Category: IGN

IGN Fan Fest 2023 is a wrap! Our two-day event brought a ton of exclusive reveals, interviews, announcements, and more. From a new look at John Wick: Chapter 4, to fresh gameplay of the highly-anticipated Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, there was something for every type of fan to enjoy.

To mark the end of Fan Fest, we’ve created this roundup to make sure you don’t miss a moment. Read on to learn about everything announced at IGN Fan Fest 2023.

Diablo IV Beta Kicks Off in March

We finally have a date for the Diablo 4 beta. Fans can look forward to trying out the game next month, where pre-order early access buyers will get to play from March 17 through 19, while the general public will get access from March 24 through 26. We learned this during our interview with director Joe Shely, who also shared the opening cinematic for Diablo 4.

HBO’s The Last of Us: Bella Ramsey Got a ‘Real Black Eye’ During Action Scene

The latest episode of HBO’s The Last of Us had a pretty intense action scene that showed Pedro Pascal’s Joel, and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie forced to avoid waves of infected. In an interview for Fan Fest, we learned that filming this intense sequence left Ramsey with “so many bruises,” and even a “real black eye.” The interview also revealed how Pascal managed to “scare the sh*t” out of Ramsey.

Creed III’s Fights Were Inspired by Anime

Creed III star and director Michael B. Jordan is a big anime fan, and he’s channeling that passion into the fight choreography in Creed III. Jordan said that the fighting in the upcoming film was inspired by the likes of Megalo Box, Naruto, and My Hero Academia, and that there’s even a “Dragon Ball Z punch” in one of the fights. We also learned that Creed 4 is happening, and that Jordan wants to expand the Creed-verse.

Redfall Devs Tease Arkane’s ‘Most Ambitious’ Setting Yet

IGN spoke to Redfall production designer Ben Horne, who brought some new gameplay footage to IGN Fan Fest. We learned that Arkane wanted to focus on world-building and narrative in Redfall. Horne also spoke about the weapons, saying there are some that players will be instantly familiar with, and others that are uniquely related to vampire slaying.

Cocaine Bear Director Elizabeth Banks Stops By Fan Fest

Cocaine Bear looks absolutely bonkers, focusing on a bear going on a blow-fueled rampage, but director Elizabeth Banks shared some heartfelt details about production. The movie contains one of the last performances of legend Ray Liotta, who died in 2022. Banks revealed that Liotta gave a moving speech on the final day of filming that had people in tears.

Lies of P Release Window Revealed

Lies of P, the Souls-like spin on Pinocchio, is coming this August. Along with the release window reveal, we also got a brand new trailer that appears to show the Blue Fairy, a creature that serves as a guide to Pinocchio in the original story.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Directors Share Exclusive Clip

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is coming to theaters next month, and the film’s directors stopped by to share a new clip of the film. John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein showed a scene with the party entering a graveyard and attempting to speak with a corpse. The directors also talked about finding the “very fine line between comedy and horror.” We also learned that the movie doesn’t have a meta gameplay storyline, as the movie is fully immersed in the world of Dungeons & Dragons.

Netflix’s Shadow and Bone Season 2 Gets a New Trailer

We saw an action-packed trailer for Season 2 of Netflix’s fantasy adaptation. The new look showed Ben Barnes’ General Kirigan return from the Shadow Fold, as well as The Darkling’s army made of shadow. Season 2 is hitting Netflix on March 16.

Punch Club 2: Fast Forward Gets Its First Trailer

Lazy Bear Games shared the first trailer for Punch Club 2: Fast Forward, the sequel to 2016’s RPG Punch Club. There’s no release date yet, but we know the sequel is coming to PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Steam. The trailer is packed with pop culture references, including a Matrix-like opening.

No Plans Right Now for Hogwarts Legacy DLC

Avalanche Software revealed to IGN that there are currently no plans in the works for Hogwarts Legacy DLC. “We’ve been really heads down bringing [Hogwarts Legacy] to life,” game director Alan Tew said. “So at the moment there are no current plans for DLC.” Right now, the studio is working on patching the game.

Take a Brand New Look at John Wick: Chapter 4

John Wick star Keanu Reeves stopped by IGN Fan Fest to show off a brand new look at the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4. We also had the exclusive reveal of a new poster for the movie, showing Keanu Reeves’ Wick at the Eiffel Tower.

WWE Star Zelina Vega Talks Street Fighter 6

WWE’s Zelina Vega is a huge fighting game fan. The star stopped by Fan Fest to talk all about her upcoming commentary role in Street Fighter 6. She also faces off against our staff to put her fighting game skills to the test!

