Category: IGN

Destiny’s loot hobo, 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 January 13 through January 17. 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.

Good news, Nintendo fans. One of gaming’s most iconic and popular characters is now available in one of gaming’s most popular and iconic collectibles. The Sephiroth amiibo is available to purchase right now from Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and Target. And for fans of Kazuya, you can pick him up too.

Where to Buy the Sephiroth Amiibo

• Also at Best Buy
• Also at GameStop
• Also at Target

Where to Buy the Kazuya Amiibo

The Kazuya amiibo is also available right now, and is also super cool.

• Also at Best Buy
• Also at GameStop
• Also at Target

Both the Sephiroth amiibo and the Kazuya amiibo are part of the newest wave of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate line of amiibo figures. There’s also amiibo for Pyra and Mythra coming sometime this year, although Nintendo hasn’t yet announced the release dates for that pair.

As far as amiibo go… these might be some of the best, ever? The Sephiroth amiibo alone is just extraordinary, but the Kazuya one also carries over that same attention to detail. But come on, we all know which of the two you’re planning on getting!

Sephiroth’s popularity in gaming is undeniable. Go to any gaming-related forum or discord server and you’ll find at least one username based on “Sephiroth” or his identity as the one-winged angel. Even his theme music is one of the most iconic in gaming.

Preorders of these sold out quickly, but they’re back in stock now for their release date. Who knows how long stock will last? Not I.

Seth Macy is Executive Editor, IGN Commerce, and just wants to be your friend. You can find him hosting the Nintendo Voice Chat podcast.

BioWare is finally gearing up to release the next entry in the Dragon Age series. But if you want a taste of what’s coming in this acclaimed fantasy saga, Dark Horse Comics is releasing a prequel miniseries dubbed Dragon Age: The Missing.

IGN can exclusively debut a new preview of Dragon Age: The Missing #1, which is written by George Mann and drawn by Kieran McKeown. Check it out in the slideshow gallery below:

Here’s Dark Horse’s official description for the first issue:

A new story leading directly into BioWare’s upcoming game Dragon Age: Dreadwolf! Varric Tethras and Lace Harding descend into the abandoned Deep Roads beneath Marnas Pell in pursuit of a former friend. But the corruption of the blight has infected the walls, and the threat of darkspawn looms heavy in the air . . .

Dragon Age: The Missing #1 will release in comic shops and on digital storefronts on Wednesday, January 25.

While we still have no release date for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, BioWare did confirm the much-anticipated RPG recently completed its Alpha milestone, meaning the game is now playable from start to finish. BioWare also recently released a new cinematic trailer shedding light on Solas, the titular Dread Wolf.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Cardy has watched all of the first season of HBO’s The Last of Us and is here to tell you why it’s great. Matt has finished Marvel’s Midnight Suns and is here to tell you why it’s great. Jesse has played a bit of Sons of the Forest and is here to tell you why it’s looking great. Hopefully, it’s a great podcast this week.

Got a game for us to play or some feedback you’d like read out on the show? Why not email us: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.

IGN UK Podcast #679: The Last of Us is Very Good

• IGN UK Podcast #678: Wot We Did Over Christmas
• IGN UK Podcast 677: The Big 2023 Preview
• IGN UK Podcast 676: Alternative Game Awards 2022
• IGN UK Podcast 675: Alternative Movie & TV Awards 2022
• IGN UK Podcast 674: Birdwatching with Blade

Google and Nvidia have both reportedly joined Sony in raising concerns to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding Microsoft’s planned $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, according to a Bloomberg report.

The two companies reportedly contend that by acquiring Activision Blizzard, Microsoft would gain an unfair advantage in the cloud, subscription, and mobile gaming markets. That said, one source told Bloomberg that Nvidia at least is not expressly opposed to the acquisition, though it did stress the importance of equal access to game titles.

The report does not elaborate on either company’s other specific concerns. Microsoft currently is a strong contender in cloud gaming alongside Nvidia with GeForce Now, with Google’s Stadia program having folded last year. In mobile gaming, though, Microsoft has markedly little presence.

In fact, Xbox head Phil Spencer previously pointed to Activision Blizzard’s mobile King division as the keystone of the intended acquisition, and filings connected to the deal have revealed that Microsoft wants to use King to create a new “xbox Mobile Platform.”

Nvidia and Google join Sony as major companies bringing issues forward to governing bodies about the acquisition, though based on the tone, these latter two are coming in notably softer on the issue. Lat elast year, the FTC announced it would sue to block Microsoft’s attempted acquistion due to concerns that the deal would harm competition from rival console-makers through exclusivity. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has also raised similar concerns.

Over the last several months, Microsoft has been repeatedly attempting to counter such concerns, including by offering a deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for as long as ten years, and a similar promise to bring the series to Nintendo consoles.

While it’s unclear exactly how involved Nvidia or Google will continue to be, both companies could potentially be called to testify before the FTC when the lawsuit goes to trial, which Bloomberg notes is planned for August of this year.

