Hot on the heels of Kingdom Hearts 3 (relatively speaking, considering the wait fans endured for that sequel) is a new entry in the series that trades RPG combat for rhythm action. Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory acts as a kind of epilogue for the story so far; a musical celebration of what makes Kingdom Hearts so beloved, while also expanding on the story of Kairi. To find out more, IGN spoke with Masanobu Suzui, co-director of Melody of Memory and founder of Indieszero, the developer behind another Square Enix musical rhythm game, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy. Unsurprisingly, it’s with Theatrhythm where Melody of Memory’s story begins... [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/26/kingdom-hearts-melody-of-memory-official-trailer"]

Theatrhythm: Kingdom Hearts

The idea for Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory dates back to the release of Theatrhythm Dragon Quest in 2015. Like Theatrhythm Final Fantasy before it, TDQ is a rhythm action game set to music from across the entire Dragon Quest series. “We thought, well, Kingdom Hearts has a lot of really great music in that series as well. Why don't we do a Theatrhythm Kingdom Hearts?” recalls Suzui. Franchise director Tetsuya Nomura declined the pitch at the time, but Disney resurrected the idea sometime later. By that time, Nomura felt things were “lined up” for Kingdom Hearts to swing its keyblade in the direction of an action rhythm game. “This game itself is actually very similar in concept [to Theatrhythm],” says Suzui. “The underlying concept of using music to look back across the whole series.” As a result, you can expect to play along to music drawn from the entire Kingdom Hearts timeline. But, in a change from Theatrhythm, Melody of Memory is a 3D game, which provides its own unique feel compared to its spiritual predecessors.

A full set-list

Selecting the songs for Melody of Memory has been a process of careful consideration. “You're probably aware that Kingdom Hearts has had world concerts taking place globally, and we use the set-list for that as one particular hint for ourselves,” explains Suzui. “We wanted to make sure that there was no particular melody that we left out,” he adds. “So when there was a song that we absolutely couldn't include and we had to cut it down, we would always try to make sure that there was a refrain that hadn't been included.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=kingdom-hearts-melody-of-memory-screenshots&captions=true"]

A story that teases the next chapter of Kingdom Hearts

That completist attitude appies to not just the game's musical library; Melody of Memory’s storyline spans the entire Kingdom Hearts narrative… and beyond. “I think it is a summary of sorts,” says Suzui. “The current story arc that came to a conclusion with the end of Kingdom Hearts 3 is all summed up here in a nice, easy to digest format. It's a really great entrance for new fans who want to come in and pick that up and learn about [Kingdom Hearts].” “But for the old fans who've really followed Kingdom Hearts up until now and know a lot about it, there are hints about what's coming next,” he explains. “Not quite a signpost, if you will, but just a few little tidbits and there.” While Suzui would not reveal what’s to come as part of the extension of Kairi’s story, he did say that the new scenario, written by Tetsuya Nomura, had the team “very excited, very surprised”.