Take a Look at Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Jedi Chambers Puzzle Rooms

As part of our month-long IGN First of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Respawn design director Jeff Magers showed off one of the Jedi Chambers puzzle rooms in the upcoming game.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is in theaters now, and the cast stopped by IGN Fan Fest to answer one very, very important question: Would the Ant-Man “butt strategy” work on Jonathan Majors’ Kang? You’ll have to watch the video to find out how they reacted and responded to that question.

Super Nintendo World: Your Questions Answered

We’ve been to Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood, and it’s pretty awesome. To prepare you for your own trip to this theme park version of the Mushroom Kingdom, we answer some of the IGN audience’s biggest burning questions about the park.

Exclusive Clip of AEW: Fight Forever

You can reexperience one of the biggest AEW matches ever, when Hangman Adam Page faced off against Bryan Danielson for the AEW World Title. This exclusive clip from IGN Fan Fest shows real footage from the fight, intercut with gameplay of the upcoming AEW: Fight Forever game.

The Ark Stars Talk Spacesuits and Secrets

We sat down with The Ark showrunners and stars to talk about the sci-fi series. The creatives discuss the inspiration for the spacesuits, cast members keeping secrets from each other, and more.

Bare Butt Boxing Gets Official Gameplay Trailer

Tuatara Games gave us a look at Bare Butt Boxing, a chaotic multiplayer brawler that’s hitting early access on May 4, 2023. The full release is coming to PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4 later in 2023.

Exclusive Clip of Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham

The Doom that Came to Gotham is a 1920s-based Batman story where the caped crusader accidentally unleashes an ancient evil on Gotham City. In this exclusive reveal, Bruce Wayne enters an ancient cave to find a crazed Grendon chipping away at a wall of ice, attempting to let loose an ancient evil.

Check Out the Story Trailer for DE-EXIT – Eternal Matters

DE-EXIT: Eternal Matters is an atmospheric light puzzle platformer with hints of stealth. The game is coming to PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, and you can check out our reveal of the story trailer now.

Dungeon Boss: Respawned Is Coming to Netflix Games

This 2015 game has been remstered and is coming to Netflix Games. IGN Fan Fest saw the debut of the brand new trailer for Dungeon Boss: Respawned.

For the King II Gets Official Trailer

For The King II is a turn-based RPG inspired by tabletop games that allows you to play in a party of up to four players. Check out the new trailer for the game, which is coming to PC this year.

New Trailer for PvP Shooter Friends vs Friends

Friends vs Friends is a stylish, frantic PvP shooter that incorporates deck-building mechanics into its gameplay. The game is coming to PC and consoles this year, and you can check out the brand new trailer right now.

Jumplight Odyssey Coming to Early Access This Year

Jumplight Odyssey is coming to early access sometime in 2023. This game puts you in the shoes of a starship captain, where you’ll have to build your ship, manage resources, and explore the stars, all while maintaining your crew.

Not for Broadcast: Live & Spooky Is Coming Next Month

The first DLC for FMV horror game Not For Broadcast is called Live & Spooky, and it’s coming on March 23, 2023. Get a head start on the paranormal investigation by watching the new trailer.

Starship Troopers: Extermination Shares Details on Three Classes

Starship Troopers: Extermination is a cooperative FPS that pits you against an alien race called the Bugs. The game features assault, heavy infantry, and support classes as you work together to fend off the infestation.

Street Fighter: Duel Shows Off Versus Mode

Street Fighter: Duel is a new Street Fighter RPG mobile game where you collect a team of classic Street Fighter characters, and battle your way through an original story. The game also has a versus mode, which the developers showcased in a new video at IGN Fan Fest.

The Alters Is a Game All About Choices and Consequences

Check out the new trailer for The Alters, a game all about choices. In the game, you must make choices and face the consequences by meeting all of your different personalities. Check out the teaser trailer for the game above.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series Gets New Gameplay Trailer

Cara Gee reprises her role as Camina Drummer in The Expanse, the upcoming game from Telltale. The new trailer shows exploration and conversations on the creepy starship called The Artemis.

The Invincible Trailer Sets the Game’s Creepy Tone

The Invincible is a new game based on the novel of the same name by science fiction author Stanisław Lem. The new trailer shows some gorgeous establishing shots of space exploration, excavation, and robots, all while setting the game’s creepy and off-putting tone.

Check Out Valheim Running on Xbox Series X

Valheim was a huge hit on PC, and now the exploration and survival game is headed to Xbox consoles. Check out the new footage of the game running on Xbox Series X, as you prepare to get your friends together to explore the world of Valheim on March 14.

