Thursday, April 30, 2020
FF7 Remake: Corneo's Secret Stash Locations
source https://www.ign.com/wikis/final-fantasy-7-remake/Corneo's_Secret_Stash_-_How_To_Get_To_The_Sewers
36 Assassin's Creed Valhalla Gameplay, Story, World Details
Open-World Gameplay and Combat
- Combat has been altered in some form, with an emphasis on making every hit feel impactful.
- That includes giving players the ability to dismember and decapitate foes.
- While Assassins have had two weapons at once before (two swords, for example), Valhalla places a new emphasis on dual-wielding weaponry, with players allowed to mix and match the game's arsenal.
- Shields return as part of that arsenal after being absent from Odyssey.
- The assassin's blade returns as well.
- Throwing axes will be available in Valhalla as one of Eivor's many weapon options.
- Players will traverse by sea via their Viking longship.
- Players can spot fortresses from the water to attack with their raiding party in massive raids.
- Largescale land battles will also be part of the story, though it's unclear if they'll function like Odyssey's army battles.
- RPG trappings introduced in Origins will return, with new skills, as well as new gear to collect.
- Open-world activities include hunting, fishing, dice, and drinking games.
- Additionally, Valhalla will introduce the competitive sport of flyting, aka, Viking rap battles.
- Eivor, the protagonist, will have a bird companion in the form of a raven, a common addition to the most recent Assassin's Creed.
Story and World
- Valhalla is set in ninth-century England during the Dark Ages.
- It will follow Eivor, a Viking warrior who leads his people out of Norway and into England to settle.
- King Alfred of Wessex will be an opponent Eivor and the Vikings face
- Alfred will be an antagonist, but narrative director Darby McDevitt said it would be wrong to call him the "central antagonist" of the game. (via GameSpot)
- Where some other possible big antagonists may appear is in the modern-day story, as Ismail also confirmed Layla's modern story from Origins and Odyssey would continue in Valhalla. (via Game Informer)
- Eivor will eventually run across some group of Assassins in England, though at this time the Assassins and Templars are still being referred to as they were in AC: Origins and Odyssey: The Hidden Ones and the Order of the Ancients, respectively. (via Eurogamer)
- Valhalla's map will include Norway, which players can return to after the Vikings leave, and the four kingdoms of England: Wessex, Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia.
- Major English cities included will be London, Winchester, and Jorvik. (via GameSpot)
- While Valhalla is not meant to be the end of the series, McDevitt called it a "good capper" to the franchise so far, and should include a lot of nods to the franchise's history (via GameSpot)
Development
- Ubisoft Montreal is the lead development studio on Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
- Ashraf Ismail is directing the project. Ismail and his team previously worked on Assassin's Creed Black Flag and Assassin's Creed Origins.
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla will be the first entry of the franchise for PS5 and Xbox Series X.
- It is also confirmed for PS4, Xbox One, PC, Google Stadia, and UPlay+.
- It is set for a Holiday 2020 release window.
Player Choice - Settlement, Customization, and more
- Like in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, players can choose either a male or female protagonist
- Gear will also be much more customizable in Valhalla
- Each piece of gear in the game will be unique (via GI)
- New customization options include hair, tattoos, clothing, and war paint.
- Players will be able to make custom Viking raiders for their raiding parties and even share them with friends
- Players will also get to forge a home for themselves and either Vikings with the focus on building a settlement, your Viking homestead.
- The settlement will include buildings to upgrade, like a blacksmith, barracks, tattoo parlor, and more
- Players will have to make choices throughout the campaign, including political and personal alliances, dialogue choices, and more
- Alliance examples include conducting a marriage to unite clans, while romance options will be available to the player, too (via Eurogamer)
source https://www.ign.com/articles/36-assassins-creed-valhalla-gameplay-story-world-details
Time Crimes: Nintendo Is Cracking Down on Animal Crossing Exploits - NVC 506
- 00:00:00 Welcome!
- 00:00:55 160,000 Nintendo Network IDs have been hacked
- 00:06:08 A rumor about a new Switch model… with two screens?
- 00:12:42 Nintendo is adjusting the Animal Crossing economy
- 00:18:54 Our rapid-fire Majora's Mask memories
- 00:24:39 Games out this week
- 00:37:07 What we're playing
- 00:42:00 Question Block
- Moving Out - 4/28, $25
- Indivisible - 4/28, $30
- Telling Lies - 4/28, $20
- Streets of Rage 4 - 4/30, $25
- Book of Demons - 4/30, $25
- Levelhead - 4/30, $20
- Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia Demo - 4/30
- Casey: Good Job!
- Seth: Picross S4, Tales of Vesperia, Trials of Mana
- Zach: Indivisible, Streets of Rage 4, Animal Crossing
- Logan: Super Mario Maker 2, Animal Crossing
NVC is available on your preferred platform!
