Monthly Archives: November 2020
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger Will Cameo in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Cody Bellinger, outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, is playing a character in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. The Major League Baseball star did the motion capture, voice acting, and face modeling for Otta Sluggasson, a character players can encounter on their journey through the game.
Sluggasson is described as "a Dane with a knack for hitting rocks very very far." In his reveal, he is shown swinging a spiked club like a baseball bat, showing off his slugging skills to Eivor, the player character in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. You can check out the reveal video below.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/04/assassins-creed-valhalla-cody-bellinger-picks-up-a-viking-axe-video"]
In an interview with ESPN, Bellinger called himself a video game nerd, and was very excited about his role in the game, saying, "It felt pretty cool to be a Viking. I got to make Viking moves and added a baseball swing to it. You can't fight me, but Otta Sluggasson would win if there were fighting."
It's been a busy year for Bellinger, as he and the Dodgers just won the 2020 World Series over the Tampa Bay Rays. Bellinger has played for the Dodgers for all four years of his already-decorated MLB career, winning Rookie of the Year in 2017, and Most Valuable Player in 2019.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=assassins-creed-valhalla-new-screenshots&captions=true"]
Celebrity cameos in video games are nothing new, but it's more common to see high-profile actors crossover into video game roles. Recent examples include Keanu Reeves in the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077, or Terry Crews appearing in Crackdown 3.
We're less than a week away from the launch of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, as it releases on November 10 for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Stadia. The game is coming to PlayStation 5 on November 12, the same day as the console's launch in select regions.
For more, you can read our final preview of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Or, if you're interested in next-gen, check out our PS5 guide and Xbox Series X guide.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/16/mlb-the-show-20-review"]
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Logan Plant is a news writer for IGN, and a huge baseball fan. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War File Size Revealed on Console and PC
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is almost here and Activision has revealed the storage space required on consoles and PC for pre-loading. As expected, the storage space required on consoles and PC is around or more than 100GB of space.
Activision has shared pre-loading details for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. On PS4 and Xbox One pre-loading will begin on November 5 at 9 pm PT while on PC pre-loading will begin on November 10 at 10 am PT.
Pre-loading on next-gen systems will begin on each system’s respective launch date. So November 10 for Xbox Series X|S and November 12 for PlayStation 5. All of which is before the official November 13 launch date for Black Ops Cold War.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/15/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-fireteam-dirty-bomb-trailer"]
How Big is Black Ops Cold War?
To pre-load Black Ops Cold War, players will need to ensure they have the right amount of available storage to launch the game. Here are the storage space numbers required for each system.
- PS4: 95GB
- PS5: 133GB
- Xbox One: 93GB
- Xbox Series X|S: 136GB
- PC 125GB (Full Game on Ultra Graphics), 82GB (Full Game), 35GB (Multiplayer Only)
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War File Size Revealed on Console and PC
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is almost here and Activision has revealed the storage space required on consoles and PC for pre-loading. As expected, the storage space required on consoles and PC is around or more than 100GB of space.
Activision has shared pre-loading details for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. On PS4 and Xbox One pre-loading will begin on November 5 at 9 pm PT while on PC pre-loading will begin on November 10 at 10 am PT.
Pre-loading on next-gen systems will begin on each system’s respective launch date. So November 10 for Xbox Series X|S and November 12 for PlayStation 5. All of which is before the official November 13 launch date for Black Ops Cold War.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/15/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-fireteam-dirty-bomb-trailer"]
How Big is Black Ops Cold War?
To pre-load Black Ops Cold War, players will need to ensure they have the right amount of available storage to launch the game. Here are the storage space numbers required for each system.
- PS4: 95GB
- PS5: 133GB
- Xbox One: 93GB
- Xbox Series X|S: 136GB
- PC 125GB (Full Game on Ultra Graphics), 82GB (Full Game), 35GB (Multiplayer Only)
Sea of Thieves Xbox Series X/S Optimizations Announced
Sea of Thieves will feature faster load times and 60 FPS on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, as well as resolutions of 4K on Series X and 1080p on Series S.
Announced on Sea of Thieves' official Twitter, these optimizations are revealed less than a week from the launch of both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on November 10, 2020.
Sea of Thieves is just one of Microsoft's console exclusives that will be getting upgrades on these new next-gen systems alongside games like Gears 5, Ori & the Will of the Wisps, Gears Tactics, Forza Horizon 4, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and more.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/19/sea-of-thieves-review-2020"]
Originally released in 2018, Sea of Thieves is a game that has seen constant updates and improvements. So much so, we re-reviewed the game earlier this year.
In our updated review for Sea of Thieves, we said, "is a pirate fantasy sandbox with an enormous amount of things to do, made unpredictable and exciting by the addition of other players. Coordinating together across the deck of a massive pirate ship is pure chaos at times, but it’s also endlessly entertaining. The cosmetic-only progression system doesn’t give you as much incentive to keep playing as I’d have liked and its free-form nature left me feeling lost at sea at times – but if you’ve got a good group of two or three friends to play with, it’s hard to find a game as entertaining to jump aboard."
