April 2022

Rarely has the threat to bite your thumb at someone resulted in all-out nuclear armageddon, but one group of Fallout 76 players will prove the exception tomorrow when they perform William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet live in the game. The Wasteland Theatre Company has even built a stage they say is modelled after London’s Globe Theatre, renowned for its performances of the Bard’s plays. They’re a week late to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday, but I won’t judge because I can’t even add up properly in Freddos.

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This is just superb.

I'm not a fan of most fighting games. All too often they have too many elaborate moves, too much memory testing, or they feel like glorified puzzles you have to figure out the one solution to.

Hats Are Not Allowed takes an approach I find far more interesting. Combat is pared down to a few basic principles, and the challenge comes from learning how to combine them, and timing is less about animations than about second guessing your opponent. I can't say it's one of the best dueling games ever, but it's the best one I've played for ages.

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Announced today in a tweet is that Until Dawn spiritual successor The Quarry has officially gone gold and is on track for its June 10 release date.

The tweet includes a short video celebrating the news with a nice campfire setting.

The tweet reads:

#TheQuarry has officially gone GOLD and we’re extremely proud of our team.
In six weeks, we’ll reach the Hackett’s Quarry with 2K

During a livestream from Nico Nico Chokaigi in Japan, the new Ryu Ga Gotoku studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama provided a small development update on the next Yakuza game.

Yokoyama-san mentioned that the development is progressing steadily and the writing team is currently working on the climax of the story, while some of the actors have already started recording.

While he can’t say when the game will be released yet, he also mentioned that more information will likely come this year.

He also confirmed, as he had said a while ago, that the studio is working on more than one game, even if not all projects are actually ever announced.

In a previous interview, he had mentioned that the title “Yakuza 8” is tentative, and he hasn’t confirmed the official title yet.

We also already know that the main hero will still be Ichiban Kasuga, who debuted in Yakuza 7, titled in the west “Yakuza: Like a Dragon.”

This follows a reshuffle at the top of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio after the departure of Toshihiro Nagoshi to create his own Nagoshi Studio under the umbrella of NetEase.

As we teeter on the cusp of a brand-new month, Microsoft has whipped out its announcement horn to regale Xbox Live Gold subscribers with news of May's Xbox Games With Gold, which this month include Yoku’s Island Express and Viva Piñata Party Animals.

Yoku’s Island Express, which will be available to download from 1st-31st May is a strange but successful blend of platforming and pinball that Eurogamer's Christian Donlan liked a lot when it released back in 2018, calling it a "wild-spirited adventure to cherish."

Next up, and available to download from 16th May to 15th June, is The Inner World: The Last Wind Monk. This one, developed by Studio Fizbin (responsible for last year's striking Minute of Islands), is a follow-up to acclaimed 2013 point-and-click adventure The Inner World, and once again follows young, flute-nosed adventurer Robert on a quest to save the world.

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Overwatch had a nontraditional approach to keeping score. Typically, competitive shooters like Apex Legends and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds keep a running list of kills, points, and team ranking on a shared scoreboard. Overwatch, instead, used a less specific system that awarded an individual gold, silver, and…

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Here’s how I know Nintendo Switch Sports is a good party game: I now hate my friends.

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I don’t need to tell you that the Call of Duty franchise is massively popular. Equally, you’re already well aware that the Modern Warfare sub-franchise within Call of Duty is pretty successful too. So it’s no surprise that we are getting another Call of Duty Modern Warfare, this one a sequel to the 2019 MW reboot.…

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Despite releasing back in 2017, Dead Cells is still going strong, releasing plenty of DLC, each of which is packed to the brim with new features, maps, and gameplay tweaks. At PAX East, I got to sit down and speak with the developers behind the game, picking their brains regarding the future plans for the series, including any possibility of Dead Cells 2. 

Thanks again to Evil Empire Marketing Manager Matthew Houghton and Game Designer Arthur Décamp for taking the time to talk about Dead Cells. 

Twinfinite: What would you say to players that haven’t played Dead Cells in a while that are interested in picking the game back up again?

Nippon Ichi Software released another trailer of the upcoming real-time strategy JRPG GrimGrimoire OnceMore.

The trailer showcases various cutscenes featuring Vanillaware’s trademark beautiful artwork, and serves to explains the basics of combat and familiars.

You can check it out below.

GrimGrimoire OnceMore will release in Japan on July 28, for PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

If you’re not familiar with the original GrimGrimoire, it was originally released in 2007 for PlayStation 2. This new remaster includes plenty of new elements, on top of higher-resolution visuals and wide-screen format.

At the moment, NIS America (which also published the original game in North America) hasn’t announced a western release, so we’ll have to wait and see whether this game is brought over, but I would be surprised if it isn’t.

If you’re not familiar with Vanillaware, it’s a niche but extremely respected developer well-known for its beautiful 2D art (as you can easily see for yourself in the trailer). Their most recent game is 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.