Mode mixer

Unlike the core Kingdom Hearts games, Melody of Memory is not an RPG. The musical genre has meant Square Enix has found new approaches to telling stories in the Kingdom Hearts world, via a variety of modes. For those in love with the fiction, World Tour Mode will be the first port of call, as it’s effectively the story campaign. Select Music mode is similar, but allows you to revisit single tracks that you’ve previously unlocked. Then there’s Memory Dive, in which you can “play with some of the cutscenes and movies from past series and include those in the rhythm sections,” says Suzui. The mode is even inspired by a cutscene from the RPG games themselves, in which the characters dive into memories. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/22/kingdom-hearts-melody-of-memory-announcement-trailer"] A new step for Kingdom Hearts is the inclusion of multiplayer, both competitive and co-operative. For friendly matches, the Co-op mode offers local play on the same screen, “where one player will play Sora and the other player Riku, and you'll have to cooperate to get a high score in that mode.” The Versus mode, meanwhile, has a few more complexities. The 1v1 mode, which uses tracks that have been unlocked in World Tour mode, is played online, or locally against AI. Rounds begin with each player choosing a preference of track, and the game randomly selects which one will be played. Then it’s a race to the best score, with your opponent’s score displayed on your HUD to encourage/upset you. During rounds, you’ll be able to make use of ‘tricks’. “There are 10 of these different types of tricks,” Suzui says. “At the beginning of the track, you'll only be able to use one trick, but towards the end you'll be able to use two simultaneously. That makes it even more tricky and complicated about how you can build these together.” Winning a Versus match will bag you two collectible cards, and - in a move that feels very evocative of Kingdom Hearts’ kindly values - losers are more like runner-ups, as they get one card, too. Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory releases November 13 on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. If you want to be up to date to get the most nostalgia from its musical cues, be sure to play Kingdom Hearts 3 and its DLC, ReMind, before then. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Hot on the heels of Kingdom Hearts 3 (relatively speaking, considering the wait fans endured for that sequel) is a new entry in the series that trades RPG combat for rhythm action. Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory acts as a kind of epilogue for the story so far; a musical celebration of what makes Kingdom Hearts so beloved, while also expanding on the story of Kairi. To find out more, IGN spoke with Masanobu Suzui, co-director of Melody of Memory and founder of Indieszero, the developer behind another Square Enix musical rhythm game, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy. Unsurprisingly, it’s with Theatrhythm where Melody of Memory’s story begins... [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/26/kingdom-hearts-melody-of-memory-official-trailer"]

Theatrhythm: Kingdom Hearts

The idea for Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory dates back to the release of Theatrhythm Dragon Quest in 2015. Like Theatrhythm Final Fantasy before it, TDQ is a rhythm action game set to music from across the entire Dragon Quest series. “We thought, well, Kingdom Hearts has a lot of really great music in that series as well. Why don't we do a Theatrhythm Kingdom Hearts?” recalls Suzui. Franchise director Tetsuya Nomura declined the pitch at the time, but Disney resurrected the idea sometime later. By that time, Nomura felt things were “lined up” for Kingdom Hearts to swing its keyblade in the direction of an action rhythm game. “This game itself is actually very similar in concept [to Theatrhythm],” says Suzui. “The underlying concept of using music to look back across the whole series.” As a result, you can expect to play along to music drawn from the entire Kingdom Hearts timeline. But, in a change from Theatrhythm, Melody of Memory is a 3D game, which provides its own unique feel compared to its spiritual predecessors.

A full set-list

Selecting the songs for Melody of Memory has been a process of careful consideration. “You're probably aware that Kingdom Hearts has had world concerts taking place globally, and we use the set-list for that as one particular hint for ourselves,” explains Suzui. “We wanted to make sure that there was no particular melody that we left out,” he adds. “So when there was a song that we absolutely couldn't include and we had to cut it down, we would always try to make sure that there was a refrain that hadn't been included.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=kingdom-hearts-melody-of-memory-screenshots&captions=true"]

A story that teases the next chapter of Kingdom Hearts

That completist attitude appies to not just the game's musical library; Melody of Memory’s storyline spans the entire Kingdom Hearts narrative… and beyond. “I think it is a summary of sorts,” says Suzui. “The current story arc that came to a conclusion with the end of Kingdom Hearts 3 is all summed up here in a nice, easy to digest format. It's a really great entrance for new fans who want to come in and pick that up and learn about [Kingdom Hearts].” “But for the old fans who've really followed Kingdom Hearts up until now and know a lot about it, there are hints about what's coming next,” he explains. “Not quite a signpost, if you will, but just a few little tidbits and there.” While Suzui would not reveal what’s to come as part of the extension of Kairi’s story, he did say that the new scenario, written by Tetsuya Nomura, had the team “very excited, very surprised”.

