Monthly Archives: August 2021
Valheim’s Hearth & Home Update Releases This September
Coffee Stain Publishing and Iron Gate Studio have annouced that the Hearth & Home update for Valheim will release this September.
Revealed as part of Gamescom's Opening Night Live, the first major update for Valheim will launch on September 16. The Hearth & Home update is focused on improving Valheim's core base building and survival mechanics. Players can expect a reworked food and cooking system, which includes spice racks, butcher tables, pots and pans, and new recipes. Specific foods can be prepared that tie into the newly improved health and stamina system, providing player with further interesting choices.
Alongside new food changes are updates to the building mechanics, including a range of new build pieces, such as a treasure chest to store gold in, new window hatches, and darkwood materials.
For more from Valheim, check out our early access review, and the player who beat every Valheim boss in just 90 minutes. And for more from this summer's big game event, take a look at our Gamescom 2021 schedule.
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.
Deadmau5 Is Making a Music Experience Inside Another Game Platform
EDM legend Deadmau5 has announced Oberhasli, a "virtual world and music experience" created inside game creation platform Core.
Announced during Gamescom's Opening Night Live, Oberhasli will arrive on October 14, and will be an evolving online space filled with music and games, curated by Deadmau5. It will open with a live performance from Deadmau5 and other artists. The idea behind Oberhasli is to create a musical space inside a game platform, but without the time-limited nature of virtual concerts like those held inside Fortnite.
“Creating a world like Oberhasli has been a vision of mine for years now, but I quickly discovered how daunting it can be to create a multiplayer experience as a solo developer. The amazing thing about Core is that anyone can jump in and create content regardless of experience or resources,” said Deadmau5 in a press release. “We’ve seen virtual concerts in the past, but after making a splash, they fizzle out; there’s no shelf life to them. With Oberhasli, I want to create a mainstay for the artists’ metaverse, regularly updating it over time, switching things up and keeping it cohesive with real-world news and ancillary events.”
Not unlike Roblox, Core has been designed more as a game creation platform than a game itself, allowing players to easily create and share games, as well as access those made by the rest of the community. Securing Deadmau5' involvement is a big move for Core alongside its huge competitors – and the musician actually used Core creations in a music video, 'When the Summer Dies' earlier this year.
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.
Deadmau5 Is Making a Music Experience Inside Another Game Platform
EDM legend Deadmau5 has announced Oberhasli, a "virtual world and music experience" created inside game creation platform Core.
Announced during Gamescom's Opening Night Live, Oberhasli will arrive on October 14, and will be an evolving online space filled with music and games, curated by Deadmau5. It will open with a live performance from Deadmau5 and other artists. The idea behind Oberhasli is to create a musical space inside a game platform, but without the time-limited nature of virtual concerts like those held inside Fortnite.
“Creating a world like Oberhasli has been a vision of mine for years now, but I quickly discovered how daunting it can be to create a multiplayer experience as a solo developer. The amazing thing about Core is that anyone can jump in and create content regardless of experience or resources,” said Deadmau5 in a press release. “We’ve seen virtual concerts in the past, but after making a splash, they fizzle out; there’s no shelf life to them. With Oberhasli, I want to create a mainstay for the artists’ metaverse, regularly updating it over time, switching things up and keeping it cohesive with real-world news and ancillary events.”
Not unlike Roblox, Core has been designed more as a game creation platform than a game itself, allowing players to easily create and share games, as well as access those made by the rest of the community. Securing Deadmau5' involvement is a big move for Core alongside its huge competitors – and the musician actually used Core creations in a music video, 'When the Summer Dies' earlier this year.
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.
Horizon: Forbidden West Confirmed to Have a 2022 Release Date
During a development update at Gamescom Opening Night Live, Horizon: Forbidden West's director Mathijs de Jonge confirmed the sequel wll hit PS4/PS5 on 18th February 2022.
Originally slated to have a "Holiday 2021" release window, Horizon Forbidden West was recently heavily rumored to be delayed to next year. de Jonge confirmed that the sequel is now on track for 2022, citing a healthy work/life balance was important for the Guerilla Games team as they developed Forbidden West during the 2020 pandemic and beyond.
