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JACKY BAYILI
Multilateralism and global partnership are critical to building a new world order that will ensure people reach the future they desire, agreed the attendees of a top-level international forum in Conghua district of Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, Monday.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced on Tuesday it will soon unveil a new round of relief measures, one day after the city recorded its biggest plunge in retail sales.
I just spent a week in Hong Kong, and luckily, it was peaceful. Radical protesters had called off violence for the previous weekend in order to "ensure" that the District Council elections would not be canceled. As a result, things were normal on the ground. However, as has been typical for the past few months, in the following weekend, things quickly sparked up again.
The government's proposal to create an Independent Review Committee to find why and how the violent protests happened and what to do in their aftermath would be a step in the right direction if Hong Kong is to move on, Lan Kwai Fong Holdings Chairman Allan Zeman said.
Although sentencing is an art and not a science, there are occasions when the duty of the courts is crystal clear. Public disorder is an obvious example of the type of criminality which invariably requires a firm response. As the Court of Final Appeal explained in its judgment in an unlawful assembly appeal in 2018, "public order must be maintained", and this requires the judges "to consider the factor of deterrence in sentencing" (FACC 8/2017).
Civil servants convicted of criminal offenses will face not only the legal consequences but also disciplinary action from the government, Hong Kong's civil servant chief said on Wednesday.
A United States senator from Florida, Marco Rubio, has pushed and prodded his colleagues with misleading information, gained bipartisan support, and finally managed to obtain unanimous Senate approval of his benignly named Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019.
The pro-establishment camp's defeat in the District Council Election is not entirely unexpected. Notwithstanding the common-sense presumption that most Hong Kong citizens are opposed to the street violence, property destruction and transportation disruption wreaked upon our once-safe and orderly society by the "blackshirts" in the past six months, there was a reliable opinion survey before the election showing that 40 percent of the citizens actually support their anarchy! With such deviant thinking, what can you expect!
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government should make no further concessions to violence, but must resist it with all the means at its disposal, the city's former director of public prosecutions said on Tuesday at a legal forum on the ongoing social unrest in Hong Kong.
On Wednesday, both houses of the United States Congress passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act - a bill designed to implement sanctions on officials and rescind the city's "special status" if Washington deems certain requirements are not met. Sponsored and pushed by hawkish senators such as Marco Rubio, the bill is expected to be signed by President Donald Trump, despite his personal ambivalence and unwillingness to get involved on the issue. The legislation is expected to cause disruption to US-China relations, with Beijing condemning it as a violation of national sovereignty and intervention in its internal affairs.
MADRID - Cristiano Ronaldo set yet another Champions League record on Wednesday, scoring in Real Madrid's 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund to become the first player to find the net in all six group-stage matches.
MADRID - Cristiano Ronaldo set yet another Champions League record on Wednesday, scoring in Real Madrid's 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund to become the first player to find the net in all six group-stage matches.
MADRID - Cristiano Ronaldo set yet another Champions League record on Wednesday, scoring in Real Madrid's 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund to become the first player to find the net in all six group-stage matches.
MADRID - Cristiano Ronaldo set yet another Champions League record on Wednesday, scoring in Real Madrid's 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund to become the first player to find the net in all six group-stage matches.
Over the years, what defines a game as the “action” category has gotten more ambiguous than ever, as many games now include aspects of multiple core genres. However, one thing remains certain – games in this category give the player a polished, exciting experience. So, what is this list all about? This isn’t a Top 10 Action Games of All Time list or a Top 10 Action Games of a Generation list. Instead, we’re tackling this one from the angle of what’s important, what’s incredible, and what’s fantastic right now. As in today. This week. This month. So when you don’t see a Dark Souls game on this list, that’s why even though I’d recommend a fresh playthrough of Dark Souls 3 every day. This ever-shifting list aims to capture the highlights of the now and what we think you’d love to be playing this very moment. Presented in alphabetical order, this list keeps it fresh. Let’s dive in!
2021 has delivered several great indies, Death’s Door is among the best. Channeling a bit of Zelda, a bit of Metroid, and a bit of Souls, players take on giant bosses and explore enchanting scenery. The soundtrack is also grand, and hey, you get to play as a bird, which is even cooler.
Exploring old areas of the world with new equipment and finding out how to use your powers for maximum effect is fun, and a minor progression system keeps you searching for secrets behind every corner and collecting resources from every foe bested. From the tutorial living castle on down the line, the boss battles are highly engaging and a blast to master. Death’s Door is currently available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.Check out our entire review here.
Ghost of Tsushima impressed on many levels during its initial 2020 release, letting players explore breathtaking scenery while participating in riveting combat. Little touches like the Kurosawa mode that transforms the game into a black-and-white vision that one might remember from films like Seven Samurai make all the difference here, as you can tell that a deft and practiced hand went into the creation of every element that makes up the whole of Ghost.
The director’s cut is easily the best way to play Ghost today and comes with the new Iki island expansion that gives players plenty of more content to engage with. A director’s commentary is adds significant depth for players that want to learn more about the game’s creation, the real-life events that inspired it, the setting, and so much more. Since its release, Ghost has also received other major updates, including a massive multiplayer experience that you can take on with friends.
Roguelikes find plenty of appreciation these days, butHades may be the one that gets everyone chasing their next run and rockets the genre to the spotlight in the coming years. The “just one more run” cycle has never been more apparent, and Hades throwing in some story to unravel and fantastic characters to meet adds a bit of zest to the equation that’s tough to beat.
Hades has style, it’s got permanent progression to keep things rolling along, weapons to master, and all kinds of secret unlocks to find. So why on earth are we talking about Hades now? You probably already knew this game rocks. However, it just came out for major consoles. Previously, you’d have to play on Switch or PC, but now you can take thetrip through hell on PlayStation and Xbox. It’s absolutely a journey worth taking.
Sometimes, games shake things up or make incredibly bold choices.It Takes Two is a co-op-only romp designed for play with a friend. In fact, you’ll have to have one to get through it! Whether that’s a longtime friend, an acquaintance, a significant other, or just your bud Larry from down at the arcade, It Takes Two presents a host of problems that naturally take two to deal with.
Conquering each puzzle and challenge is likely to strengthen your bonds both inside and outside the game, and it’s a fairly fascinating design decision. Because of its forced co-op nature, It Takes Two might not get all the attention it deserves. If you have the means, enlist one of your friends to take this enchanting journey with you, or maybe even use this as an opportunity to make a new one!
ForMarvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, if you can play it on the PlayStation 5, you should. Suppose PS5’s power isn’t obtainable due to the various factors from how COVID-19 or scalpers have impacted console availability. In that case, you could always go back and play Marvel’s Spider-Man, but if you have the means, Miles Morales on PS5 is the choice of the moment.
While it’s significantly shorter than the original game, it’s packed with epic moments and battles. Miles’ abilities change up the gameplay quite a bit, and zipping around the city is an incredible feeling. In addition to playing exceptionally well, Miles Morales on PlayStation 5 is one of few games available right now that takes advantage of current-gen hardware to show off what video games can do right now
While Rise’s endgame and rampage system has been divisive among fans, there’s a lot to love about thelatest entry in the Monster Hunter series. The Switch exclusive is eventually making its way to PC, but it’s worth checking out now if you have Nintendo’s portable power.
From making awesome ice-cream combinations to riding around the world on your doggo friend, Rise keeps the systems that everyone loves from previous entries and adds a few new quirks. Crafting new and powerful gear and taking on stronger and stronger monsters is always a good time. Of course, if you don't want to play Rise or don't have a Switch, Iceborne should be plenty to tide you over.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is action-packed and challenging, but it’s also an absolute work of art. Featuring stunning visuals to go along with the razor’s edge gameplay, few games ascend to this level of prowess within the neo-Metroidvania genre. Ori might just melt your heart as you maneuver through its best-in-class platforming and combat combo.
The story and setpieces arc you through wonderful whimsy and fleeting moments of terror, so be ready for an immersive, enchanting adventure that loves showing off and keeping the player completely enthralled. While Ori and the Will of the Wisps can be brutal, progression mechanics help keep things going even when the journey can be tough.
This early into the console cycle, we’re looking for those big games to pave the way and show off the power of the new systems.Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart does this, and how. While there’s nothing new about jumping around and blasting enemies, does it ever look good here as you flip through rifts with absolutely zero load time, something that’s sure to wow even the most hardened game connoisseur.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart feels great to play, and more importantly, all of the action feels like it was crafted with fun as the focus. The cartoony world is a cohesive joy to explore, and everything from the DualSense haptics to the impressive graphics makes this a boisterous, festive ride.
Terrifying, exhilarating, and epic, Housemarque successfully translates fast-paced arcade action into a mysterious alien shooter. Returnal is one of the best games of the year and brilliantly seams various genres and features together to create something special. From piecing together the mysteries of the alien planet to taking on unforgettable bosses in an atmosphere drenched with dread, Returnal serves up tension with unyielding action.
The only place you can play Returnal right now is on PlayStation 5, but perhaps we can hold out some hope that it may come to PC in the future.Check out the entire review here.
The debut title from Ember Labs feels like a throwback to the third-person action platformers of old in the best way. As Kena, an inexperienced spirit guide, you’re fighting to purify a beautiful land from corruption. You aren’t alone; dozens of adorable critters called the Rot join the fray to assist Kena in battle as well as puzzle-solving. Kena’s straightforward combat of chaining light and heavy attacks feels good and gets flashier when you call upon the Rot to distract enemies or turn your staff into an all-powerful hammer. Piercing targets with Kena’s bow feels most satisfying, especially with the real sense of tension generated by PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller. Kena’s whimsical art direction makes it look like a walk in the park, but its boss battles offer a surprising challenge that requires a mastery of your arsenal and sharp reflexes. Kena’s action might not break the mold, but it feels fantastic.
A new tabletop RPG based on the Blade Runner universe is coming next year, just in time for the 40th anniversary of the release of the first film. The game comes courtesy of Alcon Entertainment and Free League Publishing, which also distributed the award-winning Alien RPG.
Blade Runner: The Roleplaying Game drops players in 2037 Los Angeles, shortly after the Wallace Corporation unveils its synthetic Nexus-9 Replicants. You assume the role of a blade runner working for the LAPD’s Rep-Detect Unit. The backstory of your character is in your hands; you'll decide their memories, personality, and whether they’re a human or a Replicant.
Click here to watch embedded mediaMechanically, the game is built using the Year Zero Engine featured in games like Alien and Tales from the Loop.
Alien RPG lead game designer Tomas Härenstam sits at the helm of Blade Runner, and he's backed by Joe LeFavi and Martin Grip who provide setting writing and artwork, respectively. Blade Runner consists of investigative gameplay where players have the tools to solve cases that explore the series’ themes of corporate intrigue, existentialism, and morality. Expect plenty of gritty storytelling and tough decision-making as you navigate a crime-ridden neo-noir city.
There’s no release date for Blade Runner: The Roleplaying Game beyond 2022, but you can keep up with any updates by following a newsletter on the game’s website. If you're looking for other tabletop games to keep an eye on, the Marvel Multiverse RPG is also slated to arrive next year.
Halo Infinite developers 343 Industries will be holding a live stream this afternoon covering details of the next testing flight for the upcoming multiplayer shooter. Running for two consecutive weekends, this new test will cover all of the previously available materials and more. Those looking for more information about these closed public sessions can check out the Halo Twitch or YouTube channels at 4 p.m. Central today.
Our previous playable demo of Halo Infinite had teams of human-controlled Spartans going head-to-head against bots in Team Slayer matches. These battles were limited to four-on-four skirmishes on smaller maps like new arrivals Live Fire and Bazaar. However, we have learned this next set of testing will introduce Big Team Battle and larger maps along with it.
Whether the looks at the game's battle pass or customization will be expanded or not is yet to be known, but the incoming larger maps are sure to bring in the big guns mounted on a classic Halo tank or the bed of a Warthog. I can't wait to see how vehicles are making the transition to Infinite, and I hope we get plenty of time to cruise around in them, making the opposing teams miserable in the process.
What are you hoping for in this new Halo Infinite test? Are you going to be checking it out? Let us know in the comments!
Following a judge’s decision early last week and a notable injunction, we have an update on the legal feud between Epic Games and Apple from Epic’s top executive, Tim Sweeney. In a Twitter thread today, Sweeney discussed the ongoing fraught relationship between the two companies, revealing that Apple will not be restoring Fortnite to the App Store for the foreseeable future. His thread began with the claim that “Apple lied.”
In a process that could take years, Apple will “not reinstate Epic’s developer program account at this time” and “will not consider any requests for reinstatement until the district court’s judgment becomes final and nonappealable.” This news comes after Epic Games filed for an appeal of the decision made in the lawsuit. Appeals of this kind can take years to finalize, so until the final verdict is rendered, don’t expect to be able to download Fortnite or any Epic product on an Apple device.
Late last night, Apple informed Epic that Fortnite will be blacklisted from the Apple ecosystem until the exhaustion of all court appeals, which could be as long as a 5-year process. pic.twitter.com/QCD7wogJef
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) September 22, 2021
Sweeney’s claim of Apple’s dishonesty stems from the results of the initial verdict in Epic’s lawsuit. In a tweet, Epic’s founder and CEO spoke about how he feels slighted, saying, “Apple spent a year telling the world, the court, and the press they’d ‘welcome Epic’s return to the App Store if they agree to play by the same rules as everyone else’. Epic agreed, and now Apple has reneged in another abuse of its monopoly power over a billion users.” For context, Epic had enabled payment platforms outside of the iOS ecosystem in Fortnite, resulting in a lawsuit between the two companies over whether Apple was breaching anti-trust laws and monopolizing the gaming market.
Epic’s CEO posted a letter from himself to Apple Fellow Phil Schiller saying Epic has paid Apple millions of dollars due to the result of the legal battle, but also “disabled Epic payments server-side.” Apple was ordered in an injunction to allow for outside payment services to be used in apps, and was supposed to go into effect on December 9, though this is also wrapped up in Epic’s appeal.
With more court battles scheduled between these two, it’s not shocking that Apple has decided to hold off on allowing Epic to bring apps like Fortnite back to iOS devices. All we know for now is nothing will change for now regarding Epic games on Apple devices. You’ll have to get your Fortnite time in on any of the many other platforms where the popular battle royale game is playable.
Death’s Door is arguably the year’s biggest pleasant surprise. The Zelda-like adventure of a soul-reaping crow battling monsters to serve a bureaucratic afterlife commission won many hearts and earned a 9 out of 10 review score from us. Now that the dust has settled, we sat down with the game’s principal creators, Acid Nerve's David Fenn and Mark Foster, to reflect on Death Door’s success, discuss the team's design approach (such as ditching the map), and their overall takeaways for the future.
Warning: This interview contains mild spoilers regarding Death's Door's endgame content.
What has surprised you most about the reception to Death's Door?
David Fenn: I think that people liked it so much [laughs]. Probably just how universally people like it. Having all of our past games being much more divisive, I just never really expected to have a game where it just seems like 90 percent of people are really into it. So that's definitely been really cool.
How did you approach balancing that game’s humor with a subject matter as grim as death?
Mark Foster: I think the subject matter of death and the serious elements of it kind of go hand in hand with those lighter, comedic things. I don't know if it's maybe a British thing or what, but the idea of making light of a situation to try and kind of take the edge off it is like a classic thing that we've both [have] kind of been brought up with and the game just plays that all the time. The juxtaposition of the light and the dark themes, like having all the enemies trying to kill you, but then you've got these little forest spirits spawning in the world and running around, is a good example of that kind of thing. The comedy and stuff was just our personalities kind of coming through in the game. We like to just make jokes and stuff all the time. That was the main thing we wanted to put in over any kind of overtly negative themes because the whole game revolving around death, you could imagine it going into that dark kind of route. But having this kind of offset thing makes it just a bit more palatable when you do kind of hit those notes of more poignant moments in the game as well.
DF: Yeah, I think it helps for the player as well to stay kind of engaged and motivated in the world if there is a sense of lighthearted fun to take them through this adventure, which does touch on the darker themes.
Was there a time when the game was too dark and needed to be lightened up?
MF: I think it always was gonna be a little bit silly and have slapstick comedy and stuff like that in it. I think that's just how we like do things really.
DF: I think that the darker stuff was always there in the sense of we wanted there to be kind of twisted and strange ideas in the world to make it unique in that way. I think that's probably something that we had emphasized from day one in our original pitch. But yeah, I think if anything, it's probably more that as the game went on, we kind of stumbled upon the poignant elements of the game as opposed to [going] really heavy with that stuff to begin with and had to reel it in. I think that the kind of lighthearted style was what was more natural to us, and then the darker stuff came as more of like an exploration as we went along.
Many players love how Death’s Doors is a tightly condensed experience. How did you approach content planning?
DF: I think for about the first year or so we did just kind of write down every idea we had and just started making loads of stuff. And then there was a point around then that we kind of sat down and had some long discussion about how this world should actually be structured and how the game should be structured in acts and stuff. From that point on, I feel like we had our plan quite locked. And that really did help with the concise nature of the game, while still making sure that all of the best ideas that we had, that we were excited about were all crammed into that relatively concise playtime.
What ideas didn’t make the cut?
DF: There's probably a few. I think originally, you were going to meet the gray crow a quarter of the way through the game. And the summit was going to be like a much longer journey from the start, and it was going to be surrounded by four fortresses on each side of it, like four separate levels. And then that became completely re-adjusted to just focus on the chapters that we wanted. And then the game kind of follows the structure of having an intro, three chapters, and an end. I think that gives you a better sense of momentum than you go a couple of hours into the game before you get any sense of what the structure is. That's one example that comes to mind.
Why did you decide to exclude a map, and how do you design a level where players will feel they don’t need one?
MF: For me personally, I don't like maps in games. Recently, over the past two weeks, I've been playing Hollow Knight. Loads of people compared our game to it, and I've never played it before, so I thought I should give it a go. And it's great. But the map thing, one thing I find myself doing with games with maps is just looking at the map all the time and kind of not really internalizing any of the structure of the world because I know I can just defer to the map at any point. And I think if you don't have that, it forces you as a player to become more aware of your surroundings and kind of make a note in your head of the landscape and monuments and things like that. And just points of interest where you can kind of tell where you are from there. Games like Dark Souls kind of do that kind of thing, which is maybe a bit more tricky to do in our game because of the isometric kind of camera angle. But I definitely just prefer that kind of style.
And then with the map thing, the benefit of it is that players can find secrets really easily because they're like, “Oh, I just need to go here, and I've got a new power,” or something, but then that kind of takes away from the exploration and the kind of discovery that you get of finding those things organically as you play through. And I think our game was pretty good at not forcing you to have to go and backtrack to make use of those powers. All that stuff was kind of optional. So you can go through and play the main game and not have to go back too much except for, like, you get the new power, and you beat the boss, then you have to go find the next one. But that's kind of all going through the central hub. So the stuff that you can go and discover if you go back to an old area, you organically find it if you play through the same sections again. To me, that's more interesting than just looking at a map and just ticking off the boxes. You know, just going through saying, “Okay, I could go here and like, check this lantern that couldn't open before” and stuff like that. So that's kind of just the way I think that me and David probably prefer. Games to flow more organically.
DF: I like to think that the game is actually quite guided early on. And then just through the general way that the levels work, you unlock various shortcuts in a way, which is going to help you kind of gain mastery over those areas. And then all of the really deep exploration comes much later, when, for one thing, it's optional, but then also, it's like, you're already invested in that story, and you already are getting to know the world. So that's a really nice time to be doing, like deep exploration and letting yourself explore everywhere, just from your own memory.
How did the post-game content come about? Were you worried most people wouldn’t engage with it after completing the game
DF: I think the post-game stuff, and just secrets in general, have always been the part of making games that we're the most excited about. They're the bits that we put in the game just for our own enjoyment. In all the games we've done, we've done these kind of post-game elements. The Death's Door one is actually quite heavily inspired by a flash game. Pretty much the first game that me and Mark ever worked on together, half of the game was after the credits, and it was this big treasure hunt where the world changed to night and everything was mysterious, and we just really enjoyed making that part of that game. And I think part of the joy of that is the feeling that if only 5 percent of your players, like your biggest fans, they're the only people that experienced that, then that's just going to make it feel all the more special for them.
