Monthly Archives: May 2021

Saints Row The Third Remastered Coming to PS5 and Xbox Series Alongside PC

Saints Row: The Third Remastered will be coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, with the new versions aiming to match a new PC version's Ultra graphical settings. In a press release issued earlier today on the Saints Row website, developers Volition and publisher Deep Silver announced that the game will be dropping soon on the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, with a release date of May 25. Alongside the news that the game would be coming to new-gen consoles, the announcement added that it would be released on PC oin May 22, via GOG. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/06/saints-row-the-third-remastered-announcement-trailer"] Saints Row: The Third Remastered is an upgraded version of the 2011 open world action game, including all released DLC and extra content in one package. The game will benefit from a 60 FPS framerate , and dynamic 4K resolution on both consoles, whilst the Xbox Series version will also include a choice to play in either Performance (60 FPS / 1080p) or Beauty (30 FPS, 4K) modes. According to the press release, this upgraded version of the game “will also be free to all current owners of the game, and will equal the ultra settings on PC”. This means that owners of the PS4 or Xbox One versions of the game will be eligible for a free upgrade to the new PS5 and Xbox Series versions. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/21/saints-row-3-remastered-review"] This latest release means that Saints Row: The Third Remastered will now be available on all current generation hardware. The game was already released on Nintendo Switch in 2019, and came to PS4 and Xbox One last year. Will you be looking forward to hanging out with the 3rd Street Saints once again? [poilib element="accentDivider"] Liam Wiseman is a Freelance News Writer for IGN. You can follow him @liamthewiseman

No Man’s Sky Among The First VR Games to Support Nvidia DLSS

Nvidia has announced the first VR games to support its DLSS technology, among which is No Man's Sky. In a new GeForce blog post, Nvidia details the next nine games that will receive the DLSS upgrade, improving the game's performance when running these games on either an Nvidia RTX 20 or RTX 30 graphics card. Three of these titles, No Man's Sky, Wrench, and Into the Radius, support virtual reality in some capacity, whether it is required or an optional feature. They mark the first VR titles to support DLSS, which could improve the games greatly, even on the more performance-restrictive medium. DLSS – or deep learning super sampling – is an image upscaling technology created by Nvidia. An exclusive to the company's graphics cards, the technology uses AI to upscale lower resolution to produce an image that looks like a higher resolution, without needing to use a significant amount of extra performance power to do so. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=https://www.ign.com/slideshows/no-mans-sky-dlss-performance-chart=true"] The headliner here is No Man's Sky, which will offer the option to play the game with or without a virtual reality headset and receive DLSS support. Nvidia claims that, with an Oculus Quest 2 and an RTX 3080 GPU, the DLSS will double No Man's Sky's VR performance when running it on the Ultra graphics setting, while maintaining 90 FPS. Of course, it is important to keep in mind that the performance improvements can vary by specs and driver version. Alongside a boost in performance for the VR mode, No Man's Sky without a virtual reality will also get DLSS for desktop. Performance in desktop mode will reportedly improve by up to 70% when running the game at full 4K resolution. The inclusion of virtual reality games is no surprise for Nvidia as the tech giant rapidly expands the library of games with DLSS support. That's been made easier thanks to major game engines, including Unity adding easy plugins for the image upscaling technology. However, Nvidia may have some competition soon from AMD as it gears up to release FidelityFX Super Resolution, which is slated to release sometime this year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade: New Images Showcase the Summon Ramuh, Nero

