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Here Are Some Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Hands On Impressions and the Best Aussie Deals

Let’s start with a confession about one of my greatest weaknesses. I absolutely adore the HD-2D visual aesthetic from the Octopath Traveler series, and I’ll play anything that employs it. Is your game unpolished with a bug that may or may not ruin save files? I’ll take my chances with it in HD-2D. Am I also looking at a 30-hour plot that reads like your intern randomly threw up gobstoppers labelled with names, places, and plot twists? How concerning—now gimme my HD-2D.

Obviously, if you choose to wrap this modern-meets-ancient art-style around one of the most celebrated RPGs of the golden age of gaming, well, winged serpents could not drag me away from your HD-2D quest.

I’ll clear my calendar for such a rejig, even if I didn’t grow up with the NES original because it didn’t launch in my country. For a few Aussies, like me, our introduction to DQ3 was a Game Boy port of the SNES refresh, which sold a million cartridges on launch day in ’96. Apparently, it also caused 300 Japanese fans to be arrested for truancy—a bit of gaming trivia I love almost as much as HD-2D.

Speaking of delaying education, I’m going to tell you what to expect with Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake in two shakes of a Jackanape’s tail. For now, though, let’s service the needs of the “mind’s already made up” types, because I know you exist. If that’s not you, by all means skip the window shop by clicking here to continue.

Preorder Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake

Nintendo Switch

PS5

Xbox Series X|S

PC

The standard edition comes with the game, along with the preorder bonus (detailed below), which includes a handful of in-game upgrades for your team of heroes. Don’t worry if you don’t see your store of choice in the list above. We’ll add new retailers as the listings become available.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Preorder Bonus

Preorder the game from any retailer, and you’ll receive the following in-game items:

  • Elevating Shoes x1
  • Seed of Agility x3
  • Seed of Magic x3
  • Seed of Defense x3
  • Seed of Strength x3
  • Seed of Life x3

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Impressions

Here’s the basic overview: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is a brand-new version of a classic RPG that first blew minds on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988. It’s a faithful remake that, despite the significant graphical revamp and refined narrative elements, doesn’t stray too far from the source material.

If you’re already an uber fan, you’d know that the first three Dragon Quest games represent the Erdrick Trilogy, and (kinda sorta spoilers) this third installment was actually a prequel that outlines the first steps of the adventure. Semi-confusing, no?

Anyway, you must fill the 16-bit boots of a 16-year-old child of a hero named Ortega, who was sent to defeat the villainous Baramos. Your old man cocked it up, so the king sends you and a group of companions to rectify his mistakes.

By the by, it should also be mentioned that you’re not going to hit end credits and be left in a narrative lurch for long—Dragon Quest 1 and 2 HD-2D upgrades are in the pipeline for 2025. It’s very much worth getting in on the ground floor now if you’ve been wondering what all the fuss is with this (soon to be) 12-games-thick franchise.

While I only had roughly an hour’s worth of hands on with DQ3, I found it to be surprisingly delightful and engaging, despite the somewhat creaky bones source material. I’m told that there will be new story elements and never before seen vocations for its heroes. Sounds like cutting room floor stuff that the diehard faithful will drool over.

Getting into the technicals, I noted Performance and Graphics modes on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, and more. The former translates to 60 frames per second, and the latter is a 4K resolution. Not sure why we can’t have both there, to be honest. This being a turn-based combat affair with the only major motion being your top-down traipsings across the overworld…I just went 4K and was perfectly happy.

I also noted that the devs are offering a choice between two protagonist appearances and three difficulty settings. If you do take the plunge there, you can always fall back on some quality of life features, including autosaves (with manual saves still available). Given that the combat here is light on the animations to preserve the OG feel, I was glad for the ability to speed the fisticuffs up with my shoulder buttons. Just give me my XP and a host of victory affirming, 16-bit-esque sound effects, please and thank you.

Other welcome additions included two camera modes, and a mini map which could be toggled on. I also love this feature and wish it was in more RPGs that I have to finish in dribs and drabs—an NPC conversation log that saves the last 30 interactions.

Looking back through my notes, it seems I also appreciated the now vestigial visual aesthetic where towns in the overworld appear like miniatures when compared to your super-deformed party. It’s also cool that the level designers add in rolling topography to what were once pancake grid overworlds, not to mention some gorgeous dappled light caused by foreground trees and moving clouds up beyond your vision. It’s modern things such as this—like the day/night cycle shoehorned in—that really make one appreciate the extra effort gone into enhancing this in sensible, non-destructive ways.

