Monthly Archives: July 2020

Cadence of Hyrule: DLC Packs, Season Pass Announced

Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda will get three paid DLC packs, the first of which is out today. Announced in today's Nintendo Direct Mini, the Zelda themed rhythm-adventure will be getting three packs:  
  • Character Pack ($5.99) - Out today, this pack adds Impa, Aria, Shadow Link, Shadow Zelda and Frederick to the game, each with new abilities and weapons.
  • Melody Pack ($5.99) - This pack adds 39 songs to the game, including remixed versions of the game's background music (by Family Jules, Chipzel, and A_Rival). Music can be changed at any time.
  • Symphony of the Mask ($9.99) - This pack adds new story content in which you play as Majora's Mask's Skull Kid, adding a new map and new songs along the way. Skull Kid will change abilities depending on which mask he wears.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/20/cadence-of-hyrule-dlc-trailer"] No release date was given for the latter two packs, but they'll be released before the end of October. A season pass is also now available for $14.99, and adds bonus costumes for Link and Zelda. A complete edition of the game, featuring all the DLC, will launch on October 23 for $39.99. We awarded Cadence of Hyrule an 8.8 review, saying it "absolutely deserves to stand in the Zelda canon alongside the best of its 2D games." [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.

Cadence of Hyrule: DLC Packs, Season Pass Announced

Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda will get three paid DLC packs, the first of which is out today. Announced in today's Nintendo Direct Mini, the Zelda themed rhythm-adventure will be getting three packs:  
  • Character Pack ($5.99) - Out today, this pack adds Impa, Aria, Shadow Link, Shadow Zelda and Frederick to the game, each with new abilities and weapons.
  • Melody Pack ($5.99) - This pack adds 39 songs to the game, including remixed versions of the game's background music (by Family Jules, Chipzel, and A_Rival). Music can be changed at any time.
  • Symphony of the Mask ($9.99) - This pack adds new story content in which you play as Majora's Mask's Skull Kid, adding a new map and new songs along the way. Skull Kid will change abilities depending on which mask he wears.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/20/cadence-of-hyrule-dlc-trailer"] No release date was given for the latter two packs, but they'll be released before the end of October. A season pass is also now available for $14.99, and adds bonus costumes for Link and Zelda. A complete edition of the game, featuring all the DLC, will launch on October 23 for $39.99. We awarded Cadence of Hyrule an 8.8 review, saying it "absolutely deserves to stand in the Zelda canon alongside the best of its 2D games." [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.

Shin Megami Tensei V and 3 HD Remaster Releasing in 2021

Nintendo has announced that Shin Megami Tensei V will release next year, in 2021. It will be accompanied by a HD remaster of Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/20/shin-megami-tensei-5-official-trailer"] The new RPG from Persona creator Atlus is currently in development exclusively for Nintendo Switch. Today's Nintendo Direct Mini did not offer any month or seasonal launch window, but stated that 2021 will see a simultaneous worldwide release for Shin Megami Tensei V. The game itself deals with an apocalyptic vision of the world where "order itself has crumbled and chaos reigns over all". The trailer poses the question "in a world without its creator, which path shall you choose?", and is sure to make it very clear that God is dead. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/20/shin-megami-tensei-3-nocturne-hd-remaster-official-trailer"] Additionally, a HD remaster of Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne will be released in 2021, launching in Spring. The original released in 2003 for PS2, but the post-apocalyptic JRPG featuring a half-human, half-demon protagonist has been updated with HD visuals for the Nintendo Switch. It's currently unclear if this will be with any additional content, akin to other Atlus re-releases like Persona 4: Golden. As spotted by Twitter user Wario64, Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster has been slated for a PS4 release as well as a Switch launch. This information comes from the game's Japanese website, which advertises an October 29, 2020 launch date for the game in Japan. As such, its currently unclear if the game will be on both consoles for its worldwide launch in 2021, too. The trailer for Shin Megami Tensei V notes that a new journey will begin in the "wake" of the HD remaster of Shin Megami Tensei 3, suggesting that the next entry in the series will arrive later than Spring. For more from today's Nintendo Direct Mini, check out the Cadence of Hyrule DLC and gameplay from WWE 2K Battlegrounds. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Shin Megami Tensei V and 3 HD Remaster Releasing in 2021

