Sony has revealed that the PlayStation Plus games for May 2021 are PS5's Wreckfest: Drive Hard, Die Last and PS4's Battlefield V and Stranded Deep. Announced on PlayStation.Blog, these three of these games will be available to all PlayStation Plus members to add to their library from May 4-31. Wreckfest, which was originally set to get a $10 PS5 upgrade on June 1, is a full-contact racer from the creator of FlatOut. Players will race and upgrade "patched-together cars" while battling others to reach the finish line first. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/23/wreckfest-review"] In our review of Wreckfest, we said it "is the long-overdue return of serious, high-quality destruction racing and, in that admittedly slim niche, it’s the king of the crop. It lacks a little spark off the track but out in the thick of it it’s some of the most frantic fun you can have on four wheels." Battlefield V is the latest entry in the beloved franchise and this game brings players back to World War 2. Battlefield V's arrival on PlayStation Plus looks to time nicely with the upcoming reveal of Battlefield 6, which is set to be the biggest in the series' history. In our review of Battlefield V, we said it "is a grand and addictive shooter with some smart ideas for improving gunplay and team dynamics, but at launch it has too many technical issues and holes in its content to excel." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/11/21/battlefield-v-review"] Stranded Deep is a game that will test your survival skills in an open-world adventure set in the "vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean." You are stranded after a mysterious plane crash and have to do what you can to survive. PlayStation also reminds players to add April 2021's PlayStation Plus games - Oddworld: Soulstorm, Days Gone, and Zombie Army 4: Dead Way - before they leave the service on May 3, 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/21/stranded-deep-official-launch-trailer"] [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.

Update 04/28/2021: 4A Games has announced that Metro Exodus: Enhanced Edition will arrive on PC on May 6. The new version will be a free upgrade for those who bought the original game on Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG and the Microsoft Store - although save transfers will not be available on Microsoft Store versions. The game won't be a patch or version of the original game – it's only available as an entirely separate product. Coming in at an 80GB total install size, and its minimum specifications require a ray tracing-capable graphics card. 4A says it "offers additional Ray Tracing features including Advanced Ray Traced Reflections and support for the much requested DLSS 2.0 on NVIDIA hardware, which offers sharper image details and increased framerates and display resolutions." No word has been given on the release date for next-gen console versions of the game. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/02/13/metro-exodus-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] A next-gen enhanced edition for Metro Exodus has been announced for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and ray-tracing capable PCs. This will be provided as a free upgrade for all existing owners of Metro Exodus. The PS5 and XSX console versions of Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition will run at 4K/60 FPS, while the Xbox Series S will target 1080p/60 FPS. All versions will use ray traced lighting and global illumination, across both the base game and DLC expansions. Textures will be rendered at 4K, and loading times will be reduced. There will be a few platform specific features, too, such as a spatial audio system for Xbox and haptic support for the PS5’s DualSense controller. The PC version, meanwhile, will require a ray tracing compatible GPU as standard. As well as all the enhancements seen in the console versions, the PC upgrade also has advanced ray traced reflections and support for Nvidia’s DLSS 2.0 technology. Since these changes mean it is fundamentally different from the original version, it will be added to your Steam/EGS/GoG library as a new, separate game. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/02/15/metro-exodus-launch-trailer"] No specific dates have been announced for release, but the PC version is slated for Spring 2021 and the console version later this year. In addition, Metro Exodus will be made available on Mac in March, and on Linux a little later in the year. If you're just catching up on the game, take a look at our Metro Exodus review. And if the Enhanced Edition is where you'll be jumping on, be sure to check our guide of what you need to know before playing. Unsurprisingly, Metro Exodus is a looker, and the current version is already a game that will make the most of your graphics card. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

