Monthly Archives: May 2022
Fall Guys Going Fully Free to Play Alongside Xbox and Switch Release Next Month
Fall Guys is going fully free to play when it launches on Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Epic Games Store on June 21.
Players who already own the game on PS4 and Steam will be awarded with a Legacy Pack that includes unique cosmetics plus Fall Guy's first paid-for battle pass (branded as a Season Pass) that will be available alongside the current (and free) battle pass.
Developer Mediatonic is also essentially resetting Fall Guys' seasons as June 21 also marks the beginning of "Season 1: Free For All", likely because the game will be fully cross-play and cross-progression between platforms.
All Fall Guys players will therefore be able to compete against each other, and can log in and continue their progress, regardless of whether they're playing on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch, or PC.
A new currency called Show-Bucks can be used to purchase the Season Pass, but Mediatonic hasn't said how much it will cost or how Show-Bucks will compare to the current Kudos currency which will remain in the game.
The new Season 1: Free For All update also promises the "most jam-packed and blunderful season yet" with new challenges, rewards, and more.
The Xbox and Switch versions of Fall Guys were delayed in April last year from an original release date of summer 2021, with Mediatonic saying at the time that "with so many new opportunities now in our hands" it couldn't hit the original date.
The game launched in August 2020 as a free PlayStation Plus title but has been sold for $19.99 since then, with the exception of a free weekend here and there.
In our 8/10 review, IGN said: "A collection of exciting minigames and a burst of every colour under the rainbow makes Fall Guys a consistent delight."
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
Elden Ring Mod Pits Malenia Against Every Other Boss
An Elden Ring mod is pitting one of the game's most infamous bosses, Malenia, Blade of Miquella, against every other major boss in the game.
YouTube user Garden of Eyes - who also modded legendary summon Let Me Solo Her into Elden Ring and gave Bloodborne a first person mode - uploaded a video of Malenia taking on 25 other bosses.
The fights can be watched as if from one of Elden Ring's suspicious colosseums through a spectator camera, with Malenia starting with Grafted Scion before later fighting everyone from Radahn to Godrick.
Malenia is one of the strongest bosses in Elden Ring, so will any other boss be able to beat her, let alone get her to her second phase? https://t.co/Bx9qHhyGBM pic.twitter.com/wDmQKMTWMw
— Garden of Eyes (@EyesGarden) May 12, 2022
The video is also a great insight into the difference in strength between bosses that seemed impossible early on in Elden Ring and end-game fights like Malenia's.
She cuts down the Tree Sentinel in just a few swipes, for example, and the poor tutorial boss, Solider of Godrick, is one-hit killed.
We won't spoil too much about which bosses get Malenia to her second stage and which, if any, manage to defeat her, but the 41 minute video certainly offers plenty of Elden Ring action to take in.
Malenia quickly gained infamy following Elden Ring's release as one of the toughest bosses in the game, not helped by developer FromSoftware patching out a popular way to defeat her and a crazy glitch making her ridiculously overpowered.
Someone who defeated her throughout, however, was Let Me Solo Her, who would appear in people's games to take down Malenia single-handedly, and has now done so more 1,000 times.
Elden Ring has proved somewhat of a cultural phenomenon since it was release in February, with players finding a ton of different ways to interact with the game.
People have played it using a Fisher Price toy, the Nintendo Switch Ring Fit controller, and someone has even made a working VR version of the game.
Elden Ring has also been beaten in under seven minutes by a speedrunner, completed without taking or dealing damage, and fans are also modding every other entertainment franchise imaginable into the game.
In our 10/10 review, IGN said: "Elden Ring is a massive iteration on what FromSoftware began with the Souls series, bringing its relentlessly challenging combat to an incredible open world that gives us the freedom to choose our own path."
To make those choices with the best available information, check out our guide that features everything you could ever hope to know about Elden Ring, including collectible locations, boss strategies, and more.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
Elden Ring Mod Pits Malenia Against Every Other Boss
An Elden Ring mod is pitting one of the game's most infamous bosses, Malenia, Blade of Miquella, against every other major boss in the game.
YouTube user Garden of Eyes - who also modded legendary summon Let Me Solo Her into Elden Ring and gave Bloodborne a first person mode - uploaded a video of Malenia taking on 25 other bosses.