Unless my eyeballs and instincts are deceiving me, this package already has the feeling of being built by a team who worship the original article. Playing a remake like that is always an infectious experience, and I can’t wait to fill the gaps in my understanding of the “in the beginning” of a series I came to love later in the piece. November 15th can’t arrive soon enough.

Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays practically everything, often on YouTube.

Space Marine 2 Slammed With Server Troubles as Focus Entertainment Says It’s Aware of ‘Technical Issues’

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 is already off to a strong start, netting a 24 hour peak of 134,302 concurrents. Its start was good for fifth overall on Steam’s charts despite only being able to players who purchased the Gold and Ultra editions of the game.

But it wasn’t an entirely flawless victory for the anticipated sequel. Players soon reported problems with joining the server, including members of the IGN staff. Fans quickly took to X/Twitter and other forums to express their frustration with the experience.

Similarly, while Space Marine 2’s Steam reviews currently sit at “Mostly Positive,” a few fans complained about graphics drivers and a lack of ultrawide support, among other issues.

Focus Home Entertainment acknowledged the problems in a post to its official website, saying, “We are aware of the technical issues you’re encountering on #SpaceMarine2 and are sorry for the inconvenience. Our teams are currently working to fix them.Please keep providing feedback and make sure your read this note on the most common issues.”

The full post lists some of the most common issues, including crashing on the first cinematic, controller problems, and infinity loading. It also notes that linking Steam and Epic accounts is not required to play the game, saying that the Epic Online Services installation was implemented to “support optional cross-play between Steam and Epic players and to synchronize friend lists between the two stores.”

Otherwise, we were generally positive in our review of Space Marine 2, writing, “Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a terrific third-person shooter with a compelling story, loads of weapons that are a blast to use, and a healthy variety of enemies to use them on. It once again borrows many of its ideas from the Gears of War series, but they’re good ideas, and Space Marine 2 does a fine job of making them its own. And while the Operations PvE mode that accompanies it doesn’t currently offer enough to keep me coming back, the deep customization options for your Space Marine do look promising if it’s supported in post-launch updates as planned. Besides, when you’re eviscerating aliens on planets as pretty as these, it’s hard not to leave satisfied.”

Space Marine 2 is slated to fully launch on September 9 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Karlach Is Trending on X/Twitter After Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 7 Because Her New Evil Ending Is ‘Absolutely Metal’

Warning: The below story is packed with FULL SPOILERS for Baldur’s Gate 3, particularly Karlach’s new evil ending. You’ve been warned!

Larian Studios dropped its highly anticipated Patch 7 on PC today, and with it comes a slew of new cinematics for players doing evil runs. While fans hop back into the RPG and discover the new content, one origin character’s new evil ending is getting a particular amount of attention.

If you’re wondering why Karlach, everyone’s favorite tiefling Barbarian, was trending on X/Twitter today, that’s why. One fan showed her new evil ending, which you can watch below, and it’s going viral just by virtue of being “absolutely metal.”

In the clip, we see Karlach, if you’re playing her as an origin character, after she’s taken control of the The Netherbrain, essentially making all of Baldur’s Gate her pawns. No longer the golden retriever of the group, Karlach is fully embracing her newfound control as she gives a menacing monologue to the citizens in front of her before summoning a hoard of enemies from Avernus.

And, in a truly metal twist, the clip ends with her yanking her infernal heart out of her chest. About time she got rid of that dang thing.

In addition to just how badass the whole cinematic is, fans are also praising voice actor Samantha Beart’s new voice lines. Beart even took the liberty of highlighting one fan’s, uh, passionate response to the new ending.

Other fans talked about how the new scene displays the anger and darkness that Karlach has, as she also talks about Gortash, her friend/employer-turned-betrayer, in the clip. “THIS is the Zariel-brained anger filled darkness she has, absolutely unleashed,” one fan wrote.

It’s somewhat ironic, too, that a Karlach ending is at the center of a Baldur’s Gate 3 conversation yet again. In a previous patch, Larian tweaked the ill-fated character’s non-evil ending to give her story “better closure.”

Karlach isn’t the only one getting a new evil ending, however, and Larian already previously revealed a dark new cinematic for a Dark Urge origin character. As for the console players waiting to dive into the Baldur’s Gate 3’s massive Patch 7, which also includes official mod support, Larian said earlier today that it should arrive on consoles sometime this October.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.

