Risk Of Rain 2 Review – When It Rains It Pours
As we prepared to take on Risk of Rain 2's final boss, we took a moment to take stock of our Survivors. My co-op partner had three syringes filled with glowing green slime jutting out of his hip, a sword at his side and a crown on his head. A leech was suctioned onto my head, a teddy bear stuck to my shoulder and John Lennon glasses stretched around the front of my domed helmet. Each of these baubles represented a perk we had acquired over the course of our headlong rush to the final boss. This is the kind of game Risk of Rain 2 is. At the end of a run, you can see every advantage that you have collected, all hanging off of your once-simple character model like fuzzy dice on a car mirror.
And, as it launches into 1.0, Hopoo Games' third-person shooter roguelike has a year-and-a-half of early access in its rearview. I didn't play the game during pre-release, so I can't testify to how much content this version adds to what was already there. But I can say that Risk of Rain 2 is a breakneck experience that builds and builds and builds. This is not a game of peaks and valleys. Risk of Rain 2 is all climb until you reach the summit. That's its greatest strength--and its only real notable weakness.
Each run begins with your Survivor emerging from an escape pod onto a hostile alien world. This landscape is largely empty. Lo-fi music plays. It's generally pretty chill and evocative for the first few seconds. But then you're assaulted by a horde of low-level creatures. At the top right corner of the screen, a meter slowly moves right, upping the difficulty from Easy to Medium to Hard (and up and up and up until the difficulty bar just reads "HAHAHAHAHA") as a run progresses. Each level ends when you find and activate a teleporter, summoning a boss monster, which you must defeat to use the portal. In between entrance and exodus, Risk of Rain 2's world is full of interesting decisions and secrets. You may want to sacrifice half your health at the Altar of Blood for rewards down the line. Or you might summon double the boss monsters for a shot at double rewards. Get lost long enough in your search for the teleporter and you may find an underground passage where you can find a hidden code etched on a tablet, which can be used to access a secret realm. As you explore, the world is gradually filling up with enemies; the music is, smartly, slowly building to an all-out guitar-wailing crescendo.
Continue Reading at GameSpotRisk Of Rain 2 Review – Risk Of Strain
As we prepared to take on Risk of Rain 2's final boss, we took a moment to take stock of our Survivors. My co-op partner had three syringes filled with glowing green slime jutting out of his hip, a sword at his side and a crown on his head. A leech was suctioned onto my head, a teddy bear stuck to my shoulder and John Lennon glasses stretched around the front of my domed helmet. Each of these baubles represented a perk we had acquired over the course of our headlong rush to the final boss. This is the kind of game Risk of Rain 2 is. At the end of a run, you can see every advantage that you have collected, all hanging off of your once-simple character model like fuzzy dice on a car mirror.
And, as it launches into 1.0, Hopoo Games' third-person shooter roguelike has a year-and-a-half of early access in its rearview. I didn't play the game during pre-release, so I can't testify to how much content this version adds to what was already there. But I can say that Risk of Rain 2 is a breakneck experience that builds and builds and builds. This is not a game of peaks and valleys. Risk of Rain 2 is all climb until you reach the summit. That's its greatest strength--and its only real notable weakness.
Each run begins with your Survivor emerging from an escape pod onto a hostile alien world. This landscape is largely empty. Lo-fi music plays. It's generally pretty chill and evocative for the first few seconds. But then you're assaulted by a horde of low-level creatures. At the top right corner of the screen, a meter slowly moves right, upping the difficulty from Easy to Medium to Hard (and up and up and up until the difficulty bar just reads "HAHAHAHAHA") as a run progresses. Each level ends when you find and activate a teleporter, summoning a boss monster, which you must defeat to use the portal. In between entrance and exodus, Risk of Rain 2's world is full of interesting decisions and secrets. You may want to sacrifice half your health at the Altar of Blood for rewards down the line. Or you might summon double the boss monsters for a shot at double rewards. Get lost long enough in your search for the teleporter and you may find an underground passage where you can find a hidden code etched on a tablet, which can be used to access a secret realm. As you explore, the world is gradually filling up with enemies; the music is, smartly, slowly building to an all-out guitar-wailing crescendo.
Continue Reading at GameSpotBioShock 4 Seemingly Won’t Take Place in Rapture or Columbia
The next Bioshock may not be taking place in previous settings Rapture or Columbia, if recent job listings are any indication.