The fights can be watched as if from one of Elden Ring's suspicious colosseums through a spectator camera, with Malenia starting with Grafted Scion before later fighting everyone from Radahn to Godrick.
Malenia is one of the strongest bosses in Elden Ring, so will any other boss be able to beat her, let alone get her to her second phase? https://t.co/Bx9qHhyGBM pic.twitter.com/wDmQKMTWMw
— Garden of Eyes (@EyesGarden) May 12, 2022
The video is also a great insight into the difference in strength between bosses that seemed impossible early on in Elden Ring and end-game fights like Malenia's.
She cuts down the Tree Sentinel in just a few swipes, for example, and the poor tutorial boss, Solider of Godrick, is one-hit killed.
We won't spoil too much about which bosses get Malenia to her second stage and which, if any, manage to defeat her, but the 41 minute video certainly offers plenty of Elden Ring action to take in.
Malenia quickly gained infamy following Elden Ring's release as one of the toughest bosses in the game, not helped by developer FromSoftware patching out a popular way to defeat her and a crazy glitch making her ridiculously overpowered.
Someone who defeated her throughout, however, was Let Me Solo Her, who would appear in people's games to take down Malenia single-handedly, and has now done so more 1,000 times.
Elden Ring has proved somewhat of a cultural phenomenon since it was release in February, with players finding a ton of different ways to interact with the game.
People have played it using a Fisher Price toy, the Nintendo Switch Ring Fit controller, and someone has even made a working VR version of the game.
Elden Ring has also been beaten in under seven minutes by a speedrunner, completed without taking or dealing damage, and fans are also modding every other entertainment franchise imaginable into the game.
In our 10/10 review, IGN said: "Elden Ring is a massive iteration on what FromSoftware began with the Souls series, bringing its relentlessly challenging combat to an incredible open world that gives us the freedom to choose our own path."
To make those choices with the best available information, check out our guide that features everything you could ever hope to know about Elden Ring, including collectible locations, boss strategies, and more.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
Pixar Announces Elemental, Coming June 2023
Fans of heartfelt animation have a new date to mark in their calendars: Pixar's 27th feature film, Elemental, will release on June 16, 2023.
Elemental is set in a city where fire, water, land, and air-residents live together. It follows Ember, a fiery young woman, and go-with-the-flow water guy Wade as they discover how much they have in common, despite their apparent differences.
The film was inspired by director Peter Sohn's childhood in New York City.
So far, Pixar has only released a logo and a single piece of concept art, with no word on when we might be treated to a trailer.
“My parents emigrated from Korea in the early 1970s and built a bustling grocery store in the Bronx,” he said. “We were among many families who ventured to a new land with hopes and dreams—all of us mixing into one big salad bowl of cultures, languages and beautiful little neighborhoods. That’s what led me to ‘Elemental.’”
“Our story is based on the classic elements—fire, water, land and air,” Sohn continued. “Some elements mix with each other, and some don’t. What if these elements were alive?”
Pixar has garnered praise (and, occasionally, disappointment) in recent years for giving greater prominence to minority characters and production teams — most notably in 2020's Soul and 2022's Turning Red. Sohn's use of "salad bowl" suggests that Elemental may examine the idea of the American 'melting pot,' the combination of cultures within major cities. It's unclear what angle Elemental could take, as the melting pot concept is viewed by some as worth celebrating, but by other as eliminating the enormous cultural diversity of places like New York City.
Sohn previously worked on The Good Dinosaur and the Partly Cloudy short. Elemental is produced by Denise Ream of The Good Dinosaur and Cars 2 fame.
Elemental won't be the studio's first post-pandemic cinema release. Lightyear, which tells the origin story of Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear, will come to theatres on June 17 2022.
Jack Richardson is a freelance writer at IGN.
Pixar Announces Elemental, Coming June 2023
Fans of heartfelt animation have a new date to mark in their calendars: Pixar's 27th feature film, Elemental, will release on June 16, 2023.
Elemental is set in a city where fire, water, land, and air-residents live together. It follows Ember, a fiery young woman, and go-with-the-flow water guy Wade as they discover how much they have in common, despite their apparent differences.
The film was inspired by director Peter Sohn's childhood in New York City.
So far, Pixar has only released a logo and a single piece of concept art, with no word on when we might be treated to a trailer.