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true"]
For more on Sea of Thieves, check out our look at how Rare successfully reinvented its pirate game and all the adorable dogs that were added in its September 2020 update.
[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.
Sea of Thieves Xbox Series X/S Optimizations Announced
Sea of Thieves will feature faster load times and 60 FPS on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, as well as resolutions of 4K on Series X and 1080p on Series S.
Announced on Sea of Thieves' official Twitter, these optimizations are revealed less than a week from the launch of both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on November 10, 2020.
Sea of Thieves is just one of Microsoft's console exclusives that will be getting upgrades on these new next-gen systems alongside games like Gears 5, Ori & the Will of the Wisps, Gears Tactics, Forza Horizon 4, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and more.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/19/sea-of-thieves-review-2020"]
Originally released in 2018, Sea of Thieves is a game that has seen constant updates and improvements. So much so, we re-reviewed the game earlier this year.
In our updated review for Sea of Thieves, we said, "is a pirate fantasy sandbox with an enormous amount of things to do, made unpredictable and exciting by the addition of other players. Coordinating together across the deck of a massive pirate ship is pure chaos at times, but it’s also endlessly entertaining. The cosmetic-only progression system doesn’t give you as much incentive to keep playing as I’d have liked and its free-form nature left me feeling lost at sea at times – but if you’ve got a good group of two or three friends to play with, it’s hard to find a game as entertaining to jump aboard."
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true"]
For more on Sea of Thieves, check out our look at how Rare successfully reinvented its pirate game and all the adorable dogs that were added in its September 2020 update.
[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.
Among Us to Add New Map, Accounts System and More
Innersloth has pushed an update to Among Us and outlined a small roadmap for future content, with a new map, an account system and colourblind support on the way.
A new developer blog post on the Among Us news hub over on Steam mentions that Innersloth is working on an account system, set to arrive as early as December, which will let players report toxic or hacking accounts, with friend lists to follow after that. The team is also hard at work on a free new map, which is apparently bigger than Polus and features brand new task types, is themed after Henry Stickmin, and will be free to all players. Professional translations into multiple languages are also in the pipeline, as well as full-blown colourblind support.
The latest update has brought bug fixes and anonymous voting to the game, which marks every vote as grey to obscure voting intention and make ejections even more mysterious. Taskbar modifiers have also been added to the Among Us options, with Meeting mode making it so the taskbar only updates during a meeting, or Invisible mode, which removes the taskbar entirely.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=among-us-screenshots&captions=true"]
Innersloth also mentioned that it's working on dealing with cheating and hacking in the game. "Some cheats still work and now there are bugs too. There will be more server updates to fix all of this, but rushing anti-hacks is what caused the bugs, so cleaning things up is a slower process. Also rest assured that any threats made in the game are false and your devices and data are safe. If you see a hacker, ban them or find a different room," the blog reads.
Interested in the Among Us phenomenon? We've written a history of the game's sudden rise from obscurity, which led to one of the largest ever Twitch streams among other acheievements. The game is so successful that its developers cancelled a sequel to add more content to the original game. For more on Among Us, check out our article for some useful tips and tricks to help you succeed when playing crewmate and impostor.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
Among Us to Add New Map, Accounts System and More
Innersloth has pushed an update to Among Us and outlined a small roadmap for future content, with a new map, an account system and colourblind support on the way.
A new developer blog post on the Among Us news hub over on Steam mentions that Innersloth is working on an account system, set to arrive as early as December, which will let players report toxic or hacking accounts, with friend lists to follow after that. The team is also hard at work on a free new map, which is apparently bigger than Polus and features brand new task types, is themed after Henry Stickmin, and will be free to all players. Professional translations into multiple languages are also in the pipeline, as well as full-blown colourblind support.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="legacyId=800004723&captions=true"]
The latest update has brought bug fixes and anonymous voting to the game, which marks every vote as grey to obscure voting intention and make ejections even more mysterious. Taskbar modifiers have also been added to the Among Us options, with Meeting mode making it so the taskbar only updates during a meeting, or Invisible mode, which removes the taskbar entirely.
Innersloth also mentioned that it's working on dealing with cheating and hacking in the game. "Some cheats still work and now there are bugs too. There will be more server updates to fix all of this, but rushing anti-hacks is what caused the bugs, so cleaning things up is a slower process. Also rest assured that any threats made in the game are false and your devices and data are safe. If you see a hacker, ban them or find a different room," the blog reads.
Interested in the Among Us phenomenon? We've written a history of the game's sudden rise from obscurity, which led to one of the largest ever Twitch streams among other acheievements. The game is so successful that its developers cancelled a sequel to add more content to the original game. For more on Among Us, check out our article for some useful tips and tricks to help you succeed when playing crewmate and impostor.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon Review – The Power Of Friendship
After the conclusion of the series' previous anthology with Yakuza 6, there were big Kiryu-sized shoes to fill. As our new protagonist Kasuga Ichiban steps into the spotlight for Yakuza: Like a Dragon, developer RGG Studio proves it can still capture its signature blend of gripping melodrama and absurdist humor while creating something genuinely fresh for the long-running franchise. The reinvention isn't just in the transition from action-brawler to turn-based combat, which is a great take on traditional RPG battles. It's that the party dynamic in Like a Dragon enables a new kind of storytelling that the series hasn't explored before, one that focuses on the power of embracing friendship and fighting together every step of the way.
