Category: Gaming

At first glance Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior appears to be a stylish but somewhat straightforward isometric hack ‘n’ slash in the vein of Hades, but after having some hands-on time with it at Tokyo Game Show it’s clear that there’s considerably more to it. While rewinding time has become a common function in everything from platformers to racing sims over the years, Lysfanga implements its time manipulation in a surprisingly interesting way – allowing you to basically record yourself completing a series of attacks, rewind, and then fight alongside a time-shifted duplicate of yourself who serves as a sort of deadly instant replay of your previous run.

Thus each and every enemy encounter in Lysfanga quickly blossoms into an all-out attack of the clones. As you enter each arena the action is paused for a moment, allowing you to pan the camera around the environment and plot your most efficient path of attack, a bit like at the beginning of each scrap in Mario + Rabbids. Since you’re on a 10-second timer for each version of yourself, maximizing the number of enemies that each clone can take down and shortening the distance between targets with smart uses of the boost button is essential if you want to clear each zone in the fastest total time and score the maximum number of points.

Initial battles are appropriately basic as Lysfanga eases you into its tactical, time-shifting gameplay loop. My first few fights were structurally similar, with each arena branching out in three main directions, and it was just a manner of using one version of myself to clear out the handful of beastmen to the right, then using my second clone to tackle the enemy-filled corridor to the left, before finally deploying the third iteration of my avatar to tear through the remaining nasties in the center of the arena.

However, new enemy types and environmental obstacles were soon introduced that elevated each fight from being a simple test of how quickly I could deliver strings of combos with Lysfanga’s two-button melee system, into more of a complex strategic puzzle that I was forced to solve. Hulking enemy types toting massive shields swiveled to face me no matter which direction I struck from, meaning I had to use my first clone to attack them head-on so that they served as a distraction when I rewound time and attacked them from the rear with my second clone.

Elsewhere there were twin enemy types joined together by a tether of energy, allowing one to revive the other if it suffered any damage. Thus I had to attack one on my first assault, and then time my attack on its twin during my second run so that I could wear their health bars down simultaneously and knock them over. One-way paths, door switches, and even explosive flying bats that could be carefully knocked into crowds of enemies to take them all out in one blow were just some of the other variables I had to contend with as I tried to both thin the hordes in each arena and shave precious seconds off the clock.

It’s clear that Lysfanga’s time-shifting gameplay continues to scale in complexity and challenge. Although in the first half of my hands-on I was limited to up to four clones in the series of early game combat arenas I was faced with, in the second half I was dropped into a late-game boss fight where I was able to unleash up to 10 slash-happy doppelgangers at the same time, which made for an incredibly frantic spectacle. The boss was a towering beast on all fours capable of inflicting devastating one-shot deaths, and while the attacks of my initial clones only knocked tiny fractions of its health bar off each strike, by the time I had the full complement of decuplets hacking and slashing in concert the cumulative effect eventually enabled me to bring the beast to its knees. When I finally felled the monster after three truly intense waves of battle, I felt like giving myself a pat on the back 10 times over.

Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior is being published by Quantic Dream under its relatively new Spotlight publishing label, and it presents the strongest evidence yet that the French creator of Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human isn’t content to just deal in the sorts of cinematic, story-driven adventures that it’s built its reputation upon when it comes to the indie side of its business. Lysfanga certainly does feature a narrative involving goddesses and returning ancient evils, and I’m keen to see where it leads, but it’s clear that its innovative, incremental dungeon crawling is what could really distinguish it from the pack. Expected to launch on PC in early 2024, Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior seems like one to watch – or indeed re-watch.

Tristan Ogilvie is a Senior Video Editor at IGN AU. If he could turn back time he probably wouldn’t have had that one beer too many last night.

At a special showcase for members of the press at Bandai Namco Entertainment in Tokyo, Japan, I had a chance to play an early build of Tekken 8. While renowned director Katsuhiro Harada’s latest sequel will launch with 32 characters, only 16 were available during this meeting. The roster included a blend of old and new faces, including long-established stars like Paul Phoenix and Jin Kazama alongside more recent creations like Claudio Serafino and Lars Alexandersson. However, series producer Michael Murray stated that all Tekken 8 models have been redesigned from scratch, befitting the transition from the Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5.