Nintendo has announced that Shin Megami Tensei V will release next year, in 2021. It will be accompanied by a HD remaster of Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/20/shin-megami-tensei-5-official-trailer"] The new RPG from Persona creator Atlus is currently in development exclusively for Nintendo Switch. Today's Nintendo Direct Mini did not offer any month or seasonal launch window, but stated that 2021 will see a simultaneous worldwide release for Shin Megami Tensei V. The game itself deals with an apocalyptic vision of the world where "order itself has crumbled and chaos reigns over all". The trailer poses the question "in a world without its creator, which path shall you choose?", and is sure to make it very clear that God is dead. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/20/shin-megami-tensei-3-nocturne-hd-remaster-official-trailer"] Additionally, a HD remaster of Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne will be released in 2021, launching in Spring. The original released in 2003 for PS2, but the post-apocalyptic JRPG featuring a half-human, half-demon protagonist has been updated with HD visuals for the Nintendo Switch. It's currently unclear if this will be with any additional content, akin to other Atlus re-releases like Persona 4: Golden. As spotted by Twitter user Wario64, Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster has been slated for a PS4 release as well as a Switch launch. This information comes from the game's Japanese website, which advertises an October 29, 2020 launch date for the game in Japan. As such, its currently unclear if the game will be on both consoles for its worldwide launch in 2021, too. The trailer for Shin Megami Tensei V notes that a new journey will begin in the "wake" of the HD remaster of Shin Megami Tensei 3, suggesting that the next entry in the series will arrive later than Spring. For more from today's Nintendo Direct Mini, check out the Cadence of Hyrule DLC and gameplay from WWE 2K Battlegrounds. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

RockLove Reveals New Star Wars Collection for Comic-Con

In an exclusive announcement with IGN, RockLove Jewelry – the company known for their high quality pieces with brands including Star Wars, Disney, Marvel, DC, and Pokemon – has revealed their new Star Wars jewelry line in collaboration with Lucasfilm. The new collection consists of four pieces: R5-D4 Droid Necklace ($135 USD), MSE-6 Droid Necklace ($135 USD), Rebel Pilot Ring ($165 USD), and a Rose Gold Imperial Credit Necklace ($55 USD). The new line was originally planned to drop at SDCC 2020 at RockLove's Star Wars booth in the Lucasfilm Pavilion, as well as online. All four pieces will be available for purchase at 9am PST on Wednesday, July 22 on RockLove's website. Take a peek at all of the new pieces in the slideshow below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=exclusive-rocklove-star-wars-collection-reveal-gallery&captions=true"] IGN spoke with CEO and Designer of RockLove, Allison Cimino, about the newest Star Wars collaboration and how it connects to previous Star Wars pieces they've released. "SDCC 2019 was the debut of the Star Wars™ | RockLove collection, celebrating the original trilogy," Cimino said. "For SDCC 2020, we wanted to revisit that original trilogy and continue the narrative of the ‘small but mighty droids’ and add a new unisex ring. Additionally, we have the rose gold variation of the Imperial Credit necklace; the first, in yellow gold, having launched on May the 4th." Cimino said the Credit necklaces were made by working directly with Lucasfilm to use the original props from The Mandalorian. She added, "I’m