Does it help or hurt to know that a wishlisted game now has a release date — and that this date is still almost two years away? That’s the question that retro-themed MMO Monsters & Memories fans have to ask themselves as Niche Worlds Cult announced that the project is aiming for an early 2026 […]

A few weeks ago, the Ultima Online team released a newsletter, and its very first entry caught my eye. “I want to address a pressing issue regarding the distribution of misleading materials in town,” the devs wrote. “Dropping books that claiming any third party client is legal, along with instructions on how to use it, […]

Capcom is surveying Dragon’s Dogma 2 players about their experience with the game, as well as potential DLC.

As spotted by VGC, the survey includes a question asking users if they’d be interested in buying Dragon’s Dogma 2 DLC, with a number of pricing options ranging from up to $9.99 to over $50. Those who complete the survey get a Dragon’s Dogma 2 wallpaper.

Capcom has yet to announce DLC plans for Dragon’s Dogma 2, which only launched last week. But its big launch on Steam, where it set a concurrent players record for a single-player Capcom game on Valve’s platform, suggests more is to come. Concurrent player numbers for Dragon’s Dogma 2 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S are unavailable.

This week, Capcom revealed planned updates for Dragon’s Dogma 2, including the addition of the option to start a new game when save data already exists. Inexplicably, Dragon’s Dogma 2 does not include this option, although modders have already brute forced it into the PC version. Elsewhere, Capcom said it will boost the number of Art of Metamorphosis items available at Pawn Guilds to 99. Art of Metamorphosis lets you edit your character, and is one of many day-one microtransactions Capcom is currently selling for real-world money.

Meanwhile, Dragon’s Dogma 2 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S will get various graphics and performance options, including a toggle for motion blur and ray tracing. Crucially, Capcom will add the option to switch frame-rate to either variable or max 30fps. Players have criticized Dragon’s Dogma 2’s frame-rate, which Capcom has said is linked to stress put on CPUs by a large number of NPCs. It’s worth noting that Capcom said the motion blur and ray tracing toggle will not improve the game’s frame-rate significantly, but meaningful improvements are coming further down the line.

If you’re playing Dragon’s Dogma 2, be sure to check out IGN’s interactive map, our walkthrough hub, and our guides on Pawns and Pawn Specializations.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].

It is no secret that Square Enix’s Mana series has impacted the JRPG genre immensely since it debuted in 1991. It’s a franchise rich with deep stories and memorable combat that has stood the test of time. Despite the last mainline game releasing 18 years ago, fanfare has yet to die down, as seen with the success of the 2020 remake of Trials of Mana. The question is, can a brand new Mana game replicate the same success as a remake? If this two-hour hands-on preview is any indication of the rest of the game, then Visions of Mana’s fresh take on battle and class systems not only gives it the potential to meet the success of the originals but possibly even the chance to surpass them.

From the outset, it is clear that Visions of Mana is a completely different experience from previous games in the series. Gone are the days of sprite-drawn, top-down 2D combat. Here are the days of fast-paced, flashy and vibrant 3D semi-open field battles. Gameplay puts a heavy focus on the action part of the action-JRPG genre, introducing aspects like aerial combat to help open up the tag-based sword-slashing and magic system already in place.

During each encounter, the party’s three heroes can be swapped out with the push of a button, using their unique abilities and strengths in accordance with specific enemies that were in the battle. Val’s heavy attacks are useful for fighting big enemies one-on-one, while Morely’s speed is perfect for encounters made up of a higher number of enemies. Careena serves as the ideal support role, not only providing healing but dishing out powerful magic attacks like thunderbolt that deal area-of-effect damage that is both powerful and far-reaching.

Being able to approach battles by equipping different Vessels to different characters beforehand makes for an interesting rock-paper-scissors combat mechanic.

Whenever the other two characters aren’t being used in combat, the AI takes over seamlessly. Having all three heroes participate in the battle at once results in a variety of combo moves that deal significant damage, especially when adding Elemental Vessels into the mix. These mystical artifacts play a huge role in Visions of Mana’s combat. Depending on who has which element attached to them, their skillsets, stats, and weapon types will change drastically. In this preview, there were two different Elemental Vessels: Moon and Wind. The first manipulates the flow of time, while the second controls air currents, lofting enemies off their feet while dealing damage.