Concord Will Remain in Prime Video’s Secret Level Despite Game’s Sudden Cancellation – Source

Concord will remain in Amazon’s Secret Level despite its sudden cancellation, IGN has learned from a source close to production.

Secret Level, a series of 15 standalone short stories featuring a host of video game properties, initially included Concord in its announcement during gamescom. Its inclusion was thrown into doubt by PlayStation’s decision to take Concord offline, seemingly spelling the end of the troubled live service game.

Prime Video has yet to officially whether or not it will remain in Tim Miller’s anthology series, but IGN understands that the episode featuring Concord is indeed still slated to air this season.

In addition to Concord, Secret Level will include stories featuring God of War, Mega Man, Unreal Tournament, and other properties from throughout video game history. Keanu Reeves is among the actors said to be starring in the series.

Secret Level garnered attention at gamescom not just because of its large numer of familiar franchises, but because of Miller’s involvement in popular anthologies such as Love, Death and Robots. It’s currently slated to stream on Prime Video on December 10.

Concord, for its part, is slated to go offline this week — less than two weeks after its initial release. Concord’s low sales and tiny concurrent numbers seemingly doomed the shooter, though it’s unclear whether Sony plans to bring it back as a free-to-play release. In the meantime, players are throwing themselves off cliffs in an attempt to max out their level and get a coveted platinum trophy.

In our Concord review we wrote, “Concord isn’t the most innovative or content-heavy hero shooter you could play, but with such fantastic competitive gameplay, 16 compelling characters to master, and 12 well-designed maps, it’s got the makings of something that could go the distance in the months and years to come. In fact, it’s a testament to its FPS chops that even while it has a virtually nonexistent story and a serious need for a signature game mode, I still found myself losing dozens of hours to its PvP charms.”

Concord is scheduled to go offline on September 6.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

PS5 Pro Design May Have Been Secretly Revealed in PlayStation 30th Anniversary Image

Sony may have just given gaming fans a sneak peek at the design of what is being referred to as the PlayStation 5 Pro (PS5 Pro) after months of rumors.

What might be our first look at a PS5 upgrade comes from an image that made its way into a PlayStation.Blog update from earlier today. As a whole, the post is meant to make players aware of how Sony plans to celebrate PlayStation’s 30th Anniversary, detailing upcoming offerings such as a free trial period of Gran Turismo 7 and digital game soundtracks. It’s a message that ends teasing that fans should “be on the lookout for more announcements in the near future,” but the biggest reveal starts at the top of the page.

If you take a close look between the PlayStation logo and the 30 in the image below, you’ll see what many fans have picked up on: a foreign PS5 design that features three stripes on its side.

Sony has released a number of PS5 plates since the console was first released in 2020. Although players have been able to pick up various cover colors and, more recently, the single-striped PS5 Slim, a PS5 with three breaks in its plates has never been officially revealed. Considering the likely tease accompanies the announcement that Sony’s 30th anniversary plans are on the horizon, we may not have to wait that much longer to see what could be an official announcement for what many are already calling the PS5 Pro.

Although Sony hasn’t gone as far as to reveal or name its long-awaited PS5 upgrade, fans have anticipated an announcement for months. Now nearly four years removed from the launch of the fifth PlayStation console, it’s high time for a mid-gen refresh that gives gamers more tools to play their favorite titles. There’s also the fact that, last week, reliable leaker billbil-kun shared what they said was the design of the PS5 Pro, publishing a picture that looks remarkably similar to what we’re seeing today. The time is right and the rumors are swirling more than ever, but until Sony confirms the news itself, it’s best to keep expectations for the PS5 Pro low for now.

Meanwhile, Sony is said to be aiming to release a new console sometime during this year’s holiday season, with an official announcement possibly happening ahead of Tokyo Game Show. For everything else we know about the PS5 Pro, you can click here. You can also learn about recent console price hikes in Japan and how some experts believe it could impact the cost of Sony’s rumored PlayStation 5 upgrade.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

Upcoming Alan Wake Update Will Remove David Bowie’s Space Oddity From the Soundtrack, Replace It With a New Original Song

Remedy Entertainment will soon issue an update for the original Alan Wake that will remove one of its songs on PC.