Twitter user MauroNL3 pointed out on Twitter that the studio behind the next BioShock game, Cloud Chamber, has several job listings that seem to hint at what the team is looking to do with the next game in the series. The listings ask for experience with Unreal Engine 4 and experience in scripted cinematic sequences, amongst other things. The listings also mention a "new and fantastical world."
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=next-gen-buzzwords-explained&captions=true"]
"We want you to help us breathe life into a new and fantastical world," several job listings read. "Together, we will set the stage for a stunning narrative and systems-driven experience." The latter part is par for the course of BioShock but the former is what indicates a shift away from Rapture or Columbia, considering the team is specifically looking for people to breath life into a "new" world.
A senior cinematic artist job listing mentions "Wes Anderson-like precision and panache in your camera positioning and movements" and the ability to "create and implement systemic, in-game, scripted cinematic sequences." The listings seem to indicate, as you'd expect, that the game will indeed be a first-person shooter like the BioShocks that came before it.
"Develop an FPS combat paradigm that is accessible, satisfying, and allows for a high degree of player expression and experimentation within a highly reactive world," a principal combat designer job listing reads. "Look beyond direct conflict, accommodate various play-styles and design encounters that can be resolved through player ingenuity."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/29/the-first-18-minutes-of-bioshock-remastered-gameplay-on-nintendo-switch"]
There are a few other details to gleam from these Cloud Chamber job listings. A senior cinematic animator job listing requires a "good understanding of anatomy and caricature" and "exceptional skill in animating the human bipedal figure, organic forms, quadrupedal, and mechanical objects."
While the listings seem to indicate the series won't be returning to Rapture or Columbia, the environment-related job listings don't reveal much else. The listings ask for experience with specific software and programs but don't hint at what kind of environment we can expect in the studio's BioShock game.
There is a chance that these job listings are for a separate project, however - while all of the job listings make clear that the company is making a new BioShock game, one entry for a senior world designer is looking for someone to work on an "unannounced AAA first-person action game". It's unclear whether the role has been open since before BioShock 4 was confirmed and its description hasn't been updated accordingly, or if Cloud Chamber is beginning work on another game simultaneously.
If this news about the next BioShock game has you wanting to jump back into the series where it began, be sure to use our interactive BioShock map to find every collectible, Big Daddy, Little Sister, and more. Be sure to couple that with our BioShock walkthrough, which will help you ensure that you don't miss a beat during your playthrough.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes, where you'll see him talk often about how much he loves the BioShock series.
Cyberpunk 2077: CD Projekt Red Not ‘100% Happy’ With Melee Combat
While very much an RPG, Cyberpunk 2077 is also a first-person shooter. Furthermore, it’s a first-person shooter with melee weapons. And if you’ve ever played anything with swords in first-person, you’ll know video games don’t have the best history with that combination. It’s something developer CD Projekt Red is very much aware of, and still working on getting just right.
In an interview with VG247, senior gameplay designer Pawel Kapala explained that the studio is not “100% happy" with where melee combat is right now, but believes that in the months leading up to release the team will make the required improvements.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/10/cyberpunk-2077-lifepath-choices-trailer"]
“We’re spending a lot of time trying to perfect that, and we basically, we’re not 100 percent happy, mostly with visual feedback on the hits, on the melee,” Kapala said. “So, we’re still working on it.”
“It wasn’t an easy task, since we basically come from a pedigree of creating TPP games,” he added. “It was also a big part of our development to actually figure out, how do you do melee in a first-person perspective? We’re working on it.”
Kapala also acknowledged that the feel of melee combat wasn’t great in the demo presented to journalists as part of the recent round of Cyberpunk 2077 previews, but notes that it’s “much better than it was”.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cyberpunk-2077-june-2020-screenshots&captions=true"]
First person melee is notoriously difficult, and even accomplished games that use it - such as Dying Light and Arkane’s Dark Messiah and Dishonored games - still don’t always feel quite as natural as swordplay in third-person perspective games. Hopefully weapons like the Mantis Blades will feel satisfying in the launch version of Cyberpunk 2077.
For more from CD Projekt Red, check out the latest episode of Night City Wire to learn about Legendary Weapons and Lifepaths. You can also check out the first details of the Cyberpunk anime, coming in 2022.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.
Second Extinction Early Access Release Month, ‘War Effort’ Multiplayer Details Revealed
Second Extinction, the dinosaur-shredding first-person shooter that was first unveiled at the May Xbox Series X event, will be released first into Steam Early Access in September. The development team at Systemic Reaction also unveiled War Effort, a new global meta-game that puts a community-centric twist on the game's three-player cooperative action.
