Category: Video Games

EA to Remove Madden NFL 23 CPR Touchdown Celebration Following Damar Hamlin Incident

EA Sports is planning to remove the CPR touchdown celebration from Madden NFL 23 after Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapsed on the pitch on January 3.

As reported by CBS, EA is working on an update that will remove the CPR celebration in the coming days.

Though the animation has been in the game for three years, many players called for its removal after Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and received CPR for around 10 minutes on the pitch.

“EA Sports is taking steps to remove the celebration from Madden NFL 23 via an update in the coming days,” a spokesperson said.

The animation in game can be triggered after scoring a touchdown, and sees one player lie down on the ground as another pretends to perform CPR on them. A third player imitates the use of a defibrillator.

Hamlin is expected to be released from hospital in the next 48 hours after improving considerably. His heart had to be restarted twice after collapsing during the game and he was left in a critical condition.

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

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Is The Best-Selling Game In Japan In 2022

Switch is also the top-selling hardware.

Famitsu has released its annual sales charts for 2022, and Pokémon Scarlet & Violet — unsurprisingly — has topped the year’s sales, selling an incredible 4,338,931 units since its release in November (thanks, Nintendo Everything!).

If you’ve been following the headlines and the weekly Japanese charts, then this won’t come as a surprise to you. Pokémon always does well — in 2021, Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl was the second best-selling game of the year, for example. Scarlet & Violet sold over 2.5 million copies in its first week, and the momentum hasn’t really stopped.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Xbox and Bethesda to Present Developer_Direct Livestream on January 25

Xbox and Bethesda will present a Developer_Direct on Wednesday, January 25, providing fans with an inside look at some of the games coming to Xbox, PC and Game Pass over the next few months.  

Presented by the game creators themselves from studios including Arkane Austin, Mojang Studios, Turn 10 Studios, and ZeniMax Online Studios, the Developer_Direct will focus on big features, extended gameplay showcases, and the latest info for Xbox games launching in the next few months, including The Elder Scrolls Online, Forza Motorsport, Minecraft Legends, and Redfall.  

To dedicate the proper amount of time for a deep dive into Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield, a standalone show is in the works. 

Fans should tune in on Xbox channels (Twitch, YouTube) and Bethesda channels (Twitch, YouTube) at 12pm PT/3pm ET, January 25 to see all the latest on:  

  • The Elder Scrolls Online: Studio Director Matt Firor will unveil 2023’s major Chapter update, including the latest regions of Tamriel to become playable in ESO, as well as a major new feature coming in the game’s biggest update this year. The Developer_Direct will be immediately followed by the full, standalone ESO Chapter Reveal Event, hosted by Zenimax Online Studios, which will provide all the in-depth details ESO players will be keen to know. 
  • Forza Motorsport: The team at Turn 10 Studios have been hard at work, bringing fans the next generation of Forza Motorsport, built from the ground up to take advantage of Xbox Series X|S. Forza Motorsport is back, and we can’t wait to share more gameplay and exciting new details. 
  • Minecraft Legends: Mojang Studios will showcase an insider’s look into the PvP multiplayer experience in Minecraft Legends – the upcoming action-strategy game from the makers of Minecraft. Developed in partnership with Blackbird Interactive and launching this spring, don’t miss exclusive gameplay footage at the Developer_Direct. 
  • Redfall: The minds behind Dishonored and Prey, Arkane Austin, will showcase several minutes of gameplay from their upcoming FPS. The Developer_Direct will reveal single and multiplayer gameplay, showing more of how you and your friends will take down bloodthirsty Vampires on the picturesque island of Redfall, Massachusetts. Fans can expect to learn more about combat, customization, bosses, the open world, and more. 

Stay tuned to Xbox and Bethesda’s official social channels for more on the Developer_Direct, coming on Wednesday, January 25 at 12pm PT/3pm ET. 

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PlayStation VR 2: Oculus Founder ‘Blown Away’ by Sony’s New Headset

Oculus founder Palmer Luckey has revealed he was “blown away” by Sony’s upcoming PlayStation VR 2 virtual reality headset.

Replying to a tweet from head of PlayStation Indies Shuhei Yoshida (below), Luckey said he’d had the chance to try the new headset recently and has high expectations for its future.

“I was blown away when I used PSVR 2 recently,” he said. “The first PSVR was arguably the biggest success of the generation, [and] this version will do even better.”

PlayStation VR 2 will seemingly be a major upgrade over the original headset, not just because it’s being released seven years later, but due to the inclusion of brand new VR specific controllers.

The upgrade in tech has naturally created an increase in price, however, as where the original PSVR was the best “budget” headset on the market, Sony’s latest costs a hefty $549.99 – $50 more than the required PlayStation 5 console itself.

A Horizon: Call of the Mountain bundle will also be available from launch on February 22 for another $50, though users can still buy it separately alongside the other 20-something launch games.

It’s the only official PS VR2 bundle confirmed so far, though Sony has also announced a $49.99 controller charging station as an optional accessory.

Details on the software available at launch are still a little hazy, as while Sony has announced several games coming to the PS VR2 including Ghostbusters VR and Resident Evil Village, release windows for most remain at a vague 2023.

