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Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Colin McRae DLC Coming to Dirt Rally 2.0 in March

Codemasters has announced a special batch of DLC for Dirt Rally 2.0 celebrating the career of late Scottish rally legend Colin McRae. The Colin McRae 'FLAT OUT' pack will be available from March 24, 2020 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The pack will be free to Deluxe Edition owners or players who have purchased any full season pack. It'll be available as a separate purchase for any other interested players. The 'FLAT OUT' pack features a new Scottish location – Perth and Kinross – with 12 routes, plus 40 scenarios inspired by moments through McRae's career. Also included is McRae's iconic Subaru Impreza S4 Rally and the lesser-known Subaru Legacy RS (which carried McRae to his first WRC rally victory in New Zealand in 1993). In total, nine cars McRae is famous for driving throughout his career will feature in the scenario mode. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://ift.tt/3aVb0bN] "Dirt Rally 2.0 has been a wild and exciting ride, and the 'FLAT OUT' pack is the perfect way to conclude the journey," said Dirt Rally 2.0 game director Ross Gowing alongside the announcement. "It's 25 years since Colin became World Champion and the content is our tribute to the greatest rally driver of his generation." The much-loved original Colin McRae Rally was released in 1998 and quickly established an influential, long-running off-road franchise for Codemasters, though the last game to officially carry the Colin McRae moniker was 2009's Colin McRae: Dirt 2. McRae was killed in a helicopter accident in 2007. IGN called Dirt Rally 2.0, which launched back in February 2019, a first-rate return to the more serious side of Codemasters' off-road catalogue and "the premier rally simulator of the modern era." [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://ift.tt/2GxHjPN] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter every few days @MrLukeReilly.

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Resident Evil 8 Rumors (And Hopes)

On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Tom R. Marks to discuss Resident Evil 8 rumors. With news that RE8 might feature werewolves and first-person, we speculate about what the Resident Evil sequel could include. Additionally, the cast speculations about a PS5 reveal event, wondering what PS5 details we might learn whenever an event, whether in February or later, actually happens. Plus, we delve into Dreams on PS4, introduce a new segment, and talk about much more. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-resident-evil-game-review-ever&captions=true"] Download or listen to the show on these platforms:

Podcast Beyond! is live every Wednesday at 3 p.m. PT. For the latest on PS5, check out the new PS5 logo, how fans reacted to the PS5 logo, and check out images of the allegedly PS5 dev kit and controller, as well as a leak alleging the power of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

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Warcraft 3 Reforged: Fans Unhappy With Launch Version

Warcraft 3: Reforged was released earlier this week, but it appears to not be meeting the expectations of fans. The classic strategy RPG is under fire by the Blizzard community for a variety of different reasons compounded by how it's no longer possible to play the older, beloved version of the game. When Blizzard announced Warcraft 3: Reforged at BlizzCon 2018, Blizzard was promising an extensive retooling of the original 2003 title. Instead of just a visual upgrade, Blizzard announced that it would dive into the mechanics and expand upon them. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="legacyId=20090999&captions=true"] Balance changes, additional voiceovers, redone animations, an expanded custom games creator, and more were all on the table for Blizzard. The company even showed off a cutscene from a playable demo of Warcraft 3: Reforged that showed off the redone graphics and new camera angles for cutscenes. But Warcraft 3: Reforged is out now and fans have discovered that the "reimagining" has fallen short. Immediately, players have discovered that Reforged just doesn't look as good as it was promised. While the graphics are upgraded, cutscenes don't feature the cinematic camera work that was previously advertised. You can see the comparison between the 2018 version that was playable at BlizzCon with the launch version below. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/29/warcraft-3-reforged-blizzcon-2018-vs-launch-2020-comparison"] The issues are more than just surface-level, however. Players on the Warcraft 3 subreddit and forums are complaining about the connectivity issues, lack of a competitive ladder, and wording in the End User License Agreement that grants Blizzard the rights to any Custom Games created by players. Presumably to prevent another Warcraft 3 mod like Dota from spinning off into a successful, non-Blizzard game. IGN has reached out to Blizzard for a statement regarding some of the online criticisms, but haven't heard back in time for the publication of this news story. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter.