“The War Effort reflects the changes in the ongoing fight against the dinosaurs and ensures you’ll always have to stay on your toes. It’s a highly interactive, community-driven environment for players to fight in, letting us create new content that evolves over time,” said Second Extinction product owner Julianne Harty. “The War Effort is an integral part of how we’ll introduce new dinosaurs, missions, and more as a live service experience, and it’s a feature we’re excited to fully flesh out throughout early access.” As you can see in the trailer above, War Effort tallies the stats of player matches and uses them to alter the threat level for future matches, meaning you'll take on various challenging levels of dinosaurs.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=second-extinction-war-effort-screenshots&captions=true"]
The development team explained how War Effort works in more detail: "Essentially, the activity of the dinosaurs is constantly monitored and each area gets a Threat Rating - 1 being the smallest, 3 being the highest. These dinosaurs are pretty relentless. If you go squash ‘em down in one area until the threat level drops, they’re going to move to another area and subsequently that threat level rises. It’s like whack-a-mole with claws and gibs." Furthermore, they added, "This Threat Level adjusts each week, and that is one of the things we’ll be looking into as part of Early Access.For us Early Access is not just about what the community does, it’s about how they do it. How are they coping with certain scenarios? What needs tuning? What do they want tuning? It’s also an opportunity for us to find other ways to kill dinosaurs in other modes outside of missions, like a horde mode, and see what people like. It’s a collaborative process and that is why we chose this route."
But what exactly do these threat levels mean? "The Threat Level will affect the area’s difficulty first and foremost," the team said. "If you can shoot straight - unlike me - a Threat Level 1 is probably solo-able; a Threat Level 3 would be only recommended for experienced 3-player teams. That’s where co-op comes into its own - you’re going to need that extra ammo pack from a friend (or random) and you’ll definitely need the odd revive unless you want to roleplay Jeff Goldblum’s final act in Jurassic Park. For higher level areas, this will also impact the difficulty of the enemies you encounter, as well as the activities you can perform. And of course, any areas under the Emergence Event will also change the flavour of the dinos, the environment, the rewards, and even your item effectiveness. It’s important to give players a reason to venture into the depths of our dinosaur hell, so the toughest dinosaurs drop the rarest parts. In turn this dino-loot is exchanged for coveted upgrades."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/10/11-minutes-of-second-extinctions-evil-mutant-dinosaurs"]
Second Extinction is also in development for Xbox One and Xbox Series X.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.
Dirt 5 Delayed By A Week
Dirt 5 has been delayed by a week, and will now launch on October 16.
Codemasters revealed the news on Twitter via the official Dirt account, noting that the game will launch on October 16, 2020 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, a week later than its original planned release date of October 9.
The tweet notes that those who purchase the Amplified Edition of the game will be able to access Dirt 5 from October 13, receiving three days of early access gameplay.
"Thank you for all your support and excitement so far," the tweet reads. "We still have so much more to show you." Replying to the tweet announcing the delay, Codemasters reconfirmed that a next-gen version of Dirt 5 will land on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X later this year. Players who have already purchased Dirt 5 on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One will receive a free upgrade. In other Dirt 5 news, the voice cast for the game's career mode will be led by Troy Baker and Nolan North. You can check out the official features trailer for Dirt 5 here to learn more about what to expect when it launches later this year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.News: #DIRT5 will now launch on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on October 16, with three days’ early access (Oct 13) for Amplified Edition players.
THANK YOU for all your support and excitement so far – we still have so much more to show you… https://t.co/RjSfJr7LTs pic.twitter.com/Dz4FaWhboZ — DIRT (@dirtgame) August 11, 2020
DC Comics Layoffs Reportedly Affect a Third of Editorial Staff, Including EIC
DC Comics and DC Universe employees are said to have been heavily impacted by WarnerMedia's recent restructuring, with several high-profile layoffs taking place at both divisions.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the comic book powerhouse experienced a major shake-up on Monday, as sources claimed that "roughly one-third of DC's editorial ranks" faced losing their positions, with editor-in-chief Bob Harris said to be amongst those that have exited as part of the corporate realignment.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/09/14/dc-universe-review-is-the-subscription-service-worth-the-price"]
Other employees that have reportedly been affected by the companywide layoffs include senior VP of publishing strategy and support services Hank Kanalz, VP of marketing and creative services Jonah Weiland, VP global publishing initiatives and digital strategy Bobbie Chase, senior story editor Brian Cunningham, and executive editor Mark Doyle, who oversaw the rollout of DC's Black Label graphic novels. Amid the streamlining, Jim Lee remains DC Chief Creative Officer.