excited to debut even more prop-inspired Credit variants throughout the rest of this year." The newest collection is very much focused on droids, and Cimino explained why she chose these characters to be represented in the line. "The under-appreciated droids are a capsule collection I’ve always wanted to create, as they are quintessential to the Star Wars Galaxy. Today, we’re launching the R5-D4 and MSE-6 Droids, casually referred to as the Skippy and Mouse droids, which have fully articulated arms and ankles and wheels that roll. I truly love them as they express both my personal voice of how I create jewelry and the extremely detailed world-building of Star Wars," Cimino said. [caption id="attachment_238157" align="alignnone" width="720"]Star Wars 01162020 (8 of 10) Smaller The R5-D4 Droid Necklace's is articulated – both shoulders swing and the center ankle is hinged so when you're not wearing it, the droid can free-stand in the classic tripod pose.[/caption] RockLove is known for incorporating articulation into jewelry pieces when possible – specifically with past Star Wars pieces such as the AT-AT Walker Necklace, Gonk Droid Necklace, and Porg Necklace. "I’m a big nerd, not just where Star Wars is concerned, but also with the technology and engineering required in making jewelry," Cimino said. "Not only do I draw the pieces, but I am involved through the process in its entirety. It is a personal challenge to see how pieces can articulate to further the storytelling of each character." Cimino's most satisfactory piece from this new collection is the R5-D4 Droid, saying, "Not only does it have multiple points of articulation, but you can actually stand it up in that recognizable tripod shape. When wearing it, the droid is such a joy to move and fidget with, but when it’s off, it stands up on your desk!" The Rebel Pilot Ring proved to be the most challenging to design in order to keep it authentic to the film, Cimino said, but in the end they were able to bring Luke's helmet and yellow-orange visor to life. [caption id="attachment_238157" align="alignnone" width="720"]Rebel Pilot Ring 2 The Rebel Pilot Ring is sculpted in solid sterling silver and is comfortable and durable to wear daily.[/caption] "We wanted the helmet to look as accurate as possible, while still being able to add enamel details and retain that iconic shape," Cimino explained. "In order to make the shape fit a variety of ring sizes, we had to choose a chunkier cocktail silhouette, otherwise the helmet would have lost its roundness and look warped on smaller fingers. In the end we found the perfect balance to fit any hand and keep the recognizable shape of the X-Wing Fighter helmet worn by Luke Skywalker himself." For the original Star Wars collection in 2019, RockLove collaborated with Ashley Eckstein, voice of Ahsoka Tano and founder of Her Universe, on an Ahsoka Tano ring that sold out at last year's SDCC. Cimino has now announced she has been working personally with Eckstein on creating new Ahsoka pieces to add to the ongoing Star Wars and RockLove collaboration. RockLove will be sharing more details at 3pm PST today on their Instagram (@RockLoveJewelry) for the Ladies of Licensing Virtual Con panel with Eckstein. Stay tuned to IGN for all things SDCC with the digital event Comic-Con@Home beginning on Wednesday, July 22, and keep an eye out for RockLove jewelry during our livestreams to see them in digital-real life! [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jessie Wade is Homepage Editor at IGN + has been part of the rebellion as far back as she can remember. If she could choose her own lightsaber color it would be citron. Follow her on Twitter @jessieannwade.