Although I think with Death’s Door, we kind of guide you a little bit more than we have done in the past because we do show a little cutscene showing you the key on the ground and the Hall of Doors after the credits. So that's kind of just a little prompt just to tell you, “Hey, there's something more in this world.” And then also the fact that after the credits, it respawns to you in the crow camp, so you can kind of see that it's not just reverting you to the save before the final boss. It's actually the entire world is in a post-completion state from that point onwards, which is one thing that I really like as well. That always makes postgame more exciting to me when it's lore-appropriate.
MF: Another thing on that is I think that it's okay that most people won't see that content as well. We put a lot of that good fun stuff in there that we enjoyed making, like David said, but I think it's fine to just have it so that people play the main game, and if they enjoy that, then that's cool. And then, if they want to go into the extra stuff, then they have that option. Even if they don't do it which makes the world feel a lot deeper and bigger, like there's always stuff to discover and more things to do inside of it.
DF: Yeah, it's nice when you finish the game, and you've decided to move on for a bit, it's nice to have that feelingthat there is more that you could do in that world if you ever decided to go back to it.
What’s been the biggest takeaway or lesson learned that you’ll apply to the next project?
MF: Now that it's all done, just kind of think about what we want to do next and try and like, I think maybe I'll do some kind of post-mortem type of thing on the actual game and try and collect all my thoughts properly. Because I'm not really sure what to fully take away from it. It's just been a really good, overwhelmingly positive experience for us really. It was that weird thing of working on something that no one knows about for three or four years, and then suddenly boom, it's out there, and people can play it and people enjoying it after that is super rewarding for us. When the reviews all came out at the exact same time, the game was coming out. Actually, Marcus, your review was the first one that I read because it just happened to pop up, so I was like, "Oh, thank god, 9 out of 10" [laughs].
DF: Yeah, it was such a tense moment. I'm sure there's loads of things we've learned from development, which we will channel into future projects in terms of things that we want to improve and stuff like that. But in terms of our journey as a company, it has been such a huge, overwhelmingly positive success. It’s definitely the most successful game that we've ever made. So I think at this point, we're just exhausted from all from the launch and all the post-launch support and stuff like that. But I think my state of mind is we can definitely just be proud that we made a game that loads of people like, so [I’ll] probably just be happy with that feeling for a while.
MF: Yeah, and definitely learned a lot along the way as well. I think we'll be better prepared going into anything we do in the future for sure.
Death's Door is available now on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
While PlayStation owners are still waiting for Among Us to grace the platform, they have another social deception game to look forward to. First Class Troubles sports a similar whodunnit premise set in space, only this time you control 1950s-era characters aboard a luxury space cruise ship. The game launched in Steam Early Access earlier this year, and now it’s heading to PlayStation consoles.
First Class Trouble supports six players, with four playing the role of Residents while the remaining two are Personoids, which is a fancy term for “lying murderers.” Residents must work together to shut down the ship’s rogue A.I. while the Personoids sabotage that mission by killing Residents (discreetly or otherwise) without getting caught. As the trailer shows, you can take out other players in several amusing ways, such as setting them ablaze with a flamethrower, feeding them to giant carnivorous plants, or, if you’re feeling frisky, dropping a chandelier on their heads.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe game also features proximity chat to make interactions feel more realistic (like hearing cries for help in the distance) and a nifty Fast Boot option that lets you skip to the main menu after finishing your first game, setting up rematches quicker. The PlayStation 5 version utilizes the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback to make every successful kill feel as satisfying in the hands as it does in the heart. You can learn more about the game’s development by visiting the PlayStation Blog.
Since it’s in early access on PC, First Class Trouble currently has no release date, but it’s coming to PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. If you’re a fan of social deception games, tell us what you think of First Class Trouble down in the comments!
Those asking whether Nintendo will be holding a Direct video presentation during the month of September have been answered by the house of Mario itself with an emphatic “Yes!” Tomorrow September 23, at 3 p.m. Pacific, Nintendo will show off roughly 40 minutes of gaming goodness.
The tweet announcing the Nintendo Direct points out the presentation will “mainly focus on [Nintendo Switch] games launching this winter.” We already know about fall games like October releases Metroid Dread and Mario Party Superstars, but don’t be surprised if those are touched on. Getting further into what some could consider “winter” (but is more late fall/holiday), Shin Megami Tensei V, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, and Advance Wars 1+2 Re-boot Camp all have launch dates in November and early December.
Tune in 9/23 at 3 p.m. PT for a #NintendoDirect livestream featuring roughly 40 minutes of information focused mainly on #NintendoSwitch games launching this winter. pic.twitter.com/feHBEKfHPG
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 22, 2021
Nintendo’s lineup is plenty strong, but there are also all of the third-party games coming out over the next few months and beyond. What’s missing is that tentpole game for the holiday season. Nintendo does have a shiny new model of Switch to sell, after all. Metroid Dread could very well be that title, but we are firmly within Zelda’s 35th-anniversary celebration. Could we see something that will tide us over between the releases of Skyward Sword HD and next year’s sequel to Breath of the Wild? We’ll definitely know more after the Direct tomorrow.
What are you hoping to see unveiled during tomorrow’s Nintendo Direct? Are you hoping to see the final Smash Ultimate character reveal? Will your fingers be crossed for a revival of Custom Robo like mine are? Please give us your predictions in the comments below, and make sure to watch our site tomorrow afternoon for news coming out of the presentation!
This summer set the table for the future of Marvel video games with new titles starring Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the Midnight Suns coming in 2022, 2023, and beyond. However, those wanting a new comics-inspired game before this year ends have Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy coming next month. This new cosmic title from Eidos-Montréal graced Game Informer’s cover a few issues back, but as the anticipated adventure gets ready for liftoff, we finally got our hands on the title to see how it’s shaping up.
If you read our early coverage surrounding Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, you know our first glimpse of the story took place as the misfit team tried to dupe Lady Hellbender into giving them enough credits to pay a fine. That initial look at gameplay ended as the team entered her stronghold; now, our first hands-on session picks up right after they leave it.
While I don’t know exactly what happened within the walls of her fortress, the team escaped with the credits they sought and now have a llama with them for some reason. Peter Quill (AKA Star-Lord), who you control in this single-player game, charts their course to Nova Corps’ station so they can pay the fine and get back in their good graces. But before embarking, I catch up with the other Guardians aboard the Milano. After chatting with Drax, I walk in on Gamora browsing for dolls she collects in secret and Rocket discretely using Peter’s toothbrush to clean his tools.
Once the team arrives, they notice the station is abandoned. After scanning the deserted lobby with Star-Lord’s visor, I use the squad commands to tell Rocket to crawl through the vents and instruct him on how to reroute the power so the team can progress. Later, I use Star-Lord’s ice ammo to freeze a door open. These puzzles are simple but left me intrigued at how they might expand later.
"Some of them get a little bit more complicated and have multiple steps, and you're going to have to use more than one Guardian, but they never get very difficult," senior gameplay director Patrick Fortier says. "A lot of these things are for pacing and the opportunity to interact with your Guardians, and to [prevent just] walking in a straight line and not doing anything. You get a little resistance; we need you to make something happen, but we don't want you to get confused there. [We don't want], 'Oh my gosh, I've been spending an hour in this room' because a lot of the magic starts evaporating."
As they walk through the station, the Guardians bicker the entire time, lobbing insults and comebacks. Sometimes, you can even respond. The constant chatter between the Guardians, both in and out of combat, goes a long way to installing the tone for which the space-misfit team has become known. "With each chapter and each location, we broke it up and we wrote tons and tons of extraneous banters that could be happening in the combat," senior narrative director Mary DeMarle says. "We had to write tons because we knew that we wanted to keep that bantering going in the combat, so we were always creating of system of combat arcs/banters in which they're throwing out one line and randomly another will answer."
Though the path through the narrative is linear, decisions you make with your fellow Guardians and other characters impact the story as you progress. However, the game doesn't operate on a morality meter or anything along those lines. Instead, your interactions can lead you to learn more about a character's backstory or even set up events to happen as you play through the story, such as unique gameplay paths or different tools at your disposal.
In this instance, I learn Jack Flag is imprisoned on the station. If I free him, I’ll see him later in the stage. While Eidos-Montréal is hesitant to say how his story continues depending on what you do when you encounter him, the team does say Marvel fans will find several references to the broader universe throughout the game.
"Some easter eggs are true easter eggs; you have to be a hardcore Marvel fan, and then you're in a location and you're looking at artifacts and suddenly you'll see something from the cosmic universe," says DeMarle. "[Some] might be easter eggs in the background of locations that you'll recognize, like, 'Wait. Isn't that wreck something of importance?' Some of it will be readable."
As the team moves from room to room, I have small divergent paths I can take, but they often lead to dead-ends where I can either learn more about the universe's lore or collect resources for upgrades. This mission is rather linear due to its nature of moving through a space station to find what happened, but other missions in the game feature more exploration.
"In some chapters where you're going to be searching for things, every nook and cranny is going to be rewarded," says Fortier. "It's obviously not an open world or anything like that, but if you pay attention and you look around, you're doing to see a lot of little spaces that you can explore and gather some loot, some costumes, some objects that reveal more storyline for the characters, or the crafting parts."
As much as I love wandering through an environment and picking up what I can along the way, I have bigger things to worry about. The eerie exploration is soon crashed by surviving Nova Corps troops. Gamora soon notes they’re glowing purple, and once they start talking, it’s clear something is off. After realizing a fanatical cult has infiltrated the Nova Corps ranks, a battle ensues. Star-Lord can use his blasters at range, float above the battlefield, or get up close for melee attacks. However, the meat of the combat involves issuing commands to your fellow Guardians.
By tapping the bumper, a menu maps each squad mate to a face button for commands. Drax hits hard and typically inflicts stagger on his targets, while Gamora is a bit speedier and more precise. Groot’s moves often set up combinations for the heroes, while Rocket’s tech attacks deal AoE damage. Each Guardian operates on a cooldown, so you can’t just spam their attacks, but if you combine them just right, you can deal serious damage and turn the tide of the fight. Once you get the enemies hurt enough, you can execute a cinematic finisher that involves all the Guardians volleying the enemy back and forth.
For Eidos-Montréal, much of the combat's depth comes from finding combos between the Guardians and their various specialties, which then drives the player towards unlocking new abilities for the Guardians to fill the gaps and more perfectly complement your play style. "The game rewards you a lot for creating your different combos in creatively taking advantage of your abilities," Fortier says. "I think that's what's fun with it: Without being overly punishing, some players will maybe still try to apply the same formula throughout, but you do get rewarded for trying different things. I've had a chance to play it again and again, and it's a little bit like Deus Ex when you try different augmentations, you find different styles and different ways of playing, and the game still supports that."
On top of the core combat mechanics, you can also use an ultimate-style attack called a Huddle. Huddles operate on a longer cooldown and when you activate one, the team circles up like a football team. The Guardians express their concerns and you’re given two choices for your response. If you adequately address their worries, the entire team gets a temporary boost. Answer incorrectly and the group walks away confused, and only Star-Lord receives a boost. Either way, the team’s health is restored, and you get an upbeat soundtrack with which to blast enemies.
It’s obvious Eidos-Montréal nailed the tone of Marvel’s favorite space misfits. However, it remains to be seen how exciting combat is throughout the massive number of encounters we’re sure to have during the game’s total length. Thankfully, we’ll know the answers to any uncertainty surrounding Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy in the coming weeks.
After over a decade of domination at the box office and even longer in the comics space, Marvel has set its sights on pairing its extensive library with premiere video game studios. The mega-brand has seen massive amounts of success in its partnerships with developers such as Insomniac Games on Marvel's Spider-Man series, and Eidos-Montréal is next up to bat with Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. Join Brian Shea, Marcus Stewart, Andrew Reiner, and Alex Stadnik as they check out this beautiful new 4K footage and geek out about all things superhero.
But that's not all. Shea got to play around an hour of the new game and gives you his hands-on impressions as part of today's video. In this NGT, we're diving into the latest combat sections, including looks at the different abilities Star-Lord and his team will be able to wield and even a peek at what ship combat will be like.
We also get a taste of what kind of upgrades and perks the players will receive as they ravage their way through the galaxy. On top of that, we also get a bit of a story primer as Shea tells us what's going on with Groot, Rocket, and company and who players can expect to exchange blaster shots with when the game launches on October 26 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.
Not enough Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy in your life? Fret not, as we have a considerable cover hub from earlier this year that features exclusive interviews with the dev team, a look at how Eidos-Montréal could get licensed tracks for the game, a deep-dive into the supergroup's origin stories, and so much more!
Thanks, as always, for watching! Be sure to let us know what you thought of the video in the comments below!
Blizzard has lost one of Overwatch's leaders in Chacko Sonny, who served as executive producer on the franchise including a leadership role in Overwatch 2. The departure comes in the middle of a series of lawsuits against Activision Blizzard regarding civil rights and equal pay, including allegations it fostered a toxic workplace culture rife with sexual harassment and discrimination.
Bloombergreports that Sonny informed the team of his departure last week, and his last day is Friday, September 24. Sonny joined Blizzard in 2016 as a production director for Overwatch before moving up to an executive role two years later, according to his LinkedIn profile.
A Blizzard representative speaking to Polygon doesn’t mention the lawsuits, telling the outlet that Sonny is leaving to “take some time off after 5 years of service.” Blizzard employees that spoke to Bloomberg also said they weren’t aware of any allegations against Sonny and that he was well-liked overall. It appears that, for now, Sonny isn't in the same trouble as other leaders who have been implicated in the lawsuits. Regardless of the reason for his resignation, it’s another high-profile exit after Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan departed the company in April.
Despite seemingly raising another red flag for Overwatch 2's development, Blizzard told Polygon that the game is in its final stages of production and that the team is making “excellent progress” overall. Overwatch 2 has no release window but is expected to launch in 2022.
Sonny’s departure is another shake-up in what’s been a rocky couple of months for Activision Blizzard. Their troubles only worsened this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission, a federal agency, launching its own investigation into the company. Among other things, the SEC wants documents and other communications regarding the corporation’s handling of the many employee allegations levied against it, with Activision CEO Bobby Kotick and other top executives being subpoenaed. Activision has stated that it is cooperating with the SEC’s investigation.
Released on the Nintendo DS in 2006 in Japan and 2007 everywhere else, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl started the fourth generation of games, with the third entry, Platinum, coming three years later. This introduction to the region of Sinnoh ushered in a whopping 107 new monsters for trainers to collect, befriend, and battle.
With remakes coming this November in the forms of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, we thought it would be fun to do a casual ranking of the top 25 Pokémon introduced in the fourth generation games.
Here are a few things to keep in mind while perusing this list:
With that said, you can call me Professor Carson. Welcome to the region of Sinnoh.
Out of the new batch of baby Pokémon introduced in Diamond and Pearl, which include Mime Jr., Happiny, Bonsly, and Mantyke, Munchlax was the one who stole the show for me. A pre-evolution to the route-blocking Snorelax, this food-frenzied kiddo shows the sleepy giant was much more awake and active in its younger years. While not all that powerful, Munchlax has seen some play in the competitive scene due to its obscene health and a fairly good defense against special attacks. Pairing these strengths with the fire and ice dampening Thick Fat ability, there are times where even a baby like Munchlax can fill out a slot on your team as well as it fills its gullet.
They may not be powerful, but what's not to like about a Bidoof? Taking the honors of being Sinnoh's regional rodent, this beaver-like Pokémon will find its way into many trainers' parties early on. While it starts as a normal type, it quickly evolves into Bibarel and adds water to the mix. According to its Pokédex entries, this dopey-looking critter has nerves of steel and can constantly be found chewing on stones and logs to keep its evergrowing chompers worn to an appropriate size.
When I began researching for this list, Purugly wasn't anywhere near making the cut. Normal Pokémon usually don't pique my interest much in battle. However, once I started reading into the Pokédex entries, it reminded me of my own cats. It also reminded me that Pokémon aren't just for battling and collecting, they're also for friendship and having around as companions.
Hopefully you have a Pokémon somewhere that makes you think of a pet you have or know and makes you feel better just having that monster on your team. These may be reflective of a lot of cats, but the Pokédex entries for Purugly and Glameow put a smile on my face and rocketed them onto my personal list:
"It is a brazen brute that barges its way into another Pokémon's nest and claims it as its own."
"It hides its spiteful tendency of hooking its claws into the nose of its trainer if it isn't fed."
"If it locks eyes, it will glare ceaselessly."
I was really into Beedrill as a kid. Compared to Butterfree, it was the coolest bug Pokémon in the early game and an actual deciding factor when choosing between Red and Blue. After seeing what the rest of the world had to offer, though, the bee wasn't stinging like it used to. Cue to Diamond and Pearl and what some consider the queen bee Pokémon.
Vespiquen is not just the ruler of her hive; she is the hive. Hidden within the honeycomb-like lower half are grubs that will grow into her Combee workers. Vespiquen also uses these grubs in combat with the moves Defense Order, Heal Order, and Attack Order, her signatures.
You'll notice I keep mentioning Vespiquen as a "her." That's because only female Combee inherit this monarchal evolution, while the males do not evolve at all and live to serve the queen of all bee Pokémon.
Out of the three starters' final evolutions from Diamond and Pearl, Torterra gets short shrift. Sure, it's competing with a metal penguin and a flaming monkey, but this tortoise deserves respect for the work it puts in. Not only is it the first Grass and Ground starter, but it's the only Pokémon with that combination type in existence. Torterra embodies those types so much that it's literally a landmass with trees growing on its back.
You won't go wrong choosing Torterra's pre-evolution Turtwig at the start of the game. This Pokémon makes a reliable anchor while your team is coming together throughout your adventures in Sinnoh, and gives you an easy path through at least the first four Gym challenges, if not more.
Croagunk and its evolution, Toxicroak, are rare breeds in the Pokémon world. As the names imply, these creatures deal in toxicity, being primarily Poison-types, but they're the only ones that share the Fighting-type as well! Croagunk sports a cool purple and orange color scheme like the poison dart frogs they are inspired by, which drew me in before I even knew what it was capable of.
Croagunk is said to fight with underhanded tactics, which lines up with how its toxic attacks are administered. It can secrete venom not only from poison sacs near the mouth but also from the tips of its fingers. While it wasn't part of Croagunk's potential abilities in the original Diamond and Pearl, its hidden ability is Poison Touch which, you guessed it, can poison enemies with physical attacks and is a perfect representation of its dangerous hands.
The name says it all and is even confirmed in the Pokédex entry for Abomasnow, "it is the abominable snowman." Pokémon games never had a distinctly snowy region before Diamond and Pearl. They may have had frosty caverns where Ice Pokémon would roam, but never a snow-covered area out in the open. So its fitting the pre-evolution to this yeti-like creature can be found in the snow-covered terrain of Route 217, while Abomasnow itself lives atop Sinnoh's highest point, the peak of Mt. Coronet.
Diverting from the typical ape-like design of sasquatches, Abomasnow is made to look like shrubbery that's been through a bad snowstorm; its body is covered with branches weighed down with wet snow and ice. That's not just a product of its environment, but its own doing. Abomasnow will kick up blizzards to stay hidden in the mountains, adding unneeded accumulation to the cold lands it likes to inhabit.
Let's cut to the chase: Probopass makes this list on looks alone. This cross-generation evolution to Nosepass from Ruby and Sapphire takes the Easter Island aesthetic of its younger self and pairs it with an incredible mustache. Upon evolving, Probopass' inherent electromagnetism pulls iron shavings into clumps under its big red nose, creating what looks like an impressive set of lip bristles. Considering this Pokémon's magnetic personality, it does use several electric attacks even though Probopass is firmly made of Rock and Steel.
