Bandai Namco has announced that it will be rolling out Patch 1.2 for Tales of Symphonia Remastered on May 18, just over three months after its release. But fans are still angry over the issues that have been present in the game.
According to the patch notes the company released on its site Tuesday, the update will fix a variety of quality-of-life issues that players have reported since the game came out in February. These include:
Fixed an issue that was causing significant processing slowdowns while moving through the sandstorm area of “Triet”.
Fixed an issue where the game would freeze at the end of certain boss battles.
Fixed an event where the screen would black out and become inoperable while navigating certain world maps and towns.
Fixed an event where the background music would be interrupted when moving to the world map after a battle.
Other minor bugs have been fixed.
However, those updates won’t be enough to satisfy players, especially those who own the Nintendo Switch version of Tales of Symphonia Remastered. In one Tales subreddit, when u/guccyjuicy asked if the game is a bad experience for new players, the majority of fans complained that the Switch version is a botched port of the original GameCube version due to severe performance issues, frequent crashes, long load times, and framerate drops.
U/tetsunokokorox1 even noted, “The battle system runs at the same speed as the original Gamecube version and the character responsiveness is also the same. Any sort of difference in controls or responsiveness is purely on the mind of the player. The Switch version does not have the same framerate stability [as] the other versions and it is pretty noticeable because of the drops.”
To make matters even worse, the patch doesn’t do anything to fix any of the major complaints, most notably issues with the frame-rate, missing text, transparency issues, and more.
Tales of Symphonia was first released on GameCube in 2004, and while it remains beloved in many quarters, it continues to be bedeviled by uneven ports across the PS2, PS3, and now the Switch. The patch is expected to go live on Thursday.
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.
If you’ve started compiling a collection of digital games, you probably already know just how limited the Switch’s base storage capacity. The Switch and Switch OLED have 32GB and 64GB of internal storage respectively. Some of that is reserved for the OS. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom takes up over 18GB of storage all by itself. Other must-have titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Pokemon Sword or Shield tap out at 13.5GB each. There’s only one expansion slot in the Switch console so you want to make sure you get the biggest card you can afford.
The Lowest Prices on MicroSDXC Cards (Updated)
These Micro SDXC cards are 100% compatible with any Nintendo Switch, Switch OLED, and Switch Lite console. Some of them may be rated for higher speeds than the official Nintendo Switch branded memory cards. That doesn’t really matter though; the Nintendo Switch can only support U1 speeds, so a U3 speed will just be throttled back down to U1 speeds.
Steam Deck Owners Can Use These Cards Too!
The Switch isn’t the only gaming system that accepts these cards. If you’re a Steam Deck owner, you can also use this card, especially if you picked up the 64GB storage option.
For more deals, take a look at our daily deals for today.
Blizzard has officially scrapped Overwatch 2’s long-awaited PvE Hero mode, but the game’s creative leads are assuring fans that PvE is still a focus for the game moving forward.
On a Twitch stream detailing Overwatch 2’s content roadmap, executive producer Jared Neuss explained the decision to cut the PvE content.
“Development on the PvE experience has not really hasn’t made the progress that we have hoped,” Neuss said. “The team has created a bunch of amazing content so there’s awesome missions that are really exciting. There’s brand new enemies that are super fun to fight and some truly great and ridiculous hero talents. But unfortunately, the effort required to pull all of that together into a Blizzard-quality experience that we can ship to you is huge, and there really is no end in sight or defined kind of end date where we can put that out into the world.
“And so we are left with another difficult choice. Do we continue to pour all that effort into PvE, hoping we can land it at some point in the future or do we stick with this set of values that we have aligned on and focus on the live game and focus on serving all of you? With everything we have learned about what it takes to operate this game at the level that you deserve, it’s clear that we can’t deliver on that original vision for PvE that was shown in 2019. What that means is that we won’t be delivering that dedicated hero mode with talent trees, that long-term talent power progression. Those things are just not in our plans anymore. And we know that this is going to be disappointing to many of you which is why we wanted to bring it up before we talk about the road map. And to be perfectly honest it’s been really difficult for many of us and a lot of folks on the team that pour their heart and soul into that stuff.”
Another big change to Overwatch 2
Overwatch 2’s PvE mode was supposed to be a big differentiating factor between the original game and its sequel. In 2019, we got to go hands-on with the PvE, which was set to have new hero abilities, co-op attacks, and a level progression system. But, when Overwatch 2 launched, the long-awaited PvE mode wasn’t a part of it. Instead, Blizzard promised that Overwatch 2’s PvE would come sometime in 2023 as seasonal content.