We've known developer Sloclap's challenging kung-fu beat-'em-up Sifu would be getting much-requested difficulty settings for some time, but now, following the release of a new content roadmap earlier this week, Sloclap has offered a closer look at how they'll function when they arrive in a new update next Tuesday, 3rd May.

As we learned earlier this week, Sifu's new difficulty levels will come in three flavours - Student, Disciple, and Master - and Sloclap's latest preview trailer breaks each setting down in a little more detail. Disciple, for instance, will offer the "classic Sifu experience", and it's the option for those that want to continue playing the game as it is now.

Student, however, is designed for those wanting a slightly easier ride. It'll make the experience "more forgiving but still challenging", by increasing player health, making ageing more forgiving, and introducing weaker enemies with less aggressive AI that use simplified combos.

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Pirate 'em up Skull & Bones has been delayed and delayed, and is currently expected to reach port sometime this year or next. It's been a while since we last saw it in action, but four minutes of footage leaked earlier today, showing a walkthrough of the game designed to prime journalists or testers before they play the game.

The seemingly old footage has already been taken down, but the official Skull & Bones Twitter account has tweeted a hint that it won't be long before we see something more official.

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This week, Brian is joined by fellow Game Informer editor Jason Guisao as the two once again talk about Nintendo Switch Sports, this time getting Jay's final impressions of the game. The two then talk about the latest news in the world of Nintendo before Jason swaps out for Game Informer's Kim Wallace to celebrate 30 years of the Kirby franchise.

If you'd like to follow the people from this episode on Twitter, hit the following links: Brian Shea (@brianpshea), Jason Guisao (@Jason_Guisao), Kimberley Wallace (@kstar1785)

The All Things Nintendo podcast is a weekly show where we can celebrate, discuss, and break down all the latest games, news, and announcements from the industry's most recognizable name. Each week, Brian is joined by different guests to talk about what's happening in the world of Nintendo. Along the way, they'll share personal stories, uncover hidden gems in the eShop, and even look back on the classics we all grew up with. A new episode hits every Friday!

Today third-party developers had news and releases to share for Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons.

We start with Just Flight which just released the much-anticipated BAE 146 vintage regional airliner.

The aircraft is now available on Just Flight’s own store for €59.95 plus applicable VAT.

Below you can check out a gallery of screenshots.

Our Nate (RPS in peace) is a big fan of Age Of Empires 2, calling it the best strategy game ever made and, in his Definitive Edition review saying it was still that, "but now, there's a lot more of it."

Well, there's more of it again, now, with the release of the Dynasties Of India DLC. If you want to watch an elephant headbutt a pyramid until it bursts, watch the trailer below.

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For me, the fun of Rocket League lies entirely in how its supersonic acrobat rocket-powered battle cars control. That means it's still fun even if you remove the ball and, say, turn it into a free-for-all battle royale about punting opponent cars out of bounds. That's what the time limited Knockout Bash mode does, which is available from now until May 10th.

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Creative Assembly have laid out the 2022 development roadmap for Total War: Warhammer 3. It contains detailed descriptions of the fixes and balance tweaks to come over the next few months, but the exciting stuff will all land this autumn, including the series-spanning Immortal Empires, mod tools and the first of several revamps for the series' older races.

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It’s the weekend! In a week that saw the Mario movie get delayed, the announcement of an Xbox/Bethesda showcase, and the surprise reveal of Disney Dreamlight Valley, we’re ready to kick back and wind down. The Game Informer staff has a variety of activities lined up, from watching sportsball to catching up on the telly to playing those wacky video games. Read on to find out what we’ll be up to and let us know what your plans are too!

Brian Shea –  This weekend, I’m continuing my playthrough of Kirby and the Forgotten Land and playing more of MLB The Show 22. With any luck, I'll have some extra time and can start up Lego Star Wars.

Today Cloud Imperium Games released the new Alpha update for Star Citizen, numbered 3.17, alongside a few new videos.

The new update includes aerial (or space) ship-to-ship refueling, the ability to sell looted equipment, mining gadgets, the MISC Hull A freighter, the new hospital in Hurston, and the new technology for rivers.

You can check out a trailer for the update below.

The second video features proposed changes for biome interaction, improvements being made to the AI, work on derelict outposts, space ruins, and more.

The third video is a lenghtier one showing the creation of one of these derelict outposts.

Today Atlus released the usual daily trailer for its upcoming JRPG Soul Hackers 2, showing one of its demons.

This time around we take a look at Hell Biker, which in Japan is known as Hell’s Angel. It also appeared in the latest game of the series, Shin Megami Tensei V.

As usual, the trailer also includes the daily horoscope with a ranking of signs from the luckiest to the unluckiest. Scorpio is at the top, while Leo is at the bottom of the fortune ranking.