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

The Pokémon Company International said that there were will be a new patch for Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet coming in February.

“Update Ver. 1.2.0, which will include bug fixes and add functionality, is planned to be released in late February. Please look forward to more details soon,” says The Pokémon Company in a statement on its official website.

Shortly after launch back in November, Patch 1.1.0 was pushed out and added features such as Ranked Battles and fixed some “select bugs” such as the music not being played correctly during battles against the Elite Four. However, the patch didn’t seem to address many of the various technical and performance issues that have been plaguing the games.

Unfortunately, The Pokémon Company hasn’t provided any specific details on whether the upcoming patch will alleviate performance problems. So far, it seems like it’ll just continue to fix more bugs and include additional features.

Despite how the numerous glitches and performance issues found in the games, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet set a brand new all-time sales record with 10 million combined units sold within its first three days of launch.

In IGN’s Pokemon Scarlet review, we 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.”

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He’s been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.

When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey

Rick and Morty co-creator and High on Life creator Justin Roiland has been charged in a California court with domestic battery and false imprisonment, according to a report by NBC News.

NBC, which obtained the criminal complaint in question, says that Roiland was charged in May of 2020 in connection with an incident from January of that year.

Roiland is charged with one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury, and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud, and/or deceit — both against an anonymous Jane Doe who he was dating at the time.

He has pleaded “not guilty” to both charges.

Thus far, over a dozen hearings have taken place connected to these charges, including a pre-trial hearing today, but a trial date has not yet been set. Roiland was reportedly arrested in May of 2020 and released on a $50,000 bond the following August. In October, a protective order was filed stating that he was not permitted to harass, threaten, surveil, or go within 100 feet of the Jane Doe in question.

A number of other case details are reportedly being withheld under a protective order, though an attorney confirmed to NBC News that a plea offer is available. NBC reports that a hearing in the case is planned to reconvene on April 27, with Roiland ordered to attend.

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

Disclosure: The author of this piece’s partner previously worked at High on Life studio Squanch Games.

Image Credit: Greg Doherty, Getty Images

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) has announced its nominees for the 26th D.I.C.E. Awards, with Santa Monica Studios’ God of War: Ragnarok leading the pack with 12 nominations.

The annual video game award recognizes the best games of the year as chosen by the members of the AIAS, and the winners are chosen at an annual awards show hosted in Las Vegas. This year’s event will be hosted on February 23 on IGN.

This year’s awards will be co-hosted by Kinda Funny’s Greg Miller and IGN’s own Stella Chung, with IGN as the official media partner of the event. Check below for the full list of game of the year nominees which alongside God of War include Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West, Stray, and Vampire Survivors.

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

• Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course
• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Moss: Book 2

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• God of War Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Stray
• The Callisto Protocol

Outstanding Achievement in Character

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Alejandro Vargas
• God of War Ragnarok – Atreus
• God of War Ragnarok – Kratos
• Horizon Forbidden West – Aloy
• Return to Monkey Island – Guybrush Threepwood

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• God of War Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Metal: Hellsinger
• Moss: Book 2

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• God of War Ragnarok
• Gotham Knights
• Somerville

Outsanding Achievement in Story

• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarok
• I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
• IMMORTALITY
• NORCO

Outstanding Technical Achievement

• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Teardown

Action Game of the Year

• Bayonetta 3
• Grounded
• Neon White
• Sifu
• Vampire Survivors

Adventure Game of the Year

• God of War Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• NORCO
• Stray
• TUNIC

Family Game of the Year

• Disney Dreamlight Valley
• Kirby’s Dream Buffet
• Lost in Play
• Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
• Trombone Champ

Fighting Game of the Year

• JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R
• MultiVersus
• Rumbleverse
• SpiderHeck
• THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV

Racing Game of the Year

• F1 22
• Gran Turismo 7
• Need for Speed Unbound

Role-Playing Game of the Year

• Citizen Sleeper
• Elden Ring
• Weird West
• World of Warcraft: Dragonflight
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Sports Game of the Year

• EA SPORTS FIFA 23
• Mario Strikers: Battle League
• MLB The Show 22
• NBA 2k23
• OlliOlli World

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

• Dwarf Fortress
• IXION
• Marvel’s Midnight Suns
• Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator
• Warhammer 40,000: CHaos Gate – Demonhunters

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

• Cosmonious High
• Moss: Book 2
• Red Matter 2
• Tenatcular
• The Last Clockwinder

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

• IMMORTALITY
• Neon White
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
• TUNIC
• Vampire Survivors

Mobile Game of the Year

• Diablo Immortal
• Gibbon: Beyond the Trees
• IMMORTALITY
• MARVEL SNAP
• Poinpy

Online Game of the Year

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• EA SPORTS FIFA 23
• FINAL FANTASY XIV: Endwalker
• MARVEL SNAP
• Rumbleverse

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarok
• MARVEL SNAP
• TUNIC
• Vampire Survivors

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• IMMORTALITY
• TUNIC

Game of the Year

• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Stray
• Vampire Survivors

Check out the winners when the 26th DICE Awards are livestreamed from Las Vegas on IGN on February 23, 2023.

