With Hollow Knight: Silksong’s huge launch in full swing, community debate about its qualities and flaws has gone back and forth, with some players insisting their criticisms about things like the game's difficulty are valid and shouldn’t be instantly dismissed as "hate."
Silksong launched over six years after it was announced amid huge excitement, and early indications are that it’s a critical and commercial success. At the time of this article’s publication, the Steam concurrent player count was over half a million, with English language user reviews sat on a ‘Very Positive’ rating.
However, as more players work their way through the game, some are expressing criticism across social media, subreddits, Discords, and Steam reviews. Most of this criticism revolves around Silksong’s difficulty scaling, which is causing players problems, and brutal runbacks. There’s even one very early miniboss causing a lot of players a whole heap of trouble, too.
“Is it just me, or are some of the things that make Silksong ‘difficult’ just cruel?” wondered redditor Machi-Ato.
“The game has artificially inflated difficulty and playtime due to overtuned numbers and menial tasks/runback,” reads a post on Steam.
It’s the reaction to these sorts of criticisms that has sparked a debate within the gaming community. Take that Steam post, for example. “Maybe you just got older and your skills have declined,” is the first response.
I love reading the negative reviews of Silksong because its just people complaining the game is too hard and doesn't baby them pic.twitter.com/65Fv9lBtAx
“It’s okay that Silksong is hard,” declared redditor jacked-deMamp in a thread upvoted 1,400 times. “It’s already getting old seeing that every other post online about this game is someone complaining about the difficulty, especially when there are so many incredible things to talk about like the quest system and the new mechanics.
“The amount of love Team Cherry put into this game is insane and you can feel it when you play, I wish people would get over the fact that it’s challenging because there’s nothing you can do about it other than get better. The game is finally out, and it’s hard - just like the original. I personally love that the mechanics are so different and require a lot of learning again, because after playing hundreds of hours of HK I didn’t want to just breeze through Silksong.
“I think we just need to realize the game is the way it is and cherish these early days with a very special piece of art. It’s okay to get frustrated but don’t make those feelings overshadow how great of an experience this game is.”
This sentiment has pushed the debate even further, with some players pushing back against the "git gud" and "skill issue" comments to insist it's perfectly fine to point out flaws in Silksong, however, beloved and important a release it may be.
“Criticism isn't hate,” countered redditor bboy2812 in a thread upvoted 5,200 times. “Most of the criticism I've seen on here and the Steam discussions is consistently dismissed as hate. Bad rosary economy, insane difficulty scaling, very few meaningful unlocks/upgrades, runbacks, locked into fighting bosses, contact damage stacking with normal hits, etc.
“The only ‘hate’ I've seen are from people who spam ‘git gud’ and ‘skill issue’ whenever they encounter valid complaints against their perfect little game that cannot possibly have anything wrong with it.”
If this sounds familiar, it’s perhaps because we’ve been through this sort of debate multiple times before with FromSoftware’s Souls games. The typical ‘Souls Cycle’ usually kicks off with adulation, followed by complaints the game is too hard, then more insight into why they’re too hard, then the ‘git gud’ accusations. Silksong, it seems, is following the same path.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
On Sept. 27, 2005, Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight was published. Of course, a novel that spurred a cultural movement like people wearing Team Jacob and Team Edward shirts in public deserves a celebration.
While we learned several weeks ago that the Twilight Saga will be returning to theaters in October, anyone tempted by the fall weather to start a rewatch sooner rather than later is in luck: The entire Twilight Saga is streaming for free on YouTube all week long.
The Twilight Saga Is Streaming for Free on YouTube This Week
The Twilight Saga will kick off on Lionsgate’s official Twilight YouTube channel on September 7 at 12:00pm PT and stream on repeat through September 14 at 11:59pm PT. In case you somehow forgot, here’s the full lineup of Twilight movies in order:
Twilight (2008)
Twilight: New Moon (2009)
Twilight: Eclipse (2010)
Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011)
Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012)
Yes, the sequels really did come out like annual Call of Duty releases. By my math, it takes a little over 10 hours to watch all five movies, meaning the week-long stream will include at least 14 full runthroughs. You can tune in and tune out as you please.
I vividly remember witnessing the Supermassive Black Hole baseball scene for the first time. While the Twilight movies aren’t necessarily the most complex cinematic experience, as someone who grew up with them, of course there’s an emotional attachment. Particularly to the soundtracks, which I stand by as absolutely fire.