You can also Download NVC 506 Directly HereYou can listen to NVC on your preferred platform every Thursday at 3pm PT/6pm ET. Have a question for Question Block? Write to us at nvc@ign.com and we may pick your question! Also, make sure to join the Nintendo Voice Chat Podcast Forums on Facebook. We're all pretty active there and often pull Question Block questions and comments straight from the community.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Logan Plant is the Production Assistant for NVC. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/time-crimes-nintendo-is-cracking-down-on-animal-crossing-exploits-nvc-506
Warning: Your Animal Crossing Paintings Could Be Haunted
source https://www.ign.com/wikis/animal-crossing-new-horizons/Haunted_Paintings_and_Creepy_Fake_Art
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Will Support Smart Delivery on Xbox Series X
source https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-valhalla-will-support-smart-delivery-on-xbox-series-x
Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Here's What Comes in Each Edition
Assassin's Creed Valhalla Standard Edition
PS4- Get it at Amazon - $59.99
- Get it at Best Buy - $59.99
- Get it at Ubisoft Store - $59.99
- See it at Amazon - $59.99
- Get it at Best Buy - $59.99
- Get it at Ubisoft Store - $59.99
- Get it at Ubisoft Store - $59.99
- Get it at Epic Games Store - $59.99
Assassin's Creed Valhalla Gold Edition
PS4- Get it at Amazon - $109.99
- Get it at Best Buy - $109.99
- Get it at Ubisoft Store - $109.99
- Get it at Amazon - $109.99
- Get it at Best Buy - $109.99
- Get it at Ubisoft Store - $109.99
- Get it at Ubisoft Store - $99.99
- Get it at Epic Games Store - $99.99
Assassin's Creed Valhalla Ultimate Edition
Xbox One- Get it at Best Buy (digital) - $119.99
- Get it at Ubisoft Store - $119.99
- Get it at Epic Games Store - $119.99
Assassin's Creed Valhalla Collector's Edition
The Ubisoft Store-exclusive collector's edition includes the base game, the Season Pass, the Ultimate Pack, a high-end Ubicollectibles replica of Eivor and her longship (30 cm high), a Collector’s Case, a SteelBook with unique artwork, a numbered certificate of authenticity, a Viking Statuette of Eivor with a raven and Dane axe (5 cm high), exclusive lithographs as well as a selected soundtrack of the game.Assassin's Creed Valhalla Preorder Bonus
Everyone who preorders Assassin's Creed Valhalla will receive an additional mission called The Way of the Berserker, "in which players will join a legendary Norse Berserker on his quest for revenge."Other Preorder Guides
- Biomutant Preorder Guide
- Cyberpunk 2077 Preorder Guide
- Destroy All Humans Preorder Guide
- The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor Preorder Guide
- The Last of Us Part 2 Preorder Guide
- Marvel's Avengers Preorder Guide
- Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated Preorder Guide
- Watch Dogs: Legion Preorder Guide
source https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-valhalla-release-date-collectors-edition
Assassin's Creed Valhalla to Feature Viking Rap Battles
Sail across the icy North Sea to discover and conquer the broken kingdoms of England. Immerse yourself in activities like hunting, fishing, dice, and drinking games, or engage in traditional Norse competitions like flyting – or, as it's better known, verbally devastating rivals through the art of the Viking rap battle.[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=assassins-creed-valhalla-trailer-images&captions=true"] Flyting was a battle of insults, akin to modern-day rap battles, allowing you to quite literally add insult to injury against all those who oppose the main character Eivor during Valhalla's story. Flyting comes from Old English and is translated as "to quarrel," and examples of it have been found in Norse, Celtic, Old English, and more writings. If it sounds like a far cry from the stereotypical activities you hear Vikings would embark on — namely, a lot of raiding and pillaging, well, you're not alone in that belief. But Thierry Noël, historian and inspirational content advisor of the Editorial Research Unit on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, spoke to Ubisoft about the unexpected gap in how Vikings actually lived compared to their perceived lives. "The gap between the reality of Norse society and the image we have of the reckless Viking was really interesting to me. They were a fascinating society in terms of culture and pretty fair in the way they treated women, who had important rights at the time. It was certainly contradictory to the common image we have of Vikings," Noël told Ubisoft. And given that Valhalla is leaning into the player choice the series has recently adopted, including adding new character customization options and important dialogue choices, it only seems fitting we'll be able to choose how to verbally devastate foes in between raiding parties and settlement upgrades. Speaking of settlements, Valhalla is placing a big emphasis on building and shoring up Eivor's Viking settlement in the new Assassin's Creed, as game director Ashraf Ismail told IGN in a recent interview, which you can watch below. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/30/assassins-creed-valhalla-director-gives-gameplay-details"] Assassin's Creed Valhalla is set to be released this holiday season on PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, PC exclusively on the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store, Google Stadia, and UPlay+. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and a huge fan of the Assassin's Creed franchise. Debate with him which is the best in the series on Twitter @jmdornbush.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-valhalla-to-feature-playable-viking-rap-battles
Assassin's Creed Valhalla: First In-Game Images Revealed
source https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-valhalla-screenshots-ps5-xbox-series-x
Every IGN Assassin's Creed Review
source https://www.ign.com/articles/every-ign-assassins-creed-review
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Overwatch 2: Release Date, Gameplay, Characters, and More
What is the Overwatch 2 Release Date?
At the time of writing Overwatch 2 does not have an official release date. When the game was officially announced at BlizzCon 2019, game director Jeff Kaplan said, "We [Blizzard] don't have a date in mind." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=overwatch-2-gameplay-reveal-screens&captions=true"] In January, a tweet from PlayStation Brazil's Twitter account seemingly revealed that Overwatch 2 would be released on PS4 in 2020. The tweet has since been deleted. However, this was never confirmed by Blizzard and for now, it seems developers aren't offering up any new information about the Overwatch 2 release date.What Does Overwatch 2 Gameplay Look Like?
Overwatch 2 will reportedly expand the universe through an all-new story-focused PvE mode. This mode aims to bring more of the world and lore that Overwatch has to offer to players, which has been mostly experienced in bits and pieces through cinematic trailers, comics, and occasionally cutscenes via seasonal events. While details about Overwatch 2's story are unclear, it seems to revolve around the ongoing fight between Overwatch and Null Sector, as seen in the Overwatch 2 announcement cinematic Zero Hour. If you're not caught up on Overwatch lore, be sure to check out our recap of the Overwatch story so far. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/01/overwatch-the-story-so-far-cinematic-trailer"] Overwatch 2 will also feature a PvP game mode called Push, which has been shown on an all-new map set in Toronto, Canada. Push is a new 6v6 mode in which players will fight for control of a giant robot. Essentially, players need to gain control of the robot, in an effort to push the marker towards the opposing team's base. IGN's Matt Kim was able to go hands-on with Overwatch 2's Push mode at Blizzcon 2019. He said, "The most impressive part of Push is the new Toronto map in which it’s set. The map showcases some of the graphical improvements that are also coming to Overwatch 2, and there’s a noticeable improvement in the visuals just based on the map alone." For more of Matt's thoughts, be sure to check out his Overwatch 2 hands-on preview.Who Are the New Overwatch 2 Characters?