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Unlicensed Real-World Mario Kart Company Loses Another Legal Battle With Nintendo

Nintendo has taken legal action against a company that offers go-kart tours of Tokyo while dressed up as Mario characters. Mari Mobility Development Co., formerly known as Maricar, has been ordered to pay over 50 million Yen (around $450,000 USD) to Nintendo for violating its intellectual property. As originally by Nikkei, the unlicensed Mario Kart company was originally sued by Nintendo in 2017 for infringing on its Mario IP and was fined 10 million Yen ($90,000 USD). After appealing the ruling and losing, Mari Mobility's fine was increased fivefold. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-super-mario-review-ever&captions=true"] Despite the hefty fine, the company still plans to offer go-kart tours of Tokyo, but will now simply be superhero themed. A quick look at its official website will show a warning, clearly stating that it is in "no way a reflection of Nintendo" and that it does "not provide rental of costumes of the Mario Series." Further, all images that include Mario branding have now been blurred out on the site. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/10/24/top-10-best-mario-games"] As reported by Kotaku, Nintendo has released an official statement saying, "We will continue to take necessary measures against infringement of intellectual property, including our brand, in order to protect our important intellectual property that we have built up over the years." If you're planning to visit Tokyo in the near future and would like to go on a superhero-themed go-kart tour, you can book a trip for around $100 USD. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Andrew Smith is a freelance contributor with IGN. Follow him on Twitter @_andrewtsmith.

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Byleth: What's Really Going On Behind the Anger Around Super Smash Bros' Newest Character

Over the last few weeks, Super Smash Bros. fans have been at war with Nintendo and with each other over the inclusion of Ultimate's latest downloadable character. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate closed out its DLC pass with Byleth, the protagonist from last year's Fire Emblem: Three Houses, kicking off a firestorm of anger and disappointment. The reaction and feedback were so widespread that it might leave outside observers asking what exactly it is about this character that caused so much furor.

Before Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launched in 2018, publisher Nintendo and director Masahiro Sakurai announced a season pass including five new characters for what would become the best selling fighting game of all time. Unlike Capcom, which traditionally announces the Street Fighter series' season pass rosters at its first reveal, Nintendo keyed in on how important the mystery of character reveals were to marketing. For the last two Super Smash Bros. games, character reveals were a big part of major events like Nintendo Direct streams and E3 presentations, and this strategy continued with DLC offerings. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-super-smash-bros-ultimate-fighter&captions=true"] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's first season reveal began with Persona 5's Joker, followed by characters like Dragon Quest's Hero, Banjo & Kazooie, and Fatal Fury's Terry Bogard. This cascade of introductions set the tone for fan expectation: the thirst for iconic DLC characters from storied, long-running, and perhaps unexpected franchises became palpable. Each reveal rolled out individually over the last year, leaving only one final character for fans to place all their hopes onto. In the middle of January, Nintendo and Sakurai revealed Byleth from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and the powder keg went off. As the ninth Fire Emblem character, Byleth functioned as a somewhat redundant choice for a new DLC character. Even before this latest Smash Bros. game came out, fans were already rolling their eyes at the quantity of existing Fire Emblem characters in Smash -- there had been a new inclusion in every Smash Bros. sequel so far. Byleth wielding a sword, even in addition to other Fire Emblem weapons, made them feel too close to every other sword-wielding character in the game. Perhaps Byleth's biggest flaw, however, is simply in who the character isn't: they're not a major character from a third party game that would shock fans who woke up early to see the reveal. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://ift.tt/2S6rFk6] Nintendo's YouTube reveal has accrued 83,000 downvotes as of this writing, compared to the 1,200 on Banjo & Kazooie's. On social media, the terms "Byleth," "Smash Bros.," and "Fire Emblem" were all trending, usually accompanied by incredulous responses to their inclusion. Those interactions were also often peppered with disappointment that the rumored reveal of Dante from the Devil May Cry series did not come to fruition. While it is likely Nintendo expected some degree of backlash to this choice, as with any choice, it is unlikely the publisher expected exactly how fervent that backlash would be. If this all seems familiar, you may have been on the internet when Pokémon Sword and Shield were gearing up to release over the last year. After confirming that not every one of the game's famous monsters would be returning for the Switch sequels, developer Game Freak received a tsunami of anger from players. Criticisms varied from the aforementioned loss of the full 'Dex to the game's graphics and animations -- some fair and some not, but none of it ultimately affected the sales of the game or, in a lot of cases, its reception. Despite that, the anger persisted, to the point where Game Freak producer Junichi Masuda had to ask people to stop harassing him on social media on his birthday. The argument that Fire Emblem is overrepresented in Super Smash Bros. is entirely fair; there are eight characters in the series already. The bigger issue, though, stems from Smash Bros. Ultimate's marketing thrust: the need to bring in every character that has ever been in the series to make good on the "Everyone Is Here" slogan from the game's big E3 debut. But the good faith argument ends with the insistence that the director of the game is damaging the spirit of the title, or ignoring the fans' wishes, because of perceived Fire Emblem overrepresentation. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=pro-players-wanted-smash-ultimate-characters&captions=true"] The end result of Byleth appearing in the game says less about any individual character and more about what fan ownership means for a game like this. Fans invest so much time and commitment into a game, series, developer, publisher (or really any other kind of media that attracts the same level of fandom) that they begin to develop personal stakes and connections with them. Super Smash Bros. occupies a special place in the gaming pantheon as being both incredibly popular and also a beast of burden for any continuation or contribution to its gaming history. The series shoulders the responsibility of being everything to everyone, delivering on sales numbers, deadlines and quotas, while also delivering an experience that resonates with its fans. When a character disappoints, for whatever reason, people who are invested feel personally betrayed. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=The%20end%20result%20of%20Byleth%20appearing%20in%20the%20game%20says%20less%20about%20any%20individual%20character%20and%20more%20about%20what%20fan%20ownership%20means%20for%20a%20game%20like%20this."]

