Cyberpunk 2077 Shows Off Mad Max-Inspired Car

In celebration of the fifth anniversary of vehicle-packed blockbuster Mad Max Fury Road, CDProjekt Red has revealed a new car from Cyberpunk 2077: the Reaver. Posted to the Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter account, a short clip shows the black vehicle, adorned in turquoise decals and red trim. The Reaver is a custom-built car built by the Wraiths, one of the gangs of Night City. It’s based on a Quandra Type-66 car, and boasts “near 1000 horsepower”. If the car were real, it’d have the power of an Aston Martin Valhalla or Ferrari SF90 Stradale. “You will ride eternal, shiny and chrome,” the tweet says, echoing the War Boys of Mad Max Fury Road. However, the car itself more so echoes Max’s V8 Interceptor - affectionately known as the Pursuit Special - more than the rusty, spike-dressed vehicles of Immortan Joe’s cult. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/08/27/cyberpunk-2077-gameplay-demo-vehicle-combat"] For more from Cyberpunk 2077, check out the design of the new Cyberpunk limited edition Xbox, and news that the game will allow you to choose your preferred genitals during character creation. The game has also been rated in some countries, and you can check out the adult content in Cyberpunk 2077 as detailed by the Australian classification board. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter

Power Rangers Is Going Back to Its Dinosaur Roots for Season 28

Power Rangers Beast Morphers is still roaring through its second season, but that doesn't mean we can't look ahead to the next team of Rangers ready to defend the Earth. IGN can exclusively reveal that the 28th season in the iconic franchise is titled Power Rangers Dino Fury, which will premiere in 2021. The new installment is adapted from the 43rd season of Japan's Super Sentai series, known as Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger, utilizing that show's battle footage and monsters. Here's the plot summary for Power Rangers Dino Fury: "When an army of powerful alien beings is unleashed on Earth, threatening life as we know it, a brand-new team of Power Rangers, fueled by the pre-historic power of the dinosaurs, are recruited to deal with the threat." Power Rangers Dino Fury continues the dino-powered theme that's been prevalent in Power Rangers since it began with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in 1993. (Other dinosaur-themed teams have included Dino Thunder in 2004 and Dino Charge in 2015, for those keeping track). Even better, the Rangers have knight-themed weaponry - including their own swords. While we don't yet know who'll be playing the Dino Fury Rangers, you can check out their costumes and the show's logo below. Screen Shot 2020-04-30 at 12.46.57 PM[1] power rangers dino fury We got an early sneak peek at the Dino Fury Rangers and their Zords in a recent trailer for Beast Morphers Season 2, which also features the return of the original Red Mighty Morphin Power Ranger, Jason Lee Scott (Austin St. John) for an epic team-up with the Mighty Morphin, Dino Thunder, and Dino Charge Rangers - watch it below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/22/power-rangers-beast-morphers-reveals-mmpr-jason-scott-cameo"] Power Rangers Beast Morphers airs on Nickelodeon. 

IGN UK Podcast #539: Tsushima? Unreal!

Joe, Alex and Matt convene to discuss the end of this generation with Ghost of Tsushima, the beginning of the next with Unreal Engine 5, and eventually start discussing the age old argument of whether a story about drowning can, indeed, be funny. Between all that we've got chats about Ryan Murphy's Hollywood, What the Golf, and an Endless Search that goes notably poorly, even for that recurring feature. Remember, if you want to get in touch with the podcast, please do: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com

IGN UK Podcast #539: Tsushima? Unreal!

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Will Follow Spock and the Enterprise Crew

CBS All Access has announced a series order for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, a series featuring Star Trek: Discovery's Captain Pike, Number One and Spock. Strange New Worlds will be based on the years that Captain Christopher Pike commanded the U.S.S. Enterprise, and will feature the returning Anson Mount as Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One, and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock. These actors portrayed these same characters in CBS All Access' Discovery too. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=what-the-casts-of-star-trek-are-binging&captions=true"] "The series will follow Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock and Number One in the decade before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S. Enterprise as they explore new worlds around the galaxy," according to CBS. The series premiere was written by Akiva Goldsman with a story by Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, and Jenny Lumet. These three will serve as executive producers for the series in addition to Henry Alonso Myers, Heather Kadin, Rod Roddenberry, and Trevor Roth. Aaron Baiers, Akela Cooper and Davy Perez will serve as co-executive producers. Goldsman will remain an executive producer on Star Trek: Picard as well. "Fans fell in love with Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, and Ethan Peck's portrayals of these iconic characters when they were first introduced on Star Trek: Discovery last season," CBS All Access Executive Vice President and Head of Programming Julie McNamara said. "This new series will be a perfect complement to the franchise, bringing a whole new perspective and series of adventures to Star Trek." Only last year, we asked Anson Mount what he wanted from a Captain Pike show, given the huge fan response to his work in the role - here's hoping he gets at least some of what he wanted. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/09/25/is-star-trek-discovery-worth-a-streaming-subscription"] Strange New Worlds will join Discovery and Picard on CBS All Access when it launches on the streaming service. The franchise will get its second-ever animated series with Star Trek: Lower Decks on the service as well. A Section 31 show is also being planned starring Michelle Yeoh. And a CG-animated Star Trek series for younger audiences is also in the works at Nickelodeon. No release date was announced for Strange New Worlds. For more Star Trek, read about how we thought the season finale of Picard was good, giving it a 7 out of 10. For Season 2 of Picard, Star Trek actor Jonathan Frakes will return to the director's chair. Elsewhere in the Star Trek universe, William Shatner said not to expect a Kirk series after Picard. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Scorn Developer Chose Series X Because It Wouldn’t Have to Compromise on PC Version

