Monthly Archives: October 2021

Yes, Far Cry 6 Has an Early Alternative Ending Easter Egg

Far Cry 4 famously included an Easter Egg ending that allowed you 'finish' the game right from the beginning. Far Cry 5 then repeated the trick and, as you might expect, Far Cry 6 is keeping up the tradition.

Spoilers follow for the alternative ending to Far Cry 6. Stop reading if you'd like to find it yourself.

Granted, Far Cry 6 does make you work a little harder than previous games to get to its own early ending. Where 4 and 5 placed their alternate endings just after the introduction, the latest installment requires you to play the game's early missions (it took us around an hour and a half) to get to a specific point in the storyline that will allow your character, Dani, to escape a naval blockade around the Yaran island they're on.

After doing so, guerrilla leader Clara offers you a choice - to fight for Yaran freedom, or to escape on a boat to Miami. You're obviously meant to pick the former, but the latter is entirely open to you. You can check out the full secret ending in the video below:

The alternate ending itself is fairly downbeat, showing Dani on a Miami beach three months after their escape. A news report mentions that Clara has been killed and the civil war effectively ended, before mentioning pandemic lockdowns, and then playing Gloria Estefan's 'Conga' over the end credits. And that's that.

While it's always interesting to see how Far Cry handles an early ending, you'll likely have more fun searching for the intended one. We awarded Far Cry 6 an 8/10 review, with reviewer Jon Ryan saying it's "some of the most fun I’ve had with this series in nearly a decade."

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.

The Pokémon Company Signs a Theme Park Deal With Universal Studios Japan

The Pokémon Company has announced a long-term partnership with Universal Studios Japan to add Pokémon-themed attractions to the Osaka theme park.

Announced in a press release, the partnership sees the companies "jointly explore groundbreaking entertainment that will immerse guests into the world of Pokémon with innovative technology and creativity beginning in 2022."

This is billed as a long-term project, but it seems likely that the Pokémon additions in 2022 would be added to the existing Super Nintendo World area at Universal Studios Japan, rather than an entirely new area. No details have been offered about whether Pokémon attractions would include new areas, rides, experiences or other technology, but the partnership is billed as a way to "develop new interactive entertainment combining innovative technology and extraordinary creativity."

"This strategic alliance with Universal Studios Japan reflects our commitment to continue delivering the joy of Pokémon in ever evolving ways for years to come," said Pokémon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara. "We are looking forward to the day when we can welcome fans from around the world to all enjoy it together."

Currently, this partnership is only between The Pokémon Company and Universal Studios Japan, and no mention has been made of bringing Pokémon attractions to other Universal Studios parks.

The Pokémon Company has likely been emboldened by the success of Super Nintendo World. The Osaka park area opened earlier this year, and we said it brilliantly reinvents and gamifies the theme park experience in our review. Nintendo is already building on that success, announcing that a Donkey Kong area will open in 2024. A version of Super Nintendo World will open in Orlando, Florida, but it has seemingly been delayed to 2025.

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.

The Pokémon Company Signs a Theme Park Deal With Universal Studios Japan

The Pokémon Company has announced a long-term partnership with Universal Studios Japan to add Pokémon-themed attractions to the Osaka theme park.

Announced in a press release, the partnership sees the companies "jointly explore groundbreaking entertainment that will immerse guests into the world of Pokémon with innovative technology and creativity beginning in 2022."

This is billed as a long-term project, but it seems likely that the Pokémon additions in 2022 would be added to the existing Super Nintendo World area at Universal Studios Japan, rather than an entirely new area. No details have been offered about whether Pokémon attractions would include new areas, rides, experiences or other technology, but the partnership is billed as a way to "develop new interactive entertainment combining innovative technology and extraordinary creativity."

"This strategic alliance with Universal Studios Japan reflects our commitment to continue delivering the joy of Pokémon in ever evolving ways for years to come," said Pokémon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara. "We are looking forward to the day when we can welcome fans from around the world to all enjoy it together."