Other games announced for the platform include Crossfire: Sierra Squad, The Light Brigade, Cities VR – Enhanced Edition, Cosmonious High, Hello Neighbor: Search and Rescue, Jurassic World Aftermath Collection, Pistol Whip VR, Zenith: The Last City, After the Fall, Tentacular, and more.

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

Classic X-COM-like Xenonauts 2 is heading to early access later this year

most anticipated games for the year, more excellent games start getting announced the moment you hit publish. Case in point: Goldhawk Interactive’s long-awaited Xenonauts 2 has just been confirmed to be heading to Steam early access later this year. Huzzah! The original Xenonauts was an excellent homage to the hyphenated school of X-COMs / UFO: Enemy Unknowns of old, so I’m feeling pretty pumped to find out how its sequel builds on its classic, squad-based tactics.

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Final Fantasy 16 Producer Denies Existence of PC Version: ‘Buy a PS5’

Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida has denied that the upcoming Square Enix game will appear on PC, telling interested fans to buy a PlayStation 5.

A video clip published to Japanese website Nico Video was shared on Twitter by industry insider Genki (below), who translated Yoshida’s comments (which have been verified by IGN) regarding a PC version of Final Fantasy 16.

“Nobody said a word about a PC version releasing,” said Yoshida. “Why is it like a PC version is releasing six months later? Don’t worry about that, buy a PS5. Sorry, I went overboard. We did our best, so please look forward to it.”

The claim that “nobody said a word about a PC version” is untrue, however, as Square Enix itself did. The original reveal trailer for the game claimed blatantly that it is “also available on PC”, and while Square Enix mysteriously scrapped this claim soon after, the PS5 exclusivity was brought into question again in November 2022.

An advertisement for the PS5’s DualSense controller said Final Fantasy 16 would only be a “PS5 exclusive for six months”, implying that it would arrive on another platform (whether it be Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or PC) in December 2023 – six months after its June 22 launch.

The exact nature of its exclusivity is still unclear though, and based on Yoshida’s comment, this is even the case at its developer. IGN has reached out to Square Enix for comment.

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

Final Fantasy 14’s perfect steamed bun animation puts its blocky grapes to shame

Final Fantasy XIV‘s latest Patch 6.3 “Gods Revel, Lands Tremble” features new main scenario quests, a 24-player alliance raid dungeon, amongst many other tweaks and additions to the MMO. Really, though, it should be called “Baos Split, Tummies Rumble” as players have discovered the real highlight: a bao bun animation that’ll leave your salivary glands twitching. It’s beautiful. Magnificent. Almost NSFW.

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New Super Mario Galaxy 2 Speedrun World Record Set In Thrilling Live Race

Speedrunner Jhay beats his own record.

AGDQ 2023 is underway right now, and if you haven’t been watching it already, you’ve been missing some cracking speedruns from the very best runners in the world. And yesterday, a brand new world record was set for Super Mario Galaxy 2 at the charity speedrunning event.

The new record was set by Jhay — who actually broke his own world record by 4.4 seconds. Now the record sits at 2:54:51.33 in the Any% (With Bank). What does Any% (With Bank) actually mean? It’s a particular category that means you don’t have to do or collect everything, just simply beat the game, but the only requirement is that you need to use the Bank Toad to unlock the final galaxy.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Xbox Game Pass in January 2023: Persona 3 Portable, Monster Hunter Rise, and More

It’s a slightly quieter start to January for Xbox Game Pass, with only six more games confirmed to be hitting the service so far this month. We already knew about all six of these, including the three Xbox has chosen to highlight in their first Xbox Wire Game Pass blogpost of the year. But, there are normally several other Game Pass announcements across every month, so we could still hear about even more games to come in January.

For now, the most recent announcement has reaffirmed Game Pass will be getting Persona 3 Portable (January 19), Persona 4 Golden (January 19), and Monster Hunter Rise (January 20) on console, PC, and cloud gaming. These are two iconic Japanese franchises, and despite the limited selection for January, all three games will certainly be making their way onto a lot of gamers’ libraries on console and PC this month.

Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden on Xbox Game Pass

After January 19, Persona 3, 4, and 5 will all be available for Xbox Game Pass members on console, PC, and cloud gaming. This was initially announced back at Xbox’s summer showcase, and we have since seen Persona 5 Royal enter the service in October 2022.

Everything Coming to Xbox Game Pass in January 2023 (So Far)

  • Stranded Deep – January 3 (Console, PC, Cloud)
  • Persona 3 Portable – January 19 (Console, PC, Cloud)
  • Persona 4 Golden – January 19 (Console, PC, Cloud)
  • Monster Hunter Rise – January 20 (Console, PC)
  • Age Of Empires 2: Definitive Edition – January 31 (Console, Cloud)
  • Inkulinati – January 31 (Console, PC)
  • Roboquest – January TBA (Console)

Everything Leaving Xbox Game Pass in January 2023

  • Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Nobody Saves The World (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Pupperazzi (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • The Anacrusis (Game Preview) (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • We Happy Few (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Windjammers 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)

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