Scorn was one of the surprise hits of last week's Inside Xbox showcase, its blank storytelling and H.R. Giger-inspired aesthetic standing out from the rest of Series X's third-party slate. We've known about the game, as a PC title, for several years at this point, and it turns out the lure of Series X for developer Ebb Software was the fact that a console version could now match the vision it has always had for its PC project. "It was about bringing it in line with the PC version", says game director Ljubomir Peklar when I ask what the thinking was behind releasing Scorn for the new Xbox. "We don't want to make any compromises and Series X certainly enables us to do just that." I ask what, specifically, Series X offers the team that current-gen consoles couldn't: "It's mostly evolutionary improvements that are going to make the biggest difference. The most important one is elimination of the CPU bottleneck that exists in the current-gen consoles and much faster loading of assets thanks to the SSD. It's all about responsiveness and not having to wait on things." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=scorn-10-screenshots-of-the-series-x-and-pc-horror-game&captions=true"] For Scorn's developers, compromise seems to be out of the question, and Series X's power is a draw. Scorn is being built in Unreal Engine 4, and appears to be an exercise in pushing those tools as far as they'll go - Peklar doesn't say it outright, but Ebb appears to be aiming for high resolution and framerates as much as it is shiny (or should that be slimy?) new looks: "If developers decided to opt for lower resolutions and 30fps they could get more spectacular results, like in the new Unreal 5 showcase few days ago. What you have to remember is that responsiveness and motion clarity are also part of the overall presentation, so you would still be losing detail in a sense." The last direct gameplay we saw from Scorn came in 2017, and Peklar assures me that the game has changed significantly since then: "That pre-alpha level we showed is about 80% different right now. That demo was created to show backers we can develop a proper game and an overall potential of what the game could be. It wasn't supposed to be a final representation of the game." What remains less clear is whether Series X is the only console platform on which Scorn will arrive. When I ask if this is a Series X exclusive, or if it could hit PS5 sometime after launch, Peklar says he can't discuss that information. We still don't know if the game will come to Steam and Windows Store simultaneously with Xbox Series X, either. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/07/scorn-xbox-series-x-gameplay-reveal"] A slightly more interesting mystery is what story Scorn actually aims to tell. Ebb has been purposely mysterious about what Scorn is about, to the point where, when I innocently ask what the initial pitch for the game was (intending to mean the look and gameplay ideas), Peklar says it feels like I'm trying to be "clever" and get him to tell me what the story's about, and refuses to answer directly. "The initial pitch hasn't changed that much," he tells me, "but we will never disclose it." He will, at least, divulge what the gameplay will be made up of. The 2017 demo showed off exploration and puzzle-solving around one of Scorn's several promised nightmarish areas, and a touch of gunplay as the local, disgusting wildlife subsequently turned hostile. That mix will seemingly remain the case in the final product: "It's pretty much 50/50 when it comes to gunplay and puzzles," says Peklar, "all wrapped up in an atmosphere that will elevate it much further than the sum of its parts." Despite that early gameplay, most people watching Inside Xbox won't have seen Scorn before, and its sheer blankness of vision, and the team's unwillingness to give too much away, must have made this very public showing slightly nerve-wracking. Thankfully, Peklar and his team emerged pleased with the experience: "We were interested in seeing if people were reacting to the specific beats we expected them to. Failing to adequately realize and present the mood is always our biggest worry. Thankfully it all went as expected. The overall reaction was pretty good too." Scorn will be released for Xbox Series X during the console's "launch period". Windows Store and Steam versions are also planned, with no release date specified. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News, and Scorn makes him feel deliciously grim. Follow him on Twitter.