Playing as Val’s Aegis class using the Vessel of the Moon is a completely different experience than when it’s equipped to either of the other party members. In this state, he uses a Lance and Shield while also having the ability to manipulate the flow of time, making for a terrifying one-two punch of slowing any enemy down to be able to dish out both quality and quantity with his damage. Nothing was more satisfying than using this on the Gem Valley Ochoro in the first area of the preview.

This sturdy and fast enemy, who felt like a beefy Sonic the Hedgehog, was an absolute menace, featuring crazy speed and high defense that made for a long and drawn-out battle. That battle became much easier after switching Val over to the Aegis class. Thanks to the Luna Globe, a time bubble is created that slows every enemy trapped within it to a crawl, which is perfect for speed demons like the Ochoro. While it still takes a few attempts, trapping the hedgehog in the bubble and whaling on it with a barrage of melee and magic spells resulted in a satisfying fight. Being able to approach battles by equipping different Vessels to different characters beforehand makes for an interesting rock-paper-scissors combat mechanic.

The longer each battle progresses, the more every character’s special meter grows. Depending on what Vessel is equipped, building this up to 100 percent results in a powerful onslaught that works on individual bosses and large crowds alike to deal some serious damage and inflict. This ability makes Visions of Mana’s more challenging fights, like the side quest mini-bosses, feel more manageable while maintaining its interesting degree of difficulty.

This brief look into what to expect from Visions of Mana paints an image of how exciting it has the potential to be. While it may seem like a scary change, the action-focused combat and the introduction of gameplay elements such as Elemental Vessels might be what the series needs to bring it back into the modern-day limelight.

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has released two new Stratagems to help players in the fight against the Automatons and Terminids.

First up is the MG-101 Heavy Machine Gun, which costs 6,000 requisition. This Stratagem is described as “a very powerful but difficult-to-wield machine gun with intense recoil.” It’s got a three second call-in time, a 480 cooldown, and unlimited uses.

And finally, the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon Stratagem is now in the game. This weapon charges up to fire a powerful, explosive energy burst, with a long cooldown period after firing. The Quasar Cannon costs 7,500 requisition, has a three second call-in time,480 second cooldown time, and unlimited use.

The Heavy Machine Gun and the Quasar Cannon are the first new Stratagems to hit Helldivers 2 since the release of mechs earlier this month. Arrowhead mentions the “Automaton horde” specifically in its announcement, so hopefully the two additions will help with Helldivers 2’s current major order, which revolves around fighting the alien robots. Oh, and if you’re wondering if the Quasar Cannon can take down an Automaton dropship… well, yes it can!

New quasar cannon is pretty good against dropships pic.twitter.com/RhWYUDp3CX

— Simon Cardy (@CardySimon) March 28, 2024

While Helldivers 2 just got two new toys to play with, Arrowhead has warned players against snowball fights because they cause the game to crash. If you’re looking for more on Helldivers 2, check out IGN’s feature on the Let Me Solo Her of Helldivers 2, a player who has answered over 100 SOS Beacons as part of a mission to help others. Helldivers 2 has become one of the surprise hits of 2024 since launching in February, topping the charts on Steam and reportedly selling around three million copies. According to at least one analyst, it’s still growing. Check out IGN’s Helldivers 2 review to find out why it’s going down so well.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].

Empire of the Ants is really effective at making you feel like a very tiny being within a much larger world. As a new strategy adventure game set in the insect kingdom, you command an army of ants to explore, expand, and extract resources in a large, near-photorealistic world that looks like it could be in someone’s backyard.

I got an early preview of the upcoming strategy adventure game starring tons and tons of ants, and I saw how exploring a seemingly mundane world looks far grander and more treacherous from the perspective of a lone ant.