In November 209, there were reportedly four unannounced heroes teased for Overwatch 2. One of these teased characters could have been Echo but they were recently confirmed to be the last new hero in Overwatch. Jeff Kaplan, the Overwatch game director confirmed this to IGN Nordic, saying, "Yes, currently Echo is the last hero coming to standard Overwatch. The focus for the next couple of heroes will be on Overwatch 2. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/01/overwatch-2-gameplay-overview-trailer"] A tease shown at Blizzcon revealed Sojourn as a new hero coming to Overwatch 2. So far, we know Sojourn is from Canada and was featured in an Overwatch seasonal event called Storm Rising as a captain. Fans also noticed her in Ana's origin story as one of the founding members of Overwatch and she was spotted again in a quick flash as a hero on a computer Winston uses to put out a call for help in an animated short called Recall. She will be the first black female hero to join the game. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Andrew Smith is a freelance contributor with IGN. Follow him on Twitter @_andrewtsmith.source https://www.ign.com/articles/overwatch-2-release-date-gameplay-characters-story
This Week in Animal Crossing: Nature Day Activities, New Bugs and Fish
Nature Day
Formerly referred to as “Earth Day”, Nature Day is an event introduced in the 1.2.0 patch update from last week. Running from April 23 - May 4, Nature Day brought with it a new plant and two new visiting characters to Animal Crossing: New Horizons.Leif
One of the visiting characters you may have already encountered is Leif. He’s a friendly sloth that will occasionally show up near Resident Services selling shrubs and flower seeds. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/21/animal-crossing-new-horizons-april-2020-update-adds-nature-day-event-museum-expansion-and-hints-at-future-events-ign-news"] The flowers he sells won’t be native to your island so if you’re looking to expand your garden and crossbreed some new blooms, you’ll want to keep an eye out for him. Shrubs are new to Animal Crossing: New Horizons and have traits of both trees and flowers. For example, shrubs don’t need to be watered to grow (like trees) but they can be dug up at any time without needing to ingest fruit (like flowers). Be sure to check out our Animal Crossing shrub guide for even more information on how to take care of shrubs and their blooming schedule.Redd
Another visiting character added in the 1.2.0. update is Redd, a mischievous fox who has gone by Jolly Redd, Cousin Redd, and plenty of other titles. He sells antique paintings and statues. While some of Redd's inventory includes genuine art pieces, not all of his merchandise is authentic, so always examine it closely. Learn how to spot and get rid of fake paintings and sculptures with our Redd art guide. Once you've made at least 40 donations to the museum and Blathers mentions the museum art upgrade, Redd will first appear on the beach the next day. Talk to him and he’ll sell you a piece of genuine art after a bit of haggling. You can give this to Blathers who will take it and use it as an opportunity to upgrade the museum. You’ll encounter Redd again later, this time wandering around the island. Speak to him and he’ll tell you about his Treasure Trawler docked by the northernmost beach on the island (also known as “secret beach”). The next time he visits you'll be able to board the Treasure Trawler and buy art and furniture from him. Leif and Redd aren’t limited to the Nature Day event so expect to see them pop up on your island randomly from time to time from here on out. If you haven’t seen either of these new characters, we encourage you to check out our guide on why Leif or Redd may not be appearing. To take full advantage of Nature Day, we suggest you try the activities Tom Nook is giving to players in exchange for Nook Miles. Each day, a new activity related to Nature Day will appear in your Nook Miles app. These activities include planting shrubs, decorating with flowers, and more. Check out our Nature Day guide for a list of Nature Day activities and rewards.May Bugs and Fish
Later this week, Animal Crossing: New Horizons transitions into a new month: May. Just like April, players will see a change in the wildlife occupying their islands. Not only will new fish and bugs appear, but some will no longer show up (at least until they’re in season again). Listed below are all the bug and fish coming in May for both the Northern and Southern hemispheres:Bugs Coming to the Northern Hemisphere in May
- Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing
- Banded Dragonfly
- Great Purple Emperor
- Diving Beetle
- Pondskater
- Violin Beetle
- Rosalia Batesi Beetle
- Scorpion
Fish Coming to the Northern Hemisphere in May
- Mahi-Mahi
- Giant Trevally
- Catfish
- Betta
- Nibble Fish
- Rainbow Fish
- Frog
- Angel Fish
Bugs coming to the Southern Hemisphere in May
- Damselfly
- Mole Cricket
- Tarantula
Fish coming to the Southern Hemisphere in May
- Bitterling
- Blowfish
- Blue Martin
- Football Fish
- Tuna
source https://www.ign.com/articles/animal-crossing-new-horizons-guide-nature-day-may-bugs-fish
The Best Abilities and Loadouts in Gears Tactics
source https://www.ign.com/wikis/gears-tactics/The_Best_Gears_Tactics_Abilities_and_Loadouts
The Best Video Game Urban Legends Ever
10. The Madden Curse
Professional athletes have dreamed their whole lives of making it to the big leagues and all the perks that come with it. But there’s that old phrase about being careful what you wish for, and any professional football player who gets drafted to appear on the box art of that year’s new edition of Madden NFL might start to regret their fame. The legend goes that along with the “prestige” of being a cover boy, comes a curse, that causes their upcoming season to be disastrous. That may sound like a bunch of hooey, but it does get eerie when you look at stories of players like Dante Culpepper, who after gracing the 2002 cover, ended his next season with a back injury. Similar instances of injury, legal trouble, and all other manner of bad luck continue to happen to players who make the cover to this day, to players like the Saints’ Drew Brees in 2011, the Vikings’ Adrian Peterson in 2014 and the Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski in 2017. But, to be fair, there are some players who walked away from the curse unscathed, like the Lions’ Calvin Johnson who had a great season after making the cover in 2013, as well Tom Brady in 2018, because not even malevolent curses can stop Tom Brady.9. Killswitch: The Game That Deletes Itself
