14 of the Weirdest Game Mechanics Ever
We may remember a game for its great story or amazing graphics, but all games live or die by their mechanics, regardless of how simple or complex they may be. Sometimes, though - as we were just reminded by the most recent gameplay trailer for Death Stranding - a game’s mechanics can be straight-up weird.
Whether a fun gimmick or a totally buck-wild mindf***, plenty of developers have tried to differentiate themselves from the rest of the industry with unique gameplay mechanics - here are some of our favorites.
Click through the gallery above or scroll down the page for the full list.
Listen To the Latest Game Scoop! Podcast
Welcome back to Game Scoop!, IGN's weekly video game podcast. This week we're talking the new Resident Evil game, Dreamcast's 20th anniversary NES game facts, and more. Watch the video above or hit the link below to your favorite podcast service.
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Take a Look at Transformers TCG Wave 4 Megatron and Optimus Prime
UPDATE: The slideshow accompanying this article has been modified. The General Optimus Prime art now in the slideshow is the final, retail version, whereas the earlier slideshow had a non-finalized image.
Two new cards are joining the Transformers: TCG line-up for Wave 4, and they're about as important and recognizable a pair as you can imagine. Lord Megatron and General Optimus Prime grace upcoming character cards in both their bot and alt modes.
Autobot leader General Optimus Prime is a 15-star card, with both his truck and bot forms. Megatron, "Conqueror of Cybertron," is a 12-star card, with bot and tank, rather than gun, forms. Both cards are scheduled for a November 8 release date.
New Dark Knight Returns Sequel Stars Superman’s Children
Legendary creator Frank Miller is revisiting his Dark Knight Returns universe once again. DC Comics announced a new sequel called Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child.
The Golden Child is a direct followup to The Dark Knight III: The Master Race. Set three years after the events of that series, The Golden Child focuses on former Robin, Carrie Kelley, in her new role as Batwoman, as well as the two children of Superman, Lara and Jonathan Kent. Together, these three heroes will confront an old evil that once again threatens Gotham City. Jonathan is the titular Golden Child, a hero with incredible mental powers despite his young age.
Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child will be published as a single 48-page comic under DC's Black Label imprint. Miller is writing the story, with Rafael Grampá (Mesmo Delivery) returning to comics for the first time in over half a decade to draw the issue. Jordie Bellaire (Batman) is coloring the issue. In addition to Grampá's standard cover, DC will also offer variant covers by Miller, Paul Pope, Joëlle Jones and Andy Kubert.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Will Not Add Goku or Iron Man
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate creator and director Masahiro Sakurai has stated that the series will continue to only feature video game characters, despite numerous requests from fans to add characters like Goku and Iron Man.
Our video above takes a look at the insanely huge Super Smash Bros. roster.
The comments were made at Tokyo Game Show, where Sakurai took to the stage to accept an award for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. His words were published on Twitter by user naruki, translated by PushDustin, and verified by IGN Japan.
Netflix’s Raising Dion Is a New Twist on the Superhero Origin Story
All September long, IGN is highlighting the best TV coming your way in the 2019-2020 season. Today we're featuring Netflix's new superhero drama Raising Dion, executive produced by Michael B. Jordan, and based on the comic and short film adaptation by Dennis Liu. According to Netflix, Raising Dion "follows the story of a woman named Nicole (Alisha Wainwright), who raises her son Dion (newcomer Ja’Siah Young) after the death of her husband, Mark (Michael B. Jordan). The normal dramas of raising a son as a single mom are amplified when Dion starts to manifest several mysterious, superhero-like abilities. Nicole must now keep her son’s gifts secret with the help of Mark’s best friend Pat (Jason Ritter), and protect Dion from antagonists out to exploit him, while figuring out the origin of his abilities." Ahead of the show's October 4 premiere date, we spoke to showrunner Carol Barbee and star Alisha Wainwright to discover how they brought this new twist on a superhero origin story to life.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Dev Responds to Mini-Map Complaints
The developers behind Call of Duty: Modern Warfare have responded to complaints that the beta doesn't feature a mini-map, saying "we hear you loud and clear."
Multiplayer mode in all the previous Call of Duty games has featured a constant mini-map, which allows players to see where they are in an area, spot enemy gunfire, and sync up with teammates. However, in the Modern Warfare beta the mini-map is only available as a two killstreak reward called "Personal Radar."
After players complained on Reddit about the loss of what had become a valuable tool, communications manager Ashton Williams wrote a post saying "Okay....let's talk about minimap.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Dev Responds to Mini-Map Complaints
The developers behind Call of Duty: Modern Warfare have responded to complaints that the beta doesn't feature a mini-map, saying "we hear you loud and clear."
Multiplayer mode in all the previous Call of Duty games has featured a constant mini-map, which allows players to see where they are in an area, spot enemy gunfire, and sync up with teammates. However, in the Modern Warfare beta the mini-map is only available as a two killstreak reward called "Personal Radar."
After players complained on Reddit about the loss of what had become a valuable tool, communications manager Ashton Williams wrote a post saying "Okay....let's talk about minimap.
IGN UK Podcast #504: Norman Reedus – Full Body Edition
Tokyo Game Show is happening right now, bringing big revelations about some of Japan's biggest games. So you know what that means: long chats about what the hell is going on in Death Stranding. Joe, Cardy and Matt discuss Kojima's latest revelations, and it looks like we finally know what you do in the game.
There's more than Thermos babies to discuss, though. We've been playing a duo of delights in Gears 5 and Catherine: Full Body, plus the slightly less delightful Daemon X Machina. And in film chat, we discuss Brad Pitt's journey to the far side of the galaxy in the serene and existential Ad Astra. And, as ever, there's another thrilling edition of The Endless Search.
IGN UK Podcast #504: Norman Reedus – Full Body Edition
Tokyo Game Show is happening right now, bringing big revelations about some of Japan's biggest games. So you know what that means: long chats about what the hell is going on in Death Stranding. Joe, Cardy and Matt discuss Kojima's latest revelations, and it looks like we finally know what you do in the game.
There's more than Thermos babies to discuss, though. We've been playing a duo of delights in Gears 5 and Catherine: Full Body, plus the slightly less delightful Daemon X Machina. And in film chat, we discuss Brad Pitt's journey to the far side of the galaxy in the serene and existential Ad Astra. And, as ever, there's another thrilling edition of The Endless Search.