New details, screenshots, and the official keyart for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade have been revealed, and they showcase the Summon Ramuh, the return of Nero, the Fort Condor mini-game, and more. We first see the return of Dirge of Cerberus' Nero the Sable - a member of an elite unit within Deepground known as Tsivets. He also happens to be the brother of Deepground's leader Weiss, who he "practically worships." He was created by a special experiment and can manipulate the power of darkness. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=final-fantasy-7-remake-intergrade-screenshots-ramuh-fort-condor-mini-game-nero-and-more&captions=true"] Scarlet and The Crimson Mare will also play a big role in the upcoming DLC, and Scarlet, who is Shinra's director of Advanced Weaponry, is in charge of creating the ultimate materia Wutai wants to steal. Yuffie and Sonon will run into Scarlet, and she "graciously" lets them be test subjects for the Crimson Mare - a "suit of battle armor she developed and pilots herself." Yuffie's Final Fantasy 7 Remake INTERmission episode was a spotlight, and it was explained that while new character Sonon can't be directly controlled, using the L2 button will let Yuffie and Sonon use Synergised attacks. These include Art of War, which hits an enemy and increases the damage of future attacks, and Windstorm, which creates a gust of wind to damage enemies and launch them towards you. Yuffie's Limit Breaks were also revealed, and they include Bloodbath, which unleashes a flurry of blows and deals major damage, and Dance of the Dragon, which delivers a ton of high-powered strikes. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/07/final-fantasy-7-remake-intergrade-final-trailer"] The mini-game Fort Condor from the original Final Fantasy 7 is also making a return, albeit in a slightly different form. In FF7R, Fort Condor is a strategic board game that tasks players with sending out units to attack an enemy's base and protect your own. It has arrived in the Sector 7 undercity and has become quite popular. If you are able to defeat the grandmaster, you will get a "rare orb of materia." To play, you will need to consume ATB to place units on the field that will move forward automatically to attack their opponents. There are Vanguard, Ranged, and Defense units, and one-time use materia can be utilized to cast powerful spells. Ramuh, the Lord of Lightning himself, will be a new Summon in Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade. He was said to once "cast judgment on the wicked with mighty bolts and exhorted humanity to accept the ways of law and order." He can use the ability Voltaic Lance to deal damage to nearby enemies over time and Judgment Bolt, his Ultimate Attack, conjures up a powerful lightning storm that "lays waste to all enemies on the battlefield." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/22/final-fantasy-7-remake-intergrade-ps5-extended-and-enhanced-features-trailer"] Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade will launch on PS5 on June 10, 2021, and will be free for all those who own the remake on PS4. However, the Yuffie-focused Final Fantasy 7 Remake EPISODE INTERmission will be an additional purchase unless you purchase a new copy of Intergrade. [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.

The Internet’s Latest Mega-Debate Is… Shrek

As Shrek turns 20, it turns out that the internet has a lot of opinions about the movie, and today is the day those opinions were unleashed on an unsuspecting world. It all began when The Guardian published a controversially critical take on the film for its 20th anniversary – and it quickly became apparent that the debate had plenty of layers. You know, like an onion. Some social media users immediately went to bat for their favourite ogre, while others dunked on the movie with the same level of vigor Thelonious exhibited when he dunked Gingy into a glass of milk. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/02/top-10-animated-films-of-all-time-a-cinefix-movie-list"] That contentious retrospective carried with it an eyebrow-raising headline that branded the movie "an unfunny and overrated low for blockbuster animation" – and many simply didn't agree: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-reviewed-movies-of-2021&captions=true"] Others, however, participated in the mudslinging match with a very different opinion. Albeit smaller in number, this crowd largely agreed with the review, which called the movie out for being mediogre with a "referential style looks resolutely slow and unhip next to the whirring pop Cuisinarts of Lord and Miller productions like The Lego Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." The debate shows no sign of stopping, and the word 'Shrek' remains a Twitter trend in the UK and US as I type. That'll do internet, that'll do. If you're interested in IGN's official 2001 opinion on Shrek, you'll either be pleased or horrified to know that we awarded it a 9/10 review, calling it "one of those loose and fancy free kind of films that appeals to children of all ages (especially children who never grow old of fart jokes)." Whether you like Shrek or not, Netflix is here to remind you that the Dreamworks' CG-animated movie is available to stream, along with an array of kick-ass titles that are coming to the platform later this month, including Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead, Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous: Season 3, Lucifer: Season 5 Part 2, and many, many more. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=netflix-spotlight-may-2021&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

GTA 5 and GTA Online: PS5 and Xbox Series Upgrades Coming in November

GTA 5 and GTA Online will receive PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions on November 11 – and Rockstar has promised 'surprises' related to the upcoming 20th anniversary of Grand Theft Auto 3. Announced in a press release, the new-generation upgrades of both Grand Theft Auto 5 and GTA Online will be "expanded and enhanced", and come with as-yet-unannounced new features. Updates added to GTA Online this summer will also "include special benefits for players to take advantage of in these expanded and enhanced versions when they drop." More intriguingly, Rockstar is also promising "surprises" related to the 20th anniversary of the release of GTA 3 – including some related to GTA Online. It's not clear just yet what that will entail. GTA 3 was first released on October 22, 2001, so it shouldn't be all too long before Rockstar begins announcing what those surprises could be. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/20/green-versus-purple-the-alien-gang-war-that-hijacked-gta-online"] GTA Online will be released as a standalone game on both PS5 and Xbox Series consoles – and for three months after release, it'll be totally free to PS5 owners. No pricing has been revealed for the Xbox version at launch. PlayStation Plus subscribers can claim $1 million of in-game currency every month until the updated version launches. GTA Online was announced for PS5 and Xbox Series consoles last year, with exclusive content announced for new-gen versions and PC. Recently, Rockstar implemented a fan fix to improve loading times in GTA Online – and taht should only be faster on new hardware. Of course, the big question for most is, "but what about GTA 6?" While we know GTA 6 is in development, Rockstar has never formally commented on when it might arrive. That hasn't stopped fans looking for clues in GTA Online, however. [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.