"While the decision to move the game’s launch to 2022 certainly wasn’t easy," said de Jonge, "we’d like to take a moment to thank all of our fans for their unwavering support; we know how much you’ve been looking forward to reuniting with Aloy and her friends, continuing her story, and exploring a new and more dangerous world. Your passion, fan art, cosplay, virtual photography, and videos have meant the world to all of us."
Pre-orders for Horizon: Forbidden West will lift September 2, 2021. It was also announced that Horizon Zero Dawn will be getting a 4K, 60 FPS patch for PS5.
You can read IGN's in-depth story on why so many games have been delayed in 2021.
Horizon: Forbidden West Confirmed to Have a 2022 Release Date
During a development update at Gamescom Opening Night Live, Horizon: Forbidden West's director Mathijs de Jonge confirmed the sequel wll hit PS4/PS5 on 18th February 2022.
Originally slated to have a "Holiday 2021" release window, Horizon Forbidden West was recently heavily rumored to be delayed to next year. de Jonge confirmed that the sequel is now on track for 2022, citing a healthy work/life balance was important for the Guerilla Games team as they developed Forbidden West during the 2020 pandemic and beyond.
"While the decision to move the game’s launch to 2022 certainly wasn’t easy," said de Jonge, "we’d like to take a moment to thank all of our fans for their unwavering support; we know how much you’ve been looking forward to reuniting with Aloy and her friends, continuing her story, and exploring a new and more dangerous world. Your passion, fan art, cosplay, virtual photography, and videos have meant the world to all of us."
Pre-orders for Horizon: Forbidden West will lift September 2, 2021. It was also announced that Horizon Zero Dawn will be getting a 4K, 60 FPS patch for PS5.
You can read IGN's in-depth story on why so many games have been delayed in 2021.
Amazon’s New World Open Beta Announced, Post-Launch Plans Teased
An open beta for Amazon's New World MMO has been revealed during Opening Night Live, set to take place from September 9 to September 12. This beta will allow anyone to try New World out ahead of its eventual September 28 release.
While exact details weren't shared, Amazon also discussed its desire support New World with post-launch content and updates. One thing hinted at was a common player request for more supernatural weapons and elements, which will arrive in some form "shortly after launch." Additionally, more group content and expeditions seem to be on the docket toward the holiday season.
New World was recently delayed by a month, pushing it back into September. Despite this, its closed beta has been a huge success on Steam, and our preview was pretty positive. Its high-level PvE zones also show real promise for its end-game, and so - fingers crossed - New World could be another MMO with a long life ahead of it.
Amazon’s New World Open Beta Announced, Post-Launch Plans Teased
An open beta for Amazon's New World MMO has been revealed during Opening Night Live, set to take place from September 9 to September 12. This beta will allow anyone to try New World out ahead of its eventual September 28 release.
While exact details weren't shared, Amazon also discussed its desire support New World with post-launch content and updates. One thing hinted at was a common player request for more supernatural weapons and elements, which will arrive in some form "shortly after launch." Additionally, more group content and expeditions seem to be on the docket toward the holiday season.
New World was recently delayed by a month, pushing it back into September. Despite this, its closed beta has been a huge success on Steam, and our preview was pretty positive. Its high-level PvE zones also show real promise for its end-game, and so - fingers crossed - New World could be another MMO with a long life ahead of it.
Humankind Review — Culture War
Ambitious in the scope and meticulous in the detail of its genre reinvention, Humankind is a 4X strategy game that steps out from the shadow of Sid Meier's Civilization series. In parts, it does so boldly, both confident that probing questions were asked of the most tired genre assumptions and ready to respond with enlightening answers. But oftentimes it feels ill-prepared for the task at hand, and for all its spirited enthusiasm, Humankind struggles for coherence.