Currently, this partnership is only between The Pokémon Company and Universal Studios Japan, and no mention has been made of bringing Pokémon attractions to other Universal Studios parks.

The Pokémon Company has likely been emboldened by the success of Super Nintendo World. The Osaka park area opened earlier this year, and we said it brilliantly reinvents and gamifies the theme park experience in our review. Nintendo is already building on that success, announcing that a Donkey Kong area will open in 2024. A version of Super Nintendo World will open in Orlando, Florida, but it has seemingly been delayed to 2025.

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.

Ghost Recon Frontline, a Free-To-Play Battle Royale, Announced by Ubisoft

Ubisoft has announced Ghost Recon Frontline, a PvP first-person shooter that will be free-to-play. With support for over 100 players, it's an objective-focused spin on the incredibly popular battle royale genre. Public play testing will begin this month, but a full release date has yet to be announced.

Ghost Recon Frontline’s flagship mode is Expedition, in which 102 players are divided up into teams of three to battle for victory on an island map. To win, a team must find and claim three pieces of intel, which will allow them to then head to a designated drop zone and extract from the map. When the extraction helicopter is called, though, other players are alerted and have the chance to attack and steal that team’s extraction in order to claim victory for themselves. It’s an objective design that sounds like a blend of Ubisoft’s own Dark Zone from The Division, and Crytek’s Hunt: Showdown. Ubisoft also notes that there are other tactics that can be used to win.

Aside from rejecting the last-team-standing approach to battle royale, Ghost Recon Frontline also ignores the idea of a shrinking circle. You’ll have access to the entirety of its 16 square-kilometre map for the full duration of a match. That map is divided into four different biomes and hosts 20 different landmarks.

A character class system will allow you to tailor your tactical approach. Three have been revealed so far; the Scout is designed for long-range encounters and tracking enemies, the Assault class is best suited to close-range fighting, and the Support can set up defences such as turrets. Each class has a special active ability, two gadgets, and three passive skills. These classes are attached to customisable ‘Contractor’ characters; you will start with two, and more can be recruited as you progress. This allows you to create a pool of Contractors that can be tailored for specific tactical approaches. Interestingly, you can change what Contractor you are playing as during the events of a match, so you’re not permanently locked into a specific class and playstyle.

Another new idea Frontline boasts is “TAC Support”, which allows teams to call in airdrops of supplies, paid for using funds earned through completing objectives. This includes basic things like new weapons, but also items designed to reshape the battlefield, such as bulletproof barriers and even an entire sniper tower.

Developer Ubisoft Bucharest has been working on Ghost Recon Frontline for three years, and aims for the game to be a multiplayer suite with multiple modes. The first alternate game type to be announced is Control, a 9v9 mode in which teams fight for domination over an area. While this is a smaller, arena shooter-style mode, all the tactical tools and Contractors from the main Expedition mode will be available to use. New modes are planned to be introduced each season.

A full launch date for Ghost Recon Frontline has yet to be announced as the game is still considered in "early development", but a closed test on PC for European players will run from October 14 - 21. Registration of interest for participating in the test is live now. Ubisoft states that this will be the “first” test, and that tests on other platforms will be announced in later phases. Ghost Recon Frontline is listed to eventually release on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia.

Ghost Recon Frontline is the third Tom Clancy free-to-play game that Ubisoft has announced this year. Earlier in 2021 it revealed The Division: Heartland, while just this past summer it unveiled XDefiant, a Call of Duty-style PvP shooter. This follows Ubisoft stating that it intends to build “high-end free-to-play games”. Hopefully it will prove more successful than Ubisoft’s previous battle royale, Hyper Scape, around which conversation quickly faded.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

No Time To Die’s Aston Martin Valhalla Is Coming To Rocket League

The Aston Martin Valhalla isn't yet available, but you'll soon be able to try one for yourself in Rocket League, which is set to introduce the latest iteration of James Bond's iconic car on all platforms as part of its ongoing Bond 007 collaboration.

