Category: Gaming

It’s no secret I love Microsoft Flight Simulator. In fact, I reviewed Flight Simulator and gave it a 10. I couldn’t have imagined any other score for it at the time: I was completely blown away. But they keep making it better. Not only are they constantly improving the sim side of it, with physics tweaks and performance upgrades, but they just keep adding more and more content. It’s astounding.

Microsoft Flight Simulator Deal

Microsoft

Flight Simulator

This is the physical edition of the game for Xbox Series X. If you have a Series S or an Xbox One… this isn’t for you I’m afraid.

See on Amazon

This deal, which is incredible by the way, is for the physical Xbox Series X version. If you already have Game Pass, well, you already have Flight Sim, but if you don’t for some reason, and you want that sweet, sweet disc, you can snag this really excellent deal.

From a content to price perspective, it’s impossible to beat. You get the ENTIRE EARTH to explore. It’s amazing. The simulation aspect of it is incredible enough, but the ability to fly literally anywhere on Earth is what makes it a masterpiece. I still can’t believe it sometimes, even though I spend most of my time doing touch-and-goes at my local municipal airport.

I’ve been having a great time with the Top Gun Maverick content, which is far from a hollow Hollywood tie-in but is actually a set of really awesome challenges based on the movie. Landing on a carrier is, perhaps unsurprisingly, not easy.

They also just added the Pelican from Halo, and you would think that might feel out of place, but let me tell you something about Asobo Studios: they don’t half-ass anything when it comes to Flight Simulator. It’s amazing.

No idea how long this deal will be around, but if you’re in the market for a physical edition of one of the most technically astonishing games ever created, grab this one now.

Seth Macy is Executive Editor, IGN Commerce, and just wants to be your friend. You can find him hosting the Nintendo Voice Chat podcast.

Work has already started on Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3, which will cap off Square Enix’s trilogy when it’s released sometime after 2023.

Nomura confirmed that “some development has already begun” on the as-yet unnamed third title in a note following today’s livestream.

“I myself have started on the development and am working toward the completion of the series,” Nomura wrote in a two-part message on Twitter.

His note followed the first trailer for Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, which offered a glimpse of the anticipated follow-up to Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Square Enix also announced Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, a remake of the PSP spin-off slated to release on PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, and PC sometime this winter.

Nomura directed Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but is not helming Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth. He continues to be involved in the project as a creative director.

As for Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, it’ll be out in Winter 2023. And whatever the third part ends up being called? We’ll just have to see, though Nomura says that development has been “progressing rapidly” since the team “adopted a new development structure.” You can find his entire note below.

As I revealed on the brodcast, there are currently four Final Fantasy 7 projects being developed in parallel. Although each of the four titles plays a different role, they are all connected through the high-quality depiction of Final Fantasy 7’s world and characters. As somone who was involved with the development of each and every one of the original titles, I deeply understand the vision and thoughts behind each project, and I am actively involved in the development process for all four titles.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is being designed so that people can enjoy this game whether they know the original game or not. In fact, new players might even enjoy starting their Final Fantasy 7 journey with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Cloud and his friends embark on a new journey in this game, and I believe that the scenes that they witness after leaving Midgar will give players a fresh, new experience.

I can’t wait to share the intention behind naming the first title, “REMAKE,” and the second title, “REBIRTH.” In time, I hope to reveal what the third title will be call, and where this journey will ultimately lead.

The development of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has been progressing rapidly since we adopted a new development structure. A title of this scale in which everything is interconnected even before production began is truly rare. In fact, some development has already begun on the third title. I myself have started on the development and am working torwards the completion of the series.

We will work to deliver this title to fans with the same amount of enthusiasm from now until we reach the final line. In the meantime, please enjoy the other 25th anniversary projects that further expand the world of Final Fantasy 7.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Forza Motosport 8 is getting a number of exciting features including realtime ray tracing and an all-new career mode according to today’s Forza Monthly livestream.