DC Universe, the subscription service dedicated entirely to DC content, is also said to have been impacted by the company's restructuring efforts, with the "majority of staff" reportedly being laid off in a move that insiders claim was "widely expected as WarnerMedia shifts its focus to new streaming service HBO Max," with some DC Universe shows already having made the move over to the HBO Max streaming platform.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dc-extended-universe-every-upcoming-movie&captions=true"]
This news comes less than two weeks before DC FanDome, an "immersive virtual fan experience" that is expected to deliver new announcements and trailers for a variety of upcoming DC movies, TV series, comics, and video games. Virtual panels will feature interviews from the cast and creators of many current and upcoming DC projects, including Wonder Woman 1984, The Batman, The Suicide Squad, Black Adam, and the recently confirmed Snyder Cut of Justice League.
The DC-themed online convention is scheduled to begin at 10 am PT on Saturday, August 22. The event will then run for 24 hours and is open to DC fans all over the world. The DC FanDome site will even offer multiple language options, including Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
SpongeBob Spin-Off The Patrick Star Show Coming This Summer, First Image Released
Update 03/04/2021: Nickelodeon has officially greenlit SpongeBob Squarepants spin-off, The Patrick Star Show, and it will begin to air this summer. A first image has been released.
The show will be a sitcom based on a younger Patrick Star, living at home with his family and hosting a talk show from his bedroom. You can see a first image of young Patrick and his family below:
[caption id="attachment_2482163" align="alignnone" width="1280"]
Source: Nickelodeon.[/caption]
Bill Fagerbakke returns to voice Patrick, with Nickelodeon intoducing a number of new characters and cast members in a press release:
"Tom Wilson (SpongeBob SquarePants, Back to the Future) as Cecil Star, Patrick's fun-loving, happy-go-lucky dad who always puts his family first; Cree Summer (A Different World, Inspector Gadget) as Bunny Star, Patrick's loving, sea star mom who is a kooky oddball; Jill Talley (SpongeBob SquarePants) as Squidina Star, Patrick's eight-year-old little sister who sees herself as Patrick's executive producer for his imaginary TV show; and Dana Snyder (The Penguins of Madagascar, Chowder) as GrandPat Star, Patrick's genius grandpat, the most intelligent member of the Star family. Summer also voices Grandma Tentacles, Squidward's grandma.
"Additional cast members include veteran actors Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants), Rodger Bumpass (Squidward Tentacles), Carolyn Lawrence (Sandy Cheeks), Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs), Mr. Lawrence (Plankton)."
The Patrick Star show will be the second SpongeBob spin-off series, with Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years airing on Paramount+ for the first time today.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
SpongeBob Squarepants' best friend is on his way to getting his own spinoff series called The Patrick Star Show, which will see the pink starfish become the host of his own late-night talk show.
According to Deadline, Nickelodeon is in the process of finalizing deals for a 13-episode order of The Patrick Star Show, a new animated series coming from the same creative team as the original SpongeBob Squarepants show.
[ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=http://www.ign.com/videos/2015/09/25/ign-uk-podcast-299-the-best-90s-tv-shows-to-watch-growing-up]
The new series will reportedly center around Patrick and his family, with Bikini Bottom's shirtless invertebrate heading straight for stardom as the presenter of his own late-night talk show, which will apparently be in a similar vein as The Larry Sanders Show and Comedy Bang! Bang!
SpongeBob veteran Bill Fagerbakke will continue to voice the main character, but will be joined by "a largely new cast voicing new characters, with SpongeBob cast members expected to make occasional appearances, reprising their roles."
No further details were shared about the other cast members that have signed up to dive into the underwater universe, even though the series' voice actors have reportedly already started to record their lines for the project behind the scenes.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-adult-cartoon-tv-series&captions=true"]
The Patrick Star Show joins a growing slate of SpongeBob Squarepants spinoffs, including Nickelodeon's Kamp Koral prequel series, which is set to follow the adventures of a 10-year-old SpongeBob during his summer at sleepaway camp.