Mode mixer

Unlike the core Kingdom Hearts games, Melody of Memory is not an RPG. The musical genre has meant Square Enix has found new approaches to telling stories in the Kingdom Hearts world, via a variety of modes. For those in love with the fiction, World Trip Mode will be the first port of call, as it’s effectively the story campaign. Select Music mode is similar, but allows you to revisit single tracks that you’ve previously unlocked. Then there’s Memory Dive, in which you can “play with some of the cutscenes and movies from past series and include those in the rhythm sections,” says Suzui. The mode is even inspired by a cutscene from the RPG games themselves, in which the characters dive into memories. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/22/kingdom-hearts-melody-of-memory-announcement-trailer"] A new step for Kingdom Hearts is the inclusion of multiplayer, both competitive and co-operative. For friendly matches, the Double Play mode offers local co-op on the same screen, “where one player will play Sora and the other player Riku, and you'll have to cooperate to get a high score in that mode.” The Versus mode, meanwhile, has a few more complexities. The 1v1 mode, which uses tracks that have been unlocked in World Trip mode, is played online, or locally against AI. Rounds begin with each player choosing a preference of track, and the game randomly selects which one will be played. Then it’s a race to the best score, with your opponent’s score displayed on your HUD to encourage/upset you. During rounds, you’ll be able to make use of ‘tricks’. “There are 10 of these different types of tricks,” Suzui says. “At the beginning of the track, you'll only be able to use one trick, but towards the end you'll be able to use two simultaneously. That makes it even more tricky and complicated about how you can build these together.” Winning a Versus match will bag you two collectible cards, and - in a move that feels very evocative of Kingdom Hearts’ kindly values - losers are more like runner-ups, as they get one card, too. Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory releases November 13 on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. If you want to be up to date to get the most nostalgia from its musical cues, be sure to play Kingdom Hearts 3 and its DLC, ReMind, before then. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Call of Duty: Warzone will release Morte - a cowboy-themed operator played by Italian superstar Fabio Rovazzi - tomorrow, Tuesday, September 8 at 10.30am Pacific / 1.30pm Eastern / 6.30pm UK (that's September 9 at 2.30am AEST). Morte's been teased for some time, but September 8 marks his first availability in the game. At release, he'll be available solely as a 2,400 CP (approximately $19.99) Operator Bundle. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=call-of-duty-warzone-season-5-images&captions=true"] Rovazzi is an Italian author, actor, director and multi-platinum singer who apparently met Infinity Ward developers at a sci-fi convention and explained how much of a fan of Call of Duty he is - leading to the studio creating a character for him. “Being a character in Call of Duty has always been a secret and impossible dream of mine,” says Rovazzi, “and there are no words to describe the excitement of the opportunity to give my voice and my appearance to an operator. I also love the character tribute to the Italian Western tradition. When I think that millions of players will be able to play with my character, I feel flattered and satisfied beyond imagination”. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-full-warzone-mission-gameplay"] Morte's look and backstory are inspired by the Italian Western film tradition. Real name Sergio Sullo, Morte apparently grew up wishing to be a law enforcer, but was put in jail and prevented from joining the police. He subsequently joined the Special Forces but, come Warzone's time period, has left and joined the Warcom faction. It looks like we'll be seeing Warzone for some time now that we know it will be integrated with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - we just don't know quite what form that will take right now. [poilib element="accentDivider"] 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.