The information comes from the game’s Creative Director, Chris Esaki. According to Esaki, the game will sport a full night and day cycle and varying weather forecasts for all tracks. These will only be enhanced by the game’s realtime ray tracing. These tracks, whether they’re new or returning, have been built from the ground up for this iteration of Forza.

The weather aspect will also determine how you drive affecting things like traction, grip and more. To make it even more dynamic, tires in-game have been drastically upgraded to include eight contact points. Forza Motorsport 7’s tires only included one, according to Esaki.

In terms of gameplay, players can expect an all new career mode and a racing weekend-style multiplayer with multiple steps to complete like practice, qualifiers, and the final races.

We got a peek a few days ago at the upcoming game during the Xbox Showcase. The trailer featured stunning cars on hyper-realistic tracks. The traile also had an emphasis on improved graphics, physics, and vehicle destruction.

There is currently no release date for Forza 8 other than sometime 2023. If you’re wanting to play the last game in the series while you wait, it was delisted last year. If you need a game to scratch that racing itch, though, check out Forza Horizon 5, which we awarded a 10 out of 10 in our review.

Casey is a freelance writer for IGN. You can usually find him talking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.

After conducting its own internal investigation, Activision Blizzard’s Board of Directors claims it has found ‘no evidence’ to suggest that its senior executives and its own members ignored or downplayed gender harassment. It’s also urging its shareholders to vote against an upcoming proposal to craft a report about its own efforts to prevent abuse and harassment.

In a new SEC filing, Activision Blizzard asserted:

“[T]he Board and its external advisors have determined that there is no evidence to suggest that Activision Blizzard senior executives ever intentionally ignored or attempted to downplay the instances of gender harassment that occurred and were reported. That work also has not unearthed any evidence, directly or indirectly, suggesting any attempt by any senior executive or employee to conceal information from the Board. Outside advisors, after exhaustive review, also determined the Board never intentionally ignored or attempted to downplay the instances of gender harassment that occurred and were reported.”

The initial complaint from the state of California, filed after a two-year-long investigation, accuses the company leadership of knowing about and failing to prevent numerous internal cultural issues. Subsequent reports and lawsuits have similarly included accusations that incidents were reported and either ignored or brushed aside with little meaningful consequences for the perpetrators. After the initial slate of allegations, over 20 employees had been fired as a result by the following October, and over 20 more had been otherwise disciplined.

Notably, Activision Blizzard’s committee response focuses specifically on harassment that “occurred and was reported” as defined by the company.

Sweeping allegations against Activision Blizzard

The internal investigation in question was first announced back in November, following a California lawsuit and a sweeping wave of allegations of abuse, harassment, and gender-related disparities at the company. Among them was the accusation that CEO Bobby Kotick knew of many of the issues at the company, but failed to take action. The Activision Blizzard board of directors backed Kotick in a statement at the time, saying it remained “confident that Bobby Kotick appropriately addressed workplace issues brought to his attention.”

As allegations mounted, the board established a Workplace Responsibility Committee to conduct its own internal investigation of the allegations. The committee was run by Activision independent director Dawn Ostroff, and fellow independent director Reveta Bowers also joined the committee. In April, five months after the investigation was announced, Lulu Cheng Meservey was added to the board and joined the committee.

The committee’s investigative work is said to have included reviewing “individual instances of harassment” as well as company policies and procedures, reviewing source documents such as employee emails and interviews, and conducting its own interviews of current and former employees.

The committee claims to have worked with “the assistance of external advisors” including law firms and “experts in workplace issues” to come to these conclusions, but has only named one specific external advisor in its report: Gilbert Casellas. Casellas is a former chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and his role in the investigation is said by Activision Blizzard to have involved reviewing data from investigated reports of gender harassment from across the US between 2016 and 2021.