Scream VI: Directors Share the Best Kills in the Franchise

Scream 6 is hitting theaters on March 10, and directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett stopped by IGN fan fest to share the latest on the upcoming movie. Check out our interview to learn about the filmmakers’ favorite kills in the franchise, details on Ghostface’s lair, and more.

Why Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Isn’t Just More of The Next Generation

Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, and Picard showrunner Terry Matalas join IGN to talk about what differentiates Picard Season 3 from Star Trek: The Next Generation. And, the cast shouts out some of their favorite episodes of The Next Generation.

Young Rock Actors Talk About the Legacy of Dwayne Johnson

Bradley Constant and Uli Latukefu, who play younger versions of Dwyane Johnson on NBC’s Young Rock, share some secrets about how they bring The Rock’s origin story to life.

Trigun Stampede: Get a Voice Acting Lesson from Johnny Yong Bosch

If you’re interested in voice acting, check out this crash course from voice acting legend Johnny Yong Bosch. Bosch is the voice of Vash from Trigun Stampede, and he also takes some time to answer some fan questions about the anime.

Polite Society Pits Sister Versus Sister in Martial Arts Comedy

IGN is happy to debut a new clip from the upcoming martial arts film Polite Society, which stars Ritu Arya and Priya Kansara. The two main characters are siblings at odds with each other, and their conflict eventually turns into combat after one sister meddles with the other’s engagement.

Homebody Reminds Us of Early 2000s Horror Games

We revealed a quick exclusive trailer for Homebody, an upcoming horror game that’s reminiscent of the PlayStation 2 era of games. In this game, you catch up with old friends and try not to get murdered. Homebody is coming to consoles and PC.

Watch Rawmen’s Developers Eat Really Spicy Ramen

Rawmen is an arena fighter that’s all about food, and we sat down with the developers at IGN Fan Fest. In honor of the title, we gave the creators of the game some very spicy ramen during the interview to pair with the spicy interview questions.

I Am Jesus Christ Gets New Trailer

We showed a new trailer for I Am Jesus Christ, the game that takes players on the journey of Jesus Christ’s life. The first-person game is coming to PC via Steam.

9 Years of Shadows Is Coming Next Month

9 Years of Shadows is a new, stylish Metroidvania coming to PC on March 27. The new trailer showed off the Poseidon, Helios and Gaia Armor, which give players different elemental abilities from swimming through water like a mermaid to manipulating fire to help you platform.

Protodroid DeLTA Looks Like 3D Mega Man Platforming

Protodroid DeLTA is a new 3D platformer coming to PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch on April 27. The trailer showed off DeLTA’s Mega Man-like combat abilities, from an arm cannon to laser swords.

Rabbit Hole: New Clip from Paramount Plus Series

We have an exclusive clip of Rabbit Hole, the upcoming Paramount+ series starring Kiefer Sutherland. In the series, Sutherland’s John Weir is framed for murder by powerful forces with the ability to influence the public. The eight-episode season will premiere Sunday, March 26.

Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER Is Coming This Summer

We’ve got a new trailer for Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER, a follow-up to 2064: Read Only Memories. This sci-fi adventure game is coming to PC and consoles this Summer.

Solium Infernum Brings Strategy Gameplay to Hell

Solium Infernum is a new game that takes the gameplay of Civilization and Age of Empires to Hell… Literally. The game is coming to PC, and is available to wishlist now on Steam.

Tchia Gameplay Overview Spotlights Traversal

Tchia looks like a perfect synthesis of the exploration of Breath of the Wild with the island setting of Wind Waker. Game director Phil Crifo stopped by to show off some of the movement options in Tchia, from gliders, to rafts, to swinging on trees. Tchia is coming to PS5, PS4, and PC this Spring.

The Elder Scrolls Online Details Its Newest Class

A new class is coming to Elder Scrolls Online in the newest expansion, Necrom. The Arcanist class will allow players to deal damage, support allies, and absorb punishment from enemies. Necrom is coming to PC on June 5, and Playstation and Xbox on June 20.

The Last Case of Benedict Fox Gets a Story Trailer

The Last Case of Benedict Fox brought its latest story trailer to IGN Fan Fest. The new trailer further establishes The Last Case of Benedict Fox’s dark tone, as we see footage of demons, monsters, and plenty of creepy locations. The game is coming to Xbox Game Pass on April 27.

