Author Archives: Ryan McCaffrey

Alan Wake is back and we are incredibly excited. Will this lead to the long-awaited sequel? We discuss… Plus: it’s time to give Psychonauts 2 its flowers after an incredible journey that began in the early days of the original Xbox, so we do just that on this episode. Also: Miranda’s “meh” reaction to Call of Duty: Vanguard’s multiplayer beta, and more!

Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our new YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 download of this week’s episode. For more awesome content, check out our Halo Infinite Flight performance preview, which does a deep-dive tech analysis on the still-in-development slice of Halo Infinite multiplayer:

Oh, and you can be featured on Unlocked by tweeting us a video Loot Box question! Tweet your question and tag Ryan at @DMC_Ryan!

For more next-gen coverage, make sure to check out our Xbox Series X review, our Xbox Series S review, and our PS5 review.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Spectre developers Jordan Crawford and Fred Toms first met while working at a restaurant together in their teenage years. They bonded quickly over video games – and one game in particular: Splinter Cell. The duo would make Splinter Cell jokes to other employees and introduce themselves to restaurant guests as ‘Sam Fisher’.” After decades as friends and a COVID-induced separation, the two veteran developers, who have each worked in the industry separately, decided to form Symbiosis Games together, “a nod to our symbiotic relationship,” Toms said. “Jordan is a very artistic and visual person, while I am absolutely the opposite of that.”

Their minds kept coming back to Splinter Cell, a beloved franchise that, outside of a few Fisher cameos in other Ubisoft titles, has laid dormant since 2013’s Splinter Cell Blacklist. “We thought, ‘What better way to introduce Symbiosis Games to the world with a game that features deep-seeded teamwork and partnership, heavily inspired by the glory days of our favourite franchise?’” Toms told IGN. And so Spectre was born.

It is a multiplayer game, for now (more on that later) – a spiritual rebirth of Spies vs. Mercs, since Ubisoft has shown no interest in making it themselves. As a fellow Splinter Cell die-hard, I was eager to learn more about the pair’s ambitious project. I had to start by asking a key question: Which version of Spies vs. Mercs is their favorite? Pandora Tomorrow, Chaos Theory, or Blacklist? “Jordan and I strongly agree here,” Toms began. “It’s Chaos Theory. The level design, particularly Aquarius, was outstanding. We both feel like Blacklist steered the Spies Vs Mercs genre, if you can call it a genre, away from what made it really special. When you were a spy in Chaos Theory, stealth was exhilarating. Watching an unsuspecting Mercenary from afar and surreptitiously planning your next move was thrilling. I feel like Blacklist took some of that magic away by making the spies a lot deadlier and making the gameplay a lot faster. I feel like it removed some of that classic, slower-paced, nail-biting experience that stealth games used to offer. We aim to have that feeling return in Spectre.”

The multiplayer gaming landscape has changed a lot since Spies vs. Mercs’s heyday, so what, I was curious, makes Symbiosis optimistic that Spectre will find a dedicated audience and that the project will be successful? “A huge benefit we have is that we are a very small team,” Toms said. “Symbiosis Games is Jordan and I, two guys, although we do have a small team of contractors who work with us. But success for us means that if we are supported by that small pool of SvM-loving, devoted fans, then we’ve arrived at success. Our very lean, indie approach to Spectre means that we don’t need to experience AAA sales like the bigger companies do.”

“Hardware and software advancements aside,” Crawford answered, “I think one massive benefit that we’ve seen has been the community involvement and support. From the get go, we were able to tap into a wealth of SvM experience via our Discord community members who have been waiting around for a very long time, and who have a lot of valuable input.

“Another benefit that will work in our favour is post-launch support. With technology today, it’s just a lot easier to deploy.”

