to another swatting incident in Canada, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter, while Viner was sentenced to 15 months and given a two-year ban on gaming for hiring someone to make a prank emergency call to police.

Meanwhile, Rapp had no criminal charges filed against him, nor was he investigated by Wichita police for any potential policy violations. Even though he was previously passed over for promotion for lack of sound judgment, he was ultimately promoted to detective last year.

As for the $5 million settlement, Finch family spokesperson AlmaAnn Jones said she was glad the community helped bring closure.

“It has been difficult to say the very least,” Jones said. “I’ve watched this family go through disappointment after disappointment after disappointment and finally today we came together as a community. We got this done.”

The settlement will cost the city council $2 million, while the rest of it will be covered by insurance.

Swatting has become a problem within the gaming community for the last decade, especially for Twitch streamers. In 2019, for example, then-16-year-old Fortnite World Cup champion Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf was swatted during a live Twitch stream. No one was injured at the time.

Thumbnail credit: Getty Images

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.

Twelve Years after the doors of the 3DS and Wii U eShop opened, they are sadly closing for good.

Nintendo has announced that on March 27th, 2023, it will no longer be possible to purchase games digitally from that generation of consoles. But for months now, it’s been impossible to buy anything ever since they revoked the ability to directly add funds to your account, so we shouldn’t care about this announcement, right? Well, turns out there’s a completely valid way Nintendo has allowed you to still add funds to your account, and it’s super simple to do.

So here is how you can still buy 3DS and Wii U games before they are gone forever–plus some game recommendations in case you don’t know what to get.

How to Still Buy Games on 3DS and Wii U.

To start, you’re gonna need a Nintendo Switch, this is the key to all of this. Click on your personal user icon in the top left of the home screen, then scroll down to “Friend Suggestions.” You’ll notice icons for the 3DS and Wii U in the top bar. Go ahead and click “Next” in either tab and it will prompt you to sign in to your “Nintendo Network ID Account.” This was the 3DS/Wii U equivalent of the modern-day MyNintendo account that was used to tie purchases to your email.

Once you’ve linked your Switch with your Nintendo Network ID Account, you’re almost done! Next, go into the Switch eShop and click on the settings icon in the top right. Under the “Available Funds” section, you’ll see a little prompt saying “Merge Funds with Nintendo 3DS/Wii U.” Click this and you’ve done it! Now whenever you add funds to your Nintendo Switch eShop, they will also be available for use in the 3DS and Wii U eShops!

But which games are worth buying and what digital games will disappear forever once the store closes on March 27th? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are some essential pickups now that you’ve made it back into the 3DS and Wii U eShops:

The Best 3DS and Wii U Games to Buy Before It’s Too Late

Dr. Luigi (Wii U)

Released during the Year of Luigi — remember that? — This entry in the Doctor Mario franchise starred our favorite green-hatted plumber. On top of the standard Pill puzzling we all know and love, this title included the “Operation L” mode which utilized L-Shaped pills. As far as digital-only first-party Wii U games go there aren’t too many to pick from, but Doctor Luigi is a welcomed surprise — And just like Mario, don’t ask him where he got his doctorate.

Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation (3DS)

Intelligent Systems decided to go the Pokémon route and split the 14th entry in the Fire Emblem series into two different games: Fire Emblem Fates Birthright and Conquest. One had Corrin choose their birth family, the Hoshido, while the other chose their adopted family, the Nohr.

But a third Digital only route was available in Revelation. This path was only purchasable after completing Chapter 6. This route has you choosing neither family and instead opting to build your army from the shadows in order to take down the threat causing both families to fight in the first place. Arguably the best way to play the game once the 3DS eShop closes, this essential title in the franchise will become unavailable to fans.

Virtual Console – DS, Wii, TurboGrafx 16, Game Gear, DSi

Back before Nintendo Switch Online, we had the Virtual Console. A system where you could buy retro games on the eShop from an assortment of consoles.

As of March 2023, certain consoles are not yet available to play on the Nintendo Switch. On the Wii U, you have DS, Wii, and TurboGrafx-16 games including The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Animal Crossing Wild World, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Bomberman ’93.

For the 3DS you have Game Gear and DSi ware including Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!, Shinobi, and Dragon Quest Wars.

Pushmo (3DS)

Pushmo is a classic from this era of Nintendo. Solve puzzles by Pushing and Pulling the stage itself in order to save the children at the top. There were a total of four games in this mini-franchise, all digital only, so if you enjoyed the first entry, we recommend trying them all out.

Pushmo was a unique puzzle game but still had many modern-day staples including level creation, which made this an incredibly hard-to-put-down title.

Dillon’s Rolling Western (3DS)

If you love tower defense games, Dillon’s Rolling Western is just for you. Monsters are invading towns in the Old West, and it’s your job as the armadillo Dillon to prevent their efforts. This game mixed action with exploration and was essential for 3DS owners. There were a few sequels, and Dillon even appeared in Smash.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (Wii U)

The next couple of games are available physically on the Wii U and 3DS but are gonna fetch you a pretty penny on the secondary market. So we recommend picking them up digitally.