With a series that celebrates its 30th anniversary next year, Tekken walks a tricky line. The 3D fighter has built up a fan base all over the world over three decades, but the franchise necessarily needs new blood to remain competitive. Tekken 8 will try to satisfy both crowds with dual control options: Arcade style retains the classic four-button attack scheme—one input per limb—while Special style lets players execute command moves and complex combos with simple button presses. Murray emphasized the importance and flexibility of Special style, acknowledging that other long-running fighting games have introduced similar systems. “Ours, you can turn on or off in the middle of a match any time you want,” he said.

New to Tekken 8, players using Special style can combine buttons and single directional inputs to activate more moves than seen in Tekken 7. The on-screen user interface has also improved; Tekken 7 included a guide telling players which buttons triggered which move, but used the given name for these attacks, which a new player might not understand. Tekken 8’s Special mode actually describes what type of attack each button performs – it’s a handy shortcut to give everyone a quicker sense of how moves work and flow together.

Even with this expanded repertoire, Murray noted that Special mode will remain “simple and accessible” but “limiting,” as it cannot compare with the classic Arcade inputs when it comes to player freedom. His hope is that new players can use Special style to lower the barrier of entry and, once they grasp the basics, they will feel motivated to graduate to the traditional Arcade style.

As a lapsed Tekken player, I could see exactly what he meant. In my time with Tekken 8, Special style certainly helped refresh my fundamentals and offered a shortcut to create long combos with every character, regardless of my previous experience. When I built up enough meter, tapping just one button enough times automatically tacked a devastating Rage Art onto the end of my combos. When combined with Tekken 8’s new Heat system that rewards aggressive play, every round has a palpable sense of speed and power. No matter who holds the lead, either player can grab the upper hand with the right choice at the right time. Even though we played best-of-five matches, our battles flew by at a best-of-three pace.

Of course, Tekken 8’s flashy, lengthy combos represent a double-edged sword. When I kept the pressure on, I could drive my opponent’s back to the wall and mercilessly pound them into submission. Yet a single slip-up meant they could do the same to me. Few things feel more frustrating than a long Tekken combo where your agency is effectively on-hold as you can do nothing but sit and watch your character twist and bounce in the air for seconds at a time. I found Jack-8, the latest incarnation of the series’ cybernetic brute, particularly vulnerable to endless juggling due to his massive size.

In my short time with Tekken 8, I could already get a sense of what Murray hopes Special style can accomplish. Having a large roster of different fighters, all with their own styles and flair, can easily intimidate an inexperienced player. The uniformity and simplicity of Special style ensured I could pick fighters at random and never feel lost. Yet hammering buttons to produce over-the-top results also robbed me of the satisfaction of having full control over my actions. This nagging sensation can only be remedied through practice and eventually learning the proper Arcade inputs.

Tekken 8 will include a feature designed to help players looking for guidance with the new Arcade Quest mode, one that “holds your hand and shows you how to backdash, how to block, how to do all this stuff,” Murray said. Tekken characters have always sported a lengthy list of moves and combos, so Arcade Quest will aim to demystify that surfeit of information. As Murray described it, newly-revamped menus will tell players, “Okay, you have 100 moves, but these are your five best, and these are the situational ones you need to know.”

Speaking of arcades, we got a glimpse of Tekken 8’s visual lobby system that resembles a glitzy shopping mall, including a virtual arcade called the Battle Area. Players entering the Tekken Fight Lounge will have their own cutesy avatar whom they may customize with clothing and accessories. Avatars may freely run around the lounge and communicate with other avatars via text chat, emotes, or stamps. Should they enter the Battle Area, they can take on opponents in Quick matches for casual play or Ranked battles for more serious competition. Like a real arcade, though, players can opt to spectate other contests to learn more about the game.

Another intriguing online feature is the Super Ghost Battle, which records player combat data and, combined with “AI learning,” creates a CPU opponent based on individual habits. These Ghosts evolve over time and exist online for other users to challenge even when the actual player is offline. Players can also fight their own ghosts to test their might against themselves.

While we were limited to watching videos of the Tekken Fight Lounge in action, Murray says the Battle Area and Customization Shop will be up and running during the upcoming closed beta test for players on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam, running from October 20th through the 23rd. Registration is open now and continues until October 11th.