Probopass has seen some competitive play due to its high defensive stats. One of its abilities, Magnet Pull, keeps Steel-type Pokémon from switching out or running from battle. Depending on the meta, Probopass can trap its opponents while a teammate takes them out. Though it's worth noting, this mustachioed wonder will fall victim to Ground and Fighting moves, which deal four times the damage.
Here's a fun fact about this giant stone head regarding what I used to think were ears. Flanking Probopass' noggin are up to three "mini-noses," little satellite creatures the big head commands to hunt for prey. This thing gets weirder and cooler by the minute!
Discovering a new Eevee evolution in the world of Pokémon is a rare occurrence and celebrated by the fans when it does happen. Because they were introduced together and evolve similarly, the Diamond and Pearl additions to the Eeveelution pack take this spot on the list together. Glaceon and Leafeon represent the Ice and Grass types, respectively, of the eight elemental versions of Eevee that currently exist.
Unlocking the mysteries of turning an Eevee into either of these Pokémon lies in their matching habitats. Unlike previous Eeveelutions that require special stones or befriending and leveling at certain times of day, Glaceon and Leafeon require the trainer to find a place in the world. Leveling an Eevee next to a Moss Rock or an Ice Rock, usually deep in a forest or cave, will turn your unstable pet into one of these new forms.
Some monsters get lost in the shuffle more than others when thinking of the standout Pokémon from the original 151. One that I think got a raw deal was Tangela, the little bundle of vines that had quite the potential. However, Tangela was usually left off my teams because it didn't evolve, and there were cooler options for the Grass slot on teams. Game Freak certainly didn't forget about this bush with legs and gave it a much-deserved evolution in Diamond and Pearl.
Instead of exploring the mystery of what Tangela looks like under that veil of shrubbery, Tangrowth doubles down on its predecessor's design by adding an even bigger mess of vines. Due to the thickening of its exterior, Tangrowth is great on defense and can take plenty more damage than other Pokémon. It's not fancy, but I'll always celebrate monsters like Tangrowth that get another chance to shine.
Moving from one of the Pokémon I felt was left behind from the original 151 to one that really stood out, Electabuzz was a creature that certainly made a splash in Red and Blue. While I don't believe it needed to be iterated on anymore, it too got a new evolution in Diamond and Pearl. Ditching its somewhat catlike features (or whatever Electabuzz was supposed to be), Electivire grows out some shaggier fur and takes on a more ape-ish appearance, and sprouts a second tail.
Like Tangrowth, Electivire doubles down on its former design, opting to enhance the electricity-focused nature of this beast. When it shoves its tails into an enemy, it can unleash 20,000 volts of electricity. That's enough power to kill just about anything, really. I'm certainly not an electrician, so I'm not sure how Pokémon actually withstand that kind of power. Regardless, the moral of the story is not to make an Electivire mad and stay away from it altogether to be safe.
Spiritomb is one of the stranger Pokémon, not just in Diamond and Pearl, but in the entire series. Some work needs to be done to have the chance to catch this Ghost/Dark entity. Diamond and Pearl have a semi-social space called The Underground where trainers can explore, collect items, set up Secret Bases, and connect with other players. The prerequisite to getting a Spiritomb to appear is interacting with 32 players in The Underground, a suitably communal task for a Pokémon made from 108 individual spirits.
Unlike other Ghost Pokémon, Spiritomb is physically tethered to an item called an Odd Keystone. Using this rock as its base, Spiritomb projects its spectral form through the artifact. When it does appear from the keystone, it doesn't really have a body and instead looks like a swirling vortex of souls with a face plastered somewhere in the middle.
At first glance, Driftloon looks like a cute Pokémon to add to the collection. Just a harmless little ghost, right? That's what it wants you to think. This terror uses its unsuspecting nature to spirit its victims away, and in doing so becomes one of the creepiest Pokémon of all time. Let these Driftloon Pokédex entries sink in:
"Stories go that it grabs the hands of small children and drags them away to the afterlife. It dislikes heavy children."
"Its round body is stuffed with souls and expands each time it leads someone away."
"If for some reason its body bursts, its soul spills out with a screaming sound."
"These Pokémon are called the 'Signpost for Wandering Spirits.' Children holding them sometimes vanish."
Fire starters are never a hard sell for me. I've always been drawn to their flashy designs, which usually feature some part of their body set ablaze. But the idea of starting with Chimchar, a flaming monkey of all things, was an instant sell. Even better, its final form is inspired by Journey to the West's Son Wukong, complete with golden accents and a fiery crown. There wasn't a need to consider the other options my first time playing this generation. In my book, there was nothing cooler than this starter, and I set firmly on the path to partnering with Infernape to take on the Pokémon League's greatest challenges.
Infernape makes an impression on the battlefield with its high speed and great physical and special attacks. Because it's also a Fighting Pokémon, it has access to some devastating moves across both types. Whether it's smashing foes in the face with Close Combat or burning up the competition with a move like Flare Blitz, this monkey king is a strong choice to take on your Diamond and Pearl adventure.
All of the starters in Diamond and Pearl are a hit for me. As you've read, Toreterra is my sleeper choice, Infernape was my initial choice, but Empoleon is my go-to favorite of the three. From its sharp design featuring a trident mask and sharp edges on its wings and body to its typing of Water and Steel, the only Pokémon of its kind, Empoleon is a unique starter fitting of its kingly moniker.
Empoleon is impressive in battle due to a wealth of resistance to over half of the Pokémon types. Considering there are a total of seven types that can do normal or effective damage to it, Empoleon is a partner worth keeping by your side throughout the game.
Given the moniker of the "Colossal Pokémon," I would have expected the 12-foot tall Regigigas to be even taller. Its colossal nature may be more in its power than size, though. This Legendary Pokémon has a massive Attack stat, making it one of the most powerful strikers in the game. However, this strength comes at a cost. Balancing its immense power is Regigigas' ability Slow Start which halves both its attack and speed stats for the first five turns it's in battle. This ability is cleverly shown in its Ghibliesque visual design by having moss growing from its feet and shoulders, a sign Regigigas has been dormant for a long time and is slowly waking up.
Regigigas was the culmination of the elemental Regi Pokémon cycle from Ruby and Sapphire. To even have a chance at obtaining this gargantuan, a trainer must have Regice, Registeel, and Regirock in their party when traveling to Snowpoint Temple. Once there, you have to adventure through a dungeon to find what looks like a statue of Regigigas, but having the appropriate Regi team will reveal the goliath is the real thing.
Long before their adorable addition to the Pokédex or powered the Rotom Bike in Sword and Shield, Rotom was introduced as a quirky little electric Pokémon capable of possessing household appliances. Depending on whether Rotom inhabits a fridge, washing machine, lawnmower, fan, or microwave, its secondary type will change based on the object. Having six forms, each with its own type combinations, makes Rotom a wonderful and flexible ally to add to your team.
One of the few Legendary Pokémon only accessible through an event is the Grass hedgehog, Shaymin. Obtaining it requires a letter from Professor Oak which will grant a trainer access to the Flower Paradise. This shy bushel of flowers has the power to eliminate toxins from an area and allow plants to grow and thrive in desolate lands. Shaymin's miraculous restoration extends to itself in the form of its ability, Natural Cure, which heals any status condition Shaymin may be afflicted with when it switches out for another Pokémon. All of this may not sound exciting, and I guess it isn't, but Shaymin holds a secret transformation that's revealed when it touches the Gracidea flower during daytime hours.
After transforming into this deer-like creature, Shaymin's Sky Form lets it take flight and adds the Flying type to this legend. Becoming one of only six Pokémon to share these two types, not only does Shaymin's personality change to be bold and confident, but its stats have a similar effect. Land Form's base stats are roughly equivalent across all categories, while Sky Form boosts attack and speed while taking a small hit to defense. However, trainers who don't watch the time will find their Shaymin reverting to Land Form when night falls. This will also happen during battle if an ice attack ever freezes Sky Form Shaymin.
Being the face of Pokémon Pearl, meeting and catching Palkia is an inevitable part of the game's story.These cover legendaries always make for incredible moments while putting a lot of stress on trainers trying to add this powerhouse to the team. Found near the end of Pearl's main scenario, you can take your first shot at catching Palkia at the summit of Mt. Coronet. Although, if your initial attempt fails, this spatial diety can be found after a trainer defeats Sinnoh's Elite Four.
A Dragon-type like its siblings, Palkia also embodies the Water-type, a pairing only shared by Kingdra and the mismatched fossil Pokémon Dracovish from Sword and Sheild.
Created by the god-like Pokémon Arceus, Palkia controls the realm of Space, the physical world Pokémon trainers live and interact in. In fact, space can be warped at the whim of this powerful being, and Palkia can even go as far as creating entirely new realities if it wants. Its signature attack is called Spacial Rend, and it's a move that tears not only at the target but also rips the space around it. The lesson here is to not mess with Palkia because it can literally wipe you and maybe even a chunk of the world around you from existence.
Second of the Trio of Creation on this list is the master of time itself, Dialga. Like its spatial counterpart, Dialga was the creation of Arceus. When this legendary Pokémon came to life, it's said time started moving along with it. Also found near the conclusion of the story of Pokémon Diamond, it can be battled and caught atop Mt. Coronet or after becoming the champion of Sinnoh's Pokémon League.
Dialga infuses the power of Steel within its Dragon body and is worshiped by denizens of Sinnoh as a deity of metal and time. It can use a signature attack called Roar of Time, a Dragon-type move that distorts time and deals a ton of damage. The move is so powerful that even Dialga has to rest for a turn after unleashing it.
Because of its typing and just edging out Palkia's viability in battle, Dialga makes it one slot further in this list. The time diety can take more punishment, though its uses are ultimately up to the individual trainer.
Rounding out the Trio of Creation is the Ghost Dragon, Giratina. While it's available to catch during the endgame of Diamond and Pearl, Giratina is the face of the third game of this generation, Pokémon Platinum. Upon being created by Arceus alongside Palkia and Dialga, this dragon was placed in charge of antimatter. However, due to its violent nature, Giratina faced banishment to an alternate dimension known as the Distortion World, a plane of existence where it watched the world it was meant to help create.
Given its more interesting backstory, it's not hard to see why Giratina tops its siblings on this list. Diverging from the space and time duo, this dragon has multiple forms, whether it's inside of the Distortion World or not. Its Origin Forme, shown to the lower left, is more serpentlike in stature. Giratina loses its thick frame and large legs in favor of a rather creepy free-moving body. When given an item called a Griseous Orb, Giratina can remain in Origin Forme outside of the Distortion World without reverting to its Altered Forme like it normally would.
In terms of combat compared to Dialga and Palkia, Giratina's viability is a tossup. It does have higher defense and special defense while in Altered Forme than the other two, but the rest really comes down to whether you need Giratina's type on the team. Shadow Force is a strong point in its favor. This is a Ghost-type signature attack that can hit foes even when using shielding moves such as Protect and Mirror Coat. In team battles, Shadow Force will also hit every member of an opposing team if they happen to be protected.
Said to be the god of all Pokémon, Arceus is, of course, hard to get a hold of. When it hatched, Arceus created the world and, along with it, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina to mold the universe and watch over their respective dimensions of time, space, and anti-matter. While it's naturally a normal type, the Alpha Pokémon is able to change its element by equipping Plate items that represent each type.
Originally, Arceus would be available via obtaining the Azure Flute during an event scheduled for late in Diamond, Pearl's life cycle. In 2009, the supposed creator of the universe was unceremoniously given out through a download distribution campaign. Encountering Arceus in these games has only been possible through cheats and glitches.
Experimental Pokémon like Type: Null and Silvally from Sun and Moon are attempts at replicating the Pokégod and share type swapping abilities with Arceus. We're bound to see this celestial being and the Hall of Origins it was supposed to be found in with the impending releases of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, as well as Pokémon Legends: Arceus when it releases next year. Having the game named after Arceus is a good sign of its involvement in the story.
Having the honor of being the fourth generation's pseudo-legendary line, it starts as a cute, stumpy little land shark and takes a grand turn as it evolves into this powerhouse Pokémon. No longer tethered to the ground like Gible and Gabite, Garchomp can fly. Due to its sleek frame and the engine-like horns jutting from the sides of its face, this Ground/Dragon-type can soar at the speed of sound.
In battle, Garchomp is an absolute threat by using its quickness and strength to take out enemies. Having the means to use powerful moves like Earthquake and Dragon Rush, and useful abilities such as Rough Skin or Sand Veil, there's plenty of ways to build around this destructive dragon.
Being arguably one of the most popular Pokémon to have ever graced the series, it's no surprise that Lucario lands so high on this list. Lucario can sense the Auras of living things, which allows it to understand human speech. These Auras are described as energy waves that this Pokémon can use in a way powerful enough to destroy boulders. In battle, its signature move, Aura Sphere, is a useful tool for knocking out evasive threats by ignoring accuracy stats altogether and guaranteeing a hit with this fighting-type attack.
Lucario is a beneficiary of great typing, being both Fighting and Steel types. While it is still venerable to Fire, Ground, and Fighting attacks, Lucario is resistant to over half of the remaining types and even immune to poison. In the generations since Diamond and Pearl, this Pokémon received a powerful Mega Evolution, and because of its suite of available moves, it is an advantageous weapon against the newer Fairy types.
Instantly earning the title as the most edge-lord Pokémon on the list, let me introduce Darkrai. It's also taking the honor of the number one Pokémon from Diamond and Pearl. This ghastly-looking entity isn't a Ghost but instead deals in all things Dark, as its name suggests. With its tattered body and smokey cowl, Darkrai is set on haunting the thoughts and dreams of its victims.
A glass cannon in battle, Darkrai relies on being quicker than its opponents and putting Pokémon into a deep sleep using moves like Hypnosis. Once asleep, Darkrai's ability Bad Dreams saps an eighth of a slumbering opponent's health at the end of each turn. Pairing this with attack buffs like Nasty Plot and swinging with powerful attacks can end fights in short order. An effective tool to consider in Darkrai's arsenal is a move called Dark Void, a sleep-inducing attack specific to this Pokémon that affects all adjacent enemies, but only 50 percent of the time.
And that's all of them! How does this list compare to your own? Who's missing from the list, and why would you nominate them? Let us know in the comments! And if you want to know more about the upcoming https://www.gameinformer.com/product/pokemon-brilliant-diamond"; target="_blank">Brillant Diamond and https://www.gameinformer.com/product/pokemon-shining-pearl"; target="_blank">Shining Pearl, check out everything we know about it https://www.gameinformer.com/preview/2021/07/29/everything-we-know-abou…; target="_blank">here.
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Kena: Bridge of Spirits launched today, and it turns out that it’s pretty darn good. If you’re a Fall Guys fan with Kena-fever, you can express that love by snagging a pair of costumes themed after the whimsical adventure.
Beginning today through September 23, you can purchase a Rot costume, making your jellybean competitor resemble the tiny companions who assist Kena on her journey. Then on September 24, a costume for Kena herself becomes available until the 26. Upper and lower costume parts for both outfits will set you back five crowns each. That means you’ll need to spend ten crowns to complete one set and 20 to grab both.
Click here to watch embedded mediaIf you haven’t been keeping up with Fall Guys since it burst onto the scene last summer, it’s currently in its jungle-themed 5th season. It added six new courses as well as a duos and trios mode. Previous seasons have had medieval, winter, and sci-fi themes. Meanwhile, there’s still no word on when the announced Xbox and Switch ports will arrive, though the former was initially slated for this summer and will now come “later this year.”
Fall Guys is available on PlayStation 4 and PC. You can also play Kena: Bridge of Spirits on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via the Epic Store.
Do you still play Fall Guys, and will you be picking up these Kena costumes? Let us know in the comments!
It's that time of year again. The leaves are starting to turn. The pumpkin spice and Oktoberfests are flowing in the streets. Spirit Halloween stores are starting to appear in abandoned strip malls. Spooky season is here, and we're excited to kick off this festive time of year with a return to a Game Informer office favorite (or least favorite if you're a scaredy-cat like me). Join us for this week's regular Thursday stream, where we assemble the most fantastic group of GI ghost hunters and try to keep our composure while playing Phasmophobia.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe classic characters are all here. First up is the experienced ghost hunter Dan Tack, aka the fearless leader who will carry the crew in his backpack to victory. Next up is Marcus Stewart, the confident up-and-comer hungry to make his name in the ghost game. Bringing up the rear is resident scared boy Alex Stadnik, who doesn't know what he's signed up for and has a knack for maybe screwing over his Phasmophobia teammates (unintentionally, of course). But developer Kinetic Games' spooky experience features four-player co-op; who are we missing? That's right, folks, she's back! Liana Ruppert will be joining us for her final stream with Game Informer (for now) as we return to one of our favorite streaming games.
The fun kicks off at 2 p.m. CT on Thursday, September 23, exclusively over on our Twitch channel! Suppose you want to learn more about Phasmophobia. In that case, you're in luck, as our own Jay Guisao has you covered with an update on the game's one-year anniversary update, including a look at the tweaks coming to Kinetic Games' indie darling, a new single-player mode, and more!
Are you excited to celebrate the fall with a plethora of scary games? Let us know in the comments below what titles you're looking forward to playing ahead of Haloween, and thanks, as always, for watching the stream!
Pokémon Unite is making its big debut on mobile devices tomorrow. A new blog post highlights some changes coming to the game alongside the release on these additional platforms in preparation for the occasion. Producer Masaaki Hoshino breaks down some of the new features coming to Pokémon Unite with its latest update.
First and foremost is the launch on iOS and Android devices. With the expansion to other platforms comes “full cross-platform play and account linking across mobile devices and Nintendo Switch.” This means if you’re looking to play on your phone or tablet, your Switch progress will carry over through your account. Also, Pokémon Unite players on any device will be matched up with or against any players regardless of platform. It’s a very convenient set of features and smart to have day one with the mobile release.
Other additions noted by Hoshino include
Spectator Mode was previously tested and removed in August, but the team looks to be bringing it back in some form. And, of course, a new battle pass with all kinds of new cosmetics to customize your Pokémon is always a welcomed sight!
While there are no new characters in this update, Hoshino promises we’ll see some down the road along with a new game mode:
"We’ll continue to add more playable Pokémon and make balance adjustments to both Pokémon and the maps. Trainers can anticipate new battle passes, themed events, and other compelling content to make Pokémon UNITE even more fun and rewarding. Additionally, we’re developing a new mode of play designed to level the playing field for all Trainers, regardless of their held items’ grades."Are you looking to try out Pokémon Unite on your iOS or Android device, or are you sticking to the Switch version? Luckily, you’ll have the option to move around any platform you’d like at no cost. Let us know in the comments what you think about the big update coming to Unite tomorrow!
After Square Enix jumped the gun by leaking the news a few hours early, we can confirm that Neo: The World Ends With You makes its way to PC via the Epic Games Store on September 28. The sequel to the fan-favorite RPG launched on PlayStation 4 and Switch in July, with the PC version slated to come later, though this may be unexpectedly sooner than some might have thought. Not that we're complaining.
Neo takes place four years after the events of the original and stars new protagonist Rindo and his best friend Fret. The two teens are killed and find themselves caught in a new version of the Reaper’s Game that promotes team battles. Rindo leads his team, the Wicked Twisters, in a race to climb the rankings in order to win the game and, hopefully, be brought back to life. The game shifts from 2D to a fully 3D design, and the action-oriented combat lets you control all four of Rindo’s teammates simultaneously. You’ll still collect dozens of ability-granting pins and explore a larger version of Shibuya.
In our review, we scored Neo an 8 out of 10. While Game Informer features editor Kim Wallace criticized the game’s adherence to some of the more archaic design decisions from the original, she also admitted she had trouble putting it down, writing, “The world draws you in, the boss battles provide a worthy challenge, and I loved watching the relationships between characters grow. There’s also some excellent payoff for fans of the first game. Exploring Shibuya and dropping the beat is still a delight, and the music captivates you in the best way.”
Have you been holding off on playing Neo on PC? If you’ve already played the game, what do you think of it? Let us know in the comments.