Witchfire Combat Overview with Developer Commentary

Witchfire, the upcoming dark fantasy first-person shooter, showed off a new video all about how guns work. We saw gameplay of a hand cannon called Hunger, which gains strength from critical hits. Each time you reload the gun, you get extra-strength bullets based on how many critical hits you landed before the reload.

WrestleQuest: 2 Minutes of Gameplay Revealed

We showed off two minutes of gameplay for Wrestlequest, the upcoming pro wrestling RPG. In the game, Macho Man Randy Savage and a lot of other icons will offer guidance as you fight for glory.

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.

IGN Fan Fest is back and bigger than ever for 2023! If you hadn’t heard of Fan Fest before, IGN Fan Fest is a two-day event, bringing fans exclusive interviews and sneak peeks from some of the biggest movies, shows and games you all love.

What better way to celebrate fans than giving out special discounts this week on the coolest merch from your favorite franchises and beyond? Keep reading to see what deals are up for grabs this week only on our very own IGN Store.

TL;DR – What to Expect at Fan Fest 2023

IGN Fan Fest is back for another special celebration of exclusives across your favorite games, comics and entertainment! Full IGN Fan Fest 2023 Schedule is now live and day 2 (Saturday, Feb. 18) will stream right here at 10am PT!

What to Expect at 2023 Fan Fest

From Redfall to John Wick: Chapter 4, we’re excited to bring you exclusive new looks, sneak peeks, and interviews from the games, movies, and shows you love. We’ll showcase exclusive preview content starting Monday, February 13 before the livestream begins on Friday.

What’s more, we’ll be hosting giveaways and freebies during, including giving away an average of 1 free game code per minute* during the streams on February 17 and 18. You can expect codes for Street Fighter V, Resident Evil Village, and many more. Lastly, the IGN Store is also hosting 3 deals for Fan Fest this week only, so be sure to check those out too! Be sure to browse the new IGN Fan Fest 2023 collection.

TL;DR

• Feb. 17: Day 1 stream is a wrap. In case you missed it, watch Day 1 of IGN Fan Fest 2023 here.
• Feb. 18: Day 2 stream begins at 10am PT on Saturday!

How to Watch IGN Fan Fest 2023: Day 2

As a free and live virtual event, IGN Fan Fest will be streamed across IGN.com and all of our social channels, with panels available to rewatch after the stream on IGN.com and our YouTube channel. We’ll also be embedding the stream in this article, so feel free to bookmark this page for easy access.

Here’s the full list of places we’ll be streaming IGN Fan Fest so you can watch it on your preferred platform:

• IGN.com (homepage)
• IGN’s Facebook Channel
• IGN’s Twitter
• IGN’s Twitch Channel
• IGN’s Youtube Channel
• IGN’s TikTok Channel
• Steam Page
• IGN’s iOS App
• IGN’s Android App
• IGN’s PlayStation 4 App
• IGN’s Xbox One App
• Roku
• IGN App for Android TV
• IGN for Amazon Fire TV
• Apple TV
• IGN 1 on Samsung TV Plus
• Pluto TV
• Plex Live TV

ICYMI: Watch IGN Fan Fest Day 1 Stream:

Hogwarts Legacy developer Avalanche Software has revealed to IGN that the studio has no current plans to release additional content for their Wizarding World RPG.

Speaking during IGN Fan Fest, Hogwarts Legacy game director Alan Tew explained that the team was so busy preparing the game for its launch last week that it hasn’t yet planned on releasing any expansions.

“We’ve been really heads down bringing [Hogwarts Legacy] to life,” said Tew, “so at the moment there are no current plans for DLC.”

That’s not to say Avalanche Software won’t be supporting the game post-launch, of course, as it has already released a patch for the game that includes several performance improvements and other updates.

Hogwarts Legacy has also already received somewhat of an additional mission thanks to the PlayStation exclusive quest that takes place in Hogsmeade.

Fans will just have to wait and see if Avalanche Software announces any proper extras, but given Tew’s comments, it doesn’t look likely. That being said, Hogwarts Legacy did get off to an exceptional start, netting nearly half a million players on Steam even before it officially launched, so the success might motivate its developer and publisher to expand on the Wizarding World.

In our 9/10 review, IGN said: “In almost every way, Hogwarts Legacy is the Harry Potter RPG I’ve always wanted to play.”

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

Lazy Bear Games has officially released an announcement trailer for a sequel to its 2016 RPG Punch Club in Punch Club 2: Fast Forward.

Revealed as part of IGN Fan Fest, Lazy Bear Games didn’t share a release date for the game but did reveal that it’s coming to PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.