Departing furthest from 4X tradition is the way in which you're able to alter your empire's abilities over the course of the game rather than having them defined by a selection at the outset. Typically, in a Civ-style 4X, when you opt to play as Cleopatra, you'll be the Egyptians for the whole game, with her handful of leader abilities set in stone and providing the same bonuses whether you're in the Classical or Industrial Age. Similarly, when you encounter Teddy Roosevelt leading the neighbouring American empire, you know what to expect. It makes for a consistent, readable experience.
In Humankind, you choose a generic, blank slate leader at the start of a new game. Then, as your empire advances from one historical era to the next, you are able to pick a new culture to adopt for that era. So you might choose to be the Egyptians in the Ancient Era, switch to the Romans for the Classical Era, then the Khmer, the Ottomans, and so on. Cultures come with abilities that emphasise different play styles, allowing you a deal of flexibility to change tack mid-game as new circumstances arise. They also carry over certain legacy bonuses so that the effects of your previous cultural choices are still felt in later eras.
Continue Reading at GameSpotHumankind Review — Culture War
Ambitious in the scope and meticulous in the detail of its genre reinvention, Humankind is a 4X strategy game that steps out from the shadow of Sid Meier's Civilization series. In parts, it does so boldly, both confident that probing questions were asked of the most tired genre assumptions and ready to respond with enlightening answers. But oftentimes it feels ill-prepared for the task at hand, and for all its spirited enthusiasm, Humankind struggles for coherence.
Departing furthest from 4X tradition is the way in which you're able to alter your empire's abilities over the course of the game rather than having them defined by a selection at the outset. Typically, in a Civ-style 4X, when you opt to play as Cleopatra, you'll be the Egyptians for the whole game, with her handful of leader abilities set in stone and providing the same bonuses whether you're in the Classical or Industrial Age. Similarly, when you encounter Teddy Roosevelt leading the neighbouring American empire, you know what to expect. It makes for a consistent, readable experience.
In Humankind, you choose a generic, blank slate leader at the start of a new game. Then, as your empire advances from one historical era to the next, you are able to pick a new culture to adopt for that era. So you might choose to be the Egyptians in the Ancient Era, switch to the Romans for the Classical Era, then the Khmer, the Ottomans, and so on. Cultures come with abilities that emphasise different play styles, allowing you a deal of flexibility to change tack mid-game as new circumstances arise. They also carry over certain legacy bonuses so that the effects of your previous cultural choices are still felt in later eras.
Continue Reading at GameSpotAgatha from WandaVision Is Joining Disneyland’s Halloween Party
Agatha, everyone's favorite nosy neighbor from WandaVision, will be joining a host of other villains at Disneyland later this year for Halloween-themed festivities.
A new short trailer for Disneyland's Halloween Party, the Oogie Boogie Bash, was released on its official Instagram page recently, and it shows off three new villains who will be debuting at the event. WandaVision's Agatha appears to have caught the eye of many fans, however, she will seemingly also be joined by appearances from Toy Story's Sid and the live-action version of Cruella DeVil. The trailer was subsequently shared on Twitter by Scott Gustin, and it can be seen below:
Video from Disneyland teases Sid from Toy Story, Cruella (live action) and Agatha Harkness (Wandavision) pic.twitter.com/vPXgdHFggi
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) August 24, 2021
The Oogie Boogie Bash is set to return to Disneyland California among a range of other spooky festivities across select nights in September and October. Disney describes the event as a "separately ticketed, Halloween spooktacular that includes after-hours park access to treat trails, photo opportunities, entertainment, attractions, décor, and more."
Agatha's inclusion in the Oogie Boogie Bash marks another stepping stone for Disneyland's integration of the MCU into its theme parks. In June, following delays caused by the global pandemic, Disneyland California opened its Avengers Campus for the first time.
The immersive Campus opened with featured areas focusing on a wide array of characters from across the MCU and a new Spider-Man-themed ride called Web Slingers. Avengers Campus also grants fans of the MCU the opportunity to encounter a range of Marvel stars including Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Black Widow, and more.
If you'd like to find out more about Disney's Avengers campus, make sure to check out our review of Web Slingers, where we said that the all-ages-based Spider-Man attraction was neither a great ride nor a great game, but sure to be a young spider-fan pleaser.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.