Concept art and details have surfaced from a reported successor to Left 4 Dead from Turtle Rock Studios. Titled Invaders, players would have been tasked with repelling an alien invasion on the United Kingdom. Unforgotten Games published a video collecting concept art and other documents relating to the game, telling the story of its creation and ultimate demise. It's worth taking all of this with a pinch of salt given the video doesn't explicitly cite any studio sources - but you can check out some of the art from the video, which is still live on the Artstation account of Concept Artist Anthony Sixto. The premise of the shelved game can be found in some of the descriptions accompanying Sixto's concept art. The idea was that monsters had risen from the ocean and invaded London and, in response, people "from all walks of life from across the UK" had decided to rise up and stop them, "cobbling together makeshift weapons." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/03/14/back-4-blood-left-4-dead-devs-announce-next-gen-zombie-shooter"] According to Unforgotten Games' research, Turtle Rock reportedly started working on Invaders after the release of Evolve in 2015, with plans for the game to arrive on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Set in a "not-so distant future," the game starred "everyday people" who were forced into the fray, such as crab fisherman, journalists, far-left skinheads, college professors and homeless people. Some of the character designs found in Sixto's concept art split the playable characters into different classes such as Hero, Tech, Medic and Sidekick, with abilities tied to each that take advantage of their volition and aid in combat and exploration. As well as a range of smaller aliens with special abilities to test players' mettle (much like the special infected in Left 4 Dead) the game would also have large-scale battles with "megaboss" aliens. Players were tasked with co-operating to find weak points and bring down the gigantic creatures. The game's final boss was also apparently a massive lurking alien "mothership" that was always in the background, thought to be "part of the scenery." This mothership would learn and grow throughout the narrative, its visual style changing over time prior to the final showdown. A LinkedIn resume found by Unforgotten Games also teased that the game might have featured "procedural destruction systems and screenspace weather shaders." Despite the interesting premise, Invaders clearly never saw the light of day, and now Turtle Rock Studios is working on a more traditional Left 4 Dead successor called Back 4 Blood. Some concept art for Back 4 Blood was revealed back in July, showing a ramshackle human settlement surrounded by traps. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Concept art and details have surfaced from a reported successor to Left 4 Dead from Turtle Rock Studios. Titled Invaders, players would have been tasked with repelling an alien invasion on the United Kingdom. Unforgotten Games published a video collecting concept art and other documents relating to the game, telling the story of its creation and ultimate demise. It's worth taking all of this with a pinch of salt given the video doesn't explicitly cite any studio sources - but you can check out some of the art from the video, which is still live on the Artstation account of Concept Artist Anthony Sixto. The premise of the shelved game can be found in some of the descriptions accompanying Sixto's concept art. The idea was that monsters had risen from the ocean and invaded London and, in response, people "from all walks of life from across the UK" had decided to rise up and stop them, "cobbling together makeshift weapons." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/03/14/back-4-blood-left-4-dead-devs-announce-next-gen-zombie-shooter"] According to Unforgotten Games' research, Turtle Rock reportedly started working on Invaders after the release of Evolve in 2015, with plans for the game to arrive on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Set in a "not-so distant future," the game starred "everyday people" who were forced into the fray, such as crab fisherman, journalists, far-left skinheads, college professors and homeless people. Some of the character designs found in Sixto's concept art split the playable characters into different classes such as Hero, Tech, Medic and Sidekick, with abilities tied to each that take advantage of their volition and aid in combat and exploration. As well as a range of smaller aliens with special abilities to test players' mettle (much like the special infected in Left 4 Dead) the game would also have large-scale battles with "megaboss" aliens. Players were tasked with co-operating to find weak points and bring down the gigantic creatures. The game's final boss was also apparently a massive lurking alien "mothership" that was always in the background, thought to be "part of the scenery." This mothership would learn and grow throughout the narrative, its visual style changing over time prior to the final showdown. A LinkedIn resume found by Unforgotten Games also teased that the game might have featured "procedural destruction systems and screenspace weather shaders." Despite the interesting premise, Invaders clearly never saw the light of day, and now Turtle Rock Studios is working on a more traditional Left 4 Dead successor called Back 4 Blood. Some concept art for Back 4 Blood was revealed back in July, showing a ramshackle human settlement surrounded by traps. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Dirt 5 has had another short delay, and will now launch in November.

Dirt 5 has had another short delay, and will now launch in November.