That trailer showed off some story elements and gameplay from Punch Club 2. Seemingly as full of pop culture references as the last game, the trailer (and game) opens with a Matrix-esque sequence in which the protagonist is told to wake up from the ominous Corporation.

A montage then takes place as the protagonist trains in an empty garage, dances with robots in a club, fights baddies in factories, talks to a head in a jar in a mall, watches news reports in an evil lair, and so on.

In our 6/10 review of the original, IGN said: “Punch Club is tedious at times, thanks to an unfortunate level-down system that artificially extends the road to the championship with grinding repetition, but its upgrades, stat growth, and more compensate with satisfying depth.”

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

The gun genie, Xûr, is now live in Destiny 2 for the weekend until next week’s reset. If you’re looking to get your some shiny new Exotic armor or weapons for your Guardian, look no further.

Each week, Xûr has a random assortment of Exotic armor, one for each Guardian class, as well as a random Exotic Weapon and an Exotic Engram available for purchase. In addition to his Exotic wares, he’s got a random collection of Legendary weapons and armor to deck out your Guardians.

We’ve rounded up all the info on Xûr for the week including where to find Xûr, which Exotic weapons and armor are available, as well as which Legendary weapons you should pick up, either for PvE or PvP.

Where Is Xûr Today?

Xûr’s location can be found at The Tower on February 17 through February 21. To reach him, travel to the landing point at The Courtyard and make your way to the Hangar. Hang a left when entering the hangar and you’ll come face-to-face with space Amazon.com.

I had been under the impression that bringing a gun to a knife fight was strictly the Chicago way, but apparently it was the way of the samurai too – at least if the mix of gunslinging and sword-swinging in Like a Dragon: Ishin! is any indication. This 2023 remake of a 2014 Yakuza series spin-off that was previously only available to Japanese audiences transposes the tried and tested street fighting formula from modern Tokyo onto the final days of Japan’s Edo period, replacing the weaponised traffic cones and potted plants with katanas and primitive pistols. It suffers somewhat as far as its substories and side activities go, with both not quite up to the standard set by subsequent releases, but a card-augmented combat system keeps the fighting fresh and the crime story plot is packed with more delicious pulp than a Nashi pear. Like a Dragon: Ishin! might not be on the cutting edge of the katana blade, but it rarely strays onto the dull side either.

It appears you can take the Yakuza story out of the streets of modern Tokyo, but you can’t take the modern gangsters out of the Yakuza story. The events of Like a Dragon: Ishin! may take place in 1860s Kyoto and feature characters loosely based on real historical figures, but most of the roles in its main cast are filled with a host of recognisable faces from other Yakuza games. Thus its protagonist Sakamoto Ryoma, a disgraced ronin out to avenge the murder of his adoptive father, is clearly just series stalwart, Kazuma Kiryu, right down to his permanent scowl and unwavering sense of justice. I must admit that even as a longtime fan it initially got a little confusing when Kazuma Kiryu playing Sakamoto Ryoma went undercover as Saito Hajime in order to infiltrate the Shinsengumi police force. Still, my fondness for him helped me buy into his plight almost immediately, and although Ishin’s story beats are similar to those featured in several other Yakuza games, setting its figurative (and literal) backstabbing against the backdrop of a potential Japanese civil war made the stakes feel higher than those surrounding the typical turf battles.

Unlike recent releases from developer Ryu Ga Gotoku that feature English voice casts like Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Lost Judgment, Ishin can only be played with the original Japanese audio with subtitles. That may be considered a negative to some, but personally I like experiencing these stories with dialogue delivered in the characters’ native tongue, and it seems even more appropriate in this case given that Ishin takes place at a time when Japan was still largely sheltered from Western influences. That said, even with the translated subtitles turned on, there are a great deal of period-specific references to regions, religions, and regiments that I found to be almost impenetrable early on. Constantly pausing dialogue in Ishin’s opening hours in order to consult the in-game glossary (along with Google) to help fill in the gaps did upset the rhythm of the storytelling somewhat, but over the course of my 30-hour playtime I learned to distinguish a goshi from a joshi, and ultimately came away feeling more enlightened about a crucial period in Japanese history that I previously knew very little about.

I was less inspired by the environment itself, however. 19th century Kyoto’s woodland surroundings certainly make for a nice change of scenery from the bustling urban jungle of present day Tokyo, and much like Kamurocho it’s arguably best experienced at night, trading neon-soaked streets littered with drunken locals for lantern-lit lanes littered with… well, also plenty of drunken locals. (It turns out sake has been making Japanese people feel jolly for well over a thousand years.) However, while Ishin’s small slice of Japan’s original capital city is not without its standout sections, such as the bustling marketplace lining the canals in the Fushimi district, there are also far too many bland back streets that make navigating your way around a bit less appealing. I found myself far more reliant on the trip-skipping palanquin service in Ishin than I ever made use of the taxi services in other Yakuza adventures.

