Port pioneers Aspyr will bring Star Wars Republic Commando to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on April 6. The 2005 tactical shooter game is heading to modern consoles, allowing a new generation to experience another side of the Clone Wars. The game follows an elite squadron of genetically modified clone troopers who embark on specialized missions during the conflict – and asks players to control the squad alongside traditional first-person shooting. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/24/star-wars-republic-commando-official-announcement-trailer-ps4-nintendo-switch"] Aspyr's press release mentions that the game will feature modernized controls and will be "a single-player experience," so don't expect the PVP multiplayer modes from the original game to feature. It will be released for $14.99 (UK and AU prices unavilable at time of writing). The game originally launched on the Xbox and Microsoft Windows, so this will mark the first time the game has been playable on a PlayStation or Nintendo console. The game is already available on the Xbox platform via backwards compatibility, and PC via Steam. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=star-wars-republic-commando-ps4-screenshots&captions=true"] We reviewed Star Wars: Republic Commando upon its original release, scoring it an 8.2 and calling it a "good, fun ride." In other Star Wars game news, check out our article covering every IGN Star Wars game review. It was recently revealed that Ubisoft is working on a story-driven open-world Star Wars game using The Division's engine. This comes as Star Wars games have been brought under the Lucasfilm Games banner, which also includes Bethesda's upcoming Indiana Jones title. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Check out everything announced and revealed during PlayStation's February 2021 State of Play event.

Sony has announced that a new State of Play will be airing on February 25, 2021. Senior Director Sid Shuman confirmed in a PlayStation blog post that the broadcast will feature new updates and deep dives for 10 games that will be released on PS4 and PS5. Furthermore, there will be new game announcements and updates for certain third-party and indie games that made an appearance in June 2020's PlayStation 5 Showcase. Next-Gen Console Watch will be hosting a post-show right after State of Play as well.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/25/state-of-play-live-stream-playstation"]

PlayStation State of Play Start Time

The upcoming State of Play takes place on Thursday, February 25, and will start at 2pm PT, 5pm ET, 10pm GMT. If you’re tuning in from Australia, that translates to Friday, February 26 at 8am AEST. It’s expected to be about 30 minutes long and IGN will have a Next-Gen Console Watch post-show immediately following the State of Play, which will last for 20 minutes.

Where to Watch the PlayStation State of Play (February 2021)

If you’re interested in watching the upcoming State of Play, we’ll be hosting the stream here and across our many channels on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, and more. Here’s the full list of places you can watch the PlayStation State of Play:

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

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What to Expect at the Upcoming PlayStation State of Play

While no specific games were mentioned in the State of Play announcement, many will be hoping to hear from some of PlayStation's biggest upcoming first-party games, including Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Horizon Forbidden West, and the sequel to 2018's God of War. As for third-party games, we may get another look at Resident Evil Village, which is set to be released on May 7, 2021, the 3D action-adventure game Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Jett: The Far Shore, Goodbye Volcano High, Stray, and/or Returnal. Another big game many will be hoping for is the PlayStation and PC exclusive Final Fantasy 16, which was announced at September 2020's PS5 event. Which games are you excited to hear more about? Let us know in the comments! [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Nintendo has announced that there will be presentation next week that will not only give fans an in-depth look at Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's upcoming fighters Pyra and Mythra, but it will also reveal their release date. Announced on Nintendo's Twitter, this showcase will take place on March 4, 2021 at 6am PT/9am ET/2pm GMT and will be led by Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai. Nintendo also notes that this presentation will be "roughly 35 minutes long" and that there will be "no further new fighter announcements." Xenoblade Chronicles 2's Pyra and Mythra, who are technically one fighter, were announced at last week's Nintendo Direct that also revealed The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, Splatoon 3, and Mario Golf: Super Rush. These fighters follow Final Fantasy 7's Sephiroth as the latest to join the ever-expanding roster in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Following their release, there will be two fighters left in the Fighters Pass Vol. 2. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/17/super-smash-bros-ultimate-pyra-and-mythra-dlc-character-announcement-trailer"] It will be interesting to see if Nintendo once again allows players to unlock Pyra and Mythra earlier than normal if they can beat a specific challenge. While Sephiroth's release date was set for December 22, 2020, those who completed the Sephiroth Challenge could unlock him well before then. If you need a refresher on Pyra and/or Mythra's origins, be sure to check out our review of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 in the mean time. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Call of Duty Warzone is almost definitely receiving an invasion of Zombies, as leaked challenges point towards the inclusion of the undead as part of the Season 2 update. As spotted by DexertoIntel on Twitter, a series of challenges have seemingly leaked, which mention how players must kill zombies in Warzone. "In Warzone, eliminate 8 Zombies before the first circle closes," one reads, with others asking players to use Shotguns to kill zombies or rapidly kill 2 or more Zombies multiple times.