The Ascent Takes Us to a New Cyberpunk Dystopia in July

The Ascent, a cyberpunk looter-shooter coming to Xbox and PC, will be released on July 29 – and will come to Xbox Game Pass at launch. Coming to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC, the game can be pre-ordered now for $29.99 (other regional pricing not available at time of writing). You can also check out brand new gameplay in the video below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/18/the-ascent-is-a-dash-of-diablo-with-a-healthy-dose-of-twin-stick-shooter"] We got our hands on the early stages of the action-RPG, calling it a "dash of Diablo, with a healthy dose of twin-stick shooter". We also made clear to point out its cyberpunk visual credentials: "If the developers had acquired the Blade Runner license for this game, they wouldn’t have to change a thing aside from the name. It’s really, really potent from a visual standpoint, and I like that about it." If you want a closer look at that cyberpunk dystopia, make sure to check out the gallery of new screenshots below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-ascent-may-2020-screenshots&captions=true"] The Ascent was originally billed as an Xbox Series launch game, but suffered a delay shortly before next-gen consoles arrived. We've previously described the game as looking like Diablo-meets-Judge-Dredd, and named it one of the standout Xbox exclusives coming this year. [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.

Guilty Gear Actress Stepped Down to Support Black Voice Actresses

Voice actress Erin Fitzgerald has revealed that she stepped down from a role in Guilty Gear Strive – voicing Black character Ramlethal – so that the character could be more appropriately voiced by a Black actress. In a tweet, Fitzgerald states that she “happily stepped away so [the developers] could cast more appropriately”. She expanded upon this in responses to commenters on her initial post, stating succinctly, “The character is black I am not black. I support more work for black actresses behind the mic”. It’s clear that Fitzgerald stepped down in order to improve opportunities and representation for Black voice actors and actresses. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/12/guilty-gear-strive-ramlethal-reveal-trailer"] The gesture seems to have been a success, as voice actress Laura Stahl has now been cast in the role. Stahl responded to Fitzgerald in another tweet, thanking her for stepping aside, “Before I accepted the role of Ramlethal, l asked for clarification on the situation, and not only do I deeply respect Erin as an actor, but as an amazing person as well. Thank you for your grace. You are phenomenal”. The character of Ramlethal has been played by Fitzgerald since her introduction in 2014’s Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-. Whitewashing has long been an issue within voice acting for animation and video games, as it means that minority voice actors who are already at a disadvantage when it comes to auditions and applying for roles, have even fewer opportunities. In 2019, Wargroove developers Chucklefish received backlash for whitewashing Black characters with white voice actors, and Naughty Dog was also previously criticised for casting Laura Bailey as Black South African character Nadine Ross in Uncharted 4. In the world of TV, both Family Guy and The Simpsons also recast voice actors for Black characters in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests last year. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/17/guilty-gear-strive-story-trailer"] Earlier this year, Guilty Gear Strive was delayed from April until June, and recently had its second open beta test. The game launches on June 11 for PS5, PS4, and PC. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Liam Wiseman is a Freelance News Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @liamthewiseman