RockLove Reveals New Star Wars Collection for Comic-Con

In an exclusive announcement with IGN, RockLove Jewelry – the company known for their high quality pieces with brands including Star Wars, Disney, Marvel, DC, and Pokemon – has revealed their new Star Wars jewelry line in collaboration with Lucasfilm. The new collection consists of four pieces: R5-D4 Droid Necklace ($135 USD), MSE-6 Droid Necklace ($135 USD), Rebel Pilot Ring ($165 USD), and a Rose Gold Imperial Credit Necklace ($55 USD). The new line was originally planned to drop at SDCC 2020 at RockLove's Star Wars booth in the Lucasfilm Pavilion, as well as online. All four pieces will be available for purchase at 9am PST on Wednesday, July 22 on RockLove's website. Take a peek at all of the new pieces in the slideshow below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=exclusive-rocklove-star-wars-collection-reveal-gallery&captions=true"] IGN spoke with CEO and Designer of RockLove, Allison Cimino, about the newest Star Wars collaboration and how it connects to previous Star Wars pieces they've released. "SDCC 2019 was the debut of the Star Wars™ | RockLove collection, celebrating the original trilogy," Cimino said. "For SDCC 2020, we wanted to revisit that original trilogy and continue the narrative of the ‘small but mighty droids’ and add a new unisex ring. Additionally, we have the rose gold variation of the Imperial Credit necklace; the first, in yellow gold, having launched on May the 4th." Cimino said the Credit necklaces were made by working directly with Lucasfilm to use the original props from The Mandalorian. She added, "I’m excited to debut even more prop-inspired Credit variants throughout the rest of this year." The newest collection is very much focused on droids, and Cimino explained why she chose these characters to be represented in the line. "The under-appreciated droids are a capsule collection I’ve always wanted to create, as they are quintessential to the Star Wars Galaxy. Today, we’re launching the R5-D4 and MSE-6 Droids, casually referred to as the Skippy and Mouse droids, which have fully articulated arms and ankles and wheels that roll. I truly love them as they express both my personal voice of how I create jewelry and the extremely detailed world-building of Star Wars," Cimino said. [caption id="attachment_238157" align="alignnone" width="720"]Star Wars 01162020 (8 of 10) Smaller The R5-D4 Droid Necklace's is articulated – both shoulders swing and the center ankle is hinged so when you're not wearing it, the droid can free-stand in the classic tripod pose.[/caption] RockLove is known for incorporating articulation into jewelry pieces when possible – specifically with past Star Wars pieces such as the AT-AT Walker Necklace, Gonk Droid Necklace, and Porg Necklace. "I’m a big nerd, not just where Star Wars is concerned, but also with the technology and engineering required in making jewelry," Cimino said. "Not only do I draw the pieces, but I am involved through the process in its entirety. It is a personal challenge to see how pieces can articulate to further the storytelling of each character." Cimino's most satisfactory piece from this new collection is the R5-D4 Droid, saying, "Not only does it have multiple points of articulation, but you can actually stand it up in that recognizable tripod shape. When wearing it, the droid is such a joy to move and fidget with, but when it’s off, it stands up on your desk!" The Rebel Pilot Ring proved to be the most challenging to design in order to keep it authentic to the film, Cimino said, but in the end they were able to bring Luke's helmet and yellow-orange visor to life. [caption id="attachment_238157" align="alignnone" width="720"]Rebel Pilot Ring 2 The Rebel Pilot Ring is sculpted in solid sterling silver and is comfortable and durable to wear daily.[/caption] "We wanted the helmet to look as accurate as possible, while still being able to add enamel details and retain that iconic shape," Cimino explained. "In order to make the shape fit a variety of ring sizes, we had to choose a chunkier cocktail silhouette, otherwise the helmet would have lost its roundness and look warped on smaller fingers. In the end we found the perfect balance to fit any hand and keep the recognizable shape of the X-Wing Fighter helmet worn by Luke Skywalker himself." For the original Star Wars collection in 2019, RockLove collaborated with Ashley Eckstein, voice of Ahsoka Tano and founder of Her Universe, on an Ahsoka Tano ring that sold out at last year's SDCC. Cimino has now announced she has been working personally with Eckstein on creating new Ahsoka pieces to add to the ongoing Star Wars and RockLove collaboration. RockLove will be sharing more details at 3pm PST today on their Instagram (@RockLoveJewelry) for the Ladies of Licensing Virtual Con panel with Eckstein. Stay tuned to IGN for all things SDCC with the digital event Comic-Con@Home beginning on Wednesday, July 22, and keep an eye out for RockLove jewelry during our livestreams to see them in digital-real life! [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jessie Wade is Homepage Editor at IGN + has been part of the rebellion as far back as she can remember. If she could choose her own lightsaber color it would be citron. Follow her on Twitter @jessieannwade.

Call of Duty 2020: Dataminers Reportedly Find Campaign, Zombies, Warzone Details

Dataminers have unearthed a number of interesting potential details about Call of Duty 2020, including notes about Zombies, Warzone, Campaign and Multiplayer maps. Twitter user Prototype Warehouse unearthed a set of tags within the game files, which appear to have been pulled from 'The Red Door', an alleged alpha of this year's Call of Duty which appeared on the Microsoft Store earlier this week. Some users have reported being able to download The Red Door, saying that it's titled Call of Duty: Black Ops CIA when downloaded. The phrases posted to Twitter yesterday seem to pertain to different modes within the game - the embedded tweet below supposedly contains strings tied to the game's single-player campaign, with titles like "nam_armada, nam_prisoner" and "rus_kgb" suggesting parts of the story will take place in Vietnam and Russia. A leak we reported on back in May suggested that this year's Call of Duty game will be called Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and will return to the historical setting of its namesake franchise. Tags for multiplayer maps such as Moscow, Satelite and Tank were also found, with Eurogamer noting that earlier in the year, one of the COD 2020 gameplay leaks featured a map called Tank. Dataminers also found Warzone references such as "duga" and "ski slopes" and a lone tag which is supposedly tied to the game's Zombies mode, "Silver." It's not clear how any of this ties together in practice for now, but evidence is building concerning the alleged makeup of 2020's Call of Duty game. Some expect the game to be officially revealed at this week's Xbox Games Showcase, although that remains speculation for the time being. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Call of Duty 2020: Dataminers Reportedly Find Campaign, Zombies, Warzone Details