PS4, Xbox, & PC Gets New Trailer

Soul Hackers 2 releases for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC (Steam and Windows Store) on August 26, just one day after the Japanese launch on August 25.

Happy May Day weekend, reader dear! Whether you consider this a celebration of spring, the start of summer, a day for workers, or just a long weekend, may you have a good'un. We've had a busy fortnight, with CJ Wheeler joining us as a news reporter and me becoming associate editor (I am still not sure what that means). So how nice that we'll be away on Monday, returning on Tuesday. What are you playing until then? Here's what we're clicking on.

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Part of what's so exciting about Playdate - and weeks in, I am still excited about it - is the fact that it's been conceived as a system people can make their own games for from the off. With Pulp, a web-based game editor, and easy drag-and-drop sideloading of game files, there's already a Playdate scene developing on Itch.io.

It's still very early, but I wanted to get a sense of what's already out there. Here are just a few of the games I've enjoyed so far.

A lot of early Playdate games are a bit like Pulpmon - a loving recreation of an existing game, in this case Pokémon.

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Genshin Impact developer miHoYo has confirmed update 2.7 has been delayed.

Whilst the studio stopped short of detailing what's caused the delay - "project progress" is all we've been told, although many suspect the strict Chinese quarantine may be affecting development - the upcoming update has been indefinitely postponed.

"Due to project progress, the Version 2.7 update will be postponed," the developer tweeted. "For detailed information on the date of the new update, content adjustment plan, and compensation, please stay tuned for upcoming announcements."

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An update on the Microsoft store intimates that Battlefield 2042 and FIFA 22 may be on the way to Xbox Game Pass.

Whilst not formally confirmed by Microsoft nor Electronic Arts - so treat this as a rumour for now - both games now sport the Game Pass logo (thanks, XGP, via NME) on the former's online store, suggesting they may get their debut on Microsoft's subscription service next month.

As FIFA 22 was released in October 2021 and Battlefield 2042 in November, this means both games will only be around six months old should they indeed be joining Microsoft's library of games soon.

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The Long Dark's very first paid DLC is coming "later this year".

That's according to a new developer diary in which Hinterland Studio reflects on the last eight years of development, as well as teasing what may be coming next, including a premium season pass to ensure the game "continues to be financially self-sustaining".

After focussing for so long on the sandbox and story modes, the team says it's now ready to "decouple" them, mitigating issues that founder Raphael van Lierop says made development "unwieldy" at times.

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Glen Schofield has shared some new concept art from his upcoming sci-fi horror, The Callisto Protocol.

The Striking Distance Studios' CEO shared what appears to be concept art of an enemy set against a grimy, dilapidated sci-fi backdrop of smashed gangways and torn fences.

"Going through some of the concept art from our incredibly talented art team for @callistothegame today," Schofield tweeted along with the single image. "It's almost time to show you the real thing. Can't wait."

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We've emerged from the depths of the BioShock series to begin a fresh season of Video Gameography! We're doing things differently this time as we're discussing the gameography of a developer rather than covering an individual game series. That studio is Supergiant Games, acclaimed indie developer of Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, and Hades. This week, we continue our season by analyzing the second game in Supergiant's catalog, Transistor.

Released for PlayStation 4 on May 18, 2014, and PC a day later, Transistor was a very different game for Supergiant to make compared to its freshman effort a few years prior. Development started just a few months following the release of Bastion, and while its first game was a success, the tight-knit studio wanted to prove what it did wasn't lightning in a bottle. In this episode, we discuss the various ways Supergiant pushed against the ever-present shadow of Bastion in the games design and the studio's production methods. We also cover the process of creating a new retro-inspired cyberpunk setting, the unique tactical action combat, and how the studio landed on a voiceless lounge singer named Red and her talking sword, the Transistor, as the main characters.

Join hosts Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7), John Carson (@John_Carson), and Game Informer Magazine Content Director Matt Miller (@MatthewRMiller) for a verbal stroll through the history and narrative of Transistor! 

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A new Final Fantasy VII Remake mod gives party member Barret Wallace an updated aesthetic that hews closer to the pre-development concept art created by famed illustrator Yoshitaka Amano.

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Bungie was served a bit of a loss this week in its ongoing legal war against cheat makers and sellers. On Wednesday, a federal judge dismissed Bungie’s copyright infringement claims against website AimJunkies while agreeing with the cheat seller’s legal defense that the Destiny publisher’s other, non-trademark-related…

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If you caught the rumour earlier this week that developers could prevent their games being downloaded on Steam Deck, worry not; turns out it was just an error.

A tweet showed purported evidence that the recently-released Demon Gaze Extra had been specifically configured to prevent downloads to Steam Deck, which understandably worried early adopters of Valve's new handheld system.

Turns out it's just a big misunderstanding, something Valve now suggests was "accidental". It's also promised to "fix the issue" with any other games that similarly prohibit Steam Deck installations.

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