Sure, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands might be a first-person looter shooter that features a few familiar faces from the existing Borderlands universe. However, the wild ride that examines the formula with a tabletop role-playing game lens has a lot of different components going into the mix, and it’s attempting to distinguish itself from the known template while still maintaining some of that raucous flavor.
I mean, the Dungeon Master is Tiny Tina, after all, meaning chaos is an integral component of the entire experience, and she might not be content to follow the rulebook or module designs. We had a chat with creative director Matt Cox and senior producer Kayla Belmore about the latest trailer to hit and how Tiny Tina’s grandiose fantasy visions come to life in the upcoming game. And by grandiose visions, I mean that Butt Stallion is part of the story, somehow. Hunh.
Click here to watch embedded mediaSo how will stats work? Will you be running maximum charisma? Dumping points in strength? Just how much tabletop DNA is going into this? The answer is a lot.
“So we do have fantasy elements like spells and multiclassing, you can choose your initial class and then later on, in the main questline, you get to choose the secondary class to actually multiclass,” says Cox. “So you can mix and match a lot of the elements that come along with just the class selection and of itself. So in addition to we also have melee weapons, armor with specific stats that can speak to your build, but also we do have, in addition to skill points, we do have hero points that do speak to kind of that more classic tabletop attributes that you're talking about strength. We have strength, intelligence, dexterity, and those sorts of things so much like creating your own character in a tabletop fantasy game.”
There are six core classes to choose from, and while they have not been revealed yet, you can assume some core fantasy archetypes make an appearance.
In addition, an “overworld” game board where your characters are represented by little bobblehead versions of themselves lets players pick their destinations through the land, emulating the look and feel of a tabletop gameboard.
“So one thing that's super fun is your character representation and all of the customizations that you've done actually appear in the overworld,” says Belmore. “And because the overworld is third-person, you can see all players on the map when you're playing together.”
Of important note for those would-be ax swinging barbarians and knights among you: while melee attacks will be important, dedicated melee builds are probably not going to be a thing outside of some odd builds and legendary items. Instead, melee can easily be integrated into your combat flow via perks, skills, or status effects that for instance might supercharge various other attacks for landing a successful melee attack or hyperpower up a single melee blow after you’ve completed some other requirement, encouraging you to move in and out of combat in a varied loop of ranged, melee, and spell/ability usage for optimum performance.
“When in doubt, guns are still stars of the show and there's something truly satisfying about just riddling things with crossbow bolts from a regular handgun,” says Belmore. “It's just kind of amazing.”
And yes, you’ll still have an “ultimate” skill to utilize when things get too frantic to handle, with two to pick from on each class.
Spells add another layer to things, with a variety of different usages and designations. It’s not just going to be casting big fireballs at foes, but instead, there’s a huge bucket of various spells to draw upon and books to find, including self-casting powers.
There’s a core campaign to tackle, but numerous side missions are available for those looking to get their characters beefed up to tackle goblins with guns. “We've got the main plot maps of course. But there are entire maps on the side that almost play like modules that have a standalone plotline that is connected to the main story, but not all the way into the main story. They're kind of these fun little side missions that feel a lot like a tabletop module that’s on top of the greater mission.”
Of course, these expeditions into dark forests, dank caves, and creepy castles aren’t the only places you’re hanging out. No, we need a hub to deck our characters out and engage in all kinds of progression systems! A tavern (a soda tavern) serves as one of the central areas of Brighthoof, the city where players will be hanging out when they’re not massacring monsters and causing mayhem.
Obviously, it wouldn’t make sense to have things by engineering manufacturers here as we’re talking about spells and swords, but yes gear is branded by the folks who create them, placing each piece of gear into a similar system as we’ve seen in other games such as Dahl, Jakobs, Hyperion, etc.
And what’s a tabletop RPG without rolling dice? Events known as lucky challenges will let you roll that d20 right then and there and try to hit that big number to shower you with piles and piles of potent loot.
“Lucky dice are scattered throughout the world,” says Cox. “And so if you find them, it'll actually roll in front of you and like pop out what number you get, and that will correspond to how good the loot is, you get out of that lucky dice.”
While we certainly aren’t even close to knowing all the ingredients that are going into this chaotic cake, more details are inevitably on the way as we inch closer to the March 25, 2022 release date. Are you looking forward to Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands? Let us know in the comments, and may all your 20s be natural.
If you’re a fan of wholesome experiences like A Short Hike, Lil Gator Game might be up your alley. This bright and happy title puts you in the scaly shoes of a cute gator donning a familiar outfit to explore a big island playground and make friends along the way. It comes from developer MegaWobble and Playtonic Friends, the publishing arm of the team behind the Yooka-Laylee series.
Lil Gator must be a big fan of Link, sporting a stick, shield, and cap similar to Nintendo’s icon. He’s not off to save the world on a grand adventure, though. Lil Gator Game’s stakes are much lower, focusing more on befriending the island’s quirky denizens and solving their less cataclysmic problems. The Gator can climb surfaces, glide through the air using his shirt, and craft new equipment by collecting arts and crafts materials. While you can certainly hit things such as cardboard bad guys with your stick, Lil Gator primarily promotes discovery and puzzle-solving instead of combat. If you're in the market for a fun chill pill, take a gander at the trailer to see if Lil Gator Game hits the right notes.
Click here to watch embedded mediaYou’ll have to wait until 2022 to embark on this delightful-looking island getaway. Lil Gator Game is targeting PC and Switch.
What do you think of Lil Gator Game? Let us know in the comments!
As September begins winding down, there's no denying we're rapidly approaching gaming's holiday release season. While recent weeks brought us some amazing experiences like Deathloop and Tales of Arise, the next few weeks are absolutely jam-packed with highly anticipated releases the gaming community as a whole is looking forward to.
As the busiest months of game releases approach, we're just as excited as you are to get our hands on the huge games of this holiday season. As such, we ran down a list of our staff's personal most-anticipated games. You can see the list of the games each editor is most looking forward to for the remainder of the year below. After checking out our picks, sound off in the comments about which game you're most excited about as we brace ourselves for the fall release slate.
I’ve been keeping my eye on Sable since 2018 and was happy to get my hands on its E3 demo earlier this year. First and foremost, the game is absolutely stunning. The art style is bright, bold, and so incredibly distinctive. Somehow, playing the game and seeing the art come to life around my character made Sable look even better. I took time in the game just to watch the shadows move over the desert floor. I was glad to see the visuals held up under my expectations, but I was even more pleasantly surprised with how the game felt. This was truly an unknown element going hands-on with the game, but Shedworks nailed this aspect, too. Gliding across the sands on my speeder is ridiculously fun, the Breath of the Wild-style climbing simply works, and the ability that lets you hover through the air in a bubble makes me feel invulnerable. We didn’t get too much of the story, which revolves around the main character’s coming-of-age journey, so it’s hard to say with confidence that the narrative will be Sable’s cherry on top, but I’m optimistic. Everything I’ve seen and experienced so far makes Sable one of my most anticipated games coming up this year.
MercurySteam's Metroid: Samus Returns was one of my favorite games of 2017. As much as I loved that title, it was also a remake of the 1991 Game Boy entry, which left me hoping for something completely new. Nintendo heard our collective cries for a brand new 2D Metroid... and it only took 19 years! Metroid Dread will, reportedly, conclude the main "Metroid arc" that has been running through the franchise for decades. But I can't wait to explore the remote alien world of Planet ZDR and collect new weapons and gear, such as the Spider Magnet that allows Samus to climb walls or the Phantom Cloak that turns her invisible for a short time. Metroid Dread has been a long-time coming, so I hope Nintendo will make it worth the wait.
Darkest Dungeon II is taking some big chances straying away from the designs of the original game, but this shift brings with it some serious excitement. Instead of building up a base over time, players must navigate roguelike caravan runs where death, choice, and consequence are constant companions. Any time Wayne June is narrating something, we're here for it. Check out lots more in our extensive feature explaining everything Darkest Dungeon II here.
The humor. The rock ’n roll attitude. Groot being Groot. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy looks to be every bit as fun and wild as the motion picture and comic book counterparts. We all thought it would be a multiplayer game when it was announced, but Eidos-Montréal’s decision to make it a single-player experience that puts you into the head of Star-Lord makes it all the more intriguing. As the leader of the team, you are tasked to make difficult decisions that affect both the story and your standing with the Guardians in big ways. I can’t wait to see how those choices play out. The combat also looks as chaotic as I’d hoped with razor-sharp melee strikes blending with death being rained down by heavy, sci-fi weaponry. Every aspect of the game looks joyous and crazy and that’s exactly what I want from this awesome superhero team.
Heart Machine’s Hyper Light Drifter ranked among my top 10 games of 2016, so any follow-up from that studio was going to get me excited. Instead of giving fans an encore, Solar Ash presents something wildly new. In case you haven’t followed it, the most reductive way to describe the game is that it’s a high-speed 3D platformer with Shadow of the Colossus-inspired boss battles. You control Rei, a cosmetic spelunker of sorts who likes to explore black holes in search of salvageable artifacts. In a cruel twist, her own world becomes threatened by a particularly massive black hole known as the Ultra Void, and the only way to stop it is from within.
The Ultra Void looks awesome thanks to its striking color palette, bizarre alien fauna, and beautiful ruins of the many civilizations that have been absorbed over eons. Getting around looks like a blast thanks to Rei’s nimble skating-esque locomotion that gives off serious Jet Set Radio vibes and encourages constant forward momentum. Sure, enemies pop up but they’re meant to be dealt with quickly as you gracefully leap from one platform to the next. The titanic bosses are a sight to behold, and I’m itching to learn about the history of the Ultra Void itself from stranded NPC’s and environmental cues. Solar Ash looks like a psychedelic space trip I can’t wait to blast off to.
In the halcyon days of the action sports genre, you couldn't throw a rock without hitting at least ten different series, all vying for your attention (and money). The Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series reigned supreme, but BMX, snowboarding, rollerblading, and every other "extreme" sport under the sun got their own video game adaptation in the late '90s to mid-2000s. Until, well, they didn't, all but disappearing but the video game landscape.
Rider's Republic is one of many action sports games in recent years hoping to revitalize the genre – and it's looking like one of the most promising. Rather than focus on one sport, Rider's Republic offers a buffet of different ways to play, not too dissimilar from publisher Ubisoft's The Crew series. Mountain bike down a mountain, or wingsuit off of it. Hit the slopes with snowboards or skis. Whatever you do, do it all with dozens of other players. The idea of being able to load into a bright world with your friends for the sole purpose of ripping across an open world tailor-made for extreme sports has this game high on our most-anticipated list.
Forza Horizon has been one of my favorite racing series since its introduction, but I feel the franchise really started revving its engines with the third entry in 2016. Since then, developer Playground Games has gotten better at delivering superb and diverse environments full of exciting activities for players to tackle from behind the wheel. Forza Horizon 5 transports us to a stunning recreation of Mexico, complete with volcanos, beaches, towns, jungles, and deserts. The open world is impressively detailed, almost making me wish we weren't speeding through it at breakneck speeds. Sure, there won't be many chances to stop and appreciate the eye-popping sights, but I can't wait to see what the team at Playground has in store for us when we attend the latest Horizon Festival this November.
I’ve always loved the SMT series for its philosophical conundrums and challenging combat. The games are dark and mature, and SMT V appears to be no different with the ambitions of God and humans clashing amid a dying world. There’s something about being sent to a world in ruin and making your own decisions for what its future should be that makes me love an SMT game. They also often force me to think about the world in different ways, so I’m all-in for a new journey of recruiting demons, fighting big bosses, and choosing my alliances. Not to mention, it’s been a while since we’ve had a mainline entry in the series (SMT IV hit in 2013), and the Switch gives the series a grander stage to let it play out on. I’m just most excited to see what Atlus will do with an SMT game after all this time.
Gargantuan maps, Frostbite-powered visuals/destructibility, and vehicle-based teamplay set the Battlefield franchise apart from its multiplayer shooter contemporaries. Battlefield 2042 chronicles a modernized future where privatized military forces and refugee factions are in a constant warring state. Despite this snippet of backstory, there won’t be a single-player campaign – a fact that disappointed me when I first learned about the game. However, next-gen capabilities like larger player counts (we’re talking 128 people), as well as a hybrid story-based multiplayer experience, means that I’ll be getting the best of both worlds. I’m looking forward to experimenting with Battlefield 2042’s specialists – the support class’ projectile syringes are particularly exciting – and learning more about each of their personal motivations for fighting. More importantly, I’m going take every chance I can get to ride tornados and “weaponize” them – how that’ll work in the moment-to-moment action remains to be seen. Nevertheless, I can see myself dumping hundreds of hours into the upcoming Battlefield and I’m hoping to see the rest of you on the frontlines when it launches later this fall.
For many, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl marks the return to the Sinnoh region, which became one of the most beloved generations in the entire series. For me, though, it means my first time actually exploring these gems. Back in 2006, my Nintendo DS was supplanted by an Xbox 360 controller, and I completely missed out on the cultural revolution simply known as Bidoof. With a beautiful chibi art style (yeah, I said it), welcomed quality-of-life changes, and the ability to play on Switch, I can’t wait to not only learn about why this generation of Pokémon is so adored but use it as a nice piece of prep for when Pokémon Legends: Arceus drops in a few short months.
Few games have me as excited as returning to the world of Advance Wars with 1+2 Re-Boot camp in November. It’s been years since I’ve played anything from the series, and that’s helped fuel my desire to command the calvary of infantry, tanks, and mobile munitions again. Advance Wars’ characters and world, while dire at times, are charming and full of personality. From its scenario-changing Commanding Officers to its enjoyable loop of strategic gameplay, Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp is bound to keep me busy well into the winter.
A great deal is riding on the release of Halo Infinite. Halo 5: Guardians was the last brand-new mainline entry in the Halo franchise way back in 2015, and it’s fair to say that game met with mixed reactions regarding its storytelling, campaign gameplay, and multiplayer.
In a whole new console generation, Halo Infinite has the chance to be the defining flagship project of Microsoft’s new era of gameplay, turning around fan skepticism and reigniting enthusiasm for the series. Despite some setbacks in early showings of the games, there’s good reason to believe 343 Industries has something special on its hands. Frequent updates from the developers have revealed a game that walks a fine line between nostalgia to the original Halo aesthetic, and several rousing new ideas, from an open-world Halo ring to discover, to a grappleshot that should enable more vertical exploration. I’m thrilled about the opportunity to more freely uncover the secrets of a massive Forerunner facility.
While the depth and balance of multiplayer will take a long time to fully reveal themselves, the early tech tests exhibit a fast-moving and thoughtfully designed match structure alongside tight and enjoyable gunplay, as well as a progression system that I’m excited to use to customize my own Spartan.
I share some of the doubts about the return of Halo voiced by some fans, but at this point, my enthusiasm and excitement far outstrip any suspicion. Halo Infinite is undoubtedly one of the biggest releases of 2021, but I’m increasingly hopeful that it will also be one of the year’s best.
Neon White is the upcoming first-person action-platformer set beyond the gates of Heaven. This lively genre-bender, developed by Ben Esposito, equips you with a growing deck of Soul Cards that you can use to attack demons or launch swift traversal abilities by discarding them on the fly. Fans of parkour games like Mirror's Edge should follow this stylish action game when it releases later this year.
Just because a game didn't top our own personal lists doesn't mean you shouldn't be excited about it! There are a ton of other anticipated games coming out before the calendar turns to 2022, including Kena: Bridge of Spirits and Far Cry 6! To see the full release schedule, head">https://www.gameinformer.com/2021">head to our 2021 calendar!
What remaining 2021 game are you most looking forward to? Which game did we overlook in our personal picks? Sound off in the comments section below!
Have you seen Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy? Sure, The Hobbit films were decent, but nothing tops watching Aragorn and co charge into legions of orcs or a horseback Gandalf quell the darkness of a burgeoning evil with his white staff. The Lord of the Rings has influenced a bevy of fantastical stories and video games. And while it’s easy to attest the trilogy’s critical and commercial success to visual effects, acting, and a genuinely epic screenplay, you can’t ignore Howard Shore’s musical contributions. The three-time Oscar winner left his mark on the fantasy genre forever and might continue his victory lap with the upcoming Lord of the Rings television series. Shore is in talks to return to the franchise, and I think he’d be a welcome addition.
An exclusive Deadline report states that Shore’s inclusion could be a significant development for the series, considering that the filming of season one officially concluded in New Zealand – the location where both of Peter Jackson’s original trilogies took place – last month. A Twitter post from the official Lord of the Rings on Prime account announced that September 2022 would mark the start of the new series.
Not much is known about the show’s premise. We know it takes place thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings films. I, for one, am excited to return to Middle Earth alongside a new ensemble cast and a new (or age-old?) evil. I’ve got nothing against Sauron, but it’d be cool to see other antagonistic forces in Tolkien’s expansive universe. The Amazon prime show is filled to the brim with talent, including Morfydd Clark, Nazanin Boniadi, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Owain Arthur, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charles Edwards, Robert Aramayo, Maxim Baldry, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Lloyd Owen, Dylan Smith, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Sara Zwangobani, Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Tyrone Muhafidin, and Sophia Nomvete.
What do you think the television show will be about? And what characters do you think will be making a return?
[Source: Deadline]
When Phasmophobia first hit Steam as an Early Access title last year, we emphasized that it was the perfect Halloween game. More than that, if you’re ever looking to live out any paranormal investigator phantasies alongside a crew of gutless pals, then the ghost-hunting “detective” game is for you. I scare easily and have still put dozens of hours into Phasmophobia, slowly creeping through its haunted domestic and liminal environments. From sudden temperature drops to flickering lights, the atmosphere is always intense, and death waits for you in every vacant classroom or unassuming bathroom. In celebration of its one-year anniversary, Phasmophobia is allowing players to explore (and, hopefully, survive) by themselves in a new single-player mode.
Our one year anniversary update is now out!
— Phasmophobia (@KineticGame) September 18, 2021
I would just like to thank everyone for their amazing support over the past year. It has been an incredible time!
You can read the full patch notes here: https://t.co/CFpUQyo1rK#Phasmophobia
The Anniversary Update patch notes can be found on the game’s Steam page and come with noticeable and small-scale tweaks alike. For instance, a journal overhaul means that keeping track of environmental clues and poltergeist tendencies is more accessible than ever before. You can cross off evidence on the ghost evidence page of the journal. At the same time, a complete redesign makes information more understandable so that you can spend more time getting scared than standing in the middle of an abandoned living room with a book out.
The new single-player mode comes attached with an option to play offline; you won’t be connected to any servers. The loop remains the same – grab a bevy of equipment from the van, venture into a spooky locale, jot down any suspicious activities while avoiding a one-way ticket to the afterlife, and submit your final verdict on the type of supernatural entity that you’ve encountered. Cooperative play will still be Phasmophobia’s bread and butter, but if you’re raring to jump in even when your buddies aren’t around to watch your back (madness, I say!), then that option is finally available. For more details on the update, click the link above.
Any Phasmophobia fans here? Have you been dying to play solo? Have you already tried out the Anniversary Update? Let us know what you think in the comments!
From the moment Kena’s staff ignites with magnificent magic, the world around her sizzles with excitement, creating an enchanting atmosphere for one of the best adventure games I’ve played in recent memory. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is Ember Lab’s debut game, but it hits with the sophistication and beauty you’d expect from a studio that’s been doing this for decades.
With environmental puzzles around almost every bend and secrets waiting for those who can solve them, Bridge of Spirits has a strong heart for adventuring. That heart constantly pounds as new areas are discovered, each beat pulling you in different directions to unearth hidden treasures and items that will help rejuvenate a fallen society.
Kena (pronounced “Kay-nuh”) is an inexperienced Spirit Guide who must locate wayward souls that are reluctant to leave this mortal coil. Before sending them on their way, she needs to learn about their lives, and ultimately what happened to them. By exploring the land, their pasts are unearthed, and you learn of their triumphs and hardships through brief flashbacks that make the story sing in intriguing ways and help flesh out its key players. Many of these revelations play out within beautifully animated story sequences that swell with emotion and are amplified by an outstanding soundtrack featuring traditional Balinese music. I found myself humming along to the excellently composed low-key melodies, some sung by Ayu Larassanti, the same actress that brings Kena’s voice to life. How cool is that?