Despite key credits on franchises like Silent Hill, Serious Sam, and Legacy of Kain, for the last decade Sam Barlow has been mostly known as that guy that makes the “FMV games.”

Barlow went indie in 2014 and published Her Story the following year before forming studio Half Mermaid and releasing Telling Lies and 2022’s Immortality. With all three, Barlow took a very different approach to video game storytelling — filming scenes with real actors and playing with variations on central mechanics that have the audience searching for information through hours upon hours of footage.

For this, Barlow and Half Mermaid have received numerous awards and accolades, with Immortality nominated three times at The Game Awards for best performance, best narrative, and best game direction respectively.

I spoke with Barlow the day after The Game Awards, who said he went “all out” with Immortality — which leaves him “slightly scared” to consider what he and Half Mermaid might follow it up with.

“Does that mean I have to raise the stakes more?” he says. “Is there an expectation that you keep- Which is the thing where everything always falls apart, right? Like you’ll see season one of a show. I remember really loving 24; the first season of 24 was great. And then every season after that they were like, ‘Oh, we need more. Bigger, crazier sh*t.’ And it just lost everything.”

I ask Barlow what, independent of audience expectations, would make him happy to create. But he replies: “It’s never about being happy.”

“The initial stage [of development] is always really fun,” he continues. “The research stage, and just getting an excuse to sit and read lots of books during the day when I’m awake…That’s really fun. But sometimes, I mean, it was Warren Spector who said all of his game ideas came from a place of…seeing other people do shit and being like, ‘You’re doing it wrong.’”

Despite the pressure, though, Barlow has plenty of ideas, and at least one of them would involve taking a break from being ‘the FMV guy.’ He tells me that during Immortality development, Half Mermaid did some pre-production on a 3D game that was later paused. He says the pitch was essentially a “perfect smooch” of “a 3D character game” and “all of that Her Story, Immortality stuff.”

Barlow is cognizant though that all his most recent work has straddled a strange line between games and television, but doesn’t fit neatly into the box of either. He notes that they came at the concept of Immortality from a “games” perspective at least in part because of the economic justification – they could sell it as a game on Steam for $20, and people would at least functionally understand it. Even if the vast majority of the gaming audience didn’t vibe with its unique structure, a significant subset would still be interested and would buy it.

But even with games as a convenient medium for selling the strange hybrid stories Barlow likes telling, another avenue for future projects Barlow is considering is making his particular brand of storytelling work in the TV space. He says he’s been impressed so far with how Netflix (who published Immortality via its Netflix Games label) has disrupted typical TV viewing between the binge model, variable episode lengths, and things like Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch. But unsurprisingly, Barlow wants more.

“I’d love to see them inject some of these things that are currently unique to gaming,” he says. “That is the expressivity, the exploration, the sense of it being alive. There are a whole bunch of experimental novels and things that have these weird non-linear structures, or books that you can just randomly read pages and put the story together…But what I loved about Her Story is, because it’s digital, you are essentially just pulling shit out of the ether and discovering it. And that was explicitly [the case] with Immortality – the aesthetic of the grid was to have this void of darkness behind it because you were just summoning up these clips. So that sense of surprise and excitement is possible because the computer can hide things from you and can reveal things. I’d love to see [Netflix] do those things.”

Barlow acknowledges there are a lot of business-related reasons why TV isn’t making his vision come true yet. Money-making endeavors are inherently risk-averse, and it’s hard to convince an individual corporate giant to be the first one to fund leaps like the one Barlow’s proposing. “Everyone’s like, ‘We’ll be number two. Someone will do it and then we’ll jump in and be number two.’”

And yet, he adds, big corporations know they have to be on the lookout for the next outside-the-box idea, which is how we got experimental projects like Soderbergh’s Mosaic and Bandersnatch in the first place. Barlow thinks there’s something to the ways in which the younger generation engage with TV that may be the key Netflix is looking for to pull them away from Fortnite and TikTok. And maybe, just maybe, he’ll get to be the one to break that ground.

“Younger people watch TV whilst looking at their phone with the subtitles on, so they don’t have to actually pay attention,” he says. “And all these ways in which my kids will slightly play television like it’s one of my games. They’ll jump into random episodes, skip around, re-watch their favorite episodes a bunch of times…That was one of the things that we were interested in with Immortality was…we’re just constantly watching videos and being just totally expecting that we have an ultimate control over these videos. We can stop, start, and rewind them. Re-watch that episode. ‘Oh, I missed that. I’m going to rewind five seconds because I didn’t hear what the person said.’

“You went and saw a movie in the fifties or watched a TV show, you had no control. You were just sat there, and the movie would be played at you, or the TV would be broadcast at you. I think Peter Greenaway said, ‘Cinema died in 1983 with the invention of the remote control,’ or something. We thought it would be interesting and work to slightly subvert that. So yeah, I’d love to mess around there.”

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