Guilty Gear Actress Stepped Down to Support Black Voice Actresses

Voice actress Erin Fitzgerald has revealed that she stepped down from a role in Guilty Gear Strive – voicing Black character Ramlethal – so that the character could be more appropriately voiced by a Black actress. In a tweet, Fitzgerald states that she “happily stepped away so [the developers] could cast more appropriately”. She expanded upon this in responses to commenters on her initial post, stating succinctly, “The character is black I am not black. I support more work for black actresses behind the mic”. It’s clear that Fitzgerald stepped down in order to improve opportunities and representation for Black voice actors and actresses. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/12/guilty-gear-strive-ramlethal-reveal-trailer"] The gesture seems to have been a success, as voice actress Laura Stahl has now been cast in the role. Stahl responded to Fitzgerald in another tweet, thanking her for stepping aside, “Before I accepted the role of Ramlethal, l asked for clarification on the situation, and not only do I deeply respect Erin as an actor, but as an amazing person as well. Thank you for your grace. You are phenomenal”. The character of Ramlethal has been played by Fitzgerald since her introduction in 2014’s Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-. Whitewashing has long been an issue within voice acting for animation and video games, as it means that minority voice actors who are already at a disadvantage when it comes to auditions and applying for roles, have even fewer opportunities. In 2019, Wargroove developers Chucklefish received backlash for whitewashing Black characters with white voice actors, and Naughty Dog was also previously criticised for casting Laura Bailey as Black South African character Nadine Ross in Uncharted 4. In the world of TV, both Family Guy and The Simpsons also recast voice actors for Black characters in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests last year. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/17/guilty-gear-strive-story-trailer"] Earlier this year, Guilty Gear Strive was delayed from April until June, and recently had its second open beta test. The game launches on June 11 for PS5, PS4, and PC. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Liam Wiseman is a Freelance News Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @liamthewiseman

Mass Effect Legendary Edition Update Includes Even More Visual Improvements

An update for Mass Effect Legendary Edition has added even more visual improvements to the remastered collection of games. Revealed on the EA blog, the 17 May update for Mass Effect Legendary Edition will affect all platforms and also fix several known bugs, including hard crashes in the Xbox Series X verison when using a wireless headset. However, the major headline is that the games in the remaster collection will seemingly look even better after the update. Across all games, iris shaders have been updated to interact more naturally with light. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/02/mass-effect-legendary-edition-our-first-impressions"] In Mass Effect, specific terrain textures have been improved, and across Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, some pre-rendered cutscenes have been tweaked to remove visual artefacts. Specifically in Mass Effect 2, players will be able to enjoy ”improved lighting and shadows” in cinematics and “minor visual, rendering and VFX improvements”. Across the board, issues with achievements have also been fixed, including one in Mass Effect 3 which wasn’t tracking kills. On the Mass Effect subreddit, players are reporting that the update can be quite sizeable depending on which of the games you have installed, with some reporting it being close to 10GB and beyond in some cases. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/mass-effect-legendary-edition-graphics-comparison-xbox-360-vs-xbox-series-x"] The update hasn't addressed all player concerns, though. Another popular comment in the thread comes from ASF_Bendakk, who is hoping for a fix to the game’s surround sound implementation, and is keen to see a fix for C Sec / Normandy vendor glitches that reportedly lock off certain bits of gear. The base version of Legendary Edition already makes a lot of changes to the originals, and even fixes one of Mass Effect 3's bigger controversies. One removal, however, was Mass Effect 3's multiplayer mode – although all might not be lost on that front. We don't have a review out just yet, but it's coming soon. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition Update Includes Even More Visual Improvements

An update for Mass Effect Legendary Edition has added even more visual improvements to the remastered collection of games. Revealed on the EA blog, the 17 May update for Mass Effect Legendary Edition will affect all platforms and also fix several known bugs, including hard crashes in the Xbox Series X verison when using a wireless headset. However, the major headline is that the games in the remaster collection will seemingly look even better after the update. Across all games, iris shaders have been updated to interact more naturally with light. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/02/mass-effect-legendary-edition-our-first-impressions"] In Mass Effect, specific terrain textures have been improved, and across Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, some pre-rendered cutscenes have been tweaked to remove visual artefacts. Specifically in Mass Effect 2, players will be able to enjoy ”improved lighting and shadows” in cinematics and “minor visual, rendering and VFX improvements”. Across the board, issues with achievements have also been fixed, including one in Mass Effect 3 which wasn’t tracking kills. On the Mass Effect subreddit, players are reporting that the update can be quite sizeable depending on which of the games you have installed, with some reporting it being close to 10GB and beyond in some cases. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/mass-effect-legendary-edition-graphics-comparison-xbox-360-vs-xbox-series-x"] The update hasn't addressed all player concerns, though. Another popular comment in the thread comes from ASF_Bendakk, who is hoping for a fix to the game’s surround sound implementation, and is keen to see a fix for C Sec / Normandy vendor glitches that reportedly lock off certain bits of gear. The base version of Legendary Edition already makes a lot of changes to the originals, and even fixes one of Mass Effect 3's bigger controversies. One removal, however, was Mass Effect 3's multiplayer mode – although all might not be lost on that front. We don't have a review out just yet, but it's coming soon. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.