The free streaming option is especially helpful as you won't be able to find the Twilight movies on any streaming service. I know, right as we head into true Twilight season. They occasionally rotate onto Hulu or Peacock, but with no guarantees. If you'd rather watch them on your own time, I'd check out the endless amount of versions on DVD and Blu-ray.
20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition Books Also Up for Preorder, Now With a Discount
We’re celebrating the anniversary of the original Twilight novel, so it’s not just all about the movies. A new hardcover collector’s edition set of all five Twilight novels (including Midnight Sun, not two different Breaking Dawns), is releasing on September 30. The collection features a “vintage-inspired” floral design and comes in a box with an artistic rendering of Edward and Bella in their meadow.
Now here is something cool. YouTube’s ‘Cycu1’ has shared a video in which he compares the original, Fox Engine Remake, and Unreal Engine 5 Remake of Metal Gear Solid 3. So, let’s take a look at it. For those who did not know, Konami has remade a lot of the MGS3 cut-scenes in Fox Engine. … Continue reading Metal Gear Solid 3 – Original vs Fox Engine Remake vs Unreal Engine 5 Remake→
Nightdive Studios says System Shock 2's multiplayer was 'so hard to get working' for modern platforms, but you should still 'probably play it in singleplayer first to get the true experience'
Yesterday, we shared a fan remake demo for Rayman 3. Well, Rayman fans, we have more exciting news for you today. A team of artists is also working on a fan remake of Rayman 2, and has shared a demo for it that you can download right now. As the team noted, the demo is … Continue reading Rayman 2 Fan Remake Demo Available for Download→
Paradox Interactive and The Chinese Room have shared the official PC system requirements for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. So, let’s see what PC system you’ll need to run it. PC gamers will at least need an Intel Core i3-8350K or AMD Ryzen 3 3300X with 8GB of RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX … Continue reading Official PC requirements for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2→
Ryan Reynolds has finally admitted he personally leaked the Deadpool test footage back in 2014 that directly led to 20th Century Fox approving an R-rated movie based on what was then considered a “fringe” comic book character.
While this won’t come as much of a surprise to fans, Reynolds came clean at the Toronto International Film Festival this week, as reported by Entertainment Weekly, saying he was “grateful that I did the wrong thing in that moment."
While Deadpool is now one of the most popular characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with last year’s Deadpool & Wolverine earning over a billion dollars at the global box office, Reynolds struggled to convince executives at 20th Century Fox to give him the adult-oriented standalone Deadpool movie he so craved, after portraying Wade Wilson / Weapon XI in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
CGI test footage, produced by filmmaker Tim Miller in 2012 to show what a live-action, R-rated Deadpool movie would look like, emerged online in 2014, three years after Reynolds had played Hal Jordan in the disastrous Green Lantern movie.
It features the ‘Merc with a mouth’ in full adult-oriented wise-cracking mode, breaking the fourth wall and the bones of bad guys throughout. Fans loved it, strong-arming 20th Century Fox into giving the thumbs up to a Deadpool film in all its R-rated glory.
"Yes, I cheated a little, but I think I was onto something that people would be interested in," Reynolds said at TIFF, over a decade later. “And I'm grateful that I listened to that instinct, and I'm grateful that I did the wrong thing in that moment."
Indeed! 2016’s Deadpool made nearly $800 million at the box office, as did the sequel, 2018’s Deadpool 2. 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, which brought both characters into the MCU, made a whopping $1.3 billion. It is the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.
"I'd shot test footage for it a couple years before, and the studio just didn't want anything to do with it," Reynolds explained. "And Deadpool's a fringe character. People didn't really know who he was, and I loved him. I was obsessed with it because I loved that he knew he was in a comic book movie. It was kind of meta, it was kind of new. But the test footage existed, and it really was a case study of how this could work. And they just wouldn't do anything with it."
Then, finally, the truth: "Some a**hole leaks it online and I'm like, you know, looking at the guy in the mirror brushing my teeth. And I'm like, 'Dude, what have you done? This could be punishable by law!' But the internet forced the studio to say, 'We're gonna make this movie,' and 24 hours later, that movie had a green light."