Control’s Next Expansion Will Help Explain What Happened in Alan Wake

Control’s next DLC expansion, AWE, will further explore the game’s link to Alan Wake, and provide answers for players who “didn’t quite understand what happened”. Talking to Game Informer, Remedy's creative director and writer Sam Lake has said that we can expect to learn much more about the Federal Bureau of Control’s research into the Bright Falls incident when playing through AWE. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/26/control-review"] “We have this opportunity of looking back at what happened in Alan Wake and how does the Bureau see it,” said Lake. “Well, there was this otherworldly event that took place in Bright Falls and they suddenly have this terminology. We have people that say, ‘I loved Alan Wake but I didn't quite understand what happened, and now I played Control and I understand what happened in Alan Wake!’” Lake confirmed that AWE will definitely explore the events of Alan Wake. “I can say that you will find out more about the Bureau's research on what happened in Alan Wake and where they are with it today,” he added. Alan Wake, which released ten years ago, famously has an obscure conclusion. The two-part DLC story line - The Signal and The Writer - later helped clarify and extend certain plot elements, but to this day many players remain confused as to exactly what happened. Now that Remedy has built a shared universe for its games, the AWE expansion provides a new opportunity to clear up what happened in the strange town of Bright Falls. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=control-the-foundation-screenshots&captions=true"] AWE will be the second expansion to Control, following The Foundation, which our review explains is a wonderful return to the weird world of the Federal Bureau of Control. After that, Remedy is embarking on two more next-gen games set in the same franchise. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter

Video Game Spending for the First Quarter of 2020 Was the Highest in US History

During the first quarter of 2020, United States consumer spending on video game products reached the highest total in U.S. history, according to The NPD Group. The NPD Group calls this year's first quarter a record, driven by digital content spending across console, mobile and PC platforms - reaching $10.86 billion in total from January to March. This is an increase of 9% compared to the same period of time for last year, according to the report. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=top-10-best-selling-video-games-of-all-time&captions=true"] "Sales of video game content reached $9.58 billion in the first quarter, up 11% when compared to a year ago," The NPD Group reports. "Gains were seen across digital console and PC content, mobile and subscription spending, as well as across hardware and accessories categories." Games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which recently broke its own record after becoming the fastest-selling Switch game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, DOOM Eternal, and Grand Theft Auto V helped consumer spending break this record as they were all among the best-performing titles of this year's first quarter. Other notable titles on that list include Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, Fortnite, Minecraft, MLB The Show 20, and NBA 2K20. "Video games have brought comfort and connection to millions during this challenging time," NPD Group video game industry analyst Mat Piscatella said. "As people have stayed home more, they've utilized gaming not only as a diversion and an escape, but also as a means of staying connected with family and friends. Whether it was on console or mobile, PC or virtual reality, gaming experienced play and sales growth during the first quarter." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/02/01/the-best-selling-game-thats-hard-to-go-back-to"] The challenging time Piscatella is referring to is, of course, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some ways to help and stay safe during the pandemic. The NPD Group reports that a strong growth in sales of Nintendo Switch hardware and software helped to offset the declines across other hardware platforms, "leading the overall video game hardware market to increase 2% in the quarter to $773 million." Video game accessories like gamepads, headsets, and cases also saw an increase in sales during this quarter with an increase of 1% in the first quarter. Those sales reached $503 million. You can read more about how March of this year was a record-breaking month for the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo is attempting to boost Switch output to meed its growing demand after months like March too. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes

Capcom Explains Why Resi 3 Remake’s Nemesis Includes a Resi 4 Reference

Resident Evil 3 Remake's take on Nemesis is now available in Resident Evil Resistance, and Capcom has detailed its connection to Resident Evil 4. Posted as part of the announcement of Nemesis' inclusion in Resistance, a PlayStation blog post explains the newly-created connections between the Nemesis of Resident Evil 3 and Resistance with RE4. According to Capcom social media specialist Kellen Haney, the Nemesis' ability to infect zombies with parasites in Resistance was added to the game to tie into the Ganado enemies of RE4. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-resident-evil-bosses&captions=true"] "We inevitably decided on this final ability due to the presence of Ganado in Resident Evil 4," Haney said. "Ganado are humanoid enemies that are created through being infected with the Plagas parasite, the original basis for NE-α. When the Plagas activates, it spawns from the neck of its host in the form of a tentacle." Haney said NE-α was created to imitate this parasitic quality and Capcom wanted NE-α infected enemies to be "visually similar" to the Plagas-infected Ganados. This was done as a "means for fans to piece together how Nemesis fits within the whole Resident Evil franchise." As anyone who played RE3 knows, the Nemesis was able to infect zombies nearby using its parasitic arm. These newly-infected zombies would need to be taken down in a specific way different from the usual headshot to a standard zombie. The Nemesis' tentacle arm will return as an ability in Resistance that can be used to infect zombies. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/17/resident-evil-resistance-jill-valentine-gameplay"] This ability was also added in order to differentiate Nemesis from the Tyrant of Resident Evil 2. "We wanted Nemesis to come across as an even more formidable opponent, so we started considering alternate abilities aside from its heavy weapon artillery," Haney said. That's what led to the inclusion of Nemesis' infection ability. For more Resident Evil, check out this Dino Crisis mod for RE3 on PC. Read about this RE3 board game coming to Kickstarter too. We thought RE3 was amazing, giving the Resident Evil 3 remake a 9 out of 10. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/17/5-craziest-resident-evil-3-mods"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. He helped write the IGN guide for Resident Evil 3, which you can check out here. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Assassin’s Creed’s Educational Discovery Tours Are Currently Free on PC