Tekken 8, launching in January 2024, looks to harness the momentum of Tekken 7’s success while continuing to court new players in an increasingly crowded fighting game marketplace. A closed beta test in October will offer the public a sneak peek at new features designed to do just that. Fans looking for more information about Tekken 8 and the closed beta test should tune in to Tekken Talk Live, a Tokyo Game Show stage event on Saturday, September 23rd at 2pm Japan time. The segment will be livestreamed in both Japanese and English.

Announced earlier this year, Bandai Namco’s Sand Land looks to translate a cult Japanese comic into an open-world adventure. Playing it on the floor of Tokyo Game Show, I came away intrigued about the characters and story, but less thrilled about actually playing the full game.

Sand Land debuted in the year 2000 as a short-lived tale of a demon prince exploring a desolate wilderness – hence the title. Created by Akira Toriyama, a manga artist of major renown for his Dragonball series as well as his contributions to many games such as Dragon Quest, Sand Land remained a print-only phenomenon until 2023. A feature-length film debuted this summer, with this game serving as the next multimedia tie-in.

The demo opens on a strong note, with graphics that lean into its manga origins. All the characters look like they’ve wandered onto the screen straight from the page, with thick line art giving everyone sharp features. The characters all have personality, especially the protagonist, Beezelbub. He may look like an anime version of Hot Stuff the Little Devil (kids, ask your grandparents) but from minute one he’s looking for adventure and action.

With Beezelbub and his two elderly companions driving across the desert, the first challenge thrown at the player is a set piece where our leads catch the attention of a massive dragon. Beezelbub drives towards the camera as the dragon gives chase; a distance readout at the top of the screen counts down until they reach safety. I found it tough to predict where the dragon would burrow up and attack, but the vehicle is sturdy enough to survive multiple hits. I think the only strategy is to keep winding back and forth to prevent the dragon from getting a fix on your heading.

Once they escape, Beezelbub and his pals arrive in a “village” that is all but deserted. The team has a quick chat before deciding to seek a more populous area, and the game places a handy visual marker on the HUD. With that, I took off across the desert again, following a clear path of tire tracks towards my goal. We drove past some wandering dinosaurs—a staple of Toriyama’s works—and a few bandits who showed passing interest in our truck before giving up when I ignored their grenades.

As we approached the set destination, one of Beezelbub’s companions pointed out a large mark painted on a mountainside, identifying it as a pirate icon. Befitting a cocky hero, Beezelbub took the news with excitement, proclaiming he’d beat them all up. His friends exercised caution, but it proved to be a moot point as Sand Land automatically dragged our heroes straight into the pirate’s trap. A line of spikes popped all four truck tires, forcing Beezelbub to dismount and fight hand-to-hand.

I would describe the action in Sand Land as boilerplate: Beezelbub can punch enemies with light attacks or wind up to deliver a powerful blow. You can hold down the button to charge the heavy attack or tap it mid-combo to trigger a kick that sends opponents up into the air, giving Beezelbub time to land even more hits before they come crashing down. There’s a short-range dodge move to avoid enemy strikes and a lock-on command to keep the camera fixed on one threat at a time. A meter fills over time to unlock super attacks, but I can’t vouch for their usefulness. The one time I triggered it, despite having an enemy in my line of sight, they seemed unfazed.

Fighting the pirates proved to be as easy as Beezelbub said; I think I only took one hit even as the gang had me surrounded. Much like the protagonists, I thought the pirates looked like fun characters that I would welcome learning more about. They seem like barbarians from Fist of the North Star, and I do enjoy a silly recurring foe that poses no threat to the hero but steadfastly continues to attack him.

What happened next truly surprised me though: After less than 10 minutes of gameplay, the demo came to an abrupt end. I knew Sand Land had only been announced over the summer, but I had expected a more thorough cross-section of the world. I glanced at other demo players and it occurred to me that I might have made a mistake. Open-world games live or die based on what lies off the beaten path. I had followed the game’s instructions precisely and rushed straight to the finish line. Clearly I had to come back for a second excursion into the desert.

I returned to the Bandai Namco booth for another chance, somehow fairing worse at the chase sequence this time but still making it safely to the dried-up village. Instead of triggering the quest to mosey onwards, I ran around and tried talking to the few people I could find. They all reacted with extreme shock, assuming that Beezelbub wanted to eat their souls. Beezelbub scoffed every time; he must be used to humans freaking out around him. I should add that all these conversations were fully animated and voiced, adding to the comedy of the poor panicked folks who thought their lives were in danger.