The question now is, will Reynolds reprise his role as Deadpool in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday, or in a potential Deadpool 4? Deadpool reportedly will turn up in Doomsday in some fashion, although not as a member of the Avengers. While Marvel Studios has yet to make an announcement, Reynolds has also teased his return.
In May it was reported that Reynolds was in the "early stages" of trying to bring a Deadpool and X-Men movie to life. As reported by THR, Reynolds' idea for this ensemble film would feature Deadpool, but not as the main character. Instead, he would share the spotlight with three of four other X-Men characters. In fact, it was said Reynolds wants these other characters to take center stage so they can be "used in unexpected ways."
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Prime Video’s Fallout is returning for its much-anticipated second season on December 17, 2025, and fans around the world can’t wait to see how the show brings New Vegas to life. While we have to wait a little longer to see if they can live up to the heights we felt playing Fallout: New Vegas, we’ve decided to help with the wait by looking at who the big players will be in these new episodes.
From returning favorites like Ella Purnell’s Lucy, Walton Goggins’ Ghoul, and the goodest girl Dogmeat (!), to new faces like Justin Theroux’s Mr. House and a ‘crazy genius-type character’ played by Macaulay Culkin, here are all the biggest characters that we know or can see returning to the wasteland for Season 2.
Ella Purnell’s Lucy MacLean is one of the main characters of Prime Video’s Fallout, and that won’t change in Season 2, as one of the final shots of the first season featured her, the Ghoul, and Dogmeat following the trail of Lucy’s father, Hank, toward New Vegas.
She is still reeling from the truth about her father and his responsibility for the thousands of lives lost in Shady Sands, and her mother turning into a ghoul. Oh yeah, and she had to mercy-kill her mother; tough stuff.
Walton Goggins as Cooper Howard / The Ghoul
Walton Goggins’ Ghoul will be back for Season 2 in a big way, as we last left him with Lucy and Dogmeat heading to New Vegas in pursuit of Lucy’s father, Hank MacLean.
The Ghoul, who was once known as a famous Hollywood actor named Cooper Howard, actually met Hank over 200 years ago when he was a Vault-Tec executive. He was also the one who helped convince Lucy to let Hank go so they could follow him and hopefully find out who was really behind the Great War.
Dogmeat
The beloved Dogmeat, also known as CX404 and Four, was seen with Lucy and the Ghoul at the end of Season 1, and will be back in Season 2. We couldn’t be happier, because she is just the best.
Aaron Moten as Maximus
Aaron Moten’s Maximus is part of the Brotherhood of Steel, and has been building a very strong relationship with Lucy, even though they aren’t together following the events of Season 1. Maximus was knocked out by Hank after he donned Power Armor, and awakens to see that almost everyone has left him.
However, Moldaver is still around and had only a few moments to live. In one of her final acts, she activated the cold fusion reactor and brought power back to Los Angeles in a pivotal moment. Before she died, Moldaver warned Maximus of the dangers of the Brotherhood. When Dane finds the pair, he assumes Maximus killed her, promoting Maximus to a Knight despite his internal fears of the future and his place in it.
Kyle MacLachlan as Hank MacLean
Hank MacLean is Lucy’s father, and one of the main ‘missions’ of the first season involved Lucy trying to rescue him. However, Hank has a much darker past than Lucy could have ever believed, as he was integral both to the loss of thousands of lives during the bombing of Shady Sands, and Lucy’s mother, Rose, becoming a ghoul.
We last see Hank in Power Armor being held at gunpoint by Lucy, who doesn’t end up shooting him. The Ghoul does attempt to shoot him in the back, but Hank escaped after knocking Maximus out, heading to New Vegas with Lucy, the Ghoul, and Dogmeat hot on his trail.
Moisés Arias as Norm MacLean
Norm is Lucy’s brother and Hank’s son, and he is the one who discovers that Vault 31 has been secretly storing the cryogenically frozen Vault-Tec employees from before the Great War, including his father.
He was last seen with Bud (Michael Esper), who won’t let him leave this vault because he now knows too much. He is given the option to be put to sleep so he wouldn’t starve, but we have yet to learn his fate.
Justin Theroux as Mr. House
Despite Rafi Silver’s cameo as Dr. Robert House in Season 1, The Leftovers’ Justin Theroux will be playing House in Season 2 of Fallout. This is a very important character, and in a trailer for Season 2, we learn the Ghoul actually met him in Las Vegas before the war and that he claimed he was the main cause for the end of the world.
