December 2022

CD Projekt Red has now seemingly extended the quest to The Continent, as a new inclusion in The Witcher 3 sees Geralt teleporting to mysterious ruins that host more of the strange code.

This week on All Things Nintendo, Game Informer's Kyle Hilliard joins Brian to chat about a wide array of news stories related to Pokémon Trading Card Game, Super Nintendo World, Amiibo figures, and more. Then, the two chat about Kyle's review of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion before the return of Definitive Ranking and eShop Gem of the Week.

If you'd like to follow the people from this episode on Twitter, hit the following links: Brian Shea (@brianpshea), Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard)

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!

Be sure to subscribe to All Things Nintendo on your favorite podcast platform. The show is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

After 25 years, the latest season of the Pokémon anime saw protagonist Ash Ketchum finally achieve his dream of becoming Pokémon World Champion. Now that he’s reached the top of the mountain, the series is giving the perpetually young hero his last hurrah before kicking off a fresh adventure starring a new cast of characters.

The Pokémon Company announced that beginning January 13 (in Japan), Ash and Pikachu’s final chapter begins. It consists of 11 special episodes serving as a grand send-off celebrating the duo's achievements. It also features some familiar faces from Ash’s past, including Misty and Brock.

Sometime later in the year, a new yet-to-be-titled animated series set in Scarlet/Violet’s Paldea region kicks offs. It stars two young trainers, Liko and Roy, joined by the three starters of that region: Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly. The trailer also teases the appearance of a shiny Rayquaza.

So this is it. If you spent your childhood following Ash's exploits or have stuck with him for his entire run, how does it feel to finally see the character get his flowers and ride off into the sunset? Are you looking forward to finally seeing a series starring new heroes and storylines? Let us know in the comments!

Fortnite is crossing over with another big anime. This time, the saviors of My Hero Academia join the fight. Beginning today, you can rack up victory royales as characters from the hit series, compete in a new game mode, and earn rewards by completing special challenges. 

You can purchase outfits for Izuka Midoriya, All Might, Katsuki Bakugo, and Ochaco Uraraka. Each comes with a matching back bling and pickaxe. New items include the Deku’s Smash item, which allows players to pummel opponents and structures by challenging the power of One for All. You can also pick up two new emotes: Symbol of Peace and Hero Analysis. All Might will also be showering the battlefield with loot-filled supply drops. 

You can sharpen your superhero skills at the Hero Training Gym. This new Creative mode lets players select one of three classes to face other players in team battles. You’ll earn Rescue Points for your squad by eliminating players or capturing Rescue Zones that pop up in the arena. The first team to earn 100 points wins the challenge. 

Completing limited-time My Hero Academia quests earns XP and special items in either battle royale mode or the Hero Training Gym. These missions are:

Reviewed on: Xbox Series X/S
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: No More Robots
Developer: PanicBarn
Release: November 29, 2022

Soccer Story is a charming role-playing adventure that seamlessly builds a joyous and often goofy story around something as simple as kicking a ball. A cataclysmic event causes soccer to be banned unless sanctioned by the evil Soccer Inc. (with more than a few parallels to real-world FIFA), and our young hero’s father goes missing during the catastrophe. A year later, a magical soccer ball comes crashing into our hero’s life. What comes next is an often silly and fun story about bringing soccer back to the world, filled with anthropomorphic panda goalkeepers and an evil soccer corporation.

Players first set out to Soccertown to put the magical ball to use. The town is a shell of itself. The stadium is locked up, graffiti goals are sprayed around town in an act of rebellion, and evil Soccer Inc. referees are constantly monitoring for illicit five-a-sides. Existing in this soccer-mad world is delightful, thanks in large part to its absurdity.

In this episode of The Game Informer Show, the crew chats about our High On Life Review, why we're loving Fortnite Chapter 4, and all of the games we're playing in the final gauntlet to Game Informer's Game of the Year, including Vampire Survivors, Immortality, and The Callisto Protocol. 

Follow us on social media: Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7), Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard), Charles Harte (@ChuckDuck365)

The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join host Alex Van Aken every Thursday for a chat about your favorite games – past and present – with Game Informer staff, developers, and special guests from around the industry. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

PlayStation has revealed that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will hit PlayStation 5 sometime next fall. 