When I finally did move on, I ignored the quest marker and the primary path to drive freely around the desert. I found a cave with three storage chests inside, though I don’t know the significance of the items they contained—it didn’t seem to be money or treasure. I also found a gem deposit in a rocky wall that produced resources when smashed, although a similar-looking boulder nearby didn’t yield any pickups even though it clearly reacted to fisticuffs.

I tried fighting the dinosaurs who put up a larger fight than the pirates but nevertheless couldn’t handle Beezelbub’s blows. The bandits were even less formidable, but they offered a finer prize in their armored tank. This time around I noticed that Beezelbub specifically said out loud, “We should beat up those guys and steal their tank,” so the game was trying to give me a hint that ignoring enemies wasn’t the best solution.

Once in the tank, I gained access to a powerful cannon and a heavy machine gun. These weapons made short work of ordinary enemies, as a single shell took out dinosaurs in one blast and sent bandits running for the hills, literally. However, I soon found that exploring the desert in an armored vehicle led me to encounter much stronger beasts, such as a bigger version of the dinosaurs I had so easily defeated earlier. These bruisers shrugged off direct artillery fire and charged forward to smash the tank while I struggled to reload.

Again, the demo cut me off long before the timer set by the Bandai Namco staff chimed. Such is the nature of playing at a big event like TGS, sadly. Still, my second playthrough justified my curiosity, proving that the demo did indeed offer more than a leisurely desert drive and a single fight. I left the booth wondering how many elements could change. If I managed to take the tank into the pirate’s trap, would their spike strip have still incapacitated my ride? Or would a different cutscene play, allowing me to shoot the pirates without the need for melee combat?

The real question going forward is how well the developers will fill this open world with memorable locations, characters, and loot. I don’t know the Sand Land story so I have no expectations for how it might be adapted, but I’ve played plenty of games that rely on exploration and discovery to deliver a satisfying experience. We’re less than six months removed from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s launch, a game I played for almost 200 hours before finally wrapping the main story. I could have played for twice as long, too, had I sought to complete every sidequest.

Obviously I cannot expect a TGS demo to compare to a game Nintendo devoted years of time and an untold budget to perfecting, but I can say that Sand Land has a long way to go before I’d consider giving it another look. Bandai Namco has yet to announce a release date, so perhaps the developers will have the resources they need to turn this literal sandbox into a figurative one. At present, the driving, combat, and exploration don’t entice me to dig any deeper.

We live in a time of exceptional video game quality and abundance: There’s always too much to play (especially as I type this in September of 2023). So it’s all the more surprising that The Making of Karateka, which focuses on a game from nearly 40 years ago, totally captivated me. Part classic game collection and part documentary, wrapped in an interactive historical experience, The Making of Karateka follows the true story of a teenager’s path to publishing a hit video game in 1985. And the story is a good one. While Karateka is not a particularly fun 2D-fighting game to play, exploring its story in this weird and wonderful package is very much so.

What makes this story extra special is twofold: First, the surviving documentation of college student Jordan Mechner (who went on to make the original Prince of Persia) creating a video game for the Apple II, Commodore 64, and other early PCs with the help of his immediate family, especially his father, is extensive and exquisitely preserved here. Jordan’s personal journals and goofy development sketches, playable code of multiple game iterations, typewritten paper correspondence between him and his publisher, and even 3D scans of 5.25-inch floppy discs with their original Sharpie-on-sticker labels – the amount of detail gets even more exacting from there.

Second, Digital Eclipse’s interactive timeline presentation of these documents, video segments, and of course, the games themselves, are irresistible to explore. (This playable history platform debuted in Atari 50 last year, which scored a 9 on IGN.) The experience is not passive, like a film documentary: There are little tools to compare audio and visual tweaks between versions, a timeline to check off your progress, and an entire, playable version of Karateka with developer commentary built right in. The commentary, by Digital Eclipse developer Mike Mika, is a documentary unto itself. Seemingly Karateka’s biggest fan, Mika’s explanation of why he loves this game goes well beyond the screen and deep into the fragile balance of programming tricks that made smooth animation possible on a computer better equipped for primitive arcade ports. (One of these ports, an Asteroids knockoff, was in fact created by a teenage Jordan Mechner.)

