January 2023

<p><img src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2023/01/23/0f5e1003/nba_all_world_key_art.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p>When Pokémon Go launched in 2016, it immediately became one of the biggest phenomenons in gaming history. Niantic, the studio behind the still-running Pokémon Go, has officially launched its latest project, NBA All-World. Much like Pokémon Go's core concept, NBA All-World lets you search your real-world location for some of the biggest names in the NBA in order to challenge them and recruit them to your team.&nbsp;</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" frameBorder="0" allow="autoplay" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://players.brightcove.net/694940074001/rydylbNsz_default/index.html?videoId=6319144141112"></iframe> <p>As players explore their surroundings with this free-to-play mobile title, they encounter various NBA players. In these moments, you can take them on in a variety of challenges with the goal of recruiting them to your team. Once these players are recruited to your team, you can level up their skills, deck them out in your favorite apparel and gear, and compete in hopes of becoming the ruler of your local courts. If you've already recruited a given player, you can earn Cred through the encounter. Players can acquire gear through in-game shops or search for real-world drops from iconic brands. As your team level rises, you can recruit stronger players.

<p><img src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2023/01/23/5de8b7da/ar20hh.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Supermassive Games Switchback VR PSVR2 delayed march release date" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p>The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR has been delayed.&nbsp;</p> <p>PlayStation revealed <a href="https://blog.playstation.com/2022/11/02/11-new-ps-vr2-games-announced-the-dark-pictures-switchback-vr-cities-vr-enhanced-edition-crossfire-sierra-squad-and-more/" target="_blank">11 new PlayStation VR2 games back in November</a>, including a new entry in Supermassive Games' The Dark Pictures anthology series&nbsp;called Switchback VR. Supermassive released Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, a PlayStation VR rail shooter, in 2016, and Switchback VR is&nbsp;its spiritual successor.&nbsp;When Switchback VR was revealed late last year, there wasn't an official release date attached to it – PlayStation just referred to it as a PSVR2 launch window title.&nbsp;</p> <p>Nonetheless, Supermassive Games will release Switchback VR later than expected, as it has been delayed to March 16. It's a short delay, given that PSVR2 launches on February 22, and any game in its launch window was likely due around then. As for why, Supermassive Games says it needs more time to polish the rail shooter.&nbsp;</p> <p>"Switchback VR is Supermassive Games' most ambitious VR project to date, taking players through 5 extensive worlds that branch through various terror filled rollercoaster routes based on the Dark Pictures franchise," a message from the Switchback VR team reads.

Life Is Strange 2 is coming to Switch in just a couple of weeks. 

The 2019 episodic adventure game will arrive in its entirety on February 2. The five-part saga sees brothers Sean and Daniel Diaz on the run from the law after the latter’s awakened supernatural power results in the loss of a loved one. 

This news also means the entire Life Is Strange franchise will be available on Switch. 2021’s True Colors arrived a few months after its launch, and Life Is Strange: Remastered Collection, which bundles the first title and the Before the Storm prequel, hit the hybrid console last September.

In our review, former editor Joe Juba scored Life Is Strange 2 an 8.5 out of 10, writing that "Life is Strange 2 has been quietly weaving a powerful and sincere narrative experience that admirably carries on the series’ legacy." What's your favorite Life Is Strange game? Let us know in the comments!

World War Z is no stranger to having lots and lots of zombies, but a new mode launching tomorrow somehow stuffs even more undead into the experience with Horde Mode XL. Horde Mode has existed in World War Z for some time, and tasks players with holding down a single location as waves of zombies invade. Horde Mode XL is functionally the same, but now boosts the number of on-screen enemies to 1,000, which is the most the game has ever managed to showcase at one time. You can check out a short gameplay clip of the new mode above, which skips the first few waves to jump right to the final XL horde.

Horde Mode XL is coming for free to World War Z tomorrow, January 24, only on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. You can read our review of World War Z right here.