This is a big deal for fans of Fallout: New Vegas, as Mr. House also played a big role in the game.
Macaulay Culkin
Home Alone’s Macaulay Culkin has joined the cast of Prime Video’s Fallout as a yet-unnamed character. However, it has been reported that he will be playing a “crazy genius-type character.”
Frances Turner as Barb Howard
Barb Howard is the ex-wife of the Ghoul / Cooper Howard, and was a well-respected executive of Vault-Tec. We learn more about her story via flashbacks, including one where she suggests a nuke should be used to please the company’s shareholders. The Ghoul is still searching for his family, so we probably haven’t seen the last of Barb.
Sarita Choudhury as Lee Moldaver
Lee Moldaver led the forces of the New California Republic and kidnapped Lucy’s father, Hank. We learn that her biggest mission (with Lucy’s mom, Rose) was to bring clean and unlimited energy to the world; she was able to use the cold fusion generator to bring that dream to Los Angeles.
The dream had a price, however, as she was shot and killed in the final moments of Season 1. Considering Moldaver has a long history in this world that predates the Great War, there is a good chance we still may see her in flashbacks in the new episodes.
It looks like Bethesda has begun teasing new content for Starfield, after fans spotted a hidden message in a social media video released to celebrate the game’s two-year anniversary.
The video, below, starts off innocently enough, but soon the tone of the music shifts and the image becomes garbled. Clearly, there’s a tease in there somewhere!
Celebrating two incredible years in the #Starfield. 🌌
Thank you to everyone who has explored the Settled Systems with us. We look forward to the adventures yet to come. pic.twitter.com/AeWN8DVlO2
And indeed there is. It didn’t take long for Starfield fans to arrange the frames in such a way to form the words ‘Terran Armada,’ which has sent the game’s community down a rabbit hole of speculation.
The most obvious suggestion is Terran Armada is the name of Starfield’s long-awaited second expansion. If so, it suggests a DLC that revolves around Earth, people who left Earth, or people who still are on Earth. Some are speculating that Terran Armada, if this does in fact relate to DLC, will be about the return ships that left Earth at some point in the past, perhaps a fleet of generation ships. Another popular theory is that the Terrans are the name of a new enemy faction of survivors left on Earth after its destruction, which could evoke Mad Max vibes.
In Starfield, Earth became a barren, uninhabitable wasteland after its magnetosphere collapsed in 2203, leading to the dissipation of its atmosphere and the evacuation of humanity. The collapse was a direct consequence of the invention and widespread use of the Grav Drive, a technology enabling faster-than-light travel. The planet is now exposed to dangerous solar and cosmic radiation and is covered in toxic vents and impact craters, with no signs of life.
Or perhaps Terran Armada isn’t DLC 2 after all, and instead is a stop-gap update designed to tide fans over until the promised second expansion finally materializes.
Whatever this is, clearly Starfield fans who have stuck with the game since its launch in 2023 are chomping at the bit. Apart from vague words of reassurance, Bethesda has remained tight-lipped on the future of Starfield, only recently teasing improvements to space travel.
“We've waited 11 months for a three-second screen that changed colors and revealed a few letters of a broken up word (and we're probably gonna have to wait another 4-6 months for anything more),” said redditor Elkupalos. “We're beyond starved at this point haha. Next trailer or update of actual substance is gonna hit us fans like a nuke.”
Last month, Bethesda confirmed improvements to Starfield space gameplay “to make the travels there more rewarding” after datamined fragments of code suggested the developer had a more streamlined space travel experience in the works. Based on this datamine, while you may be able to travel between planets within the same system, you won’t be able to fly all the way between systems, nor fly directly from a planet's surface into orbit, like No Man's Sky.
In a new video discussing his career, veteran Bethesda developer Tim Lamb confirmed that the studio had been working on Starfield’s space gameplay, and that a new DLC story was still coming at some point.
“I think as it comes to Starfield, I'm really excited for players to see what the teams have been working on,” he said. “We have some cool stuff coming, including free updates and features the players have been asking for, as well as a new DLC story.
“I can't go into all the details just yet, but I will say part of the team has been focused on space gameplay to make the travels there more rewarding. We're also adding some new game systems, and a few other smaller delights. There's also some really interesting stuff coming down the pipe from our verified creators. There's some fun stuff.