Empire of the Ants is based on the novels by Bernard Werber and puts you in the role of an ordinary ant who must navigate the insect hierarchy of an ant colony nestled in the woods, all while trying to understand what’s going on in the world above the ground level of Insect-kind. As this Ant protagonist, you’ll eventually become one of the colony’s most valuable assets, given their ease of mobility when exploring the vast landscape of wilderness and their budding skills as a commander of the colony’s legion of ants. As you help the Ant Queen expand the population, you’ll encounter rival colonies looking to take what’s yours.

Interestingly, this is the second outing for Empire of the Ants in video game form, with the original 2000 game taking more of a grand strategy approach. This new attempt from developer Tower Five mixes a narrative adventure game with ground-level strategy action where you command an army to collect resources and lay siege to opposing factions.

In my preview, I got to dive into the early missions of the story campaign, which saw the protagonist explore the surrounding areas around their colony. While playing as an ant in a video game on paper sounds rather dull, Empire of the Ants excitingly presents this conceit by really leaning into the scope of the world.

This focus on the ant perspective is really engaging and gives it something of a Watership Down-like surrealist perspective from the Insect world.

When not commanding other insects, you can freely explore the colony’s surrounding area and even chat with fellow ants, who are named by their birth numbers. The quirky banter even feels surprisingly human. Playing the Ant, you’re given a wide berth in exploration, which is helped by a control scheme that allows the Ant to do nearly anything in the game. It was fun to explore the area, but I also had to be mindful of the bodies of water that can kill ants that enter it.

From the ants’ perspective, the woodland area looks almost alien, with the massive trees and plant life towering over everything and abandoned junk items like a beaten-up soccer ball appearing like otherworldly artifacts. This focus on the ant perspective is really engaging and gives it something of a Watership Down-like surrealist perspective from the Insect world. But it also makes for an intriguing backdrop for the strategy element when that comes into play.

When the need arises, you’ll be able to lead your own legion of ants too. Similar to a console-style RTS, the strategy segments in Empire of the Ants put you at the ground level. You remain with the ants as you lead them to different areas to procure resources and take out rivals.

With different unit types, such as warriors, gunners, and worker ants, you’ll need to balance your units and positioning to face these challenges effectively. At one point I was able to move some gunner units from a ranged position and then let my close-ranged warrior units get head-first into the action. It was interesting seeing the different swarms of ants converge. Seeing the detail in motion gives it something that has echoes of a National Geographic documentary — but with some quirky video game gimmicks thrown in.

Empire of the Ants impressed me with its focus on exploring a strange, small world and the Ant community that resides in it. It also gave me the experience of commanding an army of ants to attack opposing forces — which was a lot of fun to see in action. This blend of adventure and strategy elements is really intriguing to see in motion, and I came away thinking that the world feels a whole lot stranger from Ant’s point of view — and that it has the makings of a game that can show off a different kind of adventure to dive into.

To describe a game as being a non-stop grind from start to finish would be considered a negative in almost any other context, but not in the case of Pepper Grinder. This energetic platforming adventure straps a high-powered drill to your hand and throttles you forward through a series of terrain-churning 2D paths littered with enemies to pummel and challenging platform sections to navigate at speed. It’s lively, fluid, and frequently frantic, and folds in some fun diversions that help each stage stand out, even though a surprisingly short list of levels means that Pepper Grinder is here for a good time rather than a long time.

The setup is simple: a young girl named Pepper washes ashore on a mysterious island crawling with narwhal-like creatures known as the Narlings, gets unceremoniously dropped to the bottom of a cavern, straps on a power drill (and gives it the grooviest of Bruce Campbell-like revs) before riding a wave of mutilation through the monster army and gathering enough gemstones along the way to bedazzle a pair of Beyonce’s boots. From there it never stops feeling great to steer the pint-sized Pepper through sand and soil like a gas-fuelled groundhog, before emerging at an enemy’s feet to give them the spikiest of surprise attacks.

Pepper Grinder feels highly reminiscent of Sega’s Ecco the Dolphin, only with turf in place of surf.