Call of Duty: Warzone will release Morte - a cowboy-themed operator played by Italian superstar Fabio Rovazzi - tomorrow, Tuesday, September 8 at 10.30am Pacific / 1.30pm Eastern / 6.30pm UK (that's September 9 at 2.30am AEST). Morte's been teased for some time, but September 8 marks his first availability in the game. At release, he'll be available solely as a 2,400 CP (approximately $19.99) Operator Bundle. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=call-of-duty-warzone-season-5-images&captions=true"] Rovazzi is an Italian author, actor, director and multi-platinum singer who apparently met Infinity Ward developers at a sci-fi convention and explained how much of a fan of Call of Duty he is - leading to the studio creating a character for him. “Being a character in Call of Duty has always been a secret and impossible dream of mine,” says Rovazzi, “and there are no words to describe the excitement of the opportunity to give my voice and my appearance to an operator. I also love the character tribute to the Italian Western tradition. When I think that millions of players will be able to play with my character, I feel flattered and satisfied beyond imagination”. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-full-warzone-mission-gameplay"] Morte's look and backstory are inspired by the Italian Western film tradition. Real name Sergio Sullo, Morte apparently grew up wishing to be a law enforcer, but was put in jail and prevented from joining the police. He subsequently joined the Special Forces but, come Warzone's time period, has left and joined the Warcom faction. It looks like we'll be seeing Warzone for some time now that we know it will be integrated with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - we just don't know quite what form that will take right now. [poilib element="accentDivider"] 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.

Foone Turing, a California-based programmer, has made 1993's Doom playable on a pregnancy test, truly taking the "Will it run Doom?" challenge to another level entirely. Foone took to Twitter to share his progress in making videos playable on a pregnancy test, including Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up and the dancing stick bug, but the clips of it running videos of Doom and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are what caught the eye of many in the gaming world.

hey you, you're finally awake. You were trying to get pregnant, right? pic.twitter.com/uCgmymvahS

— foone (@Foone) September 5, 2020

Since then, he has been sharing his journey to make Doom actually playable, and now he has officially accomplished his goal.

Yesterday I had a lot of retweets and reddit posts and such for playing Doom on a pregnancy test. But as I explained then, it wasn't really PLAYING on a pregnancy test, it was just a video being played back, not an interactive game.

Well, now it is. It's Pregnancy Test Doom! pic.twitter.com/Nrjyq07EVv — foone (@Foone) September 7, 2020

It's important to note that Foone did replace the display and microcontroller, so the only part of the original tester is the shell. However, getting Doom running and playable on a 128x32 pixel monochrome display at 1bpp is still an impressive feat. Foone's work is another in the legend of the "Will it run Doom?" challenge that has seen the classic first-person shooter become playable in Minecraft, on a microwave, a Leapfrog kids toy, and even Chandler's laptop from Season 2, Episode 8 of Friends from 1995. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/02/20/5-insane-original-doom-mods-igns-mod-showcase"] [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.

Foone Turing, a California-based programmer, has made 1993's Doom playable on a pregnancy test, truly taking the "Will it run Doom?" challenge to another level entirely. Foone took to Twitter to share his progress in making videos playable on a pregnancy test, including Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up and the dancing stick bug, but the clips of it running videos of Doom and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are what caught the eye of many in the gaming world.

hey you, you're finally awake. You were trying to get pregnant, right? pic.twitter.com/uCgmymvahS

— foone (@Foone) September 5, 2020

Since then, he has been sharing his journey to make Doom actually playable, and now he has officially accomplished his goal.

Yesterday I had a lot of retweets and reddit posts and such for playing Doom on a pregnancy test. But as I explained then, it wasn't really PLAYING on a pregnancy test, it was just a video being played back, not an interactive game.

Well, now it is. It's Pregnancy Test Doom! pic.twitter.com/Nrjyq07EVv — foone (@Foone) September 7, 2020

It's important to note that Foone did replace the display and microcontroller, so the only part of the original tester is the shell. However, getting Doom running and playable on a 128x32 pixel monochrome display at 1bpp is still an impressive feat. Foone's work is another in the legend of the "Will it run Doom?" challenge that has seen the classic first-person shooter become playable in Minecraft, on a microwave, a Leapfrog kids toy, and even Chandler's laptop from Season 2, Episode 8 of Friends from 1995. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/02/20/5-insane-original-doom-mods-igns-mod-showcase"] [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.