This remake is actually a much more fun version of Karateka, which still feels clunky and inaccessible in its original forms (of which there are five included in this collection, including ports and demos). Digital Eclipse’s Karateka is definitely worth playing through – but only after watching the documentary (and giving yourself some extra lives) for some very important context. Without spoiling anything, the ending “twist” is both funny and shocking.

The remade Karateka is the best game of the collection because it includes several enemies and instances that were conceived of and discussed in the documentary, but were not technically possible at the time. The significance of the remake’s small expansions, like a puzzle with a larger cat, is heightened by listening to the developers talk about each one with lavish enthusiasm – it’s infectious. Similarly, the inclusion of several ‘80s PC platform conversions, which we learn from the documentary were extremely difficult to create, seem janky and not fun to play at first blush. But after discovering how each system was bent to these young game devs’ will to make Karateka work, it was at least fun to spot the differences, if not actually fun to play through the whole original games.

Even if it’s not fun to play through these many iterations of Karateka, however, you can instead just watch them: A perfect playthrough is included, and you can assume control of it any time (and several playthroughs you can watch have commentary tracks of their own).

The documentary content itself is admittedly simplistic: People involved in the original Karateka, fans, and other commentators are shot against an austere studio backdrop or in their lived-in homes – it doesn’t scream high budget. However, the jankiness melts away with the documentary’s most perfect moments: Those between Jordan Mechner and his father, Francis, who sits at a piano and recalls, in precise detail, breakthrough moments in his son’s early (again, highschool and college!) development career. These scenes are breathtakingly sweet. Kratos has nothing on video game’s best dad, Francis Mechner, who supported his son unconditionally through pursuing his passions.

In fact, the elder Mechner not only suggested the rotoscoping technique that led to Karateka’s cutting-edge animation, but he put on his wife’s gi and clambered onto a car to help Jordan get frames. Francis composed Karateka’s music, and then worked with his son on getting the buzzes and beeps of the Apple II to sound like music – no small feat. When Jordan demanded quarters (which, in 1980, had the same buying power as a dollar today) for the arcade, he doled them out like his endless patience, excited encouragement, and total engagement with his son’s interests. So much so that Jordan at one point asks why his father was so supportive of such a complete distraction from school. Why? His father tells him it’s important to encourage a child’s interests, and that it usually turns out okay. That is some powerful parenting.

Hello, IGN reviewers in training. Welcome to another week of community reviews, in which we give you the opportunity to score your favorite (or not-so-favorite) games that are based on a specific theme. Our previous theme was space, which you can check out here. This week we’re bringing it back to Earth by showcasing a Playlist featuring some of Earth’s mightiest heroes.

With this week’s theme being superheroes, and with all the recent news about Spider-Man 2, it is a great time to see how you rank some of the previous Spider-Man games and/or those starring other popular superheroes. So head to the page for your favorite games and leave your reviews to help them get the attention they deserve. We’ve compiled a playlist featuring 50 of the biggest superhero games, including Spider-Man, Batman, the X-Men, and other franchises to get you started – but feel free to leave a review for any of your favorites we may have missed. All you have to do is head to a game’s page and click the Rate Game button to get started.

For those of you who missed the rollout of Community Reviews, you can check it out here. Remember, the biggest and best games, based on user review scores, will make the leaderboard showcasing what the IGN audience believes to be the best games of all time. So here is your chance to tell the world why you think a game you’ve played is the greatest – or worst – thing ever (or maybe somewhere in between). You can sign up for an IGN account to unlock the ability to create custom playlists, write user reviews, and more by clicking the Register button in the lower left of the page anywhere on IGN.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a game full of intricate detail. With so many dialogue options, characters, classes, and quests, everyone’s experience is a little bit different. Discoveries are around every corner, and the only thing seemingly separating you from success or tragedy is a dice roll.

That being said, it’s a lot easier to somewhat plot your destiny when you know where you’re going. IGN’s Baldur’s Gate 3 interactive map can help guide you on your quest through Act 1, 2 and 3.

We have the most updated Baldur’s Gate 3 map with the location of every item, chest, enemies, NPC, and more throughout the prologue, Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3. You can also check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 walktrough for quests guides and details.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Interactive Map

Currently, our Baldur’s Gate 3 map features locations for the Prologue, Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3. This include a Nautiloid map, a map of the Wilderness and Underdark, a map of the Shadow.