Katanarama

As with any other Yakuza game, the rustic riverside streets aren’t just meant for sightseeing, but also fight-spreeing, and Like a Dragon: Ishin! introduces a blend of blades and bullets that makes its combat feel refreshingly distinct from other entries in the series for the most part. Ryoma has four different fighting stances that you can switch between on the fly, allowing you to go from the smash and bash of the barehanded Brawler technique to the slash and dash of the Swordsman style with a tap of the D-pad. They vary in usefulness, though, and I found the pistol-only Gunman style to be particularly inconsistent in its implementation. It either made life too easy by allowing me to fill hallways of sword-swinging enemies with unlimited rounds of hot lead before they could get close enough to strike back, or its fickle auto-targeting would frustratingly force me to shoot at foes in the distance rather than the warrior in front of me threatening to clean out my ears with a sharpened spear.

I found the Wild Dancer style proved to be by far the most fun and reliable combat stance in Like a Dragon: Ishin!, and thus its skill tree is the one I invested in most heavily. Wild Dancer finds Ryoma at his most fleet-footed, composed of a combination of fast sword-slashes and a spinning blast of gunfire that’s excellent for crowd control, along with a twirling evade move that can be chained together to pinball him out of harm’s way and into a position of power. The fact that its faster attacks came at the cost of it dealing slightly less damage overall made it less effective against the more brutish bosses, but at that point I’d just smoothly switch to the deliberate and powerful Swordsman technique and indulge in a more steadily-paced samurai showdown.

While I may have relied on only two of the four fighting stances available to me for the vast majority of the adventure, they still provided enough variety to entertain. That’s particularly when used in tandem with Ishin’s unique Trooper card system, which effectively allows for custom support loadouts for each of Ryoma’s fighting styles. I enjoyed experimenting with different decks of cards, from the more passive Troopers that provide boosts to your attack power and health, to far more outlandish assault cards like a chicken that lays egg-shaped proximity mines and even your own personal attack bear. There are hundreds of these Trooper cards to uncover in Ishin and each card can be leveled up in combat, fused with other cards, or even promoted to unlock more powerful abilities, bringing a welcome amount of depth and strategy – and a splash of welcome silliness – to what initially seems like a fairly straightforward action game on the surface.

Better Homes and Gaidens

Ishin gives Ryoma plenty of opportunities to keep his sword sheathed, and one of the more substantial side activities sees him become the caretaker to a small farm in order to support a local orphan named Haruka. It’s a pretty involved process – you must carefully arrange your vegetable crops to maximise your return on each harvest, invest in additions such as chicken coops and scarecrows to further increase the farm’s output, and then meet meal delivery requests by completing simple Cooking Mama-style mini-games in order to turn a profit. I’ll be honest, farming simulation is really not for me, and if I ever make a stop in Stardew Valley it will be merely to ask for directions to the nearest highway so I can hightail it out of there. Still, this farm is an entirely optional undertaking and it certainly provides a more chilled out change of pace to take a sharp blade to radishes instead of ronins, if that’s the sort of thing you’re after.

Considering I enter each Yakuza adventure with a cocked fist rather than a green thumb, I was far more invested in the 40 different dungeon crawling missions offered at the Shinsengumi barracks. These provide an opportunity for farming of a decidedly more violent variety, running blade-first through bandit hideouts in order to scavenge precious materials required to forge more powerful weapons at the blacksmith, as well as level up your trooper cards to be fighting fit ahead of the next story mission. The reused cave backdrop does start to feel somewhat samey, but the layouts, door switches, and trap and enemy placements are shuffled up consistently enough to make each gauntlet run feel distinct. Even after completing Ishin’s main story, I’ve returned to the barracks to mop up the remaining Shinsengumi dispatches that I missed on my way through because I find them so satisfying to complete.

Elsewhere a lot of the series’ side activity staples are present and accounted for, with various types of gambling including poker and chicken racing, karaoke, and dance mini-games just a few of the distractions to indulge in. There are some fun ye olde Yakuza spins on modern mini-games to be found, too – instead of smacking baseballs in a batting cage you get to slice cannon balls in half with a well-timed swing of your sword, for example – but the bulk of these archaic amusements just can’t compete with the more dazzling diversions to be found in the contemporary settings of other Yakuza and Judgment games. Trading Club Sega arcades and go kart races for fishing and woodchopping feels a bit like forgoing a fun night on the town for a sleepy weekend away at your grandparents’ place – it’s still enjoyable and not without its charms, but it doesn’t exactly get your heartrate up.