This news comes after leaks from earlier this week indicating the game would be hitting the console in the fall of 2023. It seems those leaks were correct. While we do have this fall 2023 release window, PlayStation did not reveal a release date. 

"What a year it's been for PlayStation Studios; here at Insomniac Games we've been in absolute awe of the work of our peers," Insomniac Games creative director Bryan Intihar writes in a PlayStation Blog post. "Congrats to everyone on a successful 2022... and here's to next year being just as exciting as we continue to get Marvel's Spider-Man 2 ready for release next fall." 

Not much else was revealed about this upcoming sequel, but PlayStation says, "Following the events of Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, the Spider-duo of Peter Parker and Miles Morales are back in the next blockbuster action chapter of the Marvel's Spider-Man series." 

Amazon Games will publish the next Crystal Dynamics Tomb Raider game, which was announced earlier this year. 

In April, Crystal Dynamics revealed that it was developing the next Tomb Raider game in its series that began with a reboot back in 2013. They did so during the State of Unreal 2022 presentation, revealing that this Tomb Raider sequel – the fourth in this rebooted series – will be built on Unreal Engine 5. Now, Crystal Dynamics has announced that Amazon Games will publish this sequel. 

"Amazon Games and Crystal Dynamics today announced they have reached an agreement under which Crystal Dynamics will develop a new multiplatform Tomb Raider title, with Amazon Games providing full support and publishing the game globally," a press release reads. "The as-yet-untitled new Tomb Raider is a single-player, narrative-driven adventure that continues Lara Croft's story in the Tomb Raider series.

Two months ago, Studio MDHR announced a physical retail edition of its smash hit Cuphead. The charming trailer features physical puppets of Cuphead and his friends out on the high seas, searching for sunken treasure. What they find is news of a physical and collector's edition of Cuphead. The cute trailer runs at just around a minute long, but the set and puppet designs are intricate, making you wonder just how much work went into creating the trailer.

Today, the studio released a behind-the-scenes look at how its retail partner iam8bit created the sets and puppets of that trailer. You can get a look at the team building and shooting it in the video below.

"A physical edition of Cuphead is something we've been excited about for a very long time," Studio MDHR director Maja Moldenhauer said in a press release. "A big part of the nostalgia that fueled the design of Cuphead centers around the wonderful, tactile experience of getting that game you love off the shelf, opening the case, and diving into a new challenge or grand adventure. There's nothing quite like it, and we couldn't be more thrilled with the teams at iam8bit and Skybound for helping us bring Cuphead into players' hands with the same meticulous care and craftsmanship that underpins how we made the game itself. In a year full of so much excitement here at Studio MDHR, I truly can't think of a better way to round things out than with this release."

A new PlayStation Blog post highlights six new PlayStation VR2 titles coming from various Japanese developers, including a sequel to the 2000 PlayStation 2 rhythm game, Fantavision. 

Other games announced include action game Altair Breaker, rhythm game Kizuna AI – Touch the Beat!, and more. We'll break down what PlayStation has to say about each of these six new titles below. 

Fantavision 202X

Fantavision is a puzzle-rhythm game released on the PS2 in 2000 and it's somewhat of a cult classic. The series has remained dormant since that original release, but developer Cosmo Machia Inc. is bringing it to this decade with a brand new sequel called Fantavision 202X. 

Resident Evil Village's VR mode will hit PlayStation VR2 the day it launches, February 22, and it will be available as free DLC to anyone who owns Village on PlayStation 5. Those who own the Gold Edition of Village will get it for free, as well. 

You will need, however, the $549.99 PSVR2 hardware in order to check out this new mode for Village, as its name suggests. The VR mode isn't just a slice of Village; you can play through the entire campaign in this new (probably horrifying) way. And you can do so the day you bring home your PSVR2 system. 

"A deeper and more captivating adventure awaits with PlayStation VR2, as Ethan Winters' journey takes full advantage of the headset's advanced features," a press release reads. "VR Mode utilizes the 4K HDR display, eye tracking, and 3D audio to make Resident Evil Village more realistic and intense than ever."

Capcom says the platform's PSVR2 Sense controllers will add even more immersion to the new mode. 