The serenity of the experience extends to the world. Be prepared to enter photo mode numerous times during your playthrough. Bridge of Spirits is as beautiful as games come, and that beauty encourages exploration – you’ll want to see all of this fantasy kingdom. Ember Lab’s artists make every little detail pop, whether within the sprawling forest Kena journeys through or the little creatures she meets along the way. These adorable tiny blobs are called Rot and are one of the game’s most sought-after collectibles. They play a massive role in both the gameplay and story, but more importantly, they wear cute hats (another item to track down). You don’t know what the Rot are or why they are helping Kena, but you keep gathering them (up to 100 in total) and hope they continue to be your allies as the story unfurls.
As Kena bounds through the sun-soaked forest, she’ll come across areas of corruption littered with thorns, muck, and gray vines leading up a red, pulsating blob called a Tangled Heart. When Kena enters these locations, enemies materialize from red mist and combat ensues. Throughout the entire game, Kena only uses her staff to take down these foes, but this simple weapon is about as adaptable as they come.
Kena’s movements are swift, and the staff’s melee strikes land with a satisfying wallop. She can evasive roll, block, and perform parry’s to stun her adversaries. These battle sequences hum with intensity, are loads of fun, and expand with complexity when Kena learns to use the staff in new ways.
Some of the staff’s augmentations unlock through purchase, but the most significant additions are earned by making progress in the story. Along the way, Kena learns how to turn her staff into a bow and channel its powerful energy to create bombs. Tagging an enemy with a carefully placed bomb is good fun, but the bow is the true star of combat. It feels incredible and is designed with pinpoint precision in mind. When Kena leaps into the air and pulls back the bowstring, time slows, allowing for an arrow to hit the exact spot you want – whether it’s a small weak zone on an enemy's chest or a hanging lantern below a galloping behemoth. Landing these shots is an empowering experience, and you are tasked to do it constantly. It's such a satisfying gameplay hook.
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The Rot, those adorable companions I mentioned earlier, also play a significant role in combat. They can heal Kena, stun enemies, and are game-changers against bosses. These conflicts turn the difficulty to 11 and demand near perfection in your timing and strategies. Don’t be surprised if these bosses throw you around like a ragdoll, and you die often. The leap in difficulty is surprising and is one of the areas where the game struggles a bit. The difficulty setting is switchable at any point, but with unsatisfying results – moving from blistering intensity to cakewalk.
Bridge of Spirits also leans a little too heavily on the same puzzle mechanics, especially in the late game where almost every vertical movement pushes Kena to throw a bomb and detonate it with an arrow to create a path forward. While I appreciate how clever the puzzles are and how fluid the platforming is, using the same motions gets tiring and saps some of the fun out of the exploration.
Click here to watch embedded mediaEmber Lab was upfront about Kena’s length going into release, saying it could be completed in a weekend. Given how much I adore this experience, I wish it would last longer, but the shorter footprint works well, especially for seeing all the world has to offer. The final act is the only aspect that feels rushed. The story wraps up nicely (in ways I didn’t expect), but a few of the big reveals and conflicts come and go in a flash and aren’t given the same level of care as other moments in the game.
Bridge of Spirits stumbles a little in spots, yet confidently sprints into the heart of the adventure, rewarding the player with secrets galore and visuals that are almost always worth admiring. If you love Zelda-like games or are just looking for an experience that will make you smile every step of the way, you can’t go wrong with Kena: Bridge of Spirits.
Summary:Ember Lab's debut game is a hit that you don't want to miss.
Concept:A rewarding adventure that encourages exploration and hits hard with combat and puzzles
Graphics:A beautiful journey that catches your eye with its stylistic characters, lush forest, and jaw-dropping next-gen lighting. Little touches like seeing the Rot find places to relax add a playfulness to the already impressive visuals
Sound:Composer Jason Gallaty and the ensemble group Gamelan Çudamani made a score that hums from start to finish. The voice acting and adorable Rot mumbles are also fantastic
Playability:Combat and environmental puzzles deliver plenty of thrills, but repetition is a problem in the final act
Entertainment:The world is fun to explore, and your time is rewarded with secrets galore and hats for your little Rot followers
Replay:Moderate
With the confirmation of Jackbox Party Pack 8’s release date, we decided to take a fond look back at some of our favorite games from previous entries. However, we all know such a list would rightfully devolve into a Quiplash/Drawful/Trivia Murder Party lovefest, so we’re focusing on the best games to only appear once. Besides highlighting some fun one-hit wonders, maybe this list will entice the Jackbox team to revisit them in future installments. If any of these entries ever gets a “2” next to them, you know who to thank. Instead of ranking these games from best to least best, we're arranging them in numerical order of the Pack they appeared in.
Creating crude doodles always garners a laugh but Tee K.O. ups the ante by making players pair their terrible art with equally humorous phrases. Players write slogans and draw pictures that are then shuffled and distributed for everyone to pair together on a t-shirt as they see fit. Two shirt designs are pitted against each other and players vote on the best/funniest. In a way, Tee K.O. blends the artistic creativity (or lack thereof) of Drawful with the fill-in-the-blank comedy of Quiplash; pairing a pre-school caliber portrait of Sonic the Hedgehog with the phrase “Sex Symbol” can have parties in stitches. Best of all, the game lets you order any created design as a real shirt – as in one you can wear in real life – to immortalize your favorite responses.
Rap battle insults are hilarious because the lyrics are either genuinely witty or so corny that they’re fun to laugh at. Mad Verse City is both by letting players dunk on each other under the guise of robot MCs. Players craft raps via a combination of choosing keywords, with the game generating lines around them, and writing wholly original sentences. Ideally, you want the last word in each line to rhyme but being humorous is more important than being the second coming of Rakim. Hearing an emotionless text-to-speech voice vocalize (and sometimes mispronounce) your absurd freestyle only makes it funnier. Since the game tells you who you’re facing, it’s probably best to play with good sports or friends whose relationships you consider bulletproof. As mean-spirited as it sounds, the game is at its funniest when raps go for the jugular via goofy personal insults.
Do you have a great idea for an invention? Patently Stupid lets you share your “brilliant” ideas with your friends. Players take turns creating a unique problem that everyone else has to solve. You then draw an invention meant to address these dilemmas, including naming it and giving it a tagline. Your ridiculous concoction is probably funny enough to garner some laughs, but the fact that you have to present and justify your dumb invention to the group Steve Jobs-style can send the game over the edge in the best way. If that’s asking too much, the game can do it for you via a nifty presentation tool.
In hindsight, Party Pack 5 is quite a package. Split the Room is an interesting game in that it tasks you with filling the blank of a hypothetical “would you rather” style question to garner the most divisive response possible. Here’s an example: “You’re the President of Pizza and learn that pepperoni will cause _____ to 5% people who eat it. Do you ban pepperoni as a topping forever?” Whatever word you fill that blank with, you want it to “split the room” as evenly as you can. Thus, Split the Room is a much more cerebral game, but that’s what makes it satisfying. It’s also a creative way of learning how your party guests like to think while allowing for plenty of laughs depending on how ludicrous players get with their responses.
Who says PowerPoint presentations can’t be fun? Talking Points divides players into teams of two, with one person in charge of improvising a speech based on slides chosen by their partner. The kick is that the slides are strange, hilariously out-of-context stock photos, but the challenge is to stay on topic while incorporating whatever weird thing pops on screen in a way that makes sense. The audience then votes on how engaging your speech was, with custom-made awards doled out at the end. Talking Points can lead to awkward trainwrecks, but that’s what makes it shine, so does watching someone smoothly think on their feet and deliver a killer presentation. That said, the game isn’t for everyone. Like Patently Stupid, it requires improvising a speech in front of an audience which can be nerve-wracking for some, even if it’s a joke. But when Talking Points lands, it’s a riot.
Which Jackbox game is your favorite? Share your picks in the comments!
Metroid might not have the widespread popularity of Zelda or Mario, but our enthusiasm for Nintendo's sci-fi action platformer rivals those blockbusters. Nintendo announced Dread only a few months ago, during the company's E3 2021 Direct presentation. Now we're less than a month from its October 8 release, so here is a quick overview of everything you need to know before playing Metroid Dread.
Metroid Dread is being made at MercurySteam, a studio that Nintendo previously worked with on 2017's Metroid: Samus Returns. Before that, MercurySteam developed Clive Barker's Jericho, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. The studio has a solid track record with a few exceptions, so we're hopeful that Metroid Dread will live up to the hype.
Nintendo has billed Dread as a direct sequel to the 2002 title Metroid Fusion, released initially on the Game Boy Advance, making Dread the fifth official entry in the 2D Metroid series. Nintendo also said this title concludes the main storyline focused on Samus' interactions with a parasitic race of creatures called Metroid.
Metroid has never been a story-heavy series, and we're sure Nintendo will bring players up to speed on any crucial details they need to know as they play this game, but you probably don't need to play the earlier Metroid games to enjoy Dread. That said, many of the earlier Metroid games are still enjoyable today (especially Super Metroid), so it's worth going back and checking out those titles if you missed them the first time around.
The name Metroid Dread first surfaced not long after the release of Metroid Fusion in 2002. Series producer Yoshio Sakamoto has said that he tried to develop Dread for the Nintendo DS handheld at least twice. After MercurySteam released Metroid: Samus Returns in 2017, Nintendo revived the Dread name and greenlit the project for the Switch.
Bounty Hunter Samus Aran is back. In Metroid Fusion, Samus explored a space station swarming with hostile, shape-shifting organisms called X Parasites. After Samus dealt with that potential catastrophe, the Galactic Federation received proof that suggests the X Parasites survived destruction and are now infecting the remote planet of ZDR. In response, the Federation dispatched a team of robots to investigate the world. But when those units vanish soon after arrival, Samus Aran is tapped to get to the bottom of this mystery.
Thanks to the events of Metroid Fusion, Samus has immunity against the X Parasites. Unfortunately, X Parasites aren't the only threat on ZDR, and Samus soon encounters a member of the ancient alien race, called Chozo, who attacks Samus and steals her abilities. When Samus awakens from this attack, she discovers she is deep beneath the surface of ZDR and must work her way back out while contending with the team of Federation robots now hunting her.
Not much is know about Planet ZDR. This remote alien world has a purple atmosphere and is home to a large, fang-toothed monster known as the Corpious. The Corpious has no legs and drags itself overland with two muscular arms. The beast can also turn invisible and attacks foes with a long, scorpion-like tail.
ZDR's deep underground caverns, an area labeled Artaria, are full of rocky outcroppings and underground waterfalls. Cataris is another zone within planet ZDR, and this area is an industrial station used to transport thermo-powered energy from surrounding magma reserves. The extreme heat in this zone can damage Samus' equipment until she gains a Power Suit.
Longtime fans may remember Commander Adam Malkovich, a "celebrated military genius" who served in the Galactic Federation Army. When Samus was younger, she served under Malkovich, as detailed in Metroid: Other M. Samus also reflected on Adam a few times during her adventure in Metroid Fusion and even named a computer A.I. after him. The AI version of Adam returns in Dread, but he won't order Samus around. Instead, this A.I. functions as the game's loremaster, so it is more a means to dish story details to the player.
The Galactic Federation's Extraplanetary Multiform Mobile Identifiers are high-tech operations robots created for "research applications." However, these E.M.M.I.s are also potent tools of destruction. The E.M.M.I.s were designed to be DNA-extracting machines, and they now hound Samus across Planet ZDR, likely because Samus has some Metroid DNA.
The E.M.M.I.s are not easily destroyed. In fact, Samus can only dismantle them if she temporarily upgrades her arm cannon at set locations on Planet ZDR. As a result, Samus must sneak past these machines. This is no easy feat because E.M.M.I.s can hear Samus' footsteps and relentlessly chase her down if they catch wind of her presence. When an E.M.M.I. grabs Samus, players have a tiny window to perform a melee counter, which gives Samus a chance to escape. If players fail this counter, the E.M.M.I.s instantly impale her, resulting in a Game Over.
The Galactic Federation dispatched seven E.M.M.I.s to Planet ZDR, and each one is a different color. E.M.M.I.s have different abilities. For example, the green E.M.M.I. can crawl through tight passages, yellow can run at high speeds, and blue can freeze and shatter objects.
Metroid has always been a series focused on exploration. As Samus probes the depths of Planet ZDR, she slowly uncovers new weapons and abilities that give her access to new areas. This loop has always been at the heart of Metroid, and that won't change with Dread.
Samus retains access to many of her staple abilities, such as her arm cannon, missiles, grapple hook, and the morph ball that allows her to access out-of-reach areas. In Metroid: Samus Returns, MercurySteam introduced a melee counter that lets Samus parry enemy attacks, exposing them to brutal counterattacks. This technique returns for Dread. However, Samus also has a few new moves, such as a slide that allows her to quickly slip through tiny spaces without transforming into her morph ball.
During Samus' adventure, she also gains access to powerful new tech and weapons. A Phantom Cloak ability temporarily renders Samus invisible. However, this power drains a resource called Aeion, which was also introduced in Samus Returns. Unlike the last game, Aeion now slowly replenishes over time. Another Aeion ability called Flash Shift allows Samus to dash across the screen.
Not every power requires Aeion. For example, the Spider grapple helps Samus climb walls and ceilings marked with a blue, magnetic surface. This is similar to the Spider Ball from previous Metroid titles; however, it doesn't require that Samus enter her morph ball form. Meanwhile, a weapon upgrade called Storm Missile lets Samus lock on and fire a volley of missiles at multiple targets. Samus can lock onto up to five targets using her free aim, shooting three missiles at each target.
The giant three-eyed reptilian known as Kraid is reported to return, but the alien appears chained to a wall this time. We haven't heard if Ridley will make an appearance, but this is a Metroid game, so our Magic 8-Ball says "Very likely."
Nintendo is producing a Metroid Dread Special Edition, which comes in a steel game case, and includes five art cards and a 190-page art book spanning all five entries in the 2D Metroid saga. This package retails for $89.99.
You will be able to purchase Metroid Dread for the Nintendo Switch, starting on October 8.
More than two months after the State of California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard over violations of the state’s “civil rights and equal pay” laws, the Wall Street Journal reports an investigation is underway through the SEC. This federal agency, known as the Securities and Exchange Commission, is looking into the Call of Duty and World of Warcraft publisher and has ordered subpoenas to high-ranking executives.
According to an article released today from The Wall Street Journal’s Kirstin Grind and Sarah E. Needleman, the SEC has “launched a wide-ranging investigation into Activision Blizzard Inc., including how the videogame-publishing giant handled employees’ allegations of sexual misconduct and workplace discrimination.” The subpoenas mentioned above have been issued to CEO Bobby Kotick and other senior executives at the company. What kind of info does the SEC want from the Activision Blizzard execs? From the sounds of Grind and Needleman’s reporting, quite a lot.
Much of the desired information lies within meeting documentation and discussions between the executive team. The SEC has supposedly asked for “minutes from Activision board meetings since 2019, personnel files of six former employees, and separation agreements the company has reached this year with staffers.” That’s on top of communications between Kotick and his executive team members “regarding complaints of sexual harassment or discrimination by Activision employees or contractors.” According to the report, Activision spokesperson Helaine Klasky has stated the company is cooperating with the SEC investigation.
If anything, this additional set of eyes on the issues within Activision Blizzard centering on pay disputes and sexual harassment accusations, has the power to make some sweeping cultural changes in the company. It’ll take time to see how this part of the saga plays out, but we’ll do our best to keep our readers updated. Please take a moment to check out Liana Ruppert’s reporting on the Activision Blizzard lawsuits that started making waves in July to get the bigger picture of the situation workers are facing at the publisher.
Sea of Thieves has a deluge (yarr harr harr!) of content updates coming this Thursday, September 23, with the arrival of Season 4. Of note, there are Siren Treasuries full of loot that players must do battle for. You can use sunken merfolk statutes to store the loot safely and utilize merfolk to the surface waters to retrieve it so that it doesn’t get stolen! There’s a lot more as well, including encrusted message bottles that lead to new treasures and rewards, new commendations, and some sweet coral stuff. Check out the trailer below for everything Season 4 has to offer!
Click here to watch embedded mediaWith many games embracing seasonal content and continual updates, what’s something you’d love to see in Sea of Thieves?
Like every NBA team, Visual Concepts must get ready for another season and try to improve its roster and make the lineup stronger. Last year's entry was all about making the jump to new-gen hardware and truly taking advantage of the tech with impressive graphics and lightning-fast load times. You could say the developer found its core players when it made that move, but as with every roster, there's always room to grow into a title contender. Visual Concepts hasn't found its championship year, but it made some solid improvements and changes to get there eventually. NBA 2K22 may not feel significantly different from last year, but some bright spots make it more fun to play and set a promising foundation for the future.
The gameplay, which has always been top-notch, doesn't make any huge shifts from the formula. It took me a few games before I truly appreciated the enhancements. This year focuses on rewarding your basketball IQ and having more realistic features, like fatigue, factor into your performance. That doesn't mean your star players won't shine and easily be able to dominate the game, but you might miss a few more baskets or get blown past for being out of position more than in previous entries. It's a change I'm all for, as previously it felt like overpowered stars mattered more than playing good team basketball.
The defensive game is where the tweaks are most noticeable, as positioning can make or break you. If you don't cut off your man appropriately or commit to the wrong play, you pay for it. Blocking and shot contests are reworked, so predictable plays are properly defended more realistically. I also really like the new shot meter, which takes into account shooting ability, distance, fatigue, and defensive coverage. Getting a basket is a good mix of skill and player talent that previous entries have struggled to perfect. You also can't take anything for granted and assume that since your player is elite, the shot will go in, and forcing a shot up often fails. Some new dribble moves provide more variety to ball handling, and this is another area where the differences in player skill are evident in how they look and feel when dribbling.
As for modes, MyCareer probably saw the most significant changes, taking place entirely in The City. In this sprawling multiplayer hub, players can do everything from shopping for new clothing to playing in pick-up games and tournaments. That means you're no longer following a huge cinematic, authored storyline as in previous years; instead, you're living out your NBA career in this venue, visiting agents at their headquarters, meeting with reporters for exclusive interviews, and going to the practice facility for team practices. Visual Concepts has leaned into the RPG elements, with a huge quest system that ensures your player always have something to do, whether it's working on their NBA career, advancing their personal brand, or taking on online challenges for extra goodies.
MyCareer still has a story path, playing as "MP" an up-and-comer who turned heads with his YouTube channel and is carving out his own unique path in the NBA. This approach feels fresher than previous years, with Visual Concepts choosing to show the different ways players can make a name for themselves and how social media can play a huge role in a player's rise to fame. You can decide to focus solely on basketball or build your brand with ventures into music and fashion. During my time, I released a track with rapper The Game and started my own clothing line for comfortable but stylish athletic apparel. The story is silly at times, but I enjoyed it for that reason. This mode also adds some fun diversions from the NBA season, but be aware that if you do enter the fashion track, you're expected to use the virtual currency (VC), which you can earn in-game or buy using real-world money, on clothing to impress. That said, the mode is still a grind, and it doesn't help that most quests are repetitive, sometimes being a rehash of the same content (the music trivia is egregious) or require you to participate in boring fetch quests. The City is still a pain to get around until you open up better vehicles and additional fast travel options beyond your apartment.
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You only enter The City as a male MyPlayer, which is disappointing. NBA 2K22 does bring back The W if you want to forge your own WNBA career. While this mode laid a great foundation last year, it's disheartening that Visual Concepts didn't build off it more for NBA 2K22. The only significant addition is the ability to practice with other WNBA stars to learn their skills alongside some gameplay improvements to better mirror the women's game, especially in the passing department. However, the mode feels vacant of meaningful interactions and rewarding content. I'd love to see scenes and press conferences to really showcase my player's personality and choices about her path in the league, as you see in MyCareer.