The studio announced the news in a post on the official Alan Wake X/Twitter account, saying that the changes will arrive in a few days, starting September 10 at 11 a.m. UTC. It’s an update that will affect Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG versions of the 2010 experience, removing David Bowie’s classic ‘60s tune, Space Oddity.

The dreamy rock song appears in Alan Wake to bookend the story as it plays over its credits sequence. It’s a notable finale for the adventure that eventually picks back up in Alan Wake 2, but Remedy isn’t leaving fans without a proper replacement. When Bowie’s spacey song is removed from Alan Wake, an original song written by Petri Alanko called Strange Moons will take its place. The composer has worked with the studio on projects like Control and Alan Wake 2 in the past, so while we can’t hear what Strange Moons sounds like yet, expect it to fit in with the atmosphere fans love the series for.

Remedy notes that Alan Wake Remastered, which released in 2021, will not be affected by the impending update. Meanwhile, Alanko took to X to tease what Strange Moons has in store, saying that a slice of the song was once included in an original Alan Wake level that was “cut out long before release.”

Expired music licenses have impacted games in the past, so while it may be disappointing to hear Alan Wake join the list of affected titles, it isn’t a complete shock. Just earlier this year, Yager Development’s Spec Ops: The Line suffered an even worse fate when publisher 2K announced that it would be completely delisting the experience from a number of digital storefronts due to the expiration of “several partnership licenses related to the game.” While it wasn’t explicitly stated that the 2012 third-person shooter’s removal was related to music licenses, many believe the frequent appearance of notable songs in-game is to blame.

We gave the PC version of Alan Wake a 9/10 in our review, saying, “Remedy has built a world that, despite being a fantastical realm of twisting shadows and realities, is solidly anchored in authenticity.” With or without Bowie, the franchise will continue to be a part of Remedy’s connected universe of IP. The studio’s future plans include movies based on some of its franchises and Control 2.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

How Will PS5 Price Increases in Japan Impact the PS5 Pro Price? What the Experts are Saying

It feels like every few months or so, we’re writing about another price hike. Often, we’re talking about subscription services such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, PlayStation Plus, or Xbox Game Pass. But we’ve also written about multiple price increases on gaming hardware in recent years. The PS5 pricing jumped everywhere except the United States in 2022, and the Xbox Series X followed suit one year later. Now, we’re watching hardware prices rise yet again – this time on the PS5 in Japan.

Common as it has become to see costs tick up and up this console generation, Sony’s Japanese price hike comes at a surprising time. Rumors have been swirling for months that the company is on the cusp of announcing and releasing an even more expensive console in a PS5 Pro. Assuming those rumors are founded (and they do seem to be), what’s Sony thinking jacking up console prices before releasing something even more expensive? Will ever-increasing sticker prices impact sales of either box?

Once again, I asked professional analysts to explain the situation. Here’s what I learned.

Why did Sony raise the price of the PS5 in Japan?

The answer here is a fairly simple one: economics. I spoke to Kantan Games’ Dr. Serkan Toto, Michael Wagner from Newzoo, and Daniel Ahmad from Niko Partners, and all three agreed that the PS5 price increase in Japan isn’t some sort of harbinger of global price increases to come. “Japan is coming out of literally decades of deflation, prices are generally going up for consumer goods over here, and Sony is simply jumping on that bandwagon.“ Toto explained.

Ahmad offered more detail in a lengthy post on X/Twitter. He noted that since launch, the cost of a PS5 with a disc drive has increased by 60% and the cost of the all-digital edition has increased by 82.5% in Japan.

“Sony cites a challenging external environment, including fluctuations in the global economy, for the reason behind the three price increases,” he continued. “Japan is on the extreme end, but other markets have seen 1 or 2 price increases too, which is unique for console hardware.

“The weakened yen against the dollar is certainly one reason. In 2020, the PS5 launched for what was the equivalent of $480. Today, that would be equal to $345, hence price increases to what is essentially $550.”

Ahmad added that crackdowns on exports of Japanese consoles to other markets, especially China, was another likely factor.

As for what this means for everyone else, Toto and Ahmad confirmed that the price increases were likely limited to the Japanese market for the foreseeable future. And while no one was willing to speculate as to whether we’d see a comparable Xbox console price increase in Japan anytime soon (Xbox raised the price on the Xbox in Japan already in early 2023), Toto and Ahmad both acknowledged that both companies were under economic pressure, and would adjust strategy accordingly.