First up is a game not yet on the Switch (hint hint Nintendo): The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. This is an essential play for die-hard Zelda fans, especially if you’re gearing up for the release of Tears of the Kingdom.

If you were able to get your hands on the Wolf Link Amiibo, there’s a special dungeon called The Cave of Shadows. The farther you make it in, the stronger Wolf Link gets once you scan him into Breath of the Wild. And if you didn’t know this was possible, then surprise!

All Mainline Pokémon Games

Consistently, Pokémon games will be expensive no matter what console you’re looking at. The 3DS is no exception with Pokémon X and Y, Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby, and the Sun and Moon games still fetching for just under retail price.

A great alternative to scavenging the secondary market is to pick up these titles digitally, so you can experience generations 6 and 7 without the worry of missing out on the series’ first mainline 3D titles. Sorry, Colosseum and Gale of Darkness, you don’t count.

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (3DS)

Now we’re getting into big-boy territory. When two of the greatest gaming detectives finally came together in Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney. Little did they know that it would cost over $200 for a physical copy on the secondary market.

Turns out the biggest crime was these prices. This game has you solving crime puzzles like Layton and proving your defendant innocent like Wright. If you’re truly itching to try out this legendary collab, our recommendation is to save a court load of money and pick it up for $30 instead on the eShop.

Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)

Every Xenoblade Chronicles game is playable on the Nintendo Switch… all but one. On the short-list of Wii U games that have not been ported to the Switch is one glaring outlier in Xenoblade Chronicles X.

This game is completely isolated from the other entries in the franchise. However, there are still many familiar elements. Taking place on the uncharted planet of Mira, you are able to create your own avatar to serve as the protagonist. With the physical copy going for just over $60 price today, digital might be a safer option to ensure you have this in your library.

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth (3DS)

If you played the rereleases of Persona 3 Portable and 4 Golden, then you’re in for a treat. This handheld title followed characters from both games, dungeon crawling and fusing personas in a replica of Yasogami High School. You know, a typical high school day.

This game has a super cute art style, a killer soundtrack, and is only $20 bucks on the eShop. The sequel, Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, includes Persona 5 characters and is significantly more expensive than the first game, so pick these up if you want before physical is the only way.

Lastly, I wanted to remind you to download updates for every 3DS game you can! Even if you don’t own the title, you’re still able to download update data just in case you decide to buy a game physically. Each update is really small in storage size, so that shouldn’t be too big of an issue. That way you’re guaranteed to play the most up-to-date version of any game.

Are there any game recommendations that we missed? Sound off in the comments below and help out a fellow 3DS and Wii U owner. These two consoles’ libraries are so incredibly rich with hidden gems that a lot of great games had to be left off our list. Kid Icarus Uprising is my favorite game of all time, plus DLC exists, so be sure to pick up these games before the eShop closes on March 27th.

Kalani Goda Newman is a producer for IGN.

The race is on to recreate Fortnite’s original map using the popular battle royale’s newly revamped Creative Mode.

The teams are using the brand-new Unreal Editor for Fortnite — also known as Fortnite Creative 2.0 — which is a new add-on available for Fortnite on PC. As discussed during yesterday’s State of Unreal event, the Unreal Editor for Fortnite is for players to use for “designing, developing, and publishing games and experiences directly into Fortnite.”

The new tool runs in Unreal Engine 5 and builds on concepts from the existing Fortnite Creative toolset, adding new features for expanded custom content, modeling, textures, VFX, and more. It’s a total game changer for Fortnite creators, and we’re already starting to see some of the possibilities take shape.

Right after the Unreal Editor for Fortnite reveal, multiple teams started working to put the finishing touches on recreations of Fortnite’s original island.

One team, called Atlas OG Battle Royale, has already released a recration of the original Fortnite island.

The map is ready to play and we are in the publishing process now. There are some issues with publishing for all creators. We will hopefully have an update for you soon. Thank you all for your support and patience! pic.twitter.com/YqR3j6onzs

— Atlas OG Battle Royale (@AtlasOGBR) March 22, 2023

Another team, called Reboot Royale, posted a video with footage from the new Unreal Editor, saying they were in the “the final preparations of publishing Reboot Royale for everyone to play.” The development screenshots and gameplay footage are an exciting proof-of-concept for Fortnite players about just how robust the new creation tools are.

We’re in the final preparations of publishing Reboot Royale for everyone to play!

Here is a first look at actual footage from UEFN editor and gameplay. Stay tuned for launch!