A golden Nintendo Wii created for the Queen of the UK, Elizabeth II, is currently for sale on eBay for the sum of $300,000. The luxurious console's current owner, a Dutch video game collector called Donny, has put the Queen's Wii up for sale because he is "moving on with life". Talking to Consolevariations.com, Donny said "The reason why I am selling it is simple: Moving on with life." "I've been in one place for my whole life, it's time to get my own place," he explained. "At times it has been difficult for me to have free time or relax. Lately it's all CV and my daily job. When I come home, I don't get to spend a lot of 'me time' so I would like to take the step and move on." The $300,000 asking price has been set as a reasonable amount of money with with Donny would be able to buy a home for himself and realise that ambition of moving on with life. If you're unaware of the legend of the Queen's golden Wii, it was created as part of a PR stunt by THQ for the Wii game Big Family Games, a mini-game complication. The idea was to send a unique console to the biggest family of them all: the royal family. And so they sent Queen Elizabeth an absurdly expensive gold Wii. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2010/11/09/top-25-wii-games-montage"] Unsurprisingly, the Queen rejected the console. It has all made for an amusing industry legend, though, as documented by an episode of People Make Games. If you suddenly find yourself in possession of a golden Wii, then be sure to check out the best Wii games. Or, if you're keeping up to date, be sure to check in on the latest PlayStation 5 sales figures. Right now, it feels like a PS5 is rarer than a golden Wii. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

A golden Nintendo Wii created for the Queen of the UK, Elizabeth II, is currently for sale on eBay for the sum of $300,000. The luxurious console's current owner, a Dutch video game collector called Donny, has put the Queen's Wii up for sale because he is "moving on with life". Talking to Consolevariations.com, Donny said "The reason why I am selling it is simple: Moving on with life." "I've been in one place for my whole life, it's time to get my own place," he explained. "At times it has been difficult for me to have free time or relax. Lately it's all CV and my daily job. When I come home, I don't get to spend a lot of 'me time' so I would like to take the step and move on." The $300,000 asking price has been set as a reasonable amount of money with with Donny would be able to buy a home for himself and realise that ambition of moving on with life. If you're unaware of the legend of the Queen's golden Wii, it was created as part of a PR stunt by THQ for the Wii game Big Family Games, a mini-game complication. The idea was to send a unique console to the biggest family of them all: the royal family. And so they sent Queen Elizabeth an absurdly expensive gold Wii. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2010/11/09/top-25-wii-games-montage"] Unsurprisingly, the Queen rejected the console. It has all made for an amusing industry legend, though, as documented by an episode of People Make Games. If you suddenly find yourself in possession of a golden Wii, then be sure to check out the best Wii games. Or, if you're keeping up to date, be sure to check in on the latest PlayStation 5 sales figures. Right now, it feels like a PS5 is rarer than a golden Wii. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Shunsuke Kikuchi, the prolific Japanese composer who worked on Dragon Ball, Doraemon, and Kamen Rider, has passed away at the age of 89. According to an Oricon news report, per Kotaku, Kikuchi died on April 24 at a medical facility in Tokyo after suffering from aspiration pneumonia. He is said to have been undergoing medical treatment at the facility prior to his passing. The report also notes that his close family members and relatives organized a private funeral for the late composer. Over the course of his career, Kikuchi worked on numerous anime productions, movies, and television shows. He first rose to prominence in the 1960s, making his professional debut as a composer in the 1961 film The Eighth Enemy. In the years that followed, he earned worldwide recognition for his contributions to the Dragon Ball franchise. The Dragon Ball Fandom page notes that, altogether, Kikuchi composed 23 packages of music for the original Dragon Ball show and its sequel Dragon Ball Z, which resulted in over 400 different pieces of music. He also composed the theme for Doraemon, an anime series that ran for 26 years, and he also scored songs for Kamen Rider, Tiger Mask, Dr. Slump, and many more. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/02/08/dragon-ball-z-9-of-the-most-unforgettable-moments"] Among numerous honors, Kikuchi was nominated for the Japan Academy Prize in 1983 for his work on The Gate of Youth and To Trap a Kidnapper. He went on to receive an Award of Merit at the 2013 Tokyo Anime Awards, and later became the recipient of the prestigious lifetime achievement award at the 57th Japan Record Awards in 2015. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Shunsuke Kikuchi, the prolific Japanese composer who worked on Dragon Ball, Doraemon, and Kamen Rider, has passed away at the age of 89. According to an Oricon news report, per Kotaku, Kikuchi died on April 24 at a medical facility in Tokyo after suffering from aspiration pneumonia. He is said to have been undergoing medical treatment at the facility prior to his passing. The report also notes that his close family members and relatives organized a private funeral for the late composer. Over the course of his career, Kikuchi worked on numerous anime productions, movies, and television shows. He first rose to prominence in the 1960s, making his professional debut as a composer in the 1961 film The Eighth Enemy. In the years that followed, he earned worldwide recognition for his contributions to the Dragon Ball franchise. The Dragon Ball Fandom page notes that, altogether, Kikuchi composed 23 packages of music for the original Dragon Ball show and its sequel Dragon Ball Z, which resulted in over 400 different pieces of music. He also composed the theme for Doraemon, an anime series that ran for 26 years, and he also scored songs for Kamen Rider, Tiger Mask, Dr. Slump, and many more. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/02/08/dragon-ball-z-9-of-the-most-unforgettable-moments"] Among numerous honors, Kikuchi was nominated for the Japan Academy Prize in 1983 for his work on The Gate of Youth and To Trap a Kidnapper. He went on to receive an Award of Merit at the 2013 Tokyo Anime Awards, and later became the recipient of the prestigious lifetime achievement award at the 57th Japan Record Awards in 2015. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Monster Hunter Rise's latest update locks elements of character editing behind a paywall for the second time in series history, and many fans aren't happy about it. The 2.0 title update for Monster Hunter Rise – which is now available – adds new monsters, layered armour and more, but players noticed one returning feature they were far less happy to see. 'Character Edit Vouchers' – first introduced in Monster Hunter World – now allow you to almost fully customise your created character again after starting the game, but at a cost. We asked Capcom for clarity on exactly how the vouchers work: "Character Edit Vouchers work similar to how they do in Monster Hunter: World," explained a spokesperson. "Only minor character edits (hairstyle, makeup etc.) were possible up until now and will remain available for free, Character Edit Vouchers now allow extended editing of your character (body type, detailed facial features etc.). The first voucher is free." After that first free voucher, each new one will cost $2.99 USD (with discounts for buying multiple vouchers). [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/monster-hunter-rise-update-ver-20-elder-dragons-apex-monsters-trailer"] Aside from the obvious sticking point of locking away content already in the game (you fully design a character when the game begins, and the new edit process offers no more options), Monster Hunter offers an extra wrinkle, in that armour designs for male and female characters can vary wildly. Many players like to see both sets of designs on their created characters before committing, and the Vouchers now make that experimentation come at a cost, or force you to start a new save game entirely. Fans have begun voicing their frustrations with the system since its announcement. "Character edits should be FREE. Full stop," wrote skepticalmonique on Reddit. "This is the very definition of creating a problem to sell you the solution. Ridiculous that they are charging for this." Sly_Pika agreed: "Shouldn’t you just have that as a feature in the game in the first place though? Like it’s a full price retail game that wasn’t released fully....and they put a micro transaction for such a basic concept?" Steamy_guy summed up the problem succinctly: "I'll gladly pay for content not for settings." That's a very common sentiment – many Monster Hunter fans are happy to pay for (or ignore) brand new cosmetics, but basic editing features are seen as a step too far. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/natural-history-expert-reacts-to-monster-hunter-rise"] The reappearance of the feature in a second game after World has some players worried about the direction the Monster Hunter series could take in future: "There is 100% a future timeline where MH as a series declines into a [microtransaction] ridden f**kfest," said SlakingSWAG, "and mindless defence of mechanics like this and the state of Rise at launch will have a big part in that decline." SadArtemis pointed out that the feature may even be counter-intuitive: "Capcom has been looking for ways to slip microtransactions into MonHun since World and this is literally the only bit I'm against. Disliked it in World and dislike it here, if anything I'd say that by making character edits paywalled (however cheap, or not, it may be) it actually makes me less likely to buy more of other types of microtransaction (cosmetics)." It does now feel like a trend is emerging. With Monster Hunter more popular than it's ever been, the company appears to be leveraging that success to squeeze more money out of its biggest fans. It's not entirely surprising, but the way it's being handled feels ill-conceived. We've contacted Capcom for a response on players' concerns, and its future plans regarding microtransactions. [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.