The Aston Martin Valhalla, the first hybrid car in Rocket League, will be available to players for 1100 credits in the item shop. It will be released alongside the Bond 007 Collection, which will bundle the Valhalla with the Aston Martin DB5 — the classic iteration previously released over the summer. It will be available for 2000 credits.

The two cars will come with a variety of challenges and in-game items. Psyonix will also be hosting a special Agents Vs. Villains event on Twitch on October 8, with more information to come soon. Three in-game challenges will allow players to unlock a Bond-themed player banner, avatar border, and player title.

The Aston Martin Valhalla will appear in No Time To Die, which is set to release in North America on October 8. One of the trailers offered a glimpse of the Valhalla in a wind tunnel in the run-up to release. No Time To Die will also feature an upgraded version of the Aston Martin DB5, which we got to check out last month.

In our No Time To Die review, we generally enjoyed Daniel Craig's adventure, calling it an "uneven but enjoyable swan song for the best Bond we've ever had." In the meantime, the real-life Aston Martin Valhalla is set to enter production in 2023, and will be available for a cool $800,000. You can get the Rocket League version for considerably cheaper beginning October 7.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN

No Time To Die Director Was Still Writing the Screenplay When Filming Wrapped

No Time To Die director Cary Joji Fukunaga has said that he was still writing the movie's screenplay after filming had wrapped, stating that for certain parts of the third act the process was almost like a Choose Your Own Adventure novel.

During an interview with Esquire Middle East, the director delved into his time on Bond 25. When initially taking the helm, Fukunaga had limited time to develop the script before production began - a factor that seems to have led to the director still working on its screenplay as the film entered post-production.

“With Maniac we were writing as we shot, and after we finished, I told myself that I was never doing that again," Fukunaga told Esquire, referring to his Netflix show starring Emma Stone and Jonah Hill. "But then with Bond, we were still writing when we’d wrapped. I was even writing in post!”

Part of the difficulty for Fukunaga came as Daniel Craig himself injured his ankle early into filming. With the film's lead restricted, the director was forced to begin writing and filming scenes off the cuff with uncertainty surrounding how they'd be pieced together in the film's final cut.

“I was writing dialogue that was intentional enough, but vague enough, that I could apply it to a number of different things happening in the third act. It was almost like a ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ novel writing these pages: ‘If this happened here, and you have to go here, then this page will work for that,'" he said.

"When we finally put the film together, it all made sense, somehow all fit together. But I’ll tell you a secret, that I think is okay now that we’re so close to release, there are pieces that Ralph Fiennes says in the trailer that neither Ralph nor I knew exactly what he was saying it for,” said Fukunaga.

Fortunately for Fukunaga, No Time To Die had a team of seasoned actors who each pitched in with their own thoughts and ideas throughout production. “I would look at what I wrote and say, ‘look, I’m sorry, Ralph, this is the really non-subtextual version of this,’ and then have Ralph deliver something that turns my shitty throwaway line into something great. And Rory Kinnear would know what needs to happen and add in a line of his own, and I would say, ‘Rory, that’s a f**king great line’."

To his credit, Fukunaga wasn't the first director attached to Bond 25. The American director stepped into the role after it had been vacated by Oscar-winner Danny Boyle who cited creative differences as the reason for his departure. On taking the helm, Fukunaga had a fraction of the usual time needed to prepare the script. He also wasn't solely responsible for the screenplay, which was also put together by Bond regulars Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

No Time To Die has already hit theatres across 54 markets and will premiere in the US on October 8. Despite an unconventional approach to finishing the film's screenplay, No Time To Die has set multiple records since its release with a $119 million international box office debut. For more on the latest Bond blockbuster, make sure to check out this article breaking down the film's ending and our No Time To Die review.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

New to Disney+ in October 2021: Black Widow, LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales, and More

October 2021 is the spookiest month of the year, and Disney+ is celebrating with two specials - LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales and Muppets Haunted Mansion - to help celebrate Halloween. This month is also a big deal for those who have yet to see Black Widow, as it will become available to all Disney+ subscribers at no extra cost on October 6.