Symbiosis says its current plan is to include three maps, two training missions (one per side – which, by the way, are referred to as Spectres and Reapers here in place of Spies and Mercenaries), and two modes. Expect seven gadgets per side along with a progression system and an ability system of sorts called “Edges” that give extra, seemingly temporary, perks. And teammates can combine their Edges for greater effect. For example, the guys told me, “one of our Edges is ‘Ohm’s Naw’. It’s an Edge deployed by the Reapers that reduces the amount of time they spend in a shocked state.

In trying to bring Spies vs. Mercs back successfully, Toms says he and Crawford have had to be careful about clinging too closely to the past. “A lot of our fans remember Chaos Theory with rose tinted glasses,” he said. “It’s an incredible game, even to this day, but we couldn’t release that today. The entire experience needed a huge overhaul to bring it up to modern day standards. This approach has been infused into every aspect of Spectre. We do, however, wear our inspirations very much on our sleeves.”

While Symbiosis plans a PC release by the end of the year, the team called Spectre “a perfect fit for PC and Xbox,” and added, “We very much hope to see Spectre on the Xbox Series X, hopefully as a Game Pass offering. We think that the Xbox Game Pass service is exceptional. With a bit of luck and some hard work, we’re hoping to release to both platforms simultaneously. We also can’t wait to see Spectre on the new Steam Deck!”

Toms and Crawford also fully intend to react to their community once the game is out, and they’re planning plenty more post-launch content. “Truly, we’re hoping that SPECTRE’s release just begins to scratch the surface of what it eventually becomes,” they said.

I couldn’t help but conclude by asking about the other Sam Fisher-sized elephant in the room: a single-player campaign. “We have discussed this!” Toms told me. “If Spectre takes off, we would be absolutely thrilled to offer single-player content. We’re not sure what that would look like quite yet, but the notion is really exciting.”

If you’re interested in Spectre, you can wishlist it on Steam.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Startup developer Poorly Timed Games, which is headed up by Destiny veteran Chris Wright, has announced its first game: Grim Tranquility, an isometric-view roguelite tactical RPG that’s coming soon to PC via Steam.

In Grim Tranquility, the story goes that humanity has exhausted the earth of habitability, and so people must venture out into space and find a new home somewhere in the stars. Naturally, a hostile alien empire they encounter isn’t too keen on allowing that to happen, and conflict ensues. Check out the announcement trailer above and the first screenshots in the gallery below.

Climate change, bureaucratic corruption, and environmental damage fuel the story and Grim Tranquility’s procedural gameplay. Poorly Timed Games says you’ll be able to “upgrade primitive Earth weapons, recruit new members with enhanced abilities, and influence alien officials with bribes for beneficial buffs or overthrow them in high stakes boss battles.”

Poorly Timed is based out of Redmond, Washington, and boasts a diverse group of developers. Wishlist Grim Tranquility on Steam and look for more on it at PAX West this weekend.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Today, XCOM developer Firaxis Games unveiled a look at gameplay for their upcoming tactical RPG, Marvel’s Midnight Suns. As you can see in the gameplay reveal trailer above, it is not simply “Marvel’s XCOM.” Instead, when it is released in March 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch, it will play much differently than Firaxis’s previous games.

For a deeper dive into the gameplay, check out the six-minute narrated gameplay walkthrough video below. In it, you’ll get a better look at the playing card/deck-based combat (these are superheroes, after all – they don’t miss attacks!) as well as the relationship-forging side of Midnight Suns that takes place in the Abbey.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns includes a large variety of heroes from across the Marvel universe, including The Avengers, the X-Men, the Runaways, and more. You’ll play as the Hunter, a completely customizable hero who is canon in the Marvel universe. You must unite heroes like Iron Man, Wolverine, Ghost Rider, and many more in an effort to stop the newly awakened Lilith, the Mother of Demons and also mother of your Hunter character.

Check out the first gameplay screens below:

For even more gameplay video, tune in to the game’s official website on September 7 for the next gameplay deep-dive. And if you missed the announcement (and announcement trailer) for Midnight Suns, check that out on IGN.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.