What does this mean for the PS5 Pro?

Though there’s been no official announcement yet, there are a lot of good reasons to believe a PS5 Pro upgrade of some sort is imminent. The analysts I spoke to are confident, too. Toto in particular said he has “no doubt” a PS5 Pro is coming. And everyone agreed that a PS5 Pro would obviously be priced higher than the current PS5. As Ahmad said:

“One, production and shipping costs are not declining in-line with previous generations, especially for components such as SSDs. This was especially notable during the early COVID-19 period which severely impacted supply chains and led to shortages for chips, paired with an increase in demand for at-home entertainment, which led to increasing costs. Two, console platform holders are struggling to maintain gross profit margins across the board. This has led to price maintenance (or even price increases in some markets) to ensure hardware remains profitable. Three, the Xbox Series S and PS5 Digital Edition were already sold at a significant loss on day 1. The increased focus on profitability for disc models is to try and offset losses, maintain margins, and weather external factors that may impact spending on games such as cost of living increases.”

But the other two analysts differed slightly on how Sony might make the higher PS5 Pro price palatable. Toto doesn’t believe there will be a price cut on the PS5 base model. “We can expect the PS5 Pro to cost $600 to $650 in the US,” he said. “Now, I am curious what Sony will do in the Japanese market where the current model costs 79,980 yen. For that price, you can get two Switches and almost an additional Switch Lite here. Will they dare to offer the PS5 Pro for 100,000 yen or even more?”

I am curious what Sony will do in Japan where the PS5 costs 79,980 yen…Will they dare to offer the PS5 Pro for 100,000 yen?

Wagner has a different take: “While we do not collect revenue on hardware, when the PS4 Pro version came to market, we saw a decrease in the cost of the base model. If a PS5 Pro is on the horizon, we have no reason to believe Sony will change their pricing strategy for this generation.”

Toto and Wagner also differed in their perspectives on how effective a PS5 Pro release would be for Sony. Both analysts pointed out that its projected timing ahead of the release of Grand Theft Auto 6 would certainly help bolster sales. Toto recalled that by the end of the life cycle, the PS4 Pro accounted for 10-15% of overall PS4 hardware sales. He believes a PS5 Pro can reach the same percentage.

But Wagner believes that the PS5 Pro “may not move the needle for this generation in the same way that a price decrease in the base model may,” and while GTA 6 might be a hardware sales driver, it might not be as significant as some would expect.

“We have also shown that many players are playing more mature titles that do not require hardware upgrades (Fortnite, Minecraft, etc.). Due to this, it will be interesting to see how Sony positions a Pro version to drive console sales for players who are not already interested in the base model.”

Ahmad didn’t explicitly take either position, but he did have an interesting addendum on a different console entirely.

“It’s also worth noting that [a PS5 Pro release] will likely impact the successor to the Nintendo Switch’s price in Japan too. As it’s unlikely Nintendo will be able to price it as low as the original Switch was at launch.”

The recent PS5 price increase in Japan may almost certainly be nothing more complex than a reaction to larger economic factors, especially given its limitation to one region and Xbox’s corresponding increase last year. But we’re coming off of a generation of price increase after increase on subscriptions, games, and hardware amid widespread inflation. And with a PS5 Pro seemingly imminent, a Switch successor almost certain to follow, and whatever Xbox is doing, the question of what companies can reasonably ask of consumers for a new game box is becoming an increasingly spicy one.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

NBA 2K25 Bug Has Players Competing With Clones of Their Own MyPlayer

NBA 2K25 players are encountering a somewhat hilarious but very frustrating bug that sees their own MyPlayer character cloned and competing against or alongside them.

The annualized basketball game is already available to most under the “Early Tip-Off” banner, a somewhat bizarre faux early access period available to anyone who buys the game digitally or physically at “participating retailers”, with only some retailers and Nintendo Switch players unable to play until September 6, 2024.

Players are therefore encountering unusual bugs like the character clones and sharing them online. And while facing off against another version of the heroic protagonist is somewhat of a video game cliche, it’s definitely not intentional in NBA 2K25.

Double trouble 😂😂
byu/New-Tutor-8702 inNBA2k

“Playing my first MyCareer game. Anyone get this glitch?” asked New-Tutor-8702 on Reddit, who posted a photo of his Chicago Bulls player and his identical twin. “My MP has duplicated and is playing on court at the same time as me,” said Honest_Database_1550, who encountered the same issue on the Los Angeles Clippers.

