Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX Revives a Platforming Classic
We're happy to reveal Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX, an updated version of the classic 1986 platformer coming to PC, as well as Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
Revealed as part of today's IGN Expo, and published by Merge Games, Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX takes all he content and levels from the Sega Master System original, but updates the art style, adds new levels and story elements, alters boss fight systems, and adds brand new modes (including a boss rush mode). Combat, movement mechanics and menu systems have also been tweaked.
Check out a first trailer below:
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If you'd prefer a taste of the old-school, Classic Mode will let you switch back to a recreated version of the original style, with boss fights, dialogue, levels and systems from the original Master System game. We don't have a release date as yet, but you can wishlist the game on Steam right now.
Back when the original game was ported to Wii, we called Alex Kidd in Miracle World "the best platformer ever released for the Sega Master System" in our 9/10 review.
There's much, much more to see from today's IGN Expo, and we're running the Summer of Gaming throughout June – here's the Summer of Gaming full schedule. All month, we're supporting some incredibly important causes – the World Health Organisation and The Bail Project – if you are able, help us support them too at donate.ign.com.
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Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood Gets an Exclusive New Trailer and First Screenshots
We've gotten a fresh look at Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood, the upcoming action-RPG based on the long-running tabletop game.
Revealed exclusively as part of today's IGN Expo, the new CG trailer shows banished werewolf Cahal taking out his rage on the corporations destroying his clan's natural homes. Check out the full trailer below:
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/04/werewolf-the-apocalypse-earthblood-summer-of-gaming-cinematic-trailer"]
Coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC, Earthblood is the first video game adaptation of Werewolf: The Apocalypse (after several cancelled attempts), and sees Cahal taking part in a war against Pentex, a corporation destroying nature and endangering the Garou werewolf clan.
The game aims to faithfully adapt the tabletop game, billing itself as mature and complex. You can check out the first in-engine screenshots of the game in the gallery below:
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There's much, much more to see from today's IGN Expo, and we're running the Summer of Gaming throughout June – here's the Summer of Gaming full schedule. All month, we're supporting some incredibly important causes – the World Health Organisation and The Bail Project – if you are able, help us support them too at donate.ign.com.
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Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood Gets an Exclusive New Trailer and First Screenshots
We've gotten a fresh look at Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood, the upcoming action-RPG based on the long-running tabletop game.
Revealed exclusively as part of today's IGN Expo, the new CG trailer shows banished werewolf Cahal taking out his rage on the corporations destroying his clan's natural homes. Check out the full trailer below:
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/04/werewolf-the-apocalypse-earthblood-summer-of-gaming-cinematic-trailer"]
Coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC, Earthblood is the first video game adaptation of Werewolf: The Apocalypse (after several cancelled attempts), and sees Cahal taking part in a war against Pentex, a corporation destroying nature and endangering the Garou werewolf clan.
The game aims to faithfully adapt the tabletop game, billing itself as mature and complex. You can check out the first in-engine screenshots of the game in the gallery below:
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=werewolf-the-apocalypse-earthblood-first-screenshots&captions=true"]
There's much, much more to see from today's IGN Expo, and we're running the Summer of Gaming throughout June – here's the Summer of Gaming full schedule. All month, we're supporting some incredibly important causes – the World Health Organisation and The Bail Project – if you are able, help us support them too at donate.ign.com.
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Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.
Comic-Con@Home Officially Announced With New Program Details
Although San Diego Comic-Con 2020 was canceled in April due to the coronavirus pandemic, the show will go on virtually thanks to Comic-Con@Home. The free -- yes, free! -- show aims to recreate the atmosphere and excitement of the live fan event but from the safety of home.
SDCC announced Wednesday that Comic-Con@Home will run online from July 22-26, the same dates the convention was originally meant to be held.
This is the first time in the con's 50-year history that SDCC was canceled. The live event will instead return to the San Diego Convention Center from July 22-25, 2021.
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Comic-Con's official statement revealed the following details:
"Plans for Comic-Con@Home include an online Exhibit Hall complete with everyone’s favorite exhibitors offering promotions, specials, and limited-edition products unique to the celebration. As well, Comic-Con@Home promises exclusive panels and presentations about comics, gaming, television, film, and a wide variety of topics from publishers, studios, and more. As if that weren’t enough, Comic-Con@Home will also have a Masquerade, gaming, and many other activities in which fans can participate from their own homes."
The organizers also said the online attendees can use the official #ComicConAtHome hashtag to be included in the virtual activities. More details about Comic-Con@Home events, panels, and guests are expected to be announced in the weeks ahead. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] Will you be attending Comic-Con@Home? Let us know in the comments!Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 Will Run on Unreal Engine 5
Microsoft has announced that Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is being built on Unreal Engine 5 for Xbox Series X.