The substories that can be stumbled upon are similarly lacking in any real surprises. In most Yakuza games you can’t make your way from A to B without taking an unexpected detour into WTF territory, but Ishin’s substories are mostly more conservative by comparison. There are some rare offbeat exceptions, and I was certainly amused when an errand to buy perfume for a young lady suddenly swerved into a frenetic chase sequence with a lustful salesman hot on my tail like a horny Pepé Le Pew, but for the most part these interactions with locals are pretty subdued compared to the more outrageous scenarios experienced elsewhere in the series. That said, although helping an old lady to find her way home is pretty uneventful (though certainly noble), it’s still worth doing since Ishin’s Virtue system rewards you for almost every interaction you have – whether it’s a substory, shopping at a store, or feeding a stray dog. The Virtue points you earn can be spent on everything from upgrading Ryoma’s sprinting stamina to expanding Haruka’s farm, so rarely does any task in Ishin go entirely unrewarded, no matter how innocuous it may seem.

Firaxis Games has officially announced that Civilization 7 is in development at the studio.

Revealed alongside the announcement that former COO Heather Hazen will be the new studio head, Firaxis confirmed that the next Civilization game is in development.

“I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to carry on the studio’s storied legacy, beginning with the announcement that Firaxis is in development on the next iteration of the legendary Civilization franchise,” said Hazen.

“I’m lucky to be working with some of the best developers in our industry, and we have plans to take the Civilization franchise to exciting new heights for our millions of players around the world. In addition, we will continue to support Marvel’s Midnight Suns with post-launch content, and explore new creative projects for our teams.”

Fans have been patiently waiting for confirmation of a new entry for seven years, following the launch of Civilization 6 in 2016. The studio has since been at work on its other premiere strategy franchise in XCOM: Chimera Squad and most recently tried something brand new with the aforementioned Marvel’s Midnight Suns.

With the announcement only coming now, without any mention of a release date, mechanics, or any other game details, it’s likely that Civilisation 7 is still years away, but it will seemingly be Firaxis Games’ main focus going forward.

In our 9/10 review of the previous game, IGN said: “Civilization 6 is fully loaded with features and makes some very smart changes to its winning 4X strategy formula.”

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

Nintendo has shared what changes are coming in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s long awaited February update but still hasn’t revealed an exact release date.

The patch, which includes several bug fixes alongside a handful of quality of life improvements, has been long anticipated by fans after Pokémon Scarlet and Violet launched in a state Nintendo itself was forced to apologise for.

Most of the new quality of life changes, as outlined on Nintendo’s website, revolve around Pokémon Boxes, with Nintendo making aiming to make it a little bit easier to manage the status of Pokémon all in one place.

From the Pokémon summary screen, players will now be able to change the nickname, markings, held item, and mark or Ribbon-related titles, reorder moves, have the Pokémon remember or forget moves, and use TMs.

The patch also makes it easier to swap out held items and move Pokémon around in large quantities, and it will now be easier to tell which Pokémon are in Battle Teams.

As for bug fixes, which are perhaps of a bigger concern to the near 20 million people who’ve bought Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Nintendo is addressing several issues across different categories including Tera Raids and Battles.

A Tera Pokémon’s health not being accurately reflected in the HP bar, connectivity issues, National Dex Pokémon showing up in the Paldea Pokédex, random items appearing unintentionally in the world, and more (viewable in the full notes below) will all be addressed.

Nintendo also confirmed it would continue to update Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and address further issues in the future, but gave no information regarding when the next update would arrive.

This February update will be just the second released for the games despite several issues being reported following their launch. These included a broken PvE experience in the endgame, a rigged Battle Stadium, duplication glitches, a bizarre method of running at double speed, and more.

The poor performance was also a major factor in our 6/10 review, as IGN said: “The open-world gameplay of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a brilliant direction for the future of the franchise, but this promising shift is sabotaged by the numerous ways in which Scarlet and Violet feel deeply unfinished.”