Like a Dragon starts anew, providing an entry point for those who have never played a Yakuza game before. But it wouldn't be a proper series entry without the core tenets that define Yakuza--things like captivating exposition-heavy cutscenes, exciting over-the-top fights, and a wealth of side activities that flood the streets of a lifelike Japanese city. In true Yakuza fashion, the tangled web of alliances, betrayals, secrets, and shifts in power across different organizations serve as the foundation for much of its character-driven story. And it's as sweet as ever here.
Kasuga, Number One
Ichiban has a familiar background: born from nothing, scraping by in Kamurocho until a father figure with yakuza ties digs him out of serious trouble. Ichiban's life revolves around that man, Masumi Arakawa, and he eventually follows in his footsteps by pledging himself to the Tojo Clan. Much of what propels Like a Dragon is the connection these two share--from Ichiban taking the fall for a family crime to uncovering why he'd been left for dead in another city after his 18-year prison sentence. Things change in time, and that good-natured kid who grew up loving Dragon Quest (literally in-lore) and doing harmless errands for the gang now has a lot to learn about the criminal underworld as he re-enters society.
Continue Reading at GameSpotYakuza: Like A Dragon Review – The Power Of Friendship
After the conclusion of the series' previous anthology with Yakuza 6, there were big Kiryu-sized shoes to fill. As our new protagonist Kasuga Ichiban steps into the spotlight for Yakuza: Like a Dragon, developer RGG Studio proves it can still capture its signature blend of gripping melodrama and absurdist humor while creating something genuinely fresh for the long-running franchise. The reinvention isn't just in the transition from action-brawler to turn-based combat, which is a great take on traditional RPG battles. It's that the party dynamic in Like a Dragon enables a new kind of storytelling that the series hasn't explored before, one that focuses on the power of embracing friendship and fighting together every step of the way.
Like a Dragon starts anew, providing an entry point for those who have never played a Yakuza game before. But it wouldn't be a proper series entry without the core tenets that define Yakuza--things like captivating exposition-heavy cutscenes, exciting over-the-top fights, and a wealth of side activities that flood the streets of a lifelike Japanese city. In true Yakuza fashion, the tangled web of alliances, betrayals, secrets, and shifts in power across different organizations serve as the foundation for much of its character-driven story. And it's as sweet as ever here.
Kasuga, Number One
Ichiban has a familiar background: born from nothing, scraping by in Kamurocho until a father figure with yakuza ties digs him out of serious trouble. Ichiban's life revolves around that man, Masumi Arakawa, and he eventually follows in his footsteps by pledging himself to the Tojo Clan. Much of what propels Like a Dragon is the connection these two share--from Ichiban taking the fall for a family crime to uncovering why he'd been left for dead in another city after his 18-year prison sentence. Things change in time, and that good-natured kid who grew up loving Dragon Quest (literally in-lore) and doing harmless errands for the gang now has a lot to learn about the criminal underworld as he re-enters society.
Continue Reading at GameSpotPS5 DualSense Controller Seemingly Also Has a Removable Faceplate
The PS5 DualSense controller's black faceplate is seemingly removable, suggesting that players could swap it out for custom designs in the future.
As can be seen in a video from John Glasscock on YouTube, the lower black plating that covers the thumbstick on the DualSense can be snapped out and reapplied with relative ease, "with pretty much no tools required". Glasscock is shown removing the plate simply by gripping the sides of the peripheral and applying some force, although it may be that he's previously used a thin tool to loosen the plate. It's not clear if removing the plate could void any warranty on the controller, so we currently don't recommend trying it yourself.
This suggests that players will be able to customize their DualSense, either through first-party revisions of the controller or third-party solutions (as per Sony's approval). However, whether third-party plates could be sold is currently up in the air - only this week, we saw a third-party outlet creating custom plates for the PS5 console itself apologizing and cancelling all orders after the company was pressured by Sony.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/why-sony-wont-let-you-buy-ps5-custom-plates-ign-daily-fix-"]
The video also shows how the controller's lightbar works in-game on the PS4 via Remote Play and offers some PS3 gameplay using the DualSense peripheral. As revealed earlier this week, the DualSense doesn't work natively with the PS4, but it does function as normal with the PS3, even though PS3 games aren't playable on the PS5.
If you want to know more about the DualSense, check out our preview of the controller alongside some Astro's Playroom gameplay. Preorders for the PlayStation 5 are currently sold out, but if more go up they'll be in our PS5 preorder guide right away. For everything you need to know about PlayStation 5, check out our PS5 guide.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/07/ps5s-controller-the-dualsense-revealed"]
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.