Watching the discourse over this game, with entire betting markets based around which character would be added next, I have become fascinated by the narratives that are created by what essentially becomes a one-sided relationship with the series.

It's very difficult to direct this discourse at any one person on Nintendo's side. Publishers like Nintendo have multiple considerations in making games, and few of those decisions exist in a vacuum. The marketing, development, executive, PR, and other departments must work in concert with the culmination of demands made on the series. At the end of the Byleth reveal video, when speaking to the next season pass of characters, Sakurai wished he could reveal every character then and there, but admitted that was not within his control. "I'm personally very sorry that we have to release Fighter's Pass Vol. 2 when the details have yet to be revealed," Sakurai said. Had Byleth been announced at the very beginning alongside their third-party colleagues, would people still be upset for the reasons they are now? Or is it merely contributing to a larger issue of ownership?

[ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://ift.tt/36BxcnY]

Of course, it's entirely understandable to be disappointed by this character's inclusion as the latest to join the Ultimate ranks. Fan reaction has proven to be a consistent factor in companies opening their sails to that wind. It seems Nintendo will keep revealing and releasing characters in this same cadence, unintentionally doing nothing to tamp down built-up expectations. The backlash against Byleth could have ended up being about any character that ticks a similar number of disappointment boxes and will continue to happen as long as hype and mystery continue to conflate as marketing. For years, fans have requested characters like the Doom Slayer for western representation, or Geno for his popularity among fans of Super Mario RPG, or Sora for the overwhelming popularity outside of his series. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=Of%20course%2C%20it%E2%80%99s%20entirely%20understandable%20to%20be%20disappointed%20by%20this%20character%E2%80%99s%20inclusion%20as%20the%20latest%20to%20join%20the%20Ultimate%20ranks."]

Disappointment is part and parcel with character reveals -- there are too many opportunities for it to ever be completely avoided. In 2018, Sakurai said , "What I learned is that regardless of doing our utmost, no matter how hard we try, and no matter how many fighters we include, there will always be people who feel [disappointed]."

Nintendo often punctuates their biggest events with Smash Bros. character reveals, and last year they bookended their E3 video with reveals for two different character announcements for the series. The marketing has made each reveal an event unto itself, each time gathering fans to speculate leading up to a reveal they can either celebrate or criticize. Video games are in the same tricky spot as every other piece of media that's produced for profit is: they're designed to reach their audience but are simultaneously expected to defy those wishes and produce auteur creations that we didn't even know we wanted yet.

In a piece we reported, several developers discussed the tricky nature of the fan to developer relationship. "As far as the consumer goes," one developer told us, "they aren't wrong to want things, but in many cases, the lack of separation between them and people who make games turns into 'You make games for me,' which really isn't the case. It can't be. Devs are just making things they love, or try to love, in the hopes of doing something good."