Check out the trailer for LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales in the video player below:

There will also be some big season finales in October, including Marvel's What If...? and Turner & Hooch. The penultimate episode of What If...? set up a huge threat to not just the MCU, but to all alternate universes, and it's safe to say we will get some answers in this final episode.

Documentaries are a big focus this month, as we will be getting not only a six-part docuseries about NASA called Among the Stars, but also a documentary focused on Dr. Anthony Fauci, M.D. will also premiere on Disney+ on October 6.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for a spotlight of some of the most notable October 2021 Disney+ releases, followed by the full list:

Friday, October 1

  • Alvin And The Chipmunks
  • Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Road Chip
  • Just Roll With It: You Decide Live!
  • The Scariest Story Ever: A Mickey Mouse Halloween Spooktacular!
  • LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales

Wednesday, October 6

  • Black Widow
  • Disney Junior The Chicken Squad (S1) Ep. The Surprise Party Surprise / U.F. Oh-No
  • Drain The Oceans: The Mississippi River & Arctic War (S1)
  • Drain The Oceans (S4)
  • The Ghost And Molly McGee (S1), 5 episodes
  • Impact With Gal Gadot (S1)
  • Muppet Babies (S3), 9 episodes
  • Puppy Dog Pals (S4), 5 episodes
  • Spidey And His Amazing Friends (S1) Ep. Rocket Rhino / Trick Or Trace-E
  • Among the Stars - Season 1 Premiere (All Episodes Streaming)
  • Turner & Hooch - Season Finale - Episode 112 "Bite Club"
  • What If...? - Season Finale - Episode 109
  • Chip 'n' Dale: Park Life - Episode 111 "Night of the Pizza Moon / Who's Your Granny? / Summer Sidekick Syndrome"
  • Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. - Episode 105 "Dunk Cost"

Friday, October 8

  • Disney Junior Mickey’s Tale Of Two Witches
  • Under Wraps
  • Muppets Haunted Mansion

Wednesday, October 13

  • Apollo: Back To The Moon (S1)
  • Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures (S1) Ep. The Spooky Spook House / Clarabelle’s Banana Splitz!
  • Secrets Of The Zoo: North Carolina (S1)
  • Secrets Of The Zoo: Down Under (S2)
  • The Wizard Of Paws (S1)
  • Zombies: Addison’s Moonstone Mystery Shorts (S1)
  • Just Beyond - Season 1 Premiere (All Episodes Streaming)
  • Chip 'n' Dale: Park Life - Season Finale - Episode 112 "Delivery Duck / Dark in the Park / Choppin' Dale"
  • Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. - Episode 106 "Career Babes"

Friday, October 15

  • Lost Cities With Albert Lin: The Great Flood
  • Megacity Of The Maya Warrior King

Wednesday, October 20

  • Disney’s Magic Bake-Off (S1), 4 episodes
  • PJ Masks (S5), 6 episodes
  • The Wild Life Of Dr. Ole (S1)
  • Disney Insider - Episode 108 "Drawn To Life, Muppets and the Haunted Mansion, Our Very Own Studio Tour"
  • Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. - Episode 107 "Mom-Mentum"
  • Marvel Studios: Assembled - "The Making of Black Widow"

Friday, October 22

  • Rookie Of The Year
  • Thumbelina

Wednesday, October 27

  • Port Protection Alaska (S4)
  • Disney Insider - Episode 109 "Harmonies of Harmonious, Tiana's Cuisine, Galaxy's Edge Expands... Virtually"
  • Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. - Episode 108 "Talk-Story"
  • Marvel Studios: Assembled - "The Making of What If...?"