From these, Casellas concluded that “there was no widespread harassment, pattern or practice of harassment, or systemic harassment at Activision Blizzard or at any of its business units during that timeframe. Mr. Casellas further concluded that, based on the volume of reports, the amount of misconduct reflected is comparatively low for a company the size of Activision Blizzard.”

No further detail was offered as to what specific elements of Activision Blizzard’s workplace culture Casellas was offered to look over as comparison points to reach this conclusion. IGN has reached out to Activision Blizzard to clarify who else was involved on this committee as well as what the nature of Casellas’ contribution was, and will update this article if a response is received.

Activision Blizzard’s conclusions about itself come ahead of an upcoming meeting of shareholders during which a number of measures will be voted on, including a shareholder proposal to prepare a report about its efforts to prevent abuse, harassment, and discrimination. Activision Blizzard is actively urging its shareholders to vote against the compilation of such a report.

It’s also discouraging shareholders from voting against a proposal for a director candidate to be added to the board that would be selected by Activision Blizzard’s non-management employees. The latter proposal was suggested, among other reasons, as “particularly beneficial in light of recent allegations regarding sexual misconduct at the Company. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick reportedly had known for years about alleged sexual assault at the Company but did not inform the Board.”

Finally, the company is advocating shareholders vote for approval of its executive compensation package, which includes reverting Kotick back to his $875,000 annual salary after he reduced it last October to $62,500 amidst calls for his resignation due to the allegations against him and the company. Kotick’s actual pay is typically significantly higher due to stock and numerous other bonuses and awards, though he opted out of several of these last year due to the work culture allegations as well as repeated criticism of his compensation package. Kotick remains eligible for several million in bonuses as early as July 18 if the board determines he has sufficiently made progress in improving the company’s culture.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Today at Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 25th Anniversary Celebration Livestream, the next installment in the Final Fantasy 7 universe, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, was revealed in a brand new trailer. Alongside that information, it was also revealed that Rebirth would be the second in what is now a three-part trilogy from Square Enix.

The trilogy situates itself in the greater Final Fantasy 7 Compilation with the newly announced Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, which will be out this winter. Final Fantasy 7 Remake stayed faithful to the original in many ways, but there were a number of changes that had fans both confused and intrigued for what’s to come.

In a separate message, Nomura said that development on Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 has already begun.

Today’s new trailer asks the question, “What is fact and what is fiction?” This points toward some of the larger narrative changes featured in the remake of the beloved 1997 JRPG. The trailer features more questions than answers as we see Cloud, with his trusty Buster Sword on his back, walking alongside Sephiroth on the outskirts of some mountains.

Final Fantasy 7 has announced a number of spin offs in recent years with Ever Crisis, a different kind of remake and Final Soldier, a battle royale. While we don’t have an exact date for the release of the trilogy’s second part, we do know it’s due next winter. Between now and then, eager players can delve deep into the story of Zack in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion.

Casey is a freelance writer for IGN. You can usually find him talking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.

Square Enix has revealed the first trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Part 2, and it is officially called Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

Revealed during Square Enix’s 25th Anniversary event for the original Final Fantasy 7, the second part in the company’s planned multi-part series will release next winter in 2023.

Rebirth appears to divert dramatically from the plot of Final Fantasy 7 where it was left off in Remake, in keeping with the ways in which Remake already indicated the sequence of events might not be the same as fans of the original remember. In the trailer, we got to see a lot of Crisis Core’s Zack Fair, for instance, who is supposed to have died at the end of the original Crisis Core but was set up for an appearance during Remake. Since we also got an announcement of a Crisis Core remake called Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 Reunion today, it’s likely we see all of these stories dovetail into something new and unexpected.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake was released in 2020 and delivers on the promise of bringing the classic RPG into the modern era. IGN reviewed Final Fantasy 7 Remake and gave it an 8 out of 10, calling it an exciting take on the classic while standing on its own as a great RPG. The game eventually got a PS5 upgrade, Intergrade, and a great DLC chapter, Intermission bridges the gap with the upcoming Part 2. The Intergrade addition was announced today for Steam on June 17 as well, and is compatible with Steam Deck.