A representative of NBA 2K25 did respond to this post, however, saying the team was “looking into this,” though no specifics regarding a fix were shared. It’s also unclear if whatever fix that comes will address all variations of the clone bug.

Putting the others to shame, SinStealer posted a photo of his Philadelphia 76ers MyPlayer cloned not just once but twice, meaning three out of the five players on the floor were mirror images of himself.

MyCareer Why does my team consist of myself 3 times
byu/SinStealer inNBA2k

Other fans are having fun with it, of course, with one posting a monologue as if from a basketball documentary akin to The Last Dance. “He was crazy. It’s like he was all over the court. He was in front of me, I passed the ball and he was in front of that guy too,” they said.

Some clones are even stealing stats, with players reporting their own numbers being divided between them all. If a player had two clones and scored 12 points, for example, they’d only be credited for four at the end of the game.

But the opposite is happening too: Some players are being awarded for all two or three players combined. “Whichever one is in your position will get your stats but at the end of the game they all count for you,” said NOsaints16. “Combined between my three duplicates I got the GOAT achievement for tying Kobe’s 81 point game.”

And finally, some players aren’t just competing with an annoying bug but literally having to compete with themselves, as some clones are spawning on the opposite team. “I’m in the Jazz and on my second game I was going against myself on the other team for some reason,” said ShadowzOn144hz. “My points per game were divided by half to 47 and it gives feedback for both myself and the clone on the top right.”

This specific version of the bug appears to have a more explicit caus. NBA 2K25 opens with players competing for the 2025 NBA Championship. It’s overtime of Game 7 eand they must win the game for their chosen team.

It turns out to be a “manifestation,” of course, and players come out of a meditative state to begin their MyCareer proper, before the season has even begun. NBA 2K25 then asks the player to choose their actual team, but players are encountering the clone glitch if they choose a different one to their “manifestation” team.

If, for example, a player choose the Miami Heat as their “manifestation” team, and goes through the sequence of pretending to win the 2025 NBA Championship, and they then choose the Orlando Magic as their actual starting MyCareer team, they’ll come up against the clone version of themselves in the Orlando versus Miami games.

The bug will hopefully be addressed by 2K soon, though players will just have to put up with themselves in the meantime.

NBA 2K25 puts Boston Celtics star and 2024 NBA champion Jayson Tatum on the cover alongside WNBA champion A’ja Wilson. The developer announced the top 10 players just ahead of launch, revealing that three Europeans are now considered the three best basketball players by 2K.

Image Credit: SinStealer on Reddit

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Amazon Announces Prime Gaming September 2024 Lineup

Amazon has announced the September 2024 Prime Gaming lineup (Prime Gaming is a benefit of Amazon Prime membership).

Highlights include Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, Greedfall: Gold Edition, Whispered Secrets: Everburning Candle Collector’s Edition, Minabo – A Walk through Life, and Eternights.

To coincide with the premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 on Prime Video, Prime members also get several free games from The Lord of the Rings universe, including Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition, LEGO The Lord of the Rings, and LEGO The Hobbit via GOG code, and can play Middle-earth: Shadow of War on Amazon Luna.

And hot on the heels of the disastrous Borderlands movie and the official reveal of Borderlands 4, Prime members can also claim Borderlands 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and Tales from the Borderlands for free this month via the Epic Games Store.

September 2024 Prime Gaming lineup in full:

  • Now Available: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition [GOG Code] — Fight through Mordor and uncover the truth of the spirit that compels you, discover the origins of the Rings of Power, build your legend and ultimately confront the evil of Sauron in this new chronicle of Middle-earth.
  • Now Available: LEGO The Lord of the Rings [GOG Code] — Based on The Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy, LEGO The Lord of the Rings follows the original story-lines of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, taking players through the epic story’s events re-imagined with the humor and endless variety of LEGO play.
  • Now Available: Borderlands 2 [Epic Games Store] — The time is now to take out Handsome Jack. Gather up your friends as you run rampant through the world collecting bazillions of loot and guns in an effort to save Pandora from the evil grips of the Hyperion Corporation.
  • Now Available: Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition [Epic Games Store] — In Shadow of the Tomb Raider Definitive Edition experience the final chapter of Lara’s origin as she is forged into the Tomb Raider she is destined to be.
  • Now Available: GreedFall: Gold Edition [GOG Code] — GreedFall’s Gold Edition is the most complete way to experience the critically-acclaimed RPG, including the base game and The de Vespe Conspiracy story expansion. Explore uncharted new lands as you set foot on a remote island seeping with magic, and filled with riches, lost secrets, and fantastic creatures.
  • Now Available: Whispered Secrets: Everburning Candle Collector’s Edition [Amazon Games App] — You’re called in to investigate and find dark and shady dealings behind the scenes, with the lives of several patients at stake. Who are these so-called ‘outcasts,’ and why are they really here? Douse the flames on this mystery as you explore hidden-object puzzles and solve mini-games!
  • Now Available: Minabo — A Walk through Life [Amazon Games App] — A social simulation game where you walk the path of life while your turnip grows and thrives (or not) in its social relationships.
  • Now Available: Eternights [Epic Games Store] — Eternights is a dating action game where you try to make the most out of life during the apocalypse.
  • Now Available: LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures [Amazon Games App] — Build, Battle and Brawl your way out of trouble! Play through all three classic Indiana Jones™ movies and relive your favorite Indy adventures in the tongue-in-cheek worlds of LEGO.
  • Now Available: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel [Epic Games Store] — Launch into the Borderlands universe and shoot ’n’ loot your way through a brand new adventure that rockets you onto Pandora’s moon.
  • September 12: Tales from the Borderlands [Epic Games Store] — Tales from the Borderlands is a five-part episodic game set on the unforgiving world of Pandora between the events of Borderlands 2 and Borderlands 3.
  • September 12: 9 Years of Shadows [GOG Code] — A fateful night of sorrow and ancient magic changed the life of a young child forever, and with it, everything else as mankind knew it. For 9 long years, the world has been submerged in the deepest of shadows, robbing every object and living creature of their color, their joy, and most importantly, hope.
  • September 12: Moonlighter [GOG Code] — During a long-passed archaeological excavation, a set of Gates were discovered. People quickly realized that these ancient passages lead to different realms and dimensions — providing brave and reckless adventurers with treasures beyond measure.
  • September 12: Golfie [Amazon Games App] — Play through procedurally-generated levels, build a deck of crazy card abilities, and try to beat all 18 holes. Pick your route carefully because no two runs — or shots — are the same!
  • September 12: Cursed to Golf [GOG Code] — Play as The Cursed Golfer, trapped in Golf Purgatory after a freak accident takes you out as you’re about to take the winning shot of an international tournament!
  • September 12: Hell Pie [GOG Code] — Hell Pie is an obscene 3D platformer that takes bad taste to the next level! The game sees you grab the horns of Nate, the ‘Demon of Bad Taste’. He is given the honorable task of gathering the disgusting ingredients for Satan’s infamous birthday pie!
  • September 12: Showgunners [GOG Code] — In a dystopian future where corporations rule, a brutal reality show is the hottest entertainment property in town! You play as Scarlett Martillo, a contestant out for revenge.
  • September 12: Arcadegeddon [Epic Games Store] — Rise up and play with up to three friends in this ever-evolving cooperative multiplayer shooter. Explore multiple biomes, mini games, find hidden chests, and defeat numerous enemies and bosses.
  • September 19: Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales [GOG Code] — Thronebreaker is a single player role-playing game set in the world of The Witcher that combines narrative-driven exploration with unique puzzles and card battle mechanics.
  • September 19: The Falconeer [GOG Code] — Become the Falconeer and soar through the skies aboard a devastatingly powerful Warbird. Uncover secrets lost to the sea as you join or oppose different factions and clans scattered throughout The Great Ursee.
  • September 19: LEGO The Hobbit [GOG Code] — Reclaim the Lost Kingdom brick by brick! Join Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, Thorin and his company of Dwarves in an epic adventure across Middle-earth to recapture the Lonely Mountain.
  • September 19: I Love Finding Cats & Pups — Collector’s Edition [Legacy Games Code] — Play new mini games, solve fun puzzles and collect all the adorable cats and pups.
  • September 19: Kerbal Space Program [GOG Code] — Take charge of the space program for the alien race known as the Kerbals. You have access to an array of parts to assemble fully-functional spacecrafts that flies (or doesn’t) based on realistic aerodynamic and orbital physics.
  • September 26: Mystery Case Files: Black Crown — Collector’s Edition [Amazon Games App] — A visit to Manchester Asylum takes a dangerous turn into madness.
  • September 26: Ghost Song [GOG Code] — On the desolate moon of Lorian, a long-dormant Deadsuit awakens from slumber. Journey beneath the surface in an atmospheric 2D adventure of self-discovery, ancient mysteries, and cosmic terror. Explore winding caverns and acquire new abilities to unearth this alien world’s long-buried secrets.
  • September 26: Ynglet [Amazon Games App] — Jump between bubbles that float in the sky like you’re a space dolphin, as you melt into a highly reactive and dynamic soundtrack created by Ynglet’s custom (and needlessly complicated) music software.
  • September 26: Black Desert [Pearl Abyss Code] — Experience intense, action-packed combat, battle massive world bosses, fight alongside friends to siege and conquer castles, and train in professions such as fishing, trading, crafting, cooking, and more.
  • September 26: Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams [Amazon Games App] — Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is a blistering hardcore platformer with contrasting worlds.

  • Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

    • Helldivers 2 Dev Responds to ‘Mostly Negative’ Steam Rating With the Promise of Patch That Makes ‘Significant Changes’

    Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has acknowledged the game’s plummeting Steam user review rating by outlining plans for a patch that makes what it called “significant changes.”

    The explosive third-person co-op shooter broke records when it launched on PC and PlayStation 5 earlier this year, becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game of all time. But Arrowhead has suffered a torrid time of late as it struggles to satisfy Helldivers 2’s fanbase, with recent months in particular resulting in a ‘mostly negative’ recent user review rating on Steam. Helldivers 2’s overall Steam user review rating remains ‘mostly positive.’

    Most of the negativity revolves around a feeling that Arrowhead has been heavy handed in nerfing Helldivers 2’s various weapons and stratagems as it balances the game. The constant nerfs have caused some players to accuse Arrowhead of stripping all the fun out of Helldivers 2, a game that revolves around blowing alien bugs and robots to bits with over-the-top guns and bombs.

    “We see the Steam reviews and we hear you loud and clear,” Arrowhead said in an update outlining the next stage of its 60-day plan to improve Helldivers 2. The developer’s goal, it said, is “to ensure that each weapon and stratagem feels powerful, responsive, and fun to use, while also fitting into the broader gameplay ecosystem.”

    Here’s what to expect from Helldivers 2’s upcoming update, per Arrowhead:

    • We are reworking Armor Penetration, Anti-Tank weapons and enemy armor and health values. As a key part of the rework we have done an initial balancing pass on over 30 weapons and stratagems.
    • We are overhauling a number of different enemies to make them feel more rewarding to kill when you use the proper tools to handle them but ensure they still feel formidable. Enemy bots, including Hulks, will have lower armor, and the number of rockets fired by enemies like the Devastator and Gunship will be limited, making combat more balanced. The armor values of particularly tough bug enemies like the Charger, Impaler, and Bile Titan will also be reduced.
    • Weapons such as the Autocannon, Heavy Machine Gun, and Anti-Material Rifle will be more effective, providing greater loadout versatility. We are also working towards additional improvements for the flamethrower weapons.
    • We’re taking this opportunity to consider new player fantasies and design goals for these weapons and stratagems based on the feedback we’ve received and the trends we’re observing during gameplay.

    The update that makes all these changes is due out on September 17. There’s no mention, however, of the addition of a new enemy faction. This week, fear that a new enemy will soon launch its attack against Super Earth emerged after a few players noticed strange behavior on the in-game Galactic War map. Where the circle layout usually only shows two factions – the Automatons and Terminids – and their progress as represented by red and orange colors, some saw a third, purple color, gaining ground. Reddit user Helldiver343 was one of the first to share their findings and posted a screenshot of the updated map before the changes “vanished.”

    The image suggests that a third enemy, likely the Illuminate, will soon rear its head, but many were quick to write it off as a glitch, mistake, or even fake. Players then grew more suspicious when additional reports of purple map progress started to show up.

    An in-game message suggested that Arrowhead was already very aware of player concerns. “Some Helldivers may have noticed a recent service outage in the Major Order Communication Display,” the message says. “The issue has since been resolved.”

    Arrowhead continued, explaining that a Comms Technician got trapped in a server room and died due to “exposure,” resulting in “organic tissue degradation on electronic equipment.” Of course, the technician’s family has already been fined for damages, too.

    Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.