The Director of Program Management for Xbox Series X Jason Ronald also officially confirmed that the first footage of Senua's Saga: Hellblade II that arrived alongside the reveal of the Xbox Series X at 2019's The Game Awards was captured in engine and "reflects the power of Xbox Series X available to developers to deliver new universes, experiences and games in ways you have never imagined."
Unreal Engine 5 was unveiled last month alongside a PlayStation 5 demo, Lumen in the Land of Nanite, that is a fully playable real-time tech demo. Even though it isn't planned to become a full game, it gives a glimpse into the future of gaming for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
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The news was revealed on Xbox Wire in an article titled "Everything You Need to Know about Xbox Series X and The Future of Xbox... So Far." While there isn't much else that's new, it does reiterate some exciting details, including the full specs of Microsoft's next-gen console, the fact that it will be launch with "thousands" of games with backward compatibility, a recap of the Xbox Series X third-party games reveal, and much more.
You can also check out everything we know about the Xbox Series X, which is still set to be released in Holiday 2020 alongside Halo: Infinite.
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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.
Ori Developer Shares Insight on PS5, Xbox Series X Differences
Ori and the Will of the Wisps game director Thomas Mahler has begun sharing some insights into what he thinks are key gameplay differences between the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X from the perspective of a game developer. Mahler boils down these differences as a choice between better resolution and better framerate.
By now, we know enough about the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X to highlight some key differences, especially when it comes to hardware architecture and backward compatibility. What we still don’t know is how these differences will translate into a gameplay experience in practice.
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But Mahler, who is the game director at Moon Studios, the developer of the Ori series, says that the hardware differences will play out as expected for gameplay. Namely, that Sony’s new ultra-fast SSD will result in faster load times, while the Series X will result in more raw power.
“Now, let’s say the average load time with those SSDs on next-gen will be 10 seconds,” posits Mahler in a ResetEra thread. “And let’s be generous and say that the PS5 SSD and throughput is twice as fast as the [Xbox Series X] — At that point you’d have a 10s load times vs. 5s load times (keep in mind that loading often is more than just shuffling data around, so this isn’t in any way accurate). I don’t know if I’d care that much about 5 seconds saved every time I load if what I give up for is framerate or resolution. And I guess that’s the bet that Microsoft made here — more power rather than faster data transfer.”
Note Mahler’s language, which appears more hypothetical than something he’s come up with through practical knowledge. While we don’t know if Moon Studios has a dev kit for either the PS5 or Xbox Series X, Mahler is a veteran game developer who has first-hand knowledge on what it is to work with game consoles. So his insight comes from a place of expertise.
One of Mahler’s key points is that Sony first-party studios will likely take the most advantage of the PS5 SSDs, “ensuring that everything’s smooth and juicy all the time and that you don’t see loading screens at all.” But third-party studios will likely not “change their games completely, adjust levels and other stuff just to squeeze the most out of the PS5 architecture.”
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The end result, according to Mahler for third-party games, is that players will see Xbox Series X games “render at 4k more regularly and/or at better framerates and on PS5 games will load faster. Players will have to decide what’s more important to them.”
Ultimately, we don’t know how the hardware differences will fully play out until both consoles are released and there’s a sizable third-party library of games to test out Mahler’s predictions. But considering everything we know about the PS5 and Series X specs, plus Mahler’s experience, this is something to keep an eye on when comparing the two next-gen consoles.
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Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.
Batwoman: Kate Kane Won’t Be Killed Off in Season 2
Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries has addressed the show's uncertain future in the wake of Ruby Rose's sudden departure and a growing worry among fans her character may be killed off in Season 2. Dries confirms Rose's Kate Kane won't be killed off, and that Kate's disappearance will be one of the main plot points driving Season 2.
Dries took to Twitter to clarify plans for Season 2 and her desire to avoid the "Bury Your Gays" trope, which involves a tendency for gay and lesbian characters to be killed or meet otherwise grim fates in fiction. Instead, Kate Kane will mysteriously vanish in Season 2, with new Batwoman Ryan Wilder working to uncover the reasons behind Kate's disappearance.
Based on these comments, it sounds like Ryan's journey will mirror that of Kate in Season 1, which dealt with the mystery of Bruce Wayne's disappearance three years earlier. It's starting to seem like the Batman/Batwoman mantle is the Arrowverse equivalent of the Defense Against the Dark Arts position in the Harry Potter universe. Interestingly, Dries seems intent on leaving the door open for Kate Kane to eventually resurface. Whether that involves Rose returning to the Arrowverse in a more limited capacity or the role being recast, we may not have seen the last of the original Batwoman. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=batwoman-o-mouse-photos&captions=true"] Word of Rose's departure from the series first broke in May, shortly after the conclusion of Batwoman: Season 1. We later learned Rose left the series due to her unhappiness with the long working hours and the resulting on-set friction. The Hollywood Reporter then broke the news that Season 2 will revolve around a new heroine taking up the Batwoman mantle named Ryan Wilder. We have our own ideas for how the series can best move forward without Kate Kane in Season 2, including bringing Bruce Wayne into the fold and effectively transforming the show into "Batwoman Beyond." For more on the series, check out IGN's Batwoman: Season 1 review and learn how the finale (sort of) introduced the Arrowverse's Bruce Wayne. Then find out why one of the stars of The Flash won't be returning for Season 7. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/20/ruby-rose-leaving-batwoman-role-to-be-recast"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.A note from me on behalf of The Bat Team... pic.twitter.com/V6iXjaCrA5
— Caroline Dries (@carolinedries) June 10, 2020
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s Delayed Season 4 Begins Tonight
Following a recent delay, Season 4 of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone will begin tonight, June 10, at 11pm PT / June 11 at 2am ET / June 11 7am BST.