“My parents emigrated from Korea in the early 1970s and built a bustling grocery store in the Bronx,” he said. “We were among many families who ventured to a new land with hopes and dreams—all of us mixing into one big salad bowl of cultures, languages and beautiful little neighborhoods. That’s what led me to ‘Elemental.’”
“Our story is based on the classic elements—fire, water, land and air,” Sohn continued. “Some elements mix with each other, and some don’t. What if these elements were alive?”
Pixar has garnered praise (and, occasionally, disappointment) in recent years for giving greater prominence to minority characters and production teams — most notably in 2020's Soul and 2022's Turning Red. Sohn's use of "salad bowl" suggests that Elemental may examine the idea of the American 'melting pot,' the combination of cultures within major cities. It's unclear what angle Elemental could take, as the melting pot concept is viewed by some as worth celebrating, but by other as eliminating the enormous cultural diversity of places like New York City.
Sohn previously worked on The Good Dinosaur and the Partly Cloudy short. Elemental is produced by Denise Ream of The Good Dinosaur and Cars 2 fame.
Elemental won't be the studio's first post-pandemic cinema release. Lightyear, which tells the origin story of Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear, will come to theatres on June 17 2022.
Jack Richardson is a freelance writer at IGN.
Black Mirror Season 6 Reportedly In Development at Netflix
Black Mirror is reportedly returning to Netflix for a sixth season, nearly three years after the fifth season premiered on the streaming service with just three episodes.
Variety claims that casting is currently underway for the sixth season of Black Mirror, as Netflix gears up to once again play host to the dystopian sci-fi drama. Sources have allegedly claimed that the episode count for Season 6 will be bigger than Season 5 and will be "more cinematic in scope, with each instalment being treated as an individual film."
This news might come as a bit of a surprise to some people as Black Mirror has been left dormant since the last season aired in June 2019. Creator Charlie Brooker also previously expressed that he wasn't in a hurry to write any more stories for the anthology series, though it's possible that his hiatus was prompted by some production rights issues.
The trade publication notes that Brooker and his creative partner Annabel Jones started a new production company, Broke and Bones, after parting ways with House of Tomorrow, which was backed by Endemol Shine Group. The rights to Black Mirror stayed with their former production house, which was then later acquired by Banijay Group.
While Netflix heavily invested in the Broke and Bones banner, a deal needed to be hammered out with Banijay in order for Brooker and Jones to regain access to Black Mirror. The two companies eventually reached an agreement and Banijay has now licensed its hit show to Netflix, giving the creators an opportunity to produce new seasons of the show.
All seasons of Black Mirror, including the interactive film Bandersnatch, are currently available to stream on Netflix. Season 5 was "one of the series' best" so far, according to IGN's review, which praised the episodes for balancing "great storytelling, interesting characters, and fascinating technologies" in a way that didn't overshadow Brooker's "deeply personal" stories.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.
Black Mirror Season 6 Reportedly In Development at Netflix
Black Mirror is reportedly returning to Netflix for a sixth season, nearly three years after the fifth season premiered on the streaming service with just three episodes.
Variety claims that casting is currently underway for the sixth season of Black Mirror, as Netflix gears up to once again play host to the dystopian sci-fi drama. Sources have allegedly claimed that the episode count for Season 6 will be bigger than Season 5 and will be "more cinematic in scope, with each instalment being treated as an individual film."
This news might come as a bit of a surprise to some people as Black Mirror has been left dormant since the last season aired in June 2019. Creator Charlie Brooker also previously expressed that he wasn't in a hurry to write any more stories for the anthology series, though it's possible that his hiatus was prompted by some production rights issues.
The trade publication notes that Brooker and his creative partner Annabel Jones started a new production company, Broke and Bones, after parting ways with House of Tomorrow, which was backed by Endemol Shine Group. The rights to Black Mirror stayed with their former production house, which was then later acquired by Banijay Group.
While Netflix heavily invested in the Broke and Bones banner, a deal needed to be hammered out with Banijay in order for Brooker and Jones to regain access to Black Mirror. The two companies eventually reached an agreement and Banijay has now licensed its hit show to Netflix, giving the creators an opportunity to produce new seasons of the show.
All seasons of Black Mirror, including the interactive film Bandersnatch, are currently available to stream on Netflix. Season 5 was "one of the series' best" so far, according to IGN's review, which praised the episodes for balancing "great storytelling, interesting characters, and fascinating technologies" in a way that didn't overshadow Brooker's "deeply personal" stories.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.