"These [controllers] represent Ethan's famously resilient hands and allow intuitive actions to be performed in-game," Capcom writes in a press release. "Players can hold up their arms to guard against enemies that get too close for comfort. Weapons all feel tangibly more realistic in VR Mode with new gameplay elements that dial up the immersion, such as dual wielding and natural motion controls for reloading firearms and brandishing knives." 

In a blog post, Epic has announced it is shutting down the servers and online services for many of its older titles beginning today. The reason is the company wants to, in its own words, “move to solely support Epic Online Services with its unified friends system, voice chat features, parental controls, and parental verification features.” 

Epic states that by January 24, the following titles no longer be playable online (albeit with some caveats, which are noted). Epic has also started removing these titles from digital storefronts and will disable DLC purchases. Most of these games can still be played offline if you own them. The list of affected games are:

Mega Man, Lan, and the whole NT crew are making their return via the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection on April 4.

The bundle includes remastered ports of the 10 Game Boy Advance titles divided from the first six entries, such as:

• Mega Man Battle Network
• Mega Man Battle Network 2
• Mega Man Battle Network 3 White
• Mega Man Battle Network 3 Blue
• Mega Man Battle Network 4 Red Sun
• Mega Man Battle Network 4 Blue Moon
• Mega Man Battle Network 5 Team Protoman
• Mega Man Battle Network 5 Team Colonel
• Mega Man Battle Network 6 Cybeast Gregar
• Mega Man Battle Network 6 Cybeast Falzar

You can play these games solo or challenge other players in online matches. Legacy Collection even tosses in previously exclusive Battle Chips, such as those offered at Japanese promotional events. The collection also includes an optional high-resolution filter for each title, and museum features include over 1,000 pieces of artwork and nearly 200 music tracks. 

As an added bonus, Capcom announced plans to stream Seasons 1 and 2 of Mega Man NT Warrior, the anime that the Battle Network series is based on, on its Twitch channel early next year. The episodes will also be available to watch for free on Capcom’s YouTube page. 

Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection will be available on PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC.

In this special travel vlog, Game Informer's Alex Van Aken and Brian Shea tour Super Nintendo World while visiting Osaka, Japan. The pair show off everything the park offers, including Peach's Castle, Bowser's Castle, Toad's Cafe, Yoshi's Adventure, and a final battle against Bowser Junior. Universal Studios' rendition of the Mushroom Kingdom is magical and easily the best theme park we've experienced.

Earlier this morning, Nintendo announced that the first Super Nintendo World U.S. location is opening in February 2023. 

If you enjoyed this video, watch our other travel vlogs, including our recent trips to the Persona 25th Anniversary Café in Los Angeles and the Pokémon World Championships in London. Special thanks to freelance video producers Nick Lawler and Shawn Thomas for editing this vlog. 

PlayStation revealed earlier this year that it was developing new TV shows based on Gran Turismo, Horizon, and God of War. At the time, PlayStation Productions said the Horizon series was happening at Netflix (read some details about that here) and the God of War series was being handled by Amazon. That was it, though. 

Now, we know a little bit more about this God of War series, courtesy of Amazon Prime Video, as reported by Deadline. Amazon Prime Video has officially given a series order to God of War and as the name suggests, it will be based on the hit PlayStation franchise (which just received a sequel last month). More specifically, it will take place during the Norse era of Kratos' adventures, seemingly bypassing his more gruesome and violent Greek history. God of War (2018) director Cory Barlog will executive produce Prime Video's series. 

Developer Avalanche Software and publisher Warner Bros. Games has released a new gameplay showcase to highlight three different aspects of its upcoming wizarding RPG: the open world, combat, and the famed castle's Room of Requirement. 

Hogwarts Legacy hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on February 10, with a recent delay pushing back the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions to April 4 and the Switch version to July 25. Perhaps as a way to soothe the news of yesterday's delay, or as a way to get players excited about February, four new looks at Hogwarts Legacy gameplay have been released, and you can watch all four below: 

Each of these aired during today's Hogwarts Legacy showcase. 

PlayStation has revealed the December 2022 PlayStation Plus game catalog lineup, and it's quite a collection of games, especially if you're a fan of the Yakuza series or the Far Cry franchise. 

This lineup hits PlayStation Plus alongside this month's three free PlayStation Plus titles – Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, Divine Knockout, and Biomutant – that you can download now. As for the PlayStation Plus, all Premium and Extra subscribers can download and play the following games starting December 20: 

The first Super Nintendo World in the US will finally open in February. 