Even though the original vision for the PvE mode has been cut, there is still a lot of content in the Overwatch 2 pipeline. On Twitter, the Overwatch account shared an image detailing plans for Overwatch 2 Season 5, Season 6, Season 7, and beyond. It’s confirmed that story missions are coming to Overwatch 2 in Season 6, alongside a new support hero. So while the ambitious PvE mode isn’t a part of Overwatch’s future, maybe the story missions can help fill that void for players.
In an interview with GameSpot, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller explained some of the PvE additions coming to Overwatch 2 in lieu of the ambitious Hero mode.
“We have a lot coming out this year, and even if you look at Season 6, it’s the biggest season we’ve ever launched in the history of Overwatch,” Keller said. “We are running a PvE event that season. We have a whole new type of PvE content that we’re releasing with our single-player Hero mastery missions… So I hope that players can see that we are still committed to PvE and we are doing more with the story than we’ve ever done before. We’re just doing it in a different way than what we originally talked about.”
Neuss expanded on that, saying Blizzard isn’t walking away from Overwatch 2 PvE entirely.
“We know that if we get into the seasonal cadence, we can release things during seasons in a way that we can plan for effectively and that we think is going to be really exciting to players,” Neuss said. “That, more to the point, gives us time to adapt to the next thing for players before you release it, and I think moving away from that idea of this one big singular PvE release moment and into a, ‘No, we’re going to do PvE stuff all the time.’ We have all these plans. Season 6 has three different flavors of that, and we have a bunch of other versions of that coming up and seasons after that.”
We called Overwatch 2 great in our review, saying the sequel, “breathes new life into what was once the sharpest multiplayer shooter around, before it had its edges severely dulled by Blizzard’s attention shifting away.”
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over seven years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom builds upon the groundbreaking open world design of 2017’s Breath of the Wild, and the creative leads behind the sequel have seemingly confirmed that the Zelda team will stick with this formula for future entries.
In an interview with Game Informer, Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma and Tears of the Kingdom director Hidemaro Fujibayashi discussed the future of the Zelda franchise, saying the open world format — or “open air” as Nintendo liked to call it in 2017 — is here to stay.
“With Ocarina of Time, I think it’s correct to say that it did kind of create a format for a number of titles in the franchise that came after it,” Aonuma said. “But in some ways, that was a little bit restricting for us. While we always aim to give the player freedoms of certain kinds, there were certain things that format didn’t really afford in giving people freedom. Of course, the series continued to evolve after Ocarina of Time, but I think it’s also fair to say now that we’ve arrived at Breath of the Wild and the new type of more open play and freedom that it affords. Yeah, I think it’s correct to say that it has created a new kind of format for the series to proceed from.”
The open world standard doesn’t mean we’ll never see other types of Zelda games again. In the years between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom we saw a Musou-style Breath of the Wild prequel, a rhythm spinoff, a 2D Zelda remake, and a Skyward Sword remaster. Surely, Nintendo will continue to release other types of Zelda experiences while the next open world game is in the oven.
Nintendo has definitely struck gold with the open world Zelda format. We awarded Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom a pair of 10s, saying of Tears of the Kingdom, “Nintendo has followed up a triumph with a triumph, expanding and evolving a world that already felt full beyond expectation and raising the bar ever higher into the clouds.”
And for help with everything Tears of the Kingdom, take a look at our Tears of the Kingdom Walkthrough and Guide about making your way through Hyrule. In fact, you can start here:
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over seven years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
Following a “challenging” year of losses and few releases, Ubisoft is preparing to pump resources into the Assassin’s Creed franchise to secure its future. It will include a restructure that will increase headcount on Assassin’s Creed title development by 40% in the coming years, following a rash of layoffs that reduced the company’s global headcount below 20,000.
In its full year earnings today, Ubisoft reported that in a fiscal year in which its only major releases were Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Just Dance 2023, and Rocksmith+, its net sales were €1.81 billion ($1.97 billion) down 14.6% from last year, and it overall reported an operating loss of €500 million ($543 million). While Ubisoft has previously stated that Sparks of Hope and Just Dance specifically underperformed, other live service games kept money flowing in, with the Assassin’s Creed franchise in particular reaching a new “record active users” despite no new game releases. Ubisoft reports that not only does Assassin’s Creed Valhalla now have 44% more players life-to-date than Origins and 19% more than Odyssey, it’s bringing in more money per player than either game.
Ubisoft is going big on Assassin’s Creed
This likely explains why Ubisoft is gearing up to go hard on the Assassin’s Creed franchise in the coming years. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is still set for release in 2023, and three other major games are on the horizon alongside an additional VR game and a mobile game in the franchise.