The next fighter's pass continues for six more characters across the next two years, which means we're in for another rough few years of watching high expectations struggle against reality.

[ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://ift.tt/2O9Khy9]

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Imran Khan is a games writer living in San Francisco. You can find his other musings on Twitter.

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All the Best PS4 Deals Available Right Now

Looking for deals on all things PlayStation? You've come to the right place. We've gathered all the biggest discounts on PS4 Pro, PS4 Slim, DualShock 4 controllers, PSVR, and games together on one convenient page. Let's take a look.

TLDR: Best PS4 Deals

PS4 Pro 1TB Console - $299.99 - Walmart
PS4 Only on PlayStation Bundle - $248 - Amazon
DualShock Controllers - $39.99 and up - Walmart
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot - $50 - Amazon

PlayStation Hardware Deals

PS4 Pro 1TB for $299.99

See it at Walmart - $299.99 (save $100)

Here's the best deal on a PlayStation 4 Pro right now.

PS4 Slim Only on PlayStation Bundle for $248

See it at Amazon - $249

This PS4 Slim bundle has some of the system's best games, and it's available for less than the $300 list price of a PS4 Slim.

PS4 DualShock 4 Controllers

Walmart ($39 and up) | Amazon ($46 and up)

It's never a bad idea to pick up an extra controller (or three). Even if you don't have a couch co-op partner who lives with you, you never know when a visitor will drop by and want join you in a game.

PS4 Game Deals

[poilib element="commerceCta" json="%7B%22image%22%3A%7B%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fassets1.ignimgs.com%2F2020%2F01%2F29%2Fdeath-stranding1580333054027.jpg%22%2C%22styleUrl%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fassets1.ignimgs.com%2F2020%2F01%2F29%2Fdeath-stranding1580333054027_%7Bsize%7D.jpg%22%2C%22id%22%3A%225e31f802e4b0e6d43845e464%22%7D%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fr.zdbb.net%2Fu%2F46p1%22%2C%22title%22%3A%22Death%20Stranding%22%2C%22store%22%3A%22Amazon%22%2C%22additionalInfo%22%3A%22%22%2C%22ourPick%22%3Afalse%7D"]

Borderlands 3 - $32.99 - Amazon
Catherine: Full Body - $36.99 - Amazon
Code Vein - $39.82 - Amazon
Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled - $32.80 - Amazon
Days Gone - $26.49 - Amazon
Death Stranding - $49.72 - Amazon
Dishonored 2 - $9.50 - Amazon
Divinity: Original Sin 2 - $19.99 - Amazon
Doom Slayers Collection - $19.99 - Amazon
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot - $50 - Amazon
Fate/Extella Link - $29.99 - Amazon
God of War - $13 - Amazon
Horizon Zero Dawn Complete - $13.50 - Walmart
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II Relentless Edition - $39.99 - Amazon
LEGO Harry Potter Collection - $15.99 - Amazon
Mortal Kombat - $24.99 - Amazon
NBA 2K20 - $34.15 - Amazon
Need for Speed Heat - $39.88 - Amazon
NHL 2020 - $38 - Amazon
The Outer Worlds - $39.83 - Amazon
Red Dead Redemption 2 - $40 - Walmart
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - $39.86 - Walmart
Shenmue I & II - $18 - Amazon
Shenmue III - $37.37 - Amazon
Spider-Man GotY - $22 - Amazon
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - $44.99 - Amazon
Steins;Gate Elite - $24.60 - Amazon
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD - $24 - Amazon
The Surge 2 - $39 - Amazon
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint - $19.99 - Amazon
Valkyria Chronicles 4 - $29.95 - Amazon
Yakuza 6 - $19.99 - Amazon

PS4 Game Preorder Deals

Cyberpunk 2077 - $49.94
Marvel's Avengers - $49.94
Watch Dogs: Legion - $49.94

While most retailers have ditched their old programs to save people 20% off video game preorders, Amazon and Walmart have begun giving everyone a $10 discount on select games. These are the upcoming ones that have gotten the preorder deal treatment.

Deals on PS4 Accessories

A new PlayStation 4 generally only comes with the console and a controller. To get the most out of your hardware, you might want to consider picking up a few accessories. Here are our suggestions:

PlayStation VR

You have to try PlayStation VR. Not only is it incredible to experience game worlds from the inside, but PSVR offers the best lineup of VR games around. With titles like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR, Resident Evil VII, Borderlands 2, Tetris Effect, Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, and many more, this is one PS4 accessory you won't want to miss if you can afford it.