More specifically, the opening day will be February 17, 2023. This news comes by way of a new trailer showcasing what to expect in the new park within Universal Studios Hollywood. There's a look at Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge, Yoshi's Adventure, the decor of the park, and of course, Mario and Luigi. It looks fantastic, as expected, given how great Super Nintendo World in Japan turned out to be (check out our photo slideshow from our recent visit to the park).

Check out Universal Studios Hollywood's video announcing the Super Nintendo World release date below: 

As you can see, the park is looking great. We can't wait to visit one day! Universal Studios Japan opened its Super Nintendo World last year and back in June, Universal revealed that Hollywood's Nintendo-themed land would be opening in "early 2023." Now we know the opening day is February 17, 2023, so get your travel dates in order if you plan on visiting this new park next year. 

Are you planning to visit Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood next year? Let us know in the comments below!

High on Life, a game where you use talking guns to stop humans from being sold as drugs, is the newest title from Squanch Games, a development studio founded by Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland, When I played their last game, Trover Saves the Universe, a few years ago, I was surprised by how naturally Roiland’s brand of improvised dialogue translated to video game form. Characters would ramble on as long as you stuck around to listen, and I would find myself standing in certain spots for upwards of five or six minutes, just listening to Roiland (who voiced many characters, Trover included) riff on one joke over and over again. While High on Life and Trover are two very different games, Roiland’s style of comedy is featured heavily in both. When I got a chance to talk to Roiland (and design director Erich Meyr), I was surprised to learn he originally wanted this game to have a different direction.

“I didn’t really want to do the main gun,” Roiland says. “I was trying to get out of it. But the team was like, ‘no, you have to do it.’”

Meyr interjects and echoes the team, “It’s kind of our signature at this point.”

Roiland ultimately agreed to it because the team pushed so hard. “I have to be wrong if everyone else is saying that,” he continues. “So I was like, alright, I'll do it. And I knew that it would be helpful from a production standpoint for me to do it.”

The Switch and last-gen versions of Hogwarts Legacy have been delayed. The game is still slated to release on February 10 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. However, everyone else will have to wait a few more months. 

The open-world Wizarding World adventure now has two additional release dates. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions launch on April 4. The Switch port comes a few months later, on July 25. Developer Avalanche says it decided to stagger the release to ensure the best possible experience on each platform. 

Hogwarts Legacy will launch on April 4, 2023 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and on July 25, 2023 for Nintendo Switch. The team is looking forward to bringing you the game and we want to deliver the best possible game experience across all platforms.

— Hogwarts Legacy (@HogwartsLegacy) December 13, 2022

Additionally, a game FAQ about the change in dates clarifies that the PS4/XB1 Deluxe Editions will not include the 72-hour early access that the current-gen and PC bundle is receiving.

Platinum Games vice president Hideki Kamiya doesn't see the Bayonetta series ever ending. 

He told IGN Japan this during a new interview, which touches on the creator's post-Bayonetta 3 thoughts, possible spin-off games, and a brand new game with the codename Project G.G. When asked if there's a chance players get a Bayonetta 4 or even a Bayonetta 5, Kamiya said he wants to make both of those games. 

"I personally can't conceive the Bayonetta series ever ending," Kamiya told IGN Japan. "I want to make a Bayonetta 4 and Bayonetta 5, and I intend on pitching them to the company."

Kamiya goes further, revealing that the team often talks "internally about how we could make nine of them." He also said he wants people to believe him when he says, "I'm not going to do anything that will betray the players." 

Reviewed on: Xbox Series X/S
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Criterion Games
Release: December 2, 2022
Rating: Teen

Since its inception nearly three decades ago, Need for Speed’s best entries have combined style and substance to produce thrilling homages to the street racing scene. Need for Speed Unbound feels like the ultimate realization of that philosophy, creating one of the franchise’s best in years.

Sliding into the driver seat of the nearly 150 cars in Need for Speed Unbound feels terrific. Blasting down a straightaway in a McLaren delivers a remarkable sense of speed but nailing a corner drift in a Mitsubishi feels just as good. Actions like drifting and drafting fill your boost gauge, creating a satisfying rhythm in the moment-to-moment racing as you flow from one move to the next.