Here are some of the important location markers we’ve added to help guide you on your adventure:

• Filter by map marker
  • Locations
  • Items
  • NPCs
  • Quests
  • Enemies
• Check off progress as you go
• Store your checklist data online

Nautiloid Map – Prologue

You begin your journey in Baldur’s Gate 3 with a quest to escape the Nautiloid. It’s a fairly small map, but there are still quite a few items, a unique weapon, and 3 potential party members you can find.

You can check out our Interactive Map of the Nautiloid for a list of everything you can find on the mind flayer vessel.

Wilderness and Underdark Map – Act 1

Act 1 takes place in the wilderness, and this is where the map begins to get a lot bigger. There are 30 secrets and over 60 chests to be found across the map as well as a ton of other items.

Our Interactive Wilderness map also includes the Underdark, which can be particularly tricky to navigate if you’re trying to reach Moonrise Towers.

Shadow-Cursed Lands Map – Act 2

Act 2 takes place in the Shadow-Cursed lands. We have updated our map to include all of the secrets and collectibles, and we’ve identified all of the chests, secrets, and unique weapons in the area. You can also quickly find all 10 waypoints in Act 2 by utilizing this map.

Our interactive Shadow-Cursed Lands map also includes a map of the Moonrise Towers prison and the Mindflayer colony.

Baldur’s Gate City Map – Act 3

If you’ve managed to make it all the way to Act 3 and the city of Baldur’s Gate, you can make use of our map of the city and beyond. We have updated our map to include all of the NPCs, secrets, and quests hidden in the map. You can also find all 13 of the waypoints here for fast travel capabilities.

Our interactive Baldur’s Gate City Map also includea a map of The Wyrmway and Wyrm’s Rock Prison.

Just getting started? Check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 guide for quest walkthroughs, tips, and how-to’s that can solve just about any issue you may run into. We even have a handy guide for building your character if you are overwhelmed with all of the classes and races available.

Konami has unveiled new information about the expected resolution and framerates of the three games in its upcoming Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1. But fans aren’t happy with what they’re seeing, particularly regarding Metal Gear Solid being locked to 30fps across all consoles.

The table above was shared on an official Konami website for the collection earlier today, and most notably has Metal Gear Solid locked to 30fps across all platforms. Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, on the other hand, both run at 60fps on everything but Nintendo Switch. What’s more, all the games are stuck at 1080p resolution on everything (except the Switch’s handheld mode, which doesn’t support it) and never make it to 4K.

As fans are pointing out, these limitations feel incredibly frustrating given the age of the games, as well as the fact that HD versions of MGS2 and MGS3 were released years ago for PS3 and Xbox 360 and ran at 60fps just fine. What’s more, Konami previously told multiple outlets (including us) that “the collection” would target 60fps on everything but the Switch – which feels misleading given the now-published chart.

We’ll have to see just how acceptable all this ends up looking when the collection launches October 24. We did play a Switch preview last month, though our previewer reported experiencing “significant slowdown” in MGS2 and 3 at the time as well as other technical blips.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

If you’re bummed that Starfield is not more like No Man’s Sky, where you can seamlessly travel from space to planet, there’s now a mod available that does just that.

Spotted by PCGamesN, modder 105gun has introduced a mod that finally adds seamless space travel into Bethesda’s sci-fi RPG. As described on NexusMods, when installed, the mod Slower Than Light allows Starfield players on PC to control the speed gear of their ship using hotkeys. The maximum speed is the equivalent of “hundreds of times the speed of light,” allowing players to travel between planets without fast travel and, more importantly, no load times.

As you can see from our captured footage, the mod allows for much faster traversal through space without having to fiddle in the in-game menus to planet hop, making it a lot quicker to venture to other locations. Unfortunately, the mod does not allow you to land on a planet similar to that like in No Man’s Sky (maybe will get a mod for that in the future).

Following a gameplay reveal at the June 2022 Xbox-Bethesda showcase, Todd Howard told IGN that Starfield won’t allow you to fly seamlessly through space. The most common way to visit planets and other solar systems is to fast travel, which includes a loading screen as you jump to your next location. While it was discovered that you can fly directly to other planets, it’s dissatisfying and requires a hefty dose of time and patience.

In our review of Starfield, which we awarded a 7 out of 10, IGN said: “Starfield has a lot of forces working against it, but eventually, the allure of its expansive roleplaying quests and respectable combat make its gravitational pull difficult to resist.”