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Ver. 1.2.0 Patch Notes

Feature Adjustments

• Additional functionality will be added for Pokémon Boxes:
  • From a Pokémon’s summary, players will be able to change the Pokémon’s nickname, markings, held item, and mark- or Ribbon-related titles, as well as being able to reorder moves, have the Pokémon remember moves, have the Pokémon forget moves and use TMs.
  • Players will be able to swap out held items by pressing the Y Button when in the Held Items view.
  • Players will be able to select All Boxes while moving Pokémon or items in the Party and Boxes view and Held Items view.
  • When in the Battle Team view, Pokémon in your Boxes that are assigned to a Battle Team will now have their icons displayed in a darker hue if those Pokémon are members of the Battle Team that is currently being displayed.
• The News screen will be displayed when you connect to the internet from the main menu, just as it is when connecting to the internet from the Poké Portal.

Bug Fixes

Tera Raid Battles

• A bug that can prevent an opposing Tera Pokémon’s HP gauge from properly reflecting damage done by certain moves (such as Play Rough) or certain status conditions may occur in Tera Raid Battles, resulting in the Tera Pokémon’s HP gauge fluctuating in an unusual manner. This will be fixed.
• A bug that causes all Pokémon on your side to faint at once despite their HP gauges indicating that they still have HP may occur in black crystal Tera Raid Battles against Pokémon with the Mightiest Mark. This will be fixed.
• A bug that can temporarily prevent a player from entering any input into the game may occur if a Tera Pokémon takes certain actions while the player is choosing the target of their move. This will be fixed.
• A bug that causes a communication error may occur when someone connecting to a Tera Raid Battle sees a different Pokémon displayed on their screen than what the host sees. This will be fixed.
• A bug may occur that causes players joining a Tera Raid Battle from the Tera Raid Battles search screen to be brought to a Tera Raid Battle against a Pokémon different from the one they saw displayed. This will be fixed.
• A bug that causes Tera Raid Battle crystals to not appear for a set amount of time may occur under certain circumstances. This will be fixed.

Battles

• Type matchups against Pokémon that have fainted will no longer appear when selecting a move or target during Double Battles.
• A Zoroark that has Terastallized and is disguised as another Pokémon via its Illusion Ability can be identified as a Zoroark by using the Check Target option. This is a bug and will be fixed.
• When a Zoroark has Terastallized and is disguised as another Pokémon via its Illusion Ability, the type matchups of moves are displayed based on the type of the Pokémon that Zoroark is disguised as, rather than Zoroark’s Tera Type. This is a bug and will be fixed.
• The stats of a Dondozo with a Tatsugiri in its mouth will increase when Dondozo uses Order Up, even when the move should have been negated (for example, by an opponent using Protect). This is a bug and will be fixed.
• If a Pokémon Terastallizes after using Destiny Bond and then faints, the effects of Destiny Bond will fail to activate. This is a bug and will be fixed.

Other

• We will address an issue that can cause the game to forcibly close at certain locations. As a result of this fix, there may be a reduction of Pokémon and people displayed in certain towns or in the wild.
• When a Pokémon that is not a part of the Paldea Pokédex is obtained through a Link Trade, it is displayed as being registered to the Paldea Pokédex. This is a bug and will be fixed.
• Certain actions can cause the main character’s expressions to not change until the game is closed and reopened. This will be fixed.
• A bug occurred for some players after Ranked Battles Season 1, wherein visiting the Ranked Battles screen immediately after the season’s results had been calculated caused a communication error after the players received their rewards. Following this error, players were unable to participate in any further Ranked Battles. This will be fixed.
• If a player has created several Battle Teams but does not use the Battle Team in the first slot for their Ranked Battles, they may not receive the Master Rank Ribbon after winning Ranked Battles in the Master Ball Tier. This will be fixed.
• When a Pokémon you caught comes back to you from another player through Link Trade, it may not listen to your commands in accordance with what is written in the profile app (“Pokémon caught at Lv. XX or below will listen to your commands”). This will be fixed.
• A bug is preventing the Pokédex from displaying additional entries (such as entries for Shiny Pokémon or Pokémon that were received through Surprise Trade from players that play in a different language) for Pokémon species that were already registered in the Pokédex. This will be fixed.
• Objects such as Poké Balls may be displayed in certain locations of the field unintentionally. This will be fixed.
• Passersby will no longer be displayed during certain battles that take place in towns during the main story.
• Other select bug fixes will be implemented.

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

Cardy’s been lost in other worlds with the PlayStation VR2. He’ll tell you all about his time with Horizon Call of the Mountain before Matt and Alex join in to talk about HBO’s The Last of Us now we’ve passed the halfway point. They then share some of their favourite post-apocalyptic games, movies, TV shows, and books.

Got a game for us to play, or just want to tell us the weirdest thing you’ve eaten for breakfast? Drop us an email: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.

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