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Platform: PlayStation 5, PC
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Release: January 24, 2023

Forspoken is a game about movement and running. Protagonist Frey begins the game running from the law and debt collectors. She's also in the middle of a plan to flee New York City with a gym bag full of cash. Amidst that chaos, she falls into the land of Athia and is eager to leave the new, mysterious world where she inexplicably has superhuman combat and running abilities. Getting from one place to another is Forspoken’s high point, and while no other element quite reaches the heights of how fun running and climbing are, Frey’s adventure isn’t without its highlights.

Despite rumors claiming otherwise, 343 Industries will continue to develop Halo games following Halo Infinite. 

Microsoft laid off 10,000 people last week amidst the company's ongoing $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The same day, Halo Infinite creative director Joseph Staten, who joined the studio in 2020 to help bring the game across the finish line, revealed that he was departing 343 Industries to rejoin Xbox Publishing. Some saw this as a final blow of sorts to Halo Infinite and 343 Industries, but there's no official indication that Halo Infinite's course is changing following these layoffs. 

Still, rumors on the back of a report claimed that 343 Industries would no longer be developing Halo games, as other developers would do that in the future, while the studio served more as an overseer to the franchise. However, 343 Industries studio head Pierre Hintze was quick to get ahead of this rumor and posted the following on Twitter over the weekend: 

WWE 2K23 has been unveiled, and for some strange reason, 2K decided the cover art will feature a blank picture instead of a wrestler. I kid, of course. This year’s cover superstar is the 16-time World Champion and master of implied invisibility, John Cena.

As for features, so far, the biggest new addition is WarGames match type (WWE's version). The dual-ring, double cage match can be played 3v3 or 4v4 single-player or online. 2K also teases a “unique new take” on the documentary style 2K Showcase mode, which of course, highlights Cena's career. MyGM returns in an expanded form, MyFaction is getting online multiplayer, and the story-driven MyRise, Universe, and Creation modes are back. For the Creation Suite, custom arenas are now playable online, and entrances have more customization options. Another railer, which will share more information and gameplay, will premiere during tonight's episode of Monday Night Raw.

As for the roster, here’s the short list of confirmed superstars thus far:

Since the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, players have asked for a Hardcore Mode, which was notably absent from the game at launch and still today. Developer Infinity Ward has revealed that Hardcore will hit the game during its upcoming Season 2, which begins next month. 

This news comes just a few days after Infinity Ward revealed some details about this forthcoming season, including the return of Resurgence in Warzone 2.0, Ranked Play, new multiplayer modes, maps, and weapons, and more. Other changes include making the gulag in Warzone 2.0 a 1v1 fight now, instead of 2v2 like it's been since launch, and loot from fallen enemies in Warzone 2.0 will now float on the floor, rather than remain inside a backpack. Many of these changes are welcome, but it's clear the return of Hardcore is the most exciting update coming to Season 2. 

No HUD? No problem. Hardcore is back!

Follow Season 02’s Multiplayer updates in our studio blog later this week.

The team at Crystal Dynamics has announced the end of development for its live-service Marvel's Avengers game. The news comes two and a half years after the game's fall 2020 launch. In that time, the Marvel's Avengers development team released 12 playable heroes (including the PlayStation-exclusive Spider-Man), a full expansion set in Wakanda, multiple character-focused Operations, and several smaller pieces of content. 

The 2.7 update, which arrived November 30, 2022, adding Winter Soldier and the Cloning Lab Omega-Level Threat, was the final new content for Marvel's Avengers. Crystal Dynamics has planned one final title update, version 2.8, to arrive on March 31, 2023. This update will not add any new content (including no additional cosmetics). Instead, it will deliver final balance updates and turn off the cosmetics marketplace.

Once this update arrives, credits will not be purchasable, and all remaining credits in players' accounts will be converted to in-game resources like units, fragments, upgrade modules, polychoron, and DNA keys. As a result of the marketplace's closure, all the game's marketplace, challenge card, and shipment cosmetic content will be made free to all players. This means all outfits, takedowns, emotes, and nameplates from those sources will be free for all players starting on March 31.

This week on All Things Nintendo, we give our final verdicts on several recent Switch titles, but the focus is this week's major release, Fire Emblem Engage. Wes joins Brian to deliver an update on his play session now that he's rolled credits, and Brian gives his final verdict on Sports Story. They also chat about the new Persona ports, Lil Gator Game, and get caught up on the news of the week.