Friday, October 29

  • Bob Ballard: An Explorer’s Life
  • McFarland, USA

Battlefield 2042 New-Gen Upgrades Will Be Free With Standard Digital Versions

Update: EA has clarified that the dual-entitlement feature will only feature as part of the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of Battlefield 2042. As such, even if you currently only have a previous-generation console, you should purchase the new-generation version of Battlefield 2042 should you wish to make use of the upgrade system.

EA has announced that players who purchase the standard digital edition of Battlefield 2042 will be able to upgrade from PS4 or Xbox One to new-gen PS5 or Xbox Series X/S versions free of charge. This is a u-turn on EA's previous stance, which required players to own the more expensive Gold Edition to be entitled to an upgrade.

The standard digital edition of Battlefield 2042 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S now includes EA's 'dual entitlement' feature, meaning it comes with both generations of the game. So far, EA has only announced this feature for the digital version of Battlefield 2042, and so - at least currently - it appears that physical copies of the game will not include the dual entitlement new-gen upgrade.

Prior to this change, dual entitlement was only available for those who purchased the Gold Edition of Battlefield 2042, which retails for $99.99/£89.99. The change makes it significantly cheaper for PS4 and Xbox One players to upgrade should they move over to PS5 or Xbox Series X/S consoles.

Battlefield 2042 will be playable this weekend as part of an open beta, which can be pre-loaded on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S right now. This open beta is available to all players, but those who have pre-ordered can play from October 6.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

Panzer Dragoon VR Producer Falsely Reported Dead

A tweet reportedly posted by the Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record Twitter account has stated that the game has been cancelled and that its producer, Haruto Watanabe, has died. But this shocking news has since been reported to be false, leaving the future of the game unclear.

As reported by VGC, the now-deleted tweet claimed that the VR version of Panzer Dragoon was set to be cancelled due to the death of the game's producer Haruto Watanabe.

“Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record has been cancelled due to the cancellation of the contract by Sega and the death of the producer, Haruto Watanabe, CEO of Wildman Inc. Thank you for your support," stated two versions of the tweet, one in English and another in Japanese.

Both versions of the tweet have since been removed from the social media platform. According to VGC, a number of people have confirmed that the producer is alive. "I went to the Wildman office and can confirm he's safe. A lot of friends are gathering," said one user on Twitter.

With no official statement or clarification from developer Wildman Inc or publisher Sega, it's currently unclear as to what the status of Panzer Dragoon VR is.

Panzer Dragoon VR was first announced last March, twenty-five years after the series first debuted in Japan. While it's known that it is a rework of Panzer Dragoon, Panzer Dragoon Zwei, and Panzer Dragoon Saga with new graphics for modern VR headsets, little has been shared about the game since its initial reveal.

The original Panzer Dragoon series was largely known for its mixture of rail-shooter gameplay and dragon-riding when it was launched for the Sega Saturn in the mid-nineties. The last Panzer Dragoon game to release to fans came in the form of a remake developed by Forever Entertainment and MegaPixel for the Nintendo Switch. The remake itself came with visually heightened graphics and a more modernized control scheme. IGN reviewed the game and gave it a 6/10 calling it "a neat little arcade shooter that keeps things exciting for an hour or two."

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Kingdom Hearts Series Coming to Switch as Cloud Games

Nintendo has announced that the Kingdom Hearts games will be coming to Nintendo Switch.

Revealed as part of Mr. Sakurai Presents, Smash Bros. series creator Masahiro Sakurai announced that the series will be available via cloud gaming, which will allow you to play the series up to and including Kingdom Hearts 3. The Switch versions will include Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and Kingdom Hearts 3.

While the Switch versions for these three games were announced, there is so far no release date. This will be the first time the mainline games will be available on Switch, although Kingdom Hearts has been on Nintendo's console already thanks to Melody of Memory.

The Switch versions were announced alongside the news that Kingdom Hearts protagonist Sora is heading to Super Smash Bros. as the final DLC character.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.