Ubisoft has stated it intends to increase the number of people working on the franchise across the company by 40% in the coming years to “fuel its ambitious expansion”, though it seems likely much of this will come from promised “targeted restructurings” as ongoing cost-cutting measures have dropped the company’s global headcount below 20,000 from a September total of over 20,700. Ubisoft tells investors that it plans to continue “tight control on recruitments” and to divest “non-core assets,” meaning we’re likely to see Ubisoft continue to reduce the overall number of games it takes on at once (a process it has already begun in earnest) and spend more time, money, and person power on Assassin’s Creed.
That doesn’t mean that Assassin’ Creed is literally everything, though. Unlike a number of past earnings reports and announcements, this quarter’s announcements did not come with any game delays or cancellations. Ubisoft’s coming fiscal year (ending March 2024) still promises to include not just Mirage, but Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Tom Clancy’s The Division Resurgence, Rainbow Six Mobile, The Crew Motorfest, Skull and Bones (which has been delayed six times now), XDefiant, and “another large game” that has not yet been named. Ubisoft expects to say more about these games in an upcoming Ubisoft Forward event on June 12.
It’s also worth noting Ubisoft’s stated interest in generative AI. In its earnings report, Ubisoft calls itself “uniquely positioned to lead” the charge on a purported “transformation” of creative industries by generative AI, which it claims was demonstrated at the recent Game Developers Conference 2023 in March. “Internally, early adoption is fast, with creators and developers of all levels experimenting with the technology and taking advantage of the booming Generative AI landscape,” the press release states. “With them, Ubisoft is shaping a responsible framework with talent management and fair use at heart.”
While several major companies have come out in favor of experimenting with generative AI, this is a notably emphatic statement of interest from Ubisoft in generative AI integration with game development. The impacts of that use have yet to be seen, but Ubisoft has previously discussed potential uses, such as NPC pathfinding, through its R&D division Ubisoft La Forge. IGN has previously examined both the benefits and concerns around generative AI during our recent AI Week.
Ubisoft’s outlook for the coming year expects an income of €400 million ($435 million) – which would mark a significant jump from its €500 million loss over the past year.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been out in the wild for a weekend now, and fans are spotting all kinds of fun easter eggs and tidbits all over the place. One of our favorites? Link’s cooking animations have gotten the smallest, sweetest musical upgrade. Yes, Link sings now!
In Breath of the Wild, Link’s cooking animation was pretty wholesome on its own. He would toss the ingredients into a pot, hum a few abstract notes cheerfully as they stewed, and then express delight when the dish was done (assuming it wasn’t…dubious). But in Tears of the Kingdom, his cooking is even more adorable, because Link actually sings multiple recognizable songs from his own games while food is cooking.
We’ve caught our buddy Link singing his own main theme:
The Ballad of the Wind Fish:
Epona’s Theme:
and Saria’s Theme:
Others around the internet have reported hearing even more tunes from Link, so you’ll have to do a lot of cooking if you want to hear them all. It’s an adorable bit of almost fourth wall breaking behavior from our adorable protagonist. What’s more though, it’s part of a much larger and more defined personality that Nintendo has endeavored to give Link in recent games, from his dialogue options to smaller mannerisms like these. Just another reason we really love Link here.
For help with everything Tears of the Kingdom, take a look at our Tears of the Kingdom Walkthrough and Guide about making your way through Hyrule. In fact, you can start here:
In Breath of the Wild, which released almost two years after the death of late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, Nintendo seemingly included a tribute to his memory in the form of Satori Mountain and its resident Lord of the Mountain. And now, in the sequel Tears of the Kingdom, that tribute has been further expanded upon with one of the game’s most mystical hidden encounters.
On Satori Mountain in Breath of the Wild, players who visited on certain nights could see a beautiful spectral creature called the Lord of the Mountain and witness a number of Blupees gathering. It was truly a breathtaking surprise moment for those who stumbled upon it, and a number of other context clues in-game pointed at the whole thing being a way to honor Iwata’s memory.
Caution: Spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom follow. Read on at your own risk.
Tears of the Kingdom still includes Satori Mountain, but it goes a step further with the Lord of the Mountain creature, the Blupees, and the beauty surrounding it all.
Scattered across Hyrule are eight cherry blossom trees, including one on Satori Mountain. If you leave an offering of fruit in the offering plate in front of one of these trees, the Lord of the Mountain — a creature known as a Satori — will appear to you. The Satori will then mark several dozen points of interest in the nearby area with glowing blue auras. You can use these auras to seek out hidden caves that include Blupees, Bubbulfrogs, and other treasure and secrets. The auras disappear after a time, but you can bring them back by offering another piece of fruit at the shrine.