Infinity Ward confirmed the news of the new date that was delayed in response to the global protests following the death of George Floyd.
Call of Duty's Twitter posted a message stating that it was "not the time" to launch the new season and that it would be "moving the launches of Modern Warfare Season 4 and Call of Duty: Mobile Season 7 to later dates. Right now it's time for those speaking up for equality, justice, and change to be seen and heard. We stand alongside you."
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Call of Duty also committed to ban racist names from its online modes, and it added an update that prompts a Black Lives Matter message to each player as they log on to Modern Warfare.
Call of Duty was one of the many games/companies that delayed scheduled events or implemented in-game tributes to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Sony delayed its PlayStation 5 reveal event, which is now set to take place tomorrow, June 11, at 1pm PT/4pm ET/9pm BST. Rockstar shut down GTA Online and Red Dead Online for 2 hours, Fortnite Delayed Chapter 2 Season 3, and the Cyberpunk 2077 news broadcast, Night City Wire, was delayed from June 11 to June 25.
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IGN stands in solidarity with the black community, and condemns racism. We encourage those reading to donate to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and support the fight for racial justice.
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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.
Netflix Curates ‘Black Lives Matter’ Collection of Films, TV Series’ & Docs
Netflix has launched a curated collection of content, to highlight "powerful and complex narratives" about the black experience, in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, Netflix shared information about the new category, featured under the genre tab, as the company revealed that the catalogue houses over 45 titles about "racial injustice and the black experience in America" to encourage subscribers to learn more.
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"When we say 'Black Lives Matter,' we also mean 'Black storytelling matters,'" the streaming service announced. "With an understanding that our commitment to true, systemic change will take time – we're starting by highlighting powerful and complex narratives about the Black experience.
"When you log onto Netflix today, you will see a carefully curated list of titles that only begin to tell the complex and layered stories about racial injustice and Blackness in America."
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The Black Lives Matter collection includes Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It and Da 5 Bloods (releasing June 12), Ava DuVernay's 13th and When They See Us, together with Marvel's Luke Cage, Orange Is the New Black, and Dear White People, amongst many other original and library titles that deserve the spotlight.
Entertainment Weekly reports that the new genre will appear on the service globally. "The Black Lives Matter collection speaks to racial injustice and the Black experience in America -- and we hope that highlighting these titles can help increase empathy and understanding," a Netflix spokesperson told the outlet.
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Outside of Netflix, a number of excellent films and documentaries that tackle and address racial injustice and/or highlight the black experience have recently been made available to stream for free - including Selma, Just Mercy, and more.
So if you're looking to amplify black voices and check out acclaimed films created by and starring black artists, take a look at our rundown of what's available to watch free of charge or visit netflix.com/blacklivesmatter to view the new collection.
IGN stands in solidarity with the black community, and condemns racism. We encourage those reading to donate to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and support the fight for racial justice.
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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

No Man’s Sky to Get Cross-Play Across All Platforms
No Man's Sky will enable cross-play across every one of its available platforms from tomorrow, June 11. Tomorrow will also see the game join the Xbox Game Pass programme on Xbox One and Windows 10.
Announced in a press release, players playing the game through VR, PC, PS4, Xbox, Windows 10 or GoG will be able to connect online. The update is timed to coincide with the game being added to Game Pass, "to allow everyone in the community to benefit from the influx of new players that Game Pass brings."
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The Hello Games team has been working on the addition of cross-play for six months. According to head of publishing Tim Woodley, the developers have been "quietly reworking the networking back-end of the game to get all versions of the game onto one single multiplayer base."
Aside from the benefit of being able to connect with previously unavailable friends on other platforms, this change means that the likes of huge planetary bases built on high-end PCs will now be available to visit for those on consoles.
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This update will also add general improvements to the game, including speech-to-text, improved lobbies and fireteams, and a set of other tweaks to multiplayer, VR and the game as a whole.
Hello Games is teasing an "eventful summer" for No Man's Sky, so it seems this isn't the last update we'll see in the near future. All of this is yet another step on the journey No Man's Sky's taken since launch, becoming one of the most notable gaming comeback stories of recent years.
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Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.