MyGM is also very similar to last year, except with more staff members for various positions to hire, such as a sleep doctor or perimeter defense coach. This encourages you to think more about hires. Do they fit your coach's system? Do you put up with staff members who have a negative trait or two in favor of their other superior skills and perks? It's a small addition but gives you a bit to think about when assessing your team's needs. This mode is fun but is beginning to lose its allure due to not having any significant changes in recent years.
MyTeam, where you open card packs to create the roster of your dreams, got one of my favorite additions: drafting. Now you can build a roster by flipping over three cards in a pack of five to create your team at various positions. It adds some unpredictability and luck to the equation, but I enjoyed creating a team this way to play others online. Depending on your wins and losses, you get extra rewards and more attempts at drafting players to keep making your team better.
For those who like getting goodies and seeing your work going toward something, seasons are now across all the game's main modes. Seasons run every six weeks and allow you to get free items like clothing, card packs, and more. All you need to do is complete objectives (mostly playing games) to reach certain reward tiers. Modes like MyTeam and MyCareer have daily rewards that give you small freebies just for logging in. This is a smart change; I always felt like I had something to look forward to, and it helped to have some rewards to chase as an incentive to keep playing. While this is an improvement, microtransactions still rear their ugly head in NBA 2K22; most players put down VC to up their player's stats faster or get lured by cosmetic items to improve their look. You earn VC by playing games, but it is a grind, which is why so many reach into their wallets. At the very least, clothing pricing seems more reasonable, but players only have slow-moving skateboards to navigate The City, which seems like a carrot to get them to upgrade.
Instead of walking into the arena and making a grand statement, NBA 2K22 just plays decent basketball. You'll see a few highlight clips, but none that make you want to keep watching in awe. Still, NBA 2K22 is an improvement over last year, even if it's disappointing that it's not making more significant moves. Hopefully, next year we see more shakeups to the lineup to make the game a little more exciting and feel like Visual Concepts is gunning for that championship title.
Summary:NBA 2K22 may not feel significantly different from last year, but some bright spots make it more fun to play and set a promising foundation for the future.
Concept:Build on the innovations from last year's new-gen console debut while adding some new touches across all modes
Graphics:The ultra-realistic player models and their on-court moves wonderfully resemble the real world. The little details, from the crowd to sweat on the players, are a nice touch
Sound:Once again, the soundtrack provides energizing beats to get you in the zone, while the commentary still stands as some of the best in sports games
Playability:The new shot meter goes a long way in providing a smoother, more natural experience. Those with high basketball IQ on both sides of the court should often prevail
Entertainment:NBA 2K22 makes some smart and interesting changes and refinements. Unfortunately, they aren't a large enough leap to truly dazzle the audience
Replay:High
Fall officially begins this week, and with the temperature cooling, it’s a great time to stay indoors and plunge into video games. There are a ton of exciting projects coming out this year, and we thought it would be a great time to highlight some easier-to-miss titles. Like leaves from a tree, indies can fall onto the gaming scene in a flurry, sometimes making it difficult to get an idea of what is out there. This year, we are happy to help rake up a big pile of these independent titles for you to jump into. Over the next few months, we will take a look at what’s going on with these games. We’ll dive into what’s launching and tons of exciting indie scene news. From triple-I releases to lesser-known titles, get ready to celebrate fall’s indies.
There is already a heap of great indies available now as we head into the autumnal season. With unexpected, last-minute announcements and long-awaited releases, it's been an eventful few weeks. Here is a helpful round-up of indie news you might have missed alongside games to help kick off your fall festivities.
Platforms: PS5, Switch, PC
Relaxing and engaging, this black-and-white adventure game places a camera in your hand and invites you to travel through the world, helping people with your photography skills. The game is short, lasting only about four hours, but it never feels rushed or unsatisfying. Setting out from your comfortable home, you embark on a journey that will take you through a woodland park, beachfront destination, and big city. But your final destination is the tallest mountain in the region, the famed location of the Toem phenomenon.
Platforms: Switch, PC
Released last week, Eastward earned the title “Pixel Paradise” and an 8.5 score in Game Informer’s review by Dan Tack. The gorgeous pixel-style game follows an unusual duo attempting to escape their stifling, post-apocalyptic society. You’ll need to solve puzzles and battle baddies on your journey East. To do this, you switch back and forth between the one-time miner, John, and a young girl with mysterious powers, Sam.
Platforms: PC
Toby Fox, the creator behind the wildly popular game Undertale, revealed on September 15 that he planned to drop Deltarune Chapter 2 in two days. Fans were set buzzing with the unexpected news, excitedly counting down the hours until September 17, when they could get their hands on this anticipated follow-up. Deltarune’s first chapter launched in October 2018, so the speedy release of its next chapter was welcome news.
Platforms: PC
Also in the exciting new content category, the Viking adventure, Valheim, released its Hearth and Home expansion on September 16. Planned since the initial Early Access launch, Valheim developers pushed the update's release back several times. The team explained this by pointing out they were overwhelmed with the explosion of interest in Valheim and the work it took to keep the base game running smoothly. As its name suggests, Hearth and Home introduces features to make your self-built shelter a little cozier, including additional furniture options, a device to destroy unwanted items, and the ability to tame your very own lox.
Hitting in the tail end of September, there are a few indie releases that coincide perfectly with the beginning of fall. Here’s a look at all of this month's upcoming titles.
Platforms: PS5, PS4, PC
Though initially set to release in 2020, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is ready to launch on September 21. You play as the titular spirit guide helping souls move on to the afterlife with the aide of adorable creates called Rot. The beautiful environment is inspired by places like Bali and Japan but is not an open world. Speaking of inspiration, when we spoke to the developers, Ember Lab, they mentioned that The Legend of Zelda series was a reference point for the team.
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC
Combining a unique aesthetic, open-world exploration, and a story about identity, Sable is one of our most anticipated games coming this year. Shedworks, a development team made up of two people, announced the game three years ago. It contains no combat elements but instead encourages the player to wander through a vast and striking desert on a hoverbike. Populated with ancient, secret-holding structures and personality-filled characters, Sable has plenty for players to discover when it launches on Game Pass on September 23.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
So, you decided to become a firefighter, but not the kind that gets rigorously trained and has professional, life-saving tools. No, you opted to become a Respondr with an app called Embr. As a new gig worker in the business of putting out fires, you and up to three friends must respond to clients’ emergencies, saving lives and property as quickly as possible in order to get the largest amount of money. Though it’s been on Steam Early Access for some time, the game is officially coming to consoles on September 23. With its ragdoll physics, silly requests, and outrageous gadgets, Embr is the best time you’ll ever have fighting a fire.
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
On September 30, become one of the fated eight in Astria Ascending, a JRPG with a striking hand-drawn art style. The game boasts a creative team loaded with veteran talent, like Final Fantasy writer Kazushige Nojima and composer Hitoshi Sakimoto best known for Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy XII, and Valkyria Chronicles. Joining them is Akihiko Yoshida, whose creative talents brought us characters in Nier: Automata and Bravely Default, as well as the art for several Final Fantasy titles.
Platforms: PC
Called an “alchemist simulator” by its developers, Niceplay Games, Potion Craft enters Early Access on September 21. While that means it will be up against Kena: Bridge of Spirits, which is launching that same day, Potion Craft may be worth a look for indie fans. The game’s graphics look like they popped out of a Medieval manuscript and asks you to set up shop as a town’s local tonic creator. You’ll gather ingredients from your own enchanted garden, build up your collection of alchemical tools, and try to keep the customers coming.
Platforms: PC
Don’t be fooled by the painterly design or endearing, green protagonist; Teacup delves into a truly dreadful problem: you are out of tea. The main character, Teacup, is a reserved frog that intends to host a tea party, which is a problem if you don’t have any to serve. Narrative-driven and exploration-focused, Teacup will send you all around its beautiful world looking for the herbs on September 23. If you don’t have time to see many games through to the end, Teacup may be for you since it promises to be a short experience.
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Have you run through Deathloop, 12 Minutes, and Returnal but can’t get enough of that sweet time loop gameplay? Good news! Lemnis Gate is a turn-based competitive shooter centered around time and constantly repeating actions, and it is coming out September 28. You have 25 seconds in one round to perform a move that will continuously loop as the game progresses. Your opponent then tries to neutralize you or set up their own action loop in their 25-second round. Each time the gameplay passes to the next player, the map becomes increasingly choked with mayhem, so good luck staying alive.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
“Should you pull at the thread and unravel the solar system’s deepest secret,” askes Outer Wilds developer Mobius Digital, “or is some knowledge better left in the dark?” Revealed at Annapurna Interactive’s recent showcase, Outer Wilds’ DLC, called Echoes of the Eye, is coming September 28. At the heart of this mysterious expansion is an unexplainable image, an anomaly that will send you off on an entirely new adventure. Outer Wilds' first and last DLC, Echoes of the Eye promises players more content, without disrupting the original game’s narrative.
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC
One of fall’s biggest festivals, Halloween, is about celebrating all things spooky – and In Sound Mind definitely fits that description. Waking up in an unfamiliar place is pretty jarring on its own, but this psychological horror takes it one step further by pushing you to investigate several deaths on top of navigating a disorienting structure. There is one upside: you get to pet the cat. By solving puzzles, fighting bosses, and delving ever deeper into the game’s mystery, you may escape the dark machinations of your own mind.
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, PC
Falling on the last day of September, Bonfire Peaks is a puzzle game about letting it all burn. Despite its maniacal-sounding premise, this voxel art indie gives off chill vibes. Its director, Corey Martin, even promises the PlayStation version will have a helpful Activity Card for each puzzle, in case you get stuck. But what do you do? Simply put, you climb your way through a world made up of over 100 challenging levels, throwing your belongings into fires as you go in an effort to let go of the past. Bonfire Peak creators insist this 10-hour game will be a feast for the eyes and a workout for the brain.
Are you excited about any indies this fall? Shout them out in the comments!
Director Swery65 and his development studio White Owls Inc. have finally set a release date for The Good Life, and it’s very soon. PLAYISM, the game’s publisher, released a trailer this morning (which you can watch above!) providing an overview of what The Good Life is about and announcing the launch date.
You play as Naomi Hayward, a photographer who has traveled from her home in New York to a small English town, Rainy Woods, in search of solving a mystery for a client. Rainy Woods is known as the “happiest town in the world,” but the town and its residents have a secret Naomi soon becomes wrapped up in; when the sun goes down, everyone turns into dogs and cats! During your time in the town, you’ll snap photos, investigate oddities, and take odd jobs from the townsfolk to earn an extra buck as you unravel what and who is behind the happenings in Rainy Woods.
The Good Life has been in production for quite a while, having had a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2019. Swery65, otherwise known as Hidetaka Suehiro, and his team at White Owls Inc. have previously released Deadly Premonition 2 and The Missing in recent years, although Swery65’s gameography goes deep into the previous console generations, including D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die, Spyfiction, Extinction, and Tomba 2.
While its status was up in the air for a while, it’s nice to have a definitive release date for The Good Life on October 15. It will be releasing on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. Are you interested in snapping photos of this rural English town or spending nights as a pup or cat? Let us know in the comments!
Jackbox Party Pack 8 arrives October 14, giving fans a new batch of goofy party games just in time for all of those Halloween parties. The game is coming to PlayStation and Xbox consoles as well as Switch and PC.
So what’s new in Party Pack 8? Five games, that’s what! You can check them out in the trailer above, but, in terms of returning favorites, there’s Drawful: Animate, a new spin on the beloved Pictionary-style game that now allows 3-10 players to create animated gifs.
Job Job tasks 3-10 players with answering job interview questions by assembling responses using the likely stupid answers from other players.
The Poll Mine is billed as the series’ first competitive team game. 2-10 players are trapped in a mine and the only way to escape is to correctly rank survey answers from your group.
The Wheel of Enormous Proportions is a trivia game with 4-8 players answering questions dictated by spinning the titular giant wheel.
Lastly, there’s Weapons Drawn which is Jackbox’s take on a deception-style game. You must solve murders committed by your friends while also drawing weapons to commit your own killings. It supports 4-8 players.
As per the series, Jackbox Party Pack 8 can be played by visiting Jackbox.tv in your browser, traditionally using your phone. On top of having your friends, up to 10,000 audience members can watch and participate in certain games to help sway the outcomes.
How do you think Jackbox Party Pack 8 will stack up compared to previous collections? What game in the pack excites you the most? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Pokémon fans have a new way to enjoy the wildly popular trading card game thanks to the newly revealed Pokémon TGG Live App. The free-to-play game provides a modernized online venue for players to collect cards, build decks, and take on trainers around the globe on desktop and mobile devices.
You’ll start by creating and outfitting a custom avatar in a similar manner to Pokémon Go. The game features side activities such as daily quests. You can get a good sense of the action in the teaser trailer below. The TCG Live App launches “soon” for PC, Mac, iOS, and Android, according to The Pokémon Company. Later this year, Canadian players can try the game early via a soft launch on mobile devices, while everyone can partake in a global open beta on PC and Mac.
Click here to watch embedded mediaCoinciding with this news is the announcement that the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online app is shutting down. The Pokémon Company states that servers will close, and the app, which launched in 2011, will be removed from digital storefronts shortly before the launch of TCG Live, but the exact timing has not been specified. You can still play the app as usual up until the shutdown. You can also transfer account information and certain cards from TCG Online to TCG Live when it launches, but some items, such as in-game currency, friend’s list, and avatar items, will not be transferable. You can read the complete FAQ for the app’s sunsetting process here.
So trading card fans, what do you think of Pokémon TCG Live and how it’s replacing the current TCG Online game? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Ember Labs’ Kena: Bridge of Spirits looks to have the same magical qualities of a fantastical Disney-Pixar movie. Two new trailers revealed more backstory and gameplay footage, as well as a dynamic photo mode that has me incredibly excited to take pictures with NPCs (and I usually gloss over photo modes when playing games!). Additionally, a physical deluxe edition was announced in partnership with publisher Maximum Games.
Click here to watch embedded mediaKena: Bridge of Spirits follows the titular heroine/spirit guide as she travels to a distant land in search of a sacred mountain shrine. Spirits have been transforming into monsters, and only Kena can bridge the gap between life and death to make things right again. She’ll meet plenty of colorful personalities along the way, including sooty little anthropomorphic creatures called The Rot, which will aid her in battle. For more backstory details ahead of the game’s release, watch the launch trailer above or check out Marcus Stewarts’ Everything We Know About Kena: Bridge Of Spirits.
Click here to watch embedded mediaA Photo Mode trailer also dropped today. Kena has no shortage of awe-inspiring vistas, vivid magical effects, and endearing character models. Taking pictures, however, amplifies these gorgeous visuals, and a “Say Cheese!” option lets Kena and her friends properly pose for the camera. I’ve never seen this component in a video game before (as I said above, I usually don’t activate in-game photo modes – maybe some of you have seen a feature like this in other games?). Nevertheless, the game’s charm and warmth undoubtedly come through. I can’t wait to see all the photos that players post on social media. Who knows, maybe I’ll finally capture some memories of my own.
The trailers are currently buzzing, meaning that you might’ve missed the news that Kena: Bridge of Spirits is also getting a physical deluxe edition in November. Ember Labs partnered with Maximum Games, a sub-publisher on titles like A Plague Tale: Innocence and Minecraft Story Mode. Priced at $50, this deluxe edition will launch with a copy of the game, the digital soundtrack, and cosmetics for The Rot and Kena’s staff.
"Our community was extremely vocal about their desire for a physical edition from the moment we first announced the game,” said Ember Labs’ chief operating officer Josh Grier. “It’s an honor to create a game people want to add to their collections, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Maximum Games to make that happen so quickly after the initial launch.”
Does this news make you even more excited for the game, and do you plan on taking a lot of pictures with the ensemble cast?
Over the summer, Atlas launched a website dedicated to Persona’s 25th anniversary, stating that seven exciting reveals were on the way, starting with the first one in September. New merchandise and Persona 6 were confirmed soon after, but yesterday marks the release of that first anticipated reveal video. Persona 5’s feline mascot – and newly appointed ambassador for the 25th-anniversary campaign – Morgana took to the stage to congratulate Atlus on its acclaimed run with its beloved JRPG/high school sim franchise. Here's what fans can expect to see in the coming months under the “Persona 25th Times” content banner (watch the video with closed-captions enabled if you can't understand Japanese!):
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe news revealed during yesterday’s stream showcased Japan-based content. For instance, all past Persona animes will be available for streaming in Japan on Amazon Prime, Hulu, and other services. This announcement includes the Persona 4, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 series. The Persona 3 movie and Persona Trinity Soul (the series’ first anime that you’ve probably never heard of) will be accessible too. Moreover, a special orchestral concert celebrating the 25th anniversary will take place on November 21 at the Tokyo Opera City Hall; your favorite songs from the franchise will get classical rearrangements. Tickets go on sale starting today, so if you’re already living in the area, you’re in luck. Sadly, Japan is still enforcing strict travel regulations, but hopefully, the performance will be streamed online. Lastly, limited-time merch, including a Persona 3-themed watch, is on sale now, so head over to the Atlus website to check out the catalog.
Morgana pauses towards the end of the stream, mere words away from spoiling the next reveal slated for December. We’ll have to wait a few more months to find out what else is on the horizon for Persona.
Sure, yesterday’s video was targeted at fans in Japan, but what do you think the December stream will showcase? Drop your speculations down below.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a new action RPG from Chinese independent developer Leenzee Games. The game draws heavy inspiration from FromSoftware titles like Dark Souls and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and tasks you with rescuing a country suffering from societal upheaval and a supernatural disease.
The game takes place during the final years of China’s Ming Dynasty where Emperor Chongzhen has hanged himself. The power vacuum his death creates gives rise to bloody conflicts across the country as armies and other forces clash for control, leaving villages helpless to pillaging and wanton chaos. If that’s not bad enough, a mysterious and incurable disease known as “feathering” is causing people to grow feathers. Not only does this physically deform those afflicted, but it causes their minds break in unpredictable, often violent ways.
You control a mysterious female warrior wielding a sword that’s almost as tall as she is. She’s also equipped with a side pistol (ala Bloodborne) and can equip another weapon such as a heavy ax. Sekiro fans will likely notice design similarities to Sekiro, from its checkpoints to its menu layout, though Wuchang's combat doesn’t appear quite as fast-paced. You’ll cut down foes ranging from human soldiers to supernatural threats steeped in various Chinese mythologies from ancient cultures such as those of Shu civilization sites Sanxingdui and Jinsha. Leenzee released 18 minutes of alpha gameplay footage, and while the game still looks a little rough around the edges, it provides a nice proof of concept. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has no release window but Leenzee states it’s intended to release for PC and current-gen consoles.
Click here to watch embedded mediaWhat do you think of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and how it borrows from FromSoftware? Share your impressions in the comments.
Monster Hunter has been a nexus for crossover content from Capcom franchises to surprise collaborations with properties like The Witcher. Today we got confirmation of an incredible new Palamute layered armor that transforms your ridable hunting pup into Mega Man’s robotic dog companion. With at least one Capcom collab set for release this fall, I wanted to touch on some characters, weapons, or armor I’d like to see added into Monster Hunter Rise. Beware of spoilers for Resident Evil Village below!
While Monster Hunter World had a few guest monsters to hunt, we haven’t seen creatures from outside the series added to Rise yet. However, I think this next Capcom addition could be the perfect time to introduce an exciting new creature to hunt. One that's very different from those we've fought before. When it comes to imposing monsters, Lady Dimitrescu has many of the Capcom bosses kneeling at her feet. Standing at 9’6” tall, she’ll tower over any hunters in the field, though a little exaggeration in her height for effect wouldn’t hurt.
Her inclusion as a hunting target would introduce a unique gimmick: a humanoid monster. Very few beasts in Monster Hunter get close to the shape of a human, let alone a towering aristocrat. In this form, Lady D can use her sword-like claws to attack and have swarms of insects attack the hunting party. Though this is just one form of Lady D, she can transform into a mutated dragon-like body, much more akin to the Wyverns we’re used to taking on in Monster Hunter. If you haven't seen it, it's like Capcom somehow made a more disturbing version of Khezu.