? JOIN DISCORD: https://t.co/WiVHPdhJPe pic.twitter.com/6T6CF5awXI

— Reboot Royale • OG Fortnite (@RebootRoyale) March 22, 2023

The Fortnite Chapter 1 map features locations like Greasy Grove, Pleasant Park, Retail Row, Fatal Fields, and more. The map was heavily updated and altered throughout Chapter 1’s 10 seasons, before Chapter 2 introduced an entirely new map.

Chapter 1 ended in late 2019, meaning it’s been years since fans have romped around the map responsible for Fortnite’s rise to popularity. It’s sure to be a nostalgic ride for anyone checking out either of these recreations.

For more, check out everything else announced during yesterday’s Unreal event.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

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 PS5 for $122.99

Constantly going in and out of stock

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.

Samsung 1TB PS5 SSD for $79.99

Samsung SSDs need no introduction. They’ve made some of the most popular and reliable PS5 SSDs on the market. The 980 Pro has been out for a while now, but it’s still one of Samsung’s fastest M.2 PCIe SSD, with only the newly released 990 Pro being faster. It is fully PS5 compatible in terms of form factor and performance, with blistering speeds of up to 7,100MB/s. It goes toe to toe with other well-known options like the WD Black SN850 and the Seagate Firecuda 530.

WD 2TB PS5 SSD from $159.99

Amazon is offering a 2TB WD Black SN850X with preinstalled heatsink for only $179.99. 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.

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.

Patriot Viper VP4300 2TB PS5 SSD for $142.99

Amazon is offering the Patriot Viper VP4300 2TB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 x 4 Internal Gaming Solid State Drive, which is compatible with the PS5 console, for only $142.99. This makes it definitely the lowest price we’ve seen for a brand name 2TB PS5 SSD, especially since this one even includes a slim aluminum heatshield. The VP4300 is an M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 x4 solid state drive with rated transfer speeds of 7,400MB/s read and 6,800MB/s write. That makes it well above the PS5’s recommended 5,600MB/s speed requirement.

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.

If you’re anything like me, when you first heard that a game set in the Lord of the Rings universe following the exploits of Smeagol was being developed, you were skeptical. Though vital to the story of Middle Earth’s conflict with Sauron, he’s largely a one note antagonist who is present for as long as necessary throughout the books, and no longer. At least that’s what I thought going in. But my brief time with The Lord of the Rings: Gollum makes a solid first argument that the lost journey of the third “hobbit” could be just as interesting as Frodo and Bilbo’s. Much of the new story blends seamlessly into the well-established lore, but it’s Smeagol’s relationship with his suppressed alter ego that keeps the journey compelling.

A big selling point for me was the possibility of following the footsteps of Middle Earth’s greatest misfit and watching him duel with himself. The body of the man is piloted by two minds, the naive and placid Sméagol and the selfish and malicious Gollum. Whenever he’s guided to make a choice, they’re usually from either perspective. Does Sméagol answer a question honestly and earnestly, or does Gollum lie and insult the inquirer? The developers told me that these choices do add up, and eventually you’ll find yourself in positions where one personality will dominate the conversation based on your preference of one over the other.

This isn’t a standard morality system as you’ve seen in games like Mass Effect, as not every choice Sméagol makes will keep him out of trouble. Sometimes the obsessive self interest of Gollum will keep him out of chains. This expresses itself in interesting ways while you explore the world too. In one chapter, you’re escorted into a spooky keep somewhere in Mordor by an imposing orc. He walks back to his post and gives you strict orders to stand still and wait for a gong. A good Sméagol would have nervously waited, but as a shifty little Gollum I attempted to escape. He’s quite the climber, with the platforming feeling largely like the Uncharted variety of ledge grabbing, vine scaling, and acrobatic swing jumping. It was a little jarring at first to see him move so video game-ly, considering my impression of the character established from the books and movies, but after a while his almost supernatural scampering feels right. This mixed with its approach to combat – to discourage it at every turn in favor of stealth and trap laying – combined to lock you into a style of play that feels appropriate for the sort of creature who lives in the shadows of bigger, scarier things and lives to tell the tale.

At the end of the above section, after traipsing over jagged scaffoldings and tip-toeing through laboratories and offices full of very important and conspiratorial looking objects, I met a creeper named Candle Man. His poise and intimidation factor made him right at home on the cliffs of Mt. Doom, so I assumed this was a character from a book I’d missed like The Silmarillion. I was corrected by Damiri Knapheide, Loremaster to the Daedalic development team, who assured me that he and several characters I had met in the roughly hour-long demo were creations for this story. Established characters like Gandalf the Grey make an appearance as well and are written and performed in a way that feels spot on to the characters we know and love.

Does all this make a cohesive experience that justifies taking another trip into the well-worn territory? There isn’t enough in the demo to be certain, but The Lord of the Rings: Gollum does at least make a good first impression, outlining a solid case for piloting one of the strangest and yet most important characters in the lore. Hopefully the final product, launching on May 25th for PC and consoles, melds the split personality choices, parkour, stealth, and story into a project you won’t want to throw into a volcano.