Slower Than Light is one of many quality-of-life mods that have been added to Starfield since its release earlier this year. Other noteworthy mods include adding a FOV Slider, an in-game map so you don’t get lost while exploring New Atlantis, and a revamp to the inventory UI. For more on some of the best mods you can install in Starfield, check out our roundup of the best mods.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

The pile of squid ink spaghetti, Xûr, is now live in Destiny 2 for the weekend until next week’s reset. If you’re looking to get you some shiny new Exotic armor or weapons for your Guardian, look no further.

Each week, Xûr has a random assortment of Exotic armor, one for each Guardian class, as well as a random Exotic Weapon and an Exotic Engram available for purchase. In addition to his Exotic wares, he’s got a random collection of Legendary weapons and armor to deck out your Guardians.

We’ve rounded up all the info on Xûr for the week including where to find Xûr, which Exotic weapons and armor are available, as well as which Legendary weapons you should pick up, either for PvE or PvP.

Where Is Xûr Today?

Xûr’s location can be found at The Tower on September 22 through September 26. To reach him, travel to the landing point at The Courtyard and make your way to the Hangar. Hang a left when entering the hangar and you’ll come face-to-face with space Amazon.com.

What’s Xûr Selling Today?

Exotic Engram

Cerberus+1 – Exotic Auto Rifle

ST0MP-EE5 – Exotic Hunter Boots

• 12 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 19 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 20 Intellect
• 10 Strength
• Total: 65

Armamentarium – Exotic Titan Chest Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 20 Resilience
• 3 Recovery
• 14 Discipline
• 6 Intellect
• 9 Strength
• Total: 62

Phoenix Protocol – Exotic Warlock Chest Armor

• 4 Mobility
• 28 Resilience
• 3 Recovery
• 6 Discipline
• 18 Intellect
• 8 Strength
• Total: 67

Warlocks definitely got the most interesting Exotic roll this week, with a low Mobility/Recovery and extremely high Resilience roll with nice stat totals to boot. The others range from mid to bad, so probably stay away from those.

Also, Cerberus +1 is always worth a laugh.

Exotic Weapons

Hawkmoon – Exotic Hand Cannon

• Paracausal Shot
• Polygonal Rifling
• Alloy Magazine
• Moving Target
• Polymer Grip

Hawkmoon’s roll this week is just alright. Grab it if you need it, but I gotta assume a better one is right around the corner.

Legendary Weapons

Timeline’s Vertex – Fusion Rifle

• Transmission MS7/Candle PS
• Enhanced Battery/Ionized Battery
• Lead From Gold
• Backup Plan
• Range Masterwork

Fire and Forget – Linear Fusion Rifle

• Chambered Compensator/Hammer-Forged Rifling
• Ionized Battery/Projection Fuse
• Headstone
• High-Impact Reserves
• Ambush
• Charge Time Masterwork

Jian 7 Rifle – Pulse Rifle

• SLO-12 Post/SLO-10 Post
• High-Caliber Rounds/Light Mag
• Firmly Planted
• Rampage
• Range Masterwork

Piece of Mind – Pulse Rifle

• Fluted Barrel/Polygonal Rifling
• Armor-Piercing Rounds/Light Mag
• Auto-Loading Holster
• Harmony
• Land Tank
• Stability Masterwork

Sojourner’s Tale – Shotgun

• Arrowhead Brake/Full Bore
• Assault Mag/Steady Rounds
• Tunnel Vision
• Frenzy
• Reload Speed Masterwork

Blood Feud – Submachine Gun

• Arrowhead Brake/Full Bore
• Extended Mag/Flared Magwell
• Triple Tap
• Elemenatal Capacitor
• Right Hook
• Range Masterwork

Temptation’s Hook – Sword

• Enduring Blade/Honed Edge/Jagged Edge
• Balanced Guard/Swordmaster’s Guard
• Tireless Blade
• Vorpal Weapon
• Impact Masterwork

My picks this week are Fire and Forget with Headstone and High-Impact Reserves, for a fairly spicy DPS machine, and the Jian 7 Rifle with Firmly Planted and Rampage, making it ideal for crouching somewhere to pick off enemies from afar.