Imagine a multi-phased encounter that begins with Lady Dimitrescu stalking you around the map, taking death-dealing swipes at the hunters in your party. She then brings out her trio of daughters for help before taking her final, disgusting dragon shape for the final act of the fight. Using Parts from the monstrous dragon body could be used to build classic Resident Evil costumes, or even a layered armor set featuring Lady D’s white dress and elaborate hat.
But that’s just one possible Capcom collaboration I’d like to see, even if it is rather large in both height and scope. Which Capcom characters or costumes would you like to see come to Monster Hunter Rise? Do you like my phased Lady Dimitrescu battle scenario? Let your voice be heard in the comments!
Capcom continues to collaborate within its internal brands, bringing another skin to Monster Hunter Rise. This time Mega Man 11 is the crossover title, offering a new Palamute layered armor featuring Rush. This robotic dog might be my favorite outside addition to the game yet! Check out Rush in action in the trailer below.
Monster Hunter’s dev team isn’t just slapping skins on characters and calling it a day. Putting the Rush armor on your Palamute transforms it into Mega Man’s canine companion, complete with the special moves for which he’s famous. Sprinting while riding on a Rush Palamute makes the dog levitate, turning his hind legs into rocket-propelled engines. Likewise, jumping off from him enables a spring animation, just like if Rush were helping Mega Man leap to a high platform. Hunters can even customize his color to make their personalized version of Rush.
These kinds of loving details make what could be a lackluster skin something I’m definitely going to acquire when it releases. Other recent Capcom collaborations include tie-ins with Monster Hunter Stories 2 (which you can read my review of here), Street Fighter’s Akuma, and Amaterasu from the whimsical Okami. At least one more Capcom crossover is scheduled for release this fall, but you can get your hands on Rush on September 24. Happy hunting!
Earlier this year, THQ Nordic released SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off for the Nintendo Switch, but if you can’t stop spending money on SpongeBob games then you might be interested in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake.
In Cosmic Shake, SpongeBob and Patrick encounter the mysterious fortune teller who hands the pair a container of Mermaid’s Tears, which are fabled to grant the wishes of those pure of heart. Unfortunately, SpongeBob and Patrick's enthusiastic string of wishes threaten to rip open the fabric of space and time, and now the undersea goofballs have to work together to rescue their friends and save Bikini Bottom’s iconic buildings.
According to THQ Nordic, Cosmic Shake also has the following key features:
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is “coming soon” to PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Earlier today, THQ Nordic also announced Outcast 2: A New Beginning, Destroy All Humans 2: Reprobed, and Jagged Alliance 3. Which game do you think has the worst title? Let us know in the comments below.
THQ Nordic has announced a revival of the Outcast franchise with the upcoming release of Outcast 2: A New Beginning. Development started in 2018 with at least ten developers from the original Outcast team onboard, including the director and art director from that game.
Outcast 2 revives ideas from the original sequel that was being planned in 1999/2000. Due to financial issues with its publisher Infogrames, the project was shelved indefinitely. Appeal Studios, the team behind A New Beginning, wants to make a product that feels like a successor to the cult classic. Appeal is looking to implement a non-linear narrative an enticing world to explore.
Click here to watch embedded mediaLike the first game, Outcast 2 will take place on the planet of Adelpha, and players will step back into the shoes of Cutter Slade 20 years in the future. Due to an accident while escaping the planet, Slade was blipped out of time and found his way back decades later. To keep the world fresh, players will explore a different part of the planet and meet new inhabitants. Combat and movement have been updated, according to THQ Nordic. Outcast 2 is a third-person shooter at heart, with modular weaponry being a focus. However, Cutter will also receive magic-like “Talan powers” and a new mobility-enhancing jetpack.
While we don’t have a release date quite yet, THQ Nordic informs us Outcast 2 is nearing the end of its “pre-alpha” stage of development, a good sign we’ll be seeing it sooner rather than later. THQ Nordic and Appeal Studios are releasing Outcast 2 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Outcast is a game that I missed out on all these years but heard rumblings of it over time. Do you have any Outcast memories you’d like to share? How did the game impact you in the late 90s and beyond? Are you excited about the re-emergence of the franchise? Tell me all about it in the comments!
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Crypto is back to subjugate the Earth in Destroy All Humans 2! Reprobed, a remake of the PlayStation 2 and Xbox-era game originally developed by Pandemic. Like the remake of the first Destroy All Humans, Black Forest Games is handling the development duties this time around.
Click here to watch embedded mediaSet in the swinging '60s, Destroy All Humans 2 pits Crypto against the Soviet agents of the KGB as he attempts to capture, consume, and generally kill humanity. Our playable alien antagonist will have a myriad of weapons and gadgets at his disposal to complete missions. Of course, he’ll have his trusty flying saucer to wreak havoc on towns and abduct the residents for his nefarious schemes. Other weapons include the Gastro Gun, the Burrow Beast, and the Dislocator, a projectile weapon that bounces enemies far in the air and away from Crypto. Some of the technology at your disposal is being reworked to be more fun and balanced, including the previously mentioned Dislocator and the over-powered Free Love Goggles.
Black Forest promises a more diverse and populated world to decimate. Building the world for this remake wasn’t a matter of matching the exact maps from the original, but taking inspirations from the levels of Destroy All Humans 2 and bringing in modern sensibilities and techniques. Reprobed is a lot less flat and features more characters, plant life, and buildings than the original. One thing confirmed but not shown at this time is the return of two-player co-op.
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Destroy All Humans 2: Reprobed will release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC sometime in 2022. For more alien domination, check out our review of the Destroy All Humans remake here.
Jagged Alliance hasn’t had a numbered entry in over 20 years, but that changes soon with the upcoming release of Jagged Alliance 3. THQ Nordic announced this new addition to the franchise today during the company’s 10th-anniversary stream. Helming this project is the team known for making games like Tropico 5, Victor Vran, and Surviving Mars, Haemimont Games based in Bulgaria.
Click here to watch embedded mediaPlayers will control a group of mercenaries brought to the land of Grand Shien to find a missing person. Though, merc missions are never easy. Your characters will have to navigate the region, meet the locals, and learn about Grand Shien and how you’ll end up impacting it throughout the game as you adventure. Conflicts play out in turn-based tactical battles where each mercenary in your squad brings their particular sets of skills to the fight. Whether you want to play stealthy, stabby, or with akimbo pistols blazing, there will be many unique strategies to implement.
THQ Nordic initially brought on Haemimont Games to tackle a side project in the Jagged Alliance series. But as the relationship grew, the project changed to being the first proper sequel since 1999. With the lineage of Jagged Alliance established, the team is bringing back past mercenaries to join your squad like Len and Tex. Each merc, old or new, can be leveled up and customized with perks, weaponry, and equipment.
Jagged Alliance 3 is only announced for a release on PC, though we have not learned when fans of the series can expect it. Check out the other announcements from today's THQ Nordic showcase, including Destroy All Humans 2: Reprobed and Outcast 2!
Where does Jagged Alliance 3 rank in the announcements from THQ Nordic today? Are you itching to get back in the field with these mercenaries? Let us know what you think in the comments!
Battlefield 2042’s launch was delayed to November 19 which brought into question the launch timing of the game’s promised open beta and early access period. Freeman, the game’s lead community manager, took to Twitter to address these concerns, confirming that the early access period will now kick off a week prior to launch on November 12.
Early Access allows those who pre-ordered the Gold and Ultimate editions of the game a chance to dive into Battlefield 2042 a week early. Unfortunately, the dates for the public open beta remain undetermined but rumors have pointed to the launch taking place in either late September or early October.
Thanks to everyone who have sent their messages of support this past 12 hours or so - it's deeply appreciated by all of us on the team 💛 #BATTLEFIELD
— Freeman 🇸🇪 (@PartWelsh) September 16, 2021
I'll be helping to answer questions as we move towards November 19th. To help clarify on the below
Early Access = 12th November https://t.co/GDwneaclZs
Battlefield 2042 takes the series to the near future and is set on a version of Earth ravaged by war and the effects of climate change. Catastrophic storms such as tornados dynamically rip through gigantic firefights featuring a staggering 128 players. The game is a multiplayer-only experience and features revamped versions of the Conquest and Breakthrough modes, as well as a new mode called Hazard Zone. 2042 also includes Battlefield Portal, an advanced logic editor that allows players to create their own battlefield matches using maps, vehicles, weapons, and other assets from across multiple entries in the series.
Battlefield 2042 will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Will you be diving into the Battlefield 2042 early access beta and are you excited for the eventual open beta? Let us know in the comments!
Net Ease and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment are bringing expansive wars in Middle-earth to the palm of your hands. Now announced to release next week, Lord of the Rings: Rise to War is described as a “Geo-Strategic Seasonal Wargame” for mobile devices.
Rise to War puts players in charge of massive armies and your favorite Lord of the Rings characters to take over swaths of the Middle-earth map. All the stars are here, and they can be your generals in battle. Recruit the likes of Gandalf the White, Galadriel, Aragorn, and Legolas to lead your armies to victory. Each has stats and specified roles like Control or Warrior, so choosing the correct characters for each battle is vital.
Lord of the Rings: Rise to War’s map will shift and change with each battle as players and their Fellowships or Warbands take over territory throughout a season. According to a press release, players can form groups in “a multi-layer Fellowship social structure designed to foster collaborative strategies between players. Based on their choices to side with good or evil, players can form either Fellowships or Warbands with other players and take to the battlefields to triumph over their foes tile by tile.”
Click here to watch embedded mediaMaybe most exciting (to me at least!) is the ability to forge your very own magical ring to provide buffs and advantages in battle. Customization includes which gems or jewels adorn the artifact and even etching an inscription on the inner surface. Check out the developer Q&A video series above that features gameplay and insight from people working on the game.
Look for Lord of the Rings: Rise to War on iOS and Android devices September 23 in territories all over the world, including Europe, North America, Oceana, and Southeast Asia. And if you haven't yet, check out the upcoming Lord of the Ring show coming to Amazon Prime, and a new game starring the ring-obsessed Gollum.
Who would you want fighting by your side against the various forces in Middle-earth? I might like some of those Ents on my side. Let me know in the comments!
This Friday, we’re taking a short break from our Super Replay of Demon's Souls (we'll be back next week!), and instead, we'll be surviving World War 2 in the multiplayer beta for Call of Duty: Vanguard. You can watch us test our mettle against other players on Twitch at 2 p.m. Central.
Vanguard launches on November 5 and puts players in the boots of special forces operators battling through Berlin. Their mission: put a stop to a mysterious Nazi plan known as Project Phoenix. The explosive story unfolds four of WWII’s theaters of battle: the Pacific, Western, Eastern, and North African fronts. While we won’t be delving into the campaign, GI editor Marcus Stewart will be dodging (read: absorbing) bullets from other players across the beta’s available maps while tinkering with the game’s operators. Expect plenty of deaths, but we look forward to having you along for what's sure to be a wild ride.
To read more about Call of Duty: Vanguard, check out this handy primer. The game is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Sega and Atlus are set to unveil a new RPG during Day 2 of the Tokyo Game Show 2021, which is October 1. We already knew the companies would have the last presentation of the day according to the event schedule, and they’re gearing up to conclude the second round of livestreams with a bang.
The publisher has set up a special website for the unannounced title that plays a Japanese-narrated cinematic of an ink quill drawing three fantastical-looking characters overlooking a scenic cliff. It also shows flashes of different characters and melancholy scenes, such as what appears to be a slain woman. The animation concludes by taking viewers to a homepage that currently has a countdown clock ticking down to the game’s reveal at TGS. Translated text of the video’s description simply states “This is a teaser trailer for Sega's new RPG, whose information will be unveiled online at the Tokyo Game Show 2021 on October 1, 2021 (Friday).”
Click here to watch embedded mediaNow comes the fun part: figuring out what this game could be. Given the hype around it, one would assume it’s a new IP. Needless to say, it definitely doesn’t look like it fits in with Atlus’ established series like Persona, Shin Megami Tensei, or Etrian Odyssey based on the artwork. Atlus fans have undoubtedly begun dissecting every possible frame of this trailer for answers, but the rest of us will have to wait a couple of more weeks to learn more.
In addition to their livestream presentation, Sega’s digital booth will highlight games such as Lost Judgment, Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, and Sonic Colors: Ultimate. You can catch their offerings and more when Tokyo Game Show kicks off on September 30 and concludes on October 3. We already have some confirmation of what Square Enix is bringing to the show so expect other companies to begin finalizing their line-ups over the next few weeks.
What do you make of this mysterious RPG? Share your theories down in the comments!
Did you know this Saturday is Batman Day? Started officially in 2014, Batman Day comes around on the third Saturday of September and celebrates the first time Batman appeared in Detective Comics. Even though that date was actually sometime in June 1939, it doesn’t make us any less excited to honor the character of Batman. DC Comics is celebrating the occasion in a variety of ways, including special products releasing this week or making cool Batman stories available for fans to enjoy for free. Here are some of the ways you can enjoy the Dark Knight on his special Bat-day.
This week, DC released a massive anthology graphic novel made by a globe-spanning team called Batman: The World. 14 creative teams from 14 different countries came together to make this momentous book. Clocking in at 184 pages, Batman: The World features stories from each of these teams, including “a story from the award-winning duo of writer Brian Azzarello and artist Lee Bermejo (Batman: Damned, The Joker) in which Batman reflects on his time in Gotham, protecting his city and its inhabitants from all manner of threats,” according to a DC press release. Batman: The World was released this past Tuesday, September 14, so feel free to pick up these international Batman adventures at your favorite comic book store or digital marketplace. A free preview of the book is also available where comics are sold.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe World isn’t the only comic attraction for Batman Day! DC is issuing a reprint of the popular comic Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point #1, which brings the World’s Greatest Detective into the Fortnite universe. On the web, Batman: Wayne Family Adventuresis a new webcomic via Webtoons featuring Bruce and Damian Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, and Duke Thomas (AKA The Signal), Gotham’s newest vigilante under the guiding batwing of Bruce. Four episodes are available now if you want a lighthearted take on the crimefighting family.
HBO Max is, of course, the home to all of your favorite Batman movies and animated capers. Only on Batman Day, DC is making the 10-part Batman: The Audio Adventures, a scripted Batman podcast, available on the HBO Max streaming service. Those with Cartoon Network can enjoy a new episode of Teen Titans Go!and a showing of The Lego Batman Movie.
How will you be spending your Batman Day? Will you opt for curling up with your favorite issues of the Dark Knight’s adventures, or are you going to start another rewatch of Batman: The Animated Series? Throw up those Bat-signals in the comments.
Today finally ushers in the official Standard 2022 rotation in Magic: The Gathering Arena. Rotation comes once a year with the release of Magic’s fall premiere set. This year Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, the first of two full sets on the horror plane scheduled for this fall, brings with it a revitalized constructed format. What exactly does rotation mean for players of the game, and why are people excited about this one in particular?
Once every year, Wizards of the Coast changes which Magic: The Gathering expansion sets are legal for the game’s Standard constructed format. This determines which pool of cards players can choose from when building 60-card decks for competitive play. Upon the release of Magic’s fall set (like Midnight Hunt’s release this year), a year’s worth of sets rotates out of legality to make room for the upcoming year of releases.
In the case of the rotation we’re currently experiencing, all four sets from fall 2019 through the set before last year’s fall set are leaving Standard. Those sets are Throne of Eldraine, Theros Beyond Death, Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, and Core Set 2021. The remaining legal sets include everything from fall 2020 through the present day: Zendikar Rising, Kaldheim, Strixhaven: School of Mages, Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, and the incoming Innistrad: Midnight Hunt. Any additional Standard-legal sets released over the coming year will be added to the legal card pool. The diagram below shows the previous Standard sets on the upper part of the image, with Standard 2022’s current legal sets and upcoming products on the bottom.
Shaking up a competitive meta is always an exciting time. There’s plenty of experimental decks to build, and lots to play around with while figuring out what works and what won’t in a new format. This rotation is special to a lot of Magic players because of some oppressive cards leaving Standard. Specifically, a lot of cards from Throne of Eldraine have been so good over the past two years that some set releases didn’t affect which cards were being played.
Bonecrusher Giant, Lovestruck Beast, Embercleave, and Drown in the Loch are just a small sample of cards that have dominated competitive play. Not to mention cards that were banned because of their power level or repetitive play patterns like Oko, Thief of Crowns, Fires of Invention, and Caudron Familiar. Other sets like Ikoria have also produced powerful cards, but no other set had a grip on Standard over the last two years as Eldraine did.
But now Eldraine is gone. And with the loss of the most pervasive creatures and spells, comes the emergence of the sets that were held back. Mechanics like Party from Zendikar Rising, or Kaldheim’s snow and God cards have the chance to rise to the top. Themes centered around Strixhaven’s five colleges, and Adventures in the Forgotten Realms dungeon venturing and dice-rolling shenanigans could be valid now. All while a dark moon rises on Standard, bringing untold terrors to the fresh format.
Returning to possibly the most popular plane in the Magic multiverse, Innistrad and its classic horrors are back in Standard. Innistrad: Midnight Hunt is a set centered on the battle between humans and werewolves during an event called the Harvesttide Festival. The nights on Innistrad are growing longer, and as a result, the daylight hours are waning. The fight over night and day rages as characters attempt to fix the broken time cycle.
Click here to watch embedded mediaInnistrad: Midnight Hunt doesn’t just feature werewolves and humans, but also zombies, vampires, devils, spirits, and ghouls. If it’s creepy or horrific, you’ll probably see it on a card in Innistrad. New mechanics enter Standard with Midnight Hunt including a day/night cycle with Daybound and Nightbound cards that flip sides depending on the time of day, while the Disturb mechanic brings creatures back to the battlefield changed into something else. Classic Innistrad keywords like Investigate, Transform, and Flashback are also everywhere in the set.
Now is a great time to get into Magic: The Gathering and the easiest way is through MTG Arena on PC, iOS, and Android. The client is free-to-play with optional in-app purchases to buy card packs, entries into events, or cosmetic card styles. You're provided with free starter decks as you play through the game's tutorial, which gives a solid base of cards to start with. I’d also encourage new or existing players to check out the Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Pre-release events happening this weekend. Check with your local game store for times and information. Those looking to build Standard decks with physical paper cards will have to wait for the official physical release of Midnight Hunt on September 24.
Are you looking to get into Magic: The Gathering with this new rotation? Have you checked out the cards from Midnight Hunt? If so, which are some of your favorites? Let us know in the comments!
If you’re playing an RPG, you’re in it for the long haul and want an experience that’s going to immerse you and keep you entertained the whole way through. A genre that is both familiar and constantly evolving, RPGs are often tasked with having the total package. The best ones contain all the key ingredients, masterfully combining exciting combat, memorable characters, larger-than-life bosses, and a gripping storyline.
If you’re looking for RPGs that excel in those aspects, look no further than this list. The following games all share common elements but carve out their own unique path in the genre and promise a narrative-focused adventure full of thrilling encounters around every bend. Listed in no particular order, here are 10 stellar RPGs worth the time and effort.
CD Projekt Red’s open-world adventure is far from fresh, but it was such an ambitious and stunning game that it remains the gold standard for RPGs. It delivers in all the important areas: fantastic storytelling, unique characters, memorable battles, and choices with unpredictable consequences, and exciting exploration. And the game has only gotten better since its release with several updates alongside a recent Switch port that allows you to take your journey on the go. Come for monster slayer Geralt of Rivia’s dry wit and impressive battle moves, but stay for Ciri’s rise into the woman she was destined to be. Making difficult choices and watching their effects ripple across this vast open world makes your presence matter in a way few games can mirror.