Final Fantasy 7 has become a sub-series all of its own in recent years, with Ever Crisis (a remake in a very different form), Final Soldier (a mobile battle royale), and even more spin-offs promised. Square Enix is also working on Final Fantasy 16, as well as providing ongoing updates for Final Fantasy 14.

Casey is a freelance writer for IGN. You can usually find him talking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 is really real, with Zack in all his glory. Announced at today’s Final Fantasy 7 25th Anniversary stream, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion is planned for release on Xbox Series X and S, PS5, PS4, Switch, and PC sometime this winter.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion is a prequel to the original Final Fantasy 7, released for PSP in the west in 2008. The game gained unexpected new relevance when Final Fantasy 7 Remake seemed to include a shot-for-shot remake of Crisis Core’s ending, but drastically changed its outcome, seemingly setting up prequel protagonist Zack Fair for an appearance in the main games.

We caught another glimpse of Zack later during the show, too, as part of the trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, indicating that he’ll continue to have a greater role in the remake series as well as it seems to be shifting a number of the original game’s main story beats. With Final Fantasy 7 Remake now situated as a trilogy, Crisis Core Reunion seems to be positioned as a prequel to the new story the series is trying to tell.

In our original review, we awarded it an 8.5/10, saying “Crisis Core is a great PSP game — no question. It honors Final Fantasy VII’s legacy.”

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Fans of Returnal might get to see the spirit of the game live on in Housemarque’s next game. According to Video Game Chronicle, cut concepts of the game could find a home in the studio’s next IP.

Today VCG published a portion of an upcoming interview with Returnal narrative designer Eevi Korhonen. In the interview Korhonen spoke about how ambitious the bullet hell, roguelike shooter was and commented on the studio’s next steps.

“We dreamt super big, but we still had to leave so much on the cutting room floor. All of these ideas and narrative systems. I’m super excited to pick up those pieces and see how those fit our new IP story.”

“We didn’t quite have the handle on how big [Returnal] was going to be, building for a new platform on a new engine with a new team, all of those things require some learning. Now we have that team that has gone through the fire and learned how to build a game like Returnal. So now we get to start off stronger,” Korhonen told VGC.

Korhonen also said “it remains to be seen” if we’ll get to see more of the game’s hero, Selene. We’ve known since March that Housemarque’s next game won’t be a sequel to the award winning PS5 game. So, at the very least, Selene and all the creatures of Atropos are on hiatus for now.

If you haven’t dove into Returnal since its release, now is a great time to jump back in. In March, co-op capabilties as well as a new survival mode were added, though you can’t play the survival mode with a friend.

In our review, we loved Returnal’s gameplay, weapons, and challange, calling it “an incredible roguelike, and one of Housemarque’s best games to date.”

Casey is a freelance writer for IGN. You can usually find him talking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.

With a recent trailer at this year’s Xbox Games Showcase, and now a whole dedicated reveal event, it’s been a busy week of Overwatch 2 news. There’s so much new info about the Blizzard shooter sequel that it can be quite hard to take in all at once. That’s why we’ve distilled all the new details we’ve learnt here so you can easily see all you need to know:

1. Overwatch 2’s PvP is launching in early access on October 4th and will be free-to-play.

2. A Beta will also be launching on both PC and consoles on June 28th, with sign-ups starting June 16th.

3. A new hero – Junker Queen – and a new map – Rio de Janeiro – will both be playable in the upcoming Beta.

4. Crossplay and cross-progression will be available from launch in Overwatch 2.

5. Loot boxes will no longer exist in Overwatch, instead being replaced by seasonal battle passes. Each of these passes will have both free and premium rewards.