Yet although it involves carving holes through rock and dirt with a runaway power drill, Pepper Grinder’s momentum-based movement doesn’t exactly break new ground. It actually feels highly reminiscent of Sega’s Ecco the Dolphin, only with turf in place of surf; swapping out bodies of water for suspended chunks of earth to form the basis of an adventure that’s less about landing precisely on the top of platforms than it is tunneling straight through them. Still, although it may effectively be an echo of an Ecco, Pepper Grinder successfully stands on its own thanks to the sheer variety of challenges to be found in its stages. In one you might get a literal helping hand between platforms from a friendly giant, while in another you’ll dive drill-first into saltwater sections and tear through the underbelly of heavily-armed Narling attack boats in order to sink them.

Assault and Pepper

In fact, although Pepper Grinder is almost entirely focussed on boring through rock, rarely does it run the risk of becoming boring itself. Not only does it introduce neat new ways to evolve the drill-based thrills, including a grappling hook to swing Pepper from one crumbly corridor to the next or bodies of water to skim along like an overly sharpened stone, but it also occasionally drops in some heavier hardware to consistently change things up. A machine gun attachment introduces captivating bursts of Contra-inspired carnage as you mow down monster mobs swarming from all directions. Meanwhile a hulking, drill-powered mech suit allows you to tear down buildings and stomp enemy skulls in the sort of devastating 2D rampage rarely seen outside of, well, Rampage. These sequences break up the otherwise non-stop subsurface swerving, although they also occasionally create fractures in the framerate, too (at least on PC).

Performance compromises aside, what’s great about these entertaining enhancements is that they’re used sparingly enough to keep them feeling special, and they allow for some nice surprises along the way. I went from grinding to grinning the first time I came upon a Narling piloting a snowmobile and then realised I could punt him out of the driver’s seat and take control of the vehicle myself, not unlike the magic moment several decades ago when I first discovered I could brazenly hijack Lakitu’s cloud in the original Super Mario Bros. Everything benefits from a smartly streamlined control setup built around a couple of face buttons and the right trigger, so it all feels intuitive as you seamlessly shift between boring holes through the earth to blasting bullets through enemies.

While there’s a healthy variety of enemy types to encounter in Pepper Grinder, it’s somewhat deflating that there are only four boss fights to be found, but they’re at least significantly distinct from each other. One involved a close encounter with a bus-sized rhino beetle that scrambled up the walls and along the ceiling, while another challenged me with toppling a towering magmaworm that punched momentum-halting holes in the terrain with its own pair of damaging drill-arms. While they are certainly physically imposing, none of these bosses are particularly tough to take down since their attack and movement patterns are limited and mostly easy to avoid. That is, with the exception of the final boss, whose wide area-of-effect strikes had me riding my luck just as much as Pepper’s power drill as I frequently surfed my way within a pixel’s width of death. As a result, overcoming Pepper Grinder’s hardened final hurdle left me feeling invigorated as I watched the credits finally roll after multiple tension-filled attempts.

It’s a rock-busting blast while it lasts, then, but it must be said that Pepper Grinder is a fairly compact adventure, and it only took me three hours to work my way through the 20-odd levels that make up its four worlds. While it’s true that it certainly doesn’t outstay its welcome, I can’t help but feel like it could have done with another couple of zones to plow through – especially since the ones included here are fairly boilerplate for the platforming genre. A snowy ice realm and lava-filled fire zone might be par for the course, but I would have loved to have seen developer Ahr Ech flex its considerably creative talents and conjure up a few other unique environments to house its entertaining style of subterranean surfing.

What’s Mined is Yours

As far as replay potential goes, each stage contains five skull coins to collect, typically hidden behind false walls or at the end of particularly tricky platforming sections, and you can spend them at the in-game shop to unlock a bonus level in each world at the cost of 10 coins a piece. These levels are some of Pepper Grinder’s most enjoyable, including a Donkey Kong Country-inspired cannon course that places the emphasis on precise timing as you bisect hovering hordes of enemies carrying spiky shields, and another that forces you to frantically propel yourself skyward through a series of ice clumps cascading down frozen waterfalls.