Warlock Legendary Armor

For Warlocks, Xûr is selling the Wild Hunt set which includes:

Wild Hunt Gauntlets

• 10 Mobility
• 20 Resilience
• 2 Recovery
• 12 Discipline
• 10 Intellect
• 10 Strength
• Total: 64

Wild Hunt Chest Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 16 Resilience
• 6 Recovery
• 7 Discipline
• 10 Intellect
• 14 Strength
• Total: 63

Wild Hunt Helmet

• 2 Mobility
• 12 Resilience
• 18 Recovery
• 24 Discipline
• 7 Intellect
• 2 Strength
• Total: 65

Wild Hunt Leg Armor

• 2 Mobility
• 12 Resilience
• 20 Recovery
• 7 Discipline
• 14 Intellect
• 12 Strength
• Total: 67

Wild Hunt Bond

Warlocks have an absolutely fantastic roll on their boots, with a stat total of 67, super low Mobility, and high Recovery, you should definitely get these.

Titan Legendary Armor

For Titans, Xûr is selling the Wild Hunt set which includes:

Wild Hunt Gauntlets

• 2 Mobility
• 12 Resilience
• 20 Recovery
• 7 Discipline
• 14 Intellect
• 12 Strength
• Total: 67

Wild Hunt Chest Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 16 Resilience
• 6 Recovery
• 7 Discipline
• 10 Intellect
• 14 Strength
• Total: 63

Wild Hunt Helmet

• 2 Mobility
• 12 Resilience
• 18 Recovery
• 24 Discipline
• 7 Intellect
• 2 Strength
• Total: 65

Wild Hunt Leg Armor

• 2 Mobility
• 12 Resilience
• 20 Recovery
• 7 Discipline
• 14 Intellect
• 12 Strength
• Total: 67

Wild Hunt Mark

Titans have been graced with some absolutely stellar armor pieces this week, the best of which are the gauntlets and the boots, but honestly all of these could easily have a place in your collection. Amazing!

Hunter Legendary Armor

For Hunters, Xûr is selling the Wild Hunt set which includes:

Wild Hunt Gauntlets

• 2 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 28 Recovery
• 18 Discipline
• 11 Intellect
• 2 Strength
• Total: 63

Wild Hunt Chest Armor

• 17 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 14 Recovery
• 22 Discipline
• 10 Intellect
• 2 Strength
• Total: 67

Wild Hunt Helmet

• 2 Mobility
• 10 Resilience
• 22 Recovery
• 10 Discipline
• 7 Intellect
• 16 Strength
• Total: 67

Wild Hunt Leg Armor

• 2 Mobility
• 22 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 16 Intellect
• 16 Strength
• Total: 68

Wild Hunt Cloak

Somehow, Hunters might actually have the best armor this week with a roll on their boots that practically brings a tear to my eye. You could honestly buy this whole set and wind up with a pretty darn good armor set overall. Wild!

That’s a wrap on Xûr for this week, Guardians! What do you think of Season of the Witch so far? Let us know in the comments! For more on Destiny, check out our review of Destiny 2: Lightfall and read about how Sony’s purchase of Bungie fits into its larger plans.

Travis Northup is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @TieGuyTravis and read his games coverage here.

Payday 3 had a less-than-spectacular launch yesterday, as Starbreeze Studios’ first-person shooter was plagued with server issues. With the developer under scrutiny, the studio’s CEO has apologized for the issues.

In a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Starbreeze CEO Tobias Sjögren acknowledged the release day issues. “We are so sorry that the infrastructure didn’t hold up as expected, and although it’s impossible to prepare for every scenario – we should be able to do better,” Sjögren wrote. “We work tirelessly until we have restored all services and our players can get back to heisting again without issues!”

Less than 24 hours after acknowledging the issues with the server, Starbreeze posted on the official Payday account on X that the studio said that the server issues should be fixed now. Despite this, however, several users on Reddit are still reporting server issues.

While Payday 3 was officially released yesterday, it was available to some people early depending on which version they purchased. While the server issues were the subject of discussion yesterday and today, users who had access to the game three days early were also reporting issues with the servers, including Redditor firestep92, who wrote that two out of the three days the early access period was live, the servers were acting up.

In our review of Payday 3, which was awarded a 7 out of 10 on our review scale, IGN said, “Payday 3’s cooperative heists are off to a strong start, even if the vault is a bit bare at the moment.”

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.