Dataminers have unearthed a number of interesting potential details about Call of Duty 2020, including notes about Zombies, Warzone, Campaign and Multiplayer maps. Twitter user Prototype Warehouse unearthed a set of tags within the game files, which appear to have been pulled from 'The Red Door', an alleged alpha of this year's Call of Duty which appeared on the Microsoft Store earlier this week. Some users have reported being able to download The Red Door, saying that it's titled Call of Duty: Black Ops CIA when downloaded. The phrases posted to Twitter yesterday seem to pertain to different modes within the game - the embedded tweet below supposedly contains strings tied to the game's single-player campaign, with titles like "nam_armada, nam_prisoner" and "rus_kgb" suggesting parts of the story will take place in Vietnam and Russia. A leak we reported on back in May suggested that this year's Call of Duty game will be called Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and will return to the historical setting of its namesake franchise. Tags for multiplayer maps such as Moscow, Satelite and Tank were also found, with Eurogamer noting that earlier in the year, one of the COD 2020 gameplay leaks featured a map called Tank. Dataminers also found Warzone references such as "duga" and "ski slopes" and a lone tag which is supposedly tied to the game's Zombies mode, "Silver." It's not clear how any of this ties together in practice for now, but evidence is building concerning the alleged makeup of 2020's Call of Duty game. Some expect the game to be officially revealed at this week's Xbox Games Showcase, although that remains speculation for the time being. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Madden NFL 21: Full List of Player Ratings Released

EA has revealed the official player ratings for all 2000+ players in Madden NFL 21. Published on the Madden website, you can compare and filter the rating of every player in the game, and use the search function to find your favourites. You can also sort the list by individual statistics such as strength and speed. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/30/madden-nfl-21-dev-discusses-xbox-series-x-ps5-upgrades"] Five players this year have hit the fabled 99 overall stat this year: Aaron Donald, Christian McCaffrey, Michael Thomas, Patrick Mahomes, and Stephon Gilmore. As with all modern Madden games, these are stats for launch, and can change over the source of the year. EA recently announced that it will be removing the former logo and name of the Washington Redskins from Madden NFL 21, implementing a "generic Washington team" as they wait for the team's management to update its branding. Madden NFL 21 will launch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC this August 25, 2020. We're yet to receive a release date for the next-gen versions of the game, but if you purchase the game on current-gen consoles, you'll be able to upgrade the game using EA's Dual Entitlement system, allowing users to acquire the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X version of the game free of charge. This promotion will run until the release of Madden NFL 22. If you'd like to view all the different versions of the game to figure out what bonuses are available, check out our preorder guide here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Madden NFL 21: Full List of Player Ratings Released

EA has revealed the official player ratings for all 2000+ players in Madden NFL 21. Published on the Madden website, you can compare and filter the rating of every player in the game, and use the search function to find your favourites. You can also sort the list by individual statistics such as strength and speed. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/30/madden-nfl-21-dev-discusses-xbox-series-x-ps5-upgrades"] Five players this year have hit the fabled 99 overall stat this year: Aaron Donald, Christian McCaffrey, Michael Thomas, Patrick Mahomes, and Stephon Gilmore. As with all modern Madden games, these are stats for launch, and can change over the source of the year. EA recently announced that it will be removing the former logo and name of the Washington Redskins from Madden NFL 21, implementing a "generic Washington team" as they wait for the team's management to update its branding. Madden NFL 21 will launch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC this August 25, 2020. We're yet to receive a release date for the next-gen versions of the game, but if you purchase the game on current-gen consoles, you'll be able to upgrade the game using EA's Dual Entitlement system, allowing users to acquire the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X version of the game free of charge. This promotion will run until the release of Madden NFL 22. If you'd like to view all the different versions of the game to figure out what bonuses are available, check out our preorder guide here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.