Outside of these four bonus levels, though, there’s little of note to spend your hard-earned gems and skull coins on. You can buy bog-standard cosmetics like palette-swapped hair and clothing for Pepper, as well as character stickers and level landscapes that can be arranged in a fairly frivolous sticker book. Since I wasn’t particularly interested in either, I ended up with pockets lined with unspent gems and little incentive to backtrack through stages in search of the skull coins I missed. However, the time attack mode unlocked after beating Pepper Grinder’s campaign did manage to drag me back in for another hour or so, since its medal-based time challenges are surprisingly strict and demand pinpoint power-drilling to earn, and getting into the supreme flow state required to pass them is when Pepper Grinder is at its most exhilarating.

Plenty of big, AAA releases have problems at launch. Overwatch 2, Payday 3, and Redfall all launched to criticism from both reviewers and fans. It’s far rarer to see a AAA game’s community genuinely divided over whether or not a game is fantastic and groundbreaking, or an utter disaster at launch. But weirdly, that’s what’s happening with Dragon’s Dogma 2.

At the forefront of the “this is terrible” argument are criticisms of the game’s performance, which seems to be pretty awful across PC and consoles. Alongside that are complaints about the game’s 21 separate microtransactions, almost all of which are specifically designed to ease Dragon’s Dogma 2’s built-in player antagonism. Lots of players are furious about their inclusion, even moreso because Capcom seems to have sprung them on players day one.

But it’s not just microtransactions and performance that have upset the community. Also at the top of the complaint list for Dragon’s Dogma 2 is its exploration. While the world is enormous and full of secrets, players complain that it’s largely populated by the same enemies, over and over, appearing at high densities every time they try to run from place to place. Sure, the first time you fight a bunch of packs of wolves in a row it’s novel, but once you’ve gone from Vermund to Harve Village a few times, it gets quite repetitive.

The limitations on fast travel — you need a specific item to do it, and they’re on the rare-ish side, or available via microtransaction — don’t help either. Some towns let you reach them via oxcart ride, but every ride has a chance of being interrupted by enemy attacks that can destroy the cart entirely and force you to walk anyway.

There’s more. Players are rolling their eyes at the game’s story and writing, arguing that dialogue and plot are shallow, short, and repetitive. Others feel the game didn’t evolve enough past its predecessor, while some people are mad about combat and class balance or reduced quality of life features compared to the first game. Oh, and then there’s the Dragonsplague, which many bemoaned due to lack of information about how it worked and fears it could softlock their games.

This sounds like a pretty hefty laundry list of issues, and the Metacritic userscore and Steam user reviews are reflecting that frustration — they’re both mixed at the time this piece was published despite relatively high critical scores. And yet, numerous players are also coming to the game’s defense, acknowledging that while it has some issues (it’s hard to argue the performance is good, for instance), many of the other complaints are related to a fundamental misunderstanding of what Dragon’s Dogma is.

For instance, plenty of players are arguing the microtransactions don’t actually matter. They’re not really advertised in-game, they’re similar to microtransactions available in the first game, and their effects can be acquired via in-game items without spending real-world money at all. Plus, players argue, the friction players experience without buying anything is part of the charm of Dragon’s Dogma in the first place.

In fact, a lot of the proponents of Dragon’s Dogma 2’s supposed sins are emphasizing that the charm of the original, and thus its sequel, is that it’s inherently player antagonistic and kind of goofy. Exploration and travel, for instance, are supposed to be a pain in the butt. Ferrystones and a port crystal make it a lot more manageable, but without them, the wild is supposed to be dangerous. Players are meant to get lost, get into fights, and wander around aimlessly, not speed back and forth from town to town and beeline their way through the story. The fighting, the struggles, the slow pace of travel were all present in Dragon’s Dogma 1, and while it’s fine not to like them, many longtime fans are arguing it’s part of the charm of the series.

Some people are pointing out that a lot of the criticisms of Dragon’s Dogma 2 are actually based on misinformation. For instance, Dragonsplague can’t softlock your game, you can get all the items available from microtransactions through regular gameplay, and there are plenty of different ways to fast travel if you look for them. Others are coming to bat for Dragon’s Dogma 2’s story — not that it’s good, but that the journey and the world are the point, not the plot. Meanwhile, others are having way too much fun performing ridiculous stunts on huge enemies or making memes out of silly Pawn dialogue to get involved in the debate at all.