Warzone Zombies confirmed for Season 2?

These new challenges seem to indicate so! Maybe they're arriving in that cargo ship pic.twitter.com/EbLGnDVmmP — DEXERTO Call of Duty (@DexertoIntel) February 24, 2021

It's thought by the community that this may be part of the Zombies Outbreak Challenge Event, which was revealed as part of the Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War Season 2 roadmap. The inclusion of zombies in Warzone has been teased for some time now, starting with Zombies Trial Machines appearing in the Verdansk Hospital, and strange screen distortions featuring Morse Code alerting players to a ship called Vodyanoy, which is supposedly approaching the island. Outside of Warzone, a new Zombies experience called Outbreak is also coming to the game with Season 2, which launches on Thursday, February 25. You can currently play the Outbreak mode early if you follow the steps detailed in this article. In other Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War news, we recently learned that it is one of the best-selling games in US history. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Crafty Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War players have figured out how to play the game's new Zombies mode, Outbreak, a day early. Outbreak is a "large-scale" Zombies experience that will continue the Dark Aether storyline, with new enemies, objectives and rewards. It's supposed to launch on Thursday after being teased via a raft of easter eggs found in Warzone, but players are already enjoying it. As reported by Eurogamer, players who download the game's most recent update can access the new mode by going offline and creating an offline Zombies custom match, where players will be able to select the new Outbreak mode and play on the new maps, Alpine, Ruka and Golova. It's a good way to check it out and get some training ahead of its official online release tomorrow. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/23/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-season-two-outbreak-trailer"] As you might expect, there's a lot of Outbreak gameplay on YouTube and Twitch right now. Here's some footage from YouTube user Unpunk. In the loading screen for Outbreak, we can spot a quick rundown of how the mode will work. In the Loot phase, players will move through a region towards an objective, killing Zombies and gathering resources. In the Thrive phase, they'll then complete objectives such as escorting a rover or tracking down enemies via satellite tracker to earn rewards and reveal the site of the beacon. In the Survive phase, they'll then use the beacon to warp to a new region with increased difficulty or initiate an exfiltration attempt. In other Cold War news, we recently learned that the latest entry in the Call of Duty franchise is one of the best-selling games in US history. You can check out our review of the game here, which covers each mode individually. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Diablo 4 making the shift to an open world design raises several questions. After all, an open world is not just a type of map; on one end of the spectrum it’s a level design philosophy, and on the other it’s a whole genre with its own traditions and mechanics. So what, exactly, does open world mean for Diablo? Unsurprisingly, it ushers in quite a substantial change for the isometric series, but one then thankfully won’t burn its deep-seeded action-RPG roots. “We don't want to be too disruptive to the regular gameplay flow of Diablo,” explains Joe Piepiora, Lead Systems Designer on Diablo 4, in an interview with IGN. “We don't want to create a slew of things that you need to do in the overworld, such that it might distract from the fun of killing monsters and finding dungeons. We're being very intentional about the opportunities we can provide to players so that we don't push them too hard in one direction or the other.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/19/diablo-4-rogue-cinematic-trailer"] Essentially, Diablo 4 is not turning into an open world with a map full to bursting with icons and question marks. Diablo 4 is still Diablo, it’s just that this time players will not only have more freedom of exploration, but Blizzard has the opportunity to make the world of Sanctuary feel like, well, just that: a world. “We want to make sure that when you're playing a game, you don't feel the need to open the map to continually track and re-track lots and lots of different things,” says Piepiora. “We want to make sure that it feels more like you're uncovering this stuff as you wander normally.” As you explore Sanctuary, you’ll come across less scripted characters and activities in a manner that sounds almost akin to Red Dead Redemption 2. “You may find a potion merchant not far from the road, who looks like they are in need of aid,” Piepiora suggests. “You might find even smaller things, like chasing a deer around the countryside. The corpse of a merchant on the road with bandits slinking nearby, hidden in bushes and such. Lots of like smaller things happen, just randomly, as you're adventuring around.” Previously, Diablo games were built from levels that represented chunks of Sanctuary. Diablo 4 fits those chunks together by filling in the gaps. “ I really want to know what's between these places,” says Piepiora. “I want to know how these people really live. What does Sanctuary really look like? It's possible to say Sanctuary is a bit of a stand in for the action that needs to occur, but there's all this lore and there's so much depth that's put into the fantasy of the world of Sanctuary.” Diablo 4, then, is the chance to bring that lore to life. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=diablo-4-skill-tree-update&captions=true"] This open world won’t represent all known regions of the world - it’s only Eastern Sanctuary - but that does mean an entire region with the likes of the misty forest of Scosglen, the burning deserts of Kehjistan, and everything in between fully realised. That includes not just the landmass, but the things living there, too. “We've got wildlife and background characters, as well as the creatures and monsters that you come across,” reveals Careena Kingdom, Diablo 4’s Lead Animator. “It's not just the heroes, it's the villagers, and creating those different personality types.” “There's so much out there in the environment just to stumble across as you're wandering around,” says Piepiora. “Small little stories, like that one hermit's hut in the middle of the forest that's far off the beaten path, or the misty valley in Scosglen that you go inside and people don't return from. There's all these interesting little places all throughout the world.” With these elements populating the world, it sounds like the team has shifted Diablo 4’s world designer closer to that of a more traditional RPG, such as Baldur’s Gate, while maintaining the action gameplay loops the series is loved for. This will hopefully make for a better sense of place; Sanctuary as a real location, rather than a series of battlefields. Piepiora is keen for Diablo 4 to emphasise the various cultures of Sanctuary, providing each location a sense of authenticity through aspects such as architecture, garment and weapon design, and the attitudes of the people who live there. “The Fractured Peaks and the hardy people that live there, these people live very different lives to the people that live in the misty valleys of Scosglen, or the sun drenched plains and dunes of Kehjistan… All of these people have their place in the world and they're dealing with things in their own way, with even many subdivisions among them as well.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/01/diablo-4-reveal-trailer"] Some of those subdivisions will provide unique opportunities, depending on the player’s class. “As the Rogue is advancing and exploring the world of Sanctuary, she's going to gain access to a number of different organizations that she can work with,” explains Piepiora. “Factions that grant her training, that are going to give her certain extra abilities or specializations.” This increased emphasis on NPCs and interactions is all in aid of one thing. “It's about making you feel like you are interacting with the world and that you have presence,” Kingdom says. “The world is aware that you're there.” Perhaps the most notable impact of your presence in the world comes with the liberation of Sanctuary’s numerous camps. In the wake of Diablo 3’s Reaper of Souls storyline, in which Malthael wreaked almost genocidal-levels of devastation upon Sanctuary, many of the world’s important landmarks have been taken over by the forces of darkness. Taking these back for humanity is a major part of Diablo 4’s activity list, and success has both a visual and gameplay impact on the world. “You're not going to see a bunch of other players around you when you enter one of these camp locations,” explains Piepiora. “But when you manage to finish it, and you've cleared the camp and liberated it, then it turns into a public version, where you now will see other players nearby.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/26/diablo-4-cannibal-family-turnaround-trailer"] With the transformation of the camp into a public player space, you’ll be able to meet other parties here and potentially team up for co-op activities. Furthermore, NPCs will move in and offer new quest lines and stories, as well as potentially opening up new dungeons. “Basically, it opens up more options for exploration and more ways for us to tell different kinds of stories, as the player progresses to the world,” Piepiora says. “Plus, they always get the sense that there's this permanent change they're making.” Seizing camps from the enemy has a large impact on the world, but there are smaller examples. With the open world making traversal much more important, players can make their mark by discovering and creating shortcuts. “Wandering across a cliff face and finding an area that is climbable feels pretty cool and that you feel like you've discovered something, but it's even better when you come across these places and you find that there's an area where you can kick down like a rope or create a shortcut for yourself later,” says Piepiora. Quick travel between waypoints will still be available for both convenience and the more traditional Diablo player, but it sounds like Blizzard is making Sanctuary a much more compelling place to explore than in previous games. Where once scouring hidden corners was simply an exercise in ensuring every last drop of loot was found, the Diablo 4 team appears to be thinking about Sanctuary in the same way as the Warcraft team thinks about Azeroth. And while they may be entirely different experiences on the gameplay front, I’m excited to play a game where, hopefully, Sanctuary finally feels like a place worth saving. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