Ubisoft's educational Discovery Tours for Assassin's Creed: Origins and Assassin's Creed: Odyssey are currently free to download and keep on PC. The educational expansions go beyond the mythological heights of the main games and let players explore the ancient history behind the worlds you may have explored as Alexios/Kassandra and Bayek. You can take part in guided tours curated by historians and learn more about Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece from the experts. Discovery Tour: Ancient Egypt and Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece can be redeemed via this link, alongside a host of over Ubisoft games, including Rabbids Coding! and Might & Magic Chess Royale. This is part of Ubisoft's Play Your Part, Play at Home campaign, which is offering free games to fans in an effort to help keep people busy as they stay safe at home under quarantine. The promotion will run from today, May 15th until May 21, so head on over to Uplay to redeem it. We don't yet know if Assassin's Creed Valhalla will include a Discovery Tour mode, but we know 44 other details about the upcoming Viking-based entry in the series. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN who wishes Ubisoft would hire him to make a discovery tour for Black Flag. Ask him about pirate archaeology on Twitter.

May 2020’s Nintendo Switch Online NES and SNES Games Announced

Nintendo has announced that NES' Rygar and SNES' Wild Guns, Panel de Pon, and Operation Logic Bomb will be added to Nintendo Switch Online on May 20, 2020. These titles will bring the total NES and SNES titles on Nintendo Switch Online to 82, and are the first additions since Nintendo added Pop'n TwinBee, Smash Tennis, Shadow of the Ninja, and Eliminator Boat Duel in February. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/15/nintendo-switch-online-may-2020-game-updates"] Rygar was released on NES in 1986 and was originally an arcade game in Japan called Warrior of Argus. The official description from Nintendo is as follows;
An old legend proclaimed, “When the peaceful land is covered with evil spirits, a brave soldier will be brought to life from the dead.” Luckily, Rygar, the mythical hero from Argus, has arrived in order to defeat the evil king Ligar and his army of dangerous beasts. Join forces with Rygar for a hybrid action-adventure game with a distinct blend of platforming and role-playing elements!
Wild Guns arrived on the SNES in 1994 and infuses the Wild, Wild West with Sci-Fi for a unique shooting gallery experience. The official description from Nintendo is as follows;
The Kid gang and their army of robots have taken over! Blast your way through villainous outlaws,diabolical robots and towering, screen-filling bosses. Fortunately, you’ve got plenty of moves to help you survive the firepower headed your way. You’ll need a sharp eye and quick-on-the-draw reflexes to survive on your own. Or team up with a friend and go out blazing in two-player co-op.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=top-25-nintendo-switch-games&captions=true"] Panel de Pon was only ever released in Japan, but those in other regions of the world may know it as Tetris Attack. It was released in 1995 on the SNES and came to Game Boy a year later. The Tetris Attack/Panel de Pon legacy was continued with such titles as Pokemon Puzzle League for the N64. The official description from Nintendo is as follows:
As the stack of puzzle pieces rises, think fast to match panels and set off cascading chain reactions and combos. You’ll have to make strategic choices quickly to counteract the relentless competitor attacks from above. A selection of single-player and two-player modes and options provides escalating action and zippy fun. This title originally launched for the Super Famicom in 1995, but this is the first time this version of the game will be available in the U.S. Though this title was never translated into English, it may seem familiar!
Operation Logic Bomb: The Ultimate Search & Destroy was originally released on the SNES in 1993 and is an overhead action game that was a sequel to the Game Boy's Fortified Zone. The official description from Nintendo is as follows;
Agent Logan has been fitted with bioelectronic implants that grant him superior strength, reflexes and analytical abilities. He’s been charged with a mission to save the Subspace Particle Transfer Project. Now it’s up to him to infiltrate, neutralize the intruders and rescue the scientists in a top-down shooter with giant bosses and frenzied action that doesn’t let up.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/14/paper-mario-the-origami-king-announcement-trailer"] This news follows Nintendo's reveal of Paper Mario: The Origami King from earlier today, which arrives on the Switch on July 17, 2020. [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.