New The Boys Season 3 Trailer Reveals Quest To Kill Homelander
A new trailer for The Boys season 3 reveals that it’s going to get very, very gory as Butcher gets his supe on this June on Prime Video.
Coming June 3, the third season of the superhero satire show will see Butcher take a serum that turns him into a superpowered human himself, albeit for just 24 hours. “For once I’ve leveled the f**cking playing field” he says, referring to his long-standing battle with corrupt superheroes.
Presumably in the path of his new, glowing eyes is Homelander, who according to Starlight has “lost his f**cking mind”. It seems the gloves are off in the fight against the world’s most deranged patriot, although it’s clear Butcher’s peers don’t think too much of his radical new methods.
Season 3 is also set to introduce Soldier Boy, a character from the comics who will be played by Jensen Ackles. He will, apparently, be worse than Homelander. Yikes.
The new episodes follow on from the fantastic second season of The Boys, which featured major reveals about Butcher’s family life, as well as continued efforts to humanise its super-powered cast. That was, of course, against the backdrop of a brutally bloody action show, and this trailer seems to suggest that season 3 could be even more gory.
For more, see how The Boys: Diabolical connects to season 3, and more of the biggest new TV shows coming in 2022.
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Features Editor.
New The Boys Season 3 Trailer Reveals Quest To Kill Homelander
A new trailer for The Boys season 3 reveals that it’s going to get very, very gory as Butcher gets his supe on this June on Prime Video.
Coming June 3, the third season of the superhero satire show will see Butcher take a serum that turns him into a superpowered human himself, albeit for just 24 hours. “For once I’ve leveled the f**cking playing field” he says, referring to his long-standing battle with corrupt superheroes.
Presumably in the path of his new, glowing eyes is Homelander, who according to Starlight has “lost his f**cking mind”. It seems the gloves are off in the fight against the world’s most deranged patriot, although it’s clear Butcher’s peers don’t think too much of his radical new methods.
Season 3 is also set to introduce Soldier Boy, a character from the comics who will be played by Jensen Ackles. He will, apparently, be worse than Homelander. Yikes.
The new episodes follow on from the fantastic second season of The Boys, which featured major reveals about Butcher’s family life, as well as continued efforts to humanise its super-powered cast. That was, of course, against the backdrop of a brutally bloody action show, and this trailer seems to suggest that season 3 could be even more gory.
For more, see how The Boys: Diabolical connects to season 3, and more of the biggest new TV shows coming in 2022.
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Features Editor.
Chainsaw Man Anime Adaptation Coming to Crunchyroll Later This Year
Crunchyroll has carved out a home for the highly anticipated anime adaptation of Chainsaw Man, which will simulcast on the streaming service when it airs in Japan later this year.
Chainsaw Man will be available to stream on Crunchyroll in one of its upcoming seasons and will be subtitled and dubbed in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide to give more people access to the supernatural world of Devils manifested from the collective fears of humans. And those fears are only set to escalate with the arrival of this new poster:
Based on Tatsuki Fujimoto's widely popular and award-winning manga of the same name, Chainsaw Man follows a teenage Devil Hunter named Denji who makes a contract with his pet Devil, Pochita, in order to be resurrected from the dead, thus becoming "Chainsaw Man" — a man with a devil's heart who can transform parts of his body into functioning chainsaws.
"With dark humor, dynamic characters and a sharp story, Chainsaw Man is one of the most anticipated new series this year, and we are wickedly excited to bring it to fans on the Crunchyroll service," said Asa Suehira, Chief Content Officer at Crunchyroll. "Anime fans will be up all night thinking about the spectacular visuals and high-octane action."
The series is directed by Ryū Nakayama from a screenplay by Attack on Titan scribe Hiroshi Seko. Art director Yusuke Takeda has helped to bring the story to screen alongside character designers Kazutaka Sugiyame and Kiyotaka Oshiyama, who took charge of the devil design, while Kensuke Ushio composed the music for the MAPPA-produced adaptation.
Chainsaw Man is easily one of the most anticipated new anime titles of the year, alongside the likes of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, a 10-episode series set in the Cyberpunk 2077 universe, Spriggan, an anime based on the classic manga by Hiroshi Takashige, and Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2, which is now available to stream on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.