PS4 Headset

Sony Platinum Wireless Headset - $116 (save $20)
Sony Gold Wireless Headset - $72.35 (save $26)

Maybe your roommate is sleeping. Maybe you just want to immerse yourself in the audio of your game. Either way, you're unlikely to find a better deal on a wireless headset that's more comfortable or has better sound than Sony's Platinum headset.

PS4 Media Remote

See it at Amazon - $24.99

It sounds like a minor complaint, but I got sick of having to wake up my PS4 controller every time I wanted to pause Netflix. This media remote solved that problem nicely.

4TB External Hard Drive

See it at Amazon - $89.99

Games take up a lot of space these days, so if you find yourself running low on internal storage, plug in an external hard drive to get more. This 4TB HDD ought to hold you over for years.

PlayStation Store Gift Cards

PS4 Services

PS Plus

Anyone who wants to play PS4 games online needs a PlayStation Plus subscription to do so. That's a bummer, but on the plus side, you get free games each month.

Start Your Free Trial

PlayStation Now

This service lets you stream or download from a massive library of games.

Start Your Free Trial

PS4 Buyer's Guide

At this point in the PlayStation 4 lifecycle, you can generally find some pretty good deals floating around. If, however, there are no notable discounts when you're ready to buy, it's smart to purchase a PS4 bundle that includes a game you would have bought anyway - provided the bundle costs less than the sum of its parts sold separately. One thing to watch out for when buying a PS4 is overpriced consoles. With so many (possibly shady) third-party sellers at sites like eBay, Amazon, and Walmart, you'll often see PS4s that are priced above the MSRP. Obviously, you'd be wise to avoid these, as there's no reason to pay more than you have to. Here's the MSRP for the typical PS4 models without pack-in games.

PS4 Slim - $300
PS4 Pro - $400
PSVR with Move Controllers - $350
PSVR without Move Controllers - $300

The Art of The Last of Us 2 Deluxe Edition Is Up for Preorder

If you're anything like me, you're looking forward to May 29, because that's when The Last of Us Part 2 comes out. If you'd like a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the PS4 exclusive, you can preorder The Art of The Last of Us Part 2 in hardcover, Kindle, or a new deluxe edition that just went up on Amazon. As a side note, video game art books tend to get occasional discounts on Amazon prior to release. If you preorder now, you'll be guaranteed to lock in the lowest price, even if it goes back up before it comes out.

Preorder The Art of The Last of Us Part 2 Deluxe Edition

Get it at Amazon - $89.99

The Art of The Last of Us Part 2 is a hardcover 200-page book that promises to offer "extensive insights" into the making of the game. Compared to the regular version, the deluxe edition offers the following extras:

Gallery-Quality Lithograph
Slipcase
Exclusive Cover

The book is also available in non-deluxe hardcover and Kindle editions. It's the exact same book as the deluxe edition, but without the exclusive cover, slipcase, and lithograph.

Hardcover Edition - $35.99 (save $4)
Kindle Edition - $19.99

Preorder The Last of Us Part 2 for PS4

[poilib element="commerceCta" json="%7B%22image%22%3A%7B%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fassets1.ignimgs.com%2F2020%2F01%2F29%2Flast-of-us-part-21580311722211.jpg%22%2C%22styleUrl%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fassets1.ignimgs.com%2F2020%2F01%2F29%2Flast-of-us-part-21580311722211_%7Bsize%7D.jpg%22%2C%22id%22%3A%225e31a4aee4b0e6d43845e421%22%7D%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fr.zdbb.net%2Fu%2Fb6mi%22%2C%22title%22%3A%22The%20Last%20of%20Us%20Part%202%22%2C%22store%22%3A%22Amazon%22%2C%22additionalInfo%22%3A%22%22%2C%22ourPick%22%3Afalse%7D"] The game The Last of Us Part 2 is also up for preorder in a handful of editions, some of which are sold out everywhere or nearly everywhere.

Standard edition - $59.99 at Amazon
Special edition - $79.99 at Best Buy
Collector's edition - $169.99 at GameStop

For details about what comes in each edition, check out our The Last of Us Part 2 preorder guide.

IGN