Monster Hunter Rise's latest update locks elements of character editing behind a paywall for the second time in series history, and many fans aren't happy about it. The 2.0 title update for Monster Hunter Rise – which is now available – adds new monsters, layered armour and more, but players noticed one returning feature they were far less happy to see. 'Character Edit Vouchers' – first introduced in Monster Hunter World – now allow you to almost fully customise your created character again after starting the game, but at a cost. We asked Capcom for clarity on exactly how the vouchers work: "Character Edit Vouchers work similar to how they do in Monster Hunter: World," explained a spokesperson. "Only minor character edits (hairstyle, makeup etc.) were possible up until now and will remain available for free, Character Edit Vouchers now allow extended editing of your character (body type, detailed facial features etc.). The first voucher is free." After that first free voucher, each new one will cost $2.99 USD (with discounts for buying multiple vouchers). [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/monster-hunter-rise-update-ver-20-elder-dragons-apex-monsters-trailer"] Aside from the obvious sticking point of locking away content already in the game (you fully design a character when the game begins, and the new edit process offers no more options), Monster Hunter offers an extra wrinkle, in that armour designs for male and female characters can vary wildly. Many players like to see both sets of designs on their created characters before committing, and the Vouchers now make that experimentation come at a cost, or force you to start a new save game entirely. Fans have begun voicing their frustrations with the system since its announcement. "Character edits should be FREE. Full stop," wrote skepticalmonique on Reddit. "This is the very definition of creating a problem to sell you the solution. Ridiculous that they are charging for this." Sly_Pika agreed: "Shouldn’t you just have that as a feature in the game in the first place though? Like it’s a full price retail game that wasn’t released fully....and they put a micro transaction for such a basic concept?" Steamy_guy summed up the problem succinctly: "I'll gladly pay for content not for settings." That's a very common sentiment – many Monster Hunter fans are happy to pay for (or ignore) brand new cosmetics, but basic editing features are seen as a step too far. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/natural-history-expert-reacts-to-monster-hunter-rise"] The reappearance of the feature in a second game after World has some players worried about the direction the Monster Hunter series could take in future: "There is 100% a future timeline where MH as a series declines into a [microtransaction] ridden f**kfest," said SlakingSWAG, "and mindless defence of mechanics like this and the state of Rise at launch will have a big part in that decline." SadArtemis pointed out that the feature may even be counter-intuitive: "Capcom has been looking for ways to slip microtransactions into MonHun since World and this is literally the only bit I'm against. Disliked it in World and dislike it here, if anything I'd say that by making character edits paywalled (however cheap, or not, it may be) it actually makes me less likely to buy more of other types of microtransaction (cosmetics)." It does now feel like a trend is emerging. With Monster Hunter more popular than it's ever been, the company appears to be leveraging that success to squeeze more money out of its biggest fans. It's not entirely surprising, but the way it's being handled feels ill-conceived. We've contacted Capcom for a response on players' concerns, and its future plans regarding microtransactions. [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.

E3 has revealed that a trio of games industry personalities will host this year's E3 2021 virtual event. The trio features two IGN veterans, Kinda Funny co-founder Greg Miller, and Emmy-nominated host Jacki Jing. They are joined by esports commentator Alex "Goldenboy" Mendez. All three will share hosting duties of E3 2021, which takes place over four days from June 12 to June 15. The hosts will provide in-depth commentary on the events of the show as well as taking part in publisher and developer interviews across the four days. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/10/will-e3-still-have-a-big-impact-in-2021-plus-silent-hill-rumors-beyond-episode-687"] E3 2021 will take place from Saturday, June 12 to Tuesday, June 15 as an all-digital event for the very first time. You'll be able to watch it on IGN as part of our Summer of Gaming event. The ESA detailed its plans for E3 2021 earlier this month, noting that publishers such as Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami and Take-Two Interactive would all be taking part in the show. You can check out the full list of Game Publishers confirmed to be showcasing at E3 2021 here. Major companies missing from the list at present include Sony, EA and Square Enix. Ubisoft is one of the publishers attending the show and has since announced the next iteration of its digital conference series, Ubisoft Forward, which will take place on June 12 at 12 PM PT. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

E3 has revealed that a trio of games industry personalities will host this year's E3 2021 virtual event. The trio features two IGN veterans, Kinda Funny co-founder Greg Miller, and Emmy-nominated host Jacki Jing. They are joined by esports commentator Alex "Goldenboy" Mendez. All three will share hosting duties of E3 2021, which takes place over four days from June 12 to June 15. The hosts will provide in-depth commentary on the events of the show as well as taking part in publisher and developer interviews across the four days. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/10/will-e3-still-have-a-big-impact-in-2021-plus-silent-hill-rumors-beyond-episode-687"] E3 2021 will take place from Saturday, June 12 to Tuesday, June 15 as an all-digital event for the very first time. You'll be able to watch it on IGN as part of our Summer of Gaming event. The ESA detailed its plans for E3 2021 earlier this month, noting that publishers such as Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami and Take-Two Interactive would all be taking part in the show. You can check out the full list of Game Publishers confirmed to be showcasing at E3 2021 here. Major companies missing from the list at present include Sony, EA and Square Enix. Ubisoft is one of the publishers attending the show and has since announced the next iteration of its digital conference series, Ubisoft Forward, which will take place on June 12 at 12 PM PT. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.