What’s more, collecting Bubbul Gems from Bubbulfrogs can get you multiple rewards, most notably three pieces of armor called the Mystic Robe, Mystic Trousers, and Mystic Headpiece, which resemble the Satori aesthetic. The final piece is extremely time consuming to collect due to the sheer amount of Bubbul Gems needed, so you’re likely to encounter multiple Satori on your way to this incredible outfit.
It’s safe to say Night Dive Studios’ remake of System Shock is one of the most hotly anticipated releases of 2023, and that release is just around the corner. But System Shock fans have another project to look forward to in early 2024 – a hardcover art book called The Art of System Shock.
A collaboration between Dark Horse Books and Night Dive, The Art of System Shock aims to peel back the curtain of development on the remake. Expect plenty of developer commentary and behind-the-scenes anecdotes, along with a wealth of concept art detailing the Citadel space station, the games’ varied enemies and props and more.
Here’s a look at the official cover art for The Art of System Shock:
The Art of System Shock is a 192-page hardcover book priced at $49.99. It’s slated for release in bookstores on February 13, 2024 and in comic shops on Febriary 14, 2024.
In IGN’s System Shock remake preview, we said: “With the short time I had with System Shock Remake, I could see that Citadel Station feels like a character unto itself, and I’m looking forward to taking a deep dive into and learning the mysteries that lurk within.”
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Our spotlight deals for the day include the Link amiibo being back in stock at Amazon, this time for £19.99 (it was £29.99 when it was first listed at Amazon). If you paid £29+ for it from Amazon during the preorder phase, try having a chat with Amazon customer service to see if they’ll refund the difference (otherwise say you’ll just return the preorder for a full refund, and buy the amiibo again at a reduced price). We also want to spotlight the new Tears of the Kingdom Collector’s Edition guide preorders for £29.99 as well, or there’s the paperback edition for £19.99 (the release date is June 16).
With how massive The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is at the moment, I hope you don’t mind that it’s taking the spotlight again in UK Daily Deals. But, because I’m nice, I’ve also included a bunch of other new and cool deals to check out today, including the last chance to secure more discounts with the KING15 code at eBay. I’ve also left an easy-to-click navigation link just above so you can skip past the rest of the Zelda stuff if it really doesn’t interest you. Otherwise, check out all the discounts below with our handy links, and follow @IGNUKDeals on Twitter for more updates.
UK Deals – The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
Switch Pro Controller – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition (Very Limited Stock)
Finding stock for the Zelda Switch Pro controller has been tough to come by since its announcement. At the time of writing, Amazon is the only retailer with the controller available. But, this could change at any moment, so make sure you’re following @IGNUKDeals on Twitter for more updates.
Preorder Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Guide Collector’s Edition
While I’m here, quick shout out to IGN’s Tears of the Kingdom Wiki guide, it is legit incredible and the team has knocked it out of the park with this one. If you’re looking for a physical guide, which will likely end up being more of a collectable by the time it releases on June 16, you’ve got a couple of options right now. The Collector’s Edition is beautiful and can be preordered at £29.99 from Amazon, while the standard paperback edition is £19.99. Both are out on June 16, and can be preordered using the links just below.
Where to Buy Link – Amiibo (Tears of the Kingdom)
We’ve all been waiting patiently for the Link Tears of the Kingdom amiibo come back in stock for the UK, and thankfully Amazon has come through with the goods. You can order the Link amiibo for £19.99 right now, and with next-day delivery if you’ve got Prime.
Best Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Deals in the UK
If you didn’t secure a preorder and were waiting for reviews (we gave it a 10/10 Masterpiece in our review), then look no further as we’ve already found you an awesome deal to check out (with a fast delivery or pickup time as well). Tears of the Kingdom is down to just £49.99 at Argos right now, and you can save an extra £5 on your order if you sign up for their current email marketing promo as well (see here for more details).
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It’s a roll of the dice. These are my absolute favourite deals that are available right now, but don’t necessarily fit anywhere else, making them a little bit more random compared to everything else in Daily Deals.
Save an Extra 15% Off at eBay with Code KING15 (Ends Today!)
eBay has got another brilliant promo code on with KING15. This will save you an extra 15% off on select purchases, and is even available on a few top video games as well. See below for some of our favourite deals in the sale (which ends May 16).
When new games like Star Wars Jedi Survivor are starting to take up around 150GB of your SSD, it might be wise to consider an expansion. If you haven’t gotten around to expanding your PS5 storage just yet, then you’re in luck, as this is an excellent price on the highly recommended Samsung 980 Pro 1TB. Down to just £89.99, you’re getting this SSD at an exceptional price!