If you'd like to follow Brian on social media, you can do so on his Instagram: @BrianPShea. You can follow Wesley on Twitter: @LeBlancWes.

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!

In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, host Alex Van Aken returns from a secret trip to Japan with Marcus Stewart. The pair chat with Kyle Hilliard about the first two episodes of HBO's The Last Of Us series and share their initial reactions to the show. Unfortunately, the video game industry was subject to massive layoffs this week, with reports of large companies like Microsoft, 343 Industries, and Bethesda reducing their workforce by over 10,000 employees. At the same time, on the media side, our talented peers at Giant Bomb, GameSpot, and Fandom were also affected. 

During The Playlist, the crew chats about recent games they've been playing, including Tchia, PlateUp!, Pentiment, and The Case Of The Golden Idol. 

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

A Ubisoft game known as Project Q leaked early last year before the Assassin's Creed maker revealed its existence, calling it a team-based battle arena combat game. 

Insider Gaming reported yesterday that Ubisoft had canceled Project Q and now, Ubisoft has confirmed that this is, in fact, true to Video Games Chronicle. 

"We can confirm we will no longer support the development of Project Q in order to focus on priority projects, to which our teams are being reallocated," Ubisoft told VGC. 

This cancelation comes after Ubisoft delayed Skull and Bones last week alongside news that it had canceled three unannounced games. It's currently unclear if Project Q was one of those three games canceled (while Project Q was technically announced, it was revealed as an in-the-works project rather than a game with a final title so perhaps Ubisoft considered it unannounced). 

For more, read about what Project Q was going to be here. 

The release of the musical rhythm game Hi-Fi Rush during the Xbox and Bethesda Developer Direct was certainly unexpected, especially since there was no news about its launch on any platform. And yet, the game’s development process was going on secretly for years, according to the game’s director John Johanas.

In an Xbox Plays livestream, Johanas and a popular Twitch gamer, TheMavShow, discussed the timeline of when the initial idea for Hi-Fi Rush began. At first, John was hesitant about pitching it because the team had previously worked on the petrifying horror series The Evil Within, and was already working on another scary game with Ghostwire: Tokyo. Despite this, Johanas still decided to toss out the idea back in 2017 since it was “one of those dream games” that he had, ultimately resulting in its release in 2023.

This provides an interesting fact for gamers to mull over: Although some believed that Hi-Fi Rush was created for the Game Pass, it would have actually been in development before the Microsoft acquisition took place.

Forspoken Review on PS5

Few games could hope to make a worse first impression than Forspoken. Heavy with corny dialogue and host to a series of lines that made the internet meme circuit prior to its launch, the game was infamous well before people even had a chance to get their hands on it. Once its demo was released, few were swayed from their opinions, with the dialogue still acting as the defining trait of the title.

All the same, I went into the game with an open mind, and I’m glad I did. While I can’t say it fully redeems itself, Forspoken ended up being a solid effort at establishing a new IP and shouldn’t be counted out for stumbling at the starting line.

Which is saying something, as it definitely does stumble. Following an isekai-esque storyline, the game sees Frey Holland transported from New York to the land of Athia after attempting to steal an enchanted cuff. She is then dragged into a conflict that has been tearing the land apart, with an otherworldly force known as “The Corruption,” twisting the people, animals, and terrain of the land into nightmarish, broken versions of themselves.

This is in some way linked to the former rulers of the land, called the Tantas. Each harbors otherworldly magical powers, and though they once used them for the good of the world, they now use them to satisfy their own desires.

Fortunately, Frey is in a position to stop them. Granted magical powers of her own, she has the tools necessary to stop these corrupted rulers, save this world, and figure out why she was brought to it in the first place.

The action rhythm game Hi-Fi Rush follows Chai, an aspiring rockstar with bionic limbs, as he defeats corporate enemies with his electric guitar. But who are the voice actors behind the characters of Hi-Fi Rush? Here is everything you need to know.