It also seems like players might be slowly coming around on the game

It also seems like players might be slowly coming around on the game. As one Reddit user pointed out, Dragon’s Dogma 2 launched to mostly negative reviews in the first few days. But now, it’s up to Mixed — a sign more people are playing and reviewing it positively.

Looking ahead, it seems likely that some concerns, especially related to quality of life issues and performance, will get fixed in an upcoming patch. Capcom also seems to be thinking of potential DLC for the game, which may end up soothing those upset about its story, especially given the popularity of the first game’s Dark Arisen expansion. But in the meantime, it looks like Dragon’s Dogma 2 is, well, about as divisive as its predecessor, which prompted very similar complaints from both critics and players but developed a cult following anyway. Maybe we’ll all be unanimously raving about Dragon’s Dogma 2 by the time Dragon’s Dogma 3 is announced.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].

The PlayStation Portal, Sony’s handheld gaming accessory for the PS5 console, is finally back in stock at Walmart, but who knows for how long. It’s almost always sold out everywhere, so don’t hesitate to place an order if you’ve been waiting. The PS Portal is not a standalone device, like the PS Vita. It’s a remote player for the PlayStation 5, so you’ll need a PS5 to use it. That said, it streams games from your console over Wi-Fi, essentially letting you play your PS5 games from anywhere in your home. Check out our PlayStation Portal review to see what our critic thought of it.

PlayStation Portal Back in Stock at Walmart

PS Portal is basically a DualSense controller with an 8-inch LCD screen in the middle of it. It lets you stream games from your PS5 at up to 60fps, with a 1080p screen resolution, so it should look plenty sharp considering the screen’s dimensions. It also features the full slate of vibrations, haptic feedback, and adaptive triggers you’d get from a standard DualSense — something that’s missing if you stream your PS5 games to a phone, tablet, computer, or Steam Deck. It will also work when you’re away from home, provided you have a strong internet connection and you left your PS5 in rest mode.

It should be said that the PlayStation Portal isn’t the only way to stream your PS5 games over Wi-Fi within your home. As mentioned above, you can do that on many internet-connected devices, including phones, tablets, computers, and Steam Deck. Just download the PS Remote Play app to set it up (details here). It’s a little more complicated to stream to Steam Deck, but just search for Chiaki and you can probably figure it out. You can also check out our PlayStation Portal vs. Steam Deck comparison for a look at both handhelds side-by-side.

Amazon is currently offering Amazon Prime members a Baseus 10,000mAh USB Type-C Power Bank with up to 20W of Power Delivery for only $11.99 with coupon code: “EP5DAV8M“, a savings of about 40% off its original $20 MSRP. That’s a great price for a 10K mAh power bank that’s equipped with a USB Type-C output with Power Delivery and an excellent complementary battery backup for your Nintendo Switch.

Baseus 10,000mAh USB Type-C Power Bank for $11.99

Amazon Prime member exclusive

A 10,000mAh capacity power bank is the perfect compromise between battery capacity and size for the Nintendo Switch. This Baseus model measures 6″ long and 2.7″ wide, about the same size as an iPhone 14 Pro. It’s very compact and at the same time, holds plenty of charge for your Switch. It will charge a Nintendo Switch over two times, an iPhone 15 Pro over three times, and a full-sized iPad Pro 12.9″ almost one full time. In addition, the USB Type-C port supports Power Delivery with up to 20W of power. That’s enough to fully max out the charging speed on a Nintendo Switch.

There are a total of three ports. The USB Type-C port is both output and input, which means you can charge the power bank OR charge your devices from that same port. The USB Type-A port is output only and the Micro USB port is input only. The Baseus power bank is UL certified and comes with built-in safety protections you’d expect from a decent quality power bank. It also has an LED battery indicator that you can check with a press of a button. Baseus might not be as well known as Anker, but their power banks thus far have been pretty reliable, and they’ve been racking up plenty of favorable reviews and recommendations.

For more options, check out our picks for the best power banks of 2024. If you’re looking for more Nintendo Switch accessories that might be on sales check out the best Nintendo Switch deals today.