Save Big on PS5 Digital Purchases with These Discounted Gift Cards
UK online retailer ShopTo has currently got a brilliant selection of PlayStation Gift Cards at discounted prices; for example a £50 card for £42.85 instead. Not only do these make great gifts, but they’re also perfect for topping up your own PSN account as well. There’s more gift cards available, so I’ve left some handy links just below. And don’t worry, ShopTo is a trusted seller, and we feature deals from them all the time so you’re absolutely in safe hands when purchasing.
With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom finally out, everyone is finally coming to terms with just how absolutely massive this game really is. We’ve been hard at working preparing a thorough IGN Tears of the Kingdom Walkthrough and Strategy Guide based on hundreds of hours of gameplay, which includes the important shrines puzzle guides.
Tears of the Kingdom has a whopping 152 shrines hidden across its massive map, and we’ve not only catalogued all of them, but we’ve got a handy rundown right here of the most sought-after shrines with their locations and a brief overview of the shrine solutions.
Mayachin Shrine
Mayachin Shrine (A Fixed Device) is in Central Hyrule, and is easy to spot just north of the Hyrule Field Skyview Tower in the Exchange Ruins. You can walk right up to it.
Once there, you’ll need to create a mechanism to hit a ball with a baseball bat and into a target, using ground spikes, the rotating switch on the ground, Ultrahand, and careful timing. This can take several tries, and an even more complex setup is needed to get the treasure chest.
Mayaumekis Shrine (Downward Force) is in the Hebra region, up in the sky. You’ll find it naturally as you progress through the Tulin of Rito Village questline.
Once inside, hit a switch with an arrow through the bars. Bounce off the ships’ sails to cross the gap until you reach a door blocked with bars. Take out your bow midair to slow time and shoot the switch through the bars, opening the final door.
Susuyai Shrine (A Spinning Device) is in Central Hyrule, southwest of Lookout Landing and the lookout landing Skyview Tower. You can walk right up to it.
Once inside, dodge the cars, then grab one on your way out with Ultrahand and use it to drive up the rotating floor. Then use the car to run into the device on the other side and keep the door open for you while you head through. In the final room, you can use Ultrahand to build a platform that will allow you to cross the gap using the hanging platform and a wheel attached to the front of the device, touching the track. Activate it to move forward and complete the Shrine.
Orochium Shrine (Courage to Fall) is hiding out in the icy Hebra Mountains north of the Snowfield Stable.
Inside is a bit of a maze, but your goal is to get a ball from the center of the maze into the hole at the start. Circle around to the left and use Ascend to get inside, work your way around the maze, then open the double doors with Ultrahand and let yourself get hit by a lazer to fall through the trapdoor. Avoid this final set of lazers and Ascend through the ceiling to collect a key, and Ascend again to get the ball. You’ll then take the ball up the elevators at the back of the maze, attach it to a glider with Ultrahand, and sail down to slot it into the target.
Ishodag Shrine (A Windy Device) is located in Central Hyrule, atop a rocky hill west of Hyrule Castle Town Ruins. Ascend to the Shrine through a stone overhang on the north side of the hill. Inside, you’ll be using carefully-placed fans first to float upward, then to cross a body of water, and finally to propel an elevator that lets you ascend to the final platform.
Ren-iz Shrine (Jump the Gaps) is also based in Central Hyrule, in a sub-zone called Crenel Hills. It’s hidden inside a massive carved out tree.
Once you’re inside, use Ultrahand to adjust the metal plate to drop the ball into the basket – you may need to give it a few attempts. The second puzzle involves both a long metal plate and a short square one – you can prop the long plate up on the switch and use the short one at an angle to make a ramp, and let the ball fly.
Soryotanog Shrine (Buried Light) is located in the Gerudo Desert. You can get there by flying in from the Gerudo Canyon Skyview Tower or from a nearby Sky Island. Or you can do things the hard way and climb the walls of Gerudo Town, fending off enemies as you go.
Once inside, use the fans to dig up the necessary items for completion – first a small key, then a reflector and a hidden passage, then a gear, and finally a beam of light and a reflector.
Morok Shrine (A Bouncy Device) is waiting on a low-flying Sky Island in the Lanaryu Region, which makes it a bit tough to access. You can climb to it via its dangling root system, or use Recall on a fallen chunk of Sky Island to rise high enough to access it.
Once inside, you’ll be getting the hang of using spring contraptions first to move yourself around the shrine, and then to move a ball into a target by launching it off the springs.