When Persona 5 launched in 2017, it took the series to the next level, enhancing the stellar turn-based combat, refining the popular social elements, and raising the series’ stylish appeal. Leading the Phantom Thieves as the group reforms society and takes down big bads is a blast, especially building your friendships along the way. That being said, Persona 5 Royal is the definitive way to experience the excellent RPG; it adds new characters, story arcs, and a meaty post-game palace, while also offering a climatic and cinematic endcap to your time as a Phantom Thief. Throw in a grappling hook, new collectibles, and fun team-up attacks, and there’s a lot here that strengthens the original, which remains one of the best RPGs of the last decade. Whether it’s your first time meeting the Phantom Thieves or you’re looking for a reason to revisit Café Leblanc, you’re in for a memorable and satisfying ride.
The Mass Effect trilogy helped advance the impact of choice in games and proved a personal connection could endear players to the overall experience, but the characters remain the true stars of the show and reason to play. Whether loyal and charismatic Garrus or kind and mysterious Tali, Commander Shepard’s squadmates provided many memorable - and sometimes heartbreaking - moments that came to define the experience through the trilogy. The Legendary Edition allows players an easy way to access and play through the complete three-arc story the way it is meant to be played with all the DLC. The remaster’s upgrades in the visual department are undeniable, and the improvements, especially to the first game, make for a huge difference with revamped Mako controls, better camera angles, and more detailed environments. If you enjoy narrative-driven RPGs, Commander Shepard’s journey will get its hooks in you, guaranteed.
If you’re looking for something more action-packed and philosophical, look no further than Nier: Automata. Come for the crazy boss fights and unforgettable domains, but stay for the fantastic soundtrack that fully makes you feel the weight of the world. Oh, and it just might make you contemplate your own life and purpose. The game is a fantastic fusion of Yoko Taro’s masterful storytelling and Platinum Games’ flair for stylish action. Equal parts unconventional and profound, Nier: Automata is unlike anything you’ve played, with an ending that really hits home its message and the power of others to get us through the difficult times. The action/RPG has its flaws, but the way certain moments stick with you more than make up for these shortcomings. Very few video games make you think and feel like Nier: Automata does. Better yet? Once you finish, Nier: Replicant is also waiting for you with another powerful journey.
Another unconventional, story-driven RPG makes the list, but for very different reasons. Not only is Disco Elysium combat-free, but it also offers a complex world and intriguing narrative. It’s best experienced for yourself knowing very little, but to sum things up: the journey puts you in the shoes of a down-and-out police officer investigating a bizarre murder. Through your actions and dialogue, you veer toward redemption or ruination for your disaster of a protagonist, and the writing is flat-out fantastic. As our review by Joe Juba notes, “... the writing has a particular knack for highlighting beauty amid bleakness.” The Final Cut version brought the experience to consoles for the first time while adding worthwhile content, such as full voice acting and new political vision quests. No two playthroughs of Disco Elysium will be the same, but no matter what, you have quite a different experience here, and that’s part of the charm.
As one of the most influential RPGs of all time, it seems everyone has memories of Cloud and his small mercenary team as they fight back against Shinra. However, Square Enix brought a new and exciting layer to this story by not being bound by nostalgia but still tapping into that well. The result is a remake done right - one that brings back beloved characters and revamps the gameplay for modern audiences. Intergrade, which launched this year, is the best way to play the first chapter of this fascinating re-telling of Cloud’s story. Intergrade includes the Yuffie-centric Intermission episode, a photo mode, a new ending cutscene, and some major visual upgrades. There’s a reason why so many people talk about Final Fantasy VII, and there’s also a reason so many are still discussing this remake. Don’t miss out on your chance to find out why.
Our own Dan Tack called this game “one of the greatest PC RPGs of all time” and “the true modern successor to the heralded Baldur’s Gate II.” Still need convincing? For those looking for a choice-heavy game where your decisions have real meaning, Divinity: Original Sin 2 scratches that itch wonderfully. Characters leave or stay in your party based on your decisions, and your choices factor into the final encounter and ending. The journey never has a dull moment, thanks to the amount of freedom you have, whether it’s the people or places you interact with or how you play the game. For the latter, you can be anything from a telekinetic wunderkind to a burly brute, to even someone who dumps trash on enemies’ heads. Divinity: Original Sin 2 allows you to get creative in how you solve problems on and off the battlefield, and that’s where it really shines. Better yet? You can play through it co-op with one of your friends.
If strategy/RPGs are more your thing, you can’t go wrong with Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Intelligent Systems put more social elements into this entry, and it paid off, especially in giving you a personal stake in the story by being a professor of your chosen house. Having the ability to shape and mentor your allies forges an even stronger connection to them. But it’s the unfolding political war that really holds the intrigue - expect betrayals and bloodshed as you must make difficult decisions of who to align with. The choices aren’t easy, but how the young leaders of the game’s three houses grow and shape the future is where things really take an interesting turn. Succeeding in the against-all-odds battles is a highlight, but you surely won’t forget the relationships you’ve formed and the sometimes devastating turns they take.
The most recent game on this list, Tales of Arise, had a tall order to fill: reinvent the long-running Tales series and appeal to a wider audience. While still retaining the franchise’s essence, Bandai Namco evolved the formula in different and interesting ways, bringing in a new visual style, inserting more strategy into the gameplay, and telling a more mature story. Everything you love about RPGs is here: a big world full of discoveries, ridiculously huge and intense bosses, a satisfying progression system, and wonderful character interactions. The action battle system shines with team attacks alongside flashy aerial strikes and last-second dodge bonuses. You’ll help bridge the gap between two warring cultures and make life-long bonds with your party members along the way.
The Yakuza series is a great blend of heartfelt and absurd moments, and Like a Dragon doesn’t disappoint there. However, where it really impresses and sets itself apart is with its loveable goof of a protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, and a turn-based RPG with depth beyond throwing your fists around. Up until this point, Yakuza had been an action-centric series, but developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio went all-in with its RPG inspiration to great effect. Ichiban is a diehard Dragon Quest fan, and you bond with party members Persona-style. Among the massive list of side activities, there’s even a “gotta catch ‘em all” system where you collect “Sujimon” for a professor. If that’s not enough, you can swap jobs, becoming everything from a breakdancer to a chef for entertaining ways to take on the enemy. Ichiban’s journey isn’t just about silly minigames and outlandish ways to attack baddies, however. There’s also plenty of emotional and captivating moments as you try to piece together why his former father figure betrayed him.
What games on this list do you enjoy? What games would you add that aren’t listed? Let us know in the comments! If you enjoyed this list, be sure to check out our other recent genre lists by clicking on our list hub below.
Welcome back to The Game Informer Show! This week, we're breaking down Blake Hester's Deathloop review impressions and why Arkane Studios has a Game of the Year contender on its hands. We also discuss Dying Light 2 delay news and Eastward, a charming pixel art game. On top of that, we're joined by the one and only James Willems, Co-Founder of Funhaus, to talk about his journey through the video game industry and hear more about his recent voice acting role in Psychonauts 2 and what it was like working with Double Fine.
Follow the crew on Twitter: Alex Stadnik (@Studnik76), Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7), Dan Tack (@DanTack), and special guest James Willems (@JamesWillems).
The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join hosts Alex Stadnik and Alex Van Aken every Thursday to chat about your favorite games – past and present – with Game Informer staff, developers, and special guests from all around the industry. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Check out the timestamps below to jump to a particular point in the discussion:
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:03:19 – James Willems Intro
00:19:56 – Dying Light 2 Delay
00:29:23 – Deathloop
00:52:40 – Eastward
01:00:58 – Psychonauts 2
01:03:17 – Gloomhaven Video Game
01:10:03 – The Artful Escape
01:13:57 – Housekeeping
01:18:43 – Community Emails
After years of waiting, Deathloop is finally out. The game follows protagonist Colt Vahn as he journeys across the island of Blackreef to break the time loop he is stuck in. The loop repeats itself at the end of every day, and Colt quickly learns that he will have to eliminate the island's eight leaders to escape. Deathloop is a game about learning your enemy's patterns, and it then requires you to exploit them for knowledge and, ultimately, victory. Blake Hester, Alex Van Aken, and Marcus Stewart have an in-depth discussion about why the game is worth playing.
Check out our Deathloop review here.
Fall is almost here, and with it comes myriad game releases. Dan Tack is here to share his Eastward review impressions and talks about the game's excellent worldbuilding. Next up is special guest James Willems to discuss his love for both Psychonauts 2 (who would have thought?) and his time playing the video game version of the Gloomhaven board game! Finally, Marcus gives us a quick lowdown on what he's playing, including The Artful Escape, the gorgeous indie that features some big Hollywood names!
This week we're talking about what titles we'd love to lend our voices to, which iconic character would slay at the Met Gala, and the unexpected way we found a video game! Thanks to everyone who submitted questions and Heat Map submissions! We'll be getting to your hot takes in the next few weeks and spacing out each episode.
Read their questions below, or submit your own via the Official Game Informer Community Discord or by emailing us at Podcast@GameInformer.com:
This question is for James.Are there any other game series that you are passionate about and would like to play a role in similar to Psychonauts? - Carlos Mora (Twitter)
Wassup GI show, hope y’all’s having a swaggin week. Got a question about the show. The rich and famous dressed up as their favorite cereal at the Met Gala this year. Others used the limelight to draw attention to a cause of their choice.But I want to know which game characters would be invited to the Gala and what they’d wear to the show. Who do you think would slay? - AnAttackCorgi (Discord)
Recently, for the first time ever, I borrowed a video game from the public library while picking up books for the kids. It was Kingdom Come Deliverance, a game I had been hesitant about buying given the mixed reviews. I like it, so I bought it!What is an odd/unexpected way you discovered a game that you liked. Thanks and good luck with the new podcast format! - Phil from Ottawa, Canada
Wipeout Rush has been announced for iOS and Android. The first original Wipeout title since 2012’s Wipeout 2048, Rush is a full-fledged entry that combines the series’ classic hyper-speed racing with card-based mechanics.
As shown briefly in the trailer, players will collect and merge power-up cards for their anti-grave vehicles. According to IGN, Rush features a complete single-player campaign (told in comic book-style panels), and 12 championship cups. Rush also has five levels, and races perform at 60 frames-per-second on capable devices.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe game is being published by Rogue Games. Its CEO, Matt Casamassina, gave a statement to IGN, saying in part “We hope fans will come to it with an open mind because—although different—we’re proud to bring the wipEout franchise back into focus with a fresh take on the formula.”
According to the trailer, Wipeout Rush is coming “soon”, though IGN reports an early 2022 launch. While it’s not coming to consoles like many fans would probably prefer, it’s nice to see the series have some kind of pulse.
What do you think of Wipeout Rush? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Sherlock Holmes is a mainstay in books, movies, TV shows, and even games. Stories about the legendary Consulting Detective are told and retold in different mediums with new twists and turns added to keep the narratives fresh in modern eras. Irish Studio Frogwares has been churning out Holmes games for years, as well as the Lovecraftian The Sinking City from 2019. The developer’s newest game turns back the clock in Sherlock's life to explore his youth before he became a notorious sleuth.
A new post on the PlayStation blog is dedicated to Frogware’s newest mystery-solver, Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One. As a 21-year-old Holmes, you explore an open world on the Mediterranean island of Cordona with your best friend Jon at your side. Sherlock is there in remembrance of the tenth anniversary of the passing of his mother, though he’ll no doubt be captured within a web of whodunits that the observant youth will have to solve.
Click here to watch embedded mediaIn the gameplay video above, you can see some of the activities Sherlock and Jon (Watson maybe?) will partake in, including building a relationship with your friend and using Holmes’ superior deductive skill to spot small but important details. Since this is a story from before Sherlock became a renowned detective, his skills may not be infallible, leaving a real chance that he can end up with a wrong conclusion to puzzle. Players can use clues collected to set up interpretations of events, though the interpretations can lead to accusing the right or wrong suspects. It’s up to the player to make thoughtful decisions to determine whether they are on the right trail or not.
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One has now been announced for release on November 16 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, while PlayStation 4 and Xbox One editions are coming later.
Lost Judgment, the newest game from Yakuza developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and the second in its Judgment spin-off franchise, is out next week, so read our review and watch our episode ofNew Gameplay Today. To keep the Judgment train rolling, ahead of the game's release, we're running down everything we know about the game, from its story, themes, gameplay, and setting.
Even though it isn't RGG Studio's first spin-off set in the Yakuza world, Judgment made a comparatively huge splash when it was released in 2018. Telling the story of Takayuki Yagami, a disgraced lawyer-turned private eye, the game is set in Kamurocho, the main open-world location from the Yakuza series, but tells its own story aside from that of protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. After the events of Judgment, which had Yagami facing an assortment of corruptions within Japan – including false convictions, pharmaceutical conspiracies, and murder – Yagami has returned to his life investigating petty cases around Tokyo's redlight district. But of course, it's not long before he's pulled into a much larger case.
(Content warning for sexual assault)
We recently had a chance to play through numerous different levels of Lost Judgment – including its opening. If you want to read the full article, which includes an interview with producer Kazuki Hosokawa, you can find that in the most recent issue ofGame Informer. In the meantime, here's what we had to say about the game's opening moments:
Lost Judgment opens in Ijincho, Yokohama, the location from Like a Dragon and the latest open world in the overall series. Firefighters are racing to a scene; smoke billows out of an abandoned building, but there are no visible signs of fire, as one firefighter points out. It strikes him as a false alarm or a prank.
His assumption is not correct.
Once inside, they survey the floor with the smoke, discovering 14 flares arranged in the shape of an arrow pointing in the direction of a large mass covered by a tarp. Flies, hundreds of them, hover around. You can't be sure until one of the firemen musters the courage to remove the tarp, but you have a pretty good idea what lies beneath. It's bad.
Removing the tarp confirms your worst assumptions – a dead body. But not a fresh corpse. The skin is black with decay. The hands restrained behind the back, mangled and broken. The body has been here a while, maggots and larva making themselves at home in the decomposing hole that was once a nose. The camera slowly pans towards the corpse, and right before you can't take it any longer, the screen cuts to black, and in pipes a familiar voice.
"In Japan, 99.9 percent of criminal trials end with a guilty verdict," protagonist Takayuki Yagami says, a declaration of Lost Judgment's themes.
"The reality is, the law is neither as perfect or as fair as it's supposed to be," he says a few moments later. "So I've made it my job to give those without a voice a chance to be heard."
Set in December 2021, Akihiro Ehara is accused of groping a woman on a train. A bystander captures Ehara's attempt to flee on video. It's broadcast by the news, leading to a public outcry for a maximum sentence. However, Ehara brings up the corpse in Yokohama on trial, asking if the court has identified the person. His defense lawyer, Saori Shirosaki, a main character from the first game and one of Yagami's coworkers, asks Yagami to investigate, believing police overlooked important case details. Did Ehara commit two crimes at the same time? If so, how? Was his sexual battery case a cover-up? Or has he gamed Japan's justice system entirely? These are the central questions in Lost Judgment.
If it wasn't clear in the previous section, Lost Judgment's story centers on some weighty topics, including Japan's actual 99-percent conviction rate, sexual assault, murder, and corruption within Japan's judicial system. Whether or not the game pulls any of this off with grace, we'll have to wait and see. But it is worth noting the game isn't pulling punches when it comes to its sociopolitical themes. And that's the point.
RGG's games, especially the most recent releases, have never shied from tackling political and social issues within Japan. And where many western studios tend to avoid these topics – or at least talking about them – Hosokawa is open about what RGG is trying to say in Lost Judgment and the purpose of video games as political platforms, telling us, "Whether or not video games are a good medium for dealing with political issues is not a function of the game itself, but rather a function of the relationship between creators and players."
As he sees it, when video games became a dominating force in entertainment, or as they "became as important as novels and movies as a means for meaningful experiences," it was only natural they would adopt narratives true to the real world. The implication seems that Hosokawa views his audience as a mature one who wants to play games that explore themes about society, not shirk away from the thought of video game creators being politically-minded people.
"It’s also probably true that the market has changed from one centered on children and enthusiasts to one that is open and diverse enough to include people with various preferences and ideas," Hosokawa says. "For this reason, I feel that game creators should be strongly encouraged if not required to have a good understanding of and to be cautious about the way they depict certain themes and motifs when considering the diversity of their players."
While the Yakuza series has featured numerous different open worlds throughout the years, by and large, it's known for its central Kamurocho setting, which takes close inspiration from Japan's real-world Kabukicho entertainment district. Until 2020, when Yakuza: Like a Dragon moved the series to Yokohama with its Ijincho setting.
While the game also features Kamurocho, Ijincho is making a return for Lost Judgment, but not without some subtle and specific changes. Like a Dragon is a turn-based RPG, and so the large Ijincho map is built with this gameplay in mind. Lost Judgment, however, is a brawler, sticking with the Yakuza series' historical gameplay. When RGG was developing Like a Dragon, Hosokawa says he was already thinking about how the developer would use the map in Lost Judgment. And in fact, numerous changes have been made to Ijincho to serve the game's difference in gameplay that the player might never notice at all.
Except for one significant change the player can't miss.
"Ijincho is also a vast city, created on the premise of being an RPG, so we also introduced the skateboard as a means of transportation to make navigating the city feel more comfortable," Hosokawa says.
While playing Lost Judgment, we took the game's new skateboard for a few joyrides, and for what it is, it works well enough. Don't expect Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, but there is a fun novelty to skateboarding around the city, even if the controls are limited.
As part of his investigation in Lost Judgment, Yagami has to infiltrate a Yokohama high school undercover. Which, of course, means you also are going back to school.
Lost Judgment features a fully modeled Japanese high school for you to explore, with its own story beats, minigames, and characters. When we played Lost Judgment, we didn't get too much time with the school, but one level did give us a glimpse at combat within the setting.
Here's what we had to say:
Our time exploring the school shows a beautifully realized level full of classrooms and courtyards. Our objective is to head to the third floor, though we're stopped by a group of kids connected to the local Chinese gang, the Yokohama Liumang. A fight ensues. Which, Yagami beating the holy hell out of a group of children is a bit of a weird look, but here we are. Combat within the school, specifically in the classrooms, makes great use of the environment; grabbing a student's desk to pummel an enemy is as funny as it is absurd.
Historically, RGG's games have been beat 'em ups, and it's here that Lost Judgment shines. Combat is instantly fluid and chaining fast combos with heavy and light attacks combined with grapples and throws feels excellent. But with Like A Dragon, the core Yakuza series is now a turn-based RPG, meaning Judgment, the spin-off, is now carrying forward the main games' legacy as a brawler. It's an interesting position for a side series to be in, and Hosokawa says Lost Judgment's combat is a legitimate evolution of RGG's action systems.
"I would also say the battle system is the most advanced form of RGG Studio's action combat yet," Hosokawa says.
When we were playing Lost Judgment, we got to see the game's new parkour and stealth systems. Both systems are relatively rudimentary in terms of gameplay. Still, they work well enough, and there's something to be said about how they break up the tried-and-true RGG gameplay, which remained relatively the same for several years. We didn't get a lot of time with either system but enjoyed what little we got to play.
Historically, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's games have come out in Japan upwards of a year before other territories – or in some cases haven't come out at all outside of their home country. That all changes with Lost Judgment. For the first time in the company's history, it will launch a game worldwide on the same day. Publisher Sega will release Lost Judgment on September 21. It will be available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One.
Good question! RGG has been bringing its games over to PC in recent years – except for the Judgment series. Accordingto a report from Japanese entertainment siteNikkan Taisu, Johnny & Associates, the talent agency representing Takuya Kimura, the actor lending his face and voice to Yagami in the Judgment series, does not want any of their talents on "a PC platform that is not a game console platform and connects directly to the internet" due to privacy concerns. Due to publisher Sega and Johnny & Associates not reaching an agreement, the entire serieswill reportedly end after Lost Judgment. However, Sega has yet to say anything official on the matter.
For more on Lost Judgment, make sure to check out the new">https://www.gameinformer.com/cover-reveal/2021/08/26/cover-reveal-marve… issue ofGame">https://www.gameinformer.com/cover-reveal/2021/08/26/cover-reveal-marve… Informer, where we had the chance to play through multiple hours of the game and talk in-depth with Hosokawa about the game's development, story, and themes.
And if you caught the semi-obvious Deftones reference in this piece, sound off in the comments below.
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