Kamp Koral is scheduled to debut later this year, so while you're waiting for this new series, be sure to check out IGN's list of favourite SpongeBob SquarePants episodes over the past 20 years.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Source: Nickelodeon.[/caption]
Bill Fagerbakke returns to voice Patrick, with Nickelodeon intoducing a number of new characters and cast members in a press release:
"Tom Wilson (SpongeBob SquarePants, Back to the Future) as Cecil Star, Patrick's fun-loving, happy-go-lucky dad who always puts his family first; Cree Summer (A Different World, Inspector Gadget) as Bunny Star, Patrick's loving, sea star mom who is a kooky oddball; Jill Talley (SpongeBob SquarePants) as Squidina Star, Patrick's eight-year-old little sister who sees herself as Patrick's executive producer for his imaginary TV show; and Dana Snyder (The Penguins of Madagascar, Chowder) as GrandPat Star, Patrick's genius grandpat, the most intelligent member of the Star family. Summer also voices Grandma Tentacles, Squidward's grandma.
"Additional cast members include veteran actors Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants), Rodger Bumpass (Squidward Tentacles), Carolyn Lawrence (Sandy Cheeks), Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs), Mr. Lawrence (Plankton)."
The Patrick Star show will be the second SpongeBob spin-off series, with Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years airing on Paramount+ for the first time today.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
SpongeBob Squarepants' best friend is on his way to getting his own spinoff series called The Patrick Star Show, which will see the pink starfish become the host of his own late-night talk show.
According to Deadline, Nickelodeon is in the process of finalizing deals for a 13-episode order of The Patrick Star Show, a new animated series coming from the same creative team as the original SpongeBob Squarepants show.
[ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=http://www.ign.com/videos/2015/09/25/ign-uk-podcast-299-the-best-90s-tv-shows-to-watch-growing-up]
The new series will reportedly center around Patrick and his family, with Bikini Bottom's shirtless invertebrate heading straight for stardom as the presenter of his own late-night talk show, which will apparently be in a similar vein as The Larry Sanders Show and Comedy Bang! Bang!
SpongeBob veteran Bill Fagerbakke will continue to voice the main character, but will be joined by "a largely new cast voicing new characters, with SpongeBob cast members expected to make occasional appearances, reprising their roles."
No further details were shared about the other cast members that have signed up to dive into the underwater universe, even though the series' voice actors have reportedly already started to record their lines for the project behind the scenes.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-adult-cartoon-tv-series&captions=true"]
The Patrick Star Show joins a growing slate of SpongeBob Squarepants spinoffs, including Nickelodeon's Kamp Koral prequel series, which is set to follow the adventures of a 10-year-old SpongeBob during his summer at sleepaway camp.
Kamp Koral is scheduled to debut later this year, so while you're waiting for this new series, be sure to check out IGN's list of favourite SpongeBob SquarePants episodes over the past 20 years.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Delayed to 2021
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 has been delayed to 2021.
The news was revealed by the official Bloodlines 2 Twitter account, which posted a statement saying that Paradox Interactive and Hardsuit Labs have delayed Bloodlines 2 in order to "deliver the best game possible," and a "worthy successor to the original Bloodlines game."
"Due to the quality bar and ambitions we have set for ourselves, we have made the difficult decision that we need more time," the statement reads. "This means that our goal to release in 2020 is no longer possible. Moving launch is one of the changes we are making to ensure the best player experience possible."
The tweet also notes that we should hear more information about launch timing "and other organizational changes" in the coming months, but a new release date is not set in stone right now. "We understand this will be a disappointment to many of you, but we also appreciate how our ambition is echoed through many parts of the community," the statement ends. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 was previously delayed beyond its initial Q1 2020 launch window back in October of 2019. It will now launch at an indeterminate point in 2021 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X. You can check out our preview of the game from E3 2019 here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.Today we have an important announcement in regards to the release date of Bloodlines 2. pic.twitter.com/M3xR5qOOpN
— Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 (@VtM_Bloodlines) August 11, 2020
Star Wars Week: How We’re Celebrating That Galaxy Far, Far Away
With Star Wars Celebration 2020 cancelled, we launched our very own Star Wars Week where to celebrate all things from that galaxy far, far away. From retrospectives that explore Star Wars lore and history to Face-Offs between beloved characters and beyond, we've got a full week of features, videos, slideshows, and more to honor this beloved franchise.
Below is a roundup of all the content we published for Star Wars Week. Make sure to let us know in the comments what your favorites are.