“I just want to say thanks. We really appreciate the support and the enthusiasm. We can't wait to get it into the hands of our players.”
Starfield launched in September 2023 as Bethesda’s first brand new IP in 25 years, but it was not as well received as the studio’s previous games in the Fallout and The Elder Scrolls franchises, and the Shattered Space expansion, released a year later in September 2024, has a ‘mostly negative’ user review rating on Steam.
Starfield went on to reach 15 million players, but the question of whether Bethesda might walk away from the game to focus on its other franchises has been a running theme since release. In June 2024, Bethesda insisted it remained committed to supporting Starfield, and confirmed at least one other story expansion would come out following Shattered Space. And in an interview with YouTube channel MrMattyPlays, Bethesda Game Studios’ Todd Howard said the developer was aiming to release an annual story expansion for “hopefully a very long time.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
We've rounded up the best deals for Saturday, September 6, below, so don't miss out on these limited-time offers.
Score an Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 for $79.99
The Xbox Elite Series controllers are some of the best you can buy, and this weekend, Woot has a reconditioned Series 2 controller available for $79.99. Often, these factory reconditioned units only come with a few scratches and otherwise act as a brand-new controller. This is the best way to score a premium controller without shelling out a few hundred dollars.
Save on Superman 4K Blu-ray
Amazon has the Superman 4K Blu-ray on sale for $29.95 today. Released in theaters this past July, Superman introduces David Corenswet as the titular hero, who is set a few years into the life of being Superman. If you're looking for a refreshing a fun comic book film to watch this Summer, there's no better option than this.
Save on the Magic: The Gathering - Final Fantasy Commander Deck Bundle
This Magic: The Gathering - Final Fantasy Commander Deck Bundle packs in all 4 decks available, and you can save over $100 this weekend at Amazon. The Final Fantasy collaboration was the biggest in history for MTG, with sets sold out everywhere around launch. If you've held out on starting your MTG journey, this is the perfect set to jump in with.
LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle for $136.99
LEGO sets have continued to get more expensive over the years, especially those with more pieces. This 2,660 piece set was the very first set to model Hogwarts Castle and its grounds, making this the perfect gift for any Harry Potter fan.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater for $52.38
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is set to finally release this week after years of anticipation. The remake of Metal Gear Solid 3 is $52.38 at Fanatical right now, so PC players can save almost $18 off ahead of launch. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, "Between its old-school stealth-action gameplay and engaging spy-thriller story, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater largely succeeds as a faithful, visually impressive remake of the 2004 classic."
LEGO Technic BMW M 1000 RR for $198
Walmart has the LEGO Technic BMW M 1000 RR set available for $198, which is over $50 off. This set recreates the motorcycle with 1:5 scale, featuring a total of 1920 pieces. If you've been looking for a new addition to your LEGO setup, this set can be a great option.
Pre-Order Cyberpunk: Edgerunners on Blu-ray
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is finally coming to Blu-ray, and now is your chance to take home this beloved anime. This Complete Blu-ray Box Set includes all ten episodes of the anime across three discs, a special booklet, a storyboard booklet, three animation cel sheets, and a two year anniversary poster. Currently, this set is set to ship out starting on October 23.
New Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Edition Up for Pre-Order
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been one of the most popular games of the year, with physical copies continuing to sell out from time to time at retailers like Amazon. This week, Amazon revealed a new exclusive Mirror Edition, which packs in three different art cards, a Steelbook, and a copy of the game. If you've yet to experience Sandfall Interactive's hugely popular game, this is the perfect time to pick up a copy.
LEGO Horizon Adventures for $21.99
Woot has LEGO Horizon Adventures for PS5 on sale for $21.99 this weekend. As one of the more recent LEGO games, this is a really solid deal for those who haven't yet had a chance to pick up this one up. In our 7/10 review, we wrote, "Lego Horizon Adventures reimagines Horizon Zero Dawn with a playful Lego twist, simplifying the story while keeping the heart of its key moments and characters."
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma for $59.99
You can save $10 off Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, which launched alongside Nintendo Switch 2 in June. The Nintendo Switch 2 physical copy includes the full game on the cartridge, and you can even play the Nintendo Switch version as well. Don't miss your chance to jump into this new adventure at a discount!
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