1989’s Killswitch was a game that notoriously deleted itself after you finished it. The game allegedly existed in the late 1980s, and its publisher the Karvina Corporation (not a real corporation outside of this legend) allegedly only created around 5,000 copies. While there is no firm evidence Killswitch ever existed, there is a surprising amount of detail out there about it, like the fact you were able to choose to play as a demon-ish character named Ghast or a woman named Porto. Supposedly, players who picked Ghast found themselves controlling an invisible, fire-breathing mass that was near-impossible to navigate with. Alternatively, and perhaps usually in anger, players could then pick Porto, a woman with no combat abilities who the players would walk through an eerie, greyscale mining facility – presumably one where everyone had died. Working their way through a series of mazes and puzzles, the players would guide Porto to the end, only to find the screen turn to white, and all of the games files on their system delete themselves. Like a joke played by some cruel trickster god, the legend goes that all traces of the spooky game have vanished from the world – lest there be one copy buried in someone’s basement.8. Adolescent Fantasy Codes
With the introduction of 3D video game women straight out of the male-gaze- fantasy – like Lara Croft or any number of the playable fighters in Tekken or Street Fighter – came rumors that there were, in fact, codes that could make them wear...less. Perhaps the most famous of these is the infamous Lara Croft Nude Code, which began circulating as far back as the original 1996 game’s release, flooding early message boards.o code like that ever existed - at least in the public realm - a but it didn’t stop the rumors. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/11/15/sony-suspends-watch-dogs-2-player-for-sharing-nude-images"] But the desire for codes revealing pixelated breasts didn’t begin or end with Lara Croft. There were rumored codes out there for games like Kombat – in which female characters would supposedly take off their clothes after a victory (charmingly called, “Nudealities,”) – and even one for the N64’s Goldeneye. None of these codes were ever actually real, with the latter just a prank started by the then-deputy-editor of the Australian magazine N64 Gamer, Narayan Pattison, who inserted a photo of a near-nude woman into a screenshot of the game, and promised to give people the code if they wrote to the magazine. “I’m sure most readers realized a photograph in a screenshot was a joke, but we got a couple of thousand letters asking for the code,” he reflected back in 2018.7. Saddam Hussein Tried to Use the PS2 to Take Over the World
Considering the power we’re playing with today, it’s hard to imagine that the PlayStation 2 was once considered the pinnacle of console hardware. In fact, the 32-bit CPUs inside the machine were so powerful at the time, that it spurned a terrifying urban legend that capitalized on geopolitical issues that may ring freaky even today. The legend goes that with the release of the PS2 in 2000, Saddam Hussein and the Iraq government bought thousands of them with the intent of harvesting the processors and using them in their own weapons of mass destruction, as this supposedly would’ve been the easiest way to get a hold of the expensive, high-tech material. Of course, America did not find any WMDs in Iraq of any kind back then, but especially not any WMDs powered by PS2 hardware. Sony had better hide all the tech specs for the PS5, though, just to be safe.6. Pokémon’s Deadly Lavender Town Music
As the world of Pokémon has expanded over the years, it’s become more cute and colorful. However, for players old enough to remember, older Pokemon video games weren’t always this way; in fact, they could be downright unsettling. Lavender Town in Pokemon Red and Blue (Green in Japan) on the original GameBoy, for example, is home to the infamous Pokémon graveyard, reminding all players that, yes, your Pokémon will die at some point, because nothing in the world is fair. Making matters more unsettling is the eerie, high-pitched minimalist music from composer Junichi Masuda that plays as you pass through the town. It was so unnerving that, according to the legend, the original Japanese versions of Red and Blue caused the death of several children who played it. Known around the internet as “Lavender Town Syndrome,” the legend varied in the telling, but the general thrust was that it caused children to have a mental break that led to suicide. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/12/05/pokmon-lets-go-walkthrough-part-29-lavender-town-exploration"] Of course, there are no confirmable records that prove this tragedy ever took place. That said, its popularity as an urban legend and creepypasta makes some sense: in 1997, the Pokémon anime episode, “Dennō Senshi Porygon,” caused almost 700 people to be taken to the hospital after suffering from seizures due to rapidly flashing, colored lights covering the screen. If that could happen, perhaps there were other elements of the Pokémon world that were dangerous and terrifying.5. The CIA Designed a Mind Control Arcade Game
It’s no secret that many urban legends are just a hair’s breadth away from conspiracy theories, and the tale of Polybius bridges that gap like few others. The story dates back to the early 1980s, when arcade cabinets for a game called Polybius were delivered to arcades around Portland, Oregon. Players flocked to the weird new puzzle-shooter that featured plenty of strobing effects and twisty visuals, which supposedly led some to experience mental health issues, such as hallucinations, amnesia, and more sinister problems. If this wasn’t bad enough, the legend goes that the CIA was behind it, collecting data about the players of the machine and using brainwashing technology to infect the minds of young arcade goers. Though the legend permeates, there has never been any irrefutable proof that Polybius ever existed, with only a screenshot of the Polybius title screen upheld as shaky canon. “Polybius makes games seem powerful and it makes games seem kind of potent in mind-controlling,” said Portland-based author Joe Strekert, who wrote the book The Legend of Polybius, to IGN. “They really can do something to your behavior and by making them seem powerful, that gives it a kind of legitimacy.”4. Diablo's Secret Warrior Cows
Soon after the first Diablo came out back in the late 90s, many players fervently believed there was a secret realm full of warrior cows. While there are cows you can interact with in Diablo, (don’t expect to get further than a benign “moo”), rumors began to circulate that there was actually a way to access an entire “Cow Dimension,” wherein you could slaughter a group of Future Hamburgers who have gone through a “Planet of the Apes”-style evolution, and are ready to fight back intruders. [ignvideo url="https://ift.tt/2yTyQWQ] While this was initially just a rumor, it became a meme in the Diablo community, inspiring Blizzard to include a “secret cow level” in Diablo II. By combining a certain set of items, a portal opens up and allows players to enter the actual Cow Dimension (also known as Moo Moo Farms), where the player will encounter Hell Bovine, led by the mighty “Cow King.” If only all developers took fan theories this seriously - or, on second thought, maybe it’s a good thing they don’t.3. The San Andreas Sasquatch
Whether it be in any of America’s dense, dark forests or in the fictitious hills of a video game world, people are hungry to find the mighty and elusive Bigfoot. In 2004, the mythical beast allegedly leaped out of North American folklore and into Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Fans reportedly started seeing the mythical ape in the hills of Back O Beyond, claiming they had seen a tall, dark figure somewhere on the screen, only to vanish before they could get a good look. Rockstar has since gone on to say there is no such thing as a Bigfoot in its game, but dedicated myth hunters still believe in its existence. The legend has become so popular in GTA lore that Rockstar went on to include a “bigfoot mission” in the Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, and even put a nod to that in GTA 5. There was even a well-hidden easter egg in GTA 5 that let players unlock the ability to play as the beast, all so they could lumber around the city as an 8-ft tall 600-pound gorilla man, then hop into an SUV and run over some pedestrians.2. Sheng Long Was a Secret Boss in Street Fighter II
Anyone who frequented an arcade around 1991-1992 likely has fond memories of spending endless quarters on Street Fighter II, mastering the styles of your favorite characters and greatly accelerating your arthritis. Likewise, if you were in the SF2 loop, there was a good chance you had heard the legend of Sheng Long, a mysterious secret character lurking somewhere within the game. The rumor was based on a mistranslation of Ryu’s famous Shōryūken attack (“shēng lóng” in the Latin spelling of the Chinese characters), that Ryu spouted during one of his victory quotes: “you must defeat Shen Long to stand a chance”. The rumor was bolstered by an April Fool’s joke in the April ‘92 issue of EGM that claimed they had “discovered” how to unlock the secret boss. All you had to do was beat the whole game without taking any damage and not land a single punch on M. Bison at the end, meaning you must let the timer run out instead -- no biggie. This was eventually corrected in the user manual for the 1992 SNES port, wherein the design team got in on the joke and officially named Sheng Long as Ryu’s master, and later incorporated him into a 1993 Street Fighter comic series. Hitting at a time when the gaming industry was building into the force it’s become, the legend of Sheng Long has become a massive fixture in the canon of gaming urban legends.1. Blowing on Your Nintendo Cartridge Actually Did Something
Anyone who grew with cartridge-based gaming has run into the same problem at one point, and no doubt the same solution. You pop in a cartridge, and for some reason, nothing seems to be working. You take out the cartridge, give it a good blow thinking the problem might be dust in the cartridge, and presto, your game is working again. But was the blowing on the cartridge ever actually effective, or is it just something that made its way around the playground? Turns out, this trick that made you feel like a genius years ago wasn’t really doing anything. While the blowing gave our brains some sort of comfort, the reality is that Nintendo’s connectors in the system could often wear out over time (especially in the NES), but simply taking out the cartridge and putting it back tended to do the job - though that didn't stop each and every one of us from taking deep breaths and "fixing" them ourselves. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/06/07/top-10-secret-levels"] Those are our favorite video game urban legends - what are some of yours? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to check out more from our Urban Legends month, like how the Kinect found new life among ghost hunters, or why the Japanese government allegedly changed a law because of Dragon Quest. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Rooney is a freelance writer. He is likely somewhere playing a game, dying too often, and getting very frustrated.source https://www.ign.com/articles/best-video-game-urban-legends
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's Massive 15 GB Update Is Hiding a Mystery
PLAYLIST UPDATE
Modern Warfare- Blueprint Gunfight
- Reinfected Ground War
- 3v3 Cranked Gunfight
- Shoot the Ship 24/7 (includes Cranked and Grind!)
- Solos, Trios, Quads
- Plunder Trios
- Most Wanted Contract – Instead of a random Operator being marked on your Tac Map, you are voluntarily putting a Bounty on yourself for any squad to see in Verdansk. Of course, this great risk does have some great rewards…
GENERAL FIXES:
- Added a Challenges tab to the main multiplayer screen for easier access
- Adjusting how the audio is played for the Precision Airstrike so it follows the plane more precisely
- Fixed a bug where players using KBM in Game Battles could make custom weapon blueprints that could also be used in multiplayer or Warzone.
- Currently, white text will appear when someone is speaking, regardless of team. Now, when someone is on an enemy team, their text will appear red.
- Fix for an exploit on Hackney Yard while playing Infected
- Fixed a bug that would prevent players from being able to melee an enemy while on top of an ATV
- Various out of bounds and exploit fixes
- After the last update, Talon’s character model appeared stretched with graphical corruption issues while in the squad walk. This has been fixed
- Fix for some Season 3 emblems appearing with incorrect text
- Fixed an issue with Kreuger’s eyes while completing a finishing move
- Fixed a bug where some watches were appearing in the wrong direction when gesturing
- Fixed a bug where players could lose the option to pick their favorite Faction in the Operator menu
- Fixed a bug where white lighting could be seen while moving or firing a weapon near specific locations
- Added a gamepad-only Deadzone option that allows players to adjust the inner range in which stick input will not be registered.
- Fixed an issue that prevented Party members from editing their CDL Loadouts when the CDL Quick Play Filter was active.
- Fixed an issue where the Auto Run feature would stop when players opened their in-game text chat.
- Fixed an issue that prevented players from zooming in/out on the Tac Map if Jump was bound on Mouse Wheel Up/Down.
WEAPONS:
- Fix for a bug where completing the completionist challenges for the SKS are unlocking the associated camos for the Renetti
- Fix for a bug where unlocking camos for the SKS was inconsistent with other camo challenges for marksman rifles
- Fixed a bug where the “Hard Wired” skin for Alex would appear in thermals while Cold Blooded is equipped
WARZONE:
- The ability to view available XP tokens is not visible in the Warzone Menu. This has been fixed.
- After being brought back into the match, a player was in a state where they couldn't interact with the team’s loadout drop, and they had the revive prompt on them even though they were alive. This has been fixed
- Adjusted the speed and sizing of the circle
- We’ve added the cargo truck back into BR Solos with reduced turning speed, acceleration, and top speed
- Moved the scoreboard to be visible in the pause menu
- Fix for an issue where the After-Action Report was not displaying the total team earnings
- Fixed a bug where players were unable to equip Armor Plates while Dead Silence is activated
- New item – Armor Satchel – finding one of these allows you to carry up to 8 armor plates instead of 5. These drop on death and can be looted by other players. These do not contain any armor plates by default, only increase the player carry amount. Guaranteed reward upon completing Scavenger contracts (replaces Gas Mask as the guaranteed item)
- Gas mask will remain rare in loot and purchasable at the Buy Station.
- Plunder: Plunder Rating
- When you finish a match of plunder you’re now given a rating in the form of a coin. Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and more! The more cash your team collected the cooler the coin. Get above 3.5 Million to find out the highest rating!
SPECIAL OPERATIONS:
- Fix for a bug where selecting the USEF 1 skin for the Mil-Sim Operator appears as the default skin in Co-op
- The Munitions Shop can now be accessed while in the safehouse at the beginning of each Special Operation.
- Operation Crosswind: Fixed various situations where players could get stuck outside of the plane when the rest of the team regroups.
- Fix some rare instances where players in last stand could be revived, or have started a self-revive, but still bleed out anyway.
- Fix an instance where the player's revive icon color could quickly shift from blue to red after they had been successfully revived.
- Fixed players being able to exit a Juggernaut suit, and then gain the ability to revive others even if they themselves were in last stand.
- Operation Harbinger – Players can now exit the safehouse earlier and ‘capture’ the first intel item faster following the dialog from Kamarov.
- Operation Harbinger - Fixed missing audio on the large cargo truck.
- Operation Crosswind - Fixed some instances of soldiers giving armored hitmarkers, but not having visible armor.
- Fixed an issue where a syringe could be seen floating while reviving a teammate.
- Fixed an issue with helicopter audio.
PC:
- Fix for a bug where players using a Vega64 GPU could see corrupted outlines around their character models and weapons.
- Fixed a crash that occurred to players using a GeForce 900 Series graphics card when they loaded the Crosswind Special Operations Mission.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/call-of-duty-modern-warfares-massive-15-gb-update-is-hiding-a-mystery
Binding of Isaac Creator's Newest Game Fully Funded in 4 Minutes
Tapeworm, the latest game from The Binding of Isaac creator Edmund McMillen, launched its Kickstarter campaign early Tuesday only to immediately reach its funding goal in just four minutes.
After hitting its $25,000 target Tapeworm continued to climb far past it, currently sitting at just over $325k raised at the time of publishing. This isn’t the first time McMillen has found success on Kickstarter either, with The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls card game raising $2.65 million in late 2018.
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While not related to McMillen’s past games in any way, Tapeworm follows in Four Souls’ footsteps as a multiplayer card game with his signature strange (and unsurprisingly gross) style. In it, players take turns playing and connecting cards to create as long of a worm as they can, which can be manipulated by special effects or even cut off entirely.
In its Kickstarter video, McMillen said he originally came up with the idea for Tapeworm nine years ago, with the focus being on making a card game where spacing and positioning of cards really mattered. He also explained that he wanted it to be “as simple as Uno, but have a good amount of depth," so that it would be accessible to anyone but still strategic.
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Tapeworm’s breakneck funding is undoubtedly impressive – multiple stretch goals have already been met, some of which actually add special cards for Four Souls – but it’s also part of a larger trend of success tabletop gaming has found on Kickstarter in recent years. Most recently we covered the Return to Dark Tower Kickstarter in January, which went on to raise over $4 million, and the Kickstarter for Frosthaven (a sequel to the wildly popular Gloomhaven) ends Saturday while on pace to break $10 million.
You can check out Tapeworm on Kickstarter here, but it could be on a path find similar, seven-figure success before its campaign ends in late May. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Tom Marks is IGN's Deputy Reviews Editor and resident pie maker. You can follow him on Twitter.source https://www.ign.com/articles/tapeworm-binding-of-isaac-creators-newest-game-fully-funded-in-4-minutes
PS Plus Games for May 2020 Revealed
source https://www.ign.com/articles/ps-plus-games-may-2020
Reggie Fils-Aimé Has Launched a Gaming Podcast
According to The Washington Post, the first guest on Talking Games will be Geoff Keighley, head honcho of The Game Awards. As for Fils-Aimé's intentions with the podcast, he told The Post, "Our vision is to create a fun, entertaining, informative podcast with its goal to benefit the nonprofit.” As for his connection to the NYVGCC, Fils-Aimé grew up in the New York neighbourhood of The Bronx, where he's returned following his retirement to mentor local students. As well as the podcast announcement, Fils-Aimé and Goldberg have launched a funding campaign with plans to raise $15,000. If your wallet is ready, donations are being gathered via GoFundMe and will help fund the NYVGCC's mentoring work, as well as providing gaming technology and education to homeless youths in New York City. The NYVGCC is also moving its journalism courses online free of charge so they can be accessed by educators and prospecting students. Those who wish to donate will receive "extra content" from Fils-Aimé and the forthcoming podcast guests, as well as a means to bid for special gaming memorabilia held by the NYVGCC. Reggie Fils-Aimé recently joined GameStop's Board of Directors to help save the struggling retailer. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.@haroldgoldberg and I are Talking Games in a new podcast. Donations will fund activities for underserved communities. One of the first guests: @geoffkeighley Join us! https://t.co/9DjakIFwqO
— Reggie Fils-Aime (@Reggie) April 29, 2020
source https://www.ign.com/articles/reggie-fils-aime-has-launched-a-gaming-podcast
Streets of Rage 4 Review
Still raging 26 years later, Streets of Rage 4 is a faithful revival of the classic arcade beat-’em-ups. Move from left to right, punch enemies, destroy objects for points, health, and weapon pickups, punch a few more enemies, and repeat. It’s simple and unadventurous, and while it expands modestly on combat with a few new skills to master, Streets of Rage 4 definitely prioritises nostalgia over any kind of big modern reinvention.
The plot is wafer-thin and predictably corny, but it's beautifully presented in a comic book panel style. Mr and Ms Y, the twin offspring of series’ villain Mr X, are the big bads this time and their evil scheme is to control the city by “corrupting everything good” while looking like a couple of sub-par Scott Pilgrim villains. It’s all very silly, but in a knowing, not-taking itself-too-seriously kinda way, and it just about pulls it off.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/29/the-first-13-minutes-of-streets-of-rage-4"]It’s 10 years since the events of Streets of Rage 3 and series regulars, Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding, return to fight crime again despite likely being “too old for this shit.” To balance out the familiar with something different is the addition of two brand-new characters, Cherry Hunter (the daughter of series stalwart, Adam Hunter) and a cybernetic armed, absolute unit called Floyd Iraia.
Just like in the old games, each character has a special move that does a lot more damage at the cost of taking a chunk out of your own health bar. However, an added risk-reward twist for Streets of Rage 4 is that any lost health can potentially be earnt back if you string a combo of standard attacks together on top of it. Any break in this combo results in the health being lost permanently. On my first playthrough, which took between two and three hours, I found myself avoiding special moves due to their risky nature. However, as I got the hang of combos I started using them semi-regularly in situations where I felt confident I could earn that precious health back. It’s a simple but interesting minigame, and perhaps the most important addition into progressing the Streets of Rage formula as a whole.
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A stronger weapon in your arsenal are Star Moves. Every character’s is slightly different – Axel’s, for instance, is a flaming rising uppercut, while Cherry’s is a Pete Townshend-inspired guitar powerslide – but triggering them will do a huge amount of damage to any Y Syndicate members unlucky enough to be in your path. At the start of every level you’re given one charge, but more can be collected during your travels and they’re almost always best reserved for bosses where you’ll need it the most. Using them while fighting the regular goons often feels unnecessary as most situations are manageable, but they’re still a fun spectacle with Floyd’s screen dominating uni beam being a visual treat.
Another enjoyable addition to combat is the inclusion of the weapon catch maneuver. Throw any weapon at an enemy and, if it makes contact, it’ll bounce back, giving you a split-second to catch it and keep whacking away with it. Like Gears of War’s active reload timed-button-press mechanic, there's a rhythm required to master it, but once you’ve do it’s supremely rewarding.
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However, for every moment of feeling like a deadly ninja, there are moments that are simply unfair due to factors completely out of your control. There’s one section where getting hit with a grenade bounces you into the path of another explosion, with no way to dodge or escape. I lost half my health as a result and this inability to prevent it from happening was very frustrating.
Of the four starting characters, the returning duo of Axel and Blaze immediately felt familiar and fit right in place in a ’90s side-scrolling beat-’em up, but they do feel a little generic at this point. They’re both well-rounded fighters who don’t necessarily excel in any ability, but work best as an introductory character for new players and a recognisable sight for veterans. By contrast, Floyd and Cherry couldn’t be further apart, and their movesets are by far the most exciting and fun to play.
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Cherry Hunter – despite carrying a guitar on her back – can move at a significant speed, which is (literally) a nice change of pace to the other characters, and that made her my preferred choice in my first playthrough. Her ability to sprint and weave through attacks feels more in line with what I expected a modern Streets of Rage would play like, which is also why I was initially disappointed with how sluggish the other characters felt in comparison. Floyd, for instance, is by far the slowest character, but I soon appreciated that what he lacks in speed is compensated for with strength. His ability to toss enemies around like rag dolls eventually won me over and had me experimenting with different playstyles.
Within the constraints of the restricted nature of side-scrolling beat ’em-ups, Streets of Rage 4 at least makes an attempt to spice up the level design. Levels like Skytrain and Airplane add little bits of variety (like high-speed train signs flying at you during combat, for example) to keep the environments fresh.
Weapons are no longer restricted to hand-to-hand combat either: we get giant wrecking balls, chandeliers, and plenty of destructible scenery playing its part in the violence. There’s even a level of tactics to using some of these, especially the wrecking balls. Timing your activation just right can result in dealing an extremely satisfying level of damage. There’s also a 2D sequence that conjures up memories of the hammer hallway scene from 2003’s South Korean classic film, Oldboy, where mastery of the weapon catch can make you feel unstoppable.
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Every change of pace really adds to the enjoyment of Street of Rage 4, so much so it’s disappointing there isn’t even more variety throughout to ensure combat is fresh from beginning to end of its short run. As it is, they’re all-too-brief moments of joy; returning to the more traditional levels is sometimes a drag.
The music sets the tone and definitely feels on-brand with the iconic beats of the series. Although I’d have to say that in the era of game soundtracks like Hotline Miami and the recent Final Fantasy 7 Remake, they don’t quite hit the same sort of ‘I can’t get this track out of my brain’ status, or even its predecessors.
All 12 levels predictably end in a boss fight and, for the most part, there’s a good balance of variety and difficulty throughout. Most are smartly designed with often-challenging attack patterns you’ll need to learn, but disappointingly there are repeated enemies in later levels with arbitrary difficulty spikes like, “Here’s two of them now!” In general though, the enemies are a good mix of old and new with neither feeling out of place, despite the 26-year age gap.
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I played through the first time alone, but that’s only half the fun. Less, even. The two-player online co-op really shines though with the intensity and chaos increased. It also made me fully appreciate the potential character combos and the satisfaction of perfectly executing a tandem move such as Floyd throwing an enemy into Cherry’s rushing flying knee. If you’re looking for longevity, two-player co-op is where it’s at. (Streets of Rage 4 also has local four-player co-op but, due to the current isolation circumstances, I was unable to try it out.)
Beyond the campaign and its five difficulty levels (Mania is exactly what it sounds like!) there's a tough boss rush mode, Arcade (which is basically the story campaign but with a consistent life count), and a PVP battle mode to mess around with. But that’s it. And frankly, the story mode is better than any of these options, so if you’re playing alone there’s little replayability on offer.
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One thing Streets of Rage 4 does offer, however, is the wealth of nostalgic choices, such as the retro Streets of Rage 1 and 2 soundtracks and old CRT filters. It takes a little grinding to unlock, but there’s also a lifetime point system that gives access to faithfully recreated playable characters (and a modern version of Adam who unlocks during the story) from previous entries in the series. They aren’t just skins either – these characters have their own move sets, animations, and sound effects.
Despite their sprites contrasting against the lush, cartoon-like world of Streets of Rage 4, these retro characters fit nicely into the combat loop and help reinforce how the latest instalment reignites that passion for the series through nostalgia. In fact, they’re so accurately recreated that, annoyingly, the characters from Streets of Rage 1 don’t even have special moves and must solely rely on their basic, “Call the cops for an airstrike” star moves. As a result they feel at odds with the new risk-reward system and it pretty much renders them unusable on the harder difficulties. In a way, this feels like a metaphor for the entire game: instead of taking bolder steps to modernise the formula, Streets of Rage 4 sticks rigidly to the past, for little more than nostalgia’s sake.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/streets-of-rage-4-review
Hellraid DLC Announced for Dying Light
source https://www.ign.com/articles/hellraid-dlc-announced-for-dying-light
Apex Legends Job Listing Points To Next-Gen Release
source https://www.ign.com/articles/apex-legends-next-gen-job-listing
Next Assassin's Creed Setting Being Revealed Today
If that does turn out to be the case we'd be in favour of that move, as we think a Viking-based game could bring the franchise full circle.
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Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News, and he wants to go to Jorvik Viking Centre as research. Follow him on Twitter.source https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-new-game-ragnarok-kingdom-2020
Fortnite Datamine Suggests Non-Combat Event Is on the Way
Prolific Fortnite leaker Twitter account ShiinbaBR has posted several Tweets, one of which includes a look at a new map called Papaya, as well as a series of 9 communication emotes that are reportedly designed for the new map. Those emotes include the likes of nodding and shaking your head, waving, sitting, cheering, and waving a phone - all very much non-combat gestures. ShiinbaBR also posted descriptions of two new Limited Time Modes. Party Royale allows players to “hang out with friends, play games, perfect your skydive and more” and asks you to leave your “weapons and mats behind”. Operation Payload is an escort mode with push/stop mechanics, where players can switch roles and choose “tech” each round. The Papaya map image features a variety of location icons that all suggest non-violent activities, such as races, skydiving, soccer, and boating, which may mean these are the things available to do in Party Royale mode. It’s unclear if Operation Payload is a non-violent mode or not, but the description suggests it could favour tech over weapons. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/20/fortnite-chapter-2-season-2-top-secret-launch-trailer"] Fortnite’s update 12.50 goes live today, April 29, and so it should not be long before we see these elements materialise (provided ShiinbaBR remains as accurate as they have been). For more from Fortnite, check out its latest event which featured a Travis Scott concert attended by 12.3 million players, and when you can expect Fortnite Chapter 2 - Season 3 to begin. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter.Leaked "Papaya" Map!
(via @VastBlastt & @FNBRHQ) pic.twitter.com/DmKxeK0XUj — ShiinaBR - Fortnite Leaks (@ShiinaBR) April 29, 2020
source https://www.ign.com/articles/fortnite-party-royale-ltm-papaya-map
Trials of Mana PC Demo Pulled After Players Accessed Full Game
source https://www.ign.com/articles/trials-of-mana-demo-removed-full-game
SnowRunner Review
source https://www.ign.com/articles/snowrunner-review