6. Weekly challenges will cycle in and out to provide extra XP boosts and a quicker way to climb the battle passes.

7. A store will also be available alongside the battle pass system.

8. Each of these seasons will last nine weeks and be themed.

9. Every season will bring with it either a new hero, map, or mode.

10. A new hero will join Overwatch 2 every other season, meaning every 18 weeks. That’s a similar cadence to when Overwatch first launched in 2016.

11. Three new heroes will join Overwatch 2 at launch – the damage hero Sojourn, recently revealed Junker Queen tank, and a currently unidentified support character.

12. Game director Aaron Keller told us that clues are in the reveal video. A turquoise spirit fox running towards a Torii gate is seen briefly in the reveal video. Could this be an ability of this mysterious support character?

13. Junker Queen’s origin story was revealed in a punk-infused animation that charted her rise to ruler of the lawless Junkertown.

14. She’s armed with an axe in one hand and a shotgun in the other, setting her up as an aggressive closer-quarters tank with attacks that drain enemies’ health and restore hers.

15. Her quick melee is not just a punch, but an attack that can inflict a wound on an enemy.

16. Her secondary fire is a throwable knife named Gracie that lodges into enemies and can then be recalled, dragging enemies towards her.

17. She also has an ability called Commanding Shout, that boosts the speed and armor of teammates around her.

18. Junker Queen’s ultimate is called Rampage, which creates a whirlwind of magnetised metal, dealing damage to any who stand in her path and preventing them from healing for a short period of time.

19. Other new heroes that will join the roster are a mix of ones we’ve previously seen glimpses of in story content and others we’ve never heard of.

20. Six new maps will also be included at launch. These look set to include locations such as Rome, New York, Toronto, Rio de Janeiro, Monaco and Portugal.

21. The reveal event gave us our first look at the Portugal map, complete with classical architecture and trademark Overwatch sci-fi touches. It’s another map for the new Push mode.

22. More than 30 new skins will be added to the cosmetics pool on October 4th also. Including a brand new “mythic” skin.

23. Mythic skins are a new cosmetic that are a level higher than legendary. They are individually customisable and we are shown a cyberpunk-looking Genji skin during the reveal event.

Overwatch 2 – Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase 2022

24. New cosmetic items such as weapon charms and player banners will also be available.

25. Previously existing maps have been tweaked to accommodate the game’s shift to 5v5 from 6v6. These tweaks include changes to pieces of cover or moving a door from where it used to be.

26. All maps have also gone through a makeover with new lighting and shadows resulting in a global glow-up, and the option to now play some maps at both day and night time.

27. Ambient sound has been recorded from real world locations to give their respective Overwatch 2 map’s an extra layer of authenticity.

28. Overwatch 2’s Competitive Mode is being revamped in Competitive 2.0, which includes reworked scoreboards and the ability to see a more detailed breakdown of your performance after each match.

29. Competitive skill ratings will no longer be presented as hard numbers, but instead players will be placed in smaller tiers within broader ranks depending on their performance level.

30. Overwatch 2 will support home theatre and Dolby Atmos setups, as well as take advantage of 3D audio features on console.

31. New voice lines and conversations have been recorded between all of the heroes. In total, 25,000 voice lines have been written for Overwatch 2.

32. Season 2 will begin on December 6 and includes a new tank hero, new map, 30+ skins, a new mythic skin and battle pass.

33. Throughout 2023, new seasons will arrive alongside new heroes, maps and modes, over 100 skins and the arrival of Overwatch 2’s PvE.

34. PvE maps will arrive as seasonal content and move the story of Overwatch forward.

35. The story centres around the return of Null Sector and members of the Original Overwatch team requiring help from the younger generation.

And that’s everything new that we’ve learned about Overwatch 2 this week. Be sure to stick with IGN for regular updates on the sequel ahead of its launch on October 4th 2022.

Simon Cardy absolutely cannot wait to get lost in this game again. Follow him on Twitter at @CardySimon.