First 4 Figures has teased the reveal of a lifesize replica of Samus Aran's helmet from Metroid Prime. Announced in a video on the First 4 Figures YouTube channel, the helmet will be formally unveiled on March 2 as part of a special launch stream for the figure, taking place on March 2 at 9am Pacific / 12pm Eastern / 5pm UK. Pre-orders will open after the end of next week's stream. It's not clear if you can put the helmet on your head, but take note of the opaque visor, which may cause you some trouble if you're looking to cosplay... In other Metroid news, Metroid Prime 4 was missing from the most recent Nintendo Direct, though we did get some major announcements such as Splatoon 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD. Back in November, we speculated on when Metroid Prime 4 could formally release as part of Nintendo Voice Chat Episode 533. In February of 2020, we reported that Metroid Prime 4 developer Retro Studios had hired DICE Art Director Jhony Ljungstedt, but it's mostly been quiet on that front from Nintendo since the company revealed the game during E3 2017. Development was restarted in 2019 with Retro Studios in the driver's seat due to the fact that the game had "not reached the standards we seek in a sequel to the Metroid Prime series," according to Nintendo. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/18/theres-a-lot-missing-from-yesterdays-nintendo-direct"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Internet sleuths claim they have decoded a hidden message on the parachute of NASA's Perseverance rover, which touched down on the surface of Mars last week. After more than six months of speeding toward the Red Planet at 12,000 miles per hour, NASA's Perseverance rover successfully landed on Mars' Jezero Crater at approximately 3:56 p.m. EST/12:56 p.m. PST on February 18, 2021. The onboard cameras captured some thrilling footage of the rover's entry, descent, and landing suite, which included the deployment of a patterned parachute. Watch the footage from NASA's Mars Perseverance mission in our video below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/23/nasas-perseverance-rover-touchdown-on-mars"] The inflated parachute can be spotted at around 0:15. The camera provides a full view of the red-and-white design of the parachute, showing varying lengths of colored columns presented in concentric rings. While many spectators moved along to the landing itself, other eagle-eyed viewers paused the video to examine the frame and decipher the pattern. Jalopnik picked up on a tweet from @FrenchTech_paf that revealed "Dare mighty things" to be the secret message that was inscribed in the parachute. "Dare mighty things" is the motto used by the Perseverance team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the research and development center that served as headquarters for the Perseverance rover mission.

Here's the explanation : pic.twitter.com/DpbwEXvJcB

— Abela_Paf (@FrenchTech_paf) February 22, 2021

An explanation of how the code was cracked was also provided. It was first established that the colored striping was probably binary code, with the red panels representing the number one and the white panels representing zeros. The numbers were then organized into groups of ten, ring by ring, to create 10-bit patterns that could be equated to the alphabet by working in numerical order. Fortunately, MIT-engineer turned Emmy-nominated science TV host Emily Calandrelli shared a simplified breakdown of how to decode the message on the parachute. Calandrelli posted the insightful video shortly after @FrenchTech_paf shared his revelation, and it is the best explanation that you could find on the subject. So if you're interested in the specifics of cracking the cipher, give that a watch:

So you know how NASA sent a secret message to Mars?@FrenchTech_paf figured it out.

Dare mighty thingspic.twitter.com/HIO2BUVjNd — Emily Calandrelli (@TheSpaceGal) February 23, 2021

NASA's Perseverance's chief engineer, Adam Steltzner, also confirmed the message on Tuesday on Twitter. He shared a helpful graphic to perfectly illustrate the explanation of the code, showing exactly how the wording emerges on the parachute. "It looks like the internet has cracked the code in something like 6 hours!" he tweeted alongside the image. "Oh internet is there anything you can't do?"

It looks like the internet has cracked the code in something like 6 hours! Oh internet is there anything you can’t do? For those who just want to know: #Mars2020 #CountdownToMars pic.twitter.com/yTJCEnbuLY

— Adam Steltzner (@steltzner) February 23, 2021

Perseverance was launched on July 30, 2020, and landed on Mars on February 18, 2021. It's expected to stay on the planet for at least one Mars year, which is the equivalent of 687 Earth days. The Perseverance rover's mission is to seek signs of habitable conditions for life on Mars and to search for signs of past microbial life as well. It's not only equipped with a microphone to let NASA and the world know what it sounds like on Mars, but it's also equipped with a special drill that will collect core samples of rocks and soil on the Red Planet, which will eventually be brought back to Earth. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=sights-and-sounds-of-mars-from-nasas-perseverance-rover&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Update: Asked for comment on whether this was a tease for a new game, Destroy All Humans! senior producer Martin Kreuch gave an appropriately teasing response - but added that there may be more info "soon": "We can‘t explain it to ourselves who that other Furon clone is either. We've contacted all intelligence agencies we know and asked for support - Majestic, the KGB, that guy in a tinfoil hat outside our office screaming at a phone box every day... We think we are onto something though, and may have more intel to share soon!" [poilib element="accentDivider"] THQ and Black Forest Games appear to be teasing a Destroy All Humans! 2 remake in the latest trailer for 2020's Destroy All Humans! The game is currently 50% off on Steam, and the accompanying trailer to reveal the news (below) features a small skit at the end. In it, we can see Crypto-138 (the protagonist of 2006's Destroy All Humans! 2) interrupting Destroy All Humans! protagonist Crypto-137. 138 is wearing the upgraded armour from the sequel and asks "are you done yet, 137?" referring to the fact that 137 is deceased and quickly replaced by 138 at the start of the second game. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/24/destroy-all-humans-midweek-madness-trailer"] In response, 137 says "wait your turn little tadpole, I'm only getting started." A press release accompanying the trailer makes note of the unusual ending, suggesting that it may well be a concrete tease that a remake of the second game is coming, in the same vein as last year's Destroy All Humans! Of course, there is the possibility that this is just an in-joke for fans, or that Crypto-138 DLC could be on the way instead. We've contacted the publisher for comment. We reviewed the 2020 Destroy All Humans! remake, scoring it a 7 and calling it "simple but satisfying." THQ Nordic is part of Embracer Group, which recently announced that it wants to create an archive of all video games. The holding company has 150 games in development at present, with 70 to be completed by March 2022. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/27/destroy-all-humans-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Yakuza series producer Daisuke Sato has said that he would like to see Yakuza's historical spin-offs come west. In an interview with JPGames, Sato was asked about potentially localizing 2008's Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan! and 2014's Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin!, two Japan-exclusive period drama historical spin-offs set in the 17th and 19th Centuries, which feature established Yakuza characters. Sato said that he "would like to see these titles localized so that western fans can enjoy them." "In the past, we prioritized to regain a foothold in the west with Yakuza 0. Time flew by without a good time to publish these titles," Sato continued. "In my opinion, the action in 'Ishin' and 'Kenzan' is some of the best on the show. So I would like to localize the titles if there is a chance. However, they are already a good seven years old. So it would take additional work to produce remakes instead of simple ports. That makes the decision a little more complicated." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2013/09/18/yakuza-ishin-tgs-trailer-japanese"] I can also report that during an interview with Sato at Gamescom 2019, he told me that he "would have loved to release [Ishin] in the west from the beginning," but there were concerns because of the game's basis in Japanese history, which may not be so easily understood by Westerners. "This Japanese history is like common knowledge in Japan, so if a Japanese person who knows Japanese history plays it, he has the storyline, but he also has this twist like 'oh, they changed it that way,' and this would kind of lack for Western players who may not know Japanese history." Sato continued: "Still, I mean, if the story is good, they might truly enjoy it. I get asked that a lot, but the fact that a lot of people request is is something that I will take back and hopefully we will be able to challenge this and bring it to the west, finally, after all those years." From both interviews, we can gather that the team at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio seem keen to introduce these titles to a Western audience. There are no clear plans yet, but we'll be sure to let you know if we hear more about an official localization of Yakuza's Japan-exclusive spin-offs. We reviewed the latest entry in the series, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, upon its release in November of 2020, scoring it a 7 and enjoying how it took "bold steps in a new direction for the series." It was recently announced that Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi will be stepping down